《Luné: of Prejudice and Persecution》 Chapter 1: Luné ??? ¡°Hmmmm¡­ Let us see. Passing through the veil of the worlds, we can see many. Which shall we watch for now? I do not know¡­ Perhaps before that I should check on my daughters¡¯ Avatar.¡± The darkness fades, revealing the stars and nebulae in the distance. Metal ships pass by, firing on one another. ¡°I see. I shall leave him be then. Let us see someone else.¡± The darkness envelopes once again, and soon fades, revealing a forest. The trees are shattered, and fallen. A black dragon stands in the middle of the new clearing, spraying a black fog at several jester-like combatants. ¡°Him too?¡± The darkness returns, and the voice continues on to his next destination. ¡°If it''s more than two, then there¡¯s nowhere that is not in conflict, knowing my luck. Oh wait! What about that new girl I made yesterday, and her world? Project Lun¨¦.¡± The world fades into view, and the Being shifts his form, knowing his next plan, and knowing this world can¡¯t have fallen into a chaotic brawl yet. He chose a form suitable for this world, a Human Knight, and with a snap, he had the memories of the man, and a plan. Suddenly stealing his place in a fraction of a millisecond, he found himself in a caravan, riding beside it. The banner of Human Royalty sitting proudly on the carriage beside him. Now I¡¯m getting somewhere, he thinks to himself. As they ride, a small town comes into view through the trees. He looks behind himself, and points to one of the Knights behind himself, and beckons him to exit formation and approach. As the Knight approaches, he speaks, ¡°Yes, Captain?¡± The Captain keeps a stern look, and points to the town, ¡°I need you going ahead. Search for the hero, before the caravan gets there properly.¡± The Knight nods, and continues onwards, speeding up a bit, doing as bid. Beside the Captain, a young man¡¯s voice is heard, ¡°Captain? Why did you send a Knight ahead?¡± The Captain looks at the carriage, seeing the face of Crown Prince Leonarde Whitewood, and he responds, ¡°To ensure that the villagers have less time to hide the hero, my Liege.¡± Prince Leonarde nods quietly, and then speaks, ¡°You assume that if this village, as it is the last in our route today, does not have the hero, then one of the other villages has hid the hero?¡± The Captain nods in response, getting Prince Leonarde to continue speaking, ¡°Good thinking. Hopefully they are not that foolish, though. As hiding the hero is treason.¡± The Captain smiles and nods, knowing he is supposed to be a ruthless and heartless bastard, ¡°We will see, my Liege. And if they have, I will not hesitate to burn the worthless town to ash. All you will have to do is say the word.¡± Leonarde shakes his head at that, ¡°None of that, Captain. Even if they do so, we should not punish them all. We have enough on our plates with that heroes only party being formed.¡± The Captain frowns at that, and looks ahead again, ¡°Damn Dragonkin, pushing us around like they own us.¡± Leonarde nods solemnly, and speaks, ¡°In due time, Captain. In due time we will rid ourselves of the other nations and their influence.¡± They continue riding, and soon find themselves entering the village. The lead Knights, as the caravan halts, step forward, and yell out, ¡°Hear us! Presenting Crown Prince Leonarde, of the regal Whitewoods! As is tradition, bring out the young who present possible signs of being the hero!¡± Children of all ages, aside from infants, are brought out and lined up. One is walking beside a horse, and the Knight who had run ahead. Her brown hair is terribly messed up, her clothes are rather clean, despite being a commoner in an outskirts village, and she has a burn scar on her right hand. ¡°We will now ask the children to step up, one at a time, to be examined by the Priestess!¡± The children begin moving, and as they finish lining up, the Captain opens the side of the carriage, allowing the Crown Prince and Priestess to exit. The Crown Prince holds out a hand for the Priestess to take, and assists her off the carriage. As she steps down, all in attendance can see the white robe she wears, and the white veil, hiding her face, but even then they can still feel the powerful aura emanating from her. Leonarde steps to the side, letting the Priestess walk to the children. The Captain, despite being a human now, could still hear her quiet voice, as she spoke to each child. ¡°I am Priestess Isabell Jordan.¡± The name brings a spark of joy and excitement to the younger children, and to the eldest of them all, it brings a sense of safety, and calm. The Hero of the previous generation is the role model many of their generation looks up to. However, excitement and joy fades away to disappointment, as they each are told they are not the hero of their generation. The Captain can hear her thoughts as well, as she thinks to herself, There are false flags among them, with dull golden eyes. Eventually as she nears the end of the line, the Knight approaches with the child, and he speaks, ¡°Priestess, I believe this child is the hero. She nearly was trampled by my horse as I entered town. Please check for injuries.¡± Isabell does, and tends to a scrape on the young woman¡¯s leg. She then looks her in the eye, and sees proper golden eyes, she smiles behind the veil, and speaks as she lifts her veil, so that their eyes can meet. The young woman, amazed by healing magic, looks up to thank her, but she freezes, staring at Isabell¡¯s golden eyes. Isabell stands slowly, holding a hand forward, as she says, ¡°Hello, young Hero.¡± The Captain smirks silently. If he had not done that, Lun¨¦ would have escaped her fate.
Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ sat quietly, as she felt the weight of the world on her. The Crown Prince sat across from her, and the Hero before her sat beside her. It had been a few hours since she was carted away. Her father and mother had made such a scene, that several of the Knights had to hold them back. Lun¨¦ was quietly sitting with her head down, partly in reverence, and partly in fear of insulting the two powerful individuals in the carriage. The Crown Prince speaks, ¡°Lun¨¦, you said your name was?¡± Lun¨¦ nods quickly, answering properly, ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± The Crown Prince asks a simple question of her, ¡°How old are you? You seem to be in your teens, or early twenties. So you could not have been born too long after our dear Priestess here did.¡± Lun¨¦ was quiet for a second, trying to remember, before saying, ¡°Sixteen, my lord.¡± The Crown Prince quietly pats her head, and speaks, ¡°No need to feel so pressured. You are a Hero, Lun¨¦. We will go to the palace, you will learn, and then you will be a beacon for our nation. I will do you no harm, and even if I were, I would certainly not in front of the Priestess.¡± Isabell speaks in response, ¡°My lord, do not joke about such a thing.¡± The Crown Prince raises his hands in defense, ¡°Sorry, sorry. I was just trying to raise the mood. Awfully dour here.¡± Lun¨¦ quietly sits, and waits for the time she will begin training. A few months pass, and Lun¨¦ is now bowing before the Crown Prince, who sighs, and speaks, ¡°You are completely useless, Lun¨¦.¡± She flinches at that, as he continues, ¡°You have no ability with weapons, you cannot use magic well, and your heroic ability is a party trick.¡± She felt miserable, and spoke, ¡°I will keep trying, my lord.¡± But she was shot down immediately, as the Crown Prince spoke with condemnation, ¡°No you will not. You are leaving in two days, when the hero party arrives. We have no more time.¡± Lun¨¦ quietly stays still, staring at the glove hiding her scar. The Crown Prince approaches, and Lun¨¦ dares not raise her head to look. He crouches, and with a solemn tone he says, ¡°Raise your head.¡± Lun¨¦ slowly does so, looking up at the Prince, whose face shows anger and sadness at the same time. He stares her in the eyes, and speaks, ¡°I do not wish to throw you to the wolves, but I cannot delay them any longer. Just survive, okay?¡± She is quiet, unsure about if she can even fulfill that request, as he stands and leaves. Lun¨¦ quietly starts to stand, after he exits, and feeling miserable, she returns to the training yard. She may have no aptitude for any weapons, but she doesn¡¯t care. She must train. She can¡¯t be weak. She is a hero. The two days pass like blurs. During all of them, Lun¨¦ is training. Using her ability to summon small food and drink from the ¡°Consumables Summons¡±. She resents her ability. Why could she not get something better? Why not something like the Priestess, who could heal any and all wounds? She raises the wooden sword, and strikes the straw dummy again with all the anger she has for this stupid ability called ¡°Carcere Fabricator¡±. As she smacks it again, she hears a voice behind herself. Rough and gravelly, she¡¯s heard this kind of voice before, it''s a Dwarf. She turns to see a group of individuals, each a different race. There was a Mountain Dwarf with an illustrious beard, a female Rock Gnome tinkering away at a small project, a female Moon Elf with a large bow slung over her shoulder, a male Beastkin with wolven traits, and a male Dragonkin with golden wings. The Dwarf spoke again, ¡°Lass, yer terrible with a sword. Quit tryin¡¯.¡± The Dragonkin spoke, ¡°What can you do, Human.¡± ¡°Uhm-uhh-¡± Lun¨¦, who was startled and unable to speak properly, is saved by a familiar voice, the voice of the Crown Prince. On hearing it, she turns and bows to him. ¡°Welcome, esteemed Heroes,¡± exclaimed the Crown Prince. ¡°We must begin walking if you wish to see everything before departi-¡± The Dragonkin, who had not taken his eyes off Lun¨¦, spoke, ¡°Quiet. Human, answer me.¡± Lun¨¦, startled again, turns back to the dangerous Dragonkin, and looks down quietly. The Rock Gnome scoffs at this, ¡°A useless member, great!¡± The Beastkin is next to speak, ¡°She can be useful in other ways.¡± He chuckles happily, only to get smacked hard by the Moon Elf. The Dragonkin approaches Lun¨¦, who takes a step back. The Crown Prince speaks, ¡°What are you doing? Stop right there.¡± The Dragonkin keeps taking steps, and speaks to Lun¨¦, ¡°Pick up a different weapon. A longsword is too heavy for your body, Human.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, a bit baffled that this powerful individual isn¡¯t hitting her or getting upset at her for not knowing how to fight. The Rock Gnome scoffs at this and walks off, followed by most of the party, aside from the Moon Elf and Dragonkin. He continues speaking, his voice cold and calm, ¡°What is your level?¡± Lun¨¦ stammers out the word ¡°six¡±, making the Dragonkin flinch. The Moon Elf looks on with pity for Lun¨¦, as the Dragonkin speaks, ¡°You have a long way to go. You are far too weak. Humans often reach their peak at level 75. Almost all other races are 150 or higher. Pick up that wooden dagger, and lunge at the target. Put your weight in it. This will help you in fights for now, until you become stronger.¡± Lun¨¦ quickly grabs the dagger, and speaks, stammering as she does, ¡°Y-yes sir.¡± The Dragonkin trained her until dusk, when he spoke, ¡°That is enough. We must get going, Human.¡± Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Uhm¡­ Sir?¡± ¡°What?¡± He seemed slightly annoyed at her stopping him as he had already started walking. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°I am the Templar, Proudmaul. The Elf is our Wayfarer, Lethhonel. The Dwarf is our Berserker, Jazak. The Gnome is our Mage, Thedlen. The Beastkin is our Cutpurse, Noalen.¡± Lun¨¦, feeling a bit comfortable at this point, follows Proudmaul and Lethhonel away from the training yard. Soon she is properly introduced to the party, and they begin their journey.
Leonarde Whitewood Leonarde stood quietly, watching out of the window. Worry filling his heart for the young woman he sees walking away from the castle. She may be a Hero, but she is not ready for the cruel world. He hears a familiar voice behind himself. ¡°My Lord, you summoned me?¡± Turning around he sees the sharply dressed Dark Elf he trusts with his safety. ¡°Quint. I need you to do something for me. Follow the Heroes, and protect Lun¨¦ when you have to.¡± Quint bows slightly, and smiles, ¡°Your wish is my command. I shall protect her as if she were you.¡± Quint then turns, and begins walking, leaving Leonarde alone in the room. He simply turns to look at the group, leaving the area. ¡°Please remain alive. We need proper Heroes.¡±
Lun¨¦ Alpenglow After a few weeks of travel, Lun¨¦ finds herself going through a dungeon with the other Heroes, who have grown to show some warmth at the very least. She smiles, having managed to climb her way to Level 12, with their assistance. She walks behind them most of the time, but she was ready to climb further in her level, and one day not be a burden. Entering the final room of the dungeon, Lun¨¦ is confused. Where a boss would usually stand, is nothing. Proudmaul steps forward, his shield battered and dented from the rest of the combat encounters. He scans the environment with his eyes, tense. Jazak speaks, ¡°There¡¯s no dungeon core, neith¡¯r.¡± The party tenses up a bit. This is very unusual. Most dungeons have a core in the last room, guarded by a boss monster. Lun¨¦ takes a few steps forward, through the group¡¯s line, and she begins looking around. A feeling of something being there, pulls her to the center of the room. Noalen speaks, ¡°Human, where the hell are you going? Get back behind us.¡± Lun¨¦ crouches in the center, beside Proudmaul, and she touches the floor. Brushing aside some dirt and dust, reveals a symbol. Proudmaul looks at what she¡¯s doing, and stares in silent calm. Lun¨¦ bushes away more dirt and dust, revealing the full symbol. A man, stalking a group of people. Proudmaul turns swiftly, staring at the party, and he scans the hall they exited, causing the entire group to turn and ready their weapons against the darkness behind them. After a tense few minutes, Lun¨¦ stands and speaks, ¡°I think the dungeon is just trying to scare us. Why don¡¯t we take a break and then get back to searching for its core?¡± She begins putting down her bag, ready to start setting up to help start a comfortable break in their adventure. The party all walk over, and as she is distracted, Proudmaul raises his shield, and slams it down on her back. Lun¨¦, hitting the floor, rolls, and starts backing away from them, terrified and scared now that she was suddenly attacked by her own ¡°friends¡±. Proudmaul speaks, ¡°You are right. It is just trying to scare us. But perhaps this is the best time to finally get rid of the Human Hero.¡± Lun¨¦, scared and worried, speaks in a shaky voice, ¡°Wh-what do you mean, Proudmaul. This is just some cruel joke right? R-Right?¡± Tears begin to well up, as Proudmaul raises his maul to slam down on her, and she realizes this is no joke, as she notices the cold indifferent glares of the rest, and the voice of Noalen speaks, ¡°No one will miss you, Lun¨¦. No one ever misses the weak humans. You¡¯re better off as slaves, and not trying to live as heroes. Ungrateful bitch.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Lun¨¦ closes her eyes as Proudmaul¡¯s maul falls towards her, but the hit never comes, as she hears instead an expletive from Proudmaul¡¯s mouth, a startled ¡°what¡± from Thedlen, a growl of anger from Noalen, and a startled yell of ¡°Dark Elf¡± from Lethhonel. Opening her eyes, she sees a well dressed Dark Elf standing with two daggers against the haft of the maul. A masquerade mask sits on his face, and the hanging cloth around the back of his legs whip from the speed of the movement he just did. He speaks in a playful tone, ¡°I apologize dear Heroes, even if you do not deserve such a title. I cannot allow you to harm this young Hero.¡± He pushes the maul up, and slashes at Proudmaul, who jumps back to dodge. The rest of the party are readying to fight the Dark Elf, who speaks again, ¡°My Lady, please take this.¡± He tosses a small white orb to her, which Thedlen yells out identifying, ¡°That¡¯s a random teleportation stone! Don¡¯t let her use it!¡± The Dark Elf speaks, as he knocks Lethhonel¡¯s arrow out of the air and dodges a tomahawk from Jazak, ¡°Shatter that stone, My Lady. I shall find you again some day down the line.¡± He tosses a dagger at Noalen, who is hit with it, and yells out in pain. Proudmaul raises his maul, causing golden shields to appear, circling each of his allies. Lun¨¦ slams the stone into the floor, breaking it, and the world around her begins to swirl. She sees the Elf pull out a potion and drink it, as a firebolt comes towards him. And with a smirk, the Elf bows under the bolt, towards her, as the world goes dark, and she feels a weightlessness take over. As the weightlessness fades, and she opens her eyes, she sees in front of her a dungeon core. It pulses rapidly, like a heartbeat. And as it beats, she realizes it beats just as her own does. Looking around, she realizes there are no monsters in this dark and dirty wooden room. She starts to slowly stand up, the tears on her cheeks drying as she gets closer to the beating heart of this dungeon. She raises a hand as she nears it, pulled towards it. Touching it, she feels immense pain course through her, making her crumble to the floor, screaming out in pain. As the pain subsides, she begins to slowly sit back up, and looks at the core. She could see it, pulsing calmly, and she felt a calmness over herself. The calmness one feels when in their home, and resting with no problems around them, nor anything to think about. She feels a soft pull towards touching the core again, and she does, feeling no pain this time. She looks at her gloved right hand, and pulls it off, feeling an impulse to do so, and she finds her burn scar, that had been there her whole life, was missing. She looks back up at the core, and thinks quietly to herself, Where have I been sent? She puts her hand on the core again, feeling a warmth enter her body from the contact point. The Core seems to be¡­ Trying to communicate? Is that what is making her feel these strange impulses? She pulls her hand away, and speaks, ¡°Open Dungeon Core Management.¡± Words come from her mouth, coming to her mind and being released without her input, and in response a screen appears in the air before her. Its edges lined in gold, and its words onyx on a pearl background. On the screen reads as such: Dungeon Core Management Welcome, Core Manager. This Dungeon is unnamed, do you wish to name it? You can always rename it, or delay naming it. Y/N She quietly stares at it, and then says, ¡°You wish to be named? Can this wait?¡± A pulse from the Core gives her a feeling that she is allowed to choose later, thus she presses the ¡°N¡±. The screen changes again: Dungeon Core Management Resources: 1x Oak Collection Point 1x Copper Collection Point Manage Resources Monsters: 1x Void Sprite Spawner Level 10 1x Spider Spawner Level 5 Manage Monsters Denizens: Lun¨¦ Alpenglow (You) ??? (Error) Manage Denizens Rooms: Dungeon Core Room Level 1 Barracks Level 1 Crafting Room (Under Construction) Manage Rooms Expeditions: Void Sprites x3 - 0:54 Spiders x3 - 0:54 Manage Expeditions Dungeon Mana Pool 24/200 Lun¨¦ stares quietly at the screen, her thoughts blazing a trail in her mind. Collection Points, she realizes, are the strange groupings of resources within a dungeon. Jazak carries a pickaxe so he can mine the ores the party finds. She notes that the Monsters are likely what appear in the dungeons to fight. She has never heard of a Void Sprite though. Denizens however, she has no clue about, but she gets the feeling that it means the people who live in the dungeon. Rooms are self explanatory, but she doesn¡¯t know what a dungeon would do with special rooms. She tilts her head at the Expeditions, but keeps her mouth shut for the moment, and then speaks as she reads the next line, ¡°You have a mana pool?¡± She feels a warmth from the Core, and watches as another screen pops up. Dungeon Mana
Mana Income Source Income
Legendary Ambient Mana 50 per Hour
Common Intruder:Flies 1 per Kill
Common Intruder:Rats 1 per Kill
Mana Expenditure Source Expenses
Void Sprite Upgrade x2 30+40=70
Crafting Room Construction 100
Expeditions x2 6
Lun¨¦ looks at the screen, then says, ¡°Okay, so there¡¯s a lot of Ambient Mana, and you suck it in to use?¡± A confirming warmth fills Lun¨¦, and then she speaks again, ¡°Intruder?¡± A small tug pulls at Lun¨¦¡¯s back, and she turns, looking at the dilapidated stairs heading up. Something to deal with later then, as she looks back at the screen and says, ¡°What about these expenditures? Why upgrade? Why make a room? Why expeditions?¡± There¡¯s silence from the Core. It can only talk through feelings, and it seems to be unsure how to explain in such a way. She sighs, and then says, ¡°Well, we can find that out later.¡± She stares at the Ambient Mana and she feels a pull to open her ability. However, this pull is not of the Core, but something older. Something that makes her shiver uncontrollably. She follows the pull, and opens the blue screen that shows herself, and as she watches it, her ability fades from view, and then is replaced by something else entirely. Instead of ¡°Carcere Fabricator¡±, she now has ¡°Carcere Fabricator (Complete)¡±. She stares at it, reading it aloud. ¡°¡®Allows the fabrication of random items from a specified grouping, by using the ambient mana or the dungeon¡¯s mana pool. Items can be converted into mana for the dungeon, at the expense of the item.¡¯ That is just my old ability with extra things it can do.¡± She frowns heavily, and then feels a warmth from the core, a happy feeling. Perhaps it isn¡¯t that bad, but she doesn¡¯t want to be consoled about such a useless skill. She shrugs off the Core¡¯s happiness, and stares for a few more seconds. The feeling comes back, this time pointed towards using the skill. She sighs, and does so, opening the menu of Carcere Fabricator, and she stares at the old and new options: Carcere Fabricator Activation Menu Ambient Mana: Legendary Dungeon Mana: 24/200 Personal Mana: 0/0 Equipment Summons *One Time Half-Cost* Sustenance Summons *One Time Half-Cost* Misc Summons *One Time Half-Cost* Summon Summons *New Bonus: Guaranteed Summons, Dungeon Core Room Bonus: Half-Cost* She stares silently at the ¡°Summon Summons¡± button, and decides to press it, then use Ambient Mana. In front of her a burst of light appears, just as it does for all other buttons, but this one was larger. The white light remained still as another blue window popped into her view, she read it: Guaranteed Summons Ambient Mana: Legendary Summons Cap: Legendary Choose a Summon below. Sebastia Rin Human/Swordmaster Female Level 100 Strength: 36 Dexterity: 31 Constitution: 16 Spirit: 21 Roger Beaumont Human/Elite Scout Male Level 100 Strength: 21 Dexterity: 51 Constitution: 16 Spirit: 11 Kaede Beastman:Nekomimi/Wizard Female Level 100 Strength: 11 Dexterity: 26 Constitution: 16 Spirit: 51 Lun¨¦ stared in utter shock. She had to choose one of these three? She had to choose between the peaks of normal people? She began to think, assuming the individual summoned will be her ally, If I choose the Swordmaster, she will be capable of protecting me from any threats. The Elite Scout cannot do that as easily, and would be more useful in expeditions and other things of the sort. The Wizard would be beneficial in the long run, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to teach me as well as the Swordmaster. Before she decides, she notices something. Each of the individuals are human, or close to human. Kaede, being a Beastman instead of Beastkin, is far closer to Human than beast. She stared at the buttons, having made her choice after that small realization, and then pressed one. The white light on the floor suddenly glowed a heavy cyan, illuminating the whole room, and overpowering the Core¡¯s ambient light. It became so bright that Lun¨¦ had to shield her eyes, hiding them from its radiance. As the light subsided, she removed her arms, and looked at the new summon. Who immediately took a knee, bowed her head, and spoke, ¡°I am Swordmaster Sebastia Rin, Martyr and Savior of the Sky. You who are now my Master, I pledge my sword to your defense, as I did the goddess Enna. If you demand me to give my life to your cause, I shall.¡± Chapter 2: Exploration Lune Alpenglow Lun¨¦ stood in shock. The knight bowing her head in reverence, was truly summoned by her ability. She felt warmth flood her from the Dungeon¡¯s Core. She looked at the Swordmaster, and spoke, ¡°Please don¡¯t bow to me. I¡¯m not that important.¡± Sebastia immediately hops up onto her feet, and points at Lun¨¦ accusatorially, ¡°Do not dare discount yourself, my Lady! You summoned me away from my eternal fight! Knowing the tower will never open again, I can serve you faithfully and with no hesitation, as my homeland is free of the war god¡¯s wrath, either way!¡± Startled by this sudden pointing and gesturing, Lun¨¦ shrinks a little away from Sebastia, who sees this and brings her hand back to herself. ¡°What I am saying, my Lady, is that you have freed me from my torment, even if it wasn¡¯t your intent.¡± Lun¨¦ stares silently, and with a small push from the Core flooding her with warmth again, she stutters, ¡°O-Okay.¡± Sebastia looks around at that, and then asks, ¡°My Lady? Where exactly are we? And what is this floating orb?¡± Lun¨¦ looks at the Core, and speaks, ¡°That¡¯s the uhm¡­ That¡¯s this dungeon¡¯s core.¡± She still feels awkward with Sebastia being summoned by her, and she is currently mulling over the implications of this, and the possibility that Carcere Fabricator is far more powerful than she ever gave it credit for. Sebastia stares at the core, silently, as Lun¨¦ decides to look at the management menu again, and she speaks, ¡°Dungeon Core Management¡±. The screen opens in front of her, as Sebastia turns to look at Lun¨¦ and starts walking over, to get a look as well. Dungeon Core Management Resources: 1x Oak Collection Point 1x Copper Collection Point Manage Resources Monsters: 1x Void Sprite Spawner Level 10 1x Spider Spawner Level 5 Manage Monsters Denizens: Lun¨¦ Alpenglow (You) ??? (Error) Sebastia Rin Manage Denizens Rooms: Dungeon Core Room Level 1 Barracks Level 1 Crafting Room (Under Construction) Manage Rooms Expeditions: Void Sprites x3 - 3:36 (Returning) Spiders x3 - 3:36 (Returning) Manage Expeditions Dungeon Mana Pool 27/200 Lun¨¦ notices that the error hasn¡¯t left the Denizens, despite Sebastia being added. She¡¯s about to press ¡°Manage Denizens¡±, when Sebastia speaks, ¡°Uhm¡­ My Lady? Can we perhaps not have spiders? They freak me out a bit.¡± Lun¨¦ instead presses the ¡°Manage Monsters¡± button, then she selects the Spider Spawner. A small bit of sadness can be felt from the core, as Lun¨¦ begins browsing what other monsters she can have instead. She selects the Wolf for 10 Mana, and a warning pops up. WARNING By proceeding, all Spiders on expedition will be lost, and become Masterless Monsters. All Spiders within Dungeon¡¯s Territory shall return to the spawner, and exit once they are Wolves. If the Spawner is damaged or attacked during conversion, it will be canceled, and the mana will be refunded. Do you wish to proceed? Y/N She presses the ¡°Y¡± not fully understanding everything, but knowing that fighting Masterless Monsters will be a good test of Sebastia¡¯s capabilities. Sebastia smiles, and begins speaking, ¡°Thank you, my Lady. I ha-¡± Her voice is cut off as both feel a sudden instinct telling them to prepare for a fight. Sebastia begins moving from Lun¨¦, heading up the stairs with extreme speed. Lun¨¦ on the other hand, has a pull towards the pulsing core, which beats more rapidly with each step she takes. Placing a hand on the core, her vision goes black, and she falls to the floor. As her vision returns, she can see, and feel the whole dungeon. She can see Sebastia throwing open the front door of the dilapidated home that is the dungeon. Outside of the house, she can see three balls of darkness floating away from three rather large spiders. The spiders are about the size of a foot. Why are those spiders so big!? As Lun¨¦ thinks this, she can see Sebastia turn her head to look behind herself in confusion, she then shakes her head in confusion, and draws her sword, waiting on the porch. Lun¨¦ starts to focus on the balls of darkness, and she can feel time slow, as a menu appears: Monster Menu Void Sprite Level 10 x3 Health: 6/10, 10/10, 8/10 Strength: 0 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 6 In Combat Current Orders: Retreat Speak to set new orders. ¡°Attack the enemy,¡± she says, unsure if this will work. Even with the slowed time scale, she can see the Sprites already launching small dark projectiles from their sides, and reversing in direction. They can completely invert their movement direction extremely rapidly. She then moves her focus to the Spiders, bringing up another menu: Monster Menu Masterless Spider Level 5 x3 Health: 10/10, 10/10, 10/10 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 2 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 1 In Combat Current Orders: Assaulting Dungeon These are the three spiders that were on expedition then? Maybe I should have kept them? No. I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep well. She then turns her focus to Sebastia, and a different menu pops up: Denizen Menu Sebastia Ria Female Human Swordmaster Level 100 Experience: 498/1088 Health: 160/160 Mana: 40/40 Strength: 36 Dexterity: 31 Constitution: 16 Spirit: 21 Armor: 15 Titles: Martyr of the East Tower Savior of Enna Evas, goddess of Weather Protector of Enna Evas, goddess of Weather Protector of Minun Irantus, goddess of Knowledge Protector of Zeke, god of Agriculture Hero of Grandia Knight of Grandia In Combat Casting Spell: Grandia¡¯s Banner Lun¨¦ focuses on the spell, wondering what it is, and yet another menu appears before her. Grandia¡¯s Banner Cast time: Instant Requirements: Knight of Grandia The caster summons the Nation of Grandia¡¯s Banner to their side, increasing the strength, dexterity, and spirit of all allies, within 50 feet of the banner, by 10. All allies within 50 feet of the banner, can no longer be inflicted with fear or otherwise be routed. This Banner can be destroyed. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Knights of Grandia! We fight today to protect our home! To protect our people! We fight beside our Adventurer¡¯s Guild brethren, to wipe this undead scourge off our lands! These damned Necromancers dare to march on us with our own dead!? We shall show them not to defile the bodies of our loved ones! See them exit the tree line! See them, and burn your anger into their soulless bones, so that our loved ones can know how angered we are to see them used like this! Free our people, and let them rest! CHARGE!!!¡± -Sebastia Ria, before the counter push against the Undead Siege of Grandia. Lun¨¦ stares silently at the spell, and it finally properly hits her, as a blazing light begins appearing at the side of Sebastia, that Sebastia is from a different world. Her ability takes people from other worlds and brings them here to be her servant. That is quite a lot of power, but right now, she must focus on the battle. As she stops focusing on each of the different combatants, time begins flowing properly again, causing the blazing light to properly form a banner with a lion roaring on it. The same blazing light appears on Sebastia¡¯s free hand, forming a kite shield with the same lion on it. She begins running forward, as the second volley is launched from the void sprites. Their first volley already hit the spiders, just before Grandia¡¯s Banner was in play. Raising her shield, Sebastia blocks two of the web balls that had been launched at one of the sprites. The final ball hit its sprite, but the sprite is undeterred, and then calm, as the volley lands with almost triple the power, vaporizing the spiders. Lun¨¦ feels something, and realizes she gained mana from that. Or, rather, the Dungeon gained mana from that. She smiles at her three sprites and Denizen, and then focuses on the sprites again, ordering them to continue as they were originally, causing them to start floating back to the house again. Sebastia relaxes her stance, and sheathes her sword, as the shield flares and fades, along with the banner. She begins walking back, as Lun¨¦ starts observing the area. They seem to be in a dense forest of some kind, though she cannot see past the borders of the dungeon. The house itself needs work done on it. It''s way too rundown to live in comfortably. She then looks around the house, finding the Oak Resource, and the Copper Resource. She finds where the crafting room is supposed to be, and can see webs haphazardly left on the ground, as if they were dragging things, and sprites floating about, working together to move things. She checks the next room, and finds beds of spider silk. She knows neither of the two will be sleeping there, even if it is the barracks. She looks around the rest of the house, finding plenty of room for more rooms, and what was probably once two personal bedrooms upstairs. She then hears a muffled voice, and looks back at the core room, which is in the basement. ¡°My Lady! We did it! We sto-¡± as Sebastia enters the room, and steps on the stairs, she sees Lun¨¦¡¯s collapsed form, and sprints down the stairs, yelling out, ¡°My Lady!¡± She crouches down beside Lun¨¦ and lifts her up slightly, ¡°My Lady!? Speak to me!¡± Lun¨¦ didn¡¯t really know how to go back to her body at the moment, so she tried something. Earlier, she had thought something to herself, and Sebastia had turned to look behind herself, perhaps Sebastia can hear her? She spoke, ¡°I¡¯m okay, Sebastia.¡± Sebastia jolts, and turns her head to look behind herself again, then looks down at Lun¨¦, ¡°Are you sure, my Lady? You seem to be unconscious, and are somehow speaking in my ear.¡± Lun¨¦ notices the core is missing now, and continues speaking, ¡°I am fine. I think I am the dungeon¡¯s core, right now. I can see everything going on, and order the monsters to do things. The Void Sprites are slow, but I could get them to come down to the core room, or I could have them go do something else. It looks like they are busy building though.¡± Sebastia nods slowly, and then says, ¡°My Lady, could you perhaps try to come back to your body?¡± Lun¨¦ starts to focus on her body, trying to force her way back in, only for another menu to pop up, causing Lun¨¦ to yell out, ¡°I hate all these menus!!!¡± Sebastia jolts, and doesn¡¯t ask about that outburst, as Lun¨¦ presses the button to re-enter her body. Lun¨¦ opens her eyes, as the Core exits out of her hand, leaving no visible mark. A feeling of warmth emanates from it, and she smiles. She then looks up at Sebastia, who smiles and pats her head, ¡°Welcome back, my Lady. It''s far less creepy this way.¡± Lun¨¦ starts sitting up, and puts a hand to her chin. Sebastia watches silently. Then Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Manage Expeditions.¡± A menu pops up in front of her, and Sebastia watches over her shoulder, reading along: Expeditions Menu Monster Expedition Denizen Expedition Lun¨¦ has an idea, and speaks, ¡°Explanation of Expeditions.¡± A small submenu appears, asking if she meant ¡°Help:Expeditions¡±, to which she responds with a confused ¡°Yes?¡± A new menu appears, explaining that expeditions cause the map available to a Dungeon Core to expand. If an expedition does not return, the map is not updated with the expedition¡¯s information. Explored areas cost less to expand to. Lun¨¦ lets out one word, ¡°Shit.¡± Sebastia looks at her, confused as to why she just cussed randomly. Lun¨¦ speaks, as she looks at the core, ¡°You were using the spiders to explore, and because I didn¡¯t allow them to return, we didn¡¯t get it, did we?¡± A small hint of sadness is felt through the bond, and Lun¨¦ sighs, knowing she fucked up when she swapped the spiders over. ¡°Expansion Menu,¡± she says, followed by, ¡°Map.¡± Both appear before her, but she looks at the map first. Like she thought, they are in the middle of a forest, based off of the squares of filled map around the dungeon¡¯s area, which is highlighted in blue. However, with the map, she can also see a bunch of letters marking where she can expand. She then looks at the Expansion Menu: Expansion Menu
Expansion Cost Expansion Cost
N1 (Explored) (Set North) 50 N2 (Explored) (Set North) 50
N3 (Explored) (Set North) 50 E1 (Explored) 50
S1 (Explored) (Set South) 50 S2 (Set South) 100
S3 (Set South) 100 W1 100
U1 (Explored) 100 D1 100
Glancing at the map, she doesn¡¯t see U1 or D1. ¡°Show Expansion U1,¡± she says, unsure it will even work. However, it does, and the map simply changes, going up a layer, which reveals U1 to be directly above the current dungeon area. She smiles, as she starts to figure out how this system works. ¡°Current Mana.¡± A new menu opens, revealing the Ambient Mana to have gone down, and the Dungeon¡¯s mana to have gone up to 41/200. She stares at the Ambient Mana, a bit upset to have decreased it by summoning Sebastia, but at least it did not go down to common, and is still rare. ¡°Close all but Expeditions Menu.¡± All menus close, leaving just the Expeditions Menu, and she presses the Denizen Expedition button, saying ¡°Help:Denizen Expedition.¡± A new menu opens, explaining the difference between Monster Expeditions and Denizen Expeditions. Aside from being able to trade with people, and hold conversations, Denizens can gather resources while away, and the dungeon gains mana equal to ten times the amount of areas they explore. She selects Sebastia for an expedition, and chooses to have her focus on exploration, and sets the amount of time she can be away for as two hours. She then looks at Sebastia, and says, ¡°Try to get to the edge of the forest.¡± She then presses the button. Sebastia starts getting up, ¡°Understood, my Lady. I shall be back when I am done.¡± A warning pops up in front of Lun¨¦, which states that Sebastia cannot be completely ordered. As Sebastia walks off, Lun¨¦ sits quietly, and she begins thinking on what else to do. She decides to put her hand on the core again, wanting to figure out how to join together at will, rather than whenever the dungeon could be in danger.
Sebastia Rin Sebastia was quietly walking north, determined to reach the end of the forest. She walks calmly and happily. On the lookout for any enemies, as usual. Back before she entered the tower, she had to walk through a swamp, marshland, and jungle, just to reach a town that was cut off from the world. There she fought the king of the Inner Sea; met Irae, the Silent Hero; protected Minun, and went home with a cracked sword, but a happy smile. She was in the middle of her musings, as she stumbled upon a small ruin. Searching around, she found nothing of note, aside from one skeleton with a journal and golden necklace. She crouches, and picks up the journal to read. It is the story of a small town, and a young man. The young man simply wished to live a peaceful life, but when a group of Dwarves found out about a gold deposit nearby, mercenaries attacked the village, and left none alive or remaining to tell the tale. Except him. He had hidden well, and when he came out, he found bodies, and missing bodies. Knowing they had been taken to be sold off into slavery, the man chose to give in to a simple life. Racked with guilt, he eventually came back, wrote his last entry, and killed himself. Sebastia frowns at the journal, then reaches and takes the necklace, "I hate doing this, but I have a feeling my Lady can use this somehow." She pockets the necklace, and takes the book with her, as she says, "I will be back to bury you properly." She continues on her way. As Sebastia walks, she notices something odd. The forest has gone silent. She lays a hand on the hilt of her sword, ready for anything. Continuing her walk, she eventually hears the sound of running. She stops walking, and watches the direction of the noise, and she realizes that there are voices as well. A deep growling voice can be heard in the distance, ¡°Find them! We cannot lose track of them!¡± Sebastia stands still, as a young man and young woman run into her sight. They are wearing rags, and have many bruises and cuts on them. They freeze on seeing her. Sebastia grows angered, as she is reminded of the many slave rings she busted in Grandia. As more running feet grow closer, the two start running to her, as she hasn¡¯t made a move. They try to pass her, only to feel her grab them, and bring them behind herself. The young woman punches Sebastia¡¯s armor, terrified that they miscalculated. The young man was simply trying to pull away, but stops as Sebastia speaks, ¡°Stay behind me, children, and do not run. My Lady shall keep you safe. As is the duty of Heroes.¡± She lets go, and steps forward, if the children were to run, she would be unable to stop them, but they remain at least, until the enemy shows their faces. Four Beastkin enter into sight, and one points at Sebastia, yelling out, ¡°Human! Where are those slaves!? You¡¯d better say, or we¡¯ll lock you up too!¡± Sebastia draws her sword, answering, ¡°And why would I do that? I did not know this land was as rife with debauchery and villainy as my homeland, but I shall not look away as I did when I was a young woman.¡± The Beastkin begin growling and approaching, starting to stalk towards the Human. Sebastia raises a hand, and casts a spell she knows will work well here. ¡°Enna¡¯s Step¡±, a spell taught to her by the goddess herself. It increases the speed at which an individual can move, by double, for 18 seconds. More than enough to remove these small fry. With the burst of speed, she closes the gap in a second, and with two rapid slashes, she cuts down the first. A number appears in front of her, popping out and away from the slashes, ¡°36¡± and ¡°36¡±. The first is red, and the second is black. The wolfman falls to the dirt, dead already. The three Beastkin are startled by the sudden attack, and turn to face her, slashing their weapons towards her. The closest two¡¯s swords hit her armor, glancing off. The third is moving his position, ready to attack. As Sebastia slashes the two attacking her, she sees two red ¡°36¡±s. The two attacking her begin to turn tail and run, terrified that they can¡¯t harm the human in front of them, and the third, clearly their leader, slashes at her again. His axe finds perch in a small chink in her armor, and she sees a red ¡°2¡± appear in the corner of her view. The axe is removed, to strike again, and she takes that opportunity to chase the runners, who she slashes again, dropping them both. She turns and faces the final Beastkin, who readies his axe. She speaks, ¡°Yield, and I may let you live.¡± He charges her, causing her to rush up to him, and slash twice, and with a flourish, she places a bolt of fire into his chest. Three red numbers pop up, ¡°36¡± ¡°36¡± and ¡°21¡±. The axe is thrown at Sebastia¡¯s head, and she ducks under, slashing up at the Beastkin twice, cutting into his flesh again. He slashes at her chest, and she jumps back, tossing another bolt of fire, making a red ¡°21¡± appear. He drops to his knee, huffing and puffing. Sebastia realizes this man is no longer able to fight, and begins sheathing her blade. She approaches, and stands in front of him, ¡°Do you yield?¡± He looks up and growls at her, holding the nastiest of his wounds. Sebastia speaks again, ¡°It would be wise of you to yield.¡± She raises a hand to the sky. The Beastkin speaks with vitriol, ¡°I will never yield to a filthy Human.¡± Sebastia frowns, and speaks with a cold and calm voice, ¡°Then perish.¡± She casts ¡°Smite¡±, and brings her hand down towards him. A blast of holy light comes through the trees, and crushes the Beastkin to the floor. A black ¡°84¡± appears from him, and she lets her hand hang. The two Humans tentatively step out into view from a bush. Sebastia looks at them, and smiles, happy they were not hurt, and had not run off. She speaks to them, in a warm and calm voice, ¡°Are you two alright, I was a little worried you had run off.¡± The young man speaks, as he stands in front of the young woman, ¡°What are you?¡± Sebastia does a small bow to the two, and says, ¡°I am Sebastia Rin, Martyr and Savior of the Skies. Loyal servant of my Lady, Lun¨¦. Allow us to tend to your wounds and keep you safe.¡± The young woman start to take a step, but the young man stops her, asking, ¡°How do we know you¡¯re not actually trying to sell us off into slavery too? It was Humans who did to us first.¡± Sebastia is silent, thinking, then she says, ¡°Well, if I were to, then I would not talk to you. I could easily grab you and lock you down, as my armor will protect me from your strikes. Likewise, if I chose to attack you, my blade would likely cleave you in two. I have no outward hostility to you, and I know my Lady will accept you without question.¡± She then pauses for a second, before continuing as she realizes she doesn¡¯t actually know what Lun¨¦ will say, ¡°I hope.¡± The young man relaxes a little, but as they begin following her, they keep their distance. The three begin to return to the dungeon.
Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ was quietly observing the happenings of the dungeon, when she felt a feeling of two sets of unfamiliar feet and a set of familiar feet. Shifting her attention, she looks at Sebastia and the two children with her. She focuses on the two kids, and gets a menu for them: Invader Menu 1 Koto Youngthorne Male Beastman:Kitsune Commoner Level 3 Health: 14/20 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 2 Spirit: 4 Currently: Following Denizen Sebastia Rin Illusion: Human Appearance 2 Miyoshi Youngthorne Female Beastman:Kitsune Commoner Level 1 Health: 8/10 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 3 Currently: Following Invader Koto Youngthorne Illusion: Human Appearance As Sebastia enters the Dungeon¡¯s house, a notification appears, and Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Lead the two Kitsunes to the crafting room. It just finished a few minutes ago, and has chairs for them to sit.¡± Sebastia speaks, ¡°As you command, my Lady.¡± Koto and Miyoshi look a little unnerved by that, and by the sprites floating about and ignoring them. But they are not running yet. Lun¨¦ smiles, and looks at that notification now. Expedition Results: Sebastia Rin Enemies Encountered Beastkin Brigand Level 23 (Killed) Beastkin Warrior Level 12 (Killed) Beastkin Warrior Level 18 (Killed) Beastkin Brigand Level 40 (Executed) 26 Mana Gained from Kills 40 Mana Gained from Executions Time Away: 1 hour, 49 minutes, 55 seconds Map Updated 100 Mana Gained from Explored Areas Excess Mana Released to Ambient Mana Resources Gained Gold Necklace Deceased Man¡¯s Book Lun¨¦ raises a metaphorical eyebrow at the resources, but she smiles happily from the excess mana. She chooses to hold off on expanding right now, and disconnects herself from the core. It was time to greet the guests. Chapter 3: Painful Pasts Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ enters the crafting room, and smiles at the two Beastmen sitting side by side in chairs. The one known as Miyoshi speaks in surprise, ¡°You¡¯re a Hero!¡± Koto is also surprised by Lun¨¦¡¯s golden eyes. The only person not following is Sebastia, who remains silent, as she looks around the crafting room. Lun¨¦ rubs the back of her head, as she says, ¡°I¡¯m not that interesting. I¡¯m still a commoner.¡± Koto speaks, relaxing a little, ¡°That explains why this dungeon isn¡¯t hostile.¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head, and waves her hands, ¡°I¡¯m not that special, I¡¯m just a normal girl. Seriously, look!¡± She displays her stats, and the two Beastmen stare in awe, much to the confusion of Lun¨¦. Sebastia wanders over, and looks as well, then says, ¡°My Lady, you may want to look at your Class again.¡± Lun¨¦ turns her stats to herself to read, a bit confused by the three, and she sees: Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Female Hero:Human/Dungeon Core Level 12 Experience: 12/15 Health: 40/40 Mana: 0/0 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 4 Spirit: 4 Armor: 6 (0) She stares at the screen blankly for a second, and then bellows out her confusion. Sebastia smiles and gives her a pat on the head, as if to say ¡°its alright, we all miss things sometimes.¡± Koto and Miyoshi watch in silence, waiting for Lun¨¦ to come back to reality, and soon enough, she does. Lun¨¦ looks at the two, and asks, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, where did you come from? I didn¡¯t really get told much about what happened, I just know four Beastkin are now dead.¡± The two look uncomfortable at that, and Lun¨¦ adds to her words, ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me. I just want to know, since you can stay here if you need to.¡± Miyoshi looks at Koto, then at Sebastia. Koto sighs, and then says, ¡°To repay your kindness, I will tell our story. After all, we all could be in the same boat, now that you have gone against that group.¡± Lun¨¦ takes a seat in front of the two, ready to listen. Sebastia just remains standing beside the three. And Koto begins telling their story.
Koto Youngthorne Koto began sitting up, stretching his back a little. He smiled at the sound of birds chirping outside, and enjoyed the warm sun entering through the window onto his face. After a minute, he stands up, and begins getting ready for the day. While he does, he hears a woman¡¯s yell from across the house, ¡°Koto! You will be late to training!¡± Koto called back to her, ¡°Sorry, Ma! I¡¯m hurrying!¡± He soon makes his way through the house, and stops by the kitchen, where the Kitsune is scrubbing dishes. He walks over to give her a hug, as she says, ¡°Before you run off, can you wake up your sister for me?¡± Koto nods in response, and heads off to his sister¡¯s room, there he opens the door slowly. Seeing the lump in her bed, he quietly stalks over, and raises his hands. Then he thrusts them down, suddenly tickling the lump, who wakes up with a jolt and begins laughing uncontrollably after a panicked yelp. While trying to escape, the blanket slips past her face, letting Koto grin mischievously at Miyoshi¡¯s face. Koto stops and begins chuckling, ¡°Up and at ¡®em, Miyoshi. I¡¯ll see you when I get home.¡± He pats her head as she pouts at him, then he exits the room, just barely hearing her say, ¡°Jerk.¡± Koto heads to the front door, and as he passes the kitchen, he says, ¡°I got her up! See you later, Ma!¡± Her response is rehearsed and rapid, yet still warm and loving, ¡°Stay safe out there!¡± Koto exits the house, and starts running, heading for his teacher¡¯s home. As he runs, he sees a group of Wolf Beastkin entering the village. He doesn¡¯t pay them any mind, and enters his teacher¡¯s home, and smiles happily as he closes the door. Taking off his shoes, he heads further in, and takes a seat where he normally does. Sitting quietly, he waits for his teacher to arrive, and soon the Nephilim enters, and takes a seat across from him. Smiling, the Nephilim speaks, ¡°You are not late for once. Did you skip breakfast today?¡± Koto rubs the back of his head, ¡°I know you say not to do that, Teacher Araqiel, but I can¡¯t help but run out of the house when I¡¯m excited.¡± Araqiel softly chuckles, and then says, ¡°You need to make sure you eat well, or your training will be for naught. Now, show me what you learned yesterday.¡± After a small demonstration of common spells, Koto looks to Araqiel, who nods approval. Araqiel then speaks, ¡°Well done. That¡¯s the very basics. Now, let''s see how your sword training is coming along. Pick up one of the training swords.¡± After a small demonstration of the basics, Araqiel smiles at his pupil, and speaks again, ¡°Great. You have more aptitude with spells, but being capable of defending yourself with a sword is very beneficial. Today I wi-¡± Outside of the house a scream can be heard. Araqiel walks quickly to an actual sword and takes it with him as he heads to the front door to see what is going on. Koto follows, just as curious, and worried. They exit the house, finding a Inuhito man on the ground, bleeding. His wife stands nearby, her hands over her mouth, tears in her eyes, and fear coursing through her veins. A Wolf Beastkin stands, a bloody scimitar in his hand, and a foot on the dying Inuhito, he yells out to the onlookers, ¡°Listen up! This is how it¡¯ll go! This town is owned by the Corsair Corps now! You will give up half your population to be slaves, and we¡¯ll let the rest live!¡± Araqiel steps further into the road, and he yells out as well, ¡°And who are you to demand such a thing!? You come into our village, harm our people, and you expect us to go quietly!?¡± The Beastkin laughs, and says, ¡°Looks like we have a wannabe hero! What the fuck do you think you can do, Human?¡± Araqiel speaks with cold indifference, ¡°You mistake me, brigand.¡± He draws his sword, prompting one of the archers, who Koto had not even noticed, to fire at him. Araqiel simply cuts the arrow in two. The Beastkin is startled by this, and yells out, ¡°Archers! Kill this fucker!¡± About six more arrows are shot at Araqiel, and he simply dodges each, or cuts them out of the air. Araqiel ignites his wings, revealing a blazing white holy wing, and a charred black demonic wing. One of the archers screams out, ¡°Shit! Nephilim! Run!¡± The Archers begin running, just as the Beastkin who had been taunting Araqiel begins sprinting off. Araqiel does not let him escape, however, and launches himself at the Beastkin, cutting through his legs, and standing above him as he falls, saying, ¡°This is the price for harming one of this village.¡± He then severs the cowardly wolf¡¯s head from his body. Araqiel goes to the dying Inuhito, and calls for a healer, but the village¡¯s doctor does not arrive in time to save his life. Araqiel, having put away his wings at this point, goes to the man¡¯s wife, and gives her the news, then he takes her to her home to mourn. Koto, knowing lessons will not continue for the day, returns home, and checks on his mom and sister. The three spend the rest of the day together, trying to forget what had happened. During the night, as Koto sleeps, he is rudely awakened by Miyoshi shaking him away in a panic. He jolts up as he hears the sounds of combat, the screams, and the wails of fear. As he starts getting up to follow Miyoshi out of the town, their mother runs into the room, and turns, holding herself in a defensive posture, as a Wolf Beastkin with golden eyes steps into the room. He smirks, and chuckles, saying to them, ¡°Really? You will defend them? Even to death?¡± Their mother growls at the Beastkin, causing him to scoff, and quickly slash his sword across her chest. Despite the yells of her two children, worried for her safety, she remains in a defensive position, even through the pain. The Beastkin laughs, ¡°Still standing? You must be at least level 4, and have only applied Constitution. Or you are far higher than I give you credit for. Though that doesn¡¯t matter. You clearly can¡¯t keep this up. So die.¡± He slashes her again, making her crumple. He ignores the screams of the children, and their attacks as he drags them away. He drags them into the street, and holds Miyoshi towards Araqiel, who is cutting down multiple Beastkin. He yells out, ¡°Nephilim! Surrender and the rest will be spared!¡± Koto screams out, ¡°Don¡¯t do it, Teache-¡± his voice is cut off, as the Beastkin squeezes his neck tightly, making Araqiel drop his sword. The Beastkin throws the two children to the side, towards some of his men, and begins walking towards Araqiel, who is beginning to be bound by yet more Beastkin. Soon the two children and the rest of the survivors were shackled and driven away from the village. But before they were taken away, they were forced to watch, as the Beastkin with golden eyes beheaded Araqiel in front of them all.
Lun¨¦ Alpenglow ¡°Dammit!!!¡± With a slam on the table, all in attendance are startled away from the tale, and look to Sebastia. ¡°Gods dammit!!! Why!? What the fuck is wrong with people!?¡± Genuine hatred and anger can be seen in Sebastia¡¯s eyes as she turns around, and she looks at Lun¨¦, and despite the suddenly calm and chilling voice she uses, Lun¨¦ can all too easily see her fury, ¡°Just say the fucking word, my Lady. I¡¯ll go decapitate all of those bastards.¡± Lun¨¦, trying to be the voice of reason, speaks to her in a calm voice, ¡°We don¡¯t have enough information. We can¡¯t just jump, without knowing where to jump.¡± Sebastia sighs at that, and simply starts to walk, ¡°I need to cool my head. Sorry for exploding like that.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent as she watches her walk off, and then she looks at Koto, and nods, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She must have some baggage surrounding slavery.¡± Koto nods slowly, a sad look on his face, ¡°It''s okay. I¡¯ll just continue the story.¡±
Koto Youngthorne A few months passed, and each of the survivors were sold off, mutilated, or worse. The few who weren¡¯t, were planned to be sold, like Miyoshi. Koto wasn¡¯t so lucky, as his tail had been removed, and his ears were nicked with blades. While they cried for days long gone, they were a few days away from the stop they had been mocked about. As one Beastkin had said, ¡°Say goodbye to your sister, because she¡¯s getting sold off to be the toy of some noble.¡± Koto wanted to rip that Beastkin¡¯s throat out, but he couldn¡¯t, even if he could get close enough. During the night, as the caravan camped, he laid beside Miyoshi, holding tightly to her, when he heard a noise nearby. A quiet voice whispers from the darkness, ¡°Get ready to run, kid.¡± He sits up a bit, looking at where the voice came from, as a man in a fancy getup and masquerade mask approaches from the brush, pulling out a set of tools. As the man nears, Koto realizes he¡¯s a Dark Elf, and is almost about to yell in panic, as the man grabs his mouth, and shakes his head, ¡°Quiet, you want free, I¡¯m passing by, you get freed. Got it?¡± Koto nodded quietly, and the man released his grip, using his tools to pick the lock on their shackles, freeing the two to run. The Elf smirks, and then says, ¡°Wake the girl. I¡¯m going to go make a big distraction.¡± He then began sneaking around the two, and off into the camp. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Koto immediately starts shaking Miyoshi awake, and quietly says, ¡°We need to run.¡± Miyoshi starts to get up, confused and dazed, but she follows Koto as he bolts for the darkness of the forest. As they run, they hear combat suddenly erupt at the campsite. Koto simply ran, not looking back. Eventually, the two got to rest, and would sleep properly for a few hours, until daybreak. As the sun rose, they continued leaving the area, trying to cover their tracks as well as possible. Soon enough, Koto and Miyoshi believed themselves to be safe, and stopped to rest, wondering how to survive in the wilderness, but that was when they heard the voices of some of the Beastkin. They began sprinting, and soon ran into Sebastia, who decimated the Beastkin, and they found their way to Lun¨¦. Koto finishes his story, and sees Lun¨¦ mulling it over. As Lun¨¦ thinks, he can hear Miyoshi¡¯s stomach rumble, which in turn causes a cascading effect in the room, making all three of their stomachs growl out for food. Lun¨¦ looks at the two, then smiles, at their embarrassed looks. Koto does not find his plight amusing however, but he hears Lun¨¦ speak, ¡°Carcere Fabricator.¡± She then presses an invisible button, and a white light appears before them. After a second, the light turns green, and a basket of bread appears. Miyoshi immediately can be seen doing a grabby motion with her hands, and her mouth hangs wide. Koto stares in silence, as Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Go ahead. It''s not poisoned. It''s my heroic ability. I can fabricate things from just the mana around me. It''s how I got Sebastia.¡± All Miyoshi needed to hear was to go ahead, and she¡¯s already to the races, uninterested in what Koto just heard. Koto grabs a loaf of bread as he speaks, ¡°How you got Sebastia?¡± Lun¨¦ nods, grabbing a loaf as well, ¡°Yes. When I became a dungeon core, my ability was upgraded, and I could summon a ¡®summon¡¯ as it''s called in the menu. Because of the ambient mana at the time being Legendary in quality, I was able to summon Sebastia, a Swordmaster.¡± Koto begins to think to himself as he eats, Sebastia is a Swordmaster? How did she use that complicated spell that called light down from the heavens? Lun¨¦ stands, and takes another loaf of bread, as she speaks, ¡°I need to get back to tending to the dungeon. Stay as long as you need.¡± Lun¨¦ walks off, and Koto sits quietly. He looks to his sister, and just leans against her. He hasn¡¯t felt this calm and safe since before this whole mess. Miyoshi happily starts to lean against him as well, and soon enough, the two fall asleep.
Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ walks to the porch, and exits the house. She hands a loaf of bread to Sebastia, who is leaning on the railings. Sebastia looks at the bread, and takes it, then says, ¡°My Lady. I truly, truly, wish I could just run off and kill those bastards without endangering your life.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles at Sebastia, and answers, ¡°We can get to that soon enough. Koto and Miyoshi are the ones who should be like that. They were actually wronged.¡± Sebastia looks at Lun¨¦, and frowns heavily, and speaks, ¡°Do not say that, my Lady. Slavery wrongs everyone. Not just those it actually affects. Somewhere down the line, a family has been separated, and a friend has been unable to save those that remain from taking their own lives.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, and then starts to feel uncomfortable. Sebastia continues, ¡°Do not say it. Because I know it affects more than just the people it happens to.¡± She looks back out at the forest, and Lun¨¦ walks back into the house, headed for the basement. Contrary to the dour mood, however, a wolf pokes its head out of one of the empty rooms. Lun¨¦ smiles sadly at it, knowing it is one of her monsters. Which means the spiders are now wolves. The wolf, sensing its master¡¯s sadness, wanders over, and Lun¨¦ watches as it presses against her slightly. Being up to her chest, she nearly topples over from the bump alone. Stabilizing herself, she pats the wolf, and starts walking to the dungeon core room. The wolf follows, and enters behind her. As she nears the core, the wolf lays down beside it and her. She places her hand on the core, and absorbs it, falling over again, and becoming the dungeon. As her vision returns, she can see the whole dungeon once again. The wolf has grabbed her by her shirt, and dragged her into a more comfortable position, and is now laying still, with her head on its body. She decides to focus on this wolf first: Monster Menu Eurasian Wolf Level 5 Health: 10/10 Strength: 2 Dexterity: 2 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 1 Current Orders: None Currently Feeling: Protective Speak to set new orders. Lun¨¦ watches the wolf quietly, not wanting to set orders by accident. She then stops focusing on the wolf, and looks at the spawners. Finding the wolves trying out their new feet, she decides to first focus on the Wolf Spawner: Spawner Menu Wolf Spawner Level 5 Cost to Level: 15 Mana Cost to Upgrade Monster: 15 Mana Level Monsters Upgrade Monsters Update Monsters (5 Unallocated Points) She looks at the Update Monsters button, and mentally presses it: Wolf Monsters Subspecies: Eurasian Wolf Level: 5 Armor: 0 Dodge: 0 Health Maximum: 10 Mana Maximum: 0 Strength: 2 Dexterity: 2 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 1 Unallocated Points: 5 Upgrade Tree She decides to mentally press the Upgrade Tree button, which reveals the many paths the Wolves can take, and a warning to her that says ¡°If you choose an upgrade path, the Monster will no longer be capable of being changed.¡± She quietly reads through the tree, seeing a few things that interest her. For example, the ¡°Dire Wolf¡± upgrade, which seems to be the ultimate basic wolf. The ¡°Arcane Hound¡± upgrade seems to be the best along a magical tree. And finally, there¡¯s a hybrid between the two, ¡°Shift Dog¡±. She focuses on that for a second, and sees: Shift Dog Species: Wolf Rarity: Mythos Armor: 5 Dodge: 2 Health Maximum: 80 Mana Maximum: 10 Strength: 10 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 8 Spirit: 5 Ability:Pack Hunter, When fighting alongside allies, user has a doubled chance to hit. Ability:Shift, User is turned incorporeal and invisible for a short amount of time. Ability:Ambush Hunter, User may turn invisible for an extended period of time, but cannot attack until out of invisibility. Lun¨¦ silently reads, and smiles. She then looks at the other two. Noting that Shift Dog is not a middle ground, rather, it is a third option. A stealth focused option. The Dire Wolf is the Wolf equivalent of a Swordmaster. The Arcane Hound is the Wolf Wizard. And the Shift Dog is the Wolf Recon. Which means a normal Wolf, is simply a Commoner or Noble. She returns to the normal Wolves for now, and allocates their remaining points: Wolf Monsters Subspecies: Eurasian Wolf Level: 5 Armor: 0 Dodge: 0 Health Maximum: 30 Mana Maximum: 0 Strength: 4 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 3 Spirit: 1 Unallocated Points: 0 Upgrade Tree For now, she just needs loyal protectors. She glances at the wolves around the spawner, and sees that the points have already been added to them. Each looks healthier, and seems stronger. At least partly. The smaller ones still look a bit frail, but not as much as a normal Human does. She smiles, as many of the Wolves begin wagging their tails happily. She focuses on a few, and sees that they all seem to be feeling excited, happy, or confident. She giggles to herself at their happy movements, which gets their attention, but they quickly return to their normals, and begin wandering about. Not having anything to do at the moment. She takes a look at the Void Sprites immediately begins trying to change them to something else, only to get a notification: Attention! Void Sprites cannot be changed, as they are a gift from (Error). This confuses her, but she decides to just focus on their spawner, and do the same: Sprite Monsters Subspecies: (Error, Unknown Species) Level: 10 Armor: 0 Dodge: 0 Health Maximum: 10 Mana Maximum: 10 Strength: 0 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 6 Unallocated Points: 6 Upgrade Tree She presses the upgrade tree again, and sees quite the unnerving sight: Greetings, Lun¨¦ I am Chaos, of Probability You may be wondering why I have given you something interesting That is due to you being rather interesting for a Human With introductions out of the way, you will find no upgrades for these Sprites They are a special creature Give them mana over time, and level them, then one day they will become more But do not fear them They will mean you no harm, as they are yours to command But do not let them control you either, or you will destroy the world I look forward to your growth, ¡°Heroine¡± She closes that with a shiver down her metaphorical spine. She then simply pretends to have not seen that, as she allocates the points: Sprite Monsters Subspecies: (Error, Unknown Species) Level: 10 Armor: 0 Dodge: 1 Health Maximum: 10 Mana Maximum: 20 Strength: 0 Dexterity: 5 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 10 Unallocated Points: 0 Upgrade Tree She needs a backline, whether these things are creepy or not doesn¡¯t matter. If her wolves are taking the frontline, she needs something to support them from the back, with a shiver she returns to the core room, and focuses on her wolf companion, and she decides to try to name the wolf. She focuses on the wolf, and its menu appears. She then focuses on the ¡°Eurasian Wolf¡± part at the top, and she then says, ¡°Cloud¡±. As she says it, the name changes, and even the whole screen: Boss Monster Cloud Female Wolf:Eurasian Wolf (Undecided Class) Level 5 Experience: 0/15 Armor: 0 Dodge: 0 Health: 30/30 Mana: 0/0 Strength: 4 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 3 Spirit: 1 Current Orders: None Currently Feeling: Alert, Grateful, Honored Speak to set new orders. She stares quietly, and realizes, that she just made the Boss that tends to be at the end of a dungeon. Chapter 4: Upkeep Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦, not really knowing what to do now that she has accidentally created a Boss Monster, decides to just press the buttons on the screen, starting with the ¡°(Undecided Class)¡±. Another Menu appears, allowing Lun¨¦ to see where Cloud could go in her development. The first thing she notices is that Monsters might gain points in stats thanks to classes as well. Which would mean, if specialized correctly, Cloud could theoretically be more dangerous than even Sebastia. Class Selection Cloud Female Wolf:Eurasian Wolf Armor: 0 Strength: 4 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 3 Spirit: 1 Class Option 1 (Locked) Guard Armor: +4 Strength: -1 Dexterity: -1 Constitution: +1 Spirit: +0 Class Upgrades: Shield, Watcher Class Option 2 (Locked) Pack Leader Armor: +2 Strength: +0 Dexterity: +0 Constitution: +0 Spirit: +0 Class Upgrades: Leader, Commander Class Option 3 Infected Armor: +2 Strength: +1 Dexterity: +1 Constitution: -2 Spirit: +0 Class Upgrades: Contaminator, Lycan Allow Boss Monster¡¯s Decision Despite how much she would like a Lycanthrope to be her Boss Monster, she cannot discount Cloud¡¯s feelings. After all, she did come up to her to comfort her. She presses the button, and watches, as nothing happens. She watches as Cloud raises her head, and stares at the screen in front of her. Then it just closes, and she turns her head giving Lun¨¦ a lick on the side of her head. Though slightly disappointed that Cloud didn¡¯t make the choice, she knows now that Cloud is leaning more towards the other two options. She then decides to check the conditions to unlock the other options. For Guard, Cloud must simply save the lives of at least five separate denizens or dungeon monsters. For Pack Leader, she must lead a pack of three wolves, excluding herself, to victory, once. Simple conditions. For now, she will return to the Dungeon Core Management menu, now that she has the mana to be a little excessive, she wants to look through what she can fully do. However, on opening it, she notices something within the Denizens: Dungeon Core Management Resources: 1x Oak Collection Point 1x Copper Collection Point Manage Resources Monsters: 1x Void Sprite Spawner Level 10 1x Wolf Spawner Level 5 Manage Monsters Denizens: Lun¨¦ Alpenglow (You) Chaos, of Probability (Error) Sebastia Rin Koto Youngthorne Miyoshi Youngthorne Manage Denizens Rooms: Dungeon Core Room Level 1 Barracks Level 1 Crafting Room Level 1 Manage Rooms Expeditions: No Expeditions Currently Away Manage Expeditions Dungeon Mana Pool 200/200 It seems she cannot hide from that weirdness. At least, not right now. She taps the Manage Rooms button: Rooms Menu To proceed in creating a room, please designate an area. Lun¨¦ begins to focus on one of the empty rooms on the second floor. It has a hole down to the Crafting Room. Lun¨¦ sees the Rooms Menu update: Rooms Menu Rooms Created: Barracks Crafting Room Rooms Available to Dungeon: Smithy (Unavailable in Location) Sawmill Foresters Post (Unavailable in Location) Miners¡¯ Guild Denizen Room Wolves Den Voidic Oracle¡¯s Room (Error Unknown Interference) Previously Available to Dungeon: Textile Mill (Requires Cotton, or Spiders or other Cotton substitute) Spider Nest (Requires Spiders) She thinks for a bit, then glances at her Denizens. Koto and Miyoshi are sleeping side by side. They deserve a better place to rest their heads instead of just chairs or the barracks. She selects the Barracks, wanting to see what she can do with it, especially to see if she can change it to a Denizen Room for the two. Barracks Level 1 Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Upgrade for 50 Mana, 10 Wood or 1 Bed Frame, and 5 Textile or 1 Bedding DowngradeDismantle, regain 12 Mana, 1 Bed Frame, 1 Spider Bedding Convert She smiles happily, and presses the Convert button, and watches as a warning pops up: Barracks Conversion Warning! Proceeding will consume less resources and take less time, however, any Denizens or Monsters currently occupying or working this room may be angered. If there is a Room Specific Monster, it will become Masterless. Are you sure you wish to proceed? Y/N Knowing there is no one occupying or working the room, she presses yes, and begins to think a small bit on Room Specific Monsters. If a room can have a specific monster, does that monster do a specific job within the dungeon? She will have to find out soon enough, right now, however, she needs to focus on getting the siblings their room. Barracks Conversion Rooms Available to Dungeon: Smithy (Unavailable in Location) Sawmill Foresters Post (Unavailable in Location) Miners¡¯ Guild Denizen Room Wolves Den Voidic Oracle¡¯s Room (Error Unknown Interference) Pressing the Denizen Room, the screen changes: Barracks Conversion Convert to Denizen Room This will cost half the normal mana cost of a Denizen Room, but full cost of resources. Mana Cost: 50 Resource Needs: Filled Proceed She presses the proceed button, and watches as several wolves stop their play fights, and head off with some Void Sprites. They reach the Barracks and begin pushing things around, and gathering a few other things. One wolf exits and returns with a big stick, followed by a few others. They head upstairs, and begin filling in some small holes in the roof with the sticks. A good solution for now, but one they will need to fix later. She looks over to Cloud, as the Wolves proceed, and Cloud becomes alert, on feeling her gaze drift over. Cloud looks at Lun¨¦¡¯s lifeless body, as Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Cloud, can you keep an eye on the conversion? Once it''s done, can you move the siblings to the room?¡± Cloud huffs a small sigh, but starts getting up, trying her best to not let Lun¨¦¡¯s head hit the stone floor too hard. Then she heads up to supervise. Lun¨¦ smiles, and gets back to figuring things out. She looks around, and then realizes that she and Sebastia have no place to sleep. Sebastia should be fine, she seems like she knows how to live in rough conditions, and Lun¨¦ only found out about true comfort while living at the Crown Prince¡¯s Castle. She quietly remembers the Crown Prince, and the kindness he showed her. She grows a small bitter anger towards him, for sending her with those betrayers. She then pushes those thoughts to the side, survival is more important than thinking petty thoughts. She speaks to Sebastia, ¡°Sebastia?¡± Though still leaning on the railings, and watching the world silently, she speaks up, ¡°What can I do for you, my Lady?¡± Lun¨¦ explains a simple idea she wants to try, causing Sebastia to raise an eyebrow. Standing up straight, and stretching lightly, Sebastia nods as she says, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll go try.¡± She starts walking around the house, and to the back, where the small grouping of Oaks and Copper is. ¡°I¡¯m not too proficient with axes, but I¡¯ve got a spell for axes anyway.¡± She extends an arm, and a blaze of golden light appears, revealing a golden spectral axe. Sebastia steps up to one of the Oak trees, and raises the axe to the side, and swings as hard as she can. Both Sebastia and Lun¨¦ see a red ¡°57¡± appear. Lun¨¦ grins like a madwoman, and speaks, ¡°It works! Keep going!¡± Sebastia shrugs, and goes again, chopping away again, getting a yellow ¡°171¡±, which turns black, as the tree topples. Sebastia looks at the tree falling, clearly a bit surprised she can cut down a tree that easily with just a spell. Lun¨¦ speaks to herself, though Sebastia can hear her voice, ¡°So an Oak has around 100 to 200 health. That would take a while to cut down with the Wolves, but the Sprites might be faster, since they have 10 Spirit. Lets see here, you said that was a spell, right?¡± Sebastia nods, and then asks a question, ¡°A tree has health? That is extremely odd.¡± Lun¨¦ looks confused by that, ¡°That¡¯s not odd at all. Everything has health. From the smallest bug to the largest giant.¡± Sebastia continues, ¡°Either way, yes. It is a spell.¡± Lun¨¦ begins thinking to herself again, ¡°Sebastia¡¯s Strength is 36, and her Spirit is 21, so that makes 57. If we assume it only takes two hits, then the tree should go down in 114 damage. Sebastia?¡± Sebastia just speaks, already walking to another tree, ¡°I¡¯ll hit another tree.¡± She hits a tree twice, getting a red ¡°57¡± and a black ¡°57¡±. Lun¨¦ grins, and speaks, ¡°Okay, so an oak tree has 58 to 114 health. Lets try with a Sprite.¡± She gives the order to a Void Sprite, and it slowly floats over, as the felled trees disappear into nothingness, and the tree stumps begin to slowly regrow into trees. Eventually, the Void Sprite arrives, and begins attacking the last tree, getting two yellow ¡°30¡±s in a row, followed by four red ¡°10¡±s, until the tree is felled. Lun¨¦ smiles happily, and shares the findings with Sebastia, ¡°The total health is about 100.¡± Sebastia slowly nods, ¡°Okay, I only saw six hits, so I¡¯m assuming some yellows popped up?¡± Lun¨¦ is a little confused by Sebastia not understanding this. ¡°Yes. The sprite got two critical hits.¡± Sebastia just looks more confused, and Lun¨¦ continues, ¡°How do you not know this? This is basic stuff for any adventurer or manual laborer. Red numbers are normal damage, based off your strength and equipment. Yellow numbers are critical hits, which triple the damage you normally would do. Black numbers are death blows. Finally, blue numbers mean the damage was totally blocked.¡± Sebastia slowly nods, getting it now, ¡°What if I deal damage, but still get through the armor?¡± Lun¨¦ answers quickly, knowing that answer as its really simple, ¡°It will show the amount of damage that got through and the specific type. For example, you can still critically hit, but only get 1 damage through, because the defense of the person is only one below your damage output. The number would show up yellow in that case. If it were to be normal damage, it would just be a red 1.¡± Sebastia seems to understand now, as she lets the spell fizzle out, and says, ¡°Well, what next, my Lady? Need me to do anything specific?¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her metaphorical head, ¡°No, but if you want, you can help Cloud move the siblings to their new room.¡± Sebastia turns her head slightly in confusion, ¡°Cloud?¡± Lun¨¦ smiles, ¡°She¡¯s the new Boss Monster for the Wolves. She is currently in the former Barracks.¡± Sebastia starts walking, as Lun¨¦ decides to focus on other things, such as expansions! Perhaps with an expansion she will get more resources. She opens the expansion menu and decides on N1, to get a bit more forewarning about anyone in the direction of those slavers that the siblings had run from. As she presses it, and confirms the expansion, she sees the blurred area become clear. It''s only a forest, but she can already see the many birds hanging out in the trees. She focuses on one, and sees: Invader Menu Corsican Finch Level 1 Dodge: 1 Health: 10/10 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 5 Constitution:1 Spirit: 1 Currently Feeling: Worried by Dungeon Expansion Currently: Guarding Eggs Lun¨¦ is a bit sad that she is worrying the local birds, but at least they are not trying to kill her. She looks around a bit more, finding another Oak Collection Point with three more trees, and another ore, which she doesn¡¯t recognize. After focusing on it, she finds that it is tin. She then keeps looking around, and spots a new spawner, this one gives her Bears. She can already see one appearing from the spawner. She smiles, and gives this Bear the order to gather wood from the oaks. Bears have to be strong, right? She then looks at the stats: Monster Menu Bear Level 1 Health: 30/30 Strength: 2 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 3 Spirit: 1 Current Orders: Gathering from Oak Collection Points Currently Feeling: Purposeful Speak to set new orders. She stares in utter shock, as her world is flipped upside down. She decides to just upgrade the Bears next, but first, she needs to finish looking around, and it''s a good thing she did, as she barely caught movement out of the corner of her sight, and looking at it, she sees just a plant, but after a second, a screen pops up: Monster Menu Sproutling Level 1 Health: 10/10 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 2 Current Orders: None Currently Feeling: Ready to Burn Itself Speak to set new orders. On seeing that one of her new monsters already wants to kill itself, she decides to give it orders before it can try to find a way to. She¡¯d rather her little arsonist not catch fire just yet. She begins looking around for things the Sproutling can do, and she soon figures it out, and returns, taking a few seconds to find the ambush predator. She tells it to go gather tin and copper ores, it stops being an ambush predator, and starts shuffling along on the ground. Using its longer blades of grass and bush-limbs to crawl away slowly. As it goes, she smiles, then notices a lot more movement, as the spawner has already spit out its maximum of Sproutlings, who all begin shuffling after the first one. She checks their orders, and sees none, so she decides to have them set up as traps around the dungeon. She¡¯ll have to tell the others where they are. They won¡¯t attack, but she¡¯d rather the poor things not have to be stepped on at any point, if one already wanting death is anything to go by. She then opens the menu for both Bears and Sproutlings, and finds the leveling button. She then allocates the Bears¡¯ 4 points to Strength, giving them 6 Strength. She then looks at the Sproutlings, and chooses one of the trap Sproutlings, and requests it to show what it can do. The Sproutling slaps the ground a few times with long grassy tendrils that had been hidden inside its body. Then it slaps a Sproutling beside it, and places a tendril on it. She examines the injured Sproutling, and sees its health go up from 7 to 8, then 8 to 9 and 9 to 10. With the demonstration over, the two slowly move to their positions, and Lun¨¦ ponders how she should allocate the points. That one arson-inclined Sproutling will have its work cut out for it, but the healing would be very beneficial. Especially if it can only heal 1 because it has no mana. She decides to make them just efficient traps and miners. Thus, like the Bears, all of their points go into Strength, bringing them up to 7. She finally glances back at her Denizens, and sees that the two Kitsune are now laying on that creepy spider bed, with Cloud laying down beside Lun¨¦ and moving her back to how she was before Lun¨¦ ordered Cloud to tend to the siblings. Sebastia is wandering around, with no end in sight to her wander. Lun¨¦ decides it''s time to spread her legs, and she starts to return to her body, and then she sits up, as she feels her shirt being tugged at by Cloud. Cloud simply huffs at her getting up, and lays her head down, side-eyeing Lun¨¦ in the process. Lun¨¦ smiles at Cloud, and speaks, ¡°Cloud, we¡¯re both low level, so I think we should get Sebastia to help us level up.¡± Cloud looks at Lun¨¦ and stares quietly. As Lun¨¦ stares back, she slowly starts to feel a small push of emotion from Cloud, mostly worry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cloud. Sebastia¡¯s strong. We¡¯ll be safe.¡± She smiles happily, and starts to get up. With another huff of disapproval, Cloud begins to stand as well. The two walk upstairs, and out of the house, heading out into the new expansion. They can see Sebastia ahead of them, watching one of the Sproutlings plant itself into the ground, and camouflage itself with nearby foliage. As the two approach her, Sebastia turns to look at them. Lun¨¦ speaks, to break the silence before getting to Sebastia, ¡°Sebastia, let''s go hunt something. Cloud and I need experience, or we¡¯ll forever be weak.¡± Cloud is quiet this time, just walking beside Lun¨¦. Sebastia nods, and then says, ¡°Well, which direction do you want to go? And are you sure Cloud can exit the dungeon?¡± Lun¨¦ looks at Cloud for a few seconds, then says, ¡°I don¡¯t know, this will be a good test at least.¡± Sebastia nods once again, and begins deciding on a direction, since Lun¨¦ didn¡¯t give her a direction to go. She starts heading west, past the newly planted ¡°bush¡±. Lun¨¦ follows Sebastia, and Cloud stops to sniff at the Sproutling, before passing by it. As they exit the dungeon¡¯s area, Lun¨¦ feels a cold shiver down her spine, and a small bit of pain in her right hand, at the burn scar, which returns. Ignoring the feeling of being away from her new safe dungeon home, she follows Sebastia, ready to level herself up a good bit. Chaos, of Probability Chaos sat quietly, watching Lun¨¦ exit her dungeon. The poor thing was yet to be named, and he knew it hurts the Dungeon¡¯s feelings. Though he may feel pity for it, he knows it simply wishes to be named as a formality, not a necessity. After all, it is Lun¨¦ too, at least now that she has arrived at her fate. He chuckles to himself, and looks at Cloud, ¡°Such a nice beast. I wonder if she will be the guardian Lun¨¦ needs, or the goddess of combat Lun¨¦ doesn¡¯t need.¡± He slides his vision around a bit, and even under the ground. Looking for a good and worthy opponent for the band of three. Something the Wolf and her Mistress can fight without needing Sebastia¡¯s assistance, preferably. He finds the perfect two creatures, and laughs to himself. Then he possesses them, and strips them of their flesh. It was time to make a diplomatic incident in the Dungeon world. As he clacked along with the two Skeletons, he took a moment to check their stats, and adjust them accordingly. He smirks, and happily keeps the names, taking a moment to revel in his work, as he moves them into position: Monster Menu 1 Naomi Haldric Skeleton:Human Warrior Level 7 Armor: 1 (2) Health: 30/30 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 3 Constitution: 3 Spirit: 0 Currently: Controlled by Chaos, of Probability *Deceased as of today :) -Chaos 2 Randal M¨¦z Skeleton:Human Mage Level 9 Health: 10/10 Mana: 20/20 Strength: 0 Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 2 Spirit: 10 Currently: Controlled by Chaos, of Probability *Deceased as of today :) -Chaos Chapter 5: An Incident Cloud Though Cloud was a little upset the Denmaster had decided to leave the safe confines of the Den, she had endeavored to protect her no matter what. She felt uneasy letting the Denmaster wander, even if the imposing Knight accompanies her. Cloud kept beside the Denmaster, waiting for the moment to strike any opponent who dares come near. Her ear twitches as she hears a thunking of metal against something hard, and then her nose smells the scent of fresh blood. Cloud begins growling, lowering her stance, alerting the Denmaster and Knight the moment she detects it approaching. The Denmaster backs up behind the Knight and Cloud. The Knight remains still, however, watching and listening for what Cloud hears. A light shines behind Cloud, but she does not stop looking forward, as she hears the Denmaster speak, ¡°Sebastia, stay to the side, unless it looks like we need help. I think this Icesteel Dagger will be rather good for me. Today¡¯s just my lucky day, huh?¡± The Knight speaks to the Denmaster with extreme seriousness, ¡°It may be, but that is yet to be seen. Show me what you can do with a dagger.¡± Cloud sees the foliage shifting, and snarls just before the two blood-red skeletons exit the foliage. Cloud begins to become more territorial, growling and snarling even more. These are a Den¡¯s. She takes a step forward; a warning to not step closer. The Denmaster must sense it too. The Skeletons do not stop their movement, and instead, the one in armor raises its shield, and readies its axe. Its teeth chatter something, and the Skeleton with a mage¡¯s hat raises its staff off the ground, ready to fight as well. Cloud barks aggressively; final warning. The Melee Skeleton rushes forward, and Cloud meets its challenge by rushing forward as well. Cloud barely manages to dodge the blow coming for her, and lands her own bite, clamping down on both armor and bone. A red ¡°3¡± appears. Cloud can see the Denmaster running towards the Mage Skeleton. They both shoot their shot, just to miss. The Denmaster didn¡¯t even look where her dagger was going, and instead looked away as she thrust forward, the Mage on the other hand, just whiffed its ice ball. Cloud manages to get another good bite on the Skeleton, and it barely misses her with its axe. This time, however, she wants to drag it onto the ground, and she pulls on the bloody bone. The Skeleton falls to the ground, only receiving the original red ¡°3¡±. The Denmaster swings at her skeleton again, and manages to nick the skeleton¡¯s robes, but not its bones. The new cut in the Mage skeleton¡¯s robes freezes at the edges, as the Skeleton pelts the Denmaster with a ball of ice. Hitting her back a few inches, holding the wound as she repeatedly says ¡°ow¡± in a pained voice. Cloud gives up on going for the throat of the skeleton, and instead comes to the Denmaster¡¯s aid, lunging at the Mage Skeleton, who does not see Cloud coming. A red ¡°4¡± appears, and Cloud begins attempting to get at this thing¡¯s missing throat. The Axe Skeleton starts to get up, and the Mage Skeleton tries, and fails, to hit Cloud with its staff. Cloud is almost attacked from behind by the Axe Skeleton, but she barely can see the Denmaster throw her dagger past, and Cloud hears the dagger go through the flimsy armor of the skeleton. Then there¡¯s the sound of metal falling to the grass. Cloud bites into the staff, and rips it, and the Skeleton¡¯s hands, away from the Skeleton, and at the other, hitting the Skeleton as it¡¯s starting to prepare to charge the Denmaster again. Though Cloud does not see it, a black ¡°4¡± appears, and the Skeleton drops to the ground, crumpling into a pile of bones, all while a red ¡°12¡± appears on the Mage Skeleton. The Denmaster brings her hands together, and slams down on the Skeleton, causing it to stop trying to punch Cloud with its stumps, and instead crumple like the other. Still growling, Cloud ensures the two Skeletons won¡¯t reanimate, and tosses their skulls away from their bodies, while starting to dig holes to bury parts of their bodies separately. As Cloud does this, she hears a happy and excited yell from behind herself. It seems the Denmaster has leveled up. Cloud decides to finish burying the skeletons first, then check her stats, as she hears the Knight speak, ¡°Well done, my Lady. You need extreme help with short blades, and even more with general combat, however you have a surprisingly good throwing arm, it seems. Your dagger landed directly in the Skeleton¡¯s sternum, and even shattered its armor.¡± After a second, the Knight continues, asking a question, ¡°Are you alright, my Lady?¡± The Denmaster is quiet for a few seconds, the only sound being Cloud¡¯s digging, and then she speaks in a defeated tone, ¡°It''s not right, Sebastia. We have to kill this dungeon. It''s bringing back the dead. Necromancers usually have common decency, and let their undead rest after they fight. Those two were just recently killed and immediately thrown to the wolves. Literally in this case.¡± The Knight speaks, her tone fiery and uplifting already, ¡°Then we¡¯ll get stronger, right!? We won¡¯t let them keep doing this! You and Cloud will become stronger, and then lead an attack against them!¡± The Denmaster sounds a bit more normal and ready, after this small speech, ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll kick their asses. All of them. The slavers, this dungeon, those bastard heroes! We¡¯ll show them all!¡± The Knight speaks again, ¡°Alright, but first we should help Cloud bury them.¡± The Denmaster sounds a bit flustered, likely having not even thought about that, and assumed Cloud was burying them for later, ¡°R-Right! Yes, we should!¡±
Chaos, of Probability He smiled happily. One level was not enough, but it was a start, and now, knowing that both would get the same amount of experience, he decides something more fun is necessary. Looking over at the dungeon he just impersonated, he begins searching through its resources. Eventually, he looks at the Dungeon Core itself; forcibly changing its thoughts, and manipulating its feelings and intentions. Its Skeleton Lord begins to push itself up off the ground, and onto its feet. Letting out a clattering and clacking call; more skeletons began standing, ready to fight. The forges were fired up after thousands of years of neglect. Blades were tempered, and armor was treated. The Dungeon Core began building defenses with its Mana, and sent out some expeditions of skeletons. It had been far too long since it last had a goal. The clang of steel hammering away against steel, the smoke billowing out through the trees, and the clattering march of bones. It felt rejuvenated, as if it had been transported back in time. He grinned maliciously, knowing ¡°Fort Pontifex¡± would rise to the challenge set to it.
Sebastia Rin Sebastia was helping pack the dirt back down. Cloud seemed to demand burying the bones a bit separated, likely to avoid reanimation. Sebastia was glad the wolf was not quite the average wolf she expected, and instead showed large amounts of intelligence. Lady Lun¨¦ was quietly standing to the side, having worn herself out trying to help. That needs to be fixed as well. As Sebastia packs dirt down, Cloud stops, making the Swordmaster look at the Boss Monster in confusion. Then noting Cloud is alert, Sebastia goes on alert as well, looking at their surroundings, and preparing for anything to come, but as Cloud calms, so too does Sebastia. They return to packing the dirt down, then step over to Lady Lun¨¦, who had likely done what Sebastia had asked, and allocated her points. ¡°Now that that is completed; my Lady, what do you plan for next?¡± Lady Lun¨¦ looks up at Sebastia and smiles, answering calmly, ¡°We should continue looking for more things to fight. After the rest, I¡¯m feeling perfectly fine again.¡± Sebastia nods in response, and smiles, ¡°Still wanting to fight. Admirable, but foolish. All the same, your wish is my command, my Lady. Still have that dagger?¡± Lady Lun¨¦ pulls it out in response, making Sebastia smirks, and turns around, ¡°Then let''s get moving, Cloud, send us towards what you heard.¡± Cloud starts moving with a huff, clearly not liking being bossed about by Sebastia, but knowing it will be the fastest way to level Lady Lun¨¦. The three begin their walk. After about ten minutes, Sebastia speaks, ¡°My Lady, what can you summon with your ability, aside from weapons, food, and myself.¡± Lady Lun¨¦ takes a second to think, then speaks to Sebastia, ¡°Well, ¡®Equipment Summons¡¯ creates random equipment. This time it was the Icesteel Dagger, next could be a longsword or bow; maybe even armor or potions. ¡®Sustenance Summons¡¯ is food and drink, usually together, but sometimes separate like the bread earlier. ¡®Misc Summons¡¯ is completely random, but also not equipment or sustenance. It could be a piece of jewelry, or an inedible plant. ¡®Summon Summons¡¯ is like you, though I haven¡¯t tried it since summoning you.¡± Sebastia nods in response, understanding, ¡°What is the limit?¡± Lady Lun¨¦ speaks confidently in response, ¡°The Ambient Mana or my Mana, and now by extension the Dungeon¡¯s Mana. If I use too much of my Mana, once I have Mana of my own that is, I won¡¯t be able to cast powerful spells or strengthen spells. If I use the Dungeon¡¯s Mana, I can¡¯t upgrade or create anything. If I use the Ambient Mana, I can harm Mages¡¯ ability to cast, damage the environment, or even harm Mana Dependent Creatures.¡± Sebastia finds the thought of Mana Dependent Creatures interesting, and asks, ¡°Mana Dependent Creatures?¡± Lady Lun¨¦ nods and smiles in response, answering her question easily and thoroughly, ¡°Creatures that do not reproduce through normal means have to reproduce somehow. That¡¯s through Mana. Anything that has a stat starting at 0 when Level 1, is Mana Dependent. Cloud, though made from the Mana of a Dungeon when first created, reproduces like a normal Wolf, and also has at the very least a 1 in every stat at Level 1. If something that is not Mana Dependent goes below 1 in any stat, it dies. From a slow and painful death with Strength and Dexterity, to the loss of all cares with Spirit, to instant death with Constitution. It¡¯s rare to see this happen unless someone just forsakes their body or spirit, but it can be reversed, excluding Constitution¡¯s instant death. On the contrary, something like the new Sproutlings can survive with a 0 in stats, because it survives off the Ambient Mana, and gets its power from its Spirit. This is why the Sprites are spell casters, and why the Sproutlings are ambush predators. It''s safer for them to live that way, because they genuinely do not need to eat, but need higher levels of Ambient Mana. If I were to take a Sproutling to a desolate area, which has been completely sucked of its Ambient Mana, we would find it shrivels up and dies, along with all other plant matter, and any non-organic lives. Plants are the only special kind of organic life that does not have at least a 1 in every stat. They are also one of the only hybrids that eat both nutrients from the soil, and the Ambient Mana. As such, we know they need both, and can assume our Sproutlings are the same.¡± Sebastia nods slowly, comprehending but not fully understanding. She¡¯ll need to mull this over a bit, and then says, ¡°Is the Ambient Mana enough that you can summon a new item?¡± Lady Lun¨¦ nods quickly, ¡°Definitely. It''s currently at the Rare level. When I summoned you, the Dungeon had Legendary Ambient Mana, and it dropped to Rare after summoning you. I¡¯m assuming that if I had summoned you and not had the half mana cost, it would have fallen to Common.¡± Sebastia, though not much of a sponge, is trying to absorb as much knowledge she is given about this world. Some things will likely fly by, but she¡¯ll try, as she speaks, ¡°Why not see if we get lucky, and get armor for you? You¡¯re slower than Cloud, who can easily dodge attacks with just her speed alone, you¡¯re too frail for a normal fight, and you¡¯re too small for my armor.¡± Lady Lun¨¦ seems a bit upset by those words, which makes Sebastia slightly regret saying them, but she answers, as she opens the Carcere Fabricator menu, and stops walking, ¡°Sure, I can try. I probably won¡¯t get that lucky though. It''s more likely to be a Rare sword or bow.¡± She presses the button and the white light appears, then quickly turns red. Then fades, revealing a reddish-brown chainmail shirt. Sebastia smirks, ¡°Random, huh?¡± Lady Lun¨¦ nods, and says, ¡°It is random.¡± She picks up the chainmail, and examines it. She then says, ¡°It''s a normal copper chainmail shirt. Plus 2 armor.¡± She begins putting on the chainmail, and they begin their walk again. After about fifteen more minutes, Cloud lowers herself a bit, walking as if she is stalking prey. Sebastia, though in armor with chainmail underneath, is rather good as being stealthy, and follows her lead, lowering herself, and moving with care. The only individual unable to do so, is Lady Lun¨¦, who is not that stealthy, nor observant. The chains of her copper chainmail clink and slide together with each movement. As they enter a clearing, they see three Skeletons. One in rusted armor, with a white surcoat with a very old Papal symbol on it, and holding a lance. Another wields a sword and shield and is unarmored, while the last wields an axe. The three Skeletons notice the three living organisms, and silently watch them. Lady Lun¨¦ begins to draw her dagger, getting a little bit more angry as she sees the skeletons, alongside Cloud, who begins to growl at the skeletons. Sebastia speaks, stepping into the two¡¯s vision, and holding out a hand to stop them from being hasty. Yes, they need to gain experience, but at the same time, two versus three is not fair odds. That and these Skeletons do not seem immediately hostile, unlike the previous two. Lady Lun¨¦ spoke, ¡°What are you doing? Aren¡¯t we supposed to fight them?¡± Sebastia nods in response, but also says, ¡°They are not actively coming at us. And a 3-on-2 is hardly fair. It is also far more dangerous.¡± Lady Lun¨¦, with a fire in her voice, decides to start running towards the undead, ¡°I don¡¯t care! Come on, Cloud!¡± Cloud starts running with Lady Lun¨¦, and Sebastia starts moving fast towards the two, though not running. She needs to be ready to jump in when this inevitably goes south. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The Skeletons move into a chevron, with the Knight in the center, flanked by its two unarmored allies. As Lady Lun¨¦ lunges at the Knight, it simply dodges, and slashes her back with its blade, causing a very nasty gash. Sebastia takes that as the situation going south, and starts sprinting as she unsheathes her blade, and calls upon the gods to guide her blade. Cloud jumps at one of the skeletons to the side, and misses the target as it manages to sidestep her bite, but it doesn¡¯t get to counter attack, as Cloud quickly turns, and stands over Lady Lun¨¦, protectively. The two normal skeletons swing at Cloud, and by extension, Lady Lun¨¦. Both miss Lady Lun¨¦, and the Axe wielder strikes Cloud. Though it is not as deadly as the Knight¡¯s slash on Lady Lun¨¦, the Axe does still cut deep. Casting ¡°Enna¡¯s Step¡±, Sebastia is suddenly upon the Knight, who had been waiting for her to get close. Surprised by the sudden burst of speed, the Knight gets no time to react, as Sebastia gives no quarter, slashing upwards, and cleaving its skull in two, not even scratching its rusted armor. She then steps once to the right, and brings her sword in the same direction, cutting the head off the surprised skeleton. The final skeleton realizes the more dangerous threat, and attacks Sebastia. Even if Sebastia hadn¡¯t just blocked this fool of a skeleton, its attack would have just harmlessly bounced off. Sebastia redirects the skeleton¡¯s attack, then quickly slashes through multiple ribs, dislocating the sternum, and then reaching its skull, and knocking it clean off. Sebastia hadn¡¯t been paying attention, but she had gotten a critical attack against the Knight, for 108, and the other two skeletons had received a normal 36. She sheathes the sword, and quickly crouches, as Cloud stops being defensive, and steps to the side. Raising a hand, Sebastia uses a skill she always is told to not use for extended periods, on multitudes of people, ¡°Zeke¡¯s Remedy¡±. A skill that transfers the damage taken by someone onto the user. Gritting her teeth, Sebastia kept using the skill until all of the damage was transferred. She could see the red number going up in her vision. One by one by one, it grew to stop at 24. Letting go of her concentration, she let her hand slump and her body relax. She breathes in and out, letting the pain become dull. Once it was dull, and she could move again without much stress on her aching back, she started moving Lady Lun¨¦ onto Cloud¡¯s back, and they start walking back to the Dungeon.
Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ begins waking up, finding herself as the Dungeon itself again. She has a moment of panic, but calms down when she sees her body is fine, and currently cuddled up against Cloud. She notices the bloody patch on Cloud¡¯s side, but she is at full health. She looks around for Sebastia, and does not find her, nor the siblings. She feels a bit sad, and also a bit worried that they may have just left her. So she checks the Dungeon Core Management, but finds them all to still be labeled as Denizens. They just seem to be away at the moment. Lun¨¦ thinks about what happened, and decides she needs to apologize to Sebastia when she returns, however, as she is thinking this, a menu appears: Congratulations! You almost died, and have gained the Survivor bonus. You will not gain this again. +Specific amount of Experience based off what level you are (Level 13 Survivor = 680) +New Dungeon Centric Ability, ¡°Offline Controller¡± Explored areas have been added to the Map, however, as the personal exploration was a failure due to the damage sustained by the Dungeon Core, no mana is gained, except for kills. She was a little upset she did not get any extra mana. She also didn¡¯t know if she should feel insulted, or happy that she somehow got an unknown part of the system to activate, but after reading ¡°New Dungeon Centric Ability¡± she realizes this is a Dungeon Core specific thing, and feels both insulted and happy to have had to skip some of the tedious grinding; while also feeling very bad because she suddenly skipped even further ahead of Cloud, when she wanted to become stronger with Cloud. She looks about the dungeon, and sees everything going as it has been. She doesn¡¯t see any wood stacked up, nor any ores piled in respective piles. So she wonders where her Sproutling and Bear are. She finds them rather easily. The Bear was at the back of the house, slapping away at a tree at the moment, while the Sproutling was smacking away at the Tin. Looking about, she keeps trying to find the logs and ores, but soon has a nagging feeling, telling her to say something, ¡°Dungeon Inventory?¡± A screen appears, revealing the amount of resources her Monsters have collected. She smiles at it, happy to see that she had 49 oak logs, 35 copper ore, and 25 tin ore. She decided to ignore the 5 spider webs she has, since she¡¯d rather not think about that right now. She then hops to it, trying to figure out how to make logs appear, and what the limitations are. After about thirty minutes, she has figured it out, and has set 15 in a pyramid, leaving the now 52 rest remaining in the Dungeon¡¯s inventory. She wonders if there is a maximum amount she can have in the Dungeon¡¯s inventory. She doesn¡¯t mind finding out at some point though. She carefully starts to pile up 15 of each ore as well, leaving her with 29 copper and 22 tin in the Inventory. She smiles contentedly, as she feels familiar feet set foot in the dungeon. Looking over, she finds Sebastia and the siblings coming back. Sebastia has her armor off, and is carrying it. Her sword is still on her hip, as usual, but she seems far more comfortable. The siblings seem to be energized after that nap they took. Before they can notice the piled up wood and ore, Lun¨¦ makes Sebastia almost jump out of her skin, ¡°Hello, welcome back! Sebastia, I need you to help me with the logs I set out! I want to make a few small areas, by using cut logs as markers for the corners.¡± Sebastia sighs, as the Siblings ask her what¡¯s wrong, ¡°Let me set down my armor at least, my Lady.¡± She begins walking again, as the Siblings look at each other, and begin moving faster to the house. As they move, Lun¨¦ is able to tell their hair is damp, and they¡¯ve released the illusions making them look Human. Koto¡¯s vulpine ears have large cuts into the edges of them, and his tail is missing, unlike Miyoshi, who¡¯s vulpine features remain unscathed. They rush into the house, and head for the Dungeon Core Room, causing Cloud to raise her head and become alert, but the moment the two enter, and calmly come down the stairs, she returns to resting. They lay down on the opposite side, leaning against Cloud, who huffs lightly, even though it really doesn¡¯t bother her much. Lun¨¦ smiles happily, and returns to looking at Sebastia, who sets her armor down in the crafting room, then heads out to the logs. Stretching, Sebastia asks, ¡°So, am I getting help, my Lady? Or do I have to try not rolling a log over myself?¡± Lun¨¦ realizes that is a very good idea, and goes to get a few of her Monsters. Two Sproutlings, to move the logs once they¡¯re cut, and a Bear to help move logs off the pile to be cut. She returns, finding Sebastia still stretching. Soon enough, the Sproutlings and Bear arrive, and begin following what Sebastia tells them to do. They start cutting the first log into smaller portions, and once that is done, Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Okay. Now that we have one log, let¡¯s move its pieces, and then if we need more, we cut more.¡± Sebastia nods slowly, and then asks a question, ¡°What are you making, my Lady? Why so many logs?" Lun¨¦ smiled happily, "A smithy and sawmill." Sebastia smiles, speaking as she picks up a log, ¡°Tools and gear?¡± Lun¨¦ responds with a happy tone, ¡°Maybe a bit, but mostly I want to repair the house.¡± Sebastia frowns, and then after a few seconds, responds, ¡°My Lady, I think you should focus on equipment first.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent for a bit, but soon says, ¡°But, I can just use Carcere Fabricator for that.¡± Sebastia shakes her head, as she walks, ¡°You do not have control of what comes out.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, knowing she¡¯s right. Lun¨¦ could probably do both, though. Lun¨¦ guides the four to where she needs the logs placed, and then starts to designate the area. A Smithy likely needs fresh air. She remembers at least that from her village¡¯s local smith. As such, she designates this new area, a small bit behind the house, which is a nice size. Along with that, the menu actually allows her to have it built there. But what she did not expect was the 100 Mana cost. With a frown, she asks Sebastia a question, ¡°We don¡¯t have enough mana. Do you have any ideas?¡± Sebastia shakes her head in response, prompting Lun¨¦ to decide to return to her body for now and figure something out. As she starts sitting up, Cloud turns her head to look at her, and her tail begins smacking repeatedly against the floor. Lun¨¦ gives her happy Boss Monster a pat, as she looks at the siblings, who are looking at her with smiles. Lun¨¦ smiles as well, and speaks, ¡°I see you two got rid of the illusions.¡± The two are startled by her, and were assuming that Lun¨¦ had no idea they were using illusions. Lun¨¦ laughs slightly, then says, ¡°A Dungeon Core can see a lot more than you think. I don¡¯t know if that would work against actual enemies, or if I can just always see that there is an illusion on someone in the menu.¡± Lun¨¦ then says, as she looks at Koto¡¯s cut up ears, ¡°I think your ears look nice. It makes you look more interesting.¡± Koto covers his ears, and looks away, quietly and timidly saying, ¡°Th-thanks.¡± Lun¨¦ looks at Miyoshi, and says, ¡°And I think yours, being smaller and fluffier, are cute.¡± Miyoshi covers her ears, and looks away as well. Lun¨¦ smiles happily at their embarrassment. Lun¨¦ starts to get up, causing Cloud to raise her head, unable to get up at the moment, since Koto and Miyoshi are still leaning on her. Lun¨¦ looks at Cloud and smiles, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving the dungeon. Just going to go talk with Sebastia.¡± She then starts walking as Cloud watches her leave. Lun¨¦ heads out of the house, and around to the back, where she looks at the marked off area beside Sebastia. Sebastia just crosses her arms, and waits for what to do next. Lun¨¦ thinks to herself, and then says, ¡°Oh, right! If I remember correctly, Carcere Fabricator can now convert items into mana.¡± Sebastia digs into her pocket at that, and pulls out the small journal and golden necklace she got on her expedition, then she speaks, ¡°Would these work, my Lady? I¡¯ll be sure to bring back more next time I explore.¡± Lun¨¦ takes them, and looks at the two. Then she sends the journal to the Inventory, ¡°I¡¯ll keep that one. It''s the last testament of someone, if I remember correctly from the expedition screen. This necklace however, can probably be converted into mana. I wonder if I can do that with the ores and logs.¡± She begins to try focusing on the necklace but in the vein of Carcere Fabricator. After a few seconds of thinking about it, and trying different ways to think about it, a menu appears: Carcere Fabricator: Deconstruction Please select all items nearby, before continuing. Gold Necklace (Collected) Total Mana Gain: 10 Current Mana: 87/200 Proceed She proceeds, and watches as the Necklace disintegrates into white particles that fade from existence. She then looks at Sebastia, and says, ¡°Now all we have to do is wait for three more intruders to be killed.¡± Sebastia raises an eye at that, ¡°Intruders? Like who? I¡¯m sure we would have felt the sense of an attack like we did when those spiders attacked earlier.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, then says, ¡°While you were gone the first time, I decided to watch some of the Wolves and Void Sprites. I saw a Void Sprite kill a fly that was coming towards the Dungeon Core Room, and several Wolves had caught rats doing the same. If I had to guess, intruders are a source of mana income for Dungeons. However, they are not like Ambient Mana, and try to kill the Dungeon. Unlike Invaders, who do not have to be hostile to the dungeon. Dungeons may even be friendly to Invaders. It''s a rarity though, and the ones that are, do not actively try to kill people, but instead use them as Mana. That¡¯s the only reason I can see for Dungeons not to be hostile when people enter them; the incentive of Mana. For example, before I was betrayed, the Dungeon we were in warned us about someone following us. That person saved my life, and teleported me away. I assume he also teleported away, because Koto described him in his story, after you left.¡± Sebastia puts a hand on her chin, and then nods, ¡°We should certainly try to find and contact him then. If you would like, I can grab a few wolves, and have them go search for him. It''s a longshot, but I could probably do so.¡± Lun¨¦ raises an eyebrow, and asks, ¡°You can order the Monsters to do things?¡± Sebastia shakes her head, ¡°Not fully, my Lady. At least partly though. I believe it may be because you summoned me. Perhaps a bit of your authority as the Dungeon Core was bestowed to me.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in understanding, answering a few seconds later, ¡°That makes sense. Though maybe I can change the rules of the Dungeon. I do trust you with my life after all, and if you can lead the Monsters too, that would be helpful.¡± She then looks forward, and says, ¡°Maybe in Denizen management? Manage Denizens.¡± The screen opens, and Sebastia leans over to watch what Lun¨¦ does. Manage Denizens Please select a Denizen to Manage. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow (Unavailable to Manage) Chaos, of Probability (Error, Cannot Manage) Sebastia Rin Koto Youngthorne Miyoshi Youngthorne Boss Monsters Cloud, Wolf Boss ¡°Boss Monsters count as Denizens? I didn¡¯t know that.¡± She presses Sebastia¡¯s name, and sees a new screen appear, allowing many things, and also showing what can be found in the Denizen Menu. She selects to add permissions, which she finds to be full of things, as if it could restrict her abilities as Denizen, but she does not remove anything, instead she goes to the ¡°add¡± button, and adds the first item to appear before her, ¡°Can Command Dungeon Monsters¡±. She then sees yet another menu appear. A small submenu which is named ¡°Can Command Dungeon Monsters¡±, and below it, a list of unallowed Monsters, including every single Monster type she has available to her. Lun¨¦ selects the ¡°Allow All¡± button, and then exits, and says, ¡°Try to give the Bear a command.¡± She then looks at the Bear nearby, who is just standing about and relaxing. Sebastia walks over to it, and says, ¡°Bear, bring one ore of any kind to this spot.¡± The Bear begins walking off, and Lun¨¦ focuses on it for a second, to see that it has a new command that she did not set, ¡°Bring 1x ore to designated location.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles, happy that it has worked, ¡°Bear, forget the previous order, you are dismissed from work for now.¡± The order changes to ¡°None¡±, and the Bear starts to wander. It''s currently feeling a bit confused by two orders, but also is happy to get to rest. Lun¨¦ smiles, and looks at Sebastia, ¡°It looks like I can override your orders. I wonder if you can override mine.¡± Sebastia shrugs, and then answers, ¡°I would rather not, my Lady. But it would be necessary to know ahead of time, if I ever feel the need to.¡± Lun¨¦ looks at one of the Sproutlings, ¡°Sproutling, please find a stick.¡± It beings moving, and Sebastia speaks, ¡°Sproutling, ignore order, you are dismissed.¡± The Sproutling keeps going, and Lun¨¦ focuses on it; it''s currently feeling upset that Sebastia tried to order it to ignore the Dungeon Core¡¯s will. Lun¨¦ smiles, and says, ¡°It¡¯s upset at you for trying to order it to ignore me. Seems we know you can¡¯t override my orders. Sproutlings, you are dismissed from work for now.¡± The two Sproutlings begin wandering off, and Sebastia smiles, ¡°That¡¯s good. If anyone else gets to order the monsters, they won¡¯t be able to go against your own orders.¡± Lun¨¦ begins walking over to one of the set down logs, and sits on it, ¡°Well, now that that¡¯s over, lets see if we have enough mana now.¡± She opens the Dungeon Core Menu, and sees that the Mana is at exactly 100. ¡°Manage Room.¡± The menu appears, and she selects the Smithy to be built at this spot: Smithy Level 1 This room, at Level 1, allows the melting of ores into impure ingots, and allows one Denizen or Monster to become a Smith, which allows them to create items in the Smithy faster. Resource Needs: 100 Mana, 10 Metal, 5 Wood (All in Inventory or Stockpiles) Build for 100 Mana, 10 Metal, 5 Wood She selects for it to be built, and immediately she can see an outline appear beside her, she looks at it, a bit startled, only to hear Sebastia, ¡°My Lady? Are you alright? You seem a bit surprised.¡± Lun¨¦ looks at Sebastia, and then points at the outline, ¡°Do you not see that?¡± Sebastia shakes her head, ¡°Must be a Dungeon Core only thing, my Lady.¡± Lun¨¦ looks at it again, and then frowns. Sebastia¡¯s right, it probably is just that. She starts to wait, and soon sees three bears, each rolling logs. Another two logs are being carried by Sproutlings, and there are four copper ores being carried by Void Sprites, as if they are ants. Lun¨¦ smiles as they near the site, and five Wolves can be seen carrying one copper ore each. The final ore is seen being carried by Miyoshi, who is sitting on Cloud¡¯s back with Koto. Lun¨¦ giggles at the three. As the wood and ores are set down, the Sprites and Sproutlings begin gathering together around each of the material, splitting ores and wood up, while slowly turning each into the necessary parts for everything to be constructed. Lun¨¦ hops off the log, and walks over to Sebastia, saying, ¡°Well, that¡¯s our part done. Let''s just leave them to it.¡± Sebastia nods in response, ¡°Now that that is done. My Lady, you should go get cleaned up. You have blood on your back still, and that chainmail can just be tossed.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that later. I¡¯m guessing where you three washed up is in that direction?¡± She points towards where Sebastia and the siblings had been coming from when she had come back to consciousness. Sebastia nods in response, answering as she looks at Cloud, ¡°Cloud found a river over there, that feeds out of a lake. Would probably be a nice place to expand to later. It should be on the Dungeon¡¯s map.¡± Lun¨¦ opens the map, and looks at it, sure enough, she does find the lake, and smiles. A nice bath would do wonders for her right now. She then says, ¡°Cloud, can you come with me?¡± Sebastia speaks, as Cloud looks over, ¡°My Lady, I would rather you take me with you. Cloud is still only Level 6, and you¡¯re still rather incompetent with weapons.¡± Lun¨¦ sighs, and concedes, ¡°Fine. Just you then. I don¡¯t want to take you both this time.¡± Cloud huffs, and starts wandering around the construction site, with the siblings still on her back. Sebastia smiles happily, ¡°Thank you, my Lady. I shall ensure your safety.¡± The two then start walking off. It would be a while until they get back, and based on the timer for the Smithy, it should be almost done when they get back. Chapter 6: Sudden Developments Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ stretches, having dried off and gotten her clothes back on. That was a relaxing moment. She walked around the tree she knew Sebastia was at, and looked at her, smiling. Sebastia looks back, and nods, ¡°Ready to head back, my Lady?¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, and then says, ¡°I do want to send you out when we get back. It might be a little risky with that other dungeon being a danger, but I want to ask the siblings if they know where a town is nearby. If we can set up trade, or better yet, act as merchants selling goods that we make in the dungeon, we could start getting information. As such, I want to try summoning another person. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll get lucky or not, but the Ambient Mana here is in the upper end of Rare.¡± Sebastia asks a question, ¡°How can you tell if it is in the upper or lower end?¡± Lun¨¦ shrugs, ¡°I don¡¯t really know. It''s just a feeling. Maybe because I¡¯m a Dungeon Core now.¡± She then opens Carcere Fabricator, and presses the ¡°Summon Summons¡± button, and a screen appears: Summon Summons Ambient Mana: Rare Summons Cap: Rare Send Summons She presses it, and the light turns red. As the light begins to subside slower than usual, Sebastia tenses up, already reaching for her blade. As the light fades, she draws and puts the sword against the neck of the woman that appears, who tilts her head up, and looks at Sebastia with a devilish grin. Her hood is not up, revealing the rather pretty blood-red irises, and shoulder-length gray hair. A voice from below speaks up, ¡°Pardon Miss, but it''s IMPECCABLY rude to immediately threaten the life of someone you just met, and is not attacking you.¡± Sebastia doesn¡¯t release her hostile gaze, and Lun¨¦ speaks, as she looks at the smaller than normal Dracenewt, in a business suit with a golden monocle over an eye, ¡°If my guard senses danger, I don¡¯t mind her defending me.¡± She then looks at Sebastia, ¡°But I do agree. I think you¡¯re maybe overreacting.¡± Sebastia growls as she removes her sword, sheathes it, and without skipping a beat she speaks to the woman, ¡°Fuck you, Imai.¡± Imai smirks maliciously at Sebastia, and then looks at Lun¨¦, her face relaxing to a neutral look. Lun¨¦ notes the samurai-like armor on her, as the Dracenewt speaks, ¡°Well! Hello! I am Zeuz, no not like the god of lightning. I am just Zeuz, and yes I have tried tricking people into thinking I am Zeus. However each time I have been run off like the little fucker people believe Kobolds to be.¡± Zeuz does a flourished bow, which causes Imai to slowly do a traditional bow. Zeuz continues, ¡°Please ignore my mute friend, she has no tongue anymore, ever since SOMEONE-¡± He glares at Sebastia, ¡°-not naming names, cut it out for speaking her mind against the Grandian Royalty.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent as Imai and Sebastia have a very hostile stare off. Zeuz speaks, ¡°So, little Lady, what do you have for us to do?¡± Lun¨¦ speaks with a polite smile, as Zeuz looked expectantly at her, with beady draconic eyes, ¡°Well, I was hoping to have someone to go out to towns and sell what we produce in the Dungeon.¡± Zeuz looks extremely happy, and Imai looks at her surprised by her words, and Zeuz yells out, ¡°IT WILL BE DONE!!!!!¡± He raises a fist in the air, grinning like a madman, and then looks at Imai, ¡°GATHER YOUR THINGS, IMAI! WE HAVE A JOB TO-¡± He looks back at Lun¨¦, ¡°What¡¯s the pay?¡± Lun¨¦ is taken off guard by this sudden question, after a few seconds she says, ¡° Three-fourths of the money you get.¡± Zeuz looks back at Imai, his fist still in the air, ¡°-DO!¡± And he begins running off into the woods. Lun¨¦ calls out, startled and stammering, ¡°W-Wait! You don¡¯t have any goods to sell, and don¡¯t know what we need!¡± Zeuz stops, and turns around, then starts quickly walking back, ¡°Right, I got ahead of myself. What did you need in return, if not the money?¡± Lun¨¦ smiles politely again, ¡°Information. We¡¯re trying to find a person.¡± Zeuz nods rapidly in response, thinking to himself, and then he says, ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll go to the Dungeon, and gather some things to sell, then go gather information.¡± Turning even faster, he begins running off again, as Lun¨¦ says, ¡°Bu-¡±. She stays quiet for a second, then calls out, ¡°Ask Koto who freed him!¡± Imai turns and finally chases after Zeuz. As the two disappear past several trees, somehow going in the right direction, Sebastia speaks, ¡°Don¡¯t ever trust that woman, my Lady. She is a snake.¡± Sebastia is still staring in the direction they went, and Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°We need snakes. We need everyone we can get.¡± Sebastia looks at Lun¨¦, the depressed look on her face worries Lun¨¦, and she refrains from asking what is wrong, but Sebastia continues, "She will lie, cheat, steal, and destroy. She is not a good person." Lun¨¦ is silent, and feels awkward now, as Sebastia looks back in the direction of the Dungeon. Lun¨¦ begins to slowly reach to put a hand on Sebastia''s shoulder, but brings it down as they hear and feel something. A rumbling, and then the feeling of stepping into something else''s lair. Turning around, Lun¨¦ sees the lake has changed color, and a red tint covers it all, like a box. Lun¨¦ gets a feeling, and realizes she knows something about this wall of transparent red, as Sebastia draws her sword and pulls Lun¨¦ behind her. Lun¨¦ speaks calmly, "The lake is now owned by another unnamed Dungeon." She shakes her head, and realizes they need to run. Sebastia starts pushing Lun¨¦ away from the lake, only to feel her hand be grabbed and yanked. She follows Lun¨¦, and they run back to the dungeon. Soon the two are back at the Dungeon, where they can see Cloud, Miyoshi, Koto, Zeus, and Imai. Cloud looks over immediately, and lays down for the kids to get off, who are confused by the sudden drop in elevation. Sebastia calls out while running towards the Dungeon, ¡°Prepare for a fight, immediately!¡± Koto and Miyoshi are startled by those words, and scramble off the back of Cloud, who stands immediately when they are off. Imai draws her sword defensively, and Zeuz speaks, ¡°Not you, fool! She means something else is happening!¡± Imai begins sheathing her sword, as Lun¨¦ and Sebastia near the group, and Sebastia speaks, ¡°As much as I wish he were wrong, he isn¡¯t. Another Dungeon just took over the lake. Seemingly from underground.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, ¡°It is unnamed, I don¡¯t know how I know that, but I do. I also don¡¯t know why that is important enough for me to hear it in the back of my mind when I saw its borders expand. Zeuz, Imai; what are your abilities?¡± Zeuz speaks quickly, ¡°I am a merchant by trade, but also a rather good pickpocket. I am pretty much useless in combat. Hence why I hired Imai to be my bodyguard. She is-¡± Sebastia cuts him off, ¡°Far more dangerous than anyone here, aside from myself. Her rage is what fuels her. So much so that she can fight in any conditions, aside from the extreme of the extremes; lava, 500 feet underwater. Those are just two examples. Imai, I need you on the van. You¡¯ll be going with Cloud and a group of her wolves once I cast a protection spell on them. We protect the Dungeon and Lady Lun¨¦ at all costs, but we also cannot let this thing remain. We must ensure it is taken down.¡± Lun¨¦ speaks in protest, ¡°No! We don¡¯t just kill!¡± Sebastia is caught off guard, and looks at her, as she continues, ¡°As I told you before, Dungeons are not all hostile. We should see if we can make peace and ally with it. As such, I will go with the vanguard. I need Sebastia, Imai, Cloud, and several wolves. Void Sprites will slow us down, even if they are our strongest.¡± She opens the Wolf Spawner¡¯s menu, and levels it once with all the mana the Dungeon has. She allocates the point to Strength. Lun¨¦ looks at Cloud, ¡°Gather a group of five Wolves, including yourself.¡± Cloud runs off to get her Wolves. Lun¨¦ looks at Sebastia, ¡°Get your armor on.¡± Sebastia nods, and runs off. Lun¨¦ finally looks at Imai, ¡°You don¡¯t look like you need me to tell you to get ready, so stay here.¡± Lun¨¦ looks at the siblings as Imai puts up a thumb, ¡°You two, stay near monsters. If they don¡¯t look busy, ask them to follow you around, because I told you to stay near monsters.¡± The two run off, likely to hide inside with the Void Sprites. She looks at Zeuz, ¡°Remain safe. I assume you can easily hide yourself, but I¡¯ll still say it.¡± Zeuz brings up a thumb, and smirks, ¡°You got it, little Lady.¡± He runs off, leaving just Imai and Lun¨¦, waiting for the vanguard to arrive. Soon enough, the vanguard arrives. Four wolves follow Cloud, a purpose in their steps. Sebastia is the last to arrive, her armor equipped, and her sword on her hip, already being pressed down by a hand, though not to draw. Sebastia speaks as she nears the group, ¡°Cloud, front and center, wolves, flank her in a chevron. Imai, right side of Lady Lun¨¦, I¡¯ll take left.¡± The group begins moving into their respective positions. Imai and Sebastia stand a little behind Lun¨¦, but still close enough that they could shove her or move her if needed. Sebastia continues, ¡°When we get near the dungeon, I will cast the protection. From there we enter the water slowly, and approach the center of the lake. Let''s move!¡± Cloud begins walking, leading the group towards the lake. Lun¨¦ is a bit surprised by how fast Sebastia has taken the lead of the combat group. Granted, this is expected of someone so strong, but she still didn¡¯t expect Sebastia to give orders so easily. The group eventually arrives at the lake, and sees Skeletons arriving on their right, and across the lake. Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Skeletons. We should protect this dungeon, to ensure it is favorable to us.¡± Sebastia speaks, ¡°If that is your wish, then we shall. I will cast the protection now.¡± She draws and raises her sword, causing a glow to surround the group. As this glow shines, Lun¨¦ remembers she did not allocate her new stat points, and does so, giving herself 8 in everything, except Dexterity, which she turns into a 10 with the remaining two points. As the glow fades, she sees the Skeletons notice them. Then they begin running into the water. Noticing their charge, Sebastia calls out, ¡°Forward! Protect this Dungeon!¡± The wolves and Imai begin entering the water, ready for a fight, as Sebastia turns to Lun¨¦, and grabs her arm before she enters the water, ¡°Not happening, my Lady. You are going back. This is about to become a warzone, and at worst, a three-way one.¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head, and answers, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you all here to fight on your own.¡± Sebastia shakes her head, ¡°Go back to the dungeon. I¡¯m not asking.¡± She lets go, and runs into the water, quickly submerging behind the rest of their group. Upset at Sebastia, Lun¨¦ decides to be defiant. Only to hear a blade be drawn to her right. Looking, she sees a Skeleton knight with a white surcoat emblazoned with a very old Papal emblem, likely from the failed attempt Humanity made to conquer lands around its kingdom. Though they succeeded for a time, thanks to their surprise attack, Humanity was kicked past their starting point, and lost land all around it. Lun¨¦ drew her Icesteel Dagger. Ready for a fight. Sebastia Ria Following behind the wolves and Imai, Sebastia notices something odd. The monsters of this dungeon are hiding, or running from the Skeletons and them. Luckily the spell she had cast is allowing them to breathe and move unimpeded on the lakebed, so they can move swiftly towards the Skeletons. Sebastia calls out, ¡°Wolves, break rank and harass the enemy! Leave the proper clean up to Imai and I!¡± The Wolves split off, and begin sprinting towards the skeletons. The Skeletons turn to face the actual threats, who move like lightning in the water, and bite with the force they normally would. Aside from one, who seems extremely pissed off today, and nearly chomps off a normal Skeleton¡¯s head, but drags it down like a rock. Cloud is first to slam into the enemy though, but of course, as usual, these Knight Skeletons are slippery, though not enough to not be body slammed by her. ¡°Imai! Take out the weaklings! I¡¯ve got the Knight!¡± Splitting off, the two go to their respective targets, and Sebastia gets to the Knight, who has managed to keep its footing, despite being body slammed. With Cloud running off as it got its footing, it is able to focus on Sebastia, and raises its blade, but that¡¯s no use against an unhindered opponent, and Sebastia slashes up through the armor, and cuts a new gash in the skeleton¡¯s rusty armor, as well as several almost its entire rib cage; she sees a yellow ¡°108¡± that turns black. It starts to crumble into a pile of bones, which slowly sink, excluding the still armored areas that sink faster. She can see Imai burst with a blood-red aura, and cut clean through a skeleton as she begins her rage. There were only six more skeletons, one that was trying to get up again, and the rest that were trying to slash at the wolves running circles around them. All of their blades connect, bar one, cutting into the flesh of the wolves, and releasing blood into the water. In the distance, Sebastia can see the Monsters of the dungeon looking over, and seemingly gaining courage, as a lone Water Sprite begins its slow march through the water, towards the fighting, followed by two small fish with short arms and legs, instead of fins, holding rocks. Sebastia closes in on the Skeletons, as the Wolves launch another attack, the pissed off Wolf bites again, just as strong, simply ripping off the Skeleton¡¯s head this time, and making it crumble to the ground slowly. The other wolves, however, have chosen different targets this time, and each land their attacks, followed by Cloud going for a takedown on one of the least attacked Skeletons. Which she does with ease, as she starts to try getting at its false throat. Imai swings again, breaking another Skeleton into two, as Sebastia attacks one of the last four. Cutting into it, she sees a black ¡°36¡± appear. The final three Skeletons swing wildly around them, nearly getting Sebastia¡¯s cheek, hitting a Wolf, and the third gets a good hit on Cloud, but with the pommel of its sword, and as it doesn¡¯t have the actual strength to hurt Cloud, it clearly does nothing. The water sprite sends a small pulse, which ripples into three rapid pulses, of water at the Skeleton that hit the Wolf, knocking it over. The Wolves lunge again, while their leader breaks off the neck and head of the Skeleton she¡¯s now slightly chewing on. The falling Skeleton is snatched by the angry Wolf, and crunched into two. The other remaining Skeleton is attacked by the other three Wolves, who just start pulling it apart. Now that the fight is over, Sebastia sees the Sprite and Fish fleeing the site, specifically their party. She then looks at her Team and speaks, ¡°Alright, let''s return to Lady Lun¨¦. We¡¯ve made a good enough impression.¡± Sebastia turns and begins walking, the Team following behind her. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ was ecstatic, despite her new injury. What had, just earlier this day, nearly killed her, she took out in a punch, and throwing her dagger into it twice! Though she is bleeding a bit, she¡¯s happy to have conquered her first hurdle in combat. She begins putting away the dagger, as she hears the sound of water flowing back into water. Looking over, she sees the wolves coming out, one is limping, the rest are roughed up, followed by Imai, who looks at her with tired eyes. Finally, Cloud and Sebastia exit the water, immediately panicking as they see the injury on Lun¨¦''s side, and the crumpled skeleton. Cloud runs over, and sniffs at the wound. Sebastia runs over, yelling, ¡°My Lady!¡± Lun¨¦ smiles happily as she gets closer, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I taught the bastard a lesson!¡± She does a small fist pump, with a proud grin. Sebastia frowns immediately, ¡°You are not fine. That¡¯s an injury. Cloud, take her back to the Dungeon to rest. Everyone else follow them, and make sure Lady Lun¨¦ does not try coming here. No matter what she says, make sure she rests.¡± Imai walks over and hoists up Lun¨¦ as she protests being put on Cloud. Cloud, once she has Lun¨¦, begins sprinting, leaving behind the rest of the party, aside from her wolves, who give chase. Lun¨¦ frowns heavily, and just lays down on Cloud¡¯s back. Soon they return to the Dungeon, and Lun¨¦ doesn¡¯t say anything or look at any of the wolves. She just walks away, ignoring them for taking her back. She sits near the new Smithy, and just thinks to herself, pouting and being upset all the while. She decides to open the menu for the Smithy, and looks around at it. It looks to be just a normal upgrade screen. She begins to think about how to use the Smithy. And then decides to get a Void Sprite to work in the Smithy. Though she doesn¡¯t know if the Void Sprite would be capable of that. She gets up, and starts walking to the Dungeon Core Room. And enters the house, finding a few Wolves laying on the ground, with the siblings nowhere to be seen at the moment. She just goes down the stairs, and touches the core. She watches as Cloud starts to move her again, and she forces Cloud to quit and go do something else. Her ears flatten against her head, and her tail tucks between her legs, as she walks away. That actually just hurt Lun¨¦ too. She feels really bad now, but she brought this upon herself, she¡¯ll deal with the cards she¡¯s been given. She looks around for a sprite, and makes it go to the Smithy. She has the ore piles brought over, and she waits for the sprite to get to its spot. As it gets closer, she begins to think she should change what monster should do this. An unfamiliar set of feet enter the dungeon, and she looks over at it, finding Imai, but no Sebastia. Imai just wanders, probably hunting down Zeuz. She looks back at the Smithy, and is about to tell the Sprite to forget the order, but as she looks back, it is already floating one of the Copper Ores. This manages to interest her, as she has not seen any other Void Sprites float an object on its own. She watches quietly, as the Sprite drops the ore into the melting pot. She looks away, as the Sprite does its thing. She begins watching the direction the lake is. Waiting for Sebastia to return. As she waits, a notification appears: Smithy Update Void Sprite has completed an Impure Copper Ingot, and is now a Smith. Lun¨¦ looks back at the Smithy, and she smiles at her new Smith. She then gives a warm feeling through the Core¡¯s connection to it. It seems to speed up at that, as it starts its next ore, and the new ingot is set down to cool. She goes back to looking around, and finds Imai and Zeuz looking over the logs. Zeuz speaks to Imai, ¡°If we want to sell some logs, we will need to transport them. When we get to a town, we¡¯ll get a cart and horse. That will help us carry more.¡± Lun¨¦ speaks to them, ¡°We have impure ingots now. If you want to wait and sell those.¡± Zeuz looks towards where the Core is and smiles happily, ¡°I will happily wait! How many are you producing? Those are easy to carry in Imai¡¯s bag.¡± Lun¨¦ speaks again, ¡°We are currently doing Copper. We¡¯ll have five of them, and then we have Tin. I don¡¯t want to use the Tin, so I¡¯ll let you take all fifteen once the Smith is done with them.¡± Zeuz nods happily, and starts walking to the back of the house. He speaks, ¡°I¡¯ll go watch the Smith then.¡± Lun¨¦ speaks to Zeuz as he walks with Imai, ¡°Zeuz? What can impure ingots be used for, do you know?¡± Zeuz speaks candidly to her, ¡°Bad armor and weapons, little Lady. But it''s still better than nothing.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles at that answer. She wants to get armor for Cloud now, and maybe a couple of daggers. She looks over at the Smithy, and focuses on the Smith, seeing a new menu: Smith Void Sprite Level 10 Dodge: 1 Health: 10/10 Mana: 15/20 Strength: 0 Dexterity: 5 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 10 Currently: Making Impure Copper Ingots Queued Recipes: x3 Impure Ingot (Copper), x15 Impure Ingot (Tin) Recipes Impure Ingots: x1 Ore Metal Plate: x2 Ingots Metal Rivets: x1 Ingot Metal Rings: x2 Ingots Plate Armor: x2 Metal Plate, x1 Metal Rivets (Crafting Room Level 1) Plate Greaves: x1 Metal Plate, x1 Metal Rivets, x1 Metal Rings (Crafting Room Level 1) Plate Gauntlets: x1 Metal Plate, x1 Metal Rivets (Crafting Room Level 1) Brevor (Neck/Helmet): x1 Metal Plate, x1 Metal Rivets (Crafting Room Level 1) Kettle Hat: x1 Metal Plate (Crafting Room Level 1) Metal Necklace: x2 Ingots She smiles at all the possible choices, and decides to queue up two Metal Plates, and a set of Metal Rivets. She¡¯s aiming for the Copper Plate Armor for Cloud. She wonders if the Armor can actually be made for Cloud. She hadn¡¯t considered it, but if not, she¡¯ll wear it. As she¡¯s thinking to herself, she feels familiar feet set foot in her domain, and she looks over at Sebastia, just in time to see a disturbing looking Fish enter too. She immediately is suspicious about the Fish, but Sebastia speaks, ¡°My Lady, the Dungeon at the Lake, has sent an envoy at my request. Please accept it and speak with it.¡± Lun¨¦ looks at it, and soon a menu appears: Monster Menu Unnamed Dungeon Envoy Merling Level 4 Health: 20/20 Strength: 4 Dexterity: 2 Constitution: 2 Spirit: 2 Current Orders: Speak with Unnamed Dungeon, and determine disposition towards Dungeon. She sees this, and speaks, ¡°So that Dungeon must be new then? Instead of expanding like we thought?¡± Sebastia responds, ¡°Yes, my Lady.¡± Lun¨¦ mentally nods at that, then speaks, ¡°Envoy, please come to the Core Room.¡± She then looks for Cloud, who is walking around with her ears pinned and tail tucked still, she speaks, ¡°Please stop being sad, Cloud. I¡¯m sorry I was so rude to you. Please come back to the Core Room, we have an Envoy here, and I want to show them our best.¡± Cloud perks up a little, and begins running back, her tail already starting to wag again, but her ears betray a bit of worry and sadness still. Lun¨¦ then looks at Sebastia, who is guiding the Merling to the Dungeon Core Room. Lun¨¦ exits the Core, and stands up as Cloud enters. Cloud stands beside Lun¨¦, and soon the Merling enters the room, hopping down the stairs awkwardly, since his tiny legs would not allow him to climb down it with grace. That or he just doesn¡¯t know how stairs work. As the Merling approaches, it gets confused, and looks at the Core, then at Lun¨¦. Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°I am the Core.¡± She shows her Race/Class, revealing her to be a Human Hero and Dungeon Core, to the Merling, who seems to relax, and approach. Cloud tenses up, and Lun¨¦ gives her a pat to assuage any fears she has about this meeting. Lun¨¦ sits down onto her legs, so she can be eye level with the Merling, who holds out its hand. Lun¨¦, knowing what to do, despite never doing this before, reaches and takes the Merling¡¯s hand. The two then close their eyes, and she finds herself in an empty space. A bit startling, and worrying, but she gets a feeling she isn¡¯t alone. A glowing light appears after a second, and a man¡¯s voice comes out of it, panicked and startled, ¡°I am terribly sorry! I thought the Merling would take longer to reach yo-¡± he stops, ¡°HUH!? WHAT¡¯S A HUMAN DOING HERE! I THOUGHT I WOULD BE TALKING TO ANOTHER CORE!¡± Lun¨¦, though a little upset at the sudden outburst, understands his confusion, and speaks, ¡°I am a Core. I think I might have been meant to be a Dungeon Core ever since my birth, as when I merged with, and am in my own territory, a scar on my hand, that I have had since birth, disappears as if it was never there. Either way, I am happy to meet you. Especially in peaceful terms.¡± He¡¯s quiet, and then says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my outburst, Great One.¡± Lun¨¦ tilts her head at that, ¡°Great One? Is that a specific term?¡± He moves side to side as if to say no, ¡°Oh, no not at all, Great One!¡± Lun¨¦ then holds up her hands, ¡°Please, just call me ---- then. Hm? Why did my voice get cut off?¡± He speaks again, ¡°I will refrain from calling you Great One then. Your Dungeon is not named, yes? Then that explains why you could not use your Human name. Only Dungeon names can be used here. I am Unnamed Dungeon. You are also Unnamed Dungeon. However, if you use your Human name as a specific thing, for example, I thought a ¡®Lady Lun¨¦¡¯ was a specific Boss Monster, but it was actually you, Unnamed Dungeon. If I used your Human name, at the end there, it would have been blocked.¡± Lun¨¦ nods slowly, and then thinks. Her Dungeon is where she gets her knowledge about Dungeons from. Perhaps she should name it something having to do with knowledge? She has it after a few seconds of tense silence, ¡°Then call me Codex.¡± He speaks happily, ¡°Understood, mighty Codex! Now, shall we get on with business?¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head, ¡°What should I call you?¡± He is stunned into silence for a few seconds, before mumbling to himself. Lun¨¦ can hear his words, as there is no hiding what you say here, it would seem, ¡°Hmm. I live in a small cave at the bottom of the lakebed, so Cave Under the Lake? No no. That¡¯s too weird. I mostly have Water Monsters after all, and nothing to do with caves. And my domain is mostly underwater, so nothing to do with the surface either. This is hard.¡± He goes quiet, and then Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°What about just ¡®Lake¡¯.¡± He speaks out, ¡°Brilliant! I am Lake of Codex!¡± Lun¨¦ is baffled by that declaration, ¡°Wha-¡± He continues, ¡°Oh right! You have not accepted. Codex, please accept me as your underling. I have nothing to give you, yet, but I will serve faithfully!¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head and hands, ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t tie yourself down to serve me. I don¡¯t want that. I would rather we just be allies.¡± Lake of Codex glows blue at that, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if that was too forceful, please do not hate me.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles warmly to him, ¡°I don¡¯t hate you. I just do not want you to be forced to follow me. I will happily accept you as an ally, just not an underling.¡± Lake of Codex goes back to normal, and seems to silently think. Then he speaks, ¡°Okay!¡± Lun¨¦ smiles again, and then says, ¡°Okay, Lake. I accept you as an Ally of the Dungeon Codex.¡± Lake of Codex laughs out into the void, and spins happily, glowing a bright yellow. Then he speaks, ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Lake, the first thing you need to do, is to gather Mana. Focus on upgrading your spawners. Another Dungeon is out in the forest, and is actively hostile. That¡¯s what those Skeletons were from. We need to prepare to fight them.¡± Lake speaks, ¡°Yes, I looked at one of the Skeletons while your Monsters and Denizens were fighting them. The name I saw was ¡®Fort Pontifex¡¯.¡± Lun¨¦ nods slowly, ¡°That¡¯s good information. It reveals that they have a holy theme despite being undead. That also fits with the very old papal symbols on their Knights¡¯ surcoats. Thank you, Lake. This has been a nice interaction. I look forward to working alongside you. Oh, right, before we leave, make sure that you do not kill Invaders unless they actually are threatening you. I have two Denizens who entered my area, and they were classified as Invaders at the time.¡± Lake bobs up and down rapidly, and then says, ¡°I understand, Codex! I will make sure they are not enemies first!¡± Lun¨¦ then says, ¡°If they cannot live underwater, send them my way, I will keep them safe. It''s likely that they are an escaped slave. There¡¯s a group of slavers to the North, on top of Fort Pontifex being to the West. If they are a slave, they should be protected.¡± Lake bobs up and down again, and then says, ¡°Okay! I don¡¯t understand what that means, but I¡¯ll try my hardest!¡± Lun¨¦ giggles slightly, and then nods, ¡°Okay. That¡¯s all I have, and I assume also all you have. Shall we get going?¡± Lake speaks, ¡°Let me try something first.¡± He begins morphing in every which way, and then just stops, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s not going to happen. Not right now at least. I¡¯ll try mimicking the Monsters for now instead. Bye!¡± Lun¨¦ was about to ask what that was about, but her vision comes back to reality, and she sees the Merling letting go of her hands, and then prostrating in front of her. Lun¨¦ raises her hands in objection, and speaks, ¡°No, no! Don¡¯t bow!¡± Cloud looks baffled by the sudden respect the Merling has given, and Sebastia smiles. The Merling quickly hops up, and begins leaving. Lun¨¦ sighs to herself, and then speaks, ¡°Well, Lake is now our ally.¡± Sebastia smiles even more, ¡°That¡¯s good, Lady Lun¨¦. Anything else?¡± Lun¨¦ nods, ¡°Our enemies currently are the Slavers, and Fort Pontifex, who is sending those Skeletons. Since none have been inside the territory of Codex, I couldn¡¯t find out its name.¡± Sebastia nods, and says, ¡°So if this Fort Pontifex is sending Skeletons, what¡¯s our first action? I recommend a scout team consisting of a Merling and Wolves.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in agreement, ¡°A Merling so Lake can map the forest as well, and Wolves to expedite the process.¡± She looks at Cloud, and says, ¡°Gather three groups of two, and send them to Lake. You go along with them, so you can tell Lake our plan. Unless it requires me to connect to him like that again. Either way, we¡¯ll tell him the plan, and we¡¯ll get through this.¡± Sebastia shakes her head, ¡°The protection is definitely gone by now. I¡¯ll go with, so I can apply it again to Cloud to act as envoy.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles, and says, ¡°That¡¯s the plan, get going.¡± She stands up as they begin going upstairs, and then she turns to press her hand on the Core. It''s time to continue on with the rest of her preparations. Chapter: 7 Trade Lake of Codex Lake was looking through his resources, trying to gauge what he wanted to do to get Mana. Just by spending time talking to the great and mighty Codex, he came back to find he has 30 Mana again, despite having just expended 90 to upgrade his Monsters. Did the time tick over or was he just not observa-the time ticks over, and he gets 25 more mana. He is silently staring at his 55 Mana, thinking on what to do with it, as he sees one of his Merlings wandering about. He opens their menu and decides on his next action. He presses the upgrade button, and looks through his options, quickly choosing to take the upgrade path for a defensive build. Knowing there is a Merling out, he has selected the Water Sprites, and expended 50 mana for their first Upgrade. The Sprites begin moving back to their spawner, and a timer appears before Lake. He gets a feeling from the Envoy Merling. Focusing his senses towards the Merling, he sees through its eyes, and it is now being placed on the back of Codex¡¯s Boss Wolf. He focuses on the Merling¡¯s ears, and has it look at Codex¡¯s Swordmaster, who is speaking, ¡°-these Wolves to your Dungeon, where they will be tasked with linking up with a Merling per two. After that, they will explore the forest for Fort Pontifex. Tell your Dungeon that, understood?¡± The Merling nods, and Codex¡¯s Boss begins running with the Merling on her back. Lake smiles, and orders two Merlings to surface, and prepare for the Wolves. Lake then looks back at the sprites and smirks happily, as the last one enters the spawner. He can¡¯t wait for Water Sylphs. Zeuz Balr¨® After a good half hour of the Smith making ingots, there were 15 tin ingots in Imai¡¯s bag, causing Zeuz to smile happily. ¡°Let us begin walking, my faithful companion!¡± He turns quickly and begins jogging, as Imai stands and follows jogging as well. A few minutes later, as they exit the borders, waving goodbye to the siblings as they do, Zeuz speaks, ¡°We need to go North to the road. Be alert for those slavers, the little Lady is worried about.¡± Imai gives an affirmative grunt, keeping pace and not tiring. Zeuz however, begins to feel his lungs getting warmer and warmer. Soon he has to stop and take a breather, as his lungs feel like they¡¯re on fire. Imai, however, looks completely fine, and stands as if she could keep going. Zeuz speaks through sharp breaths, ¡°I wish I had your stamina.¡± Imai simply smirks and shrugs. After a few minutes of Zeuz resting, he speaks to Imai, ¡°Okay, no more resting. We walk.¡± They begin walking, but after about half an hour of walking, he begins to get the feeling they are no longer alone, and he is proven correct not even a second later, as a Wolf Beastkin steps into view, and he speaks, ¡°Look at this, boys. We got a Dracenewt walking through with a really equipped Human. You treat that bitch nice. Protecting your property huh? Hand over your shit, and order that Human to take off her armor and weapons. We¡¯ll let you live and pass, if you give us all you have.¡± Zeuz frowns, and Imai is emotionless. Taking their silence as ignoring him, or just ignorance at the situation they find themselves in, the Beastkin speaks again, ¡°This is a fucking robbery, Dracenewt. Hand over your shit and slave! I can promise we¡¯ll treat her even better than you ever could you short fucker.¡± The Beastkin looks hungrily at Imai, who scoffs at the man, and looks at Zeuz, who speaks, ¡°Imai? Kill them all. Especially the ones that are still hiding.¡± He looks directly at one that is hiding in a nearby tree. Imai bursts with a red aura, and runs at the first Beastkin, drawing her sword as the man yells out, ¡°What the f-¡± but isn¡¯t able to continue as the sword cuts into his neck. Kicking him to the ground, she throws a knife at the bastard in the tree, who falls to the ground, cracking his skull as the panic freaks him out enough that he doesn¡¯t realize where he is. She then looks at the third, who is still hiding in a tree, and is shivering and terrified. Seeing her coming towards him, he screams in panic, and starts climbing higher, only to slip and fall. Imai, seeing this, waits for him to hit the ground and break his back. There she stabs him in the chest, and twists. The final one jumps out of his tree, and begins sprinting, despite the harsh landing he seems to take, Zeuz calls out, ¡°Make sure you tell them to not fuck with the Codex!¡± Imai frowns at Zeuz, while he smiles happily at her, always loving to make some poor fuckers scared and advertise while doing it. Beastkin The Beastkin was sprinting. He couldn¡¯t stop. There was no way he could. If he did, those monsters would catch up and kill him! He kept sprinting, trying to get away as fast as possible. What even is ¡°the Codex¡±? What the fucking hell was that Human!? Eventually he enters the camp, breathing heavily and leaning forward, completely out of breath. A few nearby Beastkin look at him with hostility, and one, the one he recognizes as the Boss walks over, pissed off. The Beastkin starts speaking, ¡°B-Boss! There¡¯s this weird fucking Human out there. She killed the others, and she¡¯s walking with a Kobold! Fucker yelled at me to not fuck with ¡®the Codex¡¯. I don¡¯t know what the fuck they are, but we might need to get the h-¡± He is suddenly grabbed by the neck, and lifted, as the Boss speaks, ¡°You fuckin¡¯ fool. We¡¯r¡¯ not leavin¡¯. We¡¯ got a big prize in tha¡¯ town o¡¯re there. I¡¯ve got no use for cowards like you.¡± With a snap, the Beastkin goes limp, and his vision goes dark. The life drains out of him swiftly, and the end comes. Leonarde Whitewood Leonarde was sitting quietly in his office. His hands in his face as he thinks quietly. Having given up the crown last week, he had not expected such a sudden reaction. That damned Hero. Was it not enough that they had taken away Humanity¡¯s only chance at getting a non-ceremonial Hero? He stood up, and took the paper from his desk. He then walked to the Knights barracks and entered. As a Knight yells out and salutes him, he sees the man he¡¯s looking for. Leonarde approaches the Commander, and holds out the paper, the Knight takes the paper, and reads it as Leonarde crosses his arms. The Knight frowns at it, and then says, ¡°I think I get what you want, Prince Leonarde. I will gather some of my best and we will rout this scum. They think they can get away with this in your territory, then they¡¯ve got something else coming to them.¡± Leonarde speaks with an upset tone in his voice, ¡°You had best not allow collateral from our side, like your predecessor.¡± Leonarde turns and starts walking out of the room, ¡°This is no time for such things.¡± The Commander yells out, ¡°Alright! Let''s get moving! I need Elite Knight Alicia to be our advance guard! Gather your team, and prepare. Everyone else, on standby, I will selec-¡± Leonarde exits the building properly, and heads back to the castle proper. He still has plenty of paperwork to complete. Isabell Jordan Isabell was sitting quietly, resting after a long day of treating the wounds of those who had been attacked on the road, treating ailments, and reaffirming the faith of those who need it. She quietly closed her eyes, and raised her head to the heavens. She quietly began to pray to Material to provide a path to salvation from this veritable siege. As she quietly prayed, she heard a yell at the nearby gate. Moving to investigate, and asking for forgiveness for suddenly stopping her prayer, she turns to look around at the noises. She then sees a Dracenewt, specifically of the Kobold variant, and a rather armored Human. The Guards had their spears at the ready, aimed at the Dracenewt who was spouting angrily at the Guards, ¡°-ou stupid bastards! For fucks sake, I¡¯ve already been jumped once with the assumption that I enslaved Imai! Let us in! We¡¯re fucking merchants!¡± One Guard decides trying to talk to the Kobold is useless, and lunges with his spear, clearly believing the Human to be a slave, but her blocking the strike, instead of helping her fellow Human, reveals she is not a slave. And even more so when a red aura bursts from her, making the Guard tumble backwards, and Isabell realize she is a Berserker. The other Guard panics and backpedals, but Isabell yells out, ¡°STOP!¡± The two Guards freeze, and glance back, then scramble back to normal, and point their spears forward, prompting the Priestess to yell out again, ¡°Are you two deaf!?¡± She begins walking forward, her veil over her face. The Guards are startled by her talking to them, at least once they notice she¡¯s coming up to them, and not the Kobold and his ¡°Slave¡±. The Guards are silent as they stow their spears, and look down in shame. Isabell approaches the two, and bows politely, causing the Berserker to sheathe her sword, she speaks, as she raises herself out of her bow, ¡°If you do not mind. Could I see your eyes? I must confirm something.¡± She starts slowly approaching the Berserker, who does not react simply frowning. The Dracenewt speaks as Isabell nears her, ¡°Imai can¡¯t talk. Some bitch in the past cut her tongue out for talking shit. But yeah, take a look as long as you won¡¯t charm her into killing me. I¡¯d rather not get stabbed by my best friend.¡± Isabell softly giggles at that, raising a hand to her mouth. Then shaking her head she says, ¡°I cannot do that. I just need to confirm something.¡± As she gets close to Imai, she raises the veil, and sees deep red eyes, not the golden she expected. The face is also different compared to that which she saw in the past. She frowns sadly, ¡°You are not her, as you do not have golden eyes, yet you have the powers of a Hero.¡± She brings the veil back down, as the Dracenewt speaks, ¡°Anyway! I am Zeuz, and this is Imai! We are a merchant and bodyguard, here from the oh so wonderful and graceful Codex.¡± He does a bow, and then raises back up. Before he can continue, Isabell asks the question in her and the Guards¡¯ minds, ¡°Codex?¡± Zeuz smiles happily, ¡°Our dear little Lady named her home that. We come bearing fifteen impure tin ingots for trade, plus what we gathered from the corpses of our enemies on the way. A steel scimitar, surprisingly clean leather armor set, a few rings of both silver and gold, and three iron daggers!¡± He grins at the three, and Imai nods in agreement. Isabell tilts her head at that, ¡°From your enemies? Who are your enemies?¡± Zeuz grins even wider, ¡°Perhaps a middle value coin of your kingdom will suffice for that information.¡± Isabell squints at the Kobold, about to speak out against that, but one of the Guards flicks a silver coin towards him, which he catches, and examines. Then he smiles and says, ¡°A silver! That means your lowest is likely copper, and highest is likely gold or platinum. Perhaps even both! I will love trading with your people. Now as for your information, our enemies are the Fort Pontifex, and the Slavers of the North, as we call them.¡± Isabell, confused, speaks, ¡°Fort Pontifex? Then your Mistress lives in the Deadgrave Wood? And far in at that. No one goes into those Woods because of Fort Pontifex, but you have made it your enemy? Your Mistress must be rather strong, and also a Hero. Otherwise your companion would not be a Lily as they are called.¡± Zeuz smirks, ¡°I like you. You¡¯re rather smart. But not smart enough. Now, shall we be permitted to enter and sell our goods?¡± Isabell nods, then says, ¡°Would you be willing to tell who your Mistress is?¡± Zeuz grins happily, ¡°Tell me first, what is your highest value coin? Is it gold? Is it platinum?¡± Isabell frowns, ¡°Platinum. No one but the Royals and Nobility carry those kinds of coins. Gold is the highest usually available to the common folk.¡± Zeuz continues to grin, then says, ¡°25.¡± Isabell tilts her head for a second. Zeuz continues, ¡°25 gold for our little Lady¡¯s name.¡± Isabell shakes her head, ¡°No one will have that much.¡± Zeuz grins, then says, ¡°Best start pooling together, Ma¡¯am. Now, I have goods to sell! Come Imai! We must line our pockets with coin!¡± Zeuz raises a fist into the air, and begins walking into the town with Imai behind him. Isabell watches them go, and then starts to return to the Chapel. Today is having a rather interesting end. ??? Groaning in pain, the Dark Elf slowly sits up, holding his wound. With a tired sigh, he drinks from his waterskin. Then he starts to slowly get up, he grabs his rapier and shortbow, putting them back on. He looks out of the cave into the forest. Dusk was here, and it was time for him to start moving again. He begins walking. It may be painful, but he¡¯s going to walk to that town. He¡¯s going to get out of here and to safety. As he walks, he barely hears the thundering of eight feet. Hiding, he waits for it to pass, seeing two wolves run past, but weirder than them being directly side by side, is the Merling sitting atop one. With them gone, he continues his quiet march. Contemplating what that sight could mean. Most likely, a Dungeon is nearby and exploring. He highly doubts it''s a normal symbiotic relationship in this area. He¡¯d rather not find out either way. Imai Imai was sitting nearby, as Zeuz started talking to the local Smith. Negotiating price on the ingots, scimitar, and daggers. She¡¯s simply relaxing as she hears a slow set of footsteps. Looking over, she sees the Priestess walking past; quietly, slowly, and somberly. Standing, Imai lets her curiosity take over. She hears Zeuz speak, ¡°Imai! Bag!¡± Tossing the bag over haphazardly, the poor Kobold is knocked over, getting a hearty laugh out of the Smith. Imai doesn¡¯t look back as she walks, wanting to learn a bit more about what it means to be a Lily, and what this business is about Heroes. It may not be the most useful thing for Lun¨¦ to know, but Lun¨¦ won¡¯t be able to hear anything out of her mouth anyway. It would also be interesting to see if one of the faiths of Grandia is within this land as well. The Priestess simply walks, not bothering to tell her to not follow her. Just how Imai likes it. Silence. She follows the Priestess to a pearlescent white chapel with a familiar symbol, that of Material. She enters behind the Priestess, not reserving any kind of reverence. This catches the attention of the Chapelgoers, and especially the Priestess. The Priestess keeps walking though, and only one Worshiper seems to take enough offense from Imai being uncaring of where she is. He walks over, and speaks in a hostile tone to Imai, ¡°You, be reverent. This is a place of worship.¡± Imai looks at him with apathy, then reaches into a pouch behind her, and pulls out an emblem. The man stumbles back at the sight of it, and yells in panic, ¡°Y-You!¡± The Priestess turns to look, and is similarly startled. Imai deduces from the man¡¯s outfit that he is at least in the middle of the Material clergy. The rest of the congregation are confused by the emblem, and Imai begins putting it away. The Priestess speaks, ¡°That explains your non-antagonistic irreverence. Come, we shall speak. If you are a messenger, I will hear it.¡± The clergyman backs away, staring in disbelief, as Imai follows the Priestess. Soon enough, the Priestess opens a door, and allows Imai in to take a seat. She sits down opposite Imai, after gathering writing materials for the mute. Imai just holds out a hand, instead of writing. The Priestess tilts her head slightly, but takes the hand. At that moment, Imai thinks, ¡°This is more comfortable. Only words can go through, as I am not that capable.¡± The Priestess is startled, and then thinks as well, ¡°Interesting. A spell, but you are a Berserker.¡± Imai shrugs slightly at that, then asks a question, ¡°On that topic, what does it mean to be a Lily? What is a Hero?¡± The Priestess sighs, and speaks, ¡°A Hero is someone with the power to transcend barriers within the system of this world. They are capable of passing this on, creating Lilies, however a Hero does not choose the next generation¡¯s Hero. Every race has a Hero born to it during each generation. I was Humanity¡¯s last generation, and our most recent generation has lost its Hero.¡± Imai tilts her head at that, and she continues, ¡°The reason I was confused and wished to see your eyes, was because Heroes and Lilies are the only individuals capable of becoming Berserkers. I thought you may have been our lost Hero, come back from the dead.¡± Imai nods slowly, understanding a bit, as she asks, ¡°Who was the recently lost Human Hero then?¡± The Priestess frowns sadly, and then says, ¡°Lun¨¦ Alpenglow. A young girl with no combative capabilities, and a penchant for working herself to the bone to make up for it. Intelligent and quick to learn, especially when she was with the Prince, learning from the best and brightest Humanity can offer.¡± Imai crosses her legs, and speaks, ¡°What if I told you the Codex has information on the whereabouts and state of Miss Alpenglow?¡± The Priestess straightens immediately, and looks startled yet hopeful, as she asks, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Imai smirks, then says, ¡°We followers of Chaos have our ways.¡± The Priestess becomes serious, and speaks instead of thinks, ¡°What do you want?¡± Imai smiles happily, then thinks to the Priestess, ¡°Nothing particularly. I want information, and allies to the Codex. Mostly to rub it in my ex¡¯s Sister¡¯s face that I¡¯m doing more for our Lady than she is.¡± The Priestess narrows her eyes, and speaks, ¡°So your goal is to gather allies, information, and to gloat? I can certainly try, but what do we get out of this aside from information about our supposedly dead Hero?¡± Imai smirks, ¡°An ally that has already subjugated a Dungeon, and will soon destroy Fort Pontifex.¡± The Priestess is silent for a few seconds, then shakes Imai¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°You have a deal. I shall send the letter, in the meantime, your Codex must assist us in protecting the town. That is the requirement from our side. Fail that, and we will not give you anything.¡± Imai smirks happily, ¡°Fail in providing allies, and the deal will fall through. It has been a pleasure. Just make sure to tell the guards to not freak out when they see a gaggle of Wolves, Sprites, and Bears carting goods from the forest.¡± She stands up, and lets go of the Priestess¡¯ hand, as she asks a question, which is more an observation, ¡°The Codex is a dungeon?¡± Imai smirks, and waves a hand as she leaves. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Zeuz Balr¨® Zeuz closes the deal, and shakes hands with the strapping young blacksmith. Letting him take the tin, scimitar, and daggers out of the bag. Once done and paid, Zeuz picks up the back and begins holding it from the bottom to carry, as he can¡¯t wear it, it would drag on the ground, ¡°Thank you for your business! We¡¯ll be back at a later date with more ingots. Perhaps one day, we may sell you pure ingots as well.¡± The Smith grins, and nods, answering his happy tone with his own happy tone, ¡°You may be a shrewd businessman, Mr. Balr¨®, but you still gave me a good deal, despite me telling you it''s below the average price. I thank you for the sale. I shall put it to good use immediately. Come by anytime you need armor or weapons made, and I¡¯ll make them, at a discount as long as you keep supplying.¡± Zeuz nods happily, glad to get the possible discount at a later date. He exits the forge, and looks around for Imai. Not seeing her, he starts to wander in the direction she had gone, only to see her exiting a Chapel of Material. He walks over, and holds up the bag for her to take, ¡°22 silver coins, and 5 copper coins! That¡¯s how much 15 impure tin ingots sold for. The steel scimitar was worth 10 silver coins, and the iron daggers were 1 silver each. We earned 35 silver coins and 5 copper coins today. Shall we head back, if you are done talking with an opposing faith?¡± Imai taps the side of her head, and Zeuz realizes he hasn¡¯t looked for information yet. Then he says, ¡°Oh right! We need to ask around about that Dark Elf fellow, right?¡± Imai nods, and the two begin walking again. Zeuz looks around for a notice board or someone that looks knowledgeable. He finds a noticeboard first, and asks Imai to hoist him up to read it. She does, and he begins thinking about each one, then he hears his companion¡¯s voice, ¡°Top right looks promising. ¡®Human Slave enters town saying Dark Elf saved her life from Beastkin Slavers surrounding town. Anyone willing to assist in guard duty and possible retaliation, please speak with Captain Sullivan of the Woodshade Guard.¡¯¡± Zeuz looks at the notice, and smiles, ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve found a lead. Let us go talk to this Captain Sullivan, then return to Codex.¡± Being set down, Zeuz begins walking around, asking for directions to the Woodshade Guard Headquarters. Being a small town, the first person who he speaks to directs him to the building rather easily, and they head off. Opening the door, they find the building to be sparsely decorated, only a few small trophies adorn the walls. A rather large boar tusk on a plaque inscribed with ¡°Hammertusk¡±, a small spear head on a plaque inscribed with ¡°Iseln Matre, Scarbale Bandits Leader¡±. There is a desk, but no one at it, however the sound of movement as the door closes rather loudly, reveals someone is coming. Three doors can be seen. One to the left, available to the two to enter, one near that door but behind the counter, and another on the right wall, behind the counter. All but one are closed, the one behind the counter on the left. Stepping up to the counter, the Kobold frowns, and speaks, ¡°Imai, lift me up so I can talk with them.¡± He¡¯s lifted onto the counter, as the Human guard enters, and sees the two, ¡°Uhm. Hello?¡± He steps up tentatively, a hand on his sword¡¯s hilt. Zeuz smiles at him warmly, and speaks, ¡°Hello! Don¡¯t mind me being on the counter, my friend here can¡¯t speak, so I have to take the initiative, and I would rather speak face to face, rather than have you lean over the counter.¡± The Guard approaches more confident and calm, as he continues, ¡°Now, we have a question, is Captain Sullivan in? We wish to ask him about the Slaver situation.¡± The Guard steps out of the room again, and says, ¡°I can go check. Stay there please.¡± Zeuz nods and says, ¡°Can do!¡± Soon enough, a well decorated armor steps into the room from the door in the lobby, however the helmet is off, revealing a Human face beneath. The Captain speaks with suspicion in his eye, ¡°You two are the ones asking?¡± Zeuz nods happily, and hops off the counter, ¡°Yes, yes! I am Zeuz Balr¨®, Merchant and servant of the Codex. We had a run in with your guards on the west gate, where they thought my bodyguard was a slave. However, with the fixing of that situation by the Priestess of Material, we entered and sold goods to the local Smith. Then we thought to look around a bit, and noticed your posting on the town¡¯s notice board. The Codex does not quite like the Slavers, as two of our people were enslaved by them until recently, as such they wish to thank the man who freed them, whom we are searching for. This selfsame Dark Elf you wrote of.¡± The Captain seems to keep his suspicion, but lessens his stance, knowing they are not enemies at least, and he speaks, ¡°Is this an offer to assist us in routing the Slavers?¡± Zeuz grins playfully, ¡°For a price, yes, however I believe we could strike a deal instead of sell our services. We already have begun trade, this is true, however, with dangerous paths, we would rather find a way to clear the paths of danger. As such, I would like to offer an olive branch as it were. A symbol of friendship in this case, rather than peace. Codex, and by extension, the Deadgrave Wood, would like to trade, and when the time comes, work together to defeat not only the Slavers, but Fort Pontifex.¡± The Captain frowns heavily at the two, and speaks, ¡°Fort Pontifex is a non-issue. It has not attacked any groups since going dormant four hundred years ago.¡± Zeuz grins maliciously, ¡°That is where you are wrong, Captain, as Fort Pontifex killed two Humans in the Deadgrave Wood, and turned them into Skeletons. Our little Lady and her second-in-command were the ones to let them rest, and what¡¯s more, Fort Pontifex has attacked our little Lady once before, and then attacked our ally as well with a full force.¡± The Captain is silent, then says, ¡°How do I know you are not lying. We lost two adventurers, yes, but they are believed to have been kidnapped by the Slavers.¡± Zeuz looks at Imai, ¡°Imai, the special ring.¡± Imai pulls out a ring, and holds it out for the Captain to take. Zeuz speaks as he examines it, ¡°Though our little Lady did not take anything from their bodies, her second-in-command had the forethought to. This is sufficient proof.¡± The Captain stares in silence as he reads the inscription on the underside of the ring, ¡°Naomi and Randal¡± along with a heart. The Captain closes his eyes and lowers the ring in silence. He then opens his eyes, and says, ¡°I will keep this ring and bury it properly. For both of them. As for the news you bring, it is grave. I will call a meeting between the town council, the Priestess, and I. There we will consider your proposal.¡± Zeuz bows to the Captain, who no longer shows any hostility or suspicion, just sadness. Zeuz smiles, and turns, ¡°Come Imai! We must return now! The little Lady will be happy with our haul. Help me figure out what a fourth is, of 35 and a half.¡± The Captain watches them leave, and Zeuz happily exits, smiling like a fool, as he tends to do. Captain Phil Sullivan Captain Sullivan entered the room, and placed the ring on the table before the two elders, the Blacksmith, and the Priestess, he spoke, ¡°The Guard recently had a Kobold and Human Lily enter the town. The Human Lily could not speak, but the Kobold could. After trading 15 impure tin ingots, 1 steel scimitar, and three iron daggers, to the Blacksmith.¡± He gestures to the smith. ¡°They came to the Guard Quarters, and spoke with me about a deal. As the Kobold said it, an entity known as Codex wishes to trade and defeat the Slavers and Fort Pontifex. This ring is the last remaining piece of the two adventurers Naomi Haldric and Randal M¨¦z.¡± One of the elders speaks, the town¡¯s mayor, ¡°Oh my poor sweet Naomi, what did those Slavers do to you.¡± His emotions begin to boil over and his tears begin to fall. All in attendance feel sad, thanks to having known the two rather well. Naomi had been a source of joy for all, and was the Mayor¡¯s only surviving grandchild and descendent. Randal, though a mischievous man, was a well of playful tricks that the children loved especially. Their losses will hurt far more now that it has been confirmed. The Captain lets the tears run for a few seconds, before continuing, ¡°It was not the Slavers who killed them, it was Fort Pontifex. With Fort Pontifex reawakening, we must be on guard. As such, I vote we accept the proposal the Kobold, Zeuz Balr¨® set forth. We ally with the Codex, rout the Slavers, and dismantle the Dungeon Fort Pontifex. All in favor, say ¡®I¡¯, or otherwise raise your hand if you cannot contain your tears at the moment.¡± The Blacksmith says ¡°I¡±. While the elders are silent with the Priestess. The Captain sighs, knowing the motion will not be passed. But he is caught off guard as the Priestess speaks, ¡°I must speak on this matter first. Before they went to the Guard to speak of this matter, the Lily followed me to the Chapel. There, she was irreverent, causing an outburst from Father Uritch. At which point she produced an emblem of Chaos, of Probability.¡± The Town Investigator speaks, ¡°Chaos? Really? At least she wasn¡¯t Void. That would have been far worse.¡± Priestess Jordan nods, ¡°I agree, but what is more interesting is that the Berserker could cast a spell. This spell allowed us to speak mentally for a time, during which she asked about Heroes and Lilies, then she informed me of something interesting. The Codex has information about the whereabouts and condition of the supposedly dead Hero, Lun¨¦ Alpenglow. To get this information, the Lily demanded information and an alliance with the Codex. I have already prepared a letter to send to the Prince, and what is more interesting, is that as she left, she told me to tell the guard to not panic when they see, quote, ¡®a gaggle of Wolves, Sprites, and Bears¡¯. When asked if the Codex is a dungeon, she smirked and waved, leaving the room.¡± The Town Investigator, though an elder, smiles and says, ¡°Interesting. A Dungeon wants to trade, and work together to clear the area of threats. We will be defenseless to its whims after this.¡± The Captain gulps and then speaks, ¡°I see no other choice, still. We will be wiped out before reinforcements arrive. We need to take the chance.¡± The Blacksmith is quiet, then says, ¡°I trust Mr. Balr¨® has no intent to kill us. And if he represents his dungeon in full, then I trust the Dungeon Codex.¡± The Mayor is silent, his tears still on his cheeks. The Priestess calls for the vote, and all in attendance raise their hands or say ¡°I¡±. With that, the emergency meeting was adjourned. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ grins happily at the Smith. She sees it finish the last rivet. She then sends a command to it and Cloud. Cloud gets up, huffing slightly, and approaches the Sprite. The Sprite begins circling Cloud, trying to figure out what it needs. As Cloud is examined, Lun¨¦ feels familiar feet, and looks north, to see Zeuz and Imai returning, she speaks, ¡°Welcome back, how did it go?¡± Zeuz smiles at her voice, and speaks in return, ¡°It went well, little Lady. We gained 9 silver coins for you, and found out that the town of Woodshade is planning to attack the Slavers at some point. However, we will need to return to get their verdict on working with us, aside from just trading.¡± Lun¨¦ sighs, ¡°At least they are thinking about it.¡± Glancing back at the Smith, she sees that Cloud is laying back down, and the Smith is getting to its work. She returns to Zeuz and Imai, who are still walking to the house, ¡°Would you two like to watch the Smith begin Cloud¡¯s armor?¡± Zeuz seems interested, and asks, ¡°You are having armor made for Cloud? I wonder if we could downsize and sell it to people who have hunting or war hounds.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles happily, and speaks, ¡°We will see about that later.¡± Zeuz nods happily, ¡°Enough trading for the day, time for relaxing!¡± Lun¨¦ mentally nods in agreement, and then says, ¡°I agree. I may not have done much since you left, but today has been very full. From getting the Dungeon and meeting Sebastia, to gaining an ally and way to the town. I think a good rest is well deserved.¡± Zeuz smiles as he walks, and Imai simply smirks. Lun¨¦ then shifts her focus again, now looking to the Smithy so she can start setting up a proper stockpile. She figures out where she wants the ores to be, and then goes to find Sebastia, two Sproutlings, and a Bear. She then has them cut up a log and set it up at the stockpile area, with clear sectioning off for copper and tin. Then she shifts her focus to the Monsters, and upgrading them as much as she can. She spends 60 mana on the Wolves, leveling them to 10. She then swaps to a room in the house, dropping 10 logs inside, and expending 100 Mana, she designates a Sawmill. Plenty of Wolves and Sprites come to build, and she smiles happily as it starts to be created. Lun¨¦ exits the core, and begins to sit up, giving soft pats to the heads of the siblings, who are sleeping on her lap. She lifts them softly, and sets them down quietly, then begins leaving for the outside of the house. Stepping out, she stretches. So much has happened, and she¡¯s already thinking on what to do after this small hurdle. She could hunt down the members of her old party, and show them what vengeance is. She could settle down and live a nice life here in the Deadgrave Wood, at the South of the Kingdom of Humanity. She could go out and reconnect to those that matter. Even go home. She¡¯s ready for anything. With night, production grinds to a halt, and everyone winds down to rest. Lun¨¦ soon returns to the Dungeon Core Room, and lays down with Cloud. Sebastia was upstairs somewhere, the siblings had been taken back to their room to sleep, Zeuz and Imai were in a tree somewhere in the dungeon, and only a few Monsters were roaming to keep the dungeon safe. Lun¨¦ soon fell asleep, the soft and fluffy fur of Cloud amplifying her tiredness alongside the warmth she feels from Cloud¡¯s body heat. And as Lun¨¦ falls asleep, she finds herself in the Dungeon Core again. Watching the Dungeon go about. She is confused by this, but remains silent, in case she accidentally wakes anyone. She focuses on her own body, and finds a menu appearing: Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Female Hero:Human Dungeon Core Level 30 Experience: 89/135 Armor: 6 (Dungeon Bonus) Dodge: 2 Health: 80/80 Mana: 10/10 Strength: 8 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 8 Spirit: 8 Currently: Sleeping Codex is currently alone... With a small bit of confusion, Codex realizes she is alone. Not only because the message at the bottom says it, but because she was too used to being Lun¨¦. Codex goes around the dungeon, tidying up messes, and putting things where they belong. She drops the Ore into their respective stockpiles, in groups of 50, and ends all continued production of resources. No need for any more for now. She does however, schedule the ore in the stockpiles to be converted into ingots, as she starts preparing an order to get a hole in the wall to slide logs into the sawmill. She then adds many more logs to the piles, keeping them each at 15 each pile, maximum. Leaving just one pile with 5, and four piles total. She thinks happy thoughts, then watches the sun rise for the first time. She¡¯s never done this before. Just waited. Waited for her master to arrive, and now the time has come to become powerful. As the sun rises, and her master begins to awaken, she returns to the core room, and gives a warm welcome, once again. Then she merges back. Lun¨¦ feels a warmth like when she arrived yesterday, and properly started to converse with the Core. She looks at Codex, and smiles, knowing what happened last night. She stands up, and walks over to the core, waking Cloud in the process, who looks up. Lun¨¦ places a hand on the core, and it releases a massive wave of warmth. Glee, happiness, pride at what the two have accomplished together. Lun¨¦ grins happily, and says, ¡°A new day. Let''s see ourselves to the end as a better person.¡± Chapter 8: An Old Friend Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ was walking about. Thinking on what to do next. The sawmill was just about done, so she could have a Sprite set up to work there. Or she could wait for full Mana and go on a spree. It wouldn¡¯t take long at all. She begins returning to Codex, where the two merge once again. She watches quietly, waiting for full Mana. In the meantime, she opens the rooms menu. And stares at the options. She then looks at the Voidic Oracle¡¯s Room. She then decides to check what it does and what the price is, only to see that it costs 50 Void Sprites, and 200 Mana. It must be very good for that price, or it would not matter. The description reads, ¡°This room allows Codex to create more dangerous Voidic Creatures from Void Sprites, by using Mana. The higher level the Void Sprites, the more possible options unlock.¡± She considers it, but decides to instead focus on upgrading one of her monsters. She has yet to do this, and decides that the Wolves are the ones she should upgrade. But then a thought comes to her mind, should she not just go with the Oracle? The Void Sprites have been here the longest it seems. And were the first to reach level 10. She should do so. She begins designating a room on the second floor, away from most things. She then expends the mana. A Void Sprite enters the room, and heads for the center. When it reaches the center, it bursts into a pulse across the room, and she sees that it no longer exists. It hurts slightly to have watched that, but this is apparently necessary. After a few minutes, another sprite enters and bursts at the center. This seems like it will take a while, so she looks elsewhere, and begins to watch the final stage of Cloud¡¯s armor, the fitting. The Smith levitates the armor over Cloud, and sets it down softly, where the straps at the bottom are tightened. The armor is not intricate yet, but functional. Cloud begins running around, and doing all kinds of things to try getting the armor to fall off or shift uncomfortably. As she returns, the Smith and Lun¨¦ can tell Cloud is satisfied it will protect her body. Lun¨¦, satisfied as well, orders the armor to be removed for now and placed somewhere safe. And the Smith gets to work on the many ores it has to melt, as a Sproutling comes over to take the armor away for now. Cloud isn¡¯t fussed about the armor being taken, and seems happy to just be her normal unarmored self for now. Lun¨¦ begins thinking about what else to do while she waits, and decides to look into upgrading the Smithy. As she looks through it, she realizes she needs a Miner¡¯s Guild. Now that she has wasted 200 Mana on the Oracle, she frowns at the cost of 100 Mana. Instead of doing anything, she decides to wait. Better metal production allows for better equipment to be produced, after all. Looking away for now, she starts watching the happenings around her. Eventually she realizes that Zeuz and Imai are at the Smithy requesting today¡¯s ingots for sale. Lun¨¦ speaks, as she sees the ingots produced total out to be 10, ¡°I would say don¡¯t take the copper, but we don¡¯t need it right now. If you want to wait, you can take 20 with you.¡± Zeuz shakes his head, ¡°Nope! We gotta go find out what they decided on before worrying about upping the sales. I do have a question though, little Lady. What if they want to send someone to find out what we are?¡± Lun¨¦ speaks immediately, ¡°We let them. We show them we are not an enemy, and to that end, I want you to take Cloud with you. Armor and all.¡± Zeuz frowns, ¡°I understand, but I¡¯d personally rather go just with Imai and me. But your wish is my command. Send your big doggy and we¡¯ll get going.¡± Lun¨¦ calls Cloud over, after having a Sproutling apply her armor to her, and the three are off soon after. While they do that, Lun¨¦ tries to think of what to do. Zeuz Balr¨® Zeuz walks with the Wolf Boss and Imai. He doesn¡¯t really know what to say right now. Walking in silence, he just begins listening to the forest. The forest is full of life, and excitement. He hopes that silence does not overtake the forest at some point today. After about fifty minutes of walking, Cloud begins letting out a low growl. Zeuz looks at Imai, who gets ready for a fight as they still walk. Zeuz stops walking after a bit, as he can hear what Cloud heard. Gruff voices in the distance. He thinks for a second, then continues walking towards the noises. Planning to listen in. As he nears the area, he shushes Cloud, and they all hide, listening to the conversations being had. ¡°-ucking Knights.¡± A second voice pipes up, ¡°Why the hell do you think they¡¯re here?¡± The first speaks with anger, ¡°Because of us, of course. We¡¯re a threat to one of their towns, so of course they sent Knights. They¡¯ll be here by tomorrow.¡± The second voice pipes up with even more worry in his voice, ¡°Should we just abandon the ring?¡± There is an audible smack, ¡°Are you fucking stupid?! They¡¯ll kill you!¡± The second voice, now terrified, apologies, and the first demands they get back to walking. Which they do. Once they are gone, Zeuz exits the brush, and starts heading to the town, with Cloud and Imai following. As they approach the Town of Woodshade, the Guards panic seeing the Wolf walking at the side of Imai and Zeuz. The two are not the same Guards, and raise their spears, then Zeuz calls out with a wave, ¡°Hello! Here to trade ingots again!¡± One guard calls out, ¡°H-Halt!¡± Only to cause someone to come around the corner as if she were anticipating this. The Priestess steps up behind the Guards, and speaks, ¡°They are not enemies. They came and traded yesterday, along with bringing us back Naomi and Randal¡¯s ring.¡± The Guards lower their spears, confused, but stepping to the side. The Priestess looks at Cloud a bit concerned, ¡°You are a bit larger than a normal wolf.¡± She squints for a second, getting an annoyed huff out of the Boss Monster, and then the Priestess continues, ¡°Are you perhaps a Boss Monster?¡± Cloud lets out a small ¡°boof¡± of acknowledgement. The Priestess takes that as a yes, and says, ¡°Well that confirms Codex is a Dungeon.¡± The Guards are now tense again. The Priestess looks at Zeuz, ¡°What is your reason for bringing a Boss Monster here. They are the most dangerous of all Dungeon creatures.¡± Zeuz laughs heartily, then calms down and smiles gleefully, he then points at Cloud, ¡°That? The most dangerous? No. Not at all. She may be Level 12-¡± He smirks at the panic on the Guards¡¯ faces. ¡°-but she¡¯s not even the highest level. Try 100.¡± The Priestess scoffs at that, while the Guards virtually faint, ¡°You mean to tell me you are Level 100?¡± He shakes his head, ¡°No, no. I am only Level 15. Imai is Level 33. But Sebastia? There¡¯s a reason you don¡¯t fuck with her. If it weren¡¯t for her, I¡¯d probably betray the little Lady, and go on my own. Same as Imai, but you don¡¯t want a Swordmaster coming for your head.¡± The Priestess is stunned, not seeing any tell of a lie. Zeuz speaks with a grin, ¡°Now, shall we enter?¡± The Priestess shakes herself back to reality, and nods, stepping to the side to let them pass, which they do. Cloud decides to sit with the Guards, watching the west. Imai doesn¡¯t care at all, and just walks toward the Blacksmith. Zeuz happily makes his way to the Blacksmith. The Priestess follows them into the town, and as they get to the Smith, she speaks, ¡°Please do your business, and then the town has business with you itself.¡± Zeuz nods, and walks up to the Smith, who is smiling and getting up from the grindstone, ¡°Welcome back! What have you got today?¡± After some trade at the same price as the last time, Zeuz speaks, smiling as he puts the 15 silver coins into the bag, ¡°Pleasure doing business with you. Now, what was it you wanted?¡± He looks at the Priestess, who speaks in response, ¡°Mr. Smith. If you would. Please gather the Mayor and Town Investigator. I shall get the Captain, after showing them to the council room.¡± The Blacksmith puts up his thumb and begins putting away the ingots first. Imai pushes off the wall, keeping her arms crossed. Zeuz closes the bag, and picks it up, holding it out to Imai. Imai grabs it, and slings it onto her back, and then crosses her arms again. The Priestess turns around, and begins walking, speaking, ¡°Let me show you where the Town Council will be speaking with you.¡± Zeuz and Imai begin following, and soon enough, the Priestess enters a building and lets them into a room with a circle table and six chairs. ¡°Please take a seat. The Captain tends to stand instead of sitting, so you may take two seats.¡± She turns and begins leaving. Zeuz smiles at Imai, and says, ¡°Will you be taking a seat?¡± Imai shakes her head, and leans against the wall to the side of the door. Zeuz shrugs, ¡°Your loss. I¡¯m going to enjoy resting my little feet.¡± Zeuz walks to a chair, and uses the aesthetic bar in the middle of the legs, as a ladder, and climbs up onto the chair. He sits for now, but will have to stand when the meeting begins. After around forty minutes, the door opens and the Council begin entering, almost all jumping at Imai standing quietly beside the door. The only individuals who do not jump at Imai are the Old Man in a trench coat, and the Captain, who have completely different reactions to her. The Old Man looks at her inquisitively, while the Captain simply blinks at her, and moves on to his standing spot. The Council take their seats, and Zeuz begins standing up in his seat, then speaks, ¡°Hello, Councilors. I see faces I have yet to meet, and faces I remember. To the two who do not know me, I am Zeuz Balr¨®, Merchant and servant of Codex.¡± He does a bow, ¡°Whatever your decision, we will continue trade, as it is beneficial to both parties. Especially with production ramping up on our metals.¡± The non-inquisitive Old Man speaks, ¡°Mr. Balr¨®, before continuing we would like to know your classes. You and your friend. Along with that, we would like to know everything you and yours wish from us before a proper conclusion is made.¡± Zeuz frowns, then says, ¡°If you do not wish for a healthy relationship between Codex and Woodshade, then you should simply say.¡± The Old Man shakes his head, then says, ¡°We mean no offense. We wish to verify your supposed levels.¡± Zeuz sighs and waves for Imai to walk over, ¡°There is a problem with that.¡± The Old Man asks the question of, ¡°Why?¡± Zeuz looks at Imai, who reaches him and lets out a small huff. Zeuz raises a hand, and Imai places hers on his. Zeuz hears her voice, ¡°I don¡¯t think we should tell them. I still have that status after all.¡± Zeuz nods, knowing it as well, ¡°I do not quite understand why you have it, while I and Sebastia do not.¡± Imai shrugs, only for them to hear the Old Man in a trenchcoat speak, ¡°What is taking so long? It is a simple matter. Show your stats, and we will trust you. Do not, and we will not. It will not change our decision.¡± Imai rolls her eyes, and walks over, showing her stats screen: Imai Female Human Berserker Level 33 Experience: 81/135 Armor: 8 Dodge: 2 Health: 150/150 Strength: 10 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 15 Spirit: 1 Status Condition: Carcere Burn, Those afflicted with this curse cannot remain away from the influence of Codex, or Dungeons underneath Codex, for more than three days, or they will become violently ill until returned to Codex proper. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Zeuz sighs, ¡°You have decided then. No hiding.¡± He reveals his own stats. Zeuz Balr¨® Male Dracan:Dracenewt (Kobold) Thief Level 15 Experience: 0/45 Dodge: 2 Health: 50/50 Mana: 10/10 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 5 Spirit: 7 ¡°Happy now,¡± Zeuz asks in an annoyed tone. The Priestess gasps, and then says, ¡°A curse!?¡± Imai simply nods in response, and hides her stats, she then turns around and goes back to leaning on the wall. The Old Man speaks again, ¡°As Mayor of the Town of Woodshade, I accept the proposal of alliance with the Dungeon Codex, against the Slavers and the Dungeon Fort Pontifex.¡± Zeuz is startled by the Mayor already knowing Codex is a Dungeon, he gets defensive, ¡°How did you know Codex is a Dungeon?¡± The Captain speaks, ¡°Calm down. Your friend there gave it away while meeting the Priestess.¡± The Priestess speaks, ¡°Along with allying with the Dungeon Codex, we will provide requested information that is publicly available, and have already sent a letter to the Prince of the Kingdom of Humanity, to get his support in an alliance with the Kingdom as a whole. All we ask in return, as negotiated by the Lily Imai, is information on the whereabouts and condition of the Hero Lun¨¦ Alpenglow.¡± Zeuz turns to face Imai, ¡°You did a deal behind my back!?¡± Imai simply nods a bit tense, like she¡¯s about to get chewed out, but Zeuz is impressed, not pissed, as he says, ¡°ATTA-GIRL! I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YOU!!¡± He grins madly and laughs loudly. He then goes completely serious, ¡°I will still be withholding your pay for this, and the next two, trade missions for not telling me.¡± She frowns heavily at that, but seems to accept that. The Council were startled by the sudden laughter, and yelling, but seem calm as Zeuz turns around grinning happily, and he speaks, ¡°We¡¯ll bring the good news to the little Lady, expect Wolves, Bears, Sproutlings, Sprites, and Merlings to be spotted attacking Slavers, and freeing slaves.¡± The Council seems to be about to ask questions, but Zeuz hops off his chair, and yells out, ¡°Come, Imai! We must return to speak the good news! Perhaps the little Lady may find this extremely interesting!¡± He¡¯s already at the door as he says, ¡°Ooo! I wonder if she will order up some special things to help us trade! Perhaps a wagon and road?¡± Imai exits behind him, leaving the Council with questions still burning inside them. Isabell Jordan ¡°Meeting adjourned.¡± On hearing those words, Isabell stood immediately and started running. She had already said her intent during the meeting, and none stood in her way. She ran through the hall, and out of the main door. She looked down the road, and continued running towards the west gate. As she neared it, she could see the Wolf Boss standing up, and starting to walk, with Imai and Zeuz following her. The Priestess called out, ¡°Wait!¡± The three turn to look at her, and she slows to a walk as she enters the gate¡¯s shade, breathing heavily, she speaks as she nears them, ¡°Take me with you. I wish to meet this Codex in person, and get the information I requested in our deal from them. Along with that, I can take a look at your curse while there.¡± She looks at Zeuz first, during her words, then to Imai when she changes who she is talking about. Zeuz shrugs and says, ¡°Alright, let''s go then.¡± Imai frowns at the Priestess, and the Boss Monster, Cloud, as she had been called, just starts moving into the Deadgrave Wood. Surprisingly, silence is all she hears as she walks, ignoring the sounds of wildlife that is. She walks just behind the three. Cloud walks calmly. Imai walks with a relaxed gait. And Zeuz walks with a happy hum. As they walk, Zeuz speaks, ¡°What exactly did you want to know, by the way? I¡¯m mostly curious.¡± The Priestess thinks for a moment, then says, ¡°That is not of importance to you, Mr. Balr¨®.¡± Zeuz shrugs, ¡°Still wanna know.¡± He then looks at Cloud, continuing, ¡°Hey, Cloud, we¡¯re close enough, you can go back and get the little Lady.¡± Cloud begins running, dodging around trees, and over all enjoying the sprint, it would seem. Zeuz speaks, ¡°It will only be a few minutes before we get there.¡± The Priestess simply nods in acknowledgement. Soon enough, Zeuz speaks, ¡°We¡¯re here. Watch your step around this area, especially. Sproutlings like to ambush everything and anything. Nearly got grabbed once because one thought I was a deer calf.¡± Imai begins taking off her sword. And a few seconds after Zeuz spoke, Isabell felt the familiar presence of a Dungeon. As she walks, she sees a Sproutling snatch up a fleeing hare, a Bear rolling a log, and a few Wolves walking around on alert. She has never seen a Dungeon being this passive and weird. The Bear rolling a log is likely the weirdest thing she sees up until the House, where she sees a type of Sprite that gives her pause. A small floating void. She cannot tell exactly what it is, but she can tell it is a Voidic Entity. The opposite of Material. She continues to follow, feeling more and more worried with each step. As they begin going into the basement, she begins to think about how to escape, but she sees something even more interesting than the need to run. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow, crouched giving pets to the Boss Monster Cloud, with two Beastmen begging for attention too. Isabell can¡¯t help but freeze and become speechless. Zeuz is the first to speak, just after Lun¨¦ looks over, smiling and also freezing at the sight of Isabell, ¡°Little Lady, we brought one of the town¡¯s council to meet you. Especially since she wanted to know what happened to you.¡± Isabell is silent, and Lun¨¦ is the first to speak, her voice stunned and surprised, ¡°Priestess Jordan.¡± Chaos, of Probability He smiles happily, and then looks back at Fort Pontifex. Moving a few things around, he smiles happily, and forces Pontifex to send some forces to attack Lun¨¦. A small expedition force that will get obliterated when it arrives, but will kick them into high gear. He chuckles slightly, and starts preparing the fighters he wants. Then he shifts his focus to the Slavers, and starts manipulating them behind the scenes. Trying to get them to increase pace on their plans. Especially before those Knights arrive. Speaking of which, he looks over to them in the far distance, and has a freak lightning strike make a tree fall in their path, and nearly crush their leader, but definitely the poor horse. He laughs at their misery, but also feels a little bad about hurting the poor horse. He watches as they put down the horse to release it of the pain of a broken leg, and then sky burial it a good fifteen meters off the road. Then their leader gets on the back of one of the other horses. It¡¯ll be an uncomfortable ride, but she¡¯s ready for it. He smirks, happy to have caused some problems. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ stands fully, as the others realize the two know each other. Zeuz speaks, ¡°Alright! Let''s get out of here everybody. Give the little Lady some time to catch up.¡± Everyone begins filing out of the room, and the Priestess begins stepping off the stairs to come closer. As everyone exits, she speaks, ¡°Lun¨¦, everyone thinks you are dead. Where have you been this past year? What happened in that dungeon? They said you betrayed them and died, but we knew you didn¡¯t. So what happened?¡± Lun¨¦ raises her hands then shakes her head, ¡°Hold on, hold on. Year? It''s only been a day.¡± The Priestess shakes her head, ¡°What are you talking about? You disappeared a year ago. It was Month 7, Day 13, Year 1015. It is now Month 7, Day 14, Year 1016.¡± She stops moving a few feet away. Lun¨¦ takes a step back, ¡°No, no. That¡¯s not possible.¡± The Priestess thinks for a second, then says, ¡°It is.¡± Lun¨¦ looks up at her, confused, ¡°How!? That¡¯s not a field of magic! No one can simply send someone to the future!¡± The Priestess shakes her head and answers, ¡°Now it makes sense. You are right. There is no Chronomancy magic. However, there is something close. It''s a theory based on the religion of Humanity. It goes like this. Teleportation, is the concept of moving someone from one place to another, on the same world. A theory is that there is also Transportation, which is the concept of moving someone from one world to another. For example, if I were to disappear from here, and find myself in front of another Lun¨¦, who has never met me. Within those two, there are certain things that can change. Time Dilation is one of those, which changes the time someone arrives at their destination. From the report the Prince got at the time, the teleport stone did not crack and break, but a black rift opened and swallowed you whole. The rift, as described, sounded Voidic in nature. Do you know the faith? Just to confirm if I am going to have to explain more than just that.¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head no, not understanding at all right now. The Priestess then continues, ¡°There are two main forces in the Pantheon. Material and Void. These are the Primals. From which all things are made. Material created the material concepts. Everything we can touch is its creation. Void is the opposite. Void created the immaterial concepts, things such as free thought and the spirit of a person. There is a third, neutral party, that of the Genesis Chaos, of Probability. A member of the gods who was born directly of one or both Primals. The Forged are the gods made from the Genesises, who act in exact matters. Eyalve, the goddess of Tricksters, implants tricks and lies into the minds of mortals, for example. Most Genesis gods are simple to understand, as their names are simply what they govern. Solus and Luna, the opposites of each other are the Sun and Moon respectively. ¡°Now for what truly matters in this case. Void is thought to be its own world. Such as Material being our world. If someone could tap into Void, theoretically they could Transport themselves to another world, or Teleport to a different area. If they have very fine control, they could use Time Dilation, to change when they arrive, or allow it to run rampant and spit them out whenever.¡± The Priestess is silent now, letting all of that information sink in. The important things to her keep, while the rest fades from her mind. Luckily she knows Codex is acting in her full capacity to archive what was said on a rock that was brought to the second floor. Lun¨¦ soon speaks, ¡°So, Chaos, of Probability, is a Genesis god governing the chaos of probability, and also leading a neutral faction? Along with that, I somehow entered the Void, and was spit out in Codex a year later?¡± The Priestess nods in response, ¡°Yes. But why did you latch onto Chaos instead of just that last part?¡± Lun¨¦ speaks in response, calm and collected, ¡°Because he¡¯s labeled as one of my Denizens.¡± The Priestess is stunned by this, and speaks, ¡°W-Wait. Denizens?¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, and speaks smiling slightly, ¡°Carcere Fabricator got upgraded the moment I touched Codex. And at the same time, my burn scar disappears when in Codex¡¯s area. Along with all of that, I can control Codex, and the Dungeon follows my whims. Instead of a Commoner, my stats show that I am a Dungeon Core.¡± The Priestess is silent, then says, ¡°This is unprecedented.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in agreement, but then says, ¡°It''s very interesting, but what matters right now, is that Chaos, of Probability, is a Denizen, yet I have never met it.¡± A voice is heard, a man¡¯s, ¡°His.¡± The two look around, startled, and then a figure begins appearing. A figure similar to the depiction of a Grim Reaper, however without a scythe, and with only red eyes visible underneath its hood. Lun¨¦ reaches for her dagger, but realizes Codex senses no hostility, in fact, as she stares, she sees a corrupted Denizen Menu appear. The Priestess is on even more edge, and looks ready to bolt or attack, or both. Chaos speaks, ¡°None of that now, I mean no harm, I just wished to fix one of your incorrect statements. I am a ¡®He¡¯. Not an ¡®It¡¯ like my progenitors. No, I will not let you question me, as I have things I must do, but I will say this, grow strong and powerful. Use the sprites, and grasp your vengeance, young Lun¨¦, and then reach the end. There you will find me waiting. We will see your strength, and you will be tested until then. Good luck-¡± Before he disappears the Priestess speaks, ¡°Wait! A Human could never compete against a god, not even a Hero.¡± Chaos laughs, then says as he begins changing form. Shifting into a Human in a coat, with five silver stars in a circle on his left shoulder, and a tiny flag on his right shoulder. A sword hangs on his side, and his buzzed brown hair is very short. A cold stare from the man is all they get, until Chaos speaks, ¡°I beg to differ. After all, I have seen a Human best my daughters, and even gain their acknowledgement.¡± He smirks, ¡°You are right about the theory of Transportation, Isabell. It does move someone to a different world. This man is from a different world after all.¡± He looks Lun¨¦ in the eye, and says, ¡°Perhaps you will see him at the end of your adventure.¡± He finally fades from view, disappearing, as Imai bursts in looking around for something. The Priestess speaks, clearly far less tense, as she crumbles to the floor laughing slightly, ¡°You just missed your god, Imai.¡± Imai frowns heavily and punches the wall, then exits. Lun¨¦ had not realized she had also fallen to her knees. Holding her chest, and listening to Codex, she can tell her heart is beating faster than she realized. ¡°Perhaps-¡± she says with a pause, ¡°Perhaps we should call it a day. It is still early, but that drained my energy away.¡± The Priestess nods in agreement, ¡°I completely agree. That was quite stressful. I never thought I would see a god in person. Not to mention a neutral creation god.¡± She looks over to Lun¨¦, and smiles, ¡°Did you know, that it is believed the neutral faction have created more worlds and people than any of the other gods? It is why they are often called the creation gods, instead of the neutral faction. Though an introduction works best with just the ¡®neutral faction¡¯.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles at the Priestess, and just lays down. Tired. Chapter 9: To War Sebastia Ria Sebastia was wandering, her armor and weapons were resting in the Core Room. Cloud runs past her, and goes to watch the Smith. She seems to like that area, perhaps because the grass is soft, and the sound of metal being casted can be rather satisfying. Sebastia just walks around, thinking about what to do, until she sees Imai running to the house. No seeing anyone else running, she follows, though not running herself. She enters as Imai exits the basement, frowning heavily. She watches her leave, then enters the basement to find Lun¨¦ and a woman she doesn¡¯t know laying down on the floor. ¡°My Lady? Is something the matter?¡± She begins going down the stairs, only for the two to sit up in roughly the same way. Lun¨¦ shakes her head, ¡°No, we¡¯re okay, Sebastia. We just had a weird encounter is all.¡± Sebastia tilts her head, noting the slightly open mouth on the woman, whose face is hidden aside from that. Lun¨¦ smiles softly, ¡°Seriously, Sebastia. We¡¯re fine. Just something supernatural happened, and no one got hurt or anything. Was just freaky.¡± Sebastia nods in response, not happy with the answer, but okay with it. As she turns around to leave, she hears the woman speak, ¡°Wait, you are the Level 100 Swordmaster? I thought you would be a Dracan or maybe an Elf.¡± Sebastia looks at her, then says, ¡°What, a Human cannot be a Swordmaster? What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± The woman shakes her head, then says, ¡°Nothing, just, I never thought a Human would surpass level 75. Let alone reach 100. How did you do it?¡± Sebastia shakes her head, ¡°I just did what I was meant to do. I served my charge faithfully, and sacrificed myself for the greater good.¡± The woman tilts her head at that, ¡°What do you mean you sacrificed yourself?¡± Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Do you remember Carcere Fabricator, and how I said it was upgraded?¡± The woman looks at Lun¨¦, ¡°Yes?¡± Lun¨¦ points at Sebastia, ¡°She was the first to be summoned with the new button I got. I believe Carcere Fabricator can take things from other worlds, including people.¡± The woman looks between the two, then stands up quickly, running over to Sebastia, she grabs Sebastia¡¯s hand, and speaks, ¡°Tell me all about your experience being summoned! What did you see!? Where were you beforehand!? Did anything particular happen!?¡± Sebastia is startled by this, and feels awkward, ¡°Uh. I don¡¯t really remember anything from the Summoning. All I know is that I was within the East Tower, eternally fighting against the god of war. I had sacrificed my life to save Grandia from certain destruction. Then I was here, able to start again with a charge that is far less important than the goddess of the sky.¡± The woman turns and starts dragging Sebastia over, ¡°Interesting, interesting! Tell me about your world!¡± Sebastia, though a bit uncomfortable, remembers the time Enna had dragged her away to talk about Grandia and what it was like. She smiles softly, no longer fighting the woman¡¯s pulling, and walks with her, sitting down, she speaks, ¡°My Lady? Do you mind seeing if you can summon something alcoholic?¡± Lun¨¦ thinks for a second, then says, ¡°I could try. It''s probably under misc.¡± She then opens Carcere Fabricator, and presses the ¡°Misc Summons¡± using her own mana, expending only 5 it seemed. A white light appears, and it turns green as a bottle of what Sebastia recognizes as Altanan Wine, but is just straight up Vodka with a weird label on it¡¯s bottle. ¡°Ooo. Altanan Wine. I haven¡¯t had that in a long time.¡± She then points at Lun¨¦, ¡°No drinking. You¡¯re underage.¡± She then looks at the woman as she hears Lun¨¦ let out an audible noise of disappointment. The woman nods, ¡°I am the Hero of the last Human generation. I am old enough to drink.¡± Sebastia nods in return, saying, ¡°I will have to take your word for it. I¡¯m bad at guessing ages, unless they¡¯re still in their teens.¡± The woman nods, ¡°Young people are just easy to spot.¡± Sebastia nods in agreement, as Lun¨¦ says, ¡°But, Sebastia, you¡¯re not even that much older than me.¡± Sebastia smirks, and answers with a small chuckle, ¡°I definitely fucking feel like it. Try leading a battalion of simple guards against an undead horde bearing down on the capital city. You¡¯ll feel older too after that.¡± Sebastia looks at the woman, ¡°So, introductions first. You already know my name, what¡¯s yours?¡± The woman does a small bow while sitting, saying, ¡°I am the Priestess Isabell Jordan.¡± Sebastia nods to Isabell, and then says, ¡°Well Isabell. Happy to meet you. What¡¯s your faith?¡± Isabell produces a golden and silver charm, ¡°Material.¡± Sebastia pulls out her own emblem, similar in construction, but steel and bronze, ¡°Material as well. However, far less devout.¡± Isabell nods in response, understanding that not everyone is the same as her in faith. Sebastia smiles, ¡°It''s nice to see this land has at least one pantheon I recognize.¡± Isabell smiles, and says, ¡°It looks like it may be a constant.¡± Sebastia shrugs, ¡°Who knows. Now, let''s get on with the story. I¡¯ll start from the day I met Enna.¡± She begins pouring herself some Vodka, ¡°It all began as my caravan was headed for a town in the north of Grandia. At the north of Grandia, sits a large cliff, across the entire peninsula. There are only a few ways up, and the closest was there. I was just doing guard duty, when we were attacked by bandits. I recognized the emblem on them, and flashed my own. They stopped attacking, because Hendricks¡¯ not a bad guy, especially for those he calls friends. How did I make friends with a bandit while being a soldier? Defectors. That¡¯s how. But Hendricks¡¯ didn¡¯t defect because he was swayed, he just always was like that. I asked the men where Hendricks was, and they told me he was up by the North Tower. Which I found odd. The Shades tend to attack anything nearing the towers. Something was wrong, so I split off, and went up-¡± Codex While the Lun¨¦ is busy, the Codex will play! Codex slides her view around, looking for things to work on. She goes to the Void Oracle¡¯s Room, and looks at its progress. Realizing it''s about done, she looks around for the closest sprites, and looks through them, finding only one going to the room. She then goes to look at the construction of the library area. She smiles at the progress, as a Bear and Wolf work together to plant a log into the ground. She then turns her attention to the Sawmill, which was done a bit ago, and has a Sprite go there as well. They will need planks for the construction and repairs to the house. She has the Smith start making nails instead of just ingots, though she wants it to mix tin and copper first, to see what happens. She watches the process, and smiles at the bronze that is made. She orders the Smith to make nails out of the two bronze bars that were made from the mixing of two ores. Then she slides away again, looking around for more things to do, and starts a construction of her own. A path with rocks in the ground to make it easier to know where to walk. She has a few wolves go out of the dungeon to find rocks and bring them back, meanwhile, another wolf is digging out small holes for rocks to go. Sliding around more, she finds nothing to do. And gets slightly depressed. Then she decides to try something fun that she did once while waiting, and focuses extremely hard on the Sprite going to the Sawmill, and keeps focusing. Soon she realizes she is the Sprite, and quickly starts going to the Sawmill, happy to get to do something that isn¡¯t just sitting around being bored. Idle hands turn to dust, as she says! Koto Youngthorne ¡°Miyoshi, let''s explore the woods a bit.¡± Miyoshi looks a little concerned about that idea, but Koto¡¯s excited to do so. Not far, but enough that they won¡¯t see the house. No need for Cloud or Sebastia, they can take care of themselves just a little away from the dungeon. ¡°They don¡¯t need to know, we¡¯ll be out, and then right back in.¡± He grins, and Miyoshi relents, following her elder brother, as they walk to the edge of the territory. Entering the woods, they walk around for a bit, enjoying the woods. Koto was ecstatic to explore the area properly, especially with Miyoshi at his side. As they walk, he hears Miyoshi talk in her quiet voice, ¡°Noise.¡± Noticing his sister¡¯s worry, he begins to hide behind a tree, watching quietly, listening as well. He notices the sound of clinking. As they stay silent, they hear more and more clinking, all heading towards the Dungeon. Poking his head out slightly to get a look at what that noise is, he sees a group of skeletons, and hides quickly. He whispers to Miyoshi, ¡°We need to warn everyone.¡± The sound stops, and one begins moving closer. The clinking of his armor alerting them that they had been heard. Miyoshi begins to panic, and Koto thinks for a second, before whispering again, ¡°Go to the dungeon. Don¡¯t look back.¡± He then bolts in a different direction, in front of the skeletons, making them all start following him. He doesn¡¯t look back to see if Miyoshi is running to the Dungeon, as he needs to make sure they don¡¯t follow her. The adrenaline, though running high, is not enough to keep him from tripping, and falling as he runs. Only one skeleton has kept up with him it seems, and he stares at it as it raises its sword to stab down on him, only for a dagger to hit the side of the creature, and make it stumble. The dagger tumbles to the ground. A voice speaks, ¡°Fuck. Fine. Here we go!¡± A blast rainbow fire slams into the skeleton, and then a rapier smacks its head off. The man looks down at Koto, and speaks, ¡°You alright kid? Thought I told you to run, not stick around.¡± Koto recognizes the man as the one who freed him and Miyoshi. He grins, and starts getting up, as the man says, ¡°And where the hell is your sister? I thought you two would stick together. Or did something happen?¡± Koto nods at that, ¡°Yeah, something great happened. We found shelter with a Swordmaster and a kind girl about our age. They own the Dungeon just over there.¡± He points to where Codex is, and then he hears a laugh, ¡°Own the dungeon? Kid, don¡¯t trust them. They¡¯re likely just Denizens, following the Dungeon¡¯s whims. I recommend getting out of there when you can.¡± He begins walking again, as Koto says, now upset with him, ¡°I¡¯m not lying! It''s a safe place!¡± The Dark Elf frowns at him, and then says, ¡°Kid. Don¡¯t trust a dungeon. It may not be hostile, but it could flip at any moment.¡± He continues walking, now not facing him, ¡°But I¡¯ll take it into consideration and keep an eye out nearby.¡± Koto watches him leave, then frowns and starts running to the Dungeon. Miyoshi was probably worried sick. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Imai Imai was chilling in a tree, relaxed with her sword on her lap, as Miyoshi runs into the Dungeon, crying and panicking. Hopping out of the tree, she puts her sword on her hip, and walks towards the panicking Miyoshi. She grabs the smaller Miyoshi¡¯s shoulders, and turns her around. Miyoshi starts pointing towards where she came, ¡°K-Koto-¡± her sobs and tears interrupt her voice, and Imai turns to face the direction. She begins sprinting in that direction, and after a couple of minutes, comes across the skeletons, and no sign of Koto. She draws her sword, and cracks her neck. Then she lets her aura burst forth from her. Imai readies her blade as the Skeletons begin coming at her. Her armor stops three of the Skeletons¡¯ attacks, but the fourth misses, and the Knight gets a very clean shot at her, but she parries and counters, cutting through the rusty armor, and seeing a red ¡°30¡±. She grins madly in her rage, and cuts the Skeleton again, getting a black ¡°30¡±, as the Skeleton crumbles. The same three Skeletons manage to hit her again, still being blocked by her armor. She slashes through one of the normal Skeletons, getting a black ¡°30¡±. Two of the remaining manage to smack her armor again, just making her angrier as their damage is nullified and just feels like a thump against her side. With another slash, she takes down another Skeleton. Only two left. The story repeats twice more, until there are no more Skeletons. The sound of something running up from behind, makes her turn and almost stab Cloud, but she relaxes and lets go of her aura, sheathing her sword, and starting to return. With a yawn, she keeps walking, letting Cloud deal with the bones. Miyoshi Youngthorne Miyoshi was sobbing on the ground where Cloud had left her, scared and stressed out. As Miyoshi sits and cries, she feels a pat on her back. Taking a look, she sees the Dracen that showed up recently, and says, ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, girly. Imai¡¯s got this. Doesn¡¯t even need Cloud.¡± Miyoshi starts trying to dry off her tears, but she keeps crying, unable to stop, as she fears losing Koto. She begins having flashbacks to the night the village had been attacked. That toothy and demonic maw. The blood. Her heart was racing as the memories were replaying, from waking up to screams and panic, to the death of their mother, to the beheading of Araqiel. She began to sweat and approach hyperventilation. As the tears stopped, and her hiccups began interrupting her hyperventilation, her panic grew. She didn¡¯t know what was going on around her anymore. She began to curl up, grabbing her ears and holding them down against her skull. She began remembering the faces of those she saw be killed. She began remembering the suffering she heard. She felt the pain she felt each time, until she became numb to the noises. She curled up, shivering, shaking, hyperventilating, sweating, and flashing back rapidly. She hadn¡¯t even noticed Koto grab her, and hug her, until she fought against him for a few seconds, terrified and scared that the Demon had come back to take her away again. To slaughter everyone here, and kill Koto this time. It was at this point she finally heard his voice again, ¡°-s okay, Miyoshi. It''s okay, I¡¯m here. You¡¯re safe. We¡¯re safe.¡± She immediately grabbed her brother in a hug, and held tightly, returning to sobs, no longer scared for his life. Koto speaks calmly to her, ¡°It''s okay, I¡¯m here.¡± She felt his hand holding the back of her head, as she sobs into his shoulder. She felt his arm around her back, holding her close. She felt the soft rubbing of his head against hers. Something she had forgotten would happen when either had been scared. A soft and warm feeling. A good memory resurfaces, calming her further, and lulling her slowly to sleep. A memory of a thundering night, a warm bed, and a mother smiling and comforting her children. After a few minutes, she loses the last of her energy for the moment, and falls asleep against Koto. Calm dreams overtake her mind, and she is once again, calm. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Cloud runs into the room, in the middle of the story, and Lun¨¦ stands quickly, ¡°What is wrong?¡± Cloud moves her head in a way, as if to say ¡°follow me¡±. Lun¨¦ starts running, with Sebastia standing quickly and getting her armor. The Priestess follows Lun¨¦ upstairs, and out. Finding Koto softly humming a calm song to Miyoshi, who sleeps quietly against his shoulder. Cloud walks over to Koto, and sits. Lun¨¦ approaches quietly, and softly and quietly asks, ¡°What happened?¡± Koto comes to an end of the song, and slowly turns his head to look at Lun¨¦, then he quietly speaks, frowning, ¡°I wanted to explore the nearby woods, and as we did, we ran into skeletons. One chased me, the rest kept going towards the Dungeon. I don¡¯t know what happened to them, but the one that chased me was killed by the man that freed us. I don¡¯t know where he went after. When I got back, I found Miyoshi curled up, unresponsive and scared. She even fought me while I hugged her, until she realized it was me.¡± The Priestess speaks softly and quietly, as she sits down on her legs, ¡°Please, tell me, what bad things have happened to you both?¡± Koto speaks, ¡°Our village was enslaved, our mother killed before our eyes, and our guardian and mentor beheaded in front of us all. Then we were kept by the slavers for a while. I got punishments, while Miyoshi was kept completely untouched.¡± The Priestess nods slowly, understanding the situation, ¡°She might have PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It cannot be cured with magic. She will likely have to avoid whatever caused it to flare up. I assume the thought of losing you is what did it.¡± Koto looks at Miyoshi, and hugs her again, tightly. Lun¨¦ looks at Cloud, ¡°Make sure they get back to their room and rest. I will get an Expedition prepared to go straight from where the skeletons were. I assume you already took care of them, so show me the direction.¡± Cloud stands and essentially uses her body to point. Lun¨¦, of course, does confirm it first by moving towards it, which Cloud does so, not changing her direction. Lun¨¦ nods, and decides a pack of wolves would be best. As she watches Koto and Miyoshi be taken back to their room, Lun¨¦ begins gathering up wolves. The Priestess watches the siblings leave with sad eyes, and then looks at Lun¨¦. Perhaps wondering where all the wolves came from. Once the four wolves were on their way, Lun¨¦ began moving to the back of the house, followed by the Priestess, and Sebastia, who had just run out in her full gear. Getting to the back, Lun¨¦ goes to the Smith, and begins changing its priorities. It had already made a good few nails, but she tells the Smith to keep the last bronze ingot, and start making more using the ingots they already have. Then she has the Smith making plate armor for herself, and Cloud. As she finishes restructuring the Smith¡¯s orders, Sebastia speaks, ¡°What are we doing, my Lady?¡± Lun¨¦ looks at her, anger clear on her face, ¡°Going to war.¡± Suddenly, a loud horn can be heard in the distance. Lun¨¦ is not deterred. Chaos, of Probability He began laughing maniacally, he knew this would work. He orders the war horn to be sounded. He would allow them time to make the first move, and as the horn sounds, from the new Skeletal Wizard blowing wind into it, he looks back to see their responses. Lun¨¦ looks in the direction of the horn, the fire in her heart burning even hotter with anger. Sebastia looks towards the sound, tense and ready for anything. The Priestess panics while standing completely still. Around the area, Zeuz raises an eyebrow, while Imai begins to grin madly. Cloud howls, causing her wolves to join her voice with their own. Looking at Codex, he can tell the Dungeon is even more pissed off than Lun¨¦. For the fun of it, he checks on Lake of Codex, and sees him panicking. Chaos chuckles at that, then goes to the town to see the reactions there, Guards are running to the west gate, and forming a shield wall in fear that something is coming. Captain Sullivan is with them, ready for combat already. The townsfolk are running to their houses. Smith is smithing, as he could just smack whatever attacks him with his hammer and deal a hefty amount of damage. The Mayor is preparing his old armor and weapons. The Investigator is talking to his town criers, and then letting them go home to be safe. Then he slinks into the shadows. Chaos then looks at Slavers camp, finding the beastkin panicking, and being confused as to what that was. The only one not confused was their leader, who had properly returned to them just a few hours ago, stood up from his seat, and yelled out, ¡°Boys! That¡¯s a Dungeon! Be prepared for everything, or you¡¯re worthless to me! Keep the merchandise safe at all costs!¡± Chaos smirks, then says to himself, ¡°You¡¯ll get what¡¯s coming, bastard. You and all your ilk.¡± He looks back to Fort Pontifex, and looks at Pontifex Ravenlance, he then speaks to Ravenlance directly, ¡°Prepare defenses. The enemy comes tonight.¡± The Skeleton Lord begins standing from his throne, and raises a hand up, ordering the nearby Skeletons to their work. Chaos grins widely. The first chapter in Lun¨¦¡¯s new Dungeon centric life, nears its conclusion, and he could not be any less excited. Chapter 10: Fort Pontifex Lun¨¦ Alpenglow While her armor is made, Lun¨¦ calls for her best to come to her. She expends 60 of Codex¡¯s Mana to level up the Bears to Level 8, putting all of their points into Constitution. She speaks to Sebastia as the gathering begins to form, ¡°Sebastia, I will leave the strategy to you. As for information you need to know, Void Sprites and Wolves are our highest levels, at 10. Void Sprites will be unavailable as they are being used in the Voidic Oracle¡¯s Room, so that leaves Wolves, Bears, and Sproutlings. I want to keep the Sproutlings here to protect the Dungeon, likely with you or Imai. I just leveled up the Bears, so that they are now our highest health Monster.¡± Sebastia nods in response, saying, ¡°I understand, my Lady. I will have the Bears acting as a frontline. The Wolves will be cavalry, meaning the job of range must be outsourced to the Lake. Are you able to contact it at will?¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head no, and then looks around. She points at a wolf, and says, ¡°You, I need you to sprint to Lake of Codex, and act as an envoy. Receive a buff from Sebastia before you leave.¡± The Wolf stands and trots up to Sebastia, who casts the protection on it. The Wolf sprints off, ready to act as an envoy. Sebastia speaks, ¡°We will go to Lake of Codex first, to bolster our numbers, and then move in the direction of the enemy. Hopefully we wi-¡± A howl can be heard in the forest. Then two wolves and a merling exit the woods, heading to the house. Lun¨¦ lets them, knowing that is the way to update the map. She opens the map so Sebastia can see. As the map is updated, Lun¨¦ receives 200 mana, and smirks. She just got a massive boost. She quickly orders the wolves to bring the Merling back to Lake of Codex and standby there for the main party. She immediately expends 180, leveling the Wolves and Bears to the maximum they can be for now, which surprises her at first, but makes sense, as the cost to level increases from 16 onwards. Though she cannot at the moment, she knows what she wants the Bears to be, and adds 3 more points to their health, and the remaining 4 to their Spirit, giving them 10 mana to expend, but no spells they know. The Wolves already have their niche, and she simply increases their Constitution by 2 and Strength by 3. Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°The Wolves and Bears are now level 15. Bears are now at 100 health. They should be far more effective Tank units.¡± Sebastia nods, and looks forward at the gathering of monsters. Cloud sits among them, and Sebastia speaks, ¡°Cloud, come up here. You¡¯re leading the Wolves. We need to talk strategy.¡± Cloud stands and walks over, ready to learn the plan. Sebastia begins speaking, ¡°You and your Wolves will act in a harassing role. Attack from the flanks, poke through the frontlines, be nuisances, but do not get stuck in. You are the Cavalry. You should never be stuck in the middle of the enemy. Push through, get through, or hit turn run. The Bears will be the frontline infantry. Stick behind and around them, or utilize their big frames to your advantage and surprise a few enemies with sudden attacks from above or below. I will be remaining at Lady Lun¨¦¡¯s side during this. Leave her sa-¡± As Sebastia talks, Lun¨¦ gets a feeling from the Envoy, and focuses on it. She finds herself in the space with Lake again. Lake glows brightly, but his voice betrays his fear and panic, ¡°Hello, almighty Codex!¡± Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Calm down, Lake. We¡¯re not under attack just yet. Prepare ranged fighters. We will be sending a force of Wolves and Bears to you for your fighters to join. They should remain behind the Bears at all times, unless they cannot get an attack off. Your Water Sprites will do nicely in this role, keep your Merlings at your core to defend you.¡± Lake glows brightly again and laughs, ¡°Sprites? Who has Sprites!? I have Sylphs! HAHAHAH!¡± Lake seems to be less fearful now, just proud. Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°That is good. I¡¯m glad you upgraded them. We will need them. Now, you should be getting an influx of 200 Mana soon, one set of scouts is returning.¡± Lake bobs up and down, then says, ¡°I understand. I shall level up as much as I can!¡± Lun¨¦ nods as she says, ¡°Do not ignore your Merlings. You will need protection. When the force arrives, let your Sylphs join them, and the force will go to Fort Pontifex. With this emergency meeting done, we will be there soon.¡± Before Lake can say anything, Lun¨¦ disconnects from her Envoy. As she opens her eyes, she sees the Bears in a line of 10, with the Wolves in chevrons of 5 at the sides. Cloud stands at the front of the formation, in the middle. Lun¨¦ sees Sebastia walking up and down the line, she then stops and starts walking back to Lun¨¦, ¡°My Lady, we are ready.¡± Lun¨¦ looks at the Smithy, to see that her armor is not done. She frowns, and then starts walking to the back of the formation, ¡°Then let¡¯s get going.¡± Sebastia follows her, and they take position in the middle, and behind the Bears. Sebastia calls out, ¡°Formation! March!¡± The line of Bears begin to walk, with the Wolves following, but pulling in behind the line, and beside Sebastia and Lun¨¦. The trees will require the formation to split sometimes, but they can remain close enough together that if something happens, they will not be at a disadvantage. After almost a half-hour, they reach Lake, and find two Wolves sitting. These two Wolves enter the chevrons on the ends. The left chevron has an extra wolf on its left, and the right on its right. The Sylphs begin floating out of the water. The Sylphs look like small young ladies, whose dresses are always flowing like water. As they are joining the formation, mostly as a blob, Sebastia cringes a little at seeing such an unorganized mess be created behind her neat formation. Despite Sebastia clearly wanting to whip them into a better formation, the formation begins moving again. As a force of 10 Bears, 12 Wolves, and 15 Water Sylphs, they begin moving towards where Fort Pontifex lays. Isabell Jordan The Priestess sat quietly beside Koto, watching Miyoshi¡¯s condition carefully. Imai enters quietly, and taps the Priestess. She looks and then starts to follow after a small wave. Isabell exits the house, finding it rather quiet compared to earlier, when Bears would be roaming, Wolves playing, and those creepy Void Sprites would float aimlessly. Granted the Void Sprites are still around, but there are far less of them. Zeuz stands quietly, watching the forest. Imai walks to Zeuz and Isabell speaks, ¡°It is quite quiet at the moment. Is something the matter?¡± Zeuz looks at her, and nods, ¡°That horn earlier, was Fort Pontifex. With a set of scouts returning, the little Lady just left to get ranged fighters from the Lake, with a host of Bears and Wolves.¡± Isabell is shocked, ¡°She is already making a move? I thought that would be an unwise decision. What if that horn meant Fort Pontifex is attacking?¡± Zeuz nods in response, understanding the thought, and he answers, ¡°Hence why Imai is still here. Her armor can take a damn strong beating, and she hits far harder than anyone here.¡± Isabell sighs dejectedly, then looks at Imai, then at the forest. She finally asks, ¡°What way is the Lake? And do you know where Fort Pontifex is?¡± Zeuz smirks, ¡°Coin.¡± Isabell looks annoyed, then says, ¡°Screw it, I¡¯m walking to Pontifex. I¡¯ll just join them there.¡± Zeuz raises an eyebrow, ¡°You sure about that Priestess?¡± Isabell looks back at him, while walking, ¡°I¡¯m not just a Priestess. I¡¯m a Hero.¡± She snaps her fingers, and suddenly her outfit has changed. No longer was she wearing holy garb, but rather a full set of steel platemail, with gold trimmings and the emblem of Material on its chest. She begins walking as she summons her tower shield as well. Fort Pontifex As the Fort sits quietly, waiting for the enemy. It watches the woods around its clearing, through the eyes of Pontifex Ravenlance. As the Pontifex moves off the battlements, it feels his intent for a prayer service. Summoning the maximum number of the skeletons it can reasonably remove from guard, it lets Pontifex Ravenlance begin his sermon. Preaching about the health and safety of everyone in the Imperial Human State. Calling for Material¡¯s blessing upon them, and the defense of the Fort, and by extension, Humanity. Fort Pontifex listens quietly, joining in the prayer as it begins. It can hear the voices of each of its soldiers, ¡°Material, guide my blade. Protect my brothers and I so that we may see our families again at duty¡¯s end. For eternal life and happiness, help guide our hands. Protect us as we protect Humanity from the threat of your other children. Allow us to defend ourselves.¡± As the prayer comes to an end, the Pontifex raises his head, and calls out to his brethren, ¡°We have a fight ahead of us! Brothers, take up arms to protect your family, and your nation! Let not one of those Void worshiping Halfmen set foot past our Fort!¡± Though a silent call to arms, the Skeletons know his words, and raise their swords in silent cheer. Fort Pontifex feels a presence calling for attention. The Pontifex feels it too, or rather hears it, as one of the Skeletons on the battlements calls out, ¡°The enemy is here!¡± The Pontifex calls out, ¡°To your stations!¡± Skeletons begin running, to the battlements and gate. Knights move to the stables, to gather their non-existent horses. The Pontifex calls for his Cardinals, who approach. Though their bodies are no longer human, they still act human, and the Pontifex does not seem to notice the glaring inconsistencies. A confusing call is heard, however, and the Fort must see it for itself, and looks through the observer¡¯s eye sockets. It sees a holy warrior of some kind. Their tower shield is emblazoned with holy imagery, and their steel armor has golden trim and the emblem of Material on its chest. The great helm blocks their face, so the Fort cannot tell if they are a Skeleton or not. However, this is a problem. The skeletons may find it impossible to attack such a creature, but why is this humanoid monster dressed like a holy warrior? And then they see it, the force of animals, exiting the woods. At the back, two Humans stand. This Holy Warrior is truly a Holy Warrior. No matter. The Pontifex will take them down. Isabell Jordan Isabell looks to her side as she hears the call of a wolf. She can see Cloud, stalking up to her, growling. She pulls off her helm, and watches as the Boss Monster immediately stops tensing up, and returns to the line. Putting the helm back on, she can see Lun¨¦ and Sebastia watching the situation. Cloud returns to the front of the line, and then silence. She looks at the Fort, and puts her shield in front of her. She summons her mace, and is ready to start bashing skeletons. Sebastia calls out, ¡°Formation! Attack!¡± Isabell begins sprinting forward, shield raised, the Wolves begin running around the battle, trying to draw fire from the battlements. The bears begin running directly for the gate, which is wide open, as it has only splinters for a gate. Massive amounts of bolts of water fly towards the battlements, slamming against some kind of protection spell. Isabell notices the Skeleton mages keeping the barrier up. Running at the gate, Isabell enters with two bears. Slamming into the line of Skeletons, she slams her mace down on a skeleton, getting a red ¡°10¡±, she then pushes it with her shield, trying to make an opening. The bears are doing the same, except with their paws. Seeing as the Skeletons started lining up in four lines, filling in as a skeleton falls, she backs off, letting a Bear take her spot. Slamming shield into the ground, she calls out, ¡°Hear my call! Become like steel! Break their line!¡± A holy light bursts from Isabell as she casts one of her many rejuvenating buffs. The Bears¡¯ wounds begin healing, and their attacks hit with more force. Breaking through faster, soon a hole is made, and Isabell exploits it, as the Bears are too large to. Rushing forward, she holds her shield in front of her, taking a few glancing blows that bounce off her armor. She sees a rundown Chapel of Material in the center of the courtyard, and charges for it, planning to take it and use a territorial buff to make it impossible for Skeletons to overwhelm or even enter the Chapel. As she enters, she sees two Skeletons in armor, with holy symbols. One has a bow, and is tall enough to be an Elf, and the other is short and draconic in nature. The Dracenewt charges her, while the Elf fires a glowing arrow. Dodging the arrow, it suddenly turns, and strikes her back, pushing her forward, to be slashed at by the Dracenewt¡¯s axe. The armor takes the brunt of the damage, but she doesn¡¯t like how it hits. She wasn¡¯t paying attention to numbers anymore. This is just a fight. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She swings her mace at the Dracenewt, who barely dodges, and then she blocks the next arrow with her shield. Trying to dodge out of the axe¡¯s swing, she hears it scrape the back of her armor, nearly catching her leg. She charges the Elf, and swings up with her mace, only to see the Skeleton do a backflip away, and fire two arrows as it does. Both miss, but makes her have to stop charging or she would have been hit. The Dracenewt runs up from behind, swinging down again, only to miss, as she jumps to the side, swinging at the skeleton. The Elf fires again, hitting her pauldron, while the Dracenewt side steps her swing, and swipes with its own axe. Blocking the axe, Isabell lunges forward, slamming the mace down, managing to finally strike the Dracenewt, who hits the ground, and bounces up slightly. The Elf runs forward to stop her from getting the killing blow, and uses its bow extremely effectively in close quarters. Pushed away, Isabell attacks the Elf instead, knocking it to the side, as the Dracenewt swings upwards with its axe, cutting into Isabell¡¯s armor, and grazing her body underneath. She feels the pain, and casts a healing spell on herself, as she blocks the next strike, and feels an arrow plink off her helmet. Striking fast and hard, she swings at the Dracenewt, bringing it to the floor again, and this time, as the Elf comes to its comrade¡¯s aid, she swaps target, and smacks the Elf. An interesting feint, and then she crushes the Dracenewt¡¯s skull. She rushes the Elf after that, and finds it retreating out of the Chapel. She lets it run, and rushes to the altar, where she crouches onto one knee and does a prayer. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ watched quietly. Seeing the battle unfold. Lun¨¦ tries to focus on the senses of one of her Bears, getting a clear picture of the interior combat. The Bear slams down on a few Skeletons, causing two red ¡°12¡±s to appear, which Lun¨¦ finds odd. After all, her Bears have 6 Strength. She sees a few wolves running around Skeletons, and causing mayhem. Then a more interesting Skeleton exits the Chapel, running off to a building in the middle. She wonders where Cloud is, and soon sees her running through the fight, dragging down Skeletons and being a nuisance, just like her wolves. As Lun¨¦ watches the battle unfold, she hears Sebastia say, ¡°Something must be wrong. The battlements are still firing on the wolves outside of the Fort. They should have focused their attention on the interior by now. Recall four wolves. I will be entering the fray.¡± Lun¨¦ does as Sebastia asks, and has four of the wolves out of the interior return to guard her and the Sylphs. Sebastia begins sprinting forward, directly to the wall, and as she runs, a spell is cast, and she speeds up twofold. Arrows rain down on her, and Lun¨¦ gets worried, but Sebastia is already halfway to the wall. When Sebastia reaches the wall, she simply jumps up to the top, and slashes through one of the mage skeletons. The Battlements devolve into a melee with the Swordmaster, and Lun¨¦ watches in envy at Sebastia¡¯s capabilities. Sebastia Rin Sebastia was not paying attention to any numbers. This was a proper fight. She could not lose focus, or she would die. She cut down skeleton after skeleton, and soon removed all of the Mages, allowing the Sylphs to fire over the wall and into the courtyard. It was possible that they would harm their own Monsters, but Monsters are replaceable. Sebastia keeps running down the battlements until she cannot anymore, and she jumps down. She has a feeling of where the enemy Dungeon Core is, and begins sprinting that direction. She was not going to let this last too long. She enters the main building, and finds a Skeleton Archer, aiming at her. With a quick slash, the Skeleton falls, and its armor clanks to the ground. Sebastia sees plenty of skeletons laying in piles, and at the center of the room, a Dungeon Core, guarded by a Skeleton in a set of rusty steel armor, with a broken great helm. The Skeleton raises a hand, and four skeletons raise nearby. Sebastia raises her sword, ready to cut them down. The four new Skeletons rush her, and are cut down with ease. The Skeleton raises its hand and a burst of holy light emanates from it, the Skeletons in the room jolt, and Sebastia is shocked by the sheer number standing up. All of the unraised Skeletons stand up, and begin charging at Sebastia. She takes this opportunity to retreat. That¡¯s a bad idea to fight alone. She exits the building, sprinting to the frontline with several Skeletons still following. She enters the Chapel, and finds the Knight she had glanced at praying at an altar. She turns to fight the horde, but only finds a few entering the choke point she had found. After she dismantles the few skeletons she turns around, and approaches the Knight cautiously, only to hear Isabell¡¯s voice, ¡°-sanctify and protect.¡± Isabell stands abruptly, and turns, facing Sebastia. Sebastia speaks, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Isabell answers, ¡°I cannot simply let another Hero of Humanity face a challenge alone. I just finished consecrating this Chapel. The undead should no longer be able to enter.¡± Sebastia shakes her head, then says, ¡°That¡¯s no way to consecrate a site. Let me show you how it''s done.¡± Sebastia raises a hand perpendicular to the floor, and summons her banner, then she yells out, ¡°Consecration!¡± She picks up the banner, and slams it down, planting it firmly in the floorboards. A burst of light rips through the building, and out. Fort Pontifex Everything was going rather well. The enemy was beginning to be pushed back, but suddenly, the Fort had a feeling something was wrong. A sudden holy site was in its Chapel. Taking a look, it sees it will not affect its Skeletons, as it is a Holy Site of Material. The Faith of these Skeletons is Material. It smirks at the silly Holy Warrior, but sees the woman who had ripped through the battlements like a hurricane. As the woman stands, a banner appears, and Fort Pontifex feels dread course through its entire being. Suddenly a bright light pulses from the center of the Fort, the apex of which was the woman¡¯s banner. A bright light bursts up into the sky from the Chapel, and at the top, a roaring lion¡¯s head appears, and the sound of its roar bursts forth to the ground. Fort Pontifex could no longer see the Chapel. It had been completely removed from its influence, and that terrified the Fort. It looked around the Fort, seeing its Skeletons suddenly become inferior in all ways. It looked towards the Lion¡¯s maw, and read the description; Grandia Error Isabell Jordan Isabell looks at the banner. She doesn¡¯t recognize it, but she knows it is important, because she feels the air change. This is no longer only Material¡¯s. This is now something else¡¯s and Material¡¯s. She speaks, baffled, ¡°What did you just do?¡± Sebastia lets go of the banner, and says, ¡°Welcome to Grandia. Now, time to fight.¡± Sebastia turns around, smirking, as she walks to the door, ready to continue fighting. Isabell follows, understanding now. Sebastia just claimed this land for Grandia, and as such, it is no longer Fort Pontifex¡¯s. As they walk to the door, Isabell hears something behind her, a whispering, and she turns to face it. At the banner she sees several Knights standing. She is confused, but says nothing. Chaos, of Probability Chaos laughs happily at the situation. She summoned them to guard the banner this time! He was so happy to see one of his eldest creations again. He dearly missed her. Perhaps he could recreate her at some point. Maybe even for that other world he was making. ¡°Project Emet¡± is the name, but perhaps it could be a fun place to place such a Heroine. He decided to take over the Summon, and draw her blade. Chaos whispers, ¡°Remain in position, defend with your lives.¡± As the two exit he fully embraces the role- Irae, the Silent Hero She never felt more happy. Turning her spectral flesh real, and her armor into proper gear, she begins walking, the clank of armored steps feeling nostalgic. ¡°If only Larz could see this.¡± Stepping out into the battlefield, she feels both sets of eyes on her. Lun¨¦ and the Fort. They had noticed. Raising her sword, she speaks, ¡°Icebreaker.¡± Doing a quick spin, and slash, the ground turns to ice, and then shatters, splintering into all, not only the skeletons. However, the skeletons begin freezing over, while Lun¨¦¡¯s forces seem to be empowered. Sprinting at the closest skeleton, the longsword slides through its brittle bones easily, shattering it to tiny pieces. Irae kept running around, invigorated, and reminded of the siege of Grandia. The Cavalry counter charge was beautiful that day. Raising her hand to the sky, a banner falls nearby, summoning spectral horses and their riders, the colors of Grandia, proudly displayed on their chests. Rushing forward, the Cavalry pierces skeletons, and moves past, through Lun¨¦¡¯s forces, harming none, and then through the walls. Irae yells out, ¡°Audacity!¡± A black smoke appears beside her, and the demoness forms, slashing at the nearby skeletons with her whip-like tail. Irae slashes through several more, before drawing on her proper skill set. Dropping the longsword, the greatsword comes out, and suddenly everything is so easy to do. Irae was back, and better than ever. Sebastia Rin With Isabell beside her, she enters the Main Building again, and faces the Pontifex once more. With someone at her back, this should be far easier. The two get to work, cutting down each Skeleton that charges them. The horde was being cleared, though slowly. Even though they were doing well, the Skeletons began to overwhelm them. That was when she saw spectral Grandian Royal Knights, rushing into the building through the wall. In barely a second, the Knights had trampled more than twenty skeletons, and were not stopping there, as they began using their lances as they ran through, and out the other wall. Though that was neat, she didn¡¯t remember that being a part of her consecration. But being confused could lead her to death, so she accepted the help with no thought, and kept slashing at the skeletons. Soon there were only five left, including the Pontifex. The battle was drawing close to its conclusion. Sebastia and Isabell stood side by side, facing the Pontifex and his last four minions. Sebastia spoke, ¡°Yield.¡± The Pontifex drew its sword and aimed at the two. The four skeletons charged, and the Swordmaster and Hero answered the challenge in kind. Clashing with two skeletons each, Sebastia dismantles hers first, with Isabell coming in as a close second. The two charge the Pontifex, and clash with their blades. Sebastia feels her blade be deflected, and hears the sound of metal on metal, as Isabell shields her from the counter. A skeleton begins to rise beside them, and Sebastia shatters its head, making it stop. Isabell smacks the Pontifex in the side, cracking ribs. Sebastia turns swiftly, and charges the Skeleton Lord, slashing from left to right, trying to take its sword arm. Pontifex, to its credit, is a rather good Boss Monster, and blocks the slash, countering with a spell to Sebastia¡¯s chest, which knocks her back a few feet. Sebastia comes to a stop by jamming her sword in the floorboards, and quickly getting up. Isabell blocks two strikes and attacks the Skeleton Lord again, aiming for the legs, and missing. Sebastia charges forward, going for a jumping attack, which she does, but takes a slash in the process. The Pontifex is knocked back, and stumbles, while Sebastia is slid a few feet away, and begins getting up, feeling the pain in her arm. Isabell charges the Skeleton Lord, slamming into it with her shield, and attempting to make it fall, which it does. Sebastia rushes over, and blocks a strike coming for her, before stabs down at the Pontifex¡¯s chest. The Pontifex is pinned to the ground, and keeps fighting, as Isabell dog piles its sword arm, with her shield. Sebastia yanks her sword free, and brings it down on the Pontifex¡¯s skull, cracking it open, and ending the fight. Sebastia stands, and approaches the core. She raises her sword, already knowing what to do, and slashes down. Chapter 11: Grandias Rise Lun¨¦ Alpenglow War Concluded Message delivered to all Victors and Defeated. Victors Codex Lake of Codex Defeated Fort Pontifex Fort Pontifex Subsume Vassalize Remake and Vassalize Remake and Free Lun¨¦ looks at the options, a tad confused by the words this time. She has a rough idea of what it means, and chooses to remake and free, as it is the only option she can properly choose. Through the eyes of a Bear, she sees the world go white, then a screen appears before the Bear and all within the white. All except one, the woman who had appeared out of nowhere, and helped her forces. Looking directly at the Bear Lun¨¦ is looking through, the woman brings two fingers to her head, and salutes playfully, then fades into the white background. All of her Monsters were pressing yes, and Lun¨¦ had not even looked yet, while watching through the Bear¡¯s eyes. She would be incapable of reading it before the Bear presses it, so she opens her eyes, and sees a massive white beam, encompassing all of Fort Pontifex¡¯s territory. She sees another menu open, and reads it: As Leader of the War, the Choice is Codex¡¯s All enemies have been chosen for Remaking and being Freed. Select attributes below. These will inform the new Dungeon how to begin its life, but not where to end it. Fort Pontifex Monster Option 1 Skeleton Monster Option 2 Skeleton Resource 1 Iron Resource 2 Coal More Advanced Options Lun¨¦ swaps the Skeletons out for nicer things, like a Fox and Deer. She leaves the Resources as is, if needed, she could just trade wood to the remade Fort Pontifex. Then she presses ¡°More Advanced Options¡±: As Leader of the War, the Choice is Codex¡¯s Advanced Options Fort Pontifex Alter Terrain and Buildings Main Trait 1 Belligerent Main Trait 2 Manipulator Main Trait 2a Self-Manipulator Special Option Available Lun¨¦, seeing a special option, decides to select it first to see what it is: Special Option Fort Pontifex Kingdom of Grandia Monster 1 Animated Armor Monster 2 Horse Resource 1 Iron Resource 2 Coal Special Resource Steam Fort Building Altered to Grandian Castle Main Trait 1 Cooperative Main Trait 1a Friendly This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Main Trait 2 Protector Carcere Fabricator Bonus Queen Marie Rein: Denizen Irae Rein, the Silent Knight: Denizen Select Special Option Return to Remaking Lun¨¦ focuses on the Bonus first, trying to see if she can understand that before choosing, and gets a new Menu: Marie Rein Female Human Wizard Level 59 Dodge: 1 Health: 180/180 Mana: 70/70 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 5 Constitution: 18 Spirit: 35 Titles: Queen of Grandia Former Grand Duchess of Iwada Marchioness of Dwarvhelm Former Viscountess of Ableheim Former Baroness of Warchester The Mage Queen Professor of Grandia Royal Academy After the passing of her Father, and his final act of renaming the Capital Iwada, to Grandia, in line with Grandia¡¯s Northern Neighbor Altana¡¯s naming scheme, Queen Marie Rein ascended to the throne, as her siblings had no intent to take it, and would have caused a civil war of succession. She remained in her teaching position within the now Grandia Royal Academy, as their Transmutation Professor. Soon after her succession, she finally accepted the near weekly proposal from Grandia¡¯s Silent Hero. The two would reign for long after, of course with the hiccup that the now Hero Queen was still going out on adventures. Irae Rein Female Human Arrow Saintess Level 178 Armor: 30 Dodge: 12 Health: 350/350 Mana: 50/50 Strength: 60 Dexterity: 60 Constitution: 35 Spirit: 27 Titles: The Silent Hero Queen of Grandia Grand Duchess of Iwada Former Grandian Royal Guard Destroyer of Destruction (Awarded for Defeating Altanan Destruction Magic Master) The Devil¡¯s Devil (Awarded for killing five Devils in the Devil¡¯s Maw) Champion Trainer (Awarded for Training a Commoner to Swordsmaster) Tantalum Rank Adventurer The Molten Lancer The Silent Ranger Known within Grandia for many acts, such as protecting the nation of an Altanan Destruction Magic Master, the subjugation of a Tribe of Giants in the Devil¡¯s Maw, being the strongest of the Grandian Royal Guard, finding a new species of sentient creatures, subjugation and reactivation of the Southern and Western Towers, for having trained the new strongest Swordswoman in Grandia, and pioneering the Monster Capture technology utilized by the Grandian Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Lun¨¦ can see the attack force returning to her, and waits for Sebastia to arrive. Once she does, Lun¨¦ beckons Sebastia over, who is followed by that Knight that was here. Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Sebastia, I want your input.¡± Sebastia tilts her head, and takes a look at the menus, then eyes go wide. She looks at Lun¨¦ and asks, ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke is it?¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± The Knight walks over, and Lun¨¦ takes a step around Sebastia, not sure if she should trust this person, at least until she hears the muffled voice underneath, ¡°Oh, right. You have never seen me in armor. Let me take off my helm.¡± The Priestess takes off the helmet, and smiles, Lun¨¦ relaxes a lot more at that, and returns to not hiding behind Sebastia. ¡°If you want you can take a look too, Priestess.¡± She walks over and looks over Lun¨¦¡¯s shoulder, as Sebastia says, ¡°I would. However, it may not be the best choice. Granted, they¡¯re more likely to be hyper-friendly, almost all Grandians are, but we¡¯re a Warrior people. We started with just Iwada, and conquered the entire peninsula with just our first king. We had rebellions from the Dwarves, and each time we squashed the rebellion. We rarely lost. I cannot in good conscience, despite my biases and wants, tell you to choose Grandia.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in understanding, and decides to go with it. The light white pillar turns purple, but begins to shift colors slowly, and moves downward, seemingly changing the world as it goes, though nothing can be seen yet. Sebastia stands up and stares at the light, hope and awe and worry, all displayed on her face. The Priestess silently watches in awe at this magnificent view. The pillar begins to go down below where the tallest tower¡¯s pointed top had been, only to show nothing. It kept going down, and soon it revealed the top of the keep, and towers, all built to be utilized as battlements if necessary. The pillar soon reveals the rest of the towers, brimming with lush plants growing up halfway, and nice bushes lining the edges of the castle. At the top of the keep, a flag begins to appear, flying silver and blue colors, with a lion¡¯s open maw on it. Sebastia puts a hand on her mouth, and Lun¨¦ can barely hear her say, ¡°Home.¡± Lun¨¦ pats Sebastia¡¯s shoulder, and says, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go greet your Queens?¡± Irae Rein, the Silent Hero Irae opened her eyes, and looked around, where was she? She was certain she had just been home with Moa, Anemn, and Marie. She looked around, seeing a great hall she has a tingling feeling of remembering before. Looking at herself, she finds her ceremonial gear on, with the ceremonial bow on her back. Its intricate design is lightweight, but still awkward to hold. She checked her right pauldron, and could tell she might be able to remove it. Taking off the military cap, she looks at the emblem, finding the Lotus of the Lotus Guild. She checks the half-skirt/half-cape part of her uniform, and finds it there as well. She puts the cap back on, and begins to walk, testing to see if she can summon her lance. She finds it appears in her hands just fine, as molten and bursting with flame as ever. Sending it back she wanders, and finds a Grandian Knight, she speaks, ¡°Knight. What am I doing here? Which way to the Capital?¡± The Knight is silent, and simply remains in the salute to her. Irae looks around, annoyed at the Knight, but not going to chew him out, at least not yet. Or she could leave that to Marie, who she sees exiting a nearby building, just as confused. Irae runs over, and asks, ¡°Marie. Do you know why we are here?¡± Marie shakes her head then points to the room she just came from, ¡°No, but there¡¯s a dungeon with a floating orb in it. After touching it I could sense the whole place, and knew where you were. I¡¯m just thinking on what this could all mean, because we are clearly not in Grandia, but this is a Grandian castle, with Animated Armors acting like Grandian Knights.¡± Irae frowns, ¡°So I just spoke to a fake Knight?¡± Marie smiles at her wife, ¡°Yes.¡± Irae simply sighs, until they both get a feeling towards the gatehouse. They begin moving in that direction, and Irae says, ¡°That¡¯s very weird.¡± Marie nods in agreement, ¡°Very.¡± As they arrive, they see two Animated Armors holding spears up towards Sebastia Rin and two others they don¡¯t recognize, Irae yells out, ¡°Sebastia!?¡± She begins running over. Sebastia grins heavily and yells out, ¡°Master!¡± As the Knights stand down, Sebastia runs into the castle and the two embrace. Irae laughs, and then says, ¡°Wait, how the hell are you out of the tower!?¡± Sebastia exits the embrace, and holds a hand out to the youngest of the three, ¡°I was summoned to this world by Lady Lun¨¦. She did the same to you and Her Majesty. However, in a far different way.¡± Irae puts a hand on her chin, as Marie approaches and stands beside her, in a fancy dress as usual. ¡°How different,¡± Marie asks calmly. Sebastia answers quickly, ¡°I was summoned through the use of a spell of some kind. You, your Majesty, were summoned to replace a Dungeon we just defeated.¡± Marie tilts her head slightly, ¡°Dungeon? I assume these are not the same as the Dungeons of our homeland?¡± Sebastia shakes her head, ¡°No, your Majesty. These Dungeons have thoughts, and can act. Lady Lun¨¦ is in fact one of the Dungeons, Codex.¡± Marie begins to walk towards Lun¨¦, who bows to her, and Marie speaks, ¡°No need for that, Lady Lun¨¦. Head up. You stand as equal to me now. I must ask, however, why you chose to summon us.¡± Irae looks at Sebastia, and grabs her giving a noogie. Lun¨¦ seems to be startled by being told to not bow. The other individual, however, never bowed. Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°I simply chose the option after having Sebastia¡¯s council. I thought it would be better to have a known set of good people here instead of another Dungeon that may turn just as destructive as Fort Pontifex had been.¡± Marie nods slowly, understanding, ¡°Well then, Lady Lun¨¦. I shall look forward to working with you, however, I must ensure that my realm is self-sustaining before then.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles in response, and then speaks, ¡°Thank you, Queen Rein.¡± Marie nods, then says, ¡°By any chance, do you know how we could possibly bring two individuals here? They are unlikely to be prepared for the throne, and I would rather they not be thrust into such a position, ensuring a succession crisis, rather than let them suffer.¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head, prompting Marie to say, ¡°A pity. Well, I must see to this Dungeon. Please send an envoy to us at a later date, and we will entertain communication.¡± Lun¨¦ speaks as Marie turns around, ¡°Before you go. What was slavery like in your home? Was it outlawed? Was it encouraged?¡± Marie is silent, then says, ¡°I detest slavery, but it was a vital part of the nobility¡¯s lives. I ensured it did not become vital for my family, and the Royalty as a whole, however, I was never able to outlaw it. Why has this come up?¡± Irae speaks, having let go of Sebastia a while ago, ¡°If there¡¯s slavers-¡± she brings her fist to her open hand, ¡°-then just let me at ¡®em. I¡¯ll push them so far into the dirt with this ceremonial bow, they¡¯ll be asking what monster I am.¡± Lun¨¦ nods, ¡°I just wanted to warn you that there are slavers to the north, and a town to the north east. If you wish to trade with them, send an envoy directly east. We will accept them, and help them to the town.¡± Marie is silent, then continues walking, ¡°Thank you for the information, Lady Lun¨¦. Be safe on your way home.¡± Irae frowns as Marie leaves, then pats Sebastia on the back, ¡°Keeping up your training?¡± Sebastia nods quickly, ¡°Of course! I doubt I can take on even just your Lance, but I could probably give you a run for your money now.¡± Irae smirks, ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that offer at a later date.¡± With a two finger salute, Irae says, ¡°I¡¯ve gotta go. Probably going to get ordered to be safe if I try adventuring out here.¡± She turns and runs off, chasing after Marie, but she stops and turns around, ¡°Oh, right! You¡¯re always welcome to come by!¡± She then runs off again. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ is startled by the use of the two-finger salute, and realizes that the woman who disappeared into nothing was in fact Irae. Blinking for a few seconds, she turns around and begins walking back to Codex, as she says, ¡°Let''s go back now. We need to plan for the fight against the Slavers.¡± Sebastia follows, smiling from ear to ear. The Priestess walks quietly behind them. Chapter 12: A Break in the Fighting Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ walks quietly, thinking about the succession crisis Marie had expressed her intent of. Lun¨¦ could only get lucky, that¡¯s what she would have to do, but the thought of a crisis gives her extreme pause. It''s weird and unnerving that a Queen would want her own nation to suffer such a thing. Lun¨¦ looks at Sebastia and asks a question as they walk back to Codex, ¡°Sebastia, why would Queen Rein intend to cause a crisis?¡± Sebastia looks at Lun¨¦ then grins happily, ¡°Anemn and Moa are not suitable for the throne. Their youngest sibling was the one that was more fitting, but they disappeared a day before I went into the tower. If a succession crisis were to happen, a fitting King or Queen would reign, instead of those ill fit to running a nation. That and they¡¯re her kids. Of course she¡¯ll be worried about them.¡± Lun¨¦ looks forward again, realizing Sebastia thought of a side she had not. Which surprises her, as she knows she was loved by her own parents. Would they have done the same if they were in this situation? What about in her own situation? Would her parents do what she has done so far? She began to miss her home again, and she spoke, ¡°Sebastia? Could you tell me about the magic in your world?¡± Sebastia nods, and begins speaking, ¡°How deep of an explanation do you want? Because Queen Rein could do far better if you want something deeper than just a basic understanding. She is a Magic Professor at the Grandian Royal Academy, after all.¡± The Priestess speaks, ¡°I am rather interested as well. I would love to hear more about your home. We were interrupted while you were telling us your story.¡± Sebastia smiles and nods to the Priestess, as Lun¨¦ begins speaking, ¡°A basic understanding is fine. I¡¯m just curious about what Transmutation is.¡± Sebastia looks at Lun¨¦ and begins, ¡°I should start with the types of magic in my home. These are Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, and Transmutation.¡± Lun¨¦ interrupts, tilting her head slightly, confused by one of Irae¡¯s titles she had seen, ¡°No Destruction? I saw that Irae had a title for defeating a Destruction Master. Why was that not a part of the types?¡± Sebastia smiles, ¡°Evocation can be used in many more ways than just destruction. That Altanan Wizard was hyper focused on the destructive side of Evocation.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, and the Priestess speaks, ¡°So that wizard was an Evocation Wizard, who focused his studies on destruction, is that right?¡± Sebastia nods and then continues, ¡°Abjuration is a defense against something. For example, my protection spells, and especially the one that allowed us to go into the Lake and fight, is Abjuration. Conjuration involves summoning something into being, usually without a full consciousness. Carcere Fabricator could be considered Conjuration, but I think there might be something special about it. That¡¯s something to ask the Queen about. Divination allows one to see briefly into the future, or into the distance, even spy on someone. Enchantment is something affecting the mind, usually to charm or confuse someone. Evocation is what someone with no knowledge expects magic to be. Bolts of fire, lightning being called down from the clear sky, that kind of thing. But you also have the ability to create fresh water from nothing. Illusion is what it sounds like. False images, false sounds, things that look, sound, taste, feel, or smell so real they trick you into thinking they are real. Necromancy is necromancy. Everyone knows what that does, but if you don¡¯t, even though we just fought skeletons, it puts a false life into something. In one case, that I know of, it can also bring the soul back to a body, actually bringing someone back from the dead instead of putting a false life into a body. Though it is seen as a dark art, it isn¡¯t outlawed in Grandia, just some aspects of it, such as raising corpses and keeping them raised, or bringing someone back from the dead against their wishes. I knew a detective who was a necromancer. He would bring the soul back to a corpse, talk to them, then send them back to rest. Though creepy, it was a lawful use of necromancy. Finally, Transmutation, which allows the alteration of a body to make it stronger or more useful, or the changing of one material into another.¡± Lun¨¦ nods slowly, and then says, ¡°Your magic sounds far more in depth than ours. From what I know, we don¡¯t have specific types. We just have magic.¡± The Priestess speaks, ¡°It is relatively new to Humans, that is why we do not have types. The other races have had magic for much longer, but it is innate to them, so they do not understand the fundamentals. Humans don¡¯t know the fundamentals yet, but Prince Leonarde is working with several Mages to figure it out. Perhaps he could come speak with your Queen, Sebastia.¡± Sebastia nods in response, then says, ¡°It would definitely allow Grandia to make a good impression with this nation. Which reminds me, what is this world like?¡± Lun¨¦ speaks before the Priestess can answer, wanting to ask about something the Priestess said that seemed off, ¡°Before that, Priestess Jordan? You called the Crown Prince just Prince, did something happen?¡± The Priestess nods in response, remembering that Lun¨¦ was still living in a world equivalent to a year ago, ¡°The Prince gave up his bid for the throne, allowing the Crown Princess to take his place.¡± Lun¨¦ nods slowly, then says, ¡°Okay, thank you. That clears that up.¡± The Priestess looks at Sebastia, then says, ¡°As for what this world is like, would you like Geography and Nations? Or would you like an overview from the start?¡± Sebastia speaks, ¡°Geography and Nations. I do not need an overview of everything.¡± The Priestess smiles her soft smile, and then begins, ¡°We are in the Southern Middle of the world, however, still west of the middle. This is the Deadgrave Wood, originally named for how dead it was. With time, and holy fervor, Humanity under Material¡¯s light turned this dead wood into a lush forest. To the northeast, is the Capital of Humanity, Goldbrooke. This nation, the Kingdom of Goldbrooke, or Kingdom of Humanity as most call it, is the nation of Humans. Almost all of us are here, and we are the smallest, and in the middle, of all nations. We are a Monarchy underneath King Leo Whitewood. To the south is the Beastkindom, or the nation of Beastkin. Ruled by a council of their Heroes, the Beastkin are an aggressive people, often launching raids into the neighboring nations. However, as there is never a trace of connection to the Beastkindom, no nation can actively attack them and be supported by the rest of the nations. To the southeast, is the Imperial Elven State, or Elven Empire. To the west, is the Dwarven Federation, or the Dwarven Kingdoms. To the Northwest is the Dracenlend. Or the nation of the Dracen, which is more a federation like the Dwarven Kingdoms. Finally, to the Northeast, is the Orc Tribes, who constantly war amongst themselves. No nation interferes with their land, in fear of causing a tidal wave of Orc Warlords to descend upon their soon to be helpless nation.¡± Lun¨¦ nods, realizing the world hasn¡¯t changed much since she disappeared. Sebastia nods slowly, then says, ¡°I have one question, what would happen if another nation suddenly appeared? Grandia will be unlikely to remain quiet. We¡¯re a proud people, and we may have sense, but eventually, the Lion will be raised for all to see.¡± Lun¨¦ begins to think about that, and the Priestess simply shakes her head, then answers, ¡°I do not have a good answer, but I have a rough idea. If Grandia does not ally with Humanity, then the King will likely want to destroy Grandia, and fail thanks to how strong this small confederation of Dungeons is. If the other nations were to hear of Grandia first, they would send their most dangerous heroes to destroy it on the grounds that it is a Dungeon, not a nation. In which case, Grandia would fall. If allied with Humanity, the King would likely declare Grandia as a citystate underneath Goldbrooke¡¯s guidance. Hopefully, disallowing the other nations to destroy Grandia.¡± Sebastia frowns heavily, then looks at Lun¨¦, ¡°My Lady, if you wo-¡± Lun¨¦ cuts her off, ¡°Go ahead. I know you want to tell them about this. I don¡¯t want them to be destroyed either. Like Priestess Jordan said, this is a con-con-¡± She pauses, confused at the word, until the Priestess says it again with a small giggle, ¡°Confederation.¡± Lun¨¦ is immediately back on track, ¡°-confederation of Dungeons. We watch each other¡¯s backs.¡± She pauses, and then looks at Priestess Jordan, ¡°What is a confederation?¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Sebastia turns and starts sprinting back to Grandia, as Priestess Jordan begins explaining, ¡°A confederation is different to a federation, but not entirely. Unlike a federation, a confederation is a group of states that work together toward a common goal and do not have a central government they all report to.¡± Lun¨¦ tilts her head, now curious what the exact difference is, since she also doesn¡¯t know what a federation is, and the Priestess smiles softly while answering her unspoken question, ¡°A federation is that, but with a central government they all report to. Such as a council or third party in charge of the highest levels of government for all nations therein.¡± Lun¨¦ nods, now understanding, as they walk back to Codex. Chaos, of Probability He smiles happily, glad to have taken the time to revisit an old memory, and then he looks over at the Slaver Camp. The Boss was walking around, his golden eyes gleaming, and alert anger filling his scowl. Chaos smiles happily, and pokes the Boss with a thought, I should remove that dungeon. Or better yet, ensure what it is fighting dies. Pulling his little tendrils of thought away, and watches as the Boss yells out, ¡°Lock up the slaves! Start preparing for a fight! We¡¯re going to enter the forest, and find our missing slaves! Then we¡¯ll kill every Dungeon we find!¡± There is no resounding cheer, and no excitement. Grinning, he goes and looks at the town, finding the Town to have returned to normal. After about half an hour of waiting, he hears a Guard at the west gate call out, ¡°The Slavers are moving! Someone get the Captain!¡± Chaos chuckles to himself, then returns his focus to the Dungeons, finding Lun¨¦ just arriving back to Codex. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ is entering Codex again, finding it untouched and calm. She begins walking to Codex itself again, as she walks, she finds Koto sitting quietly on the porch, his head on his knees. She steps up to him, and sits down beside him, ¡°You look sad, is something wrong?¡± Koto looks up at her, and then out to the forest, as he says, ¡°I want to do more than just sit here, quietly wanting to do more. At the same time, I don¡¯t want to worry Miyoshi.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles sadly, understanding the need to be able to do something, but being held back by something. She says, ¡°I know how you feel. I was never good with any weapons, but now I know I am good with throwing daggers. Find a weapon you can easily use, then train with it. If you get to use it in a proper fight, then you get to test it. I can always set up some safe fights for you. I don¡¯t know how it would work experience wise, but it would definitely allow you to learn how to fight.¡± Koto starts to smile softly, then says, ¡°Thank you, Lady Lun¨¦.¡± Lun¨¦ gets up, and gives him a pat on the head, then goes inside. When she reaches Codex, she places a hand on her, and receives a warm feeling. They then combine again, and Lun¨¦ starts her work around the dungeon. She starts checking inventory first, finding plenty of planks so far, and most importantly, a finished set of bronze plate armor. She has the armor brought to the core room, and then has the Smith add more tin and copper to the melting queue. Then she needs nails again. She then checks Codex¡¯s Mana, finding the maximum amount to be doubled, since the last time she looked. With silence, she looks around the Core Room, having not noticed any changes, despite the Room now being Level 2. Now that she has the view Codex always does, the floor and walls look smoother and cleaner. She smiles, and goes off to look at other things. Sebastia Rin ¡°Thank you, my Queen.¡± Sebastia was bowed before Queen Rein, who speaks in a calm and collected tone, ¡°No need for that, Sebastia. You have Lady Lun¨¦ to tend to now. See to her, not Grandia. We will deal with what comes our way, as we always have. Now stand, Knight, and do your duty to your new Lady.¡± Sebastia begins to stand, still keeping her head lowered in respect, only to get her chin smacked upward by the Queen, forcing Sebastia to look Queen Rein in the eye out of shock. She looks annoyed at Sebastia, but of course, Sebastia has no idea why. Could it be that Queen Rein is upset that Lun¨¦ stole away one of her Knights? This could be bad if that is the case, ¡°I apologize on Lady Lun¨¦¡¯s behalf.¡± Queen Rein stares at Sebastia, then just sighs and shakes her head, ¡°Sebastia, there is no reason to keep being so formal, and for the sake of the gods, what do you even think you¡¯re apologizing for? Lady Lun¨¦ has nothing to apologize for. Now take that damned horse and go.¡± Sebastia is completely silent, and baffled. She must have offended Queen Rein somehow, but does so, and gets on the horse, then begins riding back to Codex. It was a nice tea break with her Master, but as Queen Rein had said, she must return to Lady Lun¨¦. Sebastia rode in silence, letting the thundering of the horse¡¯s hooves, the whipping of the wind, and the expertise of her guidance, speak for her. Like a flash of lightning, Sebastia was moving, dodging and weaving through the trees, jumping over brush, making her way to Codex, only for something to bring a chill down her neck. Pulling the reins of the horse, causing it to slow and stop suddenly. The silence of the woods is cold and uncaring. As the silence continues, she hears a branch snap, and whips the reins, moving suddenly and fast, she steers the horse around trees, and around, coming towards where the sound had been, her sword drawn, and her attack ready, only to see someone laying on the ground, hand on a broken branch. She pulls again, trying to get the horse to stop before they trample him. And it does, letting her stop and sheathe her blade. Getting off, she brushes the horse a small bit to reward it for being patient with her. Then she moves over to the man, and crouches. She moves him, and can tell immediately that this man is the same one that Koto had described. She begins hoisting him up, and puts him on the horse, in front of her and the saddle. She gets back on, and holds him tight, as she begins moving the horse back to Codex. On arriving home, she thunders to the front of the house, and stops, finding Koto standing up quickly. She wonders where the Priestess had gotten off to, and says to Koto, ¡°Find the Priestess, immediately.¡± Koto runs off, as Sebastia gets off the Horse, and picks up the man, carrying him to the Core Room. She enters, finding Lun¨¦ getting up from the floor, and Codex floating up and expanding to normal. Lun¨¦ looks at Sebastia, and says, ¡°That¡¯s the man who saved my life. What is his condition? How is he?¡± Sebastia starts to lay him down on the floor, ¡°I¡¯m no healer. I already called for the Priestess. She should be here soon.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, waiting with Sebastia. Quint Radoc As he opens his eyes slowly, he sees that damned Priestess. Of all people to find her, it had to be her on that horse. He can see her working on his wounds, speaking to him. But he hears nothing, until his hearing starts to clear, and he begins waking properly from his near death, ¡°-doc, if you can understand me, say something.¡± Radoc frowns heavily at her, and then says, ¡°Fuck you.¡± He gets a very hard slap in return, which nearly knocks him right back out. Radoc turns his head to look at her, and just frowns, as she says, ¡°Rude Dark Elf. Do you want me to stop and let you die? Or are you going to be nice from now on?¡± Radoc smirks, and then says, ¡°I¡¯m going to be me, no matter what you do. Dead or alive, that¡¯s how it has always been.¡± He then sees someone in armor step up to look down at him, she speaks, ¡°You are lucky I was riding past, or you would be dead, Mr. Radoc. We cannot leave a debt unpaid, after all. Think of this as repayment.¡± He raises an eyebrow at her, and asks, ¡°Who the hell are you? I don¡¯t remember you at all.¡± She nods, then says, ¡°You would definitely remember my Lady.¡± A certain face enters his vision, and he takes a second to realize what he is looking at. Then he grins, ¡°Good to see you, my Lady. I apologize that the stone did not work properly. Something about that dungeon must have fucked with it.¡± Lun¨¦ simply smiles sadly down at him, then says, ¡°It is okay. I am just glad you did not die. How did you escape? You would have had to fight five heroes at once.¡± Radoc chuckles, then coughs, getting a stern look from the Priestess of Humanity. He then simply smirks and says, ¡°Trade secret, now if you don¡¯t mind, I need some damn sleep.¡± He suddenly passes out, resting instead of dying. Chapter 13: The Power of Void Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ looks down at the Dark Elf, known as Radoc. Her savior and guardian angel. She had heard nasty things about Dark Elves, such as them being dishonorable irreputable savages from the depths of the world, who would kill at the slightest provocation, and fight to their heart''s content. She looks at the Priestess, and asks the question on her mind, ¡°How do you two know each other?¡± The Priestess is quiet, seemingly weighing options, then she says, ¡°Radoc was sent to follow you by the Prince. When he returned bearing the news that you had disappeared, we were confused and baffled. Anger coursed through us at the thought of the Heroes of other nations trying to kill you, so much so, that even Radoc expressed the same. He wished for nothing more than to grow strong enough to kill the betrayers with his own hands, but of course, we knew none of us would be able to so much as touch them.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent for a brief spell, and then says, ¡°So it was the Prince¡¯s decision that ultimately saved me?¡± Her expression grows sad, and apologetic, then the Priestess speaks, ¡°You must have felt so betrayed at the time, not knowing the full picture.¡± Lun¨¦ nods slowly, ¡°I was starting to believe Prince Leonarde had thrown me to the wolves without a plan.¡± The Priestess smiles softly as she finishes tending Radoc, and stands up, stepping over him to give Lun¨¦ a soft and tender hug, despite the cold and heavy armor. Lun¨¦ accepts the hug, though feels a little embarrassed now, thanks to her thoughts that the Prince and Priestess may have betrayed her. She¡¯s happy that the Priestess did not, at least. She¡¯s even more happy that she let the Priestess remain and did not kick her out, like the small part of her mind had wanted. Lun¨¦ can see Sebastia smiling softly, and then starting to walk away. Lun¨¦ relaxes into the hug, and says with a somber tone, ¡°Thank you.¡± The Priestess does not respond, simply listening, knowing that is not all. Lun¨¦ soon continues, ¡°For not betraying me.¡± The Priestess brings a hand up to Lun¨¦¡¯s head, and rubs the back of it softly, as she says, ¡°I would never. After all, we are Humanity¡¯s hope, and future. You must prepare for the time that you surpass me, and even Humanity¡¯s limits. I believe it will happen.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, appreciating this moment, and thanking the gods that cared enough to bring her back to those that care. Now she just needs to return home. A familiar feeling is felt, along with unfamiliar feet, and Lun¨¦ jolts, startling the Priestess, who asks, ¡°What is wrong?¡± Lun¨¦ pushes, saying with urgency, ¡°Let me go!¡± As the Priestess does, Lun¨¦ reaches out to Codex, and touches her, absorbing and collapsing, much to the panic of the Priestess. However, that is something she cannot worry about at this moment. Looking in the direction, she sees Beastkin moving together, their weapons out, and a hostile look in their eye. Koto can be seen running from them, and one begins sprinting after the Kitsune. It looks like the man will catch up, but a Sproutling grabs him before he does, startling him, and slamming him into the ground with a hard thud. Lun¨¦ yells to all nearby Monsters and Denizens, ¡°Slavers! Kill those Slavers!¡± She then focuses on Koto, and gives him a different direction, ¡°Koto, return to the house, and stay beside Miyoshi. I will have three Wolves protect you.¡± She summons the three Wolves to the Denizen room, and lets them stand guard over Miyoshi and Koto. She finds Sebastia already sprinting towards the fight that was breaking out. She looked for Imai and Zeuz, who were getting out of a tree. Cloud was sprinting to the battlefield, and all monsters were beginning to converge, only for another feeling to hit her. This time on the east side, near the house. A few Slavers were there, she redirects Cloud and a group of five wolves and three bears. The Sprites are still out for the count, but as she watches, suddenly she gets a feeling from the Void Oracle¡¯s Room. Taking a look, she sees a Sprout, which she recognizes as the Smith. It urgently requests her permission for something, and specifically, 400 Mana. The whole of the Dungeon¡¯s current supply. She tries to probe for what it means to do, but the urgency continues to increase as she feels more feet joining the fight in the north. She decides to do it anyway, and the Smith suddenly doubles in size and begins swelling more, as if about to explode. She checks its condition. Smith Void Sprite Level 10 Dodge: 1 Health: 10/10 Mana: 15/20 Strength: 0 Dexterity: 5 Constitution: 1 Spirit: 10 Currently: Going through Metamorphosis into Void Walker She watches in concern and confusion, as the Void Sprite suddenly sprouts limbs, thins into an inhuman proportion, and grows tall. A filled red circle can be seen underneath the new creepy and shifting hood. The body fills out into a cloak, still extremely and uncomfortably thin, and hides the legs, and feet. The arms do not get this treatment, and merge into the cloak uncomfortably. Lun¨¦ gets a new feeling from the Smith, a feeling of appreciation and a sudden flash of memory. A dark cloaked figure, instantly recognizable as Chaos, and utter darkness around him. A few words suddenly appear in her mind with the image, ¡°Defend her. The project Lun¨¦.¡± The screen suddenly jitters and breaks into another. Error, Unknown Entity. Recommended Course of Action, evacuate. Lunar, Hammerer of Fears Void Beast:Void Walker Level 10 Armor: 3 Dodge: 2 Health: 100/100 Mana: 30/30 Strength: 2 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 10 Spirit: 15 Transcendent Monster:Void Walker; This Void Walker is a direct subordinate of Chaos, of Probability. However, thanks to the nature of Void Walkers, it is an intelligent and powerful creature, able to be considered its own race, however strange they may be. Void Ability:Memory Erasure; Void Walkers, on a touch and command, can remove memories of a creature who has seen it. This works in a way that removes the memory entirely, leaving them confused and dazed at how they got to where they are. Void Walkers tend to be invisible, and only visible through lenses in cameras or other powered equipment with lenses or capability to see heat. Void Walkers create a void of warmth within the space they stand, and are easily noticed by such cold, when they are intangible. Void Ability:Memory Alteration; Void Walkers can alter memories of a creature, upon touch and command. If something reminds the creature of the truth, this will likely break in its hold, but those who are unusually susceptible, can find themselves forever stuck in that falsity, thinking it true. Void Ability:Voidic Transit; Void Walkers are capable of Voidic Teleportation and Transportation to such a fine degree, that they never have to worry about Time Dilation or releasing other Void Beasts. Void Ability:Project Lun¨¦ Update; Void Walkers utilize all stats when attacking, excluding Constitution, Dodge, Health, and Mana. Lunar Ability:Hammerer of Fears; Hammerer of Fears gains innate Armor based on what material he last utilized. This ability makes the innate Armor as strong as the purest form of the material. Currently: Readying for Combat. Currently Feeling: Grateful to have returned to his original form. Lun¨¦ finds this utterly terrifying of a creature, especially with Codex clearly labeling it as an ¡°Unknown Entity¡± and recommending to run. She fears she may have just released something she should not have. Hammerer of Fears disappears suddenly, and Lun¨¦ looks to where she thinks it went, the western fight. Slaver of ???¡¯s Pack If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Where did these damned Wolves come from!¡± He could hear an ally yell, and then another yells, the wisest of their small hunting group, ¡°They¡¯re heavily organized! This is a dungeon! Fight with all you have!¡± He managed to cut through the armor of one wolf, who limped away quickly, defended in its retreat by the rest of the Wolves. He has his target now, slashing through another wolf a few times, trying to get through to that wolf again. As they finish the last of the stragglers, he takes the lead after that armored wolf. ¡°You¡¯re fucked now,¡± he yells with a vicious snarl on his face, as he gets closer, only to suddenly feel cold, and no longer feel his feet on the ground. He was suddenly staring into the red eye of something uncaring, and deadly. Something he had never heard of, never seen, and never expected. Only one of his group knew what this was, but he had no chance to even register what was happening, as his mind suddenly forgot where he was, what that thing looks like, and what he was doing. Then his head was rolling, and he felt no pain. Void Worshiper of ???¡¯s Pack The Beastkin suddenly stopped, and threw down his weapons, bowing before such a holy being, as it slaughtered his allies, he raises his hands and yells out, ¡°Oh holy Void! I ask you spare me so I may serve you fai-¡± He feels a stabbing pain in his gut, and is lifted up. His excitement and holy reverence disappears into confusion, pain, and betrayal. He looks down at the Void Walker holding him up in the air, and he asks, ¡°But why. Why had the great Nothingness abandoned me?¡± He is afforded no luxury like his comrades, and he is thrown to the ground, and left to bleed out in his newfound depression and fear of abandonment. Bandit of ???¡¯s Pack ¡°Don¡¯t falter! They¡¯re just beasts! Kill them all,¡± he yelled to his men. Rallying them to kill off these bastard Monsters. He sees a Human woman running forward, likely a Denizen or Adventurer here to ambush them. ¡°And save that Human bitch for me!¡± He laughs delighted to see such a specimen, and he cuts another Wolf down. The Wolves were just about gone, and the Bears were retreating for some reason, leaving the remains of the Wolves and Sproutlings. The Human kept coming thought, and he smirks at the fool, but she is suddenly grabbed by something inhuman. Something that appeared out of nowhere, and looked unlike anything in the world, and he¡¯s been from one side to the next many times over. He freezes, a massive shiver going down his spine. He can¡¯t fight this thing. It''s an unknown, and it just threw that armored Human behind itself like she was simply a small rock. The Human rolls to a stop, and looks at the scene, seemingly just as confused and worried as him. His men stop, and stare, confused, and a few speak their confusion, one even asks, ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± They have a stare off with this impossibly skinny cyclops, and then he steels himself. He has to get those damn runaways, or it''s his head. He yells out, ¡°Give that fucker no quarter!¡± His men begin charging the creature, which disappears as they near it, swinging and finding no perches. He is confused for a second, but hears one of his archers behind him let out a scream of pain. Turning, he sees the creature has severed the man¡¯s arm. And just as he looks, the thing is gone again, and he begins hearing the screams of more of his men. Looking towards each, he sees each lose something. A leg, an arm, their head. With each scream, his fear grows, and his hope and will diminishes. His sword drops to the ground with his shield, as he freezes, hearing more and more of his men die. His mind becomes a haze of fear and panic, every instinct telling him to run, to abandon his men and the His Slave Ring, to flee. His feet remain firmly planted, unable to move, the threat of death increasing its grip on him, and continuing to tell him to flee, but his body does not listen, as his mind begins to think, I need to run. This is the end. I need to escape. The world will soon end. He begins looking up, as a figure appears before him, almost double his height, and dark. His eyes land on the Red Eye of Death, and he has a memory enter his mind, as he feels something wrapping around his arms. ??? A man sits quietly, listening to a preacher, preaching his word. ¡°Brothers, Sisters! We know that death will come, and that nothingness will prevail! But what of before that!? What of the world before!? When the time comes, we will be called to battle against Material! And for the sake of all we must fight! We must bring forth the darkness! To free them of their eternal painful lives! To free them of their earthly bonds!¡± The man listens quietly, not joining in the congregation¡¯s jubilant cheer of agreement. Suddenly the door is pushed open, and a woman enters. Her draconic horns betray her as an Azyt. Her pearlescent robes betray her allegiance to Material, and the Preacher speaks, ¡°Out of this place, Material Devil! Your kind are not welcome here when they worship Material!¡± She speaks, but it does not sound like her voice, as she begins walking forward again, ¡°Pitiful. You Void Worshipers are pitiful. There is no good end to your existence. You will feel, see, hear, smell, taste, and be nothing. You wish for this, but think of how that would feel. How would it look? What would you hear? I wonder the smell of void? What about taste? Being nothing means you will have no say in your use in a war. You will be a simple minded beast fighting to destroy all life. Is that what you truly believe? Like how the Material Worshipers do not think of the fact they will never die, and will one day find themselves cramped, uncomfortable, or suffocating in the vacuum of space. Repent. Join me. Face the Darkness and the light.¡± The Priestess turns, and snaps her fingers, now leaving again, as a banner appears in the middle of the room. One with a symbol they know too well. That of the Neutral Party. Of Chaos. Suddenly, the memory skips forward many years, and the man, in gray robes walks forward to a horde of dragons in the distance. Three fight against three hundred, maybe even more. He looks behind himself, seeing more people in gray robes. He takes off the robe, and folds it, sitting down on his knees, and placing his head and hands on the robe. He speaks, ¡°Oh, Chaos. Take us now, so that we may help save this world, and multitudes more. Allow us to have the power to fight back. To save Aerusides.¡± He felt his flesh burning suddenly, but he remained in his prayer, even as his flesh boiled and writhed, unknowing of the fact that the pain was not thanks to the Azyts above, but thanks to his prayer. His body began to break, and he actually began to let out his pain, like the rest of the followers. Their screams of pain echoed into the sky, and the fighting began to slow. Confusion spread among the Azyts, the horde slowed, their Wyrms becoming curious and starting to get closer, only to see each of the people on the ground become as thin as paper, and then fill out, suddenly becoming Void Walkers. During the fight, this Void Walker slays an Ancient Azyt, who begins falling to the ground, blood coming from every cut, staining the glittering black scales of the Mirak. As the Azyt hits the ground, the Void Walker feels a sudden surge of power, and takes a few scales, a stick, and goes to get a rope. It ties the scales to the stick, and drops it, suddenly feeling its body harden. It returns to the battle, taking a blow that would have killed it or the Azyt behind it. Then, he returns the favor, with a death by a thousand cuts. Bandit of ???¡¯s Pack As the memories finish, his eyes well up with tears of fear of the being in front of it. This Human made god. His fear makes him lose the rest of his faculties, and he collapses, his arms going up instead of down, and he realizes he was already caught. There was no escape from the fate he was about to receive. He was about to receive his punishment. He knew it was wrong, what he had been doing, but he had never expected to face something that had once been Human, that could overpower even dragons. Not even the Dracen could do that, and he was now in front of such a godly being that he would never escape. It had been a futile thought from the start. His tears fall, and he begins screaming in pain as he feels himself be eviscerated by this creature. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦¡¯s fear grew, as she realized she would be unable to help anyone escape this thing. She begins to fear even more, but feels no more hostile presence. Everything is calm once again. She checks its status. Error, Unknown Entity. Lunar, Hammerer of Fears Void Beast:Void Walker Level 18 Experience: 25/45 Armor: 3 Dodge: 2 Health: 100/100 Mana: 30/30 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 10 Spirit: 20 Ability List Currently: Preparing to continue work in the Smithy. Currently Feeling: Calm and disgusted with Bandit Beastkin. She realizes her fears had been unwarranted. The destruction it had wrought, was not meant for her. She should have realized when Sebastia had been thrown away from the conflict. She watches as Sebastia begins getting up, holding her sword at the ready. Lun¨¦ understands why, but she has to calm Sebastia nonetheless, ¡°Sebastia, he is on our side.¡± Sebastia is quiet, but begins to slowly put away the sword. The Priestess runs out, asking, ¡°What¡¯s happenin-¡± her voice is cut off, as she sees the twelve Beastkin corpses, and an unknown creature. Lun¨¦ can see the fear course down the Priestess¡¯ body, as she shivers suddenly, already summoning her shield, as Sebastia speaks, ¡°It''s on our side.¡± The Priestess stops, and though still panicking slightly, refrains from bringing out her mace. Lun¨¦ looked at the name again, she had only read the last part, but she assumed ¡°Lunar¡± was its name, and she looked at it, speaking, ¡°Lunar. You can go back to y-¡± She feels a strong feeling of disappointment through the connection to the Void Walker, and then a feeling she was extremely incorrect. A new screen appears: New Information Courtesy of your friend, Chaos, of Probability A Lunar is a powerful entity of Void This does not mean they align with Void Just that their nature is Void, and likely started as Void Enjoy Hammerer of Fears He is quite the diligent worker She stares in silence, and then says, ¡°Uhm. Okay, Hammerer of Fears, you can go back to your Smithy now. Thank you.¡± Hammerer disappears, reappearing in the Smithy, already getting back to work. Lun¨¦ looks at Cloud, and tells her to go to the Priestess. That was a close call, and a dangerous one. She almost lost Cloud. She thinks how different things would have been if Hammerer had not drawn her attention for that mana. She looks over the two battle sites, and stores each item and corpse, cleaning up. The dead Monsters fade into Mana, and are added to the Mana Pool. A bonus for losing them it seems. She looks at the inventory, and begins wondering if she can use Carcere Fabricator while merged. Which she finds she can, at least anything that is not ¡°Summon Summons¡±. She sighs sadly, then decides to send a few scouts out. They will have to be Bears, since almost all of her wolves are seemingly respawning at their spawner. She looks at the Denizen room, and finds Koto and the Wolves calming down. Miyoshi is still asleep. She smiles, happy the Wolves did not need to do their job. With the small checks done, she returns to the inventory and begins turning the recently gained items and bodies into Mana, bringing her right back up to full, including what she gained from the deaths of the Slavers. She decides that now is the best time to upgrade her Wolves. The last three return to the spawner, as she decides their next stage of life. Cloud, however, does not return, worrying Lun¨¦ a little, however she goes through with it. Nothing happens to Cloud, and she is being tended to properly, while the Spawner begins upgrading. Letting out a sigh of relief, Lun¨¦ goes to the next thing she needs to do. She splits with Codex again, and heads to the Priestess. When she arrives, the Priestess is just finishing checking Cloud¡¯s leg for any more damage. Sensing Lun¨¦ approaching, Cloud¡¯s tail begins rapidly thumping the ground. Lun¨¦ smiles, seeing Cloud is not hurt enough to stop being happy to be around her. Lun¨¦ then looks at the Priestess and speaks, ¡°Priestess Jordan, I need you to go back to Woodshade. Tell them what just happened.¡± The Priestess nods in response, understanding. Then Lun¨¦ turns around, and heads back in, followed by Sebastia. Chapter 14: Gathering Isabell Jordan Isabell entered town, finding the Guards on high alert, with double at the gate. She walks up to one of the Guards and speaks, still in her armor, ¡°I need to speak with the Captain immediately.¡± She begins taking off her helmet, as the Guard was about to ask who she was. On seeing her face, he runs off, maybe a little startled that the Priestess was wearing full platemail armor. She looks at the three other guards, who begin to face forward again, watching the direction of the Slavers, whom she doubts are still in that camp in the distance. Isabell takes a few steps past, and turns around, watching quietly as well. Soon she hears armored footsteps approaching quickly. Turning, she sees the Guard and the Captain. She approaches the Captain, meeting him halfway, as he asks, ¡°What¡¯s going on. What happened out there.¡± Isabell simply smiles, ¡°Well, firstly, I am no longer the only Hero within Humanity, excluding my Teacher. Secondly, Fort Pontifex has been usurped by a new Dungeon, Grandia. It already has two Denizens, both Human. Along with that, the Slavers are on the move, and attacked Codex. This caused a desperate action by Lun¨¦ and Codex, bringing forth something from the Pantheon. Luckily, it seems to not want anything except to smith. Thirdly, Lun¨¦ and Codex wish to demolish the Slavers now, before they become a problem for Lake of Codex and Grandia, the other two Dungeons within their small confederation.¡± The Captain takes this in, and starts to think. After a few seconds, he speaks, calm and collected, ¡°We do not have the manpower to assist. Not at the moment at least. Slavers have been spotted on all sides. The west and east gate guards have been doubled, and the civilians are scared. Perhaps if we could rally them we would have a better chance, but-¡± A Guard was running over from the east, ¡°Captain!¡± The Captain turns immediately, hand on the hilt of his sword, ¡°What!? Are those Slavers attacking!?¡± The guard shakes his head, ¡°No sir. Royal Knights have arrived at the east gate. The Prince sent aid.¡± The Captain nods, ¡°Tell them to go to the Barracks. I will brief them there.¡± Isabell speaks, ¡°I will go with you. They will need to know about the forces of the Dungeons.¡± Captain Sullivan looks at her, then nods, as he begins walking. Almost twenty minutes later, Captain Sullivan and Isabell are standing in the meeting room of the Guard Barracks, watching as four Royal Knights begin entering the room. She is surprised to see the Elite Knight Alicia, and speaks, ¡°Elite Knight Alicia? I did not expect you to come.¡± Alicia looks at Isabell, seemingly scanning her with her eyes, she then speaks to the Priestess, ¡°I did not expect you to be wearing armor, Hero.¡± She then looks at Captain Sullivan, ¡°But what matters now is the situation. Captain, if you would.¡± He nods to her, then begins explaining the situation. Isabell stands quietly, until he is done, at which point she hears Alicia speak, ¡°That is all I need to hear then. We will remove the Slavers, and then those Dungeons.¡± Isabell speaks before anything can be set in stone, ¡°Before that, the Dungeons are not hostile. In fact, they have Confederated but seem to defer to Codex. Along with that, Codex follows the will of Lun¨¦ Alpenglow, the formerly missing Hero. No one can tell the outside world about her whereabouts. Her former party attempted to kill her, and we must ensure she and those dungeons have enough time to prepare. If we do that, we can change the tide of the world, and bring Humanity off of its knees, and break its shackles.¡± Alicia squints at her, then speaks after a small pause, her tone deadly and cold, ¡°Dungeons are dungeons. I expected you of all people to know that. We cannot trust them, even with a Hero at their helm.¡± Isabell frowns heavily, ¡°Then do not expect me to aid you and yours. I will not let my fellow Hero be endangered again. She was already dragged away to be executed once.¡± Isabell¡¯s convictions are to hold strong. That is her will, as she would be no Priestess if she did not hold fast to her convictions, even with just simple willpower. Alicia¡¯s face drew a snarl, and though silent, Isabell could tell Alicia wanted to yell at her. To explain the simple fact she already knew; a Dungeon is dangerous, and cannot be suffered to exist. As, while one exists, the world could be plunged into a hell of such a degree that has been unseen since the time of the Dungeon Lord, when all races banded together for the first and last time. Isabell speaks, ¡°I am willing to vouch for Lun¨¦. So much so that I am even willing to go against the King himself, if necessary.¡± Alicia sighs, and punches the table. She then turns and says, ¡°Fine. Tell me what forces to expect on our side.¡± She is looking at the door, ready to leave. Isabell smiles, and begins explaining the creatures on Lun¨¦¡¯s side. ??? ¡°Boss! Boss!¡± The Boss looks at the pitiful slaver coming towards him, and he waits for the panicked worthless Beastkin to speak, ¡°Boss! The force that was sent out to find the Dungeon was wiped out! Some creepy monste-¡± He grabs the Beastkin by the throat, and lifts, then snaps the man¡¯s neck. The nearby Beastkin whimper in fear, and the Boss speaks, ¡°You worthless fucks! Gather all of your gear, chain up the slaves, and put them in their cages! We¡¯re destroying that worthless fucking town in three hours, then we are leaving! Let the Humans deal with the fallout of a powerful Dungeon!¡± The Beastkin start running off, and the Boss sees something he did not expect to see. A bear at the edge of his camp, turning and walking away. He picks up an axe, and throws it as hard as he can. The axe soars, and flips around a few times, before slamming into the bear with a yellow ¡°90¡±. The bear hits the ground, then starts getting up quickly, already starting to run as the second axe slams into it with a black ¡°30¡±. The Boss approaches the Bear, and pulls out the axes. Flicking blood off, he says, ¡°Damn Dungeon. Try scouting me again.¡± Lun¨¦ Alpenglow As Lun¨¦ finishes with preparing her defenses, she sees a menu she has yet to see: Expedition Failed Bear x1 Deathblow by: Hero Beastkin Murderer Level 102 Lun¨¦ shivers at that. Only Sebastia can properly fight this person. It makes it even worse that this person is a Hero. If this starts going wrong, there is no stopping the Hero from destroying the Town and Dungeons. She begins thinking of a way to counter someone so high level. Sebastia enters the Dungeon again, followed by a group of Animated Armors on Horses. The Grandian Banner flies from a pole in one Armor¡¯s hand. She smiles, knowing that they might be able to do something, even more so as she sees a set of Armor she recognizes, with a crossbow on her back. Her fears dissipate, knowing it should be fine with a Swordmaster and Archer Lady who knows how to fight with swords. She returns her attention to defense, now that offense is clearly settled. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Cloud is sitting quietly in the Wolves¡¯ room, waiting for her Wolves to finish upgrading. The Siblings are helping move logs and planks. Hammerer is moving far faster than when he was a sprite, and is getting supplies to the building site in a flash. Imai and Zeuz are helping to the best of their abilities, Imai by hammering nails into place, and Zeuz by giving inspirational slogans and quotes, almost all having to do with profit. Lun¨¦ looks into the Voidic Oracle¡¯s Room again, starting to check what she can get from it. She finds a new menu, with plenty of different kinds of creatures. One that looks like a Boar, but is ink black with holes through it, is named a ¡°Charger¡±. There is a monstrous Mantaray called a ¡°Reaper¡±. There is also the nearly humanoid ¡°Siegebeast¡±, with its three red eyes, and crawling. Each requires a specific amount of Mana and Void Sprites. The Charger is only 100 Mana with 10 Sprites, the Reaper is 200 Mana with 5 Sprites, and the Siegebeast is 400 Mana with 25 Sprites. She decides against taking any, but looks back at the top, seeing the line that reads, ¡°Voidic Intelligence Level: 4¡±. She doesn¡¯t know what that means, but she doesn¡¯t really like it. It feels worrying. She decides to level her current Monsters first, and see what she has remaining. She manages to maximize the levels of all of her Monsters. She smiles, having a powerful force is beneficial. She glances over at Sebastia and Irae, who are planning by themselves. She then decides to look over at herself. She sees herself laying still on the floor, she then looks at the bronze armor that was prepared for her. She and Codex split. She begins to sit up, and then stand. It was time to put on her armor. It would not be comfortable, but having everything ready and prepared is better than nothing. After getting her armor on, she heads up, and out. Looking at the wall that was getting built. She stands silently, until she hears Sebastia and Irae approaching. She looks over, and hears Irae speak, ¡°You already sent out scouts, correct?¡± Lun¨¦ nods, then sees Irae smirk, ¡°Alright then.¡± She cracks her neck, and puts her helmet back on, before continuing to speak, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the town to get in contact with the Priestess.¡± Lun¨¦ is a tad confused by this, and Sebastia speaks, ¡°With your permission, we would like to assault the Slavers right away, not wait for them.¡± Lun¨¦ begins to think on it, but is interrupted by Irae speaking, ¡°If the town is free to assist that is. If not, we will change our tactics.¡± Lun¨¦ nods, not really knowing anything about large strategies for combat. Irae begins walking away, going to her horse. Sebastia steps beside Lun¨¦ and stands quietly. They were almost ready it seems. Isabell Jordan As the meeting comes to a close with the last of their possible strategies, a Guard enters, ¡°I apologize for interrupting, Captain and Royal Knights, but there is someone at the west gate. She came out of the woods on a horse. We don¡¯t know how she managed to not run into a tree at the speed she was going.¡± Alicia looks at the Guard, and the Captain nods to him. The Guard turns, and leaves. Isabell speaks, ¡°I will go see what is going on.¡± The Captain nods at her, then looks at the Royal Knights, ¡°We only have those possible strategies. Can you think of any more?¡± Isabell exits, and closes the door behind herself, then she begins jogging to the west gate. As she arrives, she sees a Knight on a horse, a tapestry with a roaring lion on a silver and blue background, hangs from the saddle. She approaches, and sees the Knight look at her. She speaks, ¡°What can we do for you?¡± The Knight speaks, taking off her helmet, ¡°Grandia requests permission to attend any strategy meetings. We stand ready to engage at any moment from our staging point.¡± Isabell realizes that this is no Animated Armor, it is Irae, with surprise in her voice, she says, ¡°Oh, Mrs. Irae. A pleasure. Please, enter and follow me. The stables are to the right, you may leave the horse.¡± Irae dismounts, and says, ¡°It will not wander.¡± It begins walking towards the town, and then turns while under the gate, watching silently. Irae then speaks, ¡°It has standing orders to defend the area it is left in.¡± The Guards are clearly confused and baffled, while Isabell is just concerned She turns and begins leading Irae to the meeting. Once there, she opens the door, and speaks to the Royal Knights and Captain, ¡°Presenting Queen Irae Rein of Grandia.¡± Irae frowns at her, and speaks while entering the room, ¡°I¡¯m not the Queen. I¡¯m just married to her. You won¡¯t ever see Marie leading a force. Just me.¡± She steps to side of the table, and looks at the two other parties. Isabell enters as she closes the door, hearing Alicia speak clearly pissed off, ¡°Queen? You dare insult the Kingdom?¡± Irae looks at her, and says, ¡°Sit down, little Knight. From what my pupil told me, your people are not warriors. You should be more reverent to your superiors.¡± Alicia slams her fists on the table, ¡°You-¡± She is cut off by the Captain, ¡°Quiet!¡± He looks at Irae as Alicia stands startled that a Captain would dare yell at a Royal Knight, ¡°I thank you for reaching out, Queen of Grandia.¡± Irae frowns at him, ¡°Again, not a Queen. If you have to go by titles, Grand Duchess works. If you do not want to recognize my claims, then Irae or the ¡®Silent Hero¡¯ works. Use one of those three, or I leave and withdraw my forces.¡± The Captain is startled by her seriousness, and nods, ¡°I apologize, Grand Duchess.¡± Irae then speaks, calm and collected, ¡°Okay, what is the situation here? We are poised to begin moving, and await your decision. If you decide to not attack today, we will remain in Codex, fortifying. If you decide to attack, I will begin moving my force.¡± Lun¨¦ Alpenglow As the Monsters prepare to fight, Lun¨¦ returns to look at Codex¡¯s Mana again. She enters the Core Room, and merges with Codex. She then looks at the Mana, and decides to take the chance. She opens the Voidic Oracle¡¯s Room, and selects the Reaper, having regained up to past 200 Mana again. She begins her wait, and looks at the Wolves Spawner. The first Wolf steps out, and she can already tell the difference. The Wolf looks stronger, faster, and eager to taste blood. She checks its stats. Monster Menu Eurasian/Siberian Wolf Level 15 Dodge: 1 Health: 60/60 Strength: 12 Dexterity: 6 Constitution: 6 Spirit: 1 Current Orders: None Currently Feeling: Eager Speak to set new orders. She sees it approach Cloud, who stands and begins inspecting the Wolf. The Wolf looks eager and ready to fight, seeming a little proud as Cloud looks it over. Cloud, once done, sits, and the Wolf begins running around. It seems Cloud has passed the new Wolves on whatever test she just conducted. Lun¨¦ smiles, and gets back to working on more things around the Dungeon. After about half an hour, she feels thundering hooves on her soil. She looks to find Irae speeding to the Animated Armor. She yells out, ¡°Form up!¡± She pulls the reins and her horse rears, then turns around. The Animated Armors and Horses move to a formation behind Irae. Then they were off, as an armored set of feet ran onto the dungeon. She sees the Priestess running to the house. Quickly leaving Codex, Lun¨¦ runs upstairs and out, to meet with the Priestess, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The Priestess stops, nearly out of breath, ¡°The town is under attack.¡± Lun¨¦ feels Codex summon all available forces, and she speaks, ¡°We¡¯ll go right now.¡± Chapter 15: Clashing Blades Captain Phil Sullivan Captain Sullivan charged forward, his sword in hand, two Infantryman Guards with shields at his sides. The three rushed toward the west gate, where they could see the Woodshade Guard combatting the Slavers. The reports had said there were three times this number, and assuming they had sent a third of that to attack Codex, there was likely a party of just the same size on the other gate. He was undeterred however, as Grandia stood ready to attack. A counter was soon to come, all he had to do was hold the west gate, while the Priestess and Royal Knights cleared the east. He charged forward, a purpose burning desire into his chest. A desire for the safety of the Town of Woodshade. He and his two Guards slam into the enemy force, pushing two Beastkin who had attempted entering a breach in the ranks. The Captain left no space with his two guards, the elite of Woodshade. He doubted it would ever happen, but if he succeeded in defending, and even killing the enemy Hero, he would likely see his promotion in his class, from a simple Infantryman to an Infantry Commander, or Swordmaster. Taking his sword to one of the enemies, he sees the attack connect, and draw blood. The Beastkin staggers back, pulling away as the battle rages on. He yells out to his men, ¡°HOLD THE GATE!¡± The line begins to solidify, as if the Guard was brought new purpose due to his presence. The Beastkin keep up their onslaught, and only cease when a voice cuts through the clash of steel, ¡°PULL BACK!¡± The Beastkin draw back, and a much larger Wolven Beastkin with golden eyes steps forward, his two axes at his side, and a pair of silvered daggers hang underneath the axes. Dangerous weapons for a Beastkin to hold. Captain Sullivan realizes that this man is the leader, immediately he can tell this man means business, and is unafraid of death. Silver is far more deadly to Beastkin than any other race, causing Sullivan to feel threatened by the fact the man is carrying such weapons so brazenly. He yells out, ¡°We will give you one final chance to give up, Humans. Throw down your weapons, and we will simply shackle you.¡± He grins with superiority, as Captain Sullivan realizes his line of Guards are nearly on their last legs, but not one lays down his arms. Captain Sullivan knows this fact more than anyone, his Guards will never surrender to an enemy that was here to steal away their home. The Beastkin looks furious as his words fall on deaf ears, ¡°Fine! I will fight your leader, here and now!¡± Captain Sullivan does not step forward, despite the Wolf¡¯s eyes on him, sizing him up. The Beastkin speaks again, his anger turning to a cruel smirk, ¡°Or is he too afraid.¡± Captain Sullivan calls out, ¡°Hold your positions! Let not one in!¡± The Guards call out their response, ¡°YES SIR!¡± The Beastkin, realizing there is no fear from the Captain, nor his men, decides to speak, ¡°Fine then. Die! Kill these Guards first!¡± He charges forward, drawing his axes, as his Slavers follow, bloodlust in the Pack¡¯s eyes. Sullivan calls out, ¡°HOLD!¡± The enemy slams into their spears, shields, and swords, like a diabolical tidal wave. The Hero slashes at Sullivan, making him have to dodge, but being experienced, he begins to counter, noting that this Hero is not as strong as he thought. His movements are predictable, he acts like what a Berserker should, instead of whatever he is. This makes it an even fight at the least. Sullivan slashes with his counter, only to feel an axe hitting his shoulder, and going deep into it. Drawing back, he realizes what just happened, that was an illusion. One that showed a different attack, he cannot fight that. He realizes with dread, that this Hero is a Murderer in class. He cannot win, but he can certainly try his hardest. He runs back into position, and thrusts forward, causing the Hero to backpedal, and then slash forward. The line begins to break, as Guards start to fall. He feels the sting of another axe blade piercing his side, then feels himself thrown behind the Slavers. Rolling, he comes to a stop, and begins rising, pushing up his body, feeling his strength waning. He readies his blade, as he sees the Murderer coming closer, he can hear his Guards falling, and the Beastkin cheering. He could not fall here, he must not fall here. He feels a surge through his body, and he charges forward, as the Hero is surprised, and dodges. Sullivan turns and slashes again, only to be dodged once more. He was out of his league, but he would not surrender. No, he could not surrender. He must win, and save his home. He slashes again, this time being kicked away, and onto the ground. He begins getting up once more, and hears the Hero speak, ¡°It is a shame you advanced in such a lowly place. Well, it is best you die now, Commander.¡± He sees the Axe coming, and closes his eyes for death, but the quiet does not come. Instead, the axe rings as metal hits it. The surprise in the Hero¡¯s voice is all he needs to know what just happened, as the sounds of hooves thundering towards them echo suddenly. The sound of something igniting hits his ears, as the Beastkin jumps backwards, and he feels himself grabbed, and hoisted suddenly. He was picked up by two mounted Animated Armors, and in his vision, he could see Irae, on her horse, holding a Molten Lance. She calls out, ¡°GRANDIA! ADVANCE!¡± A burst of golden light, and the sound of a lion¡¯s roar, as the rest of the horseback Animated Armors enter the fight. Twelve in total, enough to fully counter, and stop the enemy from entering the town. The call from the Animated Armors is startling, but it is there, ¡°AYE, COMMANDER!¡± The Animated Armors begin charging at the Slavers, and Irae strikes forward with her lance once more, before dismounting, as she says, ¡°You must be that Hero bastard.¡± The Captain was being carried away by the Animated Armors, and brought into the town, away from the combat, and into safety, as his consciousness fades. Irae Rein, the Silent Hero ¡°You make a bad name for Heroes.¡± She raises her lance, letting her mount leave, ¡°So I will be your opponent. A true hero.¡± The Beastkin laughs heartily, ¡°You!? You are a hero? There is no Human Hero who can fight. Yield to your betters, and I may make you my personal toy.¡± Irae thinks to herself as she prepares to attack, Disgusting bastard. He¡¯s worse than Father-in-Law. May he rest in hell. She is ready as his smirk turns to fury, and he yells out, ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll cut off your limbs and leave you to watch your whole world burn!¡± He charges, ready to attack, and he does so, only for Irae to see through the illusion thanks to the charm Marie had made for her a while back. She may not be good at enchantments, but she¡¯s still good at it. She dodges the true attack, and the Beastkin is startled. Clearly confused, he backs up and growls, ¡°How!?¡± Irae remains silent, her old nature taking over, she jabs forward, and then up, causing the man to backpedal more, and nearly stumble. He clearly decides to not simply take her for granted now, and begins attacking with earnest. Irae, though clearly the better, is sure they are not too dissimilar in ability. As he slashes at her, she backpedals, then jabs forward with her lance, only for him to dodge to the side, and then come at her from a different angle. She blocks the first strike, and barely dodges the second. His axes begin to glow red-hot. Only a moment more, and they will likely break. He slashes again, trying to trick her once more, and she steps to the side, blocking. Her expertise is showing, and she isn¡¯t even using her crossbow. Their strikes miss each other for a few more minutes, and they continue to show expertise in their fields. The Beastkin backs away, growling in anger and irritation. Irae plants her lance, and waits. He begins sprinting back to his camp, and Irae sends her lance away, drawing the crossbow off her back, and turning to assist the town. Ignoring the fleeing Hero. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Despite Sebastia¡¯s insistence, Lun¨¦ was with the force. Bears with Sproutlings on their backs, and Wolves march with haste. Fearless and ready, the Monsters move, their Core following on the back of a Horse with their strongest Denizen. The group moves forward, ready to fight. Cloud sticks near Lun¨¦ for the moment, but has instructions to immediately take the Wolves and enter the fight. Lun¨¦ looks to Cloud and says, ¡°Go ahead and lead the Wolves. Help the Town immediately.¡± Cloud rallies her Wolves with a howl, and begins sprinting. The Wolves follow their Boss Monster, and Lun¨¦ watches them go, ready with her Bears and Sproutlings. Isabell Jordan Isabell was fighting with all she had, trying to keep the Beastkin away from the injured Guards, and out of the town. Luckily for her, she has the Royal Knights to assist her, though they are not mounted at the moment. She begins tending to a wounded Guard while the Royal Knights protect the town, taking on the Beastkin, and showing their might. However, even Isabell knows the amount of enemies they have to fight will bring them down soon enough. As she heals the Guard, hoping to get him back into the fight, she feels and hears the thundering of hooves, and looks up, hope drowning out any shreds of fear and dread. She watches as the Grandian standard blazes its way towards the east gate, mounted Animated Armors lower their lances, and Isabell yells out, ¡°Alicia! Watch out!¡± Alicia turns to see this mounted charge, and jumps to the edge of the gate, hitting the dirt with her Knights, as the Grandian Armors impale a few Beastkin, tramble a few others, and cause the rest to scatter. Isabell sees a Beastkin starting to rush her, and is about to start getting up to defend herself when a horse, with the Grandian Banner hanging from its saddle, rams the poor enemy. Then the horse rears up and slams down on the screaming Slaver. She grins underneath her helmet, and continues healing the Guard, no longer concerned, about getting the man up. As she tends to the injured, she can hear the fight still going, but she hears the thundering of hooves again. This time both sides are ready, and the Grandian Armors barely get any enemies. However, this time, as one of the Slavers laughs in defiance of the Grandians, a howl is heard throughout the town. Isabell grins even more, knowing what¡¯s about to come. The Slavers and Knights both look confused, having thought the mounted Knights would be all that came. The pack of wolves sprints down the road at the combat, at their head, the armored Cloud. The Beastkin start to run, seeing a veritable avalanche of large Wolves. The Knights, though tense, get out of the way, and watch as the Wolves reach the enemy and begin tearing them apart. Cloud heads over to Isabell, checking on her, which makes Alicia start sprinting over, weapon in hand. But as Cloud gets some pats from Isabell to reassure her, Alicia seems to calm down, realizing the Wolves truly are not a threat. Isabell gets back to healing the injured, and Cloud sprints to the fight, clearly eager for a bit of revenge for earlier. ??? ¡°DAMMIT!¡± The Boss slammed his fists into the table. Then pointed at the cloaked figure in the tent with him, ¡°You said this would be simple! That damn dungeon has destroyed our plans! What do you have to say for yourself!?¡± The man simply chuckles, and then says, ¡°You think I am to blame? If I had not come out of my cave, you would still be sitting in the Beastkindom, wasting away. Are you not happy that you came to face my creations? It got you riches and your oh so beloved bloodshed.¡± The Boss growls at this lesser Beastman, ¡°I should have just killed you! This was a terrible idea! Damn Humankin!¡± The man chuckles again, then says in a singsong voice, ¡°Now now, no need for insults. I will fix your failures. I just need the proper sacrifices.¡± The Boss growls low, and then steps out of the tent, taking his dagger, and stabbing the closest slave, who screams in panic and pain. He then says, ¡°There. Do as you will, Necromancer.¡± Sebastia Rin Sebastia rides her horse, holding tight to Lun¨¦. As they exit the treeline, and find the town, they can see the massacre of the Slavers, Irae stands watching the Slaver Camp in the distance. Sebastia lets Lun¨¦ off, and calls out, ¡°Formation, halt! Master, what is the situation!¡± Irae calls back, still watching the Slaver Camp, ¡°Their leader ran, and the Knights are dealing with the east gate! We will regroup and then finish this!¡± Sebastia nods in response, and begins getting her Monsters into an organized force. She then rides into town, heading for the east gate. She passes Lun¨¦ on the way there, and does not stop to grab her. Best she remains away from the fight. Sebastia nears the fight, and draws her sword, but as she moves around a corner to see the fight, she slows her horse, and notes that the Wolves have already taken care of the remainder. A group of four Knights stand near Isabell who is healing the wounded. The Beastkin are outside of the gate, being massacred to the last. Finally, the Grandian Knights are moving slowly, letting their Wolven allies finish the fight. As the last Beastkin falls, she calls out, ¡°RALLY! WE TAKE THIS FIGHT TO THEM!¡± She raises her sword, and hears a call back, instead of voices, however, it is the sound of armor clanking against armor, as the Grandians raise their weapons in response. The Banner still flies high, bringing a smile to Sebastia¡¯s face. She sees the other four look at her, likely confused underneath those helmets, aside from one that looks focused, and distrusting, with no helmet on. Sebastia turns her horse, and begins moving back to the west gate, followed by the Grandian Knights and Wolves. She stops to get Lun¨¦ this time, and takes her back to the west gate. She speaks as they return, ¡°Almost done. We will get to rest after this.¡± Sebastia smirks, ¡°Thinking about sleeping already, my Lady?¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head, then answers, ¡°I just want some peace and quiet for a bit.¡± Sebastia smiles at that simple wish. It''s one she¡¯s had many times before. That base want to see a time of peace during the most chaotic of times in life. Sebastia and Lun¨¦ reach the force, and she stops to let Lun¨¦ off, before looking back to see the Grandian Knights and the Wolves, already forming up. It is startlingly quiet, as Sebastia begins to open her mouth to speak, ¡°Forma-¡± Her voice is cut short as a pulse comes from the Camp. A chill goes down many spines, including Sebastia¡¯s. Lun¨¦ yells out, ¡°Necromancy!¡± Sebastia isn¡¯t quite sure how Lun¨¦ realized this so quickly, as the corpses had yet to start getting up, but as Sebastia glanced down, she realized Lun¨¦ had gotten a pop-up. Sebastia suddenly dismounts, and decapitates the closest corpse, the rest begin to rise. The formation breaks immediately, and the undead are quickly dismantled. Sebastia calls out, ¡°Cavalry! To the east gate! Help remove the Undead! Half of the Bears and Sproutlings remain here! The rest come with us! We¡¯re ending this quickly! Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Necromancer Beastman He laughs maniacally, the undead rise, and he knows the town is now being swarmed. There was no way that Dungeon could have expected this! He continues to laugh, as he sees the Slaves standing up, bending to his will as zombies. He looks at his useless Hero, and smiles devilishly. ¡°Your army awaits.¡± The Hero begins walking, pissed off still, but the Necromancer did not care. He let the Beastkin walk with his former slaves, while the Necromancer followed behind, keeping his distance. As they entered into view of the Town, around a few tents, his smile faded slightly, as he saw Bears with plants on their backs. These Bears were charging forward, with two mounted Horses following. One had a sword, the other a crossbow. A third individual was behind the crossbowman, holding on for dear life. No matter, he will just keep raising the dead. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow As they reached the camp, they found the undead already pouring out to attack them. Each covered in rags and chains. Her anger grows immense, and she draws her dagger, ready to put these poor people to rest, and kill that damned Necromancer. Lun¨¦ rides behind Irae, holding on as the Silent Hero raises her crossbow and fires once, taking down two zombies at once. She then lets go of the crossbow, and it disappears, replaced by her lance. The Bears reach the undead, and the Sproutlings begin flailing forward, shutting down the shambling dead, as the Bears crush them back to their rest. Sebastia has her Horse leap over the Bears, and she starts swinging, taking off limbs and creating large gashes. Irae stops, and says, ¡°Off.¡± Lun¨¦ gets off, and begins running around the Bears, ready to fight as well. She sees Irae go around the Bears, and begin using her lance. Lun¨¦ begins to fight as well, throwing a dagger at the closest zombie, and punching it to help free the dagger. She fights like this for a few minutes, until she feels herself running out of energy. The sound of a Horse in pain steals her attention, and she sees Sebastia¡¯s Horse rearing up, and then falling. Sebastia seems to be able to just barely escape being injured. Lun¨¦, now worried, looks behind herself to see the undead getting back up. However she hears a gruff and bestial yell, ¡°You! How!?¡± Turning she sees one of her old party, Noalen. Lun¨¦¡¯s anger grows even more. She begins to remember the betrayal again, and sees him draw his daggers. He charges her, ¡°I will make sure you die this time!¡± Lun¨¦ throws her dagger at him, startling him, and catching him in the shoulder. Frost begins expanding from the wound, causing him to rip it out, and throw it back. In her moment of glee at injuring the bastard, she barely manages to dodge, being brought back to reality extremely quickly. She runs for her dagger, and finds him giving chase. She grabs the dagger, and turns to block one of the dagger strikes, only for the other to stab her in the stomach and lift her up. In pain and panic, she does not notice the arrow hit Noalen in the shoulder. Noalen drops Lun¨¦, his dagger still in her abdomen. She looks up, holding the dagger¡¯s hilt, and with fury in her strike, she rips it out, and stabs Noalen with both daggers. Ice spreads more over him, and she yanks down, her adrenaline keeping her from feeling much of the pain. Lun¨¦ could barely see Sebastia charging the Necromancer, and cutting down undead in her path. Lun¨¦ did not care though, all she wanted was to see Noalen¡¯s death. Kicked away, she nearly crumples, but is caught by a Sproutling, and put on her feet again. She runs forward, throwing the two daggers at Noalen, who manages to dodge the Icesteel dagger, but not his own silvered dagger. He stumbles back, as Lun¨¦ runs forward, grabbing the dagger and ramming into Noalen, who staggers again, nearly stumbling over, despite Lun¨¦¡¯s rather low weight compared to him. A crossbow bolt hits him again, this time in the leg, making him fall to the ground, with Lun¨¦ now on top of him. She yanks the blade out, and brings it down on Noalen¡¯s chest, making him scream out in pain and panic. Her anger boils over and she begins rapidly slamming the blade down on his chest, as he throws punches to get her off. He gets a good punch on her chin, and knocks her backwards and off. Getting away from her, he stands and readies his other dagger, clearly planning to end this, but as he runs forward, the undead suddenly crumble, and in his second of confusion, he sees the Sproutlings swiftly reach out and wrap around him, keeping him still for their Dungeon Core. Lun¨¦ begins slowly standing back up. She starts to approach, ignoring the call from Irae, telling her to calm down. Lun¨¦ raises her dagger and stabs it into his abdomen. She yanks it out, about to stab again as her hands are grabbed, and she feels herself be pushed down to the ground. She hears Sebastia¡¯s voice, ¡°Calm the fuck down! You¡¯re injured. We¡¯re taking you back now. You can decide what to do with him later. Sproutlings, take him back to Codex. Keep a hold of him with the rest of the Sproutlings.¡± Noalen begins writhing and yelling out obscenities. Lun¨¦''s mind begins to fade, and she passes out. As she wakes back up, she finds herself laying on a bed. She starts sitting up, but feels a sharp pain emanate from her abdomen, and slumps back down with a pained groan, she hears someone hurrying over, and sees the Priestess¡¯ face over her a second later, she holds Lun¨¦ down, saying, ¡°Stay still, you got really hurt.¡± Lun¨¦ just remains still, not having the energy to talk at the moment. The Priestess smiles softly, clearly happy Lun¨¦ lived, and she says, ¡°Just rest. You are safe here. I will be right back with some water and food, okay?¡± She slowly lifts her hands, and heads off. Lun¨¦ remains still, tired and in small amounts of throbbing pain. After a few minutes, the Priestess returns, and lifts Lun¨¦ up into a seated position. It may be painful, but Lun¨¦ grits her teeth and remains silent. The Priestess keeps Lun¨¦ up, and brings the small cup to Lun¨¦¡¯s mouth for her to drink. She does so, drinking the water, and quenching her thirst, oh so slightly. The Priestess takes away the cup, and then grabs a broken up piece of bread and holds it near Lun¨¦¡¯s mouth. She does not open her mouth, her hunger is not enough for food. The Priestess sighs quietly, and begins letting Lun¨¦ back down to rest. As Lun¨¦¡¯s head touches the pillow, she feels herself drifting off to sleep once more. Two days passed of her remaining here, and she was tired of it. She wanted to be home. At Codex. Not here, in the Priestess¡¯ home. She decides to move her feet off the bed, and try standing. She does manage to get up, and starts to stumble her way over to the door. She reaches the door, and opens it, stumbling her way around the house, looking for the exit. She soon finds it, and manages to get it open, but as she falls out of the house, she is caught by an armored hand. Looking up, she finds an Animated Armor. Clearly a guard for her. The Armor picks her up like a princess, and begins to carry her back inside, much to her chagrin and protest. A voice speaks up, ¡°You need to get permission first, my Lady.¡± Sebastia had been outside as well, and was following in. Lun¨¦ is set back where she had been, and she pouts, refusing to look at Sebastia and the Armor. The Armor begins returning to its post, and Sebastia takes a seat on the edge of the bed, saying, ¡°We¡¯ve kept that bastard alive for you. From what I¡¯ve learned, he¡¯s one of the ones who betrayed you. A lot of progress has been made, and we¡¯re ready for the next steps. You just need to be allowed back home.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, mostly upset that Sebastia isn¡¯t helping her escape the unwanted bedridden state she is in. Sebastia gets up, then says, ¡°I¡¯ll come back in a few hours, or if Isabell comes to get me.¡± She walks off, leaving Lun¨¦ alone again. She had never felt so lonely. After a few more days, and about twenty more escape attempts, Lun¨¦ is finally discharged from the makeshift infirmary, and her unceasing Animated Armor Guard heads back to Grandia. The Priestess sees her off at the west gate, and Lun¨¦ happily starts heading home. As she walks, she finds Imai and Zeuz, going to the town. Zeuz grins happily, and waves, passing by, still ever a man on a mission. Imai, on the other hand, does take a small second to stop and give Lun¨¦ a pat on the head as she returns, and then follows Zeuz. Lun¨¦ walks quietly the rest of the way there, and steps onto some territory that was previously not Codex¡¯s. She feels a very warm feeling suddenly hit her, and knows Codex is extremely happy to see her. As Lun¨¦ walks, she sees her Monsters wandering about. A new Snake Monster hangs from a tree, and flicks its tongue at her. A few doves come over and one perches on her shoulder. A bear lumbers past, taking a moment to let out a happy seeming growl. A Wolf perks up from behind a bush, and then sprints off. Lun¨¦ soon hears a howl as she walks, and then a lot more. Almost a minute later, the whole pack is running up to her, led by Cloud, each of them way too excited to see her home. She is almost trampled by them, but luckily a certain sneaky elf was behind her for an indeterminable amount of time. Lun¨¦ yelps in panic, and Cloud starts biting and barking at the other wolves, getting them to calm down a little, as Radoc begins to laugh, holding Lun¨¦ upright. Lun¨¦ looks up at Radoc, happy to see he¡¯s healed as well. He looks down at her, then says, ¡°Well, my Lady. It seems you¡¯ve been welcomed in a very interesting way. They definitely seem to have missed you.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, just happy to be home. The first wolf to get pats is, of course, Cloud, then she has to go around to each of the wolves, giving pats to help them not be depressed from Cloud¡¯s reprimand. Once that¡¯s done, the happy pack begins going back to their duties. Cloud sticks with Lun¨¦, standing guard and being protective as per usual. Radoc disappears again, though Lun¨¦ has a feeling he¡¯s either right behind her or nearby. She begins walking to the house, and soon sees the new wooden wall, library, and repaired house. What she believes is a warehouse is being built as well, and she can see Sebastia hammering away with a few other humans. These humans seem to be from Woodshade. Koto and Miyoshi can be seen for a split second, running to the back of the house, chasing something. Sebastia sees Lun¨¦, and immediately sets down her hammer and nails, then runs over to give Lun¨¦ a hug. She yells out, as she lifts Lun¨¦, ¡°Welcome back!¡± With a slightly painful squeeze, Lun¨¦ is set back down, very slightly dazed from the sudden hug. Sebastia turns back to the warehouse, and starts walking back, ¡°I will talk with you later, I need to keep working.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles at that, and continues onward, heading for the inside with Cloud. She enters, finding it more furnished and clean than she remembers. She goes to check the Denizen room, and finds it fully furnished with two beds, however, the damage on some of the wooden planks, reveals that the beds were not right beside each other originally. She smiles happily, and softly chuckles. Knowing the siblings didn¡¯t want to be separate. She heads for the basement, and enters, finding a new set of double doors on the right, in line with Codex. She approaches the doors, and opens them, seeing a new cave beyond. A lamp sits beside another door, which is chained. She closes the door for now, but not before a bat can enter the core room and fly in circles around her. She thinks this is another new Monster, and opens the doors for it to go back. As it does, it lets out a screech, which causes plenty of other bats to screech, and some rocks to move somewhere. She closes the doors, and then walks to Codex, getting a warmer and warmer feeling the closer she gets. But then a cold feeling, as she tries to reach out to merge. She¡¯s confused for a second, before the warmth returns, and she has a feeling to open Carcere Fabricator: Carcere Fabricator Activation Menu Ambient Mana: Legendary Dungeon Mana: 400/400 Personal Mana: 20/20 Equipment Summons Sustenance Summons Misc Summons Summon Summons *Dungeon Core Room Bonus: Half-Cost, Dungeon Core Level Bonus: 0.05% Chance of Transcendent Summon when using Legendary Ambient Mana* Possible Transcendent Summons Zephra Pandora Human/Voidic Augmenter Gunslinger Female Level 500 Strength: 79 Dexterity: 150 Constitution: 100 Spirit: 175 Possible Legendary Summons Roger Beaumont Human/Elite Scout Male Level 100 Strength: 21 Dexterity: 51 Constitution: 16 Spirit: 11 Kaede Beastman:Nekomimi/Wizard Female Level 100 Strength: 11 Dexterity: 26 Constitution: 16 Spirit: 51 Lun¨¦ realizes that Codex is urging her to use the Ambient Mana again, and she does. She presses the Summon Summons button, hoping to get someone useful, or helpful in some way. The white light turns cyan and she has to shield her eyes, as a song begins playing from the light. From horns to strings, an orchestra erupts from the light, and a calming voice emanates outwards, saying no words, but singing along, and taking the melody. As the song reaches its fever pitch, and then calms, a Nekomimi woman can be seen standing still, playing her violin, while her comically oversized hat flops slightly with each movement. Entranced by this music, which starts to become triumphant, reaching a second fever pitch, Lun¨¦ listens silently, and watches as she plays and sings, using illusions to add to the song. As she comes to an end, the Beastman bows to Lun¨¦, done with her performance. Lun¨¦ claps happily, grinning at the song she has just witnessed. The Black Cat however, immediately rushes up to Lun¨¦ and speaks, grabbing her hands with a sparkle in her eye, ¡°What magicks was that!? I must know! I have never heard of something that allows the transportation of people across the Void! Let alone to another world! Are you a goddess!? That would explain it! Or perhaps you are just some extremely powerful Mage, like Archmagus Freidhild!? I must know! Let me examine you!¡± Lun¨¦, a bit startled, says, ¡°Uh. I- I don¡¯t really know.¡± The poor Mage droops suddenly, her hat bumping into Lun¨¦¡¯s head. Lun¨¦, feeling a bit responsible for upsetting the Wizard, is about to apologize and recommend a course of action, but is stopped as the Nekomimi suddenly stands up again, stating in a triumphant voice, ¡°Okay! Just tell me if you ever use it again, I wish to study it. Now, time for proper introductions, I am Kaede, Musician-Alchemist-Wizard.¡± She takes a step back, and bows properly, she then stands and asks, ¡°What is your name?¡± Chapter 16: The Calm Before the Storm Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ smiles at the joyful Kaede, and answers her question, ¡°I am Lun¨¦ Alpenglow, Codex Dungeon Core, and Hero of Humanity.¡± Kaede leans forward, looking Lun¨¦ over, causing her to feel a tad uncomfortable. Kaede stands back up straight, and speaks while still looking Lun¨¦ over, ¡°Are you sure? You definitely do not look that powerful. Especially your aura, if you are a mage.¡± Lun¨¦ tilts her head at that, a small bit confused, until Kaede continues, ¡°You have barely any mana in you. Compared to a proper mage like myself, with a very powerful mana aura.¡± Cloud is staring at her, sizing her up, and Kaede finally seems to take notice of the Wolf, and smiles. She then crouches, and speaks in a singsong, yet hostile, voice, ¡°What a cute puppy.¡± Cloud growls at her, and Lun¨¦ remains silent, unsure of how to stop what¡¯s likely about to happen between the Cat and Dog. A few minutes later, after a few bites and scratches, Sebastia comes in and grabs Cloud and Kaede by the scruff of her neck and the tip of her ear, respectively. Sebastia speaks with authority, ¡°You two will behave yourselves, and not kill each other, understood?¡± Kaede crosses her arms, and looks away from Cloud, trying to not cry from the pain in her ear. Cloud lets out a low growl, looking in the opposite direction of Kaede. Lun¨¦ looks a little embarrassed, like a mother watching her children being told off by a town guard. Sebastia continues, ¡°Alright?¡± Kaede lets out a pained sounding, ¡°Alright,¡± but otherwise tries to keep her composure. Cloud huffs. Sebastia lets them go, and begins walking to the new caves, ¡°Good. Do not let it happen again.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles tiredly to Sebastia, speaking, ¡°Thank you, Sebastia.¡± Sebastia nods in response, opening the doors to find a bunch of rocks blocking the exit. The rocks begin rolling into the room, nearly knocking over Sebastia, who yells out, ¡°Go back to your stations!¡± The rocks stop and start rolling slowly out of the room, much to Lun¨¦¡¯s confusion. Sebastia enters the caves, and closes the doors behind herself. Kaede stretches, and then says, ¡°Alright! What¡¯s first, little Heroine?¡± Lun¨¦ looks at Kaede, and says, ¡°I don¡¯t know. What do you know how to do?¡± Kaede puts her finger on her chin, and begins to think out loud, ¡°Ranged combat focused magicks, Close-Quarters-Battle arcane limbs, illusions, teleportation-¡± Lun¨¦ immediately interrupts her, knowing exactly what she wants, ¡°That!¡± The Wizard looks at her, a small bit confused at the interruption. Lun¨¦ then explains, ¡°Teleportation. I haven¡¯t seen my hometown in such a long time, I want to go see it.¡± Kaede begins to explain her teleportation, ¡°I cannot teleport somewhere I do not know.¡± Lun¨¦ begins to think to herself, then says, ¡°Then we just need to get a map for you.¡± Kaede thinks to herself, then nods, answering, ¡°That should work.¡± Lun¨¦ grins, and then starts to turn to leave, but immediately turns back, and says, ¡°Oh, right, not now. I need to check the dungeon. I just got back from almost a week of being stuck in the town.¡± Cloud starts wandering around the room. Kaede nods, understanding the need to check everything at home when returning, she says, ¡°I¡¯ll be wandering about then. Just come get me when you have a map, or know where one is.¡± She starts heading for the stairs, watched by Cloud. Lun¨¦ steps up to Codex, and places her hand on the Core, merging with warmth flooding her. As she opens her eyes to look around, she notices she can see into the caves from the Dungeon Core room¡¯s level. A faded version of the caves can be seen past what is on her layer. She looks into the cave, and specifically the chained door. Beyond it, Noalen is against a wall, all of her Sproutlings hold him tightly against the wall. She was wondering why she did not see any possible Sproutlings on the surface. She looks away, letting him rot there for now. She begins going further into the caves, looking at the nice scenery. She finds some of those rocks still rolling along, and focuses on them: Monster Menu Rock Sprite Swarm Level 10 Armor: 2 Health: 60/60 Mana: 10/10 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 0 Constitution: 6 Spirit: 7 Swarm Tactics: +1 Constitution per added Rock Sprite, maximum of +5. +1 attack each attack, per 2 added Rock Sprites, maximum of +2. Current Orders: Guard Caves She smiles, understanding their purpose as ambushers for anything coming from below. She looks around more, finding Sebastia holding out a hand with a light hovering over it, and exploring the area as well. Lun¨¦ leaves her to it, and continues to look around, finding her new Bats as well, but she leaves them alone for now, trusting Codex to have leveled them up at least a few times. She starts looking upwards, finding the house empty of most Monsters, and any denizens. The Carpenter Sprite is still a Sprite it seems, and she looks into the Voidic Oracle¡¯s Room, finding no Reaper there, and none being produced. She wonders where it went, and begins to think about the possible whereabouts of the creepy mantaray. Feeling a pinging sensation in the sky, she looks, and finds an invisible Monster there, flying high above, and circling the house: Monster Menu Voidic Reaper Level 15 Dodge: 8 Health: 50/50 Mana: 10/10 Strength: 10 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 5 Spirit: 5 Void Ability:Invisibility; The Reaper can turn almost completely invisible, when not attacking. The only sign it is there is the slight shimmering of light. +5 Dodge Void Ability:Project Lun¨¦ Update; The Reaper gains extra dodge equal to the quotient of its Spirit/5. Current Orders: Patrolling Lun¨¦ stares in silence. Then goes back to the ground, trying to purge the thought of having one of those constantly in the sky, ready to swoop down and snatch someone up. She looks over to the Smithy, finding Hammerer still going at it. She then looks around the new territories, finding not as many monsters or resources being added with each expansion. In fact, the only new spawners she finds are Fox and Deer Spawners. She returns to the main area, and admires the repaired house, the new library, and the wall that was still being built slowly, but was far more lengthy than she remembers. She demerges, knowing Codex can handle herself for a while. She then starts walking upstairs. She exits the house, and speaks, ¡°Radoc?¡± She looks around for the elf, only to hear him speak behind her. This does not startle her, as she had somewhat expected this. She turns around and says, ¡°I need you to go to town and get a map of the Kingdom.¡± Radoc nods, ¡°For that teleport, right? I can¡¯t guarantee it will be a legal purchase, but I can guarantee you¡¯ll get the map.¡± Lun¨¦ frowns, and then reaches into the inventory, bringing out 10 silver coins, as she says, ¡°I would rather it be legal.¡± She hands him the coins, and he begins heading off saying, ¡°I will be right back, my Lady.¡± He flourishes a hand up into the air, while walking away. Lun¨¦ smiles, and is about to go back down to deal with the Noalen situation, when she sees a fox and the siblings, running around the house. She calls out, ¡°Koto, Miyoshi!¡± She begins waving, as the two look over, and start running over. The fox joins them with running over, and makes all sorts of excited noises as it nears Lun¨¦. She reaches down, causing the fox to immediately flop onto its back, allowing her to give belly rubs as Koto and Miyoshi come over and kidnap Lun¨¦ into a hug. The fox gets up quickly, and starts running around the three, as Lun¨¦ hugs them back, hearing both speak, ¡°Welcome home.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles, happy to know the two think of Codex as home too. She then says, ¡°You two know we defeated your slavers, right?¡± They nod, smiling. Lun¨¦ then asks in a serious tone, ¡°Did you know we caught their leader?¡± Both frown, and she can feel Miyoshi begin shivering uncontrollably. Koto lets go of Lun¨¦, and begins rubbing Miyoshi¡¯s back. He then says, ¡°Yes. She had a panic attack when she saw him being taken down to the core room.¡± Lun¨¦ frowns, and nods, ¡°Then I won¡¯t ask you to look at him, ever again. Stay away from the chained door in the caves, okay?¡± Miyoshi nods, still shivering slightly, while Koto rubs her back, nodding as well. Lun¨¦ is silent, then says, ¡°Okay, you can go back to what you were doing. I will be keeping an eye out.¡± She pats their heads, and they begin walking off, the fox following. Lun¨¦ turns and enters the house. Quint Radoc Shedding his fancy overcoat, and mask, he hides the outfit in his bag, pulling out a scuffed pair of boots. He messes up his hair a little, and swaps boots. As he stands up, he looks down at how he looks, and nods, happy with his disguise. Bringing his pack back onto his shoulders, he continues walking, soon exiting the woods a good distance away from the town, and out of sight in the east. He starts walking to Woodshade. As he nears the town, he sees the guards tense and look at him. He keeps walking, and stops when told, still smiling quietly. One guard approaches slowly, hand holding tightly to his spear. The Guard speaks as he nears, ¡°Who are you, and what business do you have here?¡± Radoc does a small bow, and speaks in a really convincing southern twang, ¡°Name¡¯s Zedekiah Hunt, pardner. Goh lef¡¯ behin¡¯ by mah carav¡¯n. ¡®Ere ta buy a map. ¡®Elp me fig¡¯re mah way nex¡¯ time I¡¯m los¡¯.¡± The Guard looks suspicious, but points him in the direction of the General Store, and lets him in the town. ¡°Zedekiah¡± walks quietly, heading for the General Store, and he glances at the Chapel, knowing the annoying Priestess is likely there right now. He tsks to himself, and continues walking. But as he does, he hears a voice ahead of him, and looks at the individual, ¡°If it isn¡¯t Quint Radoc.¡± He raises an eyebrow at the Priestess, mentally cursing his luck, as he says, ¡°Ya mus¡¯ be mis¡¯aken, Ma¡¯am. Name¡¯s Zedekiah Hunt.¡± He stops, and hears her speak, crossing her arms, ¡°No it isn¡¯t, Radoc. Do remember that I have seen your face before.¡± Radoc frowns at her, then drops the back, opening it and putting on his mask, while returning to normal and saying, ¡°You ruin everything.¡± She asks the question he expects, ¡°What are you here to steal?¡± Radoc looks at her, while pulling out his boots, then he says, ¡°Okay, that¡¯s just rude. I don¡¯t just steal. I¡¯m an assassin. I kill first.¡± She frowns heavily at him, and asks the more proper question, ¡°Then who are you here to kill?¡± Radoc smirks, thinking how fun it would be to have her go on a wild goose chase, but decides to be serious, ¡°Not here for that. Just here to get a map for the little Hero. Gave me coins to use. Hence why I wanted to not run into your stupid ass.¡± He dodges the slap that comes for him, and he bursts into a fit of laughter. This clearly angers her more, but he begins to swap boots again. He then pulls out his fancy overcoat, and puts it on, fluffing it slightly as people look at the two with curiosity and confusion as to why a Dark Elf is here talking with the Priestess. She speaks with disdain and a frown, ¡°You are terrible.¡± He simply grins, and does a bow, ¡°I try my best, dear friend.¡± She begins walking away, raising her head in indignation, ¡°You are not my friend.¡± He shrugs, and picks up the bag, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go give your General Store owner the fright of their life, especially if they know of good old ¡®Shadow¡¯.¡± A few people nearby panic and start giving Radoc the widest space possible. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. She walks off, leaving Radoc to go to the General Store, where he enters, and predictably, almost gets a dagger thrown at him as he tries to purchase a map. Of course, after a bit of persuasion and convincing, the dagger is put away, and he gets his map, paying double the price for being a known danger and nuisance, leaving him with no coin left. He begins walking back to Codex. Kaede Kaede was laying in the sun, enjoying its warm rays, when two curious sets of eyes took a peak. She kept her eyes closed, letting the two get closer, thinking they¡¯re sneaky. She could hear every single step of theirs. As they get within five feet, she suddenly raises her hand, begins to hum a playful tune, and snaps her finger. With a yelp the two Kitsune were floating. Kaede sits up, and continues to hum to her now captive audience. She begins looking the two up and down. One is maimed and floating calmly, though a little upset at his capture. The other is causing herself to spin in circles out of panic of floating off the ground. Kaede giggles to herself, losing her song, and deciding to speak, ¡°Now what did I catch? Two curious foxes?¡± She softly sets them down, asking, ¡°What can I do for you two?¡± The male speaks as his feet touch the ground, ¡°Who are you? We don¡¯t recognize you.¡± The female looks very dizzy and nauseous, as she takes a seat on the ground, her head slightly rolling in circles. Kaede smiles at the two, the male distrusts her, and she can tell, so she speaks calmly and softly, ¡°I have no intent to harm the little Miss. I¡¯m just relaxing and enjoying the sun until I have a map to look over.¡± She lays back down as she continues, her hat folding back underneath her head, ¡°After all, she needs me to teleport her, I cannot simply leave. Besides, I¡¯m curious about her spell that summoned me here. Through the Great Barrier at that!¡± Her excitement at the thought of such knowledge takes over her again, and she curls up, kicking her feet slightly. Then she returns to a normal lying position. The male seems to have calmed down, and the female is slowly crawling away to a bush. Kaede closes her eyes again, enjoying the rays of the sun, as she says, ¡°Now, proper introductions. I am Kaede; Musician, Alchemist, and Wizard. Singer and songwriter on occasion. Though that is because I like to peer past the Great Barrier, and often hear the songs of other Universes. For example, the song that I was humming, ¡®MagiCatz¡¯, by a ¡®Sakuzyo¡¯. I heard it through the Great Barrier.¡± The male is just completely confused, while the female can be heard vomiting behind the bush. Kaede looks to the bush, opening her eyes, as she asks, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, lad?¡± He looks the direction she¡¯s looking, but still answers, not going to his sister¡¯s aid just yet, ¡°I¡¯m confused by the use of ¡®Great Barrier¡¯. What do you mean, ¡®Great Barrier¡¯?¡± Kaede smiles at the magical innocence of this lad, ¡°First, you and her name, lad. I can tell you after.¡± He looks at her again, and says, ¡°Koto, and she is Miyoshi, my sister.¡± Miyoshi sounds like she finishes vomiting, and Koto stares at Kaede with curiosity. Kaede, ever curious herself, wonders how he would react, and then speaks to him, ¡°Do you know the multiverse theorem?¡± Koto tilts his head at her, and she looks at him again sitting up once more, ¡°It posits that anything that has, can, or will happen has, can, and will. In one world, you met Lun¨¦, in another you did not. In a third you are a Dwarf. In a fourth you are the god-emperor. In a fifth you are researching this exact topic. In a sixth you have no sister. In a seventh you did something completely different, and are living how you would if you had done that. But I digress, the multiverse theorem is true, and the Great Barrier stands in the way of each. This barrier is Void. Trying to enter it is impossible, from my studies, thus traveling to another universe is impossible. However, I have been proven wrong, simply by Lun¨¦ using one of her spells. When she uses it again, I must study it. That way I can perhaps learn how to reach out and do more than just hear.¡± Koto stares, clearly not following, but trying to understand. Miyoshi stood and walked back over, not having been listening. Kaede continues, ¡°It''s a tough subject sometimes.¡± She lays back down, her hat flattening under her again. Koto is silent, simply thinking. Miyoshi tilts her head, confused by the fact Koto is silent. Kaede speaks calmly and happily, ¡°Never can go wrong learning something new. Either way, to put it simply, the Great Barrier blocks travel to other universes, thus I am an oddity here, and should not exist. At the same time, I am here, and I must learn how this happened, how to reverse it, and how to apply it in other ways.¡± Koto just turns around, likely thinking he isn¡¯t smart enough for this conversation. Followed by Miyoshi, Kaede smiles, then says, ¡°I will see you around, Koto and Miyoshi. Perhaps we can have this conversation again at a later date, when you have come to understand it.¡± As she lays there, she suddenly feels a presence over her, blocking the sun. Opening her eyes, with annoyance, she sees a Dark Elf, looking down at her with a nice masquerade mask. He speaks, ¡°Delivery. Go talk with the young Miss.¡± He drops a rolled up piece of parchment onto her stomach, and she sits up quick, then returns her gaze to him, only to find him missing already. She stares in blank confusion. She then grins, ¡°Quite the spell. I will need to learn it. Capable of masking both your mana aura and physical presence.¡± She looks down at the parchment and unrolls it, looking at it, and smiling softly. The map! She stands quickly, and starts heading to the basement again, ready to teleport Lun¨¦. When she arrives, she finds that Human who pulled her ear. She waves, and happily speeds down the stairs. She sees Lun¨¦ sitting up, and the Dungeon¡¯s Core returning and expanding into its normal spot. She thinks on that, but does not change her course to study this possibly symbiotic relationship. She holds out the map to Lun¨¦ and says, ¡°Show me where we¡¯re going, and I¡¯ll get us there.¡± Lun¨¦ takes the map, and begins looking over it. She sets it on the ground, then points to a location southwest of a town called Woodshade, ¡°This is where we are.¡± She then points to a location on the complete opposite side of the map, to a town called Edenvale, ¡°This is where we¡¯re going.¡± Kaede stretches her hands forward, and says, ¡°Easy as one-two-three. Ready to go?¡± Lun¨¦ looks at the human woman, who nods in response. Lun¨¦ then stands and looks at Kaede, ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡± Kaede grins, ¡°With a hop-skip and a jump, we¡¯ll be away! All passengers, please keep note of your belongings, and remember that first time teleporters may find themselves vomiting after. With that out of the way, we shall be underway!¡± She quickly casts the spell before Lun¨¦ can respond and tell her to not teleport them, after hearing her say that. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow With a feeling similar to a violent punch to the gut, Lun¨¦ falls to her knees and hands, nearly letting go of her breakfast. She breathes, trying to calm her body. And after almost a minute, she begins to look up slowly, smiling at the thought of being home. However, her smile fades, as she sees nothing but the burnt foundations remain. ¡°N- No.¡± Lun¨¦ begins standing up, panic and confusion welling up in her. They had to be in the wrong town. They can¡¯t be at Edenvale. Her feet begin to move, and soon run, she does not even hear Sebastia calling out for her to wait. She runs, not wanting to believe it, but she soon sees the truth, as she finds her old home. Nothing but ash remains, and she falls to her knees. Her mind races, and she soon begins asking any god that listens, to have protected them. To have protected her Mother and Father, and her elder Brother. She quickly gets back up, and starts digging through the ash, trying to find anything. Any sign they survived. In her irrational state, she did not notice Sebastia coming up to grab her, but when she did, Sebastia felt the full force of Lun¨¦¡¯s punch, and she let go, holding her jaw. Lun¨¦ quickly returns to digging through the ash, tears beginning to well. She soon finds a skeletal hand, and digs with even more earnest, until she sees the other hand under it, and the two skeletons. The ash begins to float, and drift away, leaving Lun¨¦ to see two charred skeletons, holding hands, and laying on the ground. There was no third, and Lun¨¦ burst into tears, sobbing and crying. A few hours later, Lun¨¦ was standing dejected at the makeshift graves. Both had been buried, and Lun¨¦ was simply standing, staring through them and into space. Sebastia places a hand on her shoulder, and Lun¨¦ looks over, her eyes red and puffy, her nose running, and she hears Sebastia speak warmly, though it does not help much, ¡°They are proud of who you are now. I¡¯m certain of it. You need to keep walking for them. They¡¯ll be worried about you for a while, but if you can show them that you can survive and thrive on your own, then they won¡¯t worry anymore, and they will get to rest happy.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, not wanting to accept this world. The world where her family died, and she could say nothing to them before it. Kaede wanders over, and speaks with a somber tone, ¡°I buried the rest. I hope that helps them in the afterlife.¡± Sebastia begins to rub Lun¨¦¡¯s back, ignoring Kaede for now, and speaks, ¡°Lun¨¦, I know this is hard, but you have to continue on. The world may be frozen for now, but it will not stay that way. Think of all the good that has happened so far. Then think of all the bad. Then, realize that even though bad things have happened to good people, it will continue to happen that way. We just need to remember that just as there are bad times, there are good times. So let''s return, and find the person who did this. So they will never do it again. Not to anyone else.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, but quietly nods. Understanding, and gaining some resolve, she takes in a deep breath, and then lets it out. She looks at the two graves, and then says, ¡°I promise, Mom, Dad. I promise that I will find Ray. I won¡¯t let him get hurt too.¡± She turns and begins walking, ready to go back. After Kaede brings them back, Lun¨¦ speaks with a serious and angered tone, ¡°Radoc, are you here?¡± Radoc reveals himself, leaning against the wall of the room, and Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°What do you know about the destruction of Edenvale?¡± She begins walking to him. Sebastia follows, while Kaede goes to the stairs to listen. Radoc shakes his head and shrugs, ¡°Not much, my Lady. All I know is that a Dragonkin, Mountain Dwarf, Moon Elf, Rock Halfman, and Beastkin, spotted in the area after the burning.¡± He then smirks, and lowers his head slightly, looking towards Lun¨¦ menacingly, ¡°And I have it on good authority that one is your prisoner.¡± Lun¨¦ immediately turns, drawing her dagger, only to be grabbed by Sebastia. Lun¨¦ yells out, ¡°Let go of me!¡± Sebastia shakes her head, and answers in a firm voice, ¡°No! We are not going to be like them! We are better! We do not just kill whomever slights us!¡± Lun¨¦ stops fighting, and remains still. Angered, and wanting to fight her. Sebastia speaks calmly, ¡°If you kill him, you are no better than him. He has harmed far more people than you. Let one of them decide. One of the people he more recently harmed. To him, you were a year ago, while they were far more recent. Let them decide.¡± Lun¨¦ slackens her arm, and feels Sebastia let go, as she puts away the dagger. She then says, ¡°Someone get Koto and Miyoshi.¡± A few minutes later, Koto and Miyoshi were standing in front of Lun¨¦, and she spoke to them, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this, but I need you two¡¯s decision on how to deal with that bastard. What is your choice?¡± Koto looks shocked, and Miyoshi seems confused. Lun¨¦ continues, ¡°Do you want revenge with your own hands? Or do you let him rot?¡± Koto looks at Miyoshi, then at Lun¨¦. Miyoshi seems to start realizing, and shivers slightly. Koto speaks, with a slight accusatory tone, ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t bring Miyoshi into this kind of matter.¡± Lun¨¦ nods, agreeing that she did, but she continues, ¡°I thought it would be my place to judge him, but not anymore. I want your decisions.¡± Koto grimaces, as he says, ¡°Why did you have to do this.¡± Lun¨¦ yells out, ¡°Because I was harmed first! I lost my entire hometown, you did too! I have someone I need to punish, and you have him! I cannot just kill all five because I want to take revenge! That would make me just like them!¡± She realizes she¡¯s yelling, as she notices the two flinching at each emphasized word. She sighs, then says, ¡°Sorry. I lost my cool. It''s been a bad day. I¡¯m not angry with you, I¡¯m angry with them.¡± Koto shakes his head, about to speak, when Miyoshi speaks first, ¡°Revenge.¡± The two look at her, and see a deadly resolve in her eye, she says it again, coldly this time, ¡°Revenge.¡± She holds out a hand to Lun¨¦, who is shocked. Koto speaks, startled and confused by his sister, ¡°W- Wait, you- no you want to. Miyoshi, no, that¡¯s a bad idea. We¡¯ll regret this.¡± Miyoshi shakes her head, and speaks with her hoarse voice, ¡°We will regret both choices. Give me a dagger.¡± Lun¨¦ hands her the silvered dagger, while Koto looks on, appalled and distraught. Miyoshi takes the dagger, and begins walking. Lun¨¦ orders the lock to be removed, and Noalen to be held so firmly, that his limbs start to lose function. Lun¨¦ then follows Miyoshi to the door, with Koto following just behind, not liking this. As the door opens, Lun¨¦ opens the door, and Miyoshi enters, holding the dagger tightly. Noalen looks at them, and growls quietly. Approaching, Miyoshi begins shaking and shivering more and more. She closes her eyes, still approaching. When she nears Noalen, Lun¨¦ orders a Sproutling to slow her, and guide her hands. Noalen growls louder, and looks down at Miyoshi with hatred in his eyes. He clearly wants to yell and degrade her, but his muzzle has been wrapped tightly by a Sproutling this whole time. As he growls more and more, his anger starts to turn to fear, and as the dagger is plunged into his body they all can hear his muffled scream of pain. Miyoshi pulls the dagger out, and slams it back in, as she yells out in her hoarse voice, ¡°I am not a coward! I am not useless! I am not a plaything! I am not scared! I am not helpless! I am not alone!¡± With each sentence, another stab then muffled scream. She yells out one final sentence, ¡°WE ARE FREE!¡± She stabs one final time, then lets go of the dagger, opening her eyes. Though she is shivering and shaking from seeing the Beastkin, and his hatred towards her, she is not cowering in fear. Though Lun¨¦ had not watched her, and had not seen her progress in overcoming her PTSD, she can see the results. She can face her demon without backing down. Koto begins approaching, and grabs the dagger, yanking it out, he says, ¡°We are free. And this is for Teacher.¡± He had clearly given up on the situation, knowing Miyoshi needed him beside her. Lun¨¦ can see that with him beside her, her fears have faded. As she realizes this, Koto slams the blade into Noalen¡¯s skull, causing him to spasm, and go limp. Miyoshi and Koto back away quickly, Miyoshi faster than Koto, as she starts running away, holding her mouth. Koto looks back, and watches her run, then runs after her, clearly a bit worried he went overkill with his stab. Lun¨¦ steps out of the way, and lets them run past. She speaks, ¡°Leave the body and return to the surface and your old spots.¡± She then starts walking back to Codex, where she finds Sebastia, Kaede, and Radoc, standing and waiting. Lun¨¦ speaks as she enters, ¡°Sebastia, Kaede, Radoc. We¡¯re going to kill everyone from my former party. All five heroes will die. We have already killed one, now there are four left. Our targets are the Templar Proudmaul, a Dragonkin and the leader of the party; the Wayfarer Lethhonel, a Moon Elf; the Berserker Jazak Forgeson, a Mountain Dwarf; and the Mage Thedlen, a Rock Gnome. Our first target is-¡± Short Side Story 1: Chaos, of Probability Chaos, of Probability ¡°Hmm.¡± He walked quietly in the dark and empty room. The tables with their blank holes in the middle, that reach to the bottom of their wood, sit quiet and devoid of the other Creators. Chaos walks up to one, and sets a hand down on the side of a table. He then says, ¡°Previous Creations, administrative log in, ¡®Zephyr Will, Clovers on Stars¡¯.¡± The room lights up suddenly, bright lights that would blind any normal being for suddenly turning on, then dimming. He smiles, and then snaps a finger, ¡°Zenigaras!¡± The inside of the table suddenly changes, revealing a grassy hill with a majestic tree in the direct middle. A garden sits to the side, and in the distance, nothing but white, and in one of the empty whites, a door and windows. Exiting the door, a woman in a nice dress exits, her piercing red eyes, white hair, pale skin, and scar over the bridge of her nose, brings a smile to Chaos, and he assumes a form similar but different. A man in a suit, with brown hair, red eyes, and a scar across his own nose. He then sees the woman look up at him, and speaks, ¡°Sire watches.¡± She does a small curtsey, then continues walking to the tree. Chaos grins happily, and snaps another finger, a Void Walker appears before the woman, who nods to it. She speaks with her calm and collected tone, ¡°I assume Sire wishes to know how I am doing in my duties?¡± The Void Walker walks with her, its lanky limbs moving in a strange fashion, but still in a tellingly human way, and it simply nods to her. She smiles happily, and answers, ¡°Well, I have sent many a Lost One to the world, as is my duty as Guide to Zenigaras. The most recent of consequence was the Azyt Dragon Priestess of Material, Kr?uw-Hadr? S?v¨ªs-S?kth ¡®Light¡¯, and her party. If I remember correctly, he personally sent them here after their fight with G?l?ides Mirak ¡®Sanctus¡¯ and her horde. Simply for the fact of beginning to show that not all of Mirak¡¯s insufferable brood are malicious, as is the case with Cor Avas Mirak, the Azyt Dragon he skipped over me with, due to the curse given to him.¡± She begins to sit down in the grass, under the shade of the tree. The Void Walker begins to sit cross legged in front of her, as she continues, ¡°The next most recent was the charming and friendly Detective Prince, bless her heart, she was hurting badly, but had her dear friend, Yume still. Though eldritch in nature, that elder beast was very protective. I believe they were my favorites of the recent batches. The one before that, was Audrey, the Nikorian Musician and Vocalist who had been experimented on by their upper class. She is still within my guest bedchambers, resting from the ordeal of death. Before even them, was the poor poor child, born and sold to slavery, only to teleport and die in machinery just hours before the Andromedan Military Defensive would save all the slaves on board that evil ship. But at least she is now reunited with her brother, though they are much different than before. Instead of the elder sister being the mother figure, it is now the younger brother¡¯s turn to guide his reincarnated sister as a mother figure.¡± She softly chuckles, while saying, ¡°Sire, you are very cruel, yet so kind. Kill the brother, cause the sister to go to war against the so-called Heroes of her world, with his Yakuza following her in defiance of the Heroes, and then kill both her and her new husband. Reincarnate both the men she cared about as the two women who will guide her now, as caring mother figures.¡± Chaos grins, seeing that his Guide to Zenigaras has caught on to his whole plot. She continues though, smiling contentedly, ¡°It was rather entertaining to see them all, Sire. The many different worlds that collide here, and their different actions are entertaining. From the newly crashed Andromedans, to the Azyt Dragons who are beginning to set aside their differences to face the threat of the reawakening of Soren.¡± She looks to where Chaos is watching from, and speaks, ¡°Sire, I wish for one thing, and I ask you give me it.¡± He raises an eyebrow, watching and listening, as she continues, ¡°I wish to have the power to stop time within my home. So that I may enjoy time as my Avatar on Zenigaras. I wish to meet them and befriend them, despite how sickly my Avatar is.¡± He frowns, and then snaps his fingers, letting a rolled piece of parchment fall into her lap. She takes it and reads it. She begins to frown heavily, looking depressed as she reads. Once done reading, she says, ¡°Then, if that is impossible, can I perhaps be able to split myself in two? One to take over here, while the other enjoys the lands?¡± He thinks about the possibility, and tries to figure out how that would work, then the paper ignites and reforms. She begins reading it again, and then grins happily, ¡°Thank you, Sire!¡± He smiles happily, glad to give the poor Guide something she wants for once, as she has never asked for much. Just things to stave off the boredom of waiting. She stands quickly, and begins running back to the door. He smiles at her energy, reminding him of when his daughters were still young goddesses, then he realizes they still are young goddesses. He feels a little existential dread at the thought, but he lets the Guide do her thing, as he says, ¡°Be safe, Eve.¡± He speaks, ¡°Deathly Fear, Andromedan Palace¡±. The table changes, revealing a rather sparse palace. A young woman in a hoodie, with pink horns that fade to white, and normal jeans, can be seen poking her head around a corner, scanning the area, and then running quietly and quickly. He chuckles, knowing what is happening. He looks around the area, and finds the Honor Guard. With a silent and small nudge, they begin moving towards where she will be, and once they intersect, she slides to a stop, turning to run. However, the Captain quickly rushes forward and grabs her by the arm, saying, ¡°You are not trying to run from me, are you, my Andromeda?¡± She pouts at her guardian, who smiles back behind his visor, then he speaks, ¡°Remember, we will happily escort you out of the palace if you feel you need to exit it, however, you must make it clear. We cannot have you just running out into Haven¡¯s streets. It may be the capital of the Defensive, but all places can be dangerous. You are without heir, we cannot have a situation like Andromeda-3. Especially during this civil war.¡± She pouts heavily at him, and he smiles at her calmly and warmly. ¡°Now, let me escort you back to your office.¡± He looks behind himself, ¡°Corporal, keep on patrol. I will join you once I have returned the Andromeda to her office.¡± The Corporal nods, and begins walking, his golden armor glinting slightly. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The Captain begins walking with the Andromeda back to her office, as Chaos speaks again, ¡°Deathly Fear, Avatar.¡± The scene shifts, and suddenly the sounds of artillery can be heard. A man walks into a metal shelter, his cloak flowing slightly, and the five silver stars shining brightly in a circle on his right shoulder, while on the left a flag patch lays his allegiance to the Andromeda bare. He speaks, ¡°This meeting shall now begin. Federation Officers, your current objective has been to solidify our lines. Your next objective is to push the Rebels back, and retake Zel. Scouts have confirmed that there are still civilians within the city limits, and with the war taking its toll on the surrounding areas, it''s highly likely civilian lives have already been lost. Remember that we must protect civilian lives, and rout the Rebel forces defending the city. As such, Orbital Shock Soldiers have been authorized to engage. When nearing the city limits, you will hold position, and then radio JTAC of your position. JTAC has standing orders that the moment all ground forces have given the all clear, they will hail the AMV End¡¯s Songstress, who will enter atmo and provide firesupport on incoming Rebel reinforcements. At the same time, the End¡¯s Songstress will drop your Orbital Shocks into the city. Is that understood?¡± The Officers present nod in response, or say ¡°Aye, Commander General.¡± The Commander General nods then says, ¡°A team of Knights has been dispatched to assist in the retaking of Zel. Two will drop with the Orbital Shocks. Two will be with the front line. The Drops are Central Knights Major Isabel Y¡¯ven, Central Knights Lieutenant Jake Lins. The two that will be on the front line are Northern Knights Colonel Aktas Anders, and Southern Knights Lieutenant Arma Evelyn. Now, anything you wish to discuss with me?¡± One Officer raises a hand and speaks, ¡°Sir, many of the positions on the east flank in this sub sector are running low on supplies. We need more.¡± The Commander General nods in response, ¡°Understood. More supplies will be allocated to the Everan Protectorate and Ankoran Defense Alliance forces. We¡¯re certainly not running low with the Rebel Fleets in the system demolished. Hold out for two more days, you will have your supplies by then, or earlier.¡± Chaos begins to grow bored with this meeting, and speaks again, deciding to look at something else, ¡°Project Emet, White Wine.¡± The scene shifts, and then reveals a shop, equipment litters the walls, displays, and desks. Behind a counter a person stands, their face covered almost completely by their orange hood, and they were speaking to a woman in a blue fleece jacket, with white lines on the arms, ¡°-o Elicia, what¡¯ll it be?¡± She smiles, and then says, ¡°I just need some info.¡± The orange hooded individual chuckles, then puts their arms on the counter, asking, ¡°What info? Then I¡¯ll give you a price.¡± They grin, and let Elicia speak, ¡°Female, fortune teller, light blue cloak, blonde hair, golden or silver eyes, can leave the area before you realize if you look away.¡± The orange hooded figure, stands up, and puts a hand on their chin, but looks up to where Chaos is watching from, hiding the fact they are looking at something specific rather well, ¡°Gold or silver?¡± Elicia nods, answering, ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell. It looked as if it were both, but not both. Does that make sense?¡± The orange hood nods slowly, then looks at Elicia and says, ¡°10k. 10k credits is my price.¡± Elicia is shocked by this amount, and asks, ¡°That¡¯s a really hefty price. What for?¡± The orange hood moves their arms to the side, shaking their head and shrugging, ¡°I¡¯m not sworn to secrecy or anything, I¡¯m just that confident. Besides, I¡¯ll give you this tidbit for free, don¡¯t go looking for her. She¡¯ll come to you when you need her or when she needs you.¡± They lower their arms, and then says, ¡°Now, go work or spend time with your girlfriend. I¡¯ve got nothing for you, and I need to get back to working. Because I¡¯m going to get another customer in three, two, one-¡± they point on one, and the door opens, revealing another customer entering. He sees them, and decides to browse until he can buy something. Elicia sighs, and begins walking, ¡°Well thanks anyway, Zephyrus.¡± Zephyrus does a two finger salute, and then looks at their new customer, ¡°What can I help you with, pal?¡± Chaos grins, and then decides to go back to normal, as he hears the door open. He speaks, ¡°Disable Admin Access.¡± He then turns as the table shuts down, and he looks at the individual entering his area. He grins, and then says, ¡°Hello. What can I do for you?¡± The woman walks over, frowning up at him, as she says, ¡°So you were here. Do you think it''s funny?¡± Chaos laughs heartily, and then suddenly stops laughing as he grins down at her, ¡°Abso-fucking-lutely, my dear Order, of Probability!¡± Chapter 17: Adrift Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ speaks as she walks down the stairs into the Dungeon Core Room, ¡°Sebastia, Kaede, Radoc. We¡¯re going to kill everyone from my former party. All five heroes will die. We have already killed one, now there are four left. Our targets are the Templar Proudmaul, a Dragonkin and the leader of the party; the Wayfarer Lethhonel, a Moon Elf; the Berserker Jazak Forgeson, a Mountain Dwarf; and the Mage Thedlen, a Rock Gnome. Our first target is Jazak.¡± She steps up to the three, and with a glare, she says, ¡°We will not let those villains live, starting with Noalen, and now Jazak. So they can never do what they did to me, again.¡± Sebastia frowns a heavy look of pity, one that Lun¨¦ ignores. Lun¨¦ then looks at Kaede, ¡°Kaede, I want you to look for information on Jazak¡¯s whereabouts. After finding him, figure out how to get him to a place we can take him from.¡± She looks at Radoc, and says, ¡°Radoc, I need you to stalk him and report everything he does in a day, once we find him.¡± She finally looks at Sebastia, who stops her before she says anything, ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything, my Lady. This isn¡¯t right.¡± Lun¨¦ is shocked, Sebastia, the one who has been with her the longest, and is the one that she expected to be beside her the whole way, is the one who said no. Sebastia continues, ¡°You¡¯re not in your right mind. You¡¯re still letting your gri-¡± Lun¨¦ yells at Sebastia, cutting her off as well, ¡°No! I¡¯m perfectly fine! I¡¯m going to return the favor, what¡¯s wrong with that!?¡± Lun¨¦ was now angry with Sebastia, after all, she was in her right mind. Sebastia is wrong, isn¡¯t she? Sebastia frowns heavier, and says, ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s wrong, Lun¨¦. That mindset. You need to let go of your past, and walk free. Live and let live.¡± Radoc speaks, his snarky and calm tone opposing Sebastia¡¯s calm and pitying tone, ¡°Are you sure? Those who do evil tend to do evil again. Even if their intentions are good. This is a clear case of evil for the sake of evil. Would it not be better to rid the world of these blights?¡± Sebastia sighs, then looks at Radoc, ¡°You¡¯re a problem. You seem to be trying to lead Lun¨¦ down a dangerous path.¡± Radoc frowns, and shakes his head, raising his hands, ¡°That¡¯s the way this world works. It¡¯s cruel to Humans. If she doesn¡¯t, as a Hero, then Humanity will forever be trapped at the bottom of a world out to kill them. I¡¯m an outlier, working for Humanity, despite being something much different. Nations fall, and world order is shaken. That is the nature of the world.¡± Sebastia turns and starts walking to the stairs, grabbing her sword as she does, ¡°I will not remain here.¡± She stops on the stairs and looks back at the stunned Lun¨¦, ¡°If you wish to bring me back, try to find me first. It should be simple and easy.¡± She goes up the stairs, and out of sight. Lun¨¦ remains still, baffled and confused. She had thought her Summons would be loyal and at her side at all times. Was she wrong? Will Kaede, Imai, or Zeuz abandon her too? What then? She looks at Kaede, who was watching Sebastia, but now turns to look at Radoc and Lun¨¦. She then shrugs, and says, ¡°Well, I have no horse in that race. You two can fight to make her think in a specific way, I¡¯m just here to study her magic.¡± Radoc raises an eyebrow and frowns at her, though he says nothing, as he lets the situation sink into Lun¨¦¡¯s mind. Chaos, of Probability Still annoyed that his prediction, of the timing the Royal Knights would arrive, was wrong, he watched silently as this situation unfolded. He chuckled slightly, then watched Sebastia walk. Fondly remembering events similar to this, such as the First Knight of Deathly Fear, and how he walked away from his friend, who would soon become his nation¡¯s ultimate enemy. Or even one that is far closer, but in a different light, the time Sebastia pushed Enna aside, and approached the Eastern Tower, freshly risen from the bottom of the sea. Only for the poor goddess of the sky to watch the tower descend once more, with her best friend sacrificing her life to save Grandia. He smiles, Sebastia had never been one to sacrifice her morals, even for a second. She could have been a paladin, but she never chose that path. Only ever going forward in her straight path, a path that saved hundreds of thousands of lives. He watches Sebastia walk, and hears a voice behind him. Looking back and down, he sees her face, and asks, ¡°What was that, Order?¡± She crosses her arms, and shakes her head, ¡°You need to stop getting so absorbed into your creations'' lives. What next, are you going to go down there and actively fight them, like you did in Concordia, in Zenigaras before then, even your second foray into the ¡®Three Towers¡¯?¡± He smiles at her, and speaks in a playful tone, ¡°Oh you know me, I will definitely be doing that. Though perhaps in a different way this time. No Heart of Chaos this time, but perhaps an Ascendant of Order.¡± Order, of Probability, tilts her head, not liking where he¡¯s going with this, as she asks in a suspicion filled tone, ¡°What are you planning?¡± He grins, and then does a small bow to her, ¡°I need your assistance, once again my closest friend, and foil. Radoc is already a chaotic enough force. One who¡¯s luck fluctuates rapidly already, so I must ask you to allow a break in your personal rules. To allow manipulation of the dice. But to only one, and that one I know you will like. Her heart is pure, and she holds her convictions well. I wish for you to Ascend one of my creations. To grant her the powers of an Avatar, as I did with mine, and her successors.¡± Order squints at him, then steps up beside him at the table, looking down at Sebastia as she walks. Sebastia was walking, heading to exit the dungeon. Heading for Grandia. Order is silent, then says, ¡°Give her a test. But remember, this is my last favor to you. I already gave you a free pass for the children.¡± Chaos grins, ¡°You know we both wanted to create those two. Besides, you always use them as an excuse. Let¡¯s not do that this time. I will properly return the favor.¡± Order frowns at him, ¡°You had better.¡± Chaos grins happily, raising his hands in a non-threatening way, ¡°I will say though, I do wish to have your assistance with another as well, fair warning before then.¡± Sebastia Rin Sebastia stepped up into the saddle, and began going. With a glance back, she could see Lun¨¦ rushing out to try to stop her, but she did not, she faced forward, and continued onward. She would consult her Queen and Master. Then do what she thinks. As she rides, dodging trees and brush, she begins to feel an unease settling around herself. Suddenly without warning, a black rift opens before her. Unable to stop the horse in time, she passes through it with a panic over taking her. As she comes out on the other side suddenly, she finds herself somewhere completely different. Climbing off her horse, she looks around. She was inside a cathedral of some kind, the church pews sat quietly, people of all kinds, including monsters, sat quietly in prayer, light gray robes covering their bodies. At the front, in the middle of a raised platform, stands a massive statue, a woman holding a dodecahedron in one hand, and a scale in the other. She suddenly hears the congregation begin speaking in many languages at once, a few she recognizes, and can understand, realizing they are all saying one thing. ¡°Oh, Mother of Chance. The first Order of the Pantheon. The goddess of certainty. Show us our path, for we are free of our shackles. Free of our hatred, and free of our hostility.¡± Several begin to burn, screaming out in pain, the rest continue, ¡°Let those who lied rest well after this day, and guide the rest to eternal freedom. Against the Void we are naught but miniscule annoyance. Against the Material we are naught but a beloved creation, meant to suffer for eternity. But in our lives, Chaos and Order are the ultimate constants. Free us of our bonds, and show us our futures.¡± A light appears in front of the statue, and a person appears. A young man, in light gray clothes, with white hair, and dark gray bovine horns atop his head. His bright and happy light blue eyes convey warmth and joy, he speaks out, ¡°Congregation! I am Lanthial, Envoy of Order! Your prayer has been heard! And today you are free of those earthly bonds! You will feel warmth in the cold, and know kindness to all! Go forth, and see the world anew!¡± He waves a hand, and the congregation disappears. Lanthial was the only remaining individual, and he smiled at Sebastia, his warm and kind smile, bringing a soothing feeling to her, which she hardened against, unknowing if this young man is a threat. Lanthial speaks with a bow, ¡°Sebastia Rin, we appreciate you not interrupting the congregation, and their prayer. Your first test is done, and your next will soon start.¡± Sebastia looked at her horse, but found it missing. Startled, she looked forward again, at Lanthial, who spoke before she could, ¡°Your horse is fine. We did not harm it, and it will be returned to you whether you are successful or not. You will not die here, and any injuries you sustain will be left here. After all, this is not your body, it is simply a projection.¡± Sebastia looks down at herself, but finds nothing different. Lanthial continues, ¡°You face my Creator¡¯s trials. Order, of Probability. She has deemed you worthy of her blessing, due to your steadfast beliefs, and kind heart. Do not hold back during these tests, but do not lose yourself. For if you do, you will automatically fail. Please, step forward, and stand before the altar I stand atop.¡± Sebastia begins approaching, causing him to grin warmly. She stops at the altar and speaks, ¡°Why me? I know you said my beliefs and kind heart, but why me? Why not someone else?¡± Lanthial shakes his head, now frowning, ¡°I am not omnipotent. I sometimes wish I were, though. I must leave you now, as I have more messages to deliver to secret sects. Please, at least enjoy your time while doing these tests.¡± He bows, smiling once again, and fades in a shimmer of sparkles. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Sebastia was now alone. Looking around the room, she sees murals on the walls that she had not noticed before. Depictions of scenes she has never seen before. Some that confuse her, such as the one of a woman with bird-like wings protruding from her head, a billowing cloak, and a sword in her hands, with a red and green flag behind her, cut in half by the edge of the mural, but still showing most of a front facing black and gray wolf in the red; facing off against dark tendrils. There are a few others, such as one on the other side of the room, completely opposite of that one. This one showed a sky blotted out by dark beings, as dragons flew up towards the dark beings, a group of dark gray robed figures sat on their knees, praying. Both of these murals were less illuminated, despite there being the same amount of lights. There was an empty space in front of both, and she thought she could just barely make out something appearing on one of the empty spaces. As she stares at the blank spot, she begins to make out a shape. A person was appearing on the wall, his draconic wings flapping wildly, and the sword in his hand began to glow, raising it above himself, he froze. Suddenly a calm and warm voice could be heard behind Sebastia. Turning on a dime, her hand already on her sword, she finds a woman with a golden headpiece, golden blonde hair, bright blue eyes, elven ears, simple yet elegant priestly clothes, a silver pauldron on her left shoulder, with armor going down to her hand, an elegant staff in her right hand, and angelic wings on her back. She smiles happily while speaking to Sebastia, undeterred by the threat of drawing her blade, ¡°Welcome to the Cathedral of Order. The Souls of those who believe and fall asleep, needing guidance, are conveyed here, then returned to their home. You are not one of those however.¡± She begins to curtsey, as she continues, ¡°You may call me Clover, Sebastia Rin.¡± Sebastia calms down, realizing there is no threat, and stands straight again, asking, ¡°Then why am I here? Why a test? What does Order want?¡± Clover flaps her wings, and stands on the scales of the statue, she then speaks, ¡°I am Order¡¯s soul made manifest. And I am here to oversee your tests. We shall begin. Your-¡± Sebastia stops her, ¡°Wait, you are Order¡¯s soul manifest? So then I am speaking with Order?¡± Clover nods her head, ¡°But do not treat me as such. I am not as powerful as Order would be. Think of me as an Avatar that is called upon only when needed, and does not exist when not.¡± Sebastia nods slowly, trying to understand, but it was mostly going over her head, as Clover continues, ¡°Your second test awaits you through the door beside the mural of Knight Commander General Alice Kheek, known for her courage in the face of the untold dangers within the galaxy of Deathly Fear. She stood proudly and defiantly, defending all she could, until her retirement and peaceful death in 103 After Colonization.¡± A door appears beside the mural of the Bird Woman, and Sebastia begins approaching it. She opens the door and glances at Clover, getting a happy nod, she enters the darkness beyond, and finds herself feeling ill as she finds herself in a training room. However, with metal walls, a boxing ring, and a few other things, she can¡¯t help but feel unnerved, as it is clearly not a training room she would ever recognize, yet she still did. Silence permeates the room, and she begins walking to the center, looking around. Suddenly, the dimly lit room ignites with light from above. She shields her eyes, recognizing such light fixtures from Grandia. Perhaps this building is just using an advanced version of steam power that requires metal walls? She begins to hear something, the sound of yelling. Though faint she can make it out, as she hears, ¡°-p! I will not tolerate weakness in the Void Corps! You will face terrors you have never faced before! You will push back against monsters that will encroach on our home! We are the first bastion against the end! We will not fall! Am I understood, Andromedans!?¡± The voice is drowned out by a following yell from many more voices, ¡°Aye, Commander General!¡± Sebastia then sees a figure appearing before her. An apparition, who¡¯s form is shifting and bright. Sebastia watches as the figure approaches the boxing ring, and simply hops up into it, clearing double its height in a single bound. Sebastia approaches the ring, following, but getting into the ring the more normal way. The apparition looks at Sebastia, then nods, and fades, reappearing on one of the white turnbuckles. Sebastia realizes she is in the red corner, and a figure begins appearing in the blue. She watches quietly, as this figure takes a solid form. She sees a Human, his fists up in a fighting stance, and his clothes were extremely strange, seemingly colored with many different colors, in patterns. She raises her fists in response, ready for what is about to happen. With an echoing ding the Human rushed forward, throwing a punch at Sebastia¡¯s head, she ducks under it, bringing a punch to the man¡¯s stomach. He backs away, and lowers his hands, causing Sebastia to begin lowering hers, but in that moment of weakness, the man rushes forward. Sebastia can barely raise her fists to block the strike coming for her head, but she realizes too late that it was a feint, and she feels the punch connect with her stomach. Even in armor, it went through, ringing through her like a hammer. She blocks the second and third strikes, as they were followed through, and she is pushed to her corner. She keeps blocking, only to find strikes getting through. As they do, she decides to go all in, and quickly starts returning punches, instead of trying to block. The man was not expecting this, and is knocked down to the ground quickly, where he fades to nothing. Sebastia, breathing heavily, sees the apparition hop off the turnbuckle, heading for a punching bag, which it starts repeatedly hitting. Sebastia starts approaching the apparition, which stops as she nears, and then points to a spot on the floor. Sebastia goes to that spot, and the apparition crosses its arms. Sebastia can now see the apparition is more solid, revealing it is female. Across from Sebastia, another figure appears. Hulking and bulky, it looks to be an earth golem of some kind, in that same outfit as the human. The golem laughs, but no noise comes out. Strange for a golem, but she¡¯s seen weirder. It stomps down, and raises its hands getting into a position that reveals it is ready to stop her from getting past. Looking at the apparition, it walks past the golem, and points at its feet. Sebastia nods, and gets ready to blitz past the golem. Staring it down for a few seconds, she remains still, watching it watch her. A few figures begin materializing nearby, wandering about. The golem starts to look around on occasion, distracted by the figures, each in the same kinds of clothes. During one of these moments, she rushes forward, and tries to juke around the golem, though it catches her, and tosses her back. She slides to a stop, back where she started, and decides the next time she¡¯ll slide under it. Rushing forward as it gets distracted again, she feigns going right, then slides under the golem as it reaches right. Standing behind the Golem, the Apparition begins to grow more solid, allowing her to see the wings on her head, and the smirk on her face. The Golem fades, and the Apparition moves on, punching a wall, which opens up, revealing moving targets, and strange weapons. The figures wander over, and take up one of the weird weapons, leaving one for Sebastia. Each aims towards the targets, and fires, a soft sound echoing around the room. Sebastia, however, can tell that the sound would have burst her eardrums if it had been real. She walks to the range, and picks up the strange weapon. She finds it similar to a hand crossbow, but longer and heavier. She aims down the range, and expertly lands her shots. With that, the figures fade, and the weapons float back to their spots. The Apparition begins to solidify completely, and Sebastia could now see her clothes. A long cloak. Sebastia begins to understand who this is, and walks back to her. The Apparition points to the door Sebastia entered from, and lets Sebastia leave. Sebastia exits, and hears Clover call out, ¡°Well done! You impressed her. The best trainee she has ever had the displeasure of teaching!¡± Clover is grinning playfully, and then says, ¡°Now, would you like to rest or continue?¡± Sebastia looks at Clover, and answers with a smirk, ¡°Is that a question? What¡¯s next?¡± Jazak Forgeson Jazak was wandering, his beard itches like hell at the moment, and all he wants to do is work. He stomps away from the forge, annoyed with the Forgemaster for kicking him out for overworking himself. He stopped, and looked up at the roof of the cave the city was in. He frowns, missing the short year he had in the company of his party. He looked back down, and continued walking, wondering what to do. He walked aimlessly, until he found himself at the last place he had conversed with Proudmaul. Entering, he wanders to a seat, and takes it, quiet and lonely. Of course, plenty of other Dwarves would wander to him, and try currying favor. He frowns as another batch comes over, and he simply waves them off. He hated his golden eyes. If only he could change them out for a different color. He feels a shiver down his spine, and he looks around, finding a tall figure in the opposite corner of the bar, cloaked and staring him down. He looked away, annoyed already, and not wanting to deal with another annoyance. The figure stands and wanders over, taking a seat across from him. Even more annoyed, he was about to spit fiery words at this bastard, but the placing of a specific item on the table stops him. Stamped on the top, the symbol of the Elven Queendom. The elf speaks, quietly, ¡°You are requested.¡± He stands, leaving the small emblem, and walks away, out of the building. Jazak felt his fire reignite, and he took the emblem. Standing quickly, he exits, heading off already. Not wanting to waste a single second, as he now has a job to do. He would need a mage to help him teleport, so he began to search one out. Chapter 18: A New Friend Kaede Kaede was looking at the map, thinking about where to go. As she had been told, the Dwarven Federation was in the west. She began to make her decision on where to go, and focused her thoughts to that spot on the map. With a jolt of feeling weightless, she was suddenly at her destination, hearing a panicked yell. Opening her eyes and tapping her staff on the ground slightly, she glances at the person she just startled, a dwarf with a bushy gray beard and golden eyes, she immediately grows a little hostile as she points her staff, and asks in a cold and serious tone, ¡°Are you Jazak Forgeson?¡± The dwarf shakes their head, and then speaks in a gruff and gravelly voice, ¡°No, an¡¯ I¡¯m not givin¡¯ ya my name.¡± Kaede, very disappointed in finding a different hero, pouts and kicks a stone at her foot, ¡°Damn. I thought I got lucky.¡± The dwarf starts to get up, picking their bag back up, as they say, ¡°Never seen a Beastman that can appear out of nowhere. Not when I was an adventurer, and not now as a traveling blacksmith.¡± Kaede looks at the dwarf, highly doubting this will turn into a conversation about magic. The dwarf continues, ¡°Woul¡¯ ya like ta accompany me, lass? I know we¡¯re not off ta a good start, but that¡¯s just the nature o¡¯ Dwarven courtesy.¡± Kaede asks the question she needs to, ¡°Are you headed for the Dwarven Federation? If so, do you know Jazak Forgeson?¡± The Dwarf shakes his head, ¡°I may be goin¡¯ ta home, but I dinnae any Jazaks.¡± Kaede sighs, and just resigns to walking with the Dwarf, ¡°Fine, let''s get to walking.¡± ??? He stepped up to the unconscious Sebastia, and crouched, his cloak billowing slightly as the wind blew through the plains. He turned her onto her back, and began removing the armor. He then slid her onto a slightly sloping hill, as he began making a fire pit. Sitting down in silence, he began to wait. If it began to become night, he would set a fire, but as it was, he would likely not need to. As an hour passes, he begins to hear something in the distance, a group of people. Moving into a crouched position, he began quietly moving, hand on the hilt of his blade. As he neared, he heard the voices more accurately, ¡°I could¡¯a sworn there was something this direction. I saw some weird dark cut in the sky or somethin¡¯.¡± Another voice spoke next, annoyed at his comrade, ¡°I doubt you saw that. The boss doubts it too. We¡¯re just here to double check nothing¡¯s going on. Not fuck with anything if there is.¡± The first continues, ¡°I swear on my mama! I saw somethin¡¯!¡± The man quietly moved, letting the two get past, and he began following, just out of sight, but insanely close. A third voice spoke, ¡°Huh? I smell something.¡± The man stopped, his hand holding tightly to his hilt. The first asks the important question, ¡°What? Smell what?¡± The third voice speaks, ¡°Might be nothing. We¡¯re in human territory after all.¡± The second voice speaks in an irritated tone, ¡°If you have nothing, then say nothing. Come on.¡± The man relaxes, as he heard them walking away from the area. He begins returning to Sebastia, and takes his seat again. Jazak Forgeson Jazak was walking, quiet. He was looking for the individual he needed, but if he couldn¡¯t, he had a back up plan. The mountain above shielded him from the sun, but he began to think of it. Of enjoying its rays while laying beside an apple tree. Dwarven Society was too harsh on the surface, and people who enjoyed it. He kept this suppressed, but as he grew closer and closer to the store, he couldn¡¯t help but smile at the idea of leaving this dreary and dark place. He found himself soon standing in front of the store. Knocking before entering, he called out, ¡°Nurud! Ya ¡®ere!?¡± He looked around the storefront as he heard the response from the back of the store, ¡°Aye! What¡¯s it this time, Jazak!?¡± Jazak walks to the counter, and calls out again, ¡°I need ta teleport ta tha Elves.¡± Nurud steps out from the back, his immaculately groomed and jet black beard swaying a little, as the mage steps up to the counter, ¡°The Elves?¡± Jazak nods in response, pulling out the emblem, as he says, ¡°Got this a minu¡¯e ago.¡± Nurud takes it and looks it over, then hands it back, saying, ¡°That emblem¡¯s got no magic on it. Won¡¯t do ya no good. As fer me, I¡¯ve got a shit-ton-a orders. Ya help me, I help ya. That¡¯s the normal arrangement.¡± Jazak frowns, and then says, ¡°I gotta go now, Nurud. If ya break yer promise ¡®gain, I¡¯ll be late by a full month.¡± Nurud nods, understanding as he says, ¡°I won¡¯t lie to ya this time. That¡¯s Elf royalty. I¡¯d be hunted if I didn¡¯t keep my promise this time. The¡¯ve probably got a assassin on ya, keepin¡¯ eye.¡± Jazak shrugs, not his place to judge. He¡¯d do the same if he were in their shoes. Nurud continues, smiling, ¡°Alright, let''s talk business. I¡¯m gonna need three new brewing pots from the usual place. Once ye¡¯ve got that order in, come back an¡¯ I¡¯ll get you sorted with a few more tasks. This stuff should only take a couple of days.¡± Jazak sighs, knowing this will be faster than walking or taking a carriage. He turns and starts heading out, ¡°A¡¯ight. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Exiting the store, he sees the elf again, watching him from a distance. He closes the door, then nods his head to an alley nearby. They both head towards it, entering. After walking a small bit, Jazak speaks, ¡°I¡¯ve got some erran¡¯s ta run firs¡¯, ov¡¯r tha cours¡¯a few days. Then I¡¯ll ge¡¯ Nurud ta teleport me ta the Elven Capital.¡± The Elf speaks, ¡°The Princess doesn¡¯t want you going to the Capital. There¡¯s heavy pro-elf movements acting at the moment. You will be going to a city near the Human Border known as Eslahil. It has far less pro-elf movements, but has a weak anti-dwarf movement. The intent is to show a unified front between the ¡®Heroes of the World¡¯ and Elven Queendom.¡± Jazak smiles, and says, ¡°I ¡®aven¡¯ ¡®eard tha¡¯ name inna lon¡¯ while. We got it af¡¯er tha¡¯ Human lass.¡± The Elf is quiet, and Jazak continues, ¡°Don¡¯ madd¡¯r. Two-th¡¯ee days, then we leave.¡± The Elf point a thumb as he says in an annoyed tone, ¡°Then get to it.¡± Jazak frowns at the Elf, and then starts walking, annoyed at the sheer gall of this Elf. To tell him what to do. He should stop out of spite. But no, he needs to finish this, so he can go to the surface, and see the world once again. He exits the alley, and starts heading to Nurud¡¯s usual smith. As Jazak walks, he thinks about all the things he¡¯ll do when he reaches Eslahil. A nice fresh and ripe apple would be nice to have. Better than rock carrot stew, at least. He remembers Lethhonel telling him a little about Eslahil, that the city is renowned for its baked goods and orchards of many fruits. He¡¯ll need to try them all, won¡¯t he? His mouth was already watering at the idea. Kaede Kaede was walking with the old dwarf, and then spoke, ¡°Do you have a map of the Dwarven Federation?¡± The old dwarf looks up at her, and asks, ¡°Ne¡¯er been?¡± Kaede nods in response, as she says, ¡°I haven¡¯t ever been. I want to know where we¡¯re going, I probably will be able to get us there faster.¡± The dwarf chuckles, ¡°Ya look like a witch, lass, not a wayfind¡¯r. I doubt you¡¯ll ge¡¯ us there fas¡¯er, but sure. Le¡¯ me ge¡¯ it ou¡¯.¡± He begins slinging his pack to his front, and rummaging through it. He pulls out a rolled up parchment, and begins unfurling it. Kaede watches quietly, and as he finishes unfurling, he points at a city near the center of the western Dwarven Federate State, ¡°Agreau¡±. The city he¡¯s pointing to specifically, is ¡°Homrhi¡±. He speaks, ¡°We¡¯re goin¡¯ ta Homrhi. It''s a big place tha¡¯ res¡¯s in a moun¡¯ain.¡± Kaede nods, then says, ¡°Where are we?¡± He puts his finger on a road near the border with the Human Kingdom, on the map, labeled as the ¡°Kingdom of Goldbrooke¡±. She then smirks, ¡°Piece of cake, may I see your hand?¡± She holds out her own hand, and the dwarf looks at it inquisitively. He takes it, and Kaede focuses on where she wants to go on the map. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. With a blink, they were there, standing a good distance away from the city¡¯s entrance. Looking to her right, she could see the mountain Homrhi sits within. The Dwarf yells out, ¡°Tha¡¯s unbelievable!¡± She looks at him, confused for a second, and sees him staring at the mountain. He then looks at her, continuing, ¡°Ye¡¯re a wizard!? Tha¡¯ woul¡¯a been nice ta know!¡± Kaede holds up her hands in a dismissive gesture, as she smirks and says, ¡°You said I look like a witch, don¡¯t know why you¡¯re surprised. Probably because Beastmen do not usually get this strong.¡± The Dwarf nods in response, smiling, ¡°Aye, lass! Hit tha nail on tha ¡®ead there!¡± He holds out his hand again, for a handshake, ¡°Name¡¯s Grolit Anvilfury, ¡®ead Blacksmith o¡¯ Homrhi! An¡¯ yer?¡± Kaede takes his hand, and shakes, ¡°Kaede. Magus of the Schola de Arcanum.¡± Grolit tilts his head slightly, thinking, but he response with a smile, ¡°Well, I¡¯ve ne¡¯er ¡®eard o¡¯ this ¡®Schola de Arcanum¡¯, but I¡¯m glad ya saved me a lon¡¯ travel. I¡¯ll try ta find ya tha¡¯ Jazak, as thanks. Wha¡¯s he look like?¡± Kaede smiles, and answers, ¡°I don¡¯t quite know, but I know he is a Hero, like yourself.¡± Grolit nods in response, then says, ¡°A¡¯ight. I¡¯ll keep an eye ou¡¯. Come, I¡¯ll vouch for ye at the gate. Let ya in ta enjoy tha city.¡± Kaede smiles and nods, accepting Grolit¡¯s kindness. Sebastia Rin Sebastia looks at Clover, and speaks with a smirk, ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Clover grins happily, ¡°Well, your next test is beside the second mural.¡± She gestures to the mural of the dragons and gray cloaked figures, ¡°A test of strength of will. Such as the brave followers of Chaos during such a time as they were needed. Shedding their flesh with no remorse, they threw themselves into the fray, protecting the entire floating isle of Aerusides. Fearless and proud, these reborn warriors, though pained by their losses, fought until they could no longer. As their fights settled, they watched the skies above, as the dark sky was set alight by a bright luminescence. Above them the Azyt Dragons clashed. Aknel R?kth-R?kthen, the Undying Dragoness; Hadr¨ª-Hr?ska N¨ªakthzair, the Royal Dragoon; Hr?ska-R?kthse Alv¨ª, the drunken courier; Kr?uw-Hadr? S?v¨ªs-S?kth, the Avatar of Chaos. All four fought, and died that day. But they still defeated G?l?ides Mirak, protecting the lives of innocents across the entire isle. Do you have the strength of will to combat that which is unstoppable?¡± Sebastia smirks, and responds, ¡°I already did before, I can again.¡± Clover smiles proudly, then waves a hand, ¡°Enter, oh hero! Enter the door and face the impossible once more!¡± Sebastia walks to the door that was appearing, and enters as it opens with her approach. She finds herself on a battlefield. Broken banners lay scattered all about, and the sun is halfway below the horizon. Three dragons lay dead on the ground; one with red and orange scales, its wings ripped to shreds; one that looked to be undead of some kind, yet remained still; and one with flaming wings that were still burning. A blot in the light of the sun catches her attention immediately. A figure, with a draconic tail swishing, horns poking up from her head, and a spear and shield in hand. The figure turns to face her, and she sees her ready herself to fight. Sebastia draws her sword, and readies herself as well. The figure suddenly sprouts wings, and takes to the sky. Sebastia watches carefully, as the figure flies overhead, and folds her wings on her back, dropping like a rock towards her. With a quick parry, she barely manages to dodge the spear and shield. Slashing forward, Sebastia sees the shield come up to block her. As the shield blocks the strike, Sebastia realizes this figure is properly formed. Her deadly red eyes pierce through Sebastia, and her flowing black hair takes with the breeze. Clashing for a few minutes in the same fashion, Sebastia goes on the offensive, seeing her chance as the Dragoness is standing on the ground, rather than flying. With a clash of steel on steel, she realizes she hit the shield, and she tries to dodge, as the spear pierces her leg. Stumbling, Sebastia backs away, raising her sword to a defensive posture. The woman laughs, and charges forward, being extremely aggressive. With each stab and swing, Sebastia can feel herself being overwhelmed, but she does not surrender or give up. She slashes forward during a backswing from the enemy, and causes her to have to suddenly adjust, or get a large gash in her side. The woman backs away, clearly annoyed, she yells out her frustration, and charges forward again. Sebastia, despite her injury decides to start acting more aggressively as well, and jumps to the side, slashing to her left as she does. The Dragoness barely blocks the strike, and turns to stab again. Already off balance, Sebastia does not have the time to dodge again, and her other leg feels a stabbing pain through it. Standing despite the pain, she turns to face the enemy, who is now behind her. As she now was facing the direction her back had been, she could see a white figure approaching in the sky, its white wings flapping with urgency. Sebastia realized her goal was not to win, but to survive until that dragon arrived. She returns to a defensive posture, and begins parrying the spear, letting the shield hit her. This clearly was starting to infuriate the Dragoness, who feints, and pierces one of Sebastia¡¯s shoulders. Taking this opportunity, Sebastia grabs the spear, thrusting her arm forward, despite the spear in its shoulder. She feels her strike connect, and the Dragoness backs away growling in anger. She speaks, and though it is in a language Sebastia does not understand, she seems to understand the meaning of the words, ¡°Bastard. I¡¯ll kill you and then I will kill your family. All of the puny races shall be purged.¡± Sebastia grows far more angry, but keeps a cool head, as she pulls the spear out of her shoulder, and throws it to the side, raising her blade again, ready to keep defending, despite starting to feel dizzy and weak. The Dragoness launches forward, roaring at her, and dropping the shield. Sebastia points her sword forward in response, but the Dragoness stops, and starts circling, clearly not suicidal enough to jump on Sebastia¡¯s blade. A loud roar comes from above, and then a crashing as the white dragon lands beside the three dead dragons, nudging them slightly with its nose. In a moment of distraction, the Dragoness launches at Sebastia, slashing her chest, and getting through the armor like it was butter. Sebastia looks forward as she is knocked backwards and to the ground. Blood stains the Dragoness¡¯ fingers, which now look like claws. Seeing her inevitable death and failure, she closes her eyes, accepting her loss, only to hear the Dragoness scream in pain. Sebastia opens her eyes, to see a fire spreading over the Dragoness, who keeps screaming and backing away, trying to pat out the flames. A footstep could be heard beside her, and Sebastia looks, finding a woman in light gray, with white draconic horns, and a white draconic tail. She crouches, and places a hand on Sebastia, speaking, ¡°Oh beautiful Material, save this soul her pain, and allow her to live this day.¡± Sebastia feels her pains fade, and even sees one of the more grievous leg injuries close. The white Dragoness coughs up some blood, and then stands, stepping towards the burning Dragoness, who manages to put out the fire. The two begin transforming, turning into dragons. They launch into the sky, clashing, and freezing in place. Sebastia realizes the test is over, and begins getting up, believing she has still failed. She closes her eyes, taking a second to breathe, and then opens them, finding herself on the floor of the main hall. Clover speaks, smiling, ¡°You succeeded in your test. Would you like to rest before continuing?¡± Sebastia starts to get up, ¡°That depends on what is next. Another combat test?¡± Clover shakes her head, ¡°The finale has just finished. A tale of sacrifice, are you capable of the same choice as him?¡± Chapter 19: Alone Lun¨¦ Alpenglow ¡°-ash!¡± Lun¨¦ slashed down, cutting into the captured slaver, who had thought it smart to return to the area. The Beastkin screamed out in pain, as Lun¨¦ looked to Radoc for the next instruction, but he shook his head, annoyed. Lun¨¦ felt miserable, this was keeping her mind off what made her feel this way, at least, but it was still pricking the back of her mind. Radoc approached, and then said, ¡°Terrible form. Too bad we can¡¯t use this one anymore, I would show you proper form on him.¡± Lun¨¦ looks forward at the Beastkin, only to see a screen appear, saying: Wayfinder Level 18 Defeated +18 Experience 92/135 Experience to Level 33 Lun¨¦ begins putting away the dagger, as Radoc continues, ¡°Perhaps you should have a training area set up, my Lady.¡± Lun¨¦ nods quietly, her misery slowly starting to take over again. Radoc is ignoring this, and simply speaks in his calm tone, ¡°You can leave, Sproutlings.¡± The Sproutlings begin wandering off, leaving the two to their training. One drags the corpse with it, watched by Radoc, as it wanders away. Lun¨¦ is silent, not knowing if she should talk to Radoc or someone else. She soon decides she will talk to someone else, likely Koto and Miyoshi, and begins to walk away. Radoc looks at her, and says in a stern tone, ¡°Did you think training was over? Get back here, you need to be prepared to defend yourself at all times. To do su-¡± Lun¨¦ cuts him off with a tired and sad tone, ¡°Not right now, Radoc.¡± Radoc he¡¯s silent, letting her walk off. Lun¨¦ walks quietly, finding herself near the Smithy, where Hammerer was still going. With each strike of the hammer, Lun¨¦ felt a jolt through herself. She began to walk away from the area, not wanting to deal with the loud smacking of metal on metal. Lun¨¦ walks to the front of the house, and turns the corner, finding a few wolves relaxing on the grass. She ignores them, entering the house, and walking to the Siblings room. She finds no one there, and turns to leave, walking away again. As she exits the room, however, she finds Cloud following her. She looks at Cloud, a sad look on her face, and Cloud¡¯s tail ceases moving. The Wolf starts to walk up to Lun¨¦, who stares at her silently. Planting her large fluffy head against Lun¨¦¡¯s stomach, Lun¨¦ does not react. Lun¨¦ feels nothing from this, only the light force of the planting and the subsequent pressure pushing against her. Lun¨¦ remains silent, unsure of what to say or do, until she hears a voice, young and boyish, ¡°Miss Lun¨¦?¡± Lun¨¦ looks up, seeing Koto, standing alone and confused. Cloud turns her head to look at Koto, then starts to walk off, letting Koto take over, as Lun¨¦ speaks in her somber tone, ¡°I need to ask you some things.¡± Koto blinks, then nods, and walks over, ¡°Let''s talk in the room.¡± Kaede Kaede happily walked into the City of Homrhi. The massive gate remained open, as it had been when they arrived, and the Dwarves that guard it return to their posts, letting the caravan that arrived just after her, finish entering as well. Kaede looked at Grolit, who was walking proudly and happily. Plenty of nearby Dwarves and Gnomes watched the Black Cat and Head Blacksmith, curious about their relation as they walked together. Kaede took in the sight, something even she had never thought of. A hollowed out mountain, with hundreds of thousands of metal beams holding its form together. High above, she could even barely make out the ant-like specks of workers maintaining the metal infrastructure. The buildings on the other hand, were all uniform and rigid, made of stone with copper pipes running between them. Lamps hung from poles along the road, keeping light for travelers and those less fortunate in the ways of vision. The city itself was massive. Spanning the entire mountain¡¯s width and length. Hundreds of thousands of Dwarves and Gnomes lived here, and she could tell. There were plenty walking nearby, going about their business. Kaede smiled at this marvel of engineering, or possibly magic, and spoke, ¡°Are all Dwarven cities like this?¡± Grolit chuckles happily, and cheerfully speaks his response, ¡°Mos¡¯, bu¡¯ no¡¯ all! Aye, many¡¯re like this, bu¡¯ many more ¡®re normal cities made by tha Hill Dwarves!¡± Kaede nods slowly, then asks the next question on her mind, ¡°How are the metal supports set into place? Magic or mechanics?¡± Grolit grins happily, ¡°When we were makin¡¯ tha place, we made tha suppor¡¯s in sec¡¯ions. Sed¡¯em up, an¡¯ magicked¡¯em tagether.¡± Kaede has the mental image of what was described, and she grins enjoying the thought. If only she had been there, she would have written down everything that happened. As the two near a streetlamp, she speaks, realizing something curious, ¡°These lamps. They do not have candles in them. How are they getting light? Are they enchanted items?¡± Grolit shakes his head, grinning still as he says, ¡°Nay! I¡¯ll tell ya more when we get ta tha Smithy!¡± Kaede looks at him, smiling, as she walks, curious and willing to learn. Jazak Forgeson Jazak exits the Forge, having arrived and dealt with the first set of business he needed to tend to. Holding the small slip of paper, he begins walking back to Nurud¡¯s store. As he walks, he glances at the people watching him as they pass by in their walks. Their faces show their admiration and excitement at seeing him, reminding him of his hatred of the Heroes¡¯ eyes. Those selfsame eyes that allowed him to see their admiration and excitement. He did not deserve it, thus he despised it. He could see a few groups of non-Dwarves and non-Gnomes. Nothing extremely special, just Beastkin and Dracenewts. He began to pass by a Dracenewt, taking a nice look at the Dwarf of the Dracan. The poor Dracenewt shuffled away quickly, clearly nervous about his gaze. Another reason to hate the Heroes¡¯ eyes. He walked calmly and quietly, soon arriving at the gate to the underground. Plenty of others were going down, sliding what looked to be clockwork cards through slots designed for them. He pulled out his own, which was more intricate and flashy, thanks to the Gnome Craftsman who made it knowing he was making it for a Hero. Yet more reason to hate the Heroes¡¯ eyes. He slides the card in the slot, and he hears the mechanism within whirr to life, slinging open the Dwarf-sized gate in front of him. Though there was space above, he was happy to not jump the gate, as he entered, and glanced over to the booth. There a Gnome was taking coins, and handing tickets out, then letting the individual through. There were plenty in that line, from Dwarves and Gnomes, to even an Elf Huntress, gathering coins from her newly laden coin purse. Though most ignored the Elf, he decided not to, and walked over to the booth instead of down into the underground. He called out, ¡°Elf! C¡¯me ¡®ere!¡± The Gnome in the booth walked over to see the disturbance beside her booth, and looked out and down to Jazak, who looked up. She startles, and says, ¡°Oh! My apologies Hero, I was about to be rude. If you wish to pay for the Elf, then I will take the pay now.¡± Jazak nods, then hands up his card, ¡°Get o¡¯er ¡®ere, Elf!¡± He waves a hand, beckoning her over. She begins walking over, confused and baffled that a Dwarf of all people is supposedly helping her out. The Boothmistress returns Jazak¡¯s card soon enough, and the gate beside them opens. ¡°You¡¯re all good. In you go.¡± The Elf timidly enters, looking at Jazak, curiously. He frowns at her, and then says, ¡°Jus¡¯ ¡®elpin¡¯ ou¡¯. Reminded me o¡¯ my ol¡¯ party.¡± He starts heading down the stairs, the Elf following as she asks in disbelief, ¡°You were in a party with an Elf?¡± Jazak nods in response, answering as he does, ¡°Aye. In a goo¡¯ moo¡¯ taday, since she invi¡¯ed me o¡¯er ta tha Elf Queendom. Fel¡¯ like ¡®elpin¡¯ one o¡¯ ¡®ers.¡± The Elf nods, and speaks in a grateful tone, ¡°Thank you, Sir Dwarf. I¡¯m Alais Valnana, wandering Huntress.¡± Jazak nods, then answers, ¡°Barbarian Jazak Forgeson.¡± Alais was startled suddenly, ¡°Y- You mean that Jazak!?¡± Jazak stops and looks at her with a raised eyebrow, ¡°Aye, wha¡¯s so s¡¯range ¡®bout mee¡¯in¡¯ ya Princess¡¯ Dwarf frien¡¯?¡± Lun¨¦ Alpenglow ¡°I think I messed up, Koto,¡± Lun¨¦ says in a depressed tone. They were sitting on the bed, side by side. Koto was staring at her, listening, as she was looking down at the floor. He was quiet for a second, then spoke, ¡°Why do you think that?¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, as she thinks of what to say, and then she says it, ¡°I think I pushed Sebastia away. I think I made her angry, or maybe made her hate me. I think she¡¯s lost faith in me as a leader.¡± Koto is silent, contemplating this, and as he does, Lun¨¦ starts to feel even worse, her mind spiraling, and her thoughts telling her that she shouldn¡¯t have come to Koto to talk. Koto speaks, a calm and warm tone permeating his voice, easing a small bit of her fears, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. She cares for you, and everyone here after all. She might be upset, but I doubt she hates you now. Can you tell me what happened in detail?¡± Lun¨¦ nods, and explains what happened, causing Koto to be a bit surprised. He then says, ¡°She probably thinks you¡¯re a hypocrite.¡± Lun¨¦ looks at Koto confused and upset at being called a hypocrite, ¡°What? How?¡± Koto repeats words that Lun¨¦ spoke to him and Miyoshi, but in a far calmer tone, ¡°¡®I cannot just kill all five because I want to take revenge. That would make me just like them.¡¯ You said that to me and Miyoshi, but then you went and turned around, wanting to kill the other four. That¡¯s very hypocritical. Sure, it was true, but at the same time, you said it would make you just like them. Sure, it¡¯ll make you feel better, but I have one thing to ask instead of trying to console you or put you on a path. What do you think you need? Not what the others want you to do. Do you need to kill them to feel better? Or are you just throwing your anger in a direction that feels justifiable?¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Lun¨¦ looks at him, confused and quiet. He continues, clearly a little embarrassed, ¡°Teacher told me something similar once. It kinda stuck, but I never really knew what to do with it. Maybe it¡¯ll help you.¡± He stands up and starts walking away, ¡°I¡¯ve gotta get back to Miyoshi. She isn¡¯t vomiting anymore, but I¡¯m a little worried she might try eating random berries again.¡± He exits the room, leaving Lun¨¦ to stew in his words. Thinking to herself silently. She soon puts her face in her hands, quiet and disheartened still. But she was thinking on those words. Trying to apply them to herself. Kaede Kaede walked with Grolit, happy to follow. He walked towards a weird sloping building, which seemed to be an entrance down underneath the city. She can see a line of people, standing beside a booth and gate. There were Dwarf-sized gates, with strange slits in them. As a Dwarf approaches one, they pull out a strange clockwork card, and slide it through a slit. The gate slings open, and the Dwarf enters through it. Grolit approaches the Booth and lets the most recent person, a Boar Beastkin, finish talking to the Gnome inside the booth. As the Beastkin goes through the gate that opens, the Gnome speaks, ¡°Hello! What can I do for you, Head Blacksmith?¡± Grolit speaks, ¡°I¡¯ve go¡¯ a gues¡¯. She fine ta go throu¡¯ tha ga¡¯e I ¡®ake?¡± The Gnome nods, answering with a happy tone, ¡°As long as you hand her your card to use, once you are through.¡± Grolit nods, and heads for a gate, doing the same as the Dwarf before him, and then enters. As the gate closes, he turns and holds out the very fancy clockwork card, prompting her to ask a question while taking it, ¡°What is this fancy contraption?¡± As she does the same as Grolit, he answers, ¡°It¡¯s a Bank Clockcard. It ¡®olds informa¡¯ion, ¡®ich is then transferred inta tha machine, allowin¡¯ it ta figur¡¯ ou¡¯ where it nee¡¯s ta ge¡¯ tha coin from. It''s a major par¡¯ o¡¯ Dwarven cities. Ya ei¡¯er pay with coin to a teller, er use a Bank Clockcard.¡± Kaede nods quietly, examining the Clockcard before handing it back to Grolit. Kaede smiles widely, very excited and happy to be learning, ¡°Very interesting.¡± Grolit grins and chuckles, ¡°Tha¡¯ ain¡¯t tha ¡®alf o¡¯ it! Yer gonna love ¡®is nex¡¯ par¡¯.¡± He begins walking down the stairs, Kaede following with intrigue written on her face. Soon they find themselves off the stairs, seeing a room filled with hundreds of people. Grolit wanders to the front of the room, followed by Kaede, and when they get past the people, he points out the rails on the stone floor below them. He then speaks loudly, making sure his voice can be heard by Kaede over all the noise, ¡°This ¡®ere¡¯s a subway! We¡¯ve go¡¯ trains runnin¡¯ 24/7 down ¡®ere!¡± Kaede looks confused, and speaks, just as loud, ¡°Would that not suffocate everyone!? Trains run on coal!¡± Grolit¡¯s face reveals she¡¯s incorrect in this case, and his silence on the matter irritates her slightly. But soon enough, she hears a voice that is louder than the commotion, ¡°Train B12, arriving in station, please back away from the tracks. Again, Train B12, arriving in station, please stand back.¡± No one moves from the tracks, knowing they are all safe, but Kaede is confused and concerned as she realizes no one is moving. A few seconds later, she can hear the screeching of metal wheels coming to a halt, and the train can be seen entering the station. It looks rather strange, but she can still tell it is a train of some kind. Just flatter and bulkier. She¡¯s quiet as the train comes to a stop, and the doors on its sides open. Many people begin getting on the train, and Kaede was confused by the fact that Grolit was not. Grolit calls up to her, ¡°We¡¯re wai¡¯in¡¯ fer B14! We¡¯ll be ¡®ere fer a bit!¡± Kaede nods, still confused, but understanding. It was time to wait. ??? ¡°Commander?¡± He looks to his right, away from Sebastia and the small fire pit. He sees the crystalline opal hair and wings, which sat on the side of her head. She was in a set of leather armor, her staff sitting on her back, as she tilted her head in confusion at the sight. He smiles at her, and nods, ¡°Hello. Come to watch over the soon to be Avatar of Order?¡± She walks over and takes a seat near him, but not close, ¡°No, I was just flying about. I did not expect to see you. I thought you were letting your men watch this World?¡± He nods quietly, then says, ¡°I was, but when the man who gave you your powers tells you to protect the Rook on the board, though you yourself are but a Knight, you have to follow.¡± She nods quietly, understanding the chess analogy. She calmly watches Sebastia, and he begins to speak again, ¡°If you do not mind it, would you like to take over? I do have some business I have yet to complete in other Worlds. This is the perfect time, while I am off the grid.¡± She looks over, and then nods, ¡°Sure. I can do that.¡± He smiles and begins getting up. He then speaks in his calm tone, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll leave her to you. Good luck, keep her safe.¡± The woman nods, and he begins walking, leaving the area. As he walks, he begins to think of his next destination. Then he speaks, ¡°Willow. Destination, Acre Demonis. We¡¯re going to check up on how the Villainess is doing. See if the Hero has pulled her back yet. Time Dilation is necessary. I want to be there a year after our previous visit.¡± A happy, and girlish voice is heard in his ear, ¡°Aye aye, Commander General! Slash when ready!¡± He draws his blade, and readies to slash the air. After a second, he raises the blade, and slashes forward, ripping a hole into the world. A rift sits in front of him, and he fearlessly steps through, letting it close behind himself. Sebastia Rin ¡°The finale has just finished. A tale of sacrifice, are you capable of the same choice as him,¡± Clover asks, smiling at Sebastia. Sebastia is silent for a few seconds, then says, ¡°Yes. I am. I¡¯m ready.¡± Clover holds a hand towards a mural that was just finishing forming. On it, a man with black draconic wings holds a sword to the sky, in the middle of an angered yell. The sword is bursting with holy light, and the people standing behind him look shocked. Sebastia notices two of the people behind him are the two Dragonesses she had seen in her last trial, confusing her. She looks at the other side of the mural, finding it to have a shocked man in dark and demonic armor, and a good few other people. The door begins to materialize, and Sebastia begins walking to it. She opens it, and enters. As everything comes back to her, she realizes she is someone else, and she knows what she must do, as memories suddenly flood her rapidly. Just flashes, but enough to know who she is currently. He is Cor Avas Mirak. The good Mirak. The only of his brood to have walked a good path. So much so that he has even managed to help change his broodsister¡¯s path, after meeting her once again. He was holding his sword above him, and he yelled out, ¡°I will not let you harm them! I will not back down! So come at me, Dark Lord Sorin!¡± He saw the Dark Lord grimace at the holy light coming from the Starblade. Sorin throws his hand forward, ¡°Kill that insufferable Dragon!¡± His minions rush forward, and Cor throws himself forward, drawing the blade down into a ready position. He rushes the minions, each beastly and destructive. He slashes through several, and clashes blades with a few others. As the first wave of enemies is dealt with, he remembers what Snow, the Sleepy Witch, had said, ¡°You must get the Starblade into Sorin¡¯s body. That is the only way to remove his barrier, permanently.¡± As the second wave neared, he heard a voice, the oh so irritating Royal Dragoon, ¡°I¡¯m not letting you fight this alone, you damn Mirak!¡± The orange and yellow winged Azyt Dragoness rushes past, her spear and shield in hand, with her sword sheathed. She clashes with a few of the monsters, blocking and stabbing them, taking no damage from their claws, even if she had no armor, as they scratch where her scales should be. Cor runs forward, slashing a few more, as magic begins impacting other monsters. Glancing back, he can see the perpetually unkillable Dragoness holding up her hands, expending her oh so important mana. Behind the small Dragoness, he can see the Priestess tending to the injuries of the flame-winged Courier and others. He hears a loud bang, and looks to his right, seeing a woman with a strange mask, and red eyes. She is crouched behind cover, her long bayoneted rifle firing blood-red projectiles with each pull of the trigger. He stopped suddenly, feeling a presence appearing in front of him. He sees two tower shields plant themselves on the ground, and then chuckles as he sees the dark brown hair, and caring look of Guildmaster Imros. He can¡¯t help but smile at the masculine human, as they yell out, ¡°Stay behind me! I¡¯ll get you up there! Etris, now!¡± Cor looks down, seeing the small roughly three foot Synthetic. It moves swiftly, rushing around Imros¡¯ shields, and raising its arms, causing loud cracks and bangs, as it begins firing at the monsters, while Imros starts running forward. Cor follows behind Imros, hearing a voice coming up behind him, feminine and pissed off, ¡°Let¡¯s beat this bastard¡¯s ass, Cor!¡± Looking behind himself, he sees the half-blood, her face serious and angry. He can understand her anger, as Sorin¡¯s Legion had harmed her little sister, and in front of them both at that. He felt his anger begin to boil up again, and he was ready to kill Sorin with Alyas¡¯ assistance. As Imros got to the stairs, a woman suddenly appeared to the side of them, taking Imros with her as she went past. Undeterred by the appearance of the Vampiric Beast Mistress, Cor continues charging, seeing a straight path to the Dark Lord. The fight was chaotic, but Cor and Alyas were approaching Sorin, who raised his sword in response. Clashing once, Cor is kicked away, and feels the sword pierce his shoulder. Backing away, as Alyas takes the next strike at Sorin, he reaches for his shoulder, seeing it bleeding, and then realizes what was about to happen. He looks up, and as the sword is about to be thrust forward into Alyas¡¯ back, as she spins from the force of the parry, he rushes forward, using his wings to get just that little bit more speed, and he feels the sword pierce his stomach. Grabbing onto it, he can hear Alyas cry out behind him, ¡°Cor!¡± Cor does not look behind himself, and coughs up a small bit of blood, as he says, ¡°Checkmate.¡± He thrusts the Starblade forward, causing a shattering sound, and Sorin screams out in pain. Ripping the blade out, Cor feels himself getting colder, his pain disappearing, as he is kicked by Sorin. He no longer has the Starblade in his hand, and he falls to the ground a good distance away. He feels the world going dark, and Sebastia realizes this is the last moments of this dream. No matter who takes the lead, heroes sacrifice themselves in the end. She did the same before already, after all. Sacrificing herself to the tower. She sees Alyas¡¯ approaching, a hand on her stomach, she is yelling out, ¡°Cor! Cor!¡± She crouches down, and Sebastia can see tears welling up in her eyes, ¡°Cor! Don¡¯t close your eyes! Help is on its way!¡± Sebastia does not know what to say, as Cor. After all, she does not have the same experiences. At least not fully. So she lets Cor pass on without words, as she hears Alyas call out, ¡°Wait! Cor! Please, no! Don¡¯t do this! Don¡¯t leave us! Don¡¯t leave me!¡± And with those last words, it was quiet. Sebastia knows the test was over, but she kept her eyes closed, thinking to herself about Enna. Knowing that Enna had said the same thing, but in a different way. Yet she still had gone to the tower, and sacrificed herself. Enna had bargained, thinking of ways to ensure her best friend would not need to sacrifice herself, but Sebastia had always planned on it. After all, she was a hero. And a hero is someone who does the right thing, and protects as many lives as possible. Not everyone is a good hero, and she knows she definitely isn¡¯t the paragon she holds herself to be. She still tries though, and she begins to sit up, opening her eyes. She finds herself sitting in front of an unlit campfire, a Freeborne sitting across from her. The Freeborne¡¯s hair was crystalline and an opal color. She was wearing leather armor, and was staring silently at Sebastia. The wings on the sides of her head reveal her to be an Etherling, the rarest kind of Freeborne. Sebastia looks around, dazed and confused. She didn¡¯t feel any different, she didn¡¯t know where she was, and she knew that she was unarmored. Looking to her equipment, and then the Freeborne she asks the first question, as she squints her eyes in suspicion, ¡°Who are you?¡± Chapter 20: Heroic Actions Kaede Stepping out of the underground, Kaede looked around, smiling. She had just rode a train that moved beneath the ground, and even released no toxic fumes! She was excited to see what other marvels the Dwarves of this World have created! Perhaps she should get documents and blueprints, so that she can share these marvels with her home when she can return? But she did not mind not having these at the moment, as she still needed to find out the source of these machines. While the Dwarves did create them, how are they powered? Magic? If it is some source that her home does not have then she will need to modify the blueprints, though she will likely still need to anyway, as many things supposedly change when Transporting to other Worlds. Despite this, she happily followed Grolit, listening to him as he explained the purpose behind nearby buildings that towered into the sky, some even touching the peak of the mountain, revealing that they were near the center of the city now. Grolit pointed to the most central mountain-scrapping building, ¡°An¡¯ tha¡¯ there¡¯s tha City ¡®All. Our des¡¯ina¡¯ion.¡± Kaede puts a hand to her cheek and asks a question, ¡°Why so many floors? I see that many maintenance walkways are connected to it, but that can¡¯t be it, right?¡± Grolit nods, answering with a grin and a proud and happy tone, ¡°Aye! All tha big name¡¯s ¡®re there. E¡¯ery thin¡¯s buil¡¯ there. A¡¯ leas¡¯ tha bes¡¯ s¡¯uff ¡®re.¡± Kaede nods, understanding. It wasn¡¯t just a city hall, it was the main hub of craftsmen in the city. They continue walking towards the City Hall; Kaede taking in her surroundings and the sights, while Grolit walks with pride and enjoyment. Kaede¡¯s right ear twitches as she catches the sound of someone being beat up in an alley, she then says, ¡°Grolit, could we stop for a second? I hear something I need to check out.¡± Grolit looks behind himself, and raises an eyebrow at her, ¡°A¡¯ight? Wha¡¯s caugh¡¯ yer eye, lass?¡± Kaede stops and looks down an alley to her right, ¡°More like what caught my ear, I will be back momentarily.¡± She begins walking down the alley, followed by Grolit as he says, ¡°Lass, it¡¯s a bi¡¯ dan¡¯erous ta walk alone in tha alleys.¡± Kaede nods in response, but keeps following her ears. Soon, Kaede turns again, onto another alley, and she finds a Human, with a shackle on his neck, laying on the ground and being beaten up by a few Dwarves in fine clothes. Grolit speaks quietly, ¡°We shoul¡¯ ¡®ead back, no¡¯ our business.¡± Kaede looks at him, seeing a worried look on his face, and seeing her angered look makes him look even more nervous than worried, as if he might lose a potential customer. Kaede scoffs at him, ¡°This is not our business? You mean yours, my Lady would chastise me if I simply turned my back. Leave if you want, but expect me to not come back to you for assistance.¡± One of the Dwarves calls out, ¡°Oi! Get lost, bitch cat!¡± Kaede turns to look at him, and Grolit speaks, ¡°Y-Ya can¡¯, they¡¯re nobles.¡± Kaede smirks, and approaches, flourishing her staff, ¡°Damn the consequences.¡± Jazak Forgeson ¡°-capades together are legendary! You¡¯re even a symbol of unity between the races! If an Elf and Dwarf can fight together and become inseparable friends, then we can certainly create a union between the Elven Queendom and Dwarf Kingdoms.¡± Jazak was a little irritated at the Elf woman for constantly talking his ear off, about his escapades with the Heroes of the World. He already knows all of these stories, and if she¡¯d let him talk, he¡¯d correct all the falsities the people seem to have made about them, and especially that stupid one about that Human Girl having sacrificed herself to save them. Noticing she finally stopped talking, he speaks in an annoyed tone, ¡°A¡¯ight Lass, ye¡¯ve ¡®alked me ear off. Nex¡¯ stop¡¯s ours.¡± Alais looks startled, then speaks in an embarrassed tone, ¡°I apologize, Lord Forgeson. I didn¡¯t mean to talk so much, it''s just that you and Princess Lethhonel are inspirations to many Elves, mostly young ones, or those of us who are still young men and women, like myself.¡± Jazak gets curious for a second, and strokes his beard. Then he asks his question, ¡°Ya know, I ne¡¯er ac¡¯ually learne¡¯ ¡®ow differen¡¯ tha Dwarves an¡¯ Elves ¡®re when it comes ta age. When d¡¯ya Elves ge¡¯ consi¡¯ere¡¯ adul¡¯s?¡± Alais speaks confidently to him, knowing the exact age, ¡°100. It''s when our bodies completely finish developing, but some people are calling for that to be increased to 138, which is when our brains stop developing.¡± The Dwarf looks shocked at that, confused that a race had not been going off when the brain stops developing. For the Dwarves it was a matter of learning your trade as a child, and once your brain stopped developing, they believed you would reach your peak soon or had already done so, thus they had become adults. Jazak stared at the Elf, and spoke, ¡°Fer Dwarves its 140, only a year af¡¯er our brains finish develo¡¯in¡¯. Alais nods in understanding, she then smiles, and says in a playful tone, ¡°That is rather interesting, so what age are you, Lord Forgeson?¡± Jazak frowns at the Elf, ¡°Yer sayin¡¯ firs¡¯, ¡®cause ya asked.¡± She frowns in response, then says in an annoyed tone, ¡°128.¡± Jazak smirks, ¡°Then yer still a whelp, Lass. As fer meself, 158. Still young meself.¡± Alais nods quietly, smiling happily. The train comes to a stop, and Jazak speaks, ¡°¡®Ere¡¯s our stop.¡± The doors open, and they step out, heading for the surface again. Once there, Jazak spoke, ¡°We¡¯re sep¡¯ra¡¯in¡¯ ¡®ere. Ya c¡¯n see tha gate.¡± He points to it, and starts walking, only to hear the Elf start following him, stating, ¡°I simply cannot leave now! I want to help you, Lord Forgeson!¡± Jazak sighed, knowing he won¡¯t be able to get rid of the Elf now, so he silently let her follow him. As they walked, he heard something down an alley, and he went down it, confusing the Elf behind him. Turning a corner, he found himself face to face with a hidden slave market tent. The guard was standing silently, staring down the Hero. Jazak approached, and spoke in a calm and cold tone, ¡°Wha¡¯s a slave marke¡¯ doin¡¯ ¡®ere?¡± The Guard stares down Jazak, not answering as the Elf speaks, ¡°Slave market huh? Not something to worry about, let''s go do what you have to, Lord Forgeson.¡± Jazak draws an axe, stating in a hostile and cold tone, ¡°Answer.¡± The Guard draws his own axe, staring down the Hero. The Elf was confused, and spoke, ¡°Lord Forgeson?¡± Jazak decided he didn¡¯t care this time, and rushed forward. Kaede Kaede watched as two of the Dwarves began to approach her, smacking clubs into their hands, Grolit spoke, ¡°Lass, ye shoul¡¯ really take me a¡¯vice!¡± Kaede plants her staff on the ground with a resounding thud, and she stares down the two Dwarves, and especially the one Dwarf that was still beating up the enslaved Human. She spoke in a determined and commanding voice, ¡°Yield to the Black Witch, before you get hurt.¡± One of the Dwarves laughs, and says, ¡°You think we care? You¡¯ll just end up a slave too, Nekomimi. I wonder what we¡¯ll do to you?¡± The other smirks and chuckles while eyeing up Kaede like a piece of meat, ¡°Oh I know exactly what.¡± Kaede¡¯s face twists to disgust and then hostility, as she says, ¡°You were warned. There is no return.¡± She aims her staff forward, as the two Dwarves charge at her, clubs ready to hit her, but they are startled as magic suddenly surges forward from the staff, knocking them back and to the ground. Kaede continues to glare at them, happy to have knocked them down with such a simple force spell. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She continues to approach, hearing even Grolit is surprised by how sudden the spell came from her staff. The other Dwarf has looked back, confused as he yells out, ¡°Get your asses up and beat her already!¡± The two Dwarves quickly get up, now uncertain of this fight, but nonetheless charging her again, as she is closer this time, they should be able to hit her. But she smirks a wicked smirk, and they swing clashing with each other instead of her. Confused they looked around, and then down, noticing the black cat that was now sitting there, it stood onto its four paws, and then as they stared in shock, Kaede returned to her normal form and hit them with her staff, which she had swiftly enchanted to be much harder and heavier. The two fall to the ground unconscious, and the third Dwarf looks at her in confusion, fear, and panic. He grabs the Human, and puts a knife on his neck, ¡°Don¡¯t come closer!¡± Kaede stops, tilting her head slightly. He smirks, thinking he¡¯s caught her, and he says, ¡°I will slit this slave¡¯s throat, and you¡¯ll lose. So you let me go, and I¡¯ll give you him, got it?¡± Kaede grins maliciously, her face contorting with an illusion, ¡°You think I came for him? Oh how mistaken you are. My Lady does not like slavery, so if you wish to live, you will renounce it, and live with the consequences if you break this new vow. What are the consequences you ask?¡± She tilts her head slowly through these words, and soon is holding her head on her shoulder, as she makes the illusion grow even more disturbing and terrifying, as she emphasizes, ¡°Death.¡± The Dwarf shakes and shivers from fear. Terrified of the Black Cat Witch. He does not move, and Kaede casts another spell, pulling the knife away from his hand, and to her. She grabs the knife, then drops it to the ground as the Dwarf shrieks in fear, and the Human cowers from them both. Kaede points her staff forward, and the Dwarf begins screaming in pain and fear, as his body seems to ignite. Grolit screams out, ¡°Kaede! Please s¡¯op!¡± Kaede does not, and instead approaches the Human, crouching and removing her illusion, revealing her concerned face. She holds out a hand for him to take, saying, ¡°You are safe now.¡± The Dwarf falls to the ground, supposedly burnt to death, and Kaede stops the illusion, revealing the Dwarf had simply thought he was on fire, causing Grolit to breathe a sigh of relief. The Human backs away from Kaede, and Kaede uses a spell to hold him still, as she walks to the Dwarf she ¡°burnt¡±, searching for a key, as Grolit approaches, clearly upset. Kaede spoke, cold and calm, ¡°You will say nothing of this, Grolit. If those Nobles come after you, then you will have been forced into silence, understand? I have a duty to uphold, one that I know is right. No matter what someone says, I will never yield in it. It is my duty as the Black Witch, and servant of the Dungeon Codex, and its Mistress.¡± She turns and unlocks the Human¡¯s collar. Grolit is stunned into silence, watching silently, as Kaede holds out a hand again, saying, ¡°I mean you no harm, so let us get you back to your homeland.¡± The Human is silent, and reaches quietly, his ragged appearance revealing him to be a young man, despite his haggard features. Tears clearly begin to well up in his eyes, and Kaede smiles warmly, as the young man reaches forward and hugs her, getting a comforting hug in return. Jazak Forgeson Jazak clashed axes with the Slave Market Guard, causing the noise to enter the tent, likely alerting whoever was inside. Alais yelled out in panic, ¡°L- Lord Forgeson!?¡± Jazak clashed with the Guard, who began to panic as he was overpowered. Jazak didn¡¯t care what the Elf, nor anyone thought. He would be guaranteed to remain in the outside world once this was over, and he smiled thinking of that. This smile startled and unnerved the Guard, who was overwhelmed and cut down quickly. Jazak began entering the market, finding hundreds of cages stacked on each other. Clearly this market had been operating for a long time. A group of Guards rushed towards him, and were quickly defeated, even without his abilities. Jazak continued on further in, and soon found himself facing a group of scared nobles and the market¡¯s owner, as well as a few tougher looking guards, including an Orc. Jazak, grinning from an actual challenge appearing, speaks, ¡°Well well! Did I crash a par¡¯y? Ya¡¯d bes¡¯ run, nobles.¡± The Nobles began running, and the four Guards stepped in front of the market owner, who was panicked and yelling out, ¡°I- I¡¯ll give you anything you want! Ju- Just go away!¡± Jazak laughs, ¡°Ya thin¡¯ I¡¯ma jus¡¯ walk ¡®way? Ya¡¯ve got anoth¡¯r thin¡¯ comin¡¯.¡± He finally activates his abilities, letting a red aura burst from him, as he charges forward, panicking the market owner even more. The three Dwarf guards are defeated quickly, bleeding out on the ground, but the Orc was a much tougher opponent. Jazak laughs maniacally as they clash, axe against shashka. The Orc fends off Jazak¡¯s blade rather easily, but cannot get a strike in toward the Dwarf. Jazak on the other hand, draws his second axe, and turns the tables on the Orc, who was now on the defensive. Jazak hadn¡¯t had this much fun fighting in a while. The two warriors clashed, and Jazak laughed happily, making the Orc grin as well. Clearly the two fighters were enjoying this a bit too much. Soon Jazak knocked the Orc to the ground, and held an axe to the Orc¡¯s throat, who was grinning like a madman, despite the loss. Jazak removed the axe, and laughed, ¡°Yer a¡¯ight fer an Orc.¡± He then threw the axe, killing the market owner, who was trying to sneak away. Jazak then walked to the dead market owner, letting the Orc gather himself. Jazak took the keys from the dead Dwarf, and began to unlock cages, and remove collars, letting the former slaves back away from him and fear him. He didn¡¯t care. As he exited the market, he found the Orc staring at the Elf, who was absolutely terrified of the Orc, who stood taller than even her. Most did not know the Orcs were such a tall race. The only caveat to that being the Goblins who were three fourths the height of a normal human, thus being half the size of an Orc. The Orc was squinting at the Elf, and the Elf was simply holding a backwards step, ready to bolt the moment the Orc did something. Jazak spoke as he exits, a pair of freed children following him silently, ¡°Orcs may be tribal, bu¡¯ they¡¯re goo¡¯ figh¡¯ers. Lad prolly don¡¯ e¡¯en know Comm¡¯n.¡± Alais looks at him, her startled look mixing with confusion as Jazak walks over, and Jazak speaks, ¡°This ¡®appens some¡¯imes. Jus¡¯ gonna lea¡¯ ¡®em ta tha ou¡¯si¡¯e. Usually works.¡± Sebastia Rin Squinting her eyes in suspicion at the Freeborne, Sebastia asks, ¡°Who are you?¡± The Freeborne simply smiles, then starts to stand, not answering her question as she says, ¡°Good, you are awake. Welcome back to the real world, Champion of Order.¡± Sebastia starts to stand quickly, ready to fight if necessary, but she feels her balance is disturbed by something on her back. Not looking, she asks in a hostile tone, ¡°What did you do to me?¡± The Freeborne is quiet, frowning at her, before saying, ¡°I did nothing. You should look at your back.¡± With that, the Etherling takes flight, and sets herself on the top of a nearby hill, watching Sebastia still. Now that the Etherling was away, and not in a position she could attack from, Sebastia looks behind herself, finding brilliantly white wings. Startled, she looks up, and sees nothing, but reaches up as she returns her head to a normal position. She feels something bump her hand, and feels a tingling on her head, as if what she just touched was a part of her head. Running her hand along it, and shivering while she does, she realizes she has a halo as well as wings. She looks to the Etherling, confused and startled, but she hears the Etherling¡¯s voice calling out, ¡°Sebastia Rin! Champion of Order! Rise! Face the day ahead! Ahead lies freedom! Ahead lies a new world! Ahead lies a free world! Put on your equipment, for your training begins today!¡± Sebastia was confused, but she looked at her armor and weapons, and began to get them back on. Chapter 21: Gathering Lune Alpenglow Lun¨¦ sat quietly, trying to figure herself out. Hypocrite. I¡¯m a hypocrite aren¡¯t I, she thought to herself. After a few minutes, she stood up from the bed, and began walking out of the room. She needed to get stronger. Both in mind and body, but even more so in level. She exited the house, a sad but determined look on her face. She began to walk, heading for the edge of Codex, planning on going out to train on her own. She was ready to restart. She would begin her training, clear her mind, and resolve herself to be the person she¡¯s supposed to be. Kaede Standing slowly, and helping the young man to his feet, Kaede smiled, then glared over at Grolit, who was standing with a worried yet happy expression. Seeing her glare, he was startled, but didn¡¯t move from his spot, letting her glare at him. As Kaede began to guide the young man away from the unconscious Nobles, Grolit spoke, ¡°Ya did tha righ¡¯ thin¡¯, Lass. Ya¡¯ve go¡¯ more balls than mos¡¯ Dwarves.¡± Kaede continues her glare, answering, ¡°Are you simply saying that because you do not wish to make an enemy? Or are those your true thoughts? For the moment I find it to not be your true thoughts, you will find me at your doorstep, burning everything you love to the ground. Prove you are an ally at your next opportunity. Emancipate them.¡± Grolit is silent, and his head lowers. It was clear he was thinking hard on the situation, and the problems ahead. But Kaede hears him speak instead, ¡°I mean it, Lass. Ne¡¯er did like slavery. Ne¡¯er like¡¯ tha Kings. Ne¡¯er like¡¯ tha Nobles. Ne¡¯er though¡¯ o¡¯ change. I¡¯m no revolutionary, Lass. I¡¯m jus¡¯ a blacksmith.¡± Kaede prepares to cast an illusion to make the young man look far better, listening to Grolit as she does. When she casts the spell, she answers, ¡°In Codex, our Blacksmith is the second strongest of us all. Above myself, and especially above my Lady. Be proud of who you are, Grolit, because you know what is wrong with this World. So raise your head, and witness what a World free of oppression can look like. One where all peoples are equal in rights, and no race is enslaved.¡± Grolit looks up, seeing the illusion finish, causing the young man to look far healthier and cleaner than he is. The young man now looked like a Noble Adventurer, or at least what passed for most Noble Adventurers in Kaede¡¯s World. He was in nice clothes, with armor over top. He looked tough, and he certainly wasn¡¯t a pushover. The young man looked at his hand, and body, confused and grateful, but he clearly knew that it wasn¡¯t a true set of clothes. All three knew he was the same as he had been just a second ago, and that he just looked different now. Kaede spoke, ¡°Let''s get you out of here, young man.¡± He looks at her and nods, smiling happily, his tears still staining his cheeks. Kaede wipes away the tears from his cheeks, and begins to walk, looking at Grolit, ¡°Will you join us? Join us in this new world that Codex shall usher?¡± Jazak Forgeson Jazak walked quietly to the gate, the two ragged and grime-covered children following, with the Orc and Elf behind them. As Jazak neared the gate, the Guards that could be seen nodded to him, but were clearly unwelcoming despite this. Their glares were mostly aimed at the Orc and Elf, but would turn to the children, changing to disdain. As Jazak exits the gate, into the open world beyond, he speaks, ¡°A¡¯ight. Ge¡¯ goin¡¯. Yer ou¡¯ an¡¯ I¡¯m no¡¯ yer Papa.¡± The kids look concerned and confused, perhaps even scared. But with some encouragement from Jazak, in the form of posturing threateningly at them, they run off into the rolling hills. Jazak turns around, and returns to walking into the city. He can see the Elf and Orc both looking upset at him, causing him to answer their stares with an annoyed ¡°Wha¡¯?¡± Alais speaks, ¡°Why? Why do all that? It didn¡¯t even matter, they are just weak, aren¡¯t they supposed to be in chains? Working to serve their betters?¡± The Orc speaks, startling both of them, his thick north-eastern accent rumbling, ¡°They are just children, they did nothing wrong and did not deserve such a fate.¡± Jazak scoffs at them, annoyed by them, ¡°Firs¡¯, I don¡¯ give a shite. Slaves make people feel superior, an¡¯ I¡¯d rather ¡®em feel superior ¡®cause it''s earned. Secon¡¯, they¡¯d die ¡®ere in tha city. May be slaves, bu¡¯ they still deser¡¯e ta live.¡± He passes by them, uncaring of if they follow him or not. The two begin following him again, the Orc¡¯s face slackening back to a neutral look, while the Elf begins to ponder his words. Jazak silently wishes they would leave, but at this point, it would be nice to have someone to join him in his work for the day, and perhaps even create a new party. One that will not be disbanded after a year. He continued his walk to Nurud¡¯s shop, and it would be silent between the three until they arrived. Jazak arrived at Nurud¡¯s shop to find it in the same state he had left it, aside from a few nearby groups of gang members. He enters, and speaks, ¡°Nurud, I¡¯m back. Go¡¯ tha slip, an¡¯ two ta¡¯ alon¡¯s.¡± Nurud was nowhere to be seen, as usual, but a Gnome could be seen standing at the counter, a bottle in her hand. She looks back to Jazak, and begins to stare in admiration, as Nurud calls out, ¡°Aye! One second! Finishin¡¯ a potion for the Lass up front!¡± Jazak looks at her and frowns annoyedly, before looking back at the Orc and Alais, to say, ¡°A¡¯ight. No goin¡¯ be¡¯ind tha coun¡¯er.¡± He begins walking to the counter, and then around it, leaving the two to stay in the main room. He enters the back, finding Nurud bottling the liquid in his cauldron. Nurud puts a stopper into the bottle, then cleans the red liquid off the side of the heart bottle. He then starts heading for the front, as he says, ¡°Keep an eye on the second cauldron, once it starts boiling, turn off the heat.¡± Jazak walks over to the two cauldrons, and looks into the one Nurud had not been messing with, watching over it silently. It was going to be a long day. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Sebastia Rin Sebastia reached back and touched the wings, realizing they were truly there as well. A halo and wings, was she dead? Was she ascending to the heavens? But then Clover would have lied about her not dying. It wasn¡¯t true she was dead. She could feel the wind, she could hear the sounds, and she could feel the world around her. The only weird thing was that her wings and halo let her armor pass through them. She looked up the hill to the Etherling, who stared down at her from the crest. The Etherling called out again, ¡°Move it! You had best flap those wings, I want to see you in the sky before the sun begins heading for the ground!¡± Sebastia begins trying to learn her new limbs, flexing as many muscles as she can, to attempt learning how to fly. When that doesn¡¯t work, she begins to imagine the wings on her back, closing her eyes she begins trying to flap, starting from how she thinks she is supposed to in her mind. After an unpleasant forty minutes of attempts, she feels something move against her back, and she feels the wings for the first time. She looks back to find the wings in the same spot as normal. Frowning, she realizes it will be a long while until she can properly begin her flight. Etherling She watched quietly, giving no instructions. She isn¡¯t an expert on teaching people how to use wings, she just knew how to do it ever since birth. She begins to smile slightly, remembering her Mother and all the shit she put her through, only for the warmth of a family to suddenly be given to her after her Brightening. She begins to wonder how her sister is, after all, they were twins, and she was curious if her identical sibling was still identical. She looks at Sebastia again, only to realize that the newly reborn Angel was already starting to hover, with her eyes closed. With a quick moment of panic, she was about to call out, only to see Sebastia drop back down and look behind herself at her wings. The Etherling stares in shock, not expecting Sebastia to be such a fast learner. Kaede Kaede watched silently, waiting for Grolit¡¯s answer. The Head Blacksmith raised his head, a determined expression on his face, as he spoke, ¡°Aye, Lass. We¡¯ll free tha worl¡¯ o¡¯ its preju¡¯ice.¡± Kaede smiles, answering with a calm tone, ¡°Good. I will return this young man to his nation, and then we will continue.¡± Grolit nods in response, ready for them to disappear, and Kaede does, leaving the Human in the Human Kingdom, near the town of Woodshade, and by extension Codex. She returns, and stands in front of Grolit, as she says, ¡°Shall we?¡± Grolit nods, and begins to walk again. Kaede speaks as they walk, ¡°How shall we deal with the Dwarven Kingdoms, and their allowance of slavery?¡± Grolit answers her quickly, a little uncertain still, ¡°I don¡¯ know, Lass. Feels wron¡¯ ta say somethin¡¯ so treasonous.¡± Kaede smirks, ¡°Yes, but it is a necessity. Instead of such a grand scale, why not start with something small, this city alone. I will take out key infrastructure, and force the hand of the Mayor.¡± Grolit freezes and looks at her, startled and confused. She continues to speak, ¡°I have no intention of harming the people, just forcing their hands.¡± Grolit is silent, clearly wondering if he¡¯s just pledged to work with a terrorist. Kaede speaks in a calm and serious tone, ¡°First order of business, I need the location of all slave rings, and one important infrastructure building.¡± Grolit is silent, thinking to himself. Kaede watches him silently, her staff tapping the floor as she walks with him. He soon answers her, ¡°I¡¯ll ge¡¯ ya some spo¡¯s. Firs¡¯ll be on our walk.¡± She nods in response, prepared. Jazak Forgeson Jazak heard Nurud calling his name, so he wandered to the front after doing as instructed, and turning off the heat anyway. In the front, he finds Alais and the Orc still standing about. Nurud holds out a hand, ¡°Slip.¡± Jazak hands over the paper he had gotten from the blacksmiths. Nurud looks it over, then nods, smiling, ¡°Thank you, Jazak. Now let''s move on to the next bit I need. I¡¯ll write a few places, I just need you to go to these people, and tell them to pay back their debts.¡± Jazak frowns, being reminded about Nurud¡¯s habit of lending out money with rather high interest rates. He exits the building with the list, and his two unwanted companions. He begins to walk, as Alais speaks, her tone questioning, ¡°Why do you care about two slave children? They¡¯re nothing important.¡± Jazak answers calmly and quickly, ¡°They¡¯re people too.¡± Alais frowns and responds in a cold tone, ¡°They¡¯re weak. The weak serve the strong. They can¡¯t even protect themselves.¡± Jazak is silent, knowing this is true, but he also knows it is not a point against his reasoning, after all, people come in all shapes and sizes. One may be strong, while another is weak, but they still are people. Children don¡¯t deserve such fates. After all, they don¡¯t know any better, or they at the very least deserve a calm and happy life. Alais is silent, having expected him to answer, but hearing no answer, she remains silent. Sebastia Rin Sebastia feels her wings move again, and this time realizes that she had left the ground for a small second. Opening her eyes slowly, while concentrating on keeping what she¡¯s doing, she notices she¡¯s floating above the ground. With this, she has a revelation, and she stops her wings, remaining floating. She smirks, sending herself higher and higher. Slowly gaining altitude. She sees the Etherling is startled, and begins flying as well, going higher and faster than Sebastia. This pushes Sebastia to reach, and launch forward, spreading her wings as she does. Higher and higher into the sky, she follows the Etherling, a smile and grin forming on her face. The Freeborne does a flip in the sky, and comes to a stop, making Sebastia slow, and come to a stop only a few feet higher, and at a distance. She hears the Etherling speak, ¡°Well done. Faster than I expected, almost as if you are a Freeborne yourself. Just be happy you will never go through a Brightening or Darkening. Your next step is to learn how to fight in the air.¡± She draws her shortsword, ¡°So come at me.¡± Sebastia draws her longsword, and readies it. With a burst of speed, the Freeborne was already nearing her. With a block, Sebastia realizes it is much harder to fight in the air, as the attack can come from any direction, and she was not experienced with keeping herself floating while defending herself. This would be a rough training session. Chapter 22: Dangers Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Wandering the woods, Lun¨¦ felt numb and downtrodden. The dark world around her was all she could think of. The shade of the trees cooled her skin in the warm air. She was beginning to realize that the world was warming more than it had in the past days. Was it already summer? She had lost track of time in the castle, and even more so once she was out of the castle. She had not thought about the date or time in a long while, and she was completely lost in such matters now. She continued her walk, listening out for any noise and watching for any movement. She could hear the birds, and she smiled happily at their songs. She knew she could listen to them for a while, after all, she was free to wander these woods, and listen to the calm of the woods. She approached a ledge she had not found in her explorations. Looking at it, she thinks for a few seconds, then decides to hop down. It was not a large fall, and she could likely easily climb it if needed. It was only three-fourths her height after all. She continued her walk, listening to the birds for a while. As she does, she begins to think about the situation she finds herself in. A year ago, she was training to become a hero for humanity, and now she sat as one of the enemies of all nations, a Dungeon Core. Though not all Dungeons are threats, she held no hopes that Humanity would ally with her, even though she is a Hero of their race. Her ability had manifested another feature, and with it she had made powerful allies, who could wipe her out in one fell swoop. She defeated Noalen, and now her plans aim towards the rest of her former party. And finally, she had created a rift between herself and the first she had summoned. She stops walking, and begins to think sadly about the situation between herself and Sebastia. She wanted to go to Sebastia, and find out what Sebastia wants her to do, but she also did not want to disappoint Sebastia again. She felt she had nothing to worry about when it comes to Sebastia, but she felt empty without her friend. She sighed to herself, and began to walk again, trying to get out of her thoughts as she listened for the birds again. A few seconds later, she stops, realizing the birds had stopped their songs. Worry and panic began to envelop her, as she watched her surroundings. Placing her hand on her dagger, she listened carefully, trying to prepare for a fight if one were to start. The sound of panicked birds could be heard in the distance off to her right, then the sounds of those birds getting through the trees. It was close, so she drew her dagger, ready for a fight. She heard a voice in the back of her mind, ¡°A test.¡± Turning around, she raises her dagger ready to strike, but she finds nothing. She looks around, even more worried. She then heard a low growling, and turned to face it. Where she looked, she could see a creature that was far out of place, a tiger. But this tiger was strange, as its fur was slick with a black substance, with patches of orange sticking through. Its eyes were already dead, and its mouth was curled in a snarl. Raising her dagger, she worried she may be in danger. Kaede Kaede stood in the shadows of an alleyway, staring up at the large building. It had large copper barrels that likely stored water, and pipes going all around the exterior. From what she had been told, this was a ¡°power station¡±. Apparently, the Dwarves use high pressure steam to power their clockwork mechanisms, and she sat quietly, observing a group of Dwarf workers, turning off a valve, and then removing the piping to be replaced. She cast an invisibility spell, and began to approach, letting them replace the leaking pipe, before they unwittingly allowed her into the building. She wandered silently, examining the intricate piping and searching for the boiler. The heart of the machine was her target, and the boiler was a perfect target. No one thought to prepare it for dangerous people, as all people agree that the power of a boiler was necessary to life in a dwarven city. She walked quietly, passing by workers who were none the wiser. She found her way down a set of stairs, barely dodging a group as she did. Entering the main boiler room, she began her examination, finding weak points and spots she could easily destroy. After a few minutes, she realized she had found a secondary boiler, and not the main boiler. She continued her search, realizing she would need to destroy more than one object in her mission. She raised her staff, and cast an illusion on herself, one that would mask her identity once she left her invisibility and spoke her peace. She then continued her hunt, and found what she was looking for, with a swift movement, she raised her staff towards the boiler, and what she perceived to be its weak point. Dropping the invisibility, she cast her spell, blasting apart the boiler with lightning. The sparking of electricity sounded out from her spell, and she quickly rushed back to the second boiler, doing the same there, but instead in the darkness. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. She could already hear the panicked yelling of the workers, and she ran for the exit, her eyes adjusting to the darkness quickly. Reaching the exit, she found plenty of workers already out in the dark city. Sticking to the shadows, she climbs up the building, and then casts a spell to illuminate the area. The dwarves looked up, and saw her. A Nekomimi in a roguish outfit, with a fancy hat to boot. She called out, ¡°Listen here! Your people are corrupt! We will destroy all parts of this city, if our demands are not met! Ban slavery, and imprison those who condone it! That is all we ask! Fail to do so, and we destroy this city!¡± She brings her staff to the center of her body, and slings her left hand to the middle as well, connecting the illusory casting component to her ¡°rapier¡±. With a cast, she was gone again, invisible, listening to the workers panicking. She dispels the light, and runs off, happy with this successful mission. Jazak Forgeson Jazak was walking calmly and quietly. He had not cared much about the situation he found himself in. Though the Orc and Elf were quiet, he felt annoyed, mostly thanks to their presence. As he walks, however, he begins to think of forming a party again, and his smile returns. He walked calmly to his destination, ready for this day to be over. He steps down some stairs, into an open air market. Then he began to look for his target, only for him to hear something strange. ¡°Hey! The lights went out in the craftsmen district!¡± People began to move to the edge of the market, even getting to higher ground to see what they could obviously see from the tower in the district. Jazak stared at it, confused and baffled. He then began running back up the stairs, worried for Nurud¡¯s safety. Lun¨¦ Alpenglow The tiger, if it were even still one at this point, lunges forward, trying to catch and drag Lun¨¦ to the ground. With a quick leap to the side, she barely dodges. The tiger turns to watch her, its dead eyes focusing on her, as the black begins to seep onto the grass, staining it and clearly causing it to wilt immediately. Lun¨¦ held her dagger at the ready, not willing to throw it, as she thought of a way to escape. She watched as the black substance began to overflow onto the beast¡¯s lips. She was confused for a few seconds, before the substance was spit at her, causing her to sidestep in panic. The substance slowly began sliding down a tree¡¯s trunk, doing nothing at the moment. Lun¨¦, despite the possibility that it does nothing to anything bigger than a blade of grass, did not want to take that chance, as she could see a possible reason against taking a hit right in front of her. The beast ran forward, slashing at her again, only for her to keep dodging. She could not get a hit in, but she could not let a hit land either, or the fight may be completely over. The beast began circling her, as she continued to formulate an escape plan. The beast watched her like prey, despite the dead stare it gave. Lun¨¦ felt unnerved, and worried that she would be unable to escape even if she tried. The beast rushed forward again, and Lun¨¦ decided she would take a risk, jumping to the ground, and raising her dagger. She finds the underside of the tiger to be completely absent of any of the substance, and as it rushes through the dagger, it turns facing her again, despite its entrails leaking from its stomach. Lun¨¦ was already feeling sick from that, and was concerned she would be unable to kill it. She quickly scrambled to her feet, just in time to dodge another lunge, but she felt something clip her back. Then she felt pain surging from the spot of contact. Reaching back, she pulls her hand away from the wound, finding only blood. With a moment of relief she looks forward again, watching as the beast begins circling again. She raises her dagger, and waits for it to come towards her again, she would try a different approach. It began charging her, and she sidestepped, slashing to the side with the dagger. Ice formed where contact was made, and the substance began shattering into shards, and then evaporating into nothing. With that, she realized what she would need to do. Turning to face it, now with a smirk on her face, she sees it has clearly become irritated and angered from that strike. She decides to take the initiative, and runs forward, dagger at the ready, as the tiger dodges her own strikes. She was on the offensive, but how long would that last? She kept it up, until she saw the beast slash with its claws. Dodging backwards, she barely manages to be missed, only for her to have to dodge again, as the beast lunges. She isn¡¯t able to slash as it does, since she was now on the defense again. It rushed her, baring its teeth in a low growl. She dodged again, only to feel its claws raking her stomach. As she stumbled backwards, keeping herself upright, she looked down, seeing the long gashes, and some of the black substance. Placing the dagger on the substance, she finds it shattering. She looked forward again, watching as the beast growled at her. She decided to take this change, and threw the dagger, piercing its skull, where its brain should be, and she saw the whole beast begin forming ice, and then shatter, leaving just a tiger that slumps over, already dead. She approaches, holding her stomach, then she pulls the dagger out, as she hears the voice again, ¡°Pitiful.¡± She looks around, finding no one again. She sheathes the dagger, and starts returning to Codex, in pain, but alive. Chapter 23: Growing Strength Jazak Forgeson Rushing through the gathering crowds of onlookers, Jazak was sprinting towards the darkness. He would not stop for anyone, not even the worried or panicked people running past him towards light. He kept his pace, and soon was facing absolute darkness with patches of light. He stood still, and cursed his eyes. He then heard ragged breathing behind him, and turning he finds Alais nearly toppled over, barely visible in the dim light. The Orc was completely fine, and stood normally. Jazak looked at them and spoke in an irritated tone, ¡°We can¡¯t go any further. Can¡¯t see shit.¡± There was a running noise nearby, and he looked up to the buildings, seeing a rogue-like nekomimi running past, on the rooftops. Her silhouette was far easier to distinguish than his companions. He yells out, ¡°Stop!¡± The Orc looks where he¡¯s looking, then quickly grabs and throws him up to the roof. This action startled Jazak a tad, but as he flew, he drew his axes, watching as the Nekomimi looked back at him, still running. As he lands, he begins his chase, running as fast as his short legs can take him. The Nekomimi draws her rapier and something else, which begins to float over her left hand. Bringing them together, she raises her rapier to the sky, and then halfway over an alley. Turning and flipping, she falls headfirst down towards the ground, only for her to exit his vision and appear on the other side, correcting her position, and landing safely. She stands, as Jazak comes to a stop at the edge of the building. She then speaks, ¡°Golden eyes. Interesting. Well, I shall say this to you, as well, Hero.¡± Jazak starts to backpedal, ready to jump the gap, as she continues, ¡°Your people are corrupt. Free the slaves, and ban slavery. We will not destroy the city in that case. Now, goodbye.¡± She does a flourished bow, and begins to leave, just barely ducking under and kicking the assassin who had just reached her. Jazak is startled by the sudden appearance of the Elf who had given him his summon to the Queendom. The Assassin stumbles backwards, stopping himself from falling off the roof, while the Nekomimi begins running again, raising her rapier up again. Gathering himself, the Assassin throws a dagger at the Nekomimi, who disappears suddenly, allowing the dagger to pass through where she had been, and land farther away. Jazak stares at the sight, and glances at the Elf who looks back to him, then starts to walk away. The Assassin goes to gather up his dagger, then jumps off, fading into the darkness below. Jazak then hears Alais, ¡°Lord Forgeson!¡± Looking towards her, he can barely see her in the darkness below, and he speaks, ¡°What.¡± She speaks up, her tone a little worried, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Jazak begins looking around for a way to climb down, ¡°Aye. I¡¯m fine. Just need to find a way down.¡± Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ entered Codex¡¯s territory, still holding her injuries. Immediately she felt the presence of Codex happily greeting her, only for the feeling to become erratic and fuzzy. Her mind turned hazy for a moment, as she walked silently. Simply shambling along, dazed and thoughtless. She continued walking, only to stumble and fall, returning her mind to reality, as she felt the soft fur and warmth. It took a second for her to realize what had happened, and she looked at Cloud, who was clearly worried. Lun¨¦ smiles tiredly to her boss monster, and speaks, ¡°I did it, I won the fight.¡± Cloud begins walking, after a sproutling pushes Lun¨¦ up further onto the Boss Monster¡¯s back. Soon Lun¨¦ would find herself in the main house, where she would be given a potion, after returning to her dazed condition. As she comes back to reality, she looks down, seeing her wounds are closed. She feels a soft, rising and falling object behind herself. Smiling as she knows who or what her head is laying on, she stays silent. Staying still, she enjoys the warmth and softness, relaxing and enjoying the calm of this moment. That was until she saw a message appear, distorted and dark. Instead of the golden trim around a pearl background with onyx letters, it was an onyx background with silver letters, worrying her, as she read: Pathetic Creature You failed to impress. As such, you must grow stronger. Accept the terms, and become a Champion. 1) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will dedicate her body and mind to destruction of all life, and at the end of her quest will begin conquest of all that is Material. 2) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will corrupt or destroy all worship sites of Material. 3) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will strive to become a new Dungeon Lady, and conquer the whole of Material. 4) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will continue to grow in strength, both Dungeon-wise, and personally. 5) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will become a Champion of Void. 6) Void may make changes to this list as necessary. Already Gifted: This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. 15 Levels Lun¨¦ stares at it, not wanting to accept, as she was confused and concerned. Another screen appears, this one distorted but bright. Instead of golden trim around a pearl background with onyx letters, it was a pearl background with golden letters: Poor Child You are weak, and need more strength for the fights ahead. Accept the terms, and become a Paragon. 1) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will dedicate her body and mind to the safeguarding and protection of all life. At the end of her quest, she will begin a crusade against all that is Void. 2) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will eliminate all that worship or are connected to Void, including her own monsters. 3) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will strive to become a new Dungeon Lady, and safeguard the whole of Material. 4) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will continue to grow in strength, both Dungeon-wise, and personally. 5) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will become a Paragon of Material. 6) Material may make changes to this list as necessary. Already Gifted: 20 Levels Lun¨¦ was confused, what were these messages. Why were they appearing? Was this because she had defeated that monster? She felt she was forgetting something at the moment, but saw a third message, this one was undistorted and gray with golden trim and onyx letters. At the top, sat a purple name: From: Chaos, of Probability Hello, Lun¨¦. You are likely confused or worried. Perhaps both. Accept my contract. Become a ¡°Protector of the World¡±. Below are the terms. 1) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will retain her free will. 2) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow shall grow in prowess. 3) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow will execute those who endanger the World¡¯s existence. 4) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow, at the End, will fight for the status quo, and protection of her World from eternal survival and eternal non-existence. 5) Lun¨¦ Alpenglow is only required to prove herself as a Protector. 6) Chaos, of Probability will provide 8 Levels on accepting the contract. 7) Chaos, of Probability cannot use Lun¨¦ Alpenglow or her assets in ways of personal gain, and must accept any denial to propositions. 8) Chaos, of Probability cannot change this contract unless it benefits both parties. Take your time. They are far more patient than they seem. Just know that if you take one of their sides, I will take back my previous gifts, as I refuse to assist a Champion of Void or Paragon of Material. Lun¨¦ sat quietly, staring at the messages, baffled and confused. She turned her head to look at Cloud, who looked over simply lifting her head and panting happily. Looking around, she found Radoc watching her quietly, and the siblings watching with worry beside him. As she looks around, the siblings look relieved and rush over, immediately taking her into a hug. Miyoshi even went as far as going through the messages to hug her. Surprised yet happy at the hug, Lun¨¦ returns it, smiling warmly. Radoc speaks coldly, ¡°Going to get up? You need to continue training.¡± Lun¨¦ points at the messages, and speaks with an annoyed tone, ¡°I need to deal with this first.¡± Radoc raises an eyebrow, and speaks, ¡°Something change in you that fast? So much so that you have to deal with the siblings?¡± Lun¨¦ looks confused as the two freeze, and then speaks, ¡°Do you not see the three messages in front of me?¡± Sebastia Rin With another clash, the Freeborne speaks, ¡°Alright. We¡¯re done for the day. Return to the ground. I want to see you landing properly.¡± Pushing Sebastia¡¯s blade away, the Etherling begins a sharp dive, leaving Sebastia in the sky. Watching her go, Sebastia begins to focus on going down towards the ground, slowly moving downwards. After a good thirty minutes, she reaches the ground, and steps on the grass again. The Freeborne is frowning heavily, as she says, ¡°Terrible. You need to learn how to control your flight better. Yes, you learned how to fly quickly, but you need confidence in your ability to fly. Tomorrow, that will be what we do. For now, you will stick with me, and we will be returning to where I have been staying.¡± Sebastia nods silently, thinking on what she was just told, and also a little on edge about just doing what the Freeborne wants. The Etherling begins to walk, causing Sebastia to follow. After a few hours, they arrive at a small house on the rolling hills. The Freeborne speaks coldly, ¡°We¡¯re here. Set your stuff inside, I¡¯m going to hunt for some food.¡± Sebastia is silent, as the Freeborne begins walking off. She watches as the woman takes flight, and heads off on her hunt. Sebastia enters the building a minute later, and begins looking around. It was a quaint house, with not much inside or around it. There was a small table with two chairs, against the wall, with a fireplace nearby, and small pillows that lay around it. There were three doors, all of which were closed. She set down her things, and continued looking around, now for small objects of possible significance. She finds a very realistic and extremely well made portrait of two Freeborne, that look like younger versions of the woman, one of whom was wearing more revealing clothes than the other. Sebastia remained in the house, still looking for more clues about the woman, but she found nothing of note. With a frown, Sebastia began to take a seat on one of the pillows near the fireplace. She began to wait. Chapter 24: Preparations Drugov Arseni Georgiyevich Jazak stepped up to his companions and spoke, ¡°We¡¯re going straight to the City Spire. We will be there for a while. Come on.¡± He begins to run in the darkness, the Elf begins to chase him, and Arseni takes a second, before beginning to follow. He could have sworn he saw someone in a cloak for a second, but he could have been mistaken. After all, it is very dark currently. Following, he held tight to his father¡¯s, no, Chief Georgi¡¯s shashka, intent on using it if necessary. Soon, as they ran, the lights came back on, nearly blinding Arseni, who had to quickly sidestep to avoid trampling the Moon Elf, who he simply scoops up and continues to run. The Elf begins to protest, but relents as she realizes her eyesight will be a hindrance for a small frame of time. Jazak was still sprinting, and Arseni began to realize he could speed this up far more if he carried them both. However, knowing the pride of a warrior, he refrains, as it would be dishonorable to not overcome your own faults by dedicated work. As they ran, the Moon Elf began to pout, but he ignored her, and the onlookers who were watching with mixtures of confusion and curiosity. Arseni looked at a few buildings that they passed by, and noted their more artistic designs. He smiled lightly seeing the freedom of creativity, and was reminded of his homeland, where Chief Georgi plans his strikes. His blood begins to boil again, and he remembers why he left home. His pace increases, and he can hear Jazak become startled as the Orc begins to pass him. Jazak calls out, ¡°Hey! Carry me! We need to get there immediately!¡± Arseni simply throws a hand out and yanks him up to his shoulder, carrying both and sprinting as fast as he can, remembering all the shit he had to go through. After almost an hour of moving towards the Spire, they arrived, and Arseni was almost completely out of breath. He had slowed down at a point, but was still going faster than the other two at that time. Setting them down, he takes a moment to breathe, while the Elf steps to the side with an annoyed look, and Jazak begins jogging into the Spire. The Elf begins running after Jazak, leaving Arseni to himself. Taking a seat on a nearby bench, Arseni begins to recuperate, at least until he hears a young voice, ¡°Pardon, are you an Orc?¡± Looking to the voice, he finds a young Dwarf, whose beard was yet to pass their neck. Simply nodding, Arseni remains silent, watching the Dwarf¡¯s movements. The Dwarf simply nods, then points at Chief Georgi¡¯s shashka, ¡°So that¡¯s a weapon from the Orc tribes?¡± Arseni simply nods again, and watches as the young Dwarf¡¯s eyes alight with enthusiasm. The Dwarf grins madly, and speaks, ¡°May I see it!? I wish to study it!¡± Arseni shakes his head, but still pulls it free from its sheath to show it off, not allowing the Dwarf to take it from his hands. Though this action saddens the Dwarf, he begins pulling out a notepad, and starts sketching the blade, and how he thinks it was made. Arseni watches with concern and curiosity, as he knew the Dwarves were a craftsman race, and he was perhaps getting to see the beginnings of a new weapon. The Dwarf speaks after sketching the shashka, ¡°What is the name of the weapon in the Tribes?¡± He begins looking at the blade while Arseni answers, ¡°Shashka.¡± The Dwarf nods in response, writing down the name, as he speaks, ¡°It looks rather fancy, are all of them made this way?¡± Arsenia shakes his head, as he answers, ¡°Nyet. This is a Chief¡¯s, I stole it when I left.¡± The Dwarf nods slowly, and begins writing again. Then he looks up, and asks, ¡°Would you like a better one? For showing me your weapon, I would like to repay you. I may be an apprentice, but I have been told I am rather good.¡± Arseni shakes his head, prompting the Dwarf to frown heavily, then shrug and walk off as he says, ¡°Well, if you change your mind, come find me in the Head Smith¡¯s forge.¡± Arseni is silent as he remains seated, taking the time to calm his body. He was not in much pain, but his lungs still burnt slightly. He sheathed the sword, and closed his eyes. After another hour, he saw Jazak and the Elf approaching him. Standing he began walking over to them, as Jazak spoke, ¡°I need to see both of your statuses. Especially if you¡¯ll be keeping around me.¡± The Elf was silent for a second, and seemed a little apprehensive about showing her personal information, but she looked startled as Arseni showed his with no hesitation. Drugov Arseni Georgiyevich Orc Darkblade 68 Strength: 20 Dexterity: 20 Constitution: 20 Spirit: 16 Armor: 10 Dodge: 4 The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Health: 200/200 Mana: 30/30 Relevant History (Allowed by Arseni to Show) Born to the Chief of the Drugov Clan, Arseni left secretly due to hatred of his father and his plans, stealing the prized blade of the Drugov Clan. Arseni then worked odd jobs, finding his way to the Dwarven Kingdoms, where he would encounter a fighter stronger than him. Arseni speaks calmly, ¡°I have nothing to hide. Prowess is all that the once proud Drugov Clan cared about. As such, I will follow you, no matter the danger.¡± Jazak nods in silence, then looks at the Moon Elf, who jolts then relents. Alais Valnana Moon Elf Huntress 57 Strength: 20 Dexterity: 18 Constitution: 11 Spirit: 15 Armor: 0 Dodge: 3 Health: 110/110 Mana: 30/30 Relevant History (Allowed by Alais to Show) Born and abandoned, Alais grew up in the treetops of a small town at the edge of the Elven Queendom. She would steal a bow and quiver of arrows to hunt for herself. At first, she was caught, and the town guard took pity on her. After a long time of repeated offenses, they would get upset, and lock her away. Once she was done serving her small three day sentence, she would manage to steal a bow and quiver again. This time bringing more than she normally did. After handing over a good portion of her hunt to the guard as a bribe, she sold the rest, letting herself go hungry for one night. Then another. Then another, until she had finally gained enough coin to buy her own bow and arrows. Once she was old enough to leave the town, she would take the name of her town as her last name, and she began to travel, hunting and selling what she did not need. Eventually she would arrive in the Dwarven Kingdoms, catching and selling beasts of all kinds. Jazak spoke, as Alais looked down in embarrassment, ¡°We will need to change your class. Hunters are the lowest rank you can have. You will need to be higher. We will begin going now. We have to find the terrorist who destroyed that power station.¡± Lun¨¦ Alpenglow ¡°So you really can¡¯t see these?¡± Lun¨¦ gestures to the three floating screens, only to hear a confirming grunt from the Dark Elf man. She looked down to the two Beastmen who were hugging her, and saw confusion and concern on their faces. Looking back up, she began to realize that these three screens were far more important than the screens everyone would see when someone simply asked for their status window to show, or how her normal interactions with Codex¡¯s territory would appear in physical space. Silence takes the room, and Lun¨¦ decides to close the three messages at the moment, as she speaks in a worried tone, ¡°That¡¯s strange, but I¡¯ll deal with it later, since no one else can help me think about it.¡± Koto and Miyoshi look at her with worry, as Koto speaks, his tone conveying as much, ¡°Are you sure you are alright?¡± Lun¨¦ smiles and nods, ¡°I feel a bit numb where I got hurt, but I¡¯m fine.¡± She starts to try getting up, causing Koto and Miyoshi to back off, and Cloud to start standing as well. Lun¨¦ looks around the room as she gets to her feet properly. Looking about, she decides she will need to work on the dungeon itself now. She then says, ¡°I¡¯ll be staying in here, working on the dungeon. I should be fine for now. If I see something wrong while I¡¯m looking through Codex¡¯s eyes, I¡¯ll tell someone.¡± Koto and Miyoshi, though looking worried about Lun¨¦ still, begin heading back upstairs. Lun¨¦ looks to Radoc, who pushes off the wall and starts walking away as well. Cloud was the only one refusing to leave, but that made sense for Cloud. She was very motherly to them all, after all. She needed to keep an eye on Lun¨¦, or she would not be able to stand still. Lun¨¦ pats her head, then touches Codex, joining with it again. As her senses come back, she can see the whole dungeon, and she can feel the extreme amount of mana that had been accrued so far. She began to expand, intent on getting as much space as possible. As she did, she found diminishing returns. Despite this, she kept going, just wanting to gather as much space as possible. Once done, she began planning out her areas. The area that had a wall, sadly only on one side so far, was to be a town-like area, where anyone entering the dungeon would be safe. It was also a nice spot to start an exploration of the dungeon. She had some of her sproutlings, foxes, and bears begin gathering stones and digging. She watched them begin building a path towards the road, and by extension, Woodshade. This would also be a safe space, so that those entering Codex peacefully may find themselves unassailed by her monsters. She began planning out an area for research, as she could not just go and gather potions from Woodshade. They would run out rather quickly, especially with the amount she wanted to utilize. She quickly marked more and more areas. An arena would be built here, or an entrance down to the caves would be built here in the style of a mine entrance. It was the beginning of her beautification project. A pretty, interesting, safe, yet still dangerous dungeon was her goal. A place she could allow adventurers to enter, and train. Chapter 25: Focalor Returns Kaede ¡°Oh dear,¡± Kaede said playfully with a smirk, ¡°a terrorist attack? Who would do such a thing~?¡± Grolit is silent as he stares up at the Black Cat, annoyed at her for actually going through with that plan, and at such a fast pace at that. Kaede simply looks around the room, at all of the tools and weapons in glass cases. Certificates sit above each, on the wall, and read the name of the weapon, Grolit¡¯s name, and the City¡¯s name. Then there was the desk with overflowing papers, behind which Grolit sat calmly. He speaks, ¡°Lass. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re just unhinged, or completely sane and just did that because you wanted to.¡± Kaede smiles innocently as she answers, ¡°Both. Felt like I was back in my teens, fighting against Victor and his party.¡± She smiles warmly as she remembers her past, and especially her time fighting and escaping the Hero¡¯s Party. ¡°I believe the best one was when I was leading a group of demons to hunt down a Freeborne that was causing our Master trouble.¡± Grolit looks shocked at the mention of demons, but allows Kaede to continue her ramble, ¡°Victor and his party happened to be looking for that Freeborne as well, as she was an amazing Alchemist. When we arrived, they arrived. Of course, we fought, and then lost. Victor and his party got potions, and then the Freeborne disappeared completely, as they tend to do. Safe to say, I was in the dungeon for my failure for a few days. Then I went back out and hunted Victor for the first time.¡± She looks down at Grolit, smiling warmly from the memories, ¡°Good times.¡± Grolit just stares in silent apprehension. Kaede simply continued to speak, ignoring his silent fear, ¡°Anyway, what is next on our to-do list of correcting society as a whole?¡± Grolit shrugs, as he speaks, ¡°Never done something like this before.¡± Kaede smiles, ¡°Well, good thing for you is that I have, just not in this capacity. I had to overthrow a small township once. I just used force, but over time I learned easier and more subtle ways. First up, we need to cause problems. I.e, we bring the problem of slavery to the forefront of the public¡¯s mind, while showing how terrible it is. With slave rings keeping to the shadows, and most Dwarves thinking that working hard is a way of life, that will not be a hard task. E.g, think of yourself as a random smith down in the city. How do you likely feel about slavery, if you have even heard of its existence?¡± Grolit is silent, then speaks, ¡°I know ¡®i.e.¡¯ But what¡¯s ¡®e.g.¡¯?¡± Kaede is silent for a second, before speaking, ¡°Exempli gratia. For example. So, for example, you are a random smith down in the city. How do you feel about slavery, if you even heard about it?¡± Grolit is silent for a few seconds, before he speaks, ¡°Either I¡¯m thinking it is stupid and infringes upon a person¡¯s ability to work, or they should just work harder to earn freedom.¡± Kaede nods in response, smiling as she speaks, ¡°Good. If we simply bring it to the spotlight, then what would the people do, especially when they learn Slaves cannot free themselves by work?¡± Grolit takes a second before his eyes begin to widen, and he responds with a worried tone, ¡°They go on strike.¡± Kaede giggles quietly, and then turns ready to start leaving, ¡°I will begin pushing the slave trade into the light. Do what you can here. We can discuss the next step after the city begins to see the problem as a problem.¡± She casts a spell, and finds herself back on the rooftops, looking out at the city. The City¡¯s Central Spire is rather majestic with the lights on it. She takes a seat on the roof, and calmly watches the city, thinking of where to go next, as she hears footsteps rushing in a nearby alley. Out of it, the Dwarf from earlier, with an Orc and Elf. She smiles, and simply waves as they notice her. But she remains still, kicking her feet and watching the city, trying to seem unassuming, which seems to work, as they walk away. With a small smirk, she remains still, until she hops down, and begins following at a distance, using spells to mask her presence. Jazak Forgeson Jazak walks quietly, wondering who the hell that Nekomimi was, but not wanting to go harass someone who likely has nothing to do with the situation, despite being a Nekomimi herself. Alais on the other hand, was in the process of questioning his action, only for him to interrupt her by saying, ¡°We won¡¯t be harassing anyone without due cause. If we see her again around areas we¡¯re working, we can question her.¡± Arseni seems to smile at his words, likely glad to see that the Dwarf isn¡¯t in the business of bullying people weaker than him. Jazak turns a corner, and continues to walk, watching his surroundings carefully. As they near a small clearing within the buildings, he stops, and draws an axe just for the safety of having it in hand. He lets it slide down to hang on his hand, and then starts walking again. Entering the clearing Jazak sees the slave ring, and frowns. Looking around he sees no one, but hears the Dwarf guard shifting a little, and keeping an eye on them. But as silence takes over, and nothing happens, Jazak begins walking again, heading to leave. He wanted to destroy this ring, but that would not do right now. He, as a Hero, has to be the arbitrator of justice, as a terrorist was about. He has no reason for his petty hatred of slavery to win in this case. A chill goes down his spine, and he looks back. Seeing nothing in the alley they had exited, he continues, now confused by his usually accurate feelings of being watched by unwanted eyes. After a few minutes, the memory of that feeling is bothering him still, and he turns around, prompting Alais to speak, and Arseni to look slightly confused, ¡°Why are we going back? Wasn¡¯t it fine over there?¡± Jazak is succinct in his response as he walks at a slightly faster pace, ¡°A hunch.¡± As they near the slave ring again, they suddenly hear a fearful and pained screaming man. Jazak begins sprinting, drawing his other axe, and readying them for a fight. The Orc and Elf follow, drawing their own weapons. Alais nocks an arrow, prepared to pull the drawstring and fire. Turning the corner, they find nothing, aside from the tent, the dead dwarf guard, and no more screaming. But they can smell something else. They can smell burning flesh. Approaching with caution, the three enter the tent, and find a stage, with slaves in cages around the tent, and out of the way. On the stage, a smoldering dwarf corpse. Standing above him, a red-haired Nekomimi man in roguish clothes, with a scythe on his shoulder. He looks over to the three, and speaks through his full-face mask, ¡°Hello there, Hero. You are a little too late. I''m already gone. Just enjoying looking through a puppet at my handywork. Quiet the beauty isn¡¯t it? Freedom for all the slaves? A wondrous thought. One that shouldn¡¯t be a thought.¡± Alais raises her bow, about to fire, only for Arseni to push her bow down, confusing and angering her. Jazak speaks, knowing Arseni noticed the words as well, unlike Alais, ¡°Puppet? Handywork? What the fuck are you?¡± The Nekomimi does a small bow, as he speaks, ¡°I am the Demon Lord Baal¡¯s Fifth General, Focalor. My Lord wishes for chaos, and chaos I bring. Yet, at the same time, I hope to see a better world for it, as does my Lord. Now, if you will excuse me, I must break these locks.¡± With a powerful gust of wind from Focalor, the locks begin to shatter suddenly, opening and scaring most of the slaves. Silence fills the room, as Jazak takes a moment to think of his next question, then speaks it, ¡°I have never heard of a ¡®Demon Lord¡¯. You¡¯re lying aren¡¯t you?¡± Focalor shakes his head, then speaks, ¡°How do I convince you? Oh, I know. I will release my puppet, and take another instead.¡± Suddenly the Nekomimi¡¯s body begins to change, and he collapses, revealing the Nekomimi from earlier. She slumps to her knees, and then falls to the side, her hat falling off, and her staff rolling slightly from her hand. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Alais looks shocked by this, but Arseni is not, as he remains still, watching the slaves for any sudden and hostile movements. Jazak on the other hand, was convinced this was something he shouldn¡¯t mess with, but he has to. He begins to approach the unconscious Nekomimi, only for many of the slaves to start baring teeth and saying hostile things, approaching him as he begins stepping towards her. He stops and they stop moving, he takes a step back and they remain still, watching him with hostility. He steps backwards fully, and the slaves seem to calm down, as he says, ¡°Focalor, you took over the slaves, didn¡¯t you? Dirty trick.¡± He glances at the fearful slaves, who remained in their cages, and continues, ¡°But you can¡¯t take over those who aren¡¯t willing, or maybe in a healthy situation.¡± Backing up further, he speaks calmly, ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± Alais yells out, ¡°What!? We can¡¯t jus-¡± Jazak shoots her a cold glare, as he responds with cold fury, ¡°We¡¯re leaving, now.¡± Alais begins to follow, shaking slightly from worry. And soon, they were leaving the area, heading back for the Spire. Kaede With a small smirk, she begins to feign waking up again, and starts to sit up. Looking behind herself with a tired look, she sees the slaves all watching her with curiosity and a few with worry. Getting up, she begins to reassure them that she is fine, and tries to collect and calm down the scared slaves. When they were all calm and collected together, she spoke, ¡°I am Kaede, the Black Witch. What you heard and saw was an illusion. I am trying to see the world changed, as was requested by my Lady. To that end, I need help. We will provide you what you need, but in return, we need you to help us free the world of slavery. Those of you who are unwilling, we will send you somewhere safe. Those who are willing, we will outfit you properly, and we will begin the emancipation. We will free everyone.¡± The slaves looked around at each other. Many were willing, and some were on the fence. But all the same, they each seemed to think the same thing, ¡°Freedom for all.¡± Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ was working away, she had made underground rooms, new passages, and all sorts of things. She was happily toiling away, when she suddenly felt a new pair of feet appear in the middle of her planned town. Quickly looking over, she stops any hostility from her monsters, and stares with confusion at the startled and ragged looking Inuhito. Then another appeared. After a few minutes, there were about thirty different ragged looking people. Each of them were Beastmen or Humans. Then Kaede appeared, staff in hand and with a smirk on her face, she called out, ¡°Hello, Codex! I¡¯m home with guests!¡± The nearby monsters watch with curiosity and confusion, at least until Lun¨¦ realizes the situation and gives them a friendly nudge towards the former slaves, she then speaks to Kaede, ¡°Well done, Kaede. I didn¡¯t expect you to free slaves, but I¡¯m glad you did.¡± Kaede grins, and then does a small bow, ¡°Oh I know, Little Lady. I did it because they can help us change the world. One slave ring at a time, we¡¯ll free them all.¡± Lun¨¦ is very pleased with the situation, and begins to separate from Codex again, heading up to greet her new guests, and ease their fears of being in a dungeon. As she gets to the top, she can see Radoc watching them like a hawk, while Kaede is speaking to them about keeping a friendly disposition. Miyoshi was nearby, having gotten away from Koto for the time being, and she was watching with extreme glee and curiosity. Cloud was running past, with a bag around her body. Cloud did not stop to say hello, but did glance over. Lun¨¦ steps out and begins to approach the group, most of whom flinch and cower at seeing a Hero, but Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Welcome to Codex, everyone! I am Lun¨¦ Alpenglow, a Hero of the Humans, but at the same time, I am the Dungeon Core of Codex. My intent is for Codex to be a place where adventurers and other individuals can come to train. As such, I welcome you, and beg you to grow stronger. We will provide basic food and shelter, as we can barely feed ourselves. But with the help of the Human Kingdom, specifically the nearby town, you will be well cared for. Take your time to adjust, and if you wish to leave, we will not stop you, just follow the path back to the road, and then go right.¡± She looks to Radoc, ¡°Radoc, I need you to deliver the coins we have in stockpile to Zeuz, so he can buy clothes for them.¡± Radoc nods in response, while Lun¨¦ looks at Kaede, ¡°As for you, Kaede, if you have anything to report from the Dwarven Kingdoms, we can talk at the Core Room.¡± With that, she had said what she needed. Lun¨¦ passed the coins to Radoc, who headed off, and then went down into the Core Room with Kaede, who would then explain the situation to her. Kaede was nearing the end of the story, ¡°And thus, I used my old moniker, from when I was under Baal.¡± Lun¨¦ nodded silently, and then spoke, ¡°The description sounds like Jazak. For now, though, I want you to forget about capturing him, and deal with the current situation.¡± Kaede grins, and nods, answering with a simple response, ¡°You got it, Little Lady.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles happily, and then stands again, ¡°Alright, you¡¯re good to leave then. I need to get back to working on the layout of the dungeon, especially now that I need to choose a place for them to be able to lay down their heads. Kaede quickly stands up, and then starts leaving, as Lun¨¦ puts a hand on Codex and merges once more. While in this state, she checks her mana and smiles, then selects a room to see its description: Wolves Den Level 1 This room, at Level 1, allows the production of one specific low level Wolf Species Monster, along with the normal Wolves. Wolf Bosses can respawn here. Wolves will now occasionally drop the "Wolf Fur" textile, when wandering or killed. Cost: 50 Mana Lun¨¦ was slightly baffled by the fact she had not already created this, but she placed it in an enclosed underground room. Some wolves began heading for it, and started digging, clawing, and scratching up the place. After a while, it was complete, and it looked far nicer. A small little pit, which Lun¨¦ could tell was a spawning point, a few piles of leaves and brush for bedding here and there. She smiled happily, then began watching a few wolves. One was already shaking himself rapidly, which caused fur to start flying. A moment later, she could see she had gained a Wolf Fur, showing that it was in fact just the wolves shedding that gave her the fur. She looked over to the carpenter, and began to have the small sprite work away creating bed frames. At the same time, she looked back to the Wolves Den and selected it, finding a new button for the room, ¡°Select Low Level Monster Spawn¡±. She pressed it and found a small list of Wolf Monsters. Reading through it, she finds Magic casters, supports, damage dealers, ambushers. She was beginning to have trouble making her decision, so she held off for now, and began to look at other things. She found some of the new arrivals had been given swords, and were now facing down some monsters. A wolf and two sproutlings. The monsters were going extremely easy on them, but were not losing at all. She felt a small bit of pity for the Inuhito in particular, as he managed to strike the wolf, but was so shaky and uncertain that it wasn¡¯t a strike, and was more like a light tap. Lun¨¦ knew they would need confidence, but it would take time to instill that in them, so she looked elsewhere, and continued preparing what they would need. Chapter 26: Visitation Begins Kaede Kaede sat quietly, watching the group of former slaves trying their hardest to beat the wolf and sproutlings. She decides to bless them with her presence, and approaches, yelling out, ¡°Just hit it already! Quit being cowardly! Do you even want to save others!?¡± She raises her staff as one of the four is angered and throws herself forward at a sproutling. Slamming down as the spell takes hold, she bisects the plant monster, bringing excitement and a small bit of courage to the rest. With that, they start to genuinely fight. Though they were terrible at it, they were gaining courage as they defeated the other sproutling, and caused the wolf to get nervous, backing away. Kaede smiles as she sees the four actually managing to fight. As the wolf runs off, the four begin to celebrate. Kaede already knows this celebration is too early, as she could see the next test already approaching. A group of enlarged doves swoop down, and begin hovering in front of the four. The battle was about to restart, and the four could only stare in confusion. As one dove launches forward, and then just barely past one, they realize the fight isn¡¯t over. Their technique is terrible, and they barely eke out a victory, before the final challenge approaches, a Bear and Cloud. Kaede smirks, and then has to hold back a laugh, as she realizes Lun¨¦ isn¡¯t holding any punches. It will be a painful end to the fight, but at least Cloud knows how to hold back. The armor glistens slightly in the sun, and the bear lumbers forward, growling out its warcry. She watches as the fight is ended quickly, simply by Cloud, who leaves the four on the ground, and sits watching them carefully. The bear lumbers off, having done almost nothing aside take a few hits, like the tank it is. With that done, she approached, and simply cast a small spell to heal their wounds a small bit. Just enough to bring them back up, and off the ground. The four start to sit up slowly, as she says, ¡°You lack the strength you need. Keep training, because there will always be tougher opponents. Once you can beat Cloud here, you¡¯re good enough, but nowhere near where you need to be.¡± The four are silent, and then seem to gain back their enthusiasm, Kaede quickly realizes she may have inspired them to keep going until they drop again, and states, ¡°But you need to rest first. You¡¯re in no shape to keep going. Doing that in an actual fight will end up with a dance with Death itself.¡± The four¡¯s fires seem to fade at that, and they return to the town that is slowly forming. Kaede hears Lun¨¦¡¯s voice, happy and energetic, ¡°Good thinking on the spell. I didn¡¯t think about how to make them more confident.¡± Kaede smiles as she says, ¡°The monsters you sent were too strong for them, Little Lady. Just had to do something so they could actually defeat a single monster at the least. Show that victory isn¡¯t impossible.¡± Lun¨¦ responds with a question, ¡°Do you want to take over their training?¡± Kaede immediately answers, ¡°Hell no. Didn¡¯t even do that for Baal. Only thing I¡¯ll do is explain the basics of magic to those who end up magi.¡± Lun¨¦ responds rather simply, yet with a playful tone, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll leave that to you, Miss Witch.¡± Kaede smiles, she hasn¡¯t had a normal conversation in a long time. Ever since she last was at Aichen, trying to kill Duchess Hearth. Then again, the last person she talked to there was Victor. Not really a normal conversation when you know the person you¡¯re talking to could kill you in a second for simply misspeaking. Though he¡¯d never do that. Kaede begins to walk off, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to go get started on my little tower somewhere in the dungeon.¡± Lun¨¦ seems curious as Kaede feels her eyes lingering on her for a few seconds, then shift elsewhere. Cloud begins to follow Kaede, and Kaede already gets annoyed, ¡°What, puppy?¡± Cloud growls at that, and Kaede just ignores her, walking calmly off into the forest, but remaining in Codex¡¯s territory. Sebastia Rin Sebastia sat silently, while waiting. Soon the door opened, and she saw the Etherling step in, a trio of rabbits in her left hand. Walking over to a counter, she lays the rabbits down, and begins gathering tools to start cooking. Sebastia speaks, curious at this point, ¡°The picture. You have a sister?¡± The Etherling does not look up, but answers, ¡°Yes. She is somewhere far away at the moment. Likely enjoying her own life.¡± Sebastia stands up and approaches the counter, listening quietly. She gets nothing more though, and decides to press more on the question, ¡°Did something happen between you two?¡± The Freeborne shakes her head, then says, ¡°Not at all. We just have different things we wish to do with our lives. We may be twins, but we could not be any more different. She enjoys the lavish and more interesting life, while I enjoy the simple and quiet life. Though, of course, being a Freeborne I tend to find interesting things often enough that I cannot simply live a quiet life.¡± Sebastia is silent, before saying, ¡°I can understand that feeling. I once thought I wanted a quiet farm life, but I joined my town guard, and soon found myself as a talented fighter, destined to go against all around me.¡± The Freeborne starts to prepare the rabbits for cooking, as she says, ¡°You are an otherworlder, as such this world is far different to what you expect.¡± Sebastia is startled, as she had been trying to hide that fact for now, but the Freeborne continues, ¡°All otherworlders suffer one specific flaw. They have a strange additive to their life essence.¡± She looks up, her face calm and collected, ¡°This is something you will likely begin to be able to see, as an Angel. One thing you must note, is that almost all Freeborne have that same strangeness, as we are not bound to one World. However, those born without the ability to traverse, only gain that strangeness by being sent by someone else.¡± Sebastia remains silent, as the Freeborne returns to the rabbits. After a few minutes of silence and contemplation, Sebastia speaks, ¡°So you are from somewhere else?¡± She nods in response, before answering properly, ¡°In each World, there is an equivalent. In each world, there is another of you, whether in the past, present, or future. The only exception is the Freeborne. In one world, life may have found a way to create artificial life, with its own sentience, or even sapience. If a specific individual in that world creates a life, in another they will do the same in that world¡¯s way. You are now a guardian of all life, and all death. An Angel, chosen by the Creation Gods. You must know these things now, so that you will not waver in the future, for one day you may even face yourself who has instead gone down a different path.¡± Sebastia remains silent, taking in the words, and then paraphrasing back, ¡°Each world has the same people, in different circumstances? Is that what you mean?¡± The Freeborne nods in response, as she begins putting the now skinned, cleaned, and dissected, rabbits on a board. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Sebastia remains silent, letting the Freeborne cook now. Having plenty to think about. This was getting stranger and stranger. Sudden rift, Clover, tests, and now the confrontation of a multiverse. Today was certainly a strange one. Chaos, of Probability Glancing back at the table, he sees everything seems to be going well for Sebastia. Sliding his view to Lun¨¦, he sees it to be fine as well. In fact, he would say it is far more than fine. She now had new allies in the form of former slaves. He smiles, and moves his vision down to the town of Woodshade, where he would nudge a few actors with thoughts of checking out the Dungeon that came to their aid. Soon enough, the only remaining adventurers were heading that direction. He smiled as he heard a voice, ¡°Chaos. We need to speak about your plan again.¡± Turning with an exasperated sigh, she looks at Order, of Probability, and says, ¡°Quit with the tricks, Eyalve, go bug your sister.¡± The Order standing in front of him shrinks down into a smaller girl with an eyepatch and large hat. Eyalve crosses her arms as she says, ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Father.¡± Chaos smiles at the use of father, but then restates himself, ¡°Go bug your sister or Order. I¡¯m in the middle of figuring out the next step. Your avatar will get his turn in the limelight, once Lun¨¦¡¯s first story nears its conclusion.¡± Eyalve frowns heavily, and instead of walking away, she asks a question, ¡°What about those other stories? Why aren¡¯t you worrying about those?¡± Chaos chuckles, ¡°Well, this is the one that matters the most at this moment. Besides, time does not move here. I have all the time I would ever need, simply to see the other stories. It is a perk of being one of the Creation Gods. We can take all the time we would ever need within these halls, and thanks to its timelessness, we could skip to the End of All, or the Beginning of All. However, would it not be smarter to use our infinite lives to create a better outcome? One in which no life must forever suffer in cramped closeness, or airless vacuum? One in which nothing ever truly becomes nothing for eternity?¡± Eyalve is silent, then walks off, clearly bored of the conversation already. Chaos smiles happily, glad he knows the young goddess of Tricksters well. He turns back to his table, and looks through the world again, finding the many places he needs. Then he spots something he expected. He decides that will be his focal point for a bit. Leonarde Whitewood ¡°My Liege, we are nearing the Town of Woodshade.¡± Looking out the window of his carriage, he sees the Knight who spoke, he smiles slightly, thinking of the letter he had received a while back, and the report of the Knights he had sent. ¡°Good. I need someone to ride ahead and check the town for me. Once done, we will enter, and leave the carriage and horses at the stables. Once we have rested from our travels, we will gain directions and head for the Dungeon.¡± The Knight nods, then says, ¡°It shall be done.¡± He guides his horse away from the carriage, and then gets one of his men to head forwards, intent on following orders. Leonarde sat quietly, still thinking about the letter. He reached across the carriage and picked it up once more, deciding to reread it. Prince Leonarde Whitewood, I hope this letter finds you well, and I do hope I do not reiterate what has already been stated. This letter concerns recent findings at the Town of Woodshade, and the slavers whom decided to besiege it. On the day of writing this, the slavers attacked, and were held off by the Woodshade Guard. However, as things began to look like they may turn for the worse, allies came to our assistance. The Dungeon Codex sent a force of monsters, two denizens, a Wolf Boss Monster, and its Core. You may ask how it sent its Core, the answer to which is that the Core itself is the missing Hero, thought dead for a year, Lun¨¦ Alpenglow. With the account of Quint Radoc a year ago, and Lun¨¦ having no memories of the past year, along with the strange happenings during my time speaking with her, I believe that the gods themselves had a part to play in our Hero¡¯s disappearance. It was not Material, nor Void, but rather ¡°Chaos, of Probability¡±. There may be a war between the gods, and I believe we must be on Lun¨¦¡¯s side to win. When you have the time, please come to the Town of Woodshade. There I will explain in full detail the recent events surrounding the Dungeon Codex, and Deadgrave Wood. -Priestess Isabell Jordan Leonarde smiled at the news that Lun¨¦ was still alive and well. Yet, he was troubled by the thought of a war between the gods. Never did he want or expect such a thing, as it would devastate too much of the land, and kill way too many. He set the letter down again, as he felt his carriage stop. He spoke, ¡°Why have we stopped? We are not at the point we were meant to stop at?¡± Two Knights hop off their horses, and stand in front of the carriage¡¯s doors, causing Leonarde to realize something possibly dangerous is outside. Seeing as his Knights are not speaking, it is an animal of some kind. Standing from his seat, he tries to get a look, and sees a small pack of four wolves, each staring at them. They were strange looking wolves at that, and one even had a satchel on its body. Taking a second, Leonarde speaks, ¡°They are not a threat, continue onwards.¡± He then hears one of the Knights start to question his order, but he repeats it, and they begin moving again. The Wolves simply sniff at them as they pass by, but make no sudden moves. Once the carriage is at a safe seeming distance, the wolves begin to follow, on the road no less. Leonarde smirks, as he realizes his hunch was correct, those are Codex¡¯s wolves. Chapter 27: The Princes Approach Leonarde Whitewood Sitting calmly, Leonarde awaits the moment when he can enter the town. The carriage comes to a stop, and he glances out of the carriage¡¯s back window, having to stand to look out it. The wolves seem to realize the carriage and knights have stopped, then look at each other, before going around, and towards the town once again. He watches with curiosity at the intelligence of the wolves. Was it that they were simply following a hivemind-like order? Or were they truly capable of making those decisions? Or perhaps, the more likely option, they were still using their animalistic instincts. A strong group is in front of them, and they could not fight through it if things went bad. It reminds him slightly of home. Groups of influential nobles flock to the side of the Crown, while the rest skirt the edges, trying to remain unseen. However, unlike those skirting the edges, these Wolves seem to want to be seen. He watches the wolves passing by, and decides to step out of the carriage and approach them. As he exits the carriage, he hears the knight that was close and watching the wolves, ¡°M- My Liege you cannot exit now. Please remain inside.¡± Leonarde does not heed his unnecessary words, answering instead, ¡°They have clearly shown no hostility, pay them no mind. I¡¯m simply stretching my legs.¡± The knights around him shift nervously, but do not stop him, as he approaches the wolves, who look at him. Only one stops, and stares as he approaches, the rest continue onwards. As he nears the wolf, and crouches to look at it, it has a low growl within its throat. Leonarde takes the hint, as one of the Knights approaches, and aims his spear, only causing the growl to truly come out. The Prince pushes the spear up, causing the growl to return to a low one, while the rest of the knights approach, angered that this mutt dared growl at their Prince. Leonarde spoke, ¡°We mean no harm, Wolf of Codex. I simply wanted to get a closer look at you, to confirm a thought.¡± A bark is heard from the rest of the wolves, who were now standing still and staring back at the group. The one wolf who had stopped, starts running to its group, who turn and begin walking again. Leonarde smiles widely, as he says, ¡°Quite the interesting situation, is it not?¡± He turns and begins walking back to the carriage, noting the knight he had sent ahead was returning. Leonarde spoke, ¡°Continue onwards, remember what we must do once we arrive. Most of you will be remaining in the town, some will go with me and the Priestess, to treat with Codex.¡± As he steps back into the carriage, it begins moving forward, along with the knights. The knight who had gone ahead was sent to the side of the carriage, where he waited for the Prince to speak to him. Leonarde slid himself closer, and spoke, ¡°What did you see?¡± The knight begins to speak, with virtually no tone to give life to his emotionless helmet, ¡°It is just a simple town, my Liege. The only strange part is that there were no adventurers, and there was a Kobold trading with the locals, with a strange human woman following it.¡± Leonarde nods quietly, before asking, ¡°What of the state of their Guardsmen?¡± The knight answers quickly, ¡°Clearly still slightly injured, but all posts are manned properly.¡± Leonarde then asks, ¡°What about the walls, how did they look?¡± The knight answers quickly, ¡°Like wood, but still maintained well. I saw no cracks as I entered and went through to the other side. It may very well be damaged in other places.¡± Leonarde smiles and speaks, ¡°Well done, knight. Return to your spot in the formation, but before that, send Captain Carolina to me.¡± The knight leaves, and soon a decorated knight rides up to the side of the carriage and speaks, ¡°You called for me, my Liege?¡± Leonarde nods in response, ¡°Captain Carolina. I need you to remain by my side at all times once we are in the town. After we leave the town, you will keep an eye out for anything actually attacking us.¡± Captain Carolina nods in response, answering immediately, ¡°It will be done, my Liege.¡± He pulls back to his place in the formation. Leonarde then relaxes in his seat, and waits for the carriage to reach the town. Once it had, he stood and glanced past the carriage driver, and the window behind him, seeing one of the guards crouching and examining one of the pouches on the wolves, before letting them in. The carriage was next to approach, and the guardsmen simply saluted the carriage and let them through, with no check. The knights followed the carriage in, but some remained at the gate, mount and all. A small group leaves towards the other gate, where they would also stand guard. Leonarde feels the carriage soon come to a stop near the stables, where many of his knights begin dismounting. Stepping out of the carriage, he already finds Captain Carolina waiting, left hand on his scabbard. Stepping down, he approaches Captain Carolina, and speaks as he passes the knight, ¡°Let us begin searching for the Priestess.¡± The Captain turns and follows the Prince, watching the surroundings carefully, even though there is clearly no danger. After a few minutes, Leonarde hears the knight draw his blade, and turning, he finds a familiar mask and fancy outfit. Speaking with a small hit of amusement, he looks at the Dark Elf with a sword to his neck, ¡°Radoc, it is a pleasure to see you again.¡± Radoc chuckles from under the mask, before answering, ¡°Your guards are as sharp as ever, I see.¡± Leonarde looks at the Captain, before gesturing for him to lower the sword. The Captain does so, and Leonarde smiles while speaking, ¡°Walk with me, Radoc. And tell me what you¡¯ve found over the year you have been away.¡± Radoc follows the two, while answering with his calm and collected tone, ¡°Not much, aside from the most interesting aspect, which I believe you already know, considering you are here.¡± Leonarde continues walks in silence for a few seconds, before asking, ¡°Do you happen to know where the Priestess is, Radoc?¡± Radoc shakes his head in response, before stating, ¡°Likely in the chapel. I was not here to find her, just deliver a small pouch of coins.¡± Leonarde raises an eyebrow at that, then asks, ¡°Courier work? If you are on hard times, you could simply ask me. I am your patron after all.¡± Radoc shakes his head, ¡°Not in the slightest. My abilities are well enough that I can simply hunt for food and coin. This was because I had to. After all, your last order put me in this situation.¡± Leonarde nods in response, smiling as he has complete confirmation that Lun¨¦ is alive in this area. Which gives far more credence to the possibility she is in fact the Dungeon Core of Codex. Radoc then speaks in his calm tone, ¡°I should be off. If you see a Kobold walking around with a Human woman, keep in mind that the woman is there by choice, and not slavery.¡± Radoc stops walking, and fades from view. Leonarde smiles by the use of that ability, and continues his pace. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Soon they arrive at the chapel, where they enter, and remain silent as a prayer is nearing completion. Around the room, many people remain still and silent, listening and praying with the speaker, who is at the altar, praying aloud for them all. She was confident in her prayer, and she did not stutter. As the prayer came to a close, they all opened their eyes and looked up to the front again, where a clergyman steps to the altar, and begins a sermon. The woman stands, and begins returning to her seat, but heads for the Prince and Captain as she notices them. Nearing them, her golden eyes shine with warmth, and as they exit the building, a few of the people inside were of course curious about why the Prince was here, but did not make many noises. After the door is closed, the Prince speaks, ¡°It is good to see you, Priestess Jordan. How are you feeling?¡± The Priestess smiles warmly, as she speaks with even more warmth, ¡°The complete opposite, when compared to how I was a year ago around this time.¡± Leonarde smiles warmly as well, and then asks his question, ¡°Are you free to take us to Codex at this moment? I would like to leave as soon as possible.¡± Priestess Jordan nods in response, then states, ¡°I do not know what she has done since I last was there, but I can show you the quickest route there.¡± Leonarde nods in response, before stating, ¡°First let me gather a few more of my knights, then we can go.¡± The Priestess nods in response, before leaving towards the west gate. Leonarde headed for the east gate, where his knights were remaining. Soon he finds himself at the west gate, a group of four Knights with him, finding a Kobold talking with the Priestess, while a Human in strange armor stands, watching the road. The Kobold turns, and Leonarde notices the golden monocle on his eye. The Kobold then speaks in a playful tone, ¡°Well hello there! Little Prince, I shall be your guide to Codex!¡± Leonarde approaches, before asking a question to the Priestess, ¡°I thought you would be my guide, Priestess Jordan?¡± The Priestess smiles warmly, before answering, ¡°From what Mr. Balr¨® here has told me, Codex is changing its layout, and the only safe place is a path and small town-like area. The rest will be filled with monsters for people to challenge.¡± Leonarde raises an eyebrow at that, before speaking, ¡°So one of those training dungeons?¡± Balr¨® nods in response, before speaking, ¡°That is completely correct, little Prince! Come, let us be on our way!¡± He then turns to the human, before asking, ¡°Imai, you do have all of the equipment, yes?¡± The human looks down to the Kobold and simply nods, doing a small up and down motion with her body to emphasize the sound of metal clanking together in her bag. The Prince speaks as they begin to walk again, exiting the town, ¡°What is your name, Kobold?¡± The Kobold glances back, as he answers, ¡°I am Zeuz Balr¨®, your Princeliness. Merchant by trade, and denizen of the Dungeon Codex.¡± Leonarde is silent as he takes this information in. Soon they were reaching a point in the road, where Zeuz slowed down. The rest slowed, and soon the group came to a stop, before Zeuz spoke, ¡°The path is just this way.¡± He raises a hand towards the woods, which causes most of the knights to tense up and grab their weapons¡¯ sheathes. The Priestess speaks in a calming tone, ¡°It will be safe, the hostile dungeons in the area were already destroyed, or dormant, by the time Codex appeared. Once Codex arrived, even the reawakening hostile dungeon was defeated.¡± As if to prove her point, she begins to enter the forest, followed by Imai and Zeuz. Then Leonarde chuckles slightly, ¡°Well men? You¡¯re being outdone in your bravery by a Priestess. What say you? Shall we follow?¡± The knights begin to follow, bringing the Prince along in the middle of their formation. After a few minutes, they found something rather strange. Sproutlings could be seen moving rocks, while a wolf and bear dug holes for said rocks. Zeuz spoke, ¡°This is the start of the path! You will be perfectly fine to go to Codex from here, just remain on the path once you enter Codex, and you will not have to fight any of the monsters.¡± The monsters near them were ignoring them completely, as they passed by, and stepped onto the freshly made path. This was rather fascinating to Leonarde, who watched the monsters with curiosity, but remained in the middle of his knights. After almost an hour of walking, they could feel the air change, indicating they had entered a dungeon. Zeuz spoke, ¡°I shall be off from here, Imai and I must deliver what we purchased. You should be fine to reach the center on your own. Welcome to Codex.¡± Zeuz and Imai start to increase pace down the path, leaving the Priestess, Prince, and knights alone to walk the path. As they did, they saw many monsters striking resources, running about, carrying resources, or digging in certain areas. They pass a cave opening, and see a pile of rocks sliding out of the cave, and off into the forest. Remaining on the path, it is clear no monsters have any interest in them, but they do run over the path often enough that it is clear none of the monsters are prohibited from being on the path. Soon, they can see a wooden wall being built, along with a few buildings. A lot of people were wandering about, their clothes ragged and messy, causing the Prince to realize they were all slaves. A few were putting on armor and taking weapons that Imai and Zeuz were passing out. As Leonarde enters the town, a Wolf Boss approaches them, to whom Priestess Jordan smiles and addresses, ¡°Hello Cloud. I have brought Prince Leonarde Whitewood, and his guards, to meet with your Lady.¡± Cloud swings her head, seemingly trying to indicate for them to follow her, as she begins to walk toward the large house near the center of the building area. The slaves begin to watch Leonarde warrily, and especially Priestess Jordan, who does not stray from following Cloud, though Leonarde knows she wishes to check on the slaves and their conditions. They enter the building, and then Cloud sits beside the basement door, where Priestess Jordan enters and begins going down. The knights clearly do not like that idea, but Leonarde speaks, ¡°Remain here, knights. You can guard as much as you want, but I would prefer if you wandered around and explored.¡± The Captain speaks with authority, ¡°You heard the Prince, start moving.¡± Leonarde heads down, as his guards remain upstairs. Entering he sees the Dungeon Core sitting idly in the center, while Lun¨¦ was standing and smiling at the two coming down the stairs. Leonarde smiles happily, and speaks, ¡°It is good to see you in great health, Lun¨¦.¡± Chapter 28: A Meeting Leonarde Whitewood ¡°-and that is what happened in town, Prince Leonarde,¡± Lun¨¦ said with a smile and calm tone. Though the chairs were uncomfortable, Leonarde could put that out of his mind to hear the story. He was not so vain, like his father or the Nobility. He nodded slowly, finishing picturing the scene. A battle between the guards and the dungeons, and the slavers and a necromancer. From the recreation of a dungeon, to the creation of a new dungeon, to the capture of a member of the Heroes of the World. He smirked slightly, ¡°So Noalen¡¯s here? What have you done with him?¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, before looking between the two with a hint of worry on her face. This, naturally, adds to his own worry, and clearly makes the Priestess internally panic. Lun¨¦ takes in a breath then speaks with closed eyes, and a calm tone that wavers oh so slightly, ¡°I allowed the siblings to take revenge.¡± Leonarde¡¯s eyes widen, and he stares at her silently. He then hears the Priestess speak, ¡°He may have been rude, but I do not believe he deserved death.¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, clearly waiting to hear the Prince¡¯s response. The Prince stands silently, and closes his eyes. Then when he opens them, he can see Lun¨¦ is unable to look up at him from her seat. He speaks, calm and collected, ¡°He deserved his fate. Unbeknownst to both of you, he had a past of this sort of thing. We once caught him, and turned him over to the Beastkin, but as you can see he did not suffer any punishment. I believe you did the right thing, by allowing two of his victims to earn some sort of peace, even if it may haunt them one day down the line.¡± Lun¨¦ looks up at him, seemingly surprised by his response. She seems to become a little more calm, as he then continues, ¡°I need to pace a tad, so please do continue.¡± He starts to move about in lines, still listening to the two. Though confusing both of them, Lun¨¦ continues, explaining what she has been doing since awakening after the battle. As Lun¨¦ comes to a close, Leonarde stops pacing, and then responds, ¡°So you are intending to take on all of your former comrades? I will support you as best as I can, not because you are a Hero of our race, but because you are now a cooperative dungeon core. That is rare, and I will not squander this chance.¡± Lun¨¦ stands from her seat, and holds out a hand, ¡°Then as Codex, I welcome you as an ally.¡± Leonarde smirks, and takes her hand, shaking it, ¡°As Prince Leonarde Whitewood, of the Kingdom of Goldbrooke, I accept your welcome wholeheartedly.¡± As their hands go back to their sides, he continues, ¡°Though I may not be able to assist you just yet, I shall see what I can do. For now, some information shall suffice, I feel.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in agreement, and listens as Leonarde begins to talk, only to be interrupted by the Priestess, ¡°I am happy you two have decided to join hands in this, and walk together, but it is a troublesome situation. If there is ever a time where it comes out that the Prince is working with a Dungeon to kill off the Heroes of the World, there would be major backlash.¡± Leonarde looks at her, then holds up a hand, ¡°I¡¯m willing to face that risk, and take to the sky in defense of the Kingdom if it ever comes to that. The only problem would be my father and sister, whom both would rather turn me over if it came to that. I may have relinquished my place in succession, but I will not relinquish my life, nor my people.¡± Lun¨¦ spoke, grinning and bringing a fist up in front of herself, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that, Codex has your back. You simply need to ask, and we¡¯ll gather up our allies.¡± Her expression then changes, to a far calmer and slightly confused look, as she says, ¡°Speak of the devils, both just arrived.¡± Leonarde looks at Lun¨¦, then asks, ¡°Really? That suddenly?¡± Lun¨¦ nods, and the Priestess speaks as she stands, ¡°Then we should take our leave.¡± Leonarde was about to agree, but Lun¨¦ spoke, ¡°No, no. You should certainly stay. Especially you, Prince Leonarde. After all, Grandia sent the Silent Hero.¡± Leonarde raised an eyebrow at that, not remembering the Silent Hero from Lun¨¦¡¯s retelling of events to this point. The Priestess shakes her head, and begins to exit the basement anyway, clearly not wanting to be in the way when the three dungeons begin talking with each other. A few minutes pass, and soon a woman in armor enters, with a floating Water Sylph behind her. The Sylph looked similar to a young woman, but was the height of Leonarde¡¯s forearm. The woman¡¯s armor was heavy looking, and had a hanging light blue banner with a golden lion¡¯s head on it, roaring. She looks at Leonarde inquisitively, but ignores him for now, as the three step together, and hold out their hands. A flash of light appears between them, and then a few seconds pass, before they each raise their heads as the light fades. Opening their eyes, the woman speaks, ¡°A productive meeting. I will return to Grandia and relay your plan.¡± The Sylph completely ignores the conversation and starts leaving, as Lun¨¦ speaks with a smile, ¡°Okay, but first I would like to introduce you to someone.¡± She looks at Leonarde, who speaks with an authoritative yet somehow friendly tone, ¡°I am Prince Leonarde Whitewood, of the Kingdom of Goldbrooke.¡± The woman does a small bow, before responding, ¡°Irae Rein, Queen Consort of Grandia, and the Silent Hero.¡± Prince Leonarde is startled by this, and immediately does a proper bow, before stating, ¡°I am terribly sorry for my rudeness, Queen Consort.¡± Irae frowns heavily as he does this, and speaks with an annoyed tone, ¡°Stand the fuck back up, Prince. You weren¡¯t rude at all, I¡¯m a simple adventurer first, and Queen second.¡± Leonarde is still a bit startled, and now he is baffled, as he stands back up and stares at Irae. Irae then speaks with a smirk, ¡°Put in a good word for us, right? I¡¯m itching to test my mettle against Goldbrooke¡¯s best soldiers.¡± Leonarde can barely stammer out his response, agreeing to put in a good word, and he begins to try to collect himself again. He had not expected Grandia to send one of its Queens to meet with Lun¨¦ in her own dungeon. That was a very dangerous thing to do, and the fact they did it shows either extreme confidence in Irae¡¯s abilities or trust in Lun¨¦. Irae begins leaving as she says, ¡°I¡¯d love to stay and chat, but I¡¯ve got things I need to help with back home.¡± Lun¨¦ speaks before she gets to the stairs, ¡°Before you leave, how is Sebastia doing?¡± Irae stops and looks back with a confused look, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lun¨¦ clearly has a moment of panic, and speaks with clear worry in her tone, ¡°She went to you after we had an argument.¡± Irae shakes her head, speaking in a calm tone, as if it is normal for Sebastia to disappear, ¡°She did not arrive, so she¡¯s either sidetracked or got snatched up by another goddess.¡± Lun¨¦ looks worried, as she speaks, ¡°Could you send some cavalry to search the woods? Your Animated Armors and Horses are good with forested environments.¡± Irae smirks, ¡°Of course they¡¯re good. We train in forests for the fun of it. We¡¯ll find her.¡± Irae starts exiting the basement, as Lun¨¦ speaks with worry still plaguing her voice, ¡°Thank you.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Leonarde speaks as Irae exits and leaves the area, ¡°Are you alright, Lun¨¦?¡± Lun¨¦ is silent, holding a hand to her mouth as she clearly overthinks the situation. Leonarde activates an ability, then steps in front of her, and crouches, getting into her eyesight, as he says in a warm and friendly tone, ¡°Lun¨¦, she will be fine. From what I have heard today, she would be impossible to defeat by any bandits or slavers within Goldbrooke¡¯s lands. She¡¯s a strong fighter, and not even the normal soldiers of any army could defeat her. She is safe.¡± He sees two dice roll in the corner of his eye, both 20-sided, and then two more, both 6-sided. One is a 15, while the other which is golden is a 5, and the six-sided die roll a 6 and 2. He decides the two goes to the 5 as a negative, and the six goes to the 15 for a 21. A second later he hears Lun¨¦ speak, ¡°Y-yeah. You¡¯re right, I need to calm down. She¡¯s fine. I shouldn¡¯t be worried, I should just worry about getting stronger.¡± Leonarde smiles warmly, and begins standing up as he speaks, ¡°I¡¯m glad you are feeling calmer. You need to be able to lead well, or we would never be able to complete your plans. Keep in mind that you are always welcome in my castle. When you need help, the Duchy of Oakshire will come to your aid to the best of our abilities.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, smiling again as she speaks with a grateful tone, ¡°Thank you, Prince Leonarde. You have always been kind to me, and not simply because of a feeling of necessity.¡± Leonarde smirks, ¡°I met you a year ago, and you were a simple kid with no idea about the world. Of course I would treat you well.¡± He begins heading for the stairs, as he continues, ¡°But I cannot stay forever, I need to return to begin drafting a letter to my father. Hopefully he sees you as an asset and not a danger. If he does, then I shall do my best to keep you and yours safe.¡± He hears Lun¨¦ speak as he exits, ¡°Thank you.¡± Leonarde heads off, glad Lun¨¦ is well, and even more glad to have lots of new things to think about, all of which seemed to be good news rather than the usual bad. Chase Carolis Chase was writing in his journal as they walked, smiling happily as he weaved a story from their walk. He glanced at his friend and companion, wondering what she was thinking as she looked around the forest, dragging him along towards the Dungeon Codex. He spoke with his serene smile, ¡°Clove, a question for you, what¡¯s your thoughts on the situation? From the whole slaver siege to a Dungeon coming to the town¡¯s aid?¡± She looks back at him, then stops for a second, thinking, before she speaks, in her energetic tone, ¡°It''s certainly an interesting one. Different to the past situations we¡¯ve found ourselves in. I remember our old home had that dungeon in it that wanted to keep killing everything around it. That was probably the worst one.¡± Chase nods in response, agreeing with her judgment, before stating, ¡°I think this may be an interesting story, if we add a few details here and there. Though it will likely take far less to make it interesting than that one.¡± They continue walking, happily chatting away as Chase rambles on about ideas for stories. Soon they feel the shiver of a dungeon, and they stop, entering a serious state of mind. Chase puts away his journal, and pulls out a book, holding it in one hand, open. Clove grabs her bladed gauntlets off her hips, and puts them on in one rapid motion. They begin walking again, silent as mice. Clove speaks, ¡°Stop. Something ahead.¡± She points at a bush, letting Chase examine it from a distance. He then speaks, ¡°Sproutling. If we were closer, I could perhaps cast an analysis spell on it.¡± Clove speaks in a calm tone, ¡°Going to burn it? That would do the most damage. Just need to remember to put out any other fires, this time.¡± Chase holds a hand up as he lets the pages flutter. A small ball of fire appears over his open hand, coming from the book. Then he pushes his hand forward, sending the ball at the Sproutling, and setting it on fire. He sees a yellow 42 appear. It begins rushing towards them, Clove rushes forward, and slams her fist into the Sproutling, causing it to crumble into a pile of burning plant matter. Chase quickly casts forth a small cloud, which begins raining, putting out the remaining fire. Chase approaches as Clove pulls a small green crystal from the Sproutling. Standing, Clove speaks, ¡°Let''s keep moving.¡± Chase follows Clove, smiling happily from the first kill of the dungeon. Then they hear something else, a howl. A Wolf approaches from the shadows, flanked by two more Sproutlings. Clove calls out, ¡°Burn the sproutlings, the wolf¡¯s mine!¡± She runs forward, already punching at the Wolf and dodging its attacks. Chase casts two more flames, sending them at the Sproutlings, getting a yellow 36 and yellow 48. The two Sproutlings begin rushing at him, one burning to death before reaching him, while the other is too slow to keep up with Chase¡¯s backpedaling and evading. He burns the Sproutling again, then looks to Clove, finding her punching the Wolf to the ground. With a smile, the two walk back to each other, and gather crystals from each. Chase speaks, ¡°These are rather dangerous monsters. They must all have reached at least level 15, since they all have a crystal.¡± Clove looks at the Wolf¡¯s which is gray, before stating, ¡°The wolves are upgraded, but not anything special yet. They have no affinity.¡± Chase nods in response, before noticing something approaching, ¡°Something¡¯s coming.¡± Clove looks the direction he¡¯s staring, and raises her gauntlets, as the Bear enters into the fight, growling and then standing on its hindlegs. This reveals the two Wolves behind the Bear, who begin snarling and barking. Chase smirks, before asking, ¡°Wildflower?¡± Clove chuckles, then answers, ¡°Wildflower.¡± Chase throws his free hand to his side, and his book¡¯s pages flutter. His hood ripples, and his cloak flaps backwards in a non-existent wind. He closes his eyes, and then after a second, throws his hand forward, causing a mass sprouting of wildflowers around the two groups of combatants. This confused the Monsters for a second, before the flowers suddenly spring forward, latching on and yanking them down to the ground. Clove backs up, then runs forward, a group of flowers leaping from the ground and covering her gauntlets. She rushes towards the monsters, and then jumps, bringing her gauntlets down on the bear¡¯s head. With a burst, the flowers expand in territory, then return to normal blades of grass. Clove backs away, expecting the Bear and Wolves to get up. Chase lets out one singular laugh, before exclaiming, ¡°That was way more powerful than normal!¡± Clove looks at her gauntlets, which no longer have flowers on them, then looks back smiling, ¡°I guess so.¡± The two approach the dead monsters, and gather more crystals, before heading further into the Dungeon Codex. As they enter a small clearing, they see a large Wolf, much larger than the rest. It is sitting quietly, and simply glances over at them, before returning its attention to one of the trees. Clove holds up her gauntlets, approaching with caution, as Chase follows, also cautious, but more curious than anything. As they near the Boss Monster, it does not turn to attack as expected and they relax, before hearing a woman¡¯s voice, ¡°Yep, this tree will do!¡± Hopping out of the tree, a Nekomimi with a large wizard¡¯s hat lands on the ground, startling the two, but not the Wolf. She looks at them, then waves, and says, ¡°Alright, Pup. Let''s get back to the Little Lady. I¡¯ve figured out my little spot.¡± Without answering any questions, the two were gone, and Clove spoke, ¡°We should go that direction.¡± Chase nods in response, ¡°Agreed.¡± Chapter 29: Interview Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Lun¨¦ mentally smiles as she watches the adventurers walk in the direction of the safe zone. She decides to give them a few very easy encounters, despite them being clearly on the level of the Royal Knights the Prince had brought with him. Speaking of, she can see them beginning to head down the path, leaving Priestess Jordan to do what she does best, tend to those of lesser fortune. She looks back to the adventurers and gives them their next hurdle, a pack of wolves, before looking away to tend to more shaping and editing of the terrain. Looking into the caves below, she starts thinking of where she should put the ores, while shaping the stone into more caves, or into stone brick rooms. As she watches it, she sees more Wolf fur being added to the stockpile. She expends 150 mana creating, and then upgrading a Barracks. Then she does the same again, making more spaces for at least four of the new arrivals, total, to sleep more comfortably. She returns her attention to the adventurers, and gives them more wolves to fight, before shaping another room. Once she had the wolf furs she needed, she built one more barracks, bringing her mana back down to 145, after all of the kills by the Adventurers are factored in, excluding the kills while the mana was full.. Taking a look at the mana she smiles as her math was correct, and she can see the total was indeed 145. She does not have enough furs to making another Level 2 Barracks, so she instead continues to shape the caves to her liking, while moving monsters around to act as encounters. She finally decides to return the town area itself, and begins flattening areas for construction, startling a small group of the new arrivals as she does, she reaches out to apologize, but remember that they are not her denizens yet. She frowns and leaves it at that for now. She decides to go greet the adventurers when they arrive, after all they are the first to ever fight her monsters in this prepared and structured way. That and she needs to apologize to those three she scared. She sits up, and starts heading to the exit of the house, letting Codex take over again. Exiting the house, she sees many of the new arrivals look over at her, curiosity or wariness in many of their eyes, while some seem excited. Most have changed into the proper clothes Zeuz and Imai had brought, while some chose to stay in rags. Lun¨¦ simply smiled warmly, and began walking. She first went to talk with the group she had startled, and explained the situation to them. Once she had apologized, and been told she had nothing to apologize for, she went on her way, standing near the entrance to wait for the adventurers. Kaede and Cloud were first to arrive, and Lun¨¦ grinned happily at seeing them, ¡°Welcome back, you two.¡± Kaede smiles at her, while Cloud picks up the pace and gets into a stance behind Lun¨¦, clearly happy to just be there. Kaede speaks, ¡°Found the spot I plan to set up in. Mind if I take some resources over there?¡± Lun¨¦ nods, as she says, ¡°I can just have them appear there. How much do you need?¡± Kaede begins to think to herself, but then speaks, ¡°I don¡¯t quite know. All I know is that I¡¯m going to need a good bit of logs, lots of planks, and definitely a healthy amount of normal stones for the foundation. No need for manpower though, since I can just magic everything into place.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles warmly as she says, ¡°You¡¯re in luck, I just excavated a lot of stone in the caves. Do you want them to stay as stones, or do you want them to be bricks?¡± Kaede shakes her head, ¡°Bricks, definitely. Though, I¡¯d rather have a specific kind of stone that was used for the base of the Schola. I doubt you have it though, since it is made in high mana concentration areas.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles widely, ¡°We definitely have that then. This place used to have a Legendary class of ambient mana. There¡¯s definitely some at the very least.¡± Kaede blinks, then puts a finger on her cheek as she thinks. Then she speaks, bringing her hands back down to their normal spots, ¡°I can definitely look at some samples, but are you willing to quarry a large area for it?¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, then speaks, ¡°Absolutely. I could even use it as a training yard, or an encounter area. Maybe get a new Boss Monster and place them in the center as a test of strength, or-¡± She cuts herself off, getting an idea, then she grins wider and spouts it out, ¡°A full area that connects into the caves! A quarry that intersects with an old and forgotten tomb, inside of which the fearsome Lich King reigns!¡± Kaede smiles at her enthusiasm, then speaks in a playful tone, ¡°I think I have heard this story before.¡± She then becomes a bit more serious, as she states, ¡°I¡¯ll happily help train whatever monster you want to have as that ¡®Lich King¡¯. A Lich requires powerful magic after all.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, and then says, ¡°It will have to wait though, we need to do the quarry, get your stones, then add the scenery to the quarry and tomb area. But before that, I want to welcome the adventurers that came here.¡± Kaede nods in response, and then says, ¡°I¡¯ll be just past the wall then, if they seem hostile, just say my name.¡± Lun¨¦ answers with an affirming and excited nod, letting Kaede pass by her and into the town area. Looking at Cloud, Lun¨¦ speaks with a warm smile, ¡°How are you feeling, Cloud?¡± Cloud simply looks back, and Lun¨¦ can see the wolf smile. Lun¨¦ smiles wider, and then speaks, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± She applies the age-old technique of pets, seeing Cloud sit and start panting from glee. Lun¨¦ smiles wider, and continues her wait. She looks back at the direction the adventurers are coming from, as she hears the sounds of plants being moved. She stops patting Cloud, who stands up, becoming alert again. The two exit the brush, and she sees them, both wearing hoods and cloaks that cover most of their being. One thing she can see easily however, is the mandibles over the man¡¯s mouth. The woman on the other hand, had nothing showing from underneath her hood. Lun¨¦ speaks, ¡°Welcome to the safe zone! Here you will not find any encounters, just like on the path.¡± She points down the path, back towards the road. The two look at each other, and begin to put away their weapons. They approach, mostly silent, until halfway to Lun¨¦, when the woman speaks, ¡°This is the Dungeon Codex, right?¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, then speaks, ¡°I am Lun¨¦ Alpenglow, Dungeon Core of Codex.¡± Both look confused, but the man starts to look excited, as he exclaims, ¡°Dungeon Core!? Such a great idea! A Hero becomes the core of a dungeon!¡± He begins running over, as his hood tries to escape his head. Nearing her, Cloud begins to growl, and his hood falls off, revealing fluffy antennae, extremely pale skin, and strange large brown eyes. He begins to pull out his journal, and speaks, ¡°How did you become a Dungeon Core, Miss-¡± He pauses, then quickly speaks, ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, I¡¯m horrible with names, until I start repeating them. Even then I might still forget. I won¡¯t forget your face though!¡± The woman approaches a bit quicker when she hears Cloud¡¯s growling. Lun¨¦ is confused and startled by his approach and appearance. She didn¡¯t even know what he was. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The woman has to jump as she pulls his hood back over his head, covering his strangeness, as she speaks, ¡°Sorry about him, he gets too excited when an idea flashes through his head, or he hears something interesting to him.¡± The man looks at her, startled by her moving his hood, then he speaks, ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not that bad! I can be serious when it matters! I just don¡¯t like losing possible ideas. There¡¯s this one that I lost for a bit, but remembered on our way to the Dungeon, I wrote it down, remember?¡± The woman speaks again, ¡°Like I said, too excited.¡± Lun¨¦ places a hand on Cloud to calm her, knowing the situation isn¡¯t dangerous, as she responds, ¡°It''s fine. I just wasn¡¯t expecting him to rush over, and Cloud here didn¡¯t like that at all.¡± The man freezes, then steps in front of the wolf, as the woman answers, ¡°I didn¡¯t either, but if I knew what you were going to say, I would have held him still.¡± The man speaks to Cloud, as he stares directly into her eyes, ¡°I am terribly sorry for worrying you, oh great Cloud.¡± Cloud just huffs at him, glaring still, but no longer growling since Lun¨¦ placed her hand on Cloud¡¯s side. Lun¨¦ speaks, a question of her own forming on her tongue immediately, ¡°What are you?¡± The man looks up, and then smiles in a grin, his mandibles drawing back at the same time, ¡°I¡¯m an Insecta. We¡¯re extremely rare on the surface, and the surface born Insecta are even more rare, so I¡¯m a genuine artifact if you want to call it that.¡± The woman speaks, frowning, ¡°Don¡¯t let him fool you, he may be rare, but he¡¯s still an idiot.¡± The Insecta folds his arms and holds up his head, looking at the sky, ¡°Hey, I may be an idiot, but I am a great writer. Or at least I try to be.¡± The woman chuckles at that, a smile returning to her face, then she speaks, ¡°Anyway, you introduced yourself, we should introduce ourselves. I am Clove, and this is Chase Carolis.¡± Chase does a playful bow, before standing up fully again, letting them speak instead of himself, as he begins writing in his journal again. Clove looks at Lun¨¦, who asks a question, ¡°If he is an Insecta, then what are you? Are you also an Insecta, or are you something else?¡± Clove begins to frown, as she responds, ¡°I would rather keep that a secret for now. If we get to know each other better, I may tell.¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, then speaks, ¡°Well, I won¡¯t push it then, please enjoy your time in the safe zone. When you want to leave or come back, you can use the path. If you feel like training at any time, we will always be happy to have you come by. The dungeon is open for everyone to train in.¡± Chase speaks, ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a bunch of Beastmen here. Is there a reason for that? Are they from that slave ring that you and the town guard destroyed a week or so ago?¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head, responding quickly, ¡°No, they¡¯re from the city of Homrhi, in the Dwarven Federation.¡± Both adventurers look at her like she¡¯s crazy, and Lun¨¦ begins trying to defend what she said, but realizes how dumb it sounds. Homrhi is an extremely far distance, and unless she has access to teleportation, it would be impossible for them all to get here at such a fast pace, and without being noticed by Woodshade at that. Kaede speaks up from behind the wall, ¡°That¡¯s my doing.¡± She steps back around, and does a curt bow, ¡°Simple teleportation magic. Short, sweet, easy. They were slaves in Homrhi, which I freed with guile and spells.¡± Chase begins to think on this, then states, ¡°Interesting, teleportation magic used by a Beastman. And a Nekomimi at that, rather than a Kitsune.¡± He begins writing in his journal again. Clove speaks in a serious tone, ¡°I¡¯m going to need to write a report when we get back to town, so that the Guild can have a proper idea of what to expect here, if you don¡¯t mind, can I interview you, Miss Alpenglow?¡± Lun¨¦ nods in response, ¡°Please do. Would you like to sit somewhere, or is it fine here?¡± Clove answers with a shake of her head as she pulls out a journal, and then she says the words, ¡°Here is fine. My first question is what are your intentions as a Dungeon?¡± Lun¨¦ smiles warmly and answers instantly, ¡°I¡¯m hoping to create a place for people to train. I need to find a way to ensure no one dies though, because I¡¯m just a person, so I can¡¯t account for every possibility.¡± Clove nods silently as she writes it down, then speaks, ¡°Seeing as you are a core, do you intend to take over the entire forest?¡± Lun¨¦ shakes her head, ¡°Absolutely not. Firstly, that would take too much mana. Secondly, that would be way too much land to manage. Thirdly, I just want to build up my area into a place for training, like I said already. Too much land would make it harder and harder over time to make interesting challenges and areas.¡± Clove marks down her answer, then asks, ¡°How protective of your territory will you be?¡± Lun¨¦ tilts her head, then asks, ¡°Have I not shown how territorial we are? We allowed you in to train, and before that we kept to ourselves, only sending out groups to trade or defend the Town. I would say we are not very territorial, and instead have a sense of justice in place of it.¡± Clove marks down the answer, then asks, ¡°Then what is your ¡®sense of justice¡¯? Where does your interference start and end?¡± Lun¨¦ thinks for a second, before answering, ¡°It starts with wrong being done to those we consider on our side. For example, if someone were to hurt Cloud for no reason while she was on a diplomatic mission, then we¡¯d seek revenge. I think the most we will likely do is help the Town when needed, and hunt slavers or bandits.¡± Clove raises an eyebrow at that, and writes it down, before asking, ¡°Why slavers or bandits only?¡± Lun¨¦ answers quickly, ¡°Well, it''s not just slavers and bandits, but anyone doing wrong, and are not being judged by their home or someone above them. But the main reason I say slavers or bandits is because they are the most common, and some of the worst.¡± Clove asks one final question, ¡°What monsters are in this forest?¡± Lun¨¦ answers entirely, including adding the monsters underground, which surprised Clove. The only ones she keeps out of the answer are the Reaper circling above and Hammerer. Clove closes her journal once she writes that down, and speaks, ¡°I will believe you entirely. You helped the town when it needed it, you¡¯ve helped people in need, and you even told me about monsters we had no clue about.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles warmly, before speaking, ¡°I¡¯m glad to be of help.¡± Clove nods in response, before turning around and speaking, ¡°Chase, let''s get going.¡± Chase frowns and his mandibles click together slightly. He follows his companion, as he waves goodbye, speaking loudly and happily despite clearly not wanting to leave yet, ¡°Have a good day!¡± Lun¨¦ smiles happily, waving to them as they leave. As Chase looks forward, they can see him pulling out his journal as he speaks loudly and happily. Kaede pulls Lun¨¦¡¯s attention away from the loud and boisterous Insecta, ¡°Shall we get started?¡± Lun¨¦ looks over and nods, answering with a smile, ¡°Let me go rejoin Codex.¡± Chapter 30: The Calm Lun¨¦ Alpenglow Darkness was nearly falling on the land, as Lun¨¦ set a few rocks beside Kaede to inspect. While Kaede looked over them, Lun¨¦ began to plan out the new quarry area. She created some small holes in the ground around a large area, then she cleared the grass. She began trying to dig out the quarry on her own, but found a screen in her face immediately. Warning Use of Mana required to form new area. Mana will no longer be collected until the expansion is completed. Collected mana will instead be used to add to the expansion. Size: Large Cost: 400 Mana Completion time: 6 hours Do you wish to continue? Y/N Lun¨¦ frowns mentally at this, as she does not have the mana required for it. If she waited roughly ten hours she would, but she did not want to wait that long, besides if she did, it could potentially be even worse for her. Especially if something decided to suddenly attack. She called a group of monsters over, and had them get to work. When she had more mana, and especially if she could upgrade her core again, she would be willing to do so. Lun¨¦ hears Kaede speak, and she turns her eyes to the Nekomimi, ¡°Take a close look at this rock. What do you see?¡± Lun¨¦ answers almost immediately, she inspected the rocks before giving them to Kaede, ¡°Nothing. They¡¯re just normal rocks.¡± Kaede smirks and then speaks with a smug sounding tone, ¡°Look again.¡± Lun¨¦ starts staring at the rock, and after a few minutes, she speaks with annoyance, ¡°What am I even looking for, it''s a normal rock.¡± Kaede grins, then says, ¡°There is a slight shimmering, so extremely slight that it is barely perceptible to the naked eye. However, if you use mana to see, it becomes far easier to notice, though still barely noticeable.¡± Lun¨¦ stares at the rock, then soon frowns and gives up as she says, ¡°I still can¡¯t see it.¡± Kaede smiles happily as she begins to put the rock back down, ¡°You¡¯ll see it eventually. Then it will be easier to tell which are and which aren¡¯t. Now, I need to get back to Homrhi. Have to continue the plan.¡± Lun¨¦ smiles and answers her with some encouraging words and feelings. Though they feel awkward to Lun¨¦. Kaede grins towards the house where Lun¨¦ is, before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll keep safe, don¡¯t you worry. I will return with good news. Though it could take a day or two.¡± She casts her teleport spell, and was then gone. Lun¨¦ refocuses her sight on the beginnings of their dungeon town. She had no idea what to work on next, and her thoughts were drifting towards Sebastia and her leaving, again. She began to feel lonely, so she decided to leave the core for now, and go wander. Standing up, she began to wander, heading down into the caves to explore them in person. Jazak Forgeson Jazak stood calmly, thinking to himself as Alais stares at him with irritation, likely upset he backed down from that situation. Jazak spoke, deciding to explain himself, despite not fully caring what she thinks, ¡°Despite popular belief a Berserker isn¡¯t a madman who charges into battle uncaring of the odds. We know nothing about Focalor, nor his true goals, and now we know he¡¯s puppeteering someone likely innocent in this. We cannot just jump at the situation, or we risk that woman¡¯s life.¡± Alais responds with a rather bigoted answer, ¡°She¡¯s a damn Nekomimi. They¡¯re pretty much worthless. Probably was someone¡¯s plaything before getting taken over. There¡¯s no loss.¡± Jazak shakes his head, then answers with a pitying tone, ¡°We will never see eye to eye, will we? No matter who, they do not deserve to die. I already learned that, and understood my guilt when I did.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Alais just stares at him, confused and irritated that he pities her. She remains silent however, trying to understand his side, but she is incapable. Arseni watches the conversation, and keeps his input to himself. Jazak turns and looks up at the tower he just exited. He had informed the local government, and that was all he was obligated to do, but he had to continue. To atone for his past sins. He would save the Nekomimi from Focalor, and protect the city and Dwarven Federation while doing so. He has a strict timeline, but he will do it. Two days, at most. It will be over then. Kaede Kaede sat quietly on a roof, she would need to inform Grolit of her success at dismantling one slave ring. It was about time to continue bringing this situation to light. She had started with a declaration to the local government. Now she had to make a statement to the populace. What could she do next? She illusioned herself into ¡°Focalor¡± again, and stood. She remembers her time back home, at the Schola. Her training had been split, almost 80/20, between normal magical studies, and combat studies. Jazak may think her staff is just a staff after that situation, but if so, that could be his downfall. She looks at her staff, and feels the illusion over it. She takes a second to cast another spell, transforming the staff into a proper rapier and casting component. She smiled happily, remembering her old combat instructor. ¡°No self-respecting mage would ever stand in the World of Zenith, let alone the continent of Reltai, without knowing a Reltaian Melee Combat Style! Magical or physical!¡± Kaede swings the rapier around, testing its weight, and smiles contentedly as she notes it feels exactly how her old one had. She looks off into the city, putting the rapier and casting component on her hip. It was time to continue her objective, and bring this to light. Sebastia Rin ¡°Now that we have eaten, it is time to get back to training.¡± Sebastia looks at the Freeborne, and speaks, ¡°What do you mean? I thought we were done for the day?¡± The Freeborne dabs a cloth on her mouth, then sets it down neatly, before standing as she says, ¡°We were. It is evening. We will begin the next portion of your training.¡± Sebastia begins to stand, accepting this for now. The Freeborne walk out of the house, and around the building, followed by Sebastia. Behind the house, sat several small pillars of stone. The Freeborne holds a hand up to Sebastia, indicating for her to stop, and then she steps into the center of the pillars. ¡°I will first give an explanation. The world is a dark place, filled with evil in all corners. Even places that seem so bright and luminescent. Nothing does not cast a shadow. Where there is light, dark is required, and vice versa. If that balance is not maintained, then a world could fall to one side. The light turns all eternal, and protects all life, ignoring their pain when they one day find themselves crushed by the bodies of those above them, unable to enjoy their eternal life. The dark ends all, taking away everything and leaving nothing in return but hunger and destruction. One must be willing to fight both as a Guardian of the Equilibrium. So watch, and understand.¡± The Freeborne raises her arms to her left and right, closing her eyes. A soft blue glow begins around her, and that blue glow begins to turn darker. As the Freeborne stands still, silently casting something, the world around them seems to shift. The feeling of the air gains a colder chill, and it becomes slightly more difficult to breathe. Suddenly, a dark rift rips open in front of the Freeborne, at the edge of the pillars. The Freeborne lowers her arms, and looks forward, at the rift. A dark creature steps out, its red eyes piercing, its dark gray tusks hold extremely firmly, and its tar-like skin floats on nothing, but still holds a firm shape. The holes in its body let Sebastia see through it, at the world past it. She looks at it, concerned and worried. The creature glances at the Freeborne, then at Sebastia. The Freeborne slings her right hand up and left, causing the earth around the beast to slam into it, knocking it to the ground. It scrambles to its feet, bellowing its disturbing cry, and charges the Freeborne. She simply sidesteps, and brings her left hand upwards, knocking the creature into the air, and back down onto its back. The Etherling quickly brings her hand down in a cutting motion, causing the earth to mold into around thirty daggers, which pierce the creature. It cries out in anger, but begins to slow in movement, fading from existence. A bright white rift appears, and out of it comes a humanoid creature. Its eyes were covered by a pearlescent cloth, which also wrapped its body, allowing only its arms to be free. It floats, and raises a sword, bringing it down towards the Freeborne, who simply jumps to the side. With another swing, the Freeborne dodges, before bringing her arms to her side, near her shoulders, and pushing forward. A burst of flame catches the creature off guard, and begins burning it. It swings wildly in circles, before succumbing to the flame. As she finishes the demonstration, the air returns to normal, and Sebastia is standing in silent shock. The Freeborne speaks in her calm tone, ¡°You will have to learn to summon your enemy. To bait them into your trap. They will not come to you, or they will attempt to make you come to them. What you saw were their common fodder. The ones who will attempt to outwit you will not be common fodder.¡± She looks at Sebastia, no sign of what just happened was on her face. ¡°Let us begin.¡± Chapter 31: The Storm Focalor, Witch of Arcanum Focalor sat quietly, staring down at the world below, from the top of the tower-like Schola. She heard a voice behind herself, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Looking back she saw the familiar feline tail, and warm black coat with a black hood and glowing blue gem in its center. Her staff sat on her back, and her smile could be seen, warm as usual. The ears she had seen only once, sat poking into the hood, indenting their shape in the fabric. Focalor smiled, and spoke, ¡°Yes, I am. How are you, Clover?¡± The Feline woman approaches, and takes a seat on the edge as well, she speaks with an exhausted tone, ¡°Learning is hard.¡± Focalor chuckled slightly, before putting a hand on her head, ¡°I remember how you looked when you were fighting Baal. If you can face him, then you can face this with no issue, aside from scores perhaps.¡± Clover grins happily before answering, ¡°And you, I never expected one of the Demon Lord¡¯s generals to abandon him. Why did you?¡± Focalor is silent, her smile fading, before she speaks, ¡°That¡¯s a story for another time.¡± Clover starts to kick her feet slightly, while saying, ¡°Oh come on, you know you wanna!¡± Focalor looks at her, and raises an eyebrow, before stating, ¡°Another time, Clover.¡± Clover frowns and looks forward again, off to the sunset, as she says, ¡°Fine, then how about we talk about something important. People¡¯ll not trust you.¡± Focalor nods silently, while Clover continues, ¡°So I was thinking about ways to change that. The name Focalor is tied to the Demon General Focalor, so why not change your name?¡± Focalor looks at the other Felinekin, confused as she asks, ¡°Yes, but what name would I choose? I have used Focalor for so long that it is ingrained in me.¡± Clover grins happily, as she speaks, ¡°I think I know one. How about-¡± Kaede Kaede didn¡¯t quite understand why she had thought of that at the moment, but her thoughts went back to the encounter with those two adventurers earlier. Perhaps? No, it couldn¡¯t be. That made no sense, but at the same time, it made all the sense in the world. She shook her head, knowing it was a useless thought at the moment. She could hypothesize all day, but right now, she had an objective. She reached a slave ring, and watched as a group of nobles began to leave with slaves in tow. Two carriages sat silent, with only a handful of guards. Kaede brought the casting focus to the rapier, and connected them, casting a spell that would garner quite the attention. She raised the rapier to the sky, and a dark pillar rose from the carriages, causing the strange mole-like horses to panic, and run, only to find they could not. She then casts another spell, causing the moles to lose their will to flee, and instead rip free, attacking the confused and startled guards. The Nobles were panicking, and backing away, confused and scared, as the moles looked at them, slowly approaching with the blood of their guards on their claws and mouths. They pushed the slaves towards the moles, causing the slaves to panic and cower in fear of death, only for its embrace to not come. Instead, the moles ripped the nobles to shreds, and stood still, watching the entrance to the slave ring. Releasing the pillar, it rose and burst out, having condensed at its apex. Kaede could see some guards already approaching the situation, and some curious citizens were approaching as well. It was time to quickly bring this situation to the fore. She raised the rapier once again, casting a massive gust of wind, which ripped the tent up and into the air, revealing the cages and startled slavers. Kaede then pulled the cages towards herself, shifting the earth under them. Guards began entering, along with some concerned and curious citizens. She broke the locks and then threw herself to the wind, flying towards the slavers, and landing between them and the cages and onlookers. Kaede called out, ¡°I am Focalor! And you shall release all enslaved in this city! Or I shall do worse than I already have! Your walls will come down! The mountain itself will fall from above! And those who continue this deplorable trade, shall find only the embrace of death to comfort them! See my resolve! And see that of my Master¡¯s order!¡± Raising the rapier once again, she cast a spell. They all stand in silence, and the slavers seem to have a moment of relief, until a bolt of lightning strikes one of the closest to her. The Guards call out, running forward, yelling for Focalor to surrender. With a simple wave of the rapier, the Guards slam into an invisible barrier. Confused and disoriented by the sudden ceasing of movement, the Guards soon start attacking the barrier, attempting to get past. The Slavers began to cower, terrified, as Focalor approached, and Kaede yelled out, ¡°See my resolve! See my Master¡¯s order! See freedom!¡± She aims her rapier forward, allowing a flame to sprout around the blade, as a pillar of flame engulfs the slavers, burning them alive. She was no longer going to hold back, it was time to set everything straight. The onlookers watched in abject horror and fear. As the flames subsided, Kaede called out, ¡°There is only one way to ensure I do not do more to this city! One way to ensure we leave you alone! Outlaw this practice! Free those stuck within it! Create a better world! One that does not kill and destroy its weakest! One that allows them to reach as high as they can!¡± Then she turns, seeing a familiar group of three approaching the scene. She simply jumps backwards, using her spells to carry her to the rooftops, as she calls out once more, ¡°I will be watching!¡± She casts one final spell, hiding her from any and all forms of detection. Jazak Forgeson Rushing to the scene, Jazak could see Focalor leaping to the rooftops again, as he calls out, ¡°I will be watching!¡± With a wave of his rapier, he was gone. Approaching the scene, they found thirteen slaves each wandering towards where Focalor had been. They stare up at where he had once stood, clearly confused and baffled by what had happened as well. Stopping behind the guards, they could see the remains of many a Dwarf. Alais called out, ¡°Out of the way, Guards! Why the hell are you just standing there!?¡± Alais runs forward, slamming into something none could see, causing Jazak to speak, ¡°That¡¯s why, Elf. Get back here.¡± The slaves before them looked around, each confused and concerned. Each unwilling to have to go back to their cages. Jazak watched the rooftops, wanting to catch a glimpse of Focalor, and be able to attack. He found nothing though, and could see nothing ahead of him aside from that which he had already seen. Quite the magic, but he would need to find a way past it. He could hear the citizens nearby speaking in hushed tones; confused, scared, worried, or even in awe. Jazak approached the barrier and placed a hand on it, only for it to pass through. They each attempted to go through the barrier again, including the Guards, only to find Jazak was the only individual capable of doing so. He entered the barrier, much to the worry of the slaves. He had no interest in them, however, and simply watched the rooftops, as he approached the slaves. The slaves began to back away, with only one seeming to try to stand their ground, only to flinch and not throw an attack as Jazak neared him. Opening his eyes, he finds Jazak simply passing by him. The other slaves began to simply step to the side, and watched as Jazak did not change his course. Everyone began to realize where he was going, as there was a ladder set to the side. He picks it up, and places it against the wall, then climbs to the rooftops. As he reaches the rooftops, he draws his axes, approaching where Focalor had once stood. Nearing the spot, he simply swings, finding nothing in its place. He puts the axes away, and calls out, ¡°Focalor left!¡± He heard a response from one of the guards, ¡°No shit, Hero! Of course the fucker left! Now can you stop doing that and help us corral the situation!¡± Jazak frowns and jumps back down, rolling and then walking towards where the Guards were now dispersing the citizens. Kaede Kaede had already left the area, and she began to think of ways to scout for the next ring. She begins to remember Clover, her closest friend in the Arcanum, and one of the Hero¡¯s Party. From the protective Zephyrus, to the destructive firepower Clover could unleash in a lapse of care. She realizes why she had thought of the younger Felinekin. She begins altering her form once again, bringing her rapier back to a staff. She began changing how she ran and stood. She tried her best to imitate. She began to run with a purpose, bringing her staff against her chest, in a somewhat possessive way. She had her next goal, to find and demolish another slave ring. It was the same as back in the Ral Wastes. Hit the convoy, free the slave, and return. The only difference is that she was alone, with no rebels to back her, unlike Clover had at the time. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. She quickly moved through the back alleys, and then out onto a crowded street. A group of carriages, that she immediately recognized from the first ring she ended, were heading down the street. She took a second to silently close her eyes and cast a spell, checking the interior. Finding a Nekomimi, an Inuhito, and a Kitsune, each in chains and rags. The guards were small in number, and only in the second carriage, with the Kitsune, who was unconscious on the floor. Kaede smiled at her luck, and stepped into the road, causing the lead carriage to slow. The driver called out, ¡°Oi! Damn Nekomimi! Get out of the road!¡± Kaede looked at them, and quickly decided on her next course of action. She was a Dark Mage right now, so she may as well live up to that reputation. She raised a hand, palm towards the driver, who yelled out again, demanding she leave the road. His yell was cut short as a bolt of darkness slammed into him, ending his pathetic life. Panic immediately swept over the nearby onlookers, and caused many people to begin running for their own lives. Only a few remained, startled into complete silence and immobility. The two Moles panic and begin running opposite directions, cut free by a slice of Kaede¡¯s hand, sending a wave of darkness to cut the ropes holding the moles to the carriage. Kaede runs forward, leaping up and onto the carriage, using a gust of wind to reach the highest point she can. She runs over the top, seeing the carriage drivers of the other carriages trying to turn around and escape. Kaede simply leaped over the second carriage driver, and then cut the ropes of the third carriage, stopping it from escaping. The third carriage driver immediately begins to attempt to bail, but finds his legs cut clean through by another slash, leaving him immobile on the bench. The back of the second carriage was bursting open, as the guards were coming out to defend. She simply jumped down, hitting one with her staff, and blasting another away from her and back into the carriage with a bolt. The other two swing at her as the carriage begins moving around the first carriage, missing as they are pulled just out of range. In response, she raises a hand up to the sky, causing a barrier to appear before the moles, spooking and causing them to try burrowing. The carriage follows, but catches, unable to follow the moles down into their holes. Kaede slings two more spells, knocking back and impaling the two final guards. The carriage driver was running, and she let him escape. A message. She cast a spell, breaking open the back of the first carriage. She quickly moved back to the third, opening it in the same fashion. The two slaves had been cowering, but as they saw freedom, they took their chances, running, while Kaede cast a spell to destroy their shackles without them noticing. She approached the second carriage, and entered it, bringing her staff down onto the shackles and breaking free the Kitsune. She picked up the unconscious fox-man, and stepped out to see Jazak and his group approaching the scene at a rapid pace. They stopped, and raised their weapons towards her, only for Jazak to yell out, ¡°Put him down!¡± Kaede responded immediately, in a vein similar to Clover, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a Hero know what is right versus what is wrong? Why fight those who are doing the right thing?¡± Jazak seems to become angered by this, as he yells out, ¡°Taking lives and endangering others isn¡¯t the right thing!¡± Kaede nods in response, ¡°True, but in some cases it is the only way for change to happen, because no side wishes to compromise or listen to the other. It would be that case now, if both sides could coexist.¡± An arrow is launched, and Kaede barely manages to dodge it. It nicks her hood, and rips it down. Kaede immediately becomes furious at the elf, and sets the unconscious Kitsune down with care. She speaks as she sets him down, ¡°Elf, do you know what you have just done?¡± The Elf answers, a smug tone in her voice, ¡°Shot an enemy, so give up already, we have you outleveled and outnumbered.¡± Kaede was done with the games, they dared rip the hood off of her friend, even if it were just an illusion. Kaede stood, and tapped her staff on the ground, as she spoke in a deadly cold tone, one she had not used in a long time, ¡°You ripped my closest friend¡¯s hood off.¡± She turns to look at them as two bright circles appear behind her, and her illusion fades completely, turning her dirty blond hair back to its normal long black. ¡°And I will not forgive it. You die here, but your friends have one chance to leave and survive. Because you face Focalor, Demon General of Baal. You face Kaede, the Black Witch. You face Kaede, student of the Schola de Arcanum, and servant of the Dungeon Codex. You face a Hero of another world.¡± The Elf begins to laugh, clearly amused by the seemingly preposterous words spoken to her and the pitiful lights behind the Nekomimi. ¡°You? Don¡¯t make me laugh, you don¡¯t even have golden eyes!¡± Jazak calls out, ¡°Shut it! This is more dangerous than you think, Elf.¡± The Elf looks annoyed at the Hero, but realizes what he means as the lights fade, and two more appear. In the place of the first two lights, a man in light armor, with a sword at his hip stands. His form was ghostly, but still showed what he was, a Human with a deadly glare. The other was the Nekomimi Kaede had been illusioned as. Kaede spoke, ¡°Well spotted, Hero. May I introduce you to the Hero¡¯s Party: I am Kaede the Betrayer of the Demon Lord, to my left is Victor Flare the Hero, to my right is Clover Alpenglow the Dark Mage. Behind them comes Zephyrus, Clover¡¯s father, a former Lupus Arcani and Dark Knight. To his right, Archsage Lance Marillis of the fallen Xulenia Empire. We slew Demon Lord Baal, as the Heroes before us slew their own. From the first in the year 1000, to the latest in 1348. You will not survive, as these simulacrum may not be the same strength as the real thing, but are far stronger than you are.¡± The Elf laughs again, ¡°You think you can scare us with numbers? You¡¯re just bringing in stuff we can easily kill.¡± Jazak calls for her to be quiet again, and then speaks to Kaede, ¡°So it was all a trick originally, there is no demon?¡± Kaede smirks, and then holds out her hands to her sides, ¡°You¡¯re looking at her.¡± Jazak asks again, with an annoyed tone, ¡°There is no demon?¡± Kaede shakes her head, then answers, ¡°In the traditional sense, no. But in the sense of my world? Absolutely. We Felinekin, Caninekin, Elves, all of the others as well, are often seen as demons by the much more abundant humans. Only after the first Hero defeated his Demon Lord and ascended to his heaven, did we even gain a modicum of rights. So you should understand why I fight you now. I and everyone within my party, are living proof that even the weak or feared can become strong and respected. So surrender. Or should I give you proof to back my claim of being stronger? Though that would require you to reveal your own statuses.¡± Jazak stands silently, debating internally, while Kaede prepares for their answer, and the spell ends, revealing two more individuals, Zephyrus was in extremely similar clothes to Clover, but stood far taller, with his own ears poking out of his hood, revealing him to be an Elf instead of Felinekin. Lance stood silent, his priest-like robes flowing in the non-existent wind, with a book in his hand, and rabbit-like ears perched atop his head. Jazak revealed his status, causing the other two to do so as well. The Elf looked extremely smug about her level, expecting Kaede to be lower than her, and not almost double. Kaede revealed her own status, and those of her simulacrum. Each was at level 100, while Jazak was the only person even close to them, at 91. Jazak stood stunned into silence, and the Elf yelled out that there had to be a trick of some kind. The Orc was beginning to break out into a cold sweat. Jazak on the other hand, remained stunned, watching as Kaede spoke again, ¡°As you can see, you are outmatched. Give up, and surrender. You will not survive.¡± Jazak regained his composure, and raised his axes again, speaking, ¡°No. I will not ever surrender.¡± Kaede smiled as she continued, ¡°Not even if you were to learn that a certain Human is looking for revenge at your betrayal? Perhaps you could even apologize for how you wronged her, before your death.¡± Jazak remains silent, and confused for a brief moment, as the Orc looks at him and the Elf laughs in fearful panic. Jazak spoke, his voice wavering slightly, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Kaede smiled and held up a hand, before bringing it down past herself, changing into Lun¨¦. ¡°You don¡¯t mean that you forgot, do you, Betrayer? You could have protected her, if you truly believed what you were spouting earlier.¡± She returns to her normal form, as she continues, now beginning to mock him, ¡°¡®Taking lives and endangering others isn¡¯t the right thing¡¯, oh how hypocritical. You did nothing to stop Proudmaul and the rest of your party from trying to kill her. You even joined in. Are you sure you wish to continue with this line of questioning? Or is it time to run, little Hero?¡± Jazak could definitely see the Orc lower his weapon, and sheathe it. It was clear who was in the right to him, and the Orc began to walk away. Jazak cursed under his breath, and ran back down the alley he came from, leaving just the Elf. She looked to where the Orc was walking and Jazak had run, begging them to return to help her. Kaede smiled with vim and vigor, she had never felt so good aside from a few other times. The look of despair, the fear and anguish. She oh so loved it, though she knew it was wrong. She spoke, ¡°Zephyrus, if you would like to. You always protect her, after all.¡± The Elf backed up into the wall as the Dark Knight approached, the large spectral greatsword suddenly forming in his hands. It was over in a flash, as the Elf¡¯s screams of pain and fear echoed in the area. The storm was here, and Kaede was done playing around. She would simply demolish all rings, and then threaten those who were in her way. It would be sweet, simple, and quick. She let the simulacrum fade, as she left the area, leaving the unconscious Kitsune to his own devices. Chapter 32: The Eye Focalor, Witch of Arcanum Running forwards, Focalor found herself cresting the hill, only to see the town ablaze. Her home was all but burning cinders now. She watched in stunned horror as the monsters swarmed it, pillaging and setting fire to it. She heard the telltale sound of chain armor clinking against itself, and the heavy footfalls of his metal greaves. However, instead, Beleth entered her view. Beleth grinned her malicious grin while staring at the scene. Her silver eyes shone with a brightness Focalor had not seen while they were at the Castle. The normal cloak that hung over Beleth¡¯s body was flowing backwards in the wind, revealing her proper form. That of an unknown monster, who¡¯s tendrils morphed into body parts when shown to others. Beleth spoke with glee in her voice, ¡°See how they run? See how they flee those they once oppressed? See now how ¡®demons¡¯ can be freed. Through proving our strength, you will be free, Focalor. As is the Master''s will.¡± The metallic movements stop, and the cold voice speaks up, the voice of Baal, ¡°Quiet, Beleth. Let her understand on her own. Let her see the enemy of all run like the cowards they are. Let her see them run to their gods for safety, and find none respond to their pleas.¡± Focalor remained still, watching with utter abject horror and fear. She knew this feeling well, but she was not in danger. She was not watching her closest friends, her family, being dissected alive before her eyes. She was not having to run. She was safe and protected. She was being shown the price of killing the ¡°demons¡±. She felt a small wave of catharsis wash over her, knowing the bastards that had harmed her friends and scarred her mind were likely dead. But then it was gone, as she began to realize that not all of them were evil. Not everyone within the town had to die. Not all Humans were evil. Focalor yelled out, ¡°N- No! Stop it! Call them off!¡± Baal began to laugh, and she felt her heart sink. She had just spoken against her Master. He would lop off her head, and plant it on a spike, as he had promised. She braced for death, only to hear Baal speak, ¡°You should lose that empathy. It will do you no good in a war against our enemy, Focalor. You have seen how they harm us, yet you have seen those who did not. Do you know why they did so? It was out of pity, Focalor. It was because you were pitiful and weak. They did not save you when you were chained and dragged out of the town for a sacrifice. They were just as terrible. The only good Human is a dead one. There is no world in which Humanity and all other races may live in peace. We are the only thing to show them who is truly worthy of surviving.¡± Focalor remained silent, as he continued, ¡°However, if you cannot manage to remove your empathy, we can do so for you. It is simply a matter of memories.¡± Beleth begins laughing maniacally, then she yells out, ¡°I love that procedure, Master! May I do it!? Please, please, please!?¡± Baal is silent, as his armor clinks and his footfalls walk away. Beleth follows behind him, begging for permission to do whatever it was that he had just suggested. The hooded figure of Paimonia steps into Focalor¡¯s vision, and speaks in their swapping voice, ¡°Do not listen to your teacher, young Felinekin. You are fine the way you are. It is a weakness, yes, but Humanity has one thing correct about it. Empathy.¡± The flames begin to calm, no longer having more added to them. The screams and cries could no longer be heard in the distance. ¡°Do not relish in death, but do not see nothing in death,¡± Paimonia continues. ¡°It will only lead to your insanity or emotionlessness. Keep your empathy, but hide it. The Master does not like weakness, but even he has some weakness. The time will come, when Demons can live in peace. It may not be in our life, but perhaps the next generations¡¯.¡± Paimonia begins to walk towards the burning town, intent on doing their job as the most spiritual of the Generals. Kaede ¡°Right. Don¡¯t let yourself fall, Kaede.¡± Kaede took a seat on the roof she had reached. She needed a moment. ¡°Do not fall. ¡®Keep your empathy, but hide it. The Master does not like weakness,¡¯ but even he is weak. You saw that yourself, Kaede. You are not the Demon Lord Baal, you were Demon General Focalor. You were trained by Beleth, and hid away your empathy at Paimonia¡¯s request.¡± Kaede looked up to the roof of the mountain, and spoke, ¡°Paimonia? Can you still hear me, even in this world? I know you can not speak back, but I wish to again say that I am happy you found peace in your last moments. That you saw the future you wished for. I shall not forsake it, for I will not forget your words.¡± She looks towards where she had her second encounter with Jazak¡¯s party today, and she spoke with dejection, ¡°I am sorry, Alais. I should have been more in control. You should not have died.¡± Kaede looks forward again, wishing she could turn back time, but her magic could never allow that. No matter how hard she could try. Slowly she began to stand again. Taking a deep breath, Kaede stood calmly, gathering herself. It was time to go to the next. She had lost herself and allowed a death that was not meant to be. She will have to suffer that for her days. Though some would see it as self defense, she did not. She was far stronger. She simply only had to scare the poor Elf. She began to walk again, headed for her next destination, praying that she would not see Jazak or Drugov. She walked in silence, wondering if she should tell Grolit of the most recent encounters. She decides against it, and continues on her path. She reaches the edge of the roof, and jumps to the next. She began to fear failing to alter the thoughts of the people here, her mind returning to the fire and brimstone she had enacted in her time as Focalor. She began to think of Victor, Clover, Lance, and even Iris, who had returned to Varenisle instead of departing for Desmoni with the rest of them. Iris, the only one of them who had found out Kaede was one of their allies after Baal¡¯s defeat. The Vigilant had dismissed her at first, but that was fine. She had the others at the time. Why was she feeling so nostalgic? Was it because of the many times she had faced them after causing chaos? Was it because she was becoming homesick already? She walked in silence, pondering her feelings. She hopped to the next roof, thinking to herself about her past and her present. Jazak Forgeson Why had he run? Fear? He had forgotten that feeling. He knew anxiety and anger well. Anxiety from his failings as a Dwarf, and anger from his failings as a person. He stopped in his movements, knowing Kaede was not following him, nor was Arseni, and definitely not Alais. He had left Alais to her death, and he punched himself with as much force as he could. He felt the punch reverberate throughout himself. Pain shot through him, bringing a sense of relief for his anger, though small. He took in a ragged breath, knowing he was wrong to run. Wrong to abandon Alais. To consign her to death. He punched the wall, bloodying his hand on the stone. He took another shaking breath, and then spoke quietly, ¡°I need to leave. I need to go. I will only make a mess of things here.¡± He looks down the path again, then starts walking. He needed to return to Nurud. He would go to the Elven Queendom immediately. He needed to leave. He was useless here. Drugov Arseni Georgiyevich ¡°In one fleeting moment, thou must live, die, and know.¡± Arseni stood silent in an alley, listening to the song that was being sung past an open window. He was a warrior, yet he could do nothing against such monsters. It was a cowardly act, but he prioritized his life this day. He silently stood still, before beginning to walk towards the tower. He remembered the young Dwarf who had offered him a new shashka. He would take that offer now. He needed a better weapon, and one that would allow him to reach towards a noble goal, and an even nobler death. Both sides were right. Slavery was wrong, but at the same time, causing chaos and grief in the pursuit of destroying it was also wrong. The death of one does not excuse the death of another. He knew this well, as currently the only Drugov to understand might does not make right. This situation would cause suffering. He would witness suffering. He began to gather his resolve. He was ready. In one fleeting moment, he must live, die, and know. He begins to run, knowing his path. It will not end in death, it will end in conversation, and compromise. It will end with mediation, the only way to safeguard more lives. Sebastia Rin Sebastia was now extremely tired, as she fell to her knee and began to take a breather. The Freeborne approached, and spoke, ¡°That is all for today. You cannot last any longer.¡± Sebastia looked over, sweat falling from her brow and into her eye. With a few blinks and shakes, she begins to stand again, still breathing heavily, as she asks a question, ¡°Wh- What next?¡± The Freeborne smiles, then answers, ¡°We rest, or you do something unexpected.¡± Sebastia tilts her head slightly, still taking a moment to breathe. The Freeborne elaborates, ¡°Do you still believe in Lun¨¦ Alpenglow?¡± Sebastia nods, answering, as her lungs no longer need every bit of oxygen nearby, ¡°Yes, I do. But she is going down a darker path than she should.¡± The Freeborne smiles softly, as she answers, ¡°Then how about we help them, and show them their path is wrong?¡± Sebastia sees a square appear before them, an image on it. Sebastia feels sorrow fill her as she watches the image, before she answers, ¡°Yes. We should do it.¡± Kaede As Kaede reached another edge, she saw Jazak moving down an alley. She felt it could be time to capture him. He was alone, and there was no way he could resist her magic. She tapped her staff onto the ground, casting a spell, and lifting off the roof and onto the ground in front of him. He slowed, and drew his axes, walking with caution towards her. She spoke in a calm and collected tone, ¡°If you come quietly, this will not need to become bloody.¡± Jazak spoke with a shaking voice, ¡°I will not.¡± Kaede taps her staff onto the ground as she speaks and narrows her eyes at Jazak, ¡°Rethink. Immediately.¡± Two spectral spears begin to float behind Kaede. Jazak stops moving, keeping his axes forward, and remaining silent. Kaede frowns heavily, and speaks, ¡°Fine. It will be by force.¡± She raises her freehand, and the spears launch forward, only to find two daggers knocking them up and away. Kaede¡¯s eyes widen in surprise, as she had not expected someone to be able to fool her eye. The cloaked Elf speaks, ¡°Best to run, Dwarf. She will not be happy if you are captured.¡± Jazak speaks, his voice collected in that moment, ¡°I need to get past her. I need to get to Nurud.¡± The Elf nods as he speaks in a completely calm tone, ¡°It will be done.¡± Kaede spoke, now simply frowning, ¡°I had not expected invisibility at the level of an Archmagus. Who are you?¡± The Elf simply rushes her, slashing with his daggers. She backpedals, annoyed at the Assassin for ignoring her question. Kaede casts a quick and rough spell, blocking one of the dagger strikes that would have otherwise dug into her. She did not have her simulacrum, but she was confident she could still win. She swiped at the Assassin with her staff, causing him to duck, and slash upwards, just barely catching her chin with the tip of his blade. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. She had no time to check the wound, as the Assassin kept up the pressure, and Jazak ran behind him, likely aiming to run off when they reached the exit of the alley. She could not allow that, but she did not have the time to worry about blocking the exit, as the moment she did, she would likely be struck by the Assassin. The fight was currently one-sided against her, and she needed the extra space. She decided it would be fine to exit the alley, after all, she could quickly catch up to Jazak. As they exited, Jazak went right, while the Assassin began pushing Kaede to the left. The nearby civilians began running, not wanting to be close to a fight to the death. Kaede casts a spell, having managed to get enough space between them, and the Assassin simply jumps to the side as the bolts of light slam into the ground with considerable force. Kaede jumps backwards again as the Assassin rushes forward, and she launches another spell, which the Assassin stabs, causing it to dissipate. Kaede, though shocked, was not stunned by this new development. After all, she had seen anti-magic in work before. She would need to be more careful with her attacks. In the distance, she could see Jazak running still, but the Assassin was a problem, and very much in the way. He lunged forward, trying to pierce her skull, only for her to dodge to the side, and knee him in the stomach, or so she thought, as she felt the other dagger dig into her own stomach. Stumbling backwards, she reached, and pulled away blood. The Assassin looks at the bloody dagger, examining it as if something had happened to it. Kaede suddenly felt a chill down her spine, and immense pain in her stomach. The Assassin looked at her, and spoke, ¡°Demon Spider poison. You are already dead, little Kitten. Your fight is now futile.¡± Kaede smirks at that, ¡°Futile you say?¡± She had already cast a spell, strengthening her body against the poison, then she quickly threw a spell at the Assassin, catching him off guard. He barely dodged in time, ripping the hood off his head. Kaede spoke calmly and with little pain in her voice, ¡°I have been in far worse.¡± The Assassin glares at her, and Kaede recognizes the type of elf he is, as Raddoc was also this kind, a Dark Elf. She could see blood falling from a cut near where her strike had gone, indicating she had landed the blow. The Assassin raises his blades as he speaks, ¡°Annoying bitch. I¡¯ll make sure this is painful.¡± He lunges forward again, and Kaede simply jumps up and over, startling the man, as she lands behind him with a roll, and begins her mad dash to Jazak. The Assassin gives chase, and Kaede keeps sprinting. Jazak could be seen turning into a building. Kaede was beginning to head for it, only for the Assassin to throw a knife at her, and pierce her shoulder. Feeling the knife plunge in, she turned, annoyed with the amount of tricks up the Assassin¡¯s sleeve. Kaede transmutes her staff into a rapier and casting component, before stabbing forward at the Assassin, who was redrawing his daggers. Clashing together, the Assassin kept Kaede¡¯s rapier away from his body, waiting for the moment to strike. Kaede gave no quarter, jabbing and slashing with each strike, attempting to make no openings. However, she is no master duelist, and soon an opening is exploited. She barely can form a barrier to block the dagger, and ripostes with her own piercing strike. The Assassin backpedals, as he speaks, ¡°I¡¯ve done my job. See you around, little Kitten.¡± The Assassin pulls out a small pearl, and cracks it, disappearing. Kaede turns quickly, and begins sprinting to the store Jazak had entered. Bursting in, she finds a Dwarf in a mage¡¯s robe, glaring at her. He speaks, ¡°Too late, Lass. He¡¯s already gone. Leave my store, I don¡¯t want a fight.¡± Kaede glares back, and speaks, ¡°Then prove he is not here. Show me each room.¡± The Dwarf remains silent for a moment, before speaking, ¡°Do you know of teleportation magic?¡± Kaede nods in response, annoyed at the Dwarf, and understanding, ¡°Then you sent him somewhere. Where?¡± The Dwarf shakes his head, ¡°I won¡¯t tell. Even if you torture me, destroy my store, or find any random living relative that I don¡¯t know about.¡± Kaede turns and exits the building, knowing her next destination. She had to immediately tell Lun¨¦. However, before she cast the spell to teleport herself home, she heard something. A slightly familiar voice, ¡°Kaede. What are you doing here?¡± She turns her head to look at the person, before feeling faint, and collapsing. She smiles innocently, speaking with a very tired tone, ¡°Hello, Sebastia. I hope you are not here to betray our Lady.¡± Sebastia crouches, immediately becoming worried, ¡°Are you alright?¡± Kaede shakes her head slowly, before saying, ¡°I want to finish my objective, but I¡¯m too tired. There¡¯s poison in my system now. Can you take me to the-¡± Her mind begins to fade into unconsciousness, causing her to pause for a second and her head to roll to the side, ¡°-the Pries- Priestess.¡± With that, she was unconscious, and perhaps nearing death¡¯s door. The Freeborne Sebastia looks to the Freeborne, and nods, allowing her teacher to take over here for now. Sebastia takes Kaede into her arms, and takes flight, disappearing suddenly. The Etherling smiles happily, her pupil was learning so quickly during her fights. She took to the sky of Homrhi, and began swiftly flying around the city, searching for slave rings. Reaching her first one, she sets down, and the guard immediately raises his weapon, startled by the presence of a Freeborne. The kind who could decimate any group. Always they strive for equal balance, but some become more dangerous, aiming for one side of balance. It was understandable to be worried, and certainly at this moment, as the Etherling drew her sword, and spoke, ¡°Step aside, or die as well. No unnecessary deaths, please.¡± The guard kept still, hesitant to leave his post or attack. She sighed sadly, and raised her hand, grabbing and tossing the guard with magic. He hit the wall, and remained still, concussed. She stepped into the slave ring, and already locks were breaking off suddenly, causing someone to yelp in panic. Several of the more angry slaves grabbed the bars and began attempting to exit their cages, only to find them still locked somehow. A voice could be heard, ¡°Wh- Who¡¯s there!?¡± The Etherling spoke, ¡°A living nightmare for everyone on this World. A hostile Freeborne.¡± The voice became extremely panicked, ¡°St- Stay back! I¡¯m warning you! I¡¯ll- I¡¯ll- I¡¯ll-¡± She stepped around a corner, and looked at the terrified Dwarf, cowering against a corner. She spoke calmly and coldly, ¡°You will what? Call the guards? Call your ring¡¯s guards? Call your ring¡¯s benefactors? Go ahead and attempt it.¡± He suddenly screams out, only for no noise to be heard. The Freeborne approaches sword in hand, as she speaks, ¡°You will turn a new leaf. Become an honest man, and I will not kill you the next time I see you. And I will see you again, understand?¡± The Dwarf violently shakes his head, and then sprints off, as she lets him leave. As he leaves, she lets the cages open, and then casts one final spell, calming most of the slaves'' emotions, to a reasonable degree. With that done, she began to walk again. It would be fine, as the slaves would find their ways. She began to fly again, exiting the tent quickly, and heading for her next ring. Sebastia Rin Sebastia appeared in the main room of Priestess Jordan¡¯s home. She called out, ¡°Isabell! Come here, quickly!¡± The startled yelp was enough to indicate the Priestess was home at the moment, and she quickly exited her room, in a nightgown. She began sprinting over as she saw Kaede in Sebastia¡¯s arms, ¡°What happened!?¡± Sebastia answers with her own question, ¡°Where should I put her?¡± Isabell began running to get her things, ¡°Same place as last time!¡± Sebastia moved quickly to where Lun¨¦ had been resting for a while, and set Kaede down on the recently cleaned bed. Isabell rushes into the room, holding several books. She places them down, and speaks in a quick and worried tone, ¡°What happened?¡± Sebastia begins to explain what happened to Kaede, from the beginning of the fight, to the end and Sebastia¡¯s arrival to the scene. Isabell seemed immediately worried as she flipped urgently through one of the books, ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is bad. Demon Spider poison is the deadliest in this world. If I don¡¯t have a fang, then I cannot fix this. Check my storage. Its a large fang-tooth labeled ¡®Demon Spider¡¯, if I have any.¡± Sebastia disappears suddenly, and Isabell ignores this. Sebastia arrives in the storage room, finding no Demon Spider fang. ¡°Shit-¡± As Sebastia was about to do something reckless, she thought of something. Returning, she spoke, ¡°You have none, but I think I might have a substitute.¡± Isabell was feverishly looking through her books, as she yelled from worry, ¡°There is no substitute!¡± Sebastia answers, ¡°There is. Use me.¡± She holds out her arm, and Isabell finally looks at Sebastia properly. Isabell¡¯s eyes go wide as she realizes the situation she has found herself in. She then steels herself, as she states, ¡°Hand over the bowl, give me something sharp.¡± Sebastia moves and puts her hand over the bowl, before handing Isabell her sword. Isabell draws it, and cuts open the palm of Sebastia¡¯s hand, causing her to yell out in pain. Isabell sets the sword down quickly, before grabbing bandages. Sebastia¡¯s blood begins to pool in the bowl, and she begins to feel her strength draining. Isabell covers Sebastia¡¯s hand and casts a healing spell, allowing her to sit down and start regaining her strength. Isabell sprints out of the room, while Sebastia speaks, ¡°You¡¯ll be alright, Kaede. You¡¯ll survive.¡± Kaede mumbles something in her unconscious state, ¡°-¡¯m so-, Paim-¡± Sebastia remains still, sitting quietly, and waiting. Isabell returns, and places several things into the bowl. She begins quickly mixing it together, crushing and grinding it all together. When done, she pours some of it into the wounds, before beginning to bandage Kaede. She sets some bandages into the mixture, letting them soak, before sitting down, already exhausted. Isabell looks at Sebastia and speaks, ¡°Where did you go, and why are you an Angel?¡± Sebastia smiles softly, as she answers, ¡°I got kidnapped and given a test by a goddess. Par for the course at this point.¡± Isabell frowns at that, before speaking with an annoyed but happy tone, ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re back and safe.¡± Sebastia smiles happily at that, as she states, ¡°I won¡¯t be around for long. I still have to keep training, but as soon as I am done, I will be here.¡± Isabell is silent as she remains still, and then lays down to rest her eyes for a bit. Sebastia soon followed suit. Chaos, of Probability He softly chuckled, before sliding his view to somewhere else once again. It was a quiet night, but the City of Eslahil was not peaceful. A certain Dwarf approached the gates, ragged and tired. The Elves raised their spears, untrusting of the newcomer, only for them to hear a voice, ¡°Calm yourselves. He is a friend of the Princess.¡± The Dark Elf appears beside the Dwarf, and ushers him onto the wooden elevator, headed for the treetops. Within the trees, they were greeted with a warm welcome, but the Dark Elf was shunned for getting injured. Lethhonel chastised the poor Elf, assuming he had gotten into a fight with Jazak, only for Jazak to speak, ¡°It isn¡¯t his fault he got hurt. We have a bigger problem than if he insulted me or not.¡± Lethhonel raises an eyebrow at that, asking, ¡°What could be a bigger problem than endangering my closest friend? I should have him hung and quartered.¡± Jazak¡¯s serious glare brought Lethhonel back to reality, as he spoke, ¡°She is back and out for blood.¡± Chaos smiled happily, before returning his vision to Kaede, and then Lun¨¦. It was a quiet night, and they did not know the danger that was approaching. Chapter 33: The Shortest Volume Prologue Elven Soldier Eslahil was silent, as he stood guard at the elevator. It was a rather dull night, as the only interesting thing that had happened was the Dwarf Hero. He began to think about what he had heard so far in this city. Rumors of the Queen¡¯s ill deeds, of the Princess¡¯ supposed murder, and of the Queen¡¯s supposed disposal of the popular King Consort. The most egregious he had heard though, was the one of the Princess courting a Dwarf Hero. He had no reason to believe it until this night, and he felt it could be true. As he thought to himself, he heard a noise. A shifting of brush. Glancing in the direction of the noise, away from the elevator, he speaks, ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a noise.¡± His partner responds calmly, remaining at attention and watching the area ahead of the elevator, ¡°It''s just a squirrel or something.¡± The Guard remembers the briefings about this situation, and answers his partner with an annoyed tone, ¡°We still need to investigate it.¡± The other Guard sighs, and begins walking over, stating, ¡°You¡¯re too much of a stickler for the rules.¡± The two Guards enter the brush, and begin looking around through it, attempting to find this squirrel. Sliding a bush¡¯s branches away from each other, the Guard speaks as he sees a squirrel scamper off, ¡°Yep. It was a squirrel.¡± He lets go of the brush and turns around, as he states, ¡°Let¡¯s get ba-¡± He does not see his partner, and speaks, ¡°Wh- Where did you go?¡± As he finishes asking this, he feels a hand grab his mouth, and then darkness. Zephyrian The Nephilim quietly lowered the body, before whispering to his cohorts, ¡°Prepare to go up. Remember the plan.¡± The response was quiet, and quick, ¡°Aye, Zephyrian.¡± Zephyrian waves a hand over his face, causing his ears to turn much more elf-like. Standing, and quickly moving over to the elevator, he brings a dark green beret to his head, and begins to straighten out his stolen officer¡¯s uniform. His cohorts approach, all in uniforms as well, but far less important looking, considering the forage caps on their heads. In total they were five. Five elites of their organization. He quickly glanced back at them, and nodded to each one. It was a good thing that the Queendom did not discriminate on who could join their military, just who could become an officer. Within their group was one former slave Kitsune, who despises the aristocracy, one Sun Elf, and a set of Moon Elf Twins. Getting a nod back from them all, he looks forward, and steps onto the elevator. When they were all on, the Sun Elf began pulling on the pulley, bringing them up with surprising ease, after a small bit of trouble that is. Zephyrian stands with a commanding presence, and once they reach the top, he begins walking with a marching pace. His cohorts immediately begin following, staying looking forward. They pass by the Guard who is holding the elevator still at the top for them. As they step off, the Guard begins slowly lowering the elevator with the wooden winch at the top. Zephyrian continues forward, knowing where they have to go. Their target was within reach, but they first needed to find them. The infiltration had begun. Passing regal and fanciful buildings carved into the trees, and over massive suspension bridges made of wood and vine, they soon find themselves nearing their destination. Stepping onto the massive multi-tree spanning platform, they found it resembles a more normal city placed on the ground. Though as they walk, the Kitsune speaks in a calm and professional tone, ¡°Sir. I just heard something down an alley. Permission to investigate?¡± The nearby civilians were watching them with curiosity, as Zephyrian stopped, causing his formation to freeze as well. He looks over to the Kitsune, and nods, before stating in a stoic and cold voice, ¡°We¡¯ll follow your lead.¡± They moved into an alley, and continued down it. Knowing none of the civilians were following, he prepared himself to fight an enemy of some kind. They turned into a small clearing between the buildings, where they found nothing. The Kitsune spoke with a smirk, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± She then approached a wall, and tapped against it in a pattern of five knocks. The wall is pulled inwards, and slides out of the way as a voice speaks, ¡°Welcome, Operatives.¡± Zephyrian nearly laughs, he had expected a fight with slavers or Queendom Soldiers, not one of their hideouts. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Lake of Codex Lake was simply remaining still as they enjoyed their peaceful creation. As Lake sat still, incapable of movement, it began to think of Codex¡¯s more limitless form. That of the small female denizen it sees when they speak. It began wondering how Codex managed to gain such a form, and even a name at that. Something that Lake did not even have prior knowledge of, yet could immediately discern she was attempting to state? It was curious. Perhaps this was knowledge of the forebearers? Of the time of the Dungeon Lord? It thought carefully of this, wondering if it could manage to make such a form. Then it remembered Grandia also has such a form. Feeling inadequate, it begins thinking of all possibilities. The first being to sculpt a form out of the sediment covering the bottom of its water. This did not work, and the sediment simply fell back to the ground. Lake looked to its humanoid Sylphs. Then pushes an extreme amount of mana into one. Far more than it should have, as the Sylph suddenly bloats, and looks extremely confused. Lake moves on from the newly-¡±expanded¡± Sylph, now depressed that this did not work to give it a form to inhabit. It feels the confusion of the poor Sylph grow immensely, but what is done cannot be undone. All Lake can do is now feel upset at itself for turning the Sylph into a balloon. What¡¯s a balloon? Anyway! Lake turns their attention to the next possibility, but without mana it may prove difficult to experiment. Lake thinks silently to itself, before coming up with yet another possible solution. Lake simply begins focusing on one of the normal Sylphs, trying extremely hard to take over the creature, but finds a confused feeling coming back to it from the Sylph, clearly awaiting whatever orders Lake has for it. Annoyed at being unable to find an answer, Lake decides to send one of their Sylphs off to Codex, mostly to study Codex¡¯s physical form. Leonarde Whitewood Leonarde was sitting at his desk, silent as he read the myriad of letters he received in the short time he was away. He hears a knock at the door, and speaks, ¡°Enter!¡± In comes the Steward, who approaches, and holds out a letter. Taking it, he looks at the wax seal, which holds his family¡¯s crest. Opening it carefully, as is normal, he pulls the paper out and reads it. He pauses, and then rereads it, before quickly setting it down and standing, ¡°Steward, have someone prepare my personal horse, and send someone else to tell the Captain to wait at the main gate for me.¡± The Steward bows in response, and heads off to do so. Leonarde quickly runs off, leaving the paper on the desk. On that paper, a set of words that could prove dangerous down the line, ¡°-new dungeon in the Deadgrave Wood.¡± Freeborne The Freeborne stands still, as she prepares to open the next set of cages. She instead hears something behind herself. A voice, ¡°Is it not wrong to kill?¡± She turns to see an Orc, standing and watching her carefully. She frowns as she states, ¡°Yes, but Freeborne are creatures of balance. One good must be punished with a bad of equal value. At least a handful of these individuals would have died as a slave, and as such, ill must befall those who deal in this matter.¡± The Orc speaks in a calm voice, ¡°But you did not start until recently. In fact, you have taken the place of someone else, who was doing the same thing.¡± The Freeborne looks at the cages again, as she states coldly, ¡°We do not always have a plan for what we will do. No one knows what to do at each and every moment of their life. I did not know I would be destroying many slave rings tonight, and I certainly wish I was home in my bed at this moment. Simply put, it is best to not assume everything is going to be easy to do. Nor will it be easy to choose to do. Now if you will excuse me, I must continue.¡± She swipes a hand to the side, and then leaves the area, letting the Orc do as he pleases. She does not look back to see if the Orc was watching her leave, but she assumed he was. She did not care, however. It was going to be a long night of terrorizing Slavers, and freeing slaves. Something the Orc had not seen. Sebastia Rin Sebastia awakens with a jolt. With a few blinks to clear her hazy vision, she realized she had passed out. Training had taken quite a lot out of her it seems. Isabel lays beside her, still asleep on the floor, as Sebastia begins to stand. Looking at Kaede, she finds Kaede¡¯s bandages are damp and slick with both blood and the pink medicine. With a few minutes passing, she steps over to Kaede, and places a hand on her shoulder, as she quietly says, ¡°Get better, Kaede.¡± Kaede¡¯s eyes open tiredly as she responds deliriously, ¡°Come back faster, dumbass hero.¡± Sebastia smiles softly, as she opens a rift silently, and steps through, heading off to do her own thing. Chapter 34: Steam Zephyrs Zephyrian As they restock their supplies, the Nephilim waits by the exit. His Kitsune ally approaches him, her voice soft and calm as she asks, ¡°How are you holding, Master Zephyrian?¡± Zephyrian smiles softly at her, before he says, ¡°Well enough, our target is in reach, and we know of this hideout now, so we have a choice, my student. Continue with the ruse, or begin a different angle.¡± She begins to think on this fact, as the other three approach, having restocked their equipment. Zephyrian speaks as they near him, ¡°We make a decision now, continue, or change approach one final time? They have definitely lost our tracks from the many times we have already changed our approach, but we have the opportunity to confuse them completely, if we have not lost them. They will search the soldiers for us, when we will instead be in position to strike.¡± His Sun Elf ally speaks with a malicious grin, ¡°Your call Sir, we¡¯re so close that they can¡¯t stop us.¡± Zephyrian looks at the others, and sees the same thoughts laid out clearly in their expressions. It was his call, and he knew what they had to do. ¡°Get some proper gear, and drop the disguises. Better safe than sorry, when we can make one final twist for any Queendom Agents.¡± They each move away, heading to search for clothing and gear similar to their old outfits, which had been ditched to allow them to use the military uniforms. Zephyrian walked to a crate labeled ¡°Light Armors¡±, and opened it, glancing down and into it. He smirked at the choices he now had, and he began pulling them out. Checking each. There was a leather breastplate, with one steel pauldron attached to it, a lot of colored gambesons, and a full leather cuirass with pauldrons. He reaches for a dark blue gambeson, and the leather breastplate. He removed the military cloths, dropping the beret to the side with it. He kept the trousers, as they were not distinctly military despite being military issued. Putting on the articles, he continued to rummage through the crate, soon pulling out leather greaves, and putting them on instead of the clearly military boots. He walked away to another crate, this one reading ¡°Caps¡±. Popping it open, he immediately saw his favorite style, one he couldn¡¯t help but think made him look like some kind of beast-slaying hunter, born into a bloody world. He reaches down, taking the thin tyrolean hat with frayed ends and a disconnected flattened back. He sets it on his head, and refastens his sword and belt, ensuring he is well prepared for moving around. As he finishes, he hears a voice, ¡°Sir, we¡¯re ready.¡± He turns his head to look at them, and smirks, seeing them all in their best. The Kitsune was in plate armor, a halberd on her back, and the visor of her sugarloaf helm was up, letting her face be seen, longsword and shield fastened properly to herself. The Sun Elf was in a wide brimmed hat, with a long flowing robe, holding a staff and book with intricate patterns on it. The twin Moon Elves were in long cloaks, bows and quivers slung over their shoulders. Zephyrian nods in response, before he says, ¡°Let''s get to it then.¡± He began walking to the exit, followed by his team. Lake of Codex Lake was happily riding shotgun in its Sylph¡¯s mind. Watching the world through the floating water monster¡¯s eyes. Slowly they floated along, headed towards Codex, intent on studying their mistress¡¯ form, and learning the secret to a physical form. Slowly and silently, they floated just above the grass. As they went along, a noise could be heard in the distance. It sounded as if the wind had been trapped and released out of a small hole rapidly. The Sylph began floating towards the sound, and Lake became happy that it had allowed the Sylph to be curious on this mission. Approaching the noise, they found a group of Animated Armors, standing guard around a group of shaped copper objects, one of which has glass embedded into it. Floating closer, an Animated Armor raises its spear, and holds the Sylph at bay. The Sylph was unhappy with this, and nearly lost its calm and attacked. Luckily, it held itself calmly, and made a few angry burbles at the Grandian Armor. This caused someone else to take notice, and look around the copper objects, revealing herself. Lake was confused for a second, as it saw the physical form of the Grandia Core. The Sylph continued to burble angrily, as the Core approached, her outfit different to the one Lake had seen during their meeting. It was very heavy looking linens, with goggles, a glass face shield, and a belt filled to the brim with metal objects. She approached, and spoke, ¡°Guard, you can put down the spear.¡± The Armor lowers the spear, causing the Sylph to calm down, though it was still pouting at being threatened like that. The Core spoke again, ¡°What can I do for you, little one?¡± She smiles warmly at the Sylph, leaning down onto her legs to look it in the eyes. The Sylph points to the objects, tilting its head in confusion. The Core looks at the objects and asks, ¡°The machine? Would you like to take a closer look as I work on it?¡± The Sylph burbles happily, bringing its hands together in gleeful excitement. The Core begins walking back to ¡°the machine¡±, as she says, ¡°Come, come. Join me as I work. Your Dungeon may find this interesting.¡± The Sylph follows, as the Core continues, ¡°This is the next step for Grandia¡¯s Knights. I first need to ensure that steam and pressure work the same here as it does where I come from.¡± This sentence intrigues Lake, but it cannot order the Sylph around at the moment, and also does not know how it would ask such a complex question through a medium. The Core crouches beside the machine, pulling one of the metal objects off of her belt, and placing it against an object that fit perfectly within. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The Sylph gets to see the glass part of the object, and Lake realizes it is an extremely thick glass pane, holding water inside of the machine. The Core speaks as she works, ¡°This is a ¡®Steam Heart¡¯. It is one of the devices that powers Grandia. Smaller versions are utilized for our mounted troops, who push the steam through their weapons, scalding their enemies, while ensuring they remain well protected, and capable of defending themselves even when disarmed. It also allows us to create armors that are much larger and bulkier than traditional equipment.¡± The Sylph is confused by the explanation, as is Lake, but having larger and more dangerous monsters is a big plus. The Core continues, ¡°It works by heating the water to well past its boiling point, at which point, steam rises and collects. This steam is usable as additives to weaponry, or can be recycled and cooled rapidly back into water, to go through again. The pressure caused by this process is utilized in pushing pistons and other devices, which then causes rotational power, which can then be transferred into electrical power with a few other devices. This electrical power is used for lighting, heat, cooking, and so many more things. We even had a prototype called the ¡®Arc Coil¡¯, which would have utilized smaller versions of the required machines to allow our Knights to fire lightning from their lances.¡± The Sylph was still confused, which the Core seemed to realize, on the other hand, Lake was beginning to roughly understand, despite the additional knowledge that it did not need to know. The Core smiles warmly as she continues, ¡°I can power it on to show you, if you would like? Perhaps we can even figure out a way for your Dungeon to assist us in our collection of water.¡± The Sylph doesn¡¯t seem to know how to respond, but it was clearly ready to see the Steam Heart in action. The Core reached for a small handle, and yanked it up, revealing an empty space underneath. She holds her hand forward, and a line of fire flies under the Steam Heart. The Sylph flinches, but is curious nonetheless. Lake was confused by this action, as it seemed to do nothing, but as the Core closed that opening once again, this time rapidly, she spoke, ¡°Take a look at the water.¡± The Sylph floats back to look at where the water was, and as it sat still, small bubbles of water began to form, and the Sylph grew confused. Lake immediately began to understand. The fire was to heat the water, not be applied directly to the Heart. After a few seconds, the water began to boil and Lake was fascinated. This fascination quickly dissolved as it noticed the Sylph was absolutely mortified. The Core stood and approached, speaking, ¡°What do you think? Interesting, no?¡± A few protruding parts began moving up and down, making noise, as steam quickly began filling the heart. Lake could see some steam moving through thick glass tubes, which revealed the mist to them. With a hiss, steam poured out of an opening at the top, and the Sylph began to run, absolutely mortified, and intent on leaving the area before it was forced to become steam too. Lake felt a little bad about just leaving, but it could talk with Grandia later, and express interest in the Steam Heart project. Sebastia Rin Sebastia arrived, calm as can be, only to hear panicked yelps of nearby people. Looking around, she sees disheveled individuals, each Human or Beastman. They were dressed in clothes that were not so ragged as their appearances dictated, and this confused Sebastia. The town-like area that they were building was still under construction, but it was looking far more built. After only a few seconds, she felt a presence watching her, confused and worried and uncomfortable. Sebastia knew who it was, and she felt she should leave quickly, to allow her less discomfort. She spoke calmly, ¡°Kaede is with Isabel. You should check on her tomorrow morning. That is all, Lun¨¦. I will be back when I am done.¡± She opens another rift, about to step through it as she feels sadness through the bond. Even when uncomfortable, and not wanting to respond, Lun¨¦ was sad to see her leave, but she had her duty to this world. She must step through that rift, and she does. Quint Radoc Radoc watched Sebastia suddenly disappear again, and frowned. He began heading towards the main house, intent on checking if Lun¨¦ is ready to hear his philosophy. Though as he walks, he hears her voice, ¡°Mr. Radoc, I need you to go to the town, and check on Kaede. She is with Priestess Jordan.¡± With a sigh, he turns and begins walking, ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll return as soon as I have what we need to know about her condition.¡± He is silent after this, simply letting Lun¨¦ tell him about what she wishes to know, all of which is boiled down to how Kaede is feeling, and what happened to her. He walks silently, heading on his way to check on his unnecessary compatriot. Impromptu Hiatus/Chapter 35 Preview Kaede Slowly awakening, Kaede realized she had not passed away, and was now in a bed. Sitting up slowly, she notices the Priestess passed out on the floor, and she feels the sharp pain of a dagger wound. Holding the wound, she finds clean yet slick pink-ish bandages. She did not feel the poison coursing through her veins, and she did not feel too injured, as to be unable to stand. Though if she did, she assumed the Priestess would force her back into bed. She stared at the Priestess, and then decided to lay down again. At least until she heard a voice, ¡°I see you¡¯re awake. Lun¨¦ wishes to know how you are feeling.¡± She looks to the voice, and sees Radoc, almost invisible in the shadows of the room. She smirks and speaks with sarcasm in her voice, ¡°Fit as a fiddle, as you can see.¡± Radoc exits the shadows, and approaches, stating, ¡°At least you are not so injured as to not be able to joke about your condition.¡± He opens a pouch, and produces a vial of reddish liquid. Kaede raises an eyebrow to that, as she says, ¡°And what might that be? Are you going to poison me as well?¡± Radoc shakes his head, while holding it out to her, ¡°Nothing of the sort. You¡¯re a useful asset. That and I would rather not kill anyone who has done nothing against me.¡± Kaede watches him carefully, while reaching out to take the vial, asking, ¡°What is it then?¡± Radoc smirks, then states, ¡°Vitality potion. Use it if you feel yourself getting weaker, or feel an illness taking hold.¡± She begins to examine it, as he continues, ¡°With that out of the way, I shall take my leave and return. If you do not end up using it, please return it. I only have a few.¡± He begins walking away, causing Kaede to watch him leave. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Once he was out of the room, she laid back down, putting the vial away, in her hat for later use or study. She began to relax for a bit, while she idly thought of the past few days. This idle thinking quickly changes to remembering the days before she was brought to this World. Mentally backpedaling through time, she soon begins to remember her days as Focalor. Victor and the rest. She began to wonder if there were versions of them within this World. After all, Clover and Lun¨¦ both had the same last name. It was possible that they were the same individual from different Worlds. But then, where was Zephyrian? Would he not be present? A constant guardian, always prepared to go against the World if it meant his surrogate daughter would be unharmed? What about Victor, or any of the others? What about herself? She lay still, thinking of the possibilities. Thinking of the many situations that could occur from these unknown variables. What if one was to be an enemy? What if one was to be an obstacle? She remained still, wondering what future awaits. What would she see ahead of herself? Would it be good? Would it be bad? She would not pray, as she had no gods to pray to, but she would still hope for a good future.