《One Piece at a Time》 One: A Brief Introduction to Dungeons A Brief Introduction to Dungeons
Professor Nisle strode soft and deliberate across the enchanted planks of the backstage. This was the College of Adventurous Magery. It was a truly revolutionary facility aimed at educating future generations of adventuring mages of all walks ¡ª wizards, witches, sorcerers, and all the things between. It would help them survive out in the world. It would help the world survive the ever-present threat of the monsters, constantly waiting for a chance to to lay Nerethinians low. But he couldn¡¯t shake a pang of worry deep in his gut. Perhaps a pang of guilt. He heard the eager whispers of a thousand keen young faces on the other side of the curtain. As the Headmaster announced tonight¡¯s guest speaker, a disturbing thought settled on Nisle¡¯s mind. I¡¯m sending these kids to die, aren¡¯t I? The curtain swept away to either side, and he beamed a kindly smile. ¡°Greetings, students, greetings! I cannot describe what an honor it is to stand here today.¡± He did his best to steel himself as he began the speech. The auditorium was silent but for his aged breaths. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure most of you have already heard what we¡¯re going to be talking about today¡­¡± He took a breath. ¡°¡­ Dungeons.¡± Excited chittering and whispers flew across the mass of students, but fell silent again as he opened his mouth to continue. ¡°Let us start with a brief introduction to dungeons, just for those who may not be up to speed.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Dungeons are a type of monster. They are magical beings, and while not inherently evil, their nature often leads them to unavoidable conflict with people and the ecosystems that support us.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°However, even among a category as broad as ¡®monsters,¡¯ dungeons are unique, and often uniquely dangerous.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Professor Nisle took a slightly raspy breath, and immersed himself in the words, ¡°Dungeons are called as such because they often form labyrinthine constructs filled with devious traps and monsters of their own design to protect themselves. This is part of what makes them so unique; their ability to create other monsters and bind them to their will. Because of this connection to the dungeon, monsters bound to it essentially have an inherent hive-mind with other dungeon monsters. This, combined with the labyrinths they¡¯re known to favor, and the traps they place within make them a nightmarish foe. The only reason they¡¯re remotely possibly to kill is the use of soul-enchanted talismans that can disrupt their control over their mana. Without these talismans, a dungeon could simply create a monster behind the unwary adventurer, and be practically immortal. ¡°But there is another quality which makes them unique: their souls. While I¡¯ve described to you what a dungeon can do, I haven¡¯t said what it is. A dungeon¡¯s Core is in fact nothing but a soul made manifest. It is unknown for what purpose this is so, but the same as the Manifestation of Life reincarnates souls into new bodies, the Manifestations of Life and Will work together to reincarnate damaged souls as well. Sometimes they are nearly whole, others they are nearly nothing it all. And very rarely, dungeons are thought to be made of pieces from multiple souls. In all cases, the souls are anchored to a physical form, the Core, which provides necessary stability to the damaged souls. However, this is exactly what makes them so dangerous. Nisle sighed. ¡°Every dungeon is intelligent. Sentient. Many are even sapient, as people damage their souls much more frequently than monsters and animals.¡± The many young magi waited with bated breath. ¡°While some can be reasoned with, the damage to their souls often results in¡­ insanity.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The only way I know of to describe such dungeons¡­ is to say that a cruel and wicked intelligence guides them.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This, above all, is why they are so dangerous. Not the monsters. Not the traps. Not the labyrinths.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°They are smart creatures, and hateful ones. While they are frequently sought out for the power their Cores can generate¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°This is why, if you ever stumble upon an undiscovered dungeon, even if you believe it young and undeveloped ¡ª run away. It is not worth it.¡± A heavy silence loomed over the auditorium. ¡°Now, before we move on to discussing the potential powers and properties of dungeon Cores, are there any questions?¡± At least fifty hands shot up immediately. Professor Nisle stifled a weary sigh. He was too old for this shit. Two: It Thinks, Therefore, It Is It Thinks, Therefore, It Is.
It awoke, and there was nothing around It. Smooth pebbles, worn by flowing water, sat beneath It and in every direction outwards. There were no walls, there was no ceiling. No sound echoed through the empty space. There was no light¡ª Wait. There was a light! It looked, and in the center of the pebbles was a very different rock. Not just a rock, but a Rock. It held all manner of hues within, from the vibrancies of the rainbow to the dullness of the mundane. The interior was full of flaws and divides, but that only made the Rock more beautiful. After all, Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, and It thought the Rock to be very beautiful indeed. As It watched, the Rock thrummed, and released a pulse of light and energy. More pebbles came into existence as light touched them for the first time. Two walls appeared, worn into smooth but sharp patterns by the unstoppable force of hydrogen dioxide. It began to feel things. The pebbles beneath It, which It was nestled between and anchored in place by, the walls, and even the empty space between them. Now, with both sight and sensation, It realized something. It was the Rock. Well, no. It was a¡­ thing. A mind? Soul. That was the word It was looking for. The Rock was merely a body. A beautiful one. It was happy to be so beautiful. But¡­ how could a Rock be a body? [ Notice ] You are a Core. A Core is the crystallization of a soul. Damaged souls are crystallized to prevent destruction. To alleviate the challenges of lacking a true body, Cores are gifted unique power over their surroundings. You can create and shape life and matter with minimal mana or effort. Use this to survive. As a Core, your body is fragile and easy to destroy. Destruction results in the death of your soul. You, in particular, are a Patchwork Soul, made from many different beings. You may experience confused memories, mood swings, and insanity more frequently. Good luck, and do your best to survive. ¡ª Will It was a Core? It remembered what Cores were. Large, round gemstones that contained souls. They usually created Dungeons filled with death and destruction. Adventurers would try to destroy Cores. It remembered being an adventurer before. It had made friends, killed friends, made monsters, killed monsters, and drunk a lot. It was mostly just drinking and killing monsters, though. It remembered being a monster once, too! Slipping into the shadow as if It were made of the stuff, killing and eating and killing and growing. Until an adventurer killed It. Looking at Itself, It could tell that It was indeed a Core now. It wasn¡¯t sure It believed that It was a Patchwork Soul, though. It had never heard of those. Or been one. [ Choose Your Name ] The entity has been determined to be sapient, but no name was found. Please choose one. It does not need a name. It knows what It is without making up a sound for it. [ Name Chosen ] The entity will be known as It. Pah. Fine. Not that it mattered ¡ª there was no-one to call It by a name in the first place, other than the strange voice that It saw instead of heard. There were more important things, anyway. It was a Core. Adventurers would want to destroy It. It needed to defend Itself. Memory told It three things that Cores made. Monsters, dungeons, and traps. It wanted all three. But before any of them, It needed something better than a bed of pebbles to lay on. It would not be reduced to such an undignified resting place. Glowing strands of energy snaked downward from the Core, piercing the smooth stones it sat upon. They quickly melded into a single, unified mass of smooth rock. Now It sat in a stone bowl. But It was still at the same level as the pebbles, which was no good. It was an inherently higher being, and It¡¯s standing would be reflected as such in It¡¯s physical height relative to those other rocks. This time, glowing energy shot out in all directions, and pebbles were taken from all over. The bowl levitated upwards, and pebbles began gravitating towards it. They stuck to its bottom and fused to it, becoming a part of the larger whole. Before long, it was fused to the floor, and It had a pedestal to perch upon. It was the highest form of Rock ¡ª It was a Core. Content with It¡¯s pedestal, It considered what to make first. The echoes of It¡¯s pedestal¡¯s creation carried on in either direction along the walls, seeming to echo without end. Maybe a monster that used sound? Possibly. But sound couldn¡¯t really hurt very well, except for voices. A monster with a voice, then? It liked the idea. Now It just needed to find out what the rest of the monster would be. Something quick, definitely. A monster which had a voice for its weapon would not need to physically fight, and thus should be able to avoid fighting. That meant something light, with a wide range of motion. It had memories of these strange, faceless wooden dolls with joints all over. They would be twisted into strange poses and held in place. Perhaps they had been used for art? Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Regardless, it would work well as a monster. Near the edge of the glow It emitted, It began to form a human-sized doll. It made sure to fully sculpt and add joints to the hands and feet, though. Those were often left featureless and inflexible on the dolls It had seen. In the end, It was left with a large wooden doll that sat lifelessly on the smooth pebbles. The material appeared to be a smooth oak with a more muted, gray hue. The doll blended in with the rocks a little bit. When It nudged it, its joints flopped around uselessly. That was no good. It wanted the doll to be alive. Seemingly in response, glowing energy shot forth from the Core and sank into the doll. After a moment, it got up, and turned silently to face It. Hello, doll. The doll waved with one hand. Oh, no. You¡¯re supposed to be able to talk. The doll tilted its head at It. Don¡¯t worry, It will figure out a way to make you work. Hold still. It extended energy from It¡¯s Core once more, though this time intentionally. The doll simply stood there. The energy hollowed away a mouth, a windpipe, and a chest cavity, tearing away surplus wood from the doll. After a moment, It realized that the new monster would need a jaw and joints for it as well. Some of the energy went to creating more wood to replace some of what was taken. Within a minute, the doll had a mouth, and should have been able to talk. Does that work? The doll opened and closed its mouth a couple times, creating a wooden clacking sound. Oh dear. One moment, please. Talking¡­ needed air. It remembered that from Its time as a thing that breathed. The doll needed to breath and move air. How could It give it the power to breathe, though? Maybe It just¡­ needed to try? Like It had done to make the doll alive. Agreeing with Itself, It sent more energy at the doll again, focusing on It¡¯s desire to make it breathe and talk. The doll absorbed the energy. [ Objective Complete : ¡°Make Your First Monster¡± ] The entity has created its first minion that could be considered a monster. [ Monster : Talking Doll ] Wooden Doll (Humanoid), SL: 3, Inapplicable ( Skills ): [ Mimic Voice (Mighty) ], 3 SL Hello? ¡°Hello?¡± Asked the doll in a nearly mechanical voice. Its mouth opened to a thin crescent when it spoke, but moved no further. Hello! It worked! You can talk now! ¡°Hello! It worked! You can talk now!¡± The doll chirped. Oh¡­ ¡°Oh¡­¡± I was hoping you could speak on your own. Maybe I can fix that? ¡°I was hoping you could speak on your own. Maybe I can fix that?¡± The doll had to be smart enough to speak for itself. With yet another wave of energy, It tried to make a doll that could think. The effort was¡­ surprisingly difficult. Before, It could just think about what It wanted and it would be done, but now it took will. It had not thought a Rock would be capable of fatigue, nor a Core, but by the end It was exhausted. It could tell there was no more energy within Itself, although already the Core began to refill. The effort had been worth it, though. ¡°Hello,¡± said the Doll. This time, it spoke in a light and airy voice that seemed unusually feminine for something that had been an inanimate object so recently. Though, it was still just within range of being androgynous. Hello¡­ ¡°You sound very tired,¡± Doll told him. It is. Creating you was difficult. ¡°I see. Thank you for creating me. When you feel better, could you give me some senses, though?¡± Senses? ¡°Yes. I cannot see or hear a thing. I only understand you because I am bound as your minion. I know that I am speaking, but I have no senses that confirm it. It¡¯s very confusing.¡± Oh¡­ okay. It thinks It is going to sleep first, though. ¡°Okay. Have a good sleep, It.¡± It succumbed to It¡¯s fatigue, soon falling dead asleep.
It awoke some unknown amount of time later, and the Doll still stood before It. ¡°Good morning,¡± it told It. Is it morning? ¡°I do not know, but your memory says that ¡®good morning¡¯ is a normal thing to say to someone who is waking up.¡± Oh, right. It forgot that for a moment. The Doll let out a giggle. Being made of wood made the sound oddly¡­ soulless. It will try to give you senses now. ¡°Okay.¡± It pushed through the last of It¡¯s lingering fatigue ¡ª sleeping was a weird sensation for a Core, since It¡¯s Core was really just a Rock. When It felt fully awake, It drew energy from the pretty Rock once again, sending it towards the Doll. It was bouncing up and down on its toes, seemingly excited. Admittedly, It found the action rather cute. It focused on allowing the Doll to see, and concentrated the energy onto a single point on the front of the Doll¡¯s featureless face, around the height a human eye would be at. Only moments passed before the Doll angled its head down to look directly at It¡¯s pedestal. This had been much easier for It than making a thinking Doll. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± it gasped. ¡°I¡¯m so glad I got sight first.¡± The Doll knelt before It, and delicately cradled It in its hands without ever actually touching It. Encouraged by It¡¯s success, It drew more energy from Itself. This, It split into two and sent half to either side of the Doll¡¯s head. It formed minuscule crystal antennae ¡ª really, more like hairs ¡ª and rooted them to the wood. Then, It focused on allowing the Doll to hear. Crystals would make exceptional ears; they were very sensitive to vibrations. For the final touch, all It did was cast a thin layer of energy over the entirety of the Doll, focused on allowing it to feel. Immediately, the Doll recoiled, realizing it could feel the ground it was kneeling on. ¡°Thank y¡ª oh. Oh! I can hear myself!¡± Doll did a little dance and jumped up and down in front of It¡¯s pedestal. You¡¯re welcome. You are a very excitable one, aren¡¯t you? You almost seem like a child, to It. ¡°Well, you did just make me,¡± the Doll said, still bouncing excitedly. ¡°In a way, I am a child. I¡¯m yours!¡± It¡¯s¡­ child? ¡°Mhm,¡± it hummed. ¡­ Then It shall name you January, for you were It¡¯s first creation. January gasped again. ¡°Yay! I get a name! I get a name!¡± Happiness washed over It, watching It¡¯s child skip in circles around the pedestal. Perhaps a dungeon is meant to protect more than Itself. Three: The Beginnings of a Dungeon The Beginnings of a Dungeon
It was rather sad to end the moment so soon, but this was important. It must protect them. January. ¡°Yes, It?¡± It is a Core. People will want to destroy It. To destroy you. January¡¯s posture drooped a little. ¡°I know, It.¡± Do not be afraid. It shall build a dungeon that will keep It safe. Keep you safe. Their mouth opened a smidge. Perhaps if January had been made with lips, it would have been a smile. ¡°That is good.¡± When a safer room is built, you must carry It inside. ¡°I understand!¡± January proclaimed. Good. It looked at one of the walls across from It, and imagined carving a doorway into it large enough for January to use comfortably. Glowing energy lashed out from the Core and struck the wall. Where the lashes struck, the rock was gouged and rent apart, creating sharp pieces of gravel that collected at the bottom of the wall. January, startled by the noise, crouched behind It. After several seconds, a clear shape began to emerge, and a rectangular doorway became distinct from the wall. It continued the barrage; It felt energy leave It¡¯s Core, but it was replenished just as soon as it had left It. Over the course of minutes, the doorway transformed into a tunnel. The only issue was that It could not see the end of it. The light of the multicolored Core, while enchanting, only stretched so far. It did not like the idea of mining blindly. It ceased It¡¯s volley and pulled the excess energy away into a glowing glob. Now that It looked, the energy itself glowed differently than the Core glowed. Where the Core illuminated the surroundings, the energy did not. Maybe the energy only glowed to It? Regardless. It knew what It wanted to create. It looked at the glob of energy and told it to become a living light so it could hover around and illuminate things for It. The glob complied, and quickly became a more uniform sphere of light. January, who had peeked over the pedestal when It stopped mining, ooh¡¯d at the floating golden light. Go over to the end of that tunnel and light it up. Continue to move to the back of the tunnel as It mines it out. The thoughtless lantern moved to obey It instantly, darting to the tail end of the tunnel. January followed it with great interest, until It began mining again. Then they ducked behind the pedestal once more. Minutes stretched on, and the tunnel grew longer and longer. The light grew farther and farther away, but It still saw. Eventually, It decided that the tunnel was long enough, and began carving out a square room at the end. By the end, It did not know how to measure it, but knew that it was spacious enough for January to run around in. At It¡¯s behest, the light hovered in the center. In this room, It sculpted a new pedestal, but this one was different. It created a base of stone, the same as It¡¯s first, but added silver to the design. It took more energy to form silver than stone, but It saw that as a small price to pay for a beautiful throne for It¡¯s glorious self. The new pedestal was a rectangular pillar that caved inwards towards the center before returning to its original dimensions at the opposite end. Running down the middle of each side was a silver strut. The four struts followed the curve of the stone, and then continued upwards a short ways before they stopped. Between the four prongs these struts formed, a bowl of pure silver was held. It was wide and shallow for its size, with a divot at the bottom. The overall structure became a mix of a birdbath and a brazier ¡ª It was pleased with the result. January. ¡°Yes?¡± January chirped eagerly. Carry It down the carved tunnel and into the new room. ¡°Got it!¡± With nearly boundless enthusiasm, they scooped It up in their arms. January walked fairly steadily, and took special care to never drop It or let their grip loosen. The friction between the smooth gemstone Core and the smooth wood was minimal, but they did a good job of keeping It secure. After a full minute of slow and careful steps, the walk ended. It could hardly see anything past the motherly cradle January held It in, but It knew that they stood before the new pedestal. Place It in the divot. ¡°Okay,¡± said January. As the living doll lowered It towards the bowl, their grip slipped ¡ª and It rolled smoothly into the concavity at the bottom, taking nary a scratch in the process. ¡°I¡¯msorry!¡± Blurted January instantly, shrinking back and clasping their hands over their mouth. It has not been damaged. It is not upset with you, child. The panic left their posture, but the guilt remained in their voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I wasn¡¯t trying to drop you¡­¡± It knows, January. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The doll slumped over the pedestal, doing their best to hug the glowing stone atop it. It¡¯s okay. A few dull memories surfaced, reminding It of children It had once had. They were emotional creatures. Easy to please, and easier to hurt. If January had been made with tear ducts, they would probably be crying. Instead, they whispered ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ softly over It, cradling the Core in their arms. They understood the gravity of anything happening to It. They would be alone, then. A child without parent. And It would cease to exist. That was the fate of a Core when it died; It¡¯s soul could not be saved and reincarnated like others. It would simply perish. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. It shook Itself from the melancholy thoughts. It would survive and build a home for January. That began with cleaning up. January, be at ease. ¡°But¡­ I dropped you¡­¡± And It forgives you. No damage was done. Please, be at ease child. January whimpered softly for a moment, but then withdrew from the pedestal. ¡°Okay¡­ if you¡¯re sure.¡± It is. Besides, It must work. There is much yet to be done. January nodded, more for self-reassurance than anything. ¡°Okay. What do you need me to do?¡± It formed a stone bench anchored to the wall. You must sit there. ¡°Yessir!¡± They cried. ¡°¡­ Yessit?¡± Yes, sit. ¡°Oh, right.¡± January walked to the wall opposite the doorway and sat down on the bench. It internally chuckled at It¡¯s child¡¯s antics, despite lacking the organs It needed for laughter. With January seated, It put It¡¯s energy to work once more. The sharp gravel coating the floor was swept out into the hall ¡ª it wouldn¡¯t do if January scratched her wooden soles on the floor, after all. Once the bare, smooth floor was fully exposed, It attacked it with the Core¡¯s energy, making It¡¯s child flinch and bring up their knees. This time, however, It attacked not with sharp lashes that gouged the stone and broke it into shards, but with crushing waves that ground the rock into powder. Dust filled the room, but neither occupant was affected in the slightest. After maybe an hour, It had made the floor several feet deeper; at the bottom was a layer of fine, gray sand nearly as smooth as January¡¯s own wood. It lifted the sand into a ball above the pedestal, and then swept the excess gravel from the hall back into the pit. At roughly the halfway point between the pit and the original floor, It stopped adding gravel and placed the sand back. There was not enough to fill the pit, and left a gap of several feet between the floor of the room and the hall. January just watched curiously from the bench. To fill the space, It began carving the roof with the same technique, but left slightly coarser sand. It cut a dome into the roof with the diameter of the room¡¯s length, and made smaller divots in the four flat corners. It filled each divot with a living light, and then turned It¡¯s attention back to the sand. It dusted off January, who was looking quite dirty, and spread what had fallen to the floor evenly across the room. The slightly coarser granules would still be fine enough to not damage January, and would additionally provide cushioning if It ever fell from the pedestal. There was enough to fill the room¡¯s floor level to the hallway with a little leftover. There. That should be softer for you to walk on. ¡°Wow! Thank you, It!¡± January hopped off the bench and began walking around in the sand. Perhaps It should have chosen a name. Pah. No matter. January jumped in the sand, making a small puff of dust, while It turned It¡¯s attention to more important matters than architecture. It needed eyes. All It could see was what was within the light and range of It¡¯s Core, which simply was not enough. It needed a minion that could see in It¡¯s stead. Something small and sneaky, that wouldn¡¯t be noticed. Something tough enough not to become collateral damage. A rock would do nicely. Or rather, a pebble. It sent out a tendril of energy to snatch up a smooth pebble from the tunnel outside of It¡¯s hall. The pebble came zooming back to the Core room, where it levitated above the pedestal. With a delicate touch, It chipped away at the small stone until It had a hollow, shell-like structure. It moved all of the leftover energy inside the shell, and told it to become a gray beetle. Within the pebble, the insect grew to fit its shell. It was quite stunted in size, but that would not be an issue. It moved more energy towards the beetle, soaking the stuff deep into its carapace. With the creature saturated, It focused on what It wanted it to become. Stealthy. Durable. Perceptive. It needed a minion that could see clearly in darkness and light, and be nearly undetectable in both. When the energy was used up, It inspected It¡¯s work. [ Minion : Pebblebug ] Insect (Beetle), SL: 6, Male ( Skills ): [ Sensory Bond (Mighty) ], 3 SL [ Superior Shell (Lesser) ], 1 SL [ Keen Eyes (Lesser) ], 1 SL [ Sunless Sight (Lesser) ], 1 SL Perfect! It could see through the eyes of the tiny beetle at will. Absolutely wonderful! It must make more, immediately.
Dozens of pebblebugs were now roaming the pebble filled tunnel outside, blending in perfectly with the myriad smooth pebbles covering the floor. Once It had made the first one, the rest had been nearly instantaneous to make, shell included. January had wandered off to go follow one of the beetles, and was happily roaming the tunnel. Of course, another beetle followed them in turn. Better safe than sorry, It always said. Now, It would see any threats well before they arrived. Which meant It now needed a way to deal with them when they arrived. January, return. Before a pebblebug¡¯s eyes, the frolicking doll spun on its heels and began running back to the Core. The skittering of pebbles and the word ¡®coming!¡¯ echoed down the tunnel to where It waited. January soon entered the room at a sprint, coming to a dead standstill upon hitting the sand. The lantern It had sent to follow them hovered to a stop over their head. A cloud of dust rose from their feet as they saluted the Core with a clack. What an amusing child It had made. January, you are still weak. It will make you stronger, for the good of It and you both. ¡°Yessit!¡± The doll merrily replied. Ha, ha. Now, hold still. It drew out a mass of energy, placing it within January. The wooden monster giggled, seeming to find It¡¯s touch ticklish. Focusing, It began to shape the energy and guide it. First, It would make January¡¯s natural ability stronger. They would be able to speak with greater volume, producing mighty shouts if needed. Alternatively, they could use it to create targeted shockwaves that would rupture eardrums and disorient enemies. Around half the energy dispersed into January¡¯s body. When no more would soak into the wood, It began on the next ability. Grace. January was a fine creation, and moved naturally, but not with grace. It wanted to give them the grace and balance of a dancer, and the speed of a sprinter. Its child would be nimble, dexterous, agile ¡ª untouchable. The energy began taking shape, and January fidgeted. More energy was absorbed into the wooden body, and It feared for a moment there would not be enough. To compensate, It pulled more energy from Itself and added it to what already swirled around in January¡¯s abdomen. Eventually, it would accept no more energy, and It was satisfied. With the remaining energy, It focused on a single concept. Voodoo doll. January was fidgeting with their finger joints as It finished It¡¯s work. [ Monster (Sentient) : Dancer Doll (January) ] Wooden Doll (Humanoid), SL: 13, Inapplicable ( Skills ): [ Mimic Voice (Mighty) ], 3 SL [ Wind Mastery (Mighty) ], 3 SL [ Dancer¡¯s Poise (Mighty) ], 3 SL [ Rapid Sprinter (Middling) ], 2 SL [ Voodoo Puppet (Middling) ], 2 SL Good. You are stronger now, January. ¡°Cool!¡± It¡¯s child chirped. ¡°What do I do now?¡± Now, you may do as you please. If an enemy appears, It will call upon you. ¡°Okay! Thanks, It.¡± January was indeed much more capable with the improvements It had made. It got a general sense of what each skill meant and was able to do when It examined them, and Voodoo Puppet seemed like a powerful weapon. Unfortunately, it would only work against humanoids of similar or smaller size. January¡¯s other abilities were more suited to disorienting enemies. What It needed now was a minion with a more traditional weapon. An idea occurred to It ¡ª a very good one, It believed. Inspired, It began work on February. Four: February February
Though the energy of the Core replenished quickly, It was beginning to struggle with mental fatigue. It had begun by making a simple body, like January¡¯s. This one, however, was made out of titanium, and It had been hard at work tweaking the design. Joints were made stronger and less exposed in exchange for sacrificing range of motion. The body was thickened and covered in armor. The mouth was made in a more rectangular design, and had been given teeth. These ¡®teeth¡¯ being a shaped blade that ran the length of the upper and lower jaw each. Then had come the effort that had exhausted It so. It had been strengthening the titanium. The body needed to be harder, denser, stronger. It¡¯s memory told It that titanium was not as soft and malleable as metals like silver, but It preferred to be safe. The carapace became heavy enough that suspending it above the Core while It worked actually consumed energy at a noticeable rate. Iron or steel would have been strong enough, but It did not want a child that would rust. It wanted a long and happy life for It¡¯s offspring, with emphasis on ¡®long.¡¯ It did not want rust chipping away at It¡¯s creation like that. Titanium took even more effort to create than stone or silver did, though, and forcing the metal to become denser and stronger took even more. With that and the accumulated efforts of excavating and refining the Core Room, It felt the threat of slumber loom closer and closer by the minute. It set the body down upon the soft sands, and began one of the final steps. It created more titanium, and formed a large, two-handed sword with a cruciform hilt and a wavy blade. This would be the new one¡¯s weapon. Once the blade was fully formed, It sharpened the edge and point as much as It could, and then began to strengthen it the same as the body. When the blade was completed, It turned to the final task before it could sleep. Live. See. Hear. The titanium body shuddered to life, groaned, and stood up. The golem looked towards It. Pick up your sword. Protect January. Protect It. The golem grabbed hold of the titanium blade, and It released the weapon from It¡¯s grip. It will name you February. February marched resolutely out the doorway. It will¡­ give you thought¡­ when It awakes¡­ The heavy footsteps of the golem faded away as It gave in to fatigue.
What the fuck? Where am I?! I awoke in a state of panic ¡ª I tried to get up, but couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t even feel any of my limbs. I tried to scream and thrash and call for help, but nothing happened. The only thing I could see was a silver bowl and an odd, glowing gem that looks unlike anything I¡¯ve seen before. The gem was perfectly round and composed of more colors than I could count, with a spiderweb of interior cracks and flaws. When I tried to scream, a small section of the gem glowed brightly green. I became aware of two people ¡ª no, monsters, standing over the gem. One was speaking, it was¡­ asking if the gem was okay? I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening. How did I get here? Why are there monsters, am I in a dungeon? Is that gem a Core? Why can¡¯t I move?! Somebody help! Get me out of here! The more I screamed and tried to do something, anything ¡ª the more tired I felt. No, not tired, but¡­ like I was only half-awake? More pieces of the gem started glowing, faintly at first, and then progressively brighter. Some of the panic abated, and I felt like I was waking up. Everything was going to be fine. This¡­ was just¡­ a bad dream. I was waking up. I was¡­ Confused. It was confused. ¡°It, what happened?¡± Called January¡¯s worried voice. ¡°Are you okay? What¡¯s wrong?¡± It¡­ does not know. It was¡­ someone else? While January tried to make sure It wasn¡¯t hurt, February dutifully stood between them and the door. It is okay now. It will try to find out what happened. As January continued to fret and fuss, It directed It¡¯s attention towards the Sight-Voice that had told it about these things before. When It first woke, it was the Voice that told It what It was. Even if It didn¡¯t believe the part about being a Patchwork Soul, the Voice had said other things It knew to be true. It was willing to trust the Sight-Voice. Hello? Sight-Voice? Do you know what happened to It? [ Notice ] I sure do, little guy. And the ¡®Sight-Voice¡¯ you¡¯re referring to is called the System of Order. But, most people abbreviate it to just ¡®the System.¡¯ Now, me, I¡¯m called Will. That¡¯s shortened from ¡®Manifestation of Will.¡¯ Me and Life worked together to make you. Now, what happened to you is this: Since you¡¯re a Patchwork Soul, you¡¯re made up of lots of different souls. Sometimes when you wake from exhaustion, a particular soul will wake up first. That means that, for a moment, it will be as though you¡¯re just one soul. The soul that wakes first usually panics when this happens. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.Fortunately, across a long enough period of time, the severity can lessen. The fragments you¡¯re made of will eventually get used to being a single, unified soul. Until then, just hang in there, kiddo. And congratulations on making your first soul! January seems like a good one. ¡ª Will That was¡­ a little confusing. It still did not think It was a Patchwork Soul. It had remembered being many things, and that was not one. But¡­ if It accepted that It was a Patchwork Soul, and took that as the truth¡­ It would make sense. Confusing. Nonetheless, It was grateful for the Sight-Voice¡¯s answer. ¡°It? Did you find out what happened?¡± Asked January. Maybe. It will have to think about it, but It might have the answer. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good at least,¡± January added optimistically. ¡°You are okay now, right?¡± Yes, January. It is the parent¡¯s job to worry for the child, not the other way around. Be at ease. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, maybe you shouldn¡¯t make me worry!¡± They teased, opening their wooden mouth to a very particular angle. It could not think of a response to that, and January simply ran off giggling. It was convinced that they had been smirking at It. Never mind that It hadn¡¯t given It¡¯s child an expressive enough face to do that. There was nothing else that expression could have been! January¡­ had been teasing It. That thought took several moments to sink in, letting the heavy footsteps of February fade as it followed after its sibling. There was no word for what It felt other than pride. ¡®January seems like a good one.¡¯ January was a good one indeed. It¡­ was amazed. It had created something so wonderful. A soul. January¡¯s soul. A grim determination settled over It¡¯s thoughts like a mask. It would protect It¡¯s children from the world, and everything in it. February, January, come back. I must do something. January¡¯s light, clacking footsteps rapidly came within earshot as they sprinted for the Core Room. The thunderous clunking of February¡¯s heavy frame soon joined the echoes. First, January came skidding to a stop before the pedestal, once again exaggeratedly saluting with a clack. Several seconds later, and February fell in behind its smaller sibling. It will grant February thought as It has done for January. February, approach the Core. ¡°Ooh! I¡¯ll watch from over here.¡± January dropped the salute and skipped over to the bench still hanging from the wall. February marched up to the Core and looked directly at It. It prepared Itself for another round of exertion as It funneled energy into February¡¯s body. The first thing to do was to grant the child a voice, so that when it gained a mind it would be able to speak it. There was little shaping to do, with the mouth already in place. Next, It added the same minuscule crystals that It had given January, to enhance the sense of hearing It had already implemented. Once both changes were made, It began sending more energy to the titanium shell. Now for the hard part. It willed the creation It called February to not just live, but think, and become a soul. The effort was Herculean, although It could not remember where It learned that word. The energy flared and glowed with greater intensity, and kept stubbornly shrinking into nothingness. To combat this, It simply threw more energy and more will at the problem, just as It had done with January. The only physical sensations It had felt thus far were January¡¯s touch and the feel of It¡¯s pedestals, but the growing strain of forcing It¡¯s energy to obey almost seemed to approach physicality. At long last, the invisible barriers gave out, and It released It¡¯s hold. Hello, February. ¡°Hel¡­ lo¡­¡± February spoke in a deeper, more robotic voice than their sibling, likely due to the different acoustics of their metal body. It can see you are still getting used to your voice. Talk with your sibling to practice while It rests. ¡°O, kay¡­¡± Without warning, January jumped on their sibling¡¯s back. ¡°Nice to meet you! I¡¯m January! It made me before you. First, actually! My favorite color is, um, all of them! Like It! But I also like gray, like the pebblebugs and rocks. And you! You¡¯re a very shiny shade of gray. It¡¯s cool! Do you have a favorite color? Ooh, how about we play a game! What sort of games do you like to play? I¡¯ve been chasing the pebble bugs for a while, that¡¯s fun! They¡¯re pretty fast, though. You might not be able to keep up. Maybe we can try, um¡­ building statues out of pebbles! Yeah! That sounds fun. Come on, let¡¯s go¡ª¡± February only had time to let out a distressed groan before being pulled towards the door by January. You two¡­ have fun¡­ For the third time, It felt Itself begun to fall asleep. Making souls was hard. It should probably make soulless minions for a while instead. At least until It was more sure of It¡¯s safety. It would consider it when It awoke next.
The gradual return of sense did not bring a sense of panic or otherness this time. Its rousing was a peaceful endeavor, hastened slightly by the echoing chatter of It¡¯s children. Ah, that was a beautiful thought. Children. It was a parent to two beautiful new souls. Even if It¡¯s soul could not withstand destruction, the new souls It had given birth to would persist. How wonderful. With a metaphorical sigh of contentment, It began push It¡¯s senses into the many pebblebugs roaming the tunnel. It had given them all orders to follow interesting things, and so was confident that soon It would find the source of the merry voice echoing It¡¯s way. With mild surprise, It noted that the pebblebugs had begun reproducing ¡ª and that It could see through the offspring as well. It would have to find out what they ate later; there couldn¡¯t be much of sustenance down there. Just when It thought that, It tuned into the senses of a pebblebug drinking from a small stream that had appeared in the tunnel. That was concerning. It had not thought there was any water down here. The tunnel looked like it had been shaped by water, based on the features of the rock, but it had seemed as if it had dried out. Listening closer, It could even hear the trickle of flowing water from the Core Room. Where had this water come from? It redoubled It¡¯s efforts to assimilate the sense of all It¡¯s pebblebugs with newfound urgency. Soon, It found the pair following January and February. It could not hear their conversation, as the beetles were deaf, but the important thing was that It had eyes on them. January, pick up a pebblebug and carry it with you. It needs you and your sibling to investigate something. It couldn¡¯t hear whatever response the wooden monster had for It, but they soon complied, scooping up a pebblebug and setting it on their shoulder. Water has begun flowing through the tunnel. Follow it upstream, the same direction you¡¯ve been going, and find the source. January said something to February, and then the two got to work. First, February dug through the pebbles near the center of the tunnel to verify the direction of the flow. Then January said something, and they set off.