《Chronicles of a Dungeon Core》


 Birth

    I woke up with a big yawn it feels like I have been asleep forever... I slowly rub the sleep from my eyes as I sit up. I slowly open my eyes and wake up enough to realize a few key points. I am sitting here on large stone block and I am completely naked... I quickly look around for something to cover myself and that¡¯s when I hear a voice.


    Voice: "Aww I see you have finally awoken. Not a bad looking pup if I do say so myself."


    There is a person leaning against the wall of this small square stone room. This person easily towers over me in height but has to be just as big around as it is tall. It has the ears and tail of a wolf, and an unpleasant looking face. As it steps forward it tosses a large strip of cloth at me.


    Wolf-Person: "Here cover yourself with this for now."


    I wrap the cloth around my waist. I now take the time to take a better look around. Besides the stone bench I woke on, the only other thing in this room is the large wolf like person.


    "Who are you? Wait¡­ Who am I?"


    The person puffs out its large chest.


    Wolf-Person: "I am your teacher. I am here to make sure you don''t die right away, and you can call me Madam Erin.¡±


    Madam Erin? This hulking creature is a woman? At the moment however something else she said is more distressing.


    ¡°Make sure I don''t die? What do you mean?¡±


    Madam Erin scratches her large chin seeming to be confused.


    Madam Erin: ¡°It should come to you in time. Now, how about we give you a name? Let¡¯s see, how about Fred.¡±


    ¡°Fred?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Don''t like Fred? How about Tom? Larry? Ah it doesn''t matter you can choose your own name. As for where we are that¡¯s simple you¡¯re in my dungeon. You were sent here for me to train you to become part of the next group of dungeon cores. Being just born and all I am sure you have lots to learn but let¡¯s start with the basics. Now in one months¡¯ time you will be given your dungeon crystal. It¡¯s like the life force of your dungeon if it dies, you die. You can build your dungeon any way you want, but everything takes experience points or xp for short. Now to open your dungeon information you just think or say [Menu] and you should be able to see. Go ahead and try it out.¡±


    As I say [Menu] I see a blank semi-translucent screen floating in front of me. At the top it says name and has ------ in place of a name. Directly below that it says dungeon, and in that space it says Undeveloped.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now, whatever you want to build in your dungeon you just think of it and it will bring up a list of options based on your knowledge and skills. You want to fill your dungeon with monsters and traps to keep humans and other dungeon cores from coming in and destroying your crystal.


    Maybe it is because it says my dungeon is undeveloped, but when I think of monsters the screen in front of me has no changes. Madam Erin continues to talk so I just leave it alone for now.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Everything you summon from [Menu] costs you xp, but you always want to save an amount of xp on hand because it is slowly consumed by your crystal which is what keeps you alive. If you summon a bunch of monsters and run out of xp before you can obtain more it is possible to starve.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You can break down anything summoned from [Menu] back to xp but you will only get a fraction of what was cost. You also cannot brake down rooms if any intruders are on that floor or any floor between the intruders and the exit.¡±


    She then motions to sturdy wooden door that is made with brass fittings. After I head out the door there is a long exquisite stone hallway. On one side of the hallway there are windows every 20 or so feet with stained glass windows, and in between them there are large detailed decretive tapestries hanging from the walls. After stepping into the hallway Madam Erin follows and continues to talk.


    Madam Erin: ¡°For example if you have a cave and have a group of humans on the third level you can''t make changes to that floor or the first and second floors but can change any room from the forth on. Same goes if you build a tower dungeon like this one if something is on the third floor you can''t change anything on or below it.¡±


    She motions for me to turn at an intersection leading me down a set of stairs that leads to another hallway similar to the last. Madam Erin then continues to talk.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now the rate your crystal consumes xp is based off of the size and contents of your dungeon, so you need to make sure you get a steady supply of xp before building too much. The more you build the more your crystal will consume, and the more your crystal consumes the higher your dungeon core level will become.¡±


    After motioning me down another corridor she continues talking yet again.


    Madam Erin: ¡°As for gaining xp, humans or other intruders into your dungeon that are killed within will net you xp, or any human or creature you kill yourself will net you xp regardless of where you kill them. Humans and other intruders also give a small supply of xp based off their level just by being inside your dungeon, so it is a common practice to trap intruders inside your dungeon rather than always killing them off right away.¡±


    After heading down one more flight of stairs and leading me down another hallway with doors on one side we stop in front of a wooden door and she says.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now we will go over a few things on your [Menu]. Let¡¯s start with your status by saying [Status] with your menu should bring up more information. Try it now.¡±


    I say [Status] and the screen expands in my view to show an image of me standing there wrapped in the cloth and other information.


    Name: ------ Dungeon: Undeveloped Crystal:


    Level: 1 XP till next Level 10 XP: 0


    HP: 25/25


    Str: 25


    Agility: 25


    Endurance: 25


    Resistances: None


    Armor: None


    Equipment: [Old Towel]


    Skills: None


    Madam Erin: ¡°Under your [Status] it should show you information about yourself and your dungeon, since your dungeon is still undeveloped there is probably not a lot to look at. Next let¡¯s look at monsters. With your [Menu] open say [Monsters] this should bring up the menu of available monsters to you. This list will greatly change by the type of dungeon you have and the elements that govern it. Right now without a dungeon your list will probably be pretty limited.¡±


    After saying [Monsters] another semi-translucent screen appears, and the [Status] window disappears leaving me with a screen with only a few options


    Sickly Slime Cost: 1xp


    Slime Cost: 5xp


    Husky Slime Cost: 10xp


    Ill Goblin Cost: 5xp


    Goblin Cost: 15xp


    Goblin Brute Cost: 25xp


    Madam Erin: ¡°Once you develop your dungeon the list will grow quickly, once everything starts getting cluttered you can just think of a type of monster when you open [Monsters] and it should only show monsters in that type. The same goes for rooms, traps, and treasure items. Speaking of treasures you want to put treasure items in your dungeon to attract intruders so you can gain their xp. Let¡¯s end for now and pick up here later.¡±


    Madam Erin opens the door that we stopped in front of. Inside is a simple bedroom with a rug made from some type of animal hide, a small wooden desk and chair in one corner, a bed in another, along the wall there is a small cabinet, and a window.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Rest here for now and I will send someone to collect you later.¡±


    After thanking Madam Erin I walk into the room and she closes the door and can hear her large footsteps walking away. I make my way around the room checking everything out. The bed is small, hard, and has a few animal pelts on it for blankets. The cabinet and desk are all completely empty.


    I move over to the window to peer out. I am not quite sure how high we are, but the ground is obscured by the clouds, and try as I might I can¡¯t see the ground anywhere. The entire thought of it makes me dizy so I finally move over to the bed and sit down.


    From the edge of the bed and call for [Menu] I spend time looking through the different menus and finally find some basic clothing but it cost 1 xp. When I select it from the menu it says I have to develop my dungeon before I can use the menu.


    After a few hours of browsing the various screens in [Menu], getting bored, walking the floor, and browsing the [Menu] again the door to the room is slowly creaks open. A beautiful woman with eyes like emeralds, long chestnut hair, and wearing simple clothing walks into the room.


    I would say she is about my age, but exactly how old is that? I don¡¯t remember anything before waking up, Madam Erin said I was just born, and at the moment I can¡¯t refute that, but somehow I just feel that my appearance is that of someone of the age of around 20 years old. I don¡¯t know how I came to that conclusion, but for some reason I just know.


    The woman lightly bows. ¡°I am Thirty-seven, Madam Erin asked me to take care of you.¡± Thirty-seven makes a few hand gestures a simple set of clothing seems to appear out of thin air and she hands it to me. ¡°After you are dressed I will take you to Madam Erin.¡± She then just stands there, and just stares at me.


    I don¡¯t know why but the thought of this young woman seeing me without the towel makes me feel uncomfortable, so I say. ¡°Uhm......I will get dressed now.¡±


    Thirty-seven says. ¡°Very well.¡± But she makes no movements, and doesn''t stop staring.


    I finally just turn my back to her putting the clothes on, and when I turn around she still hasn''t budged an inch. I am left holding the old towel, and I am unsure what to do with it so I hand it to the girl simply saying. ¡°Here.¡±


    After handing her the towel she folds it, brings it up to her chest, and turns walking out the door. She stops right outside the door to say. ¡°Follow me.¡± She then begins to walk off.


    Following Thirty-seven along more staircases and hallways we reach what seems to be a central corridor with a massive set of double doors embellished with golden decorations and brass fixtures.


    Passing through the door we enter into a massive throne room with Madam Erin sitting in the throne. I follow Thirty-seven all the way up to the throne where she then bows to Madam Erin, myself, and then walks back into the hallway.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I see you are settling in just fine pup. Now first I will show you what the dungeon core¡¯s crystal looks like.¡± -She stands motioning me to follow her through a small set of doors behind the throne.-


    Inside the room is completely empty with the exception of a large glowing amber rock roughly the same height as me and twice as wide.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now, this is my dungeon core crystal. It has taken me a very long time to get it to this size so your crystal will start off only a fraction of its size.¡± -She lightly brushes the crystal with her hand before leading me back into the throne room where she sits back in the throne.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now, most of the basics should come to you on their own, but I will tell you of some of the dangers of being a dungeon core. As a dungeon core you cannot live without slowly feeding your crystal xp however you can''t gain xp without either luring intruders into your dungeon and killing them with your dungeon, or leaving your crystal behind and searching out things to hunt to gain xp.¡±


    Madam Erin leans back in her throne crossing her legs as she continues to talk.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Most creatures that wonder into dungeons are looking for a safe place to hide or live. For beginning dungeons it can even be beneficial to have a few small creatures supply you with xp until you can get off the ground. However you still have to make sure they can''t damage your crystal.¡±


    I don¡¯t see anything in front of her, but by the hand gestures she is making in the air I can only assume that she is messing with [Menu]. After a few more seconds she sees something that apparently pleases her as an odd smile curls on her face while she continues to talk.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Humans on the other hand are the best ways to acquire XP however the most dangerous as well. Tomorrow we will begin your training, I will give you a few small rooms and some XP to let you get the feel of it, and for the rest of the month your job will to be to protect a training crystal inside.¡±


    After another few short hand gestures her attention then returns to me as she says.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I will give you one day to set up your little dungeon and then I will begin to send monsters in first thing every morning. At any given point if you make it at least seven days without losing the training crystal I will give you a reward. Also remember even though the crystal is just a training crystal if you end up trying to protect the crystal yourself. You do run the risk of actually dying so you best think carefully. ¡±


    As soon as Madam Erin finishes talking, the beautiful Thirty-seven walks back into the throne room still clutching the towel to her chest, walking up to Madam Erin she bows, and then motions for me to follow her.


    On the way back I try to make small talk with Thirty-seven but she just silently leads me back to the bedroom. After reaching my room and opening the door Thirty-seven turns to me and says. ¡°I will come get you in the morning when it is time.¡± Then she bows, and then walks off. Standing in the hallway I watch Thirty-seven for a minute as she walks away she then enters the room three doors down from mine before I decide to enter my own room and close the door.


    Sitting on the bed I try to think of the events that have transpired today and even though it seems natural, a few events just don''t seem like they belong. Like I can''t remember anything before today, and Madam Erin said I didn''t even have a name and none of that seemed to bother me.


    However Madam Erin''s appearance just didn''t sit well with me. I sit on the bed and open [Menu] and look at the word name. "Madam Erin said I could pick my own name, but... How does one even choose a name? The names that Madam Erin suggested just seemed wrong, but I don''t know what a good name would even sound like. Putting that on hold for now I decide to lie down and sleep.


    When I wake up the next morning Thirty-seven is standing next to my bed still clutching the towel to her chest just staring at me.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Oh...When did you get here? Is it time?"


    Thirty-seven: "I waited three hours and twenty two minutes for you to wake. Now we are late. Follow." -Without another word she steps into the hallway.-


    Surely she was not just standing next to my bed staring at me for over three hours...I decide to hurry and follow after her into the hallway. Without another word she leads me through hallway, after hallway, down staircase, after staircase, until we reach a heavy iron double door. Thirty-seven easily pushes the massive door open and steps inside.


    Inside the room there are three archways just sitting in the middle of the room. Thirty-seven moves over to the archway on the right. Instead of seeing the other side on the room past the archway I see nothing.


    Thirty-seven steps through the archway disappearing into the emptiness. I hurry to follow her and as I pass the threshold of the archway I feel a pull in my chest like someone pulling me gently from the inside my chest. It only lasts a brief second then I find myself standing in a small square stone room with no windows or doors only with a single torch lighting the dark room. When I turn around I see the archway we just walked though disappear leaving us completely closed off.


    Thirty-seven: "I will now give you your XP to use for your training. Madam Erin told me to watch over your training."


    With a few hand gestures a dull grey rock the size of a watermelon is formed on the floor, and without another word Thirty-seven moves to the corner of the room still clutching the towel to her chest.


    I open [Menu] and then open [Status]


    Name: ------ Dungeon: Undeveloped Crystal: Basic Training Crystal


    Level: 1 XP till next Level 10 XP: 2000


    HP: 25/25


    Strength: 25


    Agility: 25


    Endurance: 25


    Resistances: None


    Armor: None


    Equipment: [Old Cheap Clothes]


    Skills: None


    Another screen has appeared next to my status screen that says.


    Crystal formed but no dungeon set, touch crystal to begin creation of dungeon


    I walk over and pick up the watermelon sized rock and [Menu] changes screens


    Dungeon crystal is ready to begin development. Would you like to begin now?


    I say yes and the screen changes again showing a map with blue dot in the middle, right next to it a diamond shape, and in the corner another blue dot. Two more squares are shown in the map behind me.


    Dungeon requires an entrance to become active.


    I select the wall directly in front of me and a large rusted iron double door is formed in the wall.


    Crystal will be placed in room/floor farthest away from entrance, would you like to proceed?


    After saying yes the crystal disappears and the diamond icon on the map now shows in the room furthest behind me.


    No access to crystal room, dungeon cannot be activated until a path is set.


    I open [Rooms]


    New Room Cost: 1000XP


    Change Room Size Cost: 500XP


    Weak Wooden Door Cost: 10xp


    Weak Wooden Wall Cost: 20xp


    Weak Wooden Floor Cost: 20xp


    Weak Wooden Roof Cost: 25xp


    *Basic training crystal grants limits to construction items


    For now I connect the two remaining rooms with weak wooden doors.


    Weak Wooden Door: A standard Door that has no lock


    Crystal room now connected to entrance dungeon can now be activated current XP consumption 1xp/7 days.


    Would you like to activate dungeon now?


    Forced activation will take place in 18 hours 48 minutes.


    Madam Erin said I had a day to prepare before she will send monster to attack but I think I will still add defenses before activating the dungeon. I only have the 2000xp for the entire month no matter how many times the training crystal is destroyed so I don''t want to spend too much right from the start so I decided to look through [Traps] and it is divided into two sections.


    [Traps]


    Ordinary Pit Trap Cost: 25XP


    Weak Spike Trap Cost: 25XP


    Defective Dart Trap Cost: 25XP


    [ Misc]


    Faulty Trip Wire Cost: 10XP


    Faulty Tile Switch  Cost: 20XP


    I place one of each kind of trap in the first room so I can test them out.


    Ordinary Pit Trap: A simple hole in the ground that is easily avoided unless hidden well, causes little to no damage to those who fall into it, but might slow them down. An ordinary pit trap can be seen without trap detecting skills.


    Weak Spike Trap: Can be places on any wall, ceiling, or floor. Causes minor damage and may break after activation. Weak spike trap can easily be seen without trap detecting skills. *Requires activator.


    Defective Dart Trap: Standard non-poison darts cannot penetrate any armor and only cause minor damage. Defective dart trap is only good for one use before becoming unusable, and can easily be seen without trap detecting skills. *Requires activator.


    Faulty Trip Wire: An obvious wire easily seen without trap detecting abilities. Faulty trip wire has a chance of breakage after use, and not setting off trap. *Can be set off by any type of creature including dungeon monsters.


    Faulty Tile Switch: An obvious tile that can be seen without trap detecting abilities. Faulty tile switch can be set on floor, ceiling, or walls. Normally only activated by intruders. *Due to faulty nature small chance of dungeon allies activating switch when touched.


    I place the pit trap right inside the entrance of the dungeon, then place the spike trap after that activated with the trip wire, and the dart trap right before you get to the door activated by the tile switch. Adding nothing else to the first room I move on to the next and decide to fill it with monsters. After adding five sickly slimes, five slimes, and five husky slimes a screen appears.


    New Monster Available


    Blue Slime Cost: 50XP


    I decide to place two of them as well before moving on to the crystal room. I decide to fill this room with goblins, and add five of each type of goblin available. I then head back to the dungeon entrance and Thirty-seven is still standing in the corner holding the towel to her chest. I would think she was a statue standing there if it were not for her blinking every once in a while.


    "Well I guess that will do for now. Activate dungeon."


    The [Menu] displays a message that activating dungeon will consume 1xp/7 days and asks me if I want to procced. After saying yes there is a message on one of the screen congratulating me. I then close [Menu] and ask Thirty-seven.


    "So is that it? Do we wait here or do we go back until tomorrow?"


    Thirty-seven then steps out of the corner, steps over the trip wire, hops over the pit trap, and exits out of the door of the dungeon.


    I follow her out the door, and we are standing in one of Madam Erin''s dungeon hallways. She then opens the door directly to her right then enters the room three doors down. I look inside and find what appears to be the same room I slept in before. I look back at the dungeon entrance and the large rusty iron door is now separating what was a long hallway earlier. I pull the iron doors shut then head into the bedroom sitting on the edge of the hard bed.


    Well now what do I do? It is not even midday so what do I do with the rest of my time? I open [Menu] and it displays the map of the dungeon I sit on the edge of the bed watching the little blue dots in the second and third room just wonder around the room aimlessly. Maybe I should have given them something to do...Oh well they probably won¡¯t last through tomorrow anyway. I keep the map displayed while looking through the rest of the menus. I find a section that shows as [Dungeon Core]


    [Dungeon Core] items can only be placed within a dungeon core room.


    I decide to check it out so I exit my bedroom and head back to the dungeon. Entering the dungeon again the message pops up asking if I want to set a dungeon core room.


    Basic training crystal allows the setup of a basic dungeon core room for free would you like to set it up and enter it now?


    After agreeing I feel a tug on my chest and am now standing in room everything is completely black except the floor. The floor is made of simple stone and extends out about ten feet in all directions. As I go to take a step the black lights up and displays [Menu] over the entire room there are screens that display the goblins sitting around in the third room and one showing the crystal with great detail. There is more that show the different slimes moving around the second room, and more showing the empty trap room with one screen fixed on the entrance to the dungeon. One screen directly in front of me displays a message


    The dungeon core room is used to keep track of everything going on in the dungeon you can view any room from any angle on the screens. Items from the [Dungeon Core] can be summoned within but cannot be removed. You can enter this room from anywhere in the dungeon and leave this room to access any room of the dungeon. Any non-intruder can be brought into the core room as long as it is not engaged with intruders. Due to the nature of the Basic Training Crystal, the dungeon core room and several items within [Dungeon Core] are free to purchase. Any other crystal the standard XP charge applies. Due to the nature of the items being bound to the dungeon core room items might cost less than an identical item purchased from another [Menu].


    The screen displaying [Dungeon Core] shows a great number of items including books, furniture, and items. The list with 0xp cost includes a desk, chair, and a small cot. I go ahead and summon them setting them up in the room. Afterwards the screen displaying the dungeon entrance shows Thirty-seven entering the dungeon still carrying the towel.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Madam Erin has called for you.¡±


    It said I can exit from this room to anywhere in the dungeon but how exactly do I do that? As I think that I feel the pull on my chest again and show up in the dungeon''s first room a few feet away from Thirty-seven. She then turns exiting back out the dungeon and leads me back to the throne room where Madam Erin sits. Thirty-seven bows to Madam Erin and myself before walking out of the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I see you have prepared your dungeon already, and even made a dungeon core room already. I would be quite impressed if it were not for the defenses you have left in your dungeon. Are you sure you are taking this serious?¡±


    ¡°I believe I am, I have to preserve the XP that I started with for the entire month so if I use it all now I have no hope of making it the entire month. However if I start out with minimal defenses and see just what I need then I believe I will even meet your goal of preserving the crystal for an entire week.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Ha, not bad pup. I don''t expect it to be as easy as all that. I am not just going to be throwing the same monsters at you every day. For every day you go without your crystal being broken I will increase the difficulty. Well we will find out tomorrow what you are made of.¡±


    ¡°You know I have realized that I have been here for two days and still have not eaten anything. Do dungeon cores even need to eat?¡±


    Madam Erin gives me a weird look. ¡°Of course not your core takes care of all that. However if you are trying to blend in with humans gathering information and such, it is possible to consume human food. You will however have to expel it the same way they do, and rather disgusting process.¡±


    ¡°I also wondered about keeping clean.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°These are common sense questions pup you should know all of this. Just use your magic, although I have been known to enjoy a soak in a hot bath from time to time. I guess not everything the humans have come up with is entirely barbaric.¡±


    ¡°Magic? We can use magic?¡±


    Madam Erin sighs. ¡°Of course we can use magic pup what do you think a dungeon core is? Even humans can use basic magic. You can learn more magic from the [Menu], learn them in training, or in very rare cases from magical tomes.¡±


    ¡°I know you said humans are dangerous, but why would they go after the crystal if they are getting xp from the monsters and the treasures we leave for them?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If a human takes out a crystal it grants them massive amount of xp and unique skills. Well that is all we have time for today I look forward to crushing your crystal in the morning so get some rest.¡±


    Thirty seven entered the room and escorted me back to my bedroom. After entering my bedroom I open [Menu] and a find a new window labeled [Magic] that wasn''t there before. If it is common knowledge I wonder why it didn''t show up in my menu before I learned of it.


    Clean Cost: 50xp


    Heat Cost: 50xp


    Cool Cost: 50xp


    Soil Cost: 50xp


    Light Cost: 50xp


    Shadow Cost: 50xp


    I go ahead and buy all 6 spells available. I don''t know if I will be able to keep them since it¡¯s not my xp I am using but I guess I will find out. After learning the spells I get a message.


    You have learned your first spell. Spell power and MP have been added to [Status], and learning a spell from each class has granted the skill [Uniquely Gifted]


    Name: ------ Dungeon: Training hall Crystal: Basic Training Crystal


    Level: 1 XP till next Level: 9 XP: 1169


    HP: 25/25 MP: 75/75


    Strength: 25


    Agility: 25


    Endurance: 25


    Spell Power: 50


    Resistances: None


    Armor: None


    Equipment: [Old Cheap Clothes]


    Skills:


    [Uniquely Gifted] (Rank 1): Most creatures favor one element above all others, and are unable to cast spells from the opposing element. You however do not, thus granting you a 25 bonus to spell power and 50 additional MP.


    Spells:


    Clean (Water) (Cost 1mp): Magic with the power of water allowing you clean items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Heat (Fire) (Cost 1mp): Magic with the power of fire allowing you can heat items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Cool (Wind) (Cost 1mp): Magic with the power of wind allowing you can cool items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Soil (Earth) (Cost 1mp): Magic with the power of earth allowing you can soil items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Light (Light) (Cost 1mp): Magic with the power of light allowing you can light items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Shadow (Shadow) (Cost 1mp): Magic with the power of darkness allowing you can cast shadows on items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    After learning the spells I try everything I can think of and still cannot figure out how to cast a spell so I decide to ask Thirty-seven. I leave my room and head to her door, and as I go to knock she opens the door still clutching the towel to her chest.


    ¡°Oh excuse me...Are you busy? I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.¡±


    Standing in the doorway she simply replies with. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am sorry to interrupt you I just don''t know how to cast magic, so I was wondering if you could teach me. I learned a few spells off of [Menu] however I still can''t figure out how to cast them.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It differs by spell, but most basic spells just by thinking of what you want the spell to do, and summoning your magic will cast the spell.¡± -She says then disappears back into her room closing the door.-


    ¡°Ah...¡± I go to knock on the door again and before my hand reaches it the door opens back up.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Is there something else?¡±


    ¡°Well you see...Madam Erin said casting magic like it was common knowledge however it just made no sense to me. I have tried but I don''t understand what you mean by summoning your magic. How do you summon your magic?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°You use it just like you did when you walked through the door when we teleported to your dungeon the first time, or when you teleported to me inside your dungeon.¡± -She steps back again but this time waits not shutting the door.-


    ¡°Do you mean the pulling in my chest is that was summoning you magic feels like?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Exactly.¡± - She simply says before shutting the door again leaving me standing by myself in the hallway.-


    I spend the next hour trying to use magic again in my room to no avail then I get the idea to head to the dungeon. I enter the dungeon and think about entering the dungeon core room feeling the pull on my chest, and I am now standing in the dungeon core room.


    I do the same thing to return to the entrance of the dungeon trying to remember the feeling of the pull. After several trips back and forth and using a simulated hand gesture I cast my first [Cool] spell.


    A light breeze crosses my face and after a few more attempts I am able to cast the spell without the hand movement. I head back to my bedroom while practicing my magic spells. First sending a cool breeze across my face, and then warming my hands. I light the door knob up as I enter my bedroom then cast a shadow in the corner.


    Casting [Soil] on the desk covers it in dust and then use [Clean] to clean it back off. Finally I sit on the bed and cast [Clean] on myself and it takes a few seconds till I feel clean and refreshed. I lie back in the bed casting [Light] and [Shadow] on a stone in the ceiling over the bed a couple of dozen times before drifting off to sleep.

 Training Begins

    I awake to a loud noise and a screen appears in front of me warning me of intruders in my dungeon I rush out of bed and almost smack into Thirty-seven as she is standing next to my bed holding the towel.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°The attack has already started you overslept again.¡±


    I rush out of the room and place a hand on the door of the dungeon then stop looking over the map of my dungeon. The map of the dungeon shows five red dots on the map in the second room and only two blue ones. I step into the dungeon and Thirty seven is right behind me. I take her by the wrist and pull her with me to the core room. It quickly shows me the last blue slime being burnt by an ugly little lizard man in a robe as two ugly lizard men with spears open the door to the last room. A message quickly displays on the screen.


    Intruders have breached crystal room.


    I quickly dismiss the warning and watch the two lizard men with spears enter the room and kill off three of the five ill goblins in under a few seconds. The other two ill goblins drop as two of the lizard men with swords and shields enter. As the goblins charge forward the lizard men with spears step back letting the ones with swords and shields take over. The goblins armed with only their fists start pounding on the lizard men but they seem completely unaffected.


    ¡°I didn''t think of weapons...¡± I quickly call for a [Weapons] menu and it displays


    Rusty dagger                                1xp


    Rusty Short Sword                      3xp


    Rusty Sword                                 5xp


    Rusty Greatsword                      20xp


    Rusty Round Shield                    10xp


    Rusty Large Shield                      15xp


    Wooden Spear                             5xp


    I quickly summon one great-sword, two swords, two round shields, and two spears at the feet of the goblin brutes. The lizard men with the swords and shields drop the last of goblins and move on the goblin brutes as the goblin brutes are picking up the weapons.


    The goblin brute that picks up the great-sword slams it into one of the lizard man''s shield causing both to recoil. Both of the goblins that picked up the wooden spears take this chance to jab at the recoiling lizard man, but the other lizard man with a shield steps in and blocks one of the spears with his shield causing it to splinter and break.


    The other spear breaks as the goblin thrusts it into the dazed lizard man. The lizard men with spears circle around the goblins while the one in a robe lights one of the goblins with the great-sword on fire.


    The now unarmed goblins that had the spears are both run through by the spear wielding lizard men. The two goblins with the swords and shields dive past trying to get to the robed lizard man. The two lizard men with swords and shields attack the two goblins with the swords and shields but can''t bring them down before one of them stabs his sword into the robed lizard man¡¯s face killing it.


    The goblin with the great-sword stagers while on fire swinging his sword into the injured sword and shield lizard man dropping him but the two lizard men with spears jab him leaving only the two spear wielding lizard men and one sword and shield lizard man left.


    The one with the sword and shield walks over and cracks his sword across the crystal and the screens go dark leaving only one message on the screen.


    Failed to protect Basic Training Crystal.


    Even though I figured I would lose the first day for sure I still feel disappointed. I then realize I am still holding onto Thirty-seven¡¯s wrist as she is standing with me in the dark dungeon core room silently clutching the towel.


    I quickly release her. ¡°Oh sorry¡­ Well its looks just about like I expected I lost.¡± I try to laugh it off as the dungeon core room drops us out in the first room by the entrance to the dungeon. A message appears in front of me.


    Basic Training Crystal disabled for one hour.


    Results of battle.


    Room 1:


    Pit trap: effective for the first kobold entering dungeon, ineffective afterwards.


    Spike trap: failed to deploy when trip wire broke.


    Dart trap: ineffective blocked by kobold shields.


    Room 2:


    Sickly Slime and Slime crushed under Kobold¡¯s feet


    Husky Slime quickly killed by Kobold before they could attack


    Blue Slimes stopped by fire magic wielding Kobold after only dealing light damage.


    Room 3:


    Defenseless Ill Goblins and Goblins quickly killed by Kobold.


    Armed Goblin Brutes took down wounded Kobold Mage and unwounded Kobold before all dungeon monsters eliminated


    Dungeon crystal broke five minutes and ten seconds from intruder entry to dungeon.


    Acquired: 7 XP, 1 mage robe, 1 iron sword, 1 small iron shield, 1 Iron spear, 1 wooden mage staff, 1 Worn leather armor.


    Lost: 1 trip wire, 1 faulty dart trap, 5 sickly slime, 5 slime, 5 husky slime, 2 blue slime, 5 ill goblin, 5 goblin, 5 goblin brutes, 2 wood spears (broken beyond repair), and 1 rusty great-sword (Stolen)


    [New Items Available]


    Mage robe                          Cost: 20xp


    Worn Leather Armor          Cost: 35xp


    Iron sword                          Cost: 15xp


    Small Iron Shield               Cost: 20xp


    Iron Spear                           Cost: 15xp


    Wooden Mage Staff         Cost: 20xp


    [New Monsters Available]


    Young Kobold                    Cost: 25xp


    Young Kobold Mage         Cost: 45xp


    ¡°We lost a lot for only gaining 7 XP, but at least we learned some new things. Thirty-seven, what did you think of my first battle?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°You died. There is no upside.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess you¡¯re right if it was my real crystal I would be dead now. Maybe I should stop thinking of the training crystal so lightly.¡±


    I wait for the hour till the crystal reactivates, and I begin repair and resupply of the dungeon. All the monsters died, the trip wire broke, and the dart trap was only good for one use anyway so none of them are salvageable to I just clear them from the dungeon.


    Since the tile switch that was on the dart trap still works and is no longer attached to anything and the trip wire on the spike trap failed I move the tile switch to the spike trap. The slimes did not seem to perform well at all, the blue slimes seemed to do some damage to the mage but I find it rather underperforming for costing twice as much as the goblin brutes.


    I missed their fight though so I am not exactly sure went down either. I will give the blue slimes one more chance but the rest seem pointless. I put two blue slimes in the back two corners of the first room.


    I also place eight more goblin brutes in the first room. I give one the iron sword and shield, two the rusty swords and shields, summon two more rusty sword and shields for two more, I give one the iron spear, summon another iron spear for one more, and summon another great-sword for the last and give him the worn leather armor.


    In the second room I place six of the young kobolds all with iron swords and shields. In the crystal room I place four more kobolds with swords and shields, two kobolds with iron spears, and one kobold mage with the robe and wooden staff. With under 100xp let I call it quits and receive a message.


    Dungeon consumption up to 2xp/ 7 days (1xp consumed to make up the difference 6 days remaining. )


    When I close the window Thirty-seven speaks. ¡°If you are done Madam Erin would like to speak with you.¡±


    I follow Thirty-seven to the throne room I actually think I remember the way this time as we enter the throne room Thirty-seven bows to Madam Erin and myself then steps outside again.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I did warn you. You barely scrapped past the five minute mark, and didn''t even make it past the first wave.¡±


    I get a little worried now that I spent almost my entire remaining xp when she mentions that there were more groups waiting to charge in if I killed the first ones.


    ¡°Well I didn''t expect to make it through that time but I am sure I will do better tomorrow.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°For your sake you better hope so pup, and don''t think I didn''t notice your eye twitch when I mentioned there is more than one wave per day. Thanks to you one of the kobold managed to gain a level as well he was the one that ran off with your great-sword. I will make sure I hold on to him for at least the second or third wave. I would also suggest not oversleeping again tomorrow. Well best of luck to you tomorrow let¡¯s see if you can make it through at least one day.¡±


    Thirty-seven enters the room again to lead me back to my bedroom. After sitting on my bed I groan. I wasn''t expecting multiple waves in one day I thought it would be the one group and that was it.


    I am pretty confident of taking two or three waves but I thought that would be over the course of a few days where I would have time to plan in between. Well not much I can do about it now.  It is not even mid-day yet.


    Maybe I should ask Thirty-seven to show me around so I can see how Madam Erin does it. I decide that is a better idea then sitting in this small room all day worrying so I head over to Thirty-seven¡¯s door and attempt to knock, but again she answers the door before I touch it.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Is there something you need?¡±


    ¡°Well I was just wondering if you could show me around Madam Erin''s dungeon so I can get some ideas on maybe how I should set mine up.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Dungeon layouts are highly kept secrets. However I do not see a problem with it if we go to one of the lowest floors that the humans have thoroughly mapped. Even though the chance is slim it might be possible that we may encounter humans. Would you like to take that risk?¡±


    ¡°Well I am not going to learn anything sitting in my room I might as well.¡±


    Thirty-seven walks out of her room clutching the towel and heads down the hallway. I haven¡¯t seen her show much emotion before but now see seems troubled as she leads us to the room with the three archways in the middle of it. This time she enters the center archway and disappears into the darkness.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    After following her we enter a large grand cathedral, however all the pews have been overturned, and shoved against the walls. There are many signs of battle taking place in this room.


    Thirty-seven quickly steps behind one of the damaged pillars that have collapsed. ¡°Hurry, someone is coming.¡±


    After following her behind the pillar we watch as a group of six people enter the cathedral. The two in front are both wearing heavy full plate armor with helmets one carrying a massive sword the other has a sword and shield.


    Behind them are two more are two wearing a lighter armor and you can see their faces these two are both males one has a bow and is wearing leather armor, the other has chainmail armor with a sword in both hands. The last two to enter the room are both female and wearing robes one is carrying a staff and the other is empty handed.


    One of the men in the full plate armor says. ¡°Well this seems like a good place to stop to eat lunch. Navi fix us some food.¡± -He then pulls one of the pews over to the center of the room and sits down on it taking his helmet off.-


    The man appears to have faced quite a bit of combat as he has a large scar on one side of his face and a couple of smalls ones on the other side. His appearance is roughly 35 years old and he has short brown hair.


    After the man¡¯s comment the young woman with nothing in her hands moves quickly and pulls some things from a pack she had stored on her back. Taking a few pieces of some of the pews that have been broken she starts a fire in the middle of the cathedral floor.


    The other person speaks with a scratchy but feminine voice as she takes off her helmet and speaks. ¡°I told you to lay off of her. You have been useless and just been getting in my way all day. Next time I think we will just leave you behind.¡±


    The woman is by no stretch of imagination beautiful but she does have some charm with her short light colored hair and deep blue eyes. She sits next to the man and then talks to the others. ¡°I think we got a pretty good haul, after lunch you think we should start heading back? We have already put in at least a week and a half, and I don''t think I can put up with Nick''s excessive wining for much longer.¡±


    The man in chainmail speaks while both he and the other light armored man sit on either side of the young woman with the staff. ¡°I know my pack is starting to get full but it would be a shame to head out after making it this far in. Maybe we should sort through we have collected and ditch some of the more useless stuff, or we could just use Nick as a pack mule.¡±


    The guy in the heavy armor speaks again. ¡°You keep saying that James and I will leave the next troll that thinks you¡¯re some fair maiden alone and let him run off with you.¡±


    James: ¡°He didn''t think I was a maiden he could just smell Ann''s scent on me because of having to carry her across that rickety old bridge.¡±


    The young woman with the staff: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    James: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was glad to be able to help.¡±


    The group continues small talk while the young woman Navi cooks the meal. The 2 wearing the heavy armor eat rather quickly while the others seem to take care while eating. After finishing their food the group packs up there things and after a bit more bickering they move out through the opposite door they entered from.


    ¡°Well took them long enough. Was there really any reason to hide from them though?¡± I ask Thirty-seven, but when I turn and look at her she is clutching the towel really tight and shaking all over. ¡°Thirty-seven! Are you ok?¡±


    She doesn''t say anything for a minute, but eventually loosens her grip and stops shaking before speaking. ¡°Yes I am fine now. That was a very close call. If the man in the light armor had been paying even a little bit more attention right now we would both be dead.¡±


    ¡°Well they didn''t seem to scary, would they of really killed us just because they seen us? We don''t really look much different then them.¡±


    Thirty-seven''s fear seems to have subsided but it looks like it is changing to anger. ¡°Fine if you want to explain to humans how you have made it this far into a dungeon without any armor or weapons go right ahead I am heading back.¡±


    ¡°Wait, don''t leave me here.¡± I barely have time to jump through an archway that appears behind her as I land on to the floor. Thirty sever is already heading out of the room and back towards the bedrooms. Her emotionless face is back as she walks down the hallways. She won''t say another word to me all the way back even as she enters her own room and closes the door.


    Well I guess I screwed that up, they honestly didn''t seem that bad. I head back to my room and even though I am far from tired after practicing my magic for a while I get tired enough that I just drift off to sleep.


    Falling asleep so early causes me to wake up in the middle of the night, with nothing to do I decide to check on my dungeon. Entering my dungeon I find all the goblins in the room sound asleep in a pile on the floor the only movement I see is the two blue slimes sliding around on the floor.


    I enter the dungeon core room and lay down on the cot while looking through all the screens. I finally drift off to sleep again and when I wake it is still dark. However Thirty-seven is standing right at the entrance of the dungeon clutching the towel. I get up off the cot and move back to the first room. ¡°Good morning you are up early.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It is almost time for next attack I came to wake you.¡±


    I take her wrist and pull her with me as I transfer back to the dungeon core room. ¡°Well this time we are ready for them.¡± I pull over the chair from the desk and have Thirty-seven sit down. I then stare at the screen waiting for the intruders to enter the dungeon. Five minutes pass...Ten minutes pass and the intruders still haven''t shown up.


    ¡°I thought you said the intruders where coming?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Yes, I was told to wake you one and a half hours before the attack to get you ready it has been sixteen minutes since that time. The intruders will be here soon.¡±


    Any tension building up in me is now lost as I sigh and plop down on the cot. ¡°You think we will do ok today?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°That has yet to be determined. It all depends on Madam Erin''s mood.¡±


    ¡°Yes I guess so. I hope she is in a good mood. I don''t want her to clear me out and leave me defenseless the entire rest of the month.¡±


    Time slowly ticks past as I ask Thirty-seven how much longer till the attack about every five minutes. Finally we get to the last few minutes and I start getting tense again.


    Intruders have entered the dungeon.


    A group consisting of the same equipment as the day before come charging into the dungeon, the first spear kobold hits the pit trap at a dead run disappearing down inside. One of the sword and shield kobolds hits the tile switch as the other spear user helps the first out of the pit.


    With a loud click the wooden spikes launch out of the ground around the kobold, all the spikes miss but one, but it catches him right under the chin lifting him off the ground before the spike breaks and the kobold hits the ground dead. The last sword and shield kobold stands guard alone as the two spear kobolds are finally free of the pit.


    The two goblins wielding the rusty sword and shield both hit the kobold at the same time. One goblin takes a minor slash from the kobold, but they manage to take him out one taking his iron sword the other taking the shield.


    The goblin carrying the great-sword hits one of the spear users in the back as the blue slimes drop from the ceiling landing on the other. The rest of the goblins charge the mage, but he gets his spell off first setting one of the spear goblins on fire.


    The goblin hits the floor and starts rolling around and the goblins pick off the last spear using kobold that is being attacked by the slimes.


    Intruders neutralized


    Acquired: 15XP, 2 worn leather armor, 2 iron spears, 1 mage robe, 1 wooden mage staff, 1 iron sword, 1 small iron shield, 1 rusty sword, and 1 rusty shield.


    Lost: Goblins suffered minor damage, one blue slime suffered minor damage, spike trap moderately damaged, and one goblin suffered moderate damage.


    ¡°Not bad, but I don''t know how long we can hold out.¡±


    I quickly replace the miss-matched sword and shield goblins so I now have three goblins with iron swords and shields, and two still with rusty swords and shields. I also instruct the injured goblin and another one of the goblins carrying an iron sword and shield the worn leather armor to wear. I collect the remaining equipment and clear out the kobold bodies before with [Menu] and just as the goblins get back into position I see.


    Intruders are entering the dungeon.


    These kobolds must have been from the set from day one because they jump over the pit as soon as they enter and move around the spike trap. The group consists of a rusty great-sword wielding kobold, two with iron swords and shields, two with spears, and two mages.


    Quickly avoiding the traps they attack the goblins spear users first. The two goblins with swords shields and armor deflect the spears of the kobolds and charge in. The spear wielding goblins move in from the sides and try to take out the mages, but sword and shield goblins block the path.


    The rusty sword and shield goblins charge into the spear using kobolds along with the other goblins. The final great-sword wielding goblin moves in on the mages.


    The kobold mages each in turn hit the blue slimes with fire spells as they try to slither across the battlefield to attack the spear kobolds. The great-sword wielding kobold drops the iron equipped goblin that is not wearing armor and attempts to brake the group up, but not before the remaining four sword and shield goblins take out the spear users.


    The goblins keep pushing the group of kobolds in as all the sword and shield goblins gang up on the great-sword kobold. The great-sword wielding Goblin manages to take out one of the mages while the spear using goblins hold off the sword and shield wielding kobolds.


    The great-sword wielding kobold manages to take out both of the unarmored rusty sword and shield wielding goblins before finally falling to the remaining two armored goblins. The remaining mage tries to retreat but is caught by both slimes, and falls to the blade of the great-sword wielding goblin. The spear wielding goblins finally kill the sword and shield kobold when the two goblins with swords and shields pull their attention.


    Intruders neutralized.


    Battle results:


    Aquired: 23XP 3 iron swords, 2 Iron spears, 2 wooden mage staves, 2 rusty swords, 3 iron shields, 2 rusty shields, 2 worn leather armor, 2 mage robes.


    Lost: 3 goblin brutes, 2 goblin brute¡¯s severely injured, 1 goblin brute moderately injured, 2 blue slimes moderately injured.


    One goblin brute has gained a level.


    ¡°Well I would like to say that went well but we lost more than we gained, starting to collect few weapons though so maybe I won''t have to buy any more of them at least. Too bad I wasted xp on equipment for the kobold already. Oh well.¡±


    I quickly gather the items, clean up the corpses, and give the two armors to the remaining unarmored goblins.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Madam Erin said congratulations. She said you have lived through the day. Only six more to go and she will grant you an award. She would also like to see you when you get done cleaning up the dungeon, and healing your monsters.¡±


    ¡°Wait, heal them? How do I do that?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°There are several ways to heal your dungeon monsters you can use xp to heal them, manually heal them with healing magic, use magic potions, or use first aid.¡±


    I open [Menu] and there is indeed a new option to [Heal Monsters], [Repair Dungeon], or [Heal and Repair All] I select the, heal and repair all, and it brings up a screen.


    Healing and repairing all within dungeon current cost: 13xp. Would you like proceed?


    After saying yes Thirty-seven says. ¡°If you plan on using xp to heal them you might want to wait till morning because the monsters natural healing will heal some damage overnight, since we know for a fact your dungeon will not be attacked again till tomorrow.¡±


    I sigh a deep sigh.¡± Ahh...Oh well lets go see Madam Erin now.¡± Thirty-seven and I leave the dungeon core room and exit the dungeon. Thirty-seven still leads me all the way to the throne room, bows to Madam Erin and myself, and then leaves from the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Not bad, that is more like it pup. However it does still seem like I was able to cause more damage then you were able to gain from the intruders so you still have a ways to go. Keep going like this and you are going to run out of xp. I don''t know if you decided to put all your defenses in the first room or if you had more planned, but if you don''t step it up we will find out tomorrow.¡±


    Thirty-seven enters the room again leading me back to my bedroom. Before entering my bedroom I ask her. ¡°Is there any way I can gain some xp? We might be able to hold out for tomorrow but I am pretty sure we won''t make it the rest of the week.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°At the moment your options are rather limited, but I would not worry too much. Madam Erin might have something planned for you in the next few days, so just try to hold out till then.¡±


    Thirty seven then walks off but instead of entering her room she walks past it, down the hallway then out of sight.


    I decide to enter the dungeon and try to come up with some kind of plan. I break the rusty swords, rusty shields, the extra mage robes and wooden mage staffs down and barely only recover 11XP. I then summon two more goblin brutes and give them the iron swords and shields placing them in the first room with the rest. A screen then appears.


    New monster available


    Hobgoblin:                 cost: 50xp


    Well that¡¯s nice and all but won''t do me any good unless I can get some more xp I barely over 10xp as it is. Unable to do anything else I decide to just rest on the cot in the dungeon core room.


    Thirty-seven¡¯s POV


    After leaving the new dungeon core in the hallway I make my way back to the throne room.


    ¡°Madam Erin, may I have a moment?¡±


    Sitting on the throne Madam Erin seems relatively shocked. ¡°Well isn''t this unusual, I guess since it is such a special event I will allow it.¡±


    ¡°It is not fair what you are doing to the new dungeon core. You know as well as I do you were supposed to give him 10,000 XP to start his training dungeon not 2000xp.  You were also supposed to limit the attacks to a maximum of 500xp for the first day and only raise it 500xp each successful day afterwards, but you already hit 800xp on the first days attack.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That has to be more words then you have said to me in the last five years altogether. I didn''t realize having you take care of him would turn into such a bonus. Besides he is seems to be handling himself quite well as it stands.¡±


    ¡°There are also many things he should have known from the moment he was born as a dungeon core that he still doesn''t know. I had to teach him how to cast magic.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Yes I noticed that as well he seems to not even know what magic was till I explained it to him.¡±


    ¡°I think it goes along with the trouble in his [Menu], he has spent hours looking over everything on there but at times he asks questions about things that should be in plain sight, but as soon as you tell him about it he finds it instantly like it wasn''t there before I said anything. He has also sent me many messages through [Menu], but never replies when I send him one back. I don''t believe he even knows he is sending them. Several times he has called me to meet with him, but when I go to meet with him he seems surprised.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I might have to speak with the other elders about that I have never heard of something like a malfunction in the [Menu] before.¡±


    ¡°You also have not explained about his dungeons boss monster yet, and speaking of the elders you still haven''t explained only five of the ten new dungeon cores are going to be able to make their own dungeon after an evaluation at the end of the month.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I think he is doing just fine how he is right now, if he starts to struggle later in the month we might give him a hand, but you know as well as anyone the dangers that await him if he is allowed to start his own dungeon.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If he struggles in the beginning it will only make him tougher once he is on his own. Besides you know that a dungeon core is only expecting keep his crystal safe maybe one or two times out of ten, he is on day two without a boss monster and he is already ahead of the pack.¡±


    Madam Erin then gives a beaming smile as she says.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Pup if you just keep an eye on him, I promise I will talk to the other elders about the problem he is having with his [Menu], and remember he is safe here. He can struggle and fail over and over now, but it only takes one failure after he has his own dungeon for it to all to be over, so let him make mistakes now when it won''t cost him his life so he hopefully won''t have to make those mistakes when he is on his own.¡±


    ¡°He is calling me again, so I am going now.¡± I turn and begin walking out the door.


    Madam Erin calls out to her as she walks out the door. ¡°It really was nice to have a conversation with you for once after so long. Take care of our pup now.¡±

 Dungeon Core Information & Mis[Communication]

    Chapter 3: Dungeon Core Information & Mis[communication]


    I wonder if Thirty-seven is back yet. I really have no idea what to do to pass the time till tomorrow. After a few minutes I decide to check to see if she is back and I get up and head into the hallway. Once I reach the hallway I see Thirty-seven walking down the hallway a wave at her when she suddenly stops and at the same time a large screen appears.


    Dungeon Core #3 Alfread has perished at the hands of a kobold mage.


    After closing the screen Thirty-seven continues walking down the hallway and then asks. ¡°Did you see that message?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what was that about?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I don''t know if Madam Erin told you or not, but every year a handful of new dungeon cores are born, and like you each go through training before they go out on their own. That message just now was informing everyone that one of the other new cores died.¡±


    ¡°He died, died? Not his training crystal but actually died?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Yes, some dungeon cores will attack invaders that are trying to destroy their crystal. It should always be a last ditch effort, but to even do it during training. However some cores even fight in their dungeon regularly. One of the dungeon core elders is his own boss monster.¡±


    ¡°Elders?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Ah, yes. Well you will have to ask Madam Erin about them.¡±


    ¡°How many other cores where born the same time I was?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°it all depends. The record is fifty, but there have been occasions it has been as few as three. In your group I believe only ten where born.¡±


    ¡°Do you know anything about Alfread?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°He was just born a few days ago I am sure there is not much too know about him, I can find out what core was his teacher, but that is probably the limit to the information.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. It seems like such a shame he died before really even getting a chance to live...¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°That is the risk all dungeon cores take. Was there something else you needed? It looked like you had a question before the message.¡±


    ¡°No, not really I was just looking for something to pass the time but I think I need to start coming up with a plan for the dungeon.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Alright, Madam Erin was also curious if you have decided on a name yet? If it helps your designated dungeon core number is two hundred and twelve.¡±


    ¡°No, I haven''t really found one that fits. Two hundred and twelve you said? Alfread was number three, if there are only ten of us why am I number two hundred and twelve?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°There are only seven hundred and ninty-nine available dungeon core numbers and as more dungeons die there numbers are replaced with the new cores. You might consider yourself lucky you did not end up with core number three. There has not been an active dungeon that is more than a year old in over a hundred years. Many say that core is cursed, but I do believe three days is even a record for core number three.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok. You know I do believe this is the first time we have actually had a full conversation. Most of the time I ask questions you usually answer them with only the most basic of answers.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Well then, if that is all.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn''t...¡±


    Thirty-seven ignores me as she walks back down the hallway entering her room.


    I didn''t mean to upset her. It was nice to actually have a conversation for a change. I don''t think she likes me very much. She probably thinks I am a bother. I was hoping to finally be able to ask her why she keeps carrying that towel around. Oh well, maybe next time. I retreat back to my room, and I decide to practice my magic for a few hours before retiring for the day.


    I wake the next morning and Thirty-seven is already standing over me next to the bed. ¡°Oh no. I overslept again didn''t I? How long till the attack starts?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I have been waiting for one hour and six minutes, so the attack with start in twenty four minutes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. ¡° I get up from bed and make my way to the dungeon and transfer to the core room along with Thirty-seven. ¡°You know instead of standing by my bed for that long. You could just wake me up. Actually I would prefer if you woke me up rather than just stand there.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Noted, starting tomorrow I start waking you.¡±


    We sit in the core room without another word until I finally get the message that intruders have entered the dungeon. The first wave of Kobolds is identical to the first set from the last two days, and much like yesterday the goblins take them down without much difficulty.


    Before I have a chance to clear the room the second wave hits. Much like the second wave of yesterday this consists of the same group set up. With the exception of the great-sword wielding kobold is now just carrying an iron sword and shield.


    The goblins manage to dispatch the second wave, and we only loose one of the spear goblins. Two more of the goblins manage to gain and level and now the remaining six all wear the worn leather armor. As soon as the battle is over I quickly use [Menu] to remove the bodies, the extra items, and use 15XP to heal all my monsters before I get the message.


    Intruders have entered the dungeon.


    The first two kobolds that enter look like more of the same with the worn leather armor, iron sword, and small iron shield. The next to enter is a mage he however is carrying an iron rod rather than a wooden staff, and with him is a kobold wearing the worn leather armor, has a dagger on his hip, and he is carrying a small bow with a quiver full of arrows on his back.


    The final kobold to enter is massive, almost fifty percent larger than the others, he has crimson red scales, wearing a worn and rusty set of chainmail armor, and has a large battle axe.


    The archer targets the last spear wielding goblin firing arrows at him while the mage fires a large ball at flame hitting and seriously injuring one of the blue slimes. Both of the blue slimes bind the feet of the sword and shield kobolds, and the goblins begin to move in.


    The crimson kobold jumps cleanly over both the bound kobolds landing in the middle of the spike trap. The trap deploys but the wooden spike just snap when they hit the kobolds armor. The crimson kobold swings his axe hitting both of the sword and shield goblins that have not gained a level yet.


    Even with both of them blocking with their shields with one swing of the axe both are sent crashing into the wall ending up just heaps on the floor. The goblin wielding the spear badly injured from the arrows throws his spear piercing the archer kobold in the gut.


    The archer pulls the spear out of his gut and drops it to the floor then fires another arrow at the now unarmed goblin. The now unarmed goblin dives to the floor next to the two bodies of the goblins that hit the wall dodging the arrow flying his way, he picks up one of the iron swords and shields blocking another arrow flying his way, and then charges the archer.


    The mage kobold hits the injured slime with another ball of fire killing the slime and slightly damaging his ally, but the now freed kobold joins in with the crimson kobold, but is blocked as one of the leveled up goblins with a sword and shield moves in and slams him with his shield knocking him rolling backwards into the pit trap.


    The other leveled up sword and shield goblin attacks the kobold bound by the slime. The great-sword wielding goblin brings his sword down onto the crimson kobold but most of the damage is deflected by the chainmail.


    The crimson kobold then swings his weapon down at the great-sword wielding goblin but the goblin raises his sword trying to block the blow. There is a massive cracking sound as the axe hits the sword pushing the goblin back a few feet but leaving him mostly uninjured.


    The goblin charging the archer swings his sword. The archer blocks the blow with his bow but it snaps in half, he then pulls a dagger jabbing it into the gravely injured goblin. With the goblins last breath he stabs the archer in the chest with his sword then hits the floor.


    The mage kobold hits the remaining slime with another fireball while one of the sword and shield goblins moves in. The bound kobold squares off with the other sword and shield goblin, but with the flames licking his bound legs from his ally¡¯s spell, the slime tripping him up, and the goblin attack. He loses the fight and takes a shield bash to the snout falling to the floor.


    The two swords and shield goblins close in on the mage. The slime starts moving in on the crimson kobold, and the great-sword wielding goblin charges back into the crimson kobold trying to run him through with his great-sword.


    The crimson kobold however slams the sword with his axe breaking it. The momentum the Goblin gained is not lost though as he continues forward piercing the crimson kobold with the broken great-sword.


    The mage blocks a sword swipe with the iron rod but takes another slash to the back, he is unable to defend himself while the two sword and shield goblins keep slashing at him and he eventually falls.


    The crimson kobold kicks back the goblin that had the great-sword and pulls the shard out of his gut. He then swings his axe at the unarmed goblin but the goblin dodges and punches the kobold right in the jaw.


    The blue slime leaps onto the crimson kobold trying to cover its face. The two sword and shield goblins move in from the back both slashing the crimson kobold in the back. The crimson kobold turns his attention to the sword and shield goblins swinging his axe with a large arc the slime blocking his view manages to save one of the sword and shield goblins, but the other is cut clean in two.


    The slime tries to choke the crimson kobold as slithers into his snout, and mouth. The ex-great-sword wielding goblin grabs the iron sword that hit the floor and buries it into the leg of the crimson kobold.


    The other goblin shield bashes the crimson kobold causing it to lose its balance and hit the floor. The crimson kobold then drops the axe trying to rip the slime off its face, and the ex-great-sword wielding goblin picks it up swing it down into the crimson kobolds chest finally ending the battle.


    Intruders neutralized.


    Battle results:


    Aquired:  27XP, 4 Iron swords, 4 Iron shields, 4 worn Leather Armor, 1 Iron spear, 1 Iron dagger, 1 Iron rod, 1 Iron great axe, 1 worn rusty chainmail, 1 mage robe.


    Losses: 3 goblin brutes, 1 level 2 goblin brute, 1 blue slime, 1 rusty great-sword, 1 spike trap


    1 Goblin brute has gained a level


    1 Blue slime has gained a level.


    New monster available


    Crimson Kobold Cost: 150xp


    New Items available


    Iron rod Cost: 40xp


    Worn rusty chainmail Cost: 75xp


    Iron great axe Cost: 50xp


    Thirty-seven speaks up. ¡°Madam Erin wishes to speak with you. She said congratulations surviving two days in a row.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s it for today then? Thank the gods...¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I quickly collect items, dispose of the bodies and remove the broken spike trap but store the switch. I give the chainmail and great axe to the now level 3 goblin. I summon one more goblin brute, and give him an iron sword, small iron shield, and worn leather armor. I then equip all the kobolds but 4 in the back rooms with the worn leather armor. I move the two spear wielding kobolds, and the mage kobold from the core room to the front room, and give him the iron rod.


    I exit the dungeon with Thirty-seven and head to the throne room to meet with Madam Erin. After Thirty-seven leaves the room Madam Erin says. ¡°Congratulations pup, you succeeded in defending two days in a row now. However you are still losing more xp then you are gaining. Are you almost out of xp yet?¡±


    ¡°I am confident I will manage.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Don''t get to cocky. Being cocky will get you killed when you start your own dungeon. Now I am rather surprised you managed to take down a crimson kobold with just a few goblins. I don''t expect that luck to hold out against two or three of them though. ¡°


    My face goes pale as Madam Erin laughs.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Your face says it all.¡± -She laughs again. - ¡°How about this, if you live through tomorrow I will give you an additional 1000xp, but in turn I will just send one stronger wave. What do you say?¡±


    If I don''t get that 1000xp she will slowly chip away at my troops until I lose my crystal, and with the amount of xp I have remaining it won''t matter what happens after that point I won''t be able to continue, so my only real option is to accept.


    ¡°Fine, I accept.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°HA, that¡¯s a good pup, now things are starting to get interesting.¡±


    Thirty-seven now enters the room, and leads me back to the room. When we get to my room Thirty-seven starts to walk off but stops when she sees me heading to the dungeon instead.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Are you not finished?¡±


    ¡°Well I made a deal with Madam Erin, so I need to make some adjustments.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°A deal? What kind of deal?¡±


    ¡°She promised me 1000xp bonus if I manage to protect my crystal tomorrow, but in exchange I have to deal with just one tough wave of monsters. Honestly the small waves are just chipping away at our monsters, so I think one big wave is best.¡±


    Thirty-seven fists clench tight over the towel. ¡°Very well.¡± She stands there for a minute looking torn as to the direction she is going to move, then finally turns and enters her room.


    I wonder what that was about. I shrug and enter the dungeon. After entering the dungeon I switch the monsters in the front room with the monsters in the crystal room, leaving my strongest to protect the crystal.


    The others I am hoping can at least do some damage before they are wiped out. Now, what to do? I have been pretty restricted to my room and dungeon, but I guess I can''t wander around too much because this is another dungeon who knows what kinds of monsters Madam Erin has.


    Maybe I can get Thirty-seven to show me around again. I head to Thirty-seven''s room after double checking everything in the dungeon. I reach forward to knock on her door.


    *Knock knock knock*


    Oh I actually got to knock. Oh she isn''t answering. I guess she is not in her room. I guess I will head back to my room then. I lay down on my bed. Man there is nothing to do. There are not even any books to read. Wait books, win or lose tomorrow the amount of xp I got left won''t make any difference so maybe I can use what I got left to buy a book.


    Opening [Menu] I say [Books] the screen opens but is blank. Well it was a good idea, wait I know I seen some on one of the lists somewhere. I check under [Items], [Treasure], and even [Equipment]... where were they at... Oh, yea [Dungeon Core] I sort through the section till I come up to the books.


    Most cost way too much xp, there is even one for over 500,000xp. I finally find a book that is within my price range 5xp <u>Dungeon Core Information</u>. I buy the book and a message appears.


    [Dungeon Core] items only available in dungeon core room purchasing <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> will place it in your dungeon core room. Would you like to continue?


    Ah I forgot, I say yes then head over to the core room to check out the book.


    <u>Dungeon Core Information</u>


    Dungeon cores first took shape over 1000 years ago, starting with only 15 dungeon cores. Why and by whom they were created is unknown. They were however gifted with the magic known as [Menu], and already had all the knowledge they required. It started with a basic urge. I need to build. The first to begin building named Maric, was given the title Dungeon Core 1. Each of the original 15 cores then moved on building unique dungeons. Most started with building out of basic caves, however everything changed when dungeon core 5 began his dungeon he built it into a volcano. Dungeon core 10 to choose to use a flat single floor and made a vast forest. The last of the originals dungeon core 15 Hecate begin mimicking human buildings such a Castle. After the first ten years new cores began to be born every year on the same day new dungeon cores began to be born within existing dungeons. They as well set off building their own dungeons. When the dungeon cores began to number in the hundreds, the humans discovered the value of destroying dungeon cores. A great purge swept through the dungeons leaving only 6 dungeon cores alive. Dungeon core 5 Draco, dungeon core 18 Faron, dungeon core 36 Madam Erin, dungeon core 115 Fredrick, dungeon core 187 Lucille, and dungeon core 212 Leland. These six later become to be known as the Elders. After the purge the six elders began rebuilding the ranks of the dungeon cores and after reaching dungeon core 799, the elders discovered no higher number was assigned, and numbers from fallen dungeons began to be assigned. Around 300 years ago the elders began noticing that many of the new dungeon cores did not last more than ten years. The humans had formed an Adventurer''s Guild and to move into the highest ranks within the members were required to destroy dungeon crystals. The elders then decided they would begin testing the new cores only allowing the stronger half to build their own cores the remainder stripped of their ability to make a crystal. The fate of the failed new dungeon cores is given to the core who dungeon they are born into. Some are used as monsters within dungeons, some are abandoned into the world, and some are even killed on the spot. Only two cores have ever proven themselves to get a second chance at obtaining a crystal. One remains without a crystal at its training dungeon, and the other is current dungeon core 400 Dyson.


    The rest of the book shows each core number, and information about them I flip through it.


    Current Dungeon core 3 Alfread (Decessed) Location: Dungeon 97


    Dungeon: Training hall Crystal: Basic Training crystal


    Dungeon contains 1 floor, 4 room, 0 monsters, 0 traps.


    Dungeon core level: 1 XP: 5325


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    Basic training hall is a dungeon within a dungeon to train new dungeon cores. Most favored monster goblin, most favored trap spike trap, most purchased monster goblin, most purchased trap spike trap, boss monster Hobgoblin Hero. (Deceased)


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------


    Previous Dungeon core 3 Sanduval (Deceased) Location: Merretta harbor


    Dungeon: Sea side cave Crystal: Small water topaz


    Dungeon at its peak contained 2 floors, 16 rooms, 37 monsters, 12 traps


    Dungeon core level: 4 XP: 0


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    A small like side cave on the coast of Merretta harbor, most favored monster is the water dog, most favored trap is sea geyser, Most purchased monster water dog, Most purchased trap sea geyser, Boss monster water hound (Deceased).


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Oye! How did Alfread have so much xp and even a boss monster before he died, I will have to ask Madam Erin, is she really an elder? I guess I will check out her page.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Current Dungeon core 36 Elder Madam Erin Location: North-side of Emeraldline Forest


    Dungeon: Tower of the Gods Crystal: large earthen amber


    Dungeon contains 347 floors, 3,784 rooms, 18,476 monsters, 4,025 traps.


    Dungeon core level: 325 XP: 4,359,710


    Dungeon active: 987 years


    The tower of the gods is on the northern edge of the Emeraldline Forest, and the humans claim it was built by the gods. Many humans enter it seeking fame and fortune, and currently hosting dungeon core 212 ------. Mapped up to floor 42, Deepest floor reached 56, Most favored monster Earth titan, most favored trap crushing room, most purchased monster earth golem (rift), most purchased trap poison dart trap (auto-renew), Boss monster God of the Earth golem.


    Pervious dungeon core 36 N/A


    I flip the book open to my own page.


    Current Dungeon core 212 ------ Location: dungeon 36


    Dungeon: Training hall crystal: basic training crystal


    Dungeon contains 1 floor, 3 rooms, 17 monsters, 1 trap


    Dungeon core level: 1 XP: 3


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    Basic training hall is a dungeon within a dungeon to train new dungeon cores. Most favored monster goblin brute, most favored pit trap, most purchased monster goblin brute, most purchased trap pit trap, spiked trap, faulty dart trap, boss monster N/A


    Previous Dungeon core 212 Leland (Deceased) Location: Adra Mountain Range


    Dungeon: Banshee Caverns Crystal: large shadow obsidian


    Dungeon at its peak contained 100 floors, 1,257 rooms, 8,365 monsters, 257 traps


    Dungeon core level: 200 XP: 45, 294


    Dungeon active: 959 years


    Banshee caverns was the first shadow based dungeon home to many ghost and demon based monsters. Located in the isolated Adra mountain range only the fearless, braved to enter. Purged one year ago when Adra kingdom''s first prince tried to prove himself brave inside. After the prince''s death, heroes from the adventures guild were recruited and promised riches to destroy the banshee cavern¡¯s crystal. Leland¡¯s death marked the first loss of an elder, and the strongest dungeon to ever fall to the hands of humans.


    I have a lot to live up to if I want to even come close to Leland¡¯s fame and power. I flip through the pages of the book looking for things that jump out like dungeon core 5 seems to have the largest dungeon at over 500 floors, but Madam Erin seems to have the most stored xp. One of the cores is even over 100 years old with only 2 floors. Something catches my eye on dungeon core 37


    Current Dungeon core 37 Heather Location: Duscae plains


    Dungeon: Duscae valley ruins crystal: small wind emerald


    dungeon contains 36 floor, 250 rooms, 1,454 monsters, 87 traps


    Dungeon core level: 10 XP: 20, 015


    Dungeon active: 4 years


    Duscae valley is riddled with the ruins of a dungeon, but recently it seems the dungeon has come back to life as monsters are now roaming the ruins in droves. Many human archeologists and adventurers have flocked to Duscae plains to study the ruins a why after laying dormant for so many years has re-awoken.


    Previous Dungeon core 37 Thirty-Seven (Failed) Location: dungeon 36


    Dungeon: N/A Crystal: N/A


    Dungeon at its peak contained: 1 floor, 3 rooms, 45 monsters, 30 traps


    Dungeon core Level: 0 XP: 0


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    Dungeon core 37 Thirty-seven trained under dungeon core 344 for three weeks before dungeon core 344 was purged by humans, the elders deemed Thirty-seven capable enough to start her own dungeon if she could get over the trauma she received watching core 344 dying from human hands. Thirty-seven was taken in by dungeon core 36 and has remained there the last 5 years as practically a mute until the birth of current core 212. She has slowly begun to open back up. The elders have decided she will be granted a Crystal again if she can remove her fear of humans, and her core number becomes available again. Making her only the third dungeon core to be given a second chance.


    I wasn''t aware Thirty-seven has been through so much, and that I was having that kind of effect on her. I thought she just didn''t like me. I need to apologize to her. I close the book setting it on the desk and go check to see if Thirty-seven has returned to her room yet.


    I reach Thirty-Seven''s room I quickly try to knock on the door before she has a chance to answer but I barely tap my knuckles on the door as it opens. ¡°How do you do that? You always know.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Simple, you always inform me with [Menu] that you have arrived.¡±


    ¡°When did I do that?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°As I thought. Curious, try something for me, open [Menu].¡±


    I do so. ¡°Now what?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Now try accessing [Communication]¡±


    When I say communication it brings a new screen up listing a tab for allies, and a tab for monsters. Under the monsters tab it has every monster currently in my dungeon, and under allies it has Madam Erin and Thirty-seven. When I select Thirty-seven there is a long list over communication back and forth but it¡¯s not exactly what we have said to each other.


    The most recent messages are from myself and are. ¡°I am coming to your room. I am coming down the hall. I am here!¡±......I quickly scroll though the messages and there are easily 25 to 50 messages from me if not more to every one of hers.


    Most of her replies are just answers to questions that I asked her in person. Then I see a message I sent. ¡°You have such a wonderful body.¡± and another ¡°You smell nice.¡± and a third ¡°you have such a nice ass I just want to grab it.¡±


    I quickly close the messages. I find Thirty-seven to be an attractive woman, but I don¡¯t understand why such messages were sent, but I am too petrified to see what else I must have said.


    ¡°I am so sorry. I have no idea how I sent them messages. I have never even seen that screen before now. You must think I am a horrid person.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Think nothing of it. I suspected as much and have already talked to Madam Erin of the situation.¡±


    ¡°You told Madam Erin the things I was sending you!? I feel like I want to crawl under my bed and die¡±.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°No, I did not tell her what the messages said, just that you didn''t seem to be able to access [Communication] yet where still sending messages without your knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Well I believe I have made a big enough fool out of myself for one day, so I guess I better go back to my room.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Wait. What was the original reason for you to come to my room.¡±


    ¡°Oh I completely forgot. I was bored so I bought the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> book from my [Menu] and read about what happened to you during your training and wanted to come apologize to you for dragging you around my dungeon when it probably brought up some hurtful memories. Now I have so much more to make up for I don''t even know where to start.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Think nothing of it. I was told to keep an eye on your training, and as for the messages I am partly to blame as well. After all, like I said I figured out you seemed to be sending messages without your knowledge a while back, and still haven''t said anything, so don''t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°I still feel horrible just the same. I think I am going to go rest now.¡±


    Thirty-seven bows then heads back into her room. I move back to my room and drop on the bed and hit myself in the forehead. It takes a few minutes for me to calm down and regain the color in my face before I remember about the boss monster and Alfread''s xp. I open up [Communication] which is now conveniently on the right hand side of the main screen mocking me like it was always there. As soon as I open Thirty-seven''s screen the words begin appearing on the screen.


    ¡°So sorry to bother you again so soon, but I thought of another question I wanted to ask you about on something I found in the book. I looked at Alfread''s page and it said he had over 5000xp when he died and even had a boss monster. How did he get so much xp and a boss monster so fast?¡±


    Thirty-seven sends an instant reply. ¡°No problem at all. However you need to ask Madam Erin that question.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I will.¡± After closing Thirty-seven''s screen I open Madam Erin''s and the words begin to fill the screen.


    ¡°Do you mind if I ask you a question?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Ah pup, I see you have figured out [Communication], I guess after asking Thirty-seven if you could suckle her breasts she couldn''t keep quiet about it any longer.¡±


    An instant reply. ¡°I said something like that!?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well, even more interesting, personally I have no idea, but given your reply it sounds like there was at least a possibility of there being one.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I never said anything of the sort. Now I was reading <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> and I found that the other dungeon core in training that was born the same day as me already had a boss monster and over 5000xp when he died. How did he get so much so fast?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Ah, well you see, well how about this I will tell you after the battle tomorrow. Win or lose I promise. Also if you ever decide to change your mind on the breasts I could always offer my services.¡±


    ¡°NO THANKS.¡± I quickly close the screen and kick my feet on the bed. Ahhhh. I finally cool down again and spend the next twenty minutes fighting over if I really want to know what kind of messages I sent Thirty-seven. I finally decide it would be best to never know. I select an option to clear all messages, and then go to sleep.

 Defining Battle

    I wake with a jolt the next morning completely drenched in water, I quickly jump out of bed, and there stands Thirty-seven holding the towel to her chest in one arm and an empty bucket in the other.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°You said to wake you.¡± -she turns and walks out of the room. I wring out my shirt and follow her heading to the dungeon.-


    After I catch up to her outside in the hallway I say. ¡°You know you could have just shaken me.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Noted.¡±


    As we enter the dungeon core room she sets the bucket down, and sits in the chair I put in the middle of the room for her.


    ¡°Here let me see the towel so I can dry off.¡±


    Thirty-seven¡¯s face quickly changes to a shocked expression, tears well up in her eyes, and she grips the towel tightly.


    I seemed to have upset her by wanting to use the towel so I simple say. ¡°Ah, never mind I will manage.¡±


    I have never seen her without that towel except when we first met before I handed it to her. I wonder how Madam Erin got it from her to turn loose of it long enough for me to use it on the day I woke up. She seems awfully attached to it I kind of feel bad for using it at that time now. Maybe one of these days I will be able to ask her about it.


    I use the magic spell [Clean] to dry myself off and it only takes a few brief moments for me to be clean and completely dry. I find it rather odd using a water spell to dry off, but it worked so I won''t look too much into it.


    After that I then double check everything in the dungeon. I do a little rearranging by moving the monsters into their final positions, and then ask Thirty-seven.


    ¡°Well how much time we got left till the attack?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°When I got the bucket of water to wake you up, Madam Erin said if I used that I could let you sleep an extra hour, and that was 21 minutes ago. That leaves 9 minutes until the attack begins.¡±


    So the idea of the bucket of water was Madam Erin''s. I am starting to see she has a rather cruel sense of humor. I hope it¡¯s not revenge because I didn''t take up her offer regarding her breasts. I shudder at the thought, but I then start thinking of Thirty-seven''s causing myself to blush, and I actually find that it sounds appealing for some reason.


    No, I quickly shake my head trying to put it out of my mind. That¡¯s what got me in this mess to begin with. I quickly open the message to Thirty-seven making sure no messages where sent. After a small sigh of relief escapes from me as I close the screen, I sit back waiting for the attack to begin.


    Intruders have entered the dungeon.


    When Madam Erin says she goes all out she means it. One. Two. Three. Four. There are four crimson kobolds entering my dungeon each of them carry better equipment then the last. Three of them are wearing chainmail armor. This time however none of them show any signs of rust or ware.


    One of the three wearing the chainmail is carrying a great-sword it too is new and not made out of iron but of steel. Another is sporting a large steel shield and a steel sword. The last of the armored crimson kobold has a large curved bow and dagger on each side of his waist.


    The final crimson kobold is unarmored, but wearing a type of mage robe. It too however looks like a lot finer quality then the last ones and he is carrying an iron rod but it is laden with gems and has a large stone on the head of it.


    After all four of the crimson kobolds enter Thirty-seven jumps to her feet quickly looking over at me then back to the screen and sits back down. I guess she is a bit shocked as well.


    Three of my little Kobolds charge straight down the center of the room at the group. While two sneak in from the sides both aiming for the unarmored mage. With one arrow from the archer, one swing from each the small sword and the great-sword, the three small kobolds charging straight ahead are brutally massacred.


    The two tiny kobolds attacking the mage swing their swords several times into the mage I can''t tell if they did any damage, but the archer crimson kobold pulls both daggers burying them both in one of the tiny kobold¡¯s back. The mage then freezes the last one solid with a spell. Just like that the first room has been cleared and the intruders move on to the second room.


    ¡°I can''t tell if the mage even took any damage. This is not looking good if they can they at least need to do something about the mage.¡±


    The crimson kobolds enter the next room but this time watch the corners as they enter but all five tiny kobolds stand at the center of the room. The two crimson kobolds with swords swing and the tiny kobold as they charge past but both manage to miss.


    The archer however does not miss as his arrow pierces the tiny kobold so deeply that it pins his corpse to the floor. The four remaining tiny kobolds dog pile on the mage whacking, slashing, and shield bashing the best they can.


    After all the tiny kobolds have been dealt with all four crimson kobolds still remain unharmed, but the mage is starting to look like he is showing some signs of damage.


    ¡°I now we only have the one room left, Well it looks like we are not going to win the bet, but Madam Erin promised to tell me how Alfread got a boss monster and over 5000xp after the battle so even if we lose maybe I can do the same thing he did.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°He died.¡±


    ¡°Well you do make a good point. I would like to avoid that part.¡±


    As soon as the crimson kobolds enter the crystal room the battle instantly heats up. The level 2 goblins with the sword and shield, and level 3 goblin with the great axe both square off against the crimson kobold with the great-sword.


    The two tiny kobolds with spears start piercing the mage while the tiny kobold mage manages to set the archer on fire. The slime drops onto the face of the crimson kobold with the sword and shield while the level 1 goblin tries to attack him while he is distracted.


    Even on fire the crimson archer is fires an arrow at one of the tiny spear kobolds and kills it. The other tiny spear kobold gets turned into an ice sculptor, as the level 2 and level 3 goblins slowly begin to cause damage to the great-sword wielding crimson kobold.


    The sword and shield crimson kobold drops his equipment as he tries to pry the slime from his mouth and throat. The tiny kobold mage keeps hitting the archer over and over with fire spells until the archer fires an arrow back at it killing the tiny mage.


    The crimson kobold with the great-sword hits the level 3 goblin with the axe bringing it to its knees, but finally succumbs to the two goblins. The crimson kobold being choked by the slime finally hit the floor flopping around as it continues to pry at the slime.


    The mage decides to end them both by freezing slime and the crimson kobold¡¯s head killing them both. The crimson archer falls to one knee but fires another arrow at the gravely injured level 3 goblin with the axe.


    The axe goblin dies when the arrow hits it, and the level 2 sword and shield goblin ends the archer. With only the level 2 goblin with the sword and shield, and the crimson kobold mage remaining they face off. The goblin swings at the mage but the mages spell hits first. The goblin freezes solid and the kobold brings its iron rod down with both hands into the head of the goblin shattering it.


    ¡°We were so close... It was the damn mage.¡±


    Thirty-seven slow stands up and sets the towel down on the chair and pats it. She looks at me with anger in her eyes as she says. ¡°Send me!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°No time, just send me in now.¡±


    As the crimson mage begins walking over to the crystal, Thirty-seven rushes across the dungeon core room grabbing me with both hands by the shirt. ¡°Please! Send me before it¡¯s too late!¡±


    I tightly close my eyes and send Thirty-seven into the crystal room and hear a chime... I keep my eyes closed for what seems like forever, but when I slowly begin to open them I see the message.


    Intruders neutralized.


    Battle results:


    Acquired: 65xp, 11 worn leather armor, 9 Iron swords, 9 small iron shields, 2 Iron spears, 1 mage robe, 1 iron rod 1 iron great axe, 1 worn rusty chainmail, 3 basic chain mail, 1 steel great-sword, 1 steel sword, 1 steel shield, 1 large stout bow, 2 steel daggers, 1 magician¡¯s robes, 1 gem studded iron rod


    Losses: All dungeon monsters have been eliminated.


    Due to the state of decline in the dungeon xp consumption will be reduced to 1xp/7days no xp will be refunded and the new rate will take effect in 4 days.


    New items available


    Steel shield Cost: 100xp


    Steel dagger Cost: 25xp


    Steel sword Cost: 50xp


    Steel great-sword Cost: 100xp


    Gem laden Iron rod Cost: 100xp


    Large stout bow Cost: 75xp


    Basic chainmail Cost: 150xp


    Magicians robes Cost: 100xp


    New monsters available


    Crimson Kobold Mage Cost: 200


    I quickly look to the screen that shows the crystal room and see Thirty-seven casts a spell cleaning the blood from her hands. The crimson kobold lays dead inches from the crystal with one of the steel daggers the archer had plunged all the way to the hilt in the center of its back. I quickly use [Menu] to collect the equipment and clear the dungeon of bodies, then pick the towel up from the chair and join Thirty-seven in the crystal room.


    Thirty-seven quickly walks over to me taking the towel in both arms clutching it tightly to her chest. Thirty-seven: ¡°Madam Erin is going to be upset.¡±


    ¡°Well nothing can be done about it now. I guess we should go speak with her.¡±


    Thirty-seven and I make our way to the throne room. Madam Erin is sitting in the throne when we arrive with her arms crossed in front of her. When Thirty-seven bows and begins to walk out of the room Madam Erin stops her. ¡°Wait, you stay here for this as well.¡± Thirty-seven turns back around but remains a few feet behind me.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well pup, I am not sure if I should congratulate you or not. You prevented your crystal from breaking but you had to cheat to win.¡±


    Madam Erin uncrosses her arms and leans forward on the throne speaking in a lighter voice. ¡°I guess however in a battle of life or death there is no such thing as cheating. There is only winning or death.¡±


    She then leans back in the throne, crosses her legs and a big smile creep across her face. ¡°I guess we will just call it the debut of your boss monster. Yes, that ought to work just fine. Well pup, a promise is a promise.¡±


    She instructs me to open [Menu] and with the crushing of a small jewel between her fingers I watch my xp value rise from 68xp to 8068xp. ¡°I decided to give you a bonus for your efforts. Now, for the rest of the promise, I assume since you have found <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> you have also looked up your own number and its past?¡±


    After I nod she continues. ¡°Well truth be told pup, I lied to you. You see Elder Leland was a dear friend of mine, and I wanted you to prove you could live up to his number so I only started you with 2000xp instead of the 10,000xp you were supposed to start with. I also did not give you a boss monster, but that seems to have worked itself out. Three days is rather impressive with the limits you where given so I decided to acknowledge you and give you what you were due. However that doesn''t mean I will go easy on you the rest of the month, so you and your boss monster there better head back to prepare for tomorrow¡¯s attack. Now scoot scoot pup. I can''t wait to see the results.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Thirty-seven and I start head back when Madam Erin stops us when we get to the door. ¡°Oh, and one more thing. You will need to move into your dungeon for the rest of the month. I am going to fill the halls with monsters tonight just in case you decide you want to gather some extra XP. If you need to contact me just use [Communication].¡±


    I scored a bunch of xp but things are going to get tougher now. I will not even be able to leave the dungeon now without getting attacked by monsters. I guess it doesn''t matter much it¡¯s not like I have to leave the dungeon to get food or anything like that. I haven''t even traveled more than just a few hallways of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon except the one time we went to the lower floors. Thirty-seven and I head back to bedrooms I stop outside her door.


    ¡°I will wait here for you to gather your things. I don''t have anything in my room anyway.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I have nothing as well.¡±


    ¡°Nothing? You have been here five years and have nothing? What did you do all this time?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I awaited Madam Erin¡¯s instructions. She asked me to do things for her once or twice a week.¡±


    ¡°What about all the rest of the time? Did you just sit there and stare at the walls?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I also slept when I would become tired.¡±


    ¡°I don''t even know how to respond to that...Oh, I wanted to apologize. I know you are the one that wanted to help me in the fight earlier, but sorry you got stuck becoming the boss monster for my dungeon. I am sure being a dungeon core yourself being stuck as a monster for another core is not pleasant.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°On the contrary. I find it to be a rather¡­ Enjoyable.¡±


    We enter the dungeon core room and I open [Menu] the first thing I notice I have no contacts under the friends tab anymore. Thirty-seven has been moved to monsters tab, and Madam Erin has moved to a new tab that just says Neutral.


    ¡°Well, shall we get started? I am sure there is a lot of things you can help with.¡± after saying that a message appears.


    Would you like dungeon monster Thirty-seven (boss) access to your dungeon [Menu]?


    ¡°Yes¡±


    Would you like to set restrictions to monster Thirty-seven (boss)''s access? For example you can limit the amount of xp they can access or limit them only to specific pages.


    ¡°No.¡±


    No [Menu] restrictions set for monster Thirty-seven (boss) restrictions can be added at any time.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°My first suggestion. Never give a monster full access to your [Menu]¡±


    ¡°You are the boss of my dungeon though shouldn''t you be able to access everything?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Then I suggest setting it like this.¡±


    Monster Thirty-seven (boss) [Menu] restriction added. Dungeon core approval required before finalization of any purchase. Admin privileges for monster Thirty-seven (boss) revoked.


    ¡°Well, if you are fine with that I guess its ok. How should we start?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Fortunately, you have acquired quite a few weapons even if they are not that great that will save the cost of monsters by half if not more. If you plan to continue using goblin brutes I would suggest purchasing a few rifts. There cost is far greater but you don''t have to keep purchasing every day.¡±


    ¡°I haven''t seen any rifts, what are they?


    Thirty-seven instructs me on to finding the rifts in [Menu], and when I select information on it another screen appears.


    Rifts summon monsters every single day. A standard rift is x10 the cost of xp for the monster and produces 1 monster/day for a maximum of 1. As long as the maximum amount is met no monsters will be summoned.


    Rifts functions can be changed during placement for additional cost. For every parameter that is changed. It increased the cost by x2 the standard monsters cost.


    Opening my [Menu] I now see the option to select rift next to each monster selecting goblin brute rift a new screen appears


    Goblin brute (Rift) [1/day] + [1 total] = 250xp


    I mess around with the settings a bit to see the cost difference


    Goblin brute (Rift) [2/day] + [1 total] = 300xp


    Goblin brute (Rift) [1/day] + [2 total] = 300xp


    Goblin brute (Rift) [2/day] + [2 total] = 350xp


    I could of probably saved a lot of xp if I done this from the start.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I should warn you only named monsters can leave a dungeon and rift monsters cannot be named. Leveling also works differently for rifts. The max level of a monster is much lower, and the rift itself levels instead of the monster.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean only named monsters can leave the dungeon?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°If you want to hunt outside your own dungeon to gather xp, you can gather a group of your monsters to take with you, but only monsters with names can leave the dungeon. Rift monsters are bound to the floor there rift is on, and are unable to be named. There have been instances where there is an exceptional rift monster where you can pay double his value in xp to unbind him from the rift, but he then becomes a normal monster. ¡°


    I then begin rebuilding my dungeon. The blue slimes actually preformed really well when not dealing with magic so I place a Blue slime rift 1/day total 2 in the crystal room costing me 600xp. When the slime is born from the rift I move it to the first room. Next I place a goblin brute rift 2/day total 4 in the crystal room costing me 450xp.


    Monsters born from rift requires equipment, would you like to set equipment? Any equipment set will be pulled from the dungeons inventory. If set equipment not available in inventory it will automatically be purchased for new creature. If equipment exceeds available xp monster will be born unequipped. Only one set of equipment can be set per rift.


    I go ahead and set the brutes up with the worn leather armor, iron sword, and small iron shield. And move the first two born up to the first room. I next set a young kobold mage rift 1/day total 2 costing me 540xp in the crystal room. I set the equipment to mage robes and wooden staff, and move the first one up to the first room. Next I set a standard hobgoblin rift in the crystal room costing me 500xp and set its equipment to iron great axe and worn rusty chainmail. The hobgoblin is only slightly larger than the goblin brute but its skin is more of a grey color instead of green. I move him as well to the first room. Next in the middle room I summon the same group that Madam Erin used against me today except I double it, costing me 2,225 xp. Next I place three weak spike traps side by side just past the pit trap in the front room using the tile switch I still had left over and buying two more cost me 115xp.


    Current consumption changed to 1xp/day. 1 xp consumed now, next 1xp to be consumed at the beginning of the day.


    New traps available


    Covered pit trap 50 xp


    Spike trap 50xp


    Dart trap 50xp


    Trip wire 20xp


    Tile switch 40xp


    I wish they would have unlocked before I bought traps. Oh well I guess once the weak spike traps break I will replace them with the better ones. Well I think that will do it for now. With this we should still be able to win even if the attack is double tomorrow as it was today. Although I hope it doesn''t get that much harder in one day.


    ¡°Madam Erin said she will fill the halls with monsters tonight, so I guess for today we rest. After the battle tomorrow we will see how much damage is done then decide if we want to go hunting in the hallways or not. Oh I almost forgot go ahead and pick out the things you need and I will let you summon them.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°There is nothing I require.¡±


    ¡°Nothing you req.....You don''t even have a place to sleep.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I will be fine with this chair. When I get tired I will lay down.¡±


    ¡°Lay down where? On the floor? Alright I will take care of it.¡±


    I access [Dungeon Core] picking out a bed I spend the 35xp on it setting it down on the other side of the room for Thirty-seven, and after looking at it decide to store the cot and buy one for myself as well. I also buy a small table putting it next to her bed for 10xp and put a small flower & vase for 1xp on top of it. I then sit down on my new bed it is by far better than the bed in the old room, or the cot.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s still pretty early but not much we can do till tomorrow so let¡¯s get some sleep for now.¡±


    I watch as Thirty-seven stands, moves to the bed and lays down. She even sleeps with that thing. I watch Thirty-seven¡¯s back for a few minutes, and it looks like she went right to sleep. Although she doesn''t move while sitting in a chair either so she may still be awake. I finally roll over and drift off to sleep.


    I slowly start to wake as I can feel something grab my shoulders then all of a sudden I start getting frantically shaken.


    ¡°Wow! Stop. I am awake.¡± I open my eyes when Thirty-seven lets go of my shoulders then she moves over to the chair where the towel is sitting. She picks up the towel then sits down.


    My eyes still feel like they are rattling around and the room finally quits spinning as I sit up. I know I told her to wake me up by shaking me, but even still that was harsh. I get up and walk over to her placing on hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°From now on, like this.¡± -I lightly shake her for a second. - ¡°That should be more than enough.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Noted.¡±


    ¡°How much time do we have until Madam Erin¡¯s monsters show up?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Twenty nine minutes¡±


    I check the screens and see the other slime, two goblin brutes, and young kobold mage standing in the crystal room. I then move them to the first room.


    I look around the room and decide to buy another chair for 5xp and set it next to the one Thirty-seven is in. I sit down next to her and wait for the battle to start.


    Intruders have entered the dungeon.


    The first two waves are identical to day 3 and both perish without losing any monsters however there is no longer a break between waves. As soon as the second wave is down the third wave hits, and it too is like day 3.


    It is also quickly dispatched but the crimson kobold managed to take out two of the goblin brutes, and one of the slimes fall to the spells of the mage. After the battle I get a message about acquiring my first small wooden bow and can now craft it for 25xp.


    Now the fourth wave hits. Thirty-seven and I are both shocked to see the same setup as yesterday with the 4 crimson kobolds enter the dungeon. They manage to break two of the spike traps and clear the room but once they enter the next it¡¯s literally two against one and the intruders are all injured, so they eventually fall without me loosing anything else.


    Intruders Neutralized.


    We wait for a few more minutes to wait and see but no other intruders enter. I manage to acquire 130 xp and some gear. After spending 30xp to heal my kobolds I notice the new great axe hobgoblin waiting in the crystal room and send him to the front.


    More monsters will come from the rift tomorrow but to maintain the same head count I am forced to summon a blue slime. I replace the broken weak spike traps with the normal spike traps, I store the faulty tile switches and buy two regular ones.


    I leave the one unbroken weak spike trap and faulty tile switch alone. I am now 225xp in the hole for the day but I did manage to get more equipment and replaced the spike traps so not to bad so far. We wait another 30 minutes just to be sure, but no more attacks come.


    Now we are left with the decision, do we rest up, try to gather xp in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon by attacking the monsters she has placed inside.


    ¡°What do you think we should do? Do you think we should try should try taking out some monsters in Madam Erin''s dungeon? We managed today very well, but it¡¯s only going to get harder.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Our xp is so low even if we manage to survive for a few days, eventually the monsters Madam Erin sends will become too much for our rifts and we will not win a single fight after that. I don¡¯t think we have much choice but to gather any and all the xp that we can.¡±


    ¡°You think just the two of us can handle it?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°By no means should we risk that. There is a penalty however if we take a lot of monsters with us so we should limit it too three. That is if you can at least learn one of any of the basic attack spells. I would rather you not have to fight at all, but I am afraid at this moment we are left with few options.¡±


    ¡°When I bought spells before, I learned every one available to me, but none where attack magic.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°That can¡¯t be right, you should have at least some of the basic attack spells available to you.¡±


    I decide to look in [Menu] again and sure enough there are three spells available that were not there before.


    Fire Cost: 75xp


    Fireball Cost: 100xp


    Freeze Cost: 100xp


    Fire (Fire) (Cost 5MP): a small burst of fire at targeted location up to 30 feet away. Causes minor fire damage, and may inflict [Burning] status.


    Fireball (Fire) (Cost 10mp): A small projectile of fire can be fired at a target up to 50ft away. Causes moderate fire damage, and may inflict [Burning] status.


    Freeze (Water) (Cost 10MP): Ice forms at targeted location up to 50 feet away. Causes minor water damage, and will likely cause [Frozen] status.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how this works, but I promise they were not there before¡­ [Fire], [Fireball], and [Freeze] are now available.¡±


    I decide to learn all three spells then afterwards I tell Thirty-seven. ¡°I learned all three, and now we just have to earn 500xp to break even for today. At least the magic will not go away at the end of the month. It won¡¯t right?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Right, once you learn a spell you keep it for the rest of your life. You are actually quite lucky. Most attack spells are either fire element or water element, so being able to cast either is great. Most mages favor either fire or water so are unable to cast the other. Even though dungeon cores element is chosen by birth still over half either favor fire or water.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don''t have a favored element.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°That¡¯s impossible, every creature, even ones that cannot cast magic has a favored element. Your predecessor had the shadow element so you might have a rare one like him so that¡¯s why you can cast fire and water but you have to have must have a favored element.¡±


    ¡°I learned the basic spells of all six elements. I even got a skill for¡­¡± Thirty-seven cuts me off.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Ok, I won''t ask any more about it. Remember I may be your boss monster while you are here training, but once you are on your own you will have to summon your own. I will stay here with Madam Erin.¡±


    ¡°It should be ok to tell you or Madam Erin though.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Like the depths of a dungeon, unique skills, spells, and abilities are closely guarded secrets. You should tell no one. I am curious however if you really do not possess a favored element I wonder what your dungeon crystal will be.¡±


    Thirty-seven thinks about it for a moment then switches gears. ¡°Now, back to fighting in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, for now I think we should take a few of the crimson kobolds. I think we would be ok if we took the mage, but you filling that role should suffice, so name the other three.¡±


    ¡°I still haven''t given myself a name, and now you want me to name the dungeon monsters?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Their names are of no consequence, they are just kobolds.¡±


    ¡°I guess I can just call them Archer, Block, and Slash then.¡±


    Would you like to register Crimson Kobold''s name as Archer?


    Would you like to register Crimson Kobold''s name as Block?


    Would you like to register Crimson Kobold''s name as Slash?


    After I agree.


    Name has been registered


    Name has been registered


    Name has been registered


    ¡°What kind of gear do you suggest I use? Should I go with what the kobold mage uses?¡±


    Thrity-seven: ¡°As a dungeon core you should be able to use any type of weapon or armor, so I would rather you stay protected in the chainmail, the iron rod however should suffice.¡±


    ¡°Alright, now we just have to get ready.¡± I take out one of the basic chainmail and the extra gem studded iron rod out of storage. I start to pull on the chainmail fighting with it trying to get it on. ¡°What equipment do you want?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°If it is ok with you I will take one of the worn leather armors and one of the steel swords.¡±


    Monster Thirty-seven (boss) is requesting equipment Worn Leather Armor, and Steel Sword. Approval required.


    As I am standing there fighting with the chainmail trying to get it on I approve the equipment for her and Thirty-seven instantly equips the items from [Menu]. I slowly set the chainmail down add it back to the dungeon¡¯s inventory, and then equip it with [Menu]. ¡±So¡­ Are we ready then?¡±


    Thirty-seven begins walking to me then stops looking down at the towel. Her facial expression seems to announce a change of mind about the journey out into Madam Erin''s dungeon. I walk over to her lightly take the towel away from her as she stares with sad eyes I place it on the table next to her bed.


    ¡°It will be ok. It will be right here when we get back.¡±


    Thirty-seven however looks torn. She walks over to the towel gently caressing it then nods, and with that we leave the dungeon core room.

 Training in Madam Erins Dungeon

    Thirty-seven leads the charge out of the dungeon and into the hallways while Block follows next to her, Slash is in the middle, and Archer and I bring up the back of the group. Nothing can be seen down the hallway, so Thirty-Seven checks the first door. Opening the door the room has completely changed.


    What used to be my bedroom is now a large room with crates and shelves, four young kobolds inside draw their weapons as they spot us. Two of the kobolds rush us and Thirty-seven takes a step back while Archer fires an arrow taking one of the two down.


    Thirty-seven hesitates for a moment appearing to be waiting on something. After only a second or two however she then leaps into action moving forward cutting the little kobold in two. I missed my opportunity I think she was waiting on me. I need to learn to read the battle better.


    Block blocks an arrow that one of the kobolds shoot at my face and Archer fires another arrow, but misses when the kobold ducks behind a crate. I cast [Fire] the next time the kobold pokes his head out but I too miss hitting the crate setting it on fire.


    Thirty-seven rushes forward catching the third kobold that is hiding by a box off guard cutting him down. Archer''s arrow finally finds its mark taking down the fourth and last kobold. Thirty-seven takes a large cloth draped over a few crates and smothers the crate I set on fire then quickly scans the room before moving back into the hallway.


    ¡°What about their equipment?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Well we can''t use our dungeon storage outside of the dungeon so, unless it is something we need we will have to leave it behind.¡±


    I nod then we move on to the next room, Thirty-seven opens the door again finding a storage room filled with crates this time there are only three kobolds. Archer quickly dispatches the one charging forward while the two towards the back of the room both ready bows.


    One arrow heading for me is stopped thanks to Block, but Archer is grazed by the second one. I instead try casting [Freeze] at one of them but only hit the kobold¡¯s bow. The kobold quickly drops it as it ices over then tries to get behind the other kobold, but Archer is two quick loosing another arrow, and taking him down.


    After Block deflects another arrow Thirty-seven dives in swinging her sword down at its head. The kobold holds its bow up to block the blade but it simply snaps as it takes the blade to the face.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°I guess I should have practiced before we tried actual battle.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°If we begin to run into any resistance tougher then these young kobolds we will head back so you can train, but at the moment we can handle it without you.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t really make me feel any better you know.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Making your feel better was not my intent.¡± -She scans the room again this time she opens one of the lids on a crate but returns to the hall.


    Moving on to the next room Thirty-seven opens the room and a kobold quickly rushes out surprising both Block and Thirty-seven as it rushes between them. It dives at me with a dagger in hand.


    The small blade hits me in the gut I feel a pinch, and a small amount of pain, but Slash knocks the kobold off of me killing it. Thirty-seven quickly orders Block to hold the door closed as she rushes to me grabbing my chainmail lifting it to look at the wound. She wipes a small amount of blood then holds her hand against it. With fear in her eyes she asks me. ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yea, yea, it is barely a scratch I can''t even feel it. Come on we got kobolds to kill.¡±


    Reluctantly Thirty-seven returns to the door. Block is holding the door tight, but you can tell he is meeting resistance. Thirty-seven steps to one side of the door and Slash steps to the other. Archer readies his bow, and I ready the rod.


    With a nod from Thirty-seven, Block let¡¯s go of the door and jumps back but jumps right in front of me. I only manage to see Slash, and Thirty-seven swing there weapons and Archer releases an arrow before Block steps to the side showing three more kobold dead on the floor.


    I quickly spot a kobold in the far corner of the room and cast another [Freeze]. The spell hits it causing it to squeal as it freezes solid. Archer fires another arrow at something not within my line of sight.


    Block steps in front of Archer as his shield begins to freeze, he steps back out of the way as Archer lets loose another arrow. Block then let¡¯s go of his shield. Thirty-seven quickly rushes in the room, but stops a few feet in scanning the room.


    She kicks over three different crates then opens the lid off of a fourth she reaches inside pulling out three small vials. She then makes her way back to the hallway handing me the three vials.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°If you get injured drink one of these.¡± -She slides them into slots on my belt.-


    ¡°Wait, you are up front you should at least take one.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°No, they are for you. I will be ok.¡±


    ¡°I insist.¡± -I pull one out and shove it at her.-


    She nods and slides it into a slot on the sleeve of her worn leather armor. We take a small break while I thaw out Block''s shield with the [Heat] spell, and then move on to the next room.


    Block stands in front of the door with his shield as Thirty-seven turns the brass knob, kicks open the door, then steps back. Block enters the room, followed by Thirty-seven and Slash, next is Archer and I¡¯m following beside him.


    Thirty-seven''s old room has been converted to a massive storage room. Shelves of crates line the walls and floors creating a labyrinth. The sounds of scurrying kobold can be heard. The first kobold to appear jumps from behind a shelf, and throws a spear.


    Block knocks the spear from the air with his shield, and before I can begin casting a spell Archer takes the kobold out with an arrow. As we move deeper Thirty-seven and Block take point, while slash moves to the back guarding the rear.


    When we round a corner two kobolds charge, Thirty-seven jumps to the side as one charges past her, but instead of losing his momentum he just changes his target to me. Thirty-seven however doesn¡¯t give it a chance as she brings her sword across its back causing it to fall at my feet. The other charges straight at Block but he simply bashes in its skull with his shield.


    While moving forward two more try to sneak up the back of the group but Archer quickly takes notice. Readying his bow he then takes out the first before they even manage to get close. Slash then quickly dispatches the second with a single wide arch of his massive sword.


    We then continue to move forward, and after rounding another corner we approach an intersection with paths leading either left or right.


    ¡°What direction do you think we should take?¡±


    Thirty-seven looks down both. ¡°I believe the path to the right will lead us deeper, however there seems to be quite a few kobolds to the left. We might want to take them out so they cannot sneak in behind us.¡±


    ¡°Sounds reasonable, let¡¯s head left first then.¡±


    Heading down the left path leads to another corner then the path opens up to a larger area with several crates stashed around on the floor. Block stops an arrow from a kobold as he jumps up from behind a crate, and Thirty-seven steps in front of me taking an arrow in the shoulder from another.


    Five kobolds jump over crates charging our group while Archer takes down one of the kobolds that fired the arrow. I cast [Freeze] at one of the charging kobolds causing him to stumble sliding across the floor as he freezes over. Block stops a sword slash with his shield from one, while swinging his sword at another.


    Slash steps past Archer and me taking out the one attacking Block. Thirty-seven jumps to the side as one rushes past her giving Archer the chance to shoot it almost point blank in the face with an arrow, and then Thirty-seven swings her sword down on the last charging kobold.


    I cast a [Fireball] at the last kobold hiding behind the crate, but it hits the crate causing it to burst into flames. The kobold jumps back away from the flames leaving Archer a clean shot taking it down. I cast [Freeze] at the crate that is on fire causing the flames to go out. I move over to Thirty-seven as she rips the arrow in her shoulder out.


    ¡°Are you okay? That look liked it hurt.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It''s fine.¡±


    ¡°Let me at least look at it. Slash, Block you guys guard the path make sure nothing sneaks up on us.¡±


    Block and Slash move over blocking the path, and I pull Thirty-seven over making her sit on a down on a crate. With her armor on I have trouble getting to the wound so I instruct her to remove it. It takes her a few minutes but she manages to remove it setting it on the crate next to her.


    I instruct Archer to lend me one of his daggers and use it to cut open a hole in Thirty-seven¡¯s shirt around the sleeve to get to the wound on her shoulder. She then reaches over with her other arm and just rips the off the entire sleeve. I use the [Clean] spell to clean the wound, I then take the sleeve she tore off and using the dagger cut it into strips. I cast [Clean] on them, take a patch of the sleeve and cover the wound, and then take two of the strips wrapping it around her shoulder to hold it in place.


    ¡°There is that a little better?¡±


    Thirty-seven stands putting her hand over the makeshift bandage moving her arm around. She lightly grimaces when she stretches but nods. She then picks up the worn leather armor and after a few more minutes has it reequipped.


    She then moves around the large area searching through a few crates but returns empty handed. We then leave the area returning to the intersection taking the other path. We follow the path through a few twists and turns before Thirty-seven stops us as we reach the next corner.


    She quickly peeks around the corner then pulls her head back quickly. She does it a few more times before turning to the group and whispers.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°There are quite a few kobolds in the next area. We are going to have to go at it with a plan. There are two large crates to the right as soon as you enter the room. If we leave Block to guard you and Archer until you guys can take cover behind the crates.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I am not made of glass you know.¡±


    After I speak I quickly regret it as Thirty-seven glares as me then continues.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Once you are safe behind the crates Slash, and I will join Block, and move in on the kobold in front of the crates. Meanwhile you and Archer start taking out the enemies on far end of the room and will all work our way to the center.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°If it comes to taken damage just take cover and use one of the potions. Then just let us take care of the rest. Remember if something happens to you, as your dungeon monsters it is over for all of us, so just play it safe.¡±


    Thirty-seven then counts down from three with her fingers then Block rushes forward. Archer and I follow quickly behind him and when I peer around him I see a large open area with a line of small crates in front of us and two large ones to the right.


    On the other side of the crates stand at least a dozen of the tiny kobolds, and most are carrying swords and shields. Archer and I dive behind the large crates as Block stops an arrow flying across the room.


    Block then takes cover behind some of the small crates and Slash and Thirty-seven rush forward and joins him. Archer opens fire on a mage that is across the room as Slash, Block, and Thirty-seven jumps over the small crates and each smashing into some kobolds.


    Block hits one with his shield knocking it off balance then slashes its chest, Slash just brings his sword up in a wide arc almost cleaving a kobold in two, Thirty-seven spins in a circle as she swings her sword horizontally slashing the gut of a kobold spilling his insides onto the floor.


    Archer¡¯s arrow finds the mage dropping it to the ground and I cast [Freeze] stopping another in its tracks. More arrows fly in from the far side of the room as they target the trio on the other side of the crates.


    Thirty-seven dodges out of the way, But Slash takes an arrow in the leg. Block takes an arrow in the side so he can block an incoming [Freeze] spell instead. Five more kobold rush in on the group, while Archer takes out the final mage.


    I cast another [Freeze] spell but it misses its mark. Block tosses his shield at one of the incoming kobolds as the shield freezes over tripping it up. He then grabs one of the iron swords on the ground into his empty hand and dives in swinging both the steel sword and iron sword. He drops one with a slash of the steel sword and gravely injures another with the iron sword.


    Slash brings his massive sword around killing the badly injured kobold and the one that was tripped up by Blocks shield. The two remaining tiny kobolds both go after Thirty-seven. She parries ones sword and turns the tables on him cutting him down but it leaves her open to the other as it cuts a wide slash across one of her thighs.


    I cast a [Fireball] at one of the two remaining tiny kobolds across the room. My [Fireball] hits it square in the chest as it bursts into flames, and one of Archer¡¯s arrows then hits it sending it to the floor.


    The last remaining archer fires another arrow at Thirty-seven, but Block jumps over next to her blocking the arrow with his arm. As the arrow rips into Block''s scaly arm, the last tiny kobold in melee with Thirty-seven slashes her again this time across the stomach.


    Thirty-seven¡¯s armor blocks most of the damage but a thin layer of blood still is visible. She then spins around with a downward arc crushes the kobold with her sword. Archer readies another arrow but I cast a [Freeze] spell at the last kobold first and it finds it mark freezing it solid.


    After battle I rush over to Thirty-seven I quickly tie two of the remaining pieces of her sleeve together and drop to my knees wrapping it around her thigh. After tying it in a tight knot I cast [Clean] on the wound on her thigh.


    The wound itself is pretty bad so I tare open her pant leg and borrow Archer''s dagger again I cut a long strip from my own shirt. I take the piece of my shirt and tie it around the wound tightly. I slide her armor over lifting her shirt checking the wound on her stomach.


    After casting [Clean] I can see that wound is pretty superficial so I let it be. After I am done with Thirty-seven I check the Block, and Slash but both have already pulled the arrows out of their wounds and don''t appear to be bleeding anymore.


    Kobold wounds must not bleed much. Thirty-seven makes her way through the room checking several of the crates here and there while I defrost Block''s shield again. Eventually she finds one that has something in it, but it turns out to be three more healing potions. When she hands all three of them to me I ask her.


    ¡°With the wound in your shoulder, and the bad cut on your leg shouldn''t you drink at least one of these? We do have six now after all.¡±


    Thirty-seven firmly shakes her head. ¡°Magic potions are very expensive one time use items, and you should never use them unless it is an emergency.¡±


    ¡°Leaving your wounds untreated like that might leave a bad scar though.¡±


    Thirty-seven looks badly offended at my comment but her face returns to normal after a few seconds.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I don''t know where you got that idea, Dungeon cores and dungeon monsters do not scar. Given enough time a limb will even grow back though the natural healing the dungeon crystal provides. There are even cases where an outside monster has joined a dungeon and its old scars eventually faded.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I had no idea.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Think nothing of it. I believe this room has now been cleared. Let us move on.¡±


    I nod then we gather back together and head back though the room. After checking a few dead ends that we passed earlier we return to the hallway.


    ¡°Shall we continue some more, or stop?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°There are only two rooms left on this floor, I say we at least check them first. If they are not to large I say we at least clear this floor today.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, with your wounds I don''t want to push anyone to hard.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°As a dungeon core''s boss monster these wounds are nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s start with the next room and just go from there.¡±


    We move on to the next room assume positions and Thirty-seven turns the brass knob and kicks the door open then steps back. Three surprised kobolds are inside, two turn and rush towards us but Block takes one out and Archer downs another.


    I fire a [Fireball] at a kobold with a bow in the back corner of the room and manage to down it with the first hit. Thirty-seven moves in on the room checks a few of the crates then returns empty handed.


    We move on to the final room and again positon ourselves. However this time when Thirty-seven tries to twist the brass knob it doesn''t budge. Block and Slash both take turns crashing into the door but it still doesn''t give.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It looks like this door has been reinforced and we have no way getting past it. None of us know how to pick a lock or have a spell that can do it so we will have to leave this door to a later date.¡±


    ¡°Ok so shall we return to our dungeon for today then?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Given the situation I do believe that would be the best course of action.¡±


    We head back to the dungeon and once we enter the doors.


    Dungeon Monsters have returned from battle


    Battle results:


    Monster Thirty-seven (boss) has gained a level


    Monster Archer has gained a level


    Acquired: 5 Watered down healing potions


    Losses: Slash sustained minor damage, Block sustained minimal damage, Dungeon Core 212 ------ sustained minor damage. Thirty-seven (boss) sustained moderate damage.


    75 Xp gained from external source. 7 xp bonus for Dungeon Core 212 ------- battle participation, 7xp bonus for Thirty-seven (boss) participation, 7 xp bonus for no dungeon monster deaths, 15 xp bonus for Training core training within parent dungeon, 35 xp bonus First time area bonus.


    146 XP total rewarded


    ¡°Oh, we received bonuses to the xp total.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Yes you can get bonuses depending on how the battle outside the dungeon went. As a training dungeon core you will receive far more bonuses, but once you start your own dungeon it is possible to receive penalties as well.¡±


    ¡°We are still about 350xp in the hole for today though. Let¡¯s go get your wounds treated properly.¡±


    I send Archer, Slash, and Block to the middle room and enter the dungeon core room with Thirty-seven. Once in the dungeon core room Thirty-seven rushes to the table beside her bed picking up the towel, and clutching it to her cheek. I shake my head as I open [Menu] and I find standard bandages for 5xp and buy 5 for now. I unequipped my armor and set the bandages on the desk.


    ¡°Ok, unequip your things and sit on your bed, and I will bandage your shoulder and leg properly.¡±


    I see Thirty-seven sit down on her bed and begin accessing her [Menu] I turn to pick up two of the bandages when the message appears.


    Monster Thirty-seven (boss) has sent Steel sword to storage


    Monster Thirty-seven (boss) has sent Worn Leather Armor to storage


    Monster Thirty-seven (boss) has sent Cheap Damaged Clothes to storage.


    I instantly freeze after reading the third message. Quickly I opening up Thirty-seven''s chat screen keeping a close eye on it making sure no messages are sent. With a death grip on the two bandages I turn around with my eyes closed.


    I slowly open one eye and thank the gods, her towel she is clutching is keeping her covered, but only barely. With a small sigh of relief I move over to the edge of her bed and remove the makeshift bandage on her shoulder.


    It is hard to concentrate on anything except Thirty-seven¡¯s body as I try to stay focused on wrapping the bandage on her shoulder while keeping an eye of the chat message screen. After what was probably twice the time it should have taken I finally secure the new bandage in place.


    I quickly take a few steps back turning around to take a few deep breaths. Her shoulder wasn¡¯t really much of a problem but her other wound is on her thigh¡­ After a few more deep breaths I turn back around.


    As I approach the bed again and start to treat the wound on her leg she slides forward on the bed to give me better access, but I quickly panic grabbing the edge of the towel managing to keep her covered. I don¡¯t know how long it takes to change the bandage on her leg but it seems like it takes forever.


    After I finally finish I quickly step away, I try to think of something else while taking a few deep breaths, but before I am able to relax I hear Thirty-seven say.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Why don''t you take your stuff off and let me fix you up.¡±


    I die a little inside as I desperately try to stop a highly exaggerated YES! PLEASE! Message in the [Communication] screen but it¡¯s too late.


    Thirty-seven looks a little confused but say. ¡°Ok, sit down on your bed and I will take care of you.¡±


    I move over to my bed, pull my shirt off, drop it on the bed, and sit down. Thirty-seven stands, picks up a bandage off the desk, and starts walking to me across the room she gets almost to me when she looks down at the towel. She then turns around bending over placing the towel on the chair in the middle of the room.


    I quickly shut my eyes and practically scream. ¡°Wait! Wait! Wait.¡± I slowly take some deep breaths with my eyes closed. ¡°Your clothes where pretty damaged, so you should pick out some new ones real quick.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°But your wound.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine for one more minute.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Alright.¡±


    I sit in silence with my eyes tightly shut until I hear a ding sound. I slowly open one eye.


    Monster Thirty-seven (boss) has requested to summon Simple Clothing for 1xp do you approve.


    ¡°YES.¡±


    I feel Thirty-seven¡¯s hands on me as she begins to put the bandage on, and I slowly begin to open my eyes again. Luckily she is wearing the new simple clothing and I let a sigh relief pass me.


    After she is done with the bandage I plop back onto the bed. That was by far more dangerous then fighting monsters. After a while I eventually calm down and decide to talk to Thirty-seven about the hunt.


    ¡°Well I am glad we got some xp back from the hunt, but I would have liked to get a Block, and Slash to level up as well. I am not all too confident on tomorrows attack. With the way Madam Erin has been increasing the strength of the waves I would not be surprised to see the next wave to be identical to what we got in the second room. If that is the case it will be one on one and our side will already have taken damage from the previous wave.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I agree, I believe we have a 50/50 chance to make it through tomorrows attack. Even if we do make it through the battle if we lose most of the crimson kobolds in the second room it will seriously sets us back for the remainder of the month.¡±


    ¡°We do have the equipment from today¡¯s attack, with it we could make another Archer, Slash, and Block. I think if we are going to continue to use them I think we ought to try to keep them alive. I think for now to be safe I will move them back to the crystal room and replace them with some more.¡±


    I move Block, Archer, and Slash to the Crystal room and summon another three Crimson Kobolds giving them all the basic chainmail, giving on 2 steel daggers and a large stout bow, another I give the steel great sword that is left, and the last I give the steel sword Thirty-seven was using and the last Large Steel Shield. That cost me 450xp


    ¡°I believe that will at least get us through tomorrow. I don¡¯t want to summon too much back-up just in case we get the option to summon better monsters later.¡±


    With that I spend the remainder of the day trying to take my mind off of the sight of thirty-seven¡¯s nude body by looking at some of the other Dungeon Cores in the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> book. After a few hours I manage to calm down enough to talk to Thirty-seven again and we decide to have me practice my magic.


    Going to the dungeon we use [Menu] to set up some objects for me to throw my magic at. Thirty-seven stands by without saying anything until I tire myself throwing spells back and forth. I don¡¯t know in comparison of normal mages, but I feel like I have gotten pretty accurate with them.


    ¡°Well I think I made quite a bit of progress.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It will suffice. You will have to just keep practicing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I thought I did pretty good¡­ I keep it up for a while before I get tired enough that my aim is getting steadily worse, so I decide to call it for the day and we head back to the core room and go to sleep.

 Pushing our Limits

    At last! I finally wake up to a gentle nudge.


    I slide over and sit up on my bed to see Thirty-seven walking over sitting down in her chair. I stretch while yawning and check the wound on my stomach¡­ The wound is completely gone, no traces remain.


    ¡°Wow that was quick.¡± I remove the bandage wrapped around me, and I get up sitting in the chair next to Thirty-seven. ¡°Here let me check your wounds.¡±


    I roll up her sleeve and look at her shoulder. I remove her bandage and see that only small mark remains where the wound was, by tomorrow you won¡¯t even know she had an arrow buried in her shoulder.


    ¡°I guess that means the wound on your stomach is complete gone then?¡±


    She nods. I then mention the wound on her leg, and she quickly stands and starts unfastening her pants when I stop her.


    ¡°No with that wound we probably better leave the bandage on one more day. You can go ahead and remove the bandage before you wake me tomorrow morning.¡±


    Just like that I managed to prevent another disaster. I dispose of the bandages we removed then make sure everything is set for the dungeon battle. I take the newly spawned rift monsters from the dungeon crystal room and placing them in the front room.


    ¡°Ok, now with this, we are hopefully prepared. That is for today at least.¡±


    I flip through a few pages of the <u>Dungeon Core Information </u>while waiting for the attack. I find another one of the rookie cores.


    Current Dungeon Core #712 [Midget] Location: Dungeon 390


    Dungeon: Training Hall Crystal: Basic Training Crystal


    Dungeon contains 1 floor, 3 rooms, 1020 monster, 0 traps


    Dungeon core level: 2 XP: 2319


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    Basic training hall is a dungeon within a dungeon to train new dungeon cores. Most favored monster Pretty Pixie, most favored trap N/A, Most purchased monster Pink Puff, Most purchased trap N/A, boss monster Pixie Protector.


    Previous Dungeon Core #712 [Han] Location: Tranquil Hills


    Dungeon: Tranquil Hills Mine Crystal: Small earthen agate


    Dungeon at its peak contained 24 floors, 5 rooms, 1 monster, 0 traps


    Dungeon Core level: 42 XP: 32,032


    Dungeon active: 53 years


    Tranquil Hill Mine was a unique dungeon that used humans symbiotically. Dungeon Core #712 [Han] built only a basic tunnel filling it with ores and gem deposits that humans desire. Humans mined in the dungeon for over 40 years before even discovering it was actually a dungeon, but they never attempted to destroy the crystal because they received over twenty times the resources then from a standard mine. Han¡¯s death was caused by a group of heroes hired by humans that wanted to stop the production of ore from the mine. Most favored monster Beastkin (Wolf), Most favored trap weak spike trap, most purchased monster goblin, Most purchased trap weak spike trap, boss monster Beastkin (Wolf)


    ¡°Midget? I am glad that Madam Erin is allowing me to choose my own name so I don¡¯t end up with something like that¡­¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Many of the Dungeon Cores don¡¯t give their students proper names. It is a way to make them try harder because once you are given your own crystal you are allowed to change your name the one time. If you end up failing like I did you must remain with the name given to you by your teacher. Mine didn¡¯t bother naming me. She just called me by my number.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why your name is like that? Becoming a full-fledged Dungeon Core the only way you can change your name?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I have become your boss monster, so you could rename me once. However once you leave to start your own dungeon it will revert back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. I would have liked to be able to help you since you are helping me with so much.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Think nothing of it. I have gotten used to my name. However you better make up your mind on your own name before the end of the month so you too don¡¯t remain just a number.¡±


    ¡°I will think hard on it¡­ I also seen that Han the old #712 didn¡¯t fill his dungeon with monsters he just used treasure items so live humans would keep coming to his dungeon.¡±


    Thirty-seven has a disgusted look on her face. ¡°Yes some Dungeon Cores choose that route but as you see it never ends well for them. Humans are vile, evil creatures, and they should all be wiped out.¡±


    Thirty-seven looks like she is about to explode. ¡°One of the Dungeon Core Elders even brags about the xp she earns by having a human city sitting on the base floor of her dungeon. ¡° As she finishes she eventually calms back down returning to her normal self.


    That actually sounds like a good idea, although I am smart enough not to say so. Then by being saved by the bell we receive the message.


    Intruders have entered your dungeon.


    Wave one and two hit and there are no problems, wave three even starts off stronger with a goblin getting a good hit on the crimson kobold. This time, although one is badly damaged, neither of the slimes loses their lives. Also they are only able to manage to take out one of the goblins.


    Wave four slams the first room again, but this time not even one of these enemies falls before the room is wiped. Once again, when they enter the next room they are greatly outnumbered, and the intruders fall.


    ¡°Now is the deciding factor.¡±


    I manage to heal the monsters with xp, but only just, as the next wave hits the dungeon. We luck out as the group contains another 4 crimson kobold set, but this time has an extra great sword wielder and sword and shield wielder.


    We still outnumber them with an extra archer and mage but I decide to send in the new great sword goblin brute, Block, Slash, and Archer as well. I order the three named crimson kobolds focus on defense and not lose their lives.


    I still manage to lose the goblin brute and 4 crimson kobolds, but we obtain victory with all the named kobolds still alive.


    Intruders Neutralized


    The message appears showing me all the equipment I gained and even managed to pull in 225xp, but I am sure I will still be in the hole after replacing monsters. The goblin brute, young kobold mage, and hobgoblin rifts, all three manages to gain a level.


    Instead of replacing the goblin brutes I decide to place a new hobgoblin rift set to 2/day for a total of 2, setting me back 700xp. I set them to be equip with [Basic Chainmail], [Steel Swords], and [Large Steel Shields]. I also replace the current hobgoblin rift¡¯s equipment load-out to include the [Basic Chainmail], and a [Steel Great Sword] instead of the axe. Lastly for the first room, I throw in another blue slime.


    ¡°I should have set that blue slime rift 2/day, oh well¡­¡±


    650xp later the crimson kobolds are replenished in the middle room, and I move the named guys back to the crystal room.


    ¡°Well I think we are ready to go hunting now, and depending on how well we do might need to add some defenses to the core room.¡± I however am stopped by a message.¡±


    The message received is from Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I see you managed to survive 5 days, but I had no doubt you would with your setup from yesterday. Think of it as taking it easy on you to prepare for tomorrow. That¡¯s when the party really starts.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the warning, I will make sure not to disappoint.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s the spirit pup, just don¡¯t get to cocky.¡± There is a short delay then she sends another message though. ¡°Oh, and since you trashed all the kobold on the first floor I decided to up the difficulty in my dungeon a bit. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Looks like things are constantly getting more interesting around here.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°We may want to prepare some back packs for the kobold to carry if we want to bring any items back with us.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will take a look.¡±


    Looking through [Menu] I find a [standard backpack] for 10xp and buy one for each of the kobolds.


    ¡°That should do it, are we ready now?¡±


    Thirty-seven nods.


    With a few short moments in [Menu] Thirty-seven and I leave the dungeon along with Block, Slash, and Archer.


    As soon as we leave the dungeon things quickly take a turn for the worse as two crimson kobolds charge the group.


    I quickly hit one with a [Fireball], and Archer hits the other with an arrow but neither slow down.


    Block stops a massive steel sword with his shield, and Thirty-seven darts past him slashing the enemy twice.


    Slash and the enemy kobold¡¯s swords collide echoing into the hallway, and creating sparks.


    With Block and Thirty-seven on one enemy, I decide to help out Slash casting [Freeze]. Archer has the same idea as he shoots an arrow. Between my spell and Archers arrow the kobold steps back giving Slash the opportunity to bring his sword down finally ending the enemy.


    The kobold decides hitting Block¡¯s shield is pointless so turns his attention to Thirty-seven. She however nimbly dodges his swing and attacks with two more. Block then brings his sword down on its neck nearly removing its head from its shoulder.


    ¡°Seems like everything is going to be harder from here on out¡­ Well if everyone is ok let¡¯s move on.¡±


    After checking the doors it seems they all have been converted back to their original bedroom forms.


    ¡°I guess we need to go to another floor then, so should we go up or down?


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Knowing Madam Erin I believe either way will be the same, but I believe she will have something special in store for us if we manage to get up to the throne room by the end of the month.¡±


    ¡°So, up then? Sounds reasonable enough.¡±


    We head up to the next floor exiting onto another long hallway. Midway down there are three crimson kobolds that spot us, and begin rushing our way. Thirty-seven, Block, and Slash prepare for defense as Archer and I attack.


    I manage to fire three spells before the enemies reach us, but only one of the spells hits its mark. Archer on the other hand hits one of the enemies with four arrows seriously wounding it.


    Slash takes the wounded one, Block takes the uninjured one, and Thirty-seven pairs off with the one I hit with a spell.


    As the kobold attacks Thirty-seven she dodges diving behind it slashing its back, and giving me a chance to hit it with another [Freeze] spell.


    Block doesn¡¯t make any headway as they both block each other¡¯s blows.


    With one more arrow from Archer it causes the other kobold to hesitate just enough for Slash to bring it down without it ever swinging its sword.


    After my third [Freeze] spell connects with the kobold he begins icing over as Thirty-seven brings her sword around sending it crashing to the floor.


    Finally with five on one the last enemy can do nothing but die.


    ¡°We luckily haven¡¯t taken any damage yet, but we need to consider how to retreat if the battle gets to be too much.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It is simple, you fall back and any of us that remain will cover you.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t really afford to lose anybody here, so I would like for all of us to retreat if things start getting to be too much.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Never losing anyone may sound good, but life rarely works that way.¡± ¨CShe says sternly then returns to normal. - ¡°When you order the retreat, Archer will stick close to you. I will follow up behind him along with Slash. Block will bring up the rear with his shield and hold off enemies. If anyone does fall, just keep moving. If you die, it¡¯s all over.¡±


    ¡°I hate feeling like a glass keepsake following you guys around, while everyone makes sure I don¡¯t break.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Our lives depend on you. That is just what it means to be a Dungeon Core. If you don¡¯t like it, the only answer is to get stronger.¡±


    We check the first door, but it is securely locked, the next door has a single room with a lone crimson kobold that is just no match for us.


    We prepare to open the next room, once kicking the door in we move in finding an empty room with a single large object in the room with a cloth sheet over it. Block stands in front of me guarding while Slash, and Thirty-seven pull the tarp.


    Underneath is just a large pile of rocks. However Thirty-seven begins to panic screaming for us to fall back. Before anyone has a chance to move the rocks begin rumbling and iron bars cover the doorway.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Damnit! Block, no matter what happens protect master with your life. Archer arrows are pretty much pointless, but your daggers might work if you get in a lucky hit. Slash, you and I will do our best to keep all of its attention on us.¡± ¨CShe quickly turns her attention to me. ¡°Your [Freeze] spell will be the most effective attack we have, every chance you get hit it with it, but don¡¯t use too much magic till you black out.¡±


    The rocks on the floor begin to come together forming a single creature with no head but two arms and legs, standing at least twice our height. As the final rock comes into place one of the stone arms comes crashing down where Thirty-seven stands.


    Thirty-seven manages to dodge the huge rocks crushing blow by few short inches. I quickly cast [Freeze] hitting it dead center but doesn¡¯t even slow it down and its arm moves almost all the way around the body aiming at Slash.


    Unable to get out of the way Slash tries to block the swinging blow with his sword. His knees buckle and he slides across the floor. He took a lot of damage but is still standing.


    Everyone manages to back of a ways while I manage to cast off two more [Freeze] spells.


    After my spell hit it, no damage is visible but it pisses it off enough it finally moves from the center of the floor moving towards me.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Quick, Slash, Archer, let¡¯s get its attention.¡± -She calls out as she dives in swinging her sword as it loudly reverberates in the small room.-


    I manage to hit with a fourth spell as Slash, and Archer attack.


    Thirty-seven dives out of the way as another crushing blow hits at the point she was standing and I manage to hit with a fifth spell.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting it much. I don¡¯t think my magic is strong enough.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Try aiming for the joints, where the rocks come together.¡± ¨CShe calls out as a blow catches Archer flinging him to the wall. He doesn¡¯t get up but he still seems to be breathing.


    My six and seventh spell target a shoulder joint, and it begins to ice over.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It¡¯s working, Slash after he hits it one more time with his spell, you hit the joint!¡± ¨CShe says as another blow comes flying at her. This time she is unable to completely dodge as she spins around landing on the floor.


    ¡°DAMNIT!¡± I scream launching an eighth spell hitting the shoulder.


    Slash jumps in bringing his sword down cracking the ice and causing the rock arm to detach from the body crumbling to the floor.


    Thirty-seven pulls herself to her feet and dives back in hitting the rock monster again.


    The rock monsters remaining arm swings full circle, but Thirty-seven manages to dodge below it. Slash however gets clipped and he goes tumbling.


    I pull two of the potions from my waistband and hand them to Block. ¡°Take these and give them to Slash, and Archer.¡±


    Block hesitates looking at Thirty-seven, but does as he is told.


    I fire off a ninth spell this time aiming at a leg joint. I feel myself running out of magic power as I start to get dizzy.


    Now being unprotected the rock monster decides to target me again. Slowly dragging its boulder like feet towards me its arm comes crashing down near me but I am able to move out of the way.


    Archer, and Slash drink the potion and begin to recover as Block dives in attacking the rock monster trying to pull it off of me.


    Thirty-seven keeps slashing at the creature as I fire a tenth [Freeze] spell. The spell manages to hit the leg joint but the dizziness causes me to fall to my knees.


    Everyone begins slashing, bashing, and stabbing at the leg joint. The rock monsters arm comes crashing down on the group, but Block drops his sword to brace his shield with both arms, absorbing most of the damage.


    I struggle to my feet, and try to cast one more [Freeze], but the spell fizzles and everything goes dark.


    I begin to wake up in my warm, comfortable bed, and I notice something is not right. I slowly open my eyes and I find Thirty-seven sitting in her chair next to my bed tears rolling from her face landing on my shirt.


    ¡°Wha¡­What happened?¡±


    Thirty-seven quickly sits up. With tears in her eyes she begins to yell at me.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I told you not to use too much magic!¡± ¨Cshe shakes the front of my shirt, sniffles, and then wipes the tears from her eyes.


    The shaking is causing my head to hurt, so grab my head and say. ¡°How did we get back here? Did everyone else make it?¡±


    Thirty-seven begins to calm down and she finally answers. ¡°Yes we made it all back, however I told you not to waste the potions.¡±


    ¡°Well it looks like it was enough to bring down that rock monster.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°That Golem or rock monster as you called it fell shortly after you blacked out. Your [Freeze] spell was enough that we finally took out the leg and with only one leg and arm it wasn¡¯t able to put up much of a defense.¡±


    ¡°Wait! What time is it? When is the attack?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Don¡¯t worry it is the middle of the night still. The attack is still hours away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± I sit up in my bed and there are several screens that I haven¡¯t noticed yet displayed around me.


    Dungeon Monsters have returned from battle


    Battle results:


    Monster Archer has gained a level


    Monster Block has gained a level


    Monster Slash has gained a level


    Acquired: 1 small magic stone


    Losses: Thirty-seven (boss) sustained severe injury, Block sustained major injury, Archer sustained severe injury, Slash sustained severe injury, Dungeon Core #212 [------] sustained KO¡¯ed status.


    190 Xp gained from external source. 19xp bonus for Dungeon Core #212 [------] battle participation, 19xp bonus for Thirty-seven (boss) participation, 19xp bonus for no dungeon monster deaths, 37xp bonus for Rookie core training within parent dungeon, x2 xp bonus for a (boss) class monster elimination.


    568 Total xp acquired.


    I sit upright in bed, but my head then starts pounding so I grasp it in both hands. ¡°Oh¡­That was a nice bit of xp we got that time.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It wasn¡¯t worth it. You were too reckless.¡± -She says normally but for the first time ever shows a cute little pouty face.-


    I can¡¯t help but crack a smile. ¡°Ok¡­ Ok¡­ I promise I will take it easier next time.¡±


    Thirty-seven finally stands up, pulls the chair back to the middle of the room, walks over to the table next to her bed, picks up the towel clutching it tightly, and then moves back sitting in her chair.


    I sit on the edge of the bed for another few minutes, and then the headache finally subsides. I slowly get up and check the status of the dungeon.


    It must be after the start of the new day because the crystal room is full of the newly spawned monsters. I go ahead and move them to the front room. I summon 2 more crimson kobold mages into the crystal room just in case, equipping one with the magician¡¯s robe and gem studded iron rod, and the other with mage robes and an iron rod.


    After I summon the mages I notice something under the monster tab that wasn¡¯t there before.


    Weak Earth Golem Cost: 1000xp*


    *Elemental type monsters are granted a discount of ? due to [Uniquely Gifted] skill, however discount not granted with Basic Training Crystal.


    My mouth curls into a smile. ¡°I will have to save that for an emergency.¡±


    I take a final look over the dungeon, and then ask Thirty-seven to wake me up a few minutes before the attack starts. I then lay down going back to sleep.


    I wake up to Thirty-seven¡¯s light shaking. ¡°Thanks. How long till the attack?¡± I sit up, and find I still have a bit of a headache but I can manage. ¡°Strange, that physical wounds heal so fast, but this headache is lingering.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Three minutes remain, and that is due to you exhausting your magic. In many ways that is worse than a physical wound.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I will keep that in mind.¡± I yawn, stretch, get up, move over to my chair and look at the screens.


    ¡°I have been wondering. You always know the exact time. How do you do that?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Another item missing from your [Menu]? It is displayed in the top corner.¡±


    As she says it several displays around the room have the time appear on them. ¡°Wait, have you always been able to see the time on the screens here in the core room?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°So we see different things even in the core room¡­ We might need to talk after the battle and just see how different the [Menu] I see is compared to yours.¡±


    Intruders have entered your dungeon


    ¡°Well here we go.¡±


    With most of the rifts level 2 and replacing half of the goblin brutes with a hobgoblin rift, the first three waves are no longer even a threat. They even manage to hold their own pretty will against the fourth wave, but eventually the room is cleared. I however pull the non-rift blue slime, instructing it to the crystal room once its life is in danger.


    ¡°Try to save every little bit of xp we can.¡±


    The fourth wave proceeds to the second room and is promptly wiped out, on the fifth wave I move in the three named kobolds to assist in the fight and we manage to clear it without any casualties.


    When the new wave hits, 4 earth golems enter the dungeon. They are identical to the one we fought the day before although much, much smaller. Without any intelligence they have a hard time with the traps, each falling into the pit trap and being hit by at least one spike trap. Although they cause them no damage it manages to slow them down.


    While delayed by the traps, I pull the two archer kobolds, and Archer from the middle room and replace them with the new mages I had as back-up. I am also able to change the one into the better gear from the previous wave.


    The battle is pretty straight forward with each crimson kobold mage targeting one of the golems while the others run interference, Block and Slash filling in any gaps.


    The battle ends with victory and only losing 2 of the crimson kobolds. All of the remaining kobolds except 2 of the mages and the named ones manage to gain a level.


    I get 4 tiny magic stones, and 10 stones in addition to the normal equipment.


    New monster available


    Small Weak Earth Golem Cost: 250xp*


    *Elemental type monsters are granted a discount of 1/4 due to [Gifted] skill. Discount does not take effect with Basic Training Crystal


    Even after replacing the two dead kobolds I still end up with 25 more xp then I started, so finally after all the hard work we are finally gaining more xp then losing.


    ¡°6 days, we just need 1 more. Is it me or do the waves seem like they are getting easier?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I believe that is due to the disadvantage Madam Erin placed on you in the beginning. Although I would say the difficulty still remains above the norm. You should at the end of week two, if not into week three before this difficulty.¡± ¨CShe thinks for a moment before continuing.-


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I also believe if we suffer a loss now, we will be unable to attain any victories for the rest of the month.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of hard don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Not at all. Right now you are maintaining the first room with rifts so no matter the outcome of the battle you can still fill the first room. However we don¡¯t have enough xp to even fill the middle room again if we suffer a loss.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to continue in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. To gather more xp.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I agree. Also I believe it would be wise to switch Archer out for one of the mages at this point. Your magic is not enough if we encounter any more golems.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I guess we can leave the talk about [Menu] till this evening.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Also, bring along the magic stones. If we have downtime you can store a spell or two within them just in case you get low on magic.¡±


    I equip my gear and register one of the new crimson kobold mages as ¡°Mage¡± and with him, Block, Slash, and Thirty-seven we set out back into Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.


    While checking the first floor I store a [Freeze] spell in one of the tiny magic stones and just the one spell manages to fill it.


    ¡°It looks like the tiny stones can only hold a single spell.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Well it is better than nothing. Come, this floor still appears to be empty.¡±


    By the time we manage to make it to the door outside where we fought the golem yesterday Mage, and I fill all four of the tiny stones with [Freeze].


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to be filling the rooms we already cleared up.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°That seems to be the case, but don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±


    I nod and we prepare to open the door to the next room. Once inside there is an empty room with 4 of the small golems we faced in the dungeon today.


    Mage and I target one leaving it alive but frozen to the floor. Block shield bashes another knocking it down. Slash brings his sword down on a third and Thirty-seven slashes at the last.


    The golems begin to move, the frozen one¡¯s arms spin in circles around its body, but it is bound and unable to hit anyone. The one that was sent tumbling by Block¡¯s shield easily gets up swinging both arms vertically parallel to its body. Block¡¯s shield holds but the sound itself is hard on the ears.


    Thirty-seven dodges several blows from the one she is attacking and Slash wedges his sword in a crevice of the one he is attacking, and just keeps it at sword¡¯s length away.


    Mage and I hit the bound golem each in turn this time it finally freezes over. Block bashes his golem again scattering rocks around the room, however lacking any intelligence the golem just keeps trying to push through his shield.


    Slash¡¯s sword slips and the golems swinging arms come crashing in hitting him in the hip, but he swings is great-sword around smashing into the stone creature hard.


    Thirty-seven preforms a few quick slashes against hers while quickly dodging its stone fists.


    Next Mage targets the one attacking Slash hitting the leg joint, and I target the arm of the one attacking Thirty-seven.


    The stone fist crashing into Block¡¯s shield cracks and crumbles but it doesn¡¯t slow-down its assault. While Slash arc¡¯s his sword down on the frozen joint of his golem separating the leg from the body.


    Thirty-seven continues her dodging dance around her golem planting a few timely hits to the frozen shoulder, but it still doesn¡¯t give.


    Mage hits the golem flopping around on the floor with another spell causing it to finally quit moving, and I hit the one attacking Thirty-seven again in the same shoulder.


    Block bashes his shield hard into the golem yet again, yet this time Slash hits it back to him with his sword like a game of ping pong.


    Thirty-seven brings her sword down on the frozen shoulder yet again, this time causing it to separate from the rest of the creature. She then swings around knocking its legs out from underneath it.


    With one more spell from both Mage and I the others wrap up the fight finally causing the golems to crumble to the floor in large chucks of rocks.


    We rest in the room for a while, as Mage and I recover our magic. Thirty-seven goes around cracking open the rock golem remains pulling out the tiny magic stones.


    After resting up we move on to two rooms repeating the process, as they contain the same setup of 4 golems.


    While resting after the third room I noticed everyone is starting to look a little beat up, and my magic is not recovering near as fast.


    ¡°Fatigue seems to be starting to kick in. We are taking more damage each match. Even my magic is not recovering near as fast.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Yes, I believe we have two remaining rooms on this floor. However we might be able to only handle one more set of golems.¡±


    We rest for a while longer then check the next room. This time we carefully peek inside instead of just busting in the door. After determining that it is indeed 4 more small golems we move in.


    We manage to win the fight but at one point Slash lost his golem and it crashed into Mage. I had to use one of the potions to prevent Mage from dying.


    ¡°Well I guess we better call it now then. That was pretty close.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I still would rather you not waste the potions on the monsters, but I agree. Let us return to our dungeon.¡±


    Dungeon Monster have returned from battle


    Battle results:


    Monster Thirty-seven (boss) has gained a level


    Monster Slash has gained a level


    Monster Block has gained a level


    Monster Mage has gained a level


    Acquired: 16 tiny magic stones


    Losses: 1 watered down healing potion, Slash sustained major damage, Block sustained moderate damage, Thirty-seven (boss) sustained moderate damage, Mage sustained major damage, Dungeon Core #212 [-------] suffered minor damage.


    400xp gained from external source. 40 xp bonus for Dungeon Core #212 [-------] battle participation, 40xp bonus for Thirty-seven (boss) battle participation, 40xp bonus for no dungeon monster deaths, 80xp bonus for Training core training within parent dungeon


    600 XP total rewarded


    After returning to the core room I check over Thirty-seven¡¯s wounds. She has a massive bruise to the ribs, and a few smaller ones on her arms, back, and legs. I however only have a small one on one of my shoulders.


    ¡°It hurts me to see you so bruised up¡­ It seems wrong in some way.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I don¡¯t understand. It is only natural that I have wounds greater than yours.¡±


    ¡°I understand that as my boss monster, but as a woman taking more damage than a man it just seems wrong somehow.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°You truly say strange things at time. What does our gender have to do with who takes damage?¡±


    ¡°I¡­.I don¡¯t know¡­ It just seems odd to me.¡±


    I decide to change the subject, and we talk for the next few hours on [Menu]. Thirty-seven doesn¡¯t go into detail in the monsters, items, and such as she said on that everyone¡¯s [Menu] differs greatly. However after speaking several new screens and options are now dotted across my [Menu].


    ¡°Well tomorrow is the big day¡­ I better prepare a few extra things to the dungeon before heading to bed. Why don¡¯t you get some rest?¡±


    Thirty-seven nods and lays down, and then I get to work making a few surprises for day seven. Working into the early hours of the morning I finally finish my preparations and head to bed myself.

 The Seventh-day

    I feel refreshed and confident when Thirty-seven wakes me. I check over my menu to make sure my surprises are set. Then with a smile I say. ¡°I wonder what Madam Erin¡¯s big reward is when we win today.¡±


    ¡°I believe Madam Erin has something special in store for today. I would not drop your guard.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± I nod but can¡¯t help smiling.


    I make sure everything is set up then await the attack.


    Intruders have entered the dungeon.


    Four of the small earth golems make their way into the dungeon, but I expected as much. I pull forward all the mages from the second room to help.


    With the golems bumbling around falling into the pit trap and hitting the spike traps the 5 mages manage to bring down 2 of the golems before they even make it to them. The other two are just no match for all the mages with the rest of the monsters holding them back.


    Once the intruders fall I instantly clear the room gathering the items they left behind, but with only seconds to spare the next wave hits.


    Again it is another set of the four small earth golems and I begin storing [Freeze] spells in the 4 [Magic Stones] I just gathered. The group quickly knocks out the second wave of small golems, and I again clear the room. They do manage to break the last [Weak Spike Trap] though.


    Next to enter the dungeon is one of the large earth golems that we faced inside of Madam¡¯s Erin¡¯s dungeon. I quickly pull the Crimson kobold mages including Mage back into the second room, and the blue slime back into the crystal room. Then continue filling the new stones I gathered.


    ¡°I figured this might happen now let me show you what I got.¡±


    I finish filling the last stone, and the golem trashes the last of the monsters in the first room.


    As soon as the golem enters the second room it is pelted by darts launched from the walls on either side, and as they hit the golem frost begins appearing on the golem.


    Thirty-seven gives me a confused look as I message the archers forward.


    Archer, and the other two bow wielding crimson kobold step forward. They each pull a frost covered arrow from their quivers and shoot at the feet of the golem. The golem manages to struggle a few more feet forward before ice covered spikes launch from the ground crashing into it.


    The golem begins to freeze solid as I order the melee group to move in, but instead of drawing the steel weapons they all pull iron ones hacking and slashing at the golem breaking slowly chipping away at it. Eventually the golem finally collapses into rubble on the floor without losing a single non-rift monster.


    ¡°Alright! That went better then I even could have hoped.¡±


    Intruders have entered your dungeon


    ¡­¡±Wait¡­What?¡±


    Two more of the large golems enter my dungeon.


    ¡°Damn¡­ it¡¯s ok¡­ We got this¡­¡±


    I reset everyone to their positions, and reset the traps as the two golems make their way across the first room.


    As the two golems enter the second room the dart trap activates again, but with the damage being split it doesn¡¯t cause as great of effect.


    The archers fire more of the frost arrows at the two golems, but the golems keep pressing forward. The frozen spike traps also do a little damage but it barely slows the golems.


    The mages begin flinging spells at the golems as soon as they pass the spikes and the melee group pulls out their steel weapons.


    ¡°Ok¡­ This is still going well.¡±


    When the steel weapons hit the golems, ice and frost begin growing at the impact site. The golems start to slow, but begin their attacks smashing two of the crimson kobolds.


    ¡°I figured the new crimson kobolds would die with one hit, but I hoped the higher level ones would be able to withstand.¡±


    The mages fire another volley of spells, and the archers loose more frost arrows.


    One of the golems target Slash but he dodges out of the way the impact instead hit one of the [Lvl 2] Crimson kobolds crushing it instantly. The second golem smashes the last [Lvl 1] Crimson kobold.


    With only Block, and Slash manning the melee team I order a regroup into the crystal room. Block loses his shield as he is attacked suffering major damage, and we lose the 1 [Lvl 1] crimson kobold mage.


    The injured Block, Slash, Archer, Mage, 2 [Lvl 1] archers, 2 [Lvl2] mages manage to make it into the crystal room.


    ¡°Everyone focus at one at a time, I didn¡¯t want to use it but, here goes.¡±


    Using one of the [Menu] items that Thirty-seven showed me the night before I pull a monster I had stored within the crystal out. Out of the crystal appears a golem identical to the ones attacking although his fists are frosted over.


    Thirty-seven looks truly shocked. ¡°How did¡­¡± -She stops herself.-


    As the intruding golems enter the crystal room the mages release more spells, and the archers release more frost arrows.


    My golem rushes across the room smashing one of the enemies instantly freezing over a shoulder joint. The rest of the group attacks the second golem.


    Archer fires another frost arrow, but the other two archers gather around the crystal pulling their daggers. Mage likewise casts another [Freeze] spell, and his subordinates retreat to the crystal holding their [Gem Studded Iron Rods] in front of them.


    Slash kicks Block away as a fist comes crashing down barely missing them both, and he slashes at a joint.


    My golem and the other golem intruder duke it out pounding each other with their boulder fists. My golem manages to get the upper hand when he hits the frozen shoulder joint and knocks the arm off of the enemy.


    ¡°This is starting to look tight.¡± I quickly pull two swords from storage handing one to Thirty-seven. ¡°It looks like we are going to have to get our hands dirty.¡±


    I pull Thirty-seven and myself to the crystal room as Archer fires the last frost arrow and Mage casts his last spell. Afterwards both then gather behind us at the crystal. Thirty-seven charges forward without another thought, and I quickly follow.


    Slash unable to get away blocks a swinging blow with his sword throwing him back to the floor alongside Block.


    Thirty-seven reaches the golem slashing in quick succession at the frozen parts of the golem. When I finally arrive I raise my sword for the first time bringing it down against the golem as hard as I can¡­


    The blow jars me, and before I realize it Thirty-seven kicks me back as the golem barely misses us. Thirty-seven continues to slash at the golem while I cast a [Freeze] spell then stagger back to my feet.


    My golem is slowly making progress as he beings breaking off large chucks from the other intruder golem.


    Thirty-seven¡¯s swings manage to finally remove a leg from the golem we are attacking, as I manage to land another blow.


    My golem plants both fists into the intruder causing it to crash down into pieces.


    Thirty-seven then removes one of the arms of the golem and lets me land a final blow.


    Intruders neutralized.


    I quickly run to Block and Slash. Both are wounded badly but will recover. I then pull Thirty-seven and myself back to the core room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get stuck down in the crystal room just in case another wave hits. There is no way we could survive another.¡±


    We wait a few more minutes but another attack doesn¡¯t come. I finally go through the battle results window.


    Battle Results:


    Acquired: 500xp, 8 tiny magic stones, 3 small magic stones, 50 stones


    Losses: 2 [Lvl 2] Crimson kobolds, 2 [Lvl 1] Crimson Kobolds, 1 [Lvl 1] Crimson Kobold Mage


    Dungeon Core #212 [-----] participated in his first dungeon battle, and obtained victory. Granting a +5 bonus to Spell power, and granting the Sword Arts ability.


    Thirty-seven (boss) has gained a level


    Mage has gained a level.


    Archer has gained a level.


    Due to decline in dungeon XP consumption has been reduced to 1 XP/day


    My consumption went back down to what it was before adding the golem and new traps last night. I also haven¡¯t checked my status since I gained two new skills, so I decide to check it now.


    Name: ------- Dungeon: Training hall Crystal: Basic Training Crystal


    Level: 1 XP till next Level 2 XP: 1418


    HP: 20/20 MP: 100/100


    Strength: 25


    Agility: 25


    Endurance: 20


    Spell Power: 55


    Sword Arts: 25


    Resistances: None


    Armor: None


    Equipment: [Old Cheap Clothes], [Steel Sword]


    Skills:


    [Recycle] (Rank 1): using parts from monsters and [Magic Stones] you can summon constructs and undead at a 50% reduced xp cost.


    [Enchanter] (Rank 1): by combining [Magic Stones] with stored spells and items, the items gain the effect of the stored spell. The duration of the effect depends on the [Magic Stone] and spell that is used.


    [Uniquely Gifted] (Rank 1): Most creatures favor one element above all others, and are unable to cast spells from the opposing element. You however do not, thus granting you a 25 bonus to spell power and 50 additional MP. The more magic is used the greater the bonus that will be granted from [Gifted]


    Spells:


    Clean (Water) (Cost 1mp): summons water to clean items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Heat (Fire) (Cost 1mp): summoning your mana with the power of fire you can heat items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Cool (Wind) (Cost 1mp): Summoning your mana with the power of wind you can cool items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Soil (Earth) (Cost 1mp): summoning your mana with the power of earth you can soil items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Light (Light) (Cost 1mp): Summing your mana with the power of light you can light items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Shadow (Dark) (Cost 1mp): summoning your mana with the power of darkness you can cast shadows on items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Fire (Fire) (Cost 5mp): a small burst of fire at targeted location up to 30 feet away. Causes minor fire damage, and may inflict [Burning] status.


    Fireball (Fire) (Cost 10mp): A small projectile of fire can be fired at a target up to 50ft away. Causes moderate fire damage, and may inflict [Burning] status.


    Freeze (Water) (Cost 10mp): Ice forms at targeted location up to 50 feet away. Causes minor water damage, and will likely cause [Frozen] status.


    I then receive a message from Madam Erin. ¡°That is simply amazing pup. I would have never guessed. I have cleared the hallways for now, why don¡¯t you come pay me a visit and let us have a chat.¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin is inviting us back to the throne room.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Very well, remember to keep your secrets to yourself.¡±


    I nod and then send a reply back to Madam Erin that we are on our way. Thirty-seven make our way through Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. This time when we arrive in the large room before the throne room there are 2 golems towering on either side of the door. My golem and the ones we fought would each fit in the fist of one of these massive golems. Thirty-seven and I make our way inside¡­


    Madam Erin: ¡°Ah, Pup¡­ Oh I see you both came.¡± Madam Erin seems a little vexed. ¡°No matter, simply an amazing show you put on for me. The secret to your frost magic, and along with you being able to summon such a golem this early, I see you are clearly living up to your Dungeon Core number.¡¯


    ¡°Thanks, by what I have read Leland that sounds like a great honor.¡±


    ¡°Haha, honor he says. That just goes to show that you never met the perverted old coot. He did make a good elder, and friend though. Of course that was when he wasn¡¯t automatically trying to pass every female rookie core.¡±


    Thirty-seven finally speaks up. ¡°I believe you promised him a reward if he made it seven days.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Yes, of course pup. A promise is a promise. Consider yourself passed on the evaluation. At least my vote, after the others see what you have accomplished in only 8 days I don¡¯t see a problem. However don¡¯t think you can just slack off the rest of the month either.¡±


    Thirty-seven cuts in. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well it is against the rules to give tangible rewards so my hands are quite tied.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Thirty-seven speaks to me. ¡°How are you not the least bit upset after all that?¡±


    ¡°Well anything she where to give me, would only last till the month was up anyway. It¡¯s not like it makes much difference.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s the way pup, forge your own path. Although I guess I can ease up a bit, I will resume the normal Rookie Core training tomorrow. I will also add some more goodies to my dungeon if you guys decide to explore. You will have to give me till tomorrow to set everything up though.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I lightly bow to Madam Erin. Then Thirty-seven and I return to our dungeon.


    ¡°Well, not much for us to do today, so I guess we should just prepare the dungeon for tomorrow.¡±


    I use two of the three [Small Magic Stones] that we gathered today, along with a heap of stones, and create two more of the [Weak Earth Golems]. I place two in the second room, and leave the one I created last night in the crystal room.


    Using most of my remaining xp I summon 2 more crimson kobold mages. I place them along with Archer, Block, Slash, Mage in the second room with the two golems.


    ¡°Alright, we are now set.¡±


    Due to the rise in power of the dungeon consumption has reached 2xp/ day.


    I spend about an hour holding a one way conversation with Thirty-seven then decide to spend some time looking through the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> book. Later that day I make sure all of the magic stones now hold spells, and then spend the rest of the afternoon practicing my magic.


    After spending a few hours casting magic it really does wonders for helping prepare to sleep, so even though it is still quite early I retire to bed.


    I wake the next morning as Thirty-seven shakes me. I get up to notice a window in front of me.


    Dungeon Core #212 [-----] has gained a level


    ¡°I finally managed to gain a level.¡± I decide to check my status.


    Name: ------ Dungeon: Training hall Crystal: Basic Training Crystal


    Level: 2 XP till next Level: 25 XP: 16


    HP: 44/44 MP: 100/100


    Strength: 27


    Agility: 28


    Endurance: 22


    Spell Power: 57


    Sword Arts: 21


    Resistances: None


    Armor: None


    Equipment: [Old Cheap Clothes]


    ¡°For leveling so much slower than the monsters, I am not very impressed with my progress¡­¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It may seem like it now, but most dungeon monsters achieve a max level where they cannot grow any further. You however will never quit gaining levels.¡±


    I nod and then move the newly spawned rift monsters to the front room, and wait for the attack.


    Intruders have entered the dungeon.


    Young kobolds begin to pour into my dungeon, after reaching numbers close to 20 the final kobold to enter is a crimson kobold.


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s the first 3 normal waves all rolled into one¡­¡±


    My monsters begin firing arrows, and spells at the horde of intruders. The melee fighting monsters wait for several of the intruders to be taken out by the spike traps before moving in.


    The golem easily takes out one or two intruders per swipe of its massive arms, but there are so many a few charging through the group pass the dungeon monsters completely and enter the second room.


    For the first time battle begins in two rooms at once. The monsters in the second room quickly kill the intruders as they enter, but the first room struggles with the sheer number of enemies. Once the last enemy falls everything except the golem looks pretty ragged, but the second room is unharmed.


    I pull the golem from the front room to be with the other two in the middle room while crimson kobolds enter the dungeon. The crimson kobolds seem like the standard fifth wave group.


    The crimson kobolds eliminate the first room, but don¡¯t stand a chance in the second room and they quickly fall without losing any more monsters.


    After waiting for about five minutes after the intruders eliminated message I finally speak.


    ¡°Was that it?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Madam Erin did say she was going to return to the normal scheduled attacks.¡±


    ¡°If that was normal for day 8, then what I have been doing was just crazy.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Agreed, but most rookie cores make it to day 8 at least by the end of the second week. Now begins a test of endurance.¡±


    ¡°Well she also said she will be adding more things to her dungeon, so we might want to check it out as well.¡±


    After gathering Block, Slash, and Mage, we enter into Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. Right away there is a large group of young kobold in the hallways, but they don¡¯t even seem to be a threat anymore as they are quickly eliminated.


    We check each door clearing each of young kobolds from behind each one. Once we make it to the end of the hall however we still can¡¯t enter the final door on the floor. Moving on we continue the rest of the morning and well into the evening, clearing 4 more floors. Only in the last floor did the enemy¡¯s difficulty start to rise enough that we became tired. We head back to the dungeon once the sun starts to set.


    Monsters returned from battle


    Acquired: 6 watered down healing potions, 1 [Leather Armor], 1 [Iron helm]


    Losses: Thirty-seven (boss) sustained minor injuries, Block sustained moderate injuries, and Slash sustained moderate injuries.


    Slash has gained a level


    Block has gained a level


    Mage has gained a level


    550XP gained from external source. 55xp bonus for Dungeon Core #212 [-----] participation, 55xp bonus for Thirty-seven (boss) participation, 55xp bonus for no dungeon monster deaths, 110xp bonus for Training core training within parent dungeon.


    825xp total rewarded


    New items can be purchased from [Menu]


    Leather Armor Cost: 100xp


    Iron Helmet Cost: 50xp


    ¡°That¡¯s it? It seemed like we killed a lot more than that! Well I guess they were mostly young kobolds¡±


    I give the Iron helmet to Block, and the Leather armor to Thirty-seven.


    ¡°I think starting tomorrow I will go out in a set of the Magician¡¯s robes instead of the chainmail.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I rather you stay in the chainmail.¡±


    After a bit of canter back and forth I finally say. ¡°Ok, ok. I will stick with the chainmail.¡± You know Thirty-seven has come quite a long way. It is still hard to get her to talk, but once she starts until her mood changes you can hold a decent conversation now.


    For the rest of the week we continue to easily win the attacks sent by Madam Erin, and then we move out gaining xp in her dungeon. No matter how far we progress the last room of every floor is locked and we have still been unable to pass any of them. I even tried to use a few fire spells one day, but the door simply wouldn¡¯t burn.


    Things continue much the same as we reach our 12<sup>th</sup> consecutive dungeon battle victory, and I now only have half of the month left. Thirty-seven and the named crimson kobold are leveling up pretty quickly, but my progress still remains unchanged.


    I continue to add new monsters and traps to the dungeon everyday keeping our xp reserve between 500xp to 1000xp, but with the size of the intruders entering the dungeon now it takes everything we got to stay at that level.


    After victory 15 I send Archer, Block, Mage, Slash, and one of the golems out on their own to gather xp. While Thirty-seven and I take two new Crimson Kobold Brutes aptly named Hack and Bash, and a Crimson Kobold Elder named Caster that I newly summoned with us.


    With two groups now gathering xp in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon you think we would start seeing quite the inflow of xp, but we still only manage to break even. I got a feeling Madam Erin has increased the difficulty of the intruders again just so that the fights are not boring.


    On the day that marks one week from the end of my training I awake to a screen finally obtaining level 3. Thirty-seven on the other hand has reached level 8. With the dungeon battles now taking over half the day before it is over, the two exploring groups set out of the dungeon before the battle even starts without Thirty-seven or I.


    We finally have achieved our 27<sup>th</sup> consecutive victory, but as it is our last day there is no use going out into Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon anymore. I sit on the edge of the bed torn, as I stare over at the perfectly calm Thirty-seven clutching her towel just staring out at one of the screens. I don¡¯t know when it started, but now she only holds that towel when she sits in her chair. I never did ask her what the deal with it was.


    ¡°You know, I never have asked you. What is the purpose behind that towel?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It was the first gift I ever received. I know now, that wasn¡¯t your intention when you handed it to me, but all the same I think I will continue to hold on to it.¡±


    ¡­Wait all this time it was just because I handed it to her that day. Even so, she has been at Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon for over 5 years, and trained at another dungeon before that. In all that time she never received anything?


    I get up, move over beside her, wrap my arms around her pulling her head into my chest, and hug her.


    ¡°We have been through so much together, and I know it¡¯s only been a month, but I am going to miss you, my dear friend.¡±


    Thirty-seven never moves, or says anything, but after a few minutes. When I return to the edge of my bed and sit down looking back over at Thirty-seven. Her face remains the same but I see her cheeks and ears are a bit red.


    ¡°Promise me, after I leave, and start my new dungeon. You will keep in touch with me with [Menu].¡±


    Thirty-seven simply nods, gets up from her chair, places the towel neatly on top of it, then goes to bed. I sit back in my bed and take a final look over everything in the dungeon. Hack, Slash, Bash , Block, Mage, and Caster are all in the crystal room staring blankly at the walls along with the rest of the monsters.


    They helped me quite a bit, and even though they didn¡¯t have much in the way of intelligence I feel kind of sad that they will be gone after today. I decide to spend some time looking at [Menu] for a while. I have quite a bit of xp stored up, but with no new spells available anything I buy will just be gone tomorrow so it is pretty much a waste.


    I look over at Thirty-seven lying there silently on her bed wondering if she is asleep, I kind of feel I want someone to talk to right now, but I decide to leave her be and force myself to get some sleep. I am sure things will be quite busy for a while starting tomorrow so I could probably use the rest.


    When I wake the next morning I find myself alone. Thirty-seven and her towel are gone, and even everything in the dungeon is just gone¡­ I then see a message from Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°It¡¯s time. Meet me outside your door.¡±


    I quickly look around the core room, it has only been a month but this was home. I guess you could say even though it has only been a month it has still been my entire life. I take one last look at the empty bed and chair across the room then head out of the core room and exit the dungeon.


    After exiting the dungeon the door disappears¡­ I see Madam Erin standing half-way down the hallway and I walk over to join her.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Are you ready for this pup?¡± ¨CShe asks me.-


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t really have a choice, now do I?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Haha, I guess not. However you could choose to fail, and live here with me.¡±


    I quickly think of living here close to Thirty-seven, but I shake my head.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s quite alright.¡±


    Madam Erin walks down the hallway. For being as large as she is I have trouble maintaining her pace, as we walk through the halls. One we reach the small room with three doors we take the one I haven¡¯t used before and arrive in hallway I haven¡¯t been to before.


    This hallway looks to be from somewhere completely different then Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon as it has darker stone walls and no windows. She leads me to an old looking wooden door.


    Madam Erin: ¡°You wait in there with the others, and we retrieve you when it is time.¡±


    Madam Erin quickly walks off leaving me standing there. I enter to find a rather well decorated room with several couches and tables. There are also 8 others in the room.


    One little blond girl with twin-tails comes running up to me as soon as I enter, and says very enthusiastically.


    Hi! You must be 212! You¡¯re the last to arrive. I am¡­Well just call me 712. I will be changing my name as when I get my dungeon.


    A rude looking guy leaning against the wall cuts in. ¡°If you get a dungeon Midget.¡±


    Midget: ¡°Eww, Don¡¯t call me that Corpse.¡± She says as she pulls on both of her twin-tails


    Corpse: ¡°I am not worried about this name as my teacher forced me to toughen up. I was even able to Win 20 of my matches for the month.¡±


    Midget: ¡°I won fifteen!¡± She says bouncing with each word.


    A dark haired pretty boy with dog ears sitting next to a cute blond girl with rabbit ears says. ¡°Pay them no mind. They have been at it since they got here. I am Alex by the way, and this is my sister Amy.¡± He says while motioning to the rabbit eared girl.


    A teenage looking blond boy sitting by himself, stands, bows, and says. ¡°I am #12 Lance. ¡°He then sits back down.


    Corpse: ¡°Pretender¡±


    An older wise looking gentleman stands and says. ¡°My father gave me the name Baron; it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, I wasn¡¯t given a name by my trainer, and I haven¡¯t chosen one for myself yet, so you can just call me #212 for now.¡± I bow to the room, and then the little blond Midget pulls on my wrist having me sit next to her on a fluffy couch.


    A young lizard looking man and a dark haired girl with glasses don¡¯t introduce themselves.


    The next ten minutes pass as Corpse and Midget gripe back and forth at each other. Then a young beautiful woman with long flowing blond hair enters the room. Alex, and Amy both quickly jump too their feet and lightly bow, as the woman talks.


    ¡°We are ready for you all now. Follow me.¡±


    Amy and Alex quickly rush after the woman as she walks out of the room, followed by Corpse, the two that didn¡¯t introduce themselves, and the gentleman Baron. Midget pulls on my arm as we follow at the back of the group.


    We enter a large room with ten chairs lined up in front of a podium with six chairs. Four of which are filled, and two empty. The first one is a large dark haired man covered in red scales, he has crimson leathery wings and yellow slitted eyes. Next is a proud noble looking grey haired man wearing a long blue robe. Madam Erin sits in the next chair, followed by a sickly looking man with scraggily blond hair wearing a thick puffy fur coat.


    After leading us to the chairs having us sit in numerical order leaving the first seat empty. The goddess like blond woman that lead us to the room, then takes the second from the last empty chairs on the podium.


    Off to one side of the room is a table with 6 other people sit at.


    The large dragon-looking man stands and speaks.


    Dragon-like Man: ¡°New bloods, we have gathered here for you to prove your worth. Any of you that we deem unable to become one of us will leave here without obtaining their own dungeon crystal.¡±


    He turns to the group sitting at the table. ¡°Now Dominic what happened to Alfred?¡±


    A young man wearing polished heavy armor stands and speaks.


    Dominic: ¡°After giving Alfred his dungeon he decided on his own to train in my dungeon to strengthen his monsters. He however ran into a group of human soldiers doing the same, and he didn¡¯t live though the encounter.¡±


    Dominic bows then sits back down.


    Dragon-like Man: ¡°Very well. Next is Lance. Maric, how did Lance¡¯s training go?¡±


    A tall proud looking mad with over flashy looking clothes stands and says with a smile


    Maric: ¡°Yes, like his predecessor before him. Lance brought great pride to the Lance name and the #12 dungeon. He was a very well rounded individual. He managed to win the first 5 days in a row, before suffering a loss. He would train hard on days that he failed, and even though he struggled quite a bit at the end of the month he managed to win half of the 28 battles.¡± ¨CMaric bows then takes his seat.-


    Dragon-like Man: ¡°Not bad indeed. Bella, how faired your rookie #108?¡±


    A gorgeous woman stands. She has long black hair that flows like water, a slender body in a tight silken dress, and with a voice that sounds like a song she speaks.


    Bella: ¡°Newt, he also managed to win 14 of the 28 battles, he took last years failed #108 [Frog] as his boss monster and together they fought bravely and even hunted two human groups within my dungeon.¡± ¨CBella bows and takes her seat.-


    Dragon-like Man: ¡°Two human groups before even having his own dungeon. Most impressive, next we have #212. Madam Erin how was his progress?¡±


    Madam Erin stands and speaks ¡°Well where to start. He has yet to choose a name for himself, He failed his very first day, he even choose that failed #37 core staying in my dungeon. You remember the one? The one terrified of humans. Well he took her as his boss monster.¡±


    Corpse is audibly laughing two seats down from me and several of the people at the table are talking back in forth with jabs directed at me¡­


    A sly smile creeps across her face then she continues. ¡°Well giving the proud number he had to live up to I took it a little rough on him from the start. I only gave him 2000xp to start off with and no boss monster for the first 4 days. I even sent attacks over twice the agreed strength at him. However the pup never lost a single battle after the first day. 27 of 28 battles won.¡±


    As Madam Erin sits down the table is abuzz with talk again while the other recruits sit speechless.


    Dragon-like Man: ¡°I am sure Leland would be proud to see such a man to take up his mantle, now Astar. You trained #344 yes?


    A very nervous young man sitting at the table stands bowing twice before speaking.


    Astar: ¡°Yes, that is correct. Marge was very determined right from the start, but unfortunately she quickly ran out of xp and was only able to succeed 8 of the 28 days. ¨Che bows twice more before sitting down.-


    Dragon-looking Man: How unfortunate. Dyson, I am sure the same won¡¯t be said about your #405?


    A man with a slicked back black hair, beady eyes, and a crooked smile stands and speaks.


    Dyson: ¡°Corpse might not be good as the great 212.¡± ¨CHe says sarcastically. - ¡°But he still managed to pull a solid 20 wins out of his ass, and of course all against human invaders.¡± ¨CHe then plops back down in his chair.-


    Dragon-looking Man: ¡°Intriguing, Lady Lucille, I believe you had both of the next cores #593, and #594?¡±


    The goddess like woman that lead us to the room stands.


    Lucille: ¡°That is correct. Neither seemed impressive at the beginning, but once Amy ran out of xp. The two of them began working together pulling a solid 17 wins. Amy has also decided to give up her right to a crystal as long as she is able to stay with Alex.¡±


    Dragon-like Man: ¡°I see. Mason you had core #712?


    The little girl with twin tails bounces excitedly as a man covered in a long black cloak stands and speaks in a raspy voice.


    Mason: ¡°Yes, annoying little midget¡­ She filled her dungeon with little fairies and pink balls of fluff. Yet somehow she managed to still pull off 15 victories.¡± -When Mason sits back down Midget squeals with delight.-


    Dragon-looking Man: ¡°Hmm, Faron, I believe the last was with you?


    The older man in the long blue robe next to the dragon-looking man nods and stands.


    Faron: ¡°A man after my own heart, #792 Baron fought the good fight, but I just don¡¯t believe he was completely up for the task. He only managed 12 victories.¡±


    Dragon-like Man: Very well¡­ teachers I thank you for watching over our young bloods. You are now dismissed.


    The six from the table rise and all bow expect for Dyson. Then they all walk out of the room while talking amongst each other.


    Dragon-looking Man: ¡°#344, you wished to remain with Astar if you failed? He has approved and is waiting for you.¡±


    Marge stands and lightly bows leaving the room.


    Dragon-looking Man: ¡°#792, you choose to live among humans if you failed so.¡±


    Lucille waves her hand and Baron¡¯s chair becomes empty.


    Dragon-looking Man: ¡°#212, #405, and #594, you may return to the waiting room will we call for you again.


    The three of us stand, and walk out of the room. As we head back to the waiting room #593 [Amy] joins us.


    Amy: ¡°He said with the agreement we made with Lucille I can stay with you.¡± She says as she grabs Alex¡¯s arm.


    Not an even a minute after entering the room and sitting down, the door opens and in bounces #712 Midget. She sticks her tongue out at Corpse, then runs over and jumps onto the couch next to me rocking back and forth while singing.


    Midget ¡°I made it! I made it!¡±


    ¡°It looks like it is down to Lance, or Newt. Who do you think it will be?¡±


    Midget: ¡°Lance! He looks nice!¡± she says rocking back and forth on the couch laughing.


    Corpse: ¡°Idiot, surely Newt will join us. He has after all the only one other than me to take out humans already.¡±


    Alex: ¡°I have to agree with Corpse. In every other aspect they seem to be around the same, so I think the two human groups Newt killed will be the deciding factor.¡±


    After 5 or so minutes we are called back to the main room, and when we arrive we see Newt still there. Once we enter the elders all stand, and all of them but Madam Erin move down from the podium, congratulate us, then leaves the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well pups, you have made it this far.¡±


    She steps down from the podium and moves over to the table. Sliding her hand across the table unrolling a large map that begins to pop up displaying even water and clouds.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now each of you will select your location to begin building your dungeon.¡±


    A screen pops in front of me and by the other rookie¡¯s reactions one opens for them as well.


    Congratulations, you have succeeded your training and will now be granted your dungeon crystal. Once you select your location on the [Elder¡¯s Map], you will be transported there and you will begin setting up your dungeon.


    Corpse quickly looks at the map, points to a location towards the center of the map and with a nod from Madam Erin he disappears.


    Newt and Alex both point to areas in the eastern area of the map, and likewise they disappear as well. Along with Amy who disappeared with Alex.


    Midget looks at me and says. ¡°Contact me once you get set up OK?¡± She then points to an area in the southern area and disappears.


    I look over the map for a while¡­ Trees, Mountains, Valleys, Plains, Cities, Rivers, Islands¡­ I just don¡¯t know... I look to Madam Erin for help.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Oh, no. This is a very personal decision pup. After all this is where you will spend the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°How did everyone else make the decision so easy then?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just choose the location that calls to you.¡±


    ¡­ I look at the map again¡­ I spend what feels like hours just staring at all the little details of the map. Finally I find a little village at the base of a small mountain. From the village is a path leading halfway up the mountain where there is a large pond. Further up the mountain is a tiny cave, and somehow I just know. This is it.


    ¡°Thanks for everything Madam Erin, tell Thirty-seven hi for me.¡±


    I point at the cave in the map and with a pull on my chest I find myself standing in a small, dark, smelly cave. It is at that moment I can hear breathing and I realize I am not alone here¡­

 A New Home

    My eyes adjust to the darkness of the cave, and laying less than twenty feet from me is a large brown bear curled up in the center of the small cave. A small sigh of relief escapes me as the creature in the cave with me is at least asleep. I however fear moving or making a sound not wanting to wake it. Screens begin appearing in front of me one after the other.


    New dungeon has been formed. 50,000xp obtained


    Dungeon has utilized existing structure [small cave room] -1000xp.


    Set Dungeon Core #212 Permanent name.


    Small Polychromatic Diamond cannot be placed due to intruders within all available dungeon rooms.


    [Cave Texture] added to available new room texture designs for 0xp extra cost.


    Current xp consumption set at 1xp/7 days.


    I quickly access [Dungeon Core] and find [Dungeon Core Room] for 10,000xp. It¡¯s quite expensive but I need to get away from this sleeping bear so I try to purchase it.


    Dungeon core room requires dungeon crystal to be set


    I quickly add a new room to the back.


    Current new room texture set as [cave texture] extra cost is 0xp. Would you like to proceed?


    When I nod the room is finally added.


    Small Polychromatic Diamond added to room [small cave room]. Dungeon will remain inactive while crystal room is inaccessible. If crystal room remains inaccessible for 23 hours 49 minutes, crystal will be moved to deepest accessible dungeon point.


    I quickly add the [dungeon core room] and then move to it.


    From inside the dungeon core room I can see both rooms clearly. The entryway is a small tunnel roughly 50 feet long and 10 feet wide. At the very back where the tunnel ends is where the bear is sleeping. I can now see that around the bear there are 4 small bear cubs curled up with the mother.


    The other room is a rough square shape about 20 feet by 20 feet, and it has the same cave like natural walls. In the back of the room a small clear rock the size of an apple is growing from the wall. It pulses like a heartbeat with a light changing color with each pulse.


    Now that my life is no longer in immediate peril I calm down enough I look at the screen asking me to enter a name¡­ I slide it over to the side and begin working on the dungeon.


    Opening the screen I find many new items for room construction. I start with adding another room and this time instead of using the natural cave texture I use a stone block look.


    This time without the panic, I notice I can change the parameters of the room before finalizing it. Instead of the standard 20 foot by 20 foot room I stretch it out to 50 feet long, 30 feet wide, and even raise the ceiling to 15 feet high. Ironically, even with all the changes when I finalize the room it still only costs me 1000xp.


    I connect the large stone room to the natural cave room by a large rusty iron door for 50xp. Next I add another room to the side of the large stone room I start to make it standard size then decide to stretch it out to run the full length of the large room. I then place a thick stone wall right in the middle then attach each side to the main room with weak wooden doors. Costing a total of 1120xp


    I don¡¯t understand if you can make the room any size, you can just place walls at a fraction of the cost, but I guess if you end up making a dungeon one huge room. Using the walls, floors, and such if any intruders enter your entire dungeon then would be unable to be edited¡­


    I place another room on the other side of the central room setting it up the same exact way. Next I select to add a new floor, and a screen appears showing the available types of staircases. I select a stone spiral staircase, and once I try to finalize it a message pops up.


    Warning! Placing [Sub-Level 1] permanently sets dungeon to build [Sub-Levels], and locks the ability to place floors above [Ground Floor]. Do you wish to proceed?


    I nod, the floor is set, and 10,000xp disappears¡­


    From the bottom of the staircase I place a large 50 foot by 50 foot room with tall 12 foot ceiling. I place one more standard size room at the end of it attaching them with the rusty iron doors and move the crystal inside. Cost 2100xp


    Now I got 22,660xp for traps, treasures, and monsters.


    I never did learn how to summon a boss monster¡­ I use one of the things Thirty-seven taught me.


    [Search] [Boss Monster]


    Boss Monsters: There are three types of boss monsters. The most important of which is the dungeon¡¯s [Primary] boss monster. This particular boss monster will always be the most powerful boss monster in your dungeon.


    [Primary] boss monsters will evolve along their race and class qualifications as they gain levels. [Primary] boss monsters are capable of leveling indefinitely.


    [Secondary] boss monsters maintain a boss status, and have higher stats then a normal monster. However they are unable to evolve, and will reach a max level at a 10% higher level than others of their race and class qualifications.


    If a [Secondary] boss monster surpasses the [Primary] boss monster in power, they will become the [Primary] boss monster.


    Non-summoned boss monsters are monsters that you recruit from outside your dungeon. You pay double the xp cost of the recruited monster for it to become a boss monster. Monster must be intelligent enough to accept.


    Once becoming your boss monster they are then broken down into either the [Primary] or [Secondary] category.


    Boss monster summoning: You can summon a boss monster once you create a dungeon for the first time for 1000xp. Boss monster summoning also becomes available again after reaching key milestones at a higher xp rate.


    When summoning a boss monster, they share the favored element of the summoning dungeon core. They are from the race and qualifications of the strongest monster available for you to summon, albeit typically 2 ranks higher.


    Ok¡­ [Boss Monster Summoning]


    Would you like to summon a boss monster now for 1000xp?


    Yes¡­


    Boss monster summoning unavailable. Due to the unique nature of the Polychromatic Diamond, only non-summoned boss monsters are possible.


    I am out of training and still getting screwed out of my boss monster from the start¡­Well putting off a boss monster for now I guess I will summon the rest of my monsters.


    I don¡¯t know how strong the local humans are so it makes it kind of tough to decide a balance. If the dungeon monsters are to strong they might send for heroes because they are afraid, but if I don¡¯t put enough defenses they might take out my crystal¡­


    I put four of the earth golems in my crystal room, just in case. With my [Uniquely Gifted] skill they only cost 750xp each, leaving me with 19,660 xp


    I won¡¯t set any rifts for now till I get a handle on how strong the locals are.


    I can¡¯t place anything in the entryway because I don¡¯t want to mess with the bear, so in the square cave room I put 4 young kobolds with various rusty equipment and 1 young kobold mage. Cost: 384xp


    In the large central room I place 4 normal kobolds with various iron equipment, and 1 kobold mage. Cost: 948xp


    I put one more set of normal kobolds in each of the four small rooms to the side of the great room. Cost: 3792xp


    In the big room on the bottom floor I put 4 crimson kobolds with various steel equipment, and 1 crimson Kobold Mage with good equipment. Cost: 2100xp


    I spend another 2000xp on random d¨¦cor items, furniture, and lighting. That also includes a bed, desk, and chair for the [Dungeon Core Room]. The last Items I purchase are 4 small unlocked chests for 25xp filling each with 75xp worth of small treasure items like coins, and gems. I then stash them in random locations in within the dungeon.


    Dungeon not active must move crystal to room accessible from the outside. 15 hours 10 minutes remaining till crystal is moved automatically and dungeon is activated.


    Dungeon consumption now 2xp/day


    That ought to do it¡­It will all be for nothing though if I can¡¯t get the bears out of the dungeon long enough to connect the first two rooms though.


    I try to send in one of the young kobold, but I receive a message.


    No direct access to room, monster cannot be moved.


    I try to summon a new young kobold in the room with the bear but get another message.


    Cannot summon monsters into a room occupied by invaders.


    Well I was able to transfer to the core room from there with the bear there. I could try luring them out but I don¡¯t exactly know how strong that bear is. I guess even if my crystal moves to that room the bear wont mess with it. Once they finally wake up and leave I can quickly move it back to the second floor. After all, how long can a bear sleep?


    Unable to sleep I slowly watch, and as the timer finally runs out I get a message.


    Dungeon forced activation. No path accessible to dungeon crystal room, crystal will automatically move to the deepest room accessible to the outside.


    All rooms accessible to the outside are inhabited with invaders. Crystal has begun to take damage, if crystal not placed within 29 minutes 32 seconds, crystal will break.


    Oh¡­That¡¯s not good¡­ I quickly borrow the gear from one of the crimson kobold and leave the core room appearing next to the exit of the dungeon. I cast a [Fireball] at the bear causing it to catch on fire.


    The sleeping bear wakes up with a roar, and starts rolling around on the ground. The bear cubs being tossed about when the momma bear started rolling wake up as well.


    I quickly make my way out the mouth of the cave, and bang my sword on the walls to make noise. I hide behind a huge rock by the front of the dungeon as I hear the loud thuds of the bear running through the tunnel.


    The bear charges out of the dungeon and roars causing several birds in the trees to take flight. After a few moments the bear roars again and moves over to the nearest tree standing up on its hind legs it scratches and shreds the bark of the tree with its large claws. The small cubs however do not leave the confines of the cave¡­


    I hit the momma bear again with a [Fireball] causing it to catch fire again. As she starts to roll around on the ground again I dive back into the cave running along the tunnel.


    ¡°Sorry baby bears but I don¡¯t have time.¡±


    The bear cubs have curled back up together onto the floor at the end of the tunnel so I toss another [Fireball] right in the middle of them.


    They squeal and make all kinds of weird noises as they catch fire. Their voices echo in the cave and the momma bear enters the cave behind me at a full charge.


    ¡°Damnit!¡± I quickly enter the dungeon core room.


    I watch on one of the screens as the momma bear charges all the way back into the tunnel back to her cubs. Three of the cubs manage to roll on the floor and put themselves out, but the fourth didn¡¯t make it.


    The momma bear gathers the three remaining cubs and slowly leads them out of the cave.


    As soon as the last one hits the door I get the message.


    Intruders neutralized.


    Battle results:


    Acquired: 1xp


    New monster can now be summoned


    Bear cub 10xp


    I quickly shut the screen and place an archway for 20xp to connect the tunnel with the square cave room. With barely 5 minutes remaining I get a message..


    Crystal room now accessible from the outside, dungeon has been activated.


    Crystal no longer taking damage.


    2xp consumed, normal consumption will begin at the start of the day.


    That was a close call¡­ I yawn and stretch. Fatigue finally catches up with me I set [Menu] to play a loud sound if intruders enter, and then I lie down and get some sleep¡­


    I wake up early the next morning, and quickly check the status of the dungeon. With nothing in my training dungeon the monsters acted like dolls, but now the kobolds are wandering around their rooms interacting with the furniture and such I put in the room.


    After watching them for a while I figure their intelligence is somewhere between a tool using animal like a raccoon or otter, and primates like a chimp or gorilla. I quickly get bored however then pick up another copy of <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> from [Menu] for 5xp.


    First I flip it open to my own page.


    Current Dungeon Core #212 [------] Location: Emeraldline Mountain


    Dungeon: Kobold Stronghold Crystal: Small Polychromatic Diamond


    Dungeon contains 2 floor, 7 rooms, 39 monsters, 0 traps


    Dungeon core level: 3 XP: 10,028


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    Kobold Stronghold is a small stronghold buried in the back of a small cave, on top of a small mountain in the Emeraldline forest. No humans know of its existence. Most favored monster weak earth golem, most favored trap N/A, most purchased monster kobold, most purchased trap N/A, boss monster N/A


    Emeraldline, wasn¡¯t Emeraldline forest where Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon was. I quickly flip back to her page and confirm it. I guess her dungeon is pretty close by then. I then flip the page to check and see how the other rookie cores are doing.


    Current Dungeon Core #108 [Newt] Location: Adra Mountains


    Dungeon: Windy Cave Crystal: small wind jade


    Dungeon contains 2 floor, 5 room, 23 monsters, 5 traps.


    Dungeon core level: 3 XP: 5661


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    Windy Cave located in the eastern mountains of Adra is a small dark cave where the wind steadily blows from its depths. No human has discovered it yet. Most favored monster wind imp, most favored dart trap, most purchased monster wind imp, most purchased moving tile trap, boss monster lesser wind demon.


    Current Dungeon Core #405 [Derek] Location: Merretta Border


    Dungeon: Forgotten Soldiers Rest Crystal: small shadow quartzRoyal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Dungeon contains 2 floor, 3 room, 70 monsters, 20 traps


    Dungeon core level: 4 XP: 341


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    Forgotten Soldiers Rest is the site of a large battle between the Merretta and Adra kingdoms more than 50 years ago. The rumor has started to spread among humans that the long dead soldiers have begun walking the battlefields. Most favored monster skeleton knight, most favored bone spike trap, most purchased monster skeleton, most purchased bone spike trap, boss monster death knight


    Current Dungeon Core #594 [Alex] Location: Adra Mountains


    Dungeon: Southern volcano Crystal: small fire garnet


    Dungeon contains 3 floor, 10 room, 5 monsters, 20 traps.


    Dungeon core level: 3 XP: 75


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    Located in a small volcano in the southern Adra Mountains, no humans have yet to discover it. Most favored monster weak fire elemental, most favored flame trap, most purchased monster fire elemental, most purchased flame trap, boss monster Amy.


    Current Dungeon Core #712 [Sara] Location: Southern Merretta


    Dungeon: Fairy spring Crystal: small water tanzanite


    Dungeon contains 2 floor, 5 rooms, 20 monster, 3 traps


    Dungeon core level: 2 XP: 3319


    Dungeon active: 0 years


    Fairy spring is a small pond in the southern forest of Merretta, recently small pixies and fairies have been witnessed by humans passing through the area. Most favored monster Pretty Pixie, most favored trap mud trap, Most purchased monster fairy, Most purchased trap N/A, boss monster Pixie queen.


    I see that Corpse, and Midget already changed their names. I really need to decide on a name soon. I bring the screen forward asking me to enter a name, but after a few minutes I give up sliding it back out of the way.


    Midget, well I guess its Sara now. She told me to send her a message after I got set up so I decide to send her one.


    ¡°I see you changed your name. How are things going on your end?¡±


    Sara: ¡°Yep! Yep! You can call me Sara now! You better hurry and pick one yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yea, I am still thinking on it.¡±


    Sara: ¡°Oh! Oh! Oh! I got a Pixie Queen as a boss monster! She is so CUTE! I named her Lili! What did you get?¡±


    I decide its best not to tell her that I can¡¯t summon one so I just say.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t summoned mine yet.¡±


    Sara: ¡°You need to hurry! They are super great! Oh! Oh! Humans have already passed by my dungeon. They just wandered around for a bit watching the fairies I had already summoned.¡±


    ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Sara: ¡°I will! Oh! Oh! And some of the wildlife from the forest use the pond where I set up my dungeon, so I am getting BUNCHES of xp!¡±


    ¡°Good for you.¡±


    Sara: ¡°Oh! I just had a goblin wander in! I got to go!¡±


    After that I send a message to the others as well, but only Alex answers me back. We only talk for a few minutes, sending a few pleasantries and that¡¯s it. I then send a message to Thirty-seven asking her how she is doing.


    She replies with just. ¡°Fine.¡±


    I send her a few more messages but with short one or two word answers I finally give up.


    Over the next few days not even so much as a mouse enters my dungeon. I continue talking with Sara off and on she always seems excited and happy to talk. On the fourth day Sara tells me about a beastkin hero that came to the pond.


    Sara: ¡°And then! And Then! She looked like she was going to make camp, but after reading a book she didn¡¯t stay.¡±


    ¡°Well, be careful. It sounds like someone like that could easily wipe out us dungeons that are just starting out, if they want to.¡±


    Sara: ¡°I didn¡¯t have the fairies attack her because I seen she had a magic sword. I think she was looking for the goblins that have been coming around.¡±


    We talk for a bit longer then I decide that I want to check out the area around the dungeon. I take the gear from one of the crimson kobolds, and spend 20xp on a few gold coins from the [Menu]. I then set out of the dungeon.


    A few hundred feet from the opening to the dungeon there is a large open area in the trees with a rather sizable lake. I go around the lake till I find the path that the humans use that goes down to the village at the bottom of the mountain.


    Once I find it I make my way down the mountain to the human village. I make it to the edge of the village in only 15 or so minutes and I look back up the mountain.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit further then I thought it was. This might complicate things a bit.¡±


    The village proves to be quite a bit larger than I anticipated and I quickly get lost among the streets. Soon several of the villagers wearing just normal clothing start whispering about me. Soon an older man walks up to me.


    Old Man: ¡°You lost sonny? We don¡¯t have much of an adventurer¡¯s guild here in Tobes, but it is right off the village square.¡±


    With a little assistance I find myself at the village square. There isn¡¯t really anything in the line of shops and such but one of the buildings have a sign that reads adventurer¡¯s guild, but it looks more like a pub.


    Once I enter the building it seems clear that it is more of a pub then an adventurer¡¯s guild. There is a bar and quite a few tables but the chairs are all stacked on top of the tables and I don¡¯t see anyone around.


    ¡°Hello?¡± I call out to the empty room.


    After a few moments a stout redheaded guy with a bushy beard walks out of a door behind the bar.


    Man: ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t seen one of you in over a year. What brings you way out here in the sticks?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the adventure¡¯s guild?¡±


    Man: ¡°Well technically it is, but like I said we don¡¯t get many adventuring types here. Mainly the townsfolk just gather here in the evening for a drink.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Man: ¡°We don¡¯t got no commissions or anything like that, but if you are looking for something to do before passing through town you might talk to Herald. He¡¯s the one that keeps the peace around here I think I heard him say something happened up in the forest a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I guess. Where can I find him?¡±


    Man ¡°You take the road on the left side of the building here, and go down two... No three houses and that should be his.¡±


    I leave the pub and head to the house the man mentioned and right next to the house there is 3 guys standing there. One is up on a stool stretching out a pelt tacking it to the side of the wall while the other two guys are talking to him.


    Man on stool: ¡°I am telling you that¡¯s why we need you guys to check it out.¡±


    Man 1: ¡°If it can do that to a bear I am not going to go look for it.¡±


    Man 2: ¡°Maybe whatever it was just passed us by and won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Once the guy steps down from the stool I notice he it was a bear pelt that he was hanging and it has two large scorched holes in it¡­ The man getting down from the stool notices me.


    Man: ¡°Who are you? Well, I guess that really doesn¡¯t matter. You might just be what we are looking for.¡±


    The other two men turn and look at me and suddenly seem a like they are greatly relieved.


    ¡°Are you Herald?¡±


    Herald: ¡°Why yes I am. Did Duke from over at the adventurer¡¯s guild send you this way?¡±


    I assume that¡¯s the name of the man I talked to at the adventure¡¯s guild so I nod and Herald continues.


    Herald: ¡°We don¡¯t get adventurers though these parts very much but if you got the time you might be just the man we are looking for. You see we had this bear come charging into the village a couple days ago. She hurt two hunters pretty bad before they brought her down.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry to hear that.¡±


    Herald: ¡°Well something must have attacked her in the forest, because she had these huge burn wounds on her. I was trying to recruit someone to go up into the forest, but these two are useless.¡±


    ¡°I have actually been lost in the forest the last few days found a cave with some kobold in it maybe it was them?¡±


    Herald: ¡°Kobold? Are you serious? There have not been any monsters in the forest in over a hundred years.¡±


    Man 1: ¡°Hey if you are talking monsters we are definitely out.¡±


    Man2: ¡°You need to send word to the city, to the real adventurer¡¯s guild if there are monsters moving into the forest.¡±


    They seem to be in a bit of panic over a few kobold, maybe it wasn¡¯t a good idea of letting them know we are up there just yet.


    ¡°The adventure¡¯s guild wouldn¡¯t send a hero way out here for a few kobolds would they?¡±


    Herald: ¡°Na, I doubt they will send anyone to a backwater place like this without major pay, especially if they aren¡¯t bothering the village. Besides you are already here, surely an adventurer like you can take care of a few kobolds.¡±


    ¡°Well you see I am not exactly an adventurer, I just wear this for protection while I travel.¡±


    Herald: ¡°That¡¯s awfully expensive gear for just a traveler.¡±


    ¡°Better safe than sorry right...?¡±


    Herald: ¡°If your just a traveler why where you in the forest in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I thought I would cut through the forest on my way to the tower of the gods and I ended up getting lost.¡±


    Herald: ¡°Lost is an understatement if you were trying to get to the tower of the gods. You¡¯re even on the wrong side of the mountain¡­¡±


    Herald is starting to look at me suspiciously I guess Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon isn¡¯t as close as I thought.


    Herald: ¡°Well anyway if you can¡¯t help I guess I will have to send word to the city.¡±


    I nod and try to sneak away.


    Herald: ¡°You think you could lead one of the hunters to the cave? That way we at least know where to send the real adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Yea it shouldn¡¯t take long. It¡¯s up there by that lake in the mountain.¡±


    Herald: ¡°You mean they are that close? I think I know what cave you are talking about if it¡¯s by the lake. Well if they are in that cave, I better warn the other villagers to keep an eye out. Oh and this time go around the forest.¡±


    I nod as Herald heads to the town square.


    I guess I need to sneak back up to the dungeon now¡­


    It¡¯s been two weeks since I went down to the village, and so far nothing has entered my dungeon. Sara told me she often gets people that go to her dungeon now just to watch the pixies and fairies. Even Derek finally messaged me back making fun of me.


    I tried to teach a few of the kobolds chess¡­But they just kept smashing the pieces¡­


    I talked to Madam Erin a few days ago and asked how close I actually was to her dungeon and she said only a few hours, but after talking to Thirty-seven later I found out she meant in a straight line over the forest not on foot. That was a waste of a day trekking through the forest¡­


    A few more days pass while I am sitting there bored looking over the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> when I receive a message.


    Intruders have entered your dungeon.


    ¡°Oh thank god¡­¡±


    I quickly check the screen.


    Two young men and a young woman enter. The first man looks human with light brown hair, he carries a sword, shield, and has on some leather armor but it can¡¯t be that good of quality. The other man looks to be some kind of beastkin but I can¡¯t tell what kind with his short round ears and thin long tail, and he carries a wooden shield and some kind of club. The woman has short black hair and is wearing robes so she must be some kind of mage, and she to also appears to be human.


    Human guy: ¡°Be careful this cave isn¡¯t supposed to be very deep, and at least one of the kobolds can cast fire spells.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°You¡¯re the only one with the metal shield, so you better block fire spells.¡±


    Once they reach the end of the tunnel the woman speaks up.


    Woman: ¡°I guess they moved on.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Wait there is an opening over here.¡±


    One of the young kobolds walks past the archway and the human guy calls out.


    Human guy: ¡°Get ready!¡± ¨CHe then bangs his sword against his shield making a loud racket.-


    I have the five young kobolds rush though the archway. I know it¡¯s not really a good idea to bottleneck them in the archway, but I don¡¯t mind if the humans take these ones out I just want to judge their power.


    The woman quickly casts a spell and a kobold with a spear hits the ground. I can¡¯t make out what kind of spell it was but then I notice the kobold isn¡¯t dead. Must be some kind of knock out or sleep spell I am guessing.


    A kobold with a greatsword attacks the beastkin, and one with a sword and shield attacks the other guy. The greatsword hits the wooden shield causing it to crack but the beastkin brings the club around hitting the kobold hard right in the head. The human guy and the kobold he is fighting exchange blows back and forth as the clangs of their weapons hitting each other¡¯s shields echoes through the cave.


    An archer kobold kicks the sleeping kobold as he is lying right in the middle of the archway. The sleeping kobold doesn¡¯t budge and the archer step over it while firing an arrow at the woman.


    Woman: ¡°Archer!¡± ¨CShe ducks behind the human guy while casting a spell at the archer.-


    A small black fog covers the archer¡¯s eyes, and he starts rubbing his face with his arm. With the sleeping, and blind kobolds blocking the doorway the kobold mage can¡¯t get past.


    The greatsword kobold swings his sword again, this time the wooden shield breaks cutting a deep wound into the beastkin. It doesn¡¯t stop him from knocking the kobold upside the head again with his club, this time causing the kobold to fall.


    The human guy is not having any luck with his kobold, but the kobold isn¡¯t making any progress either. The woman casts a spell this time on the beastkin and the wound on his arm closes and quits bleeding.


    The mage is still stuck in the other room so I have him retreat into the iron doors. Having the mage go in now would just be throwing xp away.


    The beastkin takes his club in both hands slamming it as hard as he can into the side of the blind kobolds head with a loud crunch.


    The human guy never does get a hit in on the kobold he is fighting as the beastkin moves in taking it out as well.


    Human guy: ¡°I would have taken him if you gave me a chance.¡± ¨CHe moves over stabbing the KOed kobold in the face.


    Beastkin: ¡°I didn¡¯t see any mages. I thought they said there was a mage.¡±


    Woman: ¡°I did see what looked like a mage try to come through the door but when he couldn¡¯t get past he retreated back.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°This cave is not that big it can¡¯t have gone far. We need to take them all out to receive the commission.¡±


    After walking into the next room they look around then stare at the large rusty iron double door.


    Woman: ¡°We were not told about this. This room shape is not natural, and this door is not supposed to be here.¡±


    Human guy: ¡°The guy back in the village, didn¡¯t he say it was just a small dead end tunnel?¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°The door is rusted though, so it has to have been there for a long time.¡± ¨CHe runs his hand across the archway. - ¡°This opening is to smooth as well. This had to be here for ages but was just sealed off.¡±


    Woman: ¡°If the mage went through the door, who knows what¡¯s on the other side. Shouldn¡¯t we go back and report this?¡±


    Human guy: ¡°And lose our commission? I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¨CHe moves over to the door pulling on the handles of both doors swinging them wide open.-


    A blast of fire comes flying from the room hitting the human man square in the chest knocking him back and to the floor, and the woman rushes forward casting a spell healing the wound.


    Beastkin: ¡°This isn¡¯t right.¡±


    After hitting the human man with the fire spell the little kobold runs back behind 4 larger kobolds all armed with better gear.


    The human guy gets back on his feet. ¡°We will just have to take out these ones as well.¡± He then charges into the room.-


    Beastkin: ¡°No! You idiot, can¡¯t you tell these ones are much stronger!¡± He then rushes in trying to catch up.


    A kobold archer takes aim at the charging human and lets loose an arrow nailing the guy in the leg. The woman then steps inside the room casting a spell at the archer. The black fog covers the kobold¡¯s eyes but this time the kobold just takes a few steps back moving behind the rest of the group.


    I order the kobolds though the [Menu] to try to capture at least one of the adventurers alive.


    The human guy makes it to a kobold with a sword and shield, and attacks it. He was however on par with the young kobold in strength and now with the injured leg stands no chance against this kobold.


    The beastkin tries to save the human guy but is blocked off kobold swinging a greataxe at him. He tries to block the blow with his wooden club, but the club splinters and breaks causing the beastkin to fall back to the floor.


    A spear wielding kobold steps forward piercing the human guy¡¯s heart, while he is fighting with the sword and shield kobold. The woman panics and tries to run away, but while they were occupied with the group in front of them, I snuck in two spear wielding kobolds to guard the iron door leading out.


    She casts a spell blinding one of them with the black fog while the beastkin rushes back to her. The other kobolds however move in subduing them both.


    I have the kobold toss the two in one of the side rooms but not before moving the kobolds out of it with [Menu] so that the adventurers don¡¯t see them.


    I have the kobold strip the mage of her staff and robe leaving her in just her underclothes, and search the beastkin. He only has a small pouch but I have the kobold remove it as well.


    Once the kobold are back to the main room I clean up the bodies, and collect the items including the gear the kobold collected from the adventurers. I then get a message.


    Intruders subdued


    Battle results:


    Acquired: 2xp, 1 [Old Leather Armor], 1 [Iron Sword], 1 [Small Iron Shield], 1 [Wooden Staff], 1 [Mage Robe], 1 [Leather Belt Pouch], 1 Male Beaskin (Rat) prisoner, 1 Female Human prisoner


    Losses: 4 young kobold


    I only got 2 xp from the human? Well he was on par with the young kobold in strength, so I guess that sounds about right. I just kind of expected more¡­ I will hold the prisoners a few days then they can ¡°escape¡± if nobody comes back they might send in a much larger and stronger group of adventurers.


    I watch the prisoners on one of the screens while I go through their gear.


    I find several gold coins on from each of their things, three identical little books that say Adventurer¡¯s ID on the cover, some dried meat and bread, and a canteen of water.


    The coins look different than the ones I summoned with xp so maybe it¡¯s a good thing I didn¡¯t try to spend any of my dungeon coins when I went to the village. Going through the little books, each has a single page, and it resembles the pages from the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> book.


    Adventurer #23,487 [Colleen] Base: Kartova


    Race: Human Gender: Female


    Rank: D Level: 1


    Class: Mage Favored Element: Water


    Commissions Complete: 2


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Adventurer #21,926 [Ratone] Base: Kartova


    Race: Beastkin (Rat) Gender: Male


    Rank: D Level: 3


    Class: Warrior Favored Element: Fire


    Commissions Complete: 10


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Adventurer #20,104 [Kenneth] (Deceased) Base: Kartova


    Race: Human Gender: Male


    Rank: D Level: 1


    Class: Warrior Favored Element: Fire


    Commissions Complete: 0


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    On the back cover of the booklets it has the words:


    Property of Adventurer¡¯s Guild, if found return to nearest Adventurer¡¯s Guild for reward.


    The woman Colleen is huddled in the corner of the room hugging her knees wearing Ratone¡¯s shirt that he gave her shortly after being confined in the room. Ratone has walked the perimeter of the room several times checking the walls.


    He eventually tries to open the door surprised to find its unlocked but when he slowly opens it two kobolds with spears make racket shaking their spears in his face and he retreats back inside shutting the door.


    Colleen: ¡°What are they going to do with us?¡±


    Ratone: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have never heard of kobolds taking prisoners before.¡±


    Colleen: ¡°You don¡¯t think they are going to eat us do you?¡±


    Ratone shakes his head and looks like he is about to deny the possibility but stops and instead says. ¡°In any case we need to find a way out of here. The doors are just wood, and don¡¯t even have locks, so if we don¡¯t panic I am sure we will find a way to escape.¡±


    Colleen: ¡°What about Ken?¡±


    Ratone: ¡°There is no longer anything that can be done for him. He is gone.¡±


    Colleen: ¡°how many kobolds do you think are out there?¡±


    Ratone: ¡°I don¡¯t know. There is at least that one small mage that retreated at the start. Then the seven larger ones we fought with in that large room. I saw three other doors then this one in that big room. I also saw stairs to the back. There is no telling how big this place is.¡±


    Over the next few hours they don¡¯t really say much else but Ratone tries to peak out of the door every hour or so only to have the kobolds push him back in.


    When night falls I set the dungeon to warn me if they leave that room and go to bed. When I wake the next morning Ratone looks like he didn¡¯t sleep at all but Collen looks to be curled up in a corner sleeping. I also received a message.


    12xp rewarded for intruders in your dungeon at the start of the day.


    12xp bonus for intruder prisoners in your dungeon at the start of day.


    Well that doesn¡¯t even cover the cost of just one of the tiny kobolds they killed, but at least it¡¯s something.


    After another hour or so Colleen finally wakes up and says. ¡°I am starting to get really hungry, do you have anything?¡±


    Ratone: ¡°I did have some a little but it was in the pouch the kobolds took.¡±


    Colleen: ¡°What time do you think it is?¡±


    Ratone: ¡°It is probably a little after daybreak. We have been here about 15 to 18 hours.¡±


    That¡¯s right humans have to eat food, I completely forgot¡­ How much do they have to eat though? I might have to let them escape tonight, so they don¡¯t starve.


    I send the food and water that Ratone had in his pouch to one of the kobolds and have him deliver it. Colleen shakes in the corner when the kobold enters the room but Ratone bares his fists. When the kobold drops the stuff on the floor and walks out, Colleen rushes over and grabs it.


    Colleen: -After taking three or four bites and taking a big drink out of the canteen- ¡°Here you have some too.¡± ¨CShe gives some to Ratone.-


    Ratone: ¡°This looks like the supplies I had packed¡± ¨Che takes a bite then continues. - ¡°You might want to save some, I don¡¯t know if they will give us anything else after this.¡±


    Ratone speaks to late though as Colleen is finishing off the last of the food.


    Colleen: ¡°Now I have to go to the bathroom.¡±


    Ratone: ¡°I found a bucket and used it while you slept, it¡¯s over there in the corner.¡± ¨CHe points to a bucket.-


    Colleen: ¡°I can¡¯t do that!¡± ¨CShe looks offended.-


    Ratone shrugs and sits down leaning against the wall. ¡°I am going to try to get some sleep, wake me up if anything happens.¡±


    Nothing happens for the next few hours. Colleen makes several trips back and forth to the bucket always changing her mind, but eventually she gives up and uses the bucket.


    Once night falls I move all the normal kobolds to one of the other rooms leaving only the small kobold mage at the door. At midnight I get another 24xp minus the 2xp that is consumed.


    Shortly after Ratone checks the door this time he moves over to Colleen and whispers.


    ¡°There is only one small kobold mage at the door, if you can put it to sleep with a sleep spell, we might be able to get out of here.¡±


    After cracking the door a bit Colleen casts a sleep spell on the kobold making him fall to the floor then they carefully and quietly sneak out the iron door.


    I have two archers standing ready in the little square room hiding in the corners. Once they start to exit the archway I have the archers step forward both hitting Colleen in each leg. Ratone quickly scoops Colleen up and runs for the exit. One of the kobolds takes another shot hitting him in the shoulder but then I order them to back off and let them go.


    Damn I didn¡¯t expect him to carry her out. I wanted to be able to learn her spells¡­


    Intruders have fled the dungeon.


    I decide to reset everyone¡¯s positions and then replace the dead young kobold with normal kobold, but leave them in the rusty gear. Cost: 300xp


    I now decide to add a few traps to the dungeon. Placing a [Ice Covered Spike Trap] in the archway using a trip wire activator, in the large room I put 4 [Ice Dart Traps] with tile switch activators. With my skill reducing the cost of the elemental base traps it cost still costs me 555xp.


    I then go to bed.

 Gunner and Leo

    For the next two days after the two adventurers ¡°escaped¡± I have had a few humans enter, but before they even step a few feet in my dungeon then turn around and leave again. Unable to see what goes on just outside of the cave I decided to spend 1000xp to add a room to the front of the cave.


    Without selecting any walls or anything it essentially just adds the section of dirt outside of the cave as part of my dungeon grounds. With the limits of the terrain and such I am only able to set it about 10 feet in front of the dungeon but I manage to cover about 20 feet on either side.


    Now that I can see what goes on within a reasonable distance though a screen so I don¡¯t think the 1000xp was a bad cost.


    There are a couple of people set up down by the lake, they don¡¯t look like adventurers though, more like the hunters from the village. They are probably making sure that the kobolds aren¡¯t going to attack the village.


    I might have sent kobolds out to hunt, but after that Herald guy told me that there are no monsters in the forest I didn¡¯t really see the point. Sara is lucky. She told me she sends out a few of her pixies and fairies to hunt goblins in the forest she is in.


    After two more days pass a group of adventurers show up and set up camp right outside the cave, and fortunately for me with the room added outside they are now within my dungeon. Although they look quite a bit tougher the last group, there are also 5 of them.


    After a conversation they have that evening I learn the leader¡¯s name is Gunnar, he is a warrior that has a nice set of chainmail armor and wields two rather nice swords. By the way the others talk to him he seems like some kind of noble or lord or something.


    After what I read about what happened to Leland I better try to let him escape my dungeon alive. There is also an archer that seems well equipped named Leo. He has a good bow and wears a nice set of leather armor.


    The other three are less notable. An older man seems like some kind of holy man with robes and a staff named Domino, there is also a young mage named John, but he doesn¡¯t seem any better equip then Colleen was. The last man named Terrence is wearing a set of heavy armor but it looks rather worn, he also has a small one handed axe and small shield.


    I can¡¯t make any heavy armor yet so I would like to make sure I take him out. I might be able to learn a few spells from the holy man and the mage, so need to try to bring them down as well. As for the archer it doesn¡¯t matter, if I can take him out for the extra xp I will but I am not going to push for it.


    In preparation for the groups attack I move the set of kobold in the rusty gear into one of the side rooms and replace them with an iron gear wearing set of kobold. I set [Menu] to wake me up if the intruders enter the cave, or just before dawn, then I go to bed.


    When [Menu] wakes me I quickly jump out of bed, but then realize it is just because of the time. There is a screen telling me I received 50xp from the intruders, and after twenty or so minutes of waiting the group begins prepping to enter.


    The group enters the cave and slowly makes their way down the tunnel. I move the kobolds in the cave room back against the walls so they can¡¯t see them from the tunnel. Once they are within 20 or so feet of the archway the archer Leo puts his hand on Gunnar¡¯s shoulder stopping the group.


    Leo: ¡°There in the opening, there is a trip wire running across the floor. I also sense multiple kobolds in the room just past it.¡±


    I begin thinking that maybe I didn¡¯t give this archer enough credit¡­


    They attempt to pass the archway in an X formation with the casters in the back, melee up front, and archer in the middle, but as soon as Gunnar and Terrence step over the trip wire the kobold attack.


    The mage hits Terrence with a [Fireball], but Gunnar dodges the arrow fired at him. Both mages cast spells on Terrence, one healing his burns the other enveloping him in a soft red light.


    Leo moves forward stepping over the tripwire and fires his bow at the kobold archer in the corner. The arrow hits him square in the chest but he isn¡¯t quite down yet. A spear kobold moves in straight down the middle of the room trying to stab Leo.


    Meanwhile two kobolds close in from the sides with a greatsword swung at Terrence, and a kobold with a sword and shield engages Gunnar. With nowhere to go Leo reaches past the spear tip being jabbed at him and grabs the shaft of the spear trying to use brute strength to block the kobold.


    Gunnar parries a blow with one sword while smashing the shield with the other causing the kobold to recoil. Terrence is having a bit more trouble blocking the massive greatsword with both his shield and small axe.


    The kobold archer in the corner looks to be seriously struggling to breathe as he fires an arrow at Leo.


    Leo unable to dodge the arrow while grappling the spear takes the arrow to the shoulder, and he then jerks the spear from the kobolds hands causing it to fall forward. Spinning the spear around he jabs it into the fallen kobold.


    The mage in the other corner casts another [Fireball] at Terrence but this time the spell fizzles as it hits the red haze surrounding him.


    Gunnar smashes the kobold with the sword and shield over and over with his two swords pushing him back. The kobold changes tactics and tries to dodge instead of block, but when he jumps to the side Gunnar finds the opening he was waiting on swiftly decapitating the kobold.


    The seriously wounded archer kobold and the mage kobold retreat through the rusty double doors while the greatsword wielding kobold holds off the intruders. He puts up a good fight against Terrence but once Gunnar and Leo move in the kobold swiftly loses his life.


    John and Domino finally step over the tripwire and enter the room. Leo removes the arrow from his shoulder and Domino heals him. The men quickly inspect each other¡¯s gear, and then give the mages time to recover.


    Gunnar: ¡°I see why that new group of adventurers had such a struggle against these kobolds. They performed exceedingly well. They even possessed far greater tactics then I usually see in kobold.¡±


    Leo: ¡°I know, I am starting to get fired up.¡±


    Terrence: ¡°Are you two always like this? Those kobolds where insane, just one misstep and it would have been me instead of him.¡±


    Domino: ¡°I quite agree. If the battles get any more intense John and I will have to decline on joining you moving forward.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Come on guys don¡¯t be like that.¡±


    Domino: ¡°I just hope you keep our limitations in mind moving forward.¡±


    Leo: ¡°Agreed. Now let¡¯s see what else this place has in store for us.¡±


    Not wanting to lose any more xp then I have to, I move the critically wounded archer all the way back into the crystal room with the golems. I also move the one young kobold mage that is left as well. I move the set of kobold with the rusty gear in along with the other set in the main room but have them set for back-up.


    The invading group slowly peek in though the double doors.


    Domino: ¡°I am sorry Gunnar that is over double what we fought here. John and I will not be going in.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°But look, half are barely even armed.¡±


    Domino: ¡°I am responsible for keeping you in fighting order, but John and I are just not ready to take on a group like that. If you want to stay here, John and I can find you replacements once we get back to the guild.¡±


    Leo: ¡°That will take weeks.¡±


    Terrence: ¡°I am sorry guys, I am with them. I appreciate you giving someone like me a chance to hunt with you but I just don¡¯t have the confidence to step foot in that room with all of those kobolds.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Fine lets head back, but I guess it¡¯s not like we have much choice in the matter.¡±


    The group examines the dead kobold but decide that none of it is worth taking and they head back outside. Once outside Gunnar and Domino discuss setting a commission for some reinforcements, and once Domino gets Gunnar¡¯s signature Terrence, Domino, and John head down from the mountain.


    Gunnar: ¡°Well there they go. I guess that¡¯s what we get for hiring on amateurs.¡±


    Leo: ¡°We didn¡¯t have much choice. They were all that was available on such a short notice. Do you want to head back down to the village while we wait?¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Nah, I asked Domino to send a villager with some supplies up to us. Tobes doesn¡¯t even have an inn, besides we already have our stuff set up here.¡±


    Leo: ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    After a few hours a man on horseback comes up the mountain from the direction of the village. After giving Gunnar a bag full of supplies Gunnar gives him two of the little gold coins like the ones the other adventurers has on them.


    For the next few days the two men spend their morning sparring together, and their afternoons lounging about. The man on the horse returns every evening giving Gunnar more supplies for two of the little gold coins.


    Even with just Gunnar and Leo I still manage to bring in 30xp every day. On the fourth day I wake up to a message about gaining a level and even after the crystals consumption I bring in 168xp by the 6<sup>th</sup> day.


    When the man on a horse returns on the evening of the 6<sup>th</sup> day he has two women with him. One of the women has short red hair and has attractive face, but you can¡¯t tell about her body due to a massive set of heavy armor she is wearing. She also has what I think is a type of spear on her back, but it looks more small axe at the end of an 8 foot pole then a spear.


    The second woman is much shorter with light olive green hair, also kept short. She has two fuzzy round ears sticking out of the top of her head and a large poufy tail. Her appearance is more cute then femininity attractive, she is wearing better mage robes then I have yet seen, and carries a wooden staff that is as tall as she is.


    Horse man: ¡°These young ladies said they were looking for you, something about a commission.¡±


    Gunnar and Leo¡¯s eyes get big when they see the redhead¡¯s face and they quickly bow.


    Gunnar: ¡°You fool! Do you know who you are talking about? That is the 3<sup>rd</sup> princess.¡±


    The man on the horse scratches his head and starts to stutter but the redhead cuts him off.


    Redhead: ¡°Really it is ok. I never introduced myself so how is a village way out here expected to know who I am. Besides my linage is merely a formality, between my 4 brothers and 2 older sisters I never even come close to the throne.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°But, milady!¡±


    Redhead: ¡°Really its fine, I rather you call me Belinda anyway. Besides the only thing my title has ever given me is the endless marriage proposals like the one I received last month from the eldest son of the Travin family.¡±


    Gunnar¡¯s face manages to turn even redder then Belinda¡¯s hair. Belinda speaks with the man on the horse about the supplies giving him 5 small gold coins and taking two sacks of supplies. The man on the horse nervously rubs his head, takes the coins, and then leaves.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh where are my manners.¡± ¨CShe pulls the beastkin over in front of her. - ¡°This is Amy, her family has served mine for years. She is also a dear friend of mine, and I also hear she has a crush on the son of the house of Luis.¡±


    The little beastkin blushes as much as Gunnar did a few minutes ago and tries to hide behind her staff.


    Belinda: ¡°I was rather surprised when I saw the commission from you two, I thought your families where at odds?


    Leo: ¡°That¡¯s sort of a long story.¡± ¨CHe says looking rather embarrassed. - ¡°Gunnar and I have been friends since practically birth though. That was one of the reason we joined the adventurer¡¯s guild, to get away from the bickering.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°How did you manage to get here so fast? We were not expecting anyone for a least another week.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We heard that you set out from the capital, and thought we might head out here as well, to be honest we didn¡¯t learn of the commission until we had already arrived at the village.¡±


    They continue talking for a while and being fighting over who would prepare dinner. As the princess wanted to cook but the other three objected. Belinda eventually pulls rank making the others back down. When it¡¯s finally ready Amy gives Leo a bowl then blushes bright red again and runs and hides behind Belinda.


    Apparently Gunnar is the eldest son of the Travin family Belinda mentioned, and Leo is the son of the house of Luis. Great everyone except the beastkin is from an influential family. This might prove to be a pain.


    After dinner Belinda removes her armor setting it on a rack that Amy set up. Under her armor she was wearing a set of leather armor, but it looks like it seems to be more to protect her skin from the heavy armor then from receiving damage.


    When she removes the leather she almost has to peel it off of her skin revealing a stunning figure glistening with sweat. Now only wearing a short white undershirt and short shorts that stick to her sweaty body Gunnar and Leo can¡¯t help but drool.


    Amy jumps in-between shaking her arms up and down then casts a [Clean] spell on Belinda, and then covers her with a silken robe that she pulls from her backpack. For some reason an image of Belinda in the sweaty underclothes hunched over my crystal while I stand behind her hitting her with a whip gets stuck in my head¡­


    They then sit around the fire discussing my dungeon.


    Belinda: ¡°So what is this ¡°ancient dungeon¡± that you think you have discovered way out here in the sticks?¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Well this cave has been around as long as the villagers can remember. However after a bear awoke from hibernation by fire spells from a kobold started to trash the village, they sent in a commission for some adventurers. Now the group that came out was pretty green, and they lost one of their numbers in the fight, but the kobolds actually took them as hostages.¡±


    He seems to put a lot of reference in that point before he continues.


    Gunnar: ¡°The remaining two were then stripped of their gear, and held for two days in a stone building in the cave, before they managed to escape. After hearing that unusual behavior from kobolds I thought I would come check it out.¡±


    Leo then picks up the rest of the story.


    Leo: ¡°We entered with three others we hired, and when we got inside the kobold seemed like normal kobold. However when we began fighting the kobold started to display tactics far greater than anything I have ever heard.¡±


    Surely my kobolds aren¡¯t that special¡­ After all they dealt with them easy enough.


    Leo: ¡°Unfortunately when the guys we hired seen the group inside the stone building they took off on us before we got a chance to check it out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Surely you guys are adding flare to a simple story.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Well you will see for yourself when we enter tomorrow, unless you brought that walking armory with you just for show.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok how about a friendly wager then? Amy and I will take out more kobold then you and Leo, even with Amy taking care of the healing.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Leo: ¡°I will take that bet.¡±


    They continue small talk for another hour or so while I decide to work on my dungeon.


    I replace the kobolds in the square cave room but this time I add a 4/day total of 4 kobold rift, and a standard kobold mage rift. Each of the kobold use different gear so I don¡¯t set their equipment and just put a weapon rack in the corner for 25 xp setting the rusty gear up.


    Setting it up that way only cost me a total of 2225xp where 5 standard rifts to set up each kobold¡¯s different weapon set would of cost me 4000xp, so I decide to do the same in the large room.


    The young kobold mage is still running around, and I have an extra archer, so I had to buy one more mage robe and a wooden staff for the kobold mage rift in the first room, and switched the archer to the Iron sword, shield, and old leather armor I got from the first group of adventurers. I now have 3836 xp left.


    After I finish with the dungeon I take one last look at the group. Gunnar is sprawled out inside his tent snoring loudly, while Belinda is curled up holding onto Amy both sleeping soundly. Only Leo is left awake sitting by the fire poking it with a stick. I set [Menu] to wake me if they enter the cave, and then head to bed myself.


    When I wake up the message showing how much xp I got from the group is 75xp¡­


    By what I have figured I get around 10% of what a creature¡¯s cost in xp is when they die, and judging from the first group of adventurers the amount I get per day is likely 10% of that. That means to summon creatures as strong as this group of 4 I would have to use 7500xp¡­


    I hope I can fend them off with what I have. I add two more [Weak Earth Golems] to the core room just to be safe.


    I watch as it takes almost 15 minutes for Amy to help Belinda equip her armor, so I guess that means humans can¡¯t use [Menu]. After the group eventually gets ready they head inside the cave, Belinda and Gunnar arguing over who takes point while Leo tickles Amy behind the ears causing her to blush profusely.


    As they get close to the end of the tunnel Gunnar stops the group.


    Gunnar: ¡°We cleared the area just up ahead, but if this really is an ancient dungeon the monsters will have surely been replaced. Be careful of the doorway, there is a trip wire.¡±


    As soon as the group gets within range I have the two mages and the archer open fire though the door way having them step back behind the cover after each attack.


    Gunnar and Belinda quickly dodge the incoming spells and arrows, but with nowhere to hide they just pick up the pace though the tunnel.


    On the third volley when Gunnar dodges a [Fireball] it puts Leo right in the path causing it to hit him right in the center of the chest.


    Amy blushes brightly as she quickly places her hand on Leo¡¯s chest healing the wound.


    Gunnar: ¡°What I tell you, isn¡¯t this great!?¡±


    He makes one last mad dash diving over the tripwire, rolling on the ground, than popping up behind all the kobolds.


    As the young kobold mage jumps back out to cast a 4<sup>th</sup> spell Belinda brings the blade of her spear down killing it in one fell swoop.


    Belinda: ¡°They don¡¯t seem any tougher than normal kobold though.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°That one doesn¡¯t count! It was the runt!¡±


    The melee kobold charge after Gunnar, he however parries a sword swing with one sword, a spear thrust with the other, and dodges out of the way of the greatsword.


    The next time the kobold archer pokes his head out to fire, Leo sends an arrow back. The kobold however manages to dodge sending the arrow passing by Gunnar¡¯s head.


    Gunnar: ¡°Oy! Watch where you aim that thing.¡±


    Belinda jumps past the trip wire now moving in to assist Gunnar. The kobold Mage hits her with a [Fireball] as she passes but Belinda doesn¡¯t even acknowledge it.


    Belinda: ¡°Amy show them what a real fire spell is!¡±


    Amy swings her staff around then when she brings it in a straight line from one side to the other the floor between the melee group and ranged group erupts in fire creating a wall separating the two.


    Gunnar spends his time parrying the blows of the spear kobold and the sword and shield kobold. Meanwhile the greatsword wielding kobold turns his attention to Belinda.


    Bringing the sword around in a fine arc it hits Belinda hard but she just rams her spear into his gut then promptly flings him across the room.


    Belinda: ¡°I thought you said you were good at this?¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Oh shut up.¡±


    Gunnar then parries another spear thrust, but when he finally finds an opening in the sword and shield kobold¡¯s defense, at the last second the kobold manages to block the blow with his shield.


    When the kobold mage sends another [Fireball] this time hitting Amy causing her to scream out, Leo swiftly shoots it an arrow, but the kobold manages to duck back behind the archway again.


    Leo: ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Don¡¯t worry this robe has good magic resistance.¡± ¨CWith a new determination she swings her staff around again causing stone from the wall to thrust out shoving the kobold mage back into the opening of the archway.-


    This time Leo nails it with an arrow as the protruding section of wall seeming crumbles leaving no traces behind.


    The kobold archer pulls the mage back to the other side of the archway and fires another arrow out but Leo dodges it.


    The spear kobold is forced to turn its attention to Belinda while the sword and shield kobold continues fighting Gunnar.


    With the spear user distracted Gunnar turns all his attention to the sword and shield kobold finally able to hit it with a fatal blow. Belinda easily parries the other spear and strikes hers down as well.


    Gunnar: ¡°Mine hit the ground first!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe, but that was still my third one.¡± =She then calls out to the other group. - ¡°Ok Amy you can drop the flames now.¡±


    The flames recede and Gunnar and Belinda shove each other trying to get to the archer first. Belinda¡¯s spears range lets her take out the archer but Gunnar at least claims the badly injured mage as a consolation.


    Amy and Leo move up and join the other two.


    Belinda: ¡°Told you.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°I will make it up in the next room.¡± ¨CHe starts to move towards the door when Belinda grabs his arm.-


    Belinda: ¡°Hold on we got to give Amy a minute to rest.¡±


    Amy moves around the room checking over everyone, she casts a healing spell on Belinda even though she appears uninjured sits down in the middle of the floor. Gunnar simple plops down on the floor as well.


    After a few minutes Amy using her staff as support, she pulls herself back to her feet and dusts off her backside.


    Amy: ¡°Ok I should be ready to go on now.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Ok, we have only taken a look in the next room but looks to be about double what was in this room¡­Wait.¡± ¨CHe kicks over one of the dead kobolds looking at the weapon it had. - ¡°Damn these where the weaker ones. The other day a set with better equipment was in this room and these guys were mixed in with the others in the next.¡±


    Leo: ¡°You¡¯re right, the ones we fought the other day didn¡¯t have rusted gear like this.¡±


    Belinda: -She peeks in the door. - ¡°Well not including the little mage that was in here I would say the group is the same size. Although, you are right about their equipment being a little better.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Maybe you were just wrong about this being a dungeon, and the kobold that was left had to spread out?¡±


    Leo: ¡°I might agree, but we left all the equipment behind, Why would the kobold pick up the better equipment from this room but still use the rusted gear?¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°I think to be on the safe side we need to assume there is another group just in case.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I agree. Well let¡¯s go.¡±


    As soon as they enter the room the kobolds take cover behind some of the crates scattered around the large room. The archer opens fire from the far side of the room aiming at the less armored Gunnar.


    From that distance Gunnar easily just steps out of the way of the incoming arrow but as soon as he does Leo yells.


    Leo: ¡°Not there!¡±


    It however is too late as Gunnar steps on one of the tile switches small icy darts shoot from the roof raining down on Gunnar.


    Most of the darts just hit his armor and fall to the floor, but a few find his flesh. One of his legs and both arms begin to freeze over as Amy rushes forward quickly casting a spell.


    Amy struggles to maintain her spell that is slowly stops the growth of ice covering Gunnar¡¯s arms and legs, as the kobold mage takes the chance to launch a [Fireball] at her.


    Belinda quickly jumps in front of Amy blocking the [Fireball] with her body. The [Fireball] doesn¡¯t seem to cause any damage to Belinda¡¯s armor however her face contorts as the spell hit.


    Leo quickly returns fire at the kobold mage but before his arrow reaches the kobold is already safely behind one of the crates.


    Gunnar struggles to move as the kobold archer fires another arrow. This time however he only manages to turn taking the arrow in the back.


    Amy: ¡°Hold on Gunnar!¡±


    Amy¡¯s spell finally begins to cause the ice to disappear from Gunnar¡¯s limbs.


    Leo quickly fires another arrow at the archer, but only manages to graze the kobold as it takes cover.


    Leo: ¡°At this rate they are just going to pick us off at a distance, we need to get in closer.¡±


    Amy finally clears the ice from Gunnar but she moves behind him.


    Amy: ¡°I have to remove the arrow before I can heal the wound.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Ok, do it quickly.¡±


    Amy reaches up and yanks on the arrow then begins casting a healing spell.


    Belinda: ¡°We need to fall back and regroup.¡±


    Another [Fireball] is sent hurling at Belinda crashing into her armor. This time Leo was waiting, he quickly fires an arrow hitting the mage in the chest, and the kobold falls back behind the crate.


    The group then quickly falls back into the square cave room. Gunnar grabs the iron spear lying in the floor from the earlier fight and shoves it through the door handles blocking the door from being opened.


    Belinda: ¡°Hurry, help me get out of this!¡± ¨CShe quickly pulls at the buckles of the heavy armor.-


    It takes the group a few minutes to get her out of the armor, and in the process the armor burns all of their hands. With the armor now in a heap on the floor Amy begins healing Belinda who is lying on the cool stone floor.


    Belinda suffered only minor injuries due to the protective leather armor underneath so she is healed verily quickly, Amy then moves on healing the guys burned hands. Once everyone is finally healed Amy collapses to the floor.


    Gunnar leans against the wall and slides to the floor.


    Gunnar: ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was all on me.¡±


    Leo: ¡°No, I should have seen the trap sooner. I did see at least two more, but there could be more.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok, we made it through alive, and that¡¯s the important part. After Amy rests up for a bit, and my armor cools down we will give it another shot, this time with a plan. ¡°


    Gunnar simply nods.


    Amy: ¡°I think that trap proves that this is indeed a dungeon. No kobold could have conceived of such a thing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I tend to agree. The tactics of the kobold also suggest it like Gunnar was saying.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Kobold are like rabid dogs they always just charge straight in, yea the mages and other ranged ones stick to the back, but to use cover, and the others¡­ They were just waiting¡­ I would never believe it from a kobold.¡±


    After twenty minutes or so Amy begins casting a spell on Belinda¡¯s armor making sure it has cooled down.


    While the group rests and recovers I turn my attention back to the central room. I heal the critically wounded kobold mage for 15xp, the kobold archer for 5xp, and reset the dart trap for 20xp. I also move a few of the crates closer to the door, and move the melee kobolds in closer.


    Leo said he seen three of the traps, with that and the way he spotted the trip wire before I think he must have some sort of trap detection skill. The trap descriptions have mentioned it before. He only seen three of the dart traps though, so it has to have a limited range. I need to try to use that.


    I set another trip wire and ice covered spike trap right past the door, maybe they will set it off before Leo can spot it. I also put in two more with tile switch activators behind the crates near the kobold. That way when they move in to engage the kobold in melee they will set them off. Cost: 325


    These adventurers are going to cost me all my xp, and I even need to try to keep most of them alive so I don¡¯t have an entire kingdom after me.


    I look back in on the group to see them trying to come up with a plan now. They have drawn out a map of the central room. Leo marks out the trap Gunnar set off along with the other two he spotted. Belinda then marks out the crates where the kobolds were hiding.


    Belinda: ¡°Ok, if Amy sets up her wall of flame here.¡± ¨CShe marks a line. - ¡°That should prevent the archer and mage from being able to hit us.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Meanwhile Leo, you try to take out this guy.¡± ¨CMarking one of the dots on the map. - ¡°While Belinda and I move in on these two.¡±


    Their plan seems pretty good. Well it would have been if I hadn¡¯t changed the room up that is. For good measure though I move the archer and mage a bit further apart, and bring in one more of each from one of the side rooms.


    When the group decide they have the plan down, they roll up the paper and Gunnar stuffs it in his pack.


    Gunnar: ¡°Ok, we got this now. Let¡¯s do it!¡±


    By sheer luck Belinda and Gunnar, both miss the trip wire as they rush in, and Leo sees it right as Amy is moving in right behind them.


    Leo: ¡°AMY!¡±


    Leo dives into her and both of them crash into the ground as the ice covered spike launch from the ground. Neither are wounded but fear takes hold of the group as they quickly notice the changes to the room, and the fact their exit is now blocked off by the spikes.


    Gunnar: ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know, but we have no choice now.¡±


    Amy quickly scrambles to her feet and spots the new mage and archer I added to the room casting a spell blocking them from attacking the group with a wall of fire.


    The other two now spread further apart now rise from behind their crates launching attacks. Amy quickly jumps forward taking the [Fireball] cast from the mage so it doesn¡¯t hit Belinda, while Gunnar manages to swat the arrow out of the air with one of his swords.


    Belinda: ¡°Amy!¡±


    Amy: ¡°Its fine, my robes are resistant to magic, its better this way.¡±


    Belinda and Gunnar charge forward leaping over the crates to attack the melee equip kobold. They set off one of the icy spike traps, but miraculously they both dodge the launching spikes. The kobold with the sword and shield wearing rusty chainmail, and the greatsword wielding kobold attack Belinda. While the spear wielding kobold and the one with sword and shield wearing leather armor attack Gunnar.


    Amy and Leo move forward using the blockade of crates the kobold where using as cover themselves. Amy swings her large staff around knocking the kobold mage out from behind his crate with an earth pillar, and Leo swiftly hits it with an arrow.


    The kobold archer fires an arrow but just hits a crate. The second mage and archer kobold are ordered to just stay where they are on standby until the flame wall drops.


    Parrying the swipe from a sword with her spear Belinda brings the backside of the spear around hitting the greatsword wielding kobold in the jaw with it, while Gunnar manages to hold off the two kobolds he is fighting.


    Amy and Leo do another stone pillar and arrow combo on the archer, this time however as soon as the pillar pushes him away from cover he dives behind a different crate the arrow missing him completely.


    The kobolds fighting Gunnar manage to cut his leg causing him to lose focus, and the other stabs his arm. Belinda on the other hand seems to be gaining an edge over her kobold duo, but still unable to land a critical wound.


    Amy casts a healing spell on Gunnar, and now the flame barrier is beginning to fade. Leo quickly covers Amy with his arms as an arrow flying across the room punctures his side. Pulling the arrow out of his side, he then fires it back at the kobold causing minor damage to the kobold archer.


    Belinda finally manages to kill the sword and shield kobold she is fighting but had to allow a slash from the other kobold¡¯s greatsword though her defense. The armor she wears blocks most of the damage but she still takes some damages from the brute force of the impact.


    Amy casts another pillar of stone, this time Leo manages to kill the archer, but now the flame wave completely dissipates leaving another archer and mage to deal with.


    Gunnar is still struggling he manages to block the sword and shield kobold, but receives another stab wound in his stomach from the spear user. Belinda is able to deal with the greatsword kobold now that it¡¯s by itself.


    Amy: ¡°I am sorry, that¡¯s all I can do.¡±


    Leo shoots another arrow this time trying to help out Gunnar, the arrow misses and hits a crate but it causes enough of a distraction that Gunnar stabs the spear wielding kobold in the throat.


    Belinda dodges an arrow, and is hit by a [Fireball] but she turns her attention to the one kobold left that Gunnar is attacking. Now only the one archer kobold and one mage kobold remain, but they are close to twenty feet away and the group is starting to take a pretty bad beating.


    Gunnar grabs ahold of Belinda rolling over the crates leaving them by Amy and Leo.


    Gunnar: ¡°There are only two left, but with the distance it¡¯s going to be hard. If Belinda or I distract them do you think you two can take at least one out?¡±


    Amy: ¡°I am sorry, my magic is drained. I might have just enough to block one of the fire spells, but I can¡¯t attack or do anything about the archer.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You cast the spell on me I will give everything I got to take out the mage, Gunnar you and Leo focus on the other archer.¡±


    The group nods. Amy casts a spell on Belinda covering her with a faint red light, but afterwards you can tell she has reached her limit and appears like she is about to pass out.


    Belinda and Gunnar both jump the crates again charging in, the mage targets Gunnar however so Belinda has to step in front of him to stop the spell slowing them down. Leo quickly fires a few arrows as fast as he can at the archer kobold so he won¡¯t fire back.


    Another [Fireball] crashes into Belinda just before she reaches the mage. She is starting to look seriously wounded but she still manages to end the mages life. When Gunnar arrives at the archer he jumps over the crate plunging both of his swords into the archer but at its last breath it slashes with a small dagger badly wounding Gunnar.


    Belinda and Gunnar return to the group behind the crates.


    Belinda: ¡°Right now we need to get out of here.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°How are we supposed to do that? The way out is blocked.¡±


    Leo: ¡°Calm down, I might be able to reset the trap but it will take a little time.¡±


    And on that note I decide to send in the next group of kobolds from one of the side rooms. The three melee kobold run forward taking cover behind crates, while the archer and mage takes positions in the back.


    Gunnar: ¡°Oh come on!¡±


    Leo: ¡°I have an idea¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You do? Quick what is it?¡±


    Leo: ¡°We have to surrender.¡±


    Amy: ¡°We can¡¯t kobolds don¡¯t care if you surrender or not.¡±


    Leo: ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was a good idea...But they did take that last group of adventurers as prisoners, I¡­I just don¡¯t think we will be able to beat them.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°He is right, the first group managed to escape, it¡¯s the only chance we have.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it¡¯s your bright idea you first¡­¡±


    Gunnar and Leo both stand up placing their weapons on the crate in front of them and step back with their arms raised in the air. The kobolds look like they are about to attack but I order them to hold their ground. After a few moments Belinda and Amy also both stand placing their weapons on the crate and stepping back with their arms raised.


    The groups faces sink further into despair when another group of kobolds walks out one of the other of the side rooms, and all of them surround the group. Two of the kobolds set down their weapons and move forward. They sniff the group and both move up to Gunnar.


    Gunnar begins to resist as the two kobold begin tugging on him, but they manage to forcibly remove him from his armor placing it on the crates behind them. As they move back forward to Leo, he nods and unbuckles his leather armor pulling it off himself and dropping to the floor in front of him.


    The two kobold place it on the crates then return next moving up to Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    The two kobolds quickly step back and two with spears move forward shaking them in her face while making weird grunting noises. Leo quickly steps forward and they turn the spears to him.


    Leo: ¡°She means she has to have help to take it off.¡± ¨CHe nods to Amy and they help Belinda remove the armor.-


    Once dragging the heavy armor to the crate they return still standing in front of Belinda shaking the spears.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you kidding me? Fine!¡± ¨CShe then peels off the light leather armor, and throws it at the kobold in front of her.-


    Once they move on to Amy she quickly turns to Belinda shaking her head. They shake their spears at her but she remains determined. When the two unarmed kobold move forward and start tugging on Amy¡¯s robes Belinda tries to intervene but the two kobolds with the spears shove them at her face.


    When the kobolds finally pull the robes free and add them to the pile. They leave Amy standing there wearing only a small pair of pink panties, cupping her small bare breasts with her hands, with tears in her eyes, and her head hanging low.


    The kobolds then force the group to walk into one of the small side rooms closing the door behind them.


    Intruders subdued


    Battle results:


    Acquired: 2 [Top Quality Steel Swords], 1 [Finely Crafted Wooden Bow], 1 [Master Quality Halberd], 1 [Superior Quality Battlestaff], 1 [Superior Quality Chainmail], 1 [Superior Quality Leather Armor], 1 [Master Quality Full-plate Armor], 1 [Superior Quality Leather Gambeson], 1 [ Magic Resistant Magician¡¯s Robes], 2 [Leather Packs], 2 [Leather Pouches], 2 Male Human Prisoners, 1 Female Beaskin (Squirrel) prisoner, 1 Female Human prisoner


    Losses: 1 young kobold mage, 2 kobolds, 1 kobold mage, 8 kobold (rift), 2 kobold mage (rift)


    New Items can be purchased


    Halberd 75xp


    Battlestaff 75xp


    Full-plate Armor 300xp


    Leather Gambeson 50xp


    Acquired first superior or better quality item, you can now select higher quality goods for purchase at a higher xp cost.


    [Magic Resistant] sub trait can now be added to items at a higher xp cost.

 3rd Princess of Gowen

    After entering the small room Leo gave his shirt to Amy, which caused her to blush brightly, but she didn¡¯t dare refuse in her current state. It has been about an hour since then, and after a ¡°what now¡± conversation from the group, and Amy¡¯s magic has recovered enough that she heals the group¡¯s wounds. I slide the screen to the side and begin clean-up on the dungeon.


    I still haven¡¯t got any food to feed the prisoners so I devise a plan that I hope works. Going through their belongings I find their Adventurer IDs which I add to the others on the desk, 87 of the small gold coins, and various other small items.


    Adventurer #16,822 [Gunnar] Base: Gowen Capital


    Race: Human Gender: Male


    Rank: D Level: 3


    Class: Duel Warrior Favored Element: Fire


    Commissions Complete: 58


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Adventurer #16,823 [Leo] Base: Gowen Capital


    Race: Human Gender: Male


    Rank: D Level: 4


    Class: Scout Favored Element: Fire


    Commissions Complete: 58


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Adventurer #13,257 [Belinda] Base: Gowen Capital


    Race: Human Gender: Female


    Rank: D Level: 6


    Class: Spear-woman Favored Element: Water


    Commissions Complete: 104


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Adventurer #13,258 [Amy] Base: Gowen Capital


    Race: Beastkin (Squirrel) Gender: Female


    Rank: D Level: 4


    Class: Mage Favored Element: Light


    Commissions Complete: 72


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    I take 5 of the small gold coins, make sure no one is near the dungeon, than move out to the adventurer¡¯s camp. I look for the two sacks they received the supplies in the day before and fold them up setting them in an obvious location I set the 5 small gold coins on top. I then take their bedding items and return to the dungeon core room.


    When the villager on horseback returns that evening with more supplies he checks the camp not finding anyone. He then finds the empty sacks and the coins, and taking the gold coins he replaces the sacks with filled sacks then leaves.


    Once he has cleared out I move in take the supplies, add them to the bedding stuff, and have one of the kobolds deliver it to the group. They quickly jump to their feet on guard when the kobold enters, but after dropping the supplies and leaving they begin to look though the things.


    Belinda: ¡°Hey, this is my stuff.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Mine too, there is also food here.¡±


    Leo: ¡°These supplies seem to be more from the village, you don¡¯t think the village is working with the kobolds do you?¡±


    Amy: ¡°That crazy. That nice man probably came to deliver the supplies, and when he found no one around he decided to just leave them there. The kobolds probably just gathered the food afterwards.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Without pay?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are the one that told him I was a princess. Maybe he felt obligated?¡±


    Amy wraps herself up in her blanket then sits back on the floor.


    Leo: ¡°Well, at least we won¡¯t freeze now. It looks like you two were starting to get pretty cold.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± ¨CShe says angrily, grabbing her blanket quickly, and covering herself.-


    Leo: ¡°That not¡­¡± ¨CLeo gets cut off by Gunnar.-


    Gunnar: ¡°Look at you, drooling over the poor un-clothed young ladies.¡± ¨CHe says with a smirk.-


    Amy¡¯s face turns scarlet and she hides it behind the blanket.


    Leo sighs and moves over to the food supplies and begins going through it.


    Leo: ¡°It looks like we won¡¯t be able to use the uncooked items, but there is some dried meat, and some bread.¡±


    I watch them till midnight and receive 150xp from them, and then I set [Menu] to alert me if they try anything then head to bed.


    The next few days are if nothing else entertaining. By the second or third day the group begins to get more comfortable with one another. The fourth day consists of them just them telling each other more about themselves.


    It gives me a bit of a chance to learn quite a bit of humans, or at least the noble side of them. Even after four days Amy still remains quite quiet while the others talk. When Leo asks about Amy to talk more about herself Amy looks seemingly to Belinda for permission before answering with little vague answers.


    I learn that Gunnar and Leo¡¯s families were best of friends and Gunnar and Leo were raised practically as brothers, but when Gunnar¡¯s father and Leo¡¯s mother decided to have an affair it brought both families into turmoil.


    Gunnar and Leo found it stupid that due to their parent¡¯s stupidity they were no longer able to associate with one another so they simple became adventurers and left home. Likewise Belinda seems to have joined the adventurer¡¯s guild as a way to avoid the endless marriage proposals.


    As little as Amy has talked about herself the most I can piece together is she seems to be some kind of servant or something of Belinda¡¯s and has always been by her side.


    By the fifth day things start getting interesting as they begin to bicker back and forth and I start to see the more sordid side of human behavior. On the sixth day you wouldn¡¯t even know they were talking civilly a few days ago.


    On the seventh day they don¡¯t look like they can take much more, and villager has seemed to get rather suspicious lingering by the cave more and more each day. Today he doesn¡¯t appear like he has plans to leave until he speaks with the group.


    I decide to wait for a while, but after darkness sets in the villager still hasn¡¯t left.


    Belinda: ¡°They haven¡¯t brought the food today¡­¡±


    Leo: ¡°It has been a week, maybe the village has given up on us.¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Not only are we stuck in this mess, but now we are going to slowly starve to death. This just keeps getting better and better.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It was your guys¡¯ idea to give ourselves up.¡±


    Leo: ¡°Well it was better than dying!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You call being held for a week then slowly starving to death better?¡±


    They seem to start arguing again, so I decide something is going to have to be done.


    I wait till midnight and gain the xp from holding them. Seeing that the villager still hasn¡¯t left their camp, I send a few kobolds to the group. The group begins to struggle as the kobold try to drag them from the room, but once they are tossed one by one into the tunnel they simply look back at the kobolds.


    Belinda: ¡°Are they releasing us? Wait where is Amy?¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Who cares? Don¡¯t question it. Let¡¯s just get out of here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am not leaving without Amy!¡±


    Gunnar: ¡°Suit yourself, I am getting out of here.¡±


    Leo: ¡°I am sorry princess, but he is right.¡±


    Gunnar and Leo abandon Belinda in the tunnel rushing for the exit. Belinda remains in the tunnel calling out to the kobolds.


    Belinda: ¡°I am not leaving my friend behind! Release Amy or I will be back with the entire army!¡±


    I was hoping to keep at least the mage to learn the spells, but if what the princess is saying is true, I can¡¯t risk it. I instruct the kobolds to drag Amy out tossing her into the cave tunnel as well.


    Belinda rushes over to Amy hugging her tightly. She then stands looking at the kobolds staring at her blankly.


    Belinda: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Without another word Belinda and Amy leave the cave. When they reach the outside of the cave the villager is standing there dazed and confused, but relief seems to pass his face once he sees the girls. Although he after seeing their appearance he quickly begins to blush and adverts his gaze.


    Villager: ¡°Are you ok? I was really starting to get worried. The other two rushed out here without grabbing any of their things and just took off. They said you were still inside, so I didn¡¯t want to leave till I found out if you were ok or not.¡±


    Amy: ¡°We are fine now, but let¡¯s just get out of here.¡±


    Belinda nods then enters her tent quickly getting dressed. Amy gets dressed as well, and they begin to break down the camp while telling the villager what happened to them.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, I am sorry all this talk about us, and I forgot. I lost all my money in the dungeon so I can¡¯t pay you for the food you have been bringing, but I promise once I get back I will send it to you.¡±


    Villager: ¡°That¡¯s ok what you have been leaving is plenty.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What we have been leaving?¡±


    Villager: ¡°Yea I have been taking the 5 gold you left behind I been leaving behind the supplies.¡±


    Belinda and Amy look at each other curiously.


    Villager: ¡°See.¡± ¨CHe takes out 5 coins from a pouch showing them. - ¡°This is what was here today. I figured you were just busy in the cave, but after a week even with the food gone and the coins I still wanted to make sure you where ok that¡¯s why I waited today.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well thanks.¡± ¨CShe says smiling at the man.-


    The villager just scratches his head, and once they have gathered all the gear, Gunnar and Leo¡¯s included. They head down the mountain out of sight. I then head to bed.


    Over the next few weeks I don¡¯t see any more activity except for a hunter or two down by the lake but they keep a wide distance from the opening of the cave.


    Surprisingly enough the very next people to show up at my dungeon are both Belinda and Amy. Belinda has a new spear and armor but it is not as heavy or fancy as the last. Amy¡¯s new robes look like standard magician¡¯s robes.


    Unfortunately this time they don¡¯t set up camp and after only entering the cave section of the dungeon for around ten minutes they head back down. The next few days go quietly then a large group of adventurers coming heading up to my dungeon one morning.


    The group consists of around fifteen people, ranging anywhere from human to beastkin. All of the people¡¯s equipment is in very poor condition except for an iron band around each of their necks. The man calling the shots stands out in the group as he is a burly older man wearing a fancy heavy armor and a sword on his hip.


    Once they reach the entrance to the cave the burly man waves his hand ushering the others to enter the cave then he sits down on a large stone taking out a large book. As I look closer I can see they seem to be the Adventurer IDs lined on the pages of the book.


    Most of the group entering the dungeon looks like they have never even held a weapon before, except for 4 or 5 at the front of the group. They carefully tread though the tunnel, and once they reach the archway the more experienced ones call out warning of enemies ahead.


    They quickly send in a few but the first one passing the archway trips the spikes instantly killing him, The archer and kobold mage quickly begin firing as more start pouring though the archway after the trap is lowered.


    The kobold drop an intruder with pretty much every attack however there are just too many of them and when the first room is cleared half of the invaders remain. This time they skip over the trip wire at the entrance of the large room, but they can¡¯t even manage to drop 3 more kobold before the last one falls.


    Once the last one falls the burly man at the entrance scoffs and throws the book on the ground. He then stands and retreats down the mountain side.


    Even after breaking down the useless equipment into xp, the 15 people only net me 50xp. I collect the book at the entrance and after looking at IDs within all 15 of the adventures were under level 3 with most being level 1. I set the book next to the stack of other IDs I got.


    Later that same afternoon I have another group heading up to my dungeon. This time consisting of two men and a young woman, these three don¡¯t seem very experienced either. As a precaution I move the group in the large room forward to the small square cave room, and one of the groups in one of the side rooms I move to the main room.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    They manage to avoid the trip wire but not long after they start fighting as soon as one of them falls the other two quickly throw down their weapons pleading for their lives¡­I decide to go ahead and throw them in one of the rooms.


    For the one that died plus breaking down their gear I only get 15xp. When I wake the next morning they have already exhausted all the food they were carrying and only gave me 2 xp between the two of them so I have them tossed out of the dungeon.


    The next few days continue like this. By the end of the week I manage to build my xp up to 3126xp. I also find out that by using a magic similar to [Menu] I can add the entire collection of adventurer IDs I have been amassing into the book the burly man from the first day had.


    I finally decide to head down to the village to find out what is going on. Early the next morning I make my way down the mountain. Once I reach the village I can see that there are a few people gathered building a large building on the edge of town, I ignore it for now and head to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    The inside looks much different than last time. Even though it is still pretty early all the chairs are on the floor and there is even a few people sitting in them. I see one of the adventurers that I held for 2 days sitting at a table talking to another group.


    In the corner there is a new counter set up, and sitting behind it is Amy. Next to the counter there is a bulletin board on the wall with several hand-written notes on them. I decide to go take a look at them.


    Commissions:


    <ol>


    <li>Mapping Ancient Kobold Stronghold:</li>


    </ol>


    Rank D+


    Reward: 20 gold


    Reward granted to first person to complete a map of each floor of the dungeon only.


    <ol start="2">


    <li>Ancient Kobold Stronghold Information:</li>


    </ol>


    Rank D+


    Reward: 5 gold


    Any new information gathered about Ancient Kobold Stronghold will be granted a reward per item. Reward granted to discovery and a second confirmation once confirmation has been established.


    <ol start="3">


    <li>Kobold Study:</li>


    </ol>


    Rank D+


    Reward: 25 gold


    A study is being conducted on the strange nature of the kobold within Ancient Kobold Stronghold. Anyone able to provide detailed behavior information about the unique kobold of the Ancient Kobold Stronghold will be granted a reward.


    <ol start="4">


    <li>Ancient Kobold Stronghold Trap Information:</li>


    </ol>


    Rank D+


    Reward: 5 gold


    Any new information on traps discovered within Ancient Kobold Stronghold will be granted a reward. Reward will be given to discovery and a second confirmation once confirmation has been established.


    <ol start="5">


    <li>Ancient Kobold Stronghold Second Floor:</li>


    </ol>


    Rank: C+


    Reward: 50 gold


    Reward granted to the first group successfully able to reach the second floor of Ancient Kobold Stronghold.


    <ol start="6">


    <li>Ancient Kobold Stronghold Monster Information</li>


    </ol>


    Rank C+


    Reward: 50 gold


    Reward granted for information about new species of monsters found within Ancient Kobold Stronghold. Reward will be given with provided proof.


    <ol start="7">


    <li>Tobes Inn</li>


    </ol>


    Rank: Any


    Reward: *


    Reward granted to each individual participating in the construction of Tobes village inn. Reward amount determined by level of engagement in project as determined by Forman Mathis.


    All rewards paid by 3<sup>rd</sup> Princess Belinda Gowen, of the Gowen Empire, at the adventurer¡¯s guild of Tobes.


    Until further notice: Ancient Kobold Stronghold dungeon currently protected under Gowen Empire law.


    Protected under Gowen Empire law sounds nice, although that¡¯s a lot of commissions in my dungeon. No wonder I have been getting so many people this last week.


    Amy: ¡°Excuse me. Sir?¡± ¨CShe says to me from behind the counter.-


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Amy: ¡°If you are an adventurer heading up to the Ancient Kobold Stronghold, I suggest you find a group. Don¡¯t let the kobold part throw you off the dungeon is quite difficult.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am not an adventurer.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Oh, if you are here to become one I can sign you up, or if you don¡¯t have the funds Princess Belinda has allowed acceptance of Tobe¡¯s inn commission as payment.¡±


    ¡°Just curious but what is the fee required?¡±


    Amy: ¡°It cost 10 gold to perform an adventurer ID binding.¡±


    ¡°ID binding?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Yes sir, an ID binding is a magic that is added to an adventurer¡¯s ID. It provides a magical link to and ID so that the information is automatically updated. It also serves as identification if the adventurer loses his or her life.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Amy can you give me a hand a minute.¡± ¨CShe says as she walks up. - ¡°Oh, I am sorry I didn¡¯t realize you were helping someone.¡± ¨CShe extends her hand to me. - ¡°Hi, I am Belinda. Is there anything we can help you with?¡±


    I shake her hand but when I go to introduce myself I quickly remember I still haven¡¯t chosen a name¡­


    ¡°I¡­uh¡­call me Two-Twelve.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve? I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t know.¡± ¨Cshe says sullenly. Then she smiles and speaks. - ¡°Well I am glad to see you are here now regardless of your past.¡±


    Apparently using a number for a name is not as unusual as I thought. Although she seems to be misunderstanding something I will just let it go at that.


    ¡°Amy was explaining what exactly adventurers are.¡±


    I learned quite a bit about everyone the week they spent in my dungeon so I automatically called her by name even though she still hasn¡¯t introduced herself. Luckily Belinda just said it a second ago. I need to be a bit more careful.


    Belinda: -She nods with a sullen face again. - ¡°I understand.¡±


    It seems the misunderstanding is getting deeper but at least it¡¯s benefitting me.


    Amy now switches from a matter of fact kind of tone to a softer tone when she continues. ¡°Oh, if there are any more questions you have I would be happy to help.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are adventurers?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well, a long time ago when dungeons first began appearing around the world. Many sent out monsters attacking anybody they came in contact with, so something had to be done. That¡¯s when the first human went into the depths of a dungeon destroying its heart.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°History kind of gets fuzzy from there but what matters was humans discovered they could gain a great deal of power if they destroyed the heart of a dungeon. They began forming groups and factions to complete that task. Once they began to merge into a grand organization that is when the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was formed.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Nowadays though most adventurers preform simple tasks for villages and cities, much like the inn construction commission. Many countries regulate the destruction of dungeons as they don¡¯t want the power one gets from it to fall into the wrong hands.¡±


    ¡°Then you don¡¯t plan on destroying the Ancient Kobold Stronghold?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Not for the moment, it may have been sealed for a long time, but even when it was uncovered none of the monsters have caused any trouble outside the dungeon. Besides there are several aspects of the dungeon that fascinate me, I want to learn all I can about it.¡±


    Amy: ¡°In other words, she would like you join the adventurer¡¯s guild, and help with her research by taking commissions.¡±


    ¡°I better think it over¡­¡±


    Amy starts to say something but Belinda cuts in.


    Belinda: ¡°We understand, but if you change your mind we will be here. You can also work on the inn construction commission if you like, I will let you take that one without requiring you to join the guild.¡±


    ¡°Thanks anyway.¡±


    I head out of there and make my way back up the mountain. It seems like I won¡¯t have to worry around my crystal being destroyed, but surely all the humans don¡¯t follow the rules so I can¡¯t let my guard down.


    Once I make it to the lake I have to hide for a few minutes while a party heads into the cave. I give them a few minutes the head up to the entrance and quickly enter the dungeon core room. Watching from one of the screens the party doesn¡¯t even last 10 minutes before they lose two of their own and retreat.


    It lets me acquire 18 xp more and the mage rift in the square cave room even managed to gain a level.


    Things continue that way for the next few weeks and just like that a month has passed since Belinda has taken over the adventurer¡¯s guild in Tobes. I have gained another level, and managed to replace all the kobolds on the first floor with rifts. The two rifts in the square cave room have both reached level 3, and the two in the main room have reached level 2.


    I have taken a few trips back to the village and there always adding new commissions about my dungeon. They even posted a commission about the little treasure chests I had hidden around after the first was found. I have had to replace them pretty often ever since then.


    The burly man with fancy armor returned a week ago bringing in over twenty people this time. They managed to clear both the square cave room and the large central room but when I moved in the kobold from the side rooms they all fell. He again retreated in a sour mood leaving me another book for adventurer IDs.


    Yesterday I got hit by three groups, one right after the other. After defeating the first, and capturing the second, the third group freed the captives and managed to push down to the second floor. They however retreated after seeing the crimson kobold with the steel equipment.


    I then decided to add a few of the icy spike traps and ice dart traps to the second floor now that they have made it that far. I plan on saving up to add another floor next, and I am just under half way there with 4832xp.


    I have tried to keep in contact with Thirty-seven but she rarely replies anymore. After speaking with Madam Erin about it, she said that Thirty-seven has been busy in her dungeon, but I get the feeling she was just trying to make me feel better.


    Sara seems to be having a tough time, about a week ago the goblins that live in the forest around her dungeon, killed a hunter that was living next to the lake.


    Alex seems to be struggling as well, as no humans have even come near his dungeon. He has been sending out some of his monsters into the mountains to kill wild animals to bring back just enough xp to keep him from starving.


    Derek on the other hand has seemed to really take off more than doubling the size of his dungeon, but I was only able to learn that from the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> book. He still doesn¡¯t answer me when I message him.


    Newt¡¯s dungeon hasn¡¯t seemed to grow any but his xp is staying around the same level so he seems to be in the same situation as Alex, but he too hasn¡¯t responded to me.


    When I get bored I message some of the other older dungeon cores. Most ignore me, some just send simple greetings, a few however ask me questions about my dungeon, but when I deflect the questions they give me the cold shoulder.


    A few hours after waking up I see Amy and Belinda walking up to the dungeon with two men. Amy and Belinda are wearing simple clothing and not their gear, and the two men are barely wearing rags except for a large pack on their backs, and a collar they both wear that looks just like the ones the group with the burly man in the fancy armor has. Once they reach the area just outside the cave I decide to listen in.


    Belinda: ¡°I won¡¯t force this on you, but if you want to repay me for what I did for you. I ask you to do this task for me.¡±


    The men look rather nervous as Belinda takes a small key from a pouch on her waist and inserts it in a hole in the collars removing them.


    Amy: ¡°They held us for a week, and then released us, so there is no reason to think they won¡¯t do the same for you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You can take the food and gear in the pack and leave here, or you can go in there offer it to the kobold and try to help me with my research. If you go in and they don¡¯t release you in a week I have several groups willing to go in and break you out.¡±


    Amy: ¡°don¡¯t get us wrong this could be very dangerous we don¡¯t know how they will react, but we believe if you give them the gear and let them take you captive no harm should come to you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Once you return I will personally give you both the reward for the commission and give you your adventurer IDs.¡±


    Amy: ¡°And don¡¯t forget to keep an eye out for everything we talked about.¡±


    The men nervously nod their heads and begin to head into the cave.


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t forget to step over the trip wire in the door way leading out of the tunnel!¡±


    I don¡¯t know she is planning but if she is willingly just giving me some prisoners, I am not going to turn them down.


    Soon enough the two men step over the tripwire entering the square cave room, and sure enough they toss the two packs down in front of them raising their arms immediately. The kobolds lead the men to one of the side rooms off of the central room and I decide to go through the two packs.


    The packs are stuffed full of dried meat and bread. Each pack also contains leather armor and a steel sword both of which is of superior quality. There is also a hand written note in both packs.


    To whom it may concern.


    I, Belinda Gowen, 3<sup>rd</sup> Princess of the Gowen kingdom wish to speak with the entity that leads the kobolds in the Ancient Kobold Stronghold in the mountain inside the Emeraldline forest. By observation of the uniqueness of the monsters within, we have determined that the Ancient Kobold Stronghold is a dungeon with some form of intelligence behind it.


    I send this letter in hopes that you will release the men carrying this letter within one week¡¯s time. I also hope if possible you will return them with some form of return acknowledgement of understanding of this letter.


    I wish to personally thank you for releasing any that surrender within your dungeon, and that you do not send any monsters loose on the nearby villages. If there is any way I can compensate you for your actions I am willing to hear it.


    Sincerely, Belinda Gowen


    The letter continues in what appears to be at least 3 different languages each looking more foreign then the next. I set the letters on the desk then take some of the food sending it to one of the kobold to deliver to the men.


    From what I have read in the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> book I have seen that dungeons have negotiated with humans. Even one of the elders has a pact with a kingdom, but for the moment I think it would be best just to maintain silence.


    As long as I don¡¯t do anything crazy I think my dungeon will be safe, so I want to keep as much information about it as I can as a secret. It seems the misunderstanding she has of me lets me ask many questions without suspicion. They just nod with a sullen expression and answer, so I can probably ask her anything I want to know myself when I go down to the village.


    I decide to send a message to Sara.


    ¡°How are you doing? Are you recovering well?¡±


    Sara: ¡°Not really, the goblins are now taking out the pixies and fairies mere hours after they come out of the rift. One of them even stumbled on the opening of my cave, but I was able to take it out before he could tell the others.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry to hear that. I have something strange going on here as well.¡±


    I continue to tell her about Belinda, the two captives, and the letter.


    Sara: ¡°That is strange. You¡¯re not going to reply are you?¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t planned on it. Besides I can gather any information I want to learn from her just by going down to the village myself.¡±


    Sara: ¡°Yourself?!¡± You actually leave your dungeon to go into a human village?¡±


    ¡°Well I have a few times. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±


    Sara: ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine leaving the dungeon to go to a human village.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not that bad. They seem to have some sort of misunderstanding about me, but it works in my favor because it seems to explain anything I do that normally seems odd to humans.¡±


    Sara and I talk for a little bit longer before the goblins hit her again so she had to deal with it. The next two days pass easily enough, I only get 10xp per day from the prisoners given to me, but their food was provided and everything so I might as well just keep them for now.


    On the third day I have two groups enter one right after the other, and after the first group died and only 2 people left of the second group they finally retreated with only 3 kobold left on the first floor. I now realize though with the prisoners in one of the side rooms, two sets of kobolds can¡¯t exit the rift.


    Well I wanted to save for another floor, but I might as well get this out of the way now. I decide to build a new room on the second floor making it 110 feet long, 21 feet wide, and 10 feet tall.


    Using stone walls one foot thick I make 10 perfectly square prison cells running down a long hallway. I put heavy lockable doors on each room and add two crimson kobold guards, for now equipping them in the high quality leather armor and the swords that I got from the prisoners.


    The new floor is looking further away now that I only have just over 2000xp now.


    I use the newly summoned kobold guards to usher the prisoners down to the second floor putting them each in their own room.


    The rest of the week passes smoothly, and on the seventh day when I wake up Belinda and Amy are already making their way up the mountain. I wait for about an hour before I toss the prisoners out into the tunnel.


    When the prisoners exit from the tunnel Belinda seems excited.


    Belinda: ¡°Good, they released you. Did they give you anything?¡±


    Man: ¡°No they just turned us loose.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s attitude returns to normal.


    Belinda: ¡°Well you two are safe that is the important part, let¡¯s head back to the guild, and you can tell us what you saw.¡±


    The group then returns in the direction of the village. Later that same day a group enters the dungeon that looks tough. Pushing hard though the dungeon they manage to completely clear the first floor. Once reaching the second floor the situation changes and they retreat after losing two of their members. They managed to take out the crimson kobold mage as well so I barely gain any xp from their encounter after replacing it.


    They are starting to fight the crimson kobolds now¡­Belinda said that the adventurers shouldn¡¯t break the crystal but I am still worried they are getting that close to it. Later that evening I get a message that makes me want to work a bit harder.


    Dungeon Core #307 [Travis] has lost his life at the hands of the hero beastkin (cat) Listel.


    I look up Travis in my book to find out more about him.


    Current Dungeon Core #307 [Travis] (Deceased) Location: Southern Merretta


    Dungeon: Dwarven ruins Crystal: small fire agate


    Dungeon contained at its peak: 6 floor, 23 room, 143 monsters, 20 traps.


    Dungeon core level: 10 XP: 3451


    Dungeon active: 2 years


    Dwarven ruin is in the southern forest of Merretta. #307 has recently started to produce goblins in large numbers, and sending them out into the forest. Once the humans took notice a hero was sent in and eliminated the crystal. Most favored monster goblin brute, most favored trap pit trap, most purchased monster goblin brute, most purchased trap spike trap, boss monster goblin king (deceased).


    Previous Dungeon Core #307 [Godfreed] (Deceased) Location: Adra/Merretta border


    Dungeon: Border Fort Crystal: small water fluorite


    Dungeon at its peak contained 21 floors, 116 rooms, 1943 monsters, 209 traps


    Dungeon core level: 49 XP: 173853


    Dungeon active: 128 years


    A fort on the border between Adra and Merretta, both kingdoms sought the fort to create a stronghold on the border. It is rumored that more humans where killed within this dungeon by the hands of other humans then from the dungeon monsters. Godfreed lost his life when a group of 5 heroes from the Merretta capital attacked the dungeon. Most favored monster lizard-man, most favored poison dart trap, most purchased monster small lizard-man , most purchased poison dart trap, boss monster lizard-man lord. (deceased)


    That dungeon sounds like it is in the same forest as Sara. I wonder if the goblins that have been attacking her are from Travis¡¯s dungeon.


    Soon Sara sends me a message asking the same thing.


    Sara: ¡°Did you get the message? I wonder if Travis was sending monsters after me because I put my dungeon so close to his.¡±


    ¡°Well did you know he was even there?¡±


    Sara: ¡°Well no, but you don¡¯t think it¡¯s my fault that he was killed do you?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make sense, why would it be your fault?¡±


    Sara: ¡°If he sent out goblins because of me, and that was the reason why he was killed. Doesn¡¯t that mean it¡¯s my fault?¡±


    ¡°If he was really sending monsters from his dungeon out to attack you, I think the last thing you would be worried about is his death.¡±


    Sara: ¡°I guess you are right, but what if the hero comes for me now?¡±


    ¡°Well I believe they attacked him because of him sending the goblins out in the forest. After all you said they killed that hunter that lived at your dungeon, and that probably wasn¡¯t the only one.¡±


    Sara: ¡°You don¡¯t think she will come after me then?


    ¡°I highly doubt it, but just to be safe you might just want to lay low for a while.¡±


    Sara: ¡±Ok¡­¡±

 Belinda Gowen

    My life has always been rough, well rough might not be the right word. More like boring, I Belinda Gowen the 3<sup>rd</sup> princess of the Gowen kingdom is simply not needed, at least according to the courts standards at least.


    You see I have 4 brothers that are being vetted to replace my father, and two older sisters that take care most of the matters of state. I received the same education as them, but they simply don¡¯t need me around.


    When not suffering though the excessive schooling, I spent most of my time watching the knights training. After turning 13 the court received in a hero from a foreign kingdom, he was a kind old man. He taught me about the adventurer¡¯s guild and the dungeons.


    I spent the next three years training how to fight. I had made up my mind I was going to become a great adventurer. On my 16<sup>th</sup> birthday I finally joined the adventurer¡¯s guild. My servant and dear friend Amy came with me.


    After a year of completing minor commissions, a commission came in from a small hunting community called Tobes. It talked about an ancient dungeon that had been long since sealed off inside the mountain. Two nobles took up the commission, and I decided after them scoping things out I could maybe hire them into leading me through the dungeon for my first dungeon experience.


    Belinda: ¡°What do you think Amy? It will be our first dungeon commission, but it is just kobolds.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I thought Gunnar Travin, and Leo Luis already took up that commission?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They did, but I thought maybe after they go through the dungeon maybe we could hire them to take us through as well.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Wasn¡¯t the Travin family the one that sent you a marriage proposal?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t see how that should matter. Besides I thought you would jump at the opportunity to join a party with your beloved Leo Luis.¡±


    Amy: ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± ¨CShe says puffing out her cheeks.-


    Belinda: ¡°in any case it will take us about a week to get there, so we better get some supplies.¡±


    When we arrived it seemed to be perfect timing as the nobles that accepted the commission hadn¡¯t yet completed it as the rest of their group retired before its completion.


    What happened next was beyond expectation however. When we headed into the dungeon the kobolds held within seemed to have an intelligence never before seen in kobolds. Needless to say I became interested.


    After gloriously failing in the investigation we were held captive by the monsters of the dungeon for a week. After a week they released me and the other two nobles, but after refusing to leave without Amy they really surprised me by releasing her as well.


    Gunnar and Luis had taken off as fast as they could. I couldn¡¯t really blame them as we were lucky to be alive after being held in a dungeon, but after the intelligence the dungeon seemed to show I had become intrigued.


    After quickly returning home we gathered as much information we could but nothing we found explained the ancient kobold stronghold and how long it has been there. I decided now is my chance to make a mark in the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    After some negotiations with the capital branch of the adventurer¡¯s guild Amy and I returned to the village of Tobes, and set up base in the Tobes adventurer¡¯s guild. Well I call it an adventurer¡¯s guild, but the locals look it just as a drinking hall as they very seldom have adventurers come to the small village.


    I set up a few simple commissions including one to build a suitable lodging for the adventurers that will be coming now for the dungeon. I had to set the reward for the commissions double for now paying the difference from my own pocket, as nobody wanted to come way out in the forest for just some D rank dungeon.


    That managed to bring in a flow of adventurers. The quality of adventurers is still lacking, but the commissions have started to progress. A sleazy slave master named Garm even came through throwing over a dozen slaves lives away in the dungeon. Too bad that guy didn¡¯t lose his life instead of his poor slaves.


    There was also a strange guy that came in one day, he seemed clueless about everything. When he said his name was Two-Twelve it all sort of clicked. He seemed really interested in becoming an adventurer but when he found out his name would be recorded he seemed to hesitate.


    He must be an escapee, but especially after seeing what Garm just did with his slaves you won¡¯t ever see me turn him in. I encouraged him to take the inn construction commission so he could get some money without having to register but he still seems skittish.


    We have been set up in Tobes for a few weeks now. That poor escaped slave has visited a few more times but we still can¡¯t get him to join the adventurer¡¯s guild, the inn is almost complete now. A few more people have become prisoners of the dungeon. Of course some of the groups that don¡¯t return we don¡¯t know if they have been held captive and not released for some reason.


    I set a commission for someone to give them self-up to the dungeon to find out more about the dungeon, but no one has taken it.  I found the perfect opportunity when that sleazy Garm returned, and I managed to buy two of his slaves from him before he headed to the dungeon.


    I told them I would release them if they took the commission for me, but after Garm returned without slaves again they seemed skeptical. It took a week before I could finally manage to convince them to take the commission. I promised to release them either way, but if they completed the commission I would give them the reward from the commission and even their adventurer¡¯s IDs.


    After some preparations Amy and I turned the two over to the dungeon and returned to the guild. I have never been as nervous as I watched their IDs. After a few hours they are still alive so that seems promising.


    ¡°I really hope they release them¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°And get a reply to the letter you sneaked into the packs?¡±


    I nervously laugh and say. ¡°Aw¡­ You knew about that? Well there always has been the legend about the dungeons being alive, and I just was kind of hoping I could prove that old legend to be true.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I am sure there is just some kind of demon, or something at the depth of the dungeon toying with us. Even if you get a reply I wouldn¡¯t take it as truth, or any sort of confirmation.¡±


    I laugh again as I say. ¡°You may be right, but still if I could prove there is intelligence behind this dungeon. Then I would definitely leave my mark in the history of adventurers I would say.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Are you not worried that the dungeon will demand things like virgin sacrifices or something in return for information?¡±


    ¡°Well surely if the dungeon wanted something like that, it would have never released us.¡±


    Amy: ¡°You mean you¡¯re still a virgin?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. Aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Amy: ¡°uh¡­Hey look its Two-Twelve. Two-Twelve, have you finally decided to join the adventurer¡¯s guild?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°No sorry, I just wanted have another look around¡­¡±


    I too noticed that Two-Twelve entered the guild, but for some reason Amy seemed more excited than usual to see him. I feel sorry for his situation so I try to reassure him yet again as I say.


    ¡°If have any questions or concerns please let us know, we are glad to help in any way we can.¡±


    Amy: ¡°¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve often asks some odd questions, I have heard some slaves are kept in the dark about a lot of things, but Two-Twelve¡¯s master must of really been a piece of work. I don¡¯t want to pry, but I am glad he managed to free himself from that kind of situation, so I try to answer his questions whole heartedly so he doesn¡¯t get discouraged.


    Amy and I return to the dungeon early on the 7<sup>th</sup> day. Luckily not long after we arrive the dungeon releases the two slaves, but they have no reply from the dungeon. However when we return to the village we learned some valuable information.


    ¡°You mean they moved you to actual locked rooms after the second day? Wasn¡¯t that the day those two groups made their way up there? I was sure that would of messed up our mission but I couldn¡¯t really stop them.¡±


    Slave: ¡°We can confirm that there are crimson kobolds on the second floor. The large room we entered had one door off to the side that they lead us into, but also one at the end of it. The room they lead us too us too was a long hallway with several doors it seemed like a prison block.¡±


    Slave 2: ¡°I am not sure why they just didn¡¯t put us there from the start.¡±


    ¡°No prisoners have said they have been moved to the second floor before, maybe the adventurers attacking that day had something to do with it.¡±


    Slave: ¡°We could hear the combat, when they moved us, there only seemed to be a few kobolds left on the first floor maybe that was the reason they moved us?¡±


    ¡°Still if they had prison rooms prepared all this time why not just put you there from the start. Also the last group that made it to the second floor said there was only one door from the big room in the second floor.¡±


    I pay the two guys and give them their adventurer IDs. After they take them they leave gratefully.


    Amy: ¡°Maybe this dungeon isn¡¯t as big as we imagined? But dungeons are known to shrink, change, and grow. Maybe this is just its response to the situation?¡±


    ¡°But that leaves the question as to why until now was a prison not required. If the dungeon¡¯s sudden appearance is in correlation with the intelligent being that now controls it that might mean we might be completely wrong about everything we know about the dungeon.¡±


    Amy: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well what if this isn¡¯t and ancient dungeon, but a brand new one?¡±


    Amy: ¡°But how can that be possible?¡±


    ¡°Well we do know that dungeons regardless of how many are destroyed often pop up over and over. If this dungeon truly was an ancient dungeon shouldn¡¯t the monsters be more than just kobolds? Even with their intelligence with a strong group of C rank adventurers they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    Amy: ¡°You got all that just from the fact they moved them to a different area, what if that is only the monsters on the top floors?¡±


    ¡°Of course it will take confirmation, but the first group to find the second floor also said there was only one door at the far side of the room, now there is another and it seems to be a prison. I don¡¯t find that to be a coincidence.¡±


    Amy: ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°From what we know there was no prison before, but after the ones we left there an attack took place leaving the top floor short of monsters so the dungeon grew a prison on the second floor. What I am suggesting is why grow the prison only one floor down? Surely if the dungeon was much bigger you would put the prison in at a much deeper level.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well I guess, but if this is indeed a new dungeon then isn¡¯t that a bit troubling?¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well if the dungeon is brand new and kobold are born in it now, and these kobolds are so much stronger than normal kobolds. Then what is going to happen when more powerful monsters are born inside?¡±


    ¡°I see what you mean. However if the dungeon becomes a danger to anyone outside the dungeon we can always call for a hero then.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I guess that means your research doesn¡¯t end here?¡±


    ¡°I think we are just getting started.¡±


    Two days later started the events that would change my life forever.


    ¡°Korvasta, what are you doing here?¡±


    Korvasta: ¡°What else, I was promised a dungeon. I am here to collect on the deal.¡±


    ¡°Not this dungeon! This is a new dungeon it won¡¯t give you a hero¡¯s title.¡±


    Korvasta: ¡°Not by what your reports said.¡±


    ¡°There have been new developments, and this isn¡¯t a dungeon that should be destroyed! It is not even posing any danger. This is the kind of dungeon that provides a major boost in the economy there is no way you can destroy it!¡±¡±


    Korvasta: ¡°My group and I will set out in the morning, and I already received the king, and your eldest brother¡¯s approval.¡±


    Amy and I spend the next few hours trying to find a way to stop Korvasta, but as the sun sets we still can¡¯t do anything.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Just after midnight, with Amy sleeping I sneak out of the room.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s POV


    An alarm wakes me up, and I quickly jump from my bed.


    Intruders have entered the dungeon.


    Nobody has ever entered in the middle of the night before. I quickly open the screens and see something highly unexpected. Belinda is making her way through the cave, wearing her normal town clothes with nothing else.


    What is she planning now¡­?


    Belinda makes her way into the square cave room stepping over the trip wire then calls out to the kobolds.


    Belinda: ¡°Please I must speak to the intelligence behind this dungeon!¡± ¨CShe then raises her arms.-


    The kobold leads her to the stairwell and then a crimson kobold leads her to one of the new cells. Once inside she pleads again.


    Belinda: ¡°I am begging you! It is very important! I need to speak with whoever or whatever is in charge.¡±


    I instruct one of the crimson kobolds to open the jail cell, cross his arms, and grunt a few times.


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re in charge? Well it doesn¡¯t matter, even if you¡¯re not I beg you relay a message. The dungeon is in serious trouble.¡±


    After the kobold just stands there for a few seconds she continues.


    Belinda: ¡°There is a C rank group heading here first thing in the morning to destroy the dungeon crystal. I can¡¯t stop them, and kobolds won¡¯t be able to stand up to a C rank group.¡±


    I transfer myself down to the prison and stand around the corner. Belinda probably doesn¡¯t know my voice, but since I have been to the village a few times I will try masking my voice just in case.


    ¡°What can you tell me about this group?¡± ¨CI say while masking my voice the best I can.-


    Belinda: ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    ¡°You wanted to speak with me, now speak.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have so many questions¡­ But first I came to warn you. When my sister married a prince from another kingdom part of the arrangement was that he be allowed to destroy a dungeon to become a hero, and he has chosen this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what telling me will help me much, unless you can give me some information that might be useful. Maybe something as simple as his groups favored elements might be useful.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°All I know his group contains all C rank adventurers, and even with the increased intelligence of the kobold, they don¡¯t stand a chance against his group.¡±


    ¡°What about class, formation, skills, spells, anything like that might be helpful.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry¡­ He is a foreigner that has only recently arrived, and I only met him a few times.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the heads up, but if you can¡¯t give me any solid Intel on the group there is not much you are good for.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Please I want to know more about your dungeon, like why is it so different than the others. There must be something I can do in exchange.¡±


    I left Belinda in the prison cell and returned to the dungeon core room, if what she said was true I can¡¯t really hold back, I need to do as much as I can to defend this place.


    For 1300xp I add three crimson kobold brutes and 1 crimson kobold elder giving them Belinda¡¯s groups gear, and for now place them in the large room on the second floor.


    I also release Belinda, much to her objection she finally accepts and leaves. Watching from the screen I watch her head down to the lake, but she doesn¡¯t return to the village. Instead she finds a spot out of view from the path and waits.


    I just shake my head and wait for morning. Once the sun starts to rise into the sky a group of 6 people start making their way up from the village.


    The two in front both wear a heavy armor similar to Belinda¡¯s old armor just not as flashy, both also have shields that are just as tall as they are, one also carries a small axe and the other a sword. Right behind them is a woman in a well-crafted chainmail she has two swords on either side of her. In the back of the group there are 2 mages and an archer wearing pitch black leather armor.


    Once they reach the cave entrance they prep their gear then move in. They quickly make their way into the square cave room stepping over the tripwire. The kobold attack but the two with shields create a wall letting though neither arrow nor spell.


    The kobolds start to move around the shield bearers but are swiftly killed by the rest of the group. After pushing the mage and archer kobold into a corner they clear the first room with none even taking any damage.


    I quickly move in all the kobold from the first floor to the central room now 25 kobold sit waiting for the intruders.


    The intruders slowly move forward though the room using the two shields as a portable wall, as they pass kobold the dual-sword wielding girl takes care of a melee kobold, and the archer and mages take out the ranged enemies.


    Even with 25 kobold the intruders suffer minor damage but after the first floor is cleared the mages heal the wounds of their teammates, and after they rest for little while they check the remaining rooms then move on to the second floor.


    They reach the second floor to only find two crimson kobolds at the far end of the long large room. They slowly move though the room behind the two shields toward the two kobolds. The archer points out the traps so they can bypass them.


    Once the group gets to the middle of the room more crimson kobold come from the crystal room, and the prison room. Once the intruders are surrounded the two shield wielding guys split up covering both sides of the group.


    The kobolds at either end of the group launch arrows and spells at the two shield wielders to keep them busy while the rest move in. A crimson kobold with chainmail and a spear and one of the prison guards moves in on one side while, and the other prison guard and a sword and shield crimson kobold move in on the other.


    Woman dual-wielder: ¡°They are already learning our tactics and finding weaknesses. They were not kidding about these kobolds intelligence.¡±


    Mage 1: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what tactics they use they are just kobold.¡±


    The mage swings a staff that resembles the one Amy used to have and creates an ice wall blocking off one side of the groups leaving only one way for them to come. The other mage doesn¡¯t cast a spell instead swinging his battle-staff at one of the kobolds.


    The kobold with the spear parries the battle-staff stabbing the mage, but only causing a minor wound due to the dual-sword wielding woman¡¯s quick reaction knocking the spear back. The prison guard swings his sword in on the same mage however the dual-wielding woman deflects his blow with her other sword.


    The human archer fires an arrow at the prison guard, but the well-made leather armor absorbs most of the impact. The first mage now begins casting another spell but it seems to be a long incantation. The kobold on the edge still fire at the shields keeping them occupied.


    The kobolds blocked off by the ice now move around the group as well. The spear kobold changes targets attacking the mage casting the long incantation. The dual-wielder cuts him off completely blocking his spear but it takes all of her attention as the prison guard attacks that mage as well.


    The mage curses as he loses his concentration causing a back blow exploding in his face knocking him back he now looks badly wounded. The other mage was about to swing down his staff on the prison guard but quickly side-steps and chants a spell healing most of the other mages wounds.


    Mage 1: ¡°Damnit Chloe, you are supposed to protect me.¡±


    Duel-wielding woman: ¡°What do you expect you idiot, we just said these kobolds are smart of course they are going to focus all their attention on a mage casting a big spell.¡±


    She says as she manages to finally push back the spear kobold and the archer hits it with an arrow. The spear kobold quickly pulls out the arrow and dives back in attacking the second mage now. Chloe again attempts to block the spear leaving the prison guard another free shot at the first mage again. This time the wound is not serious and the second mage brings his battle-staff across the back of the head of the prison guard causing quite a bit of damage.


    The other kobolds now manage to enter the battle, and they as well focusing on the mages. The other prison guard pairs up with the other one attacking the first mage causing another wound on the mage. The sword and shield kobold attacks the second mage blocking off his attacks from the less armored prison guards.


    Chloe finally drops the spear wielding prison guard then turns to help out the mages slashing at the wounded prison guard leaving it barely standing.


    Guy 1 with shield: ¡°I am sorry we are doing everything just to hold off the others.¡±


    Mage 1: ¡°I thought you were supposed to be the best? You can¡¯t even manage to hold off a couple kobolds!¡±


    Chloe: ¡°Just shut your mouth and do something.¡±


    Mage 2: ¡°Sir Korvasta, use that fire spell I taught you.¡±


    Korvasta, the first mage now casts a spell targeting the prison guard in front of him that is almost dead. His spell looks like a more powerful fireball spell it hits the prison guard burning him to death.


    The four tougher crimson kobolds now enter the room moving forward towards the group.


    Chloe: ¡°What the hell is that?! Isn¡¯t that the Gowen royal crest on that armor?¡±


    Korvasta: ¡°That has to be the armor stolen from Belinda¡­¡±


    Mage 2: ¡°The quality of the gear¡­ It has to be the gear from her entire group¡­ This might get difficult.¡±


    Chloe attacks the other prison guard slashing at its back with both swords causing massive damage, with an arrow from the archer the second guard is now dead as well.


    The sword and shield kobold now blocks a blow from the second mage and slashes him across chest causing moderate damage. Korvasta casts the improved fireball spell again at the sword and shield kobold.


    The fireball crashes into the kobolds shield but the impact alone is enough to cause quite a bit of damage to the kobold.


    Chloe now finishes him off as an arrow pierces her chest she gasps looking down then falls to her knees. The second mage moves over quickly ripping the arrow from her chest casting a healing spell on her.


    Mage 2: ¡°Hold them off! This is going to take some time.¡±


    The human archer fires another arrow but the crimson kobold brute with the two swords just swats it out of the air. A [Fireball] is launched by the crimson kobold elder trying to hit the mage casting the healing spell.


    One of the men with the large shield turns blocking the fireball blast but leaves a smaller crimson kobold to launch a spell at the group but he can only target Korvasta his robes absorb most of the blast but he still takes a little damage.


    Korvasta: ¡°What are you doing, you are supposed to protect me!¡±


    Shield guy 1: ¡°The power of that spell is far worse then what I have seen from that other kobold it was the right move.¡±


    Korvasta: ¡°You are not allowed to make such decisions.¡±


    Shield guy 2: ¡°We only get paid if we live. Now use that big mouth to cast spells.¡±


    Mage 2: ¡°Sir Korvasta, they are right we need to focus.¡±


    The second mage finishes his spell on Chloe but she still doesn¡¯t get up. The stronger crimson kobold now move in for the attack, the full-plate wearing kobold plunges Belinda¡¯s halberd into the archer lifting him from the ground and smashing him down.


    The dual-wielding kobold plunges both of his swords into the downed Chloe killing her.


    Mage 2: ¡°What the hell was that? I have never seen monsters act like this.¡±


    The kobold using Leo¡¯s gear fires an arrow at the shield human blocking the other archer. He however sees the arrow, and manages to turn just in time to block the arrow.


    The other archer takes his chance firing another arrow while the shield user is turned, but he doesn¡¯t seem to injure him very badly.


    Korvasta casts a spell across the room hitting the mage that attacked him dealing a serious wound, but the mage can still fight.


    The spear kobold with Belinda¡¯s halberd thrashes it around still lodged in the archer and he finally quits moving. The dual-wielding kobold dives in both swords at the second mage he takes a bad wound in one shoulder from one sword but is able to block the other blow with his battle-staff.


    The shield wielding humans completely give up protecting the group and now focus on their own defense as they try to retreat back towards the door.


    Korvasta: ¡°Where are you idiots going?¡±


    Shield guy 1: ¡°This is more then we signed up for, we are out of here.¡±


    Korvasta: ¡°We had a deal, you can¡¯t run now!¡±


    Shield guy 2: ¡°The money is not worth my life, I am out too.¡±


    With everything going on for some reason known only to him, Korvasta targets one of the shield guys with his next spell causing him to take major damage, and fall forward to the floor.


    Shield guy 2: ¡°Have you lost what little brains you had?!¡±


    Shield guy 1: ¡°Help me!¡±


    The crimson kobolds are relentless in their attacks however slaying the second mage and now closing in on Korvasta. Only one of the shield guys manages to escape to the stairwell leading up.


    The kobolds move in to strike Korvasta when he throws his staff at them and pleads with them.


    Korvasta: ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?! You can¡¯t do this to me!¡±


    I have the kobold only knock Korvasta out throwing him in one of the cells. Then watch as the one shield guy retreats from the dungeon.


    Belinda stops the retreating man as he reaches the lake but I can¡¯t tell what is said from this distance. I turn my attention to the battle results screen


    Battle results:


    Acquired: 821xp, 1 Top Quality Battle-staff, 1 Top Quality Magician¡¯s Robes, 2 Minor Ring of Mana, 1 Top Quality Wooden Bow, 1 Superior Quality Black Leather Armor, 3 Top Quality Steel Swords, 1 Superior Steel Tower Shield, 1 Top Quality Full-plate Armor, 1 Superior Quality Leather Gambeson, 1 Top Quality Chainmail, 1 Master Quality Gem Studded Steel Rod, 1 Master Quality Magician¡¯s Robes,


    I quickly scan the rest of the page then close the window. Using most of the xp I just acquired I replace the 5 dead crimson kobold. After tending to the rest of the dungeon I then turn my attention to the near naked man huddled in the corner of one of the jail rooms.


    Korvasta is huddled in the room mumbling to himself, his wounds now look pretty serious but it doesn¡¯t look like it will be fatal at least. Not long later Belinda returns to the dungeon unarmed yet again.


    She practically leads herself to the prison room but when she stops at the first door the kobold nudge her on to the next she looks puzzled, but she does as instructed. I head down to speak with her again hiding out of sight and masking my voice.


    ¡°You are a rather curious human, to keep returning to a dungeon unarmed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Human? Well what kind of creature are you then?¡±


    When I don¡¯t respond she decides to continue.


    Belinda: ¡°The guy that ran out of the dungeon said he was the last survivor, but yet it seems at least one more made it if you put me here. I have to ask is it Korvasta?¡±


    ¡°Will it change anything if it is?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The man that fled said that Korvasta attacked his own group in the end. I am sure rumor will spread quickly about his misdeeds, so I doubt anyone will kick up any fuss about him. Besides he served his purpose to the kingdom with the marriage, but has been a thorn in Gowen¡¯s side ever since.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t stake your own brother-in-law¡¯s life very highly. I guess the rumors about humans are not unfounded.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I truly am curious now. You seem to not have much knowledge of humans, but even more interesting is the mention of rumors means you had to hear what you know from someone else.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is your reason for returning if not the fate of your brother-in-law?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Still not going to tell me anything about yourself? It¡¯s a shame, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Dungeons are still such a mystery for a reason I guess. If I may can I at least ask one question?¡±


    ¡°Asking the question, and receiving an answer are two different things, but go ahead. Ask your question.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh¡­There are so many though¡­There has always been the legend that dungeons themselves are alive, but is that really true?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how answering questions like that benefits you. Why risk your very life on legends and conjecture?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You intrigue me. Anything I learn to better understand dungeons I could teach to others, and truly help everyone. Like why some dungeons do everything in their power to try to kill until destroyed, yet others seem to provide for humans, and to even go as far to say help their villages with resources they would otherwise be unable to obtain...¡±


    ¡°You say you want to help others, but feel nothing for those who lose their lives within my dungeon. You even warned me of your own brother-in-law¡¯s attack with no remorse.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well as far as Korvasta is concerned, I would say you actually you did humanity a service by disposing of him, but as far as the others. I could honestly throw the question back at you. Humans enter your dungeon on a daily basis killing the monsters within yet no matter how many are killed you still put an effort into capturing prisoners and even releasing them.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t speak for other dungeons, but as far as I am concerned it all falls down to basic instinct for survival.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°If I killed the entire group that entered my dungeon when it was first discovered, then who knows what the villagers might have done, and when your group entered, and I learned of your status. Well dungeons have been destroyed for taking the lives of nobles, princes, and princesses I didn¡¯t want retaliation brought down on me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But then why even make yourself known to humans? This cave has been here for hundreds of years, and nobody knew you were here?¡±


    ¡°I believe you humans call it nourishment?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You eat humans? Then why let the normal adventurers go once you capture them?¡±


    ¡°Nothing as disgusting as what you humans call eating. I gain xp similar to the manner you humans gain xp while fighting. Although I may receive more when a human dies in my dungeon, I still receive a small amount from living creatures as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You live off of xp? I guess that leads me back to my original question. What are you?¡±


    ¡°If I told you that you might never leave the dungeon again if you found out, would you still want to know?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Still want to know? Of course, but be able to live the rest of my life in this small room? I think I will just remain unknowing, at least for now¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I believe our conversation is complete.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Very well, but don¡¯t think I have given up. If you want humans to continue coming here, then I will continue to gather information.¡±


    Without another word I head back into the dungeon core room, and have Belinda escorted out of the cave. She however turns right before leaving, saying one last thing to her kobold escort.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, and tell him if Korvasta is still alive, let him rot in the dungeon, and I will consider it a personal favor.¡±


    She then actually bows to the kobold then leaves the cave. I watch her as she heads down the mountain seeming rather excited, and with that I have survived my first C rank group.

 Belindas Discovery

    In the next few days the dungeon begins receiving many more of the D ranked adventurers, and although some do die most either retreat or are captured. If the captured ones are not packing any food I just break down their equipment and release them the next morning.


    I was surprised to find out it took 6 entire days for Korvasta to die without any food or water. Maybe I will start holding prisoners at least 3 days now even if they don¡¯t have any supplies.


    I have managed to begin building my xp back up so I can add a new floor. Two more groups have made it to the second floor, but even without the crimson brutes and elder they only manage to kill one or two crimson kobolds.


    As soon as I build my new floor I am going to start replacing the crimson kobolds with rifts. Speaking of rifts some more of the kobold on the first floor have at least reached level 2 now, and the mage rift in the square cave room has reached level 4.


    Belinda has paid a visit twice more, even after not meeting with her she still has talked to the kobolds, but of course they just stare at her. I don¡¯t even bother locking her up anymore, and she doesn¡¯t seem like she plans to stop anytime soon.


    One of the slow days I made my way back to the village. It seems the inn is complete now, and many of the villagers have opened stalls in the square selling pelts, meat, and other assorted goods. There are now a few C rank commissions on the board, along with more building commissions, and even a commission to clear some of the forest for possible village expansion.


    Amy seems to be upset with Belinda about her trips up to the dungeon, but can¡¯t stop her from going. They both continue to try to get me to join the adventurer¡¯s guild, but no longer ask me to take any commissions.


    After seeing the progress of the town I make my way back to the dungeon. When I make it back inside there is a group of adventurers that has cleared the square cave room and is in the process of clearing the second room.


    I have seen this group a few times, and like the other times they attacked once the groups from the side rooms start reinforcing in the main room they retreat. Groups like that are a pain. If at least one would die then I would at least get something out of the attack.


    After a few more days pass some of the adventurers have begun taking the weapons from the fallen kobolds so I have had to start replacing gear making my costs start to rise. However with the C rank commission starting to be accepted I have had 3 more groups of C rank adventurers.


    One of the C rank groups even cleared the main room on the second floor luckily they were still no match for the 3 crimson kobold brutes and crimson kobold elder in Belinda¡¯s groups gear. The last two of the group surrendered but after holding them for a few days I barely broke even with xp, so I decided to take a despite action.


    With a small leather pouch full of the small gold coins I have been getting off the adventurers I make my way back down to Tobes. I begin looking though the stalls outside on the main square, and I can¡¯t make head or tails of human food.


    When Belinda¡¯s group was trapped in the dungeon there was quite a bit of the food they didn¡¯t eat. Most of the adventurers used to carry some dried meat and bread with them, but lately they don¡¯t bring any type of food with them.


    I guess they figured out that once they were captured I would hold them longer if they had food. I guess that was an oversite on my part. Maybe I can fix that now.


    I find a stall selling some of the dried meat. By what Belinda¡¯s group got at the dungeon I figured 1 days rations should amount to about 5 of the coins. Although they only ate a small portion of it, so I just started out taking out 10 of the small coins, and ask for that much of the dried meat.


    The stall owner eyes me rather suspiciously then begins filling a sack with meat¡­


    Wait a minute¡­ He isn¡¯t stopping¡­


    After filling one of the small sacks he begins filling a second, luckily he stops after it is a quarter of the way full¡­ I gather the two sacks rather awkwardly in my arms and move on to look at the other stalls.


    When I find the stall that has some of the bread the adventurers usually carry, this time I just ask for an enough to last a few people several days, and they only ask for 2 of the gold coins.


    Making my way around I am unable to find anywhere that sells water, I do however find a liquid that I see several people drinking so I buy a small container of it.


    Placing the bread in the second sack of meat I place both sacks over one shoulder and carry the small barrel of liquid under the other arm I start to slowly make my way back out of town when I hear someone call out to me.


    Belinda: ¡°Hey, Two-Twelve!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Quite a load you got there, why don¡¯t you swing by the adventurer¡¯s guild for a while and take a rest?¡±


    ¡°Maybe next time, I need to get going.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Come on I insist.¡± ¨CShe moves over taking the small barrel from under my arm and starts walking away.-


    I sigh and follow her to the adventurer¡¯s guild. Once there she places the barrel in a corner out of the way then motions for me to have a seat at one of the tables.


    I set the sacks down and glance at the commissions¡¯ board and find the culprit to some of my more recent woes.


    Kobold Weapons and Armor


    Rank D+


    Reward: 5 gold


    Bring any weapon or armor from the kobolds in the Ancient Kobold Stronghold to the adventurer¡¯s guild in Tobes to receive your reward.


    Belinda spots me looking over the board.


    Belinda: ¡°You are always looking at the board, why don¡¯t you go ahead and join the adventurer¡¯s guild so you can take a commission or two.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with this commission?¡± ¨CI say then head to the table sitting down.-


    Belinda: ¡°Well the kobold of the dungeon are so unique, so I wanted to see if the equipment they have is anything special, but so far it all has seemed pretty normal.¡±


    Man she is killing me here¡­ Next time she stops by the dungeon I am going to have to find a way to get her to drop this commission before it wipes me out¡­


    Belinda: ¡°If you want to join I am sure I can get a small group together for you to take that commission if you like.¡±


    ¡°Thanks anyways, but I will pass.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s with all the supplies anyway? Are you hauling it for someone to earn some gold?¡±


    ¡°Well something like that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Seems like some back breaking work¡­ How about this, you join the guild, I will pay for your ID, and Amy and I will personally help you get a few commissions taken care of?¡±


    ¡°Thanks really, but I will have to pass. I also need to get going, can¡¯t leave my employer waiting now can I?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ah, sorry for holding you up. But remember if you change your mind we are here. ¡°


    I nod and pick up the supplies again, slowly making my way up to the dungeon. Struggling with the supplies up the mountain trail it takes me till midafternoon before I finally reach the dungeon.


    Once inside I find that a D rank party managed to get down to the second floor, and they have even managed to take out 3 crimson kobolds. I quickly send in the crimson brutes and elder, and it throws the group into chaos causing them to instantly try to flee.


    I manage to snag two of them before they escape into the stairs. Once they reach the top floor they quickly make their way to the entrance when I get a message about more intruders. Quickly I look at the screen and see Belinda peering into the cave from the area outside¡­


    ¡°What is she doing now?¡±


    The first group makes it to the cave and once they exit Belinda catches them. They walk back down the mountain talking. I quickly send some of the supplies down to the captive C rankers, and then replace the fallen crimson kobold.


    ¡°Took a major hit in xp today¡­ How did a group like that get so far into the dungeon anyway?¡±


    Belinda¡¯s POV


    After talking to the boss of the dungeon I felt really excited, I learned a bunch of information. That useless Korvasta¡¯s interference might have actually of turned into a great boon.


    When the inn was finished the reward from the people taking the commission really took a toll on my funds, but now that I own a business in town the profits from it will go to new commissions. I decided to buy some more land, and set a few more commissions for some more building.


    In two days the inn is already packed, and that let me even place a few C rank commissions. Two-Twelve came by again today, and I am not sure what his deal is but he always just looks at the commissions and leaves.


    I asked around Tobes, and nobody has even heard of him. I talked to the town guard, and he just knew of him by description saying he showed up right after the bear attacked the village, which led to the discovery of the dungeon, but he didn¡¯t know anything else about him.


    I thought Two-Twelve was just an escaped slave, but maybe there is more to it then that¡­


    A few days after a C rank group entered the dungeon I found Two-Twelve walking through town with what looked like enough supplies for a long while. He seemed eager to leave, but I was able to coax him into coming to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    He made the same complexed expression when looking at the commission board as he always does, I tried to talk him into joining the guild even throwing in a huge incentive but he still wouldn¡¯t bite. After he left I decided I was going to follow him to see where he was heading off to.


    I continued to follow him as he walked past all the houses, the inn, and headed out of town up into the mountain. Once he got to the entrance of the dungeon I seem to have lost sight of him.


    I quickly made my way up the rest of the way, and was looking around the entrance when a battered group of adventurer¡¯s exited the dungeon in haste.


    I follow the group back down the mountain, asking them what happened.


    Adventurer 1: ¡°We came out here because of the high paid D rank commissions. We have fought kobolds before so we thought it would be no problem.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°We heard the rumors of the ¡°intelligent¡± kobolds, but after slowly clearing the entire first floor we thought it was all just talk.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You mean you three D rank adventurers cleared the entire first floor by yourselves?¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°We were 5 we lost our friends Davis, and Slone inside¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°But once we reached the second floor everything changed¡­¡±


    Adventurer 1: ¡°We were doing fine, I mean I never fought a crimson kobold before, but we were managing just fine while taking very little damage.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°But then everything changed¡­ The kobold just instantly changed¡­¡±


    Adventurer 1: ¡°That was when the other kobolds entered the room¡­ As soon as they did the kobolds we were fighting just completely changed they instantly killed Davis, and we tried to run but we lost Slone as well before making it to the stairs.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have never heard of the kobolds behaving like that¡­ How long did it take you three to escape?¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°As soon as the kobolds behavior changed and we lost Davis we quickly tried to escape. It was probably only a few minutes time before they changed and when we left the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re saying it happened only a few minutes before you left the dungeon? All day the kobold acted like normal kobolds but a few minutes ago is when they started acting different?¡±


    After the group nod they continue to make their way back down to Tobes then Belinda quickly gathers some things together and talks to Amy.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Belinda: ¡°I am going back up to the dungeon. If I don¡¯t return within a few days send word to the capital that the dungeon might be dangerous after all.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Wait, what do you mean? What happened?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have an idea but I have to be sure. Just do as I ask.¡±


    Amy nods as I get my armor on and I prepare to leave. With my new armor and spear I make my way back up to the dungeon.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    The square cave room is still empty, and the main room only has a few kobold that have been born from the rift, but all of the side rooms have been restored to original state. It¡¯s been a weird and long day, so I decide to head to bed early.


    However my plans are quickly changed as I receive a message that intruders have entered. Belinda has entered the dungeon again, this time wearing her full armor and carrying her spear. I would think she means business if it wasn¡¯t for the fact she is still alone.


    Once she sees the first kobold she calls out.


    Belinda: ¡°Get Two-Twelve, I want to speak with Two-Twelve!¡±


    How did¡­ When she was here earlier, she must have followed me up from Tobes¡­ Damnit I was careless. Well I guess it doesn¡¯t really change much, it just means I can¡¯t go back to Tobes.


    Belinda: ¡°If you don¡¯t let me speak to Two-Twelve I will just sit here till you do, Oh and if Amy doesn¡¯t receive word from me, she has been told to send a message to the capital telling of the danger this dungeon now poses to the village.¡±


    ¡°Damnit, this could get ugly fast, I am going to have to meet with her I guess¡­¡± I have her moved to the second floor, and from across the room I come out of the door from the crystal room.


    One of the crimson kobold moves a table and two chairs into the middle of the room, and Belinda sits down in one but remains ahold of her spear.


    I move forward with all the crimson kobolds watching me, and the 4 mimicking Belinda¡¯s group as personal body guards. I sit in the chair across from her, while the 4 kobold stand around the table.


    Belinda: ¡°I see you are putting my armor to good use. Although I can¡¯t say I am happy to see my armor on a kobold.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s be frank, you are not here to talk about your armor. What is it that you hope to gain from this meeting?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The same thing I have always wanted, prosperity for my people, and to make a name for myself.¡±


    ¡°And how is it you think our talk will be of any use to you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like I said before, the more I learn about dungeons the more I can use that information to help others. Now that I know who you are, I can get you to answer my questions.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that is going to help you any.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°Sure it¡¯s inconvenient that I can no longer show my face in town, but it¡¯s not enough to make me give you any information.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What if I forbid entry to the dungeon, and you will no longer get the xp you need then!¡±


    ¡°Well then I guess I will go back to sleep until you are long forgotten, and my dungeon is discovered again.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­I could just call for a hero to destroy the crystal.¡±


    ¡°And that helps you how, exactly?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Fine, but please at least answer some of my questions.¡±


    ¡°I will make a deal with you, as long as you ask questions that don¡¯t inconvenience me I will answer, and in exchange you agree to help my dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Fine, but I am going first. How do you keep in contact with other dungeons?¡±


    I think about it for a while before answering. ¡°We have a system similar to your adventurer IDs. Now in exchange I want you to remove that weapons and armor commission¡­ Replacing the weapons and armor has become a pain.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can do that. What of the other dungeon bosses, have they ever communicated with humans?¡±


    ¡°Humans have been making backroom deals, and talking to monsters from dungeons ever since dungeons where first discovered. Kingdoms have risen and fallen on the backs of dungeons, and no I won¡¯t tell you which ones.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know some dungeons seemed to have a symbiotic relationship with humans, but I would have sworn the rumors of entire kingdoms being assisted by dungeons was just rumor. Gowen kingdom isn¡¯t one of them was it?¡±


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s still my turn, but I will give you that one because I haven¡¯t heard anything about Gowen¡¯s involvement with dungeons before. Now as for me, I can no longer head to the village so if I do require something from the village I will need someone to bring it to me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know of anyone I could trust sending them to you, so how about I just make sure to come at least twice a week to make sure you have what you need?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like an excuse for you to come bother me more, but I think it is acceptable.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok next I want to ask, where do dungeon monsters come from? I mean it is known dungeon monsters just appear, but my question is how do they just appear?¡±


    ¡°Well, I pay the cost in my stored xp, and they just appear.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°isn¡¯t that just the same as summoning magic? I mean you just use xp in exchange of magic?


    ¡°In a manner of speaking I guess that would be correct.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well why kobolds then? I mean of all the monsters to choose from why them?¡±


    ¡°Well, the kobolds are indeed at the low levels of the dungeon, but who is to say I don¡¯t have much stronger things held deeper within?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well your body guards there are proof enough for me, why protect yourself with kobolds if you have something much stronger?¡±


    ¡°Well these guys are more than enough to handle you, besides maybe I just don¡¯t want to give away any of my secrets? Now, I have answered quite a few questions, so I am going to ask you in exchange to stay here overnight for a week.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s for gathering xp right?¡± ¨CShe asks rather nervously.-


    ¡°Of course, as long as you are behind one of the locked doors before midnight, afterwards you can stay, leave, or do whatever you want.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Fine¡­ But you are going to have to give me a day to prepare, because I am not going to be sleeping on the cold ground for a week.


    ¡°Like I said, you don¡¯t have to stay if you don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well its already getting late now, so I will wait till after midnight then head back to Tobes tonight, but it will be easier just to come up here and sleep the rest of the week.¡±


    She just learned that I am from a dungeon, yet she is still acting the same as always. She isn¡¯t even afraid of staying in the dungeon are humans really this adaptable? After a few minutes of silence she finally speaks again.


    Belinda: ¡°So¡­Why Two-Twelve? Do you not have a name?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t decided on one that I like yet, and I am Two-Twelve like you¡¯re thirteen-two-fifty-seven.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thirteen¡­Wait isn¡¯t that my adventurer ID number? How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I have saved all the IDs I have gotten from adventurers. It has sort of turned into a hobby.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­Can I see them?¡±


    I get up leaving to the crystal room, one there I transfer to the core room grab the two books of IDs, I then wait five minutes before returning to Belinda. I set the two books down in front of her.


    Belinda opens the first book then she seems rather surprised as she flips through the pages.


    Belinda: ¡°Wait they are all in here?¡±


    ¡°Well, all the deceased adventurers and irrelevant IDs are in that book, the other book has the adventurer¡¯s I am keeping a closer eye on.¡±


    Belinda opens the other book to find her own ID being the first one on the page.


    Belinda: ¡°How did you place them all in the books? You should have had to take them to a capital branch adventurer¡¯s guild to be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know it just let me.¡±


    I take one of the books bring up the edit screen and remove one of the IDs, after showing it to Belinda I add it back to the book the close the screen.


    Belinda: ¡°So your dungeon magic is the same as the adventurer¡¯s guild¡¯s magic?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, but it¡¯s similar.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do you mind if I copy the names of the deceased so I can let the guild know to inform their families?¡±


    With I state no objection Belinda spends the next few minutes copying the adventurer¡¯s ID numbers and names of all the deceased in the books.


    Belinda: ¡°Where did you get these books anyway?¡±


    When I describe the man she nods then says.


    Belinda: ¡°When he returns, can you take it easy on the ones he sends in? I hate to see him throwing away slaves lives like that.¡±


    ¡°Slaves?¡±


    Belinda explains slavery to me, which explains the misconception she had of me thinking I was an escaped slave.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound much different than a dungeon monster though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe¡­But your monsters even with higher intelligence are still just monsters.¡±


    ¡°Well can¡¯t the same be said about beastkin? They started out as dungeon monsters.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I¡­ It¡¯s just not the same.¡±


    ¡°Amy isn¡¯t your slave then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course not, she is my friend! Her family has just served mine for generations.¡±


    ¡°Collar aside, I don¡¯t really see a difference.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­It¡¯s not¡­She¡¯s never¡­¡± -Belinda looks quite conflicted for a while.-


    When Belinda finally starts talking again she keeps the conversation pretty bland, and we continue to talk till just before midnight. She then heads to the cell, and once midnight passes I unlock the door and she leaves the dungeon heading back to the village.


    The next evening when Belinda returns she has a large pack filled with things and wears a sullen expression. She never says a word as the kobolds lead her though the dungeon, and have the kobolds put her in the last cell at the end of the hall.


    Belinda unpacks a cot, and other things from the pack setting it up in the room. After she is finished she checks the door, and once she finds that it is still unlocked she opens it, asking the guard to call me.


    I wait 15 minutes after she reenters the room before heading down entering her room, this time only with one kobold body guard.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, you actually came. I sent Amy back to the capital¡­¡± ¨CShe says seeming rather depressed.- then she continues.


    Belinda: ¡°You know after the talk of slavery yesterday I decided to talk with Amy. You know I thought of her as my best friend, yet I didn¡¯t even know anything about her¡­ I thought she enjoyed the same things I did, but apparently I was wrong.¡±


    I stand there in silence as her rant continues.


    Belinda: ¡°Did you know she didn¡¯t even want to be here? She never wanted to leave the capital. She kept insisting it was ok that I dragged her around all over, saying it was her duty and all, but you were right¡­ Sure her family is paid, and I never mistreated her, but she always just did what I said. How is that any better than a slave¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She has always been there though so I just thought she wanted to be. I took her for granted, and she probably didn¡¯t even think of me as a friend¡­¡±


    Belinda then begins crying picking up a pillow next to her. Not knowing what to do I move over, and just pat her on the head a few times.


    Belinda: ¡°What am I going to do now? Amy took care of all the paperwork at the guild, and I don¡¯t even know half of what needs to be done.¡±


    ¡°Uh, shouldn¡¯t that of been something you worked out before sending Amy away?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was upset ok! Sorry, it¡¯s just.¡±


    Belinda now sits up wipes the tears from her eyes, sets the pillow down, and starts talking again.


    Belinda: ¡°I am just going to have to do it. Maybe I can put in a commission for a book keeper, or hire one of the villagers. I just need to move forward I won¡¯t let this get the best of me.¡±


    ¡°Uh, good?¡±


    Belinda: -She smiles then says. - ¡°Sorry, I know you¡¯re not used to interacting with humans, but I just needed someone to talk too¡­ and sorry for the whole spoiled princess number there, but it really did help to just let it all out. If there is anything I can do in return just let me know.¡±


    ¡­Maybe this is how Thirty-seven felt when I kept talking and talking while at Madam Erin¡¯s place. I ought to message her, and ask for her to forgive me¡­What do I say to Belinda though¡­?


    ¡°That¡¯s ok¡­ The guard has been instructed to lock the door just before midnight, but any time after that you may leave. Just be advised that doesn¡¯t mean you can try to sneak deeper into the dungeon. They will attack you if you try to pass the central room out there.¡±


    Belinda laughs and I return to the core room after leaving the prison. I watch Belinda and the other two captives though the screens for a while. Whatever the liquid was that I bought in the barrel the prisoners seem to enjoy. After just two days the small barrel is almost empty, might have to get Belinda to bring more when she comes back tomorrow.


    Just before Belinda goes to bed she changes into clothes to sleep in, and I find it strange. By looks alone her body doesn¡¯t differ much then Thirty-seven¡¯s yet I don¡¯t feel the sensation I felt while looking at Thirty-seven then I do when looking at Belinda.


    Surely it is not just because she is human, after all when the kobold removed her armor that first time I did have that image of her stuck in my head, but even that still felt different then when I looked at Thirty-seven¡¯s body.


    By the fourth day I have built up enough xp between Belinda, and the two captives to add another level. I decide to go ahead and release the captives, but don¡¯t add the floor yet. Every day Belinda has been arriving later and later, and she has looked more tired as each day passes.


    However when I talk to her she doesn¡¯t say anything about it. On her last night she barely makes it with only a few minutes to spare, and once in the room she just collapses on the bed.


    The next morning I talk with Sara for the first time in a while, and she tells me things have really quieted down now the other dungeon is gone. A few people passing by her dungeon stop filling their water at the pond, but she has started to send out a group of her fairies and pixies again to hunt the beasts in the forest.


    I apologized to Thirty-seven after the talk with Belinda, but she said it was ok, and hasn¡¯t sent anything since.


    Belinda still hasn¡¯t woken up yet, but I just leave her be and begin working on the dungeon. I start by adding the new floor but I place it quite a ways down making the spiral staircase extra-long. Due to the xp I got from the two captives and Belinda I change my plan a little and begin building.


    Instead of starting with a room I start with a hallway making it with an intersection in the middle going both directions. From each of the side rooms I make a decent size room with a 10 foot ceiling, but the room at the end of the hallway I try to see the boundaries of what I can build.


    There does seem to be a limit that raises the cost of the rooms. After messing around with it a while, I settle with a 50 foot by 50 foot room, giving it a huge 40 foot ceiling. Now maybe still too small for a dragon to fight in, but anything short of that, and this room should work.


    I add a final standard sized room behind the big room, and connect all with doors. Costing me close to 15,000xp I am left with just under 100xp.


    I will have to fill them up later, but for now I move the crystal down to the back room. I move 4 of the golems with the crystal and put the other two in the massive room, I then put the crimson kobold brutes, and crimson kobold elder in the old core room.


    When Belinda finally wakes up she packs her things making her way out of the dungeon. Once she exits the cave she notices how high the sun is, and she panics. She practically runs down the mountain equipment and all.


    Over the next two weeks Belinda seems to be getting in worse shape, but finally appears to be doing much better when she enters one day, tells me all about the two new employees she hired. At this point I think she has completely forgotten I am supposed to be some kind of monster, and is treating me like a friend.


    I think I see how Amy ended up trapped with her¡­ Every so often she asks to see my adventurer ID collection and writes down the deceased adventurers so she can pass along the information.


    Instead of trying to get me to join the adventurer¡¯s guild, she is now trying to get me to eat food that she brings while I have captives, but after watching how humans dispose of it I have no desire to even try.


    I guess I can¡¯t really complain about her visits, because it seems to help pass the time at least. With adventurers practically entering my dungeon every day, and Belinda¡¯s frequent visits a few months pass without me even noticing.


    Adventurers finally made it into the old core room discovering the stairs down, but they have still yet to pass the crimson kobold brutes and elder. All of the kobold rifts on the first floor now range between level 4 and level 7.


    I have managed to replace the crimson kobolds in the large room, and the prison with rifts. Three of those rifts have also already gained a level. Even with the kobold leveling up more and more adventurers are making it to the second floor.


    I have managed to add some d¨¦cor items to the third floor but other than that I haven¡¯t done much else to it.


    The commissions are still going strong, Belinda has begun to ask my opinion of them before posting, but some of the other adventurers are starting to post commissions of their own.  The town now has a few new buildings by what Belinda has told me. They added a smithy, a few shops, and an actual tavern.


    Belinda still asks me a lot of questions about dungeons, but I have deflected most of them. She comes to the dungeon almost every other day now, most of the time bringing food to the captives I have at the time, and often to just chat.


    She has told me I can go visit the town, because she never told anyone about me, but I am still being cautious.


    Sara¡¯s dungeon is holding out, one of the adventurers discovered her cave entrance, but so far they are mostly leaving it alone.


    Alex¡¯s dungeon on the other hand nearly was destroyed on the first contact with humans. He had to reduce his dungeon by so much just to survive that when his dungeon was actually discovered they made it all the way to the crystal room. Luckily for him though they didn¡¯t destroy the crystal.


    Derek¡¯s dungeon seems to be taking off as well he has doubled in size yet again, and it¡¯s fair to say he has a full-fledged dungeon now. Newt¡¯s dungeon seems to still be on the decline but not as bad as Alex¡¯s.


    Thirty-seven has pretty much stopped responding to me completely, I find it sad that after we got so close that we drifted apart, but I guess that¡¯s the way things work. Madam Erin also finally admitted that Thirty-seven hasn¡¯t been busy, but has just reverted back to the way she was before I was born.


    With the distance between Belinda and Amy now, their friendship has seemed to have mended. Belinda often tells me about the letters she has received from her. Belinda has set her gear back up in the last cell of my dungeon she uses it every so often when she comes, and it gets late while we talk.


    Finally one day Belinda comes to the dungeon, and insisted that I leave the dungeon the next day. It seems it will be her birthday. She had to explain to me what that meant, but since things seem to be going well I decided to attend.

 Belindas Birthday

    As a thanks for me agreeing to go to her birthday celebration Belinda stayed till just past midnight to allow me to collect xp from her before heading back to Tobes. We talked for quite a while, and she told me to make my way to the adventurer¡¯s guild after I woke up, and said the celebration would last all day, but I still am unsure exactly what to expect.


    Early the next morning after waking up I check over the dungeon and make sure everything is in order before I head down to Tobes. The small hunting village is starting to grow in to a full-fledged village. The new buildings are being built close to the mountain trail, and it looks like they have even begun digging soil at the base of the mountain for even further expansion.


    The far side of the village has less trees then before, and it seems they are beginning to plant more field crops. As I make my way through town the townsfolk are just starting to wake up and move about.  Keeping my head down, I just quickly and quietly head to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Once I arrive the building appears to be empty, with the chairs still on the tables and no lights lit up, but while I debate on what I should do I see a familiar face exit from the back.


    Amy: ¡°Two-Twelve, you actually came. Belinda told me you two have been getting close lately, but I still had my doubts.¡± ¨CShe says while lighting a few of the lights around the room and taking the chairs of the tables.-


    ¡°I see you have returned? Is a birthday celebration really a big deal enough for you to travel a week for it?¡±


    Amy: ¡°She didn¡¯t explain it to you? How typical.  Generally a birthday is just a small party or something, but we are talking about a princess here.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Belinda however walks in and interjects.


    Belinda: ¡°It is not because I am a princess, this is my 18<sup>th</sup> birthday. That means I am finally old enough to do what I want without having to take orders from others.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been doing that all along?¡±


    Amy laughs, and Belinda puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head.


    Amy: ¡°It¡¯s more like a technicality really, in the past 18 marked the age of becoming an adult, but now it is basically just a tradition.¡±


    ¡°So, what exactly am ¡°I¡± supposed to do?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Traditionally you give the birthday girl a gift, but since she failed to mention anything to you I am sure we can skip that part. The rest of it is just socializing with the rest of the guests, eating, and drinking.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Come on, I promise it won¡¯t be that bad. If you stick around for the entire party I will stay are your place tonight¡±. ¨CShe says after seeing the look on my face.-


    Amy¡¯s opens her eyes wide and begins to smirk, and then Belinda seems to begin to panic as she quickly blushes bright red, and quickly cuts in again.


    Belinda: ¡°No! No! It¡¯s a misunderstanding! It¡¯s not like that!¡±


    Amy eyes her suspiciously then says. ¡°Yea I bet¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not quite sure I understand, but if the conversations continue like this I am not sure I am going to be able to keep up.¡±


    Amy sighs then says. ¡°Now sadly, I believe you¡­Well birthday girl you better get ready. I will take care of your ¡°Friend¡± here.¡±


    Belinda is still blushing and seems hesitant but eventually she nods heading back to the back room. Amy carefully watches Belinda leave then pulls me over to a table.


    Amy: ¡°Now tell me! What did she really mean?¡±


    ¡°I am not exactly sure, like I said I didn¡¯t really follow any of that conversation.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, what did she mean by saying that she would stay at your place tonight?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± ¨CI scratch my head thinking of how to answer¡­- ¡°She is just helping me¡­Yea she is helping me fix up my place¡­ You know building and such¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°You¡­Well you look like you are not entirely lying, but something is still not right with this whole thing¡­ Oh well, it¡¯s too bad really. If she was getting some maybe she would loosen up. She stays way too high strung.¡±


    ¡°You lost me again¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°You really aren¡¯t getting any of this are you? I knew some people in your situation are sheltered, but wow¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, sorry it seems there is still a lot I don¡¯t know about¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°I kind of feel sorry for her now. You¡¯re clueless, and she surely is not going to start anything¡­¡± ¨CShe seems to be thinking hard about something before she says.-  ¡°I will have to think of something.¡±


    After a short time Belinda returns she has changed out of her normal clothing into a simple but colorful dress, and after a few whispers back and forth between her and Amy they begin to finish preparing the guild for the party.


    I am only able to help a small bit, but after a few hours everything appears to be ready and people begin to arrive. Belinda greets everyone, and receives several wrapped packages. She adds the packages to a pile in the corner on a table, and once she makes her way around the entire room she then joins Amy and me at the table.


    Belinda: ¡°I figured most of the people would be adventurers, but I am glad to see some of the villagers as well. I was afraid they would be mad at me for turning their little hunting community upside down.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I am sure some of the older folk feel that way, but I am sure most of the younger ones are glad that something is finally happening around here. After all the bear attack that led up to the discovery of the dungeon, was the first exciting thing that has probably happened in their lifetime.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure it isn¡¯t that bad living in a small village like this.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Why do you think so many of them joined in on the inn construction? It was so they could get some money to get out of this place. That¡¯s why most quickly joined the guild afterwards. I am sure most of them are grateful to you for bringing life into this place.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I didn¡¯t really do much. It was mostly just because of the dungeon.¡± ¨CShe smiles at me winks her eye.-


    Amy: ¡°Ok, what is it you guys are not telling me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, that is the village leader that just walked in I better greet him properly, excuse me.¡±


    Belinda quickly flees the conversation to talk to an older man that just entered.


    Amy: ¡°Belinda has never kept secrets from me before. I think she is learning this behavior from you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Yea yea.¡±


    After a few more hours the guild is now packed with people, sitting around, talking, drinking, and eating. Most of the people are drinking the same kind of alcohol that I bought in the barrel a few months back. When I sent Belinda to retrieve more for the captives she explained to me what it was.


    Amy has been pretty forceful, but so far I haven¡¯t had to eat or drink anything. Belinda has stopped by a few times, but as soon as more people arrive she goes off again greeting them and such.


    Many of the adventurers brag about the dungeon some embellishing stories from their exploits in the dungeon, while others flat out lie. Once adventurer claims to have made it all the way down to the fifth floor, and claims he had to fight off a group of trolls.


    I wonder what kind of story it would be, if once I do have a fifth floor I actually fill it with trolls. Then again I can¡¯t even summon trolls. I need to find a way to get my hands on more monsters so I can begin summoning more types of creatures.


    Once the afternoon rolls around a large square food is brought out set on the counter, I think they called it a cake. Belinda heads over taking a knife that is practically a small sword, cutting it into smaller squares, and then begins handing them out to everyone.


    Once everyone has one of the squares she comes over sitting down at the table with two in her hands. She slides one of them over to me, and tells me to try it. She knows I don¡¯t eat food, but has asked me in the past if I was capable, maybe I should have told her no¡­


    The ¡°cake¡± looks to be some type of soft bread with something covering the top of it. Amy and Belinda both watch me as they munch away on their pieces. I pick it up and just smell it.


    Amy: ¡°Don¡¯t tell you have never had a cake before either? What have you been doing all this time that you have been on your own?¡±


    With the girls closely watching me I figure I have no choice but to at least try it, so when I bring it to my mouth to take a small bite Amy reaches up shoving the whole thing in my mouth. I have never eaten anything before but I somehow know that this ¡°cake¡± is very sweet tasting, so much so in fact that I get a twinge in both sides of jaw and throat.


    With no other option I quickly chew and swallow the cake, and both of the girls give me questioning looks.


    Amy & Belinda: ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­Really sweet¡­¡±


    Both of the girls laugh, and after they finish their cake we sit and talk. After a short while Amy slides me a large cup with some of the alcohol everyone seems to be drinking.


    Amy: ¡°Here you have to drink this as well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He has never had any alcohol before, take it easy on him.¡±


    Amy: ¡°It¡¯s only one cup!¡±


    With pleading eyes I turn to Belinda but she has forsaken me by averting her eyes¡­ I watch Amy closely as I try to take a small sip of it. The alcohol has a very bitter flavor, but I at least find it more enjoyable then the sweet flavor of the cake.


    After taking a second drink from the cup the girls seem to resume their activities but Amy still tells me to take another drink every so often. After I empty the cup Amy instantly replaces it with another, and before long she has made me drink 4 cups of the alcohol.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    After the second cup I began feeling weird. Amy insisted that was normal and just handed me another cup, but now that the 4th is just about gone I am having trouble following what the girls are saying. I don¡¯t know how many cups Amy has drank but I know it¡¯s a lot more than me. Belinda has even drank more than me, and although her face has reddened she still doesn¡¯t seem in too bad of shape.


    After I finished off the 4<sup>th</sup> cup Amy replaces it with another full one, but I begin getting a strange feeling in my stomach, I am not sure what it is but if I had to guess I think I have to expel some of the alcohol. The last thing I can recall however is standing up, the room spinning around in circles, and then the dulled feeling of my face colliding with the floor.


    Belinda¡¯s POV


    I awoke this morning pretty groggy. I stayed up late last night trying to convince Two-Twelve to come to my birthday celebration. I even locked myself in one of his cells at midnight, so he could get some xp from me.


    Honestly though, I don¡¯t mind it really. It¡¯s a bit far to travel in the morning, and the cot is not near as comfortable as my bed, but if he asked I would probably stay in the dungeon just so he could get the xp from me every day.


    When I got back to Tobes last night, Amy was waiting on me, she traveled back from the capital to attend my birthday party, I told her I was just doing some research and we went straight to bed before she could question me further. She was the one that woke me up so early this morning. I wonder if all beastkin have her kind of energy.


    I never noticed it before, but she always seems full of energy. If what Two-Twelve said about beastkin being descendants of dungeon monsters is true, maybe that has something to do with it.


    Although if that was brought out in the open there would be a big uproar, after all beastkin have only now just started to be treated like everyone else.


    I quickly get dressed when I hear Amy out in the main room talking with someone, and when I join her I find that Two-Twelve has already arrived. I honestly wasn¡¯t sure he trusted me enough to show, but he even arrived early.


    I almost slipped up telling Amy about Two-Twelve being a dungeon boss, but it instead it turned into a more embarrassing conversation. Amy tries to push me out of the conversation telling me to get ready, but I am sure it is just so she can question him. Two-Twelve will not slip up like I did, so I finally agree and head back to the room to prepare for the party.


    When I return to the room people have begun to arrive, so I make my way around the room thanking them for coming and receive several gifts. Once everyone has been greeted I head to the table with Amy and Two-Twelve.


    Two-Twelve seems to be holding his own with Amy, but now I am sure she knows that I am hiding something about Two-Twelve. I see the village leader enter the guild, so I take the opportunity to get away without any more pressing questions.


    The party is rather small and progresses pretty slowly, but everyone seems to be having a good time. Two-Twelve had held his own in conversations with Amy and the other adventurers. I can¡¯t tell if he is enjoying himself, but at least he is talking more. He seems like a very intelligent person, just naive about humans I am glad he has been able to fit in, even if it is just a small bit.


    I made sure to ask Two-Twelve last week if he was capable of eating food in preparation for today, so when I cut the cake I take a piece to him. He doesn¡¯t seem too fond of the idea but when he begins to try it Amy shoves the whole thing in him mouth.


    It doesn¡¯t look like he liked it very much, I thought everyone loved cake, but being his first food to try it might have been too much. Later when everyone has started drinking Amy gets Two-Twelve to take a drink. He seems fonder of the alcohol then the cake, and he even for drinking for the first time he manages to keep up with me for a while.


    After his second cup he begins to slow down however. I can¡¯t recall how many he has drunk now, but I just finished my sixth cup when he begins to stand up. I can tell he is about to lose it, but I can¡¯t get up fast enough as he crashes to the ground.


    ¡°Two-Twelve! Are you ok?¡±


    I say as I rush to his side, and with the quick movement even I seem to be getting a bit dizzy.


    Amy: ¡°Oye, that looked like a nasty spill is he still awake.¡±


    ¡°No, I think I am going to have to take him home.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Just put him back there in my old bed, he should be fine in the morning. Might have a little headache but he should be fine.¡±


    ¡°No, I better get him home something bad might happen if he doesn¡¯t return.¡±


    Amy: ¡°See there you go again, what is it you are not telling me?¡±


    My head is a bit fuzzy, I am quite dizzy, and I don¡¯t think I can get Two-Twelve home by myself, so without much choice I decide I have to trust Amy.


    ¡°Just give me a hand. Please.¡±


    With me carrying most of his weight, Amy takes his ankles and we carry him out into the street. The fresh evening air feels good on my face as we make our way awkwardly though town. It isn¡¯t easy going and I almost drop him a few times, but once we pass the inn Amy speaks up.


    Amy: ¡°Where are we going? Does live up in the forest or something?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, now lift.¡±


    It takes us more than an hour to make it up the short trail to the entrance of the dungeon. Any now I am starting to sober up, but now I am awfully tired.


    Amy: ¡°What are we doing here?¡±


    ¡°Promise me! You won¡¯t tell anyone?¡±


    Amy: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Promise me!¡±


    Amy: ¡°Ok, Ok, I promise¡­¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve lives in the dungeon.¡±


    Amy: ¡°What do you mean he lives in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I mean he is the leader, or boss of the dungeon. He is the one behind the dungeon.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Oye! Have you lost your mind? If he is, that means he is some kind of monster. Why are we helping him?¡±


    ¡°You have talked with him, does he seem like a monster to you?¡±


    Amy: ¡°That¡¯s not the point, how many people has he killed?¡±


    ¡°You know as well as I do. He is different than the other dungeon¡¯s leaders. He hasn¡¯t preemptively attacked anyone, only those who enter the dungeon. He even capturers and releases people that surrender, does that really sound like something a killer would do?


    Amy: ¡°Fine, whatever, but how are we going to get past all the kobold?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I come here all the time. Besides with him being with us surely they won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    But oh how wrong I was, as soon as the kobold spotted us they charges like normal feral kobold, one even setting off one of their own traps killing itself. Luckily the spikes block them from coming after us, and we pull Two-Twelve back to the entrance to the cave.


    Amy: ¡°Now what? Just leave him here?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, it seems they are acting just like that time he wasn¡¯t in the dungeon. The kobold only act intelligent when he is here, maybe it¡¯s because he is passed out?¡±


    I gently try to wake Two-Twelve.


    ¡°Two-Twelve, we can¡¯t get past the kobold, I need you to wake up¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve sleepily opens his eyes waving his hand in the air a few times I feel a sharp grasp in my chest and with a tug everything blurs. Amy, Two-Twelve, and myself are standing in a small area, the floor seems to be giving off just enough light to see around, but I can¡¯t see any walls or ceiling.


    The light in the floor seems to be in a circle, but I can¡¯t see anything beyond it but darkness so I don¡¯t dare pass beyond that point. I see a small bed, and a desk off to one side of the room. On top of the desk sits a few books, two of which I can see are Two-Twelve¡¯s adventurer IDs.


    Amy: ¡°Where the hell are we? That was teleportation magic¡­¡±


    ¡°I think this is his home¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°So we are somewhere in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, although I have never seen any rooms like this in the dungeon before. Here, help me put him on the bed.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Forget about that, how do we get out of here?¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know, but I am sure when he wakes up he can take us back.¡±


    Amy: ¡°If he doesn¡¯t kill us for seeing this place.¡±


    ¡°I am telling you he isn¡¯t like that!¡±


    Amy: ¡°You better hope you are right¡­¡±


    Once I finally manage to drag Two-Twelve onto the bed, my fatigue finally catches up with me, and I end up falling asleep at the foot of the bed.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    I wake up the next morning with a mind numbing headache, both my legs and arms are sore, a got a pain in my stomach, and there is something tickling my nose.


    I try to sit up but my movement is restricted, as I open my eyes, I find Belinda has both of her legs intertwined around one of mine, both of her arms around my stomach, and her face buried in my bare chest. In fact all my clothes have been removed and Belinda isn¡¯t wearing any either.


    What¡¯s worse is when I start to look around I find we are in my bed in the core room. Amy is sitting across the room at the desk with a sly smile on her sleeping face, as she using Belinda¡¯s dress and my clothes as a pillow.


    ¡°Hey, Belinda, wake up.¡±


    Even talking causes my head to pound.


    Belinda slowly beings to wake up raising her head to look up at me saying.  ¡°Good Mor¡­¡±


    She quickly realizes the situation she is in pushing hard against my chest causing my head to pound. She quickly retreats to the far side of the bed taking the blanket with her. Belinda¡¯s face is a brighter red then her hair as she sits at the foot of the bed. She stares at my crotch for a few long moments before covering her blushing face with her hands.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you doing!?¡±


    I grab my head as it pounds at each one of Belinda¡¯s words.


    ¡°Not so loud¡­My head¡­¡±


    I casually get up while holding my head walking across the room over towards the desk. Belinda¡¯s gaze follows me the entire way as she peeks at me though her hands. Once I reach Amy I swiftly tug the clothes from under her head as it thuds on the desk, and she swiftly sits bolt upright.


    Amy: ¡°Oye!¡± ¨CShe looks over at me standing there and tries to blow it off, but her bright red face gives her away.- ¡°Well isn¡¯t that a sight to wake up too¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you playing at?¡± ¨C I toss Belinda her clothes and start getting dressed myself.-


    Belinda quickly scrambles grabbing at the dress and her undergarments pulling them under the blanket with her, and she tries to put them on. Both of the girls are staring at me with bright red faces, but Amy tilts her head to one side leaning over a bit, while I bend over pulling on my undershorts.


    Amy: ¡°Now that¡¯s not what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°What is something the matter?¡±


    Amy: ¡°No, nothing at all.¡± ¨CShe says with a smile on her face.-


    Belinda: ¡°Amy!¡±


    I think to myself as I get dressed, that she may be right.


    ¡°You know, now that you mention it. You two are both women, yet I don¡¯t feel the slightest bit of embarrassment, and from past experiences that hasn¡¯t always been the case.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well you are a dungeon monster, you probably just see us as food.¡± ¨CShe says sarcastically.-


    ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t use term food, but¡­ I wonder.¡±


    Amy¡¯s reaction changes as I put more thought into her sarcastic reply. Belinda finally quits fighting with her clothes under the blanket and gets out of the bed.


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best for now, if Amy and I just return to Tobes.¡±


    ¡°I have no problem with you returning, although I don¡¯t know if I can trust Amy enough to let her leave here after everything she knows.¡±


    Amy¡¯s face turns pale as she quickly looks to Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°You trust me though right? I promise you she won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    After thinking about it for a few minutes I finally agree, and send Amy and Belinda back to the entrance of the dungeon.


    Once Amy and Belinda are standing outside the cave, they begin to argue about the events leading up to now, and Amy keeps insisting they should say something. I begin to worry, and I start to pull Amy back in, but Belinda finally orders her as the princess to keep it secret, Amy finally hangs her head and agrees.


    Once they are done arguing Amy¡¯s face then quickly changes into a sly smile as she nudges Belinda asking her how well she slept. Belinda quickly blushes and shoves Amy and they start making their way down to Tobes, bickering all the way down the mountain.


    After they are gone I start checking the pending screens.


    Intruders have entered your dungeon.


    Intruder¡¯s status changed to allies (Belinda Gowen, Amy Torres)


    2 xp consumed


    Allies have exited dungeon (Belinda Gowen, Amy Torres).


    I can understand Belinda being added as an ally, but I wonder why Amy was added as well. Maybe it was just because they entered the core room. Thirty-seven was already registered as an ally before I took her to the core room though, and Madam Erin was an ally until she added monsters for me to fight in her dungeon.


    Out of curiosity I check [Communication]


    Allies:


    Dungeon Core #712 [Sara]


    Thirty-seven


    Belinda Gowen


    Amy Torres


    Even Sara as listed as an ally, I am not sure how this works. The next list is neutral, and it contains Madam Erin, the other elders, Alex, and a few of the other dungeon cores I talked to but not all.


    The next list is enemies and surprisingly it had Derek, Newt, and some of the other cores I talked too. I am not sure how they become enemies either. The final list is dungeon monsters which has every monster in the dungeon listed.


    Over the next few days things seem to return to normal, I finally manage to gain another level, Belinda visits a few times but she can¡¯t quit blushing every time she looks at me. Although each visit her face gets less and less red so maybe things will go back to normal soon.


    She told me about the presents she received from her birthday, and about Amy¡¯s return to the capital. She also reassures me that Amy won¡¯t talk after I seemed worried about Amy¡¯s departure.


    On one slow day I try sending Belinda a message though [Communication] just to see what happens, but I get no response. However she visits me later that day asking how I changed her adventurer ID, and sure enough my message is shown on the bottom of her ID.


    Once I delete the message it disappears, and together we both try to figure out how it works, but it seems like it¡¯s only a one way message and she can¡¯t send anything back. She even tries manually  writing on the ID but still nothing shows up, in [Communication], but I am able to see what she wrote on the other ID of Belinda¡¯s that I have in the book.


    Maybe by writing notes on her ID we can send messages back and forth now. I have since removed her ID from the book, and check it every so often to see if she sends me anything.


    She stays the night one evening, and now that she is an ally I can no longer get any xp from her, but when I tell her she doesn¡¯t have to stay anymore she looks down. She told me it was the one thing she felt she could do to help me out, but it seems like there is more too it.


    I have added an extra chair in the core room as we now just chat in the core room when Belinda visits. Apparently she still can¡¯t see the screens.


    One morning after checking the condition of the dungeon I look at Belinda¡¯s ID. She has written in a hasty message that there is an emergency, and that she is one her way.


    When Belinda arrives I bring her to the dungeon core room, she seems out of breath, and it looks like she ran all the way to the dungeon.


    Belinda: -Breathing heavily she tries to talk. - ¡°I just got word from Amy. My father has approved for a Hero to come into your dungeon.¡±

 A Heroic Encounter

    After Belinda fills me in on the details of the agreement her father gave regarding the entry of the hero into my dungeon. I have to say I am still nervous, but I am at least able to calm down from full on panic mode.


    Belinda: ¡°There is however a contract stating she is forbidden from breaking the crystal without the kingdom she represents facing serious repercussions.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to know if she will uphold the contract?¡±


    Belinda: -She is slowly starting to catch her breath from her apparent rush to the dungeon after receiving the message from Amy as she speaks again. - ¡°So far the kingdom she represents has been pretty positive, but giving the king¡¯s father I can¡¯t be for certain.¡±


    ¡°His father?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I would have to start from the beginning.¡±


    Belinda explains to me that the Hero is coming from the kingdom of Southern Merretta, apparently Merretta and Southern Merretta only recently separated into two kingdoms. Merretta is an absolute powerhouse and it is one of, if not the strongest kingdom in the land.


    When the king¡¯s son began questioning the king on his pure military standing, the king simply designated a small southern portion of the kingdom to be a new one giving the son control over it. The king stated to his son that he has till the end of his life to prove he can do better.


    If Southern Merretta can rival Merretta before then the son will get control of the entire thing at his father¡¯s death, but if not then the king¡¯s second son will take over both kingdoms. Southern Merretta so far has peacefully negotiated a lot of power, but still is only a small fraction of Merretta¡¯s power.


    Recently he appointed a beastkin to his high council, which is a first for any human kingdom. The beastkin was a strong, well known adventurer, and with Southern Merretta¡¯s king¡¯s help was she was able to become a hero. She recently destroyed a dungeon in Southern Merretta that was bothering the locals marking her 4<sup>th</sup> crystal destroyed.


    I think the Hero is the one Sara told me about, and the one that killed #307 Travis a while back.


    ¡°Her name isn¡¯t Listel is it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, you know of her? I heard she was famous, but enough where even you have heard of her.¡±


    ¡°Kind of, I just heard of her when she destroyed the dungeon in Southern Merretta recently.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Was that dungeon a friend of yours?¡±


    ¡°Well actually quite opposite he seemed to be giving a friend of mine some trouble.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well surely she will hold up to the contract, and will not destroy the crystal. I will even wait here with you that way if things get dangerous you can send me in, and I will try to reason with her.¡±


    ¡°Well thanks, I don¡¯t know if it would help much, but thanks anyway. Do you know how long till she arrives?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well the letter was sent out a week ago, and that¡¯s when she was in the capital, so really any day now would be possible. Surely she will stop at the adventurer¡¯s guild first for information, so once I get the heads up I will let you know with my ID, and will quickly make my way up here.¡±


    Belinda decides its best to return to Tobes and wait for Listel, so I send her on her way, and look over the dungeon.


    Even if she doesn¡¯t destroy the core and just kills all the monsters, I will be put in a really bad way. I will have to trust in the human¡¯s contract for now to make it out of this alive this time.


    I decide to take all but two of the Weak Earth Golems, and store them within the crystal. That way if she kills everything I will still have a few back up, and if things start looking dangerous I can send them out.


    Another two days pass before Belinda finally sends word about Listel arriving in Tobes. Shortly later Belinda shows up to the dungeon, and I bring her to the core room.


    Belinda: ¡°Listel seemed very interested in the changes the village has gone through since the dungeon was discovered, so I had the village leader show her around. That should buy us at least an hour.¡±


    ¡°I have done about all I can, so now we just sit here and wait.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well how will you know when she is here?¡±


    ¡°I can see everything that happens in my dungeon though my dungeon magic.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait, what do you mean you ¡°SEE¡± everything?¡±


    ¡°This room is filled with magic screens like when you make an adventurer ID, and I can literally see everything going on in every room of my dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you telling me when I stayed the night, and changed clothes you could see me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s of any relevance after waking up with your naked body wrapped around mine.¡±


    Belinda hits me in the shoulder with her fists and she blushes a bright red and says. ¡°I thought we agreed that we wouldn¡¯t speak of that again.¡±


    ¡°Wait. She is here.¡± ¨CI say as I get the message about an intruder.-


    Listel is a beautiful woman wearing no armor, as a matter of fact barely any clothes at all. Just a small shirt with no sleeves, a wide neck, and it barely extends past her chest. And a short tight pair of black leather shorts. She has soft flowing golden hair that easily extends past her waist, with piercing green cat like eyes.


    I have never seen a beastkin thus far with as many animal traits as Listel has. In addition to the long tail and pointed cat ears, her arms are covered in fur from the elbow down and her legs from the knee down. She also has a large patch of fur that covers her shoulders, extends down her back, and wraps partly around her stomach leaving only her chest, and toned abs bare.


    Listel extends long claws from her hands as she makes her way down the tunnel, but she also has a beautifully ornate sword made from a bluish colored metal hanging from her waist. Her graceful movements as her hips sway as she walks through the tunnel leaves me captivated by each and every one of her steps.


    I don¡¯t think her appearance is any more appealing then Belinda¡¯s, but for some reason I can¡¯t take my eyes off of this beautiful creature before me as I breathlessly watch every bounce, sway, and twitch from the tip of her ears down to the tip of her tail.


    Belinda: ¡°¡­Are you drooling over her?¡±


    Belinda¡¯s words make me snap out of my trance long enough to shake my head and focus on what¡¯s going on. I head Belinda mumble something about it not being fair as Listel nears the end of the tunnel.


    Listel casually steps over the tripwire entering the square cave like room, and what happens next happens so fast it is all over before it even registers in my head.


    Listel leaps onto the first kobold swiftly ripping one of its arms off. She grinds its face into the ground to add insult to injury as she leaps to another kobold beating it to death with the severed arm. By the time she jumps to the third kobold jabbing both clawed hands into the neck of the next kobold, ripping its head clean off. Only then do the last remaining two kobolds realize that they are under attack.


    She chunks a severed kobold head at the mage causing it to fall backwards, as she guts the archer before he can even notch his first arrow. She then causally walks to the mage as it starts try to get back up kicking it right in the chin with a echoing crunch, the kobold falls back never to move again.


    As casually as she entered the room she casts a spell cleaning the carnage from her body instantly, and after adjusting herself she walks to the door.


    ¡°So this is the power of a hero¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°She has already cleared the first room.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Already?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I swiftly try to send in all the kobolds on the first floor to the main room. Even against the 25 kobold she never even gets a scratch, as she grabs arrows out of the air jabbing the kobold she is currently ripping to shred. She is even able to grab the spells flung at her and throw them to their caster.


    There are times she seems to set off several traps just to fling the kobolds into. In less than 30 seconds the main room looks of pure brutality with bodies lying everywhere in different sized pieces, and at the center stands Listel.


    ¡°How¡­How do you even fight that¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She already cleared the big room? Then send in all the rest at once.¡±


    ¡°I moved them all in before she entered¡­That was all 25 of them¡­¡±


    Listel swings open the doors to the side rooms, and even looks in one of the small chests, but doesn¡¯t even bother taking any of it. She then heads down the stairs to the second floor.


    I don¡¯t think it will make a difference but I pull all the crimson kobold together in the main room, including the brutes, and the elder.


    Once Listel sees the kobold wearing Belinda¡¯s armor she speaks for the first time. ¡°Oh, the Gowen¡¯s family crest, someone¡¯s been a bad, bad boy.¡±


    Without another word she begins tearing into the crimson kobold, even being much stronger then the kobold the crimson kobold still fall one after another. The last to fall is the crimson kobold brute wearing Belinda¡¯s armor.


    It even manages to get a hit on Listel but it barely leaves a scratch as she grabs it by the ankle, flinging it around full-plate and all sending it crashing into a heap on the far side of the room.


    Listel: ¡°Not bad, not bad. If this room was filled like the one on the first floor, and they all wore equipment like that, it might have been down right fun.¡±


    As she rubs her hand across the wound on her stomach it disappears, she then cleans herself with a spell, and checks the prison room.


    Listel: ¡°Oh, a prison. Naughty naughty, somebody¡¯s been having a bit of fun.¡±


    Listel moves on, once she enters the old crystal room she raises her head sniffing the room. She then shakes her head moving down the stairs.


    I have to the golem standing on either side of the intersection of the hallway, waiting for to get close. As Listel walks down the hallway she is sniffing the air and looking around.


    Listel: ¡°This is all still pretty new?¡±


    Listel walks casually down the hallway, and when she gets close both of the golems swing from around the corner. Listel actually looks surprised for a brief second before she jumps back quickly a smile stretches across her face and she jumps right on top of one of the golems.


    Listel finally pulls her sword for the first time, jabbing it into the golem where its head would be if it had one. The sword slides through the stone like its cutting butter but as the golem crumbles rolling to the floor the other golem catches Listel with a swing of its stone fist sending her flying through the air.


    Listel manages to turn herself around so when she crashes into the wall she hits feet first she then springboards off the wall leaping back at the golem, with a black eye and a bloody lip Listel is grinning ear to ear as she slices the second golem clean in two with her ornate sword.


    She licks the blood from her lip, and doesn¡¯t even bother healing herself before she now continues down the hallway. She maintains the big smile on her face while checking all the rooms till she enters the crystal room then her smile quickly fades.


    Listel: ¡°Ah man¡­I was just starting to have fun¡­¡±


    Using magic she draws a straight line beside her, and once she reaches through the line her hand disappears. Pulling it back she has a large book in her grasp, by the look of it, it looks exactly like my copy of <u>Dungeon Core Information</u>. She flips the book open to a bookmarked page.


    Listel: ¡°Now now, no holding out on me. You should have 4 more monsters left, and if you plan on hiding them from me I will destroy your crystal.¡±


    ¡°Who is this woman?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She has something she can¡¯t possibly have.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I am only going to count to three! One¡­Two¡­¡±


    I decide I have no choice and send out the remaining four golems. With their large size and the small standard size room the room quickly fills. The two golems on either side of Listel quickly try to crush her.


    Listel jumps up climbing the arm of one of the golems swinging her sword around cutting it to pieces. Another one of the golems manages to catch her in a punch, this time with no time to react she crashes hard into the wall falling to the floor.


    But not more than a second later she is on her feet again. Leaping of the body of the dead golem she does a flip swinging her sword full circle along with her slicing a second golem in two. Another fist comes flying her way but this time she blocks the blow with her sword causing the fist to crumble and break.


    Another fist is swung at the back of her legs causing her to tumble backwards, as the golem with the shattered arm brings his other one down to crush her into the floor.


    Listel: ¡°Dark Arcana Blade!¡±


    Listel beings spinning like a top as shadows flow forth from her sword cutting both of the golems into bits. One of the blades manages to hit my crystal.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Crystal has taken severe damage.


    Listel: ¡°Opps, my bad.¡± ¨CShe seems surprised as she looks at the crystal where the magic hit it. - ¡°No harm though. Hard to believe you survived that though. Now, master told me I could destroy you if I decided I didn¡¯t like you, so you and your little human friend better come out here or my mood might sour.¡±


    ¡°Belinda¡­ She is calling for us¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I quickly send Belinda to the entrance of the dungeon then move to the crystal room.


    Listel: ¡°Oh, just you then? What about your little girly friend?¡±


    ¡°I sent her on her way, and I don¡¯t see a reason for her to be here.¡±


    Before I can even react, Listel darts forward pushing me to the floor. She is now straddling over the top of me with her soft hair caressing my face as she twirls one of her sharp claws in a circular motion on my chest.


    Listel: ¡°Oh the brave little man¡± ¨CShe says with a scrunched up face mocking me.-


    She then sits on my groin spinning her hips around on my crotch, placing on of her sharp claws on the neck of my shirt slowly pulling it down cutting my shirt like it¡¯s not even there.


    Listel: ¡°That means I got you all to myself now.¡± ¨C She says as she grinds her hips again, and running her fingers across my chest.- ¡°ohh, you like that do you.¡± ¨CShe says seductively.-


    She then leans forward and whispers in my ear. ¡°Then I guess I will tell you a little secret.¡±


    With her hips grinding on my crotch, her soft fingers caressing my chest, her long hair bushing softly against me from all over, and her seductive voice tickling my ear. I have no control as I let out a soft moan.


    Listel: ¡°I like you.¡±


    She then licks my cheek, and then as swiftly as she as she came she jumps up heading out the door, but just as she reaches it she looks over her shoulder as she shakes her hips one last time and flicking her tail.


    Listel: ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    I continue to lay there on the floor for a minute before I quickly transfer back to the core room just to see Listel run into Belinda on the first floor as Belinda is making her way through the dungeon. Belinda seems terrified as Listel walks up to her.


    Listel places something into Belinda¡¯s hands and quickly covers it, then leans in and whispers in her ear for while causing Belinda to blush bright red. She then places one of her fingers over Belinda¡¯s lips and winks at her then swiftly Listel exits the room, then exits the dungeon disappearing down the mountain side.


    Belinda is still standing in the middle of the room bright red, whatever she is clasping tightly in her hand she slides into a pouch on her belt. She then starts walking again heading towards the stairs.


    I pull Belinda to the core room, and after looking at my state with the torn shirt she blushes even brighter turning her face, letting out a small squeak.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    When she tries to speak but fails, so instead she then just nods her head. Then with a squeaky voice she finally says.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­.I should head¡­ Head back to Tobes for today¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Are we not going to talk about what just happened?¡±


    Belinda violently shakes her head back and forth, so I decide I will have to wait till she calms down. I send her back to the entrance to the dungeon and she makes her way down to Tobes.


    As strange as it started, my first encounter with a hero ends.


    After Listel¡¯s waltz though my dungeon, I am left with only rift monsters. Luckily she didn¡¯t take any of the gear so I just have to replace the monsters. Even still just replacing the crimson kobold brutes and the crimson kobold elder, my xp is in a dire situation.


    I guess I am going to have to wait a long while before I can replace the golems. The next few days are pretty nerve racking as every group seems to make it to the second floor, and I even lose a few of the crimson kobolds.


    Maybe Listel did something to the monsters where they are not as strong? With the rising strength of the adventurers entering the dungeon, and the fact I haven¡¯t seen Belinda since Listel¡¯s attack. It is starting to concern me, but I shake the thought from my head.


    I know Belinda is ok because she has sent a message every other day on her ID asking if I need anything from Tobes, but that¡¯s as much as I can get from her. Another week passes before I get a friendly visitor, but much to my surprise it is not Belinda, but instead Thirty-seven that I find entering my dungeon.


    ¡°Well now, isn¡¯t this a surprise?¡± ¨CI say to her after transferring down to entrance of the dungeon.-


    She looks exactly the same as when I left Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon with the exception of the towel. I always thought it strange that she always had it with her, but after finding out it was because of me. Seeing her without it makes me feel a little sad.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Greetings, I have been instructed by Madam Erin to come to this dungeon. My instructions were to stay here until I can either live normally among humans, or you Dungeon Core #212 instruct me to leave.¡±


    ¡°So, you want to stay here for a while? I think that would be ok, I wanted to see you again anyway. Let¡¯s go to the dungeon core room and catch up.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I have to refuse. I was instructed to come here, but I was not instructed to assist you. I will remain here even as a prisoner if I must, unless you instruct me to leave.¡±


    ¡°Must we really start back to square one? Well in the meantime let¡¯s get out of the middle of the walkway before adventurers come walking in.¡±


    For now I lead Thirty-seven down to the prison area, and we enter the last room on the end, the one Belinda has left her cot and such in.


    ¡°I will have to ask if it¡¯s ok if you use her stuff, but I don¡¯t think it will be a problem for you to stay here for now.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Very well.¡± ¨CWithout another word she sits down, and stares at the wall.-


    ¡°So¡­ How have you been? It¡¯s been about six month¡¯s since I left, how are things going at Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I have not been instructed to give you that information so I will refrain from answering.¡±


    I sigh and then think for a minute¡­Something as simple as handing her the towel last time started to slowly break down her walls. Maybe this time I can pick something a little better. I search in [Menu] I find a stuffed animal, and select it. It asks me to think of an animal and that will be the result, but I panic and the only thing that comes to mind is Listel, so I end up with a small cat with fur matching Listel¡¯s hair.


    I present the cat to Thirty-seven.


    ¡°Here this is for you. It¡¯s a gift.¡±


    Thirty-seven takes the cat holding it her arms the same way she used to carry the towel, which would make for a picture perfect moment where it not for the fact she is holding it upside down so the back legs and rear end are sticking up in the air while its head is buried in her arms.


    When I reach forward to turn it around she pulls back, so I just leave well enough alone. It took a while for her to warm up last time so I will just leave it at this for now, besides I need to send a message to Belinda asking if I can use her camping stuff.


    ¡°If you need anything, anything at all just call for me ok?¡±


    Thirty-seven doesn¡¯t say anything and just continues to sit on the edge of the cot with the cat¡¯s butt sticking in the air, staring at the wall. I return to the dungeon core room and send a message to Belinda.


    ¡°I have an old friend that came to visit for a while, do you mind if they use the stuff you left in the prison room?¡±


    Twenty minutes or so go by before I receive a reply.


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s great, no problem at all, do you need anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, I think we will be ok.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok, if you need anything just let me know. I would like to meet them if I can.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, and that might be a little hard. She is terrified of humans, so it might take a while before she will meet with you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, if that¡¯s the case I might have a¡­¡±


    However the words she wrote quickly disappear and instead I get.


    Belinda: ¡°Did you say she?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re going to have a woman living with you? There? In your dungeon, where everything that happens within you see?


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal we shared a room for almost a month, so there isn¡¯t much I haven¡¯t seen.¡±


    I don¡¯t receive a response after that so after a while I delete my messages and erase Belinda¡¯s responses. She did say it wasn¡¯t a problem so everything should be fine for now.


    I look in on Thirty-seven a few times throughout the day, but she never moves. Shortly before midnight Thirty-seven lays down still holding the upside down cat. I decide to head to bed myself.


    The next day passes uneventfully as well, I try talking to Thirty-seven on two separate occasions but she barely responds.


    On the third day since Thirty-seven¡¯s arrival I get a group of humans enter my dungeon. One of the adventurers has a dog with him that he gives commands to. After the dog dies however they flee the dungeon without making it to the second floor.


    On the plus side I can now summon an attack dog for 25xp. Not exactly the new type of monster I wanted but at least it¡¯s something new¡­ I haven¡¯t gotten anything new in a while now.


    I go down to talk to Thirty-seven telling her about the group of adventurers and the dog. She still doesn¡¯t really reply then I hear a strange growling noise.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I have not consumed nutrients in three days, as such my stomach made the noise.¡±


    ¡°Consumed nutrients? You have to eat now?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Madam Erin thought it best that I was no longer bound to her dungeon. Without being bound to the dungeon I have the need for food, water, and other un-pleasantries that goes along with it.¡±


    ¡°I am so sorry. I wish you would have said something. I will run down to the village real quick and get you something I will be back shortly.¡±


    Thirty-seven¡¯s arm quickly shoots out grasping my arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I have been there quite a few times, and it won¡¯t be a problem. I promise I will return.¡±


    She hesitates but eventually releases me. I then head back to the core room gather a handful of the small gold coins, and quickly head down to Tobes.


    I head straight to the adventurer¡¯s guild. When I enter Belinda is sitting behind the counter, and when she spots me her eyes light up and she smiles. However her expression quickly changes to a complicated one before I make it up to the counter.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I needed some help. I have gotten food before, but I don¡¯t know what is considered enjoyable. I need your help to get some for my friend.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why not just ask her?¡±


    ¡°Well she isn¡¯t much for conversation.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So, will you help me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well everyone¡¯s taste differs, so what has she been eating the last few days?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­She hasn¡¯t been.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You have had her staying with you for three days and haven¡¯t even given her anything to eat?¡±


    ¡°Well when we stayed together last time she didn¡¯t have to, so how was I supposed to know that she had to now?¡±


    Belinda¡¯s attitude changes a little for the better as she says. ¡°Oh, so she is a monster of some kind?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well either she is, or she isn¡¯t¡­ What does she look like?¡±


    ¡°Well, she is like me I guess. Except female of course, and her body is very similar to yours, but hers is just a bit smaller, and not as¡­ Bouncy?¡±


    Belinda blushes then her face gets angry.


    Belinda: ¡°You make that sound like an insult¡­ Besides Listel was far ¡°bouncier¡± then I am, and you wouldn¡¯t stop drooling over her.¡±


    ¡°Ah I see, you want reassurance? For a human your body is very pleasing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°For a hum¡­ You have some kind of monster fetish or something? Listel may have been a feral beastkin, but she still was no more a monster then I am. What makes her so much more special?¡± ¨CShe says sounding dejected.-


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ I don¡¯t know. Besides, how is this going to help find out what kind of food Thirty-seven likes to eat?¡±


    Belinda goes to say something else but stops instead saying. ¡°Wait. Thirty-seven? When you said like you, you meant like you, like you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­Yes?¡±


    Belinda looks around the room. Our conversation and drawn quite a bit of attention from the adventurers in the room so she pulls be outside before talking again.


    Belinda: ¡°Your dungeon supplies you with what you need, so why doesn¡¯t hers?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she doesn¡¯t have one. It¡¯s kind of a complicated story, but she was never able to start her own.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But you said she didn¡¯t need to eat before, so what was supplying her then?¡±


    I hesitate to answer but then decide its ok. ¡°My teacher, or should I say mother?¡± ¨CThe thought of calling Madam Erin mother causes a chill down my spine and I quickly shake my head. - ¡°No definitely leave it at teacher.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So you two grew up together? So she is like your sister? ¨CShe said her mood finally improving again.-


    ¡°Well she is quite a bit older than me, but I guess¡­¡±


    And with them simple words Belinda¡¯s whole attitude seems to change for the better.


    Belinda: ¡°Alright then, let see since I don¡¯t know her tastes, let¡¯s just pick out quite a few different things, and we can just go with the ones she likes.¡±


    Belinda spends the next hour happily leading me around the village picking out quite a bit of food for Thirty-seven to try. She even picks out various drink items. She then helps me carry them back to the dungeon.


    Belinda: ¡°You think I could meet her?¡±


    ¡°Like I said she is very scared of humans, so I don¡¯t know if it would be a good idea.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Please! I promise I will take it easy.¡±


    I sigh¡­¡±Ok, she hasn¡¯t eaten in a few days, so let¡¯s take her some food for now.¡±


    We take a bit of the food and head down to the prison room. When I enter Thirty-seven continues to stare at the wall, but once Belinda follows in behind me hiding behind my back, Thirty-seven panics.


    Thirty-seven jumps off the cot and cowers in the corner of the room, tightly clinching her eyes closed, turning her head, and begins shaking.


    I motion for Belinda to stay put then move up to Thirty-seven. ¡°It¡¯s ok, I promise. She is a friend.¡±


    Thirty-seven violently shakes her head back and forth, but doesn¡¯t open her eyes or quit shaking. When I look to Belinda she nods then backs out of the room shutting the door.


    When Thirty-seven slowly opens her eyes and sees that Belinda is gone, she then throws the stuffed cat at me. I try to hand it back to her but she crosses her arms and turns her head.


    ¡°I promise you Belinda, won¡¯t hurt you. She is my friend, and she has helped me several times. She even helped me pick out some food for you.¡±


    When I try to hand her the food Thirty-seven tries to push it away but her stomach growls loudly again.


    ¡°See you have to eat, at least take the food for now ok? And I will set this little guy over here.¡± ¨CI leave the food in front of her and move over setting the stuffed cat on the cot.-


    I then leave the room. Belinda and I move to the core room and I watch Thirty-seven though one of the screens.


    ¡°Ok, she is at least eating the food, so that¡¯s something I guess.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is she going to be ok?¡±


    ¡°When I was training I had her talking, and she started to seem pretty normal, but after I left it seems she closed herself back off. It will probably just take some time.¡±


    Belinda stays, and we talk for a while. I explain to her what happened to Thirty-seven and about my training, but leave out some of details. Particularly about anything that might be dungeon sensitive information.


    Belinda: ¡°I didn¡¯t realize dungeon bosses trained each other, is your teacher still around? I mean it must have been a long time ago.¡±


    I scratch my head before answering. ¡°Ah¡­Well, actually. When I said I was asleep for a long time I kind of wasn¡¯t telling the truth. As a matter of fact it was a downright lie. I actually only arrived here when the bear attacked Tobes.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What? Then just how old are you then?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Let¡¯s see, I have been here what 6 or 7 months now, so¡­ Just over half a year?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait what? What about all your training?¡±


    ¡°I said I lived with Thirty-seven for about a month. After I was born I trained for a month then moved here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You said Thirty-seven was much older, but how old is she?¡±


    ¡°Oh she is at least 6 or 7 years old now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then how old is your teacher?!¡±


    I think before answering. Well her age shouldn¡¯t really matter, and if I ask her to I am sure Belinda won¡¯t say anything so I go ahead and tell her.


    ¡°She was one of the first, so she is close to 1000 years old.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°1000 years! So, what you are born like that and never age?¡±


    ¡°Well she looked older, but there were a few that looked much older than her, yet were hundreds of years younger, so I think are appearance just matches out personalities or something.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­Well then, how are you born?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know I just woke up and there I was.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You really are a monster¡­¡± ¨Cshe steps closer poking my cheek looking closely at my face.- ¡°You look so normal though.¡± ¨CShe then realizes how close her face is to mine then blushes brightly quickly adding distance between us.-


    ¡°I ask you though, of course to just keep this between us.¡±


    Belinda nods and we continue to talk for a while longer before she returns to Tobes. When I check in on Thirty-seven she has finished the food, and has returned to the edge of the cot holding the cat, upside down of course, in her arms again.


    ¡°So, how was the food? Did you like it?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It was acceptable.¡±


    ¡°And the drink?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It was acceptable as well.¡±


    ¡°Would you tell me if you didn¡¯t like the taste of either of them?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Taste is irrelevant. As long as it supplies my body with the nutrients required to keep me alive that is all that matters.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not irrelevant though, if you don¡¯t like the taste of something, I won¡¯t get any more of that so you don¡¯t have to just suffer though eating it.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Very well, if you supply me with something I find unpalatable I will inform you.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess that will work. Do you need anything else?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°For now that should meet my requirements.¡±


    ¡°Ok if you need anything just let me know, and I mean it this time. Also you are free to walk around if you like, and you don¡¯t have to stay in this room all day. Just be mindful I do often have humans entering my dungeon, so if you want to take a walk let me know, and I will tell you if there are any about.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I do now require exercise but I believe I can manage the required amounts here in this room. I may need to step outside every so often. This body now seems to require at least a small bit of sunlight as well.¡±


    I continue talking to Thirty-seven for a while then return to the core room. The next few days pass smoothly enough, none of the food and drink I provide to Thirty-seven receives any disapproval. Maybe she just isn¡¯t picky. On one slow afternoon I take her on a walk, and we walk down around the lake. I show her Tobes from the top of the trail, but she refuses to even take one step towards it.


    I have managed to build up enough xp to summon a few more of the golems but so far I am waiting, if any adventurers make it to the third floor I will summon some then. After my trip to Tobes, Belinda has now resumed her visits to the dungeon.


    I have tried to get Thirty-seven to meet with Belinda a few times when she visits, but Thirty-seven always adamantly refuses. One day we get a close call when a group of adventurers make it to the second floor, and they retreat into the prison area almost discovering Thirty-seven.


    I quickly move in the crimson brutes and elder to eliminate them, and then move all of Belinda camping gear down to the of the side rooms on the third floor.


    ¡°The adventurers are getting stronger, and I think they might start clearing the second floor soon, so you should be a bit safer down here.¡±


    I then summon two golems one to guard the crystal, and the other to guard Thirty-seven¡¯s room. Now I am in a bind with xp again¡­ The next day when Belinda visits me I tell her about having to move Thirty-seven, and spending all most all of my xp.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­ I might have a way to help¡­¡±


    Belinda suddenly becomes extremely nervous and is blushing.


    ¡°Really? How  so?¡±


    Belinda has started to fidget in her chair, still nervous and blushing brightly. She closes her eyes and seems to be trying to find the words to say.


    Belinda: ¡° Uh¡­I mean I¡­ I have put a lot of thought into this¡­ It¡¯s something I want¡­ I want to do it for you?¡±


    ¡°Do what exactly?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just be quiet ok! This is hard enough!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I sit there in silence for a few more minutes while Belinda finally jumps up to her feet, closes her eyes, and extends her arms wide while practically screaming.


    Belinda: ¡°You¡­You¡­ You just have to make me yours!¡±


    ¡°Hu?¡±

 Belindas Decision

    Over the next hour an over emotional Belinda, embarrassingly tries to explain. After Listel left the dungeon Belinda and her apparently met up back in the village and spoke further. The reason for Belinda¡¯s emotional outburst is still quite unclear, but it seems to be due to some miscommunication that Listel purposely orchestrated.


    From what I have pieced together, Belinda wishes to become my boss monster, and in doing so she wishes to begin her adventuring again, while returning xp to me. Listel apparently explained in great detail how, and what Belinda would be able to do as my boss monster, enough that some of it includes information that even I didn¡¯t know.


    After careful considering the information, I can¡¯t really find a disadvantage other than the fact. After all she already knows about my dungeon and I no longer receive any xp from her so the only disadvantage is that in Belinda¡¯s absence I will have to deal with the employees she has hired at the adventurer¡¯s guild, and several other small tasks she attends to.


    Even with checking the xp cost of taking her as a boss monster in [Menu] is even the same as if I were to summon one if I could, at 1000xp. The most difficult part is her party must exclusively consist of dungeon monsters for her to return xp to the dungeon.


    As kobolds would be hard to explain traveling with a human, so we will have to come up with another idea.


    Belinda now sits silently on the edge of my bed with her hands in her lap, staring down at them, still red in the face. Meanwhile I set up [Menu] to accept Belinda as my boss monster.


    When I finish and hit accept, one of the magic screens appears before Belinda for the first time causing her to jump. After carefully reading it she starts to reach forward. She hesitates briefly then pushes against the screen.


    Once she does a light begins to emanate from Belinda, she is lifted off the bed, and begins to float as her appearance is completely shrouded by the light. A message then quickly appears before me.


    Due to the unique nature of Small Polychromatic Diamond crystal, your first acquired boss monster, along with boss monsters acquired after reaching crucial points in the dungeons growth, will have their favored element removed, and be granted the [Gifted] skill.


    Evolution has occurred in Boss Monster [Belinda Gowen] Race has changed from Human to Divine Being Level has reset to 1 HP bonus +50 MP bonus +50 Ability bonus +5 granted to Strength, Agility, Endurance, Spear Arts, Sword Arts, and Defensive Arts Ability bonus +10 granted to Spell Power, Concentration, Mental Defense, and Spell Arts. Status Resistance acquired: Confusion immunity, Charm immunity, and Fear immunity


    New Monster Avaliable


    Divine Being          Cost:  100,000xp


    Once the light surrounding Belinda fades her feet touch the floor, and a now naked Belinda stands before me. Her facial features and shape of her body looks much the same as before. However her once short auburn hair, now has grown extending past her shoulders, and has changed to a flaming crimson red.


    Her once green eyes are now a deep blue that shine with a light that would rival the finest sapphire. While still maintaining the same build, her body seems far more toned, and her soft pale freckled skin now seems to glow. Belinda¡¯s shadow now seems to dance independently from the light given off by the screens lighting the room.


    Through the changes the person is clearly the same woman, which I have seen naked on multiple occasions but her appearance now causes a burning in my cheeks, and I advert my gaze.


    Belinda quickly waves her arms grabbing the blanket from my bed next to her, and wraps it around her body. I try to turn and face her now, but after only a few seconds of eye contact I can¡¯t help being drawn in by the way the thin blanket sensually wraps her curves.


    After I turn my head again, Belinda speaks, and although the voice is that of the panicked and embarrassed Belinda, it seems softer and more harmonious.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you getting all embarrassed now?!¡± ¨CShe then sits on the bed, crosses her legs, and covers her chest further with her arms.-


    I try to speak but it comes out as a squeak, so I clear my throat and try again.


    ¡°U¡­ Use the [Menu] and put on some clothes!¡±


    Belinda then begins fiddling with the screen in front of her for a few minutes before I get a message.


    Boss Monster [Belinda Gowen] requested to equip [Luxurious Clothes] from equipment.


    I quickly accept then look to Belinda. Belinda stands looking at herself while dropping the blanket back to the bed. The clothing she is wearing looks to be the same clothes she had on before, so when she changed it must have just added her clothes to the dungeon inventory.


    Belinda: ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing.¡±


    She then twirls around, and that¡¯s when she notices her hair. She runs her hands though her hair looking at it.


    Belinda: ¡°My hair! It so much longer¡­ And the color.¡±


    She then quickly starts to investigate herself, lifting her arms looking and running her hands all over. I find a small mirror in [Menu] for a few xp and buy it handing it to Belinda.


    Belinda takes the mirror looking into it, and rubbing her face as she speaks.


    Belinda: ¡°My face looks the same, but my eyes, and my hair¡­ My body even feels firmer.¡±


    ¡°Your voice is a little different as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really? ?La La La? I can¡¯t really tell.¡±


    I then pick up Belinda¡¯s adventurer ID of the desk and look at out of curiosity.


    Adventurer #13,257 [Belinda]                                         Base: Ancient Kobold Stronghold


    Race: Divine Being                                                              Gender: Female


    Rank: D                                                                                Level: 1


    Class: Spear-woman                                                         Favored Element: N/A


    Commissions Complete: 113


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    I show the ID to Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°What is this? How can I be level 1 I worked hard to get to level 6¡­ I don¡¯t feel any weaker though, actually on the contrary I feel stronger¡­ Divine Being, what does this mean? And my element, how is it not applicable?¡±


    ¡°How bad of a problem do you think this will be?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well lucky for most situations I can use my royal seal to use as identification, but when I try to rank up, I have to go to a capital branch of the adventurer¡¯s guild, and I don¡¯t know how they will react.¡±


    ¡°How long do we have to figure something out?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Technically I could have ranked up to C once completing 100 commissions, but I never seen the need. I have heard of adventurer¡¯s races changing when they become heroes but short of that I haven¡¯t heard of it before. Also the favored element part has me worried, I haven¡¯t ever heard of someone¡¯s element being N/A.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that apparently seems to be a pretty big deal on my end as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh so dungeon bosses are bound by favorite elements as well?¡±


    ¡°All of them with the exception of me apparently, do you think you could play it off if you managed to become a hero?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well sure, I guess, it¡¯s never been seen before but heroes often get abilities that haven¡¯t been seen before. There is no way I would be able to destroy a dungeon crystal though especially now that I am level 1 again.¡±


    ¡°What if I could tell you where a dungeon was that was barely surviving as it is? Although it is all the way out in the Adra Mountains.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But aren¡¯t the other dungeons like your family? Could you really have me destroy one?¡±


    ¡°Well we started at the same time, and for some reason he has decided I am his enemy, so I don¡¯t think it would bother me. Dungeons often kill other dungeons from what I understand.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well that just seems wrong somehow, so let¡¯s try to avoid that if we can. Besides it would be at least a 6 month round trip to the Adra Mountains.¡±


    ¡°Do you have another idea then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well C rank shouldn¡¯t be too big of a deal once at Gowen capital I could use my status, and the fact I have been running this adventurer¡¯s guild to be able to do it myself. But once I try to go to rank B it will be a whole different story that takes an examination, and is far more detailed.¡±


    ¡°For now I guess that will have to do.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am actually more worried on how I am going to explain my appearance change. Sure in the capital they haven¡¯t seen me for quite a few months so I can blow most of it off, but my eye color won¡¯t be so easy. And the people of Tobes see me almost every day explaining my hair or my eyes to them will be hard.¡±


    ¡°Well for Tobes, the adventurers are all still pretty new, and the villagers are just hunters, so I bet they will believe any story you give them. You could even say it was an item you found in the dungeon, and place a fake commission for people to try to find more.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That might actually work¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I completely forgot I need to take some food to Thirty-seven your arrival earlier made me completely forget. You should freely be able to move about the dungeon now that you are a boss. I will be right back.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait boss? I thought you were the boss?¡±


    ¡°Well technically I am the dungeon core, or I should say I am part of the dungeon, so the dungeon core and dungeon boss monster are actually two separate things. No point in hiding it now that you have come this far.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So you ARE the dungeon? So dungeons really are alive? If I could tell that information to the guild it would be so helpful, but I guess I can¡¯t help the guild anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t see a problem with helping the guild, as long as it doesn¡¯t affect us, because like it or not you are a dungeon monster now. Your fate is as bound to this place as mine.¡±


    Belinda nods and begins to think on it, I then take the food and drink I prepared for Thirty-seven hours ago, and transfer down to her room. Belinda quickly follows me transferring herself for the first time, and she waits right outside the door as I enter Thirty-seven¡¯s room.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I got distracted and forgot to bring your meal down to you, I hope you didn¡¯t get to hungry.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It makes no difference. As long as I retain this amount of food daily my body shall survive. It doesn¡¯t matter when it is consumed throughout the day.¡±


    ¡°I do try to bring it to you early though, so I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I see you have finally managed to summon your boss monster.¡± ¨CShe says motioning to Belinda that is standing there peeking in through the door.-


    ¡°Well, something like that¡­¡± ¨CI say as Belinda quickly opens the door and bows apologizing for peeking.-


    ¡°Wait doesn¡¯t that bother you?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Why should it?¡± ¨Cshe says as she picks at the food in front of her.-


    When Belinda steps forward into the room and Thirty-seven shows no sign of reaction I continue.


    ¡°But she is a human, or at least she was until she became my boss monster.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Clearly that is impossible, as humans level up indefinitely as it is, so only foolish dungeons that take humans to be boss monsters, as they neither evolve nor advance very quickly.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But it¡¯s true! I have even met you before, don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I have never met you before, the only other person I have seen has been a human, and that clearly is not you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But that was me, before I joined Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon!¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Impossible.¡±


    ¡°Wait are you saying she looks completely different then before? She looks relatively the same to me¡­¡±


    Belinda has a concerned look on her face as she feels her face with her hands.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I clearly do not understand what it is you are speaking of.¡±


    ¡°Ok, sorry for confusing you. I will leave you to it then¡­¡±


    I take Belinda by the hand and escort her out of the room.


    ¡°What should we do? Do you think you really look different?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should return with you to Tobes, just in case¡­¡±


    She nods and we head back to the core room, after gathering a few things we make our way down to Tobes. As we reach the base of the mountain we slowly head into town cautiously. The first building we come up to is one of the new shops Belinda has commissioned, and it is run by a small family that moved in from the capital.


    A small boy runs up to Belinda pulling on the edge of her shirt.


    Boy: ¡°Princess, princess! The things you ordered from the capital hasarrived.¡±


    Man: ¡°Boy. Don¡¯t go bothering the adventurers¡­ Oh! Excuse me princess, I barely recognized you, did you do something with your hair?¡±


    Belinda awkwardly laughs and pats the kid on the head.


    Belinda: ¡°haha, you could say something like that. I ran into something odd in the dungeon. It seemed like some kind of trap sprayed me in the face. I quickly washed it off, and it seems like it just it did this to my hair.¡±


    Man: ¡°Oh¡­You¡¯re not going up there by yourself again are you? You might want to ask one of the adventurers that can cast healing magic to take a look at you just in case though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea, I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    The man then retrieves a package from the store, and Belinda pays him with a few of the small gold coins. We then move on heading towards the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    ¡°Well it seems like the villagers are easily convinced now we just have to see if the adventurers are as easily fooled¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t like deceiving them this way, but I guess I have no choice at this point.¡±


    At the next building Belinda asks me to wait outside then she heads in by herself, I move to the door listening in just in case she needs my help.


    Lady: ¡°Hey princess, how did the steamy lunch date go? It must have gone well, because you look positively radiant.¡±


    I hear a strange noise escape Belinda then I can hear her rush though the store. The women continue talking, but I can no longer make out what they are saying.


    Lady: ¡°Alright, Belinda. You have a good one, and maybe next time you will at least let me get a glimpse of your little stud muffin.¡±


    Belinda quickly retreats from the store now carrying another package. Belinda maintains a bit of distance ahead of me as we make our way to the adventurer¡¯s guild, with her ears and cheeks dyed a light shade of pink.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Once we reach the guild I sit at one of the tables, and Belinda heads to the back. She returns a few seconds later without the packages, she then moves to the counter grabbing a few items and brings them over to the table sitting down with me.


    Belinda talks to several adventurers, and only about one in three even notice anything different about her. The ones that do notice ask her if she did something to her hair, and nobody even mentions her eyes.


    ¡°I guess when you are a princess most people tend to avoid eye contact, so they don¡¯t notice the fine details.¡±


    Belinda fills out a commission for a mysterious spraying trap in the dungeon, giving it only a D class rank, even the reward amount is low, so people will only take it with others, and not go looking specifically for the trap.


    After hanging the commission Belinda gets herself a drink then sits back down.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to eat or drink anymore you know.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I forgot¡­ I guess since I got it though I might as well drink it.¡±


    Belinda looks like she has something else to say, but she sits there silently drinking her drink.


    ¡°Was there something you had a question about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh!¡± ¨CShe quickly says choking on her drink. After coughing a few times she begins to blush before saying. - ¡°Should I gather my things and move in with you now?¡±


    ¡°Well you are my boss monster now, but I don¡¯t think there is any requirement for you to having to live in the dungeon.¡±


    When I say that her face seems a little sad, but she quickly recovers and proclaims.


    Belinda: ¡°You have to promise me though if I bring back a bunch of xp, you will give me my own room like you did Thirty-seven!¡±


    ¡°Well Thirty-seven is borrowing all of your things, so technically the room is more yours then hers.¡±


    This causes Belinda to smile, but her face gets serious again as she says. ¡°Not technically though, I want a room where I can put a real bed, furniture, and all of my things in.¡±


    ¡°Well if you bring in a lot of xp I don¡¯t guess that would be a problem, but if you just want a place for now, you could always just use the core room. That¡¯s the room we were in before.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You want me to move in with you in your room?¡± ¨CShe quickly says, and blushes a bright red, which causes me to blush as well. She then shakes her saying. - ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not mentally prepared for that yet.¡±


    I want to fix the misunderstanding, but I can¡¯t bring myself to say anything, and I somehow feel disappointed for some reason. I then decide to change the subject.


    ¡°So, what are we going to do about your party? Kobolds would stick out to much, just about the only other things I can summon are slimes or goblins, and I don¡¯t think either of them would be any better. What about golems? Do mages use golems as protectors?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea goblins and slimes are definitely out. Only powerful mages can use summoning spells or create golem spells, so even as a princess it would look pretty strange without a mage around.¡±


    ¡°Your magic shouldn¡¯t be too bad though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh my magic is pitiful. I can barely cast a clean spell long enough to¡­ Well it barely works, and that was my favored element.¡±


    She seemed to get a lot of bonuses to magic type abilities when she became a boss monster so I figured she could do decent magic as well. I look around the room to make sure no one is looking then quickly open [Menu].


    Outside the dungeon it is pretty limited but I am able to bring up Belinda¡¯s information screen. Looking it over for a second I then instruct her on how to open it herself so she can see.


    Name: Belinda Gowen                 Race: Divine Being                   Class:  Spear-woman


    Level: 1                                  XP till next Level: 10                                   XP: 0


    HP: 266                             MP: 200


    Strength: 36


    Agility: 35


    Endurance: 36


    Sword Arts: 30


    Spear Arts: 36


    Defensive Arts: 37


    Spell Power: 40


    Concentration: 35


    Mental Defense: 35


    Spell Arts: 35


    Resistances: Confusion immunity, Charm immunity, Fear immunity


    Armor: None


    Equipment: [Luxurious Clothes]


    Skills:


    Gifted (Rank 1):  Most creatures favor one element above all others, and are unable to cast spells from the opposing element. You however do not, thus granting you a 5 bonus to spell power and 25 additional MP.


    Spear Training (Rank 2): Spear training allows the use of basic spear techniques.


    Lunge (5mp): A quick lunge attack with a spear boosted by magic.


    Whirlwind Swipe (10mp): A spinning attack that causes damage in all directions at spear¡¯s length.


    Spear Throw (10mp): A thrown spear attack granting bonus accuracy and distance with the assistance of magic.


    Iron Defense (Rank 2): Rigorous training with Heavy Armor, grants a %25 bonus to armor when equipping Heavy Armor.


    Pampered Princess (Rank 1): Nurtured at youth with the best of everything, you gain a bonus of 5% when learning new skills and spells. Interactions with others that are aware of your status grants you a 10% bonus on negotiations.


    Spells:


    Clean (Water) (Cost 1mp): summons water to clean items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Cool (Wind) (Cost 1mp): Summoning your mana with the power of wind you can cool items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Light (Light) (Cost 1mp): Summing your mana with the power of light you can light items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Belinda quickly jumps up from her chair startling several of the adventurers in the room. After apologizing she sits back down.


    Belinda: ¡°I have never seen so detailed information about someone before¡­Is this really me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I told you that the adventurer IDs were similar to what dungeons used.¡±


    Belinda: -She can¡¯t help but laugh- ¡°¡­This is in no way similar, this is FAR more advanced magic. I don¡¯t quite understand though, I am not sure what these numbers mean but by going by just how high the number is. It says my spell power is even higher than my strength, and that can¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did get a message in the dungeon when you changed races. You got quite a few bonuses to magic type abilities, also the [Gifted] skill helped quite a bit as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But this is crazy, if I assume the numerical value is point for point, then my magic will surely be stronger then Amy¡¯s now, and she has dedicated her life as a mage¡­ This also says my spear techniques use mp¡­¡±


    Belinda thinks for a second before continuing.


    Belinda: ¡°Nobody has ever heard of that before. When I joined your dungeon I could only hold a clean spell for almost 10 seconds before I would get close to blacking out, so no wonder I couldn¡¯t master my spear techniques.¡±


    ¡°Well you shouldn¡¯t have a problem now.¡±


    Belinda nods then says. ¡°I am going to have to learn more magic now.¡±


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t do it here, but once back in the dungeon you can spend some of the dungeon¡¯s xp to learn spells. I haven¡¯t checked what spells are available lately, but you should at least be able to learn the basic attack spells.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You mean you can ¡°buy¡± spells?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I believe you can learn skills the same way, as long as its knowledge the dungeon has collected.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean collected?¡±


    ¡°When something dies in the dungeon I gain the ability to reproduce their abilities or skills, and in the case of monsters I can summon more of them by spending the xp cost.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So you can¡¯t summon humans?¡±


    ¡°Well unfortunately no, humans are unique and must take some kind of special circumstance, as only one dungeon core is capable of doing it, and that was only after spending years as a hero destroying dungeons.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There are even dungeon cores that are heroes?¡±


    ¡°Well each dungeon core goes through training to determine if they are allowed to start their own dungeon, and once Dyson failed he joined humans taking out his anger killing other dungeons. Once he killed his replacement he was allowed to start his own dungeon. It still hasn¡¯t stopped him from killing more dungeons though, and so far he is the only one that can summon humans.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Dyson? THE Dyson? He was a legendary hero from over 100 years ago, many adventurers still become adventurers because of his stories, and you are saying he is still alive, and is a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he has a dungeon in Merretta Pass, between Merretta and Adra, called the Portal to Hell.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The Portal to Hell is a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°You know of it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course I know of it, it¡¯s proper name is Mar, but it is the largest city of bandits, thieves, and scoundrels in the entire world. Entire armies have tried to raze it but have perished, and you¡¯re telling me the legendary hero Dyson runs that city?¡±


    She seems floored I am practically turning her entire world upside down.


    Belinda: ¡°Well if not humans, what about beastkin, you once said they started in dungeons right?¡±


    ¡°No they must require something special as well. However there are quite a few dungeons that make use of beastkin.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And the other races like Elves, Dwarves, and such?¡±


    ¡°I honestly have no idea about them, I haven¡¯t seen anything about them, or even met any.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea they are not common among adventurer¡¯s and wouldn¡¯t come to a backwater like this place. I am sure if we go to the Tower of the Gods though we could possibly see some.¡±


    We continue to talk until late in the evening, then we decide to reconvene in the dungeon first thing in the morning. I then head back to the dungeon while Belinda stays in Tobes.


    Early the next morning Belinda arrives at the dungeon. Her eyes are bloodshot, and it looks like she didn¡¯t get any sleep. Apparently she spent most of the night looking over [Menu]. After a 15 or so minute rant about how great the dungeon magic is, she shares with me ideas she had prepared beforehand.


    I look over several spells, and even monsters she wishes to purchase. Totaling it all up it will only leave me with a small amount of xp. With the constant flow D rank adventurers in my dungeon I don¡¯t think I am at risk of starving, but I fear if a strong group enters I will have no emergency funds. I also only replaced 2 of the 6 golems that were destroyed by Listel.


    Belinda: ¡°I know this leaves you pretty tight on xp, but I don¡¯t plan on setting out till next week, so I will try setting some commissions to build us up before then.¡±


    ¡°Is that really all that you want?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I had quite a few items as well, but I have to go to the capital to change my rank, so I might as well just buy the items there, I won¡¯t have to waste xp that way.¡±


    ¡°But the monsters, will you really be able to get xp anywhere with two small golems and a dog?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There is a dungeon not far from the capital that has at least 10 floors of weak monsters like goblins, I plan on starting off there. I should be able to strengthen them up quite good without them being in much danger.¡±


    ¡°Well, ok if you¡¯re sure¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea, the first 10 floors of the dungeon are really weak. Most adventurers from Gowen start there, but I doubled the commission rewards here, so that some would make the trip.¡±


    ¡°Well I understand the golems, but the dog? The one that came here seemed pretty useless even against the normal kobold.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are highly underestimating your monsters. The kobolds here in your dungeon, are easily just as strong, if not more so then even crimson kobold found elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t anything special. I don¡¯t see why people keep saying that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really? You don¡¯t use [Menu] to direct them?¡±


    ¡°No, I just let them go about on their own.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why do they act like normal kobold when you are not in the dungeon then?¡±


    ¡°They do?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Several reports have come in that every once in a while the kobold act normally, and after finding out about you I checked it out. That and during my birthday when you passed out the kobold were acting normally.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You really don¡¯t do anything? After learning of [Menu], and how you can use it to communicate, I thought you just personally orchestrated every battle yourself.¡±


    ¡°Now you are giving me too much credit.¡±


    I then open [Communication] to prove it to her, but much like when I sent Thirty-seven messages unintentionally, the kobold¡¯s tabs are filled with orders, tactics, and instructions.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, when I was born I was a little different than other dungeons. I didn¡¯t seem to know a lot of the things that all the others are naturally born with, and my [Menu] was a little different as well. Most of the time it¡¯s a disadvantage but sometimes it¡¯s not.¡±


    I continue on to explain the ¡°errors¡± in my [Menu], and about how [Communication] sometimes works without me knowing it like it did with Thirty-seven. Although I leave out the details of what the things I said.


    Belinda: ¡°So does that mean now that you know your monsters are going to get weaker because the messages won¡¯t happen anymore?¡±


    ¡°Well I think as long as I don¡¯t intentionally suppress them, they will continue. Even with Thirty-seven when I tried to prevent it, when I got emotional sometimes they would still slip though¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Does that mean I will start receiving the same types of messages from you?¡±


    My voice shows a little panic as I say. ¡°I sure as hell hope not¡­¡±


    Belinda seems a little taken aback by my sudden outburst as she looks at me questionably.


    ¡°But to be on the safe side, if you do receive any ¡°odd¡± messages from me please just delete them¡­¡±


    We continue talking the rest of the morning, and when an adventurer group makes their way into the dungeon Belinda gets to see the battle from the other side for the first time.


    For some reason Belinda still insists on eating, so Thirty-seven and Belinda share a meal at noon. Belinda tries to talk to Thirty-seven but seems to have very little luck.


    After lunch I show Belinda the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> book. Belinda is floored by a few of the dungeons. She simply couldn¡¯t believe the ¡°god¡± Faron was actually just a dungeon core.


    Belinda manages to find the dungeon that she plans to head to, and learns more information about it in 1 page then the entire capital has in the 100 or so years of investigation.


    Current Dungeon Core #245 [Simon]                       Location: Central Gowen Plains


    Dungeon: Leona ruins                                                               Crystal: medium water moonstone


    Dungeon contained at its peak:  87 floor, 567 room, 5,348 monsters, 425 traps.


    Dungeon core level: 43                                                               XP: 33354


    Dungeon active: 231 years


    A medium dungeon using the ruins of the old capital city of Leona, it serves as a training ground for the Gowen army, and new adventurers. During the Leona uprising 150 years ago the royal family fled into the depths of the dungeon. Members of the rebel up risers began a purge of the dungeon to locate the royal family. In efforts of preservation Simon created the very first teleporting trap sending the royal family back to the rebel army. Many dungeons have sense adapted the [Teleport Trap] to suit their own needs.  Deepest floor mapped by humans 47, Deepest floor explored 53, Most favored monster cave salamander warlord, most favored trap teleporting trap, most purchased monster goblin (rift), most purchased trap teleporting trap, boss monster serpentine water dragon.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------


    Previous Dungeon Core #245 [Bowen] (Deceased)                     Location: Senyen Cove


    Dungeon: Senyen cavern                                                                         Crystal: small water aquamarine


    Dungeon at its peak contained 27 floors, 124 rooms, 1342 monsters, 227 traps


    Dungeon core level: 52                                                               XP: 10726


    Dungeon active: 48 years


    A cavern at the sea¡¯s edge off the small island kingdom of Senyen, humans of Senyen used the dungeon as a training ground until they began to suffer to a pirate armada. The dungeon was then purged to grant the king¡¯s military general the power of a hero.  Most favored monster siren, most favored trap whirlpool trap, most purchased monster armored giant crab, most purchased trap flooding room, boss monster siren queen. (Deceased)


    Belinda: ¡°The experts have all said it can¡¯t be more than 50 floors deep, but this says it¡¯s closer to 100¡­ And what¡¯s with 5 THOUSAND monsters.


    ¡°Well if the dungeon is that big, and you don¡¯t plan on going any deeper than a dozen floors or so I don¡¯t think I will need to contact Simon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know looking though all these pages, you seem to be the only dungeon core that doesn¡¯t have a name. Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well at first I just could never choose one that I liked, and then I just got used to Two-Twelve. There was a screen for me to change my name, but I haven¡¯t seen it anywhere in a few months so maybe I missed my chance.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    For the rest of the week Belinda learns everything she can about dungeons, while she teaches me the things down in Tobes that I will have to attend to in her absence. Belinda continues to spend her lunches with Thirty-seven, and they have managed to begin talking more, but still not to the point where I would call it an actual conversation.


    I haven¡¯t made any progress with Thirty-seven as well, and she doesn¡¯t seem to be opening up to me like she did in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. Maybe I just need to give her more time.


    As Belinda prepares to leave she learns the spells a day or two in advanced so she could practice them, and I let her name the dog, and the two golems. When I asked her why she named the golems Mindy, and Tanya, she simply stated they were named after her hard headed sisters. She just chose to name the dog Rufus.


    Right before she leaves I have her exchange her current armor and weapons with her original set. Not even a day after I watch her set out, I begin getting swamped with the work from Tobes,


    I try to spend as much time in the dungeon as possible now that I found out the monsters are weaker when I am not around, but I usually spend my entire evening in Tobes addressing the needs of the village.


    Only after one week, I already begin to wonder if it was all worth it. Belinda has probably just reached the capital, and is probably sitting back taking it easy while I am forced to do all this work¡­ I wonder what would happen if I just confined myself up in the dungeon¡­


    Belinda promised to help me out though, going as far as binding herself to me as a boss monster, so I will have to trust her, and do the work I promised her.


    Belinda keeps in contact with me daily through [Communication]. She informed me today that she has now left the capital, and is on her way to the other dungeon.


    Thirty-seven voices her disapproval one day when I get to busy, and forget to send her food.  I feel bad afterwards and apologize, but I consider it a win that she is starting to open up again even if it was in the form of a complaint.


    When Thirty-seven and I take our weekly walk around the lake, one of the hunters from the village sneaks up and startles us.


    Hunter: ¡°Hey hey, Belinda hasn¡¯t even been gone two weeks yet, and you are already sneaking around up here in the mountains with another woman.¡±


    Thirty-seven panics, cowering behind me. I tell the hunter that Thirty-seven is my sister, and with the villagers all still thinking I am a slave that has escaped I manage to convince him that Thirty-seven is terrified of new people because of it.


    Once dealing with the hunter and returning to the dungeon it still takes another hour before I can get Thirty-seven calmed down. Since then I haven¡¯t been able to get her to go outside, she now takes walks around the third floor of the dungeon.


    At the end of the second week another building that Belinda had commissioned has been completed, and the villagers asked what the next building to be commissioned to be built would be. When I didn¡¯t have an answer for them, many started throwing out suggestions.


    I am not quite sure what it is, but most of the adventurers and villagers wanted it, so construction has begun on a large brothel. The men of the village often stop me wanting to buy me a drink now, when I make my rounds though town.


    A few days later the woman running the bakery stops me asking about the brothel. She has apparently become good friends with Belinda after moving here to run the bakery for her.


    Baker: Two-Twelve, does Belinda know what you are having built in town in her name?


    ¡°?¡±


    Baker: ¡°The brothel, Belinda told me to keep an eye on you, but to think as soon as she turns her back you decide to open a brothel.¡±


    ¡°Is it bad?¡±


    Baker: ¡°You don¡¯t even know what they talked you into building do you?¡± ¨CShe sighs. - ¡°Well it is true it will keep a small bit of crime down, but it¡¯s not exactly something the princess would want her name attached too, so you better make sure everyone knows she has no part of it. You hear me?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Baker: ¡°I would also suggest you commission a building for town guards. Poor Herald has been doing his best, but he would really use a few more men.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I will keep that in mind.¡±


    The next day I get a message from Belinda though [Communication].


    Belinda: ¡°Hey, what is this I hear about you commissioning a brothel in Tobes?¡±


    ¡°How did you hear that so far away?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have my ways¡­Please tell me you didn¡¯t have them start building it next to the new school house I was building?¡±


    ¡°They said they needed more room, so I had them start building it at the far end of town, where they recently cleared the trees out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well at least that¡¯s something. When you send a commission to the capital for staff, make sure you put on behalf of the village leader, not the adventurer¡¯s guild¡­¡±


    ¡°Ok, how are things going on your end?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I already lost Mindy, but Rufus and Tanya are working out ok. We might not get as deep as I hoped now, but I will do my best I promise."


    Belinda told me that she, Rufus, and Tanya are all gaining levels, and that she is going to bring a lot of xp back with her, but when I ask for details she says it¡¯s a secret. I have tried to bring up their status, but I guess with the distance it doesn¡¯t work.


    At the end of the month Belinda tells me they are done at Leona ruins, and that they heading back to the capital for a day before returning to the dungeon. The construction on the brothel has been going at an extreme speed, even with a building as large as the inn, and they are already more than half way completed.


    Madam Erin sent me a message asking how Thirty-seven was doing, when I told her I haven¡¯t made much progress she told me just to hang in there and keep working at it.


    I haven¡¯t heard from Alex in a while, but Sara seems to be doing ok. She has had a group of adventurers hanging around her dungeon the last few weeks killing off a few of the fairies and pixies, but they haven¡¯t discovered her dungeon yet.


    On the day before when Belinda is expected back, Thirty-seven finally leaves the dungeon again, and we take a walk around the lake. Once we reach the far side of the lake Thirty-seven removes her boots, sitting on a log, she then places her feet in the water.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I know I have been a bother to you, and for that I apologize.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? You are no bother, not one bit.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°With this weak body constantly requiring maintenance, I don¡¯t see how I can be any assistance to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Maybe when Belinda returns she can help you get used to it, and after all she was human for 18 years, and still managed to do so much.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I have no desire getting used to this body.¡±


    ¡°Living with the body of a human might give you the chance to understand them, and free you of your fear.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I would rather kill them all.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s path many dungeons take, but you have to be able to look at them without being frozen in fear to be able to kill them.¡±


    Thirty-seven doesn¡¯t say anything else, getting up, and finishing our walk we then head back to the dungeon, and I can¡¯t help but feel excited that Thrity-seven initiated and held a real conversation with me. For a moment there she seemed practically normal.

 Belindas Return to Adventuring

    Two-Twelve sent me off with the monsters I requested, I have practiced the spells I learnt, and he even gave me back the armor my father gave me when I became an adventurer. I now casually ride along in a cart heading towards the capital.


    The wagon driver seemed pretty nervous about the golems, so they trail behind the cart on foot. They don¡¯t ever get tired so they don¡¯t even fall behind as we travel along. Rufus is curled up next to me with his head in my lap as I scratch him behind the ears. He seems to already become spoiled in the few days we have been traveling already.


    Two-twelve seems rather nervous, because he sent me a message every few hours on the first few days just to check my progress. He hasn¡¯t mentioned anything about Tobes, but after using the trick I learned from him I made a second adventurer ID for the baker I hired, Susan, and writing each other notes on them she told me he is having a rough time, but it¡¯s nothing he can¡¯t handle.


    Around noon on the seventh day we ride up on the gates of the Gowen Capital. The guards refuse entry of the golems but once I produce my seal they let all of us pass. I try to avoid the castle, so I find a nice inn to stay at.


    Rufus stakes a claim on the bed laying down right in the middle of it. The golems had to stay in the stable next door. I send a letter out to Amy letting her know I am in town leaving it with the innkeeper, and then head out to do some preparation for the dungeon.


    I buy a few healing potions, some magic stones, and some other trivial items. I find a place that makes barding and armor for other beasts, and buy some for Rufus. I ask about making some custom armor for the golems, but when they said it would take at least a month to make, so I passed.


    I finish up with buying some new camping gear, and other supplies. Once finished I pass by a cute clothing shop that wasn¡¯t here when I left the city, so I decide to check it out. The shop has many fancy dresses and clothes, and I found a dress that reminds me of my birthday causing me to blush.


    I buy a few items then have them packaged up to be delivered to the adventurer¡¯s guild in Tobes. When I arrive back at the inn the innkeeper informs me that I had a visitor. Amy left me a note telling me to meet her at a restaurant that we used to frequent.


    After leaving my things in the room I set out to meet with Amy.


    Amy: ¡°You look like you are much more mature, and you let your hair grow out. Does Two-Twelve prefer long hair?¡±


    I nervously chuckle as I move up to the table taking a seat, and say. ¡°I just thought I would try something different.¡±


    Amy: -She starts to study my face closely- ¡°Something is definitely different about you¡­¡± ¨CHer face curls into a crooked smile. - ¡°You have gotten some haven¡¯t you?¡±


    I blush and quickly deny it. ¡°What are you talking about, of course not¡­¡±


    Amy: -She still eyes my suspiciously but then suddenly looks surprised. - ¡°Wait, your eyes¡­¡±


    I try to look away and blow it off. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±


    Amy: ¡°No, your eyes definitely used to be green, and even if your hair did grow out, it still was not that red before. What did you do?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s nothing for you to worry about, I promise.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Then why the sudden unexpected visit and you are staying at an inn instead of the castle.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I just came to do a little bit of shopping then I am heading to Leona ruins. I knew if I went back to the castle they would throw a big fuss, and want me to explain what happened with Korvasta.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Leona ruins? What for? Well if you are heading to another dungeon I better get my things, I am not letting you go alone.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No¡­I got to do this on my own. Besides you don¡¯t really want to go tramping through dungeons camping in the dirt do you?¡±


    Amy: ¡°You really have changed since we went to Tobes, you know that? Well I have learned there isn¡¯t much I can do once you made up your mind, so I guess I will have to take your word for it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry I promise, besides Two-Twelve gave me my armor, and halberd back, so I will be better equipped than everyone else there.¡±


    We eat a meal together, and afterwards we part ways, I head to the adventurer¡¯s guild to rank up. Once there I quickly flash my adventurer¡¯s ID showing them the amount of commissions I completed, and then using my status I am allowed to enter my ID into the magic tool changing my rank.


    Luckily enough I managed to complete my rank up process without raising any suspicion, and then I decide to check the board to see if there are any commissions for Leona ruins. After coming up empty I decide to head to the inn.


    The next morning I have breakfast with Amy, and she keeps checking with me making sure that I will be ok. After breakfast I give her a couple letters to deliver to my family then, hire a carriage to take me to Leona ruins.


    After a few more days of uneventful travel I finally arrive at Leona ruins. After putting my armor on, and with the two golems, I get several people wanting to go in the dungeon with me. After politely refusing I set off with Rufus, Mindy, and Tanya.


    In a formation with Rufus and myself in the back, and both the golems up front we enter the first room of the dungeon. There are two goblins in the room that quickly charge as soon as we enter. After each golem slams their fists into the goblins they quickly die.


    After searching the room, we move on to the next, after two more rooms with the golems taking out all the goblins I have to rearrange the group, because as it stands I am sure Rufus and I are not managing to get any xp. After finishing clearing a group of 5 goblins I am simply amazed at the effectiveness of the team.


    I now see why the kobolds in the dungeon are so effective, just commanding this small group following my every command makes battle so much easier. If I could command them without even thinking about it like Two-Twelve we could clear these 10 floors in two days¡­


    After clearing a few more rooms we run into another group of adventurers. Seeing the golems they almost attack us, but I manage to calm them down. They seem to be heading back out after making it to the fifth floor, and tell me everything is cleared out from here to at least the third floor, so I decide to head back out of the dungeon for the day.


    I set up camp in the makeshift village outside the dungeon, choosing to buy some supplies from one of the merchants as opposed to using my own supplies just in case an emergency pops up. The supplies end up costing twice what they would in the capital, but we are a few days away from the nearest town.


    I know I don¡¯t have to eat anymore, but it¡¯s just such a habit... Rufus seems to enjoy the meal as well, then while leaving the golem to stand guard I go to bed.


    I wake up early the next morning before daybreak and set off into the dungeon. We spend the morning clearing the first floor, then progress on to the second floor. The second floor is no trouble for the golems but when Rufus and I take over on point Rufus has begun to struggle, I then have to leave the fighting to one to the rest of the group so I can keep him healed up.


    We manage to clear the second floor by midafternoon, but I think we should retreat for now and stick to the first two floors until Rufus levels up a bit more. On our way back out we have to deal with a some of the monsters that have been reborn from the rifts until we run into another group that has made their way into the dungeon.


    The next day we manage to clear the first and second floors, and Rufus seems to be managing so we continue onto the third floor. Rufus begins to struggle once we being to run into goblin brutes, but we manage to clear over half the floor before I am completely worn out.


    I decide to make camp for the first time within the dungeon finding a room out of the main path using the golems as sentries Rufus and I rest. The next morning we move on, after clearing the third floor again we move on to the fourth and begin working on it.


    We enter a long large room with stairs on the far end, the door slams closed behind us leaving us trapped. The far end of the room is a stairwell with several hobgoblins blocking the way.


    I quickly have the golems take the lead as we move in. Closing in on the hobgoblin, none seem to use ranged attacks so that¡¯s a bonus. When we get in range the hobgoblin slam some crude clubs into the golem causing them to crack.


    Rufus jumps past sinking his teeth into the neck of one of the hobgoblin, and begins shaking his head. I sweep my halberd around knocking the feet out from underneath the hobgoblin Rufus has ahold of.


    The golems bring their fists around crushing into the hobgoblin damaging them severely. In retaliation the hobgoblins smash their clubs into the golems again with another loud crash. The hobgoblin with Rufus on top of him struggles flailing his arms and legs.


    The last remaining hobgoblin tries to attack me, swinging a massive club that is essentially just a small tree trunk. His slow attack is easily dodged, and then I use a wide swing burying the blade of the halberd into the side of his head.


    The golems and hobgoblins continue to slam into each other all four looking about ready to fall, while Rufus¡¯s hobgoblin finally quits moving. I try casting a healing spell on one of the golems but find out that it doesn¡¯t work. So far I have had to focus on Rufus, and I never have had to heal the golems.


    Rufus shakes his head one last time making sure the hobgoblin has quit kicking, and then moves in on one of the hobgoblins attacking the golem. Biting his ankle he drags him off of his feet. I try to quickly move in to assist the other golem but the hobgoblin hits it breaking his club over its body, and the golem crumbles.


    Awww¡­ Two-Twelve is going to be mad at me¡­


    I take my rage out on the hobgoblin using my spear technique [lunge] I bury my halberd into its face. With the last hobgoblin being dragged across the floor by Rufus the remaining golem slams both of its fists into its chest crushing it.


    I check the golem broken up on the floor. ¡°Mindy you always have been the cause to all my grief with guys¡­ ¡°


    Now that I know my healing spells don¡¯t work on a golem maybe we should head back to the entrance for today, and focus more on leveling before progressing. We make our way back to the campsite, taking out the goblins on the way back down.


    Once we reach the tent village outside the dungeon, I set up my gear. Taking refuge in my tent, and putting away my gear, I look over the [Status] of myself and my companions.


    Name: Belinda Gowen Race: Divine Being Class: Spear-woman


    Level: 4 XP till next Level: 227


    HP: 450 MP: 300


    Strength: 40


    Agility: 35


    Endurance: 40


    Sword Arts: 30This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Spear Arts: 40


    Defensive Arts: 40


    Spell Power: 45


    Concentration: 40


    Mental Defense: 35


    Spell Arts: 40


    Resistances: Confusion immunity, Charm immunity, Fear immunity


    Armor: None


    Equipment: [Luxurious Clothes]


    Skills:


    Gifted (Rank 1): Most creatures favor one element above all others, and are unable to cast spells from the opposing element. You however do not, thus granting you a 5 bonus to spell power and 25 additional MP.


    Spear Training (Rank 2): Spear training allows the use of basic spear techniques. Lunge (5mp): A quick lunge attack with a spear boosted by magic. Whirlwind Swipe (10mp): A spinning attack that causes damage in all directions at spear¡¯s length. Spear Throw (10mp): A thrown spear attack granting bonus accuracy and distance with the assistance of magic.


    Iron Defense (Rank 2): Rigorous training with Heavy Armor, grants a %25 bonus to armor when equipping Heavy Armor.


    Pampered Princess (Rank 1): Nurtured at youth with the best of everything, you gain a bonus of 5% when learning new skills and spells. Interactions with others that are aware of your status grants you a 10% bonus on negotiations.


    Spells:


    Clean (Water) (Cost 1mp): summons water to clean items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Freeze (Water) (Cost 10MP): Ice forms at targeted location up to 50 feet away. Causes minor water damage, and will likely cause [Frozen] status.


    Fire Protection (Water) (Cost 10mp): A red protective barrier encircles a target up to 20ft away, pre-venting small amounts of fire damage. The spell remains active until the barrier is consumed, or 5 minutes pass.


    Cool (Wind) (Cost 1mp): Summoning your mana with the power of wind you can cool items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Light (Light) (Cost 1mp): Summing your mana with the power of light you can light items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Heal Wounds (Light) (Cost 10mp): A minor healing spell cast up to 20ft away, it heals small amounts of damage. This spell can heal more damage by being kept active, repaying its original casting cost once every 5 seconds.


    Fireball (Fire) (Cost 10mp): A small projectile of fire can be fired at a target up to 50ft away. Causes moderate fire damage, and may inflict [Burning] status.


    -----------------


    Rufus XP cost: 75


    Race: Dog Gender: Male


    Level: 4 Class: Attack Dog


    Favored Element: Water


    Tanya XP cost: 325


    Race: Golem Gender: N/A


    Level: 3 Class: Small Earth Golem


    Favored Element: Earth


    Oh, I guess not all monsters status shows the same. The normal monsters seem to appear just like adventurer IDs. The next morning I get a message from Susan on her adventurer ID, apparently after the completion of the school house I had commissioned to be built Two-Twelve began building a brothel¡­ Susan talked me out of marching all the way back to Tobes to yell at Two-Twelve, but I at least messaged him, giving him an earful.


    I no longer feel so bad about losing Mindy now, and we make a late start, but we now continue our dungeon training. We continue in the dungeon till the end of the week, but only manage to make it to the 6<sup>th</sup> floor.


    I inform Two-Twelve we will be heading back to the capital before heading back to Tobes. It takes a few days to arrive by cart back in the capital, and I choose stay at an inn again. After meeting with Amy not long after arriving I receive a message from the castle telling me to return at once¡­


    After we finish a meal Amy and I head to the castle. After arriving at the castle, one of the guards escorts us to a waiting room outside the council chambers.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look good. Did they seem upset when you delivered the letters when I was here last week?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well I didn¡¯t talk to any of them, but I heard Mindy was rather upset you didn¡¯t report to her personally about her husband after returning to the capital.¡±


    ¡°I was afraid of that¡­ Honestly though, the guy was a bit of a jackass.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Is that anyway to talk about the deceased husband of your sister?¡± ¨CMindy says as she walks into the room.-


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, those are your own words, which you used after father accepted the wedding proposal.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°We may have had our differences, but you must know your place little sister. Korvasta may have not been the best of men, or even the best of husbands, but we must always maintain honor for father, and he said to marry and obey Korvasta.¡±


    ¡°I know always the diligent, and obeying. If you ever had a mind to think for yourself you would be grateful he died like he did.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°And if you knew anything about politics, you would know his death put us at nothing but a disadvantage with his kingdom. Not only are they now demanding I marry Korvasta¡¯s half-brother, but they also intend to send a replacement to claim the crystal that we owe them.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he only 7? And you don¡¯t plan on letting them have my dungeon do you?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Yes, Korvinus, and no your little precious kobolds are fine. They are actually demanding we use the army to assist their replacement in taking Leona.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just insane, even if we sent half the army of Gowen, to lead him past over all the unexplored floors¡­¡± ¨CI quickly stops myself.-


    Mindy: ¡°All the experts clearly think there are only 25 unexplored floors tops, and with the gradual increase of strength of the known floors, they also said there shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about.¡±


    ¡°But¡­How many troops is father planning on using?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Not that it is a concern of yours, but he plans to send 100.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you why, but you have to believe me. That is not enough, we will lose all them.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°All of the experts assure us even 50 to 75 men will suffice so 100 is just a precaution.¡±


    ¡°I am telling you, they are wrong!¡±


    Mindy: ¡°If you have any proof I would be glad to let them look at it, until then keep your delusions to yourself.¡±


    ¡°I already said that I can¡¯t tell you why, but you have to believe me.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°I don¡¯t have to do anything of the sort. You always have craved to be center of attention, and I am not about to embarrass this kingdom yet again.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen when I am right, and all the troops and their replacement dies in the dungeon?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°You just don¡¯t worry about political matters, and go back to your little musty kobold cave where you won¡¯t be a bother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that sent for me!¡±


    Mindy: ¡°I did nothing of the sort, I would prefer you keep to that backwater village.¡±


    ¡°I received word to return to the castle, that¡¯s the only reason I returned.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Well it wasn¡¯t I¡± ¨CWithout another word Mindy leaves the room.-


    ¡°Why did she even bother then?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, I stay out of matters concerning your sisters.¡±


    We continue to wait all afternoon, and when we are about to give up, my eldest brother finally enters the room.


    Logan: ¡°Sis, it¡¯s great to see you.¡±


    ¡°Logan? You sent for me?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Why is it so strange that I want to see my baby sis, especially after so long? Although it was quite a chore to track you down, why are you staying at an inn and not in your own room?¡±


    ¡°You know how well I get along with our sisters, and after Mindy¡¯s husband died in the dungeon my adventurer¡¯s guild branch is overseeing. I thought it would have been best to just stay out of the way.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s nonsense, nobody can blame you for his failure in the dungeon, besides his demands where getting beyond crazy. I think he married Mindy, and expected father to give him half the kingdom for it, or something.¡±


    ¡°I heard they are sending a replacement, wanting to take Leona this time?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yea, it is inconvenient to lose the training ground for the troops, but if your kobold dungeon pans out we might be able to start using it instead.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­I don¡¯t know about that, I still haven¡¯t determined how big it is, but I think it¡¯s rather smaller then we initially thought.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ¡°What about Leona though, aren¡¯t you worried that we don¡¯t know anything about the floors that remain unmapped?¡±


    Logan: ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem, we plan sending in more troops then the suggested amount, and we won¡¯t send in their hero candidate until we secure the crystal.¡±


    ¡°I told Mindy I have reason to believe Leona is almost twice the predicted size, but she wouldn¡¯t listen to me.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You know how Mindy gets, and besides it will be good training for the troops. If the dungeon is outside the expectations of the predictions, we will just have regroup, and try again.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not worried about the loss of man power?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am personally leading them in so I don¡¯t plan to take any risks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going in the dungeon yourself? Brother you must be careful. I can¡¯t tell you how I know, but I have it on good information there is even a dragon at the bottom of Leona.¡±


    Logan: -Laughs- ¡°That is crazy, nothing even close to the power of a dragon has been seen at Leona.¡±


    ¡°I am begging you brother please don¡¯t do this.¡±


    Logan: ¡°If it makes you feel better I will take an additional 50 troops, and I promise not to take any risks.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Enough about Leona, how have you been? You seem so different, and you look so much more mature. I guess running that adventurer¡¯s guild is doing you good little sis.¡±


    ¡°¡­I am doing ok, it¡¯s a lot of work, but things are starting to look promising I think. If the dungeon crystal remains, I will be able to continue to bring adventurer traffic into Tobes, and it will continue to grow in leap and bounds.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well good for you, but you need to find a way for Tobes to prosper without the dungeon. After all you can¡¯t rely on a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, before I forget, can I make a copy of your adventurer¡¯s ID?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Why would you want my adventurer¡¯s ID?¡±


    ¡°I learned it from a friend in Tobes, if someone has a copy of your adventurer¡¯s ID, you can send hand written messages back and forth by writing on the pages, because it will appear on both.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s interesting. I have never heard such a thing. Does it really work?¡±


    ¡°I have used it to keep track of what is going on in Tobes, ever since I left.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Must be some friend to trust them with a copy of your adventurer¡¯s ID, is it a guy friend?¡±


    -Blushing I quickly reply. - ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± ¨CI quickly think of an excuse. - ¡°He was the one that recovered my armor, and belongings after I lost them in the dungeon, so naturally my ID was among them.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But you didn¡¯t ask for your ID back?¡± ¨CHe says with a sly smile then continues. - ¡°I also heard from my sources, that you have been spending a lot of time with a young man in Tobes as well.¡±


    ¡°Your source is just Amy¡¯s brother, and he heard it from Amy¡¯s overactive imagination.¡±


    Logan looks to Amy sitting across the room in a chair. Amy has a sly smile on her face as she just shrugs her shoulders.


    Logan: ¡°In any case, I will stop by the guild early tomorrow morning, and you can pick it up before you leave back to Tobes. It will be nice to be able to keep in touch without two week delay.¡±


    After nodding we continue to talk for a while before Logan parts ways. Amy and I now leave the castle and after spending some more time together we too part ways. The next morning before leaving for Tobes I stop off at the adventurer¡¯s guild, and pick up the ID Logan had made.


    Adventurer #97,146 [Logan] Base: Gowen Capital


    Race: Human Gender: Male


    Rank: B Level: 25


    Class: Royal Guard Favored Element: Light


    Commissions Complete: 552


    Brother has completed far more commissions then I thought, and I would have never thought he was level 25¡­


    When I set out to rent a ride back to Tobes I find out that all available carts are preparing to set out for Tobes already. After asking around I find out it is the 12 young ladies filling a commission from the village elder for employment¡­


    After checking around I find that I have no other choice but to hitch a ride with the brothel ladies, or wait two weeks for the carts to return. With no other choice I meet with the ladies about to depart for Tobes.


    The ladies seem normal enough, except they seem very young. With 11 of the girls ranging from 15 to 20 in age, they are mostly human, but a few are of various beastkin races, and all wearing slave collars. The 12<sup>th</sup> girl seems to be the eldest of the group still barely in her mid-20s, she however has no collar and seems to be leading the group.


    Oldest girl: ¡°Oh, you must be the adventurer that was looking for a ride to Tobes? I¡¯m Denova, and you are welcome to join us on the trip. I haven¡¯t heard of any attacks occurring on the road between here and Tobes, but an adventurer, especially strong enough to summon a golem like that, would be most welcome indeed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Belinda¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Like the princess? I heard Princess Belinda has turned Tobes around since the discovery of the dungeon there. That¡¯s why I jumped at this opportunity to start work there, and I used all my savings to buy some girls, to be able to run my own brothel is like a dream.¡±


    ¡°¡­A dream?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Yea I know, I mean what normal woman would want to run a brothel, but I started out as a slave. I bounced around a few owners, each time they got bored with me, and then found refuge in a brothel.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Don¡¯t be, I¡¯m not. The man at the brothel that finally bought me took good care of his girls. He just collected his pay, and any tips we got he allowed us to keep for ourselves. After we made him enough money to pay off our debts he would let the women leave.¡±


    ¡°Kind of odd to see an ex-slave buying slaves though, especially for that kind of work.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Without me these girls would bounce around from one owner to the next till they either catch a break like I did, or die. At least with me buying them they can make some gold in the process, and besides, I handpicked these girls, told them exactly what I expected out of them, and got each of their consent before buying them.¡±


    ¡°Their consent?¡±


    Denova: ¡°None of the girls here are forced, and I started with a pool of 30 girls to choose from. I was hoping for 15 but had to settle for these 11 because the rest either didn¡¯t want to do the work, or they were still under the delusion that some white knight was going to show up, and rescue them from there circumstance.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well, looks like everyone is finally ready, so you going to hitch a ride with us, or not?¡±


    With no other choice I agree, and we begin the very long weeklong trip back to Tobes. Along the trip I get to know Denova better, and some of the other girls as well. Like Denova said, most of the girls actually seem excited about their new job.


    Apparently a brothel way out in the middle of nowhere that has primarily adventurer cliental tends to net quite a bit of tips for the girls, and in the big cities the normal clients don¡¯t. The oldest of the slaves is a wolf beastkin around 20 or so in age, she has long silver hair and a large scar across her otherwise attractive face.


    She tells me how that her former owner treated her terribly, and when he was through with her he gave her the scar. She however seems excited, because with the scar and her age Denova bought her at a low cost, so she is figuring with only two years of labor she will be able to obtain her freedom then become an adventurer.


    The wolf beastkin spends most of the trip asking me questions about adventuring, dungeons, and such. Halfway through the trip I finally tell Denova that I am Belinda Gowen. After the initial shock of meeting a princess wears off, she starts asking me all kinds of questions about Tobes, and the adventurers that frequent the town.


    After a very long week I learn a lot more about the girls, probably more then I wanted to know. We finally arrive in Tobes late on the 7<sup>th</sup> evening. I direct the girls to the village leaders house then quickly retreat to my soft bed in the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    After almost a month I have finally arrived back home, at least its home till I finally am able to get my own room in the dungeon. I decide to wait till morning to inform Two-Twelve about making it back, and go to sleep.

 The Elders Summons

    I wake up the morning in which Belinda is supposed to return, with a message from Madam Erin.


    The elders have chosen you to take part in a meeting held on this day at noon. A representative of the elders will arrive at your dungeon a little before noon to collect you. If you refuse to attend no consequences will be given, however future assistance from the elders might not be readily available.


    Dungeon Core #36 Madam Erin


    Well hopefully Belinda has returned I can get her to keep an eye on the dungeon while attend the meeting. Although it seems kind of odd, I didn¡¯t know the dungeon cores held meetings. I quickly message Belinda.


    ¡°Hey, you make it back to Tobes yet?¡±


    It takes another hour before I receive a message back from her telling me that she in on her way. Once Belinda, Rufus, and Tanya step onto the area outside the cave a message pops up.


    Monsters have returned from battle


    Battle results:


    Monster Rufus has reached max level


    Monster Tanya has gained 9 Levels


    Monster Belinda (Boss) has gained 9 Levels


    Acquried: [Chainmail Dog Armor], 5 Small Healing Potions, 1 Small Magic Stones, 2 Small Magic Stone (Healing Wounds), 1 Small Magic Stone (Fireball),


    Losses: Mindy has perished.


    4420 Xp gained from external source. 442xp bonus for Belinda (boss) participation, 442xp bonus for xp acquired in another dungeon, 44xp bonus for battle lasting more than 1 week, -221 for attacking neutral dungeon, -44 xp for monster death.


    5083 XP total rewarded


    Due to Rufus reaching max level you may now summon Attack Dog at any level up to max level, for additional xp cost.


    Once Belinda transfers to the core room I move Rufus and Tanya to the empty room down the hall from Thirty-seven.


    ¡°So, how did it go?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well not as good as I hoped, but we surely where able to bring in some xp right?¡±


    ¡°You did as well as can be expected.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thank goodness¡­ I was afraid that after we lost Mindy, and only reaching the 6<sup>th</sup> floor instead of the goal of the 10<sup>th</sup> it wasn¡¯t going to be enough.¡±


    ¡°It was actually a bit more than I expected, enough so, that I believe you earned your own room. However it¡¯s going to have to wait till I return.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Return? Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I am going to have to ask you to keep an eye on the dungeon, I have to go to some kind of meeting the Elders have put together.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°When you were telling me about dungeons, you didn¡¯t say the elders had meetings.¡±


    ¡°Honestly I didn¡¯t know, I got surprised by the message this morning saying I have to meet with them at noon today.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Today? Noon is just a few hours away, and I didn¡¯t even get to tell you about my adventure. How long are you going to be gone?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t say, just that they would send someone for me just before noon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s not fair! I spent almost a month gathering xp, and I even had to ride back to town from the capital with your brothel girls, and now you are leaving.¡±


    ¡°Well surely it won¡¯t take long, and you can tell me all about your trip when I return.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then I need to head back to Tobes for a few hours and make sure everything is ok before you leave.¡±


    ¡°Ok, they said someone would be here for me just before noon, so as long as you are back by then I guess its ok.¡±


    Belinda looks upset as she nods, then transfers herself back to the entrance, after a few moments she heads back down the mountain towards Tobes.


    After looking at my xp amount after Belinda¡¯s xp is added, I now have enough to add another floor, but not enough to add rooms to it. Plus I don¡¯t really have any monsters on the third floor so I need to focus on that first I guess.


    I set 2000xp aside for Belinda to use to create her room, and begin to use the 8000xp for monsters. I move the crimson kobold brutes, and elder down to the third floor, and add two new rifts in the old crystal room. I now have 3 crimson kobolds in full-plate armor, one with a halberd, one with sword and shield, and one with a great-sword. There is one crimson kobold with a bow and black leather armor, and a crimson kobold mage with a battle-staff and magician¡¯s robes. I wanted to up the quality of the weapons and armor but even without raising it, I only have enough xp left to replace 2 more of the golems that Listel destroyed.


    With just over 2000xp left I close [Menu], and spend the rest of my morning watching a group of adventurers working their way through my dungeon. I curse when the group retreats after clearing the first floor, then head down to Thirty-seven with some food.


    ¡°Here you go. I have been summoned to a meeting with the elders, so I don¡¯t know how long I will be gone, but Belinda will make sure you have what you need while I am gone.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°The elders summoned you?¡±


    ¡°Yea, I don¡¯t know what for, but surely it won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°The elders usually meet around this time of year to discuss the dungeon cores that are going to be born in a few months, but they only call the dungeon cores that are going to host one of the training cores. Surely they don¡¯t attend to have you train a dungeon core after only one year.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess I will find out when I get there. Although I don¡¯t know if I am ready for something like that, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Your crystal is unique, so even the elder¡¯s curiosity might have gotten the best of them. You might want to be on your guard. Don¡¯t give any information that you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I will be careful.¡±


    Belinda then sends me a message saying that she has returned, I then part ways with Thirty-seven, and return to the core room.


    ¡°Ok, There is only one prisoner right now, and he should be good for another 2 days, but surely I will be back by then, but If I am not then go ahead and release him. Just keep a close eye on the groups that enter, I added some more monsters to the dungeon, but there is 2000xp to use in case of an emergency.¡±


    I cover a few more things with Belinda, and then allow her temporary access to the full [Menu] with no restrictions.


    ¡°Ok, they should be here at any moment. If you need anything I should still be able to receive messages, and use the xp sparingly. Any of the xp left when I return is what we are going to use for your room, so the more you have left the more you got to work with remember that.¡±


    After a few more minutes, and questions from Belinda, someone arrives in my dungeon that just doesn¡¯t fit in.


    ¡°Oh look its Madam Erin, remember the dungeon core I told you responsible for the tower of the gods? She came to pick me up personally, that¡¯s rather odd. Anyway, I better go be careful ok? Remember my life is in your hands right now.¡±


    Belinda nods showing some determination, and then I head down to meet with Madam Erin.


    ¡°Long time, no see, how have you been doing?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Not bad pup, not bad at all. Although I don¡¯t know if I would call 7 months to be a long time.¡±


    ¡°Well for me it¡¯s been most my life.¡±


    Madam Erin laughs then pulls out a piece of chalk, she leads me outside the cave then starts to draw on a large rock. She stops after a few moments looking down at the ground then around.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just where does you dungeon end pup? I can¡¯t use this magic inside your dungeon.¡±


    I lead her down the trail a bit, once she picks out another sizeable boulder she begins writing with the chalk again. She draws a large door frame, but instead of just lines each line is a glyph of some kind. She still manages to complete the door in less than 5 minutes.


    Once finished she simply knocks on the stone, and it sinks in around the frame. It then slides sideways into the solid rock revealing a portal much like the ones I seen in her dungeon. Madam Erin then grabs my wrist, stepping into the portal, dragging me along with her.


    After the pull on the back of my chest, we arrive in a familiar corridor. It seems to be the same one that I was in for my evaluation. She leads me to the large room where the evaluation was performed, stopping just outside the door, looking me dead in the eye she says.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now this is going to seem rather strange for you, everyone here is going to have so much more experience then you, but don¡¯t let it get to you. You deserve to be here just as much as them. Don¡¯t let any of them give you a hard time. Oh and don¡¯t let slip any information about your dungeon, although if you want to tell me about it now I wouldn¡¯t mind hearing about it.¡± ¨CShe says with a wink then we enter the room before I even have a chance to reply.-


    The room looks very similar to when my evaluation was held, except the chairs in front are now filled with 2 people I recognize and one rather beautiful older woman who I do not. In the first chair sits dungeon core #1 [Maric], next to him is the woman I do not recognize, and in the last chair sits dungeon core #400 [Dyson].


    Madam Erin sends me to go sit over where the teachers where sitting during the evaluation. There is a creature sitting at the table next to me, he looks rather serpent-like.


    Madam Erin joins Draco up at the elder seats, and they begin to talk quietly to each other. The other chairs remain empty as the creature next to me speaks.


    Creature: ¡°I am dungeon core #2 Greaksss, itssss a pleasssure to meet you.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°I¡¯m dungeon core #212, I haven¡¯t ever chosen a name but you can call me Two-Twelve.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Ssssso you are Two-Twelve, many rumorsssss about you for sssssuch a youngling. I heard your crysssstal isssss not of a known element. Issss that true?¡±


    ¡°All I can really say is that my crystal is a polychromatic diamond, other than I can¡¯t really say.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°I Sssssee, very wisssse to be cautiousssss. Good to ssssee a youngling with a good head on hisssss shoulderssss.¡±


    The elder Faron enters the room trailed by a small girl that reminds me a lot of Sarah, although this girl¡¯s face appears much older, and she has small leathery wings sprouting from her back. Faron takes his seat and the girl sits at our table, but ignores us completely.


    The next to enter is the elder Lucille, trailing behind her is another dragon-like man however unlike Draco he appears to have far more human-like features. Lucille takes her place with the elders as the other man joins us sitting right next to me.


    Dragon-like man: ¡°I heard you would be here, I am dungeon core #245 [Simon]. I believe you have heard of me?¡±


    My face pales a little and I gulp but I manage a normal enough greeting.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I am dungeon core #212, you can call me Two-Twelve.¡±


    Simon: ¡°Rather pretty young princess you found yourself. I was surprised to find that the Gowen bloodline had monster blood in their lineage. I don¡¯t really mind you training your little monsters in my dungeon, but be warned if you go past the 20<sup>th</sup> floor I will retaliate.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Simon: ¡°Like I said not a problem in the first few floors.¡±


    My awkward conversation is luckily ended when the last elder Fredrick enters the room. Behind him walks in a dungeon core I have seen before, dungeon core #790 [Bella] the dungeon that trained Newt. Bella joins us while Fredrick joins the other elders.


    Once everyone is seated Draco rises.


    Draco: ¡°As many of you are wondering why you are here, let me be the first to say regardless if you sit in one of these chairs.¡± ¨CHe motions to Meric, Dyson, and the other woman.- ¡°Or over there.¡± ¨CHe motions to our group.- ¡°It means you show great strength and wisdom, even among other dungeon cores.¡±


    Draco then sits and Faron rises.


    Faron: ¡°As many of you know the elders have been short a member for two years now, and we believe it is time to fill the empty chair.¡±


    Faron sits and Madam Erin picks up where he left off.


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is where you three come in.¡± ¨CMotioning to the Maric group.- ¡°We have decided one of you three will take up Leland¡¯s place as the six member of the elders.


    Lucille then takes over for Madam Erin.


    Lucille: ¡°The rest of you might be wondering why you are here, well that¡¯s quite simple. The elders know far more about other dungeons then you even know, and as such we each have unique biased opinions of the three before us.


    Lastly Fredrick takes over for Lucille.


    Fredrick: ¡°So we each have chosen our own core to take our place in the judging. The next birth of new dungeon cores will take place in four months, and the three that will host the new cores are Maric, Laura, and Dyson. Doing things a bit different this time we have decided not to only choose a few of the new cores.


    Draco takes over for Fredrick speaking once again.


    Draco: ¡°However regardless if one or all three pass, then you five. ¨CMotioning to our group.- ¡° Will then decide which teacher preformed the best. The one you decide that excelled at the task of training new dungeon cores will become the next elder.¡±


    Madam Erin then takes Draco¡¯s place


    Madam Erin: ¡°Any questions?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yea I have one. All of your ¡°judges¡± that you have selected have been trained by one of you five. How are we supposed to think they are any less biased?¡±


    Laura: ¡°I tend to agree with him, as much as it pains me to do so.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°We are choosing a new elder to work with us, and each of us has major reservations against at least one of you. This way it takes us out of the equation.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°But if it makes you feel more comfortable about our decisions, which of our judges have you got a problem with?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Personally I think dungeon core #212 being here is a joke, he isn¡¯t even a year old.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I chose Two-Twelve myself. He may still be young, but has already proven himself during his evaluation. He also has the unique honor of the only dungeon core to bare the number of a fallen elder, so I thought Leland would have wanted his namesake to help choose his successor.¡±


    Maric: ¡°I agree, I believe that is a good idea, as for the others I trust the judgement of the elders and look forward to the day I am standing proudly beside you having proven my worth.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Quit with the endless prattle ¡°pretender¡±, What about Simon? How can we assume anything he says doesn¡¯t come straight from your bed chamber Lucille?


    Lucille: ¡°That was long ago, and hasn¡¯t happened since, but if you like to remove Simon, how about we bring in Llywelyn instead?¡±


    I am not sure who Llywelyn is but Laura¡¯s reaction to his name is almost hostile, as the ladies continue to bicker back and forth I decide to stand, clearing my throat, and speaking.


    ¡°If I may speak, I know nothing about most of any of you, but I believe you continued debate is going to cause more biased then anything. Before your objection Laura, I knew nothing of you. Now it¡¯s plain to all of us you have a problem with Lucille, and if you can¡¯t work with her as an elder how are we supposed to choose you.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°My thoughtsssss exactly.¡±


    Laura then calms down, sitting back down.


    Madam Erin: -Laughs- ¡°Ha, I knew I made the right decision pup. ¨CShe then switches her attention to the three in front of her.- Regardless of any objections you might have on the matter, this is what we elders have decided, if you want to be part of this group I suggest you get over your petty grievances already.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have no objections.¡±


    Maric: ¡°I will prove that I belong the rest of you up there, I have no objections either.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Fine, we will play your little game.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Splendid, now you three are dismissed.¡±


    After Maric, Laura, and Dyson depart the elders address us remaining.


    Lucille: ¡°Now, we really would like the five of you to choose the best among the three as a suitable replacement for Leland.¡±


    The small woman with leathery wings speaks for the first time. ¡°What exactly is in it for us? I agreed to come here today, but not this.¡±


    Draco: ¡°We have all decided that you will each receive an imitation crystal, once the new elder has been appointed.¡±


    I am not sure what an imitation crystal is, but the rest of my group seems to get excited, so it must be a worthwhile payment.


    The small woman with leathery wings tries to hide her excitement and says. ¡°Very well, I guess I will do it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Any further questions?¡±


    After no one answers the elders split up leading their representative back into the hallway one at a time. When I am alone with Madam Erin she says.


    Madam Erin: ¡°By the unchanging facial expression you had when we mentioned an imitation crystal, I assume that is something you don¡¯t have the knowledge of? Either that or you have gotten really good at deception.¡±


    ¡°Well I have no problem doing this for you, simply because you asked. Besides the way the others acted I felt even if I didn¡¯t know what it was the reward was well worth the task.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Depending on how you use it. It can either be a saving grace, or second dungeon. It essentially functions in every way the same as your original crystal, with the exception you don¡¯t die if it breaks. You can use it to hide your original crystal where humans can¡¯t get to it, or use it to start a dungeon away from your original.¡±


    ¡°That sounds rather convenient, do many dungeons have them?¡±


    Madam Erin: Not many, often by the time you can afford to buy one with xp your dungeon is large enough it is no longer necessary, Draco is the one exception, he uses quite a few of them, building smaller dungeons on the lower ends of the volcano he resides that adventurers explore.¡±


    ¡°Well how much do they cost then?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°For you first one it cost one million xp.¡±


    ¡°¡­.for the first?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Yes after you buy the first the cost raises greatly with each one bought.¡±


    ¡°And you guys are going to spend that much just for us helping you out?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well succession of an elder is something that has never been done before, and we wanted to make it special.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think with that kind of reward the others in the group will say whatever the elder that choose them tells them too?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well, you are probably right, but to me it doesn¡¯t matter really which of the three becomes the next elder, I am fine with any of them. But if you want a friendly suggestion, I wouldn¡¯t let Laura¡¯s outburst earlier get to you. The only reason Laura and Lucille don¡¯t get along is because they are both exactly alike.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I have also heard you managed to get a copy of the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> I don¡¯t know how you managed to do that outside of training, but I wouldn¡¯t let Dyson¡¯s information worry you either. He seems like a hard-ass, but all the dungeons he destroyed had it coming in one way or the other, even if death was a little harsh of a punishment.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Oh and don¡¯t let Maric¡¯s sunny disposition and smiles let you think he is some kind of saint. They didn¡¯t start calling him pretender just because he took the original Maric¡¯s name and dungeon location, remember that.¡±


    ¡°For not caring you sure have a lot of opinions about them.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am just trying to keep you informed, because I am sure you are the kind to not jump to conclusions about people any way.¡±


    She starts to lead me out of the room then adds.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Oh and I never got the chance to congratulate you on your selection for a boss monster. Very wise move if you play your cards right. But be careful if the kingdom is weak and falls other kingdoms might try to take you out just because your dungeon is associated with the Gowen kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Also if you send her my way, I will make sure to put her to the test real well. After all Simon seemed pretty mad that you went in his dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Does everyone know about that? I thought nobody would know¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You would be surprised about how fast information spread between dungeon cores. Oh and one last thing, I heard the hero Listel paid you a visit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I don¡¯t want to sway your decision so I won¡¯t say too much, but just be extra careful around her.¡±


    ¡°Then she is associated with a dungeon, and by her kingdom of choice I would have to guess Laura.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I keep forgetting you have access to a <u>Dungeon Core Information</u>¡­¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, do the other cores not have access to one?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It is an item restricted to the elders, and training cores, but when Leland died his copy disappeared, after that we bound them to the dungeon core room so they don¡¯t fall into human hands. Although Leland¡¯s copy is still out there, somewhere.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case I probably know exactly where it is¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You found it?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, I bought mine from [Menu], but when Listel entered my dungeon it looked like she pulled one out of thin air, she used it to determine how many monsters I had left in my dungeon threating to destroy my crystal if I didn¡¯t bring them all out.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°it concerns me you were able to buy it, must be some effect left over by having Leland¡¯s number, but I will keep that our little secret as you might of done the elders a great service just now.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that special?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well like you said she knew exactly the number of monsters you had, how many rooms, floors, traps, what do you think would happen if that kind of information fell into the hands of the adventurer¡¯s guild?¡±


    ¡°I see your point.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Let¡¯s keep the fact that Laura has Leland¡¯s copy a secret. At least until the selection of a new elder is over. This is starting to turn into more fun than I anticipated.¡±


    After talking a bit about Thirty-seven, she begins to ask me question about Belinda, I dance around a few questions answering only things that should be obvious. Keeping things like her race change a secret, because by the way Thirty-seven responded to it, which should be impossible.


    Madam Erin pats me on the back with a wide sly smile when I shut down a few of her questions, and she changes the subject, as we walk through the hallway. When we finally part ways she sends me though a portal and I end up standing in front of the large rock I left at.


    The portal fades after I pass through and then even the chalk marks disappear. Once I reach the dungeon I head to the core room and find Belinda lying on my bed holding her head.


    Belinda: ¡°I am so glad you are back¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Checking though the screens I find the first floor and even the second floor is completely empty.


    Belinda: ¡°It was a nightmare, I don¡¯t know how you do it so easily.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Trying to control that many kobolds at once, I don¡¯t see how you do it. I had a group of adventurers come though, and by their power level they seemed far weaker than some of the groups I have seen come up here, but they were just killing kobold left and right.¡±


    ¡°Well it looks like we lost the prisoner, but you seem to have at least held them back.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Only by sheer luck. Once they armed the prisoner, and headed into the third floor I sent all 4 golems, Rufus, Tanya, and the kobolds at them. Luckily one of the golems where able to block them from being able to exiting, after they seen Tanya and Rufus I couldn¡¯t very well let them go. You know I didn¡¯t become your boss monster to kill adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s just the nature of it, adventurers come in here most of the time with the grand dream of wanting to kill us, so why is killing them before they get the chance much different?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I know¡­ How did things go on your end?¡±


    ¡°I am not entirely sure. Everything seems too good to be true, so I am going to wait till I actually see it, before I start to celebrate.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well remember how I told you my number is a replacement for one of the dungeon core elders? Well they have decided to fill the empty spot, and want me to be one of 5 to judge who becomes the next elder.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, that sounds fun.¡±


    ¡°The problem is the candidates we have to choose from¡­ One is Dyson, yes the Dyson, another is Maric, he is the first dungeon in the second generation. He seems to be a good man, but Madam Erin told me to be careful of him. Then the third is Laura.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Who is Laura?¡±


    ¡°Apparently the king of Southern Merretta has made a deal with her, and he appears to be her primary boss monster, according to <u>Dungeon Core Information</u>. Listel is also one of her secondary boss monsters from what I learned at the meeting today.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You can have more than one boss monster?¡±


    ¡°Technically you can have as many as you want as long as you find them and pay double their cost in xp, but summoning your own you can only do a few times. The more worrisome part is that as easy as Listel walked through our dungeon, the king of Southern Merretta must be stronger to be her primary¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What are you going to do then?¡±


    ¡°For now I just have to go with it, the reward for participating is enough that any dungeon core would jump at the opportunity, so I guess I should consider myself lucky Madam Erin choose me.¡±


    I continue on to tell Belinda about the imitation crystal, and when she asks me what I plan to do with it I tell her it¡¯s a secret, at least for now.

 A New Threat

    After returning from the meeting held by the elders, Belinda was wiped out after a group of adventurers made their way through the dungeon. After catching each other up Belinda finally brings up the subject of her own bedroom.


    Checking the balance of XP I find that even after replacing the monsters she lost in the fight, there is just over 1500xp remaining, I decide to add a room off to the side a bit away from the current rooms. I make a large room 100 feet by 100 feet with a 10 foot ceiling, leaving her with 500 xp to do whatever she wants with her new space.


    Belinda: ¡°The room is huge, but it¡¯s not connected to anything.¡±


    ¡°Well I figured you don¡¯t want adventurer¡¯s sneaking around your bedroom while you are sleeping, so I figured the only disadvantage of having a room not accessible is that you can¡¯t acquire xp there, but that won¡¯t matter for your bedroom.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why make it so big then?¡±


    ¡°Well using the remaining 500xp you can build walls and such where ever you want. Making your bedroom as large or small as you want, and this way the unused section can be used as storage.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why does it feel my bedroom has turned into a byproduct of your preexisting plan?¡±


    ¡°Storage isn¡¯t actually necessary because any items can be stored in the dungeon inventory, and monsters can be stored in the crystal, so it¡¯s really not a benefit to me at all¡­¡±


    Using [Menu] I give Belinda the option to use 500xp any way she wants, and she begins work on her room. She starts off with two walls only using about a quarter of the space. She then starts adding misc, items, furniture, and d¨¦cor to the room.


    At one point she gets buys a ton of blankets draping them from the walls and ceiling, but after returning to the core room, and looking at the screen her shoulders droop. She returns to her room pulling all the blankets down folding them up, and putting them under her bed.


    While she continues to work on her room I go and visit Thirty-seven. When I return to the core room Belinda is dragging my desk across the floor in the core room moving against one of the sides of the room. She then drags the screen that displays her room down behind the desk.


    Belinda: ¡°Now, don¡¯t touch that screen you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Humans can¡¯t make it in there so I don¡¯t see a reason to need it, so it should be fine.¡±


    Even though I just agreed to do as she asked Belinda doesn¡¯t seem happy about it giving me a sharp glare. When it is all said and done, Belinda uses all of the xp giving to her down to the very last point.


    Amazing that Belinda was so tired when I returned from the meeting, yet she has spent the entire afternoon working on her room nonstop. She even asks if she can take Thirty-seven to show the bedroom to her. After I agree, she happily moves down to talk to Thirty-seven while I decide to head to bed.


    When I wake the next morning and notice Thirty-seven not in her room, I move the screen behind the desk out. Belinda¡¯s room is covered in bright colored pillows. She has all kinds of furniture, rugs, tapestry¡¯s, and such covering almost the entire room.


    Belinda is sleeping soundly in her bed with both arms and legs wrapped around Thirty-seven who is laying there staring at the ceiling. After placing the screen back behind the desk I prepare Thirty-seven¡¯s meal and transfer to Belinda¡¯s room


    ¡°I brought you something to eat.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Thanks.¡±


    When Thirty-seven pulls herself free of Belinda getting out of bed, Belinda starts to wake up.


    ¡°What are you doing here anyway?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Belinda insisted I stay, something about a housewarming, or something to that effect.¡±


    Belinda: -Sleepily- ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I was just asking why Thirty-seven stayed in your room last night.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh¡­-She quickly jolts up coving herself with her blankets and throws a pillow at my face.- ¡°What are you doing in my room?¡±


    ¡°It was time for Thirty-seven¡¯s meal, and she happened to be here, so I brought it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t enter a woman¡¯s room without knocking first!¡± ¨CShe throws another pillow-


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a door.¡±


    Belinda: -She quickly looks around the room.- ¡°Then at least send a message, don¡¯t just barge into my room without permission!¡± ¨CShe throws a third pillow.-


    Thirty-seven is calmly eating the food sitting on the table while I am pelted with pillows, once I am pelted with a fourth pillow Belinda¡¯s words no longer make much sense so I just transfer back to the core room.


    A little while later Belinda returns Thirty-seven to her room, and then joins me in the core room. After looking at me she gets angry all over again.


    Belinda: ¡°If I am going to be living here from now on, we need to set up some ground rules!¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you have in mind?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No entering my room without permission is a big number one, and also no peeking into my room through one of the screens.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh and you have to at least eat one meal with me a week down in Tobes, and I mean actually eat!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Because I asked you to, and we will start today to make up for being rude to me this morning, by barging in my room.¡±


    ¡°Fine, what else?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We need to come up with another plan if you have to leave again, I will do what is required of me, but I don¡¯t want to have to kill another adventurer if I don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I think we will have around four months to come up with something, so is there anything else?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just because I can¡¯t think of anything else at the moment, doesn¡¯t mean that¡¯s it, ok?¡±


    ¡°Fine, I guess.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­We I guess I need to get to Tobes, and make sure everything is going alright. Now don¡¯t forget this evening you need to come down to Tobes to eat dinner with me!¡±


    ¡°Ok, I got it¡­¡±


    Belinda stares at me for a minute like she wants to say something else, but I guess she decided against it because she transfers to the entrance of the dungeon and walks down the mountain toward Tobes.


    A few hours later Belinda sends me a warning that Garm, the slave master is heading back to the dungeon.


    This time when Garm arrives he only has 5 slaves with him but each one looks experienced. Each still wear a slave collar, but this time they are equip with decent weapons and armor. One of them even appears to be a mage or some kind.


    Garm: ¡°I have sunk to much gold into this dungeon to back away now. I don¡¯t care if the crystal has protection from the kingdom, once you make it to the crystal room, come get me and we can claim it was an accident.¡±


    The slaves nod then proceed into the dungeon. The group has obviously seen combat as they quickly tear through the group in the square stone room. Once they reach the large room, one of the group manages to set off a trap but they all manage to escape it unharmed.


    The group is well coordinated, but doesn¡¯t seem much tougher than any of the C rank groups that have entered so I am not too worried yet. While they systematically clear the side rooms on the first floor I decide to ask Belinda a question.


    ¡°Hey, what happens to slaves if their master dies?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well if they are in a city they are usually round up and resold, but with being way out here in the sticks if Garm happens to fall they could disappear with no one being the wiser. Why do you have an idea to get rid of that guy?¡±


    ¡°This guy is starting to get annoying, so I figured if I could deal with him I should while I have the chance.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I said I would like to avoid killing adventurers but Garm is the exception if you figure something out you won¡¯t hear any complaints from me. Let me know how it goes.¡±


    Once the group makes it to the second floor, the mage changes from offensive to defensive, casting barriers and heals, instead of fire spells. Even with one less person attacking, they still are holding their own against the group of crimson kobold on the second floor.


    I decide to not worry too much about the rifts, and focus my plan on the third floor. After the battle with Listel and hearing how Belinda took care of the group yesterday I re-arrange the monsters on the third floor.


    I let Thirty-seven know what¡¯s going on and decide to move her to the storage area outside of Belinda¡¯s room... Maybe after the battle I will move all her things there permanently, the only problem would be she couldn¡¯t leave on her own, but that shouldn¡¯t matter to Thirty-seven. Oh well we will go over that after the battle.


    Once the group reaches the third floor I use Rufus to lure them into the side room opposite of where Thirty-seven is staying. Once there, the Golem moves in blocking their escape. The mage ends up switching back to offensive against the golem.


    With the gear they stole from the kobold upstairs and the mage they actually start doing quite a bit of damage to one of the golems. The mage however runs out of magic after I switch in a different golem having the injured one leave.


    Panic starts to envelope the group and they start making mistakes. Once the golem beat them up pretty good they stop attacking and just start guarding the door, I have Rufus enter the room carrying a note in his mouth. Once he drops the note on the floor he leaves back out the way he came, and the group hesitantly picks up the paper.


    The one that picks up the note asks if anyone can read, everyone shakes their heads but the mage, So when they had the mage the note he reads it out loud.


    Mage: ¡°Slaves of Garm, If any of you wish to leave this dungeon alive I only ask two things. Leave here only with what you entered with, and I ask for you to give up your master in your place¡­ That¡¯s all it says.¡±


    Slave: ¡°What do we do?¡±


    Slave 2: ¡°Are you kidding, If Garm is taken by the dungeon we can go wherever we want.¡±


    Slave 3: ¡°But how do we get him to come in here?¡±


    Mage: ¡°That¡¯s easy, He expects us to bring him to the dungeon¡¯s crystal, and we tell him we found it leading him here instead.¡±


    Slave 4: ¡°But can we really believe the dungeon will let us go afterwards like the note said?¡±


    Slave 3: ¡°Well you know Garm isn¡¯t going to come save us, I don¡¯t think we have much of a choice.¡±


    Slave: ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t let us, just knowing that bastard Garm is suffering the same fate, is enough to convince me.¡±


    Mage: ¡°What if someone finds out what we did?¡±


    Slave 2: ¡°Is there really a worse fate then what we have right now?¡±


    Slave: ¡°You guys can continue to make up your minds, I am going to go tell that bastard that we reached the crystal."


    When the slave walks to the door the golem lets him pass the others look at each other then quickly try to follow but the golem blocks their path.


    The other slaves object but the slave outside the door heads upstairs. He slowly makes his way back though the dungeon arriving at the cave entrance.


    Slave: -bowing his head.- ¡°Master, we found the crystal¡­¡±


    Garm: ¡°Excellent, you cleared all the monsters right?¡±


    Slave: ¡°None remain¡­¡±


    Garm: ¡°Perfect.¡±


    Garm walks into the dungeon, the slave trailing behind him. They reach the third floor easy enough, and when Garm enters the room with the rest the golem quickly blocks the path.


    Garm: ¡°What the hell is going on?!¡±


    He quickly pulls his sword but the golem easily knocks it from his hand.


    Garm: ¡°You¡¯re all traitors, I will see you put to death I swear!¡±


    Slave: ¡°You have to make it out of here first.¡±


    The other slaves look towards the golem questioningly. As the first one steps past the golem Garm quickly darts for the door but the golem knock him back. The other slaves quickly retreat from the room, and the mage however hesitates.


    Mage: ¡°We won¡¯t make it anywhere with these collars. Where is the key Garm?¡±


    Garm: ¡°You think I would be stupid enough to keep it on me?¡±


    The golem swiftly brings down one of its boulder fists crushing Garm¡¯s leg. Garm lets out a loud scream, but instantly passes out. The mage quickly goes through Garm¡¯s belongings finding the key amongst them.


    Without another word the slaves quickly escape the dungeon, they don¡¯t even stop to remove their collars until they are well outside of the cave. Without any monsters on the first or second floor I leave Garm in the room with the golem guarding him. One of crimson kobold brutes move in stripping him of his belongings while he remains passed out, and I add them to the dungeon inventory.


    Acquired: [235 gold], [Top-Quality Full-plate Armor], [Dwarven Sword], [Top-Quality Black Leather Gambeson], 2 [Black Leather Belt Pouches]


    I then inform Belinda of Garm¡¯s capture and the release of the five slaves.


    Belinda: ¡°It wasn¡¯t too much trouble was it?¡±


    ¡°They made it to the third floor and seen the golems, but being escaped slaves, I doubt they will repeat anything that happened here today.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are probably right. You managed to clear the dungeon with plenty of time, so don¡¯t forget dinner in a few hours¡­¡±


    ¡°There are only the monsters left on the third floor¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know as well as I do nobody set out to attack the dungeon in the evening. You better be here¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine...¡±


    I decide to then move all the items from the other room, into the storage area with Thirty-seven.


    ¡°Here you go, I thought that with this room not being connected to the outside, you wouldn¡¯t have to worry about intruders finding you.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°If you think that¡¯s best.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little inconvenient for you I am sure, but I do think you will be safer.¡±


    ¡°I have to go meet with Belinda down in Tobes, for a while but we should be back before long, is there anything else you need?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I will manage.¡±


    ¡°You do know you can ask for things right?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°You already provide everything I need to continue surviving, that is all that I require at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but just remember if you want anything, anything at all just let me know.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Very well. I will keep that in mind.¡±


    I then leave the dungeon, heading down to Tobes. Belinda seems excited when I walk in the door to the adventurer¡¯s guild, but she seems rather busy at the moment. I spend my time looking over the commissions on the board.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    It doesn¡¯t take Belinda long to wrap up what she is working on, and she then joins me at a table. After spending a few minutes talking about nothing in particular she says.


    Belinda: ¡°Unfortunately Tobes still doesn¡¯t have a restaurant, but I had someone get something ready for us.


    She then gets up moving to the back room, she returns a few minutes later with a large covered plate in one hand and two smaller plates in the other. She sets the large covered plate in the center of the table and puts one of the smaller plates in front of myself and one in front of her chair.


    Belinda: ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to check but Susan promised it would be something good.¡±


    When she removes the lid from the plate, underneath there is some kind of small roasted bird, all the feathers have been ripped out, it¡¯s been beheaded, and gutted. I am not quite sure what to think of the meal but by the envious eyes of several adventurers at other tables must mean it look appetizing to a human.


    ¡°I only have to try it right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh come on this looks wonderful.¡±


    She cuts a large chuck from the bird placing it on my plate, then takes a small section from the side putting it on her plate.


    ¡°If it looks so good, why are you only getting such a small piece¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s just the way things work.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I slowly cut off a small piece raising it to my mouth. After placing it in my mouth and chewing a few times, I begin to cough and choke a bit. It tastes like someone rolled the bird around in the grass then burnt it in a fire¡­ It tastes like weeds and coal¡­


    I go to state how bad it tastes, but I notice Belinda seems to be enjoying the bite she is eating¡­After eating her bite she asks me.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you telling me you don¡¯t like it either?¡±


    ¡°¡­its very odd¡­It¡¯s a mangled bird, which has been covered in weeds, and rolled around in the coals of a fire¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s not been mangled, just been prepared, and they are not weeds they are called herbs, and it was cooked in a brick oven, the heat might of come from coals but it wasn¡¯t rolled around in it¡­¡±


    Belinda seems a little disappointed, and she then gets me a mug of the alcohol I drank at her birthday party.


    Belinda: ¡°I know you will drink this, so drink that and at least pretend you are enjoying the food¡­¡±


    I take several drinks between each bite, but even after finishing my third mug I am still unable to even finish what is on the plate. Meanwhile Belinda spends the entire time just talking about the simple things she did during the day, or interactions she had with people¡­


    I finally just push the plate away unable to finish any more. Then a woman I haven¡¯t seen around Tobes before enters the adventurer¡¯s guild. Once she spots Belinda she heads straight towards her.


    Denova: ¡°Oh thank goodness I caught you. I heard you usually are gone by now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes, well I was just having a bit of dinner before heading home¡­¡±


    The woman pulls a chair from another table sitting down with us.


    Denova: ¡°I am glad I caught you, I seem to be just about ready to open shop tomorrow, but the town leader said I had to get your approval first. I think he is just worried that the shop was put in while you were gone, and he doesn¡¯t want to be the one to sign off on it behind a princess¡¯s back.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes well, although I have my reservations, after talking to several people I trust they told me as much as I don¡¯t like the idea I should still allow you to open up anyway, so let me stamp your form and I can get back to dinner...¡±


    Denova: ¡°Sure no problem.¡±


    Denova pulls out several pieces of paper spreading them across the table. Belinda begins looking over the paperwork.


    Belinda: ¡°Wait a minute what are these for?¡±


    Denova: -She chuckles nervously- ¡°Yea, you see once I seen the building. A fine building mind you, I noticed the only place to get a drink was way over here on this side of town, so I figured it would make things easier to be able to handle it there as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And this one?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well, you see sometimes adventurers don¡¯t rightly have any gold on them, so they often trade other items for services, this will just allow us to then sell those items without a problem. I don¡¯t want to get in trouble after all.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°This one says you are requesting a hold on the adjacent lot for future development¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well the town is growing pretty quickly, I don¡¯t want to end up stuck unable to grow my business.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know what, fine.¡± ¨CShe stamps the papers with her seal.- ¡°Now can I get back to my dinner?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Sure thing, sure thing. You won¡¯t regret it I promise. I even let your friend here in with a freebie, he can have his pick.¡±


    The woman then winks at me, as Belinda noticeably beings to get upset.


    Belinda: ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary!¡±


    Denova: ¡°Ok ok, I didn¡¯t know it went like that.¡± ¨CShe quickly gathers her papers stuffing them in a back slung around her shoulder. She then winks again at me. - ¡°The offer still stands though.¡± ¨CShe then quickly retreats from the adventurer¡¯s guild, but not before removing one of the bird legs from the plate on the table munching on it as she goes.-


    ¡°Who was that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s the headache I have to deal with because of you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes! You are the one that decided to build the brothel, and she is the woman that accepted the commission to run it, so I in turn am the one that has to deal with her.¡±


    ¡°She seemed pretty interested in me stopping by the shop tomorrow. Shouldn¡¯t I at least check it out? You told me I need to learn more about humans.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s a sex shop! Fine there I said it. You built a place for humans to go pay money to screw around with the women that work there. Now do you understand why I am upset?¡±


    ¡°Not really¡­ I mean if you told me that from the beginning I would have known I wouldn¡¯t have been interested in the place, but as to why you are upset in the matter. I don¡¯t have a clue¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know what fine, I don¡¯t care! I am going to go to bed.¡±


    Belinda gets up storming out of the adventurer¡¯s guild leaving me sitting at the table with the half eaten mangled bird¡­ One of the adventurers at the table next to ours laughs getting up heading over to me.


    Adventurer: ¡°Mate, you really screwed that one up, you¡¯re Two-Twelve right?¡±


    ¡°Yea, that¡¯s right¡­¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Nice to meetcha, call me Veto. Do you mind? ¨CHe asks while motioning toward the bird.-


    ¡°No, go ahead.¡±


    Veto: ¡°Dad taught me never let a good thing pass you by. I think he would roll over in his grave if he seen you just now.¡± ¨CHe says while chowing down on the bird.-


    ¡°Come again?¡±


    Veto: ¡°What kind of place did you run from? I can tell you haven¡¯t ever dealt with women before, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t follow.¡±


    Veto: ¡°That¡¯s exactly my point mate. She set this dinner up with what looks like the best possible thing you can get in this small village. I don¡¯t know what makes you so special to catch a princess¡¯s eye, but she wants you.¡±


    ¡°Well I already know that¡¯s not the case, her friend even tried to set something up, and she flat out denied the possibility.¡±


    Veto: ¡°You got a lot to learn about women mate. A woman that can cook like that, putting all that effort into it, and a princess to boot, if you don¡¯t step up your game she is going to drop you like a rock.¡±


    ¡°She also didn¡¯t cook the meal.¡±


    Veto: ¡°If you believed that¡­.Mate the adventurer¡¯s guild was closed half the day while she made that for you.¡±


    ¡°Why go through all that trouble then only to lie about it?¡¯


    Veto: ¡°That¡¯s what I am telling you mate, women say one thing, but want or do something completely different. Also you better not wait too much longer to go apologize, or you might really catch it later.¡±


    ¡°Well thanks for the advice, I better head out now.¡±


    I decide to head to head back to the dungeon. When I arrive back at the dungeon, Belinda has seemed to lure Thirty-seven into her room again. Thirty-seven just sits there silently staring off at the wall behind Belinda while holding the cat doll upside-down in her arms, as Belinda is rapidly and angrily talking away.


    I decide the best course of action is to wait till Belinda cools down, so I decide to head to bed. When I wake the next morning Belinda is already gone, so I prepare Thirty-seven¡¯s meal and take it too her.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Your boss monster likes to talk¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea, sorry about that¡­ I guess since she left early she is still mad?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Honestly I have no idea what she was talking about most of the time, but I think it is a fair assessment to assume she is still mad at you.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, she will come around in a few days. Want to take your walk around the lake this evening?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Your boss monster has already made plans for that this evening.¡±


    ¡°You know if she becomes a problem you can let me know, and I will tell her to back off.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Other than her endless chatter, I don¡¯t really see a difference either way.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, but if it becomes a problem just let me know¡­¡±


    I return to the core room. Garm has seemed to regain conciseness, but doesn¡¯t seem fairing too well. I send food down to him, but he doesn¡¯t seem strong enough to eat.


    Surely he can¡¯t be that weak after just one night. Oh well I only got 25xp from him anyway, so no big loss if he doesn¡¯t last another day. I would ask Belinda about it, but she seems to still be mad at me.


    Two more adventurer groups enter that day, but I make nothing from them as the retreat before the battle gets too hard. If I can just hold on till I get that imitation crystal I think everything will be alright.


    When Belinda returns that evening she still looks angry, but she at least will speak with me so I ask her about Garm.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be doing too well, I tried to feed him, but he wouldn¡¯t eat.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°By the looks of his wounds I say he won¡¯t last the night unless you heal him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°See the leg there where it¡¯s been crushed? How it is swelling up looks like he is bleeding internally, if his wound isn¡¯t healed it will most likely die.¡±


    ¡°I know humans heal slower, but won¡¯t the wound eventually just heal itself?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Humans don¡¯t work that way. Human¡¯s natural healing only heals small wounds. Large wounds don¡¯t ever heal back to the way they were without the help of healing magic. See look here.¡± -Belinda raises her shirt showing me a few small discolored marks on her side. ¨C


    Belinda: ¡°This was the first wound I received after becoming an adventurer. A wolf bit me while I was completing a commission and I was too stubborn to have it healed with magic so it left a scar.¡±


    She starts to blush as I stare at her, and she then panics pulling her shirt down when I run my hand across the scar.


    Belinda: ¡°Hey hey!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it¡¯s interesting. Do you have any more?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, that¡¯s it. Being a princess my wounds where always promptly treated by a mage.¡±


    ¡°Garm is not going to make it then? Maybe he can hold on till midnight, he isn¡¯t giving much but at least it¡¯s something.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know I hate Garm just as much as the next person, but that¡¯s an awful cold approach to him losing his life¡­¡±


    ¡°He had no problems when he was trying to kill me, so how is that different. Even when you first entered the dungeon, you had the same intentions.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s different, you¡¯re a dungeon, you expect that sort of thing, but he¡­¡±


    ¡°What is human? And what his life should hold higher value then mine because of it? So does that stand for you as well? You are part of the dungeon now does that mean your life isn¡¯t equal to his?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Remember I asked you if you knew exactly what you were asking when you joined the dungeon, and you agreed. You aren¡¯t one of them anymore, you are a dungeon monster. I have no problem you going down to Tobes, and continuing running the adventurer¡¯s guild because it benefits us. But that¡¯s not your place anymore.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­Well, I promised Thirty-seven I would take her for her walk¡­¡±


    Belinda wears a complicated expression on her face as she transfers from the core room. A few minutes later I see her transfer herself and Thirty-seven to the entrance and they walk out into the evening air, making their way down to the lake.


    I debate for a while if I should heal Garm¡¯s leg or not, but decide he isn¡¯t providing enough xp to worry about it, so I leave him to his fate. After a few hours the sun begins to set yet the ladies have yet to return to the dungeon.


    Every conversation with Belinda ends with her getting madder and madder with me, so I decide to message Thirty-seven instead.


    ¡°Are you on your way back yet?¡±


    I wait a few minutes, and receive no reply so I send another message.


    ¡°Are you guys alright?¡±


    I look though the screens staring hard out over the lake, but just too much of it is hidden behind trees, and I can¡¯t see anything. I decide I better go check on them so I equip Garm¡¯s gear from the dungeons inventory then head down to the lake myself.


    The entire front end of the lake is visible from the screens in the dungeon, so I start making my way towards the back. After a few minutes of searching I find a medium size tock on the bank of the lake, and on top of the rock is Thirty-seven¡¯s little stuffed cat.


    When I move closer there are several articles of clothing strewn about on the rocks. I first find Thirty-seven she is sitting on a rock that is sticking up out of the water, and I can hear Belinda talking to her from in the water.


    ¡°What are you two doing?¡±


    Thirty-seven stands and turns. I wondered about it before, but now I know it for a fact. Even though Thirty-seven is standing there nude I don¡¯t feel the embarrassment as I did when we were in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Even Madam Erin said that she found the way humans bathe to be enjoyable, so I had agreed to bathe with Belinda when she suggested it. However she is taking a long time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is that Two-Twelve? What are you doing?¡±


    From the other side of the rock I see Belinda¡¯s arm reach up, and pull Thirty-seven into the water. Belinda calls out from the other side of the rock.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s starting to get dark, and when I sent a message no one replied so I came to check on you.¡±


    Thirty-seven crawls back onto the rock, now soaking wet. Belinda reaches for her again but this time Thirty-seven moves out the way heading towards me.


    Belinda: ¡°Thirty-seven! What are you doing, he will see you.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It is time we start heading back.¡±


    I see Belinda¡¯s head poke up past the rock then with an odd sound she disappears back behind the rock, as Thirty-seven starts to struggle to put on her clothes as they stick to her wet skin.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you answer when I sent you a message earlier?¡± ¨CI ask Thirty-seven.-


    Thirty-seven: ¡°As I am completely cut off from the dungeons now, I cannot access [Menu], so I am no longer able to receive messages.¡±


    ¡°How have you been here this long, and I am just finding this out?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°My question is, why try messaging me, and not your own boss monster?¡±


    I look over to Belinda who is angrily peering at me from behind the rock.


    ¡°I thought it would be safer¡­¡±


    Thirty-seven now clothed moves back over to the rock grabbing the cat, quickly buries its head into her chest holding it the way she normally does, while I start gathering Belinda¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°Come on Belinda, it¡¯s starting to get late.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere with you still standing there, and what are you doing with my things?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    I set her clothes that I gathered on the rock, and then Thirty-seven and I begin walking back to the dungeon.


    Belinda: ¡°Hey wait for me!¡±


    ¡°Make up your mind.¡±


    When I turn around Belinda is trying to catch up, bouncing as she is trying to pull on one of her boots. Her clothes are disheveled, and soaking wet clinging to her body. In her current state while staring at her my ears become warm and I begin to blush.


    I soon however receive her second boot in the face as she throws it at me.


    Belinda: ¡°Quit staring! You act like it¡¯s no big deal, and then stare at me like that... Ohh you make me so mad!¡±


    Thirty-seven soon has to catch up as Belinda hastily walks past us heading back to the dungeon, with one bare foot and the other making squishy noises as she walks.


    When Thirty-seven and I make it to the dungeon, Belinda is already no longer in sight, so I send Thirty-seven to her room then return to the core room. I don¡¯t see Belinda on any of the visible screens, so she must be in her room, so I decide to send her a message.


    ¡°I have your other boot¡­¡±


    She doesn¡¯t reply so I just set it next to the desk. A few hours later Garm manages to disappoint me one last time as he died mere minutes before midnight, I get 250xp from his death, but still missed out on a few bonus points I would have got if he at least made it till then.


    When I wake up the next morning my eyes meet with Belinda¡¯s as she sneaks through my room, causing her to freeze in place. She is fully clothes minus her missing boot.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­.uh¡­I need¡­¡±


    She quickly grabs her boot then transfers out of the room¡­I think the longer she is around the less I understand about her¡­A few minutes later I see as she transfers to the exit of the dungeon, she however just stands there a minute.


    She then turns looking at the dungeon as I receive a message, and she then begins her descent down the mountain.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry if things have been weird lately, but I am still trying to get used to being a dungeon monster. If things didn¡¯t seem so normal, then maybe this would be a little easier, but honestly I don¡¯t feel any different, and that is what is making this so much harder. I promise I am going to try harder from now on, so please just have a little patience.¡±


    When I send a message back saying ¡°ok¡± I see Belinda stop, she then appears to get angry again stomping the rest of the way down the mountain trail¡­


    After taking food to Thirty-seven I receive another message, this time however it¡¯s from Sara. She tells me how that she has had to a rough time the last few weeks, because one of the local hunters found her small cave entrance.


    Since then she has had quite a few people poking around in her dungeon attacking her pixies and fairies. She told me she quickly expanded the cave to keep humans away from her crystal, but they are already pushing deep into the cave.


    After talking with Sara I decide to ask Alex how he is doing, he tells me that his situation is rather grim. They have had to push way out into the lower foothills to be able to acquire xp to survive, and he humans in the area are now killing anything he manages to summon, luckily he has been able to hold onto the group he sends out to collect xp.


    I decide to give him a bit of advice.


    ¡°Luckily they haven¡¯t decided to destroy your crystal, so use that to your advantage. Store any monsters you summon in your crystal until you build up your dungeon again. Then when the humans attack send them all out, and maybe you can then get the upper hand.¡±


    Alex: ¡°¡­I¡­ Thanks, I will give it a shot.¡±


    ¡°Humans are rather smart though, so if they are used to coming in regularly and killing monsters, maybe you should take it slow, maybe only storing one or two at a time, so the humans don¡¯t get suspicious.¡±


    Alex: ¡°Thanks again, I asked Lucille for help, but she told me I just needed to try harder, so I want you to know I really appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Something like that is nothing. Just remember to pay me back someday when you get back on your feet.¡±


    Alex: ¡°I will, I promise.¡±


    Later an adventurer group enters my dungeon, and they seem pretty well organized, they even carry rather good gear. Taking every precaution they slowly work their way through the first floor. Even though they seem to have no difficulty with the kobolds, when evening rolls around they have only managed to clear the large room on the second floor, and the prison area.


    Instead of retreating however, they set up camp at the end of the hallway in the prison area. When Belinda returns that evening she asks about the group.


    Belinda: ¡°The group that came in today, did you capture them? They seemed like a very cautious bunch I figured they would have escaped before getting that far.¡±


    ¡°No actually they are still here. They took it really slow and are now camping in your old room.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Have you had any adventurer¡¯s camp out inside before?¡±


    ¡°Other than you? No, the dungeon isn¡¯t really big enough for it yet.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They seemed rather strong though, I was actually pretty worried when they said they were heading up here.¡±


    ¡°Yea, they didn¡¯t seem to have any problems, strength wise, against the kobold, but they just took it really slowly, searching every nook and cranny before moving on to the next room.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well at least this way you will get xp from them, I know how much you hate it when they come in raid the treasure chests, and all manage to escape without giving you any xp.¡±


    ¡°Well this is true.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just make sure you set [Menu] to warn you if they make any moves when you go to bed, just in case they try something during the night. Worst case scenario is that it got out that the kobolds sometimes get weaker, and they may be testing them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Belinda soon goes to bed, but I decide to keep an eye on them for a while. I fall asleep shortly before midnight, but when I wake up they are just now preparing to set out again. The thing that really begins to worry me is my morning message.


    Current XP consumption 5XP.  2500xp received from intruders in dungeon.


    2500xp¡­They are not even locked up so that means their power level is 250,000xp I quickly rush to Belinda¡¯s room.


    ¡°Belinda, wake up! We have a huge problem.¡±


    Belinda is startled and looks like she is about to complain, but after seeing the look on my face, she appears worried as well.


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I just quickly grab her arm and transfer her back to the core room. When we appear in the core room Belinda quickly blushes wearing only a puffy pink nightgown, she doesn¡¯t say anything however and just quickly grabs the blanket off my bed wrapping herself in it.


    Belinda looks at the screens after securing the blanket and says. ¡°They seem to be heading back into the dungeon, but what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°I received 2500xp from their group.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s good then isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°They were not even held captive, which means that¡¯s roughly one percent of their power level.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Surely an entire group close to level 20 would at least have better gear then just plain steel.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon is under protection of the Gowen kingdom, you don¡¯t think these people are sent secretly from a rival kingdom do you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense why would they do something like that?¡±


    ¡°I read it in my book, that when a kingdom protects a dungeon, enemy nations sometimes send in adventurers to destroy that dungeon to cause problems.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have never heard that before, but even if it is true, this dungeon doesn¡¯t really hold any significance to the kingdom. If they wanted to cause damage they would attack Leona Ruins.¡±


    ¡°Then why else would strong C-rank adventurers be here wearing gear like that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to go get dressed, and then head down to town see if I can turn anything up, they don¡¯t seem to be in any hurry, so maybe we can find something out.¡±


    ¡°Just use [Menu] we don¡¯t know how much time we have.¡±


    I quickly unequipped her nightgown causing her to blush and yelp as she feels her clothes disappear, but since she is wrapped in the blanket it¡¯s not like it matters anyway. I then equip her in her normal clothes, she peeks under the blanket. Blushing brightly she quickly says.


    Belinda: ¡°I know we are in a hurry, but promise me you will NEVER do that again¡­¡±


    She seems hesitant to set the blanket down, checking herself several times. Eventually she does, and then transfers to the entrance of the dungeon quickly making her way down to Tobes.


    The group slowly takes their time clearing the second floor again, they even know enough about dungeons to return to the prison room again to clear the prison guards. Surprisingly they then return to the first floor.


    By noon I still haven¡¯t heard from Belinda, and the group has cleared both the first and second floors. Even with the gear on some of the kobold from the second floor being better then what they are using they still leave it on the floor.


    Still in no hurry they even stop to make a fire right in the middle of the large room on the second floor, to prepare food.

 XP Shortage

    I am sitting at one of the tables in the adventurer¡¯s guild surrounded by candle light, across from me sits Two-Twelve. He is happily eating meal I have prepared, and telling me how much he enjoys it. He then softly takes my hand into his leaning forward to whisper in my ear.


    ¡°Belinda, wake up! We have a huge problem!¡±


    A dream¡­Wait what¡¯s Two-Twelve doing in my room. I slowly open my eyes prepared to yell at him, but the look on his face shows that he is worried.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?


    His panic seems just as bad as when we found out the Listel was coming to the dungeon, so I begin to worry as well. He quickly grabs my wrist and transfers us to the core room. I am embarrassed standing in the middle of his room wearing nothing but a thin nightgown, but his face is oblivious right now.


    I still feel uncomfortable like this, so I grab the blanket from his bed wrapping myself up in it. He quickly explains the situation, and comes up with a wild idea. I try to reassure him, and tell him I will head down to Tobes and check it out.


    Something unexpected happens next, standing in the middle of core room my clothes just vanish. Luckily I am wrapped in the blanket but I still start to panic. Then as quickly as my night gown vanish I am now fully dressed.


    I yell at Two-Twelve, for using [Menu] like that, and then after checking and rechecking to make sure the clothes are really there I head to Tobes.


    I quickly check at the adventurer¡¯s guild to see if anyone has heard anything about the group that went up to the dungeon yesterday, but nobody knows anything. I decide to use my brother¡¯s adventurer¡¯s ID to ask him if he has heard of this group before, but after a brief time I still haven¡¯t gotten a reply.


    Amy and I have been keeping in contact with the same method for a while now as well, so I ask her to check around the capital for me to see if she can turn up anything. I tell adventurers to take some of the town commissions because the dungeon has been reserved.


    This however causes quite a stir, because although it¡¯s not unheard of, it¡¯s also never happened here before. By noon the adventurer¡¯s start coming up with all sorts of ideas on their own about the group in the dungeon. They are starting to sound like Two-Twelve¡­


    As most of the adventurer¡¯s begin clearing out after lunch I finally receive a message back from Logan. He tells me that he doesn¡¯t know the group but has heard of them before. They are based out of Emeraldline, the town surrounding the Tower of the Gods.


    He said there was talk of an odd commission coming out from there about the Ancient Kobold Stronghold, but he doesn¡¯t know many details. Soon later I hear back from Amy and she found out, roughly the same information.


    Amy however got more details on the odd commission. Apparently the commission asked for a high C ranked group to enter the Ancient Kobold Stronghold while pretending to be D ranked adventurers.


    She goes on to say that the commissions asks for the group to reach the crystal room gathering all the information they can about the dungeon, but it specifically requires the crystal to remain undamaged for the reward to be obtained from the commission.


    The other odd part of the commission is that the group does not speak about anything regarding the commission, or of their actual power level while in Tobes or the dungeon. The reward from the commission seems to be a very high sum of gold.


    Well the reward is void if they damage the crystal, so that should make Two-Twelve a bit more at ease, but there is still the question of who placed the commission. They seem to know a lot of information about dungeons.


    I then message Two-Twelve telling him what I learned.


    Two-Twelve POV


    When Belinda relays the information to me, I get a sneaking suspicion that Madam Erin is behind this. They just know too much information about the dungeon, and even come out of the town surrounding her dungeon.


    I decide to confront her with it sending her a message.


    ¡°Are you the one responsible for these adventurer¡¯s in my dungeon?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am not sure what you mean.¡±


    ¡°There is a group of high leveled C rank adventurer¡¯s in my dungeon that came from the town outside your tower, with strict instructions that contains more information about my dungeon then they should possibly know.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You sure are a bright little pup. How did you figure it out so fast? What gave them away?¡±


    ¡°The XP they gave when they slept in the dungeon was the dead giveaway about their levels, and after that it was simple as using my information network to find out where they came from.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Gah they should of known better then to stay overnight in the dungeon, a mere oversight on my part. Even still you ¡°information network¡± means your boss monster right? It should have at least taken 2 weeks, maybe 1 and a half before she heard back from the capital about the commission.¡±


    ¡°I have my ways.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well not all is lost. You still have to fend them off, and they might not get paid if they hurt you, but your monsters on the other hand won¡¯t be so lucky, so they should still return with some valuable information. Besides I already learned something very valuable. Don¡¯t underestimate your ¡°information network.¡±


    ¡°Well we will just see how much you are able learn.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Oh I am looking forward to it pup.¡±


    I then message Belinda telling her what¡¯s going on.


    ¡°But that still leaves a few problems. I can either pull all my non-rift monsters back into the crystal giving them free rain over my third floor, or we can try to defeat them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How do you suggest we do that? They are double my level, and I am your strongest.¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t do something, my entire dungeon will be thoroughly mapped by adventurers. Even though I have the protection of Gowen kingdom, I don¡¯t like feeling that venerable¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea being so ¡°exposed¡± like that, and having all your ¡°assets¡± visible like that, who wouldn¡¯t feel ¡°uncomfortable¡±.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­Never mind¡­¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    As the group of adventurers pack up their gear on the second floor I make a quick decision to store the golems, Tanya, and Rufus in the crystal leaving only the one group of crimson kobold brutes, and crimson kobold elder.


    I hate to leave just the one group on the third floor but even they will turn into a loss once the group takes them out¡­ I would like to place something, hell, anything on the third floor but I can¡¯t justify throwing xp away.


    I decide to spend all but 20xp to add a rift with 4 crimson kobold. Using all the gear in my inventory I switch the monsters equipment around on the third floor and barely manage to equip everyone. I don¡¯t use Garm¡¯s gear just in case the group changes their minds about taking gear.


    The crimson brutes and elder are then moved back to the huge room right before the crystal. The only gear I have left in my inventory is the equipment Garm wore, the equipment Korvasta wore, the two minor mana rings, and one more set of superior gear for a mage.


    I am still not happy but as the group heads down the stairs I don¡¯t really have much choice. With no diversity to the group in the hallway, the adventurers quickly take them out. At least they are rift monsters¡­


    As they slowly make their way through the hallway and the two side rooms they begin getting restless.


    Adventurer: ¡°Everything has checked out from what we heard so far, except for this floor.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Indeed, the group we fought seemed unorganized compared to the rest, and the last two rooms have been empty, do you think they all fell back to regroup?¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think so with dungeon monsters, but with these kobolds I wouldn¡¯t put it past them.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°There can¡¯t be much dungeon left from what we heard, maybe it is just running out of monsters to throw at us.¡±


    The mage and one of the other adventurers remain silent as the three continue their speculations. The mage then tells them to quit the chatter before they say something they are not supposed to. They cautiously peek into the grand room.


    Adventurer: ¡°The room beyond is huge, I only see 4 kobold though, they seem to be a higher evolved form, but their equipment is still inferior to the last group on the floor above.¡±


    Mage: ¡°Regardless, don¡¯t let you guard down, you never know what a dungeon is planning.¡±


    They carefully enter the room, even though my strongest kobold put up a decent fight, they are simply no match for adventurers of this caliber¡­


    Mage: ¡°I don¡¯t believe any of this floor has been mapped perhaps we should double back and take a detailed record.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Surely this is the bottom floor, let¡¯s just find the crystal room, and then we can map it on the way back out.¡±


    The mage turns to the one adventurer who hasn¡¯t spoken the entire time. He still doesn¡¯t speak but just nods his head. After another brief rest they prepare to enter my crystal room¡­


    Listel is the only intruder that has made it that far, and I am starting to get really nervous. Even if I hit them with everything I have left I couldn¡¯t stop them even if I wanted to so I feel so powerless.


    Once they enter my crystal room one of the adventurers speaks out. ¡°Is this it?¡±


    Mage: ¡°Careful you know that crystals can spawn monsters, so don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°I think if it had anything left it would have shown us by now¡­ Look how small the crystal is, there is nothing ¡°ancient¡± about this dungeon.¡±


    Mage: ¡°The crystal is however very unusual¡­ I can¡¯t figure out which element it is. The color keeps changing.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°It¡¯s just a crystal, we don¡¯t get paid if it gets damaged, so that means we are done here. Let¡¯s just get out of here now.¡±


    Mage: ¡°Actually I want to study this further. We can set up camp in the room right back there, and I will study the crystal. We can leave first thing in the morning.¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°But then all the monsters will have respawned, do we really need to hang around?¡±


    When the adventurer that doesn¡¯t speak nods however the complaints stop. The mage and him remain in the crystal room, while the other three return to the grand room, and begin setting up camp. The three at the camp talk amongst themselves while the mage watches my crystal.


    The mage takes out parchment taking down notes, and sketching the crystal. He continues late into the evening all the while the unspoken adventurer just silently watches him. When one of the other three bring them food the adventurer that doesn¡¯t speak eats, but the mage waves him off.


    I don¡¯t want to take my eye off of them for even a minute. When Belinda comes in for the evening I catch her up, she seems worried as well but doesn¡¯t say anything.


    Belinda takes Thirty-seven some food as I haven¡¯t done it, and even as she returns to tell me she is going to bed, my eyes don¡¯t leave the screen displaying the crystal room. The mage studies the crystal all night long, he approaches the crystal several times making me nervous but he never actually touches it.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    When morning rolls around I am still carefully watching the mage. When the other adventurers wake up they begin pressuring the mage to wrap it up so they can go. Eventually the silent adventurer nods in agreement with the rest of the group and the mage is force to pack up.


    Adventurer: ¡°Staring at it any longer is not going to help. Anything you can learn from it you should have already been able to work out.¡±


    Mage: ¡°I know, I could probably study it for another week and not learn anything else, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want to try.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°There is a big fat commission awaiting us back home, and I don¡¯t want to waste any more time here. Besides I want my old armor back, this cheap stuff is uncomfortable.¡±


    Mage: ¡°Hush, remember don¡¯t talk about that.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Well let¡¯s get out of here then and it won¡¯t matter.¡±


    At some point Belinda has joined me in the core room, but I never noticed.


    Belinda: ¡°Do you think it¡¯s safe for me to head down to Tobes today?¡±


    ¡°It looks like they are preparing to leave now, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. If they return to the adventurer¡¯s guild, you might see if you can press them for any information, but be careful.¡±


    As the group of adventurers begins to set out back towards the surface, Belinda exits the dungeon heading down to Tobes. They continue the same pace they have the entire trip on the way back out, so it is shortly after noon before they finally exit the dungeon.


    I use well over half of the xp I acquired from them at midnight, to replace the crimson kobold brutes, and the crimson kobold elder. I pull the other monsters back out of the crystal returning them to their rooms.


    Hopefully Belinda can hold off the normal adventurers for one more day, and then at least the dungeon will be back on its feet. Even with my dungeon short on monsters at the moment I feel I can relax a little now.


    I now notice the fatigue I have built up, but I decide I should at least hold on as long as I can. I then prepare some food for Thirty-seven and take it too her.


    ¡°Here I brought you some food.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°More?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Belinda made sure I had plenty to get me though the day before she left this morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yea I was a little distracted.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Does that mean we are going to live then?¡±


    -I laugh.- ¡°Yea it looks like it, but even if they killed me you aren¡¯t bound to the dungeon, so you should have been ok.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°But this room is sealed off from the outside, if you died I would have had no way to escape, if the dungeon¡¯s collapse didn¡¯t kill me I would eventually starve.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I am sorry, I didn¡¯t think about that.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°It¡¯s ok, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Of course it matters, because there is no reason for you to die just because I screwed up. We will have to come up with a plan, just in case something like this happens again.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Belinda told me the group was sent by Madam Erin?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we were supposed to find out till the group was long gone, but using the trick Belinda and I figured out with the adventurer¡¯s IDs we managed to figure it out quickly.¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Do you think it was a test? Or did her curiosity about your crystal get the best of her?¡±


    ¡°It seemed like she wanted information, but there is no telling with Madam Erin¡­¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I hope she doesn¡¯t turn into your enemy.¡±


    ¡°Na, I feel a little cheated sure, but nothing so bad as to risk making an enemy of her.¡±


    Thirty-seven and I continue to talk for a while, and I must of fell asleep because before I realize it, because before I realize it Belinda is standing in front of me with an angry face¡­


    Belinda: ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± ¨CI yawn. - ¡°I must have dozed off.¡±


    As I start to wake up I realize I am lying in the floor of Thirty-seven¡¯s room. Thirty-seven is sound asleep as well, but she is sitting on her knees cradling my head like the stuffed animal I gave her. When I get up it causes Thirty-seven to open her eyes.


    Looking at her now empty arms, she looks over grabbing the stuffed animal from the table holding it tightly. She then closes her eyes back, and seems to fall back asleep.


    Belinda: ¡°So what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know when the adventurers left, I brought some food to Thirty-seven, and we were talking a bit. I must have fallen asleep.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And how do you explain being in her lap?¡±


    ¡°I was sitting in the chair when I dozed off, so I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You expect me to believe Thirty-seven was the one that put your head in her lap?¡±


    ¡°It does seem odd for her to do something like that, but I have no other explanation. We could just ask her I guess.¡±


    I go to wake her up but Belinda stops me.


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, let her sleep.¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted to know?¡±


    Belinda gives me another angry look, then scoops Thirty-seven up in her arms. They look roughly the same size but Belinda doesn¡¯t seem to struggle at all as she carries Thirty-seven to the cot laying her down on it.


    Belinda: ¡°I told her about the adventurers entering the crystal room last night. She must have been worried as well, because she looked like she didn¡¯t get much sleep when I brought her food this morning. She must have been exhausted.¡±


    After Belinda covers Thirty-seven with a blanket, we transfer to the core room. Belinda tells me she was forced to pay the adventurers for quite a few commissions they completed in the dungeon, which also means she was forced to post most of the information they collected.


    Things are going to get tough for a while, as the other adventurers in the adventurer¡¯s guild seemed fired up at the news that the crystal had been reached on the third floor.


    Belinda told me talks of becoming a hero filled the adventurer¡¯s guild for a few hours until she had to remind them that the crystal is under protection of the kingdom, and the dungeon is small enough a title wouldn¡¯t be granted for a dungeon that small.


    She however couldn¡¯t stop a lot of the adventurers taking the commissions to confirm what the other group learned. Many also talked about upgrading their gear with the items that the stronger kobolds hold.


    ¡°Most of the time the monsters are easier and cheaper to replace then the gear they carry¡­ We might run into some serious trouble if they start taking the gear again.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think it is time, I go and collect us some more xp. You said the dungeon core of Leona, didn¡¯t like the fact we were in his dungeon right? You also said Madam Erin said we could train there, and it is also her fault we are so shorthanded at the moment. Maybe I should head there?¡±


    ¡°If the adventurers that were just here are any inclination of the strength of the monsters in the lower levels of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, then it might be too difficult.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Rufus can¡¯t advance any further so he wouldn¡¯t really be any help, but Tanya should be ok for a bit, if it¡¯s ok I will take two of the larger golems this time as well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would really be a problem, we will just have to give them names. How long do you plan to go this time?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I will have either go straight though the forest or around it, both will take about a week, but the trip around will probably be easier. If I spend 1 or even 2 weeks training, I could be back inside a month.¡±


    ¡°If you leave by weeks end, you should be able to make the trip 3 times before I have to start the task Madam Erin gave me for choosing the new elder.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­I hate to be gone that long but wouldn¡¯t it be easier just to make a two or two and a half month trip?¡±


    ¡°Sure, the smaller trips might not provide as much xp, but I don¡¯t know if we can hold out for a full 3 months before getting the xp.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Good point.¡±


    ¡°Besides I don¡¯t know how I feel about you being that far away from me for that long.¡±


    Belinda begins to blush deep red for some reason, and talks in a nervous tone of voice.


    Belinda: ¡°You¡­You would miss¡­ Miss me that much?¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know if I could take care of the adventurer¡¯s guild in Tobes for that long.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s face quickly sours, and she becomes angry again. She looks like she is about to say something, but calms herself down before doing so.


    Belinda: ¡°¡­Ok, I will let them know in Tobes, and set out at the end of the week.¡±


    Without another word Belinda transfers out. I must of slept all afternoon because it is already well into the evening. I double check the dungeon, and mess around in [Menu] for a while before going back to bed.


    The next morning things seem to return to normal, and Belinda arrives in the dungeon core telling me she had breakfast with Thirty-seven already. After handing me food to give to Thirty-seven at lunch, Belinda seems like she wants to say something, but ends up leaving for Tobes before doing so.


    A very large group enters the dungeon after a few hours, but they don¡¯t seem very coordinated with each other. By listening to their conversations, it looks like Belinda set a limit on the number of groups that could hunt in the dungeon at any given day.


    Something about that if to many groups are present the monsters won¡¯t spawn right, and the gear would be less favorable. Well in a way I guess she isn¡¯t wrong, but it looks like they are already trying to find ways to bypass the rules.


    This group is actually three separate groups that formed up in hopes to acquire better gear. However after reaching the dungeon it seems they can¡¯t agree on who will get what even before they have found anything.


    The groups push through the dungeon almost working against each other as they work though the first floor. Even though with their size they should have easily handled the first floor, by the time it¡¯s cleared their number has dropped from 12 to 10.


    Once there are only 7 remaining members of the group seem to form an understanding after working though half of the second floor, and they begin working together more efficiently. Once the reach the back they lose three more members however.


    Luckily one of the fallen members is a guy that stole gear from one of the prison guards, but when the last remaining 4 retreat I still lose [Superior Quality Leather Armor ], [Superior Quality Steel Sword ] from the other prison guard, and one of the members takes the [Top Quality Stout Large Bow ] from the fallen archer before they escape.


    From the 8 fallen adventurers I gain 275xp, but the bow alone was worth 300xp, the sword was worth another 100xp, and the armor 200xp. Any way you look at it this was a bad day. I can¡¯t keep having days like this, so I decide to rearrange a bit.


    I remove all the high quality gear from all the kobold except the brutes and elder on the third floor, I replace their gear with the best things I have, and then store the rest in the dungeon inventory. Then using almost all of my xp I give the kobold whose gear I took away with standard sets.


    They broke one of the small chests, and I can¡¯t even afford to replace it. The other one they emptied out is still in working order so I throw 50 of the small gold coins in it, and put it back. Human¡¯s small golden coins are still confusing to me, but 50 should be enough.


    For some reason I have still been unable to replicate the small golden coins with [Menu] but even after putting 50 in the chest I have 120 left from what I have collected from adventurers.


    I would probably have more, but before Belinda joined the dungeon she advised adventurers not to bring their valuables with them in the event they were taken prisoner. She no longer gives the warning, but it¡¯s kind of become an established fact now so only the extremely confident bring anything with them.


    Apparently for a while that caused a problem in the inn, as they had a thief robbing the adventurer¡¯s rooms while they were in the dungeon, but the town guard managed to catch the culprit eventually. It did worry some of the adventurers however so every once in a while we still get adventurer¡¯s that bring in their belongings.


    The next few days pass normally enough, Belinda leaves nothing to chance this time leaving me list after list of what to do in certain situations. She even gives me a list of buildings she wants built in Tobes for the next 6 months.


    I ask her if it¡¯s really necessary to go through all that, but she starts chewing me out about the brothel again. Apparently Denova often comes in giving Belinda a hard time, and Belinda has now barred her from soliciting customers from the adventurer¡¯s guild, and the town square.


    Belinda and I take Thirty-seven on a walk together two days before she leaves, and we even manage to talk Thirty-seven into starting to work our way closer to town. Thirty-seven however gets too scared, and we have to go back before Tobes is even in view.


    On the day Belinda is leaving to the Tower of the Gods, I still have only managed to acquire just over 100xp. I give Belinda one of the [Minor Rings of Magic] that I got from Kovasta group before she leaves to help with her out.


    She seems to get a really strong misunderstanding when I present the ring to her causing her to blush so brightly I am afraid she is about to pass out. She punches me really hard on the shoulder when I tell her what the ring is, and she gets mad at me.


    She however still asks me, to put it on her finger. When I do she is no longer angry, and she begins to blush again. She seems to completely forget about being angry now as she runs up to Thirty-seven babbling at her.


    After she gives Thirty-seven a large hug she runs back to me. She stares at me for a while before deciding it¡¯s time to go. Belinda and I decide to let Thirty-seven give the two golems, that Belinda is taking with her, their names. Somehow I feel we didn¡¯t think that through very well.


    Belinda: ¡°I made you promise to build me a bedroom if I brought back a lot of xp last time, so this time I want something even better ok?¡±


    ¡°It depends on how much xp you bring back, but I don¡¯t see any problem with that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡±


    Belinda then seems really excited as she leaves, Tanya following close behind, with One and Two following in the rear¡­ We really shouldn¡¯t of let Thirty-seven name them¡­ to avoid suspicion from Tobes, Belinda takes a hunters trail east though the forest, we were told it leads all the way out of the forest.


    Once she clears the trees she will follow Kartova road around the forest till she reaches the Gowen border. From there it might get a little tricky with her being the princess and all, but then she will continue on to the Tower of the Gods.


    After Belinda¡¯s figure disappears within the trees I look over to Thirty-seven.


    ¡°Well, what do you say we go down to Tobes and relax for the day?¡± ¨CI say jokingly.-


    Thirty-seven looks worried as she holds her upside down cat up covering her face and shaking her head.


    ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s go back to the dungeon.¡±


    The next few days actually run pretty smoothly, Belinda has apparently hired another person to help manage the affairs of Tobes, so they go off a list she prepared for them only asking the occasional question.


    Late one evening after finishing up in the dungeon, and in Tobes I am about to leave the adventurer¡¯s guild when Denova enters. She looks all over the room, she turns and about leaves until she spots me. She walks up to me and asks.


    Denova: ¡°Your Belinda¡¯s thing right? Hey I have been trying to find her the last two days where is she?¡±


    ¡°She set out for the Tower of the Gods, and she will be gone for at least a month. She however has left me in charge of her affairs, is there something I can help you with?¡±


    Denova¡¯s face quickly twists into a devious smile.


    Denova: ¡°Oh is that so? Perfect.¡±


    Denova now moves closer to me pressing her bosom into my shoulder.


    Denova: ¡°You never did stop by to take me up on that freebie offer, I gave you. How about you come on by and we can ¡°bang¡± out the details.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I am not interested. However if you do have a legitimate question I will at least hear it.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Oh a tough nut to crack? She must really got you good. You know an escaped slave like you will never be able to keep a princess for long. Eventually her prince will come and take her back to the capital and out of this little village. Then you will be left all alone, why don¡¯t you make some helpful friends while you can?¡±


    ¡°Well if you change your mind about the question, you can reach me here tomorrow evening.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Ok ok, hold on, hold on.¡± ¨CShe seems to think hard on the question for a second then with another devious smile she says.


    Denova: ¡°You see I got a customer, I have been working hard, on convincing him to stop by this little village as he passes the forest. You see he is a kind of merchant as well, and I wanted to take a look at his goods. I finally convinced him to stop by, but I need the princess¡¯s approval for him to be allowed to sell his wares.¡±


    Somehow I feel something is not right about this, but if it¡¯s just a merchant, it can¡¯t really be too much harm. Besides if the business wasn¡¯t legal she wouldn¡¯t be asking permission.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a deal with you. 24 hours. He comes, conducts his business with you, and is gone in 24 hours and I give you the approval, and you owe me.¡±


    She then kisses my cheek and whispers in my ear ¡°you can come collect, anytime.¡± Then after filling out a form and stamping it I give it to her. She takes the form reading it over very carefully before smiling. She tells me that will work perfectly then she quickly leaves.


    As I finish up and head back to the dungeon I can¡¯t help but think Belinda is going to yell at me for this. At least I only set it for 24 hours.

 Madam Erins Dungeon

    The next few days following my run-in with Denova pass relatively smooth. After a turn around the lake I manage to get Thirty-seven within view of Tobes, but she then turns back. The hype about the better gear from the kobold is starting to die down.


    Many of the adventurers are now starting rumors that the group never even made it into the depths of the dungeon and that they were all making it up. With the current groups entering I am slowly beginning to increase my xp again.


    That is until an adventurer discovers the chest with the 50 gold in it. A new surge of adventurers taking commissions begins, and I am forced to use Belinda¡¯s maximum capacity rules just to keep the adventurers from rolling though the dungeon.


    On the day I receive the message that Belinda has reached the Tower of the Gods, I also receive a tough looking C-ranked group in the dungeon. I am forced to use the golems but I manage to catch three of the five alive.


    Now I have to decide to either release them and let people know about the golems, or just keep them. I have a few days to make up my mind, so for now I will just hold them. A few days later however the decision is made for me when another group of adventurers manages to free them.


    After asking Belinda what I should do, she tells me that I am going to have to start posting some C-rank commissions. She does tell me to keep the rewards about the same as the D-rank commissions always have been high.


    Adventurer: ¡°Did you see the new C-rank commissions?¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°I know there is almost no difference in the reward. That ex-slave that Belinda left in charge must just be airing on the side of caution until Belinda returns. Once she does she will fix this¡­¡±


    All the brownie points I got when I commissioned the brothel now seem to be long gone. Some of the adventurers defend me though.


    Adventurer 3: ¡°What are you saying, if the C-rank commissions rewards were better than this place will start being flooded with C-rankers, and we wouldn¡¯t be able to go hunt in the dungeon anymore¡­¡±


    One day I manage to capture an entire group, unfortunately they are all D-ranked. I manage to hold them for three days before another group manages to free them as well. The prison only being on the second floor is not working out to well anymore.


    After scrapping the walls I manage to have enough xp to add another rift in the room adding two more crimson kobolds. I give them some of the gear I have been gathering from groups I have taken captive, but it¡¯s not very good.


    It¡¯s the halfway point in Belinda¡¯s trip now, and she told me she hasn¡¯t lost anyone yet but they have been really struggling, she doesn¡¯t even feel she has managed to gain as much xp as she did in Leona.


    After reassuring her that she still has one more week before she has to head back, she seems even more discouraged. With Thirty-seven¡¯s next trip outside we manage to make it all the way to the edge of Tobes, but at the first sign of a human she hides behind me and begs that we return to the dungeon.


    After a long day I am sitting in the adventurer¡¯s guild drinking one of the alcohol drinks that I have started to become fond of. If I could only drink them without having to expel it afterwards I would drink them every day¡­


    While drinking my alcohol and well-dressed man enters the adventurer¡¯s guild. He asks several of the adventurers a question until one of them points to me, and when the man looks at me his face changes to a complicated expression.


    Well-Dressed Man: ¡°Excuse me, may I sit?¡±


    ¡°Go right ahead, do you have a question for me?¡±


    Well-Dressed Man: ¡°Well I heard about you, and I just wanted to make sure, I was hoping I would have been able to negotiate with the princess, but alas luck wasn¡¯t on my side.¡±


    ¡°Was there a question in there somewhere that I missed?¡±


    Well-Dressed Man: ¡°I apologize, call me Edward.¡± ¨CHe reaches his hand out.-


    ¡°Well Edward, you still have not told me what you want with me.¡±


    Edward: ¡°I was just here on business with the dear Denova. I heard that you made our little transaction possible, and to my understanding I have roughly till sunset to sell out of my merchandise. Maybe I can interest you in purchasing? After all it works so well for Denova.¡±


    ¡°No thanks, not interested.¡±


    Edward: ¡°But the princess has taken on so much in this village, and doing this and that, helping everyone here and there. Surely it¡¯s all a bit tiring is it not? I¡¯ll make a deal with you I have one left, and it¡¯s yours for 100¡­ no make that 75 gold, then you could spend your time with your feet up, relaxing.¡±


    ¡°Yea that does sound nice, but still I will pass.¡±


    Edward: ¡°Come on now, you have been here with the princess what half a year already? How about 65? You know I like you, and since it¡¯s my last one, and I am on my way out of town, just so I don¡¯t have to tote it all the way back to the capital. Surely you can come up with a simple 50 gold.¡±


    ¡°If it will get you to leave, and let me drink my drink in peace, fine, I¡¯ll take it but not for more then 45, we will call it an annoyance fee.¡±


    Edward: ¡°I like the way you think. It¡¯s a deal!¡±


    I collect 45 of the small gold coins from the funds Belinda left me, I will replace them from what I have in inventory tomorrow, and then I give the coins to Edward.


    Edward: -He carefully counts out the coins.- ¡°Now remember all sales are final!¡±


    Edward walks out the door, a few short moments later he returns with a small Beastkin child. The child is young, probably no more than 12 human years old, she has long fuzzy ears and a small poufy ball of a tail. She is wearing what looks no more than an old dirty pillow case with holes cut in it, and a collar around her neck.


    She has a lot more fur then most beastkin similar to Listel, although this little girl is some kind of rabbit instead of a cat. She has several small bruises on her exposed arms and legs, and she is simply covered in dirt. When Edward pushes her forward with his knees her nose fidgets but she quickly beings walking again.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Edward then walks forward placing a key in my hand.


    Edward: ¡°Yes, she is a little young I tried to tell Denova in 2 maybe 3 years she would be ready, but I couldn¡¯t convince her, and remember all sells are final¡­ Thanks for your business.¡±


    Without another word Edward quickly retreats out of the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Adventurer: ¡°Did you see that? I heard Beastkin Edward was good, but he even managed to sell a slave to a slave¡­ He even got him to pay the price of a full grown adult for a mere child.¡±


    Ohhhh. Belinda is going to be so mad at me now¡­


    Adventurer 2: ¡°But that¡¯s one of Beastkin Edward¡¯s beastkin though, they are supposed to be the best in three kingdoms, surely even a child would be worth even what a normal beastkin adult would be.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°It¡¯s a feral beastkin at that.¡±


    With the way the two adventurers are talking I can¡¯t tell if it was a good purchase or a really bad one, but either way I am sure Belinda won¡¯t be happy that I just bought a slave¡­


    Adventurer 3: ¡°Who cares about that, didn¡¯t you hear! He was selling to Denova¡­¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Then you think?¡±


    The three adventurers now quickly race each other out of the door.


    ¡°Can you talk?¡±


    Bunny girl: ¡°Yes master¡­¡± ¨Cshe answers quickly but her voice is low and soft, her legs are trembling and she seems terrified.-


    ¡°Well come on then, I need to figure out how to explain this¡­¡±


    I walk out of the adventurer¡¯s guild, the little bunny girl hesitates but when I stop looking back at her she quickly rushes forward to catch up. She follows me though town slowly falling behind with each step, but as soon as I look back to make sure she is still there she rushes forward to catch back up.


    Once we reach the edge of town I reach forward to pick her up, and she closes her eyes tight. I sit her down on the stone fence at the edge of town and raise her feet up looking at them. The bottoms of her feet are scratched and filthy.


    When I brush my hand against them she beings to giggle, but she quickly forces herself to stop covering her mouth with her hands.


    ¡°Well we got a bit to go, it looks like your feet will hold up alright, so let¡¯s go.¡±


    I pick her up placing her back on the ground then begin walking up the mountain. When we reach the lakeside she isn¡¯t even out of breath. Even for an adult human that trip is kind of rough.


    ¡°Are you having any trouble?¡±


    Bunny girl: ¡°No master¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, just a little further to go.¡±


    We continue up the rest of the trail, and once crossing the threshold into the dungeon an odd message pops up.


    Monster 10 has changed ownership from Dungeon Core #47 [Bianca] to Dungeon Core #212 [------]. Would you like to change 10¡¯s name?


    I look down at the little bunny girl.


    ¡°You¡¯re a dungeon monster?¡±


    The little bunny begins to panic, tears welling up in her eyes, she looks terrified.


    -I hit yes on the screen.- ¡°How about Lilah?¡±


    Would you like to change 10¡¯s name to Lilah?


    ¡°Yes, how does that sound? Your name is now Lilah¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Thank you master.¡± ¨CShe seems to ease up a bit but she still remains quite scarred.-


    Another message now pops up in front of me.


    New Monster Available


    Feral Beastkin* (Rabbit)                           25xp


    A new monster available to summon containing sub-species, when summoning a creature with available sub-species you can select the sub-species, or allow a random sub-species to be selected. When random sub-species are selected it is possible to summon a sub-species not currently available.


    Feral Beastkin are capable of being summoned as sentient. A Sentient Feral Beastkin increases base cost by a multiple of 10. Sentient monsters do not achieve a max level, but are unable to be summoned in a rift.


    Warning: Sentient monsters are capable of independent thought and have their own personalities in which that is possible for them to defy orders. Once per day a command can be issued in which regardless of will, the monster will be forced to obey.


    Odd I didn¡¯t receive the warning when divine being was unlocked, I wonder if that means divine beings aren¡¯t sentient¡­ Their cost was so much higher though¡­ I won¡¯t be able to afford to summon one for a long time, so it¡¯s not like it matters much anyway.


    I transfer Lilah and myself into the core room, and she seems startled by the transfer.


    Lilah: ¡°Master is a dungeon core?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and this dungeon is your new home.¡±


    I pick her up again setting her on the bed, I then cast [Clean] on her. It takes almost 10 seconds before she is completely clean. Even though the pillow case she is wearing is now clean, it is still tattered and torn so I take it off of her.


    Lilah chokes back tears after I take the pillow case off her she then closes her eyes tightly. Her naked petite figure begins shaking as she sits on the bed. After a few seconds I buy a blue dress from [Menu] that barely costs a few xp.


    I didn¡¯t even think about if it would fit her or not, but as soon as I equip it on her it fits her perfectly. I guess that¡¯s just how it works. The blue dress fits well with her silver hair.


    ¡°That¡¯s better isn¡¯t it?


    Lilah then realizes she is clothed and stops shaking.


    Lilah: ¡°It¡¯s pretty, Master.¡±


    She then stands from the bed and twirls in the circle. Curious, not only was the size perfect but even her fluff ball of a tail is sticking through a hold in the back. I might have to investigate this further. Now that I think about it, the gear I have taken from the human always fits the kobold and vice versa.


    ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go meet your roommate.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Roommate master?¡±


    ¡°Yes right now we are pretty short of xp, so until we get more you will have to share a bedroom with Thirty-seven.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Thirty-seven? Did you not give Thirty-seven a pretty name like Lilah?¡±


    ¡°I actually tried once, but she turned me down. Anyway we are going now.¡±


    I transfer us to Thirty-seven¡¯s room. Thirty-seven is sitting silently on the edge of the cot holding the upside down cat in her arms. She looks at me uninterested as I enter, but when Lilah peeks out from behind me she quickly stands up.


    She looks down at the stuffed animal in her arms and pets the butt softly. She then drops it to the cot, and extends her arms out towards Lilah. Lilah looks at me questioningly and I shrug my shoulders. Thirty-seven then rushes forward grabbing Lilah, she retreats to her cot where she has Lilah in her lap having her head rubbed by Thirty-seven.


    Lilah and I are both surprised by Thirty-seven¡¯s quick movement, I look at the ground by my feet and to her cot several time.


    ¡°I guess you like your new roommate?¡±


    Thirty-seven then quickly wraps her arms around Lilah giving her a tight hug. Lilah looks to me with pleading eyes.


    ¡°Now be careful with her Thirty-seven she is a dungeon monster so don¡¯t go breaking her.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°m.m¡­mmMaster?¡±


    When Lilah talks Thirty-seven squeals¡­ She then hugs Lilah tighter¡­ I have never seen Thirty-seven excited before, she is even grinning as she hugs Lilah¡­


    ¡°I have some serious hard work to do now, so Thirty-seven, be gentle with her ok?¡±


    Thirty-seven quickly nods releasing her bear hug on Lilah, she then strokes her head.


    I return to the core room, open [Communication], and stare at Belinda¡¯s name¡­


    ¡°I have some great news!¡±


    Belinda quickly responds. ¡°Really what happened? I could use some good news after the day I had¡­¡±


    That plan backfired¡­


    ¡°I can now¡­.Summon¡­ Feral beastkin in the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is wonderful news! Wait, why does it seem like you are leaving something out?¡±


    ¡°I may or may not have done something that will make you mad. Then I may or may not have made it worse¡­But the good news is we can now summon feral beastkin!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What did you do...?¡±


    ¡°Well it started a little over a week ago, Denova began pressuring me about a merchant friend she wanted me to let her do business with in town. Something seemed off, but if it wasn¡¯t some kind of legitimate business, she wouldn¡¯t ask for permission right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I gave her 24 hours, I made one of the business forms like you showed me, but I made a stipulation that they were only allowed to conduct business for 24 hours, so even if it was something I did wrong, at least its only temporary.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It was a slave trader wasn¡¯t it? But I am impressed the 24 hour pass was a good call, but wait you said you made matters worse¡­How did you make matters worse?¡±


    ¡°I said I may or may not have made matters worse.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Go on¡­¡±


    ¡°When the guy arrived, I had no idea who he was. After talking to me for a while¡­ I may of accidently bought a slave¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How the hell do you accidently buy a slave?¡±


    ¡°Well I think he purposely misled me! He talked about his merchandise, and how it would help me with work. He never said it was a person¡­It turns out it was a little feral beastkin bunny.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Little¡­? How little are we talking about here?¡±


    ¡°His goal was to sell her to Denova so not really young¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve quit fooling around with me, how young is she?¡±


    ¡°12 human years? But its ok, because she turned out to be a dungeon monster, and she really hit it off with Thirty-seven. Thirty-seven replaced her stuffed animal with her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But Thirty-seven has nearly squeezed the stuffing out of that poor thing¡­¡±


    ¡°I told her to be gentle, and I am keeping an eye on her on the screen. Besides the most important part is that we can now summon feral beastkin¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°One month, I just asked for one month without something crazy happening¡­ I even left a full list of instructions¡­ But what happens? As soon as I turn my back you go out and buy a slave! This is too much right now. I am going to bed¡­¡±


    When I check on the screen Thirty-seven is now lying down in the cot holding onto Lilah. She is slowly rocking back and forth while petting Lilah¡¯s head. Well I guess everything else is tomorrow¡¯s problem¡­ I decide to go to bed as well.


    The next day I watch a group enter the dungeon, they manage to make it down to the second floor, but they run away after emptying out one of the chests.


    As they exit the dungeon I hear them complain that there was only a few gems and stuff in the box. Apparently people are still hoping for boxes with the small gold coins¡­I watch Thirty-seven and Lilah on the screen for a while. Thirty-seven has Lilah sitting in a chair at the table. She is carefully feeding her, every time Lilah says something or does something on her own Thirty-seven squeals and hugs her tightly.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Once it starts to get time for me to head down to Tobes I come up with a great idea¡­ I transfer down to Thirty-seven¡¯s room.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to head down to Tobes. Now I got Lilah to help me out with my work, so she is going to go with me.¡±


    Thirty-seven looks mortified at the suggestion.


    ¡°Now when I return I will bring her back, but once you start to be able to interact with humans, you can join us in Tobes and won¡¯t have to leave her side¡­¡±


    Thirty-seven looks extremely torn her face keeps changing expressions. Eventually she gives Lilah a big hug then reluctantly lets her go. Once Lilah and I transfer to the exit of the dungeon Lilah looks at me seriously and asks.


    Lilah: ¡°Is Thirty-seven alright in the head?¡±


    I can¡¯t help but to laugh. ¡°Yes, she is alright in the head. She has had a real difficult time, but she is starting to come around. Truth be told I am not bringing you along with me to help. I just thought if I told Thirty-seven you were going to go with me when I went down to Tobes it would make her try a little harder.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If Master doesn¡¯t want Lilah to help with his work, what does Master want Lilah to do then?¡±


    ¡°Just keep me company I guess, and don¡¯t forget to keep the fact I am a dungeon core a secret.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course master.¡±


    When we are walking though the town I happen to bump into Susan the baker, she asks me about Lilah, and then she quickly returns to her shop. The rest of the evening continues on rather smoothly, Lilah proves to actually be very smart, even though I told her she didn¡¯t have to she manages to help me with the paperwork.


    She also seems to be very agile as one point of the evening she is entertaining several of the adventurers by standing on a chair, balancing it on one leg, while holding a dagger balanced on one finger, a full mug balanced on her forehead, and a plate of food on her other fingertips.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! Master! Here they gave Lilah three gold coins!¡± ¨CShe pushes the coins at me.-


    ¡°Well they gave them to you, so you should keep them.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What is Lilah supposed to do with them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, that¡¯s for you to decide¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok Lilah has decided¡± ¨CShe says with a bright smile.- ¡°Lilah wants Master to have them!¡± ¨CShe pushes them to me again.-


    ¡°Ok, I will hold on to them for you if that¡¯s what you want, but let me know if you see something you want.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok!¡±


    When we return to the dungeon Thirty-seven is ecstatic to see Lilah, Lilah however droops her head then goes and crawls into Thirty-seven¡¯s lap. Thirty-seven hugs her then begins rocking again while petting her head.


    The next few days continue like that, When Thirty-seven and I take our normal walk, we head down to Tobes. Thirty-seven still refuses to enter the village but, I tell Lilah to run into the village about twenty feet away. Thirty-seven begins to panic, then chases after her. When she reaches Lilah she picks her up clutching her in her arms, but across the street is one of the old ladies.


    Thirty-seven freezes while Lilah waves. I decide to go save them, after apologizing to the old lady, and telling her my sister doesn¡¯t interact well with strangers, we return to the dungeon. Thirty-seven manages to forget about the ordeal as she is holding Lilah.


    This is actually working pretty well, she still got scared when she ran into a human, but she managed to calm down quickly this time¡­ After patting myself on the back, for my great idea, I receive a distressing message from Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°I am so sorry Two-Twelve, I lost 1, 2, and Tanya. I can¡¯t continue in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon like this so I am on my way back. I should be home in about a week.¡±


    ¡°They are easily replaced, are you ok?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I broke my halberd, and got busted up pretty good, but I will live. One advantage of being a dungeon monster I heal quickly.¡±


    ¡°Ok, be careful on your way home.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thanks, and I will.¡±


    The next week goes by pretty uneventfully, Thirty-seven has stepped it up, by going down to Tobes with us three times this week but she still can¡¯t bring herself to enter the village. When one of the villagers passed by she still became scared, but she was able to stand her ground, and now as long as the villagers don¡¯t try to approach her she is ok.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    While everyone was saying bye, when leaving to go gather xp for the dungeon, Two-Twelve gave me a ring¡­ I almost died right then and there, but he then told me it was a magic ring, and it would help me during my trip.


    He shouldn¡¯t toy with a girl¡¯s heart like that so I punched him hard in the shoulder. As revenge I still make him slide the ring on my finger, but when he does I can¡¯t help the surreal feeling that washes over me, causing me to blush.


    I wonder if all dungeon cores are like Two-Twelve, and Thirty-seven¡­ I know they both have emotions but sometimes I wonder if they are able to just shut them off¡­ Even after all this time with Two-Twelve I can¡¯t actually figure out how exactly he sees me.


    After Amy¡¯s trick during my birthday, he seems so calm and collected after we were both naked together. Yet when I joined his dungeon, and became nude then it seemed to catch him off guard and he got emotional.


    Then at the lake side with Thirty-seven he was calm and collected again completely unfazed by Thirty-seven and I, but the expression on his face when Listel was in the dungeon though¡­ I wish he would look at me with eyes like that¡­


    Two-Twelve suggested we let Thirty-seven name the golems, and I was skeptical, but last time I just named the little golems after my sisters as a joke, so I guess it can¡¯t be worse than that. As I expected she simply designated them #1 and #2, oh well they are just golems.


    I give Thirty-seven a hug then present myself to Two-Twelve but he just stares at me for an awkward few moments, so I decide to leave.


    Susan heard from one of the hunters in the village that there was a trail off of the mountain road that led all the way out of the forest, so I am using it to bypass the village. Sure enough after a few hours of travel I break free of the tree line.


    If I follow the road dead ahead of me it will fork off after a day¡¯s travel, heading east it will go to Kartova on the outskirts of the kingdom, but I have to keep following the road north around the forest. After a while I get tired of walking so I sit on top of one of the golems as it follows the trail.


    That only lasts for a short while before the bouncing on the hard stone as it walks becomes sore on my backside. When we set up camp I move back into the forest as not to freak anyone out that might be using the road.


    I can¡¯t use my name to get me by this time with the golems, so I use the excuse that my father is a powerful mage, and when I decided to become an adventurer he created the golems as my bodyguards. I use the excuse at the guard tower on the road at the kingdom¡¯s border, and the knights seem skeptical but they let me pass. Just a few more days now and I will make it to the Tower of the Gods.


    From the reports I have been receiving from Susan it seems Two-Twelve is managing things in my place well this time. Although I didn¡¯t leave anything up to chance this time, and I even hired an extra person just to make sure.


    The Tower of the Gods truly is impressive, it¡¯s been three days since I could first make it out in the distance, and I still have at least one more day before I reach it. A half of a day from the tower I bump into a group of adventurer¡¯s making their way to the tower from Kartova.


    They recognize me as a Gowen princess, but I convince them to keep it a secret. I even manage to get them to act like I am part of their party to make travel through town far easier. Once reaching the adventurer¡¯s guild I realize things function way different in other kingdoms.


    Instead of commissions granting rewards, they cost gold to take, which serves as a pass that allows entry into the tower. Depending on the commissions you take you are strictly confined to certain rooms and floors of the dungeon.


    If you don¡¯t manage to complete the commission in the time frame allowed you can even be denied being allowed to take further commissions in the dungeon. I am told even with all this the C-rank commissions are all gone mere minutes after they post the new ones at midnight.


    While waiting for them to post the new commissions I inform Two-Twelve of my arrival. Once the new commissions are posted I manage to grab four of them, that look possible for me to complete, but when I try to get them accepted at the guild counter I am denied three of them because they don¡¯t count the golems as party members so I am treated as a solo adventurer.


    The group I arrived with offers to allow me to go with them, but since I can¡¯t get xp for the dungeon that way I give them the other three commissions and just take the one I was allowed. The commission I took says I have to collect 10 tiny magic stones from golems on the 6th floor of the dungeon between the hours of 9am and 12pm, but I then have till midnight to turn them in.


    ¡°What¡¯s with this unreasonable time frame?¡±


    Guild receptionist: ¡°The commissions that take place between the hours of midnight and 9 am are responsible for clearing the first 5 floors, the commissions for the next 5 floors must be completed between the 9 am and 9 pm, and the last three hours are reserved for floors 11 and 12.¡±


    ¡°But it says I only have till noon.¡±


    Guild receptionist: ¡°Your commission is a gathering quest that takes place solely on the 6<sup>th</sup> floor so you time so it must be completed early so the other commission can be completed on the higher floors.¡±


    ¡°What about floors beyond 12?¡±


    Guild receptionist: ¡°Commissions beyond floor 12 take at least two days to complete, as floor 13 is a safe area you camp there your first night complete and tasks on the second day then return. However there are very few C-ranked commissions at that level, and none are solo commissions.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I decide to rest till 9am then head into the dungeon to complete my commission, but I quickly learn there was a flaw in my plan. When I enter the dungeon at 9am I am informed I am severally late. Apparently groups wait till a floor is cleared, and then move forward till they reach the level of their commission.


    As such I have only three hours to make my way up to the 6<sup>th</sup> floor, and complete my commission while the other groups are already starting on that floor right this second¡­ It takes me an hour and a half to reach the 6<sup>th</sup> floor, and by then the floor has practically been sweep clean already.


    I manage to find a room that was bypassed, by the other adventurers and inside are 3 golems Tanya¡¯s size. Luckily I brought the large golems this time, as even though they are Tanya¡¯s size, the four of us struggle to defeat them, I almost lose Tanya, and #2 in the process.


    We continue to search the 6<sup>th</sup> floor but as we run out of time, I still only have 3 of the 10 required stones¡­As it was my first commission I am forced to pay a penalty but still allowed to take further commissions.


    I decide to rest up before midnight. I am still exhausted when I wake up shortly before midnight, but I must get the commission now, or I will have to miss a day. This time I manage to grab two commissions that take place within the first few floors that can be completed by a solo party, and another one between floors 6 and 9 that has 6pm deadline.


    This however means I have to begin right now. The commissions on the lower floors are much easier and we have them both completed for 8am, at 9am when we are allowed to enter the 6<sup>th</sup> floor wave after wave of groups swarm the 6<sup>th</sup> floor.


    It seems like the battle against the monsters is far less than the fight to establish a hunting ground. This time the commission is for the actual stone from the golems, which is used as a building material, luckily I have the golems to transport them.


    Many of the fights are in such close proximity to other groups I honestly don¡¯t know if we are even gathering xp for Two-Twelve or not.


    Once 6pm arrives the golems are all cracked and crumbling, and I am so tired I don¡¯t even care about turning the commissions in, but I have to do this for Two-Twelve. After turning in the commissions I hit my cot and pass out.


    When I wake up it is shortly after midnight¡­ I rush to the adventurer¡¯s guild but the commissions are already gone¡­ Still in my pajamas, and with my hair sticking in every direction I let out a deep sigh and plop in a chair ordering a stiff drink.


    A young beastkin woman takes my drink from the server and brings it too me sitting down at my table.


    Beastkin: ¡°New to town?¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡± ¨CI take the drink, drinking it slowly.- ¡°Yea this is, or would have been day three.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°You¡¯re doing pretty well for a solo runner, sure you have some golems to help you but the battles are the least of the trouble up in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Yea I see what you mean.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Things start to slow down here in a month when harvest season kicks in full swing, then it really slows down once winter hits. You plan on sticking around long?¡±


    ¡°Just two weeks, I got business to take care in Gowen after that.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Gowen aye? Heard there is a new dungeon down that way, have you heard of it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am from the capital but, I spent some time in Tobes after it was discovered.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°From the capital Aye? Are you some kind of noble¡¯s daughter or something? Nice armor like yours and golem body guards to boot.¡±


    ¡°Yea something like that.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Well my group heads up to the dungeon twice a week, if you decide you want to hit the 11th or 12<sup>th</sup> floors look us up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I will remember that.¡±


    The beastkin woman then gets up leaving me to my drink. After I finish my drink I head back to bed, and when I wake up in the morning I decide to explore town a bit.


    I learn that the commissions for solo adventurers tend to be the ones groups tend to reject so they open them up for the solo adventurers. Even though the adventurers have to pay for the commissions the items they gather not required for their commissions net them quite a bit of gold out in the market.


    Several shops sell items needed for gathering commissions at two or even three times the going rate¡­If I knew that I wouldn¡¯t have had to fail the commission the first day. I am sure if I kept doing that though I would end up without any gold very fast.


    After resting the afternoon away, I prepare early for the dungeon. Once midnight hits I am able to grab a few decent commissions and set out. The next few days continue much in the same way, so far I have managed to at least get some kind of commission everyday but the one.


    By the end of the week my days and nights are all mixed up, with each day seemingly getting longer and longer. Today I managed to grab 4 commissions including my first one on the 11<sup>th</sup> floor, but that means I will be up almost 24 hours by the time they are all completed.


    The groups lighten up a lot on the floors above the 10<sup>th</sup> and I even manage to complete the commission relatively early, but that still mean in two short hours the next day¡¯s commissions will be ready. Worn out and exhausted, I¡¯m battered and bruised, the golems are on their last leg, and I debate about skipping another day when I receive a message from Two-Twelve.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I have some great news!¡±


    ¡°Really what happened? I could use some good news after the day I had¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve then proceeds to tell me that he can now summon feral beastkin in the dungeon, which is indeed great news but something about the way he says it seems off. When I ask him about it things begin to sound fishier and fishier.


    He finally confesses that he ended up giving a merchant pass out blind to one of Denova¡¯s connections, which normally would have made me angry, but he actually done really well by making a 24 hour stipulation to the pass. Giving the fact the person in question was Denova I consider that a major achievement.


    Much to my guesses the merchant turned out to be a slave trader, at least he could only sell his slaves for one day¡­  Things however take a turn for the worse as apparently though some misguided notion Two-Twelve bought one of the slaves!


    It turns out it is even a small child, the last thing I think Two-Twelve should be reasonable for is a small little girl¡­ He has also already seemed to turn her over to Thirty-seven as some kind of living stuffed animal. I just don¡¯t have the energy for this right now.


    I decided I am taking the day off, I tell Two-Twelve that I am heading to bed, and I do just that. From the hours shortly before midnight, to well after noon I sleep, and sleep soundly. When I finally wake up I feel truly refreshed.


    With a renewed spirit I look back though the messages of Two-Twelve from the previous night, I don¡¯t know how but it seems the girl he bought was a dungeon monster, so that means she won¡¯t have to eat, and such stuff so I don¡¯t have to worry about her staving at least. But wait¡­If dungeon monsters don¡¯t age does that mean she will remain a small child forever?


    I have discovered if I use healing magic in conjunction with the pieces of stone left behind by the dead golems in the dungeon I am able to recover the golem¡¯s health at a much faster rate than their natural healing.


    So with what of their health is still depleted once evening falls I use several of the stones, and healing magic to make them all right as rain. Once midnight hits I dive in headlong to the commission board managing to grab some choice commissions, and like that we set back out into the dungeon.


    The next four days pass by smoothly as I manage to grab very good commissions on every day but one, however the commissions that day seemed sub-par clear across the board. This time I manage to catch a great commission on the 12<sup>th</sup> floor, and although we only have been too the 11<sup>th</sup> floor twice I feel confident we can handle it.


    It¡¯s the only commission I grabbed so we catch some sleep and head into the dungeon around noon. We make it up to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor with still a few hours before the 11<sup>th</sup> floor opens. I happen to see the beastkin I ran into on my third day in town and she introduces me to her group while we wait.


    They have a commission on the 11<sup>th</sup> floor so they enter before me while I wait for the all clear to move on to the twelfth. Once reaching the twelfth floor I still have over an hour and half to complete the commission of collecting the magic stones from the larger golems that look like #1 and #2.


    With just under an hour to go we have managed to collect all but two of the stones but the pickings are beginning to get slim. We are pretty worn out but we manage to finish with 30 minutes to spare. I turn them in to a guild representative on the 12<sup>th</sup> floor, he stamps my commission, and we being to make our way back down.


    Once reaching the 10<sup>th</sup> floor I hear a group of adventurers talking, and it turns out to be the Beastkin woman and her group. I start to greet them but their conversation causes me to halt.


    Adventurer: ¡°What are we going to do, all the golem have been wiped out already, if we don¡¯t finish this in 30 minutes we are going to lose permission to enter the dungeon for sure this time.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°What about the girl, you know the noble from Gowen, she has two golems that would let us at least complete the commission.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Yea and we could sell that fancy armor of hers and make a huge profit.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Won¡¯t that cause problems for us down the road?¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Not if nobody finds out about it.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Hey there she is.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Hey! You manage to complete all of your commissions? Us too! You want to head back down to the guild with us?¡±


    I quickly order the golems to guard and ready my halberd.


    Adventurer: ¡°Damn she must have heard us talking. Get her!¡±


    The three adventurers charge forward, they swarm Tanya first quickly beating it down with large maces. The beastkin finishes it off with an ice spell.


    #1 and #2 move in swinging their massive fists breaking the group up, but it¡¯s too late for Tanya. The adventurers however are experts in fighting golems here in the dungeons so they easily avoid them.


    The maces work well against the golems, but the spells are killer so I focus on the beastkin woman. Focusing my magic into my halberd I use my [Lunge] technique catching her completely off guard. Once penning her to the wall with my halberd I use a magic stone that I stored a [Fireball] spell in launching it right into her face.


    The beastkin woman screams out in pain and even with all the damage she still fights against my halberd. One of the other adventurers breaks off from fighting the golem knocking me hard in the back with a swing of his mace.


    I focus my magic again using [Whirlwind Swipe] causing the Beastkin of fly across the room, the mace wielding adventurer however takes little damage. Somehow the Beastkin manages to pull herself to her feet casting a spell my way.


    I manage to dodge out of the way and sweep the feet out from under the mace wielding adventurer in the process. The two golems still attack the other mace wielding adventurer, but he is so used to fighting golems they can¡¯t land a single blow while he slowly causes damage to them little by little.


    The beastkin changes spells throwing a [Fireball] at me, and I somehow manage to use [Fire Protection] in time for it to absorb the spell.


    Beastkin: ¡°Damnit the little bitch can cast spells too.¡±


    The mace wielder that I knocked to the ground has managed to return to his feet smashing me hard square in the chest knocking me back to the floor, and knocking the wind out of me. I quickly regain my breath, throwing a [Freeze] spell at the beastkin.


    With all the damage she has taken she barely manages to dodge the spell by diving to the floor, but she lands awkwardly and that in itself looks painful. The other mace wielding adventurer manages to drop #2 while still avoiding #1¡¯s blows.


    The mace wielding adventurer attacking me attempts to slam his large mace down on me while I am still on the floor, but I manage to roll to the side. I then swing my halberd around catching him right in the neck with the axe like blade.


    Much to my surprise however he twists away from the attack at just the right moment, he however seems to of suffered a rather serious injury.


    Beastkin: ¡°Hurry up with that damn golem, and help us out.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Easy for you to say you guys are fighting two on one, and I was fighting one on two.¡±


    The beastkin tries to stand up but it appears her leg is broken so she casts a spell from the floor targeting #1. I try to stop her by casting another [Freeze] spell, but my spell hits her too late. #1 looks like it is going to crumble at any second.


    Even though my spell managed to kill the beastkin woman, things don¡¯t look so good, as there are still two more adventurers, and I am having trouble breathing. I pull myself to my feet as the adventurer charges me.


    I am unable to fully dodge the blow causing me to take considerable damage and nocking me to the floor again. The other adventurer manages to finish off #1, and he begins heading this way. I throw a [Fireball] at him to delay him while the other attempts to smash his mace into me again.


    The [Fireball] hits the other adventurer but doesn¡¯t seem to cause much damage, I attempt to roll out of the way of the crushing blow of the mace, this time the adventurer does a follow-up swing that causes me to roll across the floor.


    It manages to give me some distance, and a slowly drag myself back to my feet. I am now standing there battered, bruised, one of my eyes hurts too bad to open, I am covered in blood, can barely breathe, I even think one of my arms is broken, and several of my ribs.


    The two men now regroup themselves as the bare down on me. I slip out another magic stone releasing the [Fireball] within crashing into the man that is most injured, it manages to surprised them enough for me to bring my halberd around burying it into the man¡¯s skull.


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Damn you bitch that was my brother!¡±


    He swings his mace at me I am too weak to dodge, and can only muster enough energy using my halberd to block the blow. My halberd cracks a breaks, but still doesn¡¯t manage to completely block the blow only deflect it.


    The mace crashes into my right shoulder even with my armor I can hear bones pop and break. With no more energy left remaining in me, and no weapon I fall to my knees.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Two-Twelve, I wasn¡¯t good enough.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°What did you say bitch?!¡±


    He grabs my hair pulling my head back. Tears well up in the one eye I can still see out of as he then brings his fist down into my cheek causing my to hit the floor.


    I can¡¯t keep my eye open any longer as I hear something from across the room.


    Voice: ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°This crazy bitch killed my brother, and our party leader!¡±


    Softer voice: ¡°Wait that¡¯s the princess!¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Voice: ¡°Step away from her!¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Are you guys crazy too? I said she killed my brother and our leader.¡±


    I hear the clashing of battle but lose conciseness. When I open my eye up again I see the face of one of the adventurers from the group from Gowen I met as I was coming into town.


    Softer voice: ¡°She¡¯s still alive, quick do something!¡±


    Voice: ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    I fight trying to get out the words. ¡°¡­Y¡­Bag..H..al.ing.. otion..


    Softer voice: ¡°Where is her bag?¡±


    Voice: ¡°Is this it?¡±


    Softer voice: ¡°Quick check it for a healing potion.¡±


    I feel as the liquid enters my throat, it begins to burn, but the fog in my head starts to clear.


    Softer voice: ¡°Any sign of any party members, or her golems?¡±


    Voice: ¡°There are some piles of rocks over here that look like the used to be golems.¡±


    ¡°They are gone¡­¡±


    Softer voice: ¡°Any other party members?¡±


    ¡°No, just them.¡±


    The burning sensation has stopped, I still hurt all over, and I still can¡¯t open my other eye, but I can feel my strength beginning to return. I wince in pain but manage to sit myself up.


    Softer voice: ¡°No no, don¡¯t move. The potion was only enough to stop you from bleeding to death.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be ok in a minute.¡±


    I begin casting a healing spell on myself, but even after expelling all my remaining magic I am still in bad shape. I am however able to pull myself to my feet, and I look around. All three of the adventurers that attacked me are lying dead on the floor, along with #1, #2, and Tanya.


    Voice: ¡°Princess, are you sure you should be standing?¡±


    ¡°What time is it? We have to hurry. If we don¡¯t make it out of here before midnight, the monsters will begin to respawn.¡±


    Softer voice: ¡°but you¡¯re in no shape to be moving.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I will heal myself up as my magic comes back.¡±


    The four adventurers from Gowen assist me as we head out of the dungeon. The softer voice belongs to Kara, and the other voice was that of the party leader Trenton. Styles, and Goby make up the remaining members of the group.


    ¡°I am sure lucky you guys came by when you did.¡±


    Kara: ¡°Not luck so much as fate¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Trenton: ¡°We got stuck in a teleporting trap and ended up in the room rest next to you. What was lucky though was we managed to recognize you the other guy was saying all kinds of bad things about you.¡±


    ¡°I will have to ask him to thank her for me I guess.¡±


    Kara: ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing¡­ The guy wasn¡¯t exactly lying though, because I did kill the other members of his group. He just left out the detail they attacked first. They were short on magic stones to complete their commission so they decided they would take the ones from my golems.¡±


    Kara: ¡°That¡¯s horrible they would do such a thing. Are you going to be able to replace them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I will figure something out.¡±


    By the time we reach the bottom few floors of the tower I have been able to heal myself to at least walk on my own, which allows us to pick up the pace, and we barely manage to make it out of the dungeon before midnight.


    I visit with the group for a while before parting ways with them. I rest up the rest of the night, setting deciding I can¡¯t do anything else in the dungeon I begin heading home. I wait till that evening before breaking the news to Two-Twelve I however leave out the details on how close it actually was.


    Without the golems I manage to hitch a ride with a caravan heading to Kartova. Heading back into the kingdom I use my seal at the border so that the caravan can easily pass, to thank them for giving me a ride.


    Once we reach the split in the road I wave farewell to the caravan then continue the rest of the way to Tobes on foot.


    I reach Tobes late one evening, and once I reach the adventurer¡¯s guild a small bunny eared child runs out the door she almost runs right into me but nimbly avoids me.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Hold on Lilah.¡±


    Two-Twelve steps out of the adventurer¡¯s guild and our eyes meet.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Oh, Belinda your back.¡±


    When I see him tears begin to well up in my eyes. I didn¡¯t tell him how close I came to losing my life in the dungeon, and I wasn¡¯t planning on it. But when I looked into his eyes I am overcome with emotion, and quickly wrap my arms around him burying my face in his chest and begin to cry.

 Belindas Return

    I am not sure how I wound up in this situation but, I am standing just outside the front door of the adventurer¡¯s guild, and Belinda has her arms wrapped tightly around me. Her face is buried in my chest and she is crying.


    Lilah: ¡°Master? Who is this?¡±


    I don¡¯t know what to do, so I mimic what Thirty-seven always does with Lilah. I run my hands across her head petting her.


    ¡°This is Belinda.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°This is Belinda? Lilah thought Master said she was scary? Slobbery maybe but not scary¡­¡±


    ¡°She is not normally like this¡­¡±


    Belinda manages to calm down and lets out a small laugh. She then manages to let go of me but for some reason grabs my hand.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry for losing it. I have just been holding it back, and when I saw you I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±


    She then reaches with her other hand scratching Lilah under the chin, she then pets her behind the ears, but never does let go of my hand that is in her other.


    Belinda: ¡°This little one must be the one you told me about, and what do you mean scary?¡±


    Belinda puffs out her cheeks, her ears and face still red from crying so hard.


    Lilah: ¡°Master?¡±


    Lilah looks to me with fearful eyes. Belinda turns to look at me as well.


    Belinda: ¡°Yes ¡°Master¡±, why don¡¯t you tell me what you mean by scary.¡±


    She says it in a serious tone of voice but her soft expression shows that she is not actually angry I can tell, and when I say that I know that expression well I mean it¡­


    ¡°Thirty-seven is waiting on us we better get back¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thirty-seven will be fine back in the dungeon, I want to know what you mean by scary.¡±


    ¡°Actually Thirty-seven is waiting for us just outside the village.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t try to sneak out of answering the question, you expect me to believe Thirty-seven is here in Tobes.¡±


    ¡°Well she isn¡¯t in Tobes, but she is waiting right outside of town by that old gate leading up the hill.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t believe you, I got to see this.¡±


    She then heads though Tobes dragging me along by the hand Lilah looks at me questionably then follows behind. When we reach the edge of town and Belinda spots Thirty-seven she calls out to her raising both her arms in the air.


    That however causes my arm to shoot in the air as well. The sudden voice spooks Thirty-seven but she calms down once she sees Belinda, her eyes quickly lock on to Lilah though and she starts moving toward us.


    Thirty-seven raises her arms to give a hug, and Belinda does the same, but once she gets near Thirty-seven ducks under Belinda¡¯s arms wrapping her arms around Lilah. This however unfazed Belinda as she turns to hug Thirty-seven anyway.


    Now after being dragged though Tobes I am now forced into an impromptu group hug¡­ After a few moments Belinda releases Thirty-seven but not me, then she begins heading up toward the dungeon. Once we cross the threshold of the dungeon a message pops up.


    Monsters have returned from battle


    Battle Results:


    Monster Belinda (Boss) has gained 3 levels


    Acquired: 10 tiny magic stone, 3 small magic stones


    Losses: Monster 1 has perished, Monster 2 has perished, and Monster Tanya has perished


    12100xp gained from external source. 1210xp bonus for Belinda (Boss) participation, 1210 xp bonus for xp acquired in another dungeon, 121 xp bonus for battle lasting more than 1 week, -605xp for attacking neutral dungeon, -121 for monster death, -121 for monster death, -121 for monster death.


    13,673 XP total rewarded


    ¡°Not bad Belinda.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s not bad?¡±


    ¡°I just got the results from your trip. If it wasn¡¯t for the loss of the golems it we could have added another floor to the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, besides we need to fill the third floor with monsters before adding another floor anyway.¡±


    Even after transferring to Thirty-seven¡¯s room dropping her and Lilah off, then returning to the core room Belinda has still yet to release my hand. She even uses [Menu] with just the one hand as she stores her things.


    ¡°You know you got a pretty good grip on my hand¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I did good, did I not?¡±


    ¡°Well yea I said as much when we got here right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then I deserve my reward?¡±


    ¡°I guess, yea that¡¯s fine, but what¡¯s that have to do with my hand?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then that¡¯s what I want. At least for tonight, don¡¯t let me go¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s all?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is that ok?¡±


    ¡°Its fine, but I am already about to go to bed.¡±


    Belinda opens [Menu] with her free hand, and her clothes quickly change from her normal clothes to her nightgown she turns her face avoiding eye contact while blushing.


    Belinda: ¡°Ok, I am ready.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After I crawl into bed Belinda crawls in with me, she then pulls the blanket over us. In the small bed it¡¯s rather hard to get comfortable with both the two of us. I try turning several different ways but with her hand still firmly in mine I can¡¯t find a comfortable spot.


    I finally find a pretty good position if I could just¡­I try scooting Belinda over a bit. She doesn¡¯t say anything but whatever I grabbed manages to cause her to squeak. I hear her breaths getting more ragged and I can feel her heartbeat quicken.


    My face and ears begin to feel like they are on fire, and it feels like my heart is now in my throat. She then shifts position, then turns completely over, than crawls halfway over me. With the leg that in on top of me she entwines it with my leg, she then slides her free hand into my shirt resting it on my chest.


    She then rests her head on my shoulder. Her hair begins to tickle my nose so I reach with my free hand brushing it to the side, and this causes her to look up at me, she then beings to blush as she asks me.


    Belinda: ¡°Can I ask one more favor?¡± ¨CShe then looks down quickly embarrassed as she says.- ¡°Your shirt is rough and scratchy, will you take it off?¡±


    I don¡¯t know if my heart could beat any harder or faster than it is right now, when I begin to raise my arms she lets go of my hand just long enough to raise my shirt off over my head, dropping it to the floor beside the bed. She then quickly grasps my hand again then runs the other across my chest before laying her head back on my shoulder.


    Belinda: ¡°Much better.¡±


    She says as she runs her free hand across my chest a few more times, her breath tickling my skin. I bring my free hand across her spine, causing her to shiver a bit, but when I stop she lightly breathes the words. ¡°Don¡¯t stop.¡± So I resume rubbing my fingers gently up and down her spine for a few minutes until her grip on my other hand loosens and her breathing, and heartbeat slow.


    Bringing my hand to a stop resting it on her waist I manage to drift off to sleep myself.


    [Menu] wakes me up far too early the next morning with an alarm and a message.


    Intruders have entered the dungeon.


    The one day I would have liked to sleep in the adventurers decide to get up bright and early... But right before I close the screen I notice the time in the bottom corner showing it to be past 11am.


    ¡°Belinda it¡¯s time to get up.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t wanna.¡± ¨CShe says tightly wrapping her arms around me burying her face in my chest.-


    ¡°But there are intruders in the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Let them have it.¡± ¨CShe says while giggling.-


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s time to get up, it¡¯s after 11 o¡¯clock.¡±


    She places one finger on my lips while saying. ¡°Shhhh, they don¡¯t know I am back yet so I¡¯m not late.¡±


    Even when I start to sit up she quickly wraps her other arm back around me, and even when I stand she just wraps her legs around me. With her strength and agility she easily maintains her grip on me as I bend over picking up my shirt as she clings to me.


    Even when I put the shirt on she just hugs me tighter so that I pull the shirt on over her.


    ¡°Come on Belinda we both got¡­¡±


    I try to say ¡°work to do¡± but her hand shoots out from under my shirt sticking it out of the neck hole, she places her finger against my lips again. I then try to shake her off by bouncing up and down, but she giggles while holding on to me.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After a few more bounces however a moan escapes her mouth and she quickly drops to her knees on the floor. She quickly covers her mouth and turns her body away from me, then opening [Menu] she changes into her normal clothes.


    I move over to the chair sitting down watching the screens. Even after that much time has passed the group of adventurers has just made it to the square cave room.


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to take Thirty-seven some food, then head down to Tobes.¡±


    ¡°Ok, make sure you take enough food for Lilah too, I know she doesn¡¯t have to eat, but Thirty-seven will feed her all of her own food, and not eat anything herself if you don¡¯t take enough for both.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That sounds about right.¡± ¨CShe then leans over my chair causing me to blush while she whispers in my ear.- ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    And with the Belinda quickly transfers from the room, but not before I noticed she was blushing as well. I watch both groups wage war in the dungeon. The adventurers in the dungeon, and Belinda and Thirty-seven over who gets to feed Lilah¡­ While they argue Lilah quietly feeds herself.


    The adventurers are losing their battle as well. Still feeling a bit bitter about being woken up I send in extra kobolds from the side rooms instead of letting them take one group at a time.


    By the time Belinda and Thirty-seven stop arguing Lilah has managed to finish her meal, and both of the girls pout¡­ Thirty-seven gives Belinda a mean look when Belinda hugs Lilah then after saying farewells she transfers to the exit of the dungeon.


    With a skip in her step she works her way down the mountain side, and before she is completely out of the view the adventurers as well begin their own retreat.


    With the amount of xp Belinda brought back we are finally in decent shape again, so I decide to work on the dungeon a little. I start off by looking at the bed across the room¡­ If Belinda plans any more sleep overs it would be a bit better with a bigger bed, so I decide to spend some xp on a bigger bed, while I am at it I make it a bit more comfortable as well.


    I start with a crimson kobold mage rift to fill out the group in the old prison area, leaving it with no equipment at the moment. I place another crimson kobold mage rift on the third floor + shaped hallway to finish out that group as well. I then place a full group of rifts in Thirty-seven¡¯s old room.


    With my remaining xp I decide to outfit the kobolds in gear leaving the other room still empty. I summon a new halberd for Belinda costing 600xp for master quality, and after it¡¯s all said and done I hold on to just under 200 xp.


    As evening rolls around, I take Belinda¡¯s halberd, Thirty-seven, and Lilah, and we head down to Tobes. Lilah and I desperately try to convince Thirty-seven to join us in Tobes but she can¡¯t bring herself to enter the village. While Thirty-seven waits in her normal hiding spot Lilah and I head to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Belinda¡¯s eyes light up when I enter the building, when she sees the halberd she heads over to us.


    Belinda: ¡°Where did you get this?¡±


    ¡°You said yours broke, so I made you a new one.¡±


    Several of the adventurer¡¯s in the room begin to whisper to each other¡­ Maybe I should have kept it at home and gave it to her there.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s simply beautiful, thank you!¡± ¨CShe leans forward kissing me on the cheek causing both of us to blush awkwardly.-


    Denova: ¡°What¡¯s this? The princess has returned?¡± ¨CDenova says as she enters the adventurer¡¯s guild.-


    Lilah makes a rude gesture to Denova then hides behind my legs, this causes Belinda to smile and pat her on the head.


    Denova: ¡°I heard you bought that little runt, I would have never believe mister goodie-two-shoes would buy a slave, but to each their own I guess.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Can I help you today Denova?¡±


    Denova: ¡°I know I am not exactly your best friend, but don¡¯t think I deserve a spear waved in front of my face.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I wasn¡¯t waving in front of your face. Mine broke while I was adventuring so Two-Twelve brought me this replacement as a gift!¡±


    Denova: ¡°An ex-slave that is able to afford one of Beastkin Edward¡¯s slaves, and even able to buy a weapon like that? Just who is Two-Twelve?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re changing the subject, was there something you need, or do you just take pleasure in ruining my day?¡±


    Denova: ¡°I actually wanted to post a commission.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really, what for?¡±


    Denova: ¡°I heard of a client in the capital that has ¡°particular¡± tastes. I want to try to help him out, but to do that I need to see if any adventurers will grab me a female kobold from up in the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t even want to know¡­Besides all the monsters in the dungeon so far are male.¡±


    Denova: ¡°All of them? How do they reproduce?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do you even have a clue how dungeons work?¡±


    Denova: ¡°They don¡¯t? No wonder monsters are so angry all the time¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is that all then?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Can I post the commission anyway, after all it doesn¡¯t have to be from the dungeon, I am willing to pay 50 gold to anyone that brings me a female monster of some kind¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­Fine, but don¡¯t expect it to be completed. There is also a fee of 10 gold to post a commission.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Really? I never heard about that before.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well do you want to post it or not?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Fine fine, I¡¯ll pay, but let¡¯s put the reward as 25 gold.¡±


    Belinda then heads back over to her desk, pulling out a commission form filling it out, after showing it to Denova, she nods then pays Belinda. Belinda then posts the commission on the board.


    Belinda: ¡°Now, I am going home.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I thought you lived here? Had a room set up in the back and everything from what I heard?¡±


    Belinda blushes then says. ¡°Well¡­ You heard wrong.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Oh I see. I¡¯ll leave you to it then.¡± ¨CShe says with a sly smile then leaves.-


    Lilah: ¡°I don¡¯t like her, she¡¯s mean. She said Lilah was worthless.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s ok, I don¡¯t like her either. Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    On our way out of town, I then ask. ¡°Is it true? Are all the kobolds really male? I never really paid attention.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°As far as I know, I mean I haven¡¯t ¡°checked¡± but I mean I think so. It wasn¡¯t intentional?¡±


    ¡°I really never put any thought to it. You think if we got some females we could breed them to lower the cost in the dungeon?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t really think that would be very effective, I mean it would take years for them to mature, if dungeon monsters can breed at all. They don¡¯t age so would it be possible for them to breed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I never put thought into it, I might have to ask Thirty-seven about that.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What about Lilah, is she not going to grow up?¡±


    Belinda and I look at each other but we both seem to be asking ourselves the same question.


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah doesn¡¯t want to stay little forever¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will figure it out, I promise.¡±


    We finish our trek out of Tobes, meeting up with Thirty-seven. Once Thirty-seven sees Lilah, she rushes to her cuddling, and petting her.


    ¡°Hey, Thirty-seven have you noticed all the monsters in my dungeon are male?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°That is not true, Lilah and Belinda are neither male.¡±


    ¡°I mean the ones summoned from [Menu].¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°As I haven¡¯t seen all of your other monsters I can¡¯t speculate, however the ones I have seen all have appeared to be male, including the monsters you summoned during your training.¡±


    ¡°Is that normal?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Unless you specify during the summoning process I believe it is random. However that might be an option your [Menu] lacks, as when I helped you fill your [Menu] with the items it was missing that was something I didn¡¯t mention as I didn¡¯t think of it as relevant.¡±


    ¡°So even if for some reason mine is defaulted to male, if I specify female during summoning it should be female?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Your [Menu] always has been rather different than most, so I cannot be certain, but if it is just due to the lack of knowledge as it was for [Communication] then that should be correct.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re not planning on filling your dungeon with female beastkin now are you?¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    Belinda eyes me suspiciously then says. ¡°I wonder¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What about Lilah?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we were also wondering if dungeon monsters don¡¯t age, then does that mean Lilah won¡¯t grow up?¡±


    Thirty-seven looks terribly sad then says. ¡°A monster¡¯s age is determined on summoning just as its sex, but unfortunately if they are summoned before reaching an age of maturity they will continue to age until fully mature.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yay! Lilah gets to grow up!¡±


    Thirty-seven then pouts cuddling Lilah and petting her.


    ¡°Does that mean dungeon monsters are capable of breeding?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Yes that is correct, although very few bother as it takes too long to see results, and offspring of dungeon monsters are not bound to the dungeon, but still do not grant xp until they are four generations removed from the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°So there is no point in breeding monsters then?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°For normal monsters it is highly ineffective and can even result in a loss in xp, but once you reach monsters in the hundreds of thousands of xp, an offspring can be bound to the dungeon at birth at a reduced cost, meaning it is possible of savings hundreds of thousands of xp on breeding rare monsters.¡±


    ¡°What about species do they have to be the exact same species?¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°That¡¯s the only reason I see for breeding monsters. Of course many monsters are incompatible with others, but when mixing species that are compatible you are able to discover new species.¡±


    ¡°In other words, information that is useful to know, but nothing I am going to be able to put into practice for the next 50 years¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wh¡­..What about the dungeon core? Is the dungeon core able to breed? ¨CShe quickly asks while blushing.-


    Thirty-seven: ¡°I have heard of dungeon cores taking mates, but never heard of one baring offspring however.¡±


    Belinda looks a little sullen as she says. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°What is the purpose of taking a mate then if not to produce offspring?¡±


    Belinda & Thirty-seven: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°To make Master happy!¡± ¨CShe quickly states.- ¡° When Lilah grows up she want to become Master¡¯s mate to repay him!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Now now, that¡¯s nice of you, but I am sure your master will already have a mate before you grow up.¡±


    Lilah puffs out her cheeks angry, then quickly smiles again and says. ¡°That¡¯s ok! Because more mates will make master more happy!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°...I¡¯m not sure it works quite like that¡­¡±


    Lilah pouts again, but this just causes Thirty-seven to hug her tighter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t I have a say in this matter?¡±


    Belinda quickly shoots me a glare that is clear to me that¡¯s it¡¯s time to keep my mouth shut. The rest of the trip back to the dungeon is dead quiet. When we enter the dungeon we all transfer to Thirty-seven and Lilah¡¯s room.


    After they are settling in Belinda transfers to her room to put up her new halberd. When I then transfer to the core room Belinda has already arrived. She is staring at my new bed while blushing bright red.


    Belinda: ¡°Wh¡­Wha¡­What is this?¡±


    ¡°It took work to get comfortable last night, I figured if you plan on making that a habit, it would be easier if the bed was bigger.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wha¡­.I¡­..Your¡­What makes you think I would make a habit of sle..sleeping¡­with¡­You?


    ¡°After Lilah arrived, Thirty-seven no longer wanted to sleep alone, and she even flat out refused when I tried to get Lilah a bed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°This and that are totally different things!¡± ¨CShe says loudly while blushing, and then lowering her voice and turning her face to the side she says. - ¡°But¡­You wouldn¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you every night like Thirty-seven and Lilah, but I don¡¯t see the harm in it if you want it every now and then.¡±


    -She nervously says. - ¡°I¡¯m going to go get ready!¡±


    ¡°You did it just last night, I said not every night!¡± ¨CBut it''s pointless she has already transferred out of them room. - ¡°Maybe this wasn¡¯t a good idea¡­¡±


    After a few minutes I begin to get nervous for some reason¡­¡±Come on last night she just used [Menu] and that was it. What¡¯s taking her so long?¡±


    I go and set on the edge of the bed¡­ I shake my head, stand and go sit in the chair in the middle of the room¡­ ¡°Wait, she said my shirt was uncomfortable.¡± I begin to remove my shirt then stop, I then put it back on¡­


    ¡°Argh what is wrong with me¡­ I got nervous around Thirty-seven, but I managed to get over that¡­ Why is Belinda any different? I have seen her naked and it was no big deal¡­


    I get up again pacing the floor.


    ¡°But once she joined the dungeon¡­Her hips didn¡¯t sway that way before right? And when she smiles, laughs, or when she blushes¡­Argh this is stupid.¡±


    I angrily pull off my shirt throwing it to the floor stomp to the bed and crawl in. As I lay there I can hear my heart beating loudly, my face and ears feel like they are on fire, I roll left, then right¡­


    Laying there in the bed the only sound in the room is the pounding of my heart, and then she arrives¡­


    Last night she opened [Menu] put on the night gown I seen her wear before, it was like a dress, but simple like a giant shirt that draped down to her knees, tonight however¡­


    The gown she is wearing is of a shade of red that is only matched by the brilliance of her hair, it has no sleeves, and neck is open wide where only a small thin stripe of the soft crimson cloth holds it on. The neck¡¯s opening extends down to her chest, causing her bosom to partly fall out from within.


    The gown has no sides, with just a lacey material crisscrossing back and forth every few inches holding it together. It extends like that all the way to the base of the gown. Where her old gown extended to her knees, this one does not.


    It barely extends down where all of her legs are visible along with a pair of panties matching the gown. Her legs seem to go on forever, with her soft seemingly glowing in the light from the screen. Her eyes that turned blue when joining the dungeon now seem like deep pools that devour my very soul as I stare into them.


    Her ears and cheeks are of a cherry red as she nervously approaches the bed while biting her lower lip. Once reaching the side of the bed I can hear her heart beating, nervously I pull back the blanket, and she crawls into bed with me.


    She huddles up to me running her fingers across my chest, her heart beating hard against me. I raise my hand to her face brushing some of her hair out from in front of her face while peering into her eyes. She slowly slides forward placing her lips against mine.


    After a short kiss she pulls back saying. ¡°I have made up my mind, even if we can¡¯t have children. I want to be right here, with you, forever.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little late for that isn¡¯t it? I mean you were mine forever the moment you joined the dungeon.¡±


    -Belinda shakes her head and says. - ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. I mean to say¡­ I love you Two-Twelve.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    A tear appears in Belinda¡¯s eye but she shakes her head and places a finger against my lip.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    She then wraps her arms around me burying her head in my chest, and after lightly brushing my chest with her fingers for a while she slowly drifts off to sleep.

 C-Ranked Trouble

    When I awaken the following morning, Belinda is looking up at me, while still lying on my chest.


    Belinda: ¡°Good morning.¡± ¨CShe then raises herself up giving me a soft kiss on the lips. - ¡°I got work to do, and I need to prepare for my next trip to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon so I better get started.¡±


    When she gets up walking across the room I watch her hips sway back and forth, with her butt mostly exposed from the bottom of the gown. I find myself feeling unable to tear my eyes away. When she transfers from the room, I instinctively reach out grasping at air with my mouth awkwardly gaping open.


    I don¡¯t know why but I don¡¯t feel I will be able to look at her the same anymore. Without realizing it I have pulled the screen hidden behind the desk out. She changes from the gown to her normal day clothes with [Menu] leaving me somewhat disappointed, she then begins blushing.


    She then shakes her head and slaps her cheeks a few times before, and then she transfers herself to Thirty-seven and Lilah¡¯s room. Hitting the confirmation button when she tries to pull food from the dungeon inventory, I watch her prepare the items quickly, the three sit down eating breakfast¡­


    I somehow feel left out watching them talk while they eat. Thirty-seven and Belinda seem to have reached an understanding concerning Lilah, as they both take turns shoveling food into her mouth. For not being required to eat, Lilah is probably the one that consumes the most food¡­


    When they finish eating I quickly hide the screen back behind the desk when Belinda transfers again, but she arrives at the exit of the dungeon. With one more look back she begins to head down towards Tobes.


    I place a hand on the screen finding myself still staring at the screen long after she has disappeared from sight. Even with the events of the previous evening playing back in my mind, I am still unsure the reason I have started to act so strangely.


    Surely things will return to normal soon.  Shortly after Belinda sends me a message that a mid C-ranked group is on their way and they look pretty well equip.


    The group when it arrives consists of 2 beastkin males, one is some kind of dog, or wolf, while the other has short ears and a stubby tail so I can¡¯t be sure. While the canine carries a large greataxe on his back, the other beastkin seems to carry no weapon at all.


    The next member in the group is a human female mage, and another human male with a mace and tower shield, for being a shield bearer it seems rather odd that he is positioned in the middle of the group.


    The last member of the group is a beastkin female, she is a rabbit but unlike Lilah she doesn¡¯t belong to the feral type so she essentially just has the ears and a puffy tail. She has a rather ornate thin blade on her hip but is carrying a bow in her hands, and she also seems to be the leader of the group.


    Once reaching the cave she orders the group to take a break. Even though the members of the group seem to have some experience they don¡¯t look like they have been together long, as for when they take a break they split off and do their own thing.


    After setting down his shield the human man sits down on a large stone, he then dusts it off with his hand. The human female then sits down next to him wrapping her arms around one of his and leaning against it.


    The two beastkin male however take out a cup and after swishing it around place it upside down on a flat stone revealing a few small cubes. It seems to be some sort of game, as they each take turns swishing the cup and staring at the cubes. They even start to use gold coins, however the canine seems to be picking the coins up far less then he puts them down.


    The rabbit beastkin sets off into the trees scouting the area, when she returns she is carrying two dead rabbits by the ears, and after starting a fire she begins to slice them open removing their insides. Even though beastkin are much closer related to humans then animals it still seems weird watch this rabbit beastkin mutilate the bodies of the rabbits.


    Apparently I am not the only one, because as she pulls the skin from their bodies the human male says as much to his female companion. The rabbit beastkin however pays them no mind as she finishes prepping the rabbits, and then places them close to the fire.


    The canine beastkin gives up at the game he was playing as he says he is out of gold, and the other beastkin seems rather pleased with himself. He then however takes a large amount of the gold and gives it to the rabbit beastkin.


    Male Beastkin: ¡°I believe that makes us even.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°I won¡¯t accept payment, until we return to town.¡±


    Male Beastkin: ¡°Why not? I got the gold now, what¡¯s the difference.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°Have you not heard the rumors of this place? Once we return, you can pay me then.¡±


    The beastkin gives in placing the gold back into a bag which he then secures in his pack. Even after noon passes and the rabbit beastkin as eaten both of the rabbits she cooked by herself, they still don¡¯t appear in any hurry to enter the dungeon.


    I finally decide I need to get Thirty-seven and Lilah their food, so I set [Menu] to warn me if the group enters the cave, then I transfer down to Thirty-seven¡¯s room.


    Lilah: ¡°Master is late Lilah¡¯s hungry¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get hungry.¡±


    She then puffs out her cheeks and moves over to Thirty-seven pulling on her arm.


    Thirty-seven: ¡°Yes, I thought we had been abandoned. Giving up all hope we were preparing to begin chewing on the leather from the chair.¡± ¨CShe says in a monotonous way.-


    Lilah then nods her head seeming proud of herself.


    ¡°Who¡¯s teaching who here?¡± ¨CI can¡¯t help but to just shake my head. I then take out some food placing it on the table.- ¡°I got tied up a bit, there is a rather strong group sitting outside the dungeon, I wanted to keep a close eye on them, but they still haven¡¯t seem to make up their minds if they are going to enter or not.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Awww, dried meat and bread again? Does Master ever get anything good?¡±


    ¡°This will suffice to sustain Thirty-seven¡¯s body, as such it is also easy to acquire, and store.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But we need cake!¡±


    ¡°You are referring to that sweetened soft bread? Belinda seems rather fond of that as well, maybe you should ask her, as she is the one that has to buy and transport it.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yay cake!¡±


    She does a fist pump in the air, she then pulls on Thirty-seven¡¯s arm, and then she joins in. [Menu] then warns me of the intruders entering the cave so I head back to the core room.


    The adventurer¡¯s entering the dungeon now appears very different from when they were outside. Although their formation is the same, they all now wear at least some type of armor. Even the human mage¡¯s robes appear reinforced with leather.


    The canine beastkin with the greataxe is wearing a chainmail armor of at least superior quality, and the other male beastkin is wearing black leather armor, but it has been crafted in a way that prevents the armor from interfering with movement.


    To no surprise the human male has on full-plate armor, he even wears a full helmet, which is rather rare. I heard talk one day at the adventurer¡¯s guild that helmets tend to obstruct view to much, and unless you have plenty of gold to spend on a great one it¡¯s better to do without.


    The rabbit beastkin is wearing what looks to be a mix set of armor, with the chest piece of full-plate armor, the arms and legs are chainmail, although they are reinforced in places with more steel plates. She doesn¡¯t appear to be wearing a gambeson but there are clearly parts of the armor that consist of leather as well.


    The human male has a map of the dungeon attached to the backside of his shield as he warns the group as they approach the end of the tunnel.


    Human Male: ¡°There is a trip wire just ahead in the archway there, and in that room it should have a small amount of poorly equip kobold, that appears to be the only trap.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°From what I can pick up, that seems accurate. Be careful, this floor should be easy to take care of but that¡¯s no reason to become careless.¡±


    The group then pushes forward, as they move though the first floor the human male focuses primarily on defending the mage and the rabbit beastkin while telling the group everything that the map shows, the rabbit beastkin confirms what he says before they proceed. The canine beastkin with the axe holds nothing back even using quite a few axe techniques.


    While the other unknown type of beastkin uses tooth and nail biting and clawing his way through the kobolds. At one point after clearing a group of kobolds the human female asks him if the kobolds taste horrible, but he just wipes blood from his chin and shrugs his shoulders.


    The rabbit beastkin doesn¡¯t attack often but when she does the kobold always drops instantly with a precision shot from her bow. The mage uses some type of dark attack magic similar to the ability Listel used when in my crystal room, although this is much weaker consisting of only a single blade.


    They don¡¯t seem in any hurry, but they still manage to clear the first floor in just over an hour. Even though no one seems injured they still take another long break before heading down to the next floor. The group maintains the same attack patterns though the second floor although now some tend to take some minor damage here and there as they go.


    After clearing the old prison room, the human man comments the discrepancy in his map and what they encountered, he then makes the revisions on his map while returning to the central room.


    Human Male: ¡°Now the group ahead in the next room, is supposedly far better equip then what we have faced so far, but the reports very on just how well.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°I believe they are said to being wearing full-plate right?¡±


    Human Male: ¡°One or two of them have full-plate but the rest are still roughly the same, but after this room it is said the third floor is rather poorly defended.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°I don¡¯t hold to the legends about living dungeons, but they do tend to surprise you if you take them for granted.¡±


    Canine Beastkin: ¡°What about the golems?¡±


    Human Male: ¡°My map doesn¡¯t say anything about golems, but I did hear that from the village as well.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°Well we will have to worry about that if we encounter it. For now let¡¯s worry about what¡¯s in front of us.¡±


    The human male blocks the mage and Rabbit pretty well so the kobold focus their attacks on the other two beastkin. With the leather armor crafted to not prevent movement it tends to be weaker at the beastkin¡¯s joints so the kobold focus at them points.


    Before they clear out the kobold they manage to do some serious damage to the unarmed beastkin, and moderate damage to the greataxe canine. The mage moves forward after the battle pulling out a handful of small magic stones, invoking the magic held in them she heals the wounds of the two beastkin.


    Mage: ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s the best I can do. Water healing magic is rare, and I can¡¯t use light magic.¡±


    Unarmed Beastkin: ¡°That¡¯s alright, and it¡¯s my fault I took so many hits. I thought they were just getting lucky, but I then realized they actually found and are now attacking the weak points in my armor deliberately.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°They said the kobold here were cleaver, but to see it for yourself it does seem so odd. I wonder if it has to do with the crystal this dungeon has. I heard it¡¯s unlike any crystal that has been reported before.¡±


    Canine: ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t believe in fairy tales? There is no way the crystal doesn¡¯t hold an element. I am sure it was just a lightly colored gem and they jumped to conclusions.¡±


    Mage: ¡°I heard it was a diamond¡­ Can you imagine a diamond as big as a dungeon crystal?¡±


    Human male: ¡°Take the thought from your head, the crystal is under protection of the kingdom, besides you couldn¡¯t even wear a diamond that big.¡±


    Mage: ¡°A girl can dream can¡¯t she?¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°I could care less about the kingdom. I¡¯m not from here, but they might send out bounty hunters for messing up the village. Besides the dungeons not even big enough to grant you any ability so it would be pointless.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Mage: ¡°I get it alright! But I would still like to see it¡­¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°Well unless the rumors of golems are true, you should be able to, but if there are golems I don¡¯t think we have the right setup to go against them.¡±


    After they rest up for a while long they then proceed to the third floor. Entering the + shaped hallway they see one kobold mage down the far end.


    Human male: ¡°See I told you get gets much easier from here on.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°Wait! It¡¯s a trap!¡±


    Human male: ¡°What are you talking about my map says nothing about a trap.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°Not that kind of trap, I mean look at the intersection on your map? I can sense more kobold on either hiding around the corners.¡±


    Canine: ¡°I can smell them as well, that was a close one. If they managed to get in behind us¡­¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°They may be kobold, but I think we ought to start treating them like human combatants.¡±


    As they slowly move forward the mage just waits at the end of the hallway.  Getting a little closer the rabbit beastkin readies her bow, but then the mage ducks through the door. Once they get close to the intersection the kobolds jump out and attack.


    Canine: ¡°One, two, three¡­ Three of these guys are wearing full-plate!¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°Regroup! Tiki, you step back behind me. Mason you join the other two, we can do this just stay calm¡±


    On her orders the human male runs forward to assist the beastkin males that are being hammered by the kobold, and the mage runs back. The kobold mage now re-enters the room from down the hallway casting a spell at the rabbit beastkin.


    Rabbit: ¡°Damnit, when did you sneak back in?¡±


    Catching her off guard the ice spell hits her left arm. This causes her accuracy to fall but not enough to stop her from dealing a near fatal wound back to the kobold mage. With the assistance of the human male, they push back one side of the attacking kobolds and focus on the other.


    When they eventually drop the last kobold the only one in the group not wounded is the human mage Tiki.


    Tiki: ¡°I got a few more magic stones left. I¡¯m sorry Mason, but Dane and Kodiak seem to need it more.¡±


    Mason the human male answers. ¡°Think nothing of it, and besides this much won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Tiki then moves forward using the stones to heal most of the injuries to the two beastkin.


    Tiki: ¡°I got one left, Dakota, your arm looks pretty bad, do you want me to heal it?¡±


    The rabbit beastkin apparently named Dakota simply says. ¡°Save it for an emergency.¡±


    Mason: ¡°The rooms off to the side are supposed to be vacant I suggest we pick up and rest up till morning just to be on the safe side.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°This hallway was not supposed to be this well defended either. I don¡¯t want to risk opening one of the side doors to find them rumored golems. Let¡¯s set up camp here close to the stairs.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°What if they close in on us from both sides then?¡±


    Mason: ¡°For whatever reason, dungeon monsters cannot freely move between floors, so nothing should be able to come down the stairs, and Dakota is right, if we left here. We would probably have to face this group again tomorrow, and without the healing stones I don¡¯t think we can afford that.¡±


    With their backs to the stairs they set up camp right in the middle of the hallway¡­ Well at least this way I can get some xp from them.


    Tiki: ¡°The rod this kobold had is better than mine, Dakota can I take it?¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Go right ahead, I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    Canine: ¡°I am going to take a few of these full-plate armors back to town and see if I can sell them.¡±


    On the other hand maybe not¡­ Maybe I should have the golems attack them in their sleep tonight¡­ After setting up camp they prepare food, and while they are sitting around eating I receive a message from Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°The adventurers haven¡¯t returned yet, are you ok?¡±


    ¡°yea, they set up camp in the dungeon, which might have been good if they didn¡¯t plan taking everything off the kobolds and selling it in town.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am really busy down here so it¡¯s going to be really late before I can come home, so you don¡¯t have to wait up for me.¡±


    ¡°Ok, if you want to just stay in Tobes tonight that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No! I am going to come home when I am done!¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­ Just be careful coming up the mountain in the dark then¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t forget to feed the girls either!¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    Somehow I have seemed to make her mad again¡­ After making sure the adventurers aren¡¯t planning anything I take food down to Thirty-seven and Lilah.


    Lilah: ¡°Awww. No walk today? Lilah wants to go see Belinda!¡±


    ¡°She is busy, and won¡¯t be home till late. Besides we have a strong group of adventurers camped out in the dungeon, so I can¡¯t leave right now.¡±


    After more protest from Lilah she pulls on Thirty-seven¡¯s arm till she joins in. I tell them I have to go to keep an eye on the adventurers and retreat to the core room. We might have to separate those two, because Lilah is beginning to teach Thirty-seven bad habits¡­


    The adventurers talk amongst each other for a bit, and to confirm what I thought before they begin telling each other more about themselves, apparently this is their first time working together. The canine beastkin Dane, and bear beastkin Kodiak both come from Kortova.


    Mason and Tiki come from the capital, and both pairs joined Dakota after she posted a commission for a group heading here Tobes. Although Dane and Kodiak have only known each other for a short time completing only a few commissions together before now.


    Tiki and Mason on the other hand have apparently been close since they were young children. Dakota doesn¡¯t give out much personal information to the group, but she as well appears to be from outside Gowen somewhere.


    The group decides to set up a watch system having Dane and Kodiak take the first watch. I want to wait till midnight to see how much xp I get from the group and Belinda has yet to return to I continue to watch them.


    Dakota quickly goes to sleep in a small sleeping bag on the floor while Mason and Tiki are huddled together on a small cot. Dane and Kodiak pass the time playing the game with the cup and cubes again, but this time they use the kobold¡¯s weapons and armor instead of gold coins.


    Once midnight hits I manage to acquire 110 xp from the group which is actually a sizeable amount for them not being held prisoner. Dane and Kodiak also switch places with Mason and Tiki. I start to prepare for bed when I notice a light coming up from Tobes.


    I figure it must be Belinda so I decide to put off going to bed, to wait on her. Watching Mason and Tiki while waiting on Belinda something strange happens. After closely examining the other adventurers Mason quickly strips off his clothes, and after hanging a blanket blocking the view from the others he removes Tiki¡¯s robe from her as well.


    Tiki then climbs over Mason rubbing her fingers across his chest much in the same way that Belinda did to me she says the same words to him that Belinda told me ¡°I love you.¡± Mason quickly rolls on top of Tiki and they begin to breed right in the middle of my dungeon.


    I find the entire situation a bit odd, as they both seem to be enjoying the process quit a lot, Mason is even forced to cover Tiki¡¯s mouth at one point to keep her from calling out. She in turn just bites onto his finger.


    As I am watching rather curiously on the screen I hear something behind me. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Belinda quickly rushes forward blocking the screen with her body. She however after a few seconds is staring hard at the screen as well.


    Since I can no longer see I reach forward pulling her arm for her to get out of the way, but when I do it causes her to jump.


    Belinda hastily says while blushing. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be watching this. That is private¡­My god¡­¡± ¨CShe quickly cover her face with her hands but sits down on the chair next to me, and peeks out at the screen.-


    We continue to watch till the conclusion, Belinda blushing as red as she possible can, and never removing her hands from in front of her face. After Mason and Tiki finish Belinda quickly jumps from the chair.


    Belinda: ¡°You should be ashamed of yourself!¡± ¨Cshe says while breathing rather heavily. - ¡°I¡­I¡­I¡¯m going to bed!¡± ¨CShe then quickly transfers from the room.-


    I don¡¯t get it¡­ Is it some kind of human thing? The more concerning thing is Tiki¡¯s actions followed what Belinda did to me almost to the letter. She isn¡¯t expecting me to breed with her is she? We already determined that it wouldn¡¯t work¡­


    Oh, look they are at it again. Wait what is she doing now? Why did she put it in her mouth, that makes no sense¡­Mason seems to like it though¡­Aww what are they doing now¡­?  That¡¯s disturbing, why¡­ It¡¯s now clear more than ever. I do not understand humans¡­


    The image on the screen causes me to shutter, and I decide I can¡¯t watch anymore so I decide to go to bed¡­ The next morning the adventurers are still preparing when Belinda appears in the core room. Without saying a word she begins to blush, she then quickly transfers out of the room exiting the dungeon in a hurry¡­


    Dakota: ¡°The way I see it, we have two options. We can take what we got and head out of the dungeon, as we will have to fight the monsters that have returned. Or we can press forward.¡±


    Dane: ¡°There was no point in staying the night if we turn and leave now. I say forward.¡±


    Mason: ¡°You are just saying that cause you lost all your spoils in that dice game with Kodiak.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°I don¡¯t feel like we have hit our limit yet, I think we need to move on.¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°I¡¯m in it for the long haul, let¡¯s see what else there is.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°I am a little worried about the lack of a capable healer, but if you guys are sure.¡±


    Mason: ¡°I guess the question now is, do we try to clear? Or do we just push forward to the crystal room then retreat?¡±


    Dakota: ¡°No reason to push for the crystal as we can¡¯t destroy it, I say we try to clear it, and if we reach the crystal room then so be it.¡±


    Dane: ¡°Alright we got a plan.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°Should we continue with the revised formation?¡±


    Dakota: ¡°I think that¡¯s best, Mason, you ok with taking point?¡±


    Mason: ¡°Leave it to me! The crystal room should be dead ahead past another large room, if you want to hit that last, then should we head left or right?¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Lets hit right, but remember Tiki, while in the back you need to stay in this hallway, if we leave the monsters would be capable of respawning here.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°But what if I can¡¯t attack?¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Think of it as singlehandedly holding off 5 kobold. If things get to dangerous we will need to be able to fall back to this room, so your task could be the one that saves all of our lives.¡±


    With the group using Mason to block from the start of the battle, and Kodiak more mindful of the kobold targeting his weak points they manage to clear the room suffering far less damage then they did in the hallway.


    Dakota: ¡°Great work everyone, but if the room at the other end of the hallway has the same setup it may become a problem.¡±


    The group has mixed feelings when they find the other room empty. They then prepare to enter the big room. When they open the door they rush into the room, but Tiki remains just inside of the hallway.


    Mason: ¡°My god, just look at them. There may only be 4 of them but that armor is better than mine¡­¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Focus we can do this! Tiki stay right there, use the door as a shield if you must, but don¡¯t come into this room.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°I got it.¡±


    Leaving Tiki behind the group presses forward behind Mason¡¯s shield, Dakota places her bow around her shoulder pulling the long thin blade from her side, and once they reach the group they spit up each facing off against a kobold.


    The kobold with two swords faces off again Kodiak, while the one with the halberd faces Mason, Dane is stuck with the mage, and Dakota with the archer.


    With Dakota coming in close with the sword the archer pulls his two daggers blocking on blow from Dakota¡¯s sword but losing one dagger in the process. The kobold with the halberd brings it down hard against Mason but he uses his shield blocking the blow.


    Dane meanwhile attacks the mage with his greataxe. The mage manages to dodge, then hits Dane across the arms with its battle-staff causing him to lose his grip on the axe. Once on the floor the mage casts a [Freeze] spell on the axe preventing Dane from being able to pick it back up.


    Kodiak if forced to dodge the blows as he can¡¯t parry the swords with his claws. After one jab from the kobold he manages to grab the kobold¡¯s wrist and sinks his teeth into its arm. The kobold responds by slashing Kodiak in the back with his other sword.


    Mason swings his mace into the heavy armored kobold but doesn¡¯t seem to faze it much as he brings his halberd down causing Mason to back up creating some space between them. Dakota attacks with her sword again this time the archer just dodges backwards and attempts to put as much space between him and Dakota as he can.


    Dane gives up on the axe leaping onto the mage biting down on its neck. He then spits and complains. ¡°Argh how do you do that Kodiak?¡±


    The kobold then manages to push him back with its staff. Meanwhile Tiki nervously waits in the doorway, unable to reach with her spells at that distance. Now that the kobold archer has created a gap he pulls his bow firing at Dakota. When she dodges however the arrow hits Masons thigh. She quickly pulls her own bow and shoots back at the archer.


    Her accuracy proves far more reliable then the kobold, and the arrow hits it right between the eyes causing it to collapse on the floor. Mason now injured seems to be losing ground against the halberd wielding kobold.


    Kodiak releases the kobold¡¯s arm this time targeting its neck as he manages to grapple both of the kobold¡¯s arms. As he thrashes his head back and forth the kobold beings to lose strength. Dane beings a tug of war match grabbing the mages staff.  With a sudden push of strength he manages to bust the kobold in the jaw with its own staff.


    Dakota moves in to help Mason but not before the halberd kobold manages to stab the point of the halberd deep into his shoulder, Tiki then beings to panic rushing into the room.


    Dakota: ¡°NO!¡±


    Pulling her sword again she manages to slash the halberd kobold in the back but she is more focused on Tiki.


    The kobold in the hallway quickly are reborn from the rift, although their gear is now gone, so I pull some of the weaker gear from the kobold upstairs. Tiki now manages to get close enough to attack the halberd kobold with her dark spell causing quite a bit of damage to the kobold.


    Dakota: ¡°Damnit Tiki, you just put us all at risk.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but Mason.¡±


    Mason: ¡°I¡¯m fine Tiki, its ok, we will figure something out.¡±


    Kodiak¡¯s kobold finally quits moving, and although not dead Dane¡¯s kobold seems to be unconscious. With everyone converging on the halberd kobold it loses its life as well. I hold on to a little hope that the kobold elder might survive, but that is shattered when Dakota angrily stabs it with her sword a few times.


    Dakota: ¡°You had one job Tiki ONE!¡±


    Dane: ¡°Take it easy there Dakota, what would you do if you saw your lover in danger.¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°Besides we have their gear, so it¡¯s not like they can do much anyway.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Monsters always respawn with new gear.¡±


    Mason: ¡°That¡¯s not always true, on small dungeons like this one they often don¡¯t.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Well there¡¯s nothing to be done about it now. Let¡¯s take a break¡­¡±


    The unity of the group seems to have broken now as the group and split up back into the three separate groups in which they started yesterday. To replace the damage they have done, I am going to have to get the weapons and armor they have back, and hold them for at least a few days.


    I only have the two golem and Rufus left, but that should be enough to hold them off, the bigger problem is getting the gear back. For now I decide to put the kobold in the + hallway at the end towards the stairs blocking their escape.


    I then add Rufus to the group for good measure and keep the two golems stored in the crystal for now. Now it is just up to what the adventurers decide.


    Tiki tries to insist that Mason uses the one remaining magic stone but he refuses, and after a while of debating they decide to at least check out the crystal room before trying to leave.


    Once in the crystal room they are all pretty awestruck.


    Tiki: ¡°Pretty¡­¡±


    Dane: ¡°I have never seen a real crystal before¡­¡±


    Dakota: ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s so clear¡­and every pulse changes color, could the rumors really of been true?¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°Hey I just got an idea¡­¡±


    Dakota: ¡°No we are not taking it¡­¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°We should consider destroying it though¡­ Sure we might have to leave Gowen, but think about it. If we destroy the crystal we should be able to get out of here without having to worry about monsters.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°I don¡¯t like it, I like living in Gowen.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Hold on, let¡¯s think about this¡­¡±


    I decide I have heard enough, and send out the two golems.


    Dakota: ¡°OH shit run!¡±


    The group flees back into the large room, the golems however don¡¯ fit though the door.


    Mason: ¡°Well that was a brilliant idea. let¡¯s talk about killing it right in front of it¡­¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you believe the old wives¡¯ tales do you?


    Mason: ¡°I don¡¯t know if its ¡°alive¡± but I know it at least has instincts, and it probably could sense your intentions.¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°Regardless, we still are going to have to find a way out of here.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°How often do you think groups make it down this far?¡±


    Mason: ¡°I have enough food to get us by for two or three days, we could just wait for help.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°The golems are only rumored, and the map has changed. That means their information isn¡¯t reliable, I would say we would run out of food and starve long before help arrived. I just say we hit fast and hard try to get out of here.¡±


    Mason: ¡°Well I want to live for those two or three days, your plan would work just as well then as it does now¡­¡±


    Dakota: ¡°We have no way to defend this point though, they could hit us from any side, the room¡¯s size is also a great disadvantage.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°Nothing has followed in here yet, so I think if we just stay here we will be safe¡­¡±


    Dane: ¡°I am sorry Dakota, but I have to agree, if nothing comes up when we run out of food then we can try pushing through, until then I think this is our best option¡­¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Fine, but when this goes wrong remember I told you so¡­¡±


    ¡­I think I just got captives without even having to lock them up¡­

 Escape

    The adventurer group has set up camp in a huddled corner of the large room, and even after a few hours pass they still seem dis-joined. Dakota paces the room, while Dane, and Kodiak sit talking quietly to each other.


    Mason and Tiki sit on their own, Mason keeps reassuring Tiki, telling her it¡¯s not her fault but when Dakota hears this she scoffs, and continues to pace the room. I set [Menu] to worn me if they move from the room, and go check on Thirty-seven and Lilah.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants to go see Belinda!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, the adventurers are still in the dungeon so I can¡¯t leave right now, and it looks like they may be here for a few days longer so, you will just have to visit her when she is home.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah wants to goooo.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Sorry, maybe I will ask her if she will take you with her tomorrow.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yay! Lilah gets to go to work with Belinda!¡±


    ¡°I said I would ask¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Thirty-seven! Thirty-seven we are going to town tomorrow.¡±


    She says while running over to Thirty-seven and tugging on her arm. Thirty-seven has a nervous look on her face, and awkwardly says ¡°Yay¡­¡± She then looks to me with pleading eyes.


    ¡°¡­ We will have to wait till Belinda gets home and see¡­¡±


    Intruders have entered the dungeon


    ¡°I got to go¡­¡±


    I quickly transfer to the core room checking on the adventurers. They however are still haven¡¯t left the room, I quickly look towards the entrance of the dungeon, and see a small group of adventurers entering.


    This isn¡¯t good, if they manage to make it down to the third floor this might get difficult¡­Once the group enters the first room it becomes clear that I got over worked up, they barely able to manage the first group of kobold, and not long after the second group they retreat.


    After a while things settle back down, and evening rolls around. The adventurers held up in the third floor, seem to have settled in, Dakota has finally stopped pacing and is sitting with Dane and Kodiak.


    Mason and Tiki are however still sitting by themselves fixing food over a fire, that they made by breaking up some of the d¨¦cor items in the room¡­Another expense, these adventurers are just costing and costing more xp.


    I might have to let them go just so they will quit draining me¡­ Once they finish cooking food Tiki tries to offer some to the beastkin trio as a peace offering, Dakota seems angry, but she doesn¡¯t turn down the food.


    After eating Dane and Kodiak take the first watch while the rest of the group goes to bed. Soon I see Belinda in a hurry heading up the trail to the dungeon. When she arrives she quickly transfers to the core room, after quickly looking at the screens she says.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh good they are still alive, but they are already asleep¡­ I didn¡¯t miss anything did I?¡±


    ¡°They have done a lot of damage to the dungeon, but they don¡¯t seem confident enough to be able to get back though the group that respawned behind them. Alive it would take them at least half a month to get back what they cost me, but if they do much more damage I might have to just kick them out just to save some xp¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh¡­Yea that¡¯s what I meant¡­I guess if things settled down I am just going to head to bed then.¡±


    ¡°Wait, before you go. Lilah wants to go to Tobes, if it¡¯s not too much trouble you might take her with you tomorrow.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am pretty busy, but it should be ok¡­ You think you will be able to have our dinner tomorrow? After all I will be leaving back to the Tower of the Gods pretty soon.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, with the adventurers in the dungeon I can¡¯t really leave them unattended¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was afraid you would say that¡­ Promise me we can at least have our date before I leave?¡±


    ¡°These adventurers have caused a lot of damage to our xp, it¡¯s going to be hard to even be able to replace what they killed, more or less prepare a group for your trip, so unless you can come up with something I am going to have to try to keep these guys as long as possible,¡±


    Belinda looks a bit upset but she nods, then moves up to me and kisses me on the cheek, she then blushes telling me good night, then transfers from the room. I wait for a while, and then head to bed myself.


    When I wake up in the morning, the screen telling me I got another 110xp from the group. After closing the screen I check on them, all of them but Dakota is asleep, but she appears to be packing her things.


    I set [Menu] then go and check on Thirty-seven and Lilah. When I arrive in the room a naked Lilah runs up to me grabbing my waist, Thirty-seven is sitting in a chair eating breakfast and Belinda is standing across the room holding a pink frilly dress.


    Lilah: ¡°Master help! Belinda¡¯s being mean!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Hey! Get back here and put on this dress I got you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°She says Lilah has to wear that! She doesn¡¯t wanta! Don¡¯t make her wear that thing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t be rubbing against Two-Twelve with no clothes on.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to go to town, and you can¡¯t go to town like that, so you need to put clothes on if you want to go with Belinda.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Please master! Not that though!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I had it made just for you! It¡¯s adorable.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°It¡¯s ugly! Lilah hates it!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem then just give her, her normal dress I don¡¯t see the problem.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes! The dress Master gave Lilah is best!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You can¡¯t only wear the one outfit, you need more clothes.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t like that dress, why not just give her a different one?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But this one was specially made!¡±


    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you make sure she liked it first?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yay.¡±


    Belinda shoots me an angry look then using [Menu] pulls out a dress looking much similar to her normal blue one but its white.


    Lilah: ¡°That¡¯s not master¡¯s dress! Master!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a different color, if you want to go with Belinda you need to put on the dress.¡±


    Lilah quickly lets me go then runs to Thirty-seven pulling on her arm.


    Lilah: ¡°Thirty-seven they are not being fair! Tell them!¡±


    Thirty-seven: ¡°You¡¯re not being fair.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Fine, you don¡¯t want to wear the dress, I picked out. Then fine, I don¡¯t have time, I have too much to do for the dungeon to fight with you. I have to go.¡±


    Belinda sets down the dress and transfers from the room.


    Lilah: ¡°Wait! Master she was supposed to take Lilah with her!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time either, because the adventurers should be awake by now. If you wanted to go with Belinda you should have followed her rules.¡±


    I then leave transfer back to the core room while Lilah jerks and pulls on Thirty-seven¡¯s arm preventing her from eating. Once I reach the core room for some reason Belinda is standing there.


    Belinda: ¡°What was that back there? I am your partner you should back up my decisions!¡±


    ¡°It was just a dress, besides I told her if she wanted to go with you she should have just put on the dress.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I had that dress made specifically for her, if she doesn¡¯t wear it, it¡¯s a complete waste.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t like it though¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Sometimes you have to do things you don¡¯t like, she needs to learn that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand all this over a dress though¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Fine, I wasn¡¯t lying about having a lot to do, so I guess I will see you when I get home.¡±


    She then quickly transfers from the room, watching her she seems angry as she heads down the mountain. When I turn my attention to the screen I see the adventurers arguing about something.


    Dakota: ¡°I don¡¯t care! I can¡¯t take another day cooped up in here.¡±


    Dane:  ¡°Let¡¯s just give it one more day, at least give the village time for us to think we are missing.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°We are in a dungeon! They have already written us off.¡±


    Dane: ¡°What about if we turn ourselves over to the dungeon? This dungeon takes prisoners and lets them go after a few days.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°Yea we could just drop our stuff and the dungeon should let us go in a few days.¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°After everything we have managed to get, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°We don¡¯t even know if the dungeon will take us prisoner, it could kill half of the groups and we would never know. I am not going to risk it. Kodiak you¡¯re with me right.¡±


    Mason: ¡°If you¡¯re throwing your life away, I am not following you, I would rather be a prisoner for a few days then dead on the floor.¡±


    Dane: ¡°If we are doing this, it¡¯s either all or none, and I am not going to risk it if it¡¯s just the three of us.¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°Of course you don¡¯t care, because you already have lost your share!¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Tiki. You¡¯re the reason we are in this mess, if you feel any responsibility for it we have to try.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°But¡­¡±


    Mason: ¡°Don¡¯t put this on her.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°I am sick and tired of your shit. Play the gentleman all you want between the sheets, but right now, if we don¡¯t get out of here, what you think will happen to that little girlfriend of yours.¡±


    Mason shoves Dakota, and then Kodiak punches him in the jaw, Dakota rushes back forward, but Dane and Tiki step between them blocking them off.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Tiki: ¡°Stop it! Stop it! Quit fighting with each other!¡±


    If this keeps up I won¡¯t have to worry about them much longer, they are going to kill each other¡­Once they settle down the group separates again within the room.


    Dane: ¡°What if we just make a run for it?¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Dane: ¡°All we have to do is get to the stairs right? After that we can handle the groups after that.¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°Well sure, the groups on the upper floors shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but are you just saying we should charge through this other group?¡±


    Dane: ¡°Dakota said they can¡¯t follow through the stairs right? That was a big stairwell between the floors, we could even rest on the stairs in-between the floors if we had to, we just have to make it to the stairs¡­¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°Dakota, do you think that would work?¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Surely they aren¡¯t just going to let us run straight though, they are going to try to stop us the entire way, but I mean¡­ It might just work¡­ From what I heard they shouldn¡¯t be able to get to us once we hit the stairs¡­¡±


    Dane: ¡°But it¡¯s better than just waiting here¡­¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°I am game, Dakota?¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Sounds like a plan to me. Can we get the love birds to agree?¡±


    Dane: ¡°Let me try¡­¡±


    Dane moves over to Tiki and Mason.


    Dane: ¡°Hey¡­I come up with an idea, it¡¯s not great but at least it¡¯s something.¡±


    After talking with Tiki and Mason, Dane manages to get them on board after a little reluctance.


    Mason: ¡°If we do this Tiki stays right behind me the entire way, if someone falls, I will help, but only after Tiki has made it to the stairs.¡±


    Dane: ¡°You take point, and Kodiak and I will take either side, Dakota in the back with Tiki in the middle that work for you?¡±


    Mason: ¡°Fine.¡±


    They collect all their gear and begin to set out. I move the monsters to the sides so they can¡¯t snipe them down the hallway, I will try to grab one or two of them as they pass the intersection.


    Once they prepare and set off into the hallway. The group is surprised when the hallway appears clear but they don¡¯t let their guard down for even a minute.


    Mason: ¡°Not even bothering to use the decoy this time, they will probably hit when we pass the intersection.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°This works for us, on my mark, just run.¡±


    They proceed down the hall way and once they get close to the intersection, Dakota orders them to run, and they make a break for the stairs. Mason manages to push through along with Tiki, Dane and Kodiak however are pulled back into the side hallways.


    Dakota manages to catch up to Mason and Tiki completely abandoning the other two beastkin, but she is grabbed by the ankle by Rufus being to drag her back. Mason pushes Tiki into the stairwell then rushes to Dakota¡¯s aid.


    Mason manages to slam his shield against Rufus knocking him to the floor, he then grabs Dakota by the arm pulling her to her feet. Dakota limps towards the stairs while Mason protects her.


    Rufus manages to pass Mason¡¯s shield sinking his teeth into Mason¡¯s arm. Mason drops his shield and hits Rufus with his mace, Rufus however doesn¡¯t back down.


    Tiki: ¡°Mason!¡±


    Once Dakota reaches the door she turns firing an arrow hitting Rufus. He yelps and after Mason smashes him again with his mace he hits a wall sliding to the floor, Mason then runs for the door.


    Mason: ¡°What about Dane and Kodiak?¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Nothing we can do about them now¡­I don¡¯t like being here lets go up some of the stairs just to be safe.¡±


    Tiki: ¡°But¡­¡±


    Mason: ¡°It¡¯s ok, it was their plan. We knew it was a risk¡­¡±


    Dakota: ¡°You don¡¯t seem too broken up about it.¡±


    Mason: ¡°Neither do you. What are we going to do now? You think we can hit the upper floors now that Dane and Kodiak are gone?¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°Don¡¯t count me out just yet¡­¡±


    A battered and bloody Kodiak manages to drag his self into the room¡­


    Tiki: ¡°My god, are you ok?¡±


    Tiki quickly rushes to him dragging him up some of the stairs. She looks to Mason and he nods, she then uses their last magic stone to heal some of his wounds.


    Dakota: ¡°Damnit man, you are a tough bastard.¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°I had to ditch my pack though¡­ Dane was a good friend¡­Horrible dice player but, a good friend¡­ I barely managed to escape while they tore him apart¡­¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Mentioned your pack first though¡­Good friend indeed.¡±


    Kodiak: ¡°Shut up, we know there is a risk doing this kind of work¡­ It¡¯s a shame I won¡¯t have anything to show for it even if we manage to make it out of here... Then Dane would have given his life for nothing.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°We have the confirmation on the golems, the confirmation on the crystal, the confirmation on the third floor, that fucking dog was new so we got another monster commission, then the new groups of kobolds that wasn¡¯t in the map. That¡¯s like two hundred gold, and all we have to do is make it out of here alive¡­¡±


    Mason: ¡°The other two floors are going to be much harder now without Dane, I also lost my shield back there.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Well the group just up the stairs should have a shield for you, not as good probably as the one you had, but better than nothing, and I¡¯ll only use my bow as we approach, then stick to melee to spread the damage a bit.¡±


    Now that the group has finally settled down some deciding to rest for a while before continuing I look at the damage they done. I can¡¯t see how much xp the fallen beastkin gave me till midnight or the group leaves, but I would assume it¡¯s probably somewhere between 100 or 200xp.


    With the loss of Rufus, the damage keeps outweighing the rewards¡­ Although Mason¡¯s shield was pretty nice, it looks to be a superior quality tower shield. The fallen beastkin¡¯s gear is all also of superior quality as well, and with his death, and the other beastkin dropping his pack I have managed to recover most of the items they have stolen.


    Unless they make a critical mistake, I think the rest of the group will be able to make it out, I might try to push to get at least one more¡­


    That idea is quickly shattered when another group of adventurers enters the dungeon, and this time it¡¯s a familiar group. These guys usually make it down to the second floor, and run off after raiding the chests.


    If they meet up with the C-rankers though, they will be able to get leave out easy enough. The question now is how long will it take for them to run into one another, and will I be able to claim another before then¡­


    Rufus would have been able to enter the stairs and push the group forward before they were ready, but he was the last named monster I had¡­ Well I have Lilah, but don¡¯t think that would work.


    I need to find a boss monster that stays in the dungeon¡­ Maybe I can talk Belinda into letting me buy another slave. Although I seemed to make her quite mad already this morning to. No use trying to push my luck twice in one day¡­


    While the group pushed forward on the ground floor, the C-ranked group still rests in the stairwell. Come on if they don¡¯t move soon I am going to completely miss my chance at being able to get at least one more.


    Good they are finally beginning to move, but the other group just finished the first floor, I will probably only have the one chance at this before they run into each other. Once the C-rankers exit the top of the stairs battle imminently begins.


    The kobold mage and archer quickly attack sending spell and arrow hurling at the group, Mason instinctively tries to block, but without his shield an arrow pierces his arm. Kodiak manages to brush off the spell, but he doesn¡¯t look in good shape, even after the break and using the magic stone he was not in top fighting condition.


    Tiki and Dakota quickly retaliate, Dakota dropping the mage, Tiki however targeting one of the more heavily armored kobold with her darkness attack. I would like to be able to learn that spell, but right now I think my best bet is going to be Kodiak so I the kobold focus on him as they charge forward.


    Dakota and Mason however step forward blocking their path. The steel halberd from the kobold manages to wound Dakota as she focuses on avoiding the greatsword crashing down at her. Mason manages to parry a sword strike, but when he tries to attack the kobold¡¯s shield blocks the blow.


    Kodiak grabs the halberd jerking it from the kobold¡¯s hands then he leaps onto it biting and clawing at it. Even when he takes an arrow from the archer he doesn¡¯t stop his attack shredding the flesh of the kobold.


    Dakota: ¡°We have to do something about that archer, Tiki, focus on him.¡±


    Tiki¡¯s next spell hits the archer but it seems to do much less damage to the leather wearing archer then it did to the full-plate wearing kobold. Dakota shoves her thin blade in the joint of the greatsword wielding kobold¡¯s full-plate armor. She shoves, twists, and pulls in a single action causing the kobold to drop.


    Mason takes another blow from the sword and shield kobold but his armor manages to deflect most of the impact. The archer fires another arrow at Kodiak while he finishes off the kobold he has pinned to the floor, but Dakota steps in front taking the arrow in the hip.


    Tiki attacks with another spell, the archer now is starting to look in bad shape. Kodiak now tries to move on to the sword and shield kobold, but when he leaps the kobold braces itself and slams him hard with his shield pushing him back.


    Mason takes the opportunity to swing in with his mace causing the kobold to stagger. After the archer puts another arrow into Kodiak, if he doesn¡¯t get help soon he will die. Dakota briefly sheathes her sword and takes out the archer with an arrow of her own.


    Mason: ¡°Tiki, try to do something about Kodiak, I don¡¯t know if we can go on without him. Dakota and I will take care this last kobold.¡±


    Tiki rushes to Kodiak¡¯s side trying to stop his bleeding, but without spells it doesn¡¯t look good. The kobold bashes Mason with his shield but when he prepares for the follow-up blow the kobold quickly changes targets, dropping his shield giving up all defenses to slash Tiki in the back.


    Tiki screams falling forward over Kodiak, and this sends Mason into a rage, causing him to bash his mace into the kobold over and over again. Once the kobold quits moving he rushes to Tiki¡¯s side.


    Tiki took a nasty wound to the back, but after Mason quickly and carefully treats the wound and bandages it. Dakota nudges Kodiak with her feet but he doesn¡¯t appear to have made it.


    Dakota: ¡°I have never seen anything like that¡­ Tiki, you¡¯re going to be ok, I don¡¯t think it was focused on killing you as much as just preventing you from saving Kodiak¡­¡±


    Mason: ¡°They seemed to be focused on him from the moment we entered the room¡­¡±


    They treat the rest of their wounds, and Tiki has to replace her shirt after Mason ripped it to wrap the bandage around her.


    Tiki: ¡°I don¡¯t know how much further we can make it now¡­ If they targeted Kodiak because he had the most damage, then that means they will go after me next¡­¡±


    Mason: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will protect you.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°Wait do you guys hear that?¡±


    Mason: ¡°Hear wh¡­ What is that?¡±


    Dakota: ¡°It sounds like¡­It¡¯s combat, someone is in the next room!¡±


    Tiki: ¡°Oh thank god, let¡¯s go! We might be able to help, and then we can get out of here.¡±


    When they enter the other room they find the D-rankers attacking the kobold, the D-rankers are startled at first, but even with the C-rankers badly hurt they manage to clear the room quickly.


    Tiki: ¡°Thank god you guys where here, I don¡¯t know if we could have made it the rest of the way.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°You guys look like you have been through hell.¡±


    Dakota: ¡°We have been here for three days, we managed to get down to the crystal room, but getting out again proved a lot more difficult.¡±


    After they talk a while, the D-rankers mage heals the groups wounds, they then retreat from the dungeon together.


    Intruders have retreated


    Battle Results:


    Acquired: 400xp, 1 Superior Quality Greataxe +, Superior Quality Chainmail +, Agile Superior Quality Black Leather Armor +, Superior Tower Shield +.


    Acquired a specialized item, agile sub-trait can now be added to items for additional xp cost


    Agile Trait: Prevents penalties to agility when using armor with agile sub-trait, lowers defensive ability by small amount due to weakened joints.


    Well I am going to wait to replace the kobolds on the third floor until I make sure Belinda has what she needs when she leaves for Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. I decide to check on Thirty-seven and Lilah.


    Lilah is sitting in a chair with her arms crossed, wearing the white dress Belinda had, and the pink frilly dress however is nowhere to be seen. Thirty-seven is sitting in the chair next to Lilah patting her head.


    ¡°The adventurers are gone for now, I was thinking of surprising Belinda with a visit would you girls like to go with me?¡±


    Lilah jumps up quickly running up to me pulling on my arm.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants to go!¡±


    ¡°I figured that much, what about you Thirty-seven? Do you want to go?¡±


    She looks to Lilah then stands up. We then set out from the dungeon heading down the trail to Tobes.


    When we reach Tobes, I manage to get Thirty-seven to follow us in hiding behind me, but once we start running into several humans at one time, she quickly asks to go back. We have to return back to the edge of the town to drop her off at her normal spot.


    Lilah and I then head in to the adventurer¡¯s guild. Once we enter the guild one of the receptionists is asking Belinda if she is ok. Belinda is sitting across the counter from Tiki, Mason, and Dakota with a red face she is blushing and seems unable to speak while looking at Mason and Tiki.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­.We¡­.I¡¯m¡­.Excuse me!¡±


    She then stands up covering her face retreating to the back.


    Receptionist: ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, she appears ill, and what can I do for you today?¡±


    The receptionist then begins to help the group. Lilah and I then head towards the back. When I enter her old room Belinda seems startled still blushing deeply, once she sees me she quickly changes to a complicated expression.


    ¡°Are you ok, you acted kind of strange back there?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How was I supposed to look them in the eye after seeing them¡­You know.¡±


    ¡°You see adventurers after they enter the dungeon all the time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Not that. Lilah wait outside I need to talk to Two-Twelve.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants to stay with master¡±


    After giving me a look I tell Lilah to way outside.


    ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡±


    Belinda seems to be psyching herself up for something.


    Belinda: ¡°You know after the humans¡­ That one night¡­ They¡­¡±


    Belinda seems to be trying but she has begun to blush again, and is stumbling with her words.


    ¡°Oh, you mean when they were breeding?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes¡­I am sure you have realized by now, that¡­That¡­ Is not its only purpose right?¡±


    ¡°That much I have gathered as much, Denova sells it like any other store, and then the humans up in the dungeon, seemed to be enjoying themselves. They also did some things that made no sense for breeding purposed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Made no sense? Wait did I miss something?¡±


    ¡°Well after you left that night they started again, but this time they did strange stuff like she¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait wait wait¡­¡± ¨CShe said blushing.- ¡°Don¡¯t talk about it¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­ You asked¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well that kind of thing is personal, and secret. You just don¡¯t talk about it.¡±


    ¡°How does that work Denova sells sex like any other merchandise¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She¡¯s the exception to the rule¡­ That¡¯s why I was upset about the brothel to begin with...Things like that just shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°Like slaves?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well yes and no¡­ I mean a brothel has a purpose I guess, many people don¡¯t feel the way I do¡­ I just think you should only be with someone like that, if you love them¡­¡±


    ¡°So you want to have sex with me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wh¡­Where¡­What makes you say that?!¡± ¨CShe says blushing covering her face again.-


    ¡°You said love, that¡¯s what Tiki told Mason just before they had sex, and you said the same thing to me when you slept with me a while back. You both even did that thing with your fingers on the chest¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well¡­It¡¯s not¡­I mean¡­I wouldn¡¯t¡­It¡¯s different¡­¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t intend to have sex with me that night?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­ Would¡­ I mean¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ I thought¡­ I need to get back to work¡­¡±


    Embarrassed and bright red she quickly runs out of the room almost knocking Lilah down as she was right behind the door, she then leaves the door standing open, and disappears down the hall. Lilah pokes her head in the door.


    Lilah: ¡°Did master say something mean?¡±


    ¡°Most likely¡­ I guess we should head back, Thirty-seven has been waiting a while, and we are not too sure if someone is going to try to hit the dungeon again today or not¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What about Belinda?¡±


    ¡°I am sure she will come home when she is done.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah didn¡¯t get to talk to her!¡±


    ¡°Things should calm down now, at least for a while. You can talk to her some other time¡­ Besides weren¡¯t you mad at her because of the dress?¡±


    Lilah grumbles then we set out, Belinda doesn¡¯t make eye contact with me when we walk through the front of the guild, but she glances several times out of the corner of her eyes, blushing deeper and deeper red.

 Tragedy in Tobes

    After we leave Belinda behind in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild Lilah and I make our way out of town but when we reach the edge there seems to be a problem. Three adventurers are surrounding the spot where Thirty-seven is usually at, and I can¡¯t see her anywhere. I quickly run up to the group.


    ¡°Hey hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    The group is huddled around Thirty-seven she is quickly looking back and forth between them truly terrified, when she sees me pleads with her eyes, but is too scared to move past the group.


    Adventurer: ¡°We found this girl out here she seemed really scared, and she won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, just back up she is scared of strangers.¡±


    Lilah runs up between them stretches her arms out and puffs out her chest.


    Adventurer 2: ¡°And who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am her brother. Two-Twelve, you have a problem you can talk to Belinda at the adventurer¡¯s guild about it¡­¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°I heard of Two-Twelve, but never heard anything about him having a sister.¡±


    ¡°Well I need to take her home, you can ask at the guild about it.¡±


    I reach my arm between them but one of them smacks it back.


    Adventurer 3: ¡°Hold on a minute here. This girl here is a slave, how do we know you¡¯re not going to just run off with this girl when our backs are turned.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Miss is he telling the truth?¡±


    The adventurer reaches for Thirty-seven with his hand causing her to turn her head, and close her eyes tight.


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Looks to me she doesn¡¯t know you. I think it¡¯s time you leave.¡±


    ¡°I am telling you she is just scared of people, just back off.¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°I think we will just take her to the guild ourselves, and we can sort this all out, if you¡¯re telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°I have worked hard to get her this far, I am not about make her have to go around that many people.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°You made her like this? I don¡¯t care who you say you are.¡±


    The adventurer begins to draw a sword from his waist, at this point Lilah jumps at him biting his wrist.


    Adventurer: ¡°Damn you little bitch. Get her off!¡±


    The second adventurer punches Lilah in the side causing her to fly off the adventurer¡¯s arm rolling in the dirt a few feet away. I quickly cast a [Freeze] spell at the adventurer that hit Lilah causing a bit of damage and slowing him down.


    Adventurer 3: ¡°Damnit he¡¯s a mage! ¡°


    The 3<sup>rd</sup> adventurer then pulls a two handed sword from his back swinging it at me. I manage to avoid the blow while Lilah jumps back at the adventurer biting him again. I cast another [Freeze] spell at the same adventurer this time causing him to completely stop moving.


    Adventurer 3: ¡°Coby!¡±


    The greatsword is swung at me again this time I am unable to completely dodge, causing me to suffer quite a bit of damage, and crash to the ground. The first adventurer throws Lilah off again, but wraps his hand around his other wrist Lilah seems to have gotten him good.


    Adventurer: ¡°Oh god¡­ Kill the bastard already.¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°A mage taking a blow like that he should be dead!¡±


    From the floor I quickly change to a [Fireball] spell hitting the greatsword  guy is the chest knocking him back. The first adventurer starts to swing his sword at Lilah who is injured pretty bad on the ground, but Thirty-seven grabs the sword on the ground from the frozen adventurer stabbing the adventurer in the chest that is attacking Lilah.


    Adventurer 3: ¡°What the hell!¡±


    He swings his sword at Thirty-seven hitting her hard causing a lot of damage, I quickly cast another [Fireball] into him causing him to hit the ground. I then quickly rush to Thirty-seven who appears to be bleeding really badly.


    ¡°I should have learned the healing spell the same time Belinda did¡­Lilah are you ok?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master it hurts, but Lilah will be ok.¡±


    ¡°I have to get Thirty-seven to so help quickly. Can you make it back to the dungeon ok?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But master¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine just stay close I have no idea what¡¯s going to happen¡­¡±


    I quickly pick up Thirty-seven in my arms, she seems to have passed out, and I then run into the village. I make a line straight for the Adventurer¡¯s guild as that¡¯s the only place I know where there may be mages that can use healing magic.


    When I kick the door open on the adventurer¡¯s guild quite a few people jump from their seats startled, I then rush forward setting down Thirty-seven on the nearest table.


    ¡°Somebody that has healing magic, quick.¡±


    I quickly look around the room but don¡¯t see Belinda.


    Receptionist: ¡°Two-Twelve what happened?¡±


    ¡°Where is Belinda?¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°She just stepped out¡­¡±


    ¡°Anybody!? Can nobody use healing magic?¡±


    Adventurer¡¯s nervously look around the room, nobody however steps forward.


    Lilah: ¡°Master¡­¡±


    I quickly open [Menu] and ask Belinda where she is at.


    ¡°Belinda where are you? I need you, Thirty-seven is dying, we are at the adventurer¡¯s guild!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What happened? The bakery, take her to the bakery!¡±


    Without another word I quickly rush out the door with Thirty-seven in my arms heading to the bakery. I can feel that I am losing Thirty-seven I don¡¯t know if she is going to make it. When I burst into the bakery Susan screams.


    ¡°Please! Belinda said to bring her here!¡±


    Susan: ¡°Here, here set her down here.¡± ¨CShe motions to the counter.-


    I place her on the counter and Susan quickly rips Thirty-sevens shirt open to get to the wound.


    Susan: ¡°It¡¯s bad¡­I don¡¯t know if I can.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Susan places her hands over the wound and begins casting magic


    ¡°Belinda where are you?!¡± ¨CI ask her in [Menu]-


    Belinda: ¡°I am on my way as fast as I can!¡±


    Susan beings to sweat really bad focusing on the magic, she soon has to prop herself up with the counter then she loses it, completely drained of magic she looks like she is about to pass out herself.


    Susan: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s all I could do¡­I might have been able to save her a few more minutes¡­But I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨CShe then collapses to the floor.-


    Lilah pulls on my arm.


    Lilah: ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Lilah.¡±


    I then message Belinda again.


    ¡°Belinda! Susan is out of magic, it wasn¡¯t enough.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am almost there.¡±


    ¡°This is my fault¡­ I made her come down to the village, hell I insisted on her getting closer¡­ I should have learned healing magic¡­¡±


    I hit the counter with my fists.


    Lilah: ¡°Master.¡±


    I hear a horn blow in the distance. A few seconds later Belinda rushes in, she quickly looks the room then rushes up to Thirty-seven and thrusts her hands to her casting a healing spell. After a short time passes she drops to her knees, and begins to cry.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­If I wasn¡¯t on the other side of town¡­¡±


    I move forward placing a hand on her shoulder. Lilah moves forward pulling on Thirty-seven¡¯s limp arm crying.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault¡­I should have learned healing magic¡­I shouldn¡¯t have left her alone¡­I¡­¡±


    I hear the horn blow again and several people in the distance making racket, but right now, I drop to my knees next to Belinda. Belinda turns grabbing my shirt crying into my chest while Lilah grabs my arm crying into my shoulder.


    I feel a pain in my stomach, and there is an uncomfortable feeling in my throat. I feel I should be crying as well, but no tears come¡­ After the third horn sounds Susan has woken back up¡­


    Susan: ¡°What happened? Were you attacked by monsters from the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°No, it was adventurers. It was just a stupid misunderstanding but before I could set it right they attacked.¡±


    Susan: ¡°The horn then? Did you kill them?¡±


    ¡°They left me no choice, they almost killed Lilah, Thirty-seven stopped them, but¡­¡±


    Susan: ¡°Are you ok to talk? I need to go tell Harald what happened.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡±


    Susan: ¡°But Belinda worked so hard! If they destroy the dungeon off of this everything she has worked for will be for nothing!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean destroy the dungeon?¡±


    Susan: ¡°The horn blowing, it means they found the bodies, and think it was monsters from the dungeon. They are probably on the way there now with every adventurer they can round up.¡±


    I quickly stand. ¡°We have to stop them.¡±


    ¡°Belinda take care of Lilah, I have to do something!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about you? That cut is deep.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t matter if they destroy the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Please, be careful¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master! Don¡¯t go!¡±


    I quickly rush out the door heading to the edge of town. From base of the mountain I can see at least 30 people quickly making their way up the mountain. I quickly rush up the trail. Once reaching the group I try telling them to stop but none listen, so I push my way through the group.


    ¡°Harald!¡±


    Harald: ¡°Two-Twelve, you look horrible! Did you get attacked by the monsters as well?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re misunderstanding the situation, it wasn¡¯t the dungeon!¡±


    Harald: ¡°There were three dead adventurers right outside of town, I know you are close to Belinda, but we can¡¯t risk it.¡±


    ¡°No, I am saying it was me.¡±


    The group begins to halt.


    Harald: ¡°What do you mean? You killed the adventurers?¡±


    ¡°It was a misunderstanding, they attacked, and I had no choice.¡±


    Harald: ¡°The bite wounds, and the magic.¡±


    ¡°The magic was me, the bite wounds were from Lilah.¡±


    Harald: ¡°Your slave girl? Why don¡¯t you tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°You know about my sister right?¡±


    Harald: ¡°The one afraid of people?¡±


    ¡°The adventurers surrounded her, upsetting her, and when I tried to stop them, they attacked. We had no choice, but to defend ourselves¡­¡±


    Harald: ¡°So that wound? It¡¯s from the adventurers?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­And Thirty-seven¡­They killed her¡­¡±


    Harald: ¡°This is serious, you¡¯re going to have to come with me back to Tobes till we get this all straightened out.¡±


    ¡°Fine, whatever just call back the adventurers¡­¡±


    Harald: ¡°You said your sister is dead, yet you¡¯re worried about the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Belinda¡­ She worked so hard, I don¡¯t want her to lose all her research over a misunderstanding¡­¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say so I mimic Susan¡¯s words. The group slowly begins to dissipate, and Harald leads me back down to Tobes, I lead him to the bakery. When we enter the bakery, I see that they have moved Thirty-seven, and she is now lying on a blanket on the floor with another one over the top of her.


    Susan is talking to Belinda with her hand on Belinda¡¯s shoulder. Belinda is no longer crying but her face is red, and she is still sniffling. Lilah is huddled in the corner arms crossed with her head buried in her knees, her new white dress torn, dirty, and splotched with blood.


    When Belinda sees me she runs up to me wrapping her arms around me, and she begins to cry again.


    Harald: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Belinda, but I am going to have to take him, and the slave girl till we get this all figured out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡±


    Harald moves over lifting the blanket to look at Thirty-seven. Lilah rushes forward, but I manage to grab her before she reaches Harald.


    Lilah: ¡°Don¡¯t touch her filthy human!¡±


    ¡°Lilah, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Master!¡±


    After giving her a stern look, she calms down, and stops struggling. After a moment Herald lowers the blanket.


    Susan: ¡°Harald, you¡¯re not really suggesting Two-Twelve murdered some adventurers are you? The kids are hurting.¡±


    Harald: ¡°I am sorry, but I have to do my job¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know how I can explain anything more. I told them to leave Thirty-seven alone, they drew weapons, and we were forced to protect ourselves.¡±


    Harald: ¡°Where I am getting hazy is how 3 people, one of which is a small child, the other two not even adventurers. Yet the still somehow, not drawing weapons first, still manage to defeat 3 seasoned adventurers, and even using magic to do so.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do you really think I a princess of the kingdom would hang around questionable people? Besides, I can answer that point. They received training while they were slaves, I can¡¯t tell you the details for obvious reasons, but trust me.¡±


    Harald: ¡°I am sorry princess, he has been here for almost a year, yet nobody knows anything about him. Then he has a sister that appears out of nowhere, and can¡¯t even interact normally with people. Then he buys a slave, which with his background I could understand wanting to help a child, but after all this time, she still has her collar.¡±


    ¡°She has never asked me to remove it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am telling you, if he said they drew weapons first, that¡¯s what happened.¡±


    Harald: ¡°Fine princess, but I am going to continue to check things out, if I turn something up, or anything else happens, this safety of the village comes first.¡±


    Harald seems angry but Susan ushers him out of the bakery, she then nods to Belinda stepping outside and closing the door. Belinda moves over to me healing my wound. She then places her hand on my back.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, I know I should feel strongly about this, but the truth is I am just angry¡­¡±


    Belinda steps forward wrapping her hands around me from behind, laying her head on back.


    Belinda: ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°We move on¡­ Any one or all of us could be lost at any time. I just didn¡¯t think that it would happen to Thirty-seven, she isn¡¯t even connected to the dungeon¡­She would have been fine if I didn¡¯t try to force her into coming out of the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda hugs me tight and says. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, the adventurers that did this, it is their fault¡­ They did attack first right?¡±


    ¡°Of course do you think I would attack adventurers without any equipment outside of my dungeon? Well technically Lilah attacked first, but they had already begun drawing their weapons, she is just¡­Fast.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me, just don¡¯t tell anyone else that part¡­What do we do with Thirty-seven now?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? She is gone there is nothing we can do¡­¡±


    Lilah has returned to the corner burying her head into her knees, Belinda seems to choke-up again but manages to speak.


    Belinda: ¡°I mean for a funeral? How do you handle death of other dungeon cores?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, besides Thirty-seven is human now, how do humans deal with it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It really depends on the human¡­We have many ways, adventurers often leave no body, so there is usually a group of friends and family that just get together to remember them. The only difference when there is a body, the friends and family usually gather around the body to morn and celebrate the life of the one that died.¡±


    ¡°Thirty-seven spent her entire life in a dungeon, the only ones that have even had contact with her is in this room with the exception of Madam Erin¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok, I will take care of it. You and Lilah head home, but be careful, we don¡¯t need Harald poking around our business.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Belinda hugs me tight again then slowly lets go, I then move to Lilah when I tell her it¡¯s time to go the moves to Thirty-seven grabbing her hand under the blanket. It takes Belinda and me both to convince her to let go.


    After leaving the building Susan is sitting on the front step of the building. She nods to me when standing up then taps me on the shoulder heading back inside. Lilah and I make our way out of the village.


    Once we reach the lake I notice someone following us, I direct Lilah the opposite way into the woods, and it takes a while to lose the person tailing us. Once we are sure no one is watching we enter the dungeon then quickly head to the core room.


    I continue to watch for a while, but I see no signs of anyone approaching the dungeon. I send a message to Belinda warning her about us being tailed, and to be careful. I finally notice a screen that I moved out of the way when we entered.


    Monsters have returned from battle


    Battle Results:


    Monster Lilah has gained a level


    Acquired: none


    Loss: none


    20xp gained from external source


    20 XP Total acquired.


    ¡°20 xp¡­Thirty-seven lost her life, it cost us so much and we only got 20xp¡­¡±


    I decide I have to now inform Madam Erin¡­


    ¡°Thirty-seven has lost her life in a battle with adventurers outside Tobes earlier this evening.¡±


    It¡¯s not even a few minutes before I get a reply from Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Battle, what was Thirty-seven doing battling adventurers? Did she join your dungeon?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I was working on getting her able to interact with humans, and although she was greatly improving, even making it as far as entering the village even if it was every so brief.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is amazing, although I guess it doesn¡¯t mean a whole lot now. What exactly happened?¡±


    ¡°She began to follow us down to the village when we visited, she however waited outside. This evening she had a group of adventurers surround her, and scaring her. When I confronted them they pulled their weapons, and after the battle Thirty-seven sustained damage her human body could not heal and she died.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Damnit¡­ How are you holding up?¡±


    ¡°Everyone keeps asking me that, I haven¡¯t had a good answer for any of them¡­ For whatever it is worth, know that she did manage to take one of the adventurers with her, I took care of the other two, with the help of one of my monsters.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°At least the bastards are dead. Your dungeon going to pull though?¡±


    ¡°Locals are starting to get antsy, got someone following us, but I think we are ok. My boss monster is planning some human ritual concerning Thirty-seven¡¯s death. I know how long you cared for Thirty-seven, so I thought you might want to know.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Tell me when and where, if I can I will be there.¡±


    ¡°You know the ritual I am talking about?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You don¡¯t deal death to humans for this many years against humans, and not learn a few things about their rituals concerning it.¡±


    ¡°Ok, as soon as I hear something, I will let you know.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Be careful pup. This is a crucial point for your dungeon, this could make or break you, don¡¯t let me down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°What is it Lilah.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants to kill the humans. They took Thirty-seven from her.¡±


    ¡°The humans are gone Lilah.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master gets to kill humans all the time, Lilah wants to kill them too!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any training Lilah, you will end up just like Thirty-seven, I am not going to risk it.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Then if Lilah trains, master will let Lilah kill humans¡­?¡±


    I don¡¯t think Belinda is going to like this, but Lilah is after all a monster¡­ I take the key to her collar from the desk, unlocking the little collar around her neck.


    ¡°You want to train ok? I won¡¯t stop you, but no fighting humans till I say so.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah will work hard! What does Lilah do now?¡±


    ¡°For now you go to bed, once all this settles down we can start training you then.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants to start now!¡±


    ¡°Lilah, for now you go to bed¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes master¡­¡±


    After transporting Lilah to Thirty-seven¡¯s room she picks up the cat stuffed animal hugs it and begins crying again¡­ Without anything to say I tell her good night and head back to the core room.


    I use [Menu] and learn the [Heal] spell, I then try to use it to teach it to Lilah, but it won¡¯t allow me to teach spells to standard monsters¡­ I try a few more spells but all come out the same so I decide to give up for now.


    I message Belinda asking what is taking her so long, when it starts to get late, but she tells me she is going to stay in Tobes for tonight to take care of things, I tell her again to be careful.


    A few days after Thirty-seven¡¯s death I still haven¡¯t had any activity in the dungeon, Belinda has seemed to put a hold on commissions, keeping the adventurers at bay. She hasn¡¯t been to the dungeon since that day, but has giving me strict directions, of when and where to be and what to wear when I get there, I have since informed Madam Erin.


    Lilah and I leave the dungeon for the first time since Thirty-seven¡¯s death, we take a long trip around entering Tobes from a hunters trail on the side of Tobes. Lilah wears a dress much similar to the blue or white one she has worn in the past but this one is black in color. My outfit is rather simple but also black in color.


    Susan has been waiting for us at the edge of the village, once she sees us she moves up to us.


    Susan: ¡°I am glad you made it, I know things have been rough the last few days, Belinda told me you have been hiding out in the forest because of Harald¡¯s accusations¡­ Belinda wanted me to make sure you made it there without any trouble.¡±


    After I nod Susan leads us through town, there isn¡¯t any trouble but there are a few more eyes on us then in the past. Once we reach a small building we enter to find a long room with benches on either side, a long carpet leads to a large box on a table.


    Belinda stands when we enter walking up to me placing her hand on Lilah¡¯s head and taking my arm, she leads me to the front. After I sit down I wait for a while before a few more people enter the building. After an hour even though each bench will probably hold 15 people most only have one person.


    Most of the benches have adventurers that are here out of respect for Belinda, and when Denova enters I have to keep Belinda calm. Shortly later a huge beastkin woman enters that causes many of the adventurers to get nervous.  The woman slightly smaller than the door frame makes her way through the building her wolf like ears droop and her tail drags on the carpet.


    She wears no armor, but her clothes are very elaborate. She wears a large sword that can only be described as a greatsword at her hip like a normal sword. The jewels around her neck and on the rings on her fingers would probably buy half of the village each.


    Making her way through the building Madam Erin places her hand on the box lowering her head. After a few minutes she walks up to me making Belinda and Lilah nervous. After slapping my shoulder she sits on the bench next to us causing the bench to creek as she sits.


    Many of the adventurers being to whisper amongst themselves, questioning just who this adventurer is. Soon a man enters the building from a side door, he stand in front of the box and begins to talk about Thirty-seven like he knew her offering words of comfort.


    Belinda begins to cry at one point burying her face into my shoulder, and after a while the man motions to Belinda. Belinda steps forward wiping tears from her eyes.


    Belinda: ¡°Many of you here might not know Thirty-seven, so let me tell you what I know of Thirty-seven. She may have been and awkward individual trapped in a trauma that she could not shake, but that didn¡¯t stop her from constantly pushing boundaries trying to better herself.


    Thirty-seven left behind Two-Twelve, a brother that dedicated himself to his family helping in any way he can, and by Lilah, and although she may herself be a slave Thirty-seven treated her closer than anyone else, caring for her dearly.


    Thirty-seven gave her life much like she lived it going forth paying the ultimate price to keep those she loves safe. Although I may have not been able to get close enough to become part of that family, I am proud I got the chance to be able to get to know her.


    You may define a hero as the adventurer who faces a dungeon and destroys the crystal, but I define a hero as the one who risks their lives for those they love. Thirty-seven was such a person, and although she may not have been able to show it well she deeply cared for her family.


    Many of us have come accustomed to losing those close to us in our profession, and although Thirty-seven was not an adventurer, many of the struggles her and her family face are very similar. If any of you here today, do not know of Thirty-seven I ask you to take a piece of her with you, let her live on inside of you.


    I Belinda Gowen 3<sup>rd</sup> princess of Gowen kingdom thank you all for coming.¡±


    She bows lowering her head to the audience then returns to her seat next to me taking my arm she hugs her tightly burying her face in my arm. To my surprise Madam Erin stands walking to the front of the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Thank you all for coming, Belinda Gowen thank you for your kind words, I know that although she would have never said it Thirty-seven would have really appreciated it. I consider Thirty-seven and Two-Twelve my very children.


    Although they both came to me requiring lots of work, Two-Twelve managed to thrive. Although I had more trouble with Thirty-seven, I heard after Two-Twelve took over her care, she managed to make a lot of progress, so I also wish to give my thanks to Two-Twelve.¡±


    She then turns to the box hitting it with her fist causing the wood to creak, and everyone in the room to jump, and she says a few things quietly then returns to her seat. After a few more minutes the man from the start returns thanks everyone for being there then dismisses everyone.


    Belinda stands, not letting go of my arm, and after I stand she turn to Madam Erin.


    Belinda: ¡°I am glad to see you. I am happy you could make it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°She was like my daughter, so of course I would be here. Now as tragic as this event has been, maybe I can bother to have a word with you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course.¡± ¨CShe looks at me, and after I nod she then let¡¯s go of me. - ¡°We are meeting at the adventurer¡¯s guild after this meet me there ok?¡±


    Belinda leaves the building with Madam Erin, while Lilah and I move forward to the box.


    ¡°From what I understand, Belinda told me this is your last chance to say your last goodbye to Thirty-seven. Do you have anything to say?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Thirty-seven, why did you have to do that? Lilah promises she is going to get strong, so nothing happens like that again. Nobody else is going to die cause of Lilah¡­¡±


    ¡°Lilah¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok master Lilah is ready.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what to say in this sort of situation, so I simply set my hand on the box.


    ¡°Thirty-seven I am sorry I failed you¡­Good-bye.¡±


    My stomach hurts and I feel angry again, as I turn around walking out of the building with Lilah. As we make our way to the Adventurer¡¯s guild I notice we pick up a follower. When we enter the adventurer¡¯s guild the man following us takes a table by the door.


    Belinda and Madam Erin have already arrived, and are sitting at a table of the far end of the room, Belinda looks to be blushing. Madam Erin seems to be talking to someone across from her other than Belinda, but the figure is hidden behind Madam Erin¡¯s massive size.


    Lilah starts to run forward to Belinda, but after passing Madam Erin, she quickly stops herself, changing her expression. When I step forward I notice the person sitting across from Madam Erin is no other than Denova.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Oh Two-Twelve? I see you arrived just fine. See I told you there was nothing to worry about. After Belinda and I had our chat, we ran into your friend here, I asked her to join us.¡±


    I take an empty seat at the table and Lilah looks at the seat next to Madam Erin rather nervously but as the only other chair is on the other side next to Denova she decides to sit.


    Denvoa: ¡°Thanks for telling me more about Two-Twelve and Thirty-seven, I always figured their story was deeper then they Two-Twelve were letting on, but I never thought it was that tragic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I was just telling you friend here, about how Thirty-seven and you managed to escape from your master, and how it led to Thirty-seven being so fearful of other people.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Such a shame after going through so much, for Thirty-seven to not be able to break her chains¡­ I¡¯m going to get us all drinks.¡±


    Denova then gets up from the table heading across the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Interesting friends you have managed to make in your short time among humans pup. Well I found out from Belinda here what I wanted to, and paid my respects, so I think it¡¯s time for me to get back home.¡±


    When Madam Erin stands up, Belinda does as well. Belinda then says. ¡°And about what we talked about, I will take it to heart, I promise, leave it to me.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Good girl and Two-Twelve, don¡¯t blame yourself for Thirty-seven. Her fear was her downfall, despite your best efforts to cure it.¡±


    On her way out the door Madam Erin then leans in to talk to the man that followed Lilah and myself in, and after his face goes pale he nervously nods, then with a smile Madam Erin disappears out into the street.


    With several mugs quickly set down on the table Denova asks where Madam Erin is going, after we told her home, she quickly rushes out of the adventurer¡¯s guild as well.


    ¡°Should I have anything to worry about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, Madam Erin didn¡¯t say anything sensitive, but she did manage to reinforce your background story.¡±


    ¡°I meant her talk with you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¨CShe begins to blush again. - ¡°Nothing, I promise¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what is it we do now?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Unfortunately there is nothing for us to do other than move forward.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess we should head back¡±


    I begin to stand, but Belinda places a hand on my wrist.


    Belinda: ¡°But not today.¡±


    I sit back down, and Belinda takes one of the mugs that Denova left behind. She then asks stories about Thirty-seven. We spend the next few hours talking about Thirty-seven, and when I run out of things to say Belinda begins to get sad, she then asks me to start over retelling the stories.


    At some point the guy that was watching us disappears from his seat, and doesn¡¯t return. Once evening rolls around Belinda has had way too much to drink and requires Lilah and my assistance as we leave the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Nobody seems to follow us on our trip home, and even with it being a bit difficult with Belinda in her condition we still take precautions. Lilah and I then put Belinda to bed, I then take Lilah to the other room and she sits down on the chair picking up Thirty-seven¡¯s stuffed cat petting it gently.


    Lilah: ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°What is it Lilah.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Can Lilah have a new bed¡­It doesn¡¯t seem right to use Thirty-seven¡¯s bed.¡±


    ¡°Well actually it was Belinda¡¯s cot, but I don¡¯t have any objections to you wanting a bed.¡±


    I then purchase a standard bed for Lilah placing it in the room. Lilah hugs the stuffed cat tight then sets it on the cot. She then crawls into the bed. I head to the core room, after sitting on the edge of my own bed, my stomach beings to hurt, and I can¡¯t manage to fall asleep.


    The next day when I ask Belinda about the pain that still hasn¡¯t subsides she holds a saddened expression and tells me it will eventually get better. She stays with me that day, even getting Lilah to join us in the core room, but not much is said and everyone wears somber expressions throughout the day.


    The next morning Belinda decides to head back to Tobes to begin her work again. The pain in my stomach is about gone, except at times when I think about Thirty-seven then it returns. Like when I started to prepare food, only to realize without Thirty-seven around there isn¡¯t really any point.


    Lilah asks me to stay in the core room, so she doesn¡¯t have to spend all day alone. She sits quietly for a while, but then starts asking questions about the screens and the monsters in the dungeon. For the next of the weeks things continue much like this.

 Recovering From Tragedy

    After another week things begin to return to the way they were before. The groups that enter the dungeon now seem to be having a tougher time lately, and many of the groups have begun to lose members. Lilah one day asks me if she can help out, and after looking through [Menu] I am able to give her some limited options to the dungeon.


    Lilah seems to have a knack for ordering the kobolds around, and have even let her command the kobolds for a few of the battles against the adventurers. One morning before leaving Belinda asks me if it would be ok for Lilah and me to join her for dinner that evening in Tobes, and after being in the dungeon for the last week and a half Lilah seems to really want to go.


    That day a group enters the dungeon with 2 low level C-ranked adventurers and 3 D-ranked adventurers. Since the entire group doesn¡¯t consist of C-ranked adventurers I let Lilah take control of the monsters.


    Lilah keeps looking at me rather worried as the group pushes their way through the dungeon making it all the way to the third floor, but she manages to gain confidence when the first C-ranked adventurer dies. She then uses the golems in a bold attempt to stop them from escaping, but one of the D-rankers and as well as one of the C-rankers manages to escape.


    Lilah is confused as we get ready to depart from the dungeon when I tell her we need to change. I buy her a set of normal clothes with pants instead of her normal dresses and then try to equip her in armor with [Menu].


    When I equip her in the black leather armor that Kodiak wore it fits her like a glove. I then try to give her a sword, but it remains normal size and she can¡¯t hold it well. I can only summon crappy quality short swords so I summon up two superior quality daggers.


    ¡°I know we haven¡¯t started training you to fight yet, but I would feel better if we are more prepared when we leave the dungeon from now on.¡±


    I myself wear one of the superior quality chainmail from storage, and take along the dwarven sword we got from Garm. We then set out for Tobes, we bypass the normal entrance from the gate down the mountain for one of the hunter trails entering the village from the side.


    Traveling through town quite a few people whisper about us, and when we bump into Susan outside the bakery she looks at us with sad eyes. She says something about it being a shame to herself, but we ignore it and head to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Several of the adventurers begin to talk quietly amongst themselves when we enter, and Belinda even has to look twice before realizing it us. She then heads over to greet us.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you guys wearing?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel safe enough to travel unarmed anymore.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s just a short¡­¡± ¨CShe however can¡¯t manage to finish her own sentence. Before she just nods then leads us to a table.-


    Belinda: ¡°I got something in the back prepared special for tonight I am just going to go get it real quick.¡±


    Belinda heads into the back for a few minutes and when she returns she is carrying a large covered platter. After setting it on the table she then goes and grabs us all a drink, plates, and silverware. She then sits down at the table and takes off the lid from the platter.


    Under the lid is a large chuck of some kind of meat cooked along with several types of vegetables, putting a little on each of our plates she then hands them to us. Lilah quickly begins to eat her food down, while I take a small bite.


    The meat is soft, juicy, and easy to chew, but I still find the taste rather unpleasant. I however seem to be the only one that feels that was as in a short time Belinda has had to give Lilah two more servings and she has even hand another serving herself.


    I try not to show the displeasure on my face, but quickly wash it down with my drink, and after a while I manage to finish my plate, Belinda offers me more but I quickly refuse.


    Belinda: ¡°I am almost set to take my next trip into the Tower of the Gods, I just need to get the group together. How are we looking at that end?¡±


    ¡°Well it all depends on what kind of group you want to ¡°hire¡± ¡°


    Belinda: ¡°Hire?¡±


    When I motion to the side Belinda notices a man that is listening in on our conversation, I discreetly message Belinda telling her that he has been listening in on us since Lilah and I entered the guild.


    Belinda: ¡°Well I guess I will have to think a little more on it then¡­¡±


    We continue to talk for a while, but now that Belinda knows the guy is there she seems to have a hard time staying focused on the conversation. When we decide it¡¯s time to go home the man quickly leaves out before us.


    When we make our way out of Tobes nobody seems to be following us, but we still take the precaution of taking a long way around to get back to the dungeon. Once we make it in I store the equipment back, and then send Lilah off to bed.


    Sitting in the core room when I return Belinda seems to be apologetic as she says. ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize anyone was watching, I wonder if they have been watching me the whole time¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, they don¡¯t seem to be bothering you any, probably worried about you being a princess, but since Thirty-seven¡¯s death they have been following Lilah and me every time we enter town. After the funeral they have quit following us, it seems, but they still watch and listen in on our conversations when in Tobes.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well what do we do?¡±


    ¡°Well Herald seemed rather suspicious of us concerning the adventurers, so I am sure this is all his doing. I think once he doesn¡¯t find anything after a while, he will eventually back off. We will just have to be careful till then.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about when I leave for Madam Erin¡¯s? Will you guys be ok?¡±


    ¡°The guild can practically run itself now, and I will just have to stop in every few days to make sure everything is going smoothly, so we should be alright. Have you decided what kind of group you want to take with you this time? We have managed to build up quite of xp lately, because quite a few adventurers have fallen lately.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea about that¡­ The adventurers have noticed that lately the difficulty within the dungeon has gotten quite a bit higher.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a given, I mean as the rifts level up the kobolds that are born inside become tougher.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You also haven¡¯t been taking any prisoners lately either.¡±


    ¡°The prison wasn¡¯t deep enough so we changed it up, and we haven¡¯t been able to build a new one yet, so we haven¡¯t really had the ability to take prisoners.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not mad at the adventurers for what happened to Thirty-seven and are just taking it out on all of them?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, besides I have been training Lilah to command the monsters so she has been taking care of most of the battles. Even though she has to command them manually like you, I think in small groups she will even surpass me pretty soon.¡±


    Belinda moves over, wrapping her arms around hugging me tightly, and then says. ¡°You know you can always talk to me if something is bothering you right?¡±


    ¡°I am telling you I am fine¡­¡±


    Belinda appears to be a bit sad as she let¡¯s go of me and then sits down in a chair. She then opens [Menu] and begins looking through it.


    Belinda: ¡°Have you tried summoning one of the beastkin yet? I was wondering just how useful one would be that doesn¡¯t have a mind of its own.¡±


    ¡°Well we can try it real quick, I mean if it works you can use it, if not it¡¯s only the cost of a goblin so we won¡¯t be out much.¡±


    Monster Belinda (Boss) has requested summing feral beastkin (random) for 25xp.


    After I nod there is a light that forms in front of Belinda, one once it dissipates there is a nude male feral beastkin with a long tail, droopy dog like ears, and its body is covered in a short course black fur.


    A feral beastkin (dog) has been summoned the (dog) sub-race is now available.


    Belinda quickly blushes jumping from her chair, and after a few frantic seconds of her pounding away at [Menu] I accept her request for clothing and she puts it on the beastkin. The entire time the beastkin just stands there.


    Belinda: ¡°Is this normal?¡±


    She says as she walks over to it waving her hand in front of its face. It doesn¡¯t react, but eventually it blinks causing her to jump a little bit.


    ¡°Well its acting like the kobolds and goblins did when I was in training, let¡¯s try something.¡±


    I transfer the beastkin into the room with several of the kobolds and after a few minutes it begins to interact with the kobold and objects in the room in the same fashion as the kobolds. We then bring it back to the core room where it stands motionless again.


    Belinda then orders it around a bit telling it to sit, stand, and other various actions it preforms them without trouble. After a while of work we manage to get it to interact with objects like it did in the dungeon with the kobold, but no matter how hard we try it doesn¡¯t seem to be able to speak.


    We then equip it with a weapon and some armor, and then we take it down to spar with some of the kobolds. It seems to be able to use the equipment much like the kobolds do, but its power is very low. We then return to the core room again and instruct it to sit down out of the way.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will be much use, I can¡¯t take an entire group like that but maybe one or two would be ok. Can we try to summon an intelligent one?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    This time she requests clothes before summoning the beastkin, and she stands next to me as she prepares [Menu] this time however it takes her a bit longer before the request pops up.


    Monster Belinda (Boss) has requested summoning feral beastkin (random) parameters set to [Female],[20 years]


    This time when I nod and the light appears Belinda quickly covers my eyes, and after a short period she then uncovers them. The beastkin in front of me is like nothing I have seen previously she has damp black looking scale like skin covering most of her body with large round yellow spots. I look to the screens that appeared while Belinda covered my eyes.


    A feral bearskin (Salamander) has been summoned the (Salamander) sub-race is now available. (Salamander) sub-race is an advanced sub-race, and as such summoning a feral beastkin with the (Salamander) sub-race will incur a 25% increase in cost.


    Salamander: ¡°I am pleased to meet you master. What is it you require of me?¡± ¨CShe says directed to Belinda-


    Belinda: ¡°Me?¡±


    Salamander: ¡°Of course, are you not the one that summoned me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about Two-Twelve? He is the dungeon core¡­¡±


    Salamander: ¡°If you are master, which makes him master¡¯s master.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Please, for one don¡¯t call me master. Belinda is fine.¡±


    Salamander: ¡°Certainly Belinda, what is it you require of me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What are you capable of doing?¡±


    Salamander: ¡°Anything you require.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Can you use spells?¡±


    A [Menu] seems to appear before Belinda as she begins reading something in front of her.


    Belinda: ¡°Yes, set class as mage.¡±


    New spells available


    Earth Pillar      Cost: 75xp


    Salamander: ¡°Very well I will be able to cast simple water, and earth spells, I can learn other spells with training, except of course for fire spells.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So you do have a favored element?¡±


    Salamander: ¡°Of course everyone bares a favored element.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­What about a name?¡±


    Salamander: ¡°If you so desire to grant me a name I would be grateful.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I plan on taking you with me to fight outside of the dungeon, so I have to give you a name. Do you have any preferences?¡±


    Salamander: ¡°Whatever Belinda desires.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°hmmm. How about Scylla?¡±


    Belinda then appears to be reading a screen again. It seems to be a rather odd feeling to be off to the side watching this for a change.


    After Belinda agrees I can see the beastkin¡¯s name change in my list of monsters.


    Belinda: ¡°So exactly what spells can you cast now?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I can currently cast [Clean], [Soil], [Frost], and [Earth Pillar]. Of course with further training I will begin to be able to cast more powerful spells.¡±


    ¡°Earth pillar is new to the dungeon, what exactly does it do?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really? Amy used it remember, it can cause damage but mainly she used it to push things out from behind cover.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well that looks like a start, what do you think Belinda?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think I am going to need at least one more intelligent beastkin, and I think I will go with one more that isn¡¯t just in case. I don¡¯t think we will be able to enter Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon right away though, so I think we will take a bit more time on the trip there to train.¡±


    ¡°We have enough xp if you want to summon two more intelligent ones.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s ok. No offense Scylla, but they don¡¯t seem like they are very strong, I don¡¯t want to end up losing them and losing all that extra xp.¡±


    ¡°Ok, if you think its best.¡±


    We name the unintelligent beastkin Bo, and Belinda summons two more sets of clothes she turns her back asking me to summon another male beastkin, and we end up with a male rabbit beastkin, after getting him dressed we name him Ike.


    Belinda then continues to summon another intelligent female beastkin. Covering my eyes again till it¡¯s dressed this one results in another dog, but this time her ears are straight and she has a bushier tail.


    Dog: ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Pretty soon we will set out of the dungeon to gather xp, so I need to give you a name, do you have any preference?¡±


    Dog: ¡°As long as it¡¯s not stupid.¡±


    We end up naming the dog beastkin Zoey, and although she speaks rather rudely she is never directly rude to Belinda or myself, after a while we determine she isn¡¯t able to have a mage class so we give her a archer class.


    With both of the intelligent beastkin in the back of the group it might help them survive a bit longer, while the two unintelligent ones with be in the front lines with Belinda. We manage to find out though the summoning of both the intelligent and non-intelligent feral beastkin, that the intelligent ones are assigned a class like humans, but the non-intelligent ones are not, acting more like monsters.


    I check on Lilah and she is sleeping so I don¡¯t bother her, but I put up some walls in the big empty area that Lilah¡¯s room sits in the corner of, creating some rooms for the new beastkin, I just put 2 beds in the one room for the unintelligent beastkin, but I put some other furniture and d¨¦cor in two separate rooms so Scylla, and Zoey each have their own rooms.


    For equipment I set Bo up with the [Top Quality Full-plate Armor], [Superior Quality Gambeson], and the [Superior Quality Great-axe] from storage. I set Ike up with a [Superior Quality Steel Sword], and a [Superior Quality Steel Tower Shield], so I give him the weaker [Superior Quality Full-plate Armor], and the [Leather Gambeson]The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    For Zoey I spend quite a bit of xp on getting her a [Top Quality Large Bow], and give her a [Superior Quality Black Leather Armor] from storage. I also give her two [Superior Quality Steel Sword]s from storage as backup.


    Scylla is given the [Master Quality Magician¡¯s Robes], and [Master Quality Gem Studded Steel Rod] from storage, and with an unpleasant expression from Belinda I give her the other [Minor Ring of Magic]


    To make it up to Belinda, she forces me to allow her to stay with me tonight, and after everyone is settled in Belinda and I go to bed. I don¡¯t feel near as embarrassed this time as I did the last, but once she begins to rub her fingers across my chest, I begin to get uncomfortable so I try to ignore it as I drift off to sleep first.


    The next morning when I wake up Belinda is still peacefully sleeping, I gently wake her up and then get up putting my shirt back on. After heading to her room to get dressed she returns with Bo, Ike, Scylla, and Zoey. They don¡¯t have their gear I assigned to them but Belinda quickly requests some of the crappy rusty gear out of storage.


    I approved it and she equips the beastkin in it. I ask her why and she tells me. ¡°I am going to take them down to Tobes today, I will have them wait just outside of town for an hour or so then come in asking to join the adventurer¡¯s guild, after all they will need their IDs to be able to enter Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    She then checks over their gear while she continues. ¡°If they wore the other gear it would seem rather odd for them to not being high level adventurers already, so I figured I will make them seem like they came here to train in the dungeon, and kill two birds with one stone.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense I guess, they could even move around in Tobes without much suspension after that as well.¡±


    Belinda then sets out with the group heading down the mountain and I go to collect Lilah from her room.


    Lilah: ¡°Master¡­Lilah woke up this morning and her room has gotten a lot smaller¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, it was just extra space anyway, I added some rooms for the new monsters Belinda and I summoned for her to take with her when she goes to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master is not going to get rid of Lilah, because she can¡¯t help fight are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, besides you are fighting really well, in your own way. By commanding the kobold groups you are giving me the ability to do other things, so Lilah is very important to the dungeon.¡±


    Lilah then puffs out her chest in pride, and after she gets changed into her normal blue dress we head back to the core room. While Lilah keeps an eye on the screens I look over [Menu]. Belinda has seemed to acquire everything she needs for her trip, and I still have a bit of xp left so I decide to take a look at the dungeon.


    I manage to finally replace the crimson kobold brutes and elder on the third floor, and decide to add one more golem leaving me with just under 100xp. My current consumption is now 10xp per day, so I should level up in 2 days.


    I continue to mess around in [Menu] even after a group enters the dungeon leaving it to Lilah. She keeps looking back to me to see if I am watching the screens but as I am looking down she seems satisfied, I do however have a small screen open in front of me keeping an eye on the battle.


    After a while out of a large group of 7 D-ranked adventurers there are only 3 left. Lilah has blocked off their escape as they are fleeing from the dungeon.


    ¡°Be careful now, there is starting to be talk in Tobes about the dungeon taking too many lives lately, you might want to pull them kobolds back, and let them 3 escape.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Aww, master was watching¡­ Fine¡­¡±


    She then pulls the kobolds back into one of the side rooms so the 3 adventurers manage to escape.


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah had them!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and good job Lilah.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Why let them go though, most dungeons don¡¯t work that way do they?¡±


    ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t know, but what I do know, the 3 that escaped might head down to Tobes, and find 4 more friends to help them get revenge, and we then can end up with more xp. Instead of just the small amount we would have gotten from just them 3 alone.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides if groups manage to escape, it keeps the difficulty of the commissions down, so we don¡¯t have to get stuck with much stronger groups before we are ready for them.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah still has a lot to learn¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. You are doing great so far. By the time Belinda returns from her trip, you¡¯re going to be capable of running the dungeon all on your own.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yay!¡±


    ¡°After all not long after the time Belinda returns I will have to go for the meeting, this time I don¡¯t know how long it will take, maybe even up to a full month. With Belinda having to attend to things in Tobes I will be counting on you here in the dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master is going to be gone for a month?¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know, I do know the training for the new cores will take a month, and I have to evaluate the dungeon cores that are training the new cores, so I don¡¯t know how that¡¯s going to work. With the reward for completing it is good enough though it doesn¡¯t sound like it is going to be a simple task.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t want master to be gone that long.¡±


    The rest of the day goes pretty smoothly after lunch another group looks to be heading up the mountain to the dungeon, but I then notice it¡¯s the new dungeon monsters. I watch them head to the dungeon, and I then move them to the core room.


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We managed to get our IDs alright, although there may be a problem in the future with Bo, and Ike, as they don¡¯t have a class.¡±


    I get the group to show me their IDs.


    Adventurer #45,204 [Scylla]                                      Base: Tobes


    Race: Feral Beastkin (Salamander)                           Gender: Female


    Rank: D                                                                          Level: 1


    Class: Mage                                                                   Favored Element: Water


    Commissions Complete: 3


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Adventurer #45,205 [Zoey]                                     Base: Tobes


    Race: Feral Beastkin (Dog)                                      Gender: Female


    Rank: D                                                                        Level: 1


    Class: Archer                                                             Favored Element: Fire


    Commissions Complete: 3


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Adventurer #45,206 [Bo]                                     Base: Tobes


    Race: Feral Beastkin (Dog)                                   Gender: Male


    Rank: D                                                                    Level: 1


    Class: None                                                             Favored Element: Water


    Commissions Complete: 3


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Adventurer #45,207 [Ike]                                       Base: Tobes


    Race: Feral Beastkin (Rabbit)                                 Gender: Male


    Rank: D                                                                       Level: 1


    Class: None                                                             Favored Element: Fire


    Commissions Complete: 3


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    ¡°Three commissions? What did you guys do?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We delivered some good in Tobes, for a few people, Belinda wanted to make sure people got used to seeing us around, and to see if Ike and Bo would be a problem.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I can¡¯t tell who is worse Bo and Ike, or the idiot humans that can¡¯t even tell they aren¡¯t normal¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Who is the runt?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah isn¡¯t a runt! Lilah is master¡¯s favorite.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Why is that do you curl up in his lap while he pets you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±


    Lilah looks to be getting mad, but once I speak everyone calms back down. I then walk over to Bo and knock on his forehead a few times and nothing happens.


    ¡°That¡¯s what she meant, Bo and Ike are like the kobold, they can¡¯t talk and only do what they are told, and just wonder around aimlessly if you leave them alone.¡±


    Lilah jumps up from her chair and goes over to Ike poking Ike in the ribs a few times.


    Lilah: ¡°But their beastkin¡­ That¡¯s weird¡­¡±


    Zoey quickly takes Lilah¡¯s chair while she is busy, and when Lilah notices she gives her an angry look. She however quickly shifts to a smile then runs over jumping up on my bed then sits down on the edge looking triumphant.


    ¡°Did Belinda say anything else?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°She said that she is going to have us run a few more commissions in town tomorrow, and if we do alright, we will set out the day after.¡±


    I go ahead and send Bo and Ike to their room, but ask the girls if they need anything, and they say they don¡¯t I send them each down to their rooms as well.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t like the dog¡­¡±


    ¡°Zoey? She acts rude, but she is harmless.¡±


    I then tell Lilah about Zoey, Scylla, Ike and Bo in greater detail, and we then sit waiting for Belinda to return. Once Belinda arrives I ask her how the group did.


    Belinda: ¡°So far they did alright. Scylla and Zoey won¡¯t be a problem for sure, and as long and Ike and Bo are close to one of the others I think it will be alright. Quite a few people were shocked to see a group made completely of feral beastkin, especially Scylla, because I don¡¯t think anyone has seen a salamander beastkin before.¡±


    ¡°Scylla said there may be a problem for Ike and Bo in the future?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea D-rank won¡¯t be a problem, but I don¡¯t know of any adventurers that have ever not had a class by the time they reach C-rank.¡±


    ¡°Well Lilah is actually doing really well learning the ins and outs of the dungeon, so it might not be as big of a deal to leave you two in charge when I have to help out Madam Erin, so you probably won¡¯t have to push too hard on your trip.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well if we don¡¯t have to push it, I might take a bit longer to get to Madam Erin¡¯s, so I can train up the others a bit more.¡±


    ¡°That should be ok.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have a lot to do tomorrow, to prepare for my trip, so I am going to head to bed.¡±


    She wraps her arms around me and after a few seconds she lets go then transfers out. Belinda leaves first thing the next morning taking the new monsters with her, I pick up Lilah from her room and take her to the core room.


    The morning passes without any trouble, I leave a group of adventurers that has entered the dungeon up to Lilah, and she seems to be handling it quite well. When the group flees I receive a message.


    Kobold Mage Rift has reached max level kobold mage rifts may now be purchased at any level up to max at a higher xp rate.


    ¡°Max level for the normal kobold is level 9?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Does that mean they won¡¯t get any stronger?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it means¡­ The way they are tearing through them I don¡¯t see the point in making any more¡­¡±


    I receive a message from Belinda just after lunch.


    Belinda: ¡°Hey, I sent the monsters out on a commission a few hours ago and they still haven¡¯t returned, it should have been an easy commission I am starting to get worried.¡±


    ¡°Have you messaged either of the girls?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry, I didn¡¯t even think¡­ I will do that now.¡±


    ¡°Lilah, you have been doing really well, how would you like to take the next step?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Really master? What does Lilah have to do?¡±


    ¡°I am going to leave the dungeon for a while, and you keep the dungeon safe while I am gone.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants to go¡­¡±


    ¡°But I thought you wanted to take the next step?¡±


    Lilah looks sad then says. ¡°Fine, but master has to bring Lilah back something for her hard work.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I promise.¡±


    I equip the chainmail armor and dwarven sword again, and then begin to make my way down to Tobes. Belinda seemed like she was sort of out of it, I am going to go check on her to make sure everything is ok.


    I turn off the path to take one of the hunter¡¯s trails into Tobes. I head straight for the adventurer¡¯s guild, but before I reach it I first run into the group of monsters talking to someone. I start to walk to them but as I get closer I notice they are talking to Denova¡­


    I decide I will just message them and quickly try to turn down a side street, but Denova spots me before I have the chance.


    Denova: ¡°Two-Twelve! I need your help for a moment.¡±


    I let out a deep sigh then make my way to the group. Bo and Ike both seem to be carrying some large sacks, and Denova seems to be arguing with Zoey.


    Denova: ¡°I am telling you the location of the delivery has changed, and you need to take it to my place.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Our commission is to drop it off here, if you want to take it then that¡¯s on you, if you want us to take it all the way to the other side of town, and you are going to have to give us another commission.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I am not paying you twice for one delivery. I am not signing your commission until you take it to my place.¡±


    Denova shoves some paperwork in my face once I reach the group. I look it over and it appears that Denova ordered some products from the capital though the store here, but she wants the product taken to her place.


    ¡°May I see your commission, so I can see what¡¯s going on? ¨CI ask Scylla-


    Scylla: ¡°Certianlly Mas¡­¡±-I quickly shake my head.-¡°Sir, here¡± ¨CShe hands me the commission slip.-


    The commission clearly states for them to pick up the items from the delivery point and bring them here to this shop, but it does appear to be the items that Denova has ordered.


    ¡°This is clearly your stuff, but the commission says to bring it here, so you can¡¯t expect them to take it all the way across town for you for free.¡±


    Denova: ¡°The shop keeper is out for the day, and told me I could sign for my things, but I am not going to sign the commission till they take it to my place.¡±


    ¡°If it was a few doors down or something I could see it, but you place is clear across town I say if you want them to deliver it there you need to at least pay them extra for it.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I am not signing it till they deliver it where I want it.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t sign their current commission, I will have to inform Belinda that you refused to sign just to get out of having to pay.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Fine I will double the commission, but I will give it to them in store credit.¡±


    ¡°What would these young ladies want to do with store credit in a brothel?¡±


    Denova: ¡°They are not even the ones doing the heavy lifting, the guys can use it.¡± ¨CI give Denova a look.- ¡°Fine, they can have the gold, but I will remember this next time you need my help Two-Twelve.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one always asking me for the favors?¡±


    She makes the changes to the commission and has me sign as a witness, and then the group then begins to follow Denova to the other side of town. I send a message to Zoey and Scylla telling them to be extra careful around Denova and to message me if they have any more problems.


    I then resume heading to the Adventurer¡¯s guild. Once I arrive the place seems rather quiet, a few adventurers here and there but nothing more than usual. The receptionists on the other hand have stacks of paperwork and stuff in front of them and they look stressed out.


    Once one of the receptionists sees me they all quickly call me over.


    Receptionist: ¡°Please Two-Twelve, you have to do something about Belinda, because she is driving us crazy¡­ I know she is leaving for a long trip tomorrow, but we can handle it¡­ She has left enough instructions here to keep us busy for a year¡­¡±


    ¡°I will talk to her, where is she?¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°She is in the back at the moment¡­¡±


    I head into the back room and find Belinda elbow deep going through old crates stacked up for storage.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°You seemed kind of out of it when you messaged me about the others, so I left Lilah in charge of the dungeon, and figured it would come check to see if you¡¯re ok¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m fine, I am just trying to get this all squared away before I leave tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is it that you are doing?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We have to keep records of all the commissions complete, if someone from the capital comes in asking for information I want the girls to be able to find it, I am just making sure all these old commissions are organized.¡±


    ¡°Do they do that often?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well no, but what if it happens while I am gone?¡±


    ¡°Then I am sure they can handle it if it comes up¡­ Are you sure you are ok?


    Belinda says she is fine but her shoulders seem to be shaking a bit, so I walk over to her and place one of my hands on top of her head. Belinda stops what she is doing, and she then begins to cry as she turns around hugging my waist.


    I just stand there and stroke her head while she cries¡­ After a few minutes she manages to calm down enough to start to talk.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­I¡¯m scared¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Last time I went to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon I should have died¡­If Madam Erin didn¡¯t help me I would have died¡­ And then there is what happened with Thirty-seven¡­ I¡­ I just¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t want to go?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­ Of course not¡­ You need me, and I promised not to let you down. I have to do this¡­ I am just¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s too soon you don¡¯t have to do this right now¡­ The dungeon is doing ok right now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No¡­It¡¯s ok, I made a promise to you, and to Madam Erin¡­ I can¡¯t let my fear take over, or I will end up like Thirty-seven was¡­ I can do this¡­¡±


    She then stands letting go of my waist, and wipes the tears from her eyes. She still seems to be shaking a bit, but she has calmed down now as she places the lid back on a crate, and puts it back on the stack. She then kisses my cheek.


    Belinda: ¡°Thanks Two-Twelve, I think I am going to be ok now¡­What do you say we get the others and head home early today? Now that I mention it they should have been back by now.¡±


    ¡°They had to make a delivery to Denova¡¯s place, so they should be back here shortly.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Denova¡¯s place? Why are they making deliveries to Denova¡¯s place?¡±


    ¡°I bumped into them on my way here, the commission they had been to deliver some items from the capital, but it was items that Denova had ordered though someone else. She wouldn¡¯t sign the commission until they delivered it to her place. I did manage to get her to double the reward though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why does she always have to make things so difficult?¡±


    ¡°I told them to message me if any other problems came up.¡±


    Seemingly right on cue Scylla pokes he head into the back room.


    Scylla: ¡°Belinda, we have made it back, what¡¯s next¡­Oh master you¡¯re here too?¡±


    ¡°Why does everyone insist on calling me master?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well Lilah called you master¡­And Belinda told me not to call her master¡­What do you want me to call you?¡±


    ¡°Just call me Two-Twelve like everyone here in Tobes does¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°But master is easier¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Give it up Two-Twelve. Just don¡¯t call him master in front of the villagers ok? We don¡¯t want them to get suspicious.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Oh¡­About that¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°That Denova lady¡­ Before she signed our commission she asked us all kinds of questions. She thinks you went behind her back, and bought us as slaves from someone named Edward or something¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She never gives up¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°She also seemed pretty suspicious of Bo and Ike, I told her they were both mute, to try to explain why they wouldn¡¯t talk to her, but that seemed to make her even more suspicious¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was hoping to get you guys more established in Tobes before we had to deal with her¡­ We leave tomorrow maybe she will get over it before we return... Two-Twelve, do you think you can handle it if she asks a bunch of questions while we are gone?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well let¡¯s call it an early day for today. We got a long trip ahead of us starting tomorrow.¡±


    We then head back to the dungeon, on our way through town I spot Denova heading to the adventurer¡¯s guild, but we manage to duck down a side road before she sees us all together. We head up one of the hunter¡¯s trails to the dungeon, and when we arrive Lilah looks proud of herself.


    Quickly looking over the dungeon, quite a few of the kobold that were alive when I left are no longer there, and even one of the crimson brutes looks pretty beat up. There is a message telling me of the items acquired, xp, and by the looks of it there were 3 high D-ranked adventurers or 3 weak C-ranked adventurers.


    After we send the others to their rooms Lilah happily tells Belinda, and me about the group she defeated in the dungeon. After her story I give Lilah a pat on the head and tell her she did a good job. She then asks me what I got for her in Tobes¡­


    Lilah: ¡°That¡¯s no fair! Master promised.¡±


    ¡°Things went a little crazy, I am sorry. I will make it up to you.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Fine.¡±


    Lilah then crawls under the covers in my bed.


    ¡°What are you doing now?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master said he wanted to make it up to Lilah, so Lilah wants to sleep with master.¡±


    ¡°Fine, if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait a minute! Lilah can¡¯t sleep with you.¡±


    ¡°Why not? You do it all the time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But that¡¯s different, and tonight is my last night¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I guess you do have a point.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Lilah how about tomorrow night instead?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No no no¡­ Fine she can stay tonight, but only tonight.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yay!¡±


    Belinda then uses [Menu] into her long night gown, then says. ¡°But if she is so am I.¡± She then quickly climbs into my bed¡­


    ¡°Where am I going to sleep then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What are you talking about there is still plenty of room.¡±


    I sigh, maybe this new bed still isn¡¯t big enough¡­ I start to take off my shirt when Belinda begins to blush and quickly asks. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I always take off my shirt. You said it¡¯s uncomfortable¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Not with Lilah here¡­ Leave it on¡­¡±


    I pull my shirt back on¡­ I then crawl into bed. Belinda quickly pulls one of my arms over her, wraps her arms around my chest, wraps her legs around on of mine, and places her head on my shoulder. Lilah on the other hand just buries her face into my other arm while wrapping both arms around it.


    After lying there a few minutes Lilah then asks. ¡°Master¡­Are you going to have sex with Belinda and Lilah now?¡±


    Belinda quickly shoots up in the bed, blushing brightly, and says. ¡°What are you talking about Lilah? Two-Twelve is not going to do¡­That¡­With you. Where did you get that idea?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Before Lilah was with Master the mean man before him, told Lilah when a man gets in bed with a woman he has sex with them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s wrong! That was only because that guy was trying to sell you to a brothel¡­Don¡¯t worry Two-Twelve isn¡¯t going to do that to you¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Oh¡­ Is master going to have sex with you then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No! Two-Twelve is not doing that to anyone tonight!¡±


    ¡°Tonight?¡±


    Belinda blushes again then hits me on the chest a few times telling me to shut up, then buries her face into my shoulder, I can feel the heat from her cheeks though my shirt¡­ She starts to calm down when I start to rub my fingers softly up and down her back.


    Lilah doesn¡¯t say anything else but she holds my arm tightly. Both of the girls go to sleep rather quickly, but I can¡¯t manage to get comfortable with both of them pinning me from both side so it takes a while before I manage to fall asleep.


    The next morning Belinda wakes up early and begins preparing Bo, Ike, Scylla, and Zoey. I have to wake up Lilah who is still clinging to my arm when I get out of bed. Belinda then brings the others to the core room giving each a pack to wear with misc. Items held within.


    ¡°Do they really need to pack food, because won¡¯t that just slow you down?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s for appearance sake. If you run into someone three days into the trail and don¡¯t have any food on you they are going to get suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I guess I will take your word for it¡­ So you guys all set then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Almost.¡±


    Belinda hugs me tightly which is rather uncomfortable with her wearing her armor, she then places her lips against mine kissing me softly. This causes Zoey to smirk and elbow Scylla, but Scylla just rolls her eyes.


    Belinda: ¡°Ok, you be careful alright?¡±


    ¡°You guys are the ones going to be taking all the risks¡­ Come back safely, no need to push too hard.¡±


    Belinda gets on her knees to hug Lilah who is still rubbing her eyes as she is just waking up.


    Belinda: ¡°Take care of Two-Twelve, and the dungeon while I am gone ok?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Leave it to Lilah!¡± ¨CShe says while giving Belinda a thumb up.-


    Lilah and I watch the group leave heading down around the lake, they then hit a hunter¡¯s trail that should lead them out of the forest, and after they completely disappear from sight Lilah and I return to business as usual in the dungeon.

 Denovas Plan

    The first few days after Belinda set out again pass uneventfully, with the groups entering the dungeons only being the normal D-rankers as usual. I leveled up on the day after Belinda left like I expected, but if things continue like they are its going to be a while before I level again¡­


    Belinda has kept me informed one what¡¯s going on with the group, but so far they are still just traveling. Belinda decided they are going to stop by Kartova to pick up some easy commissions before moving on to Madam Erin¡¯s place. From what she said they should reach Kartova sometime today.


    I decide to leave Lilah in charge of the dungeon while I head down into Tobes to check on things. After equipping the dwarven sword and some chainmail, I make my way down the mountain. I spend the day exploring Tobes in a way I haven¡¯t done in months.


    It¡¯s hard to believe the small little hunting village with 30 to 40 cottages has now turning into a bustling little town. There are now stores lining the main pathway through town, leading all the way up to the huge inn at the edge of town leading up the mountain.


    I notice they have even started construction adding another wing onto the inn, it looks like it will at least double its size¡­ I browse the shops that I have always just walked past disinterested, and notice items I don¡¯t even know what purpose they serve.


    I make my rounds checking with the Mayor of Tobes, it¡¯s the same old guy that was the village leader, but what from what Belinda told me since Tobes has grown so much they had to change the title. After the dealing with the Mayor I head to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    After talking to the receptionists one of the adventurer groups calls me to their table.


    Adventurer: ¡°Hey, you¡¯re the princess¡¯s boyfriend right? Is it true about her brother?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what you mean.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°I heard he took close to 200 of the Gowen army¡¯s best troop and has begun an assault on the dungeon in Leona Ruins. Apparently they have stopped all adventurers from entering.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it started.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°So you did know about it?¡±


    ¡°I just heard her brother is supposed to be taking a hero candidate from a foreign country to Leona to take the crystal out, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°They are going to take the crystal? Man I wanted to level up here a bit longer then move on to Leona¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just what I heard at least, I try to stay out of the politics end of it.¡±


    The group continues the conversation, but I tell them I must be going, and I leave out of the adventurer¡¯s guild. Traveling back though town I notice a beastkin woman that I haven¡¯t seen before, which isn¡¯t an odd thing. There are many people beastkin and human alike that I don¡¯t know, but for some reason I am rather drawn to this woman.


    She looks mostly human with the exception of a set of pointy ears sticking out of her head and a large bushy tail. She looks like some kind of dog beastkin although the ears are somewhat large. She is wearing rather little in the terms of clothing, but has a metal collar around her neck.


    She wears a shirt with no sleeves or back simply being tied with strings, reminding me of an apron except it stops just past her chest leaving her stomach exposed. She also is wearing a rather short skirt, but unlike the items I put on the beastkin in the dungeon, there is no spot for the tail so it just sticks out of the bottom of the skirt.


    Her light brown hair is kept short, and it¡¯s color blends in with her ears and tail, although the tips of her ears and tip of her tail are solid white. Her face is rather attractive and her body is rather pleasing, reminding me of when I first seen Listel, or Belinda after she became my boss monster.


    She is carrying a small basket with the handle resting on her arm, and she is talking to a food vendor. She starts to pick up some kind of fruit from a basket on the ground in front of the stall, but when she bends over, with her tail sticking out of the bottom of the short skirt it causes it to rise.


    I can¡¯t help to hold my breath as I slightly cock my head to one side as she reaches lower and lower until¡­


    ¡°Two-Twelve!¡±


    The loud voice behind me startles me and the beastkin alike, causing both of us to look at the source. Denova is standing there with a sly triumphant smile on her face.


    Denova: ¡°See I told you I had some merchandise you would be interested in. Cassandra, I would like to introduce you to someone.¡±


    Without a word the beastkin woman walks over beside Denova then curtseys. Denova then asks the beastkin if she is done, and after she nods Denova tells her to head home.


    Denova: ¡°First the little rabbit girl, and now a fox. You got a thing for the ears and tail? Not that it¡¯s a bad thing many men I know like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Don¡¯t play that with me, you know you wanted to give her a go. Since we are friends I will let you have a ride for half-price, how¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°I thought you owed me one?¡±


    Denova: ¡°See I knew you were interested.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, I am not interested. I was just stating what you have said in the past.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I had to take out the money you cost me the other day. Speaking of that I haven¡¯t gotten to talk to you since then. You and Belinda act all high and mighty about slaves, yet you are doing business with Edward behind my back?¡±


    ¡°You lost me again.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Don¡¯t give me that, I heard that girl the other day almost call you master before you stopped her, and Edward is the only person I know that deals in feral beastkin.¡±


    ¡°They are just adventurers.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Sure 4 feral beastkin one of a type nobody has seen in these parts, just happens to show up two days before Belinda leaves on her trip, and they join the adventurer¡¯s guild. Then two days later Belinda has them going off with her in gear they couldn¡¯t afford if they completed all the commissions in Tobes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I am not dumb you know, most of the hunters in this village visit my business, and one swore they saw Belinda and them new ¡°adventurers¡± leave the forest though one of the hunter trails and each one was wearing top notch armor and weapons.¡±


    ¡°So Belinda took a liking to them, what¡¯s the big deal? Besides as far as I know none of them are slaves or ever have been.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Yea whatever¡­ You¡¯re trying to keep something hidden from me, and trust me in my line of work I find out everyone¡¯s secrets, so we will see.¡±


    I finally manage to escape from Denova, I decide to take one more turn down the streets before heading back to the dungeon though one of the hunter trails. Harald has seemed too eased up now, I only seen one guy listening in on my conversation, but none tried to follow me.


    After reaching the dungeon I store the sword and armor then plop down on my chair in the core room. Lilah catches me up on what happened in the dungeon today, and the rest of the day passes uneventfully.


    Belinda¡¯s POV


    It has been a few hours since we left the dungeon, and we are nearing the edge of the forest when we make a mistake and bump into one of the hunters from Tobes.


    Hunter: ¡°Quite a group you got there¡­ Wait are them the new feral beastkin adventurers I have been hearing about in town? Whatcha doing with them?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ They are just starting out, and I was heading for a while to train myself, so I asked if they wanted to go with me.¡±


    Hunter: ¡°Must be nice just starting out and getting to use gear like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well we got a long trip ahead of us, so take care¡­¡±


    Hunter: ¡°Alright, and you be careful princess, Tobes just won¡¯t be the same anymore without you.¡±


    I don¡¯t know how good I managed to convince him, but we are now at least clear of the forest. We hit the road I took last time to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon and begin to follow it around the forest. After a full days travel we reach the fork in the road, this time I turn heading further away from the forest heading to Kortova.


    We had to set up camp again off the side of the road, but today we should reach Kortova, and a little before noon we do. Once in Kortova we quickly head to the adventurer¡¯s guild to see what they have. This adventurer¡¯s guild doesn¡¯t seem much better than the one in Tobes when I first got there.


    Although since Kortova is a way point for travelers there are at least some local commissions, I quickly scan though them to see if there are any kinds of hunting commissions. I find one commission for hunting a pack of wolves that have been bothering the livestock, which takes me back to my first hunting commission.


    I decide it¡¯s a good one for the others to start on, after all with me here they shouldn¡¯t have any problem, but I will let them take care of it if they can. After accepting the commission we head out to a local farm an hour away from town.


    The farm owner is the one that posted the commission, and he tells us there is a small cave that the wolves are using to the east in the foothills. I try to hang in the back of the group letting Scylla lead the rest as we set out to hunt the wolves.


    Scylla gets turned around at one point and she starts to panic, but I then point out the right direction. It starts to get dark before we find the cave and we can hear the wolves off in the distance. Zoey insists we press on and Scylla almost agrees with her until I step forward.


    ¡°The wolves will hunt at night, so even if we find the cave they won¡¯t be back till morning, its best to rest here for tonight, and just pick the trail back up in the morning.


    Zoey doesn¡¯t seem happy about it, but she doesn¡¯t object either. After camp is set up I decide to take the first watch leaving the second to Scylla and Ike, and the last to Zoey and Bo. First thing the next morning we pack up and set out again.


    It¡¯s still pretty early in the morning when we find the cave the wolves are supposedly residing in.


    ¡°Ok Scylla, I am not going to do anything unless things get bad, so you lead the group, and I will stay to the back.¡±


    On Scylla¡¯s order the group slowly enters the cave. Inside we find a hollowed room with rock walls and short ceiling, we can¡¯t even stand straight up while inside. In the center of the cave are five wolves curled up sleeping on the floor surrounding a carcass of a bull.


    Before Scylla manages to give the order, Bo and Ike draw their weapons and charge headlong into the group.


    Scylla: ¡°Wait!¡±


    The sound of the armor crashing together as Ike and Bo charge, along with Scylla¡¯s voice causes the wolves to stir. Bo and Ike stop on Scylla¡¯s order but it¡¯s already too late the wolves have begun to growl as they get to their feet.


    The first wolf to lunge grabs ahold of Ike¡¯s arm, while Ike stands motionless, and Scylla begins to panic.


    ¡°Ok, Scylla I will give Ike and Bo orders, you just worry about the rest. Bo, Ike, begin the attack!¡±


    Ike and Bo begin moving again Bo pulls his great-axe swinging wide at one of the wolves but it manages to dodge out of the way, while Ike begins to fight the wolf off holding his arm. I meanwhile begin casting a healing spell on Ike.


    Zoey uses her bow firing an arrow at one of the wolves but doesn¡¯t manage to do too much damage, and Scylla casts [Frost] at another wolf causing ice to begin to accumulate on its fur.


    The wolves now begin to surround the group, so I pull my halberd and take out one of the wolves that worked his way to the back of the group, and I then resume the healing on Ike. Zoey gives up using her bow drawing both of her swords.


    Zoey steps in front of Scylla as she closes her eyes when a wolf lunges at her. Using her sword Zoey manages to block the wolf and hurt it pretty bad.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Zoey: ¡°I thought you were supposed to be in charge. Do something!¡±


    Bo continues to wildly swing his axe around at a wolf, but the wolf continues to dodge out of the way. Ike finally manages to get the wolf off of his arm then slams it with his shield creating a bit of distance.


    Scylla is still panicked but she manages to use [Stone Pillar] slamming into the side of a wolf pushing it away from the group. I continue to heal Ike¡¯s wound on his arm while carefully watching the situation.


    Zoey moves on the offensive, slashing a wolf with both of her swords causing major damage. Bo however still doesn¡¯t have any luck against his wolf as he swings his axe around. Ike slashes at a wolf with his sword causing a bit of damage.


    The wolf fighting Bo is unable to attack due to having to constantly dodge Bo¡¯s wild swings, but the wolf Ike slashed lunges at him again. Ike manages to hit the wolf back with his shield however. The wolf Zoey attacked limps as it circles the group changing targets going after Scylla


    Zoey however manages to stop it this time finishing it off with her two swords. The last wolf has manages to sneak up behind Scylla grabbing her ankle and begins to drag away from the group. I quickly switch from healing Ike¡¯s arm to healing Scylla.


    Scylla screams as she is being drug across the floor and she begins to whack the wolf in the head with her staff.


    ¡°Calm down Scylla, focus.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Use your magic you idiot!¡±


    Bo finally manages to tire out the wolf enough that his axe catches it in the side slinging it across the small cave crashing into the wall, it looks like it is in rather bad shape as it slowly pulls itself back to its feet.


    Ike has managed to corner the wolf he is fighting between the wall and his shield as he begins to beat it with his sword. Scylla finally casts [Stone Pillar] again this time using the short ceiling sending the pillar down in the center of the wolf back crushing it between the pillar and the floor.


    Zoey steps back next to me while sheathing her swords, while Ike continues his assault against his wolf, and Bo moves in on his. Scylla manages to free her ankle from the wolf, and casts [Frost] into its face this time finally killing it..


    Bo manages to hit his wolf again as it was barely able to move, and Ike likewise manages to finish his off as well. Once Ike and Bo sheath their weapons they calm down resuming their normal emotionless state.


    Zoey: ¡°Way to go fearless leader, you blew that¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I¡¯m so sorry...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. It was your first battle. Next time we will be more prepared as to what to expect from Ike and Bo, so it won¡¯t catch us off guard again.¡±


    The commission asks for the left front paws of the wolves as proof, so Zoey starts to cut them off, when she thinks I am no looking she adds a few extra paws to the sack.


    ¡°That won¡¯t work Zoey¡­ ¡°


    Zoey then dumps out the extra three paws.


    Zoey: ¡°It was worth a shot¡­¡±


    ¡°The farmer should be able to tell the difference, and even if he can¡¯t, and he somehow manages to find out later that you cheated him it would be trouble. Adventurer¡¯s reputations are very important, if you mess it up in the beginning it could really hurt you down the road.¡±


    After we leave the cave I check Ike¡¯s arm and Scylla¡¯s ankle making sure they are completely healed before we begin the trip back towards the farm. Over the next few days we take two more hunting commissions, and manage to complete both relatively easily.


    The group has started to work together better, and I have been able to get the hang of controlling Ike and Bo. If we enter a tough battle though, I don¡¯t know if I am going to be able to control them both, and fight at the same time however.


    With no more hunting commissions we decide to leave Kortova and begin heading to the Tower of the Gods now. I check the group¡¯s stats one evening when we stop to rest and find that Zoey has already reached level 3, but the others are only level 2.


    Later that evening after telling the group about their progress Scylla approaches me.


    Scylla: ¡°Maybe you should put Zoey in charge instead of me, she is much better at fighting then me¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right she is the better fighter then you, but that¡¯s not the most important thing. Being in the back of the group as a mage gives you the unique perspective to look at the group as a whole, and see the entire picture.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°But she has had to continuously bail me out when things start to get hard, and I start to panic...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you will get the hang of it. You just need to have more confidence in yourself.¡±


    We take the next few days slowly so we can hunt some stray wolves and even a bear, as we make our way, and the entire group has now managed to reach level 3. The trip to the Tower of the gods should of only taking one week of travel, but with the side trip to Kortova, and stopping to hunt along the way it takes two full weeks before we reach the dungeon.


    The adventurer¡¯s guild has settled down quite a bit, compared to my last visit, but there are still no commissions available when we arrive. Once we all get settled in I order everyone to take a rest, to prepare to enter the dungeon at midnight.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s POV


    Belinda messaged me this morning telling me that the group had their first battle yesterday and it was pretty rough. She told me that controlling Ike and Bo is going to be a constant struggle once the battles get tougher.


    She did say Scylla is working out pretty well, and Zoey is showing a lot of promise, so I told her to make sure to keep them safe, and to abandon Bo and Ike if she needs to. Although she seemed pretty mad at me after I said it.


    I have made a few more trips down to Tobes the last few days, and it seems I keep bumping into Denova¡¯s slave Cassandra every time I am in town¡­Lilah has begun to get upset with me for her not being able to go down to Tobes so I wait till the evening to head down just so she can go one day to cheer her up.


    The adventurers have seemed to get used to the dungeon no longer taking prisoners, but it has caused the groups that enter the dungeon to contain more people, and the difficulty is rising quickly¡­ I tried to counter it by placing a few new traps in the first two floors which caused a big uproar in the guild, until they were added to the maps of the dungeon.


    The rift of normal kobold in the square cave room has reached the max level as well, but I don¡¯t see the point in making any more of those rifts either.


    I am so busy with Tobes and the dungeon I don¡¯t send any messages to the other dungeons until one evening when I receive a message.


    Dungeon Core #108 [Newt] has perished at the hands of the adventurer [Picardo]


    I quickly receive a message from Sara.


    Sara: ¡°Did you see it? I can¡¯t believe he is gone¡­¡±


    ¡°I saw that he was doing pretty rough lately, but I didn¡¯t know things got that bad. He probably had the same thing happen to him that happened to Alex, but wasn¡¯t as lucky.¡±


    Sara: ¡°What happened to Alex?¡±


    ¡°He was having a tough time, and had to cut down on the monsters and such in his dungeon. Then when he was discovered by humans they made it all the way to his crystal room, but they didn¡¯t destroy it. The same thing probably happened to Newt, but the adventurer decided to destroy the crystal,¡±


    Sara: ¡°I hope I am not next¡­ The adventurers have been giving me a real hard time lately, I haven¡¯t been able to summon any new monsters in over a month, because they kill them all.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that. I am sure you will be ok, just be careful.¡±


    Sara: ¡°Ok, you too.¡±


    After talking with Sara I decide to see how Alex is doing, last I heard he was in a very bad way¡­


    ¡°Hey, how have you been doing lately I haven¡¯t heard from you.¡±


    Alex: ¡°Oh #212. I guess you heard about Newt? I have been doing a lot better lately, thanks for your advice. I screwed up the first time I thought I stored enough monsters in the crystal then when I sent them out it wasn¡¯t enough, but the second time I managed to defeat the adventurers which gave me enough xp to start to rebuild.


    ¡°Yea that¡¯s why I thought I would check up on you, I am glad you are doing better. I would invest in rifts as soon as possible, even if they have very weak monsters it will keep the adventurers coming without you having to spend any extra xp.¡±


    Alex: ¡°Thanks, I will do that.¡±


    Belinda messages me the next day telling me they have reached the base of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, I decide its best not to tell her of one of the dungeons dying, because I don¡¯t want to worry her. That afternoon I leave Lilah in charge heading down to Tobes.


    I make my rounds normally enough, until I begin to leave the adventurer¡¯s guild. I bump into someone as I walk out the door causing her to squeal and drop a large heavy sack.


    ¡°I am so sorry.¡±


    I then realize the woman is Denova¡¯s slave Cassandra¡­ I follow her legs with my gaze where she fell on the ground, but manage to forcefully turn my head. I then start to gather the items that fell from the sack filling it back up.


    Cassandra: ¡°Oh it¡¯s my fault really, I couldn¡¯t see where I was going.¡±


    ¡°I sure have been running into you a lot the last few days, what are you doing on this side of town with so much supplies?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Denova sent me to pick up some things she ordered, and it turned out two orders came in at the same time, so I decided I was going to come here to the guild to see if I could get some help taking them home.¡±


    I pick up the sack and say. ¡°Here I will take it in for you, and see if someone will take a commission.¡±


    ¡°No wait!¡± Cassandra quickly says grabbing my arm. ¡°Maybe you could help me?¡± she then says while she releases my arm then begins rubbing her hand across my arm.


    ¡°I am not an adventurer.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°That¡¯s ok! I promise I will still give you something for payment.¡±


    I sigh then say. ¡°Well I do need to check on a building being constructed on that side of town, I guess it won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Thanks a bunch¡± ¨Cshe says really excitingly.-


    She skips along ahead of me flicking her tail about causing the bottom of her skirt to rise, so I keep my eyes on the ground and pick up the pace though town. When we reach Denova¡¯s business I realize I have not actually been here since the end stages of the construction of the original building.


    The building has long since been modified now easily as large as the inn on the other side of town, a long building is sticking out of the side of the original building looking to be the first addition, then it looks like there has been an expansion build over the top of it. Another large area has been added to the back of the building as well.


    Cassandra: ¡°Could you please bring it in here?¡± ¨CShe says entering a side door which is part of the long building.-


    Entering the building, it reminds me a lot of the adventurer¡¯s guild with a long counter set up near the back with quite a few tables set around. There are quite a few barrels of alcohol stored behind the counter.


    The tables are even filled with adventurers, but their moods seem greatly improved compared to when they sit around the guild. The only other noticeable difference is there are quite of few women wearing very little clothing talking to the adventurers.


    Every once in a while, one of the women will grab the arm of one of the adventurers and leads them out of the room back to the original building. All the women¡¯s races vary, some are human, some are beastkin, but none appear to be feral beastkin.


    Cassandra leads me to a room off to the back where I set down the sack. She then leads me back out of the room and asks me to sit down at the counter.


    Cassandra: ¡°Wait right here ok?¡±


    She then runs over to a Wolf beastkin woman standing behind the counter that has a scar across her face, she excitedly talks to her, and after the wolf beastkin hands her a couple of drinks she returns setting one down in front of me.


    Cassandra: ¡°Here I am sure you are thirsty after carrying that heavy sack all the way across town, I heard this was your favorite, I promise it will be better then what you can get at the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    Cassandra has that look in her eye like Belinda gets when she wants me to try new food, so I have learned by experience it¡¯s better to at least try it. After taking a drink I am forced to agree with Cassandra. It seems to be the same type of alcohol Belinda usually gives me, but where that alcohol tolerable, I find this one actually enjoyable¡­


    She then takes a drink from the other mug then sits on one of the stools next to me with her legs spread slightly apart, causing my eyes to wonder. I quickly take another large drink of the alcohol to advert my gaze.


    Even though I still have half of my mug left she quickly calls the wolf beastkin over to give me another mug. She then places on of her hands on my knee and tells me to drink up.


    I try to stop her before she gets another mug, but she quickly interjects.


    Cassandra: ¡°I am so grateful you helped me out today, just one more I promise, and it¡¯s my treat!¡±


    Apparently not only does this alcohol have a better flavor, but it also is quite a bit stronger, as well. By the time I finish the third mug, I already am getting light headed. She then quickly stands up locking her elbow in mine and pulls me up from my stool and begins to bring me to the original building.


    Cassandra: ¡°Come on, I need to give you your reward for helping me out!¡±


    When she drags me into the other building there is a young feral beastkin probably only a few years older than Lilah, walking with a man down the stairs as he tucks his shirt into his trousers. She is really young, but also very attractive reminding me a lot of Listel, she too is a feral cat beastkin but her fur is black instead of golden blond like Listel¡¯s.


    When I dizzily turn my head watching her walk from the room, I spot something that causes me to stop where I stand. Denova is sitting over behind a desk in the corner with the sly smile she usually wears, and I feel a chill down my back.


    ¡°Wait wait¡­¡±


    Cassandra tugs on my arm and says in a sensual voice. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t you want your reward?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I appreciate the alcohol, and may even stop by for some more sometime, but that is enough of a reward for me.¡±


    Denova then gets up from her chair then walking up to me she says. ¡°Come on Two-Twelve, you know you want to try it, just let loose for once, I promise she won¡¯t let you down...¡±


    I can¡¯t think too clearly after drinking the alcohol, so I say the first thing that comes to my mind. ¡°Wait about that¡­ What makes Cassandra and the cat that just walked through here different than the other girls?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well if you like her too, I am sure we can make the arrangements, and you can play with both.¡±


    ¡°No,no,no. What makes them different?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well they are my newest girls, the ones I bought from Edward, other than that, I don¡¯t know¡±


    ¡°Edward?...Isn¡¯t that the guy I got Lilah from?¡±


    I then turn to look closely into Cassandra¡¯s face while she is still lightly tugging on my arm


    ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re a monster too?¡± ¨CI say to Cassandra.-


    Denova looks confused and says. ¡°Well if that¡¯s what you want I am sure she can be for you.¡±, but Cassandra¡¯s face begins to pale and she lets go of my arm.


    ¡°Did all three of you come from the same dungeon?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Dungeon? They are slaves, not adventurers. How much did you make him drink Cassandra?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± ¨CI put my finger to my lips.- ¡°Shhhh. I won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    Cassandra has become exceedingly nervous looking for a way out. She then quickly grabs my arm again and begins to pull on me again but this time much more forceful.


    Cassandra: ¡°Maybe you have had a little too much, why don¡¯t we go rest for a bit?¡±


    ¡°No! Lilah¡¯s waiting I need to head home.¡±


    Cassandra looks nervously to Denova then says. ¡°Why don¡¯t I take you home then?¡±


    She then quickly steps down from the stairs and begins to pull me towards the door.


    Denova: ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I will give you your reward there.¡± ¨CShe quickly says more out loud then directed at anyone.-


    Denova¡¯s face then changes to her sly smile, then nods, as Cassandra leads me from the brothel. Before I know it I am sitting on a rock next to the lake just down the hill from the dungeon, with a headache and Cassandra sitting across from me worried.


    Cassandra: ¡°Are you feeling a bit better now? Here drink this it will help.¡±


    She hands me a container of something and when I start to drink it I begin to choke and cough.


    ¡°Augh what is that, it¡¯s horrible...¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°¡­ It¡¯s just water¡­ What did you mean back there when you asked if I was a monster?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I don¡¯t know my head hurts¡­What are we doing here?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I heard you live somewhere in the forest, but nobody knows where so I just brought you here. It¡¯s the only thing I could think of. Now what did you mean by asking if I was a monster? The little rabbit girl shouldn¡¯t have been able to say anything.¡±


    ¡°If I say Bianca, what would that mean to you?¡±


    Cassandra quickly covers her mouth with her hands shocked.


    Cassandra: ¡°How do you...?¡±


    ¡°Well since Denova is your master now, I can¡¯t say, but yes I know.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I promise I won¡¯t tell her, how where you able to get the rabbit to talk?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t risk it, she just has to command you to, and you would have to talk.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Humans can¡¯t use an ult¡­Wait, and ultimate command, does that mean you?¡±


    She quickly looks up the trail to the dungeon.


    Cassandra: ¡°I promise I won¡¯t tell Denova anything!...But what do I tell her?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°If I go back and tell her I didn¡¯t have sex with you, I don¡¯t know what she will do.¡±


    ¡°Well just tell her you did then.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°But what about the princess?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Belinda got to do with it?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I thought¡­ You mean your¡­ aren¡¯t you partners?¡±


    ¡°Well in a way I guess¡­¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Won¡¯t she get really mad if word gets around you had sex with other woman while she was gone?¡±


    ¡°I will explain everything to her, she will understand.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°It¡¯s not that simple you know that right?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°You really don¡¯t know do you?¡±


    ¡°I am constantly asked that question¡­¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Well don¡¯t tell her anything¡­ I will think of something¡­ I need to head back now.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    I watch Cassandra leave¡­After disappearing down the mountain I head up to the dungeon.

 Returning to Denovas Place

    When I arrive at the dungeon and transfer to the core room, Lilah is standing there with her hands on her hips clearly upset.


    Lilah: ¡°What was Master doing with one of Denova¡¯s girls?¡±


    ¡°Denova tried to trick me into having sex with her. It almost worked¡­ I am going to have to be more careful around Denova¡­But why didn¡¯t you tell me that all of the girls Edward sold came from the same dungeon?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah can talk about the mean man, but she can¡¯t talk about before.¡±


    ¡°If an ultimate command is used it can last indefinitely? What if I use one on you to tell me?¡±


    Lilah looks scared and shakes her head.


    ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t matter I guess, I already know now anyway. I want to talk to that slave trader again now¡­¡±


    Belinda and her group should be moving at night, if things work like they did last time she was there, so after Lilah goes to bed I wait a few hours to send Belinda a message.


    ¡°How did things go on your first day in the dungeon?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It was touch and go for a while there, but I think after a few more days I think we will really be able to get to work then.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s good.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How are things going there?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I was with one of Denova¡¯s girls today, and I got to thinking. You think it would be ok for me to buy another slave?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You WHAT?!¡±


    ¡°Denova tried to trick me into having sex with one of her girls, but I managed to find out she is just like Lilah, she is a dungeon monster. That made me think, when I bought Lilah, and brought her to the dungeon I was then able to summon the Feral Beastkin, so I was thinking if I buy another slave maybe I can summon that race as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Tried? You said tried right? You didn¡¯t sleep with her?¡±


    ¡°No I didn¡¯t sleep with her, I did however black out for a while does that count?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Sex¡­ You didn¡¯t have sex with her?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ So can I buy the slave? I also want to talk to the slave master again, and I want to find out if he gets all his slaves from that dungeon¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No you can¡¯t buy a slave¡­ I think you mean well, but let¡¯s just wait till I get back at least ok?¡±


    ¡°Ok, and also be warned a hunter spotted you when you guys where in the forest so Denova is convinced we bought Bo, Ike, Scylla, and Zoey from the slave trader. At this point though, that might be a good thing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea we talked, of all the people it got back to it had to make it to Denova¡¯s ears didn¡¯t it¡­ What do you mean a good thing?¡±


    ¡°The slave of hers I told you about figured out I am from the dungeon. I don¡¯t know if she knows I am the core or not, but she knows I am from the dungeon¡­She seemed scared of Denova finding out she is from a dungeon so I think she will keep our secret as long as we keep hers, but Denova is Denova¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that from the start! Someone knows about the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but like I said it¡¯s a monster from another dungeon, so I think we are ok¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe I should just come back¡­¡±


    ¡°No, we can handle things here¡­ You just focus on training Scylla and Zoey¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just promise me you¡¯re not going to have sex with anyone!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I promise I will be more careful¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And? I won¡¯t have sex?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Good¡­ I got to go now, they are about to post the commissions¡­ You¡¯re going to be ok right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will be fine.¡±


    After the conversation I feel exhausted so I head straight to bed.


    Belinda¡¯s POV


    I wake up a little before midnight and prep the team for our first night in the dungeon. I quickly head to the adventurer¡¯s guild and wait for the new commissions to be posted. The crowd has gotten considerably smaller then it was before, but the beastkin woman that tried to kill me last time did tell me that things would start slowing down, I guess she was right.


    I manage to get a good spot in front of the board, with plenty of commissions up for grabs I don¡¯t want to bite off more than we can chew right off the bat so I conservatively take only 2 commissions. One is a kill quest the other is a gather quest so we should be able to do both at once.


    They both are also for the first though the fifth floor so we should be able to train quite a bit tonight. The receptionist seems kind of worried when she looks at the others IDs when we go to accept the commissions, but I tell her I am training them and show her my card, while keeping my thumb over my race.


    This makes the receptionist nod then stamps the commissions for us, and we then set out to the dungeon. The first few rooms are not hard per say as much as they are just draining¡­ The small golems prove to be too much for the group to handle so I have to command Ike, and Bo, keep everyone healed, and move to the front of the group being a shield for the others.


    We still manage to complete the commissions early, and continue to train until it¡¯s time for us to exit. I end up giving another group some of the materials we collected so they don¡¯t fail their commission since we did keep going well after our commissions were done.


    When we leave the dungeon the sun is barely rising, but I feel like I have been up for days, I have healed all our wounds with my magic, but I still feel sore all over. When we turn in the commissions at the guild I notice there are a few errand commissions for the town, they don¡¯t have a monetary reward, but they do give tokens that can be used to purchase the dungeon commissions.


    I have Scylla and Zoey take a few of them to complete to help build up their commission count, and I then relax a little while they set out. They manage to finish quite a few of them before mid-afternoon, I then tell them it¡¯s time to rest, as we got to start all over once midnight hits again¡­


    When I am preparing to head out to pick up our commissions for the day I receive a message from Two-Twelve¡­ He is at it again, I don¡¯t what he does when I am gone but everything goes down the drain.


    It takes me a couple of hours after his conversation is over before I manage to calm down, and by then the commissions on the board are rather slim. I take what I can then head into the dungeon to destroy some golems while pretending they are Two-Twelve¡¯s head.


    The next few days continue run smoothly enough, as the group has started to be able to hold their own, which means I am not taking near as much of a beating, and during the mornings they complete commissions in the town.


    After figuring up the totals one morning we have killed close to 100 of the small golems, and even though I have yet to gain a level, the others have all managed to reach level 9. When they hit level 5 both girls managed to get a skill, and Scylla learned [Freeze], and she then learned [Stone Spike] at level 8. The guys unfortunately haven¡¯t gained anything¡­


    When I bring up there status pages in [Menu] I am surprised.


    Name: Scylla                 Race: Feral Beastkin (Salamander)                   Class:  Mage


    Level: 9                                XP till next Level: 800                    Favored Element: Water


    HP: 306/306                              MP: 225/225


    Strength: 25


    Agility: 25


    Endurance: 34


    Spell Power: 39


    Concentration:39


    Mental Defense: 34


    Spell Arts: 39


    Resistances:


    Armor: [Master Quality Magician¡¯s Robes]


    Equipment: [Minor Ring of Magic], [Master Quality Gem Studded Steel Rod]


    Skills:


    [Combat Mage] (Rank 1): Grants +5 bonus to Concentration, Spell Power, and Spell Arts


    Spells:


    Clean (Water) (Cost 1mp): summons water to clean items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Soil (Earth) (Cost 1mp): summoning your mana with the power of earth you can soil items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Frost (Water) (Cost 5MP): a small burst of ice at targeted location up to 30 feet away. Causes minor cold damage, and may inflict [Frozen] status.


    Stone Pillar (Earth) (Cost 5mp): A small pillar of stone can be grown from any stone, or dirt surface at a location up to 30ft away. Causes minor damage.


    Freeze (Water) (Cost 10MP): Ice forms at targeted location up to 50 feet away. Causes minor water damage, and will likely cause [Frozen] status.


    Stone Spike (Earth) (Cost 10mp): A small sharp pillar of stone can be grown from any stone, or dirt surface at a location up to 50ft away causing piercing damage.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Name: Zoey                 Race: Feral Beastkin (Dog)                   Class:  Archer


    Level: 9                                XP till next Level: 800                 Favored Element: Fire


    HP: 306/306                              MP: 90/90


    Strength: 34


    Agility: 34


    Endurance: 34


    Bow Arts: 34


    Sword Arts: 34


    Mental Defense: 25


    Resistances:


    Armor: [Superior Quality Black Leather Armor]


    Equipment: [Top Quality Large Wooden Bow], x2 [Superior Quality Steel Swords]


    Skills:


    [Bow Training] (Rank 1): Allows the use of basic Bow techniques.


    Long Shot (5mp): an arrow fired at up to twice the normal distance for a penalty to accuracy.


    Double Shot (10mp): Two shots in fired in quick succession.


    Snipe (10mp): focused attack causing pinpoint accuracy


    Bo                                                                XP cost: 800


    Race: Feral Beastkin (Dog)                         Gender: Male


    Level: 9                                                       Class: None


    Favored Element: Water


    Ike                                                                XP cost: 800


    Race: Feral Beastkin (Rabbit)                     Gender: Male


    Level: 9                                                       Class: None


    Favored Element: Fire


    I am surprised to see the full status of the girls, and here I figured it was just the boss monsters. Their levels are catching up to mine quickly, but their stats are quite a bit lower.


    It¡¯s been one week since we arrived here at The Tower of the Gods, and three weeks since we left Tobes, We are now moving on to commissions on the 5-10 floors leaving the group less time to run around town, but we have started taking more of the dungeon commissions with all the extra tokens they have stored up.


    Two-Twelve POV


    I manage to avoid going to Tobes over the next few days, but Lilah has begun to bug me wanting to go down there, so eventually I cave, and once the evening rolls around we don our weapons and armor then head to Tobes.


    There are quite a few things I have to check with giving the fact I have been gone for so long. We manage to complete the entire visit without incident, but when we start to leave the guild the last person I wanted to see waltzes into the door.


    As Denova walks up to me Lilah sticks her tongue out at her, Denova chooses to ignore her as she approaches.


    Denova: ¡°Quite the evening you had the other day no? I know I offered a freebie, but a home visit at that, just remember I went the extra mile to help please the customer.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about ¡°Pleasing¡± the customer, but Cassandra did manage to help me home alright.¡±


    Denova clicks her tongue then says. ¡°Well maybe next time you stop by I will make sure she takes care of you right. At the normal fee this time of course.¡±


    ¡°Well we were just on our way, so until then.¡±


    I nod to her then walk past heading out the door. Luckily she must have had nothing left to say because she doesn¡¯t stop Lilah and me as we head though town. I use several of the hunter¡¯s trails on the way back to the dungeon tonight, just in case Denova decided to poke around.


    A few days later while in Tobes I see Cassandra doing some shopping, so I head over to talk to her¡­ I quickly scan around to make sure Denova isn¡¯t nearby.


    ¡°Cassandra.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Oh Two-Twelve what a pleasant surprise, you out making your rounds though Tobes today?¡±


    ¡°Yea, something like that, I was wondering if you had some time, I would like to talk more about what we were talking about the other day.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Well I am running errands for Denova right now, but in a few hours she is supposed to be meeting with a special client for a few hours, maybe you could swing by the shop then?¡±


    ¡°We are talking about just talking right?¡±


    Cassandra laughs then says. ¡°Sure sure, though if you want to spend a few gold on some drinks while you are there I can at least say I got something out of you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will see you then.¡±


    Cassandra finishes her shopping then heads back towards the other side of town, while I finish my rounds around town. After a few hours I then head to Denova¡¯s place. Once entering I sit at one of the stools next to the counter.


    The wolf beastkin with the scar on her face is behind the counter again, and she walks over to me.


    Beastkin: ¡°What can I get for you?¡±


    ¡°I am supposed to be meeting Cassandra, and I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s called, but I would also take one of them drinks I had the other day.¡±


    The beastkin nods, and leaves the room heading to the other building, she returns a few seconds later Cassandra trailing behind her. Cassandra is wearing different clothes than usual, and this outfit is more typical of standard clothing you see other women wearing around Tobes.


    It¡¯s odd her normal outfit usually makes me uncomfortable, but now that she is wearing normal clothing I feel somewhat disappointed.


    She talks to the other beastkin for a moment then takes a mug, fills it from one of the barrels behind the counter, brings it to me, then sits down on the other stool. Not only her clothing, but her demeanor seems less seductive as well.


    Cassandra: ¡°You made it. Now I don¡¯t mind talking for a while, but it¡¯s going to mean I miss some work, so you got to spend at least 10 gold so I don¡¯t get in trouble when Denova returns.¡±


    ¡°Well if you can fill in some blanks for me on what we talked about the other day, I am sure the 10 gold would be a small price to pay. Maybe we should go somewhere we can talk?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Buy a few more drinks, and we can go up to my room, sound doesn¡¯t carry from the bedrooms for obvious reasons, although for you I got a feeling the reasons might not be so obvious.¡±


    ¡°I am not oblivious to what you guys do, sure the why of it is beyond me, but I guess you got something you are willing to sell, and there is someone willing to buy, that¡¯s just business.¡±


    I then order a few of the drinks and after handing over the 10 gold we head over to the other building heading up to one of the bedrooms at the far end. The room itself is rather plain with no real decorations or windows. There is a simple table with a few chairs, but the bed¡­


    The bed itself makes up for the lack of decorations in the rest of the room with four intricately carved pillars on the corners with drapes hanging in-between, all of it in bright colors even putting the bed Belinda put in her room to shame.


    While I am admiring the bed Cassandra puts a tray containing a large jug of alcohol, and two mugs down on the table.


    Cassandra: ¡°We can sit here and talk.¡± ¨CShe then switches to her seductive tone of voice as she says. - ¡°Or if you changed you mind we could...¡±


    I however cut her off by saying. ¡°The table is fine.¡± I then sit.


    Cassandra: ¡°You know I am quite surprised by you honestly.¡± ¨CShe says while topping my mug off with the jug then sliding it to me.-


    ¡°How so?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°There are a few types of people that range from being regular clients, which come here knowing exactly what they want. To the ones completely against this kind of thing, for varies reasons. I figured you to be part of the second group, but you don¡¯t seem against it just disinterested in it¡­ That in itself is something I haven¡¯t seen before.¡±


    ¡°As you gathered the other day I am not like the people of Tobes.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Well yea I gathered, but I am from the same type of background, and I am just like any other beastkin, or human for that matter.¡±


    ¡°Like I said before, I understand what it is you do here, and I understand people are willing to pay to do it, I just don¡¯t understand the why.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°You don¡¯t enjoy it when you do it with the princess? Wait, could it be that you haven¡¯t had sex with the princess? Oh the poor girl¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the point¡­ I know humans seem to enjoy it, but I watch Belinda eat and drink every day, for just the enjoyment of it, and I don¡¯t understand it. She has gotten me to eat a few food items before and I found it unpleasant.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°You don¡¯t feel anything? I mean what about the alcohol you seem to enjoy that.¡±


    ¡°Well I mostly just tolerate it. You said I had to spend the gold, so I got it.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Surely you have to feel something though, the way you were looking at me the other day, what do you call that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Of course it¡¯s complicated, all emotions are complicated. Tell me what is it you feel.¡± ¨CShe lowers her voice, and speaks in a more seductive tone. - ¡°When I talk like this?¡±


    I shrug my shoulders. ¡°Nothing different.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Ok, how about now?¡± ¨CShe says in her seductive tone while repositions herself then begins to unbutton her shirt.-


    Wearing nothing under her shirt she takes it off dropping it to the floor causing me to blush, and turn my head to the side. ¡°Embarrassment now, I thought we agreed to just talk?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Embarrassment? Embarrassment is good, I can work with that. I promise I won¡¯t take it too far, but you have left me curious now tell me what you feel now?¡±


    She says as she grabs my arm at the elbow then slowly slides her hand back, once she reaches my wrist she picks up my hand bringing it to her breast, and places her other hand on my knee.


    ¡°Still mainly embarrassment.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Mainly? Ok let¡¯s forget about the embarrassment for now. Let¡¯s explore what else you feel.¡±


    She then stands up then pulls me up to my feet, she then grabs the bottom of my shirt pulling it up over my head then dropping it to the floor. Pressing her body against mine she slowly begins to walk till I back step reaching the bed.


    She then places her hand of my chest, and pushes my back onto the bed. She then unties the string holding her pants on letting them fall to the floor. With nothing on underneath them now fully nude she crawls over me, and sits on my lap.


    As I lay there on the bed she brings her bushy tail around lightly brushing my bare chest with it. She then grabs both my hands this time placing one on her breast again, and bringing the other around her placing it on her butt.


    Laying forward she then softly nibbles on my ear as she says. ¡°Well what do you feel now?¡±


    ¡°I... I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I say as my head feels foggy, I am embarrassed enough its making my face feel like it¡¯s on fire, but there is something else, what I am feeling now is different¡­


    Cassandra: ¡°Embrace it¡­ Let it fill you up¡­And then¡­¡±


    She jumps off me exiting the bed grabbing her shirt pulling it on her arms, but leaving it unbuttoned. She then walks back to the bed purposely turning around flicking her tail high as she bends over. Her tail comes down brushing my face as she shakes her butt in my face as she takes what seems like an absurd amount of time to pull her pants back on.


    She then slowly walks back over to the table, sits down, takes a large drink from one of the mugs. Then slowly buttons up her shirt, while I stare speechless.


    Cassandra: ¡°What? I thought you wanted to just talk?¡±


    ¡°What was all that about?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Just remember that feeling, that emotion, and next time you are alone with you princess, bring it back. You can both thank me later. Oh and don¡¯t ever tell Denova what just happened.¡±


    I get up from the bed, my legs feel a little weak, and my face is bright red, but I manage to calm down now. I pick up my shirt from the floor putting it on then sit back down at the table.


    ¡°So now can we talk about what we originally came here to talk about?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°All that and you managed to calm down and collect yourself just like that? You really are an odd one.¡± ¨CShe then closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath holding it a few seconds before letting it out before she continues to talk.- ¡°Fine, what is it you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Well anything really. From what I gathered from Lilah, Bianca obviously used an ultimate command to prevent you guys from talking, so what is it you can tell me?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°As you have guessed, the time before I was traded to Edward, I can¡¯t talk about any of it.¡±


    ¡°That in itself is helpful, you were traded? Do you know what for, or can you say?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Old slaves go in, we come out, that¡¯s about all I can say.¡±


    ¡°I think I get it. She has manages to collect xp by taking in the slaves nobody wants then summons you guys as trade. I think I really would like to talk to this Edward again now¡­¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°You look human though, but you¡¯re from the dungeon. I didn¡¯t think they could make humans.¡±


    ¡°Well I am not human per say, but well let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°What can you tell me about Edward?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I can tell you anything you want to know about him.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I have heard they call him Beastkin Edward, does that mean he strictly deals in beastkin and feral beastkin?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°He will buy any slave he can get for a cheap price, but the ones he sells are strictly beastkin, and feral beastkin.¡±


    ¡°I guess that means you all come from the dungeon then?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I see what you are trying to do¡­ All I can say is his products do indeed come from the same place.¡±


    ¡°How many sub-species can he get?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure, but for our line of work most of the clients like soft fur and fluffy tails, so most of us were dogs, cats, rabbits, that kind of thing. I was a little different so I had I higher cost, but I hear he can get most anything. The rabbit you got was a ¡°Special Order¡± for a noble that wanted a playmate for their child, but the kid didn¡¯t like her so they ended up buying one of the other girls.¡±


    ¡°Were they all women?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°No, there were a few men, but they were mostly stockier sub-species for doing manual labor like bears or bulls. Although honestly I believe it¡¯s just a mindset, I don¡¯t think they are actually any stronger than any other sub-species.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you seem cunning like a fox¡­ Although that could just be your master¡¯s influence.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I believe I will take that as a compliment.¡± ¨CShe says doing her best to imitate Denova¡¯s sly smile.-


    The smile alone is enough for a chill to run down my spine¡­


    ¡°I think Lilah was still bound by the dungeon when I got her, are you guys still bound as well¡­ Let me reword it¡­ Do you guys have to eat and such?¡±


    She thinking about the question for a minute then says. ¡°Let¡¯s just say we are ¡°guaranteed¡± to appear younger longer, heal faster, and stay healthier for a full year from purchase.¡±


    ¡°Like I said¡­ Like a fox¡­¡±


    We continue to talk for a little while, she tells me about the brothel, the other girls, and even tells me stuff about Denova. I let her drink most of the alcohol, after she tells me how they are not allowed to buy any, but are allowed to drink it if a client buys it for them.


    Once the jug and the mugs are both empty, she tells me if I want to ¡°train¡± the emotion I was feeling earlier she would be more than happy to help for a small fee. I turn her down, but tell her I don¡¯t mind paying her ¡°fee¡± if we can talk some more sometime, I then depart heading back to the dungeon.


    The sun is already beginning to set as I make my way up one of the old hunter¡¯s trails. When I enter the dungeon core room Lilah eyes me suspiciously and even sniffs me.


    Lilah: ¡°Master smells funny¡­ Was master doing something that is going to make Belinda mad at him?¡±


    ¡°I kept the promise I gave her.¡± -I say frankly.-


    Lilah: ¡°Why you not wearing your armor?¡±


    ¡°Nobody has been watching us the last few times we went down there, I still took the sword, but I think the armor might be a bit much.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master still stinks¡­¡±


    I sniff my shirt, but don¡¯t notice anything, I then cast [Clean] on myself. I talk to Lilah for a while trying to confirm some of the things I learned from Cassandra, but she isn¡¯t able to help much. I then send Lilah down to bed, then head to bed myself.

 Belinda, Two-Twelve, and Zoey?

    By the time I finally reach level 14, Scylla and Zoey have both reached level 12. Unfortunately the guys haven¡¯t leveled at all since they hit level 10. Both girls gained a new skill at level 10, and Scylla has even gained a few more spells, I however have only managed to rank up my spear training skill.


    ¡°You, and Zoey both gain skills and spells as you level up, but I don¡¯t. If the reason for it is that I am the dungeon¡¯s boss monster that sounds like it¡¯s a disadvantage.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It is unusual that you haven¡¯t learned any new skills, but the spells you know¡­ There are quite a few, even for a boss monster.¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve bought them for me at the dungeon.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible only dungeon cores are able to learn spells that way.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am a dungeon monster¡­ It¡¯s just common sense.¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve didn¡¯t say anything like that¡­ When I asked about it he just bought me the spells¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed our dungeon core is a little¡­ ¡°Special¡± He can do some extraordinary things without even realizing it, but some things that should be simple he is clueless about¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ I heard he has been strange like that since birth, it even left the elders scratching their heads about it.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°They haven¡¯t found the reason?¡±


    ¡°Not that I have heard, it could be due to his crystal not having a favored element, but from what I understand that in is self could be due to the fact he just didn¡¯t know he was supposed to have one, so he learned spells from each element¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Maybe it is because he shares the number of an elder that died? After all the previous 212 was close to 1000 years old when he died, and no other dungeons come close except the other elders.¡±


    ¡°Who knows¡­ Well you got everything packed up? Once Zoey makes it back we will start heading home.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°All set.¡±


    Two-Twelve¡¯s POV


    I woke up this morning with my ears ringing, I drank a few of those alcohol drinks with Cassandra last night, but I don¡¯t see why that would make my ears ring¡­ Shorty later I receive word from Belinda that they have finished their training and are on their way home.


    The last week has gone by pretty quickly, when I met with Cassandra again Lilah got angry, so last night when we planned to meet I brought Lilah along so she would calm down. Lilah wouldn¡¯t enter the bar so I had Cassandra pack us up some of the alcohol and we took it back to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Lilah sat with her arms crossed half the evening while we talked, but once Cassandra started to talk about how bad it was with Edward, Lilah started to warm up to her. When I looked Bianca up in the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> it said she was in Duscae Kingdom, but I still don¡¯t know where that is.


    I asked the girls in a roundabout way, by asking where Edward acquired them from, it still took a while of careful wording before I as able to learn that Duscae is a few more days east past Kortova, and once you enter the kingdom its still 4 or 5 days till you reach her dungeon. I am still not sure of its exact location though.


    The groups that enter the dungeon lately all have at least one C-rank member. There are even training commissions on the board where for a few gold a C-ranker leads a few new adventurers into the dungeon.


    This has started to cut down on the xp we acquire, but Lilah has begun to get ruthless with her tactics on the groups that push down to the third floor. We have been able to gather quite a bit xp, and depending on how much xp Belinda brings back we may finally be able to finish the third floor and start another.


    As the day that Belinda is set to return draws near I receive work from Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Are you ready pup? Tomorrow is the big day.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow? I thought we still have a few more days?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Nope, tomorrow will be your first birthday. We want everyone here for the birth of the new cores. You are ready right?¡±


    ¡°Belinda still hasn¡¯t returned yet, but we should be able to make due.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Good, I will be there first thing in the morning to get you.¡±


    That evening just after dark I receive a message from Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°We are almost home! We tried to get there tonight, but it just got to dark and we can¡¯t see any longer. We will be there before noon for sure.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, I received word from Madam Erin, apparently tomorrow is the day, so she will pick me up first thing in the morning.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s not fair! Not again, why is it every time I come home you have to leave? I thought we were going to be able to spend a few days together before you had to leave?¡±


    ¡°So did I, apparently my calculations were off¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s worse is I don¡¯t even get to spend your birthday with you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a date¡­ We can do something for it when I return.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s not the point! It¡¯s your first one, we should have been able to throw a grand party for you, like we did for my birthday¡­¡±


    ¡°Honestly no thanks¡­ That wasn¡¯t my idea of a good time¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that counts! The rest of us would like to enjoy it as well¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s my birthday¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I thought you said it was just a date?¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, whatever, I am going to go to bed now, I will message you tomorrow as soon as I found out how long I am going to be gone for.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Good, and when I make it back I will start planning your party.¡±


    I sigh then turn in for the night. The next morning just as I am getting out of bed Madam Erin enters my dungeon. I quickly go grab Lilah out of her bed, and take her to the core room, Half asleep I set her in the chair, her head bobbing as I give her instructions.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re going to be alright?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah¡¯s got it.¡± ¨CShe gives me a thumbs up while her face has a sleepy smile.-


    I quickly head down to the entrance to the dungeon to meet Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°What took you so long pup? Long night with the ladies?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I heard you are spending quite a bit of time in that brothel in town while your poor boss monster was working her tail off in my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°How did you hear that?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So you¡¯re not denying it? You always have been a little too honest for your own good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, I was learning things from one of the girls there.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Oh I bet you were.¡±


    ¡°I know what you are implying, and although yes some of the things I learned from her was sexual in nature, no I haven¡¯t practiced any of it¡­ What I learned was she was a dungeon monster, and I was learning about another dungeon.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Bianca still in the slave trading business? Not what I call a respectable way to live, but to each their own I guess.¡±


    ¡°What don¡¯t you know?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Your crystal is a diamond that doesn¡¯t appear to be of any one element, do you possess a new element? Or none at all?¡±


    ¡°Nice try, are we ready then?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well you asked.¡± ¨CShe says with a smile, she then hits me in the back with her huge hands.-


    We head down the trail leading away from the mountain down to the same stone she drew the door frame on before, after looking around she begins drawing one again. After a few minutes she opens the portal, we step inside, and enter the same familiar hallway.


    When we enter the grand room, all the tables and chairs have been removed. Instead, in front of the elder¡¯s podium there are three stone benches that look just like the one I woke up on.


    All three of the elder candidates, and several of the other judges have already arrived, it looks like only Greaks the serpent like dungeon core and Draco are still missing. I go stand with the others while Madam Erin, takes her position.


    Once Draco, and Greaks enter the room, they take their positions, and the three candidates step forward towards the stone benches. Each seem to be accessing [Menu] then each hold a set of clothing.


    Maric has a highly decorative over the top robe, which even has jewels sewn in. Laura likewise is holding a robe although well-made it is plain and grey. Much to surprise of the other two, and several others including the elders Dyson is holding a beautiful dress designed for combat.


    It has a solid breastplate, shoulder guards and a metal sewn into the sleeves, from the bottom of the breastplate it has a chainmail that extends to the waist. The bell of the dress has several long plates sewn into it protecting the waist, hips, and legs without sacrificing beauty or movement. All the metal on the dress is made of the blueish metal that Listel¡¯s sword was made from.


    Laura quickly speaks out. ¡°This is outrageous, that clearly violates the rules set down by not helping the new cores with equipment.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The rules clearly state I can provide one set of clothes, and it cannot exceed 50xp in cost. As this is a dress it fits under the rules, and as I made this myself it didn¡¯t cost any xp.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Made it yourself? Like I am supposed to believe that.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Although it is clearly pressing the boundaries of the rules it does however fall within the guidelines, but be warned. The rules will be amended before next year¡¯s cores are born.¡±


    Dyson then puffs out his chest with a sly smile, while Laura looks on appalled. Meric however seems disinterested as he quietly waits.


    Soon the room is filled with light much like the light that shined on Belinda when she became a boss monsters, and forming on the three stone benches are three featureless bodies. The three candidates step forward, Maric and Laura draping the robe over the bodies, while Dyson kneels holding the dress out in outstretched arms.


    The bodies then harden turning to what looks like stone before cracking and pieces begin to crumble away leaving a person underneath. They all three appear to be humanlike, with the ones covered with a robe both being male, while Dyson¡¯s appears female.


    Once the last piece of stone hits the floor seemingly disappearing without out a trace, they open their eyes. Almost in unison they sit up and begin to look around. The female in the group looks down at herself covering her breasts with one arm while she grabs the armor from Dyson¡¯s arms.


    After taking it Dyson then stands, she taps in front of herself until the armor disappears from her lap then reappears covering her body. The two men then reposition the robes wrapping them around their bodies as they stand up, the woman then likewise stands as well.


    As Draco begins to speak the three turn around facing the podium. ¡°Welcome younglings, you may be rather confused, but gives us time and we will explain the situation.¡±


    Faron: ¡°You three will become the forerunners of a new tradition among the dungeon cores, as such your training will be a little different than those held in the past.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We have found that the old way of training cores is no longer effective and with it have decided to change the rules.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°No longer will the dungeon cores doing the training be chosen at random, but by the one of the three behind you that will become our new elder and training ambassador.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°This year we will decide which, if any of you shall pass, but starting next year it will be by the sole decision of the new elder.


    Draco: ¡°Following in Madam Erin¡¯s example of last year, the rules for the training cores will be different as well.¡±


    Faron: ¡°No longer will the trainers be limited to a maximum xp, and will be judged solely on the decision of the trainers.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Madam Erin: ¡°As such the five judges will decide if the battles are fair, but starting next year it will be up to the new elder these five choose.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°Meaning the decision of who you five choose to become the new elder will help shape every dungeon born from here after.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Trainers, you have a lot of work ahead, and need to get started so you should be receiving the revised rules¡­Now¡­¡±


    Maric, Laura, and Dyson all seem to receive something as they begin tapping on what should be screens.


    Draco: ¡°Maric, you will take Dungeon Core #3 and train him to the best of your ability, and remember not only his life depends on it, but it could be your future as well. You are dismissed.¡±


    Maric: ¡°I won¡¯t let you down!¡± ¨CThen he talks to the new core in front of him then they leave the room.-


    Faron: ¡°Laura, you will be responsible for Dungeon Core #12¡¯s training, your dreams and aspirations will rest on how well you do. You are dismissed.¡±


    Laura doesn¡¯t say anything, but moves over to her new core and they both leave the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°And lastly Dyson, Your unique ability to summon humans has often either made or broke new dungeons. I believe you are singularly capable of training the best core out of the three, but don¡¯t let that go to your head. As these five are not going to just be judging how strong your new core has become, but also how you got there. Now take Dungeon Core # 307 and begin.¡±


    Dyson bows to the new dungeon core in front of him then offers her his hand escorting her from the room. Then Lucille waves her arm and the three benches disappear and five chairs are in there place. She then motions for us to sit, and once we are all sitting Fredrick beings to speak.


    Fredrick: ¡°You five will have a unique ability to look in on the progress of all three of the new dungeon cores, and will be privy to knowledge of their trainers that most others are not.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°As you look in on them remember the one you chose as the new elder will gain that ability, from the time they are chosen so choose wisely.¡±


    Draco: ¡°You will each go back home, and use that ability to track the progress of the new cores and their trainers, and return here once a week to discuss their progress.¡±


    Faron: ¡°Once the month is up and the new cores either pass or fail we will decide, we will then allow you five to decide on the next elder by a unanimous vote.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you cannot reach a unanimous decision by then, you will remain here until you do.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°Any thoughts?¡±


    The small girl with leathery-wings speaks.


    Girl: ¡°You can already rule out Dyson, I will not hand over the keys to the kingdom as it were to a human.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I understand your reservations, but give it the month, and after your observations you still feel the same way, make it known to the others.¡±


    Girl: ¡°I have no intention of changing my mind.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright, then look at it this way, you have an ability for a full month to look in on him watching his moves and learning his weaknesses, As long as you complete your task, what you do with the information afterwards it up to you.¡±


    ¡°I am assuming the training, and teaching is going too far surpass what dungeons have experienced in the past, as such Dungeon Core #3 died in under a week last year, What are we going to do for judging the teacher if the student dies too early in the month?¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Exactly, sssssome coressss are weak from the ssssstart, how are we to judge the teacher if they end up with a lossssser.


    Draco: ¡°Maric, Laura, and Dyson want this more than anything, I am sure they are going to try their very best to keep their cores alive. Your job is to watch and make sure they are training them correctly even if the core they are training is unresponsive.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°However if one of them does die early in the month we will have to come up with a contingency plan at the next meeting.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°Any other questions.?¡±


    Faron: ¡°Alright we will give you some time to talk amongst yourselves when you are guy ready to go let us know.¡±


    The elders then part from their chairs and leave the room.


    ¡°Well why don¡¯t we start by introducing ourselves. I am Dungeon Core #212, you can just call me Two-Twelve, I know most of you but, not all, so I thought if we got to know each other a bit it would make it easier to work together over the next month.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Very well, I am Dungeon Core #2 Greakssssss, and it isssss a pleasssssure meet you all.¡±


    Simon: ¡°Dungeon Core #245, call me Simon.¡±


    Bella: ¡°My name is Bella I am Dungeon Core #790, may we be able to find the right fit to fill the elders.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry to hear about Newt¡­ I am sure you did what you could.¡±


    Bella: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, he chose a bad location to start his dungeon, and I told him over and over, location is key.¡±


    ¡°And you are?¡± ¨CI say to the girl with the leathery wings.-


    Girl: ¡°Fine, call me Bless, I am Dungeon Core #313.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all. No why don¡¯t we each tell the group what we know about the three candidates. That way others that don¡¯t know anything about them then know what to keep an eye on during their observations.¡±


    Bless: ¡°Who put the kid in charge?¡±


    Simon: ¡°It actually makes a lot of sense. Fine I will go first. I don¡¯t know much about Meric other than he is the oldest second generation dungeon core, I have heard others call him pretender, but I don¡¯t know if it is just because he took the original Maric¡¯s name and dungeon, or there is more to it.


    I don¡¯t know much of what Laura has been doing in the last 100 to 150 years, but when I was being trained by Lucille, Laura often talked to her. They were friends from what I understood, Laura really looked up to Lucille, trying to follow in her footsteps, I am not sure what their falling out is about though.


    As for Dyson, who hasn¡¯t heard of Dyson.¡±


    Bella: ¡°They are all solid cores, I heard Dyson runs a human city, Laura has taken a human king as a boss monster, and Meric has a small city surrounding his dungeon as well.¡±


    Greaks: ¡° I am ssssstill not much older than the youngling myssssself, I have only heard the rumorssssss about them.¡±


    Bless: ¡°Dyson is a dungeon killer, he sides with humans killing dungeon cores, hell Bella even said it he runs a human city. As for the others I could care less as long as it¡¯s not Dyson. What about you oh one year wonder what do you know?¡±


    ¡°I know Maric has trained over 10% of the cores that are still alive today, His own boss monster is a dungeon core that could have their own dungeon if they wanted but rather stay in his dungeon. I have heard there is more to the rumor of him being called pretender then just his name and dungeon. I also feel he seems too eager to please. All the humans I have meet that act that way are the ones you have to worry about.


    Laura had a dungeon in a small town for many years, but once Merretta split in two, she made the new king her boss monster turning the town on top of her dungeon into the capital of the kingdom. She has been sending out dungeon monsters that have been designated hero¡¯s by the adventurer¡¯s guild to check out and/or eliminate other dungeons as well.


    Dyson might get a bad rap for having to live amongst humans but he has done more in his short time, then any other core I have seen, his level even surpasses that of the elder¡¯s levels. He may have killed 43 dungeons, but I heard each were not exactly innocent.¡±


    Bella: ¡°For only being a year old, you sure know a lot¡­ How did you learn all that?¡±


    ¡°I have my ways.¡±


    Bless: ¡°Madam Erin seems awful fond of you¡­ Are you pulling a Simon and sleeping with you teacher?¡±


    Simon: ¡°Who would be the top in that relationship?¡±


    Bless and Simon both begins to laugh.


    Bella: ¡°Alright enough, at least now we know what to keep an eye out for.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°I guessssss we are done here then I will ssssee you guyssss in a week.¡±


    The group then breaks up and we head into the hallway, The elders are there waiting to escort us home, and Madam Erin stops me right before passing into the portal.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well what do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to tell. All three seem determined to win. I think Dyson and Laura will openly push the boundaries of the rules like he did with the armor, but at least it makes it easy to follow. Meric is the type to do it from the shadows, while shaking your hand with a smile on his face, so I think watching him closely is a must.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Haha, pup I am sure glad I chose you, I can¡¯t wait to see what you have in store for us. What about the judges?¡±


    ¡°Greaks seems nice enough, but he seems to be a bit of a yes man. Bella has the experience, but I don¡¯t know if she really cares one way or another. Bless will probably nitpick everything Dyson does and completely ignore Laura, and Maric. Simon I thought I might have a bit of a problem with, but he seems have his head in the game, so we will see.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Once your dungeon begins to take off, I feel sorry for those who stand in your way¡­ Although I would work on you common sense a bit if I was you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°See you in a week.¡± ¨CShe then pushes my chest practically throwing me though the portal.-


    I come rolling backwards out of the portal, after spinning a few times my head lands on an empty leather boot. Looking up I see a familiar face, Zoey is standing there naked, but holding her clothes up in front of her self, covering her body. Her tail begins to wag as she squats down patting my head.


    Zoey: ¡°Hey Belinda, I found boss.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Boss?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yea I figured I would give it a shot, he didn¡¯t seem to like being called master so I thought I would go with boss.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡¯s here? Where? ¨CShe says in a panicked voice.-


    I sit up and begin to rub my head, Looking around I see Belinda¡¯s gear leaning against a rock, along with Scylla¡¯s robes and gear as well. I realize we are down by the lake, and they must have stopped before heading up to the dungeon.


    Zoey: ¡°He¡¯s right here at my feet, he came rolling out a rock all sneaky like.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Tell him to go away!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°She said we are taking a bath after our long trip, you should join us.¡±


    Zoey then turns around covering her butt with her tail as she sets her clothes down then disappears behind the rock. I then get up dusting myself off.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you have anything I haven¡¯t seen before, and here I thought you were upset I might not get to see you today, and now you are telling me to go away.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s not like that! But I am all dirty from the trip, and the girls are here too.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see, so you would be ok with it if the girls weren¡¯t there?¡±


    I can hear Zoey, and even Scylla laughing while I imagine Belinda is blushing brightly.


    Belinda: ¡°Will you please go on! We will meet you up at the dungeon soon.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss! She said the waters great, come for a swim.¡±


    Scylla is still laughing but I can hear Belinda griping at Zoey.


    ¡°Tell her thanks anyway Zoey, but I better get back, and make sure Lilah is doing ok.¡±


    As I begin to walk away I can hear Scylla say. ¡°What is with master? He seemed so different¡­¡±


    I think about it as I head up to the dungeon, but can¡¯t figure out why she said that. Once I reach the dungeon I surprise Lilah when I transfer into the core room, she was lying in my bed hugging on of the pillows¡­


    Lilah: ¡°Masters back! Lilah wasn¡¯t doing anything she promises.¡±


    ¡°What about watching the dungeon, if you were I wouldn¡¯t of snuck up on you.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Intruders cause [Menu] to make noises, besides a group just left a little bit ago.¡±


    ¡°What were you doing anyway?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah was napping! Yea napping.¡±


    ¡°Why in my bed?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Uhhh. Oh oh because master left Lilah in the core room, Lilah couldn¡¯t leave it without master or Belinda moving me out of it!¡±


    ¡°That sounds like an excuse you just come up with on the spot¡­ But I guess it is true, so we will just leave it at that then¡­ I ran into Belinda and the others, they should be here shortly.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yay!¡±


    An hour or so later Scylla, and Zoey are making their way up the trail with Bo, and Ike following behind them, but Belinda doesn¡¯t appear to be with them. Once they reach the dungeon I send Bo and Ike to their rooms and pull Zoey and Scylla to the core room.


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss, Belinda said she wanted to surprise you for your birthday, so we got to keep you busy why she decks out the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    Scylla slaps Zoey¡¯s shoulder then says. ¡°It was supposed to be a secret as in don¡¯t tell him!¡±


    ¡°If I am going to be forced to endure talking to all them people, maybe you can do me a favor?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Sure thing boss, what do you need?¡±


    ¡°Can you go down to Denova¡¯s place and ask for Cassandra. Tell her you need a barrel of alcohol, and tell her it¡¯s for me, she should know which kind. I am sure Denova will find out one way or another so tell her if Denova comes Cassandra has to as well. This should be enough to cover it.¡±


    I then hand her a small bag with about 50 gold coins in it.


    Zoey: ¡°Sure thing boss, but what kind of alcohol are you buying? This seems like enough to buy half the stock in the adventurer¡¯s guild¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it cost me about 2 gold a mug, but if you buy it in bulk it should be a bit cheaper so I figured that would be enough for a barrel¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You¡¯re going to let us try it too right boss? I want to know what 2 gold per mug alcohol taste like¡­¡±


    ¡°How much does alcohol usually cost?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You should easily be able to buy 5 barrels for this price boss¡­¡±


    ¡°Damnit, have they been overcharging me this entire time¡­Well just get the barrel, and you can hold on to whatever is left.¡±


    Lilah said she wants to help Belinda, and Scylla said she would take her, so I send them on their way while I keep an eye on the dungeon.


    Zoey¡¯s PoV


    Boss seems really different then when we left, I don¡¯t know what happened but he even gave me an important commission. He entrusted me with a large sum of gold so I can¡¯t let him down, for some reason Lilah and Scylla are coming with me.


    I thought once we hit Tobes they would go on to the adventurer¡¯s guild but instead they are walking behind me as I head to the far side of town. When I ask them about it they said I might need help carrying the barrel so they wanted to wait for me before heading to the guild.


    With all the training we did in the dungeon I should easily be able to lift something like a barrel, and I don¡¯t know what little Lilah and a mage would be able to do, but I guess it doesn¡¯t matter if they want to waste their time its fine with me.


    This is the second time I have been here at Denova¡¯s place. After that commission Boss had to help us straighten out, I didn¡¯t think I would have a need to come back here again. Once I enter the building Scylla and Lilah wait outside, heck they even stay across the street¡­


    Once inside I head up to the bar, and the attractive wolf beastkin with the scar on her face is tending bar¡­ She is the same one that was here last time. I wonder if she is boss¡¯s type, but he said talk to someone named Cassandra.


    Zoey: ¡°Hey, boss told me I need to come in here and ask for Cassandra, is she available?¡±


    Wolf Beastkin: ¡°I don¡¯t think she is with a client right now, but all are ladies are at will. Some do take female clients, but I don¡¯t believe Cassandra is one of them.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh no no, I am not a client, just a friend. Out of curiosity though, do you take female clients?¡±


    Wolf Beastkin: ¡°Denova bought me cheap on account of my scar, I thought I would be able to pay off my debt quick, but then she stuck me behind the bar. Nobody bothers with the bar tender with the scar, when there are younger, prettier girls on the floor. So to answer your question I will take any client I can get at this point. Now excuse me I will go find Cassandra.¡±


    The beastkin woman then walks out of the room, when she returns a few moments later a fox beastkin follows her in, and is looking around the room with a confused expression.


    Zoey: ¡°You must be Cassandra. Call me Zoey, boss sent me down here to buy a barrel of his favorite booze, he said you would know what kind. Oh sorry, boss is Mister? Sir? Well most people just call him Two-Twelve.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Oh¡­ I didn¡¯t know he had any employees.¡±


    ¡°Ah it¡¯s just what I started calling him, he didn¡¯t like it much when Scylla called him master, so I thought I would give boss a shot. He hasn¡¯t objected to it so far.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°So it is true Two-Twelve bought more slaves from Edward?¡±


    I think for a minute. Belinda said that Denova thought we were slave I am pretty sure that boss said it might work as an advantage, so I decide to answer with.


    ¡°Well something like that.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°You said he wants a whole barrel? I will have to ask Denova if we can sell an entire barrel.¡±


    Cassandra then looks over at the wolf beastkin, she sets down the glass she was cleaning then heads over into the other room, a few seconds later she returns to the bar, and goes back to cleaning the glass. Denova then walks in walking over to us.


    Denova: ¡°Now what¡¯s going on here that requires my personal attention?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°She wants to buy a barrel of the black label.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Hell she wants to buy a barrel of it sell her a barrel.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°It¡¯s for Two-Twelve.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Oh I see¡­ That means it should come out to what 80 gold?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°80 gold are you insane? You could buy a dozen barrels for that.¡±


    Denova: ¡°But Black label is special.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Not that special I thought you guys were cheating him, but that¡¯s too much¡­ I will pay 30 gold.¡±


    Denova: ¡°30? Come on I got to make some money off of it, how about 50?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°How about 35 and I give you some information you might be interested in knowing. After all you seem keen on the affairs of boss and Belinda¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°If it¡¯s the fact Belinda returned, no deal I know you guys left with her, so if your back so is she. 40 is my final offer.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°The alcohol is for Two-Twelve¡¯s birthday celebration at the guild, 35?¡±


    Denova: ¡°That¡¯s where you messed up you told me before the deal 40, take it or leave it.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yes, but I can get you invited, if you sell me the barrel for 30 gold and bring them two along?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Oh, I like you. I am going to have to see if I can buy your contract from him. You have a deal. Wait 2?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yea Cassandra, and her.¡± ¨CI point to the bar tender.-


    Denova: ¡°I understand Cassandra, but I didn¡¯t realize ¡°you¡± made an impression on him.¡±


    The bartender looks confused and shrugs her shoulders.


    Denova: ¡°Well whatever, one night won¡¯t hurt nothing.¡±


    I pay Denova for the barrel and tell her we are starting in a few hours. The bartender asks me if I got a cart ready outside but I proudly shake my head picking up the barrel and placing it on my shoulder¡­ I then walk out of the bar with my chest puffed out, but once I make it outside I have to lean against the wall¡­


    Damn I didn¡¯t expect it to be that heavy¡­ At least I didn¡¯t make myself look like an idiot¡­I spot Lilah and Scylla across the street standing next to a hand cart¡­ Damnit they knew didn¡¯t they¡­ I pick up the barrel again them walk over placing it in the cart.


    ¡°You know I could have carried it, you didn¡¯t have to get a cart.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You looked like you were about to bust a vein right then¡­ You seriously expect me to believe you could have carried that across the entire town?¡±


    ¡°Oh well you got it, so it will make it easier, might as well use it.¡±


    I then take the cart handles and push it along the road heading towards the adventurer¡¯s guild, but I can hear Lilah and Scylla¡¯s snarky comments behind me¡­

 Happy Birthday...

    As I sit in the dungeon alone I realize that when the girls arrived earlier I didn¡¯t receive the message about their xp, and when I check I notice the xp is the same as before they arrived, I wonder if it is because Belinda was the leader, and she had to personally enter the before I receive it.


    If that is the case I wonder what happens if the leader of the group falls in battle? Then again I guess if you lose the leader, someone else has to take their place, so it would then fall to them. Since they are down in Tobes I am able to bring up their status windows.


    Belinda told me that the girls had full status screens so looking over them I see they made pretty good progress during the trip. They did more in that month then some of the adventurers that have come to Tobes have managed to do in an entire year.


    I heard it was very expensive to do commissions in The Tower of the Gods, and they entered the dungeon every single day, most of the adventurers in Tobes only enter once, and the ones that do make repeat visits, still only come once a week tops.


    Although now that the commission for the C-rank adventurer¡¯s guiding the D-rank groups are becoming common some of the C-rankers are now making a few visits a week. After looking over the girl¡¯s status screens I close them and bring up Bo and Ike¡¯s screens.


    They only managed to reach level 10 while the others are over level 12, I then notice a symbol next to their level that I have seen before¡­ 10 must be the max level for feral beastkin¡­ After closing the guys status screens I notice something on [Menu] I haven¡¯t seen before. When I touch it brining it forward I receive a message.


    Observation mode selected, choose a dungeon. Due to the nature of observation set by the Dungeon Core Elders, available options are limited to Dungeon Core #1 [Meric], Dungeon Core #3 [Adair], Dungeon Core #12 [Phobos], Dungeon Core #105 [Laura], Dungeon Core #307 [Queen], and Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson]


    Oh, it¡¯s for the elder selection. It¡¯s still the first day they shouldn¡¯t even get started till tomorrow, so I will just let it be for today. It looks like the new cores have all received name already though. I am rather surprised in Dyson¡¯s behavior he seems to be treating this core a lot different than in the past.


    I decide to close [Menu], and wait till I receive word from the girls.


    Belinda¡¯s POV


    After finding out Two-Twelve was going to be here for his birthday I figured I had to do something, so after we finished with our bath I told the girls to keep him busy for the afternoon while I prepare the adventurer¡¯s guild to host his party.


    When I reached the guild and told them I was closing it down for the day some of the adventurers seemed a little upset, but when I told them I am throwing a party this evening, and if they come back then they could have free drinks, they quickly left out.


    The advantage of paying all the employees out of my own pocket means I am able to keep them around to help me set up for the party. It doesn¡¯t take us long to set up the adventurer¡¯s guild, and I send the receptionists out to invite some of the locals and such.


    After a while Lilah and Scylla enter the guild, followed by Zoey carrying a large keg of alcohol.


    ¡°What¡¯s that for? We should have plenty here already.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Apparently while we were gone master found a new favorite drink, and made some ¡°Friends¡±, so when Zoey let it slip about the party, he sent us to invite them and pick that up.¡±


    ¡°Well I am glad he is finally making some friends among the villagers, I guess just set it down over there Zoey.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh I am not too sure about that once you meet them¡­¡± ¨CShe then sets the barrel down behind the counter.¡±


    ¡°Were did you get that at anyway?¡±


    Zoey awkwardly rubs the back of her head while looking at the other two, Scylla adverts her gaze as well.


    Lilah: ¡°Zoey, got it at Denova¡¯s place...¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hey traitor, I was just doing what I was told.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ He did tell me he was talking to a dungeon monster from where Lilah came from that works there, and I guess Denova does carry better quality alcohol, so I guess I can understand. Denova didn¡¯t manage to catch on what we are planning right? I figured since it was so last minute I would be able to keep it under her radar¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well about that¡­¡±


    All three of them then advert their gazes even Lilah isn¡¯t willing to answer¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s why you said ¡°friends¡±¡­ How many are coming?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Just Denova and one of the girls is what he said.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well Denova and 2 of the girls¡­ I was able to get the booze at almost cost though!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Well that¡¯s not too bad¡­ Maybe I can get a few of the adventurers to keep them busy¡­¡±


    The pace of setting up the party seems to slow down greatly after that but we still manage to get it finished a few hours before sundown. When the guests begin to arrive I send a message to Two-Twelve telling him we are ready.


    Two-Twelve POV


    I head down to Tobes once I receive Belinda¡¯s message, and find the adventurer¡¯s guild rather full of people¡­ When I enter the door everyone begins cheering and calling out making me feel rather uncomfortable¡­


    Belinda quickly comes over to me grabbing my arm and dragging me to a table. After I sit down most of the adventurers go about their business, chatting and drinking with people at their own tables. A few however head over to our table shaking my hand wishing me a happy birthday.


    Once the Mayor shakes my hand he asks me. ¡°You have become quite a big part of Tobes lately, everyone still wonders why you choose to live up all hidden in the forest though, I am sure by know you are safe enough that moving down here would be better, have you considered it?¡±


    ¡°I have actually given it some thought, and we will have to see what happens in the next few months.¡±


    Belinda looks at me curiously then when the Mayor leaves she whispers to me. ¡°What do you mean? Are you seriously thinking of moving out of the dungeon down here to Tobes?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but you might want to start looking for us a place to build a reasonable size house on. If we could link it to the dungeon we could travel back and forth and people would be a lot less suspicious of us.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Link it? How do you plan to do that?¡±


    ¡°I am going to have to try a few things out before I know if it will work or not, but try to find a place to build it on a heavily populated part of town just in case.¡±


    Belinda then turns to Lilah and whispers in her ear but she just shrugs her shoulders. When Denova enters the guild while wearing her sly smile Belinda¡¯s cheery attitude almost instantly ices over.


    Even more so when Cassandra and for some reason the beastkin with the scar enters behind her both wearing matching outfits like the one Cassandra was wearing when I first met her. Cassandra said they are their ¡°Advertisement¡± clothes.


    Several of the male adventurers nudge each other, turn, stare, and then talk amongst each other. Denova struts up to our table with the other two following behind her.


    Denova: ¡°Heard it¡¯s you birthday today, I would offer you a gift, but I don¡¯t think your princess there would appreciate it much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t expect any gifts from anyone, besides you would probably charge me double, and still call it a discount.¡±


    She laughs while turning an empty chair at the table around then sitting on it leaning forward on the back of the chair. ¡°I am not sure what you mean. I would never over charge a client.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately for you I never have been a client.¡±


    She looks over to Belinda then back at me then says. ¡°Yea sure ok¡­ But you have been stopping by pretty regularly for a drink lately, and you didn¡¯t seem displeased with the ¡°service¡± you got then.¡±


    ¡°Only because I didn¡¯t know you were overcharging me for it.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Things only have value if people are willing to pay for it, if you were willing to pay that price how can you say I was overcharging?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, but let¡¯s just say in the future I won¡¯t be willing to pay as much as I was.¡±


    Denova: ¡°So you do still intend to make future visits?¡± ¨CShe then slyly smiles at Belinda.- ¡°How does your princess feel about that?¡±


    Belinda then snaps and quickly states. ¡°I trust Two-Twelve, he wouldn¡¯t do any anything to break that trust, so if he is going to your bar, I trust him that¡¯s where it says.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Oh to be young again¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are barely a few years older than me... We are trying to have a good time here, so can¡¯t you go ruin someone else¡¯s night?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Fine, fine.¡± ¨CShe then gets up and begins to walk to the other side of the room, Cassandra and the other beastkin following her.-


    ¡°Denova, you mind if I have a word with Cassandra, I would like to introduce her to Belinda.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Can¡¯t say I have heard that one before, but sure go ahead.¡±


    Denova then looks to Cassandra then walks over to one of the other tables filled with adventurer¡¯s, and begins to talk to them leaving Cassandra standing by the table.


    ¡°Come sit, have a drink with us, and I wanted you guys to get to know each other.¡±


    Cassandra seems rather nervous as she sits at the table, I don¡¯t recall ever seeing her nervous before. Belinda likewise looks uncomfortable. Lilah seems to not care one way or another, but even Zoey, and Scylla seem to be awkwardly looking around the room.


    Belinda is the first to speak although it sounds rather awkward when she does.


    Belinda: ¡°Hi, I am Belinda¡­ Two-Twelve told me quite a bit about you.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I¡¯m Cassandra, and likewise¡­ I¡¯m the one that¡¯s been keeping him company¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ This is just strange.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I quite agree¡­¡±


    The situation is starting to get rather tense¡­ Zoey quickly grabs Belinda and my mugs.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Zoey: ¡°Welp I am going to go fill these, boss¡­¡± ¨CShe quickly leaves the table.-


    Scylla: ¡°And¡­ I¡¯ll go get a drink for Miss Cassandra¡­¡± ¨CShe quickly escapes as well.-


    Cassandra closes her eyes for a second and takes a deep breath slowly letting it out then says.


    Cassandra: ¡°I know you didn¡¯t mean in harm in it, but you don¡¯t bring a prostitute over to meet your girlfriend¡­ Not that he has ever¡­ I have just been teaching¡­ You know what I¡¯m just be excusing myself now¡­ Happy birthday¡­¡±


    Cassandra then quickly leaves¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, I wanted you guys to get to know each other, she said you would be thanking her for the things she was teaching me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What has she been teaching you?¡±


    Zoey quickly slams some drinks down in front of us, saying. ¡°Who needs a drink!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait, what has she been teaching you?¡±


    When I start to talk Zoey cuts it. ¡°It¡¯s a party! Party! Drink!¡± she then shoves the mug up to my mouth making me drink.


    Zoey: ¡°We are here for boss tonight, and everything else can wait till later¡­¡±


    Belinda seems upset but takes a large drink from her mug. After Zoey gives a thumb up to Scylla she then returns to the table. The party then progresses on Belinda doesn¡¯t talk much, and Zoey keeps filling Belinda and my mugs¡­


    Zoey and Scylla spend the rest of the evening telling me tales of their grand journey into Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. By the time I wake up the next morning I don¡¯t even remember how I made it home, although my head doesn¡¯t hurt, and a feel rested¡­


    When I sit up in my bed Lilah is already in the chair in the core room staring at the screens. When I look at the time it¡¯s already mid-morning¡­


    Lilah: ¡°Oh, master you¡¯re finally awake? Master got really sick on the way home last night so Scylla healed master, is master feeling better now?¡±


    ¡°Yea, I am actually feeling fine¡­ Is Belinda already gone?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Belinda left first thing this morning she looks like she is still really mad at master.¡±


    ¡­what did I do¡­? I then notice a lingering message I received.


    Monsters have returned from battle.


    Battle Results:


    Monster Belinda (Boss) has gained a level


    Monster Scylla has gained 11 levels


    Monster Zoey has gained 11 levels


    Monster Bo has reached max level


    Monster Ike has reached max level


    Feral beastkin can now be summoned at any level up to max for additional xp cost. Feral beastkin are capable of being summoned as sentient, as such a sentient feral beastkin only can be summoned at up to level 10.


    Acquired:  2 Emeraldline adventuer¡¯s guild tokens, 10 tiny magic stones, 3 small magic stones, 2 healing potions.


    Loses: None


    5660 xp gained from external source. 566xp bonus for Belinda (Boss) participation, 480xp bonus for xp acquired in another dungeon, 56xp bonus for battle lasting more than 1 week, 566xp bonus for battle lasting more then 1 month, -283 xp for attacking neutral dungeon.


    7,045 xp total rewarded


    All that extra time and they only managed that much xp¡­ Well I did tell them to take it easy, and all of them but Belinda was basically just as strong as a level 1 adventurer. I guess I should just be grateful they all made it back.


    It is still pretty early but I guess I should check on Maric, Laura, and Dyson. I open up my new screen and start with Maric and Adair. When I bring up their screens it shows a massive battle taking place¡­


    There seems to be over 100 goblins spread out amongst 4 small plain stone rooms, with traps going off, goblins dying left and right, I can¡¯t even tell who belongs to whom¡­ I quickly grab <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> off the desk and open it to Adair¡¯s page, it shows he has close to 40 monsters but it is slowing dropping every few seconds, but with the amount of goblins I see dying it looks like he might be winning.


    I quickly change screens to look in on Laura and Phobos, flipping my book to Phobos¡¯s page.


    The battle taking place in Phobos¡¯s dungeon is not any less intense although the numbers are drastically different, instead of hordes of goblins there are two groups of crimson brutes fighting in the second of three rooms. By the look of it there was one group in the first room as well but they are all dead. Phobos still has 8 monsters to his dungeon.


    Crimson kobolds on the first day, over 50 goblins, Maric and Laura are not messing around¡­ If things keep up like this there isn¡¯t any way the trainees will be able to last more than a few days though. I decide to look in on Dyson and Queen.


    When the screen pops up I manage to catch what looks like the last few seconds of battle in Queen¡¯s dungeon as she is the sole person standing in her dungeon while trying to fight off 5 human men.


    Queen is battered and bruised her dungeon is littered with bodies of beastkin and humans. About time one of the humans starts to bring his blade down which would surely be a fatal blow to Queen, he stops. Then again human cracks his mace against her crystal resetting the training dungeon.


    Dyson: ¡°Three time! You would have died Three times already. You have 20 minutes to prepare then we go again.¡±


    Queen: ¡°But I am almost out of xp! If I use it all in the next battle I won¡¯t make it the month!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then you better win the next battle and push back into my dungeon to gather more xp, and remember once you set foot in my dungeon they will no longer stay their blades if you want to live you better toughen up.¡±


    ¡­ Day one and she is out of xp¡­ I watch her as she casts a spell healing her wounds then she quickly summons a couple dozens of beastkin of varies sub-species. After she orders them they each grab weapons and armor that are littered about on the floor. I then look at my book to see she only has 7xp remaining¡­


    I switch back to Maric and Adair, to see Adair has now joined his battle as well, he is throwing [Fireball] spells at the goblins as the numbers have now dropped to below 20. Flipping my book back to his page I see only 5 are his.


    I finish watching his battle as he barely scrapes by only having 1 goblin left, and it looks in pretty bad shape, he himself looks like he took quite a bit of damage in the fight.


    Maric: ¡°Good work, but if you want to make it through the month you better start building your xp back up.¡±


    Adair: ¡°Yes sir! I will not let you down!¡±


    I switch back to Laura and Phobos to see their battle has already concluded as well, Phobos seems to have one as well he still looks to have 4 or 5 crimson kobolds remaining. He is currently in the process of setting his dungeon back up.


    I open up [Communication] to talk to the other judges and find a tab labeled as such. When I open it up it has a screen showing all five us. I guess the elders set this up so we could all keep in touch together.


    ¡°Are you all seeing these battles?¡±


    Simon: ¡°You all? Yes I was watching. I think they are pushing them to hard, there is no way the new cores are going to go on another day, more or less a full month.¡±


    Bless: ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    Simon: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Greaks: ¡°It sssseemsss Two-Twelve issss full of ssssurprisesss.¡±


    Bella: ¡°Interesting how did you manage to connect a single message to all of us?¡±


    ¡°It was under the [Communication] when I opened it up, I guess the elders set it up, so we could talk as a group without having to wait till the end of the week.¡±


    Bella: ¡°I see, but about the battles. I agree with Simon.¡±


    Bless: ¡°I have been watching Dyson since we returned yesterday, this is already their 5<sup>th</sup> battle, after the girl managed to win the first two, Dyson doubled down on the humans he sent after her. She hasn¡¯t won a battle since I don¡¯t think she even has any xp left after refilling the dungeon this time¡­¡±


    Simon: ¡°I figured Dyson to be brutal on the training cores, but I didn¡¯t expect Maric and Laura to be the same.¡±


    ¡°Laura¡¯s trainee looks to be holding his own, but using crimson kobolds from day one is going to put him in a critical point quick. I have no idea how the other two are going to manage.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°It¡¯ssssss going to lead to an interesssssting month that is for sssssure.¡±


    ¡°Instead of randomly switching back and forth, do we want to designate who watches who and when, that way we make sure we don¡¯t miss anything?¡±


    Bless: ¡°I don¡¯t care what you guys do I am watching Dyson, I can go 12 days without sleep, I am not going to miss anything.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then Bless watches Dyson.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°I will keep an eye on Maric.¡±


    Simon: ¡°I am rather busy, because somebodies boss monster has a brother that has decided he is going to send an entire army in my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I have no control over that¡­¡±


    Bella: ¡°I will watch Laura then, I am sure Two-Twelve has to pay close attention to his dungeon as well, it can¡¯t be very big after only one year.¡±


    ¡°Simon and I can alternate who we watch, and fill in if anyone needs it.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Workssss for me.¡±


    I then send a message directly to Simon.


    ¡°I think we need to keep a close eye on Bless, I am not sure she will report all the facts on Dyson and Queen.¡±


    Simon: ¡°If you check up on her I will keep a close eye on Bella, I hear she has an old grudge against Laura.¡±


    ¡°Ok. How are you holding up with Logan pushing in your dungeon?¡±


    Simon: ¡°Logan is that the Gowen boy? They have been at it few a few weeks now. They have pushed further than anyone has before, but that are still a long way from putting me in danger. They are also providing quite a bit of xp as they are not leaving,¡±


    ¡°Ok, I don¡¯t know if we can do anything Belinda already tried to talk him out of attacking, but if you need anything we will see what we can do.¡±


    Simon: ¡°You sure have a different attitude then most cores I have met before¡­I might have been wrong about you.¡±


    ¡°I think that was meant to be a compliment, so thanks¡­¡±


    I then close [Communication] and bring back the screen and have it show Dyson and Queen. It looks like as Dyson said another battle is in progress now, they are only in the first room, but Queen is right down in the middle of battle along with her beastkin attacking the human invaders.


    Once Queen suffers major damage she retreats to the second room leaving the beastkin to the humans. She slowly begins healing her wounds while the humans then gain the upper hand in the first room. By the time she has nearly all of her wounds healed the humans enter the second room.


    She barrels into the middle of them swinging around a sword in each hand. This time she her and her beastkin manage to finish off the humans. She then begins to slow process of healing her wounds again.


    Dyson: ¡°Not bad finally getting the hang of it?¡±


    Queeen: ¡°What am I to do now? I only have 7 beastkin left, and no xp how am I going to go on the rest of the month?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I guess you will have to go gather some then. Oh and by the way, you have 16 hours till the next attack on your dungeon.¡±


    They sure a lot more hands on then Madam Erin was with me, though it could just they are putting forth more effort because of the elder spot¡­ Dyson retreats to a room that looks similar to the throne room that Madam Erin had although this one is filled with human women all in varies stages of undress.


    The women all fawn over Dyson as he walks though the room and once he turns sitting in the large throne room chair they all begin to fight over him clashing with one another trying to get close to him. Once one of the women pulls herself to the top of the pile getting close to his face Dyson reaches out a hand, grabs her hair, and roughly jerks her head back, he then buries his face into her neck causing her to call out excitedly.


    The other women don¡¯t stop pawing at him even after he begins to rip the clothes from the one woman¡¯s body. Once the women begin to pull his clothes from him I decide to switch the screen back over to Queen.


    Queen has managed to summon one more beastkin giving her a total of 8, and with them she leaves the entrance of her dungeon. She walks out the door and enters an alleyway of a run-down city full of dilapidated buildings.


    Humans course through the streets, as they go about their business. When a fight breaks out in the middle of the street the humans only stop as they begin to bet and cheer. One of the humans draws a small dagger causing the crowd to cheering louder as many more golden coins change hands.


    Once the man stabs the other with his dagger a couple of times the other man goes down. As the man lay dying in the street the crowd begins to dissipate and walk away¡­ Queen looks on in horror as she and her beastkin try pushing through the crowd.


    Man: ¡°Watch it bitch if you know what¡¯s good for ya.¡±


    One of the men says as they bump into Queen. A well armored man that appears like a town guard then arrives he calls out asking if anyone saw anything, but the crowd all shakes their heads.


    Guard:  ¡°What about you miss, you see anything?¡± ¨CHe says to Queen.-


    Queen: ¡°There was a fight, another man pulled a dagger and stabbed him.¡±


    Guard: ¡°Well nothing to be done about it now.¡±


    The guard grabs the dead guy¡¯s arm dragging him off the street. Once the guard is gone a guy shoves one of Queen¡¯s beastkin.


    Angry man: ¡°Aye the hell?! I am talking to you freak.¡± ¨CThe man shoves the beastkin again.-


    Queen: ¡°Whats going on?¡±


    Angry man: ¡°Is he yours? You better keep you dog on it leash, he stole my coin purse.¡±


    Queen: ¡°That¡¯s not possible he doesn¡¯t do anything without my say.¡±


    Angry man: ¡°What you calling me a liar?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I am telling you it couldn¡¯t have been him. It must have been someone else.¡±


    Angry man: ¡°I am a liar and blind, is that what you are saying? Fine I will just take it back.¡±


    The man pulls a sword from his hip, but when he does all 8 beastkin pull their weapons at the same time. The man quickly begins to panic, but with the danger present the beastkin attack swiftly killing the man.


    Someone in the crowd calls out for a guard and several of the spectators steal the dead man¡¯s sword and several other belongings before the same guard returns.


    Guard: ¡°Twice in five minutes? Now what happened?¡±


    This time several people from the crowd chime in.


    Crowd: ¡°It was the beastkin!¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°The beastkin¡¯s a thief!¡±


    Queen: ¡°That¡¯s not what happened!¡±


    Guard: ¡°Well what do you say happened.¡±


    Queen: ¡°The man was accusing him of stealing from him, but that¡¯s impossible because they can¡¯t do anything without my permission, he then tried to attack, and they were forced to defend themselves.¡±


    Crowd: ¡°Liar!¡± ¡°He was unarmed!¡±


    Guard: ¡°I don¡¯t see any weapon here, what did he supposedly attack with?¡±


    Queen: ¡°They took it!¡±


    Guard: ¡°You say the beastkin is your slave? You¡¯re all going to have to come with me.¡±


    Queen: ¡°That other man was murdered in broad daylight and nobody cared, we were defending ourselves, and we are to blame?¡±


    Guard: ¡°We are not going to have a problem are we?¡±


    Once the guard begins to draw his weapon all hell breaks loose in the street. The beastkin draw their weapons and strike, causing the spectators to scream and run. As the spectators bump into each other as they try to run more fights begin to breakout in all directions.


    Several more guards come running up with weapons drawn so before Queen can stop them the beastkin attack. Once everything starts to die down, there are bodies everywhere in the street, Queen managed to keep 3 of the beastkin alive but 5 died.


    The bodies on the street have been stripped down to their underclothing by the spectators, some even stripped of that. Queen manages to retreat, taking refuge back inside her dungeon¡­I don¡¯t know how many of the bodies left on the street were killed by Queen or her monsters, but after she calms down she looks like she got enough xp to summon a dozen more beastkin.


    She then retreats to what looks like her core room, taking off her armor, she begins to heal her wounds with magic, I being to feel guilty about watching her as she stands there nude healing her wounds, so I turn my face away from the screen.


    When she begins to move I look back to see her slide into her bed seemingly exhausted. I check on the others for a bit but nothing interesting seems to be happening. so I decide I will go check on Belinda. Maybe she has calmed down by now.

 The New Cores Training Begins

    When I start getting ready to leave to go see Belinda, Lilah asks me.


    Lilah: ¡°Where is Master going?¡±


    ¡°I thought I would make a quick trip to Tobes.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Zoey said before master makes an idiot of himself by going to Tobes, master should go see her first.¡±


    Well it¡¯s not like I am in a hurry¡­ I decide I will check to see what Zoey wants. When I transfer down to her room she quickly crosses her legs in covers her breasts with her tail as she is sitting in a chair completely naked¡­


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss, give me a minute and I will get dressed.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing naked to begin with?¡±


    She motions to a bucket of water and rag, before I turn around.


    Zoey: ¡°I can¡¯t use no magic, so I got to bathe the old fashion way.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to just go down to the lake?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Alright, you can turn around now¡­ Can¡¯t really do that, my bedroom don¡¯t got no door boss.¡±


    ¡°You know that¡¯s starting to become an increasing problem, hold on.¡±


    I then look in [Menu] to see if I can add a way for the girls to have the ability to transfer themselves around the dungeon.


    ¡°Allow monsters Scylla, Zoey, and Lilah to transfer throughout the dungeon, require permission to enter Dungeon Core Room.¡±


    Dungeon monsters Scylla, Zoey, and Lilah can now use [Transfer]


    Restriction: Permission required entering Dungeon Core Room.


    Is that correct?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oye! Boss that felt weird, all tingly like.¡±


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Just pulling your leg boss¡­ What was it you needed? I am sure you didn¡¯t come down here to watch me clean myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. Lilah said you wanted to speak with me, before I went down to talk to Belinda.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yea boss¡­ I wouldn¡¯t do it¡­ She seemed really mad this morning, and I think you better wait for her to come to you.


    ¡°Maybe I should go talk to Cassandra then maybe she knows what¡¯s going on¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good¡­Wait can I come?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ If you want.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Alright, what we waiting for lets go Boss!... Oh wait.¡± ¨CShe quickly runs over grabbing a pouch tying the string to her trousers then tucking it inside.- ¡°I will meet you out front, I want to try this.¡±


    I then transfer to the entrance of the dungeon and wait for Zoey¡­ After a few seconds Zoey appears in the air, and comes crashing down landing on her face and knees with her butt sticking up in the air. She however quickly jumps to her feet brushing herself off.


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well what you waiting on boss lets GO!¡±


    We walk down the mountain path, and then take one of the hunter¡¯s trails, once in Tobes we head to Denova¡¯s place¡­Once inside Zoey quickly heads to the counter and sets a coin down on the counter asking for a drink.


    I go sit next to her and ask if Cassandra is available¡­ The beastkin with the scar hands Zoey her drink then nods to me heading to the other room to find Cassandra.


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss¡­ My gold, I can use it for whatever I want right?¡±


    ¡°Yea sure I guess.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I mean whatever whatever?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what that means, but it¡¯s your gold spend it any way you like.¡±


    When the beastkin with the scar returns, Cassandra follows her in. When the beastkin with the scar returns behind the counter Zoey calls her close then whispers in her ear. The beastkin looks surprised, but then nods.


    Zoey slides a 6 or 7 of gold coins to the beastkin with the scar.


    Beastkin: ¡°Cassandra, you¡¯re just going to talk right? Mind watching the bar for me?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    The beastkin then walks out from behind the counter and Zoey follows her.


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t say anything stupid boss, I¡¯ll be back later!¡±


    ¡°What just happened?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I think your friend just paid Scar for her services¡­¡±


    ¡°Scar?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°The bar tender, I don¡¯t know what her name was before, but that¡¯s what Denova calls her.¡±


    ¡°Wait her services? You mean sex?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Yea I think so¡­¡±


    ¡°They are both women though, how does that work?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Where there is a will there is a way¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought I about had this whole thing figured out, now I feel like I don¡¯t know anything all over again.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Oh after last night¡­ Let me assure you¡­ You don¡¯t know anything¡­¡±


    ¡°So what did happen last night?¡±


    Cassandra looks around the room then leans in and says. ¡°Well you¡¯re both with that dungeon up the hill right? Say you¡¯re the boss of that dungeon, and Belinda brought a guy up to you for you to meet. That guy turns out to be the boss of another dungeon. She then tells you that she is going to go hang around in his dungeon, and may or may not be giving him xp that she should be giving only to you.¡±


    ¡°How is that relevant?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Just tell me how that would make you feel? Betrayed? Hurt? Mad?¡±


    ¡°Well ¡°if¡± I was the dungeon boss, then sure I guess.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Well what you did last night was the sexual equivalent of what I just said.¡±


    ¡°I guess I can understand that, but what do you do if you don¡¯t even know if she wanted to give you the xp in the first place?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Oh she wants it trust me¡­¡±


    ¡°So then what am I supposed to do now?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Well for one you shouldn¡¯t be hanging around the other dungeon.¡±


    ¡°But what about her?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I am sure she will come around, I am sure she knows how awkward you are, once she calms down just talk to her¡­ And for sake of the gods, take every drop of xp she has to give!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Here let me buy you a drink, after all I kind of feel bad for ruining your birthday for you.¡±


    I sit there and drink the alcohol, while waiting on Zoey, while talking about casual stuff with Cassandra, but even after it starts getting late there still isn¡¯t any sign of them returning.


    Cassandra: ¡°You friend sure seems to be enjoying herself¡­¡±


    ¡°How long should it take?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I know of some adventurers that can really get it going, but damn¡­ Maybe I should find me a feral beastkin¡­¡±


    When they finally returns they enter the room talking and laughing together. While Scar is clean and proper just like when she left Zoey¡¯s hair is all disheveled, and her fur is all matted, even one of her ears looks bent in a weird direction.


    ¡°It took you long enough. Come on its getting late we better get back¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Sure thing boss.¡±


    As we walk out of the building I tell her. ¡°You¡¯re a mess, let me¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss No!...¡± ¨CShe stops me as I begin to cast a [Clean] spell-


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll take care of it myself, after we get back.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it just be easier to just let me take care of it with magic?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Easier isn¡¯t always better¡­ Now let¡¯s hurry, I don¡¯t want to show up after Belinda returns, and be the one to explain we weren¡¯t home, because we were in the brothel all afternoon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the reason it took so long, so if anyone is doing the explaining it¡¯s going to be you.¡±


    We continue up the hunter¡¯s trail, and then the path up to the dungeon. When we reach the dungeon Belinda is standing there with her arms crossed and is clearly angry.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss I would do just about anything for you¡­But for that¡­ You¡¯re on your own¡­¡± ¨CShe quickly runs forward passing Belinda and using transfer as soon as she hits the dungeon¡­-


    Gave her that ability one day to soon¡­


    Belinda: ¡°You want to tell me where you were all afternoon? I talked to Lilah and she said you told her that you were coming down to see me. Guess what I never saw you.¡±


    ¡°I was going to go see you, but Lilah told me that Zoey wanted to talk to me first¡­When I talked to Zoey she told me it would have been a bad idea to talk to you while you were still angry.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then where did you go then?¡±


    ¡°I then suggested that if I couldn¡¯t talk to you maybe Cassandra could explain to me why you where, so mad, Zoey to go for it as long as she got to go.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Cassandra¡­I am mad at you because of Cassandra, don¡¯t you think the last place you should go would be to Cassandra?¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ Cassandra explained that to me¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­And yet you were still gone all afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Now that is not my fault, I found out that I am an idiot only 10 minutes after we arrived. The rest of it was all Zoey¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s what you going with?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth! I didn¡¯t even know what a lesbian was! Cassandra had to explain that to me to¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait Zoey is a lesbian?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­ Her and that bar tender Scar, they took hours¡­ I couldn¡¯t leave Zoey there by herself, so I had to wait on her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re not off the hook yet¡­ Where did Zoey go?¡±


    ¡°When she seen you standing there she transferred to her room, I think.¡±


    Belinda and I then transfer to the core room, and Belinda then slides the screen out from behind the desk. She quickly steps in-between me and the screen, but not before I see Zoey rolling around all over her bed naked.


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to go have a word with her, you stay here.¡±


    I nod and she hides the screen back behind the desk then transfers out. Lilah and I look at each other¡­ Then both quickly race to the desk pulling out the screen. Zoey is on her knees in front of her bed begging Belinda, as Belinda is casting [Clean] on Zoey.


    Zoey: ¡°Please! Not the bed not the bed!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is disgusting¡­ Now get dressed, I am sure Two-Twelve is watching.¡±


    Lilah reaches up and covers my eyes with her hands.


    I then here Zoey call out. ¡°Nooo!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You may be a beastkin, but you¡¯re not an animal, you know how many years you ancestors fought to prove that? You can¡¯t go roll around in something and drag the scent home like a dog.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But ears, tail, and fur!¡±


    Lilah then uncovers my eyes and Belinda is rubbing her hands on Zoey¡¯s bed after cleaning it and making it, while Zoey sits in a chair wearing a long shirt with both her arms crossed and her tail and ears are drooping.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t care that it was with another woman, but why would you give your first to a brothel girl?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It¡­wasn¡¯t¡­my first¡­time¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How? You¡¯re not even two months old yet, we have been traveling most of it!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well we were on the road¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Hold on¡­ Two-Twelve you better not be watching this!¡±


    Lilah covers my eyes again.


    Zoey: ¡°You think that will work?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He knows better, besides Lilah is with him. Now you were saying?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well one night while Bo and I was on watch¡­ I mean I got curious¡­ I didn¡¯t like it, I enjoyed today much, much more¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Bo? He doesn¡¯t even have a brain in his head!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have a big¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok¡­I get it¡­ But Bo? I mean did it all work like it¡¯s supposed to?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Fine enough, hurt like hell for a while, and just when I started to enjoy it was all over¡­But Scar¡­ Didn¡¯t have to worry about none of that, and she did this thing with her tongue¡­ I thought I was going to die it felt so good¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can¡¯t hear any more of this.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What about boss?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean? What about him?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What if when he finally does give it to you, and you don¡¯t enjoy it? Or even worse what if he never gives it to you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That wouldn¡¯t happen.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But how do you know.¡±


    Belinda blushes bright red and says quiet. ¡°Because one night when I was cuddled up to him while he was sleep, just his smell, and I¡­ It won¡¯t be a problem!¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Lilah they are still talking about sex right?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t know anymore¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And as for when he will give it to me it will be when the time is right!¡±


    ¡°What does she mean when the time is right? How am I supposed to know when that is?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Shhh¡±


    Zoey: ¡°For your sake I hope so¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Oh they are done talking. Master quick act normal.¡±


    Lilah quickly runs over and jumps in the chair rocking back and forth, while I quickly hide the screen and open [Menu]. Belinda then transfers into the room and I casually shut [Menu].


    ¡°So? How did it go?¡±


    Belinda is blushing a bit, but looks relatively calm as she says. ¡°It went fine¡­¡±


    Lilah however can¡¯t hold back¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not Lilah¡¯s fault! But don¡¯t worry Belinda. Lilah covered Master¡¯s eyes the entire time.¡±


    For just spilling it all she looks awful proud of herself¡­


    Belinda: ¡°But he could still hear¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Belinda didn¡¯t say anything about listening! Belinda said Master couldn¡¯t watch! If Belinda said Master couldn¡¯t hear Lilah would have covered his ears!¡±


    Belinda begins to blush a bright red, she then quickly looks at me, and covering her face with her hands she transfers from the room¡­


    ¡°Lilah¡­When she said I better not be watching she meant watch, listen, or even have the screen out¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Then why didn¡¯t Belinda say that! If Master knew what Belinda meant why was Master listening?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bed time Lilah¡­ Just go to bed.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Is Master going to send Lilah to bed?¡±


    ¡°You can do it yourself, I set it up where you, Zoey, and Scylla could transfer by yourselves earlier.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah can use magic?¡±


    ¡°Well what do you think you have been doing this entire time with [Menu]? That¡¯s all magic.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But that¡¯s Master¡¯s magic.¡±


    ¡°I have already figured out by past experience, that the screens are different for everyone, so your screens are yours.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah¡¯s own magic¡­¡±


    Lilah looks really excited. She then runs over hugs me around the middle then transfers herself out of the room.


    When I check the other Dungeon Cores, it seems all the new cores are struggling pretty badly, but all managed to make enough xp outside their dungeons to replace monsters inside their dungeon. They all have went to sleep now, but as Queen went to bed not long after noon, she has now gotten up and looks to be preparing to set back out into Dyson¡¯s dungeon.


    I am not that tired so I decide to watch her for a little bit. This time when she steps out of her dungeon into the streets of the city, she has a smaller group of beastkin with her. Even with it being late in the evening there is still quite a bit of foot traffic in the streets.


    Queen this time manages to make it more than just a few blocks, as she starts to explore the city. She finds a building labeled Adventurer¡¯s Guild, but once entering it, it seems more like a den of thieves then what I would call an adventurer¡¯s guild¡­


    She peaks my curiosity when she places a small pouch on the counter and says she wishes to join the guild.


    Receptionist: ¡°Are those your slaves? There is an extra fee for slaves, and an additional fee for beastkin.¡±


    This is the first time I have ever heard any of that¡­


    Queen: ¡°I am not registering them at the moment, just myself.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°What¡¯s this there is only 10 gold here. The fee is 25 gold.¡±


    Queen: ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Well you want to join or not?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I only have 20 gold.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°That will work then.¡± ¨CShe quickly snatches another purse from Queen.-


    The receptionist then begins to possess Queen¡¯s ID the same way I have watched Belinda do a bunch of times. After Queen is presented with her ID I curiously take a closer look at it.


    Adventurer #121,853 [Queen]                                                     Base: Mar


    Race: Human                                                                                  Gender: Female


    Rank: D                                                                                            Level: 1


    Class: Sword Maiden                                                                    Favored Element: Light


    Commissions Complete: 0


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Well I guess that answers that question. I never joined because I was afraid what it would say for race and class. I guess the favored element would still be a problem like it is going to end up being for Belinda.


    Queen moves over to the commission board, and it is covered in commissions, there are so many that some are stacked on top of each other.


    Several of the patrons of the guild begin to laugh at Queen as she begins to pull commission after commission off the board. The receptionist looks mad at Queen when she sets a stack with no less than 30 commissions down on the counter.


    The receptionist starts to stamp the commissions¡¯ one after the other without even looking at them. Once finished Queen takes the first commission off the stack carefully reading it then sets out into the night.


    I watch her for a while as she seems to be trying to track someone down, but I begin to get tired so I decide to head to bed.


    When I wake up the next morning Lilah is already happily sitting in her chair messing around with [Menu]


    ¡°Morning¡­ How did you get here? I thought I set it to where you had to have permission before you could enter the core room¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah couldn¡¯t get here, so Lilah got Belinda to bring her.¡±


    ¡°So Belinda is already up?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Up and gone, Master missed her.¡±


    ¡°¡­ We are never going to return to normal, if every time we actually do see each other matters just get worse. I guess I need to just sit down and talk with her straight.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master worries too much. Belinda only looked a little mad this morning.¡±


    As I check on the new cores all three seem to be preparing for the next wave of attacks. Adair has managed to fill his dungeon with goblins again, although this time there isn¡¯t quite as many. Some of the weapons and armor that some of them wear seems to be a bit better quality. I flip open <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> and see he has a total of 32 monsters, and he only has 20 xp.


    Moving on I look in on Phobos and turn my book to his page. He shows to only have 12 xp, but has 15 crimson kobold, although they are not all brutes and elders like they were yesterday. I then look in on Queen.


    She has quite a few beastkin in her dungeon, but the more curious part is in the first room by the entrance she stands next to 5 humans that are looking around curiously. They seem to be prepared to defend the dungeon with her. I decide to ask Bless what is going on.


    ¡°Bless, how did Queen get ahold of 5 humans to defend her dungeon?¡±


    Bless: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to watch Queen and Dyson.¡±


    Bless: ¡°I am only watching Dyson. I don¡¯t care about the girl.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Well I guess if you¡¯re watching Dyson that at least means he didn¡¯t give them to her. I wonder how she got them then¡­¡±


    Bless: ¡°Don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t care.¡±


    Well in a way, I guess she is right. We are supposed to be judging the trainers not the trainees. I just figured you the best way to tell if the trainer was doing well was to see the progress of the trainee. I decide to look in other the trainers now.


    Maric is standing outside what I am guessing is Adair¡¯s dungeon with a group of goblins that look very evenly matched with Adair was preparing. After checking over their equipment, Maric enters Adair¡¯s dungeon.


    Maric: ¡°Alright, you managed to recuperate quite well after yesterday¡¯s battle, but it¡¯s only going to get tougher from here on out. Are you ready to begin?¡±


    Adair: ¡°Yes sir! I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    Once the battle starts it a massive mess, but I believe as Adair flings spells at the invading goblins, his group will eventually win, even if they suffer major losses.


    I switch over to Laura, who is having an intimate moment with a human man. The man kisses her then embraces her. Laura¡¯s has an unconcerned look on her face, but once the man beings to pull away she quickly shifts to a bright smile.


    Laura: ¡°As I said before I don¡¯t know what extent they are going to be capable of, so we need to put everything on hold till after the elder selection. Then after that we should be able to resume our plans, and if I manage to become an elder we should be able to shorten our timeline by a few years.¡±


    Man: ¡°I understand, once Listel returns from her current scouting mission I will have her wait on standby. I will just deal with the politics for now and leave the rest till you are ready.¡±


    Laura: ¡°And Aaron, don¡¯t screw this up for me.¡±


    Aaron: ¡°Don¡¯t worry my love, I promise everything will go according to plan.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Now, I better go, I have to deal with the new core.¡±


    Laura then transfers to just outside Phobos¡¯s dungeon and once she is set she begins sending in groups of kobolds in without warning. When I switch over to Dyson I find him sitting in the throne room while several of the human women rub all over him¡­


    I switch to Queen and find her fighting in the front lines of her dungeon against no less than 20 humans. As the humans she had helping her guard the dungeon fall she falls back to the middle room where she regroups with her beastkin.


    With the help of the beastkin Queen manages to stop the intruders in the third room. As soon as the last intruder hits the ground Dyson then enters her dungeon.


    He slowly claps as he meets her in the third room.


    Dyson: ¡°Very good. Nice trick with the humans. Conserving your xp and hell even gaining xp when they died, the question is will you be able to pull that little trick off again. Let¡¯s see¡­ I will give you 12 hours to prepare for the next attack.¡±


    Before she even answers he leaves her dungeon. I follow him but he just returns to his throne, so I go back to watching Queen. She cleaned up her dungeon except the 5 human bodies, she then has a few of the beastkin grab their arms, and they then set out into Dyson¡¯s dungeon dragging the corpses.


    A guard stops her at one point, but she shows them 5 stamped commissions and they let her pass. Once arriving at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild she has the beastkin pile the corpses in the middle of the floor. She then slaps the five commissions on the counter.


    Queen: ¡°5 bounties complete.¡±


    The receptionist looks a little nervous and several of the other patrons of the guild have begun to whisper. The receptionist calls a man from the back room that comes out looking over the bodies, after determining their identities he nods to the receptionist and she then completes the commission for Queen.


    Queen then exits the guild, but as soon as she exits the door someone quickly runs past her bumping into her. The man however doesn¡¯t get far as Queen quickly jerks a string causing the man to fall to the ground.


    She snatches her coin purse out of the man¡¯s hand then leans forward getting in his face. The man quickly begins to panic. Queen however pours quite a few of the coins into the man¡¯s hand, and whispers to him.


    The man quickly calms down and nods, Queen then pours a few more coins into the man¡¯s hands and he quickly takes off down the street. She then pulls out a few more of the commissions she took the night before looking them over she sets off into town.


    I spend the rest of the morning switching back and forth around to the 6 different cores, but always ending up spending the most time on Queen as her exploits seem to be the most entertaining¡­ Sometime shortly after noon I switch to Maric and notice him talking with Adair, so I check to see what¡¯s going on.


    Maric: ¡°This massive goblin catastrophe is not going to get either of us anywhere. A small precise group that is what you have to worry about in the real world, so I will make a deal with you. First I will start with one group equal to a group of adventurers, and we will slowly work our way up from there.¡±


    They continue to talk a while Maric discusses strategy, tactics, and begins telling Adair stories about the groups of adventurer¡¯s he has had to deal with in his dungeon. Some of it is information I even find useful.


    Once they are done Adair changes his dungeon around, then he takes a small group out and hunts goblins in Maric¡¯s dungeon. I finally get up from my chair and stretch.


    ¡°Hey Lilah how is things going in our dungeon?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master is busy, so Lilah has been working extra hard!¡±


    I walk over to her and pat her on the head.


    ¡°You have really been a great help Lilah, is there anything you want?¡±


    Lilah thinks hard for a moment.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants her own room!¡±


    ¡°You have your own room, as a matter of fact its probably the biggest one even if it is only by a few feet.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master gave Lilah her own bed, but everything else is not Lilah¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Well I guess you are right, it was all Belinda¡¯s old stuff, then it was Thirty-seven¡¯s¡­ You were always with Thirty-seven so you just kind of inherited it all didn¡¯t you.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Being around all of Thirty-seven¡¯s stuff makes Lilah lonely¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Lilah, I gave Belinda 500xp to make her room when she did a good job, how about I give you the same to do whatever you want with.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah can have 500xp?¡±


    ¡°And you can do with it whatever you want, furniture for your room, maybe some new dresses, anything.¡±


    Lilah runs over to me and hugs me. ¡°Thank you, thank you, master!¡±


    ¡°Well you deserve it, if I didn¡¯t have you around to watch the dungeon while I took care of everything else I don¡¯t know what would happen.¡±


    I open [Menu] and unlock 500xp for Lilah to use anyway she wants.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is going to think really hard on how to spend her xp!¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of going down to Tobes to have a talk with Belinda, do you want to go.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants to go, but Lilah is going to stay behind to look at [Menu].¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    I then transfer to Zoey¡¯s room, but she isn¡¯t there. I then transfer to Scylla¡¯s room, and she is gone as well. I check on Bo and Ike, but they are still in their rooms. I transfer back to the core room.


    Lilah: ¡°Did master forget something?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen Scylla or Zoey?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°They left with Belinda this morning, something about completing commissions.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess there is nothing for them to do in the dungeon all day, and they might as well be in Tobes doing something I guess.¡±


    Seeing Queen using the humans to fight for her in her dungeon gave me an idea, so once I enter Tobes I head to one of the first buildings that was commissioned after the inn, but I have never bothered to visit.


    Man: ¡°Well now, what a surprise seeing you here, I heard you been carrying a sword after what happened to your poor sister, but didn¡¯t think I would ever see you in here. What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Well I was just curious, what all can you make here?¡±


    Man: ¡°I can make about any armor from chainmail to full-plate, and pretty much any kind of weapon.¡±


    ¡°What about the quality of the items.¡±


    Man: ¡°I may not be not fancy big city smith but I make solid work.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The man moves over to a rack pulling a simple sword off of it he unsheathes it, and sets it on the table in front of him.


    Man: ¡°See look there! Nothing wrong with it, I make good solid work.¡±


    I can¡¯t really tell just by looking at it, but it looks like a standard steel sword to me.


    ¡°Well I guess, can you make anything like this?¡±


    I pull out the dwarven sword to show the smith.


    Man¡± Woah boy, where did you get a blade like that from? The princess give that to you? I am sure that cost a small fortune¡­¡±


    ¡°Well could you?¡±


    Man: ¡°Dwarven metal is pretty rare in these parts. I am not saying I couldn¡¯t¡­ But I sure wouldn¡¯t want to risk messing up ore that valuable even if you could get it.¡±


    ¡°I guess armor is out of the question then?¡±


    Man: ¡°Armor! Out of dwarven metal? You would have to be some kind of hero or prince¡­¡±


    ¡°Well back to the normal stuff then. How long would it take to make a couple dozen sets of armor?¡±


    Man: ¡°A couple dozen? Belinda planning on refitting the town guards or something?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­well, I guess it¡¯s something like that.¡±


    Man: ¡°To be honest I don¡¯t have much time to make armor. Most the kids that come in here all got old rusty hand-me-downs and I got to get them back in working order, so I spend most of my time repairing. It also depends on the armor. Chainmail or Full-plate armor a couple dozen sets would take months, even just breast-plates would take 2 or 3 months.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡±


    Man: ¡°We are not really big enough for a full on production smithy.¡±


    ¡°Oh one more quick question. You remember that hero that came through here a few months ago? The beastkin woman, she had a sword that was made of some kind of blueish metal. Do you have any idea what that is?¡±


    Man: ¡°Blueish¡­?¡± ¨CHe seems to be thinking hard for a moment then quickly says.- ¡°She had a mythril sword? Oh I would have loved to see that¡­¡±


    ¡°Mythril?¡±


    Man: ¡°Yea, best of the best that is¡­ I could make a full-plate out of solid gold, and not come close to the price of just a sword made of mythril¡­¡±


    Just how much was that armor Dyson made Queen worth¡­


    ¡°Well I am sorry to take up your time, but it doesn¡¯t look like it would work for what I was looking for sorry.¡±


    Man: ¡°Thanks for stopping in, and if you ever see that hero again send her my way, I would love to see that sword even just once¡­¡±


    Well that didn¡¯t work, I figured since gold was the least of our problems I could just buy some weapons and armor for the monsters, but I guess even if he could of made them it would be suspicious for me to be buying so much..


    Now that I figured that out, might as well head to the adventurer¡¯s guild. Once I enter the guild I see Scylla sitting at a table with several adventurer¡¯s they are all asking her a bunch of questions. Belinda seems busy behind the counter, so I decide not to bother her just yet.


    ¡°Scylla, is everything ok?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Yes master, everything is fine, they were just curious.¡±


    The adventurer¡¯s quickly scatter heading to different tables.


    ¡°Curious about what?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Reptile and Amphibian beastkin are kind of rare, only thing rarer are bird beastkin, so most of them have never seen one before.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother you them looking at you like some sort of oddity?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°On the contrary, I like talking with the adventurers, and if they are curious about me, it makes me happy.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t go letting them go poking you with stuff.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Are we still taking about me or are we talking about Zoey now?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Oh never mind master, it was a joke¡­¡±


    ¡°You know you don¡¯t have to call me master, you can just call me Two-Twelve instead.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It¡¯s ok, I like calling you master.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Zoey¡­ Where has she gone off to now?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°¡­After we finished a few commissions in town today she kept begging Belinda, until Belinda told her to just leave, so she headed back to Denova¡¯s place.¡±


    Belinda comes up to the table.


    Belinda: ¡°Hey, why didn¡¯t you say anything when I came in? How long you been here?¡±


    ¡°You looked busy, and if you didn¡¯t see me I guess that means you where, so I didn¡¯t want to bother you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Hey you want a drink? We still have well over half of that barrel from your birthday stored in the back I can get you some.¡±


    ¡°¡­ No that¡¯s ok¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok, I got just a bit more paperwork to take care of, and then we can go.¡±


    She then heads back towards the counter.


    ¡°Now, am I imagining things or was that weird?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Don¡¯t think too much on it master, she has been acting that way all day.¡±


    ¡°¡­So¡­ What kind of commissions did you do today?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Mostly just deliveries, Zoey did all the heavy lifting while I took care of the paperwork¡­ It seemed to work out pretty well. Belinda said we should make a habit of coming down here doing commissions like that to help our reputation in Tobes.¡±


    ¡°Are you two getting everything you need? I kind of left you guys to Belinda, and haven¡¯t really been making sure you are doing ok like I should¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Its fine master. You are really busy, and Belinda is the one that ¡°acquired¡± us.¡±


    ¡°I think this is actually the first time I have sat down and actually talked to you¡­ Zoey has been hanging around me quite a bit since you guys got back, but I am sure it was all just a ploy for me to take her to the brothel now that I think about it¡­¡±


    Scylla laughs and says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it master, I don¡¯t think Zoey thinks that far ahead. I think she likes being around you.¡±


    ¡°Well what is it you enjoy? You said you liked talking with the adventurer¡¯s, what else?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I never have really thought about it¡­¡±


    There is a little awkward silence between us for a little while before Belinda begins to walk back towards the table, but before she makes it too us Zoey comes crashing in through the door.


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m here! I¡¯m here! I¡¯m not late!¡±


    Belinda ignores Zoey and looks over to Scylla and me saying. ¡°I am done now if you are ready to head home.¡±


    Scylla and I get up from the table and start heading towards the door. Belinda then turns around and begins inspecting Zoey. Zoey looks well-groomed unlike yesterday, and she even stands up straight as Belinda gives her the once over.


    Belinda even leans forward giving Zoey a sniff.


    Zoey: ¡°I took proper care today! I promise!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I thought I would make sure you weren¡¯t trying to bring the scent home with you this time!¡±


    Zoey quickly tucks what looks like some kind of pillowcase into the back of her trousers while trying to keep it hidden with her tail.


    Zoey: ¡°I would do no such thing!¡±


    Belinda eyes Zoey suspiciously then turns and walks out the door. Zoey is still standing straight as Scylla and I walk by, and I lean in and simply whisper. ¡°Liar.¡±


    Zoey then nervously chuckles holding her hands behind her back as she begins to follow us out the door. We slowly make our way home taking one taking one of the old hunter¡¯s trails up the mountain. Zoey quickly bolts for the dungeon once it¡¯s in sight and transfers away. Scylla however wishes us a goodnight before transferring.


    Once Belinda and I transfer to the core room Lilah is sitting in her chair still looking at what is probably a screen in front of her deep in thought.


    ¡°Alright Lilah, its bed time, you can finish up tomorrow.¡±


    Seemingly without looking away from the screen she gets up waling over to Belinda, it takes her three or four tries of grabbing in the air before she manages find Belinda with her arm as she gives her a quick hug, says night, and transfers from the room.


    Belinda: ¡°What was that about?¡±


    ¡°I told her how proud I was of her and gave her some xp to spend however she wanted, so she is trying to figure out how to spend it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Hey Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know I have been kind of a pain¡­Do you think it would be ok to stay with you tonight?¡±


    ¡°Do what you like.¡±


    Belinda then nods and quickly transfers from the room¡­ Maybe she changed her mind. I start to head to bed, but then Belinda returns. She is wearing her short flashy nightgown, and is lightly blushing. I start to take of my shirt but she stops me.


    She then takes the edges of my shirt lifting it off of me herself, she then leans in kissing me. Belinda then makes her way to the bed and crawls in. After I crawl in bed she wraps her legs around me and gently starts rubbing my chest as she sets her head on it as well.


    I lightly rub my fingers up and down her back. She looks up at me with a lightly blushing face, and I swipe some of her hair from in front of her face. She then slides up kissing me, and for the first time I mimic her kissing her back.


    I start to think of what Cassandra told me, and that feeling or emotion starts to build. I then think of what Belinda said last night though¡­ When the time is right¡­ What¡¯s that even supposed to mean¡­  I quickly fight off the feeling building in me as our lips part, and Belinda returns her head to my chest again.


    After a while of rubbing her back Belinda fades off to sleep. I then fall asleep as well.

 Zoeys Recklessness

    I wake the next morning when Belinda moves over to the edge of the bed and sits up. I silently lay there while she looks to be messing with [Menu], using it she changes her clothes from her night gown to her normal clothes.


    I reach forward wrapping my arm around her waist quickly causing her to jump.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, you startled me¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to wake you.¡±


    She brushes my hand with one of hers then interlocks our fingers. She raises my arm with hers then twists her body out of my grip, and standing up. She then turns around half crawling back onto the bed as she brushes some of her hair from her face when she leans in and kisses me.


    I raise my other hand placing it on her cheek as I kiss her back and that feeling starts to rise in me, but as quickly as it does she stops kissing me and gets back up, slowly releasing my other hand.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I want to stay¡­ But I got a long day today, I have a shipment from the capital coming in today, and a man from the capital branch adventurer¡¯s guild is supposed to be coming with them. I need to make sure everything is prepared.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t going to be a problem is there?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh no nothing like that, I just need to make sure everything is ready.¡±


    Belinda then starts to transfer herself, but she quickly comes back to bed leaning back down and quickly kissing me again albeit only briefly. She then transfers from the room. I find my self unconsciously trying to hold on to that strange feeling going as far as breathing in Belinda¡¯s scent from the pillow next to me.


    I think I am starting to understand Zoey¡­ I quickly snap out of it though and crawl out of bed. I pick up my shirt and put it on while moving over to look at the screens. It is still pretty early with the sun not even starting to rise yet, so I let Lilah sleep a little longer while I take a look at the dungeon.


    We have quite a bit of xp stored up now as we haven¡¯t spent much since the girls returned, so I plan on setting up an experiment, but it¡¯s going to have to wait till adventurer¡¯s come in so for now I decide to look in on the other cores.


    Maric is setting up a group of hobgoblins that do appear to be wearing decent gear like a D-rank adventurer would wear, and Adair is in his dungeon prepping for the battle. He still has the horde of goblins in the three rooms but a few in each room catch my eye.


    They are quite a bit tougher than the rest and are wearing better armor.  Adair himself seems to be wearing Magician¡¯s Robes now, and is even carrying a rather decent staff. Looks like today¡¯s battle will prove more interesting, but it also looks to still be a while before they start, so I switch in on Laura and Phobos.


    Laura is lying in a large bed with Aaron both still asleep, although when I look in on Phobos he is already beginning to prepare. His tactics still seem to be remaining the same with a few tough crimson kobolds in each room. I then switch to Dyson, but find I already missed their battle, and he is sitting at a table set up in the middle of Queen¡¯s dungeon talking with her.


    Dyson: ¡°I see you managed to recruit more humans to defend your dungeon again today. My question is what are you going to do once one or more finally survive the battle? Are you going to hold to your word, or are you kill them and collect their bounties anyway.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I keep my word. However I do have an idea we will have to wait and see if it works when we cross that bridge.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well, I am going to give you a few more hours to prepare for the next battle, and just as an added bonus I think I will set up something really special this time. If you succeed it will be a great boon for you, however it won¡¯t be an easy task. Good luck.¡±


    Dyson then leaves Queen¡¯s dungeon and Queen has several of her beastkin grab the legs of 7 or 8 human corpses as they drag them out of the dungeon and into the city.


    I manage to watch both battles from the other two, but nothing spectacular happens, they do both manage to win however. After the battle Maric sits with Adair as they talk more, Maric discusses the history of the Dungeon Core #3, and even mentions the supposed curse surrounding it.


    After a while they part ways, and Adair beings training in Maric¡¯s dungeon again. Phobos has also begun to train in Laura¡¯s dungeon so I start to focus on the teachers when I receive a message.


    Monster Lilah has requested entrance to Dungeon Core Room.


    After I agree Lilah transfer in, she looks a little tired and warn down, but seems in a happy mood.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! Master, Lilah has just about got it figured out what she plans to use her xp on.¡±


    ¡°Good for you Lilah, oh by the way, when you see adventurer¡¯s beginning to head up to the dungeon today let me know about the time they reach the lake I want to try something.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    I continue to watch the other cores for a few hours, Maric seems to be training Adair about like you would expect for teacher and student, while Laura seems to be taking a complete hands off approach with Phobos, and Dyson¡­.Dyson I am still not too sure about, a lot he is seeming to do doesn¡¯t make much sense to me, but I out of the three training cores Queen has begun to actually build xp instead of barely breaking even.


    After a short while Lilah informs me of approaching adventurer¡¯s to the dungeon, I check the screens and try beginning my experiment. After the adventurers enter the dungeon, and Lilah manages to chase them out I finish.


    It¡¯s going to take a few more tries but its looking promising. My experiment cost me 2000 xp but I have added 2 large areas connected to the dungeon along the trail leading up the mountain to the dungeon. A few more and I might be able to start connecting the lake to the dungeon.


    Lilah asks me why I added the areas, and why I waited till the adventurers are there. I told her I am just preparing for the future. When Belinda returns that evening she looks rather tired, but is in a good mood.


    ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t have any problem with the man from the capital?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well about that¡­ I am not sure if it¡¯s good news or bad news, but since it¡¯s been about a year since the dungeon has been discovered, he gave the dungeon a classification.¡±


    ¡°Well was the classification bad or something?


    Belinda: ¡°It depends on how you look at it, we are classified as a beginner ranked dungeon, so the people coming here shouldn¡¯t change, but if we are looking to start attracting stronger adventurers to gather more xp it doesn¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°Well if my experiment I am trying works out, we might not have to worry too much about the adventurers for a while.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I see the new areas¡­What is it you are trying to do? Are you trying to put the lake in the dungeon?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master is only expanding it when adventurers are present.¡±


    ¡°I still got to check a few more things out before I know if it¡¯s going to work, so we will just have to wait and see.¡±


    Lilah leaves the core room early to spend her xp in her room, but returns just before Belinda leaves.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah only spent half of the xp. Can Lilah save the rest for later?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your xp, do with it what you will.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why don¡¯t you show me what you did to it?¡±


    Lilah smiles brightly and says. ¡°Ok.¡± Then they both leave the room. I then decide to head to bed.


    Over the course of the next few days the training of the new cores progresses, Maric starts taking a very hands on approach with Adair, while Laura still maintains quite a distance from Phobos although she has started to interact with him more.


    After one of Queen¡¯s battles one of the humans she has recruited even managed to survive, she holds out one of the commissions to him, but before he manages to grab it she pulls it back.


    Queen: ¡°Like I promised this is yours, and you can walk on out of here never looking back, or you finish out the month here, and I will give you 100 gold.¡±


    Man: ¡°100 gold?... What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    Queen: ¡°No catch, you fight like you did today, as long as you live through the month I will give you your bounty, and give you 100 gold. I will even let you keep any equipment you manage to acquire.¡±


    Man: ¡°Make it 150 gold and I will do it.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Fine.¡±


    Man: ¡±¡­¡±


    Queen continues to use humans who have bounties on their heads as recruits for her dungeon, with only a small portion manage to live their first day, and the ones that stay for the huge amounts of compensation don¡¯t last a few days.


    Queen now sports a mythril sword that the leader of the invaders had on the battle Dyson promised a something special, and Queen now uses it along with a superior quality steel sword.  Dyson doesn¡¯t seem to directly assist Queen, but I have seen him order the placement of new bounty commissions, and he seems to influence Queen indirectly through other humans in his dungeon.


    Talking with the other judges I so far think Maric looks the most promising for prospects, but Queen will probably end up being the most successful trainee.


    I wasn¡¯t able to complete my experiment as well as I hoped outside my dungeon because after adding one more area outside the dungeon down the mountain, I couldn¡¯t place another without adding another floor to the dungeon.


    Scylla and Zoey continue to do commission¡¯s in Tobes. I am not sure if Scylla is spending any of her rewards, but Zoey¡¯s gold all seems to be flowing into Denova¡¯s place. One day after looking in on the other cores I head down to Tobes.


    Once I enter the adventurer¡¯s guild I bump into Scylla and Zoey on their way out.


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss, we can¡¯t really stay to chat. We just got a commission we got to take care of.¡±


    Zoey then heads out the door.


    Scylla: ¡°Sorry master, it¡¯s not really that big of a rush, but Zoey is out of gold again, and if she doesn¡¯t complete at least 2 more commissions today she is not going to be able to stop off at Denova¡¯s this evening¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Scylla! Hurry we are running out of time!¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Scylla sighs then after nodding to me she heads out the door to catch up with Zoey. The girl¡¯s commotion causes Belinda notice me enter the adventurer¡¯s guild, and she quickly heads over to meet with me.


    Belinda: ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t tell me you were going to stop by today.¡±


    ¡°Is it a bad time?¡±


    Belinda:  ¡°No, actually on the contrary.¡±


    We head over to one of the tables and she asks me to sit while she returns to the counter, and gathers a couple large parchments bringing them to the table with her. Spreading them across the table they seem to be plots of land.


    Belinda: ¡°I finally gathered that information you were looking for unless you weren¡¯t serious about building a house here in Tobes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright, let¡¯s have a look.¡±


    Belinda shows me three separate plots of land she was able to put together. One is in the far side of town in part of the new developing area. It seems to be the cheapest and the largest, but she appears to not like it due to the proximity it has to Denova¡¯s place.


    The second plot of land is the most expensive and the smallest, but it also already has a small house built on it, Belinda tells me that it is right in the middle of town like I asked for, but the house and land doesn¡¯t  seem to big enough to house me and all the girls.


    The third plot of land is connected to a new street that runs behind the inn, the land is unworked and is still part of the forest, but with a little extra work it seems to be the best bet.


    Belinda: ¡°I think all three will work, but it all depends on the size of house you want to build.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really thought about it. I mean for the most part it is just going to serve as a place we can leave from without raising suspicion from the people of Tobes, but I figure it will have to at least appear big enough to house you, me, and all the girls. It also might not hurt to add a few more rooms just to be on the safe side.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be a house¡­ that would be more like a small manor¡­ Well if that¡¯s the case this one is defiantly out.¡± ¨CShe says while removing the parchment of the house in the center of town. - ¡°I really hope you will consider the one behind the inn though, it is closer to most of the businesses I own¡­¡±


    ¡°And is a long way from Denova?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I didn¡¯t say that, but even though it would take a bit more work, and gold to set up. It is also the closest to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Being near the inn is a plus since that is where the adventurers always stay, but all the other buildings around are businesses and residential areas are a bit of a distance away.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You make it sound like you plan on invading Tobes with dungeon monsters or something. You¡¯re not are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but if I start adding parts of Tobes to the dungeon area, the best places for it to be would be where humans sleep at night, not just where they are during the day.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How are you planning on connecting the dungeon all the way from the mountain down here in Tobes?¡±


    ¡°If all the things go well with the elder selection, I plan on using the imitation core, to set up a secondary dungeon, and will use Tobes as the ground floor.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not, many dungeons have towns or cities surrounding or on top of their dungeons. I planned to do this from the start but the cave was a lot further from Tobes then I originally thought.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But I thought you couldn¡¯t add rooms if there are humans in the area?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where my experiment came in up at the dungeon. I tried placing a room under the feet of adventurer¡¯s as they entered or exited the dungeon. I wasn¡¯t able to try all that I wanted, but I think as long as I don¡¯t try to build anything in the area, and just expand the dungeon area I should be able to spread the dungeon throughout Tobes.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure this is going to work? If we do this it¡¯s going to use up all of the gold I have been saving up¡­ It seems like such a waste for just fooling the villagers¡­¡±


    ¡°You can monitor the dungeon from anywhere within the dungeon, it just much easier from the core room. With Lilah taking over most of the work in the core room, I could probably use a bedroom of my own.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You mean we could actually live in it?¡±


    ¡°Well why not?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh just to have a window again¡­ I didn¡¯t realize how living in the dungeon would affect you, but it was starting to feel like I was locked in a prison¡­ But what about the rooms we got? You spent so much xp on them.¡±


    ¡°Well I set it up where it was close enough to the rest of the dungeon with just adding a door I can connect them to the rest of the dungeon and repurpose the rooms.


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, I will get this set up, and working on it, leave it to me.¡±


    Belinda gets up giving me a quick kiss then heads back to her work, and I decide to head back to the dungeon.


    Over the course of the next two weeks things progress pretty slowly. The land Belinda purchased is finally clear of trees and they are beginning the ground work now, which is quite a bit slower than I anticipated.


    The training of the new cores is coming along rather well, and Adair seems to have really begun to do much better than he was before.


    Phobos is struggling pretty hard, and he loses as many matches as he wins. It seems Laura is beginning to move, I have noticed her do a few questionable things regarding Phobos¡¯s training, but nothing serious enough to get worked up over.


    Queen has managed to put quite a few rifts in her dungeon now, and is not able to pull in as many humans as she was, but the gear she has acquired from the humans that Dyson has sent into her dungeon is quite good. It¡¯s pretty close between her and Adair now, as to who will be the most successful new core.


    Bless is still dead set against Dyson becoming the next elder, but has still been unable to find anything to get him removed from the elder selection. Bella has pointed out all of the questionable things Laura has done even telling us of things I didn¡¯t see, but again not enough to remove her.


    Greaks hasn¡¯t seen anything unusual happening with Maric, but I am still not convinced. Simon has been keeping a pretty close eye on Laura and feels mostly the same way as I do, but he is starting to lean more in favor of Bella¡¯s standpoint on it.


    With Laura¡¯s questionable acts and Phobos not progressing very well it looks pretty grim for Laura to become the next elder so I focus more on the other two. Simon also agrees so he begins to focus more on the others as well.


    The trips to meet with the other judges at the end of each week has turned into just filling in the elders, as we have managed to keep each other informed though [Communication]. When the elders first learned of the group communication they were as shocked as the other judges were when we first started to use it.


    The elders press me for information on how I started it, but I can¡¯t replicate it, so I can¡¯t help them. They eventually determine it must just because of the way they are handling the elder selection, as apparently new options become available in [Menu] every so often.


    When I return from my meeting with the other judges and elders one week before the end of the month Zoey asks to come to the core room.


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss¡­Can I ask you for a favor?¡±


    ¡°¡­That depends on the favor I guess.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well you gave xp to the little one, so you think I could use some xp?¡±


    ¡°That depends on how much, and what for.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I don¡¯t need but 25xp¡­ 75xp tops.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like it would be too hard, but what do you want it for?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°¡­Lilah said you didn¡¯t ask her what she would spend it on¡­¡±


    ¡°Well Lilah is not going to use it to summon a mate, and if it¡¯s something you plan on taking down into Tobes I need to make sure it¡¯s not going to cause any suspicion to us.¡±


    Zoey awkwardly laughs and says. ¡°Of course boss¡­ I was just going to summon a kobold, you know to get that 25 gold commission that Denova placed¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean the one for the female captive monster? Is that commission still up?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I asked Scar about it, and she said Denova is still willing to pay if someone manages to bring her one.¡±


    ¡°I am sure there are a lot easier ways to come up with 25 gold.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°So does that mean I can¡¯t have it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to take a monster into town even if it is under our control, especially to sell it as a sex slave. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what Belinda would say about that¡­¡±


    Zoey slumps her shoulders then transfers out of the room. That evening when Belinda returns to the dungeon she asks me.


    Belinda: ¡°Did Zoey ask you for xp today?¡±


    ¡°Yea why?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She told me she needed a small amount of xp to complete a commission, but when she asked you, you told her no.¡±


    ¡°Did she tell you which one?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well no, but I thought we were doing ok on xp now? She said she needed less than 100xp.¡±


    ¡°It was Denova¡¯s commission she wanted to take.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re kidding? What was she thinking? Uh-oh¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Where is Lilah?¡±


    ¡°She went down to Tobes a little bit ago with Zoey and Scylla. She said Zoey promised her something.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure it was just the three of them, and Scylla was with them?¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s what they said¡­ I saw the three of them head down the mountain.¡±


    Belinda moves over to the desk and removes it from behind it looking at the rooms. Ike and Bo are in their room, Lilah and Zoey¡¯s rooms are empty, and Scylla is reading a book in her room. Belinda quickly transfers Scylla startling her.


    Scylla: ¡°Master, Belinda? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Did you not go to Tobes with Lilah and Zoey?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°They didn¡¯t ask me.¡±


    Belinda quickly opens [Menu].


    Belinda: ¡°I didn¡¯t see them on the way up they must already be in town¡­¡± ¨Cshe sighs- ¡°I am sorry Two-Twelve it¡¯s my fault¡­¡±


    After looking at the monster screen I see what Belinda means. There is a kobold named Lulu who is not present in the dungeon.


    ¡°How did she summon a monster without permission?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Lilah still had xp left from what you gave her for her room, and you set it where she could use it for whatever she wanted. I told Zoey, if she needed the xp that bad to ask Lilah, and maybe they could work something out¡­¡±


    ¡°We better get down there and try to fix this¡­¡±


    Belinda and I quickly head down to Tobes heading straight for Denova¡¯s place. Once arriving we see Lilah sitting across the street and she starts to panic.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! Belinda too, what are you both doing here?¡±


    Belinda and I both head inside of Denova¡¯s place. Inside Denova is signing a paper she then hands it to Zoey. There is quite a crowd in the room with several of Denova¡¯s girls along with several adventurers standing there looking at a female kobold shackled as it violently struggles against its bonds.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Zoey is startled and starts to panic¡­


    Denova: ¡°I see you came to admire my purchase as well? If even you two came by to check it out maybe I should hang on to it for a while, and charge a viewing fee.¡±


    ¡°Zoey¡­ You didn¡¯t just sell her a kobold for 25 gold did you?¡±


    Denova: ¡°As a matter of fact she didn¡¯t. We came to another arrangement.¡±


    Denova then hands a key over to Zoey.


    Denova: ¡°She seemed awfully fond of old Scar here so I thought a straight up trade would work well for both of us.¡±


    ¡°Zoey, can we talk to you for a moment?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Our deal is done, go right ahead.¡±


    Zoey hangs her head as she approaches and Scar follows her. After we are outside I look over at Scar.


    ¡°Can we have a minute?¡±


    Scar takes Zoey¡¯s arm. ¡°Master?¡±


    Zoey blushes with a sheepish grin then nods asking her to go sit over with Lilah.


    ¡°What were you thinking? I told you it wasn¡¯t a good idea.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yes but you didn¡¯t say I couldn¡¯t do it¡­ Belinda told me to ask Lilah so that¡¯s what I did¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You manipulated me! You know I wouldn¡¯t have agreed to this.¡±


    ¡°And what do you even plan to do with Scar now? You can¡¯t possibly think you could take her home.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Why not? I bought her she is mine now.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t a dungeon monster, and she wouldn¡¯t be bound to the dungeon. She would learn too much about the dungeon.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I will just keep here there then.¡±


    Belinda: ¡±You can¡¯t be serious? I thought you liked her? Now you are talking about locking her up like a caged animal¡­¡±


    ¡°Well we will talk about this once we get home, for now Belinda why don¡¯t you take her to the inn getting her a room for now, and I will get Lilah and Zoey back¡­¡±


    Belinda walks over to Scar talking to her but she shakes her head, and quickly moves back to Zoey.


    Scar: ¡°Master, she says I need to go with her, but I want to stay with you¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°its ok, Belinda will set you up a room in the inn for tonight. I told you my situation is a little complicated¡­ I promise though I will come for you first thing in the morning.¡± ¨CShe then takes Scars hands and kisses her.-


    Zoey and Scar slowly let go of each other than Scar and Belinda disappear down the street. Lilah, Zoey, and I then begin to head up to the dungeon.


    ¡°You know Belinda is not going to let you keep her right?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But Boss! I worked so hard to get her¡­¡±


    ¡°And what do you have to say for yourself Lilah? You were there when I told Zoey no earlier.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Master saved Lilah. Lilah wanted to help Zoey save Scar.¡±


    We make the rest of the trip in silence and when we arrive in the dungeon I transfer all of us to the core room. Scylla is still sitting there in a core room reading her book, once we enter she sets it down on her lap then looks at the others.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Sorry Scylla you can return to your room if you want.¡±


    Scylla looks over to Zoey who is hanging her head low with a sour expression, then Scylla smiles and sits up straight.


    Scylla: ¡°If it¡¯s alright master, I would like to stick around for a bit longer.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Can Lilah go to her room?¡±


    ¡°No Lilah we are waiting on Belinda¡­¡±


    Lilah hangs her head as well. It only takes 10 or 15 minutes before Belinda can be seen heading up towards the dungeon. Once Belinda arrives in the core room she starts to chew out Zoey and Lilah for being so careless.


    After 10 minutes of Belinda ranting at the girls she finally sends them off to their rooms, and Scylla is still sitting in the chair, and when Belinda¡¯s gaze falls on her she quickly says goodnight and retreats herself.


    With no one else in the room Belinda collapses onto my bed. Using [Menu] she changes clothes into her normal long nightgown then crawls under the blankets. She then looks up at me from under the blankets.


    Belinda: ¡°You know this is entirely your fault right?¡±


    ¡°How so? Besides I thought in a way you would be pleased with Zoey for helping her friend.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well maybe your right¡­ That is if she really means to help her, and not just keep her as a sex slave all to herself¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Zoey would really go that far¡­ I am sure she will take her collar off¡­ Eventually.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Exactly, the question just is how long is that eventually going to take?¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do with Scar until then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it shouldn¡¯t be any problem for her to stay there at the inn, and I should easily be able to find her a job somewhere in town.¡±


    I check on the other cores before heading to bed which causes Belinda to complain, but once I finally get in bed she quickly wraps her arms and legs around me.


    ¡°You do realize this is already the third night this week you have stayed the night in my bed right?¡±


    Without answering she presses her lips against mine kissing me for a few moments she then looks me in the eyes finally saying. ¡°And is that a problem?¡±


    With the look she is giving me it makes it hard to look her in the eyes without the feeling building up in me, so I turn my face while blushing a bit before saying. ¡°I am just saying¡­¡±


    With a smile Belinda slides her head back down resting it on my chest, and we both slowly drift off to sleep.

 Adair, Phobos, and Queen

    I woke up after only a few short hours of sleep, this cot is uncomfortable but I only have to put up with it a few more days tops. After crawling off the cot I put on the armor I was given, and the two swords I was awarded in my battles in the dungeon.


    I guess I should consider myself lucky Dyson allowed me to acquire Mythril items before I even had my own dungeon, I should be able to keep the armor, but I am not sure about the swords because they were part of the training, but I guess I will worry about it then.


    I quickly look over [Menu] and find the criminal humans huddled together in the floor looking rather pitiful. I don¡¯t see how the other cores refer to Dyson as human he is clearly far superior in every way¡­ Well I guess I don¡¯t have to deal with them anymore after this battle.


    I got enough xp saved up to finish the next 24 hours, and still have plenty remaining, I have been using all rifts other than the humans this last week I wonder if any training cores have ended their training with this much xp left over.


    I wish I didn¡¯t summon my boss monster so carelessly, and I would have probably struggled a lot less this month if I didn¡¯t lose it on the first day. At least now I know to get my dungeon well established before I summon one for my actual dungeon.


    I transfer myself to the dungeon and kick the humans huddling in the corner.


    ¡°Time to get up, the battle will take place in 10 minutes. Soon you will have the gold you have been dreaming about.¡±


    The men slowly begin to pull themselves to their feet and begin equipping their gear, for a group of vagabond cutthroat humans we have managed to collect quite a few sets of decent armor and weapons. Using the normal configuration I plant the humans dead center of the middle of the first room, with quite a few beastkin filling the back of the room.


    The next two rooms are full of beastkin I haven¡¯t had any attacks reach the back room in over a week. Awaiting what could be the final battle a since of accomplishment fills me. I understand the battles are harder than they have been in the past, but to do this well despite all that I feel I will have no problem on my own now.


    The pride I feel however quickly vanishes when a large head sticks into my dungeon¡­ With a roar that fills the dungeon causing the humans to lose control of their bodily fluids the large land dragon quickly charges in smashing into the group.


    As most of the humans are tossed aside like leaves in the wind, the few that are left are too scared to attack. I quickly order the beastkin forward to attack, but as their weapons clash against its scales they don¡¯t even leave scratches.


    I quickly charge into the room using the beastkin as cover, make my way around the back of the dragon. While the dragon chomps on one of the humans it rends several of the beastkin with its claws. Once I reach its side I plunge both of my swords into its side.


    This quickly backfires as it turns all of its attention to me swinging around. I try to hold onto the handles of the swords as it begins to spin, but the dragon¡¯s blood causes my hands to slip from the hilts flinging me across the dungeon hitting the wall hard.


    I quickly pull myself to my feet in time to see the dragon preparing to release a breath attack against me. I have no choice but to transfer from the room back to the core room. After I am gone the dragon then returns to destroying the targets it has left.


    I quickly go through [Menu] trying to find anything that might be able to stand against the dragon¡­ Slimes, Goblins, Kobold, Beastkin, Lizardmen, Fairies, Skeletons no matter what I see nothing even comes close to the power of a land dragon¡­


    I don¡¯t even have any weapons that can penetrate it hide now, but I can¡¯t do anything. I have to think of something. As the dragon finishes killing the last remaining beastkin in the first room I quickly summon two dozen skeleton mages. With their darkness based magic they should be able to ignore armor, so that should slow the dragon down a bit.


    I order the beastkin in the second room to charge at the dragon as soon as it begins to enter trying to keep it as far from the mages as possible, but once the mages cast their first volley of [Darkness Blade]s at the dragon it quickly ignores the beastkin charging right over the top of them heading for the mages.


    I order the beastkin to try to make use of the swords buried in the dragon¡¯s side, but anytime a beastkin reaches them it uses it tail to swipe them away, and continues to obliterate the mages. I can¡¯t die here, but I have to do something or Dyson might write me off completely¡­


    I quickly summon another dozen skeleton mages into the crystal room. I then use the last of my remaining xp to add another room to the back of the dungeon I find the smallest door possible to connect it to the rest of the dungeon then move my crystal back into it.


    Now there should be no way for the dragon to be able to get in the crystal room. Ignoring the remaining beastkin as soon as the skeleton mages are gone the dragon charges into the third room. I quickly have the beastkin follow it into the third room.


    The large land dragon over 20 beastkin and 10 skeleton mages now remain in the room leaving almost no room for anyone to step. I have to get my swords if I am going to stop it, so I quickly transfer into the third room right next to the dragon grasping the swords.


    I manage to pull one of the swords free before the dragon¡¯s tail swipes me across the chest throwing me across the room into heaps of beastkin. I then transfer to the crystal room, and after a few minutes the door crashes open.


    The dragon can¡¯t fit though the much smaller door, but he manages to stick in long neck, and one front leg through. I quickly begin to attack its head while trying to stay out of its range. The dragon bites and snaps at me with its jaws as it struggles trying to pull itself further into the room.


    I manage to begin causing damage on the dragons head before it withdraws its head back a few feet back out of my reach. Now I can¡¯t reach it, but if I step forward I will be dragon food. We stand there eyeing each other for a brief moment before it starts to prepare its breath attack again.


    I have no choice to flee to the core room as the crystal room is filled with arcing lightning that bounces off the walls. Once one of the bolts strikes the core I receive the message that I failed. Once the dragon slowly retreats I see Dyson enter the dungeon.


    I transfer down to the first room and pull the table and chairs I use for his visits from my dungeon inventory placing them. After sitting down at the table Dyson draws a straight light in the air reaching past it into it his hand disappearing when it passes the line. When he pulls his hand back he is holding a bottle with several crystal glasses.


    After filling the two glasses I sit down and he slides one my way. I sniff the drink, and it¡¯s very stout liquor probably of dwarven origin. Dyson quickly downs his glass, and while pouring himself another he asks me.


    Dyson: ¡°So what did you learn from the battle with the dragon?¡±


    ¡°I want to say it was impossible, but surely that can¡¯t be the case. If I just gathered more xp maybe I could of¡­¡±


    Dyson however cuts me off.


    Dyson: ¡°You were closer to the truth on the first guess.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not all battles can be won. As a human many times I had to retreat from battle and regroup before trying again.¡±


    ¡°But as a dungeon there is no retreat. You can¡¯t remove your crystal, so its fight or die¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You had the right idea with the smaller door, but you made a critical error. By the time you tried that you were completely out of xp. If you wouldn¡¯t have wasted all that xp on the skeletons you could have created two rooms with the small doors, and the dragon wouldn¡¯t have been able to get near your crystal.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but sigh I then quickly drink the alcohol which causes me to choke and cough. Dyson simply refills my glass then says.


    Dyson: ¡°Of course if you did that I would have sent in the lizardmen I had as backup, because the point of this battle was to prove one simple thing. There is always someone out there that can end you, and if you are not prepared for when they come knocking at your door it¡¯s all over.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the strongest dungeon core there is, surely you don¡¯t still feel that way?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Sure on a one on one battle I could easily kill any or all of the elders, but squaring my dungeon against theirs? Even two of them would leave me in a bad spot. Unless of course it was Fredrick¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what could I of done differently?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It¡¯s all about allies. At any given point I have at least 12 cores that would come to my aid without any reason given. In your month of training you managed to build a great relationship with the adventurer¡¯s guild in town. With the amount of human gold you are holding right now you could have easily commissioned 50 maybe even 100 mercenaries to defend you.¡±


    ¡°Would that of changed the outcome of the battle?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Probably not, but it would of given you more time to prepare, maybe even finding a way to hide your crystal.¡±


    For the next twenty or thirty minutes Dyson continues to give me tips on surviving, and after a while I ask him.


    ¡°So how do you feel your chances are on becoming the next elder?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I would say 50/50 if it wasn¡¯t rigged from the start.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well from my sources I have learned Laura pretty much failed out, but Maric has one of the judges in his pocket, and I killed another one of the judge¡¯s lover before I rejoined the dungeon cores. The vote has to be unanimous, so doesn¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told the elders? Surely that has to be against the rules.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If Maric wants it that bad I say let him have it, I don¡¯t need the elders as I said I have powerful allies in my own right.¡±


    ¡°Then why go along with this whole thing?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I believe given 50 or so years you will be able to become one of them powerful allies for one, another reason is I got my eyes set on one of the judges myself.¡±


    Two-Twelve POV


    The last week has progressed rather normally, I keep an eye on the elder candidates while Lilah watches the dungeon. We were finally able to talk Zoey into removing Scar¡¯s collar after a few days. So far Zoey has continued to visit with her, and Scar became an adventurer.


    She however changed her name to Roxanne, Zoey however just calls her Roxy. After becoming an adventurer Roxy began to accompany Zoey and Scylla along on their commissions in town. I made sure Zoey understood though that Roxy would be unable to join them if they went hunting though.


    On the day before the evaluation and elder selection I managed to watch Queen¡¯s final battle, and Dyson¡¯s advice afterwards which made me change my views of him quite a bit.


    I check with the others, and find out Phobos managed to win his final battle if only just by the skin of his teeth, Laura even seemed to pull out some of her monsters during the battle to give him more of an advantage.


    Adair managed to win his final battle as well, and by Greaks telling it sounds like Adair is going to be the next great dungeon core. Simon however is a little more down to earth in his retelling of the battle. If what Dyson said was true about Maric having a judge in his pocket, maybe it was a mistake having just one person watch each core.


    I know it¡¯s not me, Simon seems to be leaning to choosing Maric, but doesn¡¯t seem like he is biased in any way, Bless is obviously the one that lost her lover, so that only leaves Greaks or Bella. Bella seems focused on Laura though, so it probably has to be Greaks¡­


    If Greaks is hiding the things Maric is doing it would explain why he was able to get away with it without us being able to catch it. I kind of like Dyson better, but I probably won¡¯t fight it if everyone is on board for Maric¡­


    Everything however is turned upside down that evening when I receive a message.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Dungeon Core #245 [Simon] has perished at the hands of the adventurer Molock


    ¡°Belinda, quick. Send a message to your brother, and ask him if they destroyed the crystal at Leona ruins.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But last I heard they were still a long ways from the bottom floor, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Simon was just killed.¡±


    The judges window under communication has quickly begun to move.


    Bless: ¡°What¡¯s going on, Two-Twelve isn¡¯t your boss monster¡¯s brother in Simon¡¯s dungeon what happened?¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Thissss issss not good.¡±


    Bella: ¡°What does this mean for tomorrows vote?¡±


    ¡°I am trying to get information now, but last I heard they were still at least 10 floors away from the bottom of his dungeon, and to kill his dragon¡­ I didn¡¯t think they would be able too.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°He had a dragon? SSSSSurely lowly humanssss didn¡¯t do it alone, maybe Dysssson was behind it?¡±


    Bless: ¡°I have been watching Dyson closely, but it is possible you can¡¯t trust the humans.¡±


    ¡°Everyone calm down, no use jumping to conclusions, as soon as I find something out I will let you guys know¡­¡±


    After I move the screen out of the way I receive another message this time from Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°It is indeed unfortunate to lose one of our judges this late in the selection process. After discussing it with the others we have decided to continue on, as the vote has to be unanimous being short one judge should not change the outcome.¡±


    ¡°What of Simon, do you know what happened?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°All we know at the moment is the Gowen royal army was attempting to destroy Simon¡¯s crystal. Should you find any information though your ¡°information network¡± that may be relevant please inform us.¡±


    ¡°Belinda anything yet?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, but with the crystal destroyed they will have to exit the dungeon in a hurry it may take hours or even days before I hear back from him.¡±


    I spend the night unable to sleep, just staring at the screens and waiting for a reply from Belinda¡¯s brother. At some point Belinda curled up on my bed and fell asleep, and after Lilah fell asleep in the chair next to me I sent her to bed.


    I talk with the other judges at several points throughout the night but we are still unable to uncover any new information. Once I see the sun start to rise from the screen looking out the front of the cave I notice a light from a rock just off the side of the pathway to the dungeon.


    Madam Erin exits the light and proceeds to walk to mountain path. I get up and gently wake Belinda.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s time for me to go.¡±


    Belinda slowly sits up rubbing her neck from the awkward position she was lying on the bed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s going to be, they said if we can¡¯t make a unanimous decision we have to stay there until we do agree so this could take a while¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Did my brother ever send a message back?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, if you get a message from him while I am gone don¡¯t wait, send me a message right away with the information.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok... Be careful ok?¡±


    ¡°You too, if Simon¡¯s death had anything to do with the selection of the new elder, our dungeon isn¡¯t that far from his they may try to target us as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He is at least a week and a half away though. Surely you will be back long before then?¡±


    ¡°All the candidates are high level dungeon cores I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they have teleportation magic, the elders surely aren¡¯t the only ones that can do it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It won¡¯t come to that, just get back to me safely alright?¡±


    I receive a message from Madam Erin telling me to hurry up, so I kiss Belinda and she wraps her arms around me hugging me tightly. When she finally lets go she kisses me again and I head out to meet Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°What took you so long pup? Then again you are starting to build yourself quite the harem I guess I can¡¯t blame you for not wanting to leave.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about¡­ Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    Madam Erin leads me to the rock and we teleport. Making our way through the hallway Madam Erin stops just outside the door to the large room. She squats down and places both hands on my shoulders and looks at me with a serious expression.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Before we go in there, where you able to learn anything about Simon¡¯s death?¡±


    I shake my head and say. ¡°No, I still haven¡¯t gotten any word, but I do know that Belinda¡¯s brother shouldn¡¯t have been able to pass the last 10 floors of Simon¡¯s dungeon and kill his dragon in the few days since Belinda last talked to him.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°She is able to talk to him from that distance? Did you take the entire royal family as dungeon monsters?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t really say, but if I learn anything helpful I will be sure to let you know¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Curious, but I trust you enough to take you at your word. Ok let¡¯s go.¡±


    When we enter the room we seem to be the last to arrive. All the other elders are in their seats up on the podium, the other judges are behind the table, the three training cores are sitting in chairs in front of the podium, and their teachers are standing behind them.


    Madam Erin makes her way to her seat and I sit in mine, the other judges quickly ask me if I have learned anything but I shake my head and Draco beings to speak.


    Draco: ¡°Welcome to another year of hatchlings into our family.¡±


    Faron: ¡°As you all know, this year is special so let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Maric, how do you feel Adair¡¯s training went?¡±


    Maric: ¡°Elders I greatly appreciate this opportunity, to even be considered in this task. As such I tried my best to prove I am capable, and with Adair¡¯s help I believe his progress speaks for itself. He may have struggled in the beginning, but after my guidance I believe he will prove to be a vital dungeon core in the future.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°And Adair, how did you feel about Maric¡¯s abilities as your teacher?¡±


    Adair: ¡°I feel grateful to be able to train under such a dungeon core as Maric. As we dungeon cores are born with a great deal of knowledge, it is still refreshing to know that there are dungeon cores like Maric that are willing to go the extra distance to help us put it all together to make us the most successful cores that we can be.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Laura, how did Phobos preform?¡±


    Laura: ¡°Under the normal conditions of dungeon core training I believe Phobos would have performed within expectations, however with the new intense training he struggled a great deal. I do believe that he has proved himself capable despite any setbacks he may have encountered during training.


    Draco: ¡°Phobos, what of your feelings toward Lucille¡¯s training?¡¯


    Phobos: ¡°I feel she gave me a great deal of space in the beginning of my training to allow me to make a great deal of mistakes, but the only true mistake is the one you don¡¯t learn anything from. I feel her follow up in the second half of my training was just that, she then pinpointed everything I did wrong, and showed me the way to correct it.¡±


    Faron: ¡°So despite your low successful battle count you believe she trained you adequately?¡±


    Phobos: ¡°Yes, even if I am unsuccessful I believe it is not due to her training.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°Dyson, how was Queen¡¯s performance?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I don¡¯t believe I have anything to say on her behalf. Her actions alone are all you need.


    Lucille: ¡°And Queen what do you have to say on Dyson¡¯s training?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I think you would be foolish to underestimate Dyson. Many dungeon cores look down on him for spending time with humans, but humans and other creatures like them are the only ones that purposely seek out dungeons just for the sake of our destruction. With me standing here is proof they are quite successful at that, or you would never have to train new dungeon cores. As Dyson is the one core uniquely capable of providing the intel any new core needs to defend them from what will surely be their ruin not choosing him would be not only a failure in your part, but also could be a fatal flaw for any future core born from now on.¡±


    Draco: ¡°You defiantly have no problem speaking your mind like your teacher.¡±


    Faron: ¡°Adair and Queen if you would wait in the hall until called on.¡±


    Adair and Queen then stand leaving the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°As Maric, Laura, and Dyson one of you will become the next elder, and the one responsible for the new cores from here on out. What are your takes on Phobos? We already heard Laura¡¯s opinion, so what are your opinions?¡±


    Maric: ¡°I believe what Laura said to be true, from my understanding of his circumstances under the normal conditions Phobos would have passed no problem. It was only due to pure neglect on Laura¡¯s part I feel he didn¡¯t have the chance from the start, and feel it unfair to judge him based on Laura¡¯s disinterest with his training.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As much as it pains me I have to agree with the pretender. If Laura put half the focus of her human political meddling into Phobos¡¯s training he would have proved successful. I would go as far to say if you give me two weeks with him I could whip him into shape.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°Are you suggesting we extend his training for another two weeks? That has never been done before.¡±


    Maric: ¡°That is absurd, we have been training cores this way for over 300 years and it has worked why change it now?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Because isn¡¯t that the exact reason for this whole mess, because it isn¡¯t working anymore.¡±


    Draco: ¡°What are your thoughts Laura?¡±


    Laura: ¡°I think as it stands despite his shortcomings Phobos will make a successful dungeon core. Of course Dyson is also right, and any core would do better with additional training. That may be something to look into, if the increased difficulty is not beneficial to the new cores maybe giving them more time in training would be more effective, but being stuck on the old ways is not helpful for anyone.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°We have reached our decision.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Despite some reservations we will allow Phobos to be granted his own dungeon. Phobos, if you would collect the other two from the hallway.¡±


    While Phobos opens the door calling in Adair, and Queen, the elders instruct the three trainers to take the seats in front of the podium. Madam Erin stands from the podium and spreads a map across the table in front of us judges.


    After a moment the map begins to grow covering the table, the forests begin to grow, as do the mountains. Lakes a rivers fill with water and by the time the three training cores reach the table it has fully formed to the map I used to choose the location of my dungeon.


    The three training cores read a message that apparently appeared before them then they step up to the map.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Adair, you¡¯re up first.¡±


    Adair finds a ruin a small distance from the eastern coast placing his finger on it, he then disappears.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright Phobos you¡¯re next.¡±


    Phobos quickly selects a small cave on the northern coast next to a large city, as he to disappears.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Queen, you¡¯re up.:¡±


    Queen: ¡°I heard there was a recent vacancy, so I guess that would make us neighbors. I look forward to working with you Two-Twelve.¡±


    Queen points to a familiar place on the map... As Queen disappears heading to Simon¡¯s old dungeon all the judges look relatively confused, but I feel a shiver down my back.


    Greaks: ¡°What wassss that about?¡±


    ¡°She choose Simon¡¯s dungeon¡­¡±


    Greaks: ¡°How could ssssshe of known if Dyssssson wasssss not ressssponsssssible for Ssssssimon¡¯sssss death?


    ¡°You are jumping to conclusions again, everyone received the message last night including the new cores, and she could have thought it was a perfect opportunity to take over a well-established dungeon without a fight.¡±


    Bless: ¡°I agree with Greaks this seems way too convenient.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well that us up to you guys to work out.¡±


    Madam Erin then rolls up the map, and when she does it returns to its original small flat size. She then returns to the podium.


    Faron: ¡°Very well, Maric, Laura, Dyson you may now leave, we will inform you when the judges have made their decision.¡±


    After the three leave, the Elders leave as well leaving just us in the room.


    Bella: ¡°I assume it¡¯s safe to say Laura is out, that leaves either Maric or Dyson.¡±


    Bless: ¡°It has to be Maric then.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t even going to attempt to think about this?¡±


    Bless: ¡°What is there to think about? Laura¡¯s student damn near didn¡¯t even pass, and I refuse to vote for Dyson, so Maric is the only choice.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Maric isssss clearly the besssssst choice.¡±


    ¡°Maric has been up to something since day one does anyone of you care what it was?¡±


    Greaks: ¡°I watched Maric all month, he never sssssstepped out of line.¡±


    ¡°That comment alone is suspicious, Dyson pushed the boundaries several times, Laura pushed the boundaries at every turn. Maric should be no different.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Maybe Maric issss a jusssst and honorable man.¡±


    ¡°There is also what Dyson said about one of us working for Maric.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°That is ridiculoussssss.¡±


    ¡°I am glad you think so, since you where the one at the beginning of the month that seemed like you held no favorites, yet you now are dead set on Maric.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°I have been watching him all month, and I have grown to ressssspect him.¡±


    Bella: ¡°You seem dead set against Maric how do we know Dyson hasn¡¯t bought you?¡±


    ¡°I just want to make the best decision rather it be Maric, Dyson, or Laura.¡±


    Bella: ¡°I think we can all agree Laura is out.¡±


    ¡°Not so fast¡­ Sure Phobos didn¡¯t do so well but he did manage to pass, a lot of core born don¡¯t even pass the normal conditions, and here we have three that managed to pass a more rigorous test. That in itself is an accomplishment.¡±


    Bella: ¡°This is ridiculous¡­¡±


    ¡°All three of them were here because at least 1 elder felt they deserved the chance, I think we have a responsibility to give them all a fair shake.¡±


    Bella: ¡°Fine, what do you suggest then?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start at the beginning, what makes you think that Laura would not make a good elder?¡±


    Bella: ¡°She has never had her own original idea, everything she has ever did she copied or stole from someone else. She followed Lucille for so long she knows nothing else. As for training dungeon cores, she clearly left Phobos to fend for himself for the first two weeks just throwing monsters at him.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think what Phobos said holds any weight? After all she wants to be an elder so why would she ignore Phobos when this is her big chance to become one?¡±


    Bella: ¡°Maybe in the past she wanted it, now I think she is too concerned with her new boss monster and his human politics.¡±


    ¡°Anyone else have reasons why Laura would not be the best choice?¡±


    Greaks: ¡°We were insssstructed to find the besssssst dungeon core for training new coresssss I believe it isssss obviousssss Maric isssss the right choice.¡±


    ¡°I am not asking about Maric, why does Laura not deserve it?¡±


    Greaks: ¡°We are getting nowhere like thisssss.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s a no? Bless what about you?¡±


    Bless: ¡°Even if she did give her best effort I believe it just wasn¡¯t enough for her training core. Part of training a new core is learning their strength and weaknesses. You build on their strengths while finding ways to cover their weaknesses, and she clearly failed to do that in Phobos.¡±


    ¡°You sure you have nothing to add Greaks?¡±


    Greaks: What about you? You are passsssing the quesssstion around without ansssswering it yoursssself.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I think Bella made a good point about her being too concerned with King Aaron. I heard her talking of becoming an elder as being a bonus but not required in their plan, if she really wanted it she could have put quite a bit more effort into it.¡±


    Bella: ¡°Then Laura is out then?¡±


    ¡°I am not counting her out just yet, but it does look like we can mostly agree she is probably the weakest choice at the moment. Ok Bless next is you, why not Dyson?¡±


    Bless: ¡°Other than the fact I refuse to vote for him for any reason, he spent the entire month having sex with every woman in his dungeon, and not paying attention to his responsibilities.  Any interactions with Queen were short and far in-between. Her success was purely her own, and can¡¯t be contributed to Dyson in the least bit.¡±


    ¡°I found enjoyment in watching Queen¡¯s progress, so I was able to see quite a few of the interactions between Dyson and Queen. Although they may have been short the information he shared with her was very informative. I even managed to learn quite a bit listening to it.¡±


    Bless: ¡°He is a murder and should keep to his humans where he belongs.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about Dyson, but from what I observed this month he seems to know how to handle humans. And I think we can all agree that humans pose the biggest threat to us dungeon cores. If he can teach that to other dungeon cores I think they would stand a far better chance out there in the world.¡±


    Bless: That¡¯s just because he is one of them. He has killed hundreds of cores himself he serves at must as a danger to us as the humans do.¡±


    ¡°He has only killed 43 cores and only 13 of them have been within the last 195 years since he got his own dungeon.¡±


    Bless: ¡°How can you possibly know that?¡±


    ¡°It is in his description in the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> book.¡±


    Bella: ¡°Only training cores and elders have access to that book.¡±


    ¡°Leland¡¯s copy disappeared after his death and it¡¯s still out there, let¡¯s just say I have seen it.¡±


    Bless: ¡°How a dungeon core as young as you to be able to find Leland¡¯s lost <u>Dungeon Core Information</u>, and not to mention your unique crystal, I am not starting to wonder if you may not be more dangerous then Dyson.¡±


    Bella: ¡°What is the deal with your crystal anyway?¡±


    ¡°You can read the human report at the adventurer¡¯s guild if you really are interest¡­Hold on I just got a message from my boss monster. Let¡¯s take a break for a few minutes while I find out if she learned anything about Simon.¡±

 The New Elder

    Finally receiving news from Belinda I open [Menu] and read Belinda¡¯s message.


    Belinda: ¡°I finally heard back from Logan. He said a hero from another kingdom owed him a favor, so when the dungeon was taking longer than they expected he called in that favor.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s just a coincidence that it happened less than 24 hours before the elder selection?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It really seems that way¡­ I hope that helps.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for letting me know. By the way if Logan hasn¡¯t left Leona Ruins left tell him to be careful, because one of the new cores choose to take it over.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Already? Isn¡¯t that a bit insensitive?¡±


    ¡°If you think about it¡­ It is actually pretty smart, and dungeon deteriorates fast after a dungeon core¡¯s death, so taking over a dungeon that quickly would cut her costs considerably, although it will take her quite a while before she can reclaim all the floors and rooms.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Sounds like someone moving into a dead relative¡¯s house even before the funeral¡­ Bad taste if you ask me¡­ Does the core seem decent enough at least?¡±


    ¡°It sounded like she knew we were close by¡­ She said she looks forward to working with us, so it might not be too bad. I need to get back to the meeting. I will talk to you soon.¡±


    I return to the group, and Greaks quickly asks.


    Greaks: ¡°Well? It was Dyson yesssss?¡±


    ¡°No actually it looks to be just pure bad luck on Simon¡¯s part. A hero that owed the Gowen family a favor decided to give them a hand.¡±


    Bella: ¡°The one that destroyed the crystal was no hero though.¡±


    ¡°The reason the Gowen army was attacking Simon¡¯s dungeon to start with was due to some human political deal they worked out with another kingdom. The one that destroyed the crystal I am sure is from that other kingdom. Anyway back to our task. Bella, Greaks your thoughts on Dyson?¡±


    Bella: ¡°I personally have nothing against Dyson, but I too am a little hesitant to give a dungeon core that has killed to many of us the powers of an elder.¡±


    ¡°Well from what I heard from Madam Erin, the dungeon cores he killed weren¡¯t exactly innocent themselves.¡±


    Bless: ¡°Are you trying to tell me it was my Bart¡¯s fault he is dead? Bart wasn¡¯t even 20 years old, and Dyson simply killed him just because he needed his dungeon core #.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know it was Bart that you were close too. I find it curious you lay all the blame on Dyson though.¡±


    Bless: ¡°He is the one the killed him who else would I blame?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t feel the rest of the elders are at least partly responsible? They could have given Dyson an available number instead making rule that he had to wait for his number to come up again, and Dyson wouldn¡¯t have had to kill Bart for the number.¡±


    Bless: ¡°It was to prove he would do whatever it takes to become a dungeon core again.¡±


    ¡°Exactly¡­ I don¡¯t know how that conversation went down, but it sounds to me like the told him if he wanted to become a dungeon core again he had to kill Bart.¡±


    Bless: ¡°That couldn¡¯t¡­ They wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Bless looks to open a screen in [Menu] and looks rather angry as she manipulates it.


    ¡°What about you Greaks?¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Nothing you have sssssaid will convince me that Maric isssss not the right choice¡­¡±


    ¡°So no objections to Laura, or Dyson, but still won¡¯t sway from Maric?


    Greaks: ¡°Maric hasssss worked hard to earn hissssss place among the eldersssss.¡±


    ¡°Well about Maric¡­Bella, Bless? I personally feel he has been up to something from the beginning but even after watching him I couldn¡¯t see what he was doing, and I certainly can¡¯t base my judgement solely on the fact I don¡¯t like him.¡±


    Bella: ¡°I have nothing against him.¡±


    ¡°The truth is regardless of what he might have done during this task, by what the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> said about him, close to 80 dungeons cores currently alive were trained by him. That in itself is quite the accomplishment.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Ssssso we all agree Maric isssss the new elder.¡±


    ¡°I hope whatever he promised you was well worth it¡­ I have no proof so contrary how I feel I¡¯ll vote Maric.¡±


    Bella: ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°We ssssshould inform the elderssss.¡±


    ¡°There is still Bless. Bless your vote?¡±


    Bella: ¡°Bless?¡±


    Bless shoves what is probably a screen out from in front of her and slams her small fists on the table spreading her leathery wings hitting Greaks in the face. She angrily looks at the group then says¡­


    Bless: ¡°I vote¡­Dyson.¡±


    Greaks, Bella, and myself: ¡°Hu?¡±


    Bless: ¡°You were right Two-Twelve. The elders have been at the top too long and need someone new to shake things up, and Maric is just more of the same, so I am voting Dyson.¡±


    ¡°I myself would rather vote Dyson, but without proof of his tampering we are not going to be able to sway Greaks, and the vote has to be unanimous.¡±


    Bless: ¡°That¡¯s simple. Maric promised Greaks a dragon for his dungeon in exchange for his vote. Word of advice Greaks, next time you make a backroom deal nobody is supposed to know about make sure the door is shut.¡±


    Bella: ¡°If you could convince Bless to vote Dyson, then I change my vote as well.¡±


    Greaks: ¡°Wait we agreed!¡±


    ¡°We could bring it to the attention of the elders and get Maric disqualified, maybe even have you removed from the judges that means no imitation core, or we can leave well enough alone, and you change your vote.¡±


    Greaks struggles with himself for a few minutes then sighs saying. ¡°Fine, ssssay nothing to the eldersssss and I will vote Dyssssson.¡±


    We call the elders back to the room and inform them of our decision and they recall Maric, Laura, and Dyson. Once they have all arrived and are standing in front of the podium the elders speak.


    Draco: ¡°After the deliberation of our chosen judges they have reached their unanimous decision.¡±


    Faron: ¡°Maric.¡±


    Maric steps forward puffing out his chest.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Laura.¡±


    Maric looks confused looking over at Laura briefly he however regains composure when¡­


    Fredrick: ¡°And Dyson.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You three are all successful dungeon cores in your own right, but we only have space for one here amongst us.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Laura, you are dismissed.¡±


    Laura looks angry but not surprised as she flips her chair and storms out of the room.


    Faron: ¡°I heard the decision flipped several times between you two, but the judges finally agreed.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Dyson, you will be the one to join the elders, and take over the responsibility of training the future dungeon cores.¡±


    Dyson steps forward looking genuinely surprised.


    Maric: ¡°This is ridiculous!¡± ¨CHe shoots an angry look at Greaks.- ¡°This cannot be, I have more than proved myself. Many of the cores alive today only because of my training, and I am the eldest!¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°The judges have spoken. Maric you are dismissed.¡±


    Maric: ¡°This isn¡¯t over, just you wait and see.¡±


    Maric too then storms out of the door.


    Lucille: ¡°Despite the reservations of several of the elders and judges alike they have chosen Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson] to replace former Dungeon Core #212 [Leland] as one of the elder council of the dungeon cores.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson] do you accept the responsibilities that your new position entails, and vow to uphold them to the best of your abilities?¡±


    A smile forms on Dyson¡¯s face that would even cause Denova to shutter as he says. ¡°I do!¡± As soon as he says it his attention is drawn to what is most likely a message that appeared in front of him. After reading it he moves around the podium taking his position next to Lucille.


    Faron: ¡°Greaks, Two-Twelve, Bless, and Bella step forward.¡±


    We move in front of the podium standing before the elders.


    Madam Erin: ¡°You have performed the task presented to you by the Dungeon Core Elders as such your reward as promised.¡±


    A message appears before me, and by everyone else¡¯s reaction it appears to them as well.


    You have completed the task set on you by the Dungeon Core Elders x1 [Imitation Crystal] has been added to your dungeon inventory.


    You have acquired the skill [Leader of your Peers] (Rank 1)


    Leader of your Peers can now be learned from skill window for 10,000xp as long as the conditions have been met


    Leader of your Peers: Given a task that effects your people, you stepped up and did not falter assuming a leadership position leading your group till the conclusion has granted you +5 bonus to Strength, Agility, Endurance, a +10 bonus to Concentration, and  Leadership. +50 bonuses to HP, and MP. You have also become immune to Charm, Confusion, and Fear.


    Concentration ability has been added with a base of 25 Leadership ability has been added with a base of 25


    Imitation Crystal: a small grey pebble, once placed by a dungeon core it will assume the element and shape of the dungeon core that placed it. It functions exactly like the dungeon cores original crystal however it will not result in the death of the dungeon core when broken.


    If an imitation crystal is set in the dungeon core¡¯s dungeon the original crystal can be moved to a room not connected to the outside without damage, however if the imitation core is broken the original crystal will be placed in the deepest room not occupied by intruders


    If an imitation crystal is set outside the dungeon core¡¯s dungeon it may be used to start a new dungeon. The secondary dungeon will function exactly like the primary dungeon as long as the imitation crystal remains.


    If the imitation crystal is broken the dungeon will still decay at a normal rate, however the dungeon core will survive. If the original crystal is broken the imitation crystal will break as well the dungeon core to perish and both dungeons will begin to decay.


    Fredrick: ¡°We have a lot to catch Dyson up on, so you four are now dismissed.¡±


    After exiting the room the rest of the judges retreat down the hallway but Madam Erin exits the room and stops me.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Kind of a surprising choice, I don¡¯t know what you did to convince Bless, but I knew I could leave this task up to you.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Sounds like you got the result you wanted. How do you know it was me?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Greaks was in Maric¡¯s pocket, Bella could care less as long as it wasn¡¯t Laura, Simon is gone, and I know Bless didn¡¯t change her mind on her own.¡±


    ¡°You knew about Greaks? Then why did you not do anything?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well backroom deals are a big part of being a dungeon core, and we couldn¡¯t really fault Maric for it.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know how well Dyson will be at being an elder, but with his dungeon the way it is, I think he is the best choice to be the one that oversees the new cores training.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well time will tell. Did you ever find out anything about Simon?¡±


    ¡°It appears to have been just one a very untimely coincidence. What do you think of Queen taking over his dungeon?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well at least someone will get some use out of it, and I am sure you are excited to have another attractive woman nearby.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t handle the women in my life as it is¡­ Last thing I need is another one to make matters worse.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Aww my little pup having trouble with the ladies? You could sit on my lap and tell me all about it if you want.¡±


    ¡°No thanks I think I will pass.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Suit yourself!¡± ¨CShe then shoves me though the portal.-


    I roll several times in the dirt one of my feet landing in the lake. After getting up I brush myself off then cast [Clean] drying my foot, and cleaning the rest of the dirt off me. I then step over the threshold to the dungeon and transfer to the core room.


    Lilah is watching a group of adventurers that are on the second floor of the dungeon while Belinda is sitting on my bed.


    Belinda: ¡°Your back!¡±


    ¡°Yea we managed to get things taking care of.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°How did it go master?¡± ¨CShe says without taking her eyes from the screen.-


    ¡°All the training cores passed, Dyson is the new elder, and we have a new neighbor.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°A new neighbor?¡±


    ¡°Yes the core Dyson was training took over Simon¡¯s dungeon now that he is gone.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°The one Dyson was training¡­ Isn¡¯t that Queen? The woman Master was watching most of the month.¡±


    ¡°I was watching all the training cores¡­ And the ones training them.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Master really seemed to be enjoying it a lot more when Master was watching Queen.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is she talking about, and why haven¡¯t I heard any of this?¡±


    ¡°She was just the most promising of the three cores, and how she was handling her dungeon was interesting to watch¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I bet it was¡­ And here I was worried about you for working hard, and you were just peeping on another woman¡­¡±


    ¡°I also managed to get the imitation crystal, so how is the house in Tobes coming along?¡±


    Belinda peers at me for changing the subject, but eventually decides to answer.


    Belinda: ¡°The foundation is pretty much complete now, and they should start actually building in a few days.¡±


    ¡°How long is it going to take for the house to be built?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s going to be about the size of the inn when it was first built so probably a month.¡±


    ¡°The inn? Why does it need to be that big? We only need 8 to 10 rooms.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s just the bedrooms. To be a passable house, you need a living room, dining room, kitchen, and a house that size also needs a few extra rooms for the villagers not to get suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the house doesn¡¯t have to be complete, and I could bury the imitation crystal in the foundation.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well what¡¯s it look like?¡±


    ¡°Well right now by the description it should be a small grey pebble, but once placed it will look just like my crystal.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t risk it a diamond as big as your head will probably be noticed by someone.¡±


    ¡°Finally got this thing and now I can¡¯t even use it¡­¡°


    Belinda: ¡°Well now that everything is done, why don¡¯t we all go down to Tobes this evening and celebrate?


    Lilah: ¡°Yay! Lilah wants cake!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I better go make preparations¡­¡±


    Without even waiting for my opinion she jumps off the bed kisses me on the cheek then transfers from the room. I watch Belinda then leave the dungeon with Scylla and Zoey in tow heading down the mountain.


    ¡°Zoey and Scylla stayed here all day today as well? Did no one but me leave the dungeon?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Zoey was mad, but Belinda made everyone stay to keep the dungeon safe while Master was gone.¡±


    ¡°So how does that adventurer group there look?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Oh it¡¯s just one of the guided tour groups¡­ We won¡¯t get anything from them unless we are real lucky, but they plan to leave before heading down to the third floor.¡±


    ¡°Well hopefully once we place the imitation crystal we won¡¯t have to worry about any of that anymore¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Oh, there they go now, they are preparing to leave out now.¡±


    Lilah and I wait for Belinda to let us know she is ready for us, and I mess around with [Menu]. The judge communication tab is now gone¡­ but the observation screen is still there. Maybe they just haven¡¯t removed it yet.


    When I tap on it though it opens up but instead of selecting a screen it already displaying an image of Queen¡¯s dungeon core room, she is sitting in a chair I can now even see the [Menu]s that are displayed in front of her.


    She looks to be adding things to the dungeon. After a few moments though the screen thing changes to display Phobos, then changes to display Adair¡­ The screen then goes black and even after waiting a few minutes nothing else shows up.


    I try to access it, but the screen remains black¡­ After a few more unsuccessful tries I finally get it to show an image of Maric, but only briefly, and I can feel it is actually using a great deal of my magic to hold the image. I finally have to give it up for now. I might have to ask Madam Erin about that later.


    It takes at least another hour before I finally receive a message from Belinda. Lilah and I then head down to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    The adventurer¡¯s guild is petty empty with only two other small groups sitting at other tables, Belinda has set up a table for us in the center of the room with a large cake sitting on the table, there is also mug set out.


    Belinda, Scylla, Zoey, and Roxy are sitting around the table chatting.


    Lilah: ¡°Cake!¡±


    Lilah runs over to the table taking a seat in one of the remaining chairs. When I sit down Belinda slides me a mug full of the alcohol that I like. We spend the rest of the evening chatting and talking while drinking.


    When Belinda finally starts dishing out the cake she lets me pass so that I don¡¯t have to eat any. Most of the topics are about Scylla, Zoey, and Roxy¡¯s commissions they have been completing lately as we can¡¯t really talk about dungeon related things with Roxy there.


    Scylla: ¡°I think it will only take a few more days till Zoey and I reach our 100<sup>th</sup> commission. Then we can finally rank up.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I still have a way to go before I can¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I will wait for you! We have to go all the way to the capital to rank up so it won¡¯t hurt to wait a few weeks till you catch up.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°The commissions in town are pretty limited though, I manage to make enough gold to pay for my room and board at the inn, but that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys help her with a few commissions up in the dungeon?¡±


    Belinda, Scylla, and Zoey quickly turn to look at me with questioning looks, while Roxy¡¯s eyes light up.


    Roxy: ¡°You guys would really do that for me?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°If Boss says that it¡¯s ok, then you better believe it.¡±


    Belinda leans in and whispers to me. ¡°What are you planning?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, if the other adventurers can earn gold by leading new adventurers around in the dungeon, why can¡¯t Zoey and Scylla. We don¡¯t make any xp from those groups usually anyway. This way we can control their progress, and make sure they don¡¯t hit the rooms that don¡¯t have rifts.¡±


    Belinda then speaks out to the entire group. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled, I will set up a commission for you guys in the morning, maybe you can make a little extra gold by leading some other new adventurers along with Roxy.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But what will I do for gear?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hey Boss can Roxy borrow some of our stuff while we are up in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I guess some of the old stuff wouldn¡¯t hurt, what kind of equipment do you need?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t really know¡­ I never have gotten any training before. I always dreamed of becoming an adventurer, but I guess I never thought I would actually get the chance¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°We will get you some chainmail then, and for added protection let you use a shield. What kind of weapon you want? Sword, Mace, Club, Hand-axe?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you bring down the armor in the morning, and a few shields and weapons? She can pick out the ones that feel right to her¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything Boss is the best!¡±


    The party continues on for a few more hours, Zoey and Roxy are the first to retire, which I find it strange but after I mention it Belinda shakes her head it then dons on me that they didn¡¯t leave to go to sleep.


    When the party finally wraps up it¡¯s just after midnight, and Zoey has still yet to return so we just send her a message telling her we are heading home, we then head back up to the dungeon after locking up.


    The next morning not long after I wake up I see Zoey heading up to the dungeon, asking to transfer to the core room as soon as she crosses the threshold. After agreeing she appears in the room and rubs the back of her head with a sheepish grin.


    Zoey: ¡°Sorry Boss, I lost track of time and fell asleep.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind you staying there with Roxy when we are not busy, but don¡¯t forget you have a responsibility to the dungeon.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You got it Boss, I won¡¯t forget it!¡±


    We then take some items out of the dungeons storage spreading them out in the room.


    ¡°Well, a small, large, and tower shield, and a sword, club, hand-axe, and a mace. Between all that she should be able to find something she can use.¡±


    I also pull out one of the worn chainmail armor sets, and both of the girl¡¯s good sets of gear.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss¡­ I shouldn¡¯t really need that gear right?¡±


    ¡°Oh I am going to instruct Lilah into showing you two no mercy. You can¡¯t get any xp but no reason for you not to get some combat experience. Besides the fancy armor and weapons might draw in the new adventurer¡¯s since you both are technically still only D-ranked adventurers.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Good thinking Boss.¡±


    After Zoey equips her gear I help her find a way to carry the items for Roxy to check. When we finally get it figured out, Belinda arrives in the core room.


    Belinda: ¡°You really were serious about sending the girls up in the dungeon? Won¡¯t the monsters ignore them?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss has it all figured out! He is going to have Lilah instruct them to attack us without mercy to put on a good show!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    I shrug and then after a few more minutes Lilah and Scylla both join us in the core room. Syclla looks at her gear questionably.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss said it would help us lure in the new adventurers, so we can make more gold!¡±


    Scylla equips her gear and the three of them depart the dungeon heading down the mountain. After they are out of sight Lilah begins her normal routine¡­ Now that the elder selection is over I don¡¯t really have anything to do¡­ Maybe I should join the adventurer¡¯s guild and join the girls¡­


    I can¡¯t gain anything from it though, so I guess it¡¯s pretty pointless. I decide to mess around in [Menu] for a while, and notice the observation tab is still there. Opening it up the screen is displaying a dungeon that doesn¡¯t look familiar.


    I can¡¯t tell who the person is that the screen is following, but it must be the dungeon¡¯s core. After a few minutes of following the core the screen goes black again. I try focusing my magic into the screen. The image that appears on the screen causes me to shutter and quickly close [Menu].


    I was thinking of asking Madam Erin about the screen when I focused my magic so it brought up her dungeon, and she was in the middle of soaking in large bath, and now that image will be burned into my mind forever¡­


    I decide some things are better left alone, so for now I just ignore the screen and then start sending messages to some of the other cores I haven¡¯t talked to in a while.


    Meanwhile


    Once the girls reach town Zoey splits off from the group to go get Roxy, while Belinda and Scylla head to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Zoey creeps into Roxy¡¯s room and finds her still lying in bed. She starts to creep up on the bed¡­


    Roxy: ¡°You realize I could smell you the moment you opened the door.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh¡­Haha, you¡¯re awake already¡­ Is that a bad thing?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What are you wearing? Come back to bed¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°We got to get up remember we are going to go to the dungeon today.¡±


    Roxy moves under the blanket then throws something at Zoey. A purple pair of laced panties now hang down after getting caught on one of Zoey¡¯s ears¡­ Zoey quickly then begins to struggle trying to remove her gear.


    Zoey: ¡°I guess it can wait a little bit.¡±


    Scylla is now sitting around a table at the adventurer¡¯s guild, the commission has already been placed, and they already have one adventurer interested in taking the commission. Belinda is behind the counter suggesting a few of the more basic dungeon commissions to take when they head up to the dungeon.


    After she is done helping him she heads over to the table where Scylla is and sits down with her.


    Scylla: ¡°It¡¯s been over an hour¡­ What can be taking them so long...? Never mind don¡¯t answer that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It isn¡¯t that big of a deal, you probably need at least one more person before you guys head up there, maybe even two.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Yea but her black leather armor would attract more attention than just my mage robes¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The adventurers are usually pretty interested in you, maybe you should use that? Tell them you are taking a group up into the dungeon. Some of the more experienced adventurers might even jump at that chance.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°They usually just want to feel my skin, and ask a bunch of questions¡­ I don¡¯t really mind it, but a dungeon is not really a place for such things.¡±


    It takes at least another hour before Zoey comes strutting into the adventurers guild with a big smile on her face, and Roxy following in behind her wearing the worn chainmail armor.


    Zoey: ¡°Belinda, you think I can store the rest of this gear in the back for now? I don¡¯t want tote it all the way up to the dungeon and back.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Sure that¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    Roxy sits down at the table with Scylla while Zoey heads to the back room.


    Scylla: ¡°You know I am rather surprised you and Zoey¡¯s relationship hasn¡¯t really changed since she released you. I figured you would have been long gone by now.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well Zoey is sweet¡­ And she really cares about me, I haven¡¯t had that before.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°And you¡¯re fine with the lesbian thing?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Oh I do miss it sometimes, but Zoey makes me feel better than any man ever has, so I don¡¯t see it as a problem. You have been with Zoey a long time haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Since we were born¡­. Uh I mean it feels that way sometimes.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She is normal most of the time, but sometimes she seems so naive on some things¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°She is not near as bad as Master, but I know what you mean.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What¡¯s the deal with that anyway? You call him Master, Zoey calls him Boss, but neither of you are his slaves.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Complicated¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°He is an escaped slave isn¡¯t he? After he got away did he come back and save you guys, so you are indebted to him or something?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I guess that¡¯s as good of a way to put it as any, but we are not just indebted to him but bound to him.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Like a royal attendant? With magic and everything? Isn¡¯t that no better than being a slave?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Master is good to us though, we are more like a family. Look how much leeway he has giving to Zoey about you¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I guess your right¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Whatcha guys talking about?¡± ¨CShe says as she slides over to the table sitting down.-


    Scylla: ¡°We were talking about Master.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss? He¡¯s great isn¡¯t he? How much longer we got to wait to go up to the dungeon anyway?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We already got one more person to go with us, but Belinda thinks we should wait till we get one or two more.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°4 of us? That should be plenty.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°But we are not fighting unless we have too, the purpose of this is to train some of the newer adventurers like Roxy¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What? I don¡¯t get to shoot stuff?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We are just there for backup¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Aww¡­¡±


    By noon only one more person picks up the commission, so after lunch they gather the other two adventurers and the five of them make their way up to the dungeon. The two new adventurers and Roxy are both scared stiff during the first fight.


    Zoey ends up having to kill two of the kobolds and Scylla has to deal with another. With her eyes closed Roxy manages to slam the mace she chose into a kobold ending the 4<sup>th</sup> and one of the other new adventurers manages to kill the last.


    After the battle Roxy throws up, and the two new adventurers, and her are shaking.


    Zoey: ¡°That was fun right?! It only gets harder from here let¡¯s go!¡±


    The group manages to start getting their bearings, but still has a pretty close call with one of the new adventurers but Scylla heals him up. They still don¡¯t even manage to make it all the way through the first floor before deciding to head back to town.


    After reaching the adventurer¡¯s guild and saying their farewells to the other two new adventurers they sit at one of the tables. Still shaking Roxy is sitting there with an odd expression on her face while drinking some stout alcohol.


    Scylla: ¡°Not bad for your first time.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Not bad? That was terrifying!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You will get the hang of it eventually, besides.¡± ¨CZoey then leans in and whispers in Roxy¡¯s ear.-


    Roxy: ¡°Stop it.¡± ¨CShe lightly hits Zoey on the shoulder. - ¡°I have never killed anything before¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t know what you were getting into¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Knowing what you got to do and doing it are two completely different things¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Its ok it gets easier.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You think it would be ok with Two-Twelve if stay with me again tonight¡­ I don¡¯t feel like being alone¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Zoey can stay with you. I will take care of it.¡±


    They hang around the adventurer¡¯s guild until Belinda closes up. Roxy drinks quite a bit and Zoey has to help her back to the inn. Scylla and Belinda then head home.

 Trip to the Capital

    It¡¯s been a few weeks now since Scylla and Zoey began bringing people to the dungeon. It took Roxy quite a while but she is starting to get used to combat now, and she has even managed to gain a few levels.


    They have brought in several groups now but they haven¡¯t even made it to the final room on the second floor yet. Zoey has been staying with Roxy more and more lately. I sent her a message asking for help one day and she rushed out quickly to see what I needed, so I don¡¯t think it is going to be too much of a problem.


    Once the house is built she should be able to transfer from it straight to the dungeon as well. The house has begun to make quite a bit of progress, Belinda still won¡¯t let me place the imitation crystal yet just in case something happens and they end up finding it.


    Once Roxy acquired enough commissions to rank up her ID. Belinda and the girls left Tobes heading towards the capital to rank up their adventurer IDs, and Belinda went along because she said she wanted to pick out some furniture and such for the house. I told her she could just use [Menu], but she said this would be less suspicious, and she can then pick out exactly what she wants.


    I had nothing else to do so I let Lilah go with them, so I am stuck in the dungeon till they get back watching over it. I must be getting a bit rusty, either that or Lilah has already managed to surpass my ability at commanding the monsters¡­


    One evening after the adventurers are all gone I head down to Tobes to find out at the receptionist of the adventurer¡¯s guild there is a few  beastkin women that just arrived in town that are looking specifically for me¡­


    That¡¯s not good¡­ Belinda¡¯s gone again and now strange women are looking for me. Maybe I should just hold up in the dungeon till Belinda gets back. I have learned enough by now that I decide that is my best course of action.


    I tell the receptionist if she sees the beastkin again to tell them I am unavailable at the moment, let her know I won¡¯t be around for a few days until Belinda returns.


    Being in the dungeon for days on end, never bothered me before, but after a few days of being hold up in the dungeon I now feel confined¡­ The important part is nothing has gone wrong, and Belinda will be back in a few more days I seem to finally been able to manage without screwing something up while she is gone.


    My celebration however is short lived as three beastkin women enter the dungeon, two are well armored and armed, but the third barely looks older then Lilah, and she has no armor or weapons. The little one looks to be a squirrel or something similar her tail reminds me of Amy¡¯s anyway. Her clothes are pretty ordinary, and she has long brown hair.


    The next beastkin, is wearing a simple chainmail armor, carrying both sword and shield. She has short brownish red hair and appears to be a fox. The third and final beastkin is also wearing chainmail armor, with a simple sword and shield. I can¡¯t tell what kind of beastkin she is however because she has small ears and not much of a tail. She too has long brown hair.


    My stomach hits the floor, because as soon as they enter the cave they get down on their knees, lay down their weapons, bow, and say. ¡°We have come to speak with the master of this dungeon, Dungeon Core #212¡±


    I wait a few minutes but they don¡¯t say anything else or even move still bowing down in the middle of the cave¡­ This isn¡¯t fair¡­ Someone out there clearly hates me¡­ Even after 5 more minutes pass the beastkin make no movements.


    I decide to send in a kobold, the kobold moves up to them prodding them with a spear, but they still do not budge. Even when the spear¡¯s prodding manages to draw blood on one of the beastkin they still remain unmoving¡­


    I can¡¯t just leave them there¡­ The kobold drags their weapons away and I gather Bo, and Ike. Equipping them in their best gear I transfer down with them and we walk up to the beastkin. Rubbing my forehead I ask.


    ¡°You wanted to talk to me?¡±


    Without moving the fox beastkin begins to speak.


    Fox: ¡°Our Queen, sent us with a message for you.


    Dear Dungeon Core #212, I heard you had a preference for young and beautiful beastkin women, but I didn¡¯t know how young or if you had a species preference so I sent these three. I hope you will accept them as a gift of good faith. You have already managed to establish yourself within the royal family of this kingdom, and I hear you are a promising dungeon in your own right, so I hope we can form a friendship, or at least a non-hostility agreement. If any of these three are not within your preference I am willing to send one to your liking.


    Sincerely your neighbor Dungeon Core #307 [Queen].¡±


    After relaying the message the beastkin return to silence¡­ Queen¡­ Belinda is going to kill me¡­


    ¡°You three, will you stand.¡±


    The three beastkin get up off the floor and stand.


    Fox: ¡°Certainly. We have been instructed to do whatever you may ask of us.¡±


    I start to wonder if these beastkin are even sentient, but I notice the little one is shaking despite trying to remain straight faced.


    ¡°You can relax¡­¡±


    The little beastkin drops to the ground sitting on the floor, the other two remain standing but look around a bit. I decide to send a message directly to Queen.


    ¡°You know a message would have sufficed¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°Ah, I was beginning to wonder if they even made it, they should of have arrived a few days ago. I hope at least one of them was to your liking?¡±


    ¡°You could have just asked me by message you didn¡¯t have to send the beastkin.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I wanted you to know I was sincere in my request.¡±


    ¡°And what do you mean you were wondering if they even made it? Couldn¡¯t you just ask them?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I heard you were very clever, so I decided it would be safest to unbind them from the dungeon just in case.¡±


    I look at the three beastkin in front of me then ask. ¡°¡­When is the last time you three have eaten?¡±


    Fox:  ¡°We finished our provisions three days ago at the time we were expected to arrive at your dungeon.¡±


    I sigh and quickly pull some food from the dungeon¡¯s storage. Nobody eats anymore, and we don¡¯t hold captives anymore so the pickings are pretty slim, but I manage to get a little together for the three and hand it to them.


    ¡°You can eat that. If you are not bound to Queen¡¯s dungeon why did you even bothering coming here to begin with?¡±


    Fox: ¡°This task was the very reason our Queen gave us life, to not at least see it though¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright. Just eat for now.¡±


    I then return to messaging Queen. ¡°I don¡¯t mind to agreeing to at least the non-hostility agreement for now, but what am I to do with these girls?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Whatever you want, they are my gift to you.¡±


    ¡°You unbound them from your dungeon, I can¡¯t even transfer them to my dungeon.¡±


    Queen: ¡°They are only level 1 you should be able to make them boss monsters for 1000xp each that would do the trick, but if are willing to meet, and sign the non-hostility agreement I am willing to provide a beastkin of your choosing that you can transfer ownership of if you like.¡±


    ¡°I am unable to leave here for a week or so, but after that we can meet. The beastkin however we can decide on later.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Perfect, I look forward to hearing from you in a week to set up a time and place to meet face to face.¡±


    Now the question is what do I do with these three? I have enough xp to make them all boss monsters binding them to the dungeon, but I don¡¯t want to do that without Belinda. They know about me and the dungeon, without them being bound to the dungeon I can¡¯t be certain they will keep it a secret.


    They are only level 1 so they won¡¯t give me much for xp I guess I can put them in the girl¡¯s rooms until they get back¡­ No to be safe I will just summon a few cots and they can use the left over space. It may be a little cramped, but nobody can possibly get mad at me that way¡­


    ¡°Girls¡­ Until I figure out what I am going to do with you I am going to move you to a different area, it may be a little cramped but I will make sure you get food.¡±


    Fox: ¡°As you wish, our purpose in life is to serve you.¡±


    With their permission I am able to transfer them to one of the empty spaces, after placing Belinda¡¯s old cot and summoning two more, there is enough room for me to add a small table and a few chairs.


    ¡°This should work. Let me go ahead and take your gear I will store it for now.¡±


    The older two begin to remove their armor, and the little one begins to remove her clothes.


    ¡°Wait wait. Just the armor is fine.¡±


    I wait for them to remove their armor and I then store it in the dungeon inventory.


    ¡°I am going to have to wait till I am sure no more intruders are going to enter the dungeon for the day, but I will then head down to town and pick you guys some more food, is there anything else you need?¡±


    Fox: ¡°We should be able to get by on that for now.¡±


    I then transfer to the core room¡­ I try to think of a way to tell Belinda¡­


    ¡°Belinda¡­ I have some bad news, but I promise it is not my fault this time¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What happened this time?¡±


    ¡°I told you Queen took over Leona Ruins. Well she wants to meet and form a non-hostility agreement between us, which is fine, but she sent me a gift¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t like where this is going¡­ What did she send you?¡±


    ¡°She was under the impression that 3 beastkin women was an acceptable gift¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ Please tell me you didn¡¯t accept them?¡±


    ¡°There was no turning them down. She unbound them from her dungeon before sending them here, and only gave them enough provisions to make it here.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Belinda: ¡°Where are they now?¡±


    ¡°Well they knew about me being a dungeon core so I couldn¡¯t send them into Tobes. I could bind them to the dungeon as boss monsters, but I didn¡¯t want to make that decision without you. For now I just put them in one of the spare areas between Lilah and your rooms till you get back¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two weeks Two-Twelve¡­ Just two weeks without trouble that¡¯s all I asked for¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault this time though¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We will deal with it when I get back¡­¡±


    I finish out the day in the dungeon, and once evening begins to roll around I head down the mountain to pick up some food for the beastkin girls. My luck seems to be getting worse however because after gathering the food I hear a voice from behind me.


    Denova: ¡°Hey now there is someone I haven¡¯t seen in a while.¡±


    ¡°I was just heading home¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°You haven¡¯t stopped by in a while, I didn¡¯t really mind because I was making so much more off your friend then I ever did you but, now she doesn¡¯t come by either.¡±


    ¡°I know you had to make a huge profit off of the kobold, so you can¡¯t sit there and tell me you are regretting your deal.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Oh you are right about that, but I heard that you had another shipment of beastkin come in. I know you aren¡¯t getting them from Edward now, so where are you getting them?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I heard all about it. They were sent from Queen to take care of you. Obviously it¡¯s not The Queen, so who is Queen?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re misunderstanding the situation. Like usual.¡±


    Denova: ¡°You do know I am going to just keep digging till I find out the truth.¡±


    ¡°Be my guest, I got nothing to hide, and you just have an overactive imagination¡­¡±


    It is pretty late before I manage to escape from Denova and work my way back up to the dungeon, I send Queen a message letting her know that she might want to be more careful in the future because the way the beastkin were talking her name is now associated with the slave trade¡­


    The next few days pass, I try to stick to the dungeon only leaving when I need to acquire more food for the girls, I have tried to keep minimal contact with them, that way if we turn them loose they don¡¯t know as little as possible about the dungeon.


    Belinda messages me one morning saying they have made it back to Tobes, but they have stuff to take care of in town so it won¡¯t be till late afternoon before they can make it home. I ask her if she could at least send Lilah home, but she tells me no, because she needs her¡­.


    Knowing they have made it back but unable to see them makes the day seem to drag on. Even the group of adventurers in the dungeon seems to be moving in slow motion¡­ Eventually though as the sun begins to set I see the group heading up the mountain.


    However only Belinda and Lilah are heading up the mountain, Zoey and Scylla are nowhere to be seen. Once they arrive they transfer to the core room. Belinda and Lilah both look exhausted and not even a few seconds after arriving Lilah says.


    Lilah: ¡°Master we are home! If it is ok can Lilah go to bed now?¡±


    After I nod she gives me a weak hug then transfers from the room. Belinda doesn¡¯t say a word and just pulls her boots off then crawls onto the bed and curls up on top of the blankets.


    ¡°Rough day?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We traveled half the night so we could arrive in Tobes first thing in the morning, and after getting here we had to move¡­ We were busy all day. Everything else can wait till morning for now I just want to sleep¡­¡±


    I decide to go to bed as well, but after getting ready for bed when I crawl into it I notice Belinda is already sound asleep.  I cover her in a blanket then after a while I drift off to sleep myself.


    At some point in the night Belinda must of woke up, because when I wake up the next morning she is still asleep but she is now under the blankets holding onto me. I lightly brush the hair from in front of her face, and she opens her eyes.


    She then smiles and leans in kissing me, she then rolls over and sits up on the bed and stretches.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s the little things about being a dungeon monster that I notice the most¡­ After yesterday I should be sore all over, but I feel great.¡±


    ¡°Well I am glad I can be of help.¡±


    Belinda laughs then says. ¡°Well I guess we need to decide what to do with your guests¡­¡±


    She then moves over to the desk and pulls out the screen from behind it.


    Belinda: ¡°They are pretty cute¡­ But is that really what other dungeon cores think of you? One of them doesn¡¯t even look much older than Lilah¡­What are their names?¡±


    I get out of bed and pull on my shirt then move over to Belinda. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I tried to have as little contact with them as possible, because I didn¡¯t know what we were going to do with them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You can¡¯t bind them to the dungeon like you did Lilah?¡±


    ¡°Apparently that only works if they are still bound to another dungeon. I could make them boss monsters, and that would bind them to the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You could make sure they don¡¯t talk about the dungeon then right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is there any disadvantages? I mean can you only have a limited amount of boss monsters?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know as long as I spend the xp, and they agree to it I can have as many boss monsters as I want. They just can¡¯t be monsters I have summoned.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Even if you make them boss monsters they aren¡¯t required to stay here right? I mean they could go where ever they wanted without a problem right?¡±


    ¡°I think so, it might be a problem if they enter another dungeon or something, but shy of that I don¡¯t think there is a problem. I could even make them boss monsters use an ultimate command to not say anything about the dungeon then unbind them from the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If they aren¡¯t bound to the dungeon anymore won¡¯t that stop the command?¡±


    ¡°Well I think Cassandra is still bound to her dungeon, but even though Lilah is bound to ours, she still can¡¯t go against the command she was given from before, and I asked her once what would happen if I used a command to make her say, but that scared her pretty bad, so it can¡¯t be good.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And it¡¯s not going to put us in a bind if you make them boss monsters?¡±


    ¡°Well I was going to use that xp to put rifts in that one remaining empty room, but I was going to wait till the imitation crystal was set to make sure there were not any unexpected costs.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok, once you make them boss monsters you should also be able to summon normal beastkin as well right?¡±


    ¡°Well you changed races, so that could have had something to do with it, but it worked that way for Lilah.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well if you are sure it¡¯s not going to put us in a bind with xp, I guess it¡¯s the only way to be sure¡­¡±


    When Belinda and I transfer to their room they quickly stand and line up next to each other.


    Belinda: ¡°Hi, I am Two-Twelve¡¯s boss monster. You can call me Belinda, Two-Twelve told me he hasn¡¯t asked your names yet.¡±


    Fox: ¡°Our Queen named me Heart, She is Diamond.¡± ¨CShe says motioning to the other full grown beastkin.- ¡°And this is Clover.¡± ¨CShe then motions to the little one.-


    ¡°Well we have come to a decision regarding what to do with you three. If you three are fine with it I am prepared to accept you in my dungeon as boss monsters.¡±


    Fox: ¡°Our Queen instructed us to follow your every command, so if that is your wish we accept.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve hold on a second¡­¡± ¨CShe moves forward to stand in front of them. - ¡°I want to know what it is you three want, not what Queen wants, but you yourself.¡±


    Fox: ¡°The very purpose Our Queen gave us life was to be presented to Two-Twelve as a gift, now that we have we are to serve his every desire.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ Are you sure they are even sentient? They can talk, but they act just like Bo and Ike¡­¡±


    ¡°Well that should be proof enough, not to mention the little one was scarred when they first arrived, if they weren¡¯t sentient they would be able to be afraid.¡±


    Fox: ¡°We are indeed sentient¡­ Our Queen however commanded us to follow Dungeon Core #212¡¯s every order unless the order causes harm to Our Queen or her dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is horrible¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand? Why?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They are sentient, but Queen used her command to force them into doing whatever they are told, that¡¯s worse than being a slave¡­¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t that work out for us?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How can you say that?¡±


    ¡°If I tell them not to say anything about the dungeon to anyone they would have to comply to follow Queen¡¯s ultimate command, and I don¡¯t even have to spend the xp to have them join the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But how could they live like this?¡±


    ¡°They were able to act normally in town before coming here without rising suspicion, and when I told them to relax when they first got here they seemed normal enough. I could probably tell them live normal lives, without revealing anything about Queen or my dungeons.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Will that really work?¡±


    ¡°We can tell them to stick to Tobes for a while to make sure they are ok.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But what about being able to summon normal beastkin?¡±


    ¡°Well about that¡­ When I mentioned to Queen about these three not being bound to the dungeon, she told me if I agreed to sign the non-hostility agreement, I could have any beastkin of my own specifications that is still bound to her dungeon that way I can transfer it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is just making another slave though¡­¡±


    ¡°I can tell her I don¡¯t mind her using a command to not say anything about her dungeon, but nothing else and it should be ok.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am not convinced, but at least it¡¯s another option. I guess we can try it then.¡±


    Belinda gives each of the girls enough gold to get by for a while, and I give instructions to them. We watching them pretty closely for a few days and they seem to be getting by alright. The people of Tobes seem to get the impression that they are more slaves that have escaped from where ever I did and they came asking me for help.


    In the end it helps both the girls fit in, and my backstory so we let it be. Belinda sets the girls up with adventurer IDs while secretly making a second copy so we can keep an eye on them. However none of them work on any commissions.


    Heart seems to be taking care of Clover while working at the restaurant that Belinda had built in Tobes. Clover is attending the school Belinda set up. Belinda seems pretty proud of them two, but she is rather upset with Diamond after she went to work for Denova although she didn¡¯t interfere.


    I haven¡¯t seen much of Scylla or Zoey since their return to the capital, Belinda keeps telling me they are working on a commission concerning the house. I however find it pretty surprising they haven¡¯t resumed their dungeon tours yet. When visiting the adventurer¡¯s guild I have heard several people even ask about it.


    I haven¡¯t been able to check on the construction of the house, it should be pretty close to being complete from what I can tell from the outside, but Belinda won¡¯t let me near it since they returned.


    I checked with Madam Erin asking if it was a good idea before making my decision, but after things settled down I contacted Queen, and we set our meeting to take place in the capital.


    Lilah seems pretty excited to be trusted to run the dungeon while I am gone, but I am still pretty nervous. Belinda debated on going with me to the capital, but Scylla reassured her saying she will keep an eye on things Belinda decided to be my guide.


    I managed to convince Belinda to accepting Queen¡¯s proposal for a beastkin, but she only agreed if she got to choose all the specifications. I told her it was fine, and that it could even be male, but she shot down that idea saying that if she takes it adventuring with her a female would be better.


    Belinda told the girls if everything runs smoothly while we are gone, we might stay in a capital for a few extra days, as there are a lot of things she wants to show me. As we are making the final preparations before setting out Scylla says the house should be complete by the time we return.


    Belinda and Scylla then begin whispering back and forth before Belinda seems satisfied. Lilah gives us both a big hug,


    Scylla: ¡°Be careful Master. We have anything under control here so enjoy yourself a bit.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t do anything I wouldn¡¯t do Boss!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah will make Master proud you¡¯ll see!¡±


    Even Roxy is there to see us off, Belinda gives them all one more hug before we set out towards the Gowen Capital. After the first day of travel as we are preparing to rest for the night I come to the realization this is the first time since my training that I will be sleeping outside of my dungeon¡­


    I don¡¯t know how far it is away when I go to the meetings with the elders, but with that small exception this is the furthest I have ever been away from my dungeon. I open [Menu] but we have already traveled to far away to be able to do much in it.


    Belinda kisses my cheek and rubs my back saying. ¡°It will be ok I promise. Now come on lets go to bed.¡±


    The trip should have taken 6 days, but we manage to make it to Gowen Capital in 5. Amy meets us at the front gate when we arrive.


    Amy: ¡°You really came¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course he came, I told you he would.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Everything should be ready, Logan seems especially excited.¡±


    Belinda quickly rushes forward and starts whispering to Amy.


    Amy: ¡°I see¡­Boy are you in for a surprise.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Amy!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Did you prepare the inn like I asked you too?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Logan wouldn¡¯t let me, he heard you were here a few weeks ago and didn¡¯t stop by for a visit so he forbade me from setting up the inn.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But I promised him!¡±


    Amy: ¡°I think he is more interested in Two-Twelve.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He can wait like the rest of them¡­¡±


    I feel Belinda is planning a lot for us here other than just the meeting with Queen, and a little sightseeing¡­ Belinda leads us to a rather nice inn and gets us a room. After storing our gear at the inn Belinda, Amy and I head to their favorite restaurant.


    They both order something but I decline. After a while of their chatting a well-dressed man approaches the table and startles the girls.


    Man: ¡°You know little sister, you¡¯re nothing if not a little predictable...¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Logan! How did you know?¡±


    Logan: ¡°As soon as Amy left the castle I knew you had arrived, and I knew you would eventually wind up here. So that must mean this here is the man that took my innocent little sister from me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Logan!¡±


    I stand and greet him. ¡°I am called Two-Twelve it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Two-Twelve? That¡¯s not going to go over too well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s nobody¡¯s business but mine, and you can tell them I said that!¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well you better come up with a better excuse then that before you meet with father. He was pretty mad when he heard about the gold you spent when you were here a few weeks ago.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s face pales as she says. ¡°He heard about it?¡±


    Logan: ¡°You think Mindy was going to let that chance slip past once it crossed her desk?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I should have known¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad they are pretty mad at me at the moment as well, but you¡¯ll have to wait till the party to hear about it. I got a surprise as well.¡±


    Belinda quickly looks to Amy.


    Amy: ¡°Don¡¯t look at me I am sworn to secrecy¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well it looks like you girls still have a ways to go with your meals, and Two-Twelve here is already done, so mind if I borrow him a bit?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What are you planning on doing?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Don¡¯t you think I have the right to get to know my future brother-in-law a little better?¡±


    Belinda blushes bright red and quickly says. ¡°It¡¯s not like that! Quit jumping to conclusions!¡±


    Logan: ¡°With the amount of gold you spent on your little love pad. For your sake you better hope so. Now come on Two-Twelve let¡¯s go get a drink together, and get to know each other a little.¡±


    I look to Belinda who is still blushing quite a bit, but she nods as I am dragged off by Logan¡­

 Meeting with Queen

    After dragging me from the restaurant Logan releases me and I follow him as he walks though the street. Quite a few people in town recognize him, and bow to him as he passes. He seems like a pretty good guy, and doesn¡¯t ignore a single one.


    He even stops when he sees an old man that struggles as he bows. He stands the man up straight and pats him on the back. After saying a few words to him quietly the old man smiles with a tear in his eye. We then continue down the street.


    Logan: ¡°Not much of a talker, are you?¡±


    ¡°I have learned its best to keep my mouth shut till I find out what others intentions are before opening my mouth and making matters worse.¡±


    Logan laughs and puts an arm around my shoulder causing several of the people on the street to begin whispering to one another.


    Logan: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them, you get used to it after a while. So how did you meet my sister anyway? Did you run into each other while adventuring?¡±


    ¡°Well kind of, but I am not an adventurer.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Really? I thought she said you were the one that recovered her armor for her from the dungeon after she lost it.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s complicated.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s alright we got all night!¡±


    He then turns off the street holding a door for me as we enter a building. The inside the building looks to be a rather fancy bar, the entire room pretty much instantly stands and bows once they see Logan enter.


    Logan: ¡°At ease gentlemen! I am here just as a patron tonight.¡±


    The men all shout what sounds like some kind of battle cry in unison then return to their own business. Logan heads for a table in the comer where there are two well-built middle aged men sit. After pulling a chair and instructing me to sit he sits in another.


    Man 1: ¡°Congratulations on Leona boy. I knew you had it in you.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well thanks, but it was touch and go for a while, if that hero from Livinston didn¡¯t owe me a favor we might not have made it. Did you hear about the dragon?¡±


    Man 2: ¡°Those heroes are practically monsters themselves. Absorbing power from a crystal¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well Korta is off our backs now, so it was worth it.¡±


    Man 1: ¡°What we going to do about training the troops now? Without Leona doesn¡¯t that put us in quite a bind?¡±


    Logan: ¡°With Mother and Ben, I was able to enter into an agreement with Duscae, they are going to let us train there. That should get us by for a while, at least until that dungeon in Tobes has a chance to mature.¡±


    Man 2: ¡°Enough about all that, who¡¯s your scrawny friend here?¡±


    Logan: ¡°My apologies. This here is the man of the hour. The man Belinda brought home to meet the family.¡±


    Man 1: ¡°I will be damned. I would have figured she would have gone for the adventurer type.¡±


    Man 2: ¡°Hard to believe little Lindy already old enough to be bringing a man home¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°He says he is not an adventurer, but Belinda told me he was able to recover the armor she lost in the Ancient Kobold Stronghold. As a matter of fact he was just about to tell me the story about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really that great of a story¡­¡±


    Man 1: ¡°Nonsense, tell us about it.¡±


    ¡°It was more like luck. I was following in behind a group of adventurers, and managed to find it that¡¯s all.¡±


    Man 2: ¡°Well he is modest, that right there proves he isn¡¯t an adventurer.¡±


    The two men and Logan laugh, then one of the men orders drinks for the four of us.


    Man 1: ¡°So when do we get to meet this mystery woman of yours Logan?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Shhh, Alright¡­ Promise me you won¡¯t tell Belinda ok? I want it to be a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°She is supposed to arrive in the capital tomorrow she promised she would be at the get together Belinda had me set up.¡±


    Man 2: ¡°Alright then can¡¯t wait to meet her.¡±


    Man 1: ¡°So youngin, if you¡¯re not an adventurer what do you do for a living?¡±


    ¡°I have been helping Belinda get Tobes up and growing.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yea get this, Belinda told me when she left the town in his hands while she went to train. When she got back he had done started construction on a brothel there in Tobes. She was so mad¡­¡±


    Man 1: ¡°Now that a man that knows priorities.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s not even the best part. You remember old man Garrison¡¯s number 2 right?¡±


    Man 2: ¡°That spit fire of a girl?¡±


    Logan: ¡°She was the one that went to go run it.¡±


    Man 1: ¡°Belinda is running all the commerce in Tobes isn¡¯t she? The poor girl I bet she has hell dealing with her.¡±


    Man 2: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she never forgives you for that one young man. By the way I don¡¯t think I caught your name yet. My names Melrose, but everyone just calls me Mel


    Man 1: ¡°I¡¯m Traeresgolthran. My mother was an elf, but don¡¯t worry. Nobody else can pronounce it either.  You can call me Trae, but most people just call me old man on account I am on the wrong side of 200 years old.¡±


    ¡°They just call me Two-Twelve. 200? I didn¡¯t know anyone could get that old.¡±


    Trae: ¡°You have never heard about the elves? I know they are uncommon in this area, but I never knew anyone that hasn¡¯t heard about them. My mother was already 400 years old when I was born and still a young lass, but being only half I think I probably got at least another good 100 years ahead of me.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well what¡¯s it matter. You haven¡¯t even started drinking yet!¡± ¨CHe slaps me on the back.-


    Logan, Mel, and Trae talk quite a bit while drinking, which is ok because it means I don¡¯t have to do much. Late in the evening I have two full mugs and a half empty one next to me. When Mel orders another round I wave to the waitress and tell her no, and slide my mugs over to them, they have had enough to drink that they don¡¯t even notice and begin drinking.


    From their conversations I learn Mel and Trae are both top generals in the Gowen army. Both men have been close to Logan since he was born, Trae was the one that trained him. Trae has been with the kingdom since its founding over 150 years ago. Apparently Leona used to be the capital until a revolt happened and the Gowen¡¯s took over the kingdom. Logan is the 4<sup>th</sup> generation Gowen he has watched over.


    Even though they are drinking way more than me I still manage to get pretty drunk by the time I receive a message from Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you ok? Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Well gentlemen¡­ It¡¯s been a pleasure, but Belinda¡¯s looking for me.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Aww don¡¯t worry about sis, she will get over it.¡±


    ¡°I have something I need to take care of tomorrow as well, so am heading back.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Fine, fine. You can find your way back right?¡±


    ¡°I should be able to manage¡­¡±


    Even after stumbling out of the bar I notice the group orders another round, apparently they already forgot I left as they order one for me as well. It takes over two hours before I reach the inn because I get lost and Belinda has to come find me.


    Luckily I was in a pretty prominent neighborhood so the buildings where pretty distinguishable. On the way back to the inn she asks me a few questions, but I can¡¯t remember what they are. I can¡¯t even remember if I answered them or not. Once making it to the inn Belinda has to help me get ready for bed, I then quickly fall sleep.


    I wake up the next morning with quite a headache and Belinda is already up and ready.


    Belinda: ¡°How are you feeling? I am sorry about my brother¡­ It wasn¡¯t too bad was it?¡±


    ¡°We ran into a pair of other guys and they ended up doing the most of the talking so I was able to bow out of most of the conversations, but I did manage to learn a lot about Gowen.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Here drink this¡­ It tastes horrible but my brother swears by it. It should help with the headache. He dropped it off a little bit ago when he came by to apologize for letting you leave without knowing your way around town.¡±


    The cup she hands me is full of a thick green colored liquid. It smells horrid but luckily the cup is very small. I quickly kick it back swallowing it in one large gulp. She was right about the taste, it causes my stomach to do flips and I feel like I am going to vomit, but as the nausea goes away so does the headache.


    Belinda: ¡°When I went out this morning it seems like quite a few people are talking about you.¡±


    ¡°Me? What did I do?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You went out drinking, and hanging out with the first prince of the kingdom, of course they are going to wonder who you are.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not going to cause us any problems is it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No things should settle down in a few days¡­ But you are going to meet with Queen here pretty quick are you sure you are ok?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I feel fine now. Your brother¡¯s drink really seemed to do the trick.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am glad¡­ He told me he a business proposition for you. He said he wanted to discuss it with you last night, but after running into Mel and Trae he couldn¡¯t bring it up.  He said it could wait till tomorrow evening.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°You know of the place Queen wanted to meet at right? We probably should head that way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I might at least put on a shirt if I was you¡­ Are you sure you¡¯re ok?¡±


    I look around finding my shirt then putting it on. ¡°Yea¡­¡± I then get up casting [Clean] on myself, then put on my boots. After double checking everything Belinda and I set out.


    ¡°So what exactly is this place we are going to?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s actually designed for the kind of thing you are doing, It¡¯s a trading hall designed with several isolated rooms were you can do to have business discussions or trade agreement done in private. There are even people that the can serve as a legal witness on matters that require such things.¡±


    ¡°Sounds awfully complicated, I thought we were just going to sit down, and sign something saying she won¡¯t attack me if I don¡¯t attack her. You know that kind of thing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I don¡¯t know how things work with dungeon cores, but human treaties and such are never that simple. If you¡¯re not sure, just to be certain, don¡¯t sign until you read and re-read everything making sure what is written can¡¯t be interpreted in a different way.¡±


    ¡°I guess I will be careful. I have been meaning to ask you, on the specifications for the beastkin, why did you want a cow? Are you planning on using her as a front line fighter? I heard humans often interpret the animal with the beastkin like strong like a cow or bear, or fast like a rabbit or a cat, but in truth it doesn¡¯t work like that.¡±


    The conversation oddly causes Belinda to blush as she says. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that I just figured¡­ You know all the girls are so beautiful¡­ And well a cow¡­ Just isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that why you wanted her to look older as well? Does it even work that way?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I just¡­¡± ¨CBelinda stops walking. - ¡°We are here¡­¡±


    The large stone building we enter is decorated with fancy tapestries and a large scale that appears to be made of gold or bronze, and it is polished to a mirror like shine. The central room is just a massive hallway leading to smaller disjoined rooms that appear to be made with walls at least three times thicker than normal walls.


    We have to head up to a counter and register to use one of the rooms, but with Belinda¡¯s status it proves to be very simple. It even allows us to bypass a form that has to be filled out. We instead just have to give our names, and the name of the other party.


    After we are done registering we are lead to one of the disjoined rooms where we can wait for Queen to arrive. Inside the room there is a large round table big enough for pretty much anything, there are chairs lining it all the way around it.


    There is even more comfortable seating around the outside edge of the room. The walls are covered with thick tapestries meant to reduce sound from carrying. You could probably scream at the top of your lungs, and the sounds wouldn¡¯t even leave the room.


    It is roughly an hour before the scheduled meeting time, so Belinda sit down and talk while we wait. I tell her about what I heard from Mel, Trae, and Logan the night before. The scheduled meeting time comes and goes without any sign of Queen, and after another thirty more minutes we begin to grow worried and impatient.


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t think this was just a trick to get us away from the dungeon do you?¡±


    ¡°Surely not¡­ Queen doesn¡¯t seem to be the type to do something like that. She seems more like the type that would hit you straight on.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That doesn¡¯t really make me feel much better given the fact we are in this soundproof room, and didn¡¯t bring any kind of defense.¡±


    ¡°Well she isn¡¯t even 2 months old¡­ even if she tried to hit us head on she can¡¯t be more then level 2 or 3 tops¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You can gain a lot of levels in two months¡­¡±


    ¡°Dungeon cores can¡¯t we don¡¯t gain xp like humans we level up at a speed based on the size of the dungeon.¡±


    While we are debating the topic the door beings to open, the woman to enter is a beautiful mature looking beastkin woman with dark medium length hair, from the top of her head two stubby horns are visible along with long narrow floppy ears.


    She has a long slender tail with a tuft of fur at the end. Out of what I am sure is pure irony she is wearing a leather choker with several bells attached. She is wearing simple clothing in which her ripped muscles can be seen, reminding me very much of Madam Erin¡¯s without the grotesqueness of it.


    The only fat on her body are two large voluptuous breasts that seem to strain the buttons of her shirt as it tries to hold them in. This seems to cause Belinda quite displeasure.


    After entering the room, Queen enters the room decked out in her complete mythril dress, with two mythril blades hanging from her hips. She walks up to me extending a hand for me to shake.


    Queen: ¡°I heard it is customary in human transactions to start with a hand shake, and sorry I am late. It took me quite a bit to make it through town.¡±


    After I shake her hand Belinda steps forward and says. ¡°I can see why. Is that really pure mythril? You could buy an entire district in the city with the gold it would take to buy that armor¡­ That doesn¡¯t even include the swords as well.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Ah you must be the Gowen girl Belinda, correct? And yes it is mythril. A gift from Elder Dyson¡­ I never tire of saying that. I hear I got Two-Twelve to thank for that?¡±


    Queen then extends her hand to Belinda. After Belinda shakes her hand Queen and the beastkin head to the table. Queen hands the beastkin a large rolled up parchment and the beastkin spreads it across the table placing some paper weights on the corners.


    Queen: ¡°It is a pleasure to finally be able to meet you both formally, but unfortunately I have another task to attend to. If we could get started right away I would be most appreciative. Besides I believe we will be able to talk in greater detail very soon.¡±


    I walk over to the table and look at the parchment. For being such a big piece there isn¡¯t really much on it. It essentially states by accepting I agree to not cause any harm to Queen or her dungeon without consent or will suffer a 100,000xp penalty.


    It even goes on to say in the event you do have to face the penalty it will not drop you below 1000xp, but any xp earned above that amount will then be forfeited till the penalty has been paid in full, there is even a clause for interest¡­


    The contract repeats itself back with the same exact wording concerning me and my dungeon. I read it twice like Belinda said, then once more just to make sure but nothing I see looks out of place or sketchy. With a thumb print from both me and Queen, and a written signature the parchment glows binding the contract, and splitting into two identical copies.


    Queen: ¡°Now we don¡¯t have to worry about each other just down the road from one another, and we are practically family, so I look forward to future.¡±


    Queen then moves to the Beastkin and has her step forward.


    Queen: ¡°This young lady here I named Bell, you can change it if you like when you bind her to your dungeon, but I followed you specifications, and figured you chose a cow for strength, so I gave her a strong body type I hope that is ok.¡±


    ¡°I know you can control age, and sex, but I didn¡¯t know you could even control body type.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Of course, you can make as many specifications as you want, although it is hard to do a lot because you have to be conscious of all of it at the summoning, but something simple as base looks and body type is simple enough.¡±


    ¡°That is good to know¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°I also left her command to strictly cover my dungeon¡¯s personal secrets, so you shouldn¡¯t have a problem once you bind her to your dungeon. Again I am sorry for the rush, but I am going to have to speak with you a length some other time.¡±


    She quickly shakes Belinda and my hands again then departs. The beast kin then approaches us with a lightly bowed head and speaks in a soft shy voice that betrays her muscular body.


    Bell: ¡°I¡­ I will be in your care from now on¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°This isn¡¯t what I expected, but I guess we will have to make do.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­I am sorry¡­ I am not to your liking¡­ If it is something I can do¡­ Please tell me¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No¡­ I am sorry I didn¡¯t mean it that way¡­ I just¡­ I promise it¡¯s not you.¡±


    ¡°Well what should we do now? It is still pretty early.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I would like to show you around the capital, but what do we do with Bell?¡±


    ¡°No offence to Bell, but she is still one of Queen¡¯s monsters until we get home and bind her to our dungeon, so I think for now it would be best to have her wait for us at the inn.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­ I understand¡­¡±


    We take Bell back to the inn setting her up in a room, but it makes Belinda feel bad so she calls Amy to keep her company. She then drags my into the city showing me around. We spend the rest of the day traveling from shop to shop looking at all sorts of things.


    It all begins to run together after a while, but Belinda seems to be enjoying herself a great deal so I don¡¯t say anything, and I let her have her fun. Once the sun begins to set she drags me across a bridge and up a large hill that overlooks the city.


    The area looks like some kind of resting area, and I see quite a few people in male and female pairs walking, talking, and just loitering around. Belinda drags me to a bench at the peak of the hill but there is already two people sitting on it.


    The man is whispering into the female¡¯s ear causing her to blush and giggle.


    Belinda: ¡°Excuse me, do you mind if we use this bench this evening.¡±


    Man: ¡°Buzz off lady we were here first.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Excuse me, but its Princess, not lady.¡±


    The man and woman both quickly turn to look at her, they then bow get up bowing lightly and saying sorry before retreating¡­ Belinda then pulls me on the bench. I have never seen her use her title as a princess like that before.


    The pair was only using half of the bench, and once we sit down Belinda swings her legs over mine wrapping her arms around me, and placing her head on my shoulder looking out over the city. We are barely using half the bench as well so why we couldn¡¯t just share it is beyond me.


    Belinda doesn¡¯t say anything for a while as the sun sets over the city. The light reflecting over the water from the river we passed over coming here, as the sun sets making for a pretty good view. Even after the sun sets and the small lights in the city begin to light up seemingly dancing in the reflection of the water Belinda doesn¡¯t say anything and just holds me.


    For some reason that feeling Cassandra taught me about seems to begin to swell up in me, and this surely isn¡¯t ¡°The right time¡± but I don¡¯t want the feeling to fade either so I hold it in at a level I am comfortable with which causes my cheeks to flush a bit in the lights of the city.


    Belinda: ¡°I am glad we got to see this together, I have dreamed of this exact moment since I was a little girl. I love you Two-Twelve.¡±


    Belinda then leans up giving me a kiss, and I find it hard to hold the feeling back as I kiss her back. As our lips finally part I start to get the feeling back under control, but then Belinda pushes forward again kissing my yet again.


    When I begin to kiss her back she pushes her tongue against my lips until she manages to push it past my lips, intertwining her tongue around mine something strange happens.


    I mean I have had an erection before, When Listel was grinding her hips against me, when Cassandra was sitting in my lap while I held ahold of her, and even once when I was in bed with Belinda and she rubbed her leg across it, but never have it gotten one without some kind of direct physical stimulation.


    The erection even seems to fuel the feeling in my body that has long since past the point I was trying to hold it back at. This causes me to unconsciously reach up taking ahold of Belinda¡¯s breast over her clothes causing Belinda to lightly gasp.


    Belinda doesn¡¯t pull away but she raises her hand, and intertwines her fingers around the hand that was holding her breast then her tongue retreats back to her mouth.  Breathing heavily our lips part, and Belinda says while giggling.


    Belinda: ¡°We better stop right there. ¨CShe then leans forward whispering in my ear. - ¡°I did enjoy it though, but it¡¯s just not exactly the right time or place now is it?¡±


    She then stands up brushing her hands over her clothes straightening them up. She then extends her hand to me pulling me from the bench. She wraps her arm around mine and places her head on my shoulder as we begin walking back to the inn.


    On the way back I think about what happened. She said it wasn¡¯t the right time, but this time added place as well. Well place has never been a problem before, and we were sitting right out there in the open so I won¡¯t worry about it too much.


    The right time is still getting me though. I don¡¯t know when the right time is supposed to be. At least I found out she didn¡¯t get upset with me, and simply told me it wasn¡¯t the right time¡­ As long as I don¡¯t push my luck with it I should be able to eventually figure it out.


    Once reaching the inn Belinda goes to tell Bell and Amy that we made it back so Amy can go home, and I go to our room getting ready for bed. After I am ready I crawl in bed a wait for a while but Belinda still hasn¡¯t come back. I decide she will come to bed when she is ready so I go to sleep.


    Conversation in the other room


    Belinda: ¡°Oh Bell already went to sleep?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Yea she said they had a long trip to get here. What is the deal with her anyway? You kind of just threw it on me without saying what was going on, and I couldn¡¯t really get a straight answer from her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it¡¯s kind of hard to explain, but it¡¯s kind of a dungeon thing. I don¡¯t know how much Two-Twelve would be comfortable about you knowing, so we have to just leave it at that.¡±


    Amy: ¡°He isn¡¯t going to eat her or something is he?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course not I told you a dozen times he isn¡¯t like that¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well I heard the dungeon has quit taking prisoners.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Can you really blame him after what happened to Thirty-seven?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well I can understand him being upset about it, but what will happen if he gets really mad. Is he going to go homicidal on the whole town?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re killing the mood. I was in such a good one until talking with you¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well sorry¡­ What happened to put you in such a good mood to begin with?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know ¡°The Bench¡± at the park on top of the hill.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Of course.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I took Two-Twelve there. We watched the sunset, we started kissing and he...He grabbed...My breast...¡±


    Amy: ¡°That¡¯s it? You still haven¡¯t done it with him yet?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No¡­ I have been waiting for him to be ready, but he still hasn¡¯t tried it¡­But tonight¡­ He has never been that forward before¡­ I think if I would have let him who knows what he was going to do there on the bench¡­ With the sunset, and the mood I was tempted to let him, but that would have been bad¡­ But tonight¡­ Tonight could finally be it.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Then what are you doing in here?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m trying to prepare myself¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Don¡¯t think about it just do it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, I will! Amy goodnight!¡±


    Belinda then gets up heading out of the room. She stands outside the door for a second, slaps her face, takes a deep breath, and enters the room¡­


    Two-Twelve however is already fast asleep in the bed, and Belinda drops to her knees¡­ After a while she picks herself up then gets ready for bed, after crawling in bed she pokes Two-Twelve a few times but he doesn¡¯t moves so she sighs and goes to sleep.

 Meeting the King

    When I wake up the next morning Belinda is still sleeping. She has a weird smile on her face while she sleeps and in drooling on my chest¡­ I poke her cheek and she quickly wakes up.


    Belinda: ¡°Hu what?... Oh¡­ Morning¡­¡±


    She sits up in bed then wipes her chin, she then looks at her hand, quickly looks at me¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Oh my god! I am so sorry!


    She quickly casts [Clean] on me while blushing¡­


    Belinda: ¡°I can¡¯t believe I did that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal¡­ It¡¯s not like it¡¯s even the first time¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait, what? That¡¯s not true is it?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have said it if it wasn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why have you never said anything?¡±


    ¡°I usually cast [Clean] then it¡¯s like it never happened.¡±


    Belinda then gets up out of bed blushing, but when she does she takes the blanket wrapped around her as she goes. I notice from where it is open in the back she doesn¡¯t appear to be wearing her pajama like outfit that she has been wearing since we left Tobes. She doesn¡¯t even seem to be wearing either of her nightgowns that I have seen her wear.


    I start to blush as I ask. ¡°Are you naked?¡±


    Her ears turn bright pink as she sits in a large chair across the room with her back to me, pulling her clothes that where hanging on it under the blanket with her.


    Belinda: ¡°I got hot ok?¡±


    ¡°How? You¡¯re a dungeon monster, you shouldn¡¯t experience small temperature changes anymore¡­¡±


    She quickly has a confused look on her face then looks like she is thinking hard.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh my god! I haven¡¯t even broken a sweat since I became your boss monster!¡±


    ¡°After all this time you are just realizing that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We had a pretty mild winter this year, and it didn¡¯t even snow, but I didn¡¯t even get cold once¡­¡±


    ¡°So, why were you naked?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­.Uh¡­.I must of just got so tired while I was changing, and just crawled into bed without realizing it¡­¡±


    Something about this is off¡­But I have learned in matters concerning Belinda its best not to push too hard she tends to fly off the handle, so it would be best to just drop it¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Oh and this afternoon we have somewhere we got to go¡­¡±


    ¡°I gathered from when we talked to Amy after first arriving, and then talking with your brother¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I wanted it to be a surprise¡­¡±


    Belinda then gets up leaving the blanket in the chair. She has most of her clothes on but is still buttoning up her shirt making me blush a bit.


    ¡°Humans seem to have parties for the weirdest reasons¡­ Is it really such a big deal for me to meet the rest of your family?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well since I am the princess, it kind of is¡­Oh that reminds me we need to go get you some new clothes¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the clothes I got?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Your name is going to be hard enough to explain I can¡¯t have you meet my father and sisters without you looking presentable¡­¡±


    ¡°Well fine¡­. But there isn¡¯t going to be a bunch of people there is there?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course not. Mother, Ben, and Doug probably won¡¯t be there, but father, Logan, Mindy, and Tanya will be for sure. I don¡¯t know about Quinn I haven¡¯t heard if he is back yet or not. Then there is Amy and probably her brother¡­ Oh and the two generals you met with Logan, plus the other two¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ Other than the servants that should be it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a few people¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just be thankful I am not one of the Princess of Adra, there are 32 princes and princesses there. Speaking of that¡­ Quinn is supposed to marry one of the princesses after Logan turned them down, but the one he wants isn¡¯t interested, and the one that wants him is kind of weird¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how that all works... Didn¡¯t you say Ben was between Logan and Quinn though shouldn¡¯t he of been the next one in line?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well normally, but Ben is already married and has two kids of his own. That¡¯s why he won¡¯t be here he lives with his wife. She is one of the princesses of Duscae.¡±


    ¡°Mindy, Ben, Quinn¡­. Are princes and princess always getting married to one another?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it¡¯s kind of expected¡­ Usually for political gain, that¡¯s why I left when I did. I didn¡¯t want to marry someone father just chooses for me without having any say in the matter. Quinn is pretty lucky there are so many princesses in Adra he can find one he is compatible with.


    But when it¡¯s like Mindy¡­ There were only 2 princes in Korta so she had to marry the oldest. After he died in your dungeon they are going to make her marry his younger brother now, and he is barely 7 or 8 years old¡­¡±


    ¡°And that is normal? What about Logan then shouldn¡¯t he of been married a long time ago then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Sadly it is¡­ Logan, well he is the oldest. He will most likely take over after father passes, so he gets treated different, he can choose pretty much any princess he wants, so far he has turned them all down though¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems overly complicated to me¡­ If they try to force you to marry someone that might cause us problems in the dungeon, so what are you going to do?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s the point of introducing you to them all¡­ If I am with you they can¡¯t force me to marry.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t tell them about the dungeon though, so I don¡¯t see how that helps¡­¡±


    Belinda gets mad as she says. ¡°You¡¯re the reason you idiot! I am introducing you as my¡­My¡­Lover¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah I get it now. A lover is like a mate¡­ So if you introduce me as such they will back off? But won¡¯t that cause problems later if you actually find one?¡±


    Belinda really gets mad now she starts to point at me and say something but stops herself. She then storms out of the room slamming the door causing it to raddle on the hinges.


    I sigh¡­ Now what did I say¡­? After a long while passes Belinda still doesn¡¯t return, and I don¡¯t know my way around town so I am left waiting.


    Belinda POV


    After storming out of the room I ran into Amy as she entered the inn. She has a big smile on her face and is about to ask me something but she then notices my face as I fight back tears she pulls me out of the inn.


    We move a few blocks quickly till she finds a small restaurant that is mostly unoccupied, after we enter she goes up to the counter and hands the man behind the counter a few gold coins. He then gathers the people in the restaurant.


    Once they leave he flips over the sign to closed as he shuts the door behind himself. Amy then forces me down into a chair and sits across from me taking my hands.


    Amy: ¡°What the hell happened? Did he hurt you?¡±


    I can¡¯t hold it in any longer and I start to sob I try to tell her it¡¯s not like that, but I don¡¯t know if it came across between the crying¡­


    Amy: ¡°Then what happened was it not any good?¡±


    Between sobs I manage to say. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ That¡­ We didn¡¯t even¡­last night¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well after this long and not getting it I would be upset too, but isn¡¯t this a big much?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about that!¡±


    Amy: ¡°Ok ok¡­ don¡¯t bite my head off. What happened then?¡±


    I can¡¯t even talk about it as I cry, but after a while I manage to calm down a little, and Amy finds us something to drink from the back. It¡¯s some kind of fruity drink but I can¡¯t really taste it¡­


    Amy: ¡°Ok, are you calmed down enough to tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°He just doesn¡¯t get it¡­We have been together so long, and after last night I was sure¡­ But he is just a complete idiot.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Most men are¡­ but you¡¯re still not telling me anything¡­ What happened last night?¡±


    ¡°At the park!¡±


    Amy: ¡°I know that but afterwards when you went to the bedroom?¡±


    ¡°He was already asleep when I got there!¡±


    Amy: ¡°Ouch¡­ So what happened this morning to cause you get to so upset?¡±


    ¡°We were talking about the party this evening and about marriage¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°He was talking about marriage, or you where? It¡¯s not good to start a conversation like that with men¡­ He didn¡¯t break it off with you did he?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem! He doesn¡¯t even realize there is something to break off.¡±


    Amy: ¡°But I thought you said last night you were both feeling it.¡±


    ¡°So did I! But I don¡¯t understand how he thinks¡­ He isn¡¯t even associating one with the other¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°He is not the first guy to try to woo a woman just for her body¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even like that either. If it was that I would be mad but I could at least understand¡­it¡¯s just he doesn¡¯t get it¡­Something about being with the dungeon he just doesn¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°So what are you going to do? Are you going to break things off with him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Oh my god you¡¯re pregnant¡­Wait you still haven¡¯t even done it yet. Then how can it be too late?¡±


    ¡°I am just going to have to make him understand. I am going to have to spell it out for him, and hope he gets it.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Why go through all trouble, just cut ties with him there are plenty of other men out there.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t I am¡­ I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t say, I already said too much¡­¡±


    Amy tries to press further but I don¡¯t tell her anything else, after a while I manage to calm down.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    Belinda said that I need a different outfit to wear to the party, if she doesn¡¯t come back soon we might not have time to get something¡­


    When the door handle finally turns I call her name, but instead of Belinda it is Amy who enters the room.


    ¡°Belinda isn¡¯t here¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°I know you idiot. What the hell did you do to her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ We were just talking and she got mad.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well obviously you said something stupid.¡±


    ¡°I gathered as much¡­But I don¡¯t have a clue what¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well maybe if you figured that out Belinda wouldn¡¯t be so mad at you.¡±


    ¡°You know understanding humans isn¡¯t as easy as you guys make it sound.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Then maybe you should leave Belinda alone, and stick to your dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well why not?¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t told you?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Told me what?¡±


    ¡°She is already mad enough at me as it is, it¡¯s not my place to interfere¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Fine if neither of you are going to tell me anything, I won¡¯t try to help anymore.¡±


    Now Amy leaves slamming the door¡­ I don¡¯t know how much that poor door is going to be able to take¡­If I don¡¯t get that new outfit Belinda will probably stay mad at me, I surely should be able to find a place to get new clothes and make it back here¡­


    I leave the inn looking for a store to buy clothing. I find a shop that is full of clothing of all shapes and sizes, so I enter it and being looking around. After looking at the clothes its clear I have no idea what is appropriate¡­


    I head up to the counter. ¡°Maybe you can help me?¡±


    Tailor: ¡°I would be glad to sir, what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°I am supposed to meet the king this evening, and I need clothing that would be appropriate.¡±


    Tailor: ¡°Yea sure buddy, I got real customers to take care of so get lost will ya.¡±


    ¡°But I am running out of time.¡±


    Tailor: ¡°I said get lost!¡±


    I get kicked out of the store by the angry shop owner¡­ Belinda and Amy are the only ones in the city I even know, and they are both mad at me so what am I going to do now¡­


    Wait I should be able to find my way to that bar again, even if Mel, Trae, or Logan aren¡¯t there everyone there seemed to be soldiers so they should at least be able to tell me where they are at. All three of them are supposed to be at the party so they should surely know what is appropriate.


    It takes me a little bit of time, but I manage to find the fancy bar. Once I enter though someone says.


    Soldier: ¡°Are you lost? Only soldiers allowed in here.¡±


    Soldier 2: ¡°Wait isn¡¯t that the guy that was drinking with Prince Logan and the Generals the other night.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Soldier: ¡°You really think so?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I was here the other night¡­ I came looking for them.¡±


    Soldier: ¡°Well you won¡¯t be able to find them today. They are up at the castle for the princess¡¯s party¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am looking for them¡­ I am supposed to be there.¡±


    Soldier2: ¡°Good luck even getting near the castle dressed like that.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, then you know what kind of clothes I should be wearing?¡±


    Soldier: ¡°Like we would ever be able to make it in a party like that, but I guess they would wear some kind of formal wear.¡±


    ¡°So if I go to a clothing store and ask for formal wear they will know what I am talking about?¡±


    Soldier 2: ¡°I am sure¡­ But you don¡¯t really think you are going to be able to get into that party, do you?¡±


    I quickly leave the bar and begin looking for another clothing store. I found two but when I ask they both only sell women¡¯s clothes¡­ this is starting to look pretty grim¡­ I don¡¯t have much time before the party is supposed to start¡­


    If I can manage to do this without screwing up maybe then Belinda won¡¯t be so mad at me¡­


    I find a store that actually looks pretty promising. The clothing displayed in the window has several layers that have matching colors. I quickly enter the store and head up to the counter.


    ¡°I need some formal wear clothing¡­¡±


    Man: ¡°Formal wear, for what kind of occasion?¡±


    If I mention the castle again I might get kicked out of here. I got it¡­


    ¡°My lover is introducing me to her parents for the first time I need something appropriate for the party.¡±


    Man: ¡°You could defiantly impress them with some clothes from here, but not sure you could afford it is quite in your price range.¡±


    ¡°Gold...¡±


    Man: ¡°Yea, and quite a bit of it.¡±


    ¡°She always deals with matters concerning gold¡­But I have some how much would it be?¡±


    Man: ¡°The cheapest thing in here is 25 gold, what you are talking about is 30 and up.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t let me carry that much around¡­¡±


    Man: ¡°Sorry sir, I can¡¯t help you then.¡±


    I sigh and leave the store heading back towards the inn. I can¡¯t even manage that much without Belinda around¡­When I get back to the inn and enter the room Belinda is there in a panic¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Where were you? Do you know what time it is?¡±


    ¡°I thought¡­ You¡¯re not mad at me anymore?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course I am mad at you¡­But you can¡¯t just blow off a party with father¡­We can deal with it afterwards.¡±


    Belinda hands me some clothes.


    Belinda: ¡°Put these on¡­ I hope they fit, we don¡¯t have time to get it fitted so I just got something that should be a little big¡­¡±


    Putting on the shirt and trousers is easy enough but the rest of the outfit is as complicated as putting on a suit of armor¡­ I have to get Belinda to help me. After I am dressed she tells me to step back while she looks me over¡­


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s a little bigger than I thought it would be¡­ Well it¡¯s just going to have to do¡­ We are already going to be late.


    Once reaching the castle the guards let us in and pulls me through the halls.


    Belinda: ¡°Logan! Logan!¡±


    Belinda quickly calls as we approach him in the hall.


    Logan: ¡°What gives baby sis, you¡¯re not even ready for your own party.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We got behind¡­ Can you keep an eye on Two-Twelve while I get ready?¡±


    Logan: ¡°No problem¡­ Leave it to me.¡±


    Belinda finally let¡¯s go of my arm then rushes off.


    Logan: ¡°Well what do you say we head on in.¡±


    Logan leads to me to a grand room filled with people¡­ All the women are wearing fancy dresses and the men are wearing outfits much like mine but not baggy like mine. Logan¡¯s outfit however is not the same. Its looks more like a uniform or soldiers garb but much fancier. I start to notice a few more men in the room wearing the same outfit including Mel and Trae when I finally spot them.


    Logan: ¡°This actually turned into an advantage, because I wanted to talk to you anyway.¡±


    Logan says as he has me sit at a table and grabs us both a drink.


    ¡°Belinda said something about some business you had with me?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t know if she told you, but she told me your little trick.¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    Logan: ¡°With the adventurer¡¯s ID.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Yes I knew.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t know how you figured that out, but that was genius. It does pose a bit of a problem though. Adventurer IDs get more expensive every time you make a new one, and you have to put a lot of trust in the person you give your ID too.¡±


    Logan takes a drink from his mug then leans forward getting quieter.


    Logan: ¡°But I managed to come up with a solution¡­ After doing some experimenting I managed to make a blank ID with only a number at the top.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°This is going to change long distance communication forever! I can make 2, 4 or 10,000 of these linked together. Can you imagine adventurers leaving home, but never having to worry about what¡¯s going on at home because they can instantly keep in touch, or multiple units of soldiers able to keep in contact with the commander without having to meet up?¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s this got to do with me?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well it came from your idea. After hearing about you from Belinda, and especially after learning your name I know father would never allow Belinda to remain with you. However if I present this to father, tell him it was all your idea, and we give the credit to Belinda I am sure that would go a long way into impressing him.¡±


    ¡°You figured it out shouldn¡¯t you take credit for it?¡±


    Logan: ¡°All I did was come up with a blank one, you¡¯re the one that found the way to use the adventurer¡¯s guild magic to your advantage like that, so I wanted to get your approval before taking it to father.¡±


    ¡°I am worried about how people will use it¡­ But if it going to help Belinda.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I knew I could count on you!¡± ¨CHe then calls over to a young man standing a few tables over talking to some older ladies.- ¡°Quinn! Come here!¡±


    If I understand it right, Belinda¡¯s siblings go Logan, Ben, Mindy, Tanya, Quinn, Belinda, with Doug being the youngest. She told me Logan is 31, but the only other one I have heard the age of is Tanya who is 22.That means her brother Quinn that Logan called to the table has to be around 21 or so.


    Belinda told me he was studying in a school in Adra, and said she didn¡¯t know if he was going to be here or not.


    Logan: ¡°This is our brother Quinn, he just finished studying in Adra. Quinn this is Belinda¡¯s Boyfriend Two-Twelve. Belinda asked me to keep an eye on him till she arrived, but I need to talk to father about something important before she gets here, so keep him company.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°Two-Twelve? What kind of name is that sounds like some slave name.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You better be nice, or you will have to deal with me.¡±


    Logan then sits Quinn down in a chair squeezing his shoulder,  it looks normal enough but I can tell by the look on Quinn¡¯s face that he must be squeezing hard enough to cause quite a bit of discomfort.


    Quinn: ¡°Fine I will keep him company¡­¡±


    Logan then quickly walks off disappearing out of one of the doors.


    ¡°I am sorry, Belinda doesn¡¯t talk much about her family, but I did hear you were off at school?¡±


    Quinn: ¡°Look, I said I would sit here and I will, but don¡¯t expect some kind of touching conversation alright?¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    Things just turned awkward quick¡­. Quinn and I sit in silence for over 10 minutes before a young woman that looks a lot like Belinda just a little older walks up to the table, it must be Tanya.


    Tanya: ¡°Quinn what are you doing all the way over here, I thought you were going to introduce me to your friend that came back from school with you?¡±


    Quinn: ¡°I can¡¯t right now¡­ Logan is making me baby sit Belinda¡¯s boyfriend¡­¡±


    Tanya: Oh this is? ¨CShe reaches her hand out to shake mine.-


    ¡°Hi, I am Two-Twelve.¡±


    I shake her hand, but after hearing my name she kind of awkwardly pulls her hand back.


    Tanya: ¡°Oh¡­ Well Quinn, promise me you will introduce us later.¡±


    Tanya then completely ignores me while talking to Quinn for a minute or two then she walks away¡­


    I am starting to understand why Belinda doesn¡¯t talk much about her siblings except Logan¡­I see Amy enter the room, she is wearing a fancy dress as well, but nothing like most of the others in the room, she stops to hold the door¡­


    Belinda enters the room wearing a light bluish-purple dress that stands out with her long red hair. It has small straps that tied together in the back leaving her entire back bare, She has long gloves that extend past her elbow that match the color of the dress.


    She is also wearing a large belt covered in gems and jewels, it¡¯s fastened to her tight enough it reveals her figure pretty well, her fingers as well are adorned with bright colorful rings all except one, and it¡¯s a plan small steel band, which is the ring of magic I gave her.


    The dress hugs her figure all the way down, and extends almost completely to the floor, but it has a long slit on one side that starts mid-thigh and extends to the floor. Even though a large section of hair flows loosely she has two thick braids that start in the front and join together in a single braid in the back.


    She even wears a set of earrings and necklace that are adorned with gems and jewels. Her appearance is truly stunning to look at. I find it difficult to look away from her as she slowly makes her way through the room heading up to the table, stopping every few feet to greet other guests.


    Amy sticks to her side the entire time, and when they finally reach the table Amy pulls a chair out for Belinda to sit down next to me. Amy then just silently stands behind Belinda off to one side.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Amy going to sit?¡±


    Belinda then leans over to speak to me quietly. ¡°She can¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s just the way things are¡­¡±


    Once she sits back up an older gentleman walks up to the table and begins talking to her, Amy slips over leaning in to whisper in my ear.


    Amy: ¡°Horrible opening line idiot¡­ You better tell her she looks beautiful as soon as she finishes talking with him.¡±


    Amy then slips back into her spot behind Belinda¡­ Belinda talks with the older man a few minutes before he bows to her then departs. I lean over to talk quietly to Belinda.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± ¨CI feel a jolt against my chair as Amy kicks it and gives me a look.- ¡°You look beautiful by the way¡­¡±


    Belinda blushes and reaches over under the table, and takes ahold of my hand with one of hers intertwining her fingers with mine.


    Belinda: ¡°We just visit with the guests till Father arrives.¡±


    I then sit up and Belinda then speaks outload.


    Belinda: ¡°Quinn, I didn¡¯t know if you were going to be able to make it, I am glad you¡¯re here.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°Whatever. Logan said I only had to stick around till you got here so I am out.¡±


    Quinn then gets up from the table and walks off.


    Belinda: ¡°Where is Logan anyway, I thought he wanted to visit with you.¡±


    ¡°He did, but then he said he had to talk to your father before he arrived so he told Quinn to stay here. Tanya also stopped by for a moment. I think she liked me even less then Quinn.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You think that¡¯s bad¡­ Wait till you meet Mindy.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said there would be only a dozen people here tops¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Most of them are just nobles, they won¡¯t bother us.¡±


    After a while Belinda greets a few more people and introduces me to a few, each seem more shocked then the last when they hear my name¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have lost my chance at giving myself a name¡­ Finally a familiar face appears at the table.


    Mel: ¡°Good to see you again boy. Evening Princess.¡±


    Mel walks up to the table with his arm locked with a portly woman that seems to scream stereotypical noble woman, she even comes complete with the haughty expression on her face and a hand fan held in front on her mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again as well, why don¡¯t you have a seat, and we can talk some more?¡±


    The woman has a shocked expression and Belinda elbows me, Mel enviously chuckles then says. ¡°That¡¯s ok we got to make our rounds. Times like these are the only time I get to show off my beautiful wife.¡±


    Once they quickly leave I lean over to Belinda. ¡°What was that about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Nobody else can sit at this table but family.¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t anyone tell me anything¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was going to give you the entire rundown of the party, while getting your outfit sized, but you disappeared¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that¡­It was getting late, and I just thought¡­ Sorry¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just smile, nod, greet people, and answer questions as vaguely as you can.¡±


    I smile sheepishly and nod. Belinda elbows me again but smiles as well.


    We sit there for over 2 more hours greeting people, and even Belinda says it seems to be taking to long for her father to arrive. We still haven¡¯t seen Logan again, or even Mindy. Tanya and Quinn are still around but seem to be purposely staying far away from our table.


    Finally some horns begin to blow and while everyone begins to kneel, Belinda elbows me and makes me stand with her. The only other people still standing in the room is Tanya and Quinn, and I begin to get nervous¡­


    A man in overly fancy robes enters the room though a large set of doors off to the side. The fancy robes and the crown are a dead giveaway that the man is Belinda¡¯s father. Even though his hair is beginning to grey it still has quite a few dark streaks though it and he appears much younger then I would have imagined.


    After Belinda¡¯s father enters Logan waltzes in behind him with a wide grin on his face, he is followed by a squirrel beastkin man that quickly moves ahead of the group to join the other people kneeling. A woman enters after that looking how I would imagine Belinda would have looked in 20 to 25 years if she didn¡¯t join the dungeon.


    If I am right that must be Mindy, The sour look on her face only makes her look older, she should be just under thirty but if I had to guess her age I would say it was closer to 40, I guess the years haven¡¯t been very kind to her¡­


    Belinda¡¯s father makes his way towards our table stopping tapping a few people on the shoulder lightly greeting them as they kneel. Once he passes an area however the people then quickly get up only to take seats at the tables. The servers and staff seem to remain kneeling though.


    Once he passes Quinn and Tanya they slowly join the precession towards our table. Tanya quickly moves in beside Mindy whispering in her ear as they walk. Once the Belinda¡¯s father finally reaches our table Belinda pulls on my arm and we both lightly bow.


    King: ¡°Greetings young man. I have heard a lot about you from my son Logan. I hope you are taking good care of my daughter?¡±


    Belinda looks really confused, but she then pulls on my arm and motions for me to say something.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yes sir¡­¡±


    King: ¡°Wonderful!¡±


    The king then turns around heading towards a throne near the door he entered from. Meanwhile Belinda pulls me back down having me sit again, and her siblings join us at the table.


    Belinda: ¡°Logan¡­ What did you tell father?¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s a secret, right Two-Twelve.¡± ¨CHe says and winks at me.-


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Two-Twelve, what a disgrace. Belinda what happened? You left to find a man, and none would have you so you had to buy one.¡±


    Tanya snickers and Quinn grins.


    Logan: ¡°At least Belinda¡¯s boyfriend is impressing father not giving him a headache. By the way how is your new 8 year old fianc¨¦ doing Mindy?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Shut your mouth.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Belinda are you going to be ok here? I have one more surprise.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes we will be fine¡­¡±


    Logan then leaves the table heading over to the king. After talking with the king Logan leaves the room again. The party seems to have resumed and the staff have begun to bring out platters of food to the tables.


    After the food arrives at our table Belinda elbows me and I am forced to eat with everyone else¡­ The meat is some kind of roasted animal and its taste is pretty bad, but I manage to eat quite a bit. There are also several other items but only one of them that I can even consider begin edible¡­


    Without realizing it, it has gotten pretty late and I receive a message from Lilah keeping me informed on what happened today in the dungeon. While reading it I receive several sharp jabs to the side from Belinda.


    I look over at her and she has a shocked expression on her face as she is looking up towards the throne. I quickly look up to see what¡¯s going on. Logan has reentered the room and is talking with his father, and his arm is locked with a woman wearing a fancy dress much like the others in the room.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s right you didn¡¯t know. Your brother told me to keep it a secret.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can¡¯t believe you kept something like that a secret¡­¡±


    ¡°He wanted it to be a surprise.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How are you taking this so calmly?¡±


    I look back up and Logan and his date are heading this way and I now see what Belinda is getting so worked up over¡­ I didn¡¯t notice because her back was turned and with the dress, but the woman with her arm wrapped tightly in Logan¡¯s is none other than Queen.


    Logan and Queen approach the table.


    Logan: ¡°I want to introduce you guys to someone. I know the party was for you Belinda, so I waited till the end, but I thought it was a perfect time for you all to meet my new girlfriend Queen.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Girlfriend? But how?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I admit we haven¡¯t known each other long, but after we cleared out Leona ruins. She came wondering into to camp. She heard about the dungeon, but not that it was closed. We just kind of hit it off and one thing lead to another.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But do you even know who she is?!¡±


    Logan: ¡°You know of Queen? I knew you would get a kick out of it. You always looked up to Dyson so much, and now you get the chance to meet one of his descendants.¡±


    ¡°Descendants?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Oh yes, I told Logan here how I took up being an adventurer, because my ancestor the Hero Dyson... I am sorry if I am crashing your party, I can leave if you like.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s nonsense I am sure Belinda would love to hear stories passed down in Dyson¡¯s family.¡±


    Belinda is squeezing my hand pretty tightly, and I still have the window open from when I received the message from Lilah so I send a message to Queen.


    (What are you playing at?)


    Logan and Queen then take a seat, and when Queen sits I see her make a motion to check the message she received.


    Queen: ¡°It really is a pleasure to meet you all, and Logan has told me so much about his family.¡± ¨CI receive a message from Queen and it says.- (Nothing, its exactly as he said. Logan is quite a charming man.)


    I send her a message back. (You couldn¡¯t of told this yesterday in the meeting, where you trying to hide it from us, and that was the reason you were in such a hurry?)


    Quinn: ¡°Is it really true Dyson destroyed over 100 dungeons?¡±


    Queen: ¡°It¡¯s actually quite an exaggeration, he was only credited for just over 40 but he was involved in around 60 total.¡± ¨C Another message. - (I didn¡¯t tell a single lie, I was late in meeting dear Logan, I didn¡¯t want to worry him to much by being late.)


    Logan: ¡°Belinda you have nothing to say? I thought you would have all kinds of questions.¡±


    (Are you planning on keeping your dungeon a secret from Logan?)


    Belinda: ¡°Honestly I am in shock¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°That¡¯s ok, I am sure we will be like sisters in no time.¡± ¨C She sends me another.- (For now but if it works out when the time is right, I might even take him as a boss monster like you did.)


    Logan: ¡°You know Belinda just started adventuring about a year ago. Her first dungeon was that one way out there in Tobes, and she even runs the adventurer¡¯s guild there, since Leona is gone now, maybe you should start out there?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I would love too, but unfortunately I have been away from home for quite some time, so I must return. Luckily with Belinda¡¯s research we can keep in touch where ever I go.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is she talking about?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Oh did I give away the surprise?¡±


    Logan: ¡°It¡¯s ok. I used the technique you and Two-Twelve use to talk, and was able to replicate it without the adventurer¡¯s ID cards. I presented it to father as Two-Twelve¡¯s gift to you, with his permission of course, and that¡¯s why father was so receptive of Two-Twelve.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But Two-Twelve! Is that really ok?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not like we were really keeping it a secret and if it is able to help you I wanted to do it¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°Logan was telling me about it¡­ How did you ever come up with such an idea?¡± ¨CAt the same time a message is sent. - (How did you do it?)


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a secret¡­¡±


    We continue to talk for a while, but Quinn and Mindy quickly get bored and they excuse themselves, I keep messaging Queen to make sure she isn¡¯t planning anything against us or Logan, but it seems she is actually being truthful.


    Queen: ¡°I am sorry, but it is getting late and I must really turn in, I have a long trip ahead of me. Hopefully we can visit Tobes soon.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I will walk you there.¡±


    Queen and Logan excuse themselves leaving Belinda and I the only ones left at the table.


    Belinda: ¡°I see you were sending messages, do you think Logan is going to be ok?¡±


    ¡°She seemed sincere¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She isn¡¯t planning on telling him about the dungeon is she?¡±


    ¡°She said she wouldn¡¯t unless things really got serious between them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well we need to probably go to bed as well, if we are going to start heading back tomorrow. I am going to go tell father goodnight¡­¡±


    Belinda gets up and heads up to the throne where her father is silently sitting¡­ Belinda speaks to her father for a few minutes then kneels in front of him. When she returns to the table she is blushing.


    Belinda: ¡°¡­ Ok we should go now¡­¡±


    When we get up walking from the room Belinda says goodnight to several people, and Amy silently follows behind us¡­Once out of the room Amy makes a strange noise and stretches.


    Amy: ¡°I hate these things¡­ You guys seemed pretty upset about Logan¡¯s new girlfriend, and Two-Twelve was fidgeting the whole time. What was all that about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°She is like me.¡±


    Amy: ¡°You mean a monster? How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Trust me.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Then being Dyson¡¯s ancestor was a lie?¡±


    ¡°You do promise to keep this all secret right?¡±


    Amy: ¡°I have so far right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We are serious.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Ok, I promise.¡±


    We then tell Amy more about Dyson and Queen while not diving too deep into the dungeon stuff.


    Amy: ¡°If all this is true, then even more reason to warn Logan.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And tell him what? It¡¯s not like I have much room to talk¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, from the last time I seen Logan¡¯s adventurer¡¯s ID I assure you he is more than capable to taking care of her if things go bad.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Not if he doesn¡¯t see it coming¡­¡±


    ¡°We will keep an eye on her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We better go back to the inn now and get some sleep.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well be careful¡­ And if things get bad remember what I said this morning Belinda¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It won¡¯t come to that.¡±


    We bid Amy goodnight and make our way back to the inn.

 Our New Home

    We wake the morning after the party and then start to prepare to head home. We check on Bell who we kind of neglected yesterday but she seems to be fine. The trip back to Tobes seems to take much longer then the trip to the capital, but in still only takes 5 days when we have managed to arrive back in Tobes.


    ¡°The house should be ready now, should we go check it out?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Not yet¡­ I got to make sure everything is set up just right before you can see it. Why don¡¯t you take Bell up to the dungeon and get that taken care of.¡±


    ¡°What about her name?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Bell for a cow seems pretty insensitive. Maybe we should ask her what she thinks?¡±


    When we ask her though she seems indifferent about it, but tells us if we don¡¯t like it we can change it.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure? Bell for a cow beastkin seems sad in a way.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­ I like it... it¡¯s like my necklace¡­¡± ¨CShe says shyly then flicks the bells on her choker.-


    Denova: ¡°Oh my god you got another one¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We just made it back in town¡­ This town isn¡¯t that small, how do you always know where we are at?¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t a slave¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°I think I finally get it¡­ Your rescuing them, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what you mean.¡±


    Denova: ¡°That¡¯s it isn¡¯t it. Where ever Two-Twelve came from you are rescuing the slaves from there.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Even if we were what is it business is it of yours?¡±


    Denova: ¡°If you¡¯re keeping them all here in Tobes, eventually someone is going to come look for them. Even a princess is not going to get away from stealing this many slaves.¡±


    ¡°For the last time they are not slaves.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Make no mistake, if I find out where you are stealing them from I will turn you in for a reward.¡±


    Denova quickly leaves in a happy mood.


    Belinda: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we do something?¡±


    ¡°Why, they aren¡¯t stolen slaves, so if she goes looking at the wrong places won¡¯t that keep her off our back?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I guess you are right¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess I will take Bell up now, I guess just let me know when you are ready¡­¡±


    Bell and I head up to the dungeon, and once we cross the threshold I receive the message.


    Monster Bell has changed ownership from Dungeon Core #307 [Queen] to Dungeon Core #212 [------]. Would you like to change Bell¡¯s name?


    ¡°No.¡±


    New Monster Available


    Beastkin (Cow)*                             25xp


    A new monster available to summon containing sub-species.


    Beastkin are capable of being summoned as sentient at x100 xp cost.


    The notification was much smaller this time I guess because I saw it before, does that mean just information that can change is shown? Maybe some monsters have different costs to make them sentient¡­


    ¡°Well Bell welcome to the family¡­¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry you haven¡¯t told me¡­ How to address you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, you can address me however you like. Two-Twelve is fine. You can call Belinda by name as well.¡±


    Bell: ¡°Thank you¡­ Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s see who is in the dungeon in the moment.¡±


    I transfer Bell and myself to the core room and Lilah comes running up to me hugging my waist.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! Master! Master! Lilah missed Master bunches!¡±


    ¡°Well we are back now¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Is this Lilah¡¯s new sister?¡±


    ¡°Well she is the new dungeon monster. Her name is Bell.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°She looks scary¡­¡±


    Bell lowers her head and apologizes meekly. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong with her is she broken? Why does Master always get the broken ones?¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t broken. She is just a little shy¡­ Are the others here, or are they in Tobes?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Scylla was here a little bit ago, but Lilah hasn¡¯t seen Zoey all week!¡±


    ¡°Belinda went to go check on the house, so I guess we just got to wait for her to call for us¡­¡±


    I open [Menu] scrolling through the different screens¡­ It feels so good to be back home¡­I then notice our xp¡­


    ¡°Lilah what happened? Why is our xp so low?¡±


    Lilah bows her head¡­¡±Lilah had an accident¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean an accident? What happened?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t forgive you if I don¡¯t even know what you did.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah was taking a bath with Scylla and Lilah missed the message about the adventurers¡­ Lilah replaced the monsters they killed, but they spit on Master, and kicked him¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even get a message that the crystal was damaged¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°They didn¡¯t hit it hard enough to cause damage, which is why they spit on Master. After kicking Master they hurt themselves. The other one had to hold him back from attacking Master. They then just spat on Master and left.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Lilah. The house should be done now, and we can start collecting the xp from town soon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah promised Master, and Lilah let Master down¡­¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t hurt anything not easily replaced, so really its ok Lilah.¡±


    Lilah hugs my waist again, and I pat her on the head.


    Bell: ¡°Two¡­Two-Twelve...¡±


    Lilah looks offended when Bell calls for me by name and says. ¡°No! You got to call Master, Master!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Lilah I told her it¡¯s alright. What is it Bell?¡±


    Bell:¡± I¡­I don¡¯t understand¡­ What I should be doing¡­¡±


    ¡°Well Lilah, you have been stuck here for almost two weeks now. Why don¡¯t I watch over the dungeon until Belinda calls for me, and you take Bell down to the new house, and see if you two can give Belinda a hand?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok Master!¡±


    Lilah then grabs Bell¡¯s hand which causes her to become nervous¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel the irony of the sight of that Bell with her perfectly toned body scared as the little bunny girl takes her hand¡­ Lilah transfers them both from the room, and I watch as they make their way down the mountain¡­


    After checking over the stats of the dungeon, Lilah was right, everything looks just the way I left it, but my xp is in a pretty dire place. I usually don¡¯t let it get quite that low, so it actually is making me a bit nervous. If I can¡¯t set the imitation core today, and I don¡¯t get any xp from anywhere else I will hit 0xp at midnight tomorrow night¡­


    As I continue to look over things I begin to notice a few odd things¡­ Some of the kobold¡¯s levels don¡¯t match the levels of the rifts. What exactly has she been doing since we have been gone?


    None of the kobolds are equipped with the rusty gear anymore, all of them have at least new iron or standard steel. Some of the kobold at the deeper levels also has had their gear upgraded. Well Ike and Bo are still listed under monsters so they should be ok, but I decide to pull the screen from behind the desk to be sure.


    Ike and Bo are wondering around aimlessly in a 100 foot by 100 foot empty space¡­ Their bedrooms¡­ The girl¡¯s bedrooms¡­ Even Belinda¡¯s bedroom and all of the furniture from all of them are completely gone¡­ Even the walls have been removed.


    I quickly check the dungeon Inventory, but none of the items appear to be there¡­ Maybe they took the furniture down to the new house? But surely that would have been too much trouble¡­ If Lilah broke the items down then the fact our xp is still this low is also quite distressing¡­


    I decide to send Lilah a message to find out¡­


    ¡°Lilah, what happened to all the bedrooms?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°You have seen them already?¡±


    ¡°Yes I have seen them¡­ Where is everything?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah told Master¡­ Lilah had to fix her mistake¡­¡±


    ¡°If things really got that bad why didn¡¯t you message me?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah didn¡¯t want Master to worry while he was away¡­¡±


    ¡°Several of the monster¡¯s gear has been improved, and there are non-rift monsters roaming the first floor. Why do that if things have gotten this bad?¡¯


    Lilah: ¡°I had to summon the non-rift monsters because with Master and Belinda gone many adventurers were coming to the dungeon everyday¡­ I summoned the gear to try to help keep them back.¡±


    ¡°You really should have messaged me about all this¡­¡±


    I quickly get a message from Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you telling Lilah?! She is crying!¡±


    I then tell Belinda about what happened in the dungeon.


    Belinda: ¡°You will be able to place the imitation crystal tonight, and no permeant damage was done. Don¡¯t be so hard on her! She was just trying to make sure you didn¡¯t worry while you were gone!


    ¡°I just asked her what happened¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You keep forgetting she is still a young girl! She thinks you hate her now!¡±


    ¡­ How did this become my fault¡­? I know better than to ask however¡­ I instead just send another message to Lilah telling her I am not mad at her, but I don¡¯t receive a response from her or Belinda.


    Even after the sun sets I still haven¡¯t heard from Belinda¡­ Well I mean if I can¡¯t set the imitation crystal tonight, but have it set by tomorrow we should be ok¡­ But when I start to get ready for bed however Zoey appears in the core room¡­


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss! Welco¡­ What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I was about to head to bed.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What about the new house?¡±


    ¡°Belinda told me she would let me know, but then I made her mad so I figured since I still haven¡¯t heard from her I would have to wait till tomorrow.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Of course not boss! She has been working hard to make sure everything is ready.¡±


    ¡°So is it almost ready?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh I guess I should have started with that. No she sent me to come get you.¡±


    I pull my shirt back on and put on my boots again¡­ After I am done I pull the imitation crystal from the dungeon inventory¡­ I haven¡¯t looked at it before, but the description was about right¡­ It looks like an ordinary stone pebble that easy fits in the palm of my hand.


    Zoey curiously looks at the stone in my hand and says. ¡°Hey Boss what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It is the imitation crystal.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I somehow thought it would be¡­ Bigger¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it supposedly assumes the size and shape of my original crystal once I place it.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well don¡¯t drop it¡­ You wouldn¡¯t be able to find it again¡­¡±


    I put it in a belt pouch attaching it to my waist. ¡°Well if she is waiting on us we better go.¡±


    Zoey and I make our way down the mountain. We don¡¯t bother taking a side trail as this will probably be the last time we have to worry about walking from the cave. As we come down the mountain the house can clearly be seen behind the inn, and to say it is large is quite an understatement¡­


    The frame work and such was complete when we left, but the finished product really makes it look so much larger.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be that big¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡®Wait till you see the inside!¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Belinda is waiting outside of Tobes at the gate leading up to the mountain, once she sees us she walks up and grabs my arm.


    Belinda: ¡°It is kind of a shame it is already dark, so you can¡¯t see the outside well, but the inside is what is important anyway¡­ Come on!¡±


    She then tugs on me causing me to speed up. We could easily cut across over to it, but Belinda makes us take the long way around. Going all the way down the street, over, and then back up when we approach Lilah, Scylla, Bell, and even Roxy are standing out on the street waiting for us.


    Zoey quickly makes her way over and stands next to Roxy. Belinda then kisses my cheek then joins the girls. They all then lightly bow and say. ¡°Welcome Home!¡± followed by their own ways of calling me which causes them to start bickering with one another¡­


    Belinda rejoins me grabbing my arm pulling me to the front door while the others stay standing in the street bickering at each other¡­


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Let them be for now.¡±


    From the street there is a stone covered arched entry way that could easily hold two horse drawn carriages side by side. There is a fence made from stone and iron that surrounds the entire lot, but it is only shoulder high so I don¡¯t really understand its purpose.


    In the half-moon shaped area between the fence and the road up to the house there is a large decretive fountain and several small stone benches. There appears to be several spots for plants to grow, but apparently they have yet to be planted.


    Belinda: ¡°I would have liked the flowers to be blooming but it was already too late in the year to plant new flowers. They will have to wait till spring¡­¡±


    As Belinda leads me from the archway to the stone walkway up to the door I say. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit much¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well a princess is going to be living here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think placing the imitation crystal in the house is going to help, with the amount of xp we got I don¡¯t think I can even cover the yard¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe you should let Roxy stay with Zoey. I heard they have gotten her up to level 7 that might help a little. Besides I think that would make Zoey very happy.¡±


    ¡°Well that would get us by¡­But it isn¡¯t exactly going to help us grow it any.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What did you think was going to happen you place the imitation crystal, and then xp would just flow into the dungeon like a waterfall?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve, you should know by now nothing in life comes that easily¡­¡±


    ¡°Looking at this house some might find that statement ironic...¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have to share it with you, so I am sure that more than enough makes up for it.¡± ¨CShe says jokingly and pulls me inside.-


    From the front door there is a large room that goes all the way to the roof leaving lots of space, there are large double doors to either side of me, and a set directly in front of me. Just past the doors on either side there is a staircase arching up till they join together on the second floor.


    There are quite a few decretive items in the room, but the only furniture is two small benches to the side of the stairs and a small table in the middle of the room¡­ Belinda looks around excited, seeming to try to make up her mind on as where to drag me first.


    She finally decides to drag me though the double doors on the left. Inside this room is a large dining area with a table big enough for 20 plus people on each side¡­ The moonlight and lights of Tobes shine though the large windows that line the room¡¯s exterior wall.


    Each window has fancy, heavy curtains that are currently tied open. At the far end of the table against the back exterior wall is a fireplace holding a large Gowen crest on its mantle. On the interior wall off to the right are two more sets of doors, the furthest ones being double doors and the closer single door.


    Belinda: ¡°I thought we would start with your least favorite rooms and work our way up, so as you don¡¯t like eating or parties this is where we can hold dinner parties¡­ Moving on¡­¡±


    She then pulls me through the single door to the right. This room here is another dining area but it is considerably smaller with a table that can hold 4 to 8 people. There is another door on the other side of the table.


    Belinda: ¡°This would normally be a servants eating area, but I am sure if we eat any meals when not having a party it will probably be here.¡±


    Directly to my left is a door and next to it is a long open window with a counter at its base showing another room on the other side. She takes me though the door entering a sizable kitchen area the exits though double doors back into the large dining room.


    Belinda: ¡°This is the kitchen, it¡¯s actually pretty nice. Kind of a shame we won¡¯t use it much. The door at the end there is just a large storage room.¡±


    She leads me back into the small dining room and out the door on the backside of the table. This room seems to be a short hallway with a window showing the back of the property and the forest beyond.


    The room at the end of the hallway is a lounge room or visiting area with several comfortable couches and other chairs. There is a large window in this room showing the back of the property as well as a door leading out back.


    Belinda: ¡°This is the living room, a place where you can meet with others to talk or just rest without having to go to your bedroom.¡±


    The interior walls are almost entirely covered in bookshelves each filled. Other than the door we came from the hallway with, and the door leading outside, there is a set of double doors that Belinda leads us through taking us back to the entry area¡­


    She leads me though the double doors opposite from the dining room. This room starts of normal enough but opens into a huge room that stretches to the roof. This room alone probably makes up 1/3 of the house¡­


    Where the rest of the rooms had wooden floors this room is made of some kind of polished stone. Fancy chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and colorful tapestries hang from the walls where there are not windows¡­


    Given the size of the room there is actually very little within. The side of the room that looks like the rest of the house has a bar similar to the adventurer¡¯s guild or Denova¡¯s place but much smaller, several bottles and jugs sit on the shelves behind it.


    There is a door behind the bar, and one leading off the grand room back towards the center of the house.


    Belinda: ¡°I really debated putting in a ball room in the house, but I thought if we didn¡¯t, I would regret it later. I thought you would at least enjoy the bar, I even have several full barrels of your favorite alcohol in the storage room there.¡± ¨CShe points to the room behind the bar.-


    ¡°And what¡¯s that door? ¨CI ask motioning to the other door in the room.-


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s just the downstairs bathroom.¡±


    ¡°There is a bath in the house?¡±


    Belinda laughs then says. ¡°Well of course, a few actually, but no that one only has a toilet and a sink¡­ I am glad to have a real bathroom again¡­ I hated having to use a chamber pot in the dungeon, or wait till I came down to town¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it for then if there isn¡¯t a bath?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait¡­ You¡¯re serious?¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait a minute¡­ I know you use the restroom, you have complained about it¡­ And after my birthday Amy had to use a [Clean] spell when you passed out and¡­ Well you know¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ I am not sure I do¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Let me think how you said it¡­ uhm¡­ Expel! When you have to expel it after eating or drinking that¡¯s what you said. We just call it using the restroom.¡±


    ¡°Oh so a restroom is where humans usually go? I have seen people in the dungeon use a pot, or even the corner several times, I guess that makes since if you can¡¯t use [Clean].¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well obviously¡­ Wait you have seen people? You don¡¯t do it yourself? I know you do, so what do you do?¡±


    ¡°I just use [Clean]¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡±No no no nonono¡­ You don¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s almost been a year since we have been together and¡­ NO!¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    She quickly drags me to the small room off the ballroom. There is an odd pot looking chair against the wall, and she points at it.


    Belinda: ¡°There! When you have to use the restroom, or expel food or drink. However you want to say it, you do it THERE¡­¡±


    ¡°Why go through the trouble?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No! Even little kids know¡­ Just promise me¡­ You will use the toilet from now on?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can¡¯t believe all this time¡­When we are in bed together you haven¡¯t ever¡­? Wait I don¡¯t want an answer to that¡­ We won¡¯t ever speak of this again ok? Just use the toilet from now on¡­¡±


    She then walks out of the room heading back towards the front door. I follow her out and she then starts heading up the stairs. Once at the top of the stairs she points to the side of the ballroom.


    Belinda: ¡°Right around the corner there is another bathroom, that one is for the guest rooms, and across the hall is where the bath is located for them.¡±


    She takes me down the other direction down a hallway with three doors on one side and two on the other. Just past the second room on the side there is only two there is a corner turning down another hallway. Before turning the corner Belinda and motions to the doors.


    Belinda: ¡°The three on that side are the extra or guest room bedrooms, and they share that bathroom and bath I just showed you at the other end there. The two bedrooms on this side share a bath and bathroom connected to the back side. At the moment one of the rooms is empty and the other is Zoey¡¯s room.¡±


    She then leads me around the corner and up another flight of stairs. The stairs round another corner, at the corner there are two more windows one showing the forest and mountain, the other the front yard, and Tobes beyond.


    Reaching the third and final floor just past the landing on the stairs there is a hallway leading left and right.


    Belinda: ¡°There are three bedrooms here. ¨Cpointing to three doors.- ¡°They are Lilah¡¯s and Scylla¡¯s rooms they share a bathroom in the back along with this third bedroom, but we will get back to it.¡±


    She then leads me the opposite way to a door at the end of the hallway. Opening the door we walk inside. The room is rather huge, there is a desk in one corner, another odd shaped desk with a mirror on the back, two sets of dresser drawers, and another standing cabinet with two doors.


    The bed against the back wall is rather large with four tall pillars it looks very much like the beds in Denova¡¯s place but I don¡¯t think it would be a good idea to mention that¡­ On each side of the bed is a small end table and there are several windows lining the walls.


    There are two more doors leading from the room, one is a standard door leading to the side of the room without windows, the other one is a set of double doors that have several glass panes in them that lead to a small balcony outside.


    After opening the double doors leading outside letting a cool autumn breeze into the room she then opens the other door. Inside there is another one of them toilet things, and another, what did she call it, sinks?


    There is one more thing in the room, it¡¯s a large elongated circular bowl¡­ it takes up the majority of the room. By the looks of it this must be the indoor bath thing Belinda mentioned¡­


    Belinda: ¡°So what do you think about everything?¡± ¨CShe says while stepping back into the bedroom and sitting down on the bed sinking into the soft mattress a few inches.-


    ¡°Well I haven¡¯t been in to many houses, so I can¡¯t really say if it¡¯s normal or not¡­ But it looks like you really put a lot of effort into everything¡­ But I have a question, you told me where the other girls are staying but you never said anything about you or Bell¡¯s rooms.


    Belinda begins to blush while she says. ¡°Well about that¡­ The entire time we were gone we slept together, and I thought maybe we could, you know¡­ Make it permeant?¡±


    She blushes brighter and shakes her hands in front of her while quickly saying. ¡°But if you don¡¯t want to I can use that other room, and Bell can use one of the rooms downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Well the room and bed are both definitely big enough¡­ But you fought so hard to get your own room up in the dungeon. I could use one of the smaller rooms if you just want the big one, it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±


    Belinda looks like she is starting to get angry but she is fighting it back, after she takes a deep breath getting up from the bed walking over to me.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t care about the bedroom¡­ I just want to be where ever you are at¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if you are sure¡­ I have kind of gotten used to you being there when I wake up anyway.¡±


    Belinda squeals and buries her face in my chest while blushing profusely. After a few moments however she raises her head and gently kisses me. After our lips part she says.


    Belinda: ¡°I know you don¡¯t understand how big of a deal this is, but love you, and I don¡¯t care if it takes years till I make you understand, but I hope someday you feel about me the way I do about you¡­¡±


    She then let¡¯s go of me sniffling a quickly wiping her eyes.


    Belinda: ¡°Now I better go get the girls out of the middle of the street while you figure out where you are going to put the imitation crystal¡­¡±


    Belinda quickly leaves the room, and I begin to think¡­ I know if you just set the area and no walls of ceiling you can still get xp, because of Belinda¡¯s group when they stayed in the area outside the cave, but one of the things I don¡¯t know is how high it covers.


    I am sure it doesn¡¯t cover underneath the area so I should probably put the crystal somewhere on the first floor. Besides most of the buildings in Tobes are only one floor anyway. When I head down to the first floor I can hear the girls begin making quite a racket outside¡­


    I look around the first floor¡­ I stop under the stairs standing in the doorway between the living room and the entrance room. This looks to be the center of the house. I surely don¡¯t want to put it in the dining room or kitchen¡­


    Both of these rooms have exterior doors though. There are these little spaces under the stairs¡­ They are like little storage rooms it looks like¡­ We don¡¯t really need things like that because of the dungeon inventory, so I could put it in one of them and then close them off¡­


    The girls finally enter the front door laughing and smiling as they are talking.


    Zoey: ¡°Whatcha rolling around there on the floor for boss?¡±


    Scylla elbows her, and I stand up and dust myself off.


    Belinda: ¡°Hey Zoey¡­ I talked to Two-Twelve, and if Roxy wants she can stay with you in your room.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°For real?!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Why don¡¯t you go show her around?¡±


    Zoey quickly grabs Roxy¡¯s arm and they run off up the stairs.


    Scylla: ¡°Well Lilah want to help me get Bell set up in her room real quick?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok Lilah will help!¡±


    Lilah, Scylla, and Bell then head upstairs as well, Belinda then walks over to me.


    Belinda: ¡°So are you having any luck? You got about 15 minutes to figure it out.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of putting it in one of these small storage areas then sealing them off.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Both of them?¡±


    ¡°Well it would look odd if one side had the storage area and not the other.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then how about you put it in the back corner of one of the rooms, and in a few days when you get enough xp you can just put up a small hidden door inside the cubby and we don¡¯t lose the space?¡±


    ¡°Yea I guess that could work¡­¡±


    Belinda leans over and kisses me on the cheek.


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to go get ready for bed. Don¡¯t take too long¡­¡±


    Belinda makes her way to the stairs and stares at me for a few seconds¡­ She then smiles, begins to blush, takes a deep breath, and then heads up the stairs¡­


    I take the small pebble from the pouch on my waist and crawl into the little space under the stairs.  Once I set the stone down in the far corner I receive a message.


    Imitation crystal has been placed. Placing an imitation crystal in the current location will result in the creation of a secondary dungeon, and the decision cannot be undone. Do you wish to proceed?


    ¡°Yes¡±


    I then have to select the room it starts only covering the small storage room, but I change it to the area coverage like I used outside the cave up on the mountain and spread it as far as I can. Even pushing it to the very limits I can¡¯t even reach the end of the yard¡­


    I move it to where it covers the entire front yard and house but almost none of the back yard and then finalize it.


    Area selected contains pre-existing structures. The entire area including any rooms within the structures will still be considered only one room. Are you sure you wish to proceed?


    I figured that by the way the walls worked in the dungeon so it is not surprising at all so I say.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The small pebble begins to glow with an intense light like when Belinda became a boss monster, and after a few seconds it begins to grow. It seems to attach itself to the floor and walls. Once it reaches the size of my current crystal it stops glowing and it truly does look identical to my original crystal.


    I suddenly get a flood of notices.


    New Items Available.


    I start to look at the items but notice there are pages and pages of items, each book on the book shelf, each tapestry, and every piece of furniture that is in the house that I wasn¡¯t able to summon before has been added to [Menu]¡­


    New Textures Available.


    Ceramic                       5xp additional cost per facing


    Brick                            0xp additional cost per facing


    Oak                              5xp additional cost per facing


    Marble                        100xp additional cost per facing


    I don¡¯t know what Marble is, maybe it is the floor in the ballroom area, but if it has such a high cost, just how much did it cost Belinda to have that floor installed¡­


    Secondary dungeon has now been created


    Intruders have entered Secondary Dungeon


    Intruders have entered Secondary Dungeon Crystal Room


    Xp consumption increased by 50% 10xp consumed. Xp will be consumed at the new normal rate at the start of the day.


    That¡¯s not good¡­ I don¡¯t have enough xp left for when it hits midnight¡­ I quickly open the dungeon inventory scrapping some weapons and armor I was holding on too. After a few moments I receive a message


    32Xp consumed for the start of day.  6xp added from captive intruder.


    Well I guess Zoey locked her door. That was really cutting it close though¡­


    There are several other messages about secondary dungeons and such but for now I slide them out of view and decide to head to bed¡­But before I do I want to try one thing¡­


    I try transferring to the core room up in the mountain and instantly I am standing surrounded by screens. Yes it works! There are a few more screens displaying the secondary dungeon, the border around the outside edge has a different color then the ones from the primary dungeon.


    Movement on one of the screens catches my eye and when I look at it I quickly blush then turn away¡­ That is more then I wanted to see of Zoey and Roxy¡­ Without looking at the screen I start to drag it behind the desk where the old bedroom screens used to be but I then stop¡­


    Wait¡­ I am embarrassed¡­ I wasn¡¯t embarrassed watching the adventurers in my dungeon¡­ I cover Zoey¡¯s image with my hand looking at Roxy¡­Nothing¡­ I remove my hand watching them and begin to get embarrassed again¡­


    Is she really going to stick that entire thing in¡­ How did that fit¡­ My breathing begins to get rougher and that feeling begins to grow in me as I watch¡­ I quickly slide the screen behind the desk¡­ I can bring up that feeling just by watching¡­?


    I quickly look for the screens showing the other girls rooms, and slide them behind the desk as well to be on the safe side¡­ The last one is a screen showing my room¡­ Belinda is sitting at the weird shaped desk with a mirror looking at herself in it blushing¡­


    She is wearing her short flashy nightgown tonight¡­ She messes with her hair a bit then adjusts her breasts. She then gets up from the chair blowing out the lights in the bedroom and crawls into bed. I guess I better hurry up to bed as well.


    Lilah will most likely be watching these screens so I better hide this one as well, After I slide it behind the desk I transfer to my new bedroom. When I arrive it startles Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t do that Two-Twelve¡­ I almost had a heart-attack!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a heart-attack?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just get in bed.¡±


    I sit on a little bench that is at the end of the bed and begin to pull of my boots. Meanwhile Belinda crawls over the bed and whispers in my ear. ¡°Let me help.¡± She then begins to pull on my shirt.


    After getting both my boots off Belinda pulls my shirt off over my head, she then wraps it around me taking an end with each hand and pulls me toward the bed. I crawl onto the bed, and she continues to pull me all the way up.


    She then pushes me down on my back and throws the shirt off the bed. Crawling over the top of me she leans down whispering in my ear. ¡°Can we pick up where we left off on the bench at the capital?¡±


    When I reach up a hand taking her breast in it she begins to kiss me again shoving her tongue in my mouth again. Her breast in my hand feels very different in this nightgown compared to her shirt. When I place my other hand on her butt grasping it she jumps.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t apologize it just surprised me.¡±


    She leans forward again and lightly bites my ear before whispering. ¡°I love you Two-Twelve.¡±

 Two-Twelve Citizen of Tobes

    I wake the next morning and stretch, and when I do I find myself alone in bed. Feeling the cool breeze I look over to see the double doors leading to the small balcony open. I crawl out of bed walking to the doors.


    I find Belinda sitting on a bench just outside wrapped in a blanket looking out across Tobes. The sun has only begun to rise and lights are starting to flicker on in the buildings around town. When I step forward onto the balcony Belinda looks over and begins to blush.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you doing? Someone might see you.¡±


    She slightly raises her blanket to reveal her nude body within and beckons me to sit. After I do she wraps the blanket around us both and leans on me while looking out.


    Belinda: ¡°Last night was amazing¡­ But please don¡¯t tell me I got to build you another mansion before we can do that again?¡± ¨CShe says jokingly while giggling.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be a problem.¡±


    I can feel her cheeks heat up as she blushes while leaning against me. As the sounds of morning begin to fill the air, the sun finally breaks the horizon in the distance, and Belinda raises her head to kiss me. I place a hand on her cheek and briefly kiss her.


    Belinda: ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Belinda places a finger against my lips. ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­ I will wait as long as it takes for you to say it, but when you do I want you to understand it and mean it.¡±


    After sitting there a few minutes longer Belinda finally says.


    Belinda: ¡°You know a cup of coffee would be perfect right now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s coffee?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh this we got to fix¡­I know you don¡¯t like trying new stuff, but would you try it for me?¡±


    After I nod we retreat back into the room. Belinda looks me up and down blushing again while keeping herself wrapped in the blanket. I gather are clothes that are tossed about and start to put on my own when Belinda stops me.


    Belinda: ¡°Hold on, try this.¡±


    Belinda goes to the cabinet with the double doors opening it and pulling a set of clothes hanging from a pole inside, and then lays it out on the edge of the bed. The outfit looks much like my normal clothes but seems to be made out of a better material, and the colors are a bit brighter.


    Belinda: ¡°It should fit, but if it doesn¡¯t you could store it in the dungeon inventory, and equip it that way and it should fit perfectly.¡±


    While I get dressed Belinda gets some clothes out for herself as well, and retreats to the bathroom. After a few seconds she tosses the blanket out the door. My new trousers fit alright, but the shirt is a bit snug so I store it in the inventory and equip it that way causing it to be the perfect size.


    I call to Belinda. ¡°You know that is kind of cheating not having to worry about the size, if we could of used the [Menu] in the capital it would of saved us some headache¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I simply love it, I can buy clothes now without having to worry if it¡¯s going to fit or not.¡±


    When I am finally finished getting my boots on Belinda steps out of the bathroom fastening the last button of her shirt with a ribbon hanging from her mouth, she then begins to pull her hair up and ties it with the ribbon.


    She quickly puts her boots on then says. ¡°Well let¡¯s go make breakfast.¡±


    When we leave the bedroom Lilah is standing in the hallway with sleepy eyes wearing a loose fitting pair of pajamas.


    Lilah: *Yawn*¡±Good morning Master.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to make some breakfast, do you want some?¡±


    Lilah¡¯s eyes light up and she now appears wide awake while she says. ¡°Yay! Food!¡± She then quickly runs down the stairs. After Belinda and I head downstairs I sit at the counter between the dining room and kitchen watching Belinda as she starts to prepare breakfast.


    Lilah sits happily in a chair at the table eating on a piece of bread that looks like Belinda burnt in a fire, and the smell of the food wafts through the house. Slowly more and more heads begin to peer into the dining room taking seats around the table until everyone in the house is here¡­


    Belinda brings a cup of steaming black liquid and sets it down in front of me while she leans across the counter and kisses me. Scylla gets up heading into the kitchen, and starts helping Belinda with the rest of the breakfast¡­


    I smell the liquid and take a small sip of it while Scylla brings two more small cups of the black liquid giving it to both Zoey and Roxy. Lilah however gets a glass of an orange colored juice that Belinda squeezed from some orange fruit.


    The taste of the liquid is extremely bitter causing me to shake my head, but I find myself taking another drink¡­


    Zoey: ¡°Boss you got to add lots of sugar!¡± ¨CShe says as she puts spoonful after spoonful of a white sand looking stuff into her cup.-


    Scylla: ¡°Master doesn¡¯t like sugar.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve sugar is what makes cake so sweet.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am sorry Bell, do you want something to eat or drink?¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I have never tried it before¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Zoey awkwardly laughs over Bell about to speak, and says. ¡°She means breakfast.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Oh you poor thing, at least Denova fed us three meals a day¡­ Although she did add them to our debt¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I will just give you a bit of everything, so you can find out what you like¡­¡± ¨CShe then looks at me. -  ¡°You sure I can¡¯t get you to have some?¡±


    ¡°No thanks¡­ I will stick to the coffee¡­¡± ¨CWhen I look down I notice over half of my cup is gone.-


    Belinda: ¡°Then can I get you some more?¡± ¨CShe says with a smile bringing over a silver spouted container.-


    Zoey: ¡°Boss wants more of what he got last night!¡±


    Roxy elbows Zoey and Belinda blushes and almost drops the container of the floor.


    Breakfast continues, I end up drinking three cups of that black coffee stuff, while listening to everyone pleasantly conversing while they eat. Scylla excuses herself first to go get ready, then Zoey and Roxy leave next.


    Scylla however comes back after five or so minutes and helps Belinda clean up.


    Scylla: ¡°Should we take Bell with us today? We are just going to do some commissions in town today till Master can get the dungeon back on its feet.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea, we are going to have to get her an adventurer¡¯s ID as well.¡±


    I see off Belinda, Scylla, Zoey, Bell, and Roxy as they head into town¡­ Lilah pulls on my shirt from the side¡­


    Lilah: ¡°Is Master going to take the Lilah off of watching the dungeon¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, you can still take care of the dungeon, but if something goes wrong make sure you tell me from now on no matter what ok?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°OK! Lilah promises!¡±


    She quickly walks back into the house then transfers away¡­ I now take a more detailed look around the house messing with varies things just to see what it does. I end up in the living room looking over the books when I get the urge to dispel the coffee I drank¡­


    I use the toilet like Belinda made me promise but afterwards I am left there wondering what to do now¡­ There is a lever on the side so I try pulling it but it opens a door in an empty bin in the back of the toilet and nothing happens¡­


    I end up just casting [Clean] on the toilet and leave it at that¡­ but by mid-morning I realize maybe I shouldn¡¯t of had 5 cups of coffee¡­ By the third trip figured out you got to use the water pump in the corner of the bathroom to fill the bin before pulling the lever and the water then washes through the toilet clearing it out¡­


    Honestly it is more of a hassle then just casting [Clean], but I promised Belinda¡­ I go through the rest of the screens that appeared last night concerning the secondary dungeon learning quite a bit about it. By noon though I have already run out of things to do¡­


    I transfer to the dungeon and talk with Lilah for a while but she has everything under control and says I am distracting her¡­ I transfer back to the house and decide to go see what Belinda is up too. I head to the adventurer¡¯s guild and Belinda blushes and her eyes light up when I enter the building.


    She takes a break and we visit for a little bit, but she then to has to go back to work¡­ I stick around for a while helping out, but I end up getting in the way. I get in the way enough that when the other girls come in after completing a commission Belinda jokes by saying.


    Belinda: ¡°Why don¡¯t you go with them on their next commission?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was joking¡­ You would have to get an adventurer¡¯s ID.¡±


    ¡°I have been thinking about it since I had seen Queen get hers, and she had no problem. The only other problem you have been able to manage with so far, so why not?¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Belinda: ¡°You are really going to get it?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Belinda takes me over to the machine that activates the adventurer¡¯s guild magic and we go through the process of making me an adventurer ID¡­


    Adventurer #52,292 [Two-Twelve]                                                     Base: Tobes


    Race: Divine Being                                                                         Gender: Male


    Rank: D                                                                                            Level: 7


    Class: Hexamage                                                                           Favored Element: N/A


    Commissions Complete: 0


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    ¡°Hey look I am not human.¡±


    The receptionists give me a questioning look and Belinda quickly hushes me.


    ¡°No I mean Queen¡¯s showed human¡­ Mine is showing the same are yours.¡± ¨CI say with a lowered voice.-


    Belinda: ¡°Remember not to show anyone your ID¡­ At least it doesn¡¯t say monster or something¡­ I have also never heard of a Hexamage before¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Let¡¯s get a good one for Boss¡¯s first commission!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°¡­ Our only options are stocking a shipment from the capital at the general store, or cleaning the Mayor¡¯s house and office.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Aww I wanted to take a fighting commission I wanted to see Boss in action¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°The only commissions concerning fighting are the dungeon commissions.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°He just got his ID you can¡¯t expect him to hold up in a fight¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But Boss is an awesome mage!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about awesome¡­ I just know the basics¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Then why don¡¯t Master and I do the Mayor¡¯s house, while You, Roxy, and Bell hit the general store?


    Zoey: ¡°Awww¡­¡±


    Roxy leans over and whispers in her ear.


    Zoey: ¡°Alight let¡¯s do it!¡± ¨CZoey rushes to the counter and Roxy slowly trails behind her.-


    Scylla: ¡°Bell please make sure they do the job correctly, and don¡¯t leave all the work to you¡­¡±


    Bell: ¡°A¡­Alright¡­¡±


    Bell then follows Zoey and Roxy¡­


    Scylla: ¡°Well Master, let¡¯s get you your first commission.¡±


    Scylla and I accept the commission to clean the Mayor¡¯s house and office, I have been there quite a few times and it is only a single floor home, but with the adjacent office it might take quite a while¡­ While heading towards the Mayor¡¯s house I look over the commission¡­


    ¡°Scylla, is this right? It says the reward is only 2 gold.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course it¡¯s a D-ranked quest.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this going to take a lot of work for just 2 gold?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well I don¡¯t really have anything to spend gold on, so I don¡¯t really pay attention to the reward. I just do it because you and Belinda suggested it.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t like doing the commissions in Tobes?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°No it isn¡¯t that¡­ I really don¡¯t mind one way or another, but not to sound like Zoey, but I was starting to wonder when we get to go training again.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ I have had a lot going on lately with the elder selection and then the meeting with Queen.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Master. It¡¯s just the way things are.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can talk to Belinda this evening about it, after all we got Bell now and she needs some training. I just don¡¯t know how Zoey will take it not being able to take Roxy along¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well Zoey will understand, but the question is how will Roxy take it¡­? Especially if Bell goes.¡±


    ¡°And we don¡¯t have enough xp to make her a boss monster so she could go¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Maybe Zoey can find a way to explain it to her.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I know I realized what I said the moment it left my mouth¡­¡±


    ¡°Zoey isn¡¯t unintelligent¡­ She just¡­¡±


    Both of us at the same time: ¡°Zoey¡­¡±


    We reach the Mayor¡¯s place and greet him telling him we came to take care of the commission.


    Mayor: ¡°She finally talked you into it? I am surprised you held out for a year¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I just thought the time was right was all¡­¡±


    Mayor: ¡°How was your trip to the capital? First time wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am going to get started.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry let me help.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It¡¯s ok Master, when you get done there will be plenty left its ok.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Good girl you got there, she took care of things real well while you were gone.¡±


    ¡°Yea sometimes a little too diligent though¡­ The capital was alright though, very busy¡­ I got to meet a couple of Belinda¡¯s brothers, her sisters, and her father.¡±


    Mayor whistles and says. ¡°The king¡­ I bet that was tough¡­¡±


    ¡°Belinda¡¯s oldest brother Logan managed to smooth things over with their father pretty well, so he seemed to like me.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Moving up in the world¡­ I need to watch my back or you might take my job from me.¡± ¨CHe says laughing.-


    ¡°I have enough trouble keeping up with Belinda in just the adventurer¡¯s guild. I wouldn¡¯t know the first thing of taking care of the entire town¡­¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Hell I don¡¯t either most the time¡­ Sure the old Tobes was easy, but now things growing so quick¡­ Did you know there is a whole new street behind the inn? Oh¡­ Yea I guess you do¡­¡±


    The Mayor then shifts gears and gets serious.


    Mayor: ¡°But in all honesty I really am thinking in stepping down at the end of the year. I know you are just being modest, because I have seen you handle yourself while Belinda has been gone several times. I think you should really consider it.¡±


    ¡°I am sure people wouldn¡¯t want some ex-slave that just appeared in town one day to be their Mayor.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°A lot of people in town like you.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know me. They like Belinda, and just associate me with her because we are together.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°You would be surprised how many people have their eyes on you Two-Twelve¡­ Well it¡¯s just an idea. You got a few months to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ Well I better help Scylla or we won¡¯t have to worry about it because Belinda will end me.¡±


    The Mayor laughs and I begin helping Scylla. She cleans manually for most of the tasks but if something is difficult or stubborn to get clean she uses the [Clean] spell. I use [Clean] more liberally, and although it seems Scylla has a little more magic then me I don¡¯t have to cast my spell but nearly half as long as she does so I quickly begin to catch up to her in the amount of cleaning done.


    It still takes a couple hours to finish cleaning the house and when I start to celebrate Scylla reminds me about the office¡­ The days are pretty short this time of year so the sun is already beginning to set when we finally finish.


    The Mayor tries to hand us each a gold coin after stamping the commission, but I wave mine off so he gives them both to Scylla. On our way back to the adventurer¡¯s guild Scylla asks me to hold on a second a she runs up to a small shrine placing several gold coins along with the two she got from the Mayor in a small box locked to the side of the shrine.


    When she comes back I tell her. ¡°You know that shrine is for the water god Faron, and Faron isn¡¯t a god¡­ He is just a dungeon core¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I know that, but the priest uses the gold they collect in that box to feed people that can¡¯t otherwise eat. I don¡¯t have to ever worry about that so I give what I can. However if it makes you feel better Master once you have your own shrine with a box I will put all my gold in it instead.¡±


    She laughs and we continue on our way to the adventurer¡¯s guild. When we walk in the door Zoey, Roxy, and Bell are standing there across from Belinda. Belinda has her hand covering her mouth with a big smile trying not to laugh.


    Bell has her head drooping looking scarred, while Zoey¡¯s ears are hanging low as well. Roxy on the other hand is laughing out loud while talking to Belinda.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Then girls turn to look at me when I speak and I notice Zoey has a black eye.


    ¡°What happened to you Zoey?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You¡¯re going to get a kick out of this!¡± ¨CShe says while laughing.-


    Zoey: ¡°Please don¡¯t tell Boss!¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ Zoey¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Ok I promise I won¡¯t tell¡­ But Belinda can.¡± ¨CShe laughs again, then kisses Zoey¡¯s cheek and pulls her past us out the door.-


    Bell is still standing there with her head drooping not sure what to do now¡­


    Bell: ¡°Be¡­Belinda I¡­ I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±


    Belinda can¡¯t hold back anymore and she laughs as well. ¡°It¡¯s ok, she asked for it.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°What in the world did we miss?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You told Bell to make sure Roxy and Zoey didn¡¯t slack off, so when Zoey started to goof off Bell told her to do her job right.¡±


    Belinda stops to wipe a tear from her eye and sniffle after laughing so hard.


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey asked Bell what she thought she could do to make her, so Bell socked her. Roxy said it knocked Zoey clean on her butt¡­ They didn¡¯t have any problems after that¡­¡±


    Belinda starts to laugh again and Scylla starts to laugh as well¡­


    Bell: ¡°I¡­I¡¯m so sorry¡­ Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Bell¡­ I think Zoey¡¯s pride was hurt more than her body.¡±


    Scylla and I turn in the commission leaving me with 1 whole commission complete, and then Scylla leaves heading home with Bell. I sit down in one of the chairs at one of the tables and wait for Belinda.


    Belinda brings me a mug setting it down on the table and says. ¡°Sorry Two-Twelve I still got a bit more to do, so I thought you might like this while you wait.¡±


    I am not sure which she meant because as soon as she finished talking she brushes her hair from in front of her face and leans forward kissing me.


    ¡°Ok¡­ And thanks for the alcohol too.¡±


    She blushes and quickly heads back to work¡­ I sit back in the chair a bit while slowly drinking from my mug¡­ Maybe it is because of what the Mayor said, but when I look around the room I notice quite a few of the adventurers looking my way, but once I look at them they avert their eyes¡­


    A bit later a beastkin woman enters the guild. It is Diamond, one of the beastkin girls that Queen sent. I never did figure out what kind of beastkin she was, I didn¡¯t know if it was considered rude to ask. She moves over talking to Belinda.


    Oh I know that face. Denova must have been the one to send her. I guess since our history Denova thought she could use Diamond as a go between. It appears to not be working though, but Belinda does give Diamond a form, and Diamond looks a little discouraged as she leaves.


    Belinda looks over to me and smiles. She then stretches and then talks to the receptionists for another minute before walking over to the table.


    Belinda: ¡°Ok, I am ready. Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    I finish the last of my mug and stand up. Belinda wraps her arm around mine and interweaves her fingers with mine and lays her head on my shoulder. We walk outside into the cool night air and begin walking home.


    The chill in the air is starting to get low enough that our breath can be seen when we exhale.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s going to be winter soon. I it¡¯s going to be a bad one this year.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea I guess this is only your second year¡­ And last year we didn¡¯t even get any snow. Do you even know what snow is?¡±


    ¡°Well I am pretty sure, I mean I haven¡¯t ever seen it but I get the idea.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well we usually get two to three big snow storms each year. We got one early, last year but I guess that was before you were born¡­ But we didn¡¯t get one the rest of the year. When that happens the next winter is a lot colder and we get more snow storms.¡±


    ¡°That means we will have a lot less people coming up to the dungeon won¡¯t it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea I am sure the trail up the mountain would be pretty bad in the snow.¡±


    ¡°I guess that means we need to talk about what Scylla and I discussed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I guess before the snow starts you guys should make a trip to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon again. Bell needs the training and we need the xp until the secondary dungeon gets established.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But we have barely only gotten to spend one night in our house together.¡±


    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t say tomorrow¡­ I just said soon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about Roxy.¡±


    ¡°¡­Yea I am still working on that one, and what about equipment for Bell? Can she use Bo or Ike¡¯s gear?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Her class is martial artist, so she if anything maybe that armor you had Lilah wearing for a while, and she should be fine.¡±


    ¡°What about a weapon?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well Zoey¡¯s eye shows she already has her weapon.¡±


    ¡°Can she really use her fists? I mean she doesn¡¯t have any claws or sharp teeth right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea that is kind of a martial artist¡¯s thing.¡±


    Once we round the gate heading up to the house Belinda says. ¡°Oh and you might want to keep an eye on Lilah tomorrow, I don¡¯t know how strong they are but a group that said they were going to hit the dungeon first thing in the morning, looked to be packing pretty decent equipment.¡±


    Entering the house we find that Zoey and Roxy have already retreated to their room. Belinda goes to check on Scylla and Bell while I check on Lilah. I transfer to the core room to find Lilah holding on to Thirty-seven¡¯s stuffed cat while asleep in the chair.


    Oh she kept that one, when she broke everything down from the rooms I thought it was gone, I guess she held on to it because it was Thirty-seven¡¯s¡­ I pick her up out of the chair and transfer her to her room covering her with a blanket.


    After putting Lilah to bed, I head to my bedroom. Belinda still isn¡¯t here yet, but I go ahead and get ready for bed. After crawling in bed Belinda finally walks in the room.


    ¡°Scylla and Bell go to bed yet?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They were chatting while sharing a bath, and they said they were going to go to bed after. Is Lilah in bed?¡±


    ¡°Yea she fell asleep in the core room, but I transferred her to her bed.¡±


    Belinda just uses [Menu] to change from her clothes into her pajama night clothes that she wore during our trip. She then crawls into bed and snuggles up to me.


    Belinda: ¡°Good night Two-Twelve, I love you.¡±


    Before I am able to drift off to sleep I receive a startling message.


    Dungeon Core #2 Greaks has perished at the hands of the dragon [Karma]


    Greaks died? I almost can¡¯t believe it I read the message several times over. He just got the imitation core did he not place it yet? He wasn¡¯t killed by an adventurer though it says it was a dragon named Karma.


    He was supposed to get a dragon for voting for Maric wasn¡¯t he? With the dragons name I wonder if it was sent by Maric in retaliation. Maric did say some revenge like words after he wasn¡¯t selected, but I didn¡¯t know he would go that far.


    After such a peaceful day like today I find the somber news of Greaks death hitting me a little hard. If it really was Maric I wonder if he is going to attack the rest of the judges as well or just hit Greaks because he backed out of their deal.


    I decide to open [Menu] to check the observation window and find it looking in on Maric as well. It only shows Maric for a few moments before the screen goes black, and I don¡¯t manage to learn anything new.


    Belinda has already fallen fast asleep so I don¡¯t want to bother her with the news, so I just lay there in bed watching Belinda¡¯s sleeping face until I am finally able to drift off to sleep.

 Back to Work

    When I wake up the next morning Belinda is already dressed.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry, I didn¡¯t wake you did I? I was going to let you sleep, because you seemed to have trouble sleeping last night.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. If what you said about that tough group of adventurers is true I probably need to get an early start anyway.¡±


    I decide not to let her know about Greaks death so not to worry her. Belinda moves back over to the bed as I get up and she kisses me, I kiss her back placing one hand on her cheek. After a few moments she pulls away.


    Belinda: ¡°I better go¡­ We both got long days ahead of us.


    Belinda then moves over setting out different set of clothes for me to wear. They look almost exactly the same as what she gave me yesterday morning, but with a little color difference. She then tells me she is leaving then heads out of the room.


    I wore the same clothes almost every day for over a year so it feels kind of weird changing clothes every day, but Belinda went through all the trouble so I might as well. I move the new clothes into the dungeon inventory then equip them.


    I then cast clean on the set I wore the day before and after spending a few minutes trying to figure out how to do it, I put them on the hanger placing them back in the standing cabinet. When I open it I find Belinda apparently bought me quite a few sets of clothes.


    Most are very similar, but there are a few that stand out. One set is the clothes I wore to the castle, and the black set I wore to Thirty-seven¡¯s funeral. The rest of the cabinet is full of different dresses and outfits for Belinda¡­


    She always just wears her normal clothes though so why does she have all these? As I think that I hear a knock at the door, so I close the cabinet and head to the door.


    Lilah: ¡°Belinda said Master was going to go to the dungeon this morning with Lilah?¡±


    ¡°Yea she said there was a tough looking group heading there today so you might need the extra help.¡±


    Lilah and I transfer to the core room and make sure everything is prepared for the group. We don¡¯t really have any xp to spare to change anything around, so there isn¡¯t actually much to do. It¡¯s not long until we see the adventurer group heading up the mountain path. About the same time the rest of the girls are heading out of the house into Tobes.


    By the looks of the group Belinda appears to have been right, I think we are going to suffer quite a bit of a loss today¡­ I really need to expand the area around the house to start getting xp from the village or one day one of these groups are going to wipe us out¡­


    I hear the leader order the group talking as they approach the dungeon and I find their conversation troubling.


    Adventurer: ¡°We can¡¯t destroy the crystal, but there is nothing stopping us from wiping out everything else in the dungeon.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°I heard the monsters on the third floor aren¡¯t as quick to respawn as well.¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°I don¡¯t see the dungeon being much of the threat, but the commissions give a decent amount of gold. We can use it for the trip to Merretta.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°I was surprised with the Tower of the Gods¡­ I was hoping to spend some time there but the adventurer¡¯s guild has their hands to deep into it...¡±


    Adventurer 4: ¡°Alright enough chatter lets double check everything and then clear this place out.¡±


    There are 5 adventurers total in the group, the last one to speak appears to be the leader of the group and there is a woman mage that hasn¡¯t said anything. The group checks all their gear over, and once they are prepared the group enters the dungeon.


    The group doesn¡¯t appear to be using the map that is sold at the adventurer¡¯s guild as they simple walk through the cave. One of the group stops them when they reach the archway to the square cave room pointing out the tripwire.


    They skip over the tripwire and begin combat against the first set of kobold easily wiping them out without as much as a scratch. The mage however stands to the back and hasn¡¯t casted a single spell yet.


    Adventurer: ¡°Should we grab their gear?¡±


    Adventurer 4: ¡°We will leave it for now, but if we got plenty of room we will grab it on the way out.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Will it still be here?¡±


    Adventurer 4: ¡°Depends on the type of dungeon this is, but if it¡¯s not we won¡¯t be losing much.¡±


    As the group steps over the tripwire entering the large room on the first floor, the same member of the adventurer¡¯s calls out the locations of the traps as they start battling the kobolds. Lilah starts to call more of the kobolds into the central room but I stop her.


    Lilah: ¡°But Master why?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t have any trouble dealing with the kobolds on the first floor. If you send them all out there they will kill them all in one go, but if you leave them in their own rooms they have to travel from room to room.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°The kobolds will be just as dead, at least with all of them they might be able to do some damage to the group.¡±


    ¡°Yes they might, but this way it will take them longer, humans get tried from continuous battle so delaying them will benefit more than causing only a little damage now. Besides the mage has yet to even make a move we don¡¯t know what kind of magic they have yet.¡±


    After clearing the large room they begin working on the small rooms off to the side, once they finish the third side room they find one of the small treasure chests and the mage makes her first move. Taking the chest and all the contents she draws a line in the air like I have seen several times before and then shoves the chest though the area the line was drawn causing it to disappear.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! What was that?¡±


    ¡°I think it is like the dungeon inventory¡­ I have seen Listel use it, and several of the older dungeon cores. I think it works the same way but you don¡¯t have to be in a dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°So she is a dungeon monster?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It could just be a magic spell we don¡¯t know. The space must be limited unlike the dungeon inventory though, because when they talked about taking the kobold¡¯s gear they said if they have room.¡±


    The group moves on clearing the rest of the first floor, I leave the rest of the battles on the first floor to Lilah while I check out the deeper levels of the dungeon¡­ I wanted to switch out some of the better gear with weaker sets that way if they stole it we wouldn¡¯t be out much, but we don¡¯t even have enough xp to do that¡­


    Once they clear the central room on the second floor, the mage still hasn¡¯t participated in combat even though one member of the group got injured for the first time. After battle however the mage moved up to him healing the wound very quickly.


    They then gather up the upgraded gear, and after the mage draws the line in the air they begin to hand her weapons and armor as she shoves it in¡­


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good if they are even taking this gear, the dungeon is going to be left defenseless¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What should we do Master?¡±


    ¡°Maybe if we can at least stop the mage¡­ But she hasn¡¯t even used a single attack spell so I don¡¯t know how strong she is.¡±


    The group continues to work their way through the second floor stopping between each room to strip the kobolds down, heal, and store the gear with the mage¡¯s magic.


    ¡°The next room is the old crystal room¡­ This is where we are really going to begin losing massive amounts of xp worth of gear¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Well they already said they have no intention of destroying the crystal, what if we just store everything else and let the kobolds fend for themselves?¡±


    ¡°If the rest of the kobolds are defenseless it would seem pretty suspicious. Besides I managed to change some of the armor to cheaper sets and some of the weapons as well.¡±


    Even after clearing the second floor the mage still has yet to move during combat. One of the kobold even targeted her, but she just stood unmoving while one of the other adventurers stopped the kobold before it reached her.


    ¡°Focus the next group strictly on the mage. I want to see what kind of combat potential she has¡­ If we can I want to at least take her out so we can learn that spell, and maybe if she dies we would be able to get all that gear back.¡±


    Once the group reaches the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor I no longer have any gear that I can switch out, so the adventurers begin to get excited when they see the kobolds.


    Adventurer: ¡°That¡¯s what I am talking about. That full-plate armor and black leather armor will fetch a good price.¡±


    Adventurer 4: ¡°Don¡¯t let you guard down, and focus on the battle first.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Yea I know¡­¡±


    When the group moves forward the kobolds charge and the group is briefly surprised when the kobold charge past them heading straight for the mage at the back of the group. Only one of the kobolds manages to make it completely though the group the others being pulled back by the adventurers.


    However when the kobold reaches the mage she doesn¡¯t cast a spell but pulls a sword from inside her robe cutting both of the arms of the kobold clean off its body before kicking it in the chest causing it squirm around on the floor.


    The adventurer group then has a massive advantage over the kobold and they manage to clear out the kobolds with even less injury then the floor above. The leader of the group moves up to the mage after the battle and begins to apologize profusely to the mage.


    She points her blade at the leader of the group and he begins to tremble. She wipes the blood from her blade with the leader¡¯s clothes then without a single word sheathes her blade then begins healing the wounds of the rest of the group.


    The adventurer looks seriously relieved when the mage sheathes her blade and begins healing the rest of the group.


    ¡°The dynamic of this group looks to be quite different than I expected.¡±


    After the mage stores the gear with her spell they move on to one of the side rooms, the kobolds now focus a little more on defense but still try to focus on the mage, but they don¡¯t manage to get close to her.


    Even when they move off to the other side room the kobolds still can¡¯t manage to get even a single hit against the mage.


    ¡°I really want to know what this mage is capable of, but I am not wondering if we should cut our losses and just hide the rest?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Whatever Master thinks is best.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    I decide to store the remaining kobolds and leave only one golem in the middle of the big room so that it¡¯s not empty. When the adventurers are done with the other side room they make their way to the large room.


    The mage sticks to the back while the other four surround the golem. the golem doesn¡¯t stand a chance and falls without much damage to the group. The mage has a large smile on her face when she takes the magic crystal from the fallen golem and places it in a pouch at her waist.


    The adventurers enter the crystal room¡­ No matter how many times I have had adventurers in the crystal room even with no intention on destroying the crystal I still feel really insecure¡­ The adventurers make several comments on the crystal, and the mage investigates it closely.


    She removes gloves from her hands and places them on the crystal¡­ The feeling is quite odd. Nobody has touched the crystal before. Lilah told me the adventurers that where here while I was gone kicked it and spit on it, and I didn¡¯t feel anything.


    But with the mage touching my crystal with her bare hands it feels like someone has reached into my chest and is grasping ahold of my heart¡­She remains there for a few minutes and I can even feel sweat roll from my forehead for the first time as she simply holds her hands against the crystal.


    I am tempted to send in the kobolds and golems just to get her to let go of it as I begin to feel sick, but she leans forward placing a cheek against the crystal¡­


    Lilah: ¡°What is she doing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    The mage then stands back up and puts her gloves back on. She then looks over to the adventurer that I assumed was the leader and he then tells everyone it¡¯s time to go. The group then quickly leaves out from the dungeon checking all the rooms on their way out.


    I gathered the gear they left behind on the first floor so they couldn¡¯t steal it as well, and they didn¡¯t even seem bothered by it as they reach the first floor finding it gone. They make their way out of the dungeon and I finally manage to relax a bit and take a deep breath.


    I look at one of the screens and notice it hasn¡¯t even reached noon yet¡­ I collapse in one of the chairs.


    Lilah: ¡°Master what are we going to do now? We don¡¯t have enough xp to replace all the equipment we lost.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Lilah, we are going to have to make due I guess. I better let Belinda know we made it alright.¡±


    I start to send her a message but figure I can transfer back to the house and walk to the adventurer¡¯s guild, and I will still beat the adventurers. I then tell Lilah to let me know if something comes up. After transferring to the house I head out into Tobes to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    When I arrive at the guild Belinda looks a little troubled by my appearance, and walks over to me.


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I motion to the table and we go sit down away from the rest of the people in the guild.


    Belinda: ¡°Did the adventurers already go to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yea, they should be hitting town pretty quick. They wiped us out pretty good, and I don¡¯t know how we are going to hold on while we wait for you and the girls go get us more xp¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡±


    ¡°Well they took most of the weapons and armor from the dungeon, so if you can encourage them to sell it in town. We can buy most of it back?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I will see what I can do¡­But that is a lot of gear, I don¡¯t think I even have enough gold after everything we spent on building the house¡­¡±


    I tell Belinda about what happened up in the dungeon and about midway though she seems to become lost in thought. Once I finish though she seems to snap out of it and the group of adventurers enters the guild.


    Belinda quickly excuses herself to go help the adventurers. From what I see it seems the man seems to still act like the leader of the group while the mage appears to even appear meek in comparison to when she was in the dungeon.


    The group seems to have completed quite a few commissions up in the dungeon leading to quite a substantial amount of gold. I hear mention of a place to sell the equipment, and surprisingly Belinda mentions Denova.


    After the adventurer¡¯s get directions, and then leave Belinda returns to the table.


    ¡°That was surprising¡­ If they sell to Denova that will mean we have to deal with her you realize that right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know¡­ But she is probably the only one in town that has enough capital to buy any of the gear¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I just thought I would let you know how it went with the adventurers¡­ I better get back.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ You are sticking around to help me with Denova later!¡±


    Belinda leaves me sitting at the table while going back to work. The girls come in pretty soon after. once they get their commission taken care of they come sit down with me.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss, what you doing here so early in the day?¡±


    ¡°I left things to Lilah¡­ How are the commissions going?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It¡¯s starting to get pretty slow, everyone is getting prepared for a harsh winter this year so we are mostly helping with that.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°If I have to patch one more roof¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you Bell? Getting the hang of things?¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­I¡­Yes¡­¡± ¨CShe says while bowing her head.-


    Belinda starts to bring bowls of some thick liquid to the table handing it out to the girls. She then sets one down in front of me and sits down herself¡­


    Roxy: ¡°This soup is delicious Belinda, but if we are all here, what about poor Lilah?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She wanted to stay at home and keep an eye on the place, so we are going to take her some in a bit.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Being as young as Lilah is, she sure is pretty responsible¡­ Although I guess growing up like that you have to be able to take care of yourself¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Actually, Two-Twelve and I were wondering if you wouldn¡¯t mind helping keeping an eye on the house for a while.¡±


    I look to Belinda confused then she continues. ¡°Scylla, Zoey, Bell, and I are going to go on a trip to The Tower of the Gods in a few days, and Two-Twelve always manages to find a way to mess things up while we are gone, so we were wondering if you would give us a hand?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I was hoping I was going to be able to go with you guys when you went back¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I know Roxy, but your gear isn¡¯t good enough for The Tower of the Gods¡­ Maybe next time?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Yea I guess you are right¡­ I guess I can help Two-Twelve and Lilah out for a while. What about Bell though is she going to be ok?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Her class is Martial Artist, so she doesn¡¯t need any gear, if it wasn¡¯t for that she would have to wait till next time as well¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You went with us for all of our trips when we guided others into the dungeon. Maybe you can pick up where we left off? Would that be ok Boss?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any problem with it long as she follows the guild rules.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    We continue to chat while eating lunch, Belinda elbows me several times making me take a few bites¡­ After lunch the girls take another commission, Zoey throws a fit when she finds out its to repair one of the villagers house to get it ready for the winter, but after Roxy whispers in her ear they set out¡­


    Belinda talks to the receptionist, and then we both head out of the guild. Belinda takes some of the soup to Lilah like she said, which seems to make Lilah really excited¡­ We then set back out across Tobes heading to Denova¡¯s place.


    Once we head into Denova¡¯s place nobody is at the desk so we head into the bar area, Diamond is working behind the bar so we head over to her.


    Diamond: ¡°What are you two doing here?¡±


    ¡°We are actually here to talk to Denova.¡±


    Diamond: ¡°You are actually looking for Denova? That¡¯s quite the switch isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Tell me about it¡­ So is she here?¡±


    Diamond: ¡°She is taking care of a client right now, but she should be done shortly.¡±


    Belinda looks a little uncomfortable and says. ¡°Well maybe we should just come back later.¡±


    Diamond: ¡°Well it¡¯s not one of them type of clients¡­ Well at least not yet, but you never know¡­ Anyway she shouldn¡¯t be long.¡±


    We sit at the bar and wait a few minutes, Belinda nudges me with her elbow and points out one of the adventurers that hit the dungeon today sitting at one of the tables, but he appears to be alone. After waiting for a few more minutes Denova enters along with the mage woman and Denova shakes her hand with a big smile.


    The mage then heads to the table and the adventurer quickly gets to his feet and they head outside, I catch a glimpse of the mage casting [Clean] on her gloved hand that shook Denova¡¯s as she walks out the door.


    Denova quickly makes her way to us¡­


    Denova: ¡°My isn¡¯t this a surprise. First I hear you sending customers my way, and then here you are yourself. It hasn¡¯t begun snowing already has it?¡±


    I start to ask what she is talking about but Belinda cuts me off.


    Belinda: ¡°Of course not¡­ We actually came to check if you managed to buy some of the gear they were looking to sell. We might be interested in some of it.¡±


    Denova: ¡°If that is the case why didn¡¯t you just buy from them directly?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I figured you would have been able to buy in larger quantities, and get quite a bit of a discount. After all the help we have giving you, I figured we could be able to buy a few pieces for less then what we could of gotten them for ourselves.¡±


    Denova: ¡°HA that takes a lot of nerve in saying, but sure if you are willing to pay asking price I am not about to turn down a customer. Follow me.¡±


    Denova then leads us out of her place to a small building next door. We enter and find it has been converted to a warehouse of sorts with miscellaneous items packed away.


    Denova: ¡°I haven¡¯t gone though it yet, so it¡¯s all in these three crates over here.¡±


    She leads us to three large elongated crates that have weapons and armor from the dungeon scattered within.


    Belinda: ¡°My god¡­ How much did you buy all this for?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Nice try, just let me know if anything catches your eye, and I will price it for you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How did they get this much equipment from the dungeon?¡±


    Denova: ¡°The mage had magic to store items. Now do you want anything or not?¡±


    Belinda asks me quietly. ¡°Should we get a few of the rarer items or a bunch of the normal?¡±


    ¡°Well as you can see the dungeon has been pretty much cleared out, and we can¡¯t get more at the moment so the more we can get the better.¡±


    Belinda nods then picks up one of the normal steel swords.


    Belinda: ¡°How about one of these?¡±


    Denova: ¡°25 gold.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you crazy? You can get a brand new sword at the capital personally made for 25 gold.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well that¡¯s the capital, and our blacksmith in town is too busy repairing the villager¡¯s old pots and pans to make weapons or armor, so what¡¯s it going to be?¡±


    ¡°Surely you can be reasonable about this? What if we bought all the gear that isn¡¯t of higher quality?¡±


    Denova: ¡±That¡¯s over half of what is here. What do you need that much equipment for?¡±


    ¡°If we tell you will you sell it to us at cost?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Ha you¡¯re not that interesting anymore, I am sure it¡¯s to give to them slaves you keep freeing. Fine, how about 1000 gold?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°1000 gold¡­ I could order a wagon load of varies weapons and armors from the capital for 500 gold and that would even cover the shipping cost.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Alright, 500 gold.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t pay over 250 gold for this old damaged equipment.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Then maybe we can come to an arrangement?¡±


    ¡°What kind of an arrangement?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well you have denied my last three requests for a business permit.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am not letting another slave trader do business in Tobes.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Then what about all the ¡°not slaves¡± that mysteriously show up at your place, maybe you could send a few more that meet my specifications my way?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Absolutely not!¡±


    Denova: ¡°Then it looks like negotiations have broken down. Now if you will excuse me I got actual paying clients I need to get back too.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Fine 1 day permit, and I will give you the 250 gold, but you throw in one of the full-plate sets.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Deal. Now how about I throw in another full-plate set and one of them big shield thingies for a 1 day permit at least twice a year?


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck.¡±


    Denova: ¡°It was worth a shot.¡±


    We pack up the gear into two of the crates, and then Belinda asks me to wait here for while she goes and gets the gold and the permit. She tells me to keep an eye on the crates to make sure Denova doesn¡¯t do something.


    Once Belinda is gone Denova begins to show a sly smile on her face.


    Denova: ¡°Well I have something to attend to real quick, I will send someone to wait with you, and when Belinda returns she can come get me.¡±


    Denova then leaves the small building, then a few minutes later Cassandra enters.


    Cassandra: ¡°Oh¡­ Two-Twelve¡­ It¡¯s been quite a while¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry I have been busy lately.¡±


    Cassandra laughs and says. ¡°An apology straight away¡­I guess you haven¡¯t changed.¡±


    She hops up to sit on one of the crates, She is wearing her ¡°advertisement¡± clothes as Denova put it so as she sits on the crate with her legs on either side of one of the corners of the crate I keep my view somewhere else.


    Cassandra: ¡°I heard you moved into town, what happened to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t changed, but I just don¡¯t have to stay up there now.¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Well that¡¯s good I guess¡­¡±


    For some reason instead of the embarrassment I usually feel around Cassandra I instead am feeling uncomfortable. It only seems to get worse the longer we go without saying anything so I decide to try to hold a normal conversation¡­


    ¡°So how has things been going for you¡­?¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°¡­ Same old same old I guess. I miss our talks a little bit. I liked the downtime I guess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that¡­¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°There you go apologizing again.¡±


    ¡°Sor¡­¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°I guess things are going good for you and the princess then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I followed your advice and it worked out pretty well.¡±


    Cassandra seems to smile and lean forward a bit saying. ¡°So you finally sealed the deal then?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the way you want to put it. Then yes I guess so¡­¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Well? How was it? Did you curl her toes?¡±


    ¡°Curl her¡­? I don¡¯t even know what that is supposed to mean, but I don¡¯t think Belinda would be ok with me discussing it¡­¡±


    Cassandra: ¡°Ah come on can¡¯t you at least give me something?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea¡­¡±


    Things get awkward again, and stay that way until Belinda finally returns¡­ Belinda seems a little put off when she sees Cassandra but Cassandra quickly leaves to go get Denova¡­


    Belinda: ¡°What was she doing here?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea¡­ Denova¡¯s idea I am sure.¡±


    Denova returns and counts out the gold Belinda brought and reads over the permit.  Belinda seems to have called the girls over because they arrive shortly after she does dragging a cart. We load the two crates into the cart.


    Belinda tells them to take it to the house and with Zoey and Bell pulling it without much difficulty¡­


    Denova: ¡°Well nice doing business with you¡­¡±


    When we start to walk away Denova has to add one more comment.


    Denova: ¡°You moved into your new house right? I am looking forward to your housewarming party.¡±


    Belinda doesn¡¯t say anything and we make our way back towards the other side of town before I ask her what a house warming party is.


    Belinda: ¡°It is just a get together with your friends after you move into a new home. I figured you wouldn¡¯t care for the party so I never set anything up.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we use it to gather some xp before you leave?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°If you host one of these ¡°Housewarming¡± party things at the house and make sure everyone hangs around at least till midnight, then we can probably get a bit of xp.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I mean I guess we can¡­ But are you really ok with a party there at the house?¡±


    ¡°That was the reason you had the large dining room and ball room made was it not?¡±


    Belinda seems to start getting excited now.


    Belinda: ¡°Ok¡­ I am going to have to make a lot of preparations¡­ Unfortunately we won¡¯t have time to invite people from the capital if we have it before I leave, but we should be able to get a bunch of the villagers and some of the adventurers there.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    Belinda quickly hugs me and kisses my cheek before running off leaving me standing in the middle of the street¡­ Well she seemed excited anyway so I guess it will work out. I decide to head back to the house.

 Housewarming Party

    I waited till long after the sun went down but Belinda still hadn¡¯t returned home so I went ahead and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning I am still alone in bed, but the spot next to me is still warm so I must have just missed her¡­


    I decide to send Belinda a message just to make sure everything is ok. She apologizes and says if she is going to plan the party and prepare for the trip she is going to be pretty busy¡­ It¡¯s only going to be 4 days until they leave, does that mean I am not going to spend any of that time with her?


    I feel a feeling similar to when the adventurer was touching my crystal when I think about it, so I just get up and get dressed. I find the other girls are already gone as well. Somehow she even managed to get Zoey up early¡­


    I find Lilah in the core room chewing on a piece of bread.


    Lilah: ¡°Good morning! Does Master want a piece of toast? Lilah has extra.¡±


    ¡°Toast? It smells burnt to me¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah likes it¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s all that matters¡­ So anything interesting happening?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Not yet, Lilah managed to re-equip most of the monsters that spawned from the rifts, but the last group on the second floor and most of them on the third floor have nothing to equip¡­¡±


    ¡°Belinda is working on it¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Is Master talking about the housewarming party? Belinda seemed really excited about it this morning when she woke us up.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­She seems to be working really hard on it¡­ We figured if we had a party before they left and the people stayed at least till midnight we could collect the xp from them.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°I don¡¯t think that is why she is excited¡­¡±


    ¡°I gathered that¡­But I still don¡¯t understand why she gets so excited about parties¡­ I find them troublesome¡­¡±


    The next few days pass pretty slowly when I do see Belinda or any of the other girls they seem busy¡­ Belinda doesn¡¯t ever make it home till it¡¯s very late. I haven¡¯t even gotten to talk to her for more than five minutes at a time.


    The ballroom at the house has been filled with tables and chairs. There however is still a large empty space on the marble floor. Finally the day before the girls leave to head back to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon arrives and the housewarming party is planned for this evening.


    While Belinda and the rest of the girls make the final touches on the ballroom for the party they send me out to get one last box of supplies from the adventurer¡¯s guild. When I arrive the air seems rather tense¡­


    Most of the adventurers have a shocked appearance and the receptionists are bowing. I find Logan, Amy, and Amy¡¯s brother standing at the counter trying to talk to the receptionist¡­


    ¡°Hey, what are you guys doing here?¡±


    Logan turns around and sees me then walks over to me wrapping his arm around my shoulder while saying.


    Logan: ¡°Ah Two-Twelve, we come to see my sister, but they said she wasn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°Yea she is at home preparing for the housewarming party¡­ How where you guys able to make it time for it?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Housewarming party? She is having a party and didn¡¯t even bother to invite me?¡±


    ¡°Well it was sort of last minute, and she didn¡¯t think anyone from the capital would have time to arrive in time.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well I guess we are just lucky then!¡±


    ¡°I just came in to get the last of the supplies, if you give me a minute I can show you to the house and to Belinda.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Wonderful I would love to see what you and Belinda¡¯s home is like.¡±


    I go to gather the last of the supplies but Logan isn¡¯t happy until Amy¡¯s brother carries it instead of me¡­ I then lead them though Tobes heading to the house. Quite a few people bow to Logan and are whispering as we pass.


    Once we arrive at the house Logan says. ¡°Not bad for a country home¡­ We might hang around for a few days.¡±


    Once inside Logan looks around and nods saying. ¡°Where is Belinda at?¡±


    ¡°Through that door there to the right.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you give us a tour of the house real quick before we bother her.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    I lead them through the rest of the house showing them around.


    ¡°And upstairs are just the bedrooms¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Amy doesn¡¯t this place look just like that doll house Belinda had growing up?¡±


    Amy nods and says. ¡°Yes sir¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°She always was fond of the design¡­ Did she even put the marble in the ballroom floor?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°No wonder the cost was so high¡­I guess that makes you ¡°Sugar Bear¡±?¡±


    ¡°Sugar Bear?¡± I give him a questioning look while Amy tries to prevent herself laughing¡­


    Logan: ¡°She hasn¡¯t told you about sugar bear? Oh this is great¡­ The story will be so much better to tell it when she is around, so let¡¯s save it for later. Now if you want to distract her I want to sneak up behind her and surprise her.¡±


    ¡°Then I better take the supplies in¡­¡±


    I take the supplies from Amy¡¯s brother and take them into the ballroom I set them down and try to get Belinda¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Hey Belinda¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell anyone from the capital that you were throwing this party?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I knew they would be upset they couldn¡¯t make it so I figured it was best just not to tell them¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°My dear baby sister doesn¡¯t even bother to tell me she is throwing a party¡­ I feel so left out¡­!¡±


    Belinda quickly turns shocked. ¡°Logan! And Amy too? What are you both doing here?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I wanted to see how my dear baby sister is doing, but it looks like she doesn¡¯t even want me here.¡±


    Belinda moves over to him and hugs him, then greets Amy.


    Belinda: ¡°I am glad you¡¯re here, although I was going to head out tomorrow to go train at The Tower of the Gods one last time before winter hit¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°You just got back after your trip to the capital and you are leaving again? You haven¡¯t even been back a week¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well if we wait too long the weather will probably prevent us from returning all the way up till next spring¡­ I need to get at least 2 more weeks of training in before that¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°What about Two-Twelve? You said he wasn¡¯t an adventurer right?¡±


    ¡°Yea, I am going to keep an eye on things here while she goes¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well maybe we will still stick around for a few days. It would give me a chance to get to know my future brother-in-law better.¡±


    Belinda blushes and says. ¡°We still haven¡¯t even talked about that!¡±


    Logan: ¡°But surely you built this house for your sugar bear?¡±


    Belinda makes an odd squeaking noise while blushing brightly. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell him about sugar bear did you?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Of course not¡­ I am going to save it for the party!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t!?¡±


    Logan smiles a sly smile worthy of Denova while saying. ¡°I guess we will have to see.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am begging you please don¡¯t¡­¡± ¨CBelinda stands there in an awkward silence for a few moments before saying. ¨C ¡°I have a lot more to do before the guests start arriving, so Two-Twelve can you show them to the spare rooms. Amy if you want you can stay and give me a hand.¡±


    Amy nods and steps forward. Logan puts his arm around my shoulder again and says.


    Logan: ¡°Well I guess the guys are getting kicked out¡­¡±


    We start to walk back into the entrance area when he stops looking over at the bar in the corner then he talks rather loudly where Belinda can hear.


    Logan: ¡°Wait that bar wasn¡¯t there¡­ Isn¡¯t that where the love love swing is supposed to be?¡±


    I can hear the item Belinda was holding drop to the floor and break as she blushes brightly again¡­Logan picks up the pace and quickly pulls me out of the room. Once out of the room I lead Logan and Amy¡¯s brother upstairs.


    ¡°We have the three rooms on this side that share a bath, and bathroom there, you guys can use those rooms. Or we do have a larger room on this side, but you would have to share a bath, and bathroom with Zoey and Roxy¡­ That might not be a pleasant experience.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Hey I am always happy to share a bath with some ladies. Are they some of your servants?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Zoey is kind of, but she is more like family¡­ And Roxy is her¡­ Lover?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Oh the wind blows that way does it¡­? I¡¯ll take this room!¡± -He says while motioning to the room beside Zoey and Roxy¡¯s.-


    I show him the room, it¡¯s not fancy or anything, it just has a simple bed, desk, a set of dresser drawers.


    Logan: ¡°This will do fine¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting a party though, so has Tobes managed to have a clothing store yet?¡±


    ¡°Well there is a tailor of sorts but nothing fancy¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well I can¡¯t show up at my sisters party dressed like this. Why don¡¯t you show me around town and we can see what we find.¡±


    ¡°Alright I guess¡­¡±


    I lead Logan around Tobes, but he keeps getting distracted by the buildings and shops, he seems to be checking out the town more than actually looking for a new outfit¡­


    Logan: ¡°So Belinda really does own most of the businesses in town?¡±


    ¡°Well, she owns most of the property and buildings. She lets the people running them make the business decisions though. The only one she takes the profits from is the inn, which is what she uses to boost the adventurer¡¯s guild commissions. The rest she just charges rent on.¡±


    Logan: ¡°It¡¯s quite amazing what she has accomplished in just a year¡­ The main businesses still focus on the revenue from the adventurers, this winter is going to be the test if it will hold up I am sure.¡±


    We finally make it to the tailor but don¡¯t really find anything suitable. The tailor looks pretty distraught at not being able to help the prince, but Logan reassures him.


    Logan: ¡°I am sure if I gave you enough time you could have made me something suitable.¡±


    Tailor: ¡°Well there is one more place you can check¡­ But I don¡¯t know if it would be appropriate for the prince to be seen there.¡±


    The tailor and I look at each other and both say it at the same time¡­ ¡°Denova¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°The brothel owner? Why would the brothel carry such things?¡±


    ¡°Well Denova is quite the entrepreneur¡­ The bar she added to the brothel is better than the adventurer¡¯s guild and the actual tavern as well. She has a warehouse where she buys, sells, and trades, just about anything she can make a profit off of¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°She always was a sly one¡­ Maybe I can get the best of her this time¡­¡±


    I heard Logan talk about knowing of Denova when we were at the capital, but I didn¡¯t know he knew her personally¡­ The tailor seems rather shocked as well but doesn¡¯t say a word¡­ Logan, Amy¡¯s brother, and I then leave the tailor and begin heading across town.


    Logan: ¡°Do you really think we could find something at the brothel.¡±


    ¡°Well when Belinda and I made a trade with her the other day I did see quite a few racks of clothes in her warehouse¡­ But when dealing with Denova I am more worried about what it¡¯s going to cost¡­¡±


    When we arrive at Denova¡¯s place Amy¡¯s brother speaks for the first time after stopping Logan. ¡°Sir, I should go in and speak with her.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Nonsense, Two-Twelve did say it was the best bar in town, as long as we get a drink it will be fine.¡±


    Amy¡¯s brother: ¡°But sir, what if Madam Queen finds out you visited a brothel in your travels¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°You know¡­ Maybe you are right¡­¡±


    Amy¡¯s brother starts to enter but appears hesitant¡­


    ¡°You know I could do it if you want¡­¡±


    Amy¡¯s brother then steps inside.


    ¡°I heard you talk of Denova before. I didn¡¯t know you actually dealt with her personally¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well she did work at the best brothel at the capital, of course as prince I never could partake in any of their services, but I have had to drag many a soldiers from there¡­ Denova always proves most¡­formidable¡±


    ¡°I know exactly what you mean¡­¡±


    We wait in silence for a few minutes until Amy¡¯s brother seemingly flees from the brothel with Denova following behind.


    Denova: ¡°Well well.¡± ¨CDenova bows to Logan. - ¡°Not only do I get the pleasure of Two-Twelve twice in a week, but Prince Logan himself even wishes to do business.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well, I am sure Kline filled you in on the details, so can you help me out?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Of course of course, I think I have just what you need.¡±


    She leads us into her warehouse¡­


    Denova: ¡°Although it¡¯s kind of surprising to find you without the proper attire.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I was just expecting to come visit my sister for a few days, and I didn¡¯t expect this kind of thing.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Curious, I haven¡¯t heard of any event taking place in Tobes. Two-Twelve you¡¯re not holding out on me are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, it¡¯s just a formal meeting¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°So it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the party you and Princess Belinda are throwing this evening that I wasn¡¯t invited to?¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Make no mistake I can keep a secret, but no secret can be kept from me.¡± -Moves over to one of the clothing racks checking though it. -  ¡°Here this one ought to work, might be a bit snug though.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Thank you, and the cost?¡±


    Denova: ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly take gold from the prince when he comes to me for help.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Thanks but I prefer to settle my debts upfront.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Very well how about an exchange then?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Settle my debts with gold, and I am sure you wouldn¡¯t overcharge the prince.¡±


    Denova clicks her tongue then says. ¡°Very well¡­ 5 gold¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¨CLogan then pays Denova the gold.-


    We then quickly make our way back towards the house¡­


    ¡°That went a lot better than I expected, especially after finding out she knew about the party¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°You¡¯re not kidding¡­ I finally got her¡­¡±


    Once we return to the house Logan drops off the clothing, and then asks me. ¡°So how much longer till the party?¡±


    ¡°We still have a few hours. it¡¯s going to start about sundown¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°So what other kind of trouble can we get into until then?¡±


    ¡°Other than the dungeon you have seen about everything there is to see in Tobes.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well I definitely want to check the dungeon out before heading back to the capital, but I wouldn¡¯t want to get turned around and miss Belinda¡¯s party¡­ She would skin me alive¡­ I will have to put that off for a day or two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about it then¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well we still haven¡¯t gotten any lunch, and if I have one learned one thing, it¡¯s never drink on an empty stomach, so why don¡¯t we go grab something?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­Alright¡­¡±


    We head back out of the house into town. I lead Logan and Kline to the restaurant in town. Actually I have never been here¡­ Belinda keeps talking about bringing me here, but every time we have our weekly dinner together she insists on cooking it instead¡­


    Once we enter I am greeted by a familiar face. It¡¯s Heart the fox beastkin that came from Queen¡¯s dungeon.


    Heart: ¡°How unusual to see you stop by.¡±


    ¡°Yea, I am showing Belinda¡¯s brother around, and we thought we would stop in for something to eat.¡±


    Kline leans over and whispers into Logan¡¯s ear. Logan then takes a hard look at Heart¡­


    Heart: ¡°I am terribly sorry I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± ¨CShe bows to Logan.-


    Logan: ¡°Think nothing of it. It is actually quite refreshing to find someone that doesn¡¯t automatically know who I am¡­But I can¡¯t help to think haven¡¯t we met before?¡±


    Heart: ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ I think I would remember meeting a prince before.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Was it not you who introduced young master to lady Queen at the ruins of Leona?¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s right, it was you. After you introduced us, Queen asked if we would give you, and the other two you were traveling with a ride to the capital¡­ How did you end up here in Tobes?¡±


    Heart: ¡°The city was just too much for us so we made our way out here.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am glad I got the chance to meet you again, I wanted to really thank you for introducing me to Queen. And what of the others are they here as well?¡±


    Heart: ¡°Clover is attending the school your sister built, we are still together, but Diamond¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°Where did she go?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Kline here took quite a shine to her as well¡­¡±


    Heart: ¡°She is still in town but fortunately, or maybe it¡¯s unfortunately for you she has taken up working for Denova¡­ That¡¯s the¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yea¡­ we know¡­ Well Kline maybe you can pay her a visit some time while we are here?¡±


    Kline: ¡°I must pass¡­¡±


    Heart: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you may sit where you like, I need to help the other customers¡­ And I will be with you in a few minutes¡­¡±


    After we take a seat Kline has a pitiful look on his face.


    Logan: ¡°So Two-Twelve, how did you meet Heart? It sounds like it wasn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°When the girls first arrived Belinda and I gave them a hand. Belinda is the one that got Heart the job here and Clover in school. She tried to talk Diamond out of working for Denova but she was convinced that was what she wanted to do so Belinda didn¡¯t stop her.¡±


    Kline seems to slump lower in his chair¡­When Heart returns she asks us what we want to drink and I don¡¯t know what to say so I just order coffee, I kind of liked it the other morning when Belinda fixed it. Logan nods and orders the same, but Kline just asks for some water.


    Heart suggests several food items, and I have no idea what any of them are, so I wait for Logan to order something and I order the same, Kline follows suit and gets the same as well.


    Logan: ¡°Come on Kline, don¡¯t take it too hard, remember that beastkin girl the joined an army? You had a thing for her too and remember how that turned out.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Don¡¯t remind me¡­ But I thought Diamond was something special. To find out her taking a job like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Roxy was tending bar for Denova before Zoey paid off her debt, and it doesn¡¯t seem to bother them any¡­¡±


    Logan leans in to whisper in my ear.


    Logan: ¡°Kline is still a virgin¡­ He always falls hard for the short tailed beastkin girls, but never does anything about it.¡±


    ¡°Well the only other short tailed beastkin woman I know is Lilah and she is still too young, but maybe we can introduce him to Bell or Scylla, they all live with Belinda and me.¡±


    Logan laughs then says outload. ¡°Look here Kline you even got Two-Twelve here trying to play matchmaker for you.¡±


    Kline seems to sink lower into his chair then Logan has a curious look on his face.


    Logan: ¡°You said Zoey, Roxy, Lilah, Bell, and Scylla? With Belinda that¡¯s a lot of women you got there¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it just kind of worked out that way¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t envy you one bit¡­ There was four of us and only three girls, and they still seemed to outnumber us¡­¡±


    ¡°Well they are all pretty good girls, and do what I ask of them so I can¡¯t really complain.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You will have to tell me your secret sometime¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­?¡±


    When the food arrives it seems to be bread stuffed with some kind of cooked meat and vegetables. Logan finishes the entire thing, but Kline eats much slower and I keep his pace, I am thankful when he quits with just about half of it left though.


    Logan: ¡°If that¡¯s all you two are going to eat. You¡¯re not going to make it long before passing out tonight.¡±


    When Heart returns after the meal Logan pays her with quite a few gold coins she looks shocked and starts to protest.


    Logan: ¡°Just say its thanks for introducing me to Queen, and keep taking care of the little one.¡±


    Heart: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    After we leave Kline still looks down.


    Logan: ¡°Well what about Heart? I know you prefer the short tailed ones but she was quite the fox.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Very funny.¡±


    Logan: ¡°She is taking care of that young beastkin girl as well, so she sounds like a pretty good girl.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Sounds like she has too much baggage to me.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You keep it up and you¡¯re going to be that grouchy old man alone at the bar.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Besides I have my duties to you, I can¡¯t just chase women.¡±


    Logan: ¡°If that¡¯s what you are going to try to defend with, part of your duties is having a child to be there for my kids when the time comes.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Well excuse me if my inability to pick up women is affecting your plan.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You¡¯re just too picky that¡¯s all it is, and when you finally do find a woman that matches your criteria you don¡¯t do nothing about it. You might not like the fluffy tails, but a lot of women go for that sort of thing, and you are quite the strong adventurer as well.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that. You¡¯re an adventurer as well?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yea he goes everywhere with me, so he is almost as strong as I am.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    When we arrive at the house Zoey is waiting at the door wearing a fancy dress that she looks like she really dislikes her long hair is also tied off on one side in a ponytail. Even her thick tail looks thoroughly brushed.


    She grabs the hems of her dress and awkwardly curtseys with an uncomfortable smile. ¡°Welcome back Bo..Sir¡±


    ¡°Looks like Belinda really did a number on you¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Haha¡­You better get ready yourself the other guests should be arriving pretty soon.¡±


    Logan and I nod, after walking upstairs right before Logan walks into his room to prepare I ask him.


    ¡°What about Kline? We didn¡¯t think to get him some clothes.¡±


    Kline: ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary I serve the young master.¡±


    Logan: ¡°No, he is right¡­ This is Belinda¡¯s house so we got to follow her rules. That means you need to cut loose and have fun tonight you hear me?¡±


    Kline: ¡°But sir¡­¡±


    ¡°I will see if I can come up with something for him.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Thanks I appreciate it.¡±


    Logan disappears into his room, and I tell Kline I am going to go get ready and see if I can find something for him and head to my own room.


    Roxy is standing outside my bedroom door wearing a fancy dress that matches the one Zoey was wearing but somehow it seems to look more natural on her then it did Zoey. When she sees me she pokes her head in the bedroom saying something.


    She tells me to wait for a minute and then pokes her head back into the room¡­ Shortly later Belinda¡¯s bare arm sticks out of the door holding a covered garment bag with an outfit for me to wear¡­After I take the outfit the door quickly shuts again¡­


    Roxy: ¡°She wants it to be a surprise¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I needed to see if I had something for Amy¡¯s brother to wear as well.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Oh you don¡¯t have to worry about that Amy took care of that already. Zoey and I are already done, so you can use our bathroom to get ready if you want.¡±


    I nod then head back downstairs. I choose not to enter Zoey and Roxy¡¯s room and instead use the unused room next to where Amy will be staying¡­ I open the bag and find a very detailed and elaborate outfit¡­ It looks far more expensive than the outfit I wore to meet the king in¡­


    The size is clearly wrong, but that is easily fixed when I store it and equip it with [Menu]. After checking myself over I leave the room and check on Logan¡­After knocking on the door he answers it while putting on a jacket that matches my own¡­


    Logan: ¡°I guess we went through all that trouble at Denova¡¯s for nothing¡­They even got my size pretty close¡­ What about Kline?¡±


    ¡°I am pretty sure he got one too¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°So the girl at the front door when we arrived, which one was she?


    ¡°I am sorry I should have introduced you, that one was Zoey. Oh speaking of which. Hey Zoey come here!¡±


    Zoey who was clearly trying to sneak off somewhere but quickly turns around when she seen us suddenly freezes. With a big toothy grin and rubbing the back of her head she turns back around heading over to us.


    Zoey: ¡°What¡¯s up boss?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to mess your hair up if you keep that up¡­And what happened to Sir?¡±


    She drops her arm and holds her hands in front of her. ¡°Sorry Sir!¡±


    ¡°I am just giving you a hard time, just be careful around Belinda¡­ I wanted to introduce you to Belinda¡¯s brother I forgot to earlier¡­¡±


    She awkwardly bows to Logan flinging her hair about¡­ I try to fix it the best I can¡­ ¡°You¡¯re a mess already¡­ You better get back to what Belinda was having you doing before she gets done.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yes bo..Sir!¡±


    She quickly retreats back down the stairs¡­ We wait for a few more minutes for Kline, but Roxy comes down the stairs.


    ¡°You might want to go keep an eye on Zoey¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Yea I figured¡­¡±


    ¡°By the way this is Belinda¡¯s brother Logan.¡±


    Roxy elegantly bows and introduces herself to Logan she then starts to excuse herself but stops.


    Roxy: ¡°Belinda told me that you probably need to go check on Lilah to make sure she is ready.¡±


    She then heads down the stairs. Logan then knocks on Kline¡¯s door and he answers.


    Logan: ¡°Are you ready yet we have been waiting on you¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°Sorry¡­ I have never worn anything like this before¡­¡±


    Kline grabs the jacket from the bed and Logan helps him put it on right, I then lead them downstairs. I introduce Kline to both Zoey and Roxy before leading the guys into the ballroom.


    ¡°You guys just sit where ever you like, I need to go check on Lilah, and I will be right back¡­¡±


    After leaving the ballroom and heading back upstairs I duck into one of the rooms to transfer to the core room. Lilah is sitting in the chair watching the screens her dress still sitting out on the bed¡­


    ¡°Lilah¡­ What are you doing? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be getting ready?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah doesn¡¯t like it!¡±


    ¡°Zoey and Roxy are wearing one just like it so I am sure everyone else is as well.¡±


    I store the dress in the inventory and then equip it on Lilah. She jumps up and stomps her feet.


    Lilah: ¡°Master that¡¯s not fair!¡±


    ¡°You need to get to the house and finish getting ready, we don¡¯t want to disappoint Belinda now do we?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes Master¡­¡±


    She then transfers from the room¡­ I look though the screens and see Roxy already having to fix Zoey¡¯s hair again¡­This is going to be a long night¡­ I transfer back to the house and return to the ball room.


    Logan: ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind I helped myself behind the bar.¡±


    ¡°No problem, go right ahead¡­¡±


    Logan is sitting at the bar with a drink while, Kline is sitting next to him pretty awkwardly. When the door opens Kline automatically jumps to his feet standing up straight. Lilah comes hopping into the room followed by Scylla as she tries to grab her to fix her hair.


    Scylla: ¡°Lilah hold still for a second! Oh I am so sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t realize anyone was here already¡­¡±


    ¡°This is Belinda¡¯s brother Logan, and I am sure you met Amy earlier this is her brother Kline.¡±


    She bows and curtsies while introducing herself. She then grabs Lilah firmly setting her down in the chair to finish her hair¡­


    Logan leans over to whisper to Kline. Kline shoots him a look and Logan smiles.


    Logan: ¡°Quite a bunch you got here Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    ¡°Quite¡­ Scylla have you seen Bell?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Amy and Bell are helping Belinda finish get ready. Belinda wanted me to make sure Lilah was ready. They should be down in a moment.¡±


    Logan leans over to me and whispers. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude but what is she?¡±


    ¡°Oh its ok she is used to it. Scylla is a salamander beastkin, She is rather fond of her uniqueness so you can ask her about it if you want. She likes hearing stories from adventurers as well.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I have never seen a salamander beastkin before¡­ I have seen an avian beastkin once and thought that was rather unique as well.¡±


    ¡°All the girls except Roxy and Bell are feral beastkin as well I hear that¡¯s pretty rare in these parts as well.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Her skin¡­ It¡¯s interesting.¡±


    ¡°If you ask her about it I am sure she will let you feel it¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Hell I will¡­¡±


    Logan gets up heading over to Scylla after talking to her a second he lightly bows and she laughs holding out her arm. Logan gently takes her hand and kisses it causing Scylla to blush he then gently rubs her arm.


    He bows again then returns to the bar.


    Logan: ¡°See Kline, that simple. She sure is something.¡±


    Amy enters the room next she heads over to our group¡­


    Amy: ¡°Excuse me sir.¡± ¨CShe says while bowing to Logan.- ¡°I was instructed by Belinda to disregard rank for tonight if that is ok with you.¡±


    Logan: ¡°This is her house, so I am just a guest here myself do what you like.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Thanks¡­ Two-Twelve may I get a drink?¡±


    ¡°Help yourself¡­¡±


    She gets a drink and sits next to her brother.


    Logan: ¡°See Kline, you could learn a thing or two from your sister.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I rather not¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°So what did you guys do today?¡±


    ¡°I just showed them around town¡­¡±


    The next to enter the room is Belinda¡­ She her dress looks much like the other girls but is far more detailed and extravagant. Her hair has been curled into long flowing curls and she looks truly stunning¡­ Bell follows her in with her head bowed and seemingly rather embarrassed.


    Belinda quickly walks over to us and says. ¡°What do you think?¡± While twirling around in a circle.


    After a few seconds I can¡¯t find the words so Logan speaks up first. ¡°You look great little sis.¡± Which causes me to snap out of it and I simply reply with. ¡°Yes¡­Stunning¡­¡±


    Belinda blushes a bit and smiles. She then grabs my arms pulling me to my feet.


    Belinda: ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t plan to sit at the bar all night do you?¡±


    She pulls me to a large table at the far end of the room separated from all the other tables. Logan eventually follows but Amy and Kline remain at the bar. After sitting me down at the center of the elongated table facing the rest of the room she sets Logan down next to me.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you two doing? Your family tonight as well, you two come sit down over here as well!¡± ¨CShe says calling out to Amy and Kline.-


    Bell unsure what to do moves to stand next to Scylla who just finally finished Lilah¡¯s hair, and Lilah quickly runs over to sit next to me but Belinda moves her over one chair.  Logan grabs ahold of Belinda¡¯s arm as she goes by, and Amy sits a few chairs down from Logan.


    Logan whispers to Belinda and they both smile and Belinda nods she then moves over to Kline stopping him from sitting next to Logan then takes him down a few chairs setting him down. She then instructs Scylla and Bell to sit on either side of him.


    Belinda then introduces Bell to Logan and Kline. Scylla seems unaffected but Bell and Kline both seem rather nervous.


    Belinda: ¡°Everyone else should start arriving soon. Two-Twelve why don¡¯t we go relieve Roxy and Zoey.¡±


    She then drags me out of the room into the entranceway.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry to ask this of you Roxy, but can you make sure everyone has what they need tonight?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You have done so much for me, I would be happy too¡­ Come on Zoey¡­¡±


    They head off into the ballroom and Belinda and I talk for a while for the first time in a few days¡­But it still doesn¡¯t feel very long as it is cut short when the guests begin to arrive. Most of the people to show up are the villagers with a few awkward adventurers here and there.


    Belinda really makes an effort when one of the adventurers shows up reassuring them that they are welcome. When the Mayor arrives he is locked arms with Denova¡­


    Mayor: ¡°Greetings, you look beautiful Belinda¡­ I hope you don¡¯t mind I invited a guest¡­¡±


    Belinda tries her best to smile and says¡­ ¡°Thank you¡­ It¡¯s not a problem¡­¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Two-Twelve, I would like to talk to you a little bit more about what we discussed the other day if you have time this evening.¡±


    ¡°Ok, if I get the chance¡­¡±


    The Mayor and Denova head inside with Denova wearing a sly smile like always¡­ Belinda then asks me what he meant.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ I will tell you about it later...¡±


    When Susan from the bakery arrives Belinda gives her a hug and they talk a few minutes before she heads inside. Not long after Susan heads in someone truly shocking arrives¡­


    Madam Erin: ¡°What¡¯s the matter pup, you look surprised to see me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh you made it! I am so glad.¡±


    Madam Erin looks around and says. ¡°I am glad you invited me¡­ When I got your message I was rather curious so I thought I would check it out¡­ I can¡¯t stay long but thanks for having me.¡±


    Madam Erin excuses herself and ducks into the ballroom.


    ¡°¡­ You invited Madam Erin?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not a problem is it?¡±


    ¡°Well no¡­ But the fact she actually showed up is quite surprising.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think you are underestimating how much she really cares for you. She is like your mother after all.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s more complicated than that¡­¡±


    We wait for a while longer greeting people that arrive, and after it seems everyone has arrived we head into the ballroom ourselves.


    Madam Erin is sitting at one of the tables with the Mayor and Denova, while being surrounded by people as she is loudly telling stories¡­


    Belinda: ¡°She could have sat at our table¡­ Well she looks like she is enjoying herself so I guess that¡¯s what matters¡­¡±


    After we head to our table and sit down Logan asks Belinda. ¡°Who is that lady?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Her name is Madam Erin¡­ She is the one that helped Two-Twelve when he needed it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Madam Erin you say¡­? How old is she?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ah¡­ Why?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well you are too young to remember Grandpa, but he used to tell stories. That woman reminded me of one of the stories from when he was a boy, and she called herself Madam Erin as well.¡±


    Belinda awkwardly laughs and says. ¡°It¡¯s got to be a coincidence¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°There are heroes whose lives are lengthened considerably after they destroy a dungeon, so you don¡¯t think that it could be the same person, do you? What do you think Two-Twelve?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I mean she rarely ever talked about herself¡­ So I mean I guess it¡¯s a possibility. She never mentioned knowing your family though¡­¡±


    As the party progresses things finally settle down around Madam Erin, and Logan goes and speaks with her for a while. Scylla finally gets Kline to loosen up a bit and he is telling her stories of the adventurers he and Logan have been on with her watching with starry eyes¡­


    Bell sits there quietly without a word until Belinda suggest she go see if Roxy needs a hand after Zoey gives up helping to feed her face¡­ Amy decides to help as well. Belinda becomes excited when one of the adventurers asks if he can play some music. Belinda quickly agrees and several couples move to the empty stone floor and spin each other around with the music.


    Belinda: ¡°Come on Two-Twelve, let¡¯s dance!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like they are doing¡­ Come on I will show you.¡±


    She quickly pulls me to my feet, dragging me to the other people.


    Logan: ¡°Kline, I know you can dance, why don¡¯t you take the young lady there out there?¡±


    Kline shoots him a look, but Scylla quickly says. ¡°I would love to¡­¡± Kline looks hesitant but leads Scylla out on the floor as well. It takes me a while to figure it out, but the concept seems simple enough so I eventually manage to follow Belinda¡¯s lead without accidently stepping on her.


    Logan surprisingly asks Madam Erin to dance, and she agrees. The sight is pretty bizarre like a bear dancing with a child¡­ While Kline¡¯s awkwardness seems to fade once he begins to dance with Scylla and he then seems to be the most proficient person on the floor¡­


    After a while Belinda thanks the adventurer playing the music and pays him with quite a bit of gold which he looks shocked and tries to turn down but she keeps insisting till he finally takes it. He continues to play for a while longer after Belinda and I sit back down.


    Scylla and Kline have seemed too disappeared at some point, Roxy and Zoey danced for a short time but they ended up disappearing as well. After dancing with Madam Erin, Logan dances with several of the other women at the party. He even forces Amy and Bell to dance with him for a while.


    As midnight approaches a few people have left, but most still remain. 15 or so minutes before midnight Madam Erin asks to speak with me in private¡­


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I must take my leave now, but I wanted to make sure you know what you are doing. I think I figured out your plan. You used that imitation core to make this house a secondary dungeon correct?¡±


    ¡°I got a plan in place.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So you do plan to extend it though the town? How are you going to manage to clear the people from an area before expanding it? Lucille still has difficulty with that every time the capital expands.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­? I tried a few things and it seemed to work, but maybe I was wrong¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well if it doesn¡¯t go as planned I am sure you will figure something out. You seem to be taking quite the unique approach to it that is for sure. Well it¡¯s almost midnight so I better get out of here. By the way nice trick with the party¡­¡±


    Without another word Madam Erin leaves. I return to Belinda and the party and wait on the message at midnight¡­

 Logans Trip to the Dungeon

    After midnight hit I had to physically stop myself from calling out loud as I received 5,620xp. I eagerly want to retreat to the core room and being work, but Belinda makes me stick to the party till everyone is gone¡­


    Once the last person is gone Logan wants to help clean up but Belinda says we will take care of it and sends them on their way to bed. Once everyone is clear Belinda uses [Menu] clean the entire room in less than five minutes¡­


    Belinda is in a truly happy mood as we head up to bed. The mood continues once we are between the sheets and it¡¯s the wee hours of the morning before we finally go to sleep¡­ So when Belinda wakes me up a few short hours later I am still pretty tired.


    Belinda: ¡°We are setting out for Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon today, so we need to get a move on¡­ Are you going to be alright here with my brother?¡±


    ¡°It should be alright, he wants to head up to the dungeon while here that is the most concerning thing, but I don¡¯t think he will put us in any danger.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I will make sure before I leave he knows not to lay a finger on the crystal¡­¡±


    After preparing a big breakfast we use the large dining room for the first time. I simply drink some coffee while everyone eats. Scylla and Kline are teased throughout the meal by Zoey and Logan respectively about disappearing the night before.


    They keep insisting there was nothing to it, that they just talked but both are blushing quite a bit, so I can¡¯t be for certain¡­ We all then see the girls off as they prepare to set out and Kline stands there holding Scylla¡¯s hands as they both blush talking quietly and nodding, which seems far more than just talk¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve you better behave this time¡­Promise me!¡±


    ¡°I will do my best, I promise¡­¡±


    Belinda then kisses me and gives me a big hug before setting out. While we watch them walk away, and when they finally disappear though the streets of Tobes, Logan leans over to Kline and says.


    Logan: ¡°So¡­ What really happened last night?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Young Master, I swear nothing happened¡­ I would never lie to you!¡± ¨CHe says while blushing.-


    Amy: ¡°When you parted just now it looked like a lot more than nothing¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Right!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Sure Scylla has quite the unique appearance, but she is truly a good girl.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What would the babies look like?¡±


    Lilah¡¯s makes a comment that causing Kline to hang his head, and Logan to bust out laughing¡­


    ¡°You know I actually don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Beastkin children always favor strictly one parent. The same with a beastkin and a human, although very rarely if the child is a human they might have small traits prominent of the beastkin. Like eyes, teeth that sort of thing, but it¡¯s usually only one thing.¡±


    Kline: ¡°It was only 1 kiss! It wasn¡¯t even on the lips!¡±


    Amy: ¡°Kline¡­ You¡¯re 30 years old¡­ That is sad¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough don¡¯t tease him to much¡­But do you plan on continuing with any kind of relationship?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Well she said she would like to talk with me again, but we didn¡¯t talk about anything like that¡­ I would have to get Two-Twelve and your permission before I even considered it¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°You¡¯re such a knucklehead¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad Kline, I still have trouble with such things, Belinda has to spell out what she expects of me¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Sadly he is telling the truth¡­At least Logan is normal¡­¡±


    ¡°If you will excuse me, I have a few things I need to take care of this morning. Can you help them if they need anything Roxy?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Leave it to me¡­¡±


    Lilah and I retreat back into the house. After ducking into one of the rooms we transfer to the core room. Though the screens I see Roxy telling the others more about Tobes. I turn my attention to the dungeon¡­


    I need to replace the weapons of the kobolds, but first I need to see how much it costs to expand the area around the house¡­ I try broadening the area of the dungeon but even taking it to the max it only covers the street and a small section of the inn.


    I also receive a warning saying I can¡¯t finalize while a structure is only partly covered¡­I instead take it right to the edge of the inn and stretch the area along the road taking it as far as I can and then finalize it¡­


    1000 xp down and still haven¡¯t accomplished anything. Even starting fresh with another area right on the edge of the inn I can¡¯t manage to cover both wings of the inn in a single room so I have to double the cost to expand it further.


    For another 2000 xp I finally manage to cover the entire inn, part of the main street into Tobes, and another small business next to the inn. I hate to leave it with only that, but I better use the rest of the xp on the actual dungeon¡­


    Lilah: ¡°What are we going to do with all these extra screens? I mean are they really necessary?¡±


    ¡°I think if we just stack each building together and if for some reason we want to check that one we just go to it, but for the most part I don¡¯t think it will be needed.¡±


    I am actually pleased that this worked fine, by the way Madam Erin talked last night I was starting to get worried¡­ I wonder why Lucille has such difficulty¡­ I then spend most of the remaining xp on replacing items in the dungeon, and I save a small safety net. I finally feel like we are getting back on track now.


    I see several messages adding summon-able items to my list from the items in the inn and the other small business.  There is even a message about new summon-able monsters, but at 1xp cost I doubt a cat, rat, or small bird will benefit me much.


    My xp consumption went up quite a bit as well it¡¯s up to almost 50xp per day¡­ I might want to make sure this inn is going to pay off before expanding to much more. I didn¡¯t even realize it but the xp consumed raised my level as well.


    I haven¡¯t caught up with Belinda yet, but I have at least caught up with Scylla and Zoey, but I am sure they are going to gain more levels while they are gone¡­


    ¡°Well Lilah, I think that¡¯s all I can do for now, I guess I will leave the rest to you. Logan wanted to hit the dungeon while he was here, so if we happen to enter the dungeon, just remove the non-rift monsters.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok, Lilah will take care of everything!¡±


    I transfer back to the house and head into Tobes to look for Logan. Finding the prince in a small village proves very easy as every villager seems to know exactly where he is¡­ I find them at the adventurer¡¯s guild looking at the commissions on the board.


    Logan: ¡°Oh Two-Twelve are you done already?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to check to see how you four where doing¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°I was going to go to the dungeon but Amy insisted that I waited for you¡­ So we were just taking a look at the commissions.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to head out to the dungeon without you knowing where we went.¡±


    ¡°I heard about your level from Belinda, so I am sure the dungeon won¡¯t be anything for you, but Belinda has put a lot of work into keeping it balanced for the adventurers, so I ask you not disturb it too much¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well I heard several of your girls lead tours into the dungeon, so I thought I would leave it up to Roxy.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Oh I don¡¯t know¡­ We talked about it, but I have never done it by myself, and my gear is not as good as Scylla or Zoey¡¯s...¡±


    ¡°I could go with you and help.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But you haven¡¯t gone to the dungeon before have you? You only recently got your adventurer¡¯s ID¡±


    ¡°Well that is true, but I got some training before I came to Tobes, I am a decent mage. I have also seen all the reports and maps of the dungeon while helping Belinda out so I can probably go though it blindfolded.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Sounds like a plan then! What do you say Roxy?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well if Two-Twelve is sure¡­ And you three are going to be there as well¡­ I can¡¯t promise much, but I will do my best.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You have the gear packed right Kline?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Yes sir, it¡¯s back at your sister¡¯s house.¡±


    I ask the receptionist if any other groups have headed up to the dungeon. Then Roxy and I take a few of the commissions. We then set back out towards the house. I head to my room while the others get ready and transfer to Lilah and tell her what¡¯s going on¡­


    We don¡¯t have any spare armor, but it¡¯s not like I will be in any danger anyway, so I just wear my normal clothes and take the dwarven sword. I haven¡¯t seen Logan and Kline in their combat gear but I have to say it¡¯s rather intimidating¡­


    Logan: ¡°You¡¯re going like that? I know you said you¡¯re a mage but don¡¯t you at least have some robes or something?¡±


    ¡°I will be alright, I am sure between you, Kline, the kobolds won¡¯t even know I am there¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Just be careful ok¡­ I really don¡¯t want to have to have that conversation with Belinda¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°He will be ok, I have seen his ability.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well you didn¡¯t do so hot in the dungeon yourself¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°That was a year ago!¡±


    Logan: ¡°I heard you haven¡¯t done any training since then either.¡±


    ¡°If things get bad we can let you two go on ahead and Roxy can escort us out.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Ok, I guess that will work.¡±


    We make our way up to the dungeon, I told Lilah to focus on Kline and Logan, and not to hold back. I am not sure about Kline, but Logan is a B rank adventurer, so I am sure either one could take care of the dungeon by themselves¡­


    Roxy looks nervous as she leads us into the dungeon and down the cave tunnel.


    Roxy: ¡°The kobolds start in the room right though that archway.¡±


    ¡°There is a tripwire in the doorway as well so be careful.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Sorry I forgot about it¡­¡±


    ¡°As long as there is nothing new I¡¯ll give you a hand.¡±


    I pull my sword and the rest of the group readies their weapons as well, Kline uses a very well made pair of curved short-swords, while Logan is the standard sword and shield kind of guy.


    Before we all have a chance to enter the room, Logan and Kline take care of the kobolds¡­


    Roxy: ¡°there is a trap in this doorway as well, and several in the next room.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°There is a group of kobolds just about the same as these ones here, except there are side doors and sometimes more kobolds join the battle from them doors so be careful.¡±


    I send a message to Lilah to send two of the side groups out after the battle starts so I can try to judge Logan¡¯s power level. Last I heard his level is in the 30s, but I don¡¯t have a clue how strong Listel was I want to see how close they are¡­


    Once we enter the next room Kline and Logan quickly charge into battle, Lilah almost doesn¡¯t even have time to send in the two more groups before the first on is completely wiped out¡­Roxy is standing there pretty much in shock, while Amy looks bored.


    Roxy attempts to help once the other two groups move into the room, but she doesn¡¯t even make it across the room. Amy manages to fire off a spell hitting one of the kobold before her brother kills it¡­ I have Lilah send in the other two groups, as Roxy was next to one of the doors just so she can at least get some xp¡­ I use the dwarven sword a bit just so it looks like I am doing something.


    Even with that the room is cleared in a matter of a few minutes¡­ The two of them together appear to be about the strength of Listel. I don¡¯t know how much difference there are between levels but if its equal, then that means Listel should be around level 60.


    ¡°Well done, I believe that clears the first floor¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well don¡¯t let your guard down, and the moment you do a dungeon will take advantage of it.¡±


    Kline makes sure everyone is ok to go before we head down to the next floor. Even with the more difficult kobolds Logan and Kline don¡¯t slow down as they simply eradicate them¡­


    ¡°This next room starts the heavy armored kobold, it is also has the stairs leading down to the bottom floor.¡±


    Roxy nudges me and whispers to me. ¡°I haven¡¯t been down to the third floor yet¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡±


    We enter the next room and Logan still manage to clear the room without taking a hit, but they are beginning to have to block and parry more often¡­


    Logan: ¡°These kobolds truly are remarkable, all the rumors are true. I have fought monsters three times the strength of a kobold and not had this much difficulty, I can see why Belinda took a liking to this dungeon.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Just to be safe why don¡¯t we let the others take a breather, I want them to be able to run if something manages to slip past us.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°You two are a great team. I don¡¯t think anyone has gone through this dungeon like you two¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°The hero Listel¡­ When she was at the capital last time she was bragging about being able to make it to the crystal room and back out in 15 minutes, we have already doubled that.¡±


    ¡°But that was quite a few months back, and the dungeon has grown since then. As a matter of fact, I believe this room was where the crystal was located at that time, and you have been protecting us making sure we are ok.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I know the kobolds seem a lot stronger then when we first came to the dungeon that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°What do we have left to finish off the commissions?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I have honestly lost track¡­ Just trying to keep up with Logan and Kline is hard enough.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I think we got a few more kobolds to go and we will be done with the last one.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well are you guys ready?¡±


    After we nod we begin heading down the stairs to the third floor, I have never actually walked the dungeon like this it¡¯s kind of a weird feeling. Once we reach the + shaped hallway is in view it looks empty.


    I am about to say something, but I want to see if Lilah can actually surprise Logan and Kline. Once they spot the hallways going off to the side however they are quickly on guard. They reach the hallway and¡­ Nothing happens.


    Logan: ¡°Roxy, which way?¡±


    She looks over to me¡­So I answer. ¡°If you want to head to the crystal straight ahead, if you want to clear the dungeon then probably hit the side rooms first¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Alright we will start with this way.¡± ¨CHe heads down one of the side hallways.-


    Once I reach the intersection I look down all the hallways but none of the kobolds are there¡­ Once in the next room however the group is there like it¡¯s supposed to be. Logan and Kline charge off into battle¡­ I am kind of curious what Lilah did with the other group, but I guess I will wait and see¡­


    The battle doesn¡¯t take too long and one of the kobold manages to get a lucky shot off on Kline, but the wound is barely superficial. After the battle it isn¡¯t even bleeding anymore, but I still heal it anyway. We head back into the hallways heading for the room to the other side.


    This room too appears empty¡­. Since we are not using the crimson brutes, elder, and golems she must be saving these two groups for the main room, heading back into the hallway heading back to the intersection this time two kobold charge out slamming against Logan¡¯s shield and Kline doesn¡¯t have time to react but the wound doesn¡¯t look to serious.


    Roxy, and Amy both jump at the sudden surprise I am even ashamed to say it even startled me¡­ It¡¯s only  two kobolds though so it only takes Logan a few seconds to get the situation under control.


    Logan: ¡°You ok Kline? That one got you pretty good.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Surprised me more then it hurt¡­¡±


    I heal Kline¡¯s wound without much difficulty¡­


    ¡°You guys sure are tough that looked like massive hit.¡±


    Kline: ¡°This much is nothing, they might be very intelligent kobolds, but their strength isn¡¯t any more than a normal one.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am looking forward to the golems.¡±


    ¡°Well I heard they don¡¯t always appear¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°I sure hope they show up today¡­¡±


    ¡°We have one more room before the crystal according to the last report.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Kline you ready?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±


    We enter the grand room to find the kobolds spread far apart from one another, and they make no inclination to pursuing the group all of them seem to be standing with random poses looking to be frozen in time¡­


    Logan: ¡°What¡¯s going on now?¡±


    Kline yells out in a loud voice that startles Roxy for a second. None of the kobolds however ever moves a muscle¡­


    Kline: ¡°This is pretty eerie¡­ Can you guys hit them with a spell?¡±


    ¡°The distance is pretty far¡­¡±


    Logan cautiously moves forward toward one of the kobold. This kobold still stands there unmoving with one sword in its hand pointing straight out and a sword in the other hand that looks like it¡¯s in mid swing¡­


    Logan: ¡°I can¡¯t even tell if it¡¯s breathing¡­¡±


    He gets close enough to push against it with his shield, and it sways but doesn¡¯t move¡­ He pokes it lightly with his sword which draws blood, but the kobold still remains still.


    Logan: ¡°This is just creepy¡­¡±


    He starts to back off, but the kobold right next to him and only that one suddenly attacks.


    Logan: ¡°Good God!¡± ¨CHe screams out.-


    The kobold startles him enough that it manages to get past his shield and lays a blow against him. His armor however deflects the attack. Kline and Amy can¡¯t help but bust out laughing while Logan takes care of the kobold.


    Amy: ¡°Oh I can¡¯t wait to tell Belinda about that look on your face when that kobold moved!¡±


    Logan: ¡°It just surprised me that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    ¡°I think that much was clear¡­¡±


    Roxy screams as another one quickly beings moving swinging its weapon at Kline. He too is surprised but doesn¡¯t call out and manages to dodge the blow taking care of the kobold without difficulty¡­


    We wait for a few minutes but the rest don¡¯t move¡­ Logan and Kline gather everyone together, and we slowly start to walk through the room¡­ Seemingly at random as we pass though the room one of the kobold will ¡°Awaken¡± and charge the group.


    No matter how much we are on guard we are still surprised several times¡­ Once we make it to the door there is still one left. Logan makes several movements but it still doesn¡¯t do anything¡­


    Logan: ¡°Should we leave it be¡­?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Hold on¡­¡±


    Kline swings open the door into the crystal room but the kobold still doesn¡¯t move¡­


    Kline: ¡°I guess that one just isn¡¯t going to move¡­¡±


    Even as we enter into the crystal room the one remaining kobold doesn¡¯t move a muscle.


    Logan: ¡°That was intense¡­ It looks like we made it through¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°That¡¯s what a dungeon crystal looks like? It¡¯s beautiful.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Be careful don¡¯t touch it, monsters can come directly out of the crystal.¡±


    Logan: ¡°We didn¡¯t see any golems either, unless those kobold are what people where calling golems. I could certainly understand why¡­ But if there are actual golems they might come out of the crystal if you make a move on it.¡±


    Kline: ¡°This crystal is quite different then all the others I have seen.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I certainly understand Belinda¡¯s fascination with this place. I can say for it being as small as it is. It is probably still one of my favorites that I have been in.¡±


    Roxy calls in a distressed voice. ¡°It¡¯s gone!¡±


    Logan and Kline quickly ready their weapons looking around. Roxy is pointing back into the other room and the one remaining kobold has seemingly disappeared now¡­


    Logan: ¡°Well we better head back up, I don¡¯t want any more surprises¡­¡±


    We all agree and start making our way back to the stairs, Kline and Logan seem extremely tense the sweat can even be seen on their brows¡­ They finally start to loosen up as we head up to the second floor.


    They are still however on guard until we completely exit the cave¡­


    Logan: ¡°That was a blast¡­ For simple kobolds to make me feel that tense I hope this dungeon doesn¡¯t become a problem for the village, because I really want to see what it¡¯s like after a few more years¡­ I am definitely going to have to bring Queen here.¡±


    Amy: ¡°That¡¯s an idea. Kline you can bring Scylla here and when she gets scared you can embrace her.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Until he is the one that gets scared!¡±


    Kline: ¡°I am not the one that squealed like a child.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I didn¡¯t squeal.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I did¡­¡±


    We all laugh and head back down to Tobes¡­The rest of the day passes pretty uneventfully. We turn in our commissions and I manage to bow away from the group while they go to eat, and I go talk to Lilah.


    ¡°What was that all about while we were up in the dungeon?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah knew she couldn¡¯t beat them so she was just having fun¡­¡±


    ¡°Well they really seemed to enjoy it. That trick might work pretty well if we use the golems, or something like that. It also would have greatly increased the effect I think if we had some kind of undead type monsters.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°How does Master summon more types of monsters?¡±


    ¡°So far the only way I know is if it dies in the dungeon, but when I was still training I learned to summon the golems when we destroyed one in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. When the girls have returned though no new monsters have become available, so maybe I have to be in the group¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Is it like that for everyone?¡±


    ¡°Some don¡¯t ever leave their dungeon, so surely not¡­But my dungeon being unique sometimes has some major drawbacks¡­ Hopefully now we can start to grow and I can go out more like when Belinda and I went to the capital.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah won¡¯t let Master down again she promises.¡±


    I continue to talk to Lilah for a while, I get the intruder message for the secondary dungeon when the others return and it appears they are looking for me¡­


    ¡°Alright, I better go see what they are looking for, Don¡¯t stay up here too late.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes Master!¡±


    I transfer to the house just in time to hear a knock at my door. I answer it and it is Amy.


    Amy: ¡°Logan is looking for you, he wants to go out.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys just get back?¡±


    Amy: ¡°I mean drinking.¡±


    ¡°We have alcohol here though¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°He likes to socialize with people.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will do it for Belinda¡¯s sake¡­¡±


    I go downstairs and meet with Logan, I try to use the same logic but he still drags me out into the evening¡­ We enter the tavern and I realize I have never been here either¡­ I have always either drank at Denova¡¯s place or the adventurer¡¯s guild¡­


    The people here seem to consist of mainly the older villagers. I quickly spot the Mayor as he walks up to us and bows to Logan.


    Mayor: ¡°Evening Prince Logan and you as well Two-Twelve. I haven¡¯t seen you in here before.¡±


    ¡°I usually stick to the adventurer¡¯s guild or¡­¡±


    He seems to wait for me to continue but after I don¡¯t for a few seconds he starts talking.


    Mayor: ¡°Why don¡¯t you come have a seat with me? Unless you are busy?¡±


    Logan: ¡°We would love to.¡±


    We take a seat at one of the tables and Logan orders us all a drink.


    Mayor: ¡°I am actually glad I got the chance to talk to you, I been talking to Two-Twelve here about stepping down as Mayor at the end of the year.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am sorry to hear that, you have been in charge here in Tobes for a long time haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Most my life¡­ But the town is growing rapidly, Tobes needs someone young that the adventurers can relate too, not some old hunter. Two-Twelve here has been with Belinda almost every step of the way and has managed to keep up with her, I have been trying to convince him to take over for me.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am sure you got plenty of good years left, but if you really plan on stepping down I think Two-Twelve would be an excellent choice.¡±


    ¡°I have such trouble interacting with people¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°But you¡¯re sincere, and you have a great head on your shoulders,¡±


    ¡°Now that I am an adventurer, I might start traveling with Belinda¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°You will just have to get some advisers you can trust. If the girls you got living with you and Belinda are any indication of your judge of character I am sure you will do fine.¡±


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t had a chance to discuss it with Belinda¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°She will be back in a few weeks, and that will give you plenty of time to convince her.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°People respect you Two-Twelve, and you¡¯re a good guy. You don¡¯t find that combination very often.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°When I get back to the capital I will tell father about it, I will have him send Belinda letter stating that it is his wish. She won¡¯t be able to say no to that.¡±


    ¡°Your father barely knows me¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°After your discovery, I am sure he would grant you a duke position if you asked. I don¡¯t think you understand how great your discovery was.¡±


    ¡°But you did all the work¡­¡±


    Logan ignores me and starts talking to the Mayor. ¡°Get this. Two-Twelve here discovered a way to pass written communication over great distances.¡± He takes out two pieces of parchment demonstrating it for the Mayor.


    Logan: ¡°He dedicated the discovery to my sister, and we have started to replicate it in the capital.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°That is amazing¡­¡±


    They both continue to sing my praises while kicking back the alcohol¡­ I feel rather embarrassed at the situation¡­ Eventually though the conversation trails off and they start talking politics which is even more foreign of a conversation to me.


    After a few hours Kline arrives in the tavern to collect Logan He seems to have done this on many of occasions, and handles Logan rather well. We pay for the tab and head back to the house after bidding the Mayor a good evening.


    I send a message to Belinda after arriving at home asking how things are going and after talking to her for a bit I head to bed.


    The next morning I check the message and it shows I have received 5425 xp. I am sure I am getting a good amount of xp from Logan and Kline, but that number is still wonderful to see.


    When I head downstairs I find Logan, Kline, and Amy with their gear ready.


    ¡°Good morning¡­ Are you guys heading back to the capital already?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yes, we have some matters to attend to, so we must get back. I am glad I got to know you a little better, and see what it¡¯s like for Belinda here.¡±


    ¡°I was glad to have you, Belinda was also thrilled you made it to the party. Of course you guys are welcome anytime.¡±


    Kline: ¡°May I have permission to write to Miss Scylla?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am sure she would enjoy hearing from you.¡±


    Amy: ¡°You take care of Belinda, Two-Twelve.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Tell Roxy, thanks for showing us around and to the dungeon yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Lilah comes down the stairs sleepily in her pajamas just in time to see them off with me.


    ¡°Well just you, me, and Roxy now.¡±


    Lilah goes back up to her room to get dressed, I then fix her something to eat and Roxy something as well. When Roxy finally arrives I tell her about the others leaving.


    ¡°You might want to continue to work on commissions while the rest of the girls are gone to try to catch up, or you can set up your own for taking people into the dungeon. You have been all the way to the core room now after all.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am not sure I am confident enough for that yet, I didn¡¯t really have to do anything yesterday anyway¡­ I did manage to gain a level though.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s good.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master, I am going now.¡±


    ¡°Ok be careful.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I have been wondering for a while now, where does Lilah go all day? When I ask Zoey she always deflects the question.¡±


    ¡°Well she has sort of an important job she takes care of for us, I can¡¯t really say much more¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°A job? At her age? I am sorry, I guess I don¡¯t mean to pry¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I can¡¯t tell you more. Maybe sometime soon we can tell you about it.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Alright, I guess I am off for now. I will probably grab something to eat in Tobes for lunch and dinner, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    After Roxy leaves I clean everything up then transfer to the core room.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is sorry Master. She messed up in front of Roxy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. She was bound to notice something sooner or later. I just would like to have Zoey and Belinda here before we tell her anything more.¡±

 Once Again Into The Tower of the Gods

    I am not quite sure how much of the xp I have received the last two nights has been from Logan and Kline, but I decide to use the xp I got last night to spread the secondary dungeon as far as I can across town. Having to cover an entire building it takes me a while of rearranging to get the most out of the xp spent, but even after spending 5000xp I am still not happy with the small area I have covered.


    Most of the buildings I added to the dungeon are businesses so I am not sure if that will benefit us very much. I did manage to get quite a few more messages about items available.


    The rest of the week passes pretty uneventfully, Roxy leaves first thing in the morning and isn¡¯t back till late evening so we don¡¯t talk much. I found out some troubling bits of information as well, I only get around 100xp a day even after extending the secondary dungeon, so most of that xp was strictly from Logan and Kline¡­


    I knew the amount of xp grew quite a bit after level 10 because the girls where catching up with Belinda, but it must continue to grow in rapid amounts.


    Belinda and the girls have managed to reach Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon but I haven¡¯t heard how it¡¯s going yet. I still haven¡¯t figured out a way to tell Belinda about the Mayor thing yet. I thought I might just wait till she receives the letter from her father.


    The weather has become increasingly cooler now, and there are starting to be days that no groups hit the dungeon. If the inn begins to clear out we might be in a bit of trouble as my xp consumption is almost reached 75xp per day now.


    At this point I can only hope Belinda manages to bring a lot of xp back when they return.


    Belinda¡¯s POV


    We have finally reached the city surrounding Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. It looks like it might start snowing at any time, so I don¡¯t know how long we are going to be able to train this time.


    The city is rather vacant compared to our last visits. Even though it¡¯s midafternoon there are still a few commissions available on the board.


    I look them over but they don¡¯t look like they are very good ones however, so we will wait till the new ones are posted. After setting up our arrangements at the adventurer¡¯s inn nearby we decide to take a rest to prepare for entering the dungeon tonight.


    When midnight hits, there are three groups plus ours that are standing here waiting¡­The amount of commissions are greatly reduced, but with the number of groups we don¡¯t even have to struggle for them.


    Zoey, Scylla, and I should be able to handle everything in the first 10 floors or so, but I want to take it slow to keep Bell safe so we will start with easier ones till Bell manages to gain a few levels. Everything seems more laid back now.


    We still have to pay for the commissions but the time limit has been increased to 24 hours on most commissions. As all the groups head to the dungeon we even talk together and manage to work out who is going where.


    One group is going to push all the way to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor then work their way back, another is going to follow behind them then work on the floors above that, We get to have all the rooms to the left side of the main path and the other group is taking the right.


    We quickly find that Bell changes during combat almost as drastically as the non-sentient monsters. Her shy and reserved manner all but completely disappears while she uses her fists and feet as blunt weapons that would rival any club.


    At one point she hits one of the small golems so hard that after the golem crumbles her hand and wrist are both broken¡­ As soon as the room is cleared however she bows her head shyly and says. ¡°S¡­Scylla¡­Can you please help?¡± As her broken hand flops back and forth¡­


    Scylla and I both cringe at the sight and we both cast healing spells to heal her. Zoey seems to have a gained a new found respect for Bell, and after we finish our commissions we continue to train until we run into the group that was working its way down.


    We did pretty good we managed 7 floors and it almost noon just so just under 12 hours. The girls are actually almost caught up with me on commissions so I decide to run some errand commissions in town with them. Bell it still quite a bit behind but I think we will be able to get her enough to reach C-rank before we are done here.


    Zoey, Scylla, and I didn¡¯t gain any levels today, but Bell should have gained some since she was only level 1, so I decide to look at her progress.


    Name: Bell Race: Beastkin (Cow) Class: Martial Artist


    Level: 5 XP till next Level: 10 Favored Element: Fire


    HP: 200/200 MP: 50/50


    Strength: 40


    Agility: 40


    Endurance: 40


    Unarmed 30


    Mental Defense: 25


    Resistances: N/A


    Armor: N/A


    Equipment: [Luxurious Clothes]


    Skills:


    [Hand-to-Hand Combat Training] (Rank 1): Training that allows the user to use their own body as an effective weapon, and allows the use of Hand-to-Hand techniques. Focused Punch (5 mp): Gathering you magic in your fists you can perform a punch to cause a target to stagger. Guided Punch (10 mp): A punch that is guided by magic to cause a critical strike. Target must have an exposed weak point. Roundhouse Kick (10 mp): A wide kick that uses magic to hit multiple targets without losing strength.


    She gained 4 levels in one day? And she is even so close to gaining another¡­ We may be able to take a few tougher commissions and still be ok. We rest for the rest of the evening and return to the adventurer¡¯s guild just before midnight.


    The same groups are waiting, while waiting on the commissions to be posted we work up a plan. I tell them I plan on pushing in a little deeper today, and the group working the floors with us didn¡¯t make it all the way to the 7<sup>th</sup> floor so the group working their way down decides to focus mainly on one side so we can go at least to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor.


    The commissions for the day are about the same, but we exchange one with the group working their way down so we can go all the way to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor. We then all hit the dungeon and begin our training.


    Things go much smoother now and we make better progress, we leave the group working opposite of us behind around the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor, and run into the next group around the 8<sup>th</sup> floor as they work their way down.


    Things get a little harder, but we eventually hit the 10<sup>th</sup> floor, but its late enough now we won¡¯t be able to do other commissions in town¡­ When we head out of the dungeon we find the temperature is quite low.


    Even though I can see my breath as I breathe out, and can feel the coldness of it, I don¡¯t actually feel cold. This dungeon monster thing is quite handy sometimes. Scylla on the other hand seems a little more susceptible to the cold, and she has started to shiver even with her thick mage robe.


    Scylla: ¡°Are you guys not freezing?¡±


    ¡°I am alright, but maybe we should get you some warmer clothes.


    Zoey: ¡°I feel fine.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­I¡¯m a little cold¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You¡¯re still wearing a short sleeved shirt, and maybe you should button it the rest of the way¡­¡±


    Bell: ¡°But¡­it¡¯s makes it to tight¡­¡±


    ¡°Ok we will get you some more clothes too.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I am sure it¡¯s only going to get colder this winter so we all could probably do with some heavier clothes.¡±


    We don¡¯t really have time to complete any commissions anyway, so we spend the rest of the afternoon shopping for some warmer clothes. I send a message to Two-Twelve telling him to make sure he gets Lilah and himself some winter clothes, and Roxy too if she needs them.


    It proves to be rather difficult to get Zoey in some heavier clothes, but she and I both end up with clothes similar to what we are wearing already just made with warmer material. Scylla on the other hand almost covers her entire body with heavier winter clothes.


    She has a heavy turtle neck sweater, thicker heavier pants. She also gets gloves, and a hat. Somehow she even manages to find a ¡°tail sock?¡± which it¡¯s just a simple woolen sleeve to keep her tail warm¡­


    Bell gets thicker pants and a turtle neck sweater as well, but for some reason her sweater has a large section missing in the chest area leaving quite a bit of exposure to her breasts¡­ I ask her why but the most I can get out of her is that the normal sweaters felt too confining to her¡­ Her tail too is exposed except for a small ¡°Cuff?¡± at the end right before the fluffy tip¡­


    After shopping we all decide to have a warm meal in front of the fire at the inn before going to bed. We wake up a bit late but still to barely manage to make it to the guild on time. The group heading up to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor and working their way down said they are having a bit of trouble so we switched places with them.


    For now we will push straight forward to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor so the other group can hit the higher floors, and then work our way down till we meet the first group. We will then split the remaining rooms till we meet up with the last group.


    It is a rather odd feeling to have another group of adventurers watching you while you fight, as we make our way up to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor. It however seems like we are making a lot more progress this way. We run into our first of the larger golems at the entryway to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor.


    Once we defeat it the other group heads on up while we then start clearing the rooms making our way back down. We manage to work back down to the 8<sup>th</sup> floor almost completely clearing it before we run into the group we switched places with.


    We then each take different rooms finishing off the 8<sup>th</sup> floor. On the 7<sup>th</sup> floor we each take two rooms, and when we move down to the 6<sup>th</sup> floor we finally run into the third group. They have already completed 1 room and we each clear one more leaving the floors clear.


    We all then make our way back out of the dungeon. Stepping outside we find it has begun to snow although it still doesn¡¯t appear to be sticking yet. We hear the snow is a bit heavier to the north. The weakest group says they have to go north to go home for the winter so they are going to set out for home before they get stuck here for the winter.


    We are going to have to start heading back as well if the weather gets any worse. We got out of the dungeon a little quicker today so we work on a few commissions in town. After resting it has quit snowing and it never did begin to stick so we decide to hit the dungeon at least one more day.


    There are only 3 groups now, and we decide to all focus on pushing up though the dungeon. Then the one group can continue forward beyond the 10<sup>th</sup> floor while the other group, and our group each take a side heading back down.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    We manage to make it to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor rather quickly. The other group lets us take the large golem guarding the entrance to the 11<sup>th</sup> floor. Once the third group moves on we begin to work our way back down.


    We work though our side quite a bit quicker and by the time we finish the 5<sup>th</sup> floor the other group hasn¡¯t even entered it yet. After clearing our entire side we head back up to find the other group. We find them on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor, and it¡¯s starting to get late in the day so they have us help them clear their side as well.


    It¡¯s pretty late in the day when we finally finish in the dungeon today, and the sun is already going down when we exit. It has begun to snow again, but it still has yet to begin to stick. The only thing we can do now is rest and see how it is when we wake up.


    When we wake up shortly before midnight the snow has started to stick but the snow hasn¡¯t picked up at all I think we can get at least one more night in. We reach the guild to find the other group we have been working with ready to go, but the group that has been working on the floors above 10 are sitting around a table without their gear on.


    They are drinking and appear quite upset, I notice two members of their group are missing. After talking to them I find out that since they had the extra time last night they pushed in further then they normally do and got caught off guard.


    They lost two of their members to the dungeon before they could escape. Midnight hits but we have yet to head up to the dungeon. Our three groups instead are sitting at the guild raising a mug to their fallen comrades.


    We don¡¯t but drink one drink apiece though. After talking it over with the other girls we decide to take two commissions in the deeper floors. We are going to push straight for the 11<sup>th</sup> floor while the other group just starts at the bottom working their way up.


    We manage to push our way up to the 11<sup>th</sup> floor without any difficulty. Even the one larger golem doesn¡¯t seem like much of a challenge for the group now. Starting on the 11<sup>th</sup> floor however all the golems are of the larger variety.


    Floor 11 is simple enough with only 1 golem per room but starting on the 12 floor there are two in each. The group splits up leaving Zoey and me to deal with one while Bell and Scylla deal with the other. With that formation we manage to complete the 12<sup>th</sup> floor.


    When we finish it is late enough that we have to head straight for the exit of the dungeon. On our way out I come to a realization¡­ During the summer, and even the fall when we were here there were a lot more golems around.


    I assumed that Madam Erin used rifts, but how did she have rifts that produced several waves per day but now only one.


    ¡°Scylla, there were more golems spawning last time we were here right?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course there were a lot more adventurer groups then.¡±


    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t the amount of golems be the same regardless, you don¡¯t think Madam Erin manually summons each golem instead of using rifts do you?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course not. I am sure she just turns some of the rifts off during the off season, or just has them set up to spawn different amounts depending on the number of invaders in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You can do that? When Two-Twelve told me how the rifts worked he never said anything like that.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t know? You know how he is¡­¡±


    ¡°Remind me to ask him about it when we get back¡­¡±


    The other group is still working on the 7<sup>th</sup> floor as we are making our way out. We talk to them for a minute and they say they are going to continue on for a little while. Darkness has already fallen when we emerge from the dungeon, and the snow doesn¡¯t look like it has had any signs of letting up.


    If the snow continues to fall at this rate it will make traveling pretty difficult in a few more days. We head to the guild and turn in our commissions, and then we quickly retreat to the inn.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to accomplish too much, but if we don¡¯t start heading back come morning we might not make it back¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°The snow is already going to make the trip back much harder as it is.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get back home, curl up in my bed with Roxy, and wait out the rest of winter.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest of winter, but I would like to cuddle up with Two-Twelve again.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long, cold, slow walk in the morning, so I am going to go ahead and go to bed.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    I send a message to Two-Twelve telling him about having to come home due to the snow. He says it hasn¡¯t started to snow there yet, but it¡¯s been pretty cold and cloudy the last few days. I ask him how things are going and he says things are going well, but doesn¡¯t give much details.


    I curl up in my bed and drift off to sleep. The next morning we eat a hearty warm breakfast, and pack some food to warm us up and set off. The snowflakes have begun to grow in size, the accumulated snow has only reached a few inches so far.


    The snow should lighten up as we get closer to home, so we should be able to make it home without it even taking any additional time. The cold breeze blows as we head out of town, the snow now deep enough it crunches under our feet. The sun begins to peek up across the horizon giving us some hope of warmth as we start long trek home.


    Two-Twelve POV


    On what would be Belinda¡¯s second day in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon I receive word on one of the pieces of parchment that Logan left behind that they too have reached their destination. Belinda asked me to make sure Roxy and Lilah get some warm winter clothes when I talked to her last night, so before Roxy sets out this morning I told her to meet us here in the evening to do some shopping.


    Today we manage to have a group come up to the dungeon the group consists of 2 C-rank adventurers and 3 adventurers that look pretty new. I have seen one of the C-rank adventurers around before.


    While Lilah deals with them I mess around in the [Menu] I have checked the observation screen off and on, most of the time its blank but every so often it displays an image of another dungeon core. Usually when I catch it displaying the images it never lasts very long.


    I have tried to force an image a couple more times but every time I do it drains my magic very quickly, it takes almost all my concentration just to hold the image so using it as an advantage at this point is out of the question.


    I have asked Lilah if her [Menu] has the option but I am not surprised that she doesn¡¯t have a clue what I am talking about.


    I don¡¯t hear much from the other cores I trained with any more. Even Sara doesn¡¯t talk to me long when I message her. Her name has even dropped from friend to neutral in my [Communication] tab. I have talked to Queen a few times, but our conversations always give me the same feeling as talking to Denova so I try to keep it pretty short.


    Alex seems to be out of his rut, and his dungeon is beginning to slowly grow again, Sara¡¯s as well seems to be making some progress. My dungeon looks like it has grown quite a bit by what the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> says, but I know it¡¯s just because of the empty areas in Tobes.


    The group in the dungeon makes a lot of progress into the dungeon and even this group with 3 D-rank adventurers has made it down to the third floor¡­ We really need to do something and soon¡­


    The group load up with gear from the kobolds, but luckily yesterday was one of the days without adventurers hitting the dungeon so new kobolds have spawned in the floors above them. Lilah throws everything she has at them wiping out the entire group when they try to leave.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t had an entire group lose their lives in the dungeon in a while.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is sorry Master. Should she have let some escape?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, they were trying to run off with gear we can¡¯t afford to lose right now, and we need the extra xp.¡±


    We tidy up the dungeon, and then wait for Roxy to return. Once we see her arrive at home we both transfer to the house to meet her.


    ¡°Ready to go do some shopping?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yay shopping!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I guess¡­ What is it you need to pick up?¡±


    ¡°Well Belinda wanted me to make sure we all have some winter clothes, it¡¯s supposed to get pretty bad this year.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Ok¡­ What did you need me for?¡±


    ¡°You need some to, of course.¡±


    Roxy nods and sighs. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    I am not quite sure why she seems down about it, but we set out heading to the tailor. I guess Belinda was right, I don¡¯t get cold very easily but even I feel the chill in the air. Lilah¡¯s summer dress clearly isn¡¯t made for a day like today so she is holding my arm and shivering.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t get this cold last year. Belinda said we are expected to see a lot of snow, I still not quite sure what to expect¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You haven¡¯t seen snow before? You must come from the deep south.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Something like that.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master, Lilah is cold¡­¡±


    ¡°We are almost there.¡±


    We enter the tailor shop and are greeted by the tailor.


    Tailor: ¡°Welcome back Two-Twelve, I hope I am able to help you this time.¡±


    ¡°We just need to get some winter clothes.¡±


    Tailor: ¡°Not a problem there. Why don¡¯t you look around to find something you like.¡±


    ¡°Lilah, why don¡¯t you pick something out yourself, just make sure it¡¯s warm.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes Master!¡±


    Lilah begins looking through the items at the shop. I just find the closest warm set of winters that appear to be for men. Roxy walks around looking at things herself, she always looks at a slip of parchment hanging from the clothes before putting them back and looking some more.


    I look at the set I got and it has one as well. There is writing on the slip with simply 5g. I walk up to Lilah and whisper to her. ¡°What¡¯s the parchment for?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master is silly, that¡¯s the price.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I guess 5g means 5 gold?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course. Has Master never seen a price tag before?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I actually haven¡¯t Belinda always takes care of everything, and when I do buy things I usually just ask the amount¡­¡±


    I wonder why Roxy is worried about the price so much¡­


    ¡°Roxy, you don¡¯t need to worry about the price just find something you like.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well I am trying to save up to get some better equipment, I ordered a good mace at the smithy so, I have to make sure I got enough gold left to pick it up when it¡¯s ready.¡±


    ¡°Belinda said we will take care of the clothes, so just find something you like.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I couldn¡¯t do that¡­ You guys have already done so much for me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not that big of a deal. You¡¯re with Zoey, so you practically like family.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    Even after telling her all that she still checks the price of the items before looking at them¡­ Meanwhile Lilah has appeared to have found something she likes. It is for a full grown woman, but that won¡¯t really be a problem once we get back to the house.


    Roxy: ¡°That¡¯s cute sweetie, but maybe you should find something a little closer to your size? This would be really hard to have resized for you¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah like this one!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok I can take care of it.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Really? That¡¯s going to take a lot of work¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal¡­ But may you should pick something else out as well, just in case.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok!¡± ¨CShe runs off again leaving me holding the outfit she chose.-


    Roxy says to me quietly. ¡°Are you really going to be able to resize that?¡±


    ¡°I will give it a shot¡­¡±


    Maybe I should have handled that a bit differently Roxy really seems to be making quite a big deal of this¡­


    Roxy continues to look though the stuff eventually she has gathered a few different sets then heads over to the tailor.


    Roxy: ¡°I would like to try these on.¡±


    Tailor: ¡°Sure thing, right this way.¡±


    The tailor leads Roxy to an area that contains several curtains. She goes behind one of them.


    Tailor: ¡°Would you like to try that on as well?¡± ¨CHe says to me.-


    ¡°No its ok, this will work for me.¡±


    The tailor then sees the other items I am holding for Lilah, and the outfit she is currently bring up to me and has quite the confused look on his face¡­ I take the other outfit from Lilah and we awkwardly wait for Roxy.


    When she comes out she is still holding the 3 outfits in her hands.


    Roxy: ¡°I like this one but it¡¯s a little big, so I will take this one.¡±


    ¡°What about the other one?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Oh¡­ No it¡¯s ok. I will just take this one¡­


    I set Lilah and my clothes on the counter. ¡°I will take these, and the three she¡¯s got.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Two-Twelve I couldn¡¯t ask you to¡­¡±


    ¡°I said don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    The total comes to 55 gold and I pay the tailor. When we walk out the shop and start to head home Roxy seems rather embarrassed.


    Roxy: ¡°Are you sure Belinda is not going to be upset with you for spending all that gold on me?¡±


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t that big of a deal I promise¡­¡±


    Nobody says a word the rest of the way back to the house. Once home though Roxy thanks me several more times before heading to her room. I store the other items and then equip mine to resize it, and store Lilah¡¯s sets so she can do the same.


    The next morning Roxy sticks around making breakfast for everyone instead of leaving like she normally does.


    Roxy: ¡°I wanted to do something to thank you, so I thought I would take care of breakfast this morning. That¡¯s not a problem is it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, help yourself.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I made enough for Lilah and you as well.¡±


    Lilah happily makes her way to the table grabbing a piece of bread from a platter crunching on it.


    ¡°I will take some coffee, but I usually don¡¯t eat breakfast.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, Lilah enjoys it though.


    Roxy sets a cup of coffee in front of me and says. ¡°You guys have done so much for me, is there anything I do to make it up?¡±


    ¡°Well let me ask. What exactly are your intentions with Zoey?¡±


    Roxy doesn¡¯t look embarrassed about it, but looks flustered just the same like she doesn¡¯t exactly know how to answer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, I don¡¯t mean to imply anything is going to change based on your answer. From what I understand some relationships are not permeant. I was just wondering if you plan to eventually move on, or plan to stay with Zoey.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well Zoey treats me wonderfully¡­ But we have never really talked about it. I don¡¯t know if I would ever want children, so it¡¯s not like that is a problem. I just don¡¯t know if I would want to completely cut myself off from men permanently¡­¡±


    ¡°Well then I guess for now we will just leave things how they are for now. You don¡¯t have to do anything. I just ask you take care of Zoey until you two decide what to do.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I understand¡­ and I will.¡±


    Roxy talks a little with Lilah while they eat, I sit drinking coffee¡­ This stuff is pretty dangerous. I accidently had 4 cups before I even realized it. At least it doesn¡¯t make you light-headed like alcohol does.


    After breakfast Roxy heads out into Tobes. Lilah goes and gets ready then we head to the core room. Lilah takes her spot in front of the screens while I sit at the desk leaning back in the chair with my feet propped on top of it while messing around in [Menu].


    When I check the observation screen it is displaying a massive open frozen cavern. Ice is visible everywhere, and the cavern is large enough that there are hundreds of small huts set up around the cavern floor and there is still plenty of room.


    The screen focuses on a white furry creature. I can¡¯t judge its size because it looks almost identical to every other creature in the cavern. This cavern looks like some kind of village of these creatures. The creatures themselves look like a mix of a white bear and a human.


    They seem to be able to communicate with each other but I can¡¯t piece together the language. I continue to watch for a while, and unlike normal the screen doesn¡¯t fade to black but remains focused on this one furry creature.


    Even though they all look the same the others seem to treat this one with caution and a little hostility as he moves about them speaking to them.


    I watch for over two hours and although I still am not sure what is going on. It seems this particular creature is searching for something, and none of the others will help. It eventually sits down on a rock next to a fire.


    I notice the hut beside it has a wall made from what looks like a bear hide. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a normal bear, but if it is these creatures are at least twice as large. After a while the creature remains at the fire and the screen fades to black.


    I haven¡¯t asked Madam Erin about it, because most of the time it is only showing a few dungeon cores and only a few minutes at a time. This time however was rather different, so maybe I should finally ask her about it.


    I decide to wait a bit longer before contacting Madam Erin. I however leave the observation screen open that way if it comes back I will see what is going on.

 The Girls Return

    Over the course of the next few days Roxy begins to take more of an interest in the house. She starts eating more meals at the house always making sure there is enough for Lilah and myself. I have started taking the meals saying I am going to have them in my room, but dispose of them with [Menu].


    She has even made an effort to spend at least one or two hours a day cleaning the house. It isn¡¯t really necessary because I can take care of it all with [Menu] but I guess it would be normal to have to clean it by hand so I let her continue to keep suspicions down.


    I have continued to watch the large creature on the observation screen as it has appeared at least for a couple hours each day. It seems to still be looking for something, but one day it set out from the cavern the screen didn¡¯t follow it. When it returned however it was carrying several large animal carcasses.


    After that it seems to have been able to move deeper within the village. After talking to another one of the creatures that is exceptionally large compared to the others the screen fades out.


    I think the screen is picking up what Dyson is doing with the observation screen, but the last few days this seems to be getting odd. It always focused on dungeon cores before, but surely this creature isn¡¯t one of the dungeon cores¡­


    I sit up in my chair and stretch. I notice I am alone in the core room¡­ I look at several of the screens and notice that the sun has already set. I look at the time and it has gotten pretty late. Just how long was I watching that screen today?


    When I transfer back to the house everything is dark and quiet, there is a meal prepared on the counter in the kitchen. I am starting to feel bad about not actually eating the meals Roxy has been preparing, but after sniffing it the smell alone changes my mind, and I quickly do away with it with [Menu]


    I head up to my bedroom stepping out on the balcony overlooking Tobes. The weather has progressively gotten colder. Lilah has started wearing the winter clothes I bought her, Roxy was shocked the first time she seen her in it.


    She kept saying I must have worked really hard to get it resized that fast¡­ Roxy has been wearing her new clothes as well. She so far has worn the outfit that she didn¡¯t intend to buy every day except on the day she washes it. If that one was the one she liked the most I wonder why it wasn¡¯t the one she was going to choose when we were at the store¡­


    Small wet flakes have begun to fall from the sky, and I have seen the ice and snow on the screens this is the first time for me to actually see it fall from the sky. I hold my hand out watching a few flakes land on it only to melt and disappear. After a few minutes even I feel a shiver run down my back so I step back inside and shut the door.


    Belinda said the girls had to give up on the dungeon early only after a few days because the snow was getting bad there. Unless it has slowed them down they should be back in a day or two now. They are probably already asleep so I decide not to bother them and head to bed myself.


    When I wake up in the morning the room is feeling awfully cold so I move to the wall opening a small panel and feel hot air pouring out. Humans are pretty resourceful there is a large fire box downstairs that Belinda called a furnace when lit it filters heat through tubes in the walls to all the rooms. You simply open these little doors and heat pours in.


    It is also used to heat the water that you pump though the house. Belinda told me the whole thing is pretty uncommon. She said most houses just have one of the small furnace box things or a fire place in each room. Apparently this alone added an extra few days to the construction time on the house as they had to wait for someone from the capital to arrive to tell them how to set it up.


    After warming up a minute I get dressed and head downstairs. Roxy already has a cup of coffee waiting on me, and the heat from the cup feels pretty good on my hands when I pick it up. Taking a drink the hot liquid warms me making me feel much better.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cold this morning.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°The furnace must have run out of fuel at some point last night. I had to fill it back up and relight it this morning.¡±


    ¡°I guess I should have checked it before I went to bed last night.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°That¡¯s alright, but we will just have to keep a closer eye on it.¡±


    ¡°I hope Belinda and the girls are doing ok. It must be pretty cold on the road.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Yea I hope they make it back before the snow begins to get to deep.¡±


    After breakfast Roxy heads out into Tobes. The snow has stopped melting when it lands as has started to build up where ever it falls, but so far it isn¡¯t even an inch deep. Once Roxy is out of sight where only her footprints in the snow remain Lilah and I transfer to the core room.


    The observation screen is blank, so Lilah and I talk for a while. After a few hours we both grow bored however. The snow has continued to fall and it appears no one is making the trek up the mountain to the dungeon. The observation window too never displays anything.


    I send a message to Belinda she tells me that they wanted to be home today, but with the snow she doesn¡¯t want to risk getting lost in the forest following the hunter¡¯s trails so they are going to make their way around and come in to Tobes the proper way, but that will probably delay them till tomorrow.


    ¡°So how is everyone holding up?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey and I are doing alright, Bell is managing ok, but Scylla is having a bit of trouble with it all.¡±


    ¡°Well, be careful.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s not as bad here as it was a few days ago further up north, so we should be fine.¡±


    By noon Lilah and I decide nothing is going to happen today, so we decide to head back to the house. I keep the observation window open just in case something pops up, and Lilah has an alarm set to warn her if someone hits the dungeon.


    It is still pretty cool in the house so I stoke the fire in the furnace, and we close a few of the little doors in the rooms we aren¡¯t using. That was one advantage to being in the dungeon it¡¯s always the perfect temperature inside.


    The house is part of a dungeon too, but I guess it works differently if you expand using area instead of actual rooms. Lilah and I still remain bored at the house so we eventually go out taking a stroll in Tobes. Tobes has become quite a different town now that the snow has started.


    Most of the stall type businesses set up along the main walkway between the adventurer¡¯s guild and the inn has all been packed up and removed leaving a large empty street. The amount of people on the street has been greatly reduced as well.


    Nobody is just standing around anymore. The ones that are out on the street seem to be in a hurry to get to their destination. With no destination in mind we end up entering the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Receptionist: ¡°Good afternoon¡­ Oh Two-Twelve, I didn¡¯t realize it was you. Come to check on everything?¡±


    The two receptionists sitting behind the counter appear to be the only ones in the guild at the moment.


    ¡°Things seem pretty quiet.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Most of the adventurers that are not locals have already left for the winter.¡±


    ¡°Are there any errand commissions?¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°No. A few local adventurers have been taking them as soon as they hit the board, I think the last one was taken by Miss Zoey¡¯s friend.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Oh by the way we have received a letter for Belinda. It looked like it was from her father and its quite official looking so we thought we better not give it to anyone but you or Belinda herself.¡±


    She pulls out a large envelope that has fancy writing and designs on it. It is sealed in the back with a bit of wax with the Gowen crest stamped into it. The front only has Belinda¡¯s name written on it.


    I take the letter and place it in the breast pocket on the inside of my jacket. The receptionists both seem a little disappointed when I put the letter up. I glance over the commission board before we set out, but piece of parchment catches my eye.


    There is a large flashy flyer talking about <u>Gowen Communication Parchment</u> which is I guess is what Logan dubbed the parchment he designed for long distance communication. The flyer doesn¡¯t mention him at all but credits its creation to Belinda Gowen. It mentions what it does and how to get it even mentioning multiple prices based on size and amount of copies. It also says it¡¯s only currently available at the Gowen Capital.


    I sigh¡­ I guess there is no going back now. I am sure it¡¯s going to spread fast. At least it will probably be spring before it makes too much of an impact. Lilah and I then set back out into Tobes. When we make it back home there is a trail of footsteps leading to the house in the snow.


    We find Roxy in the kitchen preparing a large dinner. I have been feeling bad about disposing of her meals for a while now so I decide to sit with her and Lilah and eat a little of the meal¡­ I still don¡¯t find food pleasing, but at least I manage to eat it all.


    After dinner Roxy tells Lilah that she has been warming water for a bath and asks if she wants to join her, so after cleaning up they head upstairs. The observation screen never did show anything today. Maybe that is going to be it.


    With nothing left to do I make sure the furnace is full, and then head to bed a little early tonight.


    I wake to a sudden chill as something cold presses against me. It startles me enough I almost jump straight out of bed.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to wake you.¡±


    ¡°What time is it? Did you just make it back?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey and I wanted to stop when it got dark, but Scylla said we were only a few hours out and didn¡¯t want to sleep in the cold another night, so we pressed on. It took a little longer in the dark, but we finally made it.¡±


    ¡°Are you ok? You feel pretty cold.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am doing a lot better now that I got you to warm me up.¡±


    She runs her cold hand up the inside of my shirt placing them on my chest. Her hands feel like they are sapping the heat from my body enough that a shiver runs down my back which causes her to giggle. I pull her in close wrapping my arms around her.


    She buries her cold nose into my neck and breathes in a deep breath. With a muffled voice she says. ¡°I missed you.¡± She apparently really tired because within a few short moments she is already sound asleep.


    I notice I have received a dungeon message, but I am sure it¡¯s from them returning so I ignore it for now and go back to sleep.


    When I wake up again, Belinda is still sound asleep. She has somehow worked her way into my shirt with her cheek pressed against my chest. I try to shake her little bit to wake her but she just groans and doesn¡¯t wake up.


    I can¡¯t do much else so I decide to look at the notice from last night.


    Monsters have returned from battle


    Battle Results:


    Monster Scylla has gained a level


    Monster Zoey has gained a level


    Monster Bell has gained 10 levels


    Acquired: 10 small magic stone, 20 tiny magic stones


    Losses: N/A


    5,422 xp gained from external source. 542xp bonus for Belinda (Boss) participation, 542xp bonus for xp acquired in another dungeon, 54xp bonus for battle lasting more than 1 week, -271xp for attacking neutral dungeon.


    6,289 xp total rewarded


    She said she was upset about not able  to stay long enough to get a decent amount of xp, but it looks like she did better than she thought she did I am guessing. This is almost the same amount as last time.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    When the smell of breakfast cooking waifs though the air Belinda finally pokes her head out from under my shirt, she yawns and stretches.


    Belinda: ¡°Who is cooking breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Probably Roxy, she has been working hard around the house the last week or so.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is she any good at cooking?¡±


    ¡°You are kind of asking the wrong person that question. Lilah seems to enjoy it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well go get me some, it¡¯s cold!¡± ¨CShe says while diving back under the covers.-


    I start to get up out of bed but Belinda quickly wraps her arms around my waist.


    ¡°I thought you wanted me to go get you some breakfast.¡±


    Belinda crawls on top of me sliding out from under the blankets. She both of her hands on each of my cheeks and says. ¡°It can wait a bit.¡± She then leans forward kissing me.


    She is sitting in my lap with her legs wrapped around my waist. One of my hands is on her breast while the other helps her move. It is over pretty quickly and although it was over in the fraction of the time compared to the other two times we had sex. For that brief period it felt just as good.


    Even after it¡¯s over Belinda doesn¡¯t seem to be in any hurry to move. That is until there is a knock at the door and Bell¡¯s voice can be heard.


    Bell: ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­But the others wanted me¡­ To let you know¡­ Breakfast is ready.¡±


    Belinda quickly starts scrambling for her clothes and begins giggling. Between laughs she manages to say. ¡°Ok, we will be down in a few minutes.¡±


    She finishes gathering her clothes and gets out of bed heading to the bathroom, but not even a few seconds after entering she comes walking back out.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s freezing in there, you didn¡¯t open the vent.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t go in there very often, so I figured to save the heat for the rooms we do use.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well now that I am back, the bathroom is definitely a room that needs heat even if you¡¯re not using it.¡±


    Belinda then casts [Clean] on herself and puts her clothes back on with [Menu], so I do the same. Before we leave the room she grabs ahold of me again taking a deep breath though her nose. She then gives me a long deep kiss.


    Belinda: ¡°I missed you¡­¡±


    Still holding on to me we then head downstairs. The dining area is lively with everyone sitting around talking while enjoying breakfast. That is everyone but Bell she is sitting quietly eating while blushing. Roxy quickly jumps up once she sees us and brings me a cup of coffee. She then places a plate on the table for Belinda.


    Zoey: ¡°What took you guys so long? We sent Bell to wake you up like 20 minutes ago.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She only returned just a few minutes ago though.¡± ¨CShe says to Zoey.-


    Bell: ¡°T¡­They were busy¡­ I¡­I didn¡¯t want to¡­ Interrupt¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°So you just stood outside the door till they were done?¡±


    Belinda begins to blush, and Bell blushes even more while saying. ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t¡­Know what else to do¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That leaves a question I have been wondering¡­ Boss is always stoic though, so what¡¯s he like in the sack?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Zoey! Not in front of Lilah!¡± ¨CShe covers Lilah¡¯s ears. - ¡°But¡­ Now that the question has been asked¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s not appropriate conversation around the breakfast table!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She is right Zoey, you¡¯re embarrassing them.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Them? But Boss hasn¡¯t even said a word.¡±


    ¡°My performance is adequate for Belinda, so that is all the matters. Now can I assume we can change the subject now?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Adequate he says¡­¡±


    Belinda looks like she wants to say something, but is too embarrassed.


    ¡°So¡­ What are everyone¡¯s plans for today?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We just got back¡­ So I think I am going to rest up for a few days before doing anything else.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You just don¡¯t want to go out in the snow.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am sure you just want to roll around in bed all day.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well unlike some here I have some self-control. Besides Roxy said she got a part time job over at the tavern so she isn¡¯t going to be home most of the day.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°ha¡­self-control?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be on my side.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you got a part time job¡­ Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well the commissions have about dried up, and if there is one place that is guaranteed to have customers no matter the weather, it¡¯s a tavern.¡±


    ¡°But you have been working so hard around the house lately I would have told you not to worry about it, if I had known.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well everyone is back now, so they can chip in. Speaking of which, I better go get ready.¡±


    Roxy gives Zoey a short kiss, and then refills my coffee cup before leaving the room.


    Zoey: ¡°She is acting kind of strange. Boss did you say something weird to her while we were gone?¡±


    ¡°Nothing to be called weird, so just have a long talk with her I am sure you¡¯ll work it out.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    ¡°With your clothes on.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I get it!¡±


    Zoey takes her plate to the kitchen then heads upstairs as well.


    ¡°What about you Bell?¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t¡­Know¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe you can go help me out at the guild until you figured out what you want to do? Or maybe you could help out the Mayor. He seems to be needing quite a bit of help lately.¡±


    ¡°Oh about that¡­¡±


    I take the envelope from my inside jacket pocket and hand it to Belinda. She looks a little confused.


    Belinda: ¡°From father? What¡¯s that got to do with the Mayor?¡±


    I realize I just screwed up so I just awkwardly scratch my head¡­


    Belinda breaks the seal on the envelope and pulls out the letter and begins to read it. She starts to have a serious look on her face as she begins to read it, it only gets worse and worse the further she goes.


    Belinda: ¡°What is this all about?¡±


    ¡°Well you just opened the letter, so how should I know.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°When I mentioned the Mayor it made you think of the letter, so you already knew what was in it didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I kind of have an idea¡­ It was all the Mayor and Logan¡¯s idea. I even tried real hard to back out of it. That¡¯s why Logan went as far as to have your father send a letter¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do you have any idea how much work that is? To take care of that on top of taking care of the dungeon.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°What¡¯s it say¡­?¡±


    Belinda hands the letter to Scylla. While Scylla reads the letter I try to defend myself but to no avail.


    Belinda: ¡°I woke up this morning thinking ¡°Finally¡± we went on a trip and came back without major headache, but you knew this all along didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Like I said it was all your brother and the mayor, and Logan decided to use your father so we wouldn¡¯t have a choice in the matter¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But you knew. You knew since my brother was here and you never said anything.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping he was going to let it go¡­ We only received the letter from your father last night.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am sorry if this isn¡¯t any of my business, but isn¡¯t this a good thing?¡± ¨CShe says after finally finishing the letter and setting it on the table.-


    Belinda: ¡°How do you figure?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well there is only so much you can do from the adventurer¡¯s guild standpoint regarding the dungeon. If Two-Twelve becomes the mayor of Tobes, between you both you would have complete control over the human¡¯s interactions with the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You mean by setting decrees restricting access and such?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Exactly, you have tried the best you can though the adventurer¡¯s guild, but you have to remain on the adventurer¡¯s side even when it could hurt us, but with Two-Twelve as mayor he could fix that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I see what you are saying, and you could be right it might help the dungeon a bit, but Tobes as a whole? That¡¯s got to be at least 5 times the amount of work I have been having to deal with at the guild.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well Two-Twelve has us. He doesn¡¯t have to do it alone.¡±


    I want to say something, but Scylla really seems to be saving me here so I don¡¯t want to risk opening my mouth to make it worse¡­


    Belinda sighs and then sits back down and says. ¡°I still don¡¯t like it¡­ But not much we can do about it now that father has become involved¡­¡±


    ¡°Well Lilah, it looks like things are going to become really busy pretty soon. I am going to be counting on you to take care of the dungeon for me.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Leave it to Lilah!¡±


    Bell: ¡°What¡­ What should I do then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess you should help the mayor. That way when Two-Twelve takes over you will be able to help. Two-Twelve you should go as well. You¡¯re very smart¡­But some things¡­ You should just learn all you can while you can.¡±


    Over the course of the next few weeks Bell and I visit the Mayor almost every day learning what we can on how to take care of Tobes. The snow has seemed to reach its pinnacle at about a foot and a half to two feet deep. It still snows every now and then but it doesn¡¯t get much deeper.


    The observation of the large white creature in the frozen cavern has seems to reach a stalemate as well. The screen only appears for an hour at most once every two or three days. From what I can tell the creature has begun to settle in amongst the strongest of the other creatures.


    Almost all of the traveling adventurers are gone now, so the inn is almost completely empty. I have tried not to spend any of the xp from Belinda¡¯s trip, just to make sure we have enough to make it through winter now that I am consuming more per day then we are bringing in.


    At one point Zoey and Roxy seemed to be having some troubles, but they have now returned to normal. Scylla has been alternating between helping Bell and I at the Mayor¡¯s place, and helping Belinda at the guild.


    Zoey has been taking care of a few stray commissions that appear at the guild, as she hasn¡¯t quite found anything else to do. Lilah has taken up a lot of duties around the house as well, since there is very little activity in the dungeon.


    Some of the local adventurers got together last week and hit the dungeon, and you would think Lilah hit the jackpot with how excited she was that something was finally going on, but of course it was short lived as they only lasted an hour in the dungeon before retreating.


    My relationship with Belinda has seemed to reach comfortable level. We don¡¯t get to spend much time alone except at bed time, even our weekly dinners that she still insists we have together are shared with all the girls.


    At one point she seems to get upset leaving the adventurer¡¯s guild and pulling me from the Mayor¡¯s office around noon, and we spend the entire afternoon doing nothing but talking about random topics while we lounge around the house in each other¡¯s arms.


    A few days after that the Mayor has Bell and I drop what we are doing then says.


    Mayor: ¡°I only have a few weeks left¡­ Most of the villagers have already heard about me stepping down, but we need to make an official announcement. The entire time I have been leading the village we have never held any kind of festival in Tobes. The winter solstice is coming up, let¡¯s throw a village wide festival and we can make the announcement at the end. With that I can step down with a bang.¡±


    After that the village really seems to come to life again. Belinda seems as excited as when she is planning a party, which from what I gather is pretty much what a festival is, the only difference is it is for the entire town to participate in.


    For the next week things get really busy. Even Zoey has taking to lounging around, hasn¡¯t had time to rest. Using commissions the entire main street of Tobes has been cleared of snow. Stalls line the street like its spring time, and villagers really seem to be in a great mood.


    Mayor: ¡°This is my last act as Mayor, and things are going to get very busy for you afterwards. Take this chance while I am still Mayor and enjoy the festival with your family. I don¡¯t want to see you lifting one finger in work for its 3 day duration, you hear me?¡±


    ¡°But there is still so¡­¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Bell I am leaving it to you. Make sure Two-Twelve doesn¡¯t leave the princesses side¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­Yes sir¡­¡±


    The Mayor then has us leave. As we head to the main street to find the others, and it seems to be lightly snowing again, but it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going to build up much. Even as the snow falls around them the village seems lively as they finish the last of their preparations for the festival beginning tomorrow.


    I first see Zoey who is sweeping snow from in front of the bakery, but before I can say anything a ball of packed snow comes flying through the air hitting her. She quickly turns and begins chasing Lilah who was the one that threw it.


    Belinda steps out of the bakery and claps her hands together to get their attention telling them to settle down. Zoey begins to argue with her but after a stern look she nods and goes back to sweeping¡­ Belinda then sees Bell and I walking up and her eyes light up.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you guys done for the day already?¡±


    Bell: ¡°The Mayor¡­ He kicked us out¡­ He told us to not come back¡­ Until the festival is over¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re not going to have to work during the festival?¡±


    ¡°He said it¡¯s all going to be my responsibility soon, so I should enjoy the festival while I can.¡±


    She almost seems like she is about to cry when she wraps her arms around me hugging me tightly.


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± I thought¡­ But it¡¯s ok now¡­ I¡¯m so happy.¡±


    Scylla steps out the door of the bakery. ¡°Belinda¡­ Susan is asking for you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok¡­¡± ¨CShe gives me a kiss and then says. - ¡°We got a little more to wrap up here.¡±


    ¡°Well at least let us help.¡±


    Bell: ¡°But¡­ The Mayor said¡­ But he also said not to leave Belinda side¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok, why don¡¯t you take Lilah home, it¡¯s starting to get pretty cold again.¡±


    Bell and I go and get Lilah. Zoey hits her in the butt with the broom as we walk by, but Lilah quickly pulls a ball of snow from her jacket pocket and hits Zoey right in the face. Zoey is about to start chasing Lilah again but Belinda calls her into the bakery, so she has to give it up. Lilah sticks her tongue out at Zoey.


    ¡°You know she is going to get you back for that later don¡¯t you?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah made a deal with Roxy, so Zoey won¡¯t be able to.¡±


    ¡°A deal?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah makes breakfast in the morning tomorrow, and no matter what she does to Zoey today, Roxy will make sure Zoey doesn¡¯t retaliate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty cold on Roxy¡¯s part.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Zoey dumped bunches of snow on Roxy after lunch, so that¡¯s when Roxy and Lilah came up with the plan.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess as long as you don¡¯t take it too far¡­¡±


    When we make it to the house I send Bell and Lilah off to get a bath and to get ready for bed. I go make sure the furnace has plenty of fuel and then make some coffee. I have really begun to enjoy drinking coffee.


    Not only do I like its taste, it also does a good job of warming you up after being outside in this cold weather. I sit there quietly drinking my coffee until I hear someone come in the front door. It however turns out to be Roxy.


    Roxy: ¡°Evening Two-Twelve, have the others returned yet?¡±


    ¡°Bell and Lilah are taking a bath, but I left the others at the bakery they said they still had a bit to finish up.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Good¡­ Does Belinda have that parchment that lets you guys talk to each other?¡±


    ¡°Well I can get a message to her.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Can you tell her to make sure Zoey returns home first, her and Scylla should probably at least stand a few feet back when Zoey opens the door.¡±


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Just a little pay back for something she did after lunch.¡±


    I am not sure what she did, but I think I understand. I ask her if she wants a cup of coffee and send Belinda the message while I go get it for her.


    ¡°Belinda said they would be here in about 10 minutes.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Oh perfect.¡±


    Roxy takes the cup of coffee I hand her and sits on the edge of the steps while sipping it.


    I drink my coffee while leaning against the door frame leading into dining room while we wait on the girls. We soon hear Zoey loudly talking about getting back at Lilah for the snowballs, but when she opens the door¡­


    I don¡¯t know how Roxy set it up, but as soon as Zoey opens the door a large amount of snow comes tumbling from the roof almost completely burying Zoey in snow. Roxy busts out laughing, and I can even hear Belinda and Scylla laughing behind Zoey.


    Lilah and Bell rush out to see what the commotion is about, Lilah¡¯s hair is still wet but she is at least wearing a nightgown. Bell however is only wrapped in a towel, and its barely covering her as her breasts prevent it wrapping completely around her so she has to hold it up.


    Lilah points and begins laughing as well, but Bell looks shocked and a little confused. Eventually things calm down and we all pull Zoey out of the snow. Bell and Lilah return upstairs while Zoey is griping loudly. Roxy brushes the snow off of Zoey, kisses her on the cheek, and leads her upstairs as well.


    Scylla helps Belinda and I clean up the entranceway before she retires to her room. Once Belinda and I head to our bedroom she says.


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to take a nice hot bath¡­¡±


    Apparently Roxy and Zoey had the same idea, because when Belinda begins to pump the water from the tank heated by the furnace the water is cool. This however doesn¡¯t deter Belinda, and she uses what looks like a massive amount of her magic using fire magic to heat the water¡­


    She looked tired before, but now looks positively exhausted, but the water is now lightly steaming¡­


    ¡°You know if you used [Clean] it would have taken a lot less magic¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh I did use [Clean], but that¡¯s not the point.¡±


    ¡°If you used [Clean] what¡¯s the point of the bath? Isn¡¯t the point of it to clean you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After all this time are you going to tell me you still haven¡¯t taken a bath?¡±


    ¡°I have never seen the point it seems like too much trouble.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh we are going to have to fix that right now.¡±


    She says as she moves over to me starts to remove my clothes¡­ After we enter the bath I quickly see what she means. I don¡¯t know how long we stay in the bath, but I know it has gotten pretty late, and the water has already become pretty cool¡­


    I am definitely looking forward to taking more baths in the future. Madam Erin did always say that a bath was one thing that humans got right, so I guess I now understand what she meant. Belinda and I then curl up in each other¡¯s arms in bed drifting off to sleep.

 The Winter Solstice Festival

    I am so relaxed after the bath I sleep soundly in Belinda¡¯s arms, so soundly in fact I don¡¯t wake up till I feel someone shaking me. I pull my face from Belinda¡¯s breasts and she is still asleep so I look to the other side, and find Scylla with one hand over her eyes, blushing brightly, as she shakes me with the other.


    Scylla: ¡°I am sorry Master¡­ But we were starting to get worried.¡±


    She says as she quickly turns around.  I notice I have received quite a few messages from Scylla and Zoey, I even have received some from Lilah and Bell checking on me and asking if I am awake.


    Scylla: ¡°It is already pretty late, I sent the other girls on ahead to the festival, but I wanted to make sure you where ok.¡¯


    Belinda likewise begins to stir from slumber.


    Scylla: ¡°I am going to go join the others now, excuse me¡­¡± ¨CShe then quickly flees from the room.-


    ¡°Belinda¡­ Wake up Belinda¡­¡±


    Belinda grabs me tightly and says sleepily. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna.¡±


    ¡°The girls have already left without us¡­ The sun has been up for hours.¡±


    Belinda quickly sits up her hair is a total mess, and she has drool on her cheek as she quickly looks to the window. She quickly fumbles about scrambling out of bed rushing back and forth around the room.


    I casually get out of bed and wrap my arms around her from behind pressing my body against hers.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t any rush, the girls are already out there. This is our time, and I don¡¯t know about you but I much prefer this view over that of the snowy streets of Tobes.¡±


    I say as I place my chin on her shoulder looking at the mirror in front of us. She doesn¡¯t blush anymore when I look at her naked body, but after my comment she does, but she has a large smile on her face. She turns around in my arms, and kisses me.


    She then hops which startles me and almost cause me to fall back as she wraps her legs around my waist. I back up to the bed and sit back on it without our lips ever parting.


    Belinda: ¡°I love you Two-Twelve¡±


    We remain in bed till noon. I don¡¯t know why, but this time the feeling felt different. Usually the feeling is just a strong impulse, a rush and then it¡¯s gone as quick as it came.


    This time it didn¡¯t go away, and it didn¡¯t feel overbearing. Even after we finally get dressed and begin to take part in the festivities of Tobes I can still feel its warmth in my chest like a small flame. Every time Belinda smiles, she brushes against my arm, or whispers in my ear. The flame seems to flutter inside me only growing stronger.


    We spend the entire day walking up and down the main street of Tobes. We visit with the other villagers, take part is small games that have been set up in the stalls. We even eat several different types of food, but even though I don¡¯t find any appealing, it doesn¡¯t bother me.


    Zoey was quickly kicked out of one of the games where she had to throw a small bag of sand across the stall knocking over little wooden monsters after she knocked them all over several times. They did give her a large stuffed animal though before kicking her out, which she gave to Roxy with a sheepish grin.


    Scylla and Bell stick close to Lilah helping her with several of the games, but once it comes to a game of the mind Bell is quickly left out. Scylla keeps up with Lilah, but even she loses to Lilah in the end¡­ which is actually quite surprising considering.


    One stall has a bar that you hold onto while focusing your magic which causes a ball in rise, and has prizes for height and duration. Scylla, Belinda, and I take part in it along with several of the villagers including Susan from the bakery, and while I win the prize for height, Belinda manages to outlast me claiming the duration prize.


    Belinda gives her prize to Scylla, so I give mine to her. Bell gets kicked out from a game that you use a large wooden mallet to knock a ring attached to a rope into the air after claiming the prize several times, She gives one to Lilah, and one to Zoey since she hasn¡¯t gotten anything for herself yet, and keeps one for herself.


    Even as the sun goes down and snow begins to fall again, we don¡¯t feel like going home until they begin to close the stalls. We are so tired by the time we get home we all go straight to bed. The next morning Belinda and I manage to wake up at the normal time. At breakfast Zoey is wearing an odd expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°There is an eating competition today¡­ I want to win it, but Roxy made this breakfast so I don¡¯t want to waste it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will eat it for you.¡±


    I take the plate and begin eating which shocks everyone, but Zoey¡¯s shock is for a different reason.


    Roxy: ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were hungry Two-Twelve, don¡¯t look so pitiful Zoey. I will make you another one.¡±


    Zoey looks really does look pitiful but says. ¡°I¡­I¡­No I need to prepare¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I heard if you go without eating it causes your stomach to shrink, so in the end not eating breakfast would actually cause you more harm than good.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Good enough for me! I will have a plate then!¡±


    We all laugh, and then sit talking together over breakfast, afterward we all clean up. We then head back to Tobes for today¡¯s festivities and while walking out the door Belinda rubs my chest while leaning on me as we walk and says.


    Belinda: ¡°I am really liking this Two-Twelve, can I keep him?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She smiles shaking her head, and kisses my cheek then lays her head back on my shoulder.


    Today¡¯s festivities are more focused on events like the eating competition. We get nervous when Denova¡¯s girls preform a dance, but even though the dance is rather sensual in nature. They are wearing beautiful flowing and wavy dresses that make it quite enjoyable for everyone.


    When Zoey only comes in second at the eating competition she tries to blame Scylla because of breakfast. Roxy however defuses the situation when she begins to fake crying saying Zoey was blaming her food on her loss.


    We are enjoying ourselves so much when Denova makes her way over sitting with us during one of the events none of us are partaking in we aren¡¯t even upset.


    Denova: ¡°You all seem to be enjoying yourselves quite a bit.¡± ¨CShe says with her normal sly smile.-


    ¡°We are. Would you like a drink?¡± -I take one of the empty mugs at the table we are sitting at filling it, and sliding it over to Denova.-


    Denova seems almost upset that she isn¡¯t getting under our skin today.


    Denova: ¡°I saw that you were watching the girls dance earlier, what did you think?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It was very beautiful. I admit I was worried at first but I was pleasantly surprised. Very well done.¡±


    Denova: ¡°After everyone seen them dance like that, just imagine how much I will be able to make off private dances.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Always the entrepreneur I see. Well good luck to you.¡±


    Denova now seems more miffed that she still can¡¯t get under Belinda¡¯s skin today, so she quickly finishes the mug off that I gave her and leaves.


    Later some of the villagers get together and play some music. The music itself isn¡¯t very good, as a matter of fact it is actually pretty bad, but it doesn¡¯t stop couples from dancing. Belinda and I dance for a while, and so do Roxy and Zoey.


    Zoey actually seems to only step on Roxy¡¯s feet a few times this time. Watching the people dance seems to really cause Scylla¡¯s mood to fall, so Belinda tells me to dance with her for a bit. Before it¡¯s all said and done I end up dancing with dancing with Scylla, Bell, and even Lilah.


    It doesn¡¯t stop there however I end up even having to dance with several of the older village ladies. Denova uses this as a chance to send in Cassandra, but it doesn¡¯t get the reaction she wanted out of Belinda. Denova even dances with me herself but nothing seems to faze Belinda today.


    The random dancing ends up like an event of getting to dance with me for some strange reason. At one point I even end up dancing with Roxy and then Zoey immediately after. Belinda talks to the people playing and then taps on Zoey¡¯s shoulder. Zoey then turns me back over to Belinda.


    For the final dance Belinda holds me tight where we barely even take a step mainly just swaying to the music. I don¡¯t know how long that last song lasted, but I no longer hear it as everything seems to melt away except for Belinda and me.


    It feels like we standing there for an eternity, but even that doesn¡¯t seem like it is long enough. When the world seems to catch back up with us we rejoin the others and the festivities continue. Late in the evening when we return home the furnace has seemed to burn itself out, leaving the house pretty cold.


    Roxy apologizes several times, but everyone tells her it isn¡¯t her fault¡­ After Belinda and I retire for the night though, I don¡¯t even have time to notice the cold. Belinda barely even gives me a moment to catch my breath¡­Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    It is so late at night before we eventually prepare to go to sleep I set [Menu] to give me a loud alarm in a few short hours so not have a repeat of the other night¡­


    When the alarm does go off in the morning it takes quite a bit of work to drag myself out of bed. When I leave bed Belinda groans.


    Belinda: ¡°Nooo come back!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the last day of the festival, and the announcement is going to be today so we definitely can¡¯t miss today.¡±


    When Belinda finally sits up in bed she grunts.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t regret anything¡­But maybe we should take it easy for a few days¡­¡±


    ¡°I was just following your lead¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like I said no regrets¡­¡±


    She however makes quite a bit of effort to keep herself covered, even equipping her clothes with [Menu] before getting out of bed.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    It takes her a bit of effort but she gets up out of bed now and wraps her arms around me.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m more then ok.¡±


    She then kisses me, and by the time I get dressed and ready to head downstairs she seems to be back to normal. Since I set the alarm a bit early we are the first ones to make it downstairs. I fill the furnace while Belinda starts on breakfast.


    After taking care of the furnace I move behind Belinda embracing her, she continues with breakfast while I nibble on her ear. Until I hear a grunt behind me. I turn to find Zoey, her hair is disheveled and her pajama shirt buttoned up wrong.


    She lets out a big yawn then raddles the coffee container¡­


    Zoey: ¡°How can you guys still be at it this morning? I guess nobody in the house has to wonder how good Boss is now¡­¡±


    Belinda starts to blush and I ask. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Everyone heard¡­ I am sure even those at Denova¡¯s place heard.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It wasn¡¯t THAT loud¡­¡±


    She says with a snap, as she spins from my arms, walks over to the coffee container snatching it away from Zoey, and begins to make some.


    Zoey: ¡°It was loud enough to scare Lilah and Bell enough to stay with Scylla all night¡­¡±


    Belinda looks genuinely concerned now as she says. ¡®We weren¡¯t really that loud were we?¡±


    Zoey yawns again then says. ¡°Well Roxy got a kick out of it so I got to reap the benefits as well, but even we sleep sometimes¡­¡±


    Belinda is blushing quite a bit now she turns back to me hitting my chest with a small hand towel she is holding in her hand like it¡¯s my fault¡­


    Belinda: ¡°How am I going to be able to look at them in the eyes now¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well I would be careful the way you say yes and avoid the phrase ¡°That¡¯s the spot.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh my god!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh yea that one too.¡±


    Belinda groan as she covers her face with her hands then buries it in my chest. Scylla now enters the dining room followed by both Bell and Lilah who are holding on to her shirt with their heads bowed¡­


    Scylla: ¡°Oh¡­ We didn¡¯t think you would have woken up this early this morning.¡±


    I can hear Scylla whisper to Lilah and Bell. ¡°See I told you Belinda Is ok.¡± They however don¡¯t look up as the as she sits them down at the table¡­


    Scylla then heads into the kitchen with us, and says. ¡°Maybe you should let me take over for a bit?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    I lead Belinda out of the room into the large dining room where she sits in one of the chairs, she has tears in her eyes.


    Belinda: ¡°I am so embarrassed¡­¡±


    ¡°It will be ok.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But Lilah and Bell¡­ They looked so scared¡­¡±


    ¡°They were worried about you, now that they see you are ok, they¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    I eventually am able to coax her back into the dining room with the others. When we return to the dining room with the others Zoey¡¯s ears are drooping and her tail is tucked between her legs as Roxy is scolding her¡­ They quickly stop when they see us however.


    Roxy: ¡°Good morning!~ Did you sleep well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­ Really¡­¡±


    Things remain a little awkward as we have breakfast and clean up after, but after everyone goes and gets ready for the last day of festivities things are starting to return back to normal. Belinda doesn¡¯t hold me quite as tight though when we leave the house heading into Tobes.


    We hit all the stalls on the first day, and most of the events took place yesterday so today is kind of dull in comparison. We hit a few of the stalls again but for the most part there isn¡¯t much to do today, which doesn¡¯t help everyone¡¯s mood.


    Quite a few of the villagers have giving up on the festival already, and have begun to go home where it is warm. Luckily not long after noon the Mayor pushes up the announcement.


    Mayor¡¯s Speech


    As many of you may have heard, I have decided that I will step down in two weeks at the close of the year. Although I have dedicated my life to Tobes, I feel that with the wonderful growth we have been blessed with it is time for me to turn the reins over to someone else.


    Although it wasn¡¯t easy I believe I have found someone much younger that will dedicate themselves to this town as I have. With their youthful energy I am sure they will be able to lead Tobes into fine budding town and perhaps into a small city someday.


    Some of you may know when Tobes changed classification from a village to a town, and I was given the title of Mayor, that opened us to a whole new set of rules where the Mayor must be approved by the capital.


    After sending my recommendation to the capital I received a letter back from the royal office of the King of Gowen himself. I would like to read to you a section from the letter directly from the King regarding the Mayor of Tobes.


    We have received your wish to step down as Mayor of Tobes, and your recommendation for your replacement. Though your dedication to the Township of Tobes as its Mayor you have also proved your dedication to the Kingdom of Gowen. As such we took your recommendation for a replacement very highly.


    Matters such as these are often handled by the committee, but as my youngest daughter has recently taken up residence in Tobes I wished to handle this personally. As concerning your recommendation I whole-heartedly agree with you decision.


    The one who is called Two-Twelve has already proved to be an outstanding and intelligent man. He has already performed great deeds for the Kingdom of Gowen, and I believe as the Mayor of the Township of Tobes he will allow the small community that you yourself nurtured to bloom into a fine Town.


    By the recommendation of Thurston Fletcher Mayor of Tobes, and Royal decree from King Rondsom Gowen the Second. On the first day of the calendar year 1437 I acknowledge Thurston Fletcher¡¯s voluntary withdraw from the Mayor¡¯s position, and to be succeeded by the one called Two-Twelve.


    From the offices of¡­ Yada-yadda so on and so forth.


    Two-Twelve, if you would step up here.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    At the Mayor¡¯s words Belinda squeezes my hand tightly then lets me go as I walk forward to join the Mayor.


    He pats my back and shakes my hand while most of the villagers clap or cheer¡­ There is of course one voice that rings out loudly in protest.


    Denova: ¡°This is ridiculous, Two-Twelve? Mayor? He doesn¡¯t even have a proper name, yet you are going to allow him to take responsibility for your very lives. He has no qualifications to be Mayor he is only being allowed the position because of sleeping with the princess!¡±


    Another voice from the crowd sounds out, it¡¯s another voice I recognize, but luckily it isn¡¯t one of the girls¡­


    Susan: ¡°You are just mad because you are now going to have to actually use gold to ¡°Pay¡± your taxes now.¡±


    Many of the villagers begin to snort and chuckle.


    Mayor: ¡°Well regardless of your feelings as I read this comes directly from the King of Gowen himself. I also wish to say as your current Mayor that I have been working closely with Two-Twelve in the past weeks and assure you he is more than capable¡±


    Denova stomps away, and the villagers gather around speaking with the Mayor and I. Unfortunately by the time the crowd finally dissipates it¡¯s already late in the afternoon. Belinda then joins me with the Mayor.


    Mayor: ¡°Belinda, thanks for lending me your gentleman here. How did you find Tobes first festival?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Evening¡­ It was very pleasant, next year we can only hope it won¡¯t be so cold.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Yes it¡¯s rather unfortunate that we started it on a year Faron¡¯s rest.¡±


    When I look confused Belinda adds. ¡°He means on one of the cold winters. It is said the year that has a very mild winter is favored by the god Faron, but is always followed the next year by a year Faron¡¯s rest.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°How did you feel about it Two-Twelve?¡±


    ¡°I think for a first one it was pretty good. I think next year we need to spread the events out a bit more to help keep momentum going on the third day. Also it worked well because all the adventurers left for the harsh winter, but we will need more events catered to them if there are more around.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes some of the stalls and events were too easy for the girls, but fine for the normal villagers so we need to maybe have two separate difficulties.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Well I know I am leaving it in good hands. I look forward to seeing it next year as just a resident of Tobes. You might also want to consider adding your little dancing event. You could call it dancing with the Mayor, because many of the ladies were singing your praises for that.¡±


    ¡°I am still not quite sure how that all started¡­¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Well it helped your image greatly with some of the older ladies, so just take it as a win. Well, I am going to let you two return to the festivities, and I will see you bright and early tomorrow. We still have quite a bit more to cover the next two weeks.¡±


    After the Mayor leaves we don¡¯t stay much longer, Zoey asks if Roxy and her can stick around a while longer, but the rest of us decide to head home.


    The next two weeks pass pretty quickly as I work with the Mayor. On the night before I take over as Mayor of Tobes we have a countdown to the New Year at home while drinking the night away.


    The next morning however it has begun to snow heavily again, covering everything in a fresh heavy blanket of snow. I hope this isn¡¯t a sign of what I have to look forward to¡­


    The snow continues to fall heavily though the day making it hard to return home after being at the office all day. I need to get the office inside the secondary dungeon, or build a new one closer to the house¡­


    The first few weeks of being Mayor are pretty tough. I spend long hours working, and don¡¯t get to spend much time with Belinda. If it wasn¡¯t for Bell and Scylla giving me a hand I don¡¯t know how bad I would mess this up.


    It takes a full month of being mayor before Bell and I can handle it alone without Scylla. It also marks the first day the sun has peeked out from behind the clouds shining down, although it doesn¡¯t last long.


    On one day when Bell and I are finishing up Scylla enters the office in a panic¡­


    Scylla: ¡°Two-Twelve do you know what day it is in a week?¡±


    ¡°Is this a trick question?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Belinda¡¯s Birthday! It¡¯s coming up in a week!¡±


    After thinking about it for a moment, she is right, that does seem like it¡¯s been about a year.


    ¡°Yea, that sounds about right.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Have you gotten her a gift yet? Or even started to plan a party for her?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this her 19<sup>th</sup> one though?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°What does that matter?¡±


    ¡°Last year was her 18<sup>th</sup> so she had a big party, and my birthday was my 1<sup>st</sup> so we had one, but I was under the impression they were both special.¡±


    ¡°Scylla: ¡°Well I guess that is right, but that doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t throw her a party and get her a gift this year as well.¡±


    ¡°Every year?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°That¡¯s kind of how it works¡­ I guess it is how I feared then. You haven¡¯t started making plans¡­Well leave the party to me, Zoey, and Roxy. You however have to come up with your own gift for her.¡±


    Scylla then leaves the office as quick as she came. Bell and I finish up at the office and begin to head back home.


    ¡°Bell, what do you think I should get Belinda as a birthday gift?¡±


    Bell: ¡°I am sorry¡­ I don¡¯t know what would be appropriate to receive as a birthday gift¡­¡±


    ¡°Well you¡¯re a woman as well, what would you like as a gift?¡±


    Bell: ¡°You and Belinda provide everything for me that I may need¡­ so I couldn¡¯t really say¡­¡±


    ¡°hmm¡­¡±


    Bell: ¡°What would you like to receive as a gift?¡±


    ¡°With my xp slowly dwindling down without adventurer¡¯s returning to Tobes yet¡­ I would settle for a high level adventurer trapped in the dungeon for a few weeks.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I think the more Mayor like response would be a gift of xp¡­ And not asking for someone to give you a captive human¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can give xp as a gift.¡±


    Bell: ¡°That¡¯s not the point¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I guess I will have to ask the others then.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I am sorry I couldn¡¯t help¡­¡±


    After we reach the house I begin my interrogation. I spend the rest of the evening pulling the girls one by one aside to ask them. Their responses however are less then desirable¡­


    Lilah: ¡°Anything Master gets Belinda, she will love.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I said ¡°you¡± have to come up with something¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Sorry, Scylla told us you needed to do this on your own.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Ohhh Boss is in trouble! He hasn¡¯t gotten Belinda¡¯s birthday present yet! Wrap yourself and give her that!¡±


    ¡­I guess there is nothing wrong in asking Belinda herself what she would like¡­ The best way to get what you want is to tell them what you want right? That night before heading to bed I make my move¡­


    Belinda: ¡°I know what you are trying to ask. Scylla tried to hide it, but she was panicked earlier when she found out my birthday was coming up. I don¡¯t care what you get me, as long as it comes from here.¡±


    She says while placing her head on my chest. I guess I don¡¯t have to rely just on the girls. I could ask Susan at the bakery, maybe the receptionists at the guild, Amy or Logan might work if all else fails. I will have to continue to work on it tomorrow. For now I go to sleep with a troubled expression.

 Finding the Perfect Gift

    The sun shining through the window this morning as we gather around having breakfast is quite refreshing, although it does look like there are more clouds blowing in so best enjoy it while we can. During breakfast Belinda¡¯s upcoming birthday is mentioned several times, but nothing about a party is mentioned.


    Zoey: ¡°Of course I got her a gift already, you can¡¯t wait till the last minute to get a birthday gift for someone¡± ¨CShe says to Roxy, but is obviously directing the comment at me.-


    Lilah pulls on my sleeve and whispers into my ear. ¡°Master, Lilah knows what to get Belinda for her birthday, but she needs 25xp to do it. Can Lilah have 25xp?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see that being a problem, but what do you plan on getting her that cost 25xp?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°That¡¯s a secret¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­We still have a bit of xp left over and the adventurers should start returning in a few weeks so once I will set it up before heading to the office.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Make sure Lilah can use it anyway she wants without permission, so Master can¡¯t cheat and find out what she is getting Belinda early.¡±


    ¡°Ok. I promise¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t actually think of that, but that would have been a good idea¡­ Maybe I can get Bell or Scylla to use xp to get something for Belinda so I have an idea on what to get her. Scylla is coming to the office with us today so I can ask them both while we are there.


    ¡°What about you Roxy, have you gotten anything for Belinda yet?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well not yet, but I do know what I am going to get her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve will you quit trying to pressure the girls into help you find the right gift!¡±


    ¡°I just asked if she gotten anything¡­¡±


    Everyone laughs after Belinda scolds me. I don¡¯t know when it started, but I have begun eating normally with the others when we gather for meals, which includes breakfast almost every day. I still don¡¯t care for eating much, but I have begun to enjoy the interactions with the others when I do.


    After breakfast we prepare to head out, and I set the xp for Lilah. Belinda gives me a kiss and hands me couple papers that she had to fill out for the adventurers guild, and then she waves to Scylla, Bell, and I as we head out. With no adventurers entering the dungeon in over a month, and staying too busy with the Mayor duties I begin to wonder.


    Is this the feeling of being human? If so I don¡¯t find it unpleasant at all. This winter has given me a lot to think about. I am not even sure if I would bother with the dungeon once spring returns if it wasn¡¯t for the fact of having to protect the crystal, and needing the xp to survive¡­ I am sure that kind of thinking would turn the stomachs of a lot of the dungeon cores out there.


    Once we reach the office the clouds retake the sky burying the sun yet again, after taking care of a few things I ask Scylla.


    ¡°Have you gotten your present for Belinda yet? I heard you were surprised about her birthday yesterday as well.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°No. I haven¡¯t come up with something, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Well Lilah is going to use some xp and the dungeon to get her gift for Belinda, so if you want I can summon something for you.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°That¡¯s not actually a bad id¡­ Wait you are just doing this to get ideas for gifts aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I was just trying to help.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Yea¡­I think I better stick to buying it myself.¡±


    I know if I don¡¯t get to Bell before Scylla has a chance to talk to her it will never work.


    ¡°Scylla, this paper needs Belinda¡¯s signature, you think you can run it to her and have her sign it real quick?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Don¡¯t you just usually take that stuff home and have her sign it, and just bring it back the next day?¡±


    ¡°I must have missed this one yesterday it needs to be filed with this stuff, so would you please?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Alright, if it must be done today¡­ Hey Bell, I am going to go shopping for Belinda¡¯s birthday present this evening you want to go with me to get one for her?¡±


    Bell: ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    Scylla looks at me, shrugs her shoulders, and struts out the door with the paper¡­ I need to summon me some backup, these girls are out to get me¡­ I think of asking Logan or Amy but Belinda is the one with the communication parchment for them and if I ask to talk to them she will know what I am up to¡­


    I guess that leaves Susan or the receptionists at the adventurer¡¯s guild. After getting our work done for the day I let Bell and Scylla leave early so they can go do their shopping. I meanwhile head for the bakery.


    Susan: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while ¡°Mister Mayor¡± what can I do for you this evening?¡±


    ¡°You and Belinda go back before she came to Tobes right?¡±


    Susan: ¡°Ever since I retired as an adventurer and took up baking.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you know then, her birthday is coming up here in a few days. Scylla is putting together a party for her, so I thought I would come let you know about it.¡±


    Susan: ¡°Are you holding it the adventurer¡¯s guild again, or you holding it at home this time?¡±


    ¡°Actually I don¡¯t know, I am sure though it will be at home, we have that entire room for that sort of thing so I would think that¡¯s where it would be.¡±


    Susan: ¡°Well I appreciate the invite, but shouldn¡¯t you know the when and where before going around inviting people?¡±


    ¡°Well there actually there was something else as well. I thought since you have known her for quite a while, you would be able to help me come up with an idea for her birthday gift.¡±


    Susan: ¡°You two weren¡¯t together during her birthday last year yet were you?


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I was there but it was sort of a last minute kind of thing.¡±


    Susan: ¡°So this is the first time you are getting her a birthday present?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    Susan whistles then says. ¡°That¡¯s a tough one.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Susan: ¡°A birthday present for you lover is always important, but for the first one it needs to be really special.¡±


    ¡°So, what should I do?¡±


    Susan: ¡°I can¡¯t really answer that. It¡¯s something you need to figure out on your own.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is making such a big deal of the gift I need to get for her, but nobody will help me finding something appropriate¡­¡±


    Susan: ¡°Where everyone just has to give her a gift that says hey here is something you like. You need to give a give her something that also says this is how much you mean to me.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­ It just doesn¡¯t help me much¡­ In fact it probably makes it worse.¡±


    Susan: ¡°And this one won¡¯t ever be forgotten, so make it count.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­ Can you at least give me of some ideas on things I should avoid?¡±


    Susan: ¡°It should be something personal, but I would avoid clothing. I would even go as far as to say any equipment at all. That kind of thing is too interchangeable, and you won¡¯t keep it for more than a few years if actively leveling. The exception to that is jewelry, but jewelry has many different meanings and can easily be misinterpreted.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    Susan: ¡°Anything perishable, best stick to something she can carry with her anywhere, or at least where she can place it somewhere like her room where she can look at it whenever. Perishable items can go with the item however. Adding chocolates in addition to the gift would increase the impact. Flowers work well for that, but they to serve many meanings depending on the flower, and they are not readily available this time a year.¡±


    ¡°Anything else¡­?¡±


    Susan: ¡°Just make sure it is personal. Without receiving any shipments from the capital all winter you might think you have to just settle with whatever is left, but making a crappy hand carved figurine yourself would beat buying one that doesn¡¯t hold any meaning to you two. Although with the time you have left if you hand make something yourself, and it doesn¡¯t turn out well it may look like you just didn¡¯t put in enough effort as well, so only do that as a last resort.¡±


    ¡°Well I am still not sure if that helps, or just makes this even harder, but at least you answered my questions even if it wasn¡¯t what I wanted to hear. For what it¡¯s worth I appreciate it.¡±


    Susan: ¡°Any time, Mister Mayor.¡±


    ¡°Well I have taking up quite a bit of your time, let me at least buy some bread to make it up to you.¡±


    Susan: ¡°Well you let me make the cake for Belinda¡¯s birthday party, and we can call it even. Just send Scylla to give me the details tomorrow about the when, where, and how many.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how costing you more expense would be considered paying you back.¡±


    Susan: ¡°We will say it¡¯s my birthday present to Belinda then.¡±


    ¡°Then I still owe you for the help.¡±


    Susan: ¡°Good night Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    She pushed me out of the store¡­ Well I guess if that is what she wants. I will let Scylla know when I get home. It¡¯s kind of late now, I will have to take a look around for a present tomorrow, but at least now have a list of things to avoid.


    When I make it home I find Roxy, Scylla, Bell, Zoey, and Lilah all gathered around talking about Belinda¡¯s birthday, but then Scylla shushes them.


    ¡°You do realize it is Belinda¡¯s birthday, and not mine right?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course, but we got to make sure you do your part right. How is that going by the way?¡±


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t found anything, but I am at least starting to get an idea. Also tomorrow, when you get the chance you need to slip out of the guild, and go talk to Susan at the bakery she wants to make Belinda¡¯s cake.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You talked to Susan? That is cheating!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she didn¡¯t tell me what to get, but she at least helped me in telling me what to avoid.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Ok I will take care of it, and don¡¯t think I am not going to check out your story to make sure.¡±


    ¡°Where is Belinda anyway, has she not made it home yet?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°We told her to go take a bath so we could talk.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Scylla: ¡°I think she figured out what we were doing, but that¡¯s ok. She will still be surprised when the times comes I guarantee it.¡±


    The next few days I search every business in Tobes. Most of them are closed until the transports begin again from the capital. I am left with only one option¡­


    Denova: ¡°If it isn¡¯t the Mayor of Tobes, come to check out the ¡°Mayor Special¡±?¡±


    ¡°I am interested in making a purchase from your warehouse.¡±


    Denova: ¡°You and everyone else in Tobes. Everyone has about cleaned me out. Now that I have all the extra space I am thinking of making changes. Come spring how does Denova¡¯s General Goods sound?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have enough to take care of with your brothel, bar, and all your side ventures?¡±


    Denova: ¡°That¡¯s the idea. I can run everything else out of the general goods store. I made enough from selling all that junk from the warehouse, and maybe get a few more girls to run it.¡±


    ¡°Well can I take a look at the warehouse or not?¡±


    Denova: ¡°If you tell me what you are looking for I can tell you if there is any left, but I am telling you they cleaned me out.¡±


    ¡°I am not exactly sure what I am looking for¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Oh I see. The princess¡¯s birthday is coming up here pretty quick isn¡¯t it? You still haven¡¯t gotten her anything? Well for what it¡¯s worth when she kicks you out of the house, you can always keep warm with one of my girls. For the standard rate of course.¡±


    ¡°Fine, if you¡¯re not going to help me you are just wasting my time¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Now just hold on. Jewelry doesn¡¯t keep your warm, it can¡¯t be burnt, or ate, so there may be some pieces that I still have laying around.¡±


    Denova wasn¡¯t kidding about being cleaned out, the last time I entered the warehouse there were only pathways though everything. Now there are only items catered to adventurers remaining, even the crates seem to be broken down to use as firewood¡­


    She brings over a chest that looks suspiciously like one of mine from up at the dungeon and dumps the contents out on top of some weird metal bed looking thing, that I don¡¯t even want to know what purpose it is for, that is sitting in the middle of the warehouse.


    Most of the items look old worn and just plain pointless¡­ most of the items are rings, but rings are a touchy subject so I probably should avoid them. There is also a pair of gaudy bangles that I quickly dismiss there are a few necklaces and a bracelet, but the ones that have jewels the jewels are so small it¡¯s even hard to tell what kind they are¡­


    ¡°This is it?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well Tobes isn¡¯t exactly a bustling city now is it?¡±


    ¡°Well then how much for this?¡±


    I ask while picking up the bracelet, which seems to have the largest stones. They are at least large enough to determine a color.


    Denova: ¡°150 gold¡±


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Supply and demand.¡±


    ¡°I can get gems 10 times their size by the handful out of the chests in the dungeon.¡±


    Denova: ¡°All them gems are unpolished and uncut, they are practically worthless.¡±


    ¡°Then how much for this necklace, the gems on it can¡¯t be called more than grains of sand¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Fine go with the cheapest thing possible that is a sure fire way to impress a princess. 75 gold.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. It was a waste to bother with you to begin with¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°The rings are much better, how about a nice sapphire ring here? 100 gold and look at the size of the gem.¡±


    ¡°I will figure something else out¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well you got 2 more day. Nobody else in Tobes is going to have anything, you will be back and I promise the prices will go up.¡±


    I leave the warehouse and begin heading back home. That was ridiculous, but she was right about one thing it¡¯s not like I have much choice. I am going to have to use the dungeon to come up with something. That night after Belinda goes to bed I wait till she is sound asleep then sneak out of bed and transfer to the core room.


    I have been so busy with being mayor I haven¡¯t even stepped foot in here in over two weeks. I spend the next hour combing through the [Menu] trying to find something, anything that would make a good gift. Once I come across the jewelry section I am surprised at the cost of most of it.


    I find a plain necklace that has a nice design, but doesn¡¯t have any gems on it. It only cost 20xp though. Compared to a necklace with a diamonds starting at 2000xp, 20xp sounds like a joke¡­


    Denova said the jewels from the chests in the dungeon are uncut and unpolished making them almost worthless. I decide to look over the jewels I have been summoning. They are just listed by the type of gem they are and I can lower or raise the size which affects the xp cost, but I don¡¯t see anything about unpolished or uncut.


    I decide to try something. I take a cheap type of gem and make it small enough it only costs around 3xp. When I finalize the summoning I focus on the shape of the jewel in my mind I picture it as perfectly round sphere.


    The gem when summoned results in a little sphere. The color is pretty bad and it might be a little lopsided, but it does look like I can shape the stones¡­ I try it with a little better quality gem and a little larger. I keep trying different things and before I realize it I got a small pile of gems of varies types and sizes in all sorts of shapes.


    I decide to stop there I have spent close to 200xp, but I think I am feeling confident. I even have an idea that I think Belinda will enjoy. I add the miscellaneous gems to a chest and hide it in the dungeon. In the inventory someone might find out this way I should be good at least till after the birthday.


    I decide to wait till tomorrow to make the present and with a smile on my face I head to bed. The next morning I head to breakfast and even endure the girls teasing me. After heading to the office I have trouble working as I am still a little worried my plan is going to work.


    At noon I finally give up and we shut down for the day. I quickly make my way home and head to the core room. I temporarily restrict access to the core room and begin to put my plan in action.


    Scylla: ¡°How long has he been in there?¡±


    Bell: ¡°We closed the office just after noon¡­ And he looked really frustrated when we come home... He then locked himself in his room¡­ He hasn¡¯t come out since.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Maybe we were a little too hard on him?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Maybe he is just thinking really hard and plans to get his gift in the morning.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well he better hurry up, it¡¯s not even 24 hours until it begins.¡±


    I spend the rest of the afternoon making a present for Belinda. It takes me quite a few tries to make it the way I want, and without realizing it we are now dangerously low on xp. Now that it is finished however I am pleased with the way it turned out.


    After its completion I receive a message.


    Dungeon Core #212 [Mayor ------] has acquired the skill Dungeon Jewelcrafting (Rank 1)


    Dungeon Jewelcrafting can now be learned from skill screen for 5,000xp as long as the conditions have been met.


    [Dungeon Jewelcrafting] (Rank1): Unlike normal jewelcrafting in which requires tools, a dungeon monster with Dungeon Jewelcrafting is able to manipulate the summoning of gems and jewels into desired sizes and shapes for the required xp cost. Dungeon Jewelcrafting raises all quality of summoned gems by 1 rank. Xp cost of enhancements and enchantments placed on jewelry type items is reduced by 25% if placed on the item at the point of summoning.


    I had to receive the skill ¡°after¡± completing the gift didn¡¯t I¡­ But what¡¯s more why did it add Mayor in the spot where my name goes? I haven¡¯t looked at the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> in a while, so I pull it out and sure enough it shows it the same way.


    I then check my adventurer¡¯s ID but it hasn¡¯t changed. I don¡¯t understand how this works, but it¡¯s not like I can do anything about it.


    My xp is now in a spot that won¡¯t last till spring comes, so I am going to have to come up with something. Maybe Belinda¡¯s birthday party will get us some, but I need to come up with something else as well.


    I finally store away Belinda¡¯s birthday present then remove restriction on the core room. I then transfer back to the bedroom, and find Belinda has already gotten there.


    Belinda: ¡°There you are. Everyone seemed to be rather worried about you. You do know that I understand that with the winter getting me something for my birthday wouldn¡¯t be easy, so don¡¯t stress about it.¡±


    ¡°I actually used the dungeon, and I think I got something that you will appreciate.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t spend too much xp, but you should probably head downstairs real quick, and let the girls know, I think they are finishing up preparations for my birthday party downstairs right now.¡±


    ¡°How did you¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it was kind of expected, and Tobes being the small town that it is word gets around fast.¡±


    I nod and decide to head down to the others before heading to bed. The girls quickly quiet down when I enter the room, but once they notice it is me they begin again.


    Scylla: ¡°I¡¯m just saying, everything is ready now, and we just got to decorate the ballroom tomorrow.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss. Did you figure out what you are going to get Belinda?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s taken care of.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Did you make it yourself? I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Something like that.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°So, back to the party. How are we going to keep Belinda busy tomorrow so she doesn¡¯t see us preparing the ballroom?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be an issue. She already knows about it.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I figured we probably wouldn¡¯t be able to keep it a secret.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But she still doesn¡¯t know the details, so we can still surprise her with how much work we put into it.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You¡¯re right, so Master can we count on you to keep her busy tomorrow until we are ready?¡±


    ¡°I guess it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    We talk a little more about the party but they don¡¯t give me any of the details as well.  After an hour we eventually part and head to bed. The next morning after breakfast I lead Belinda out of the house with her leaning on my shoulder while holding my arm.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure you are supposed to keep me busy until they are ready, but I guess I can consider this a present as well.¡±


    ¡°How is that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I get to spend the day with just you and me until they are done. We don¡¯t get time to ourselves much anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yea everything has been pretty hectic this winter, but I got to admit I have quite enjoyed it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am glad things are working out, but I would still like to have a bit more time with you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should build me a new office and put the adventurer¡¯s guild inside of it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well that¡¯s¡­ You know that is not actually a bad idea. I mean you are going to need a new office eventually anyway since you are still using the one attached to the old mayor¡¯s house. The adventurer¡¯s guild is also pretty small in comparison to normal guild halls.¡±


    Belinda continues to talk about building a city hall and adding the adventurer¡¯s guild to it. She seems to begin to get excited at the idea. The conversation remains on that topic for quite a while even with Belinda drawing some rough floor plans into the snow.


    I think the only thing stopping her from placing a commission for the building right this second is the fact most of the buildings built in Tobes are done by adventurers and we are lacking in them at the moment. After a while I change the conversation to the dungeon.


    I try not to mention the fact I spent almost all of our remaining xp on her birthday present, but try to get a few ideas on how we could acquire some more xp before spring arrives. We eventually come up with a plan.


    We continue to spend the rest of the day together but most of our conversations always seem to end up back on the growth of Tobes or on the plans for the dungeon. Belinda never seems to tire of it though so it seems like that is alright.


    We have lunch at the restaurant but even their supplies are running low though the winter so there isn¡¯t much to choose from. After lunch we continue our simple day wondering aimlessly around Tobes. Once it starts to get cold again and the sun begins to set I receive a message from Scylla telling me that they are ready at the house. We then set back out heading home for Belinda¡¯s birthday party.


    Once we enter the house I lead Belinda to the ballroom where the girls have set up the party. When we open the door there is a bunch of people that shout ¡°Happy Birthday¡± which seems to startle me far more than it does Belinda.


    The ballroom has been completely decorated for the occasion. There is a large table set up in the middle of the ballroom floor which has a cake on it that dwarfs the table. So much so that the wrapped presents that have been brought for Belinda are sitting on the floor under the table.


    The number of people that have come to celebrate Belinda¡¯s birthday make up pretty much every person in the village that I know, and even a few I don¡¯t¡­ If the parties we throw get any larger we are going to need a larger room to hold them all.


    Many of the people come up to us personally wishing Belinda a happy birthday, and it takes us over 30 minutes until we are able to take a seat. Once we finally do though the party begins to progress. I don¡¯t remember much of Belinda¡¯s birthday last year due to passing out so I try to take it a lot easier on the alcohol this time.


    The open bar keeps most of the men from the village entertained and the gossip keeps most of the women busy, but even when dragging out the cutting of the cake we still loose quite a few people before midnight arrives.


    Belinda has opened a few of the gifts from the villagers and most are pretty common items. She however is seeming to save the gifts from the girls till later. After midnight passes we gain around 300xp which is surprising lower than I expected, but at least it¡¯s something.


    After midnight however the people slowly begin to head home. It still takes another 2 hours though before it is only us remaining. Lilah is having trouble staying awake so Belinda decides to open her gift so she can head to bed.


    Lilah used the xp I gave her to summon Belinda a new pair of boots. 25xp seems quite a bit for just a pair of boots, but they do look to be of a pretty good quality and Belinda seems to like them as she thanks Lilah and gives her a hug.


    Roxy¡¯s gift and Bell¡¯s gift as well both consist of clothing, and Zoey seems mighty proud of herself after Belinda thanks her after she un-wraps Zoey¡¯s gift of some gaudy weird looking earrings¡­ Scylla¡¯s gift seems more practical as she got Belinda a set of supplies to help her at the adventurer¡¯s guild, like writing utensils, ink, that sort of thing.


    Belinda then looks around for my gift but cannot find it she then looks to me.


    ¡°Now before I give you my gift I want to say a few things first.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok, I heard about you having trouble. Even going to Denova¡¯s place trying to find something, and I promise not to get upset about the gift.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not necessarily that¡­ I just heard Jewelry can lead to misunderstandings like when I gave you the magic ring last year¡­So I just want it to be clear if my gift is not appropriate, I am sorry.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    I take out a small wooden box that I summoned to store her present in, and I hand it to her. When she openings it she looks at it questionably for a few seconds, but after removing it from the box something seems to click.


    The gift I gave Belinda was a necklace, and although the necklace itself isn¡¯t that special, but hanging off the necklace are several different colored gems that take the shapes of several animals each having a color to matching the girls.


    With one open space on one side there is a rabbit made from onyx, a salamander made of sapphire, and a cow made from a ruby. On the other side with two open spaces there is a wolf made of emerald, and a dog made from another ruby.


    In the center between the animals there is a small spherical diamond that appears to change color depending on how you look at it.  The quality of the necklace isn¡¯t exactly expert quality as the salamander is kind of hard to tell it¡¯s not just a lizard, the dog and wolf look almost exactly same, and even the rabbit and cow are not the best.


    However Belinda doesn¡¯t seem to mind at all because after she realized what it was, tears began to fill her eyes and she wraps her arms around me hugging me tightly. She then has me put the necklace on her while the girls look at it.


    Scylla: ¡°That is quite something Master¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°No fair the only one smaller than the dog is the rabbit.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Is that Lilah?¡±


    Bell: ¡°Pretty¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You even included me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°This is wonderful Two-Twelve. I couldn¡¯t be happier.¡±


    Belinda then kisses me and hugs me again.


    ¡°Well its already getting really late, we probably all should head to bed.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You¡¯re probably right. Come on Lilah let¡¯s get to bed.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Not that Boss is going to get any sleep tonight.¡±


    Roxy elbows Zoey and then the girls begin to disperse heading to bed, but Zoey wasn¡¯t exactly wrong either¡­ After Belinda asks me how I made the necklace and tells me over and over how much she likes it we go to bed, but it¡¯s not till the sun begins to rise till we actually go to sleep.

 Training Camp

    Belinda and I completely skip breakfast all together, and it¡¯s not till noon before any of the girls decide to wake us up. The girls are even considerate enough that when we all sit around the table eating lunch they treat it not differently than the way the mornings have gone the last few weeks.


    Lilah nudges me at one point thought and tells me she noticed that we are extremely low on xp and if I have a plan. I tell her that I do and then share what Belinda and I came up with yesterday while we talked while wandering around Tobes.


    ¡°Belinda and I came up with an idea to help out the local adventurers. Things are going to be getting busy here pretty soon once the traveling adventurers begin to return so we thought you girls can host an intense training session for the local adventurers up at the dungeon.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We thought about setting a commission to gather all the local adventurers, we will separate them between you guys based on strength and then have them train in the dungeon a few days straight to help build up their levels. We can have them camp out in the dungeon so they know what it is like at the larger dungeons, and that way when the snow finishes melting they will be able to travel out to other dungeons if they want.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°That sounds like a good idea, but won¡¯t that put a strain on the dungeon? With that many people in it for a few days straight will the monsters in the dungeon still spawn correctly?¡±


    ¡°Well I am no dungeon expert, but as long as the crystal isn¡¯t damaged I don¡¯t really think it would be a problem.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Not a dungeon expert? But I thought you control the dungeon up in the mountains?¡±


    Everyone instantly is shocked at Roxy¡¯s words, and I try to smooth things over by awkwardly asking her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Is it not true? I mean there are the rumors about you. You used to live in the forest somewhere, and mysteriously showed up around the same time the dungeon was discovered. You have always shown a great deal of interest in the going ons of the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Then there is Lilah¡¯s ¡°job¡± when there are adventurers going to the dungeon she mysteriously disappears and now that no adventurers have been going to the dungeon she hasn¡¯t gone since. Then the necklace last night was kind of what sealed it for me. Where everyone was represented by the animal subspecies, Two-Twelve chose a diamond that looked suspiciously like the dungeon¡¯s crystal for his own representation¡­¡±


    We can¡¯t help but be speechless at Roxy continue to talk¡­


    Roxy: ¡°Then there was the time Belinda¡¯s brother went with us to the dungeon. While Two-Twelve supposedly had never been there personally, he seemed to be as comfortable as strolling through his own house. Not to mention the fact that now that I think about it the way the kobolds acted in that last room remind me of Lilah¡¯s sense of humor¡­¡±


    ¡°If you have figured that all out, why haven¡¯t you ever said anything?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Honestly I was a little scared¡­But up until last night I actually thought maybe Lilah was the one that was the one pulling all the strings until I seen the necklace, and it all sort of clicked after that.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ What do you plan on doing now?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am actually hoping this doesn¡¯t change anything¡­ I mean when I saw the wolf on the necklace and realized you count me as part of the family I really thought it would be ok to open up about it¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That¡¯s my girl! Of course nothing is going to change.¡± ¨CShe says while embracing Roxy.-


    Roxy: ¡°Is it really ok? I mean I don¡¯t exactly know how this all came about, or why so can I ask some questions?¡±


    What was meant to be a talk about a way to build up some xp turns into us explaining to Roxy about the dungeon and we decide she is family so we hold nothing back in the explanation.  Some things seem confusing to her but she has no problems stopping us to ask questions.


    We even decide to show her the transfer ability and show her around the dungeon a bit more. When showing her around the dungeon the kobolds are minding their own business meandering around without paying us any attention.


    Roxy: ¡°This is almost as creepy as when they weren¡¯t moving. Is it ok if I touch one of them?¡±


    After I nod she moves up to one a pokes it a few times with a finger. The kobold goes about his business as if she isn¡¯t even there.


    Roxy: ¡°Wait¡­ That means the kobold Zoey traded for me¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, actually I told her no but, she went behind my back using some xp Lilah had to summon it. As soon as we made it back to the dungeon that day I unbound it from the dungeon so I don¡¯t know what happened after that.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You can do that? Is that how the others became part of the dungeon you bound them to it?¡±


    ¡°Well that is the case for Belinda, Lilah, and Bell, but for Zoey and Scylla I summoned them myself.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey is a¡­ So you can summon people?¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a lot to take in, but all the beastkin¡¯s ancestors started in a dungeon somewhere. There is one dungeon that can summon humans, but it¡¯s the only one.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You bound the others, have you never thought of binding me to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Well actually I have¡­ But Bell and Lilah both came from different dungeons so for them I was just able to transfer ownership as you will, but for you like Belinda I would have to spend xp to bind you to the dungeon.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°How much xp?¡±


    ¡°Well Belinda was my first and took a flat 1000xp, but usually it is based on your level. You¡¯re level 8 now right? So that¡¯s¡­ Well that should be about the same for you at the moment.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You just held back because of the cost then?¡±


    ¡°Well I also have to have your approval. That is why I wanted to make sure you wanted to stay with us for the long haul before telling you, but you went and figured it out on your own.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°A few months ago when you asked if I was going to say with Zoey¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We better head back to the house now. You probably need to have a long talk with Zoey now that you know. Just don¡¯t hold it against her that she didn¡¯t tell you, because it¡¯s my fault.¡±


    She nods and we transfer back to the house. Zoey is waiting a bit impatiently when we return. Roxy looks a bit overwhelmed, but they decide to go have a talk in private.


    Belinda: ¡°So how did she like the tour?¡±


    ¡°I think it was just a bit much, she will come around.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°By the way¡­ While you were explaining things to Roxy, Lilah and I had a talk. She said the dungeon is almost completely out of xp. She said we had plenty the other day, but now we only have a few hundred.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we came up with the idea for taking the adventurers to the dungeon for a few days.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What if that doesn¡¯t work? I don¡¯t what you to die just to give me a birthday present¡­¡±


    ¡°We are a long way away from that. I haven¡¯t even begun to break things down for xp yet. It might be tight but we can at least make it till the adventurers return.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s not the point. Why did you spend so much on my birthday present?¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, I didn¡¯t. Most of it was spent in the process of learning how to make your birthday present.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well promise me if things start to get bad, you will break down my necklace before taking the dungeon apart.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t come to that, but I promise.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it¡¯s already starting to get late, so I better hurry to the guild and post our commission so the word can get out.¡±


    Over the next few days it takes to get the local adventurers gathered together our xp reaches a critical point, and I have had to secretly brake down a few items that are in the dungeon¡¯s inventory without telling Belinda.


    Today however, we should be able to get at least enough to sustain me, and each day they train in the dungeon they should level up and bring in more xp for me.


    Bell isn¡¯t really comfortable with the adventurers so she is with Lilah and me in the dungeon core room. Meanwhile Scylla, Zoey, and Roxy lead three separated groups up to the dungeon.


    Roxy is taking the weakest 10 and going to stay on the first floor with them, Zoey is taking the next 3 to the second floor where they are going to train until some of the others get strong enough to join them, and lastly Scylla is taking the best 4 down to the third floor for their training.


    Roxy really managed to pull through for us. I didn¡¯t want to admit, but I was a little worried she would leave after finding out the truth, but after her and Zoey had their talk it actually looked like a giant burden was lifted from her shoulders and she even seems happier. This morning at breakfast when they prepared to start the training you would have thought she knew all along by the way she acted.


    The three groups stop at the entrance of the cave and start setting down the ground rules.


    Scylla¡¯s Speech


    Alright, we separated you all into three groups based on your levels. Roxy and I will lead Roxy¡¯s group in first to clear us a path, then I will come back for my group while Zoey¡¯s group goes in next, and lastly my group and I will move in.


    This evening when we are done we are all going to group back up on the second floor to make camp. Now most of you haven¡¯t even slept away from your homes much less inside a dungeon, so everyone must stay on alert.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I am not going to lie and say everything is going to go according to plan. As we are all adventurers we know the risk involved with this sort of thing. We are going to try our best to get you guys back home alive, but you must follow your leader¡¯s orders and not go on your own.


    We all made sure you have at least a week¡¯s worth of provisions before we left Tobes, so make it last we are not going to stop early because you got hungry and ate all your food ahead of time. If you do run out of food or water before the week is up. I suggest you barter or trade with others that might have brought a bit extra.


    Now for the dungeon, some believe a dungeon is just a magic structure that produces monsters, others believe it itself is a type of mindless monster, and there are those who believe a dungeon is an intelligent creature.


    Regardless how you feel about them, the Third Princess of Gowen Empire Belinda Gowen and Mayor Two-Twelve of the township of Tobes has instructed us with a firm set of rules as to how we treat the dungeon.


    Princess Belinda has made great efforts and contributed a lot of gold to see that this dungeon is preserved to help the town prosper and grow. I expect everyone to respect the Princess¡¯s wishes and the Mayor¡¯s orders to cause no harm to the dungeon itself.


    That being said the monsters within the dungeon are all fair game. They will not hesitate to kill you so do not hesitate to kill them. However you must follow the instructions of your group¡¯s leader at all times, and never stray from your group.


    From the numerous commissions completed in the dungeon and by the adventurer¡¯s guild standards this dungeon has been classified as a starter dungeon.


    That means while most of the monsters will respawn many of the items and gear the monsters may use will not respawn as readily. Part of the agreement with the Mayor of Tobes and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is to leave any gear from a slain monster behind to minimize our impact on the dungeon.


    Your reward will be the training and levels your gain within. Many of you have also taken the side commissions posted at the adventurer¡¯s guild and I assure you we will make a due effort to make sure everyone has completed their commissions before the week is up.


    The small size of the dungeon means only a small portion of each day will be set on eliminating monsters. Once the monsters have been eliminated we will gather together and begin holding different classes to help others with other aspects of being an adventurer.


    Some of you cannot read so we will begin the basics of that, others can¡¯t cook so we will help you there, and others just want to hit things so there will be a class for physical training. If anyone has any questions or suggestions at that time we will be more than willing to listen.


    Now once the monsters are eliminated don¡¯t for a second think the dungeon is no longer dangerous as you must always be weary of the traps and you never know when another monster will respawn.


    At the end of each day Zoey, Roxanne, and myself will evaluate you all and might move you around in the groups as you struggle or make progress. Now, does anyone have any questions?


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    ¡°¡­ Scylla seems to be taking this really seriously.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course, Scylla always takes things very seriously.¡±


    We watch several of the adventurer¡¯s in the group ask questions, and then Scylla spits Roxy¡¯s group in half and leaving the other two groups with Zoey they lead the weakest group into the dungeon.


    Only two members of this group of ten have even entered the dungeon before so Roxy takes one with one set and Scylla takes the other with her set and they help instruct them in the first room. I tell Lilah to take it a little easy at first till they warm up to combat a bit, but even with 12 adventurers to the 5 kobolds it seems like a tough fight¡­


    Roxy manages to save one of the scared adventurers when they accidently set off the tripwire in the archway trying to run by pulling him back. After the kobolds have been eliminated the group is in rough shape.


    Scylla tends to their wounds with her healing magic while several of them get sick, and one girl even beings to cry¡­ It takes a while for the girls to get the group settled back down.


    For being 10 adventurers not counting Roxy and Scylla against the 5 kobold the adventurers seem to have suffered quite a bit of damage, and Scylla even has to rest for a few minutes before they decide to head into the next room.


    Scylla: ¡°Now there is a trap in the door way here as well so don¡¯t set it off. This next room is quite a bit bigger and should have the same amount of kobold within it, but there are traps and there is a possibility of kobolds entering from the side rooms so don¡¯t spread out to far.¡±


    Scylla takes out a map and points out the locations of the other traps in the room and tells them how to group up once they enter. After Lilah¡¯s improvements to the kobold¡¯s gear these 5 kobold are now the same strength as the ones in the first room so the battle isn¡¯t much different.


    The adventurer¡¯s don¡¯t seem to suffer as much damage this go around as they have more room to move around in, but just to keep them on their toes, just when they think they are safe after defeating the last one we send in one of the side groups.


    One of the adventurers nearly loses their life during that fight, but Roxy manages to step in and block the finishing blow while Scylla casts a healing spell. This time Scylla has to only heal the bad wounds before resting, and then she is able to finish healing the group.


    Roxy then stays with the group as Scylla returns to the entrance to gather the group heading to the second floor.


    Zoey leads her group to the second floor, while Scylla instructs her own group. Roxy leaves half of her group with Scylla in the large room while taking the other half into one of the side rooms.


    Once Roxy¡¯s group finishes with the next group of kobolds they switch places with the other half as Roxy leads them into one of the other side rooms. Meanwhile Scylla heals the wounds of the first half.


    Zoey is more gung-ho with her group on the second floor, but still protects them. She doesn¡¯t kill any of the kobolds herself but has to step in a few times with her swords to parry a few blows. With only three members in her group they struggle pretty badly and make very little progress.


    The second floor only has the three rooms and after our recent struggles all the crimson kobolds now just wear standard steel gear, but even so by the time the groups move down from the first floor Zoey¡¯s group has only managed two of the rooms.


    Scylla heals Zoey¡¯s group before they hit the last room and surprisingly it is already noon before they clear the first two floors. Before Scylla¡¯s group heads down to the third floor they have a short class about rationing their food.


    After a short snack sized lunch Scylla leads her group of four adventurers down to the third floor while Zoey and Roxy begin further instruction with their groups. Zoey only ends up with one diehard fan for her physical training course while most end up giving up to check out what Roxy¡¯s group are doing.


    I got a feeling though the one sticking it out with Zoey has his mind somewhere other than the training. I thought everyone in Tobes knew about Zoey and Roxy by now but I guess I was mistaken. Man is that poor young man barking up the wrong tree so to speak¡­


    Since there hasn¡¯t been anyone entering the dungeon in a while the monsters already defeated are ready to respawn but I am holding off on letting them till just before midnight. That way if anyone gets any bright ideas and tries to sneak away from the group we can surprise them with a few kobolds.


    The groups on the third floor are a bit thinned out so that the rift monsters are able to cover all the rooms. It doesn¡¯t seem to hurt any though as the adventurers under Scylla¡¯s care are struggling pretty badly.


    It takes them most of the afternoon just to clear the four rooms on the third floor, because Scylla has to recover her magic from having to heal the group during the fight, and after the battle is over she has to recover her magic again after healing the rest of the wounds they sustained.


    Things should begin to get easier as the week progresses though. Once Scylla¡¯s group finishes their kobolds they want to check out the crystal before heading back but Scylla stops them.


    Scylla: ¡°If you prove your selves where I no longer have to participate in the battle at all only then will let you guys look in on the crystal. Think of it as a reward.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°But what if there are a few more kobolds in the crystal room? Are we going to turn down that extra xp we could earn?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Even if there are kobolds in the crystal room I don¡¯t want to run the risk of damaging the crystal as we all promised the princess and the mayor no harm will come to it.¡±


    Belinda has done quite a bit for Tobes so most people hold her in high regards, so Scylla doesn¡¯t have any trouble with the adventurers after that. That is the main reason we are able to do this. If it was adventurers from other areas there is no guarantee we would be able to keep the crystal safe, but with it being only local adventurers it makes it a bit safer.


    Scylla¡¯s group then rejoins the others on the second floor and they all begin to prepare a dinner. The adventurer following Zoey around realizes his folly during dinner which seems to break his poor little heart, but he quickly recovers only to begin paying more attention to Scylla¡­


    As a matter of fact quite a few of the adventurers have been rather smitten with Scylla including one or two of the females¡­ You would think her race would chase most humans off but they apparently are more adaptable then I thought¡­


    She does have a rather good personality, so maybe it¡¯s just that¡­ Or maybe the humans find her appearance appealing as something exotic. I have enough trouble trying to sort my own feelings out so the last thing I am going to do is try to understand others¡­


    For the first day we all kind of gathered together, but I send Bell and Lilah to bed early as we are going to being running in shifts for the rest of the week. Lilah is going to spend most of her time here while Bell and I will take turns here and at the mayor¡¯s office until the groups leave the dungeon.


    Just before midnight I allow the rift monsters to respawn, and I eagerly wait to see if this whole ordeal is even going to pay off¡­ After Roxy found out about me and I showed her around I stopped receiving xp from her as well, so my xp income was down to 5xp from the innkeeper and his wife along with the man that lives in one of the other buildings I have managed to cover so far.


    40xp gained from intruders within the dungeon and 78xp consumed at the start of the day.


    I let out a sigh, it is still almost half what is being consumed, but as they begin to level up in the next few days it should get better, I have already heard them talking at dinner about gaining levels. One of the adventurers even managed to gain two levels, but he was only level 1 to start with.


    The next few days are pretty draining on everyone, but at least by the 4<sup>th</sup> day two great things happen. The sun shines the entire day causing the snow to being to melt, and the xp I get from the group in the dungeon passes the point of being more then in being consumed even if it is just by 3 xp.


    It snows again the next day unfortunately but on the 6<sup>th</sup> day it is sunny again, and it melts away all of the fresh snow and even some more. We have a scare that night though and they lose one of the adventurers to the dungeon when they begin to get cocky and two pairs of male and females try to sneak off in the middle of the night.


    It granted me an extra 50xp but the rest of the adventurers are quite shaken up afterwards and are even debating about finishing the last day. The girls manage to get things under control however. Most of them don¡¯t get much sleep the rest of the night though.


    If Scylla ever decides she doesn¡¯t want to adventure any more I am sure she would make a great teacher, or public speaker¡­ She has quite the knack for getting people enthralled to her when she speaks¡­


    The last day of training hits and our xp is not really in much better of shape then it was when we started. We are one week closer to spring now though, and Belinda received word from Logan that the first shipment of goods has left the capital heading for Tobes.


    After their final day of training the group leaves the dungeon but they spend the last remaining night under the stars out by the lake. Of course just inside the dungeon¡¯s perimeter. I am also able to get my first full night of sleep in the week.


    The next morning the adventurers head down to Tobes at their own pace, but they are all excited at what they managed to accomplish in a week¡¯s time. From what I hear from Belinda that evening after returning to Tobes they spent most of the day still gathered together at the adventurer¡¯s guild just reliving the experience.


    Roxy too also managed to gain a level though the week, so if she decides to join our dungeon permanently after checking the cost of making her a boss monster the cost has increased to 1600xp instead of 1000¡­


    I don¡¯t tell Belinda but I end up having to breakdown the room where the bedrooms used to be, and I am currently just storing Bo and Ike in the crystal.


    We get a rather decent surprise in on the first shipment from the capital that causes Scylla and myself to get excited, but for different reasons however.


    Kline: ¡°Logan sent us ahead. He is planning to visit with Queen once she is able to return, so he asked us to make sure things are prepared.¡±


    Amy: -whispering to Belinda and me.- ¡°Logan is intending to bring Queen, but he sent us ahead so Kline could get to know Scylla better without him feeling he has to wait on Logan hand and foot all day and missing his chance.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Master, is it alright if I show them around?¡±


    ¡°I think they would like that.¡±


    Scylla looks positively thrilled and leads Kline and Amy back to the house. I receive a rather large stack of documents from the capital as mayor, so I have to go deal with them. Meanwhile the rest of the girls help with the rest of the shipment.


    Most of the paperwork seems to be information concerning me taking the mayor position. Most of it seems to be the same thing over and over again but each being for a different office at the capital¡­ You would think they would just talk to one another and not have to have so many documents saying the exact same thing¡­


    Filling out the documents is tiring but the thought of Kline¡¯s xp rolling in tonight makes me feel great. I got over 5000xp for Kline and Logan, so I should at least be able to get 2500xp from Kline alone. From what Kline said Logan hasn¡¯t even left the capital yet so that means he will at least be here a week.


    The spring looks bright indeed¡­

 Kline Torres

    It¡¯s been 4 days since the shipments from the capital have resumed, and all 4 days at least one shipment arrived. Stores are starting to reopen, and business is beginning to return to normal. That means my job as mayor has begun to pick up as well.


    The xp I have received from Kline was a little less than I expected, but it was still over 2000xp each day so we have been begun to work on the dungeon again. Several of the local adventurers have made a few more trips up to the dungeon since their training, but that hasn¡¯t really done anything for us.


    Today also marked the first day an outside group of adventurers has returned to Tobes. They look pretty new, but they at least have steel gear so still better than the locals. They checked into the inn so I should be able to see their power level before they head up to the dungeon.


    Bell and I have had to take care of everything at the mayor¡¯s office as Scylla has been keeping Kline and Amy company. I would say Amy is their chaperone, but she seems to be the opposite. Belinda told me Amy is getting frustrated because they are acting like a couple kids with a crush as they haven¡¯t even held hands more than a moment before blushing profusely and awkwardly laughing it off.


    After dealing with my work today I decided to work a bit on the dungeon as I got to prepare for when Queen and Logan show up. While looking though [Menu] I decide to focus on the dungeon for a while instead of covering Tobes as I seem to only get 1xp from each normal villager.


    I used almost all of the xp again but I finally finished filling the third floor with rifts. In the huge open room before the crystal room I doubled down on crimson kobolds. I moved the crimson brute and crimson elder back to the crystal room. I left all the golems stored in the crystal with Ike and Bo for the moment.


    All the new rifts are set to begin spawning the kobolds of random gender now, so female crimson kobolds will begin to appear in the dungeon sometimes. Zoey sold just a female normal kobold last fall to Denova so I thought I should at least do that much. I am sure Belinda wasn¡¯t the only one that noticed all the kobolds were male.


    I couldn¡¯t afford good armor, but with what Lilah did while we are gone the entire dungeon has steel weapons and armor now, so I just moved some of the full-plate armors back to the huge room and then summoned chainmail for the other groups on the third floor.


    In a few more days I will be able to add rifts to the crystal room and then I am going to save up for a fourth floor. I haven¡¯t checked on the observation screen in months and I am not surprised to find the screen black when I open it.


    I wonder what happened with that huge white bearlike humanoid Dyson seemed to be following. I never did figure out what the purpose of that was. Maybe I will keep a bit of a closer eye on the screen for a few days to see if it ever shows it again.


    ¡°Well Lilah, we had an outside group return today and check in at the Inn. They booked a few days so I don¡¯t know when but we should start getting adventurers in the dungeon again. I gave you some more kobolds to play with so I am counting on you to keep us safe.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master doesn¡¯t have to worry. Leave it to Lilah, she won¡¯t let you down!¡±


    ¡°I know you won¡¯t. Don¡¯t stay up to late alright?¡±


    Lilah nods and I am about to transfer from the room but Zoey suddenly transfers in.


    Zoey: ¡°Oh boss¡­ I am glad I caught you before you went to bed.¡±


    Even though she said it, it seems like she didn¡¯t mean it and looks around awkwardly.


    ¡°Well is there something you need?¡±


    Zoey looks to Lilah and then back to me before saying. ¡°Boss¡­ Can we talk¡­? Privately.¡±


    It seems really out of character for Zoey to act this way, so I nod and even though Lilah seems to really perk with interest she doesn¡¯t object when I ask her to step out.


    Zoey: ¡°With Kline¡¯s visit we are no longer in a bad way with xp right?¡±


    ¡°Well I did just spend most we got from him, but Logan still hasn¡¯t left the capital so he should be here at least another week, so I guess it¡¯s safe to say we are doing pretty well.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°So if Roxy wanted to join the dungeon, you would be able to help her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be a problem, but I am still a little worried about something she said concerning the relationship between you two.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I talked to her a lot about it¡­ She is happy to stay with me but she still wants to feel a man every now and then¡­¡±


    ¡°So she did talk to you about it?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I don¡¯t want her to leave boss¡­ But I don¡¯t want to share her with anyone either.¡±


    ¡°Well I am not sure what to say¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I thought hard about it, and I think I found a solution.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°If boss helped us I think I would be ok with that.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    Zoey seems flustered and blushes in a way I don¡¯t think I have ever seen from Zoey, and she corrects herself while trying to laugh it off. ¡°I don¡¯t mean you personally. Belinda would kill me, but if we could you know use Bo he doesn¡¯t have a brain so I don¡¯t have to worry about him stealing Roxy from me¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I mean would that even work?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Of course¡­ I¡­ It will work.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that, I already knew about that¡­ I just meant would that be enough for Roxy¡­¡±


    This has gotten rather uncomfortable, and I find myself strangely embarrassed about it. I am trying to keep a straight face, but I am sure I am blushing a bit.


    Zoey: ¡°Could we at least try it out and see? I would really like to be able to take Roxy with us when we go to train again.¡±


    ¡°Let me think about it¡­ I want to talk it over with Belinda as well before I make a decision.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You can¡¯t keep this just between us¡­?¡±


    ¡°If you really want me to I can, but I don¡¯t know if I can give you the answer you want if I don¡¯t at least talk it over with Belinda.¡±


    Zoey¡¯s ears droop but she says. ¡°Ok¡­ You can tell Belinda, but nobody else ok?¡±


    After I agree Zoey thanks me for listening and for considering it then transfers out. I am not exactly sure what just happened but after I manage to regain composure I transfer to my bedroom as well.


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You have a strange look¡­¡±


    ¡°Zoey asked me for a favor¡­¡±


    I fill in Belinda about what Zoey and I talked about.


    ¡°And I am just not sure how to handle this¡­¡±


    Belinda seems to have a troubled expression as well but she says. ¡°Well I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt for them to see if it works out for them.¡±


    ¡°Really? I thought you would have been opposed to the idea.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I mean it¡¯s really something they need to work out, and if it works for them who are we to judge them?¡±


    ¡°But what about Bo, that is what I thought you would be against.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well he isn¡¯t sentient right? He won¡¯t care one way or another, but even if he could I am sure he wouldn¡¯t turn down that opportunity even if he was able to.¡±


    ¡°How do you figure?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Even with Roxy¡¯s scar she is still a very good looking woman, and Zoey is beautiful as well. What man wouldn¡¯t jump at that chance? At least this way we know they will be safe.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­ I guess I will let Zoey know tomorrow¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You really don¡¯t get it do you¡­?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well at least now I know I don¡¯t have to worry about keeping you to myself.¡±


    I am still not entirely sure what just happened yet again, but this time it at least it benefits me greatly because the next few hours before we go to sleep are quite enjoyable¡­


    The next day Belinda finally receives word from Logan that Queen and him are on their way. We really need to focus on the dungeon then, even if Zoey¡¯s plan works we are going put off having Roxy join the dungeon till at least after Logan and Queen pass though the dungeon.


    Belinda warned me this morning not to let Zoey know until this evening, but she has already asked me three times today if I have talked to Belinda about it. I finally just told her I would give her an answer this evening and she calmed down.


    Another shipment from the capital arrives along with another group of adventurers. The guy bringing this shipment said after this one though we should return to our normal shipments after that, but they might still be a bit larger for a few more weeks.


    Denova finally has begun to act on what she said, arriving today to ask for approval to open a general store across from her brothel. I can¡¯t really reject her because Belinda and I have had to buy stuff from her.


    I am sure it was intentional she always went to Belinda to get her approval before going to the mayor, but now she went to me first. I however still stamp her form, but I send a message to Belinda warning her Denova is on her way.


    Belinda tells me the group of adventurers that arrived yesterday stopped by today to pick up commissions for the dungeon, and that she already let Lilah know to keep an eye out for them. I too send a message to Lilah telling her to keep me updated.


    When Scylla shows up a little after noon it¡¯s kind of hard to tell with her black salamander skin but she is lightly blushing. She then picks up working around the office like she has been here all week¡­


    ¡°Scylla, are you ok?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were keeping Kline and Amy company while they are here?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I¡­ I have been, but I thought I needed to begin to get back to work though. You and Belinda are counting on my help.¡±


    ¡°We left them to you because we knew you would take care of them though.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°They had a few things to take care of¡­ So I thought I would help out for a few hours.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    We then get back to work, but Scylla isn¡¯t as focused as she usually is. After having to call her twice because she is staring off into space I send a message to Belinda and ask her if she can figure out what is going on from Amy.


    Belinda: ¡°I just heard! Scylla is there with you? She should be getting ready!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Amy just told me Kline and Scylla are going to dinner together tonight!¡±


    ¡°They have had dinner together every night since they arrived...¡±


    Belinda: ¡°On a date Two-Twelve! By themselves!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that is why Scylla is acting strangely?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just tell her to come here¡­ I will take care of it...¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I tell Scylla that Belinda is looking for her so I send her on her way¡­ These girls really are going to be the death of me¡­ Maybe I should actually consider summoning at least one sentient male beastkin as backup.


    After finishing up for the day Bell and I head home. When we arrive Zoey is sitting on the steps, and when she sees us heading up the path she heads inside and I hear her call out ¡°Boss, is home!¡±


    When we walk in the door I see Belinda hastily heading down the stairs.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve! Why are you so late?¡±


    ¡°Late for what?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Scylla and Kline are almost ready to leave for their dinner, you need to talk to them before they leave.¡±


    ¡°I do?¡±


    She looks angry with me as she pulls me though one of the doors into the ballroom.


    Belinda: ¡°Do you not feel anything, about Scylla going out on her first date?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. She is the one going out, why would I feel anything about it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do you not feel like her father?¡±


    ¡°How does that make any sense? We appear almost the same age. Besides I don¡¯t know what it would feel like to be a father, but by guessing by your reaction the answer is obviously no¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But you summoned her! She is your responsibility if something happened to her you are saying you wouldn¡¯t feel anything at all?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how any of these topics are connected¡­ They are just going to dinner, not to fight a dragon¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What if things work out and they get married? Or even worse if it goes bad and he hurts her¡­¡±


    ¡°Well with his level there isn¡¯t much we could do about it if he did, but I am sure your brother wouldn¡¯t stand for anything like that. You explained marriage to me before, and I don¡¯t really see it as that big of a deal, as long as she still preforms her duties¡­¡±


    Belinda sighs and holds her head. Zoey pokes her head in the door and says they are ready. Belinda nods then she looks me dead in the eyes.


    Belinda: ¡°Just be supportive but strict, and don¡¯t say anything unnecessarily¡­¡±


    She then forces a big smile on her face and wraps her arm around mine gripping me tightly dragging me back to the entryway.


    When we enter the room I can see the entire house has gathered in the entryway¡­ And at the center of it all is Kline and Scylla, both seeming extremely nervous while blushing and one of their arms are locked together at the elbow.


    What they are wearing I wouldn¡¯t call formal wear, but it is definitely higher quality and fancier then their normal clothes. Scylla is wearing a dress, and although it is not large and puffy it¡¯s not like the ones Lilah wears either.


    I would say it is closer to what Belinda wore when we were at her party at the capital. It is not near a long though, it also seems to be quite sensual. It causes me to notice a few things I just came to realize. I have seen Zoey naked on quite a few occasions, and accidently even Roxy, but even Bell¡¯s normal clothing reveals more of her body then I have ever seen of Scylla¡¯s.


    The dress itself is a deep blue color that really causes her black ¡°skin¡± to shine and stand out. I didn¡¯t realize the size of the yellow spots on her body as well or the quantity of them until now after only seeing the ones on her arms, tail, and one on each shoulder from when she wore the dress at the housewarming party before.


    I find her to be quite stunning to look at, but the feeling I feel is not quite something I have felt before. It¡¯s not the same feeling I get when I see Belinda, embarrassed doesn¡¯t seem to be the right emotion  but that seems like the closest way I know to describe it.


    Belinda: ¡°You both look great. Don¡¯t they Two-Twelve?¡± ¨CShe says then squeezes my arm tighter in hers.-


    ¡°¡­Yes quite¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I feel so embarrassed. This kind of thing doesn¡¯t suit me.¡± ¨CShe says nervously.-


    Kline: ¡°Don¡¯t be¡­ You look truly captivating¡­¡±


    Scylla then begins to blush a great deal.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry there still isn¡¯t much in the way of where you could go in Tobes at the moment, but I hope you enjoy your evening.¡±


    ¡°And be sure to be back here before midnight.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Yes sir! I promise I will have her home before then.¡±


    Kline bows to me and Belinda and they awkwardly leave together.


    Belinda: ¡°That was sweet telling him to have her home by midnight all protective like.¡±


    ¡°Well if they aren¡¯t we wouldn¡¯t get the xp from Kline¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh I give up!¡±


    Belinda lets go of me and storms off through the doors heading into the dining area. Roxy¡¯s face looks concerned when she looks to Amy, but Amy doesn¡¯t react.


    Roxy: ¡°You already know as well?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Of course I am Belinda¡¯s attendant I know everything concerning her.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Who else knows?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Amy is the only one outside the family that knows¡­ Oh except Cassandra at Denova¡¯s but she only knows because she is a dungeon monster herself.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Wait Cassandra was a dungeon monster?¡±


    ¡°Yes all of the slaves bought from that slave trader Edward are from a dungeon.¡±


    Bell: ¡°There was also the other three from Queen¡¯s dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh yea, Diamond, Heart, and Clover, but they only know for the same reason.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Queen, isn¡¯t that Logan¡¯s girlfriends name?¡±


    ¡°Yea, she is like me, but Logan still doesn¡¯t know about any of us.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well if Kline and Scylla are going to enjoy a night meal why don¡¯t we as well.¡±


    Amy then disappears though the dining room door as well.


    ¡°Bell why don¡¯t you take Lilah and go help Amy and Belinda, I need to talk to Roxy and Zoey for a minute.¡±


    Bell nods then Lilah and Bell head into the dining room as well.


    Zoey: ¡°Does that mean you made up your mind boss?¡± ¨CShe says with a bright smile on her face.-


    ¡°Have you talked about it with Roxy yet?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I told her I had a plan but I didn¡¯t want to give her hopes up, and I wanted to make it a surprise.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What are you two talking about?¡±


    ¡°Well Belinda and I discussed it, and if it is ok with you and especially Roxy then I will let you do what you asked.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Really!? This is great! Come on Roxy!¡±


    ¡°After dinner! Roxy still has to eat you know.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Are you going to tell me what¡¯s going on? I am starting to get a little worried¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t worry its great news!¡±


    Roxy looks a little skeptical about it, but it is forgotten once we join the others in the dining room for dinner.


    Kline¡¯s PoV


    I spent the entire winter thinking about Scylla, luckily the young master allowed me to have a pair of the communication parchments so Scylla and I could write back and forth but I really wanted to see her again.


    I have always been by the young master¡¯s side, but he sent Amy and me ahead while he was waiting for Queen to make it to the capital. He told me it was so I could get things ready for their arrival but he has never done anything like that in the past.


    Besides it has been a few days already and they only just now left the capital, if it takes them a week to get here that was way more time then I needed to just let his sister and her fianc¨¦ know of his arrival. I am grateful however because it has giving me the chance to spend time with Scylla again.


    She doesn¡¯t talk much about herself but she loves hearing the stories of the adventurers I have had with the young master. I usually don¡¯t like telling those stories, but after I see the look on her face when I do I find myself spending hours talking¡­


    I have always been by the young master¡¯s side so I haven¡¯t had much chance to date women. I mean I have dated a few of course but it usually ends in disaster. Like the young ladies that introduced us to Queen.


    Of course Diamond and I didn¡¯t talk about dating but I felt we had a bit of a connection. When I found out she was in Tobes I was looking forward to seeing her again but then I found out she became a prostitute¡­


    That¡¯s the story of how my love life has always gone. The young master even arranged a marriage for me once. She was another beastkin that joined the Gowen army and the young master even went as far as to set it up with her family.


    I enjoyed speaking with her as well, but a few weeks before we were to be married I found she was also seeing half of the soldiers in her unit¡­ Of course after finding that out the young master allowed me to drop the engagement right there.


    There was also a young beastkin woman we met in our travels one time. We were on a long trip after leaving a dungeon on our way back home, and she was the daughter of the trader that was giving us a lift.


    After three quarters of the two month trip I found out that she was in fact not the trader¡¯s daughter, but a slave girl he took as his wife¡­ That made the remainder of that trip awkward¡­ Now that I think about it she was a rabbit so her tail was short as well¡­


    Maybe the young master was right I always tend to date the women with a sad story and a short tail and it always backfires on me in the end. When we were younger I did also date a few humans but they never held much interest for me.


    That leaves me with Scylla¡­ I don¡¯t know why I find myself so attracted to her as she doesn¡¯t fit type of woman that usually catches my eye. I even have to admit when I first met her I found her appearance rather peculiar.


    After Logan forced me to dance with her at his sister¡¯s housewarming party, and we then begin to talk something just sort of clicked. I have seen women that are drawn to adventurers, and that¡¯s a big reason I don¡¯t like to talk about them, but when Scylla is listening it doesn¡¯t feel the same.


    She is also very intelligent, and kind¡­ We helped unload one of the shipments from the capital the other day and received a few gold, and I watched her put every one into poor box at a shrine. It was a very small amount, but when I asked her about it she just told me she doesn¡¯t need gold because her master makes sure she has everything she needs so she would rather someone that need it get it.


    The young master has always provided for me as well, but when I earn my own gold I have never even thought about those that aren¡¯t provided for. I managed to get a glimpse of her room yesterday and it was very utilitarian with practically no personal effects.


    The only personal item she had was a weird shaped stuffed animal that she said was gift from the princess during the winter solstice festival here in Tobes. When she talked about it though, she even made that pathetic stuffed animal look like it was a priceless treasure.


    Even as we have sat here quietly at the restaurant for at least 10 minutes she is sitting across from me with a blushing but heartwarming smile. I want to say something to her, but every time I look at her my eyes are drawn to one of the yellow spots on her skin that is barely visible sticking out the top of her dress on her right breast, so I keep retreating to my internal monologue to prevent myself from staring at her breasts¡­


    Scylla: ¡°Kline? Have I done something to make you uncomfortable? If so I apologize I am not very experienced at this kind of outing¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I must apologize, I am not very experienced at this as well. The few times I have dated, it always seems to end pretty badly. You are just so perfect, and I have kind of been waiting for the other shoe to drop as it were¡­¡±


    Scylla blushes and says. ¡°No, I am far from perfect. Maybe if I was it wouldn¡¯t have taken Belinda and Roxy both to help figure out how to get in this dress¡­ And don¡¯t even get me started on the under¡­¡±


    Scylla quickly stops talking and begins to blush deeply and the silence between us returns¡­


    ¡°You have never really told me much about yourself¡­ I really would like to know more about you.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Oh well¡­ There is not really much to tell, I just help Belinda and Master with whatever they need.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean there. I have served Master and the Young Master my entire life. What about your training in The Tower of the Gods, I would like to hear of one of your adventurers since I am always telling you about mine.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am sure it¡¯s it nothing as interesting as your stories, we have only made it to the 12<sup>th</sup> floor.¡±


    ¡°That is pretty good, for a beginner you haven¡¯t even been an adventurer for a full year isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Yea, but the princess is quite a bit stronger than us so she ends up doing the most of the work, I just stick to the back and heal wounds.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with that. All of the good groups have a good healer, and you could even say it¡¯s the most important role. Healers also make great leaders because they train to read their groups.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°The first time we went out, Belinda told me something similar.¡±


    ¡°You are even a water healer aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°yea¡­¡±


    ¡°See that¡¯s even more special, because water healers are even harder because their spells are harder to learn and drain your magic to a higher degree then light healing¡±


    ¡°Other than healing spells what else can you do?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I know a few water attack spells, I also am learning a few earth spells as well.¡±


    ¡°Earth and Water is a good combination. In between the healing you can make barriers and blockades to help your group.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am still not that good yet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get there. Other then you and the Young Master¡¯s sister what are the roles of the others in your group?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Zoey is an archer, but she isn¡¯t bad with dual blades in a pinch. This last trip was the first time we had Bell with us, but she is a martial artist.¡±


    ¡°Really a martial artist? By her look you could easily believe it, but once you talk to her she seems so shy and timid to be a martial artist.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°She actually does a complete flip during battle. At The Tower of the Gods she hit a golem so hard she broke her hand and her wrist without any mention of pain she then just looked at me with and shyly asked me if I could heal it¡­ It gave Belinda and me quite the shock.¡±


    ¡°I could imagine¡­ When we went into The Ancient Kobold Stronghold with Two-Twelve and Roxy, they both seemed to handle themselves pretty well. If you all went together it would make a pretty solid team. Although for a mage I think Two-Twelve tries to swing his sword around a bit to much when he should focus on his spells.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Yea¡­ I don¡¯t know if they will be able to travel with us when we go, especially now that Master has become the Mayor of Tobes.¡±


    Now that we have finally been able to break the ice the conversation seems to get easier throughout the rest of dinner. There is not really anywhere else to go so after dinner we remain at the restaurant for quite a while just talking until it is time for me to get Scylla home¡­


    Even with most of the snow melted now it is still pretty cold at night, and Scylla¡¯s dress is not really made for a wintertime stroll through town so I take off my jacket and place it over her shoulders to help keep her warm.


    Once we make it to Scylla¡¯s home we head upstairs. The sounds coming from the room across the hall in Roxy and Zoey¡¯s room are quite loud and even without any experience it still is not hard to determine the cause, which brings back all the awkwardness Scylla and I managed to shed this evening.


    Scylla: ¡°Maybe you should see me to my room, and we part there?¡±


    I nod and we head up to the hall outside of her room. After hearing what was going on downstairs I find it rather hard to concentrate.


    Scylla: ¡°I enjoyed tonight.¡±


    ¡°I did as well, and I hope you would allow me to take you out again sometime.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I think I would like that.¡±


    Scylla returns my jacket to me and I lean in and kiss Scylla on the cheek.


    Scylla: ¡°I am going to have to return to work tomorrow, breakfast and dinner will be pretty hectic with everyone there, but maybe we can have lunch together?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it. Goodnight Scylla¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Night Kline¡­¡±


    It must be my imagination, but as soon as Scylla heads into her room it sounds like every door on the floor shuts at the same time hers does¡­ I can¡¯t help but to feel excited, we already have another date planned!


    My head is filled with ideas for lunch tomorrow that is until I head back down to my room and have to hear what¡¯s going on across the hall. My mind then begins to wander, and I have a bit of trouble getting to sleep¡­

 Logan and Queens Arrival

    When I head to breakfast in the morning all the women of the house have already arrived before me including our visitor Amy. Her brother Kline however still has yet to arrive. Scylla has an angry face and is reprimanding Zoey and Roxy.


    Although Roxy¡¯s ears are drooping Zoey¡¯s chest is puffed out and she seems to be taking it like a badge of honor.


    Zoey: ¡°What it didn¡¯t give you any ideas?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am saying I don¡¯t want to hear it! And when there are visitors in the house you should be more mindful and keep it down!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am sorry Scylla, you are right¡­ Last night was¡­ I promise it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Lilah is happily munching away on a piece of toast seemingly oblivious to the conversation, either that or she is just happy she isn¡¯t the one being chewed out. Bell is also sitting eating a piece of toast but her ears of drooping and by the look on her face you think Scylla was also talking to her.


    I move over to the counter and take a cup of coffee Belinda slid over for me, Amy and her are both working on breakfast together.


    ¡°Amy you know you are a guest here, you don¡¯t have to help out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°See! I said the same thing, but it¡¯s no use she said if I am doing the work she should have to as well¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°That is my purpose!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe when I was at the capital, but now I just want you to be my friend.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well then your friend wants to help you with making breakfast.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I really need another guy around here¡­ ¡°Where is Kline? Is he still sleeping?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°He is probably too embarrassed after what he had to listen to last night!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°He probably wore himself out, thinking of you, after hearing us last night.¡±


    Syclla: ¡°He isn¡¯t like that!¡±


    Amy: ¡°Please don¡¯t put that image of my brother in my head¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It¡¯s perfectly normal. I am sure even Boss has jerked the weasel while watching us though the screens a few times.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Wait¡­ He can see us?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Of course boss can see everything that happens inside of the dungeon.¡±


    Amy: ¡°But we aren¡¯t in the dungeon.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But the house is all part of the dungeon too.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what you mean by jerking the weasel¡­ But I have made an effort to keep the screens displaying the bedrooms out of sight after the first time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean after the first time?¡±


    ¡°When I first added the house to the dungeon, all the new screens popped up displaying the rooms. Zoey and Roxy where already¡­ Actually I am still surprised to manage to fit that entire thing¡­But after that I hid the screens from view.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°See! I told you even Boss has a pervy side!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped it was an accident!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°An accident, is opps and seen a bit of skin. He wouldn¡¯t have known that much details unless he watched for a while.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Master wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I was curious¡­ But I promise it was only the once and all the screens have been hidden since.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait a minute¡­ The night you added the house to the dungeon that was the first time we¡­ That wasn¡¯t because you just watched Zoey and Roxy was it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You hear that Roxy, we got the Boss all fired up!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to say at the moment¡­¡±


    I think I just managed to get myself in deep trouble, but luckily of all people Lilah comes to my rescue.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t see the big deal she watches Zoey and Roxy all the time!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait¡­What?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah enjoys watching Belinda and Master more though...¡±


    Belinda: ¡°See what you did Two-Twelve! Lilah, now you can¡¯t be watching that stuff on the screens that¡¯s private!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Belinda watched Zoey and Roxy that one time too!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Oh my god¡­ Has everyone watched Zoey and I?¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Roxy: ¡°Even Bell!?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Lilah next time you are watching Boss and Belinda, can you call me, I would like to see that too.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s not a show! Two-Twelve go to the core room and find a way to disable the screens in all of the bedrooms.¡±


    Zoey and Lilah: ¡°Awww¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Lilah you are too young for that kind of thing anyway.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is older than Zoey and Scylla!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    Belinda at least gave me an opportunity to escape where this conversation has gone too so I am going to take it¡­ I take my cup of coffee and transfer to the core room. Once arriving I see Kline heading down the stairs and heading to the dining room.


    Good luck¡­


    I access [Menu] and try to find a way to disable the screens but can¡¯t find anything. I can however restrict access, so I set it to where only I have access to the screens displaying the bedrooms¡­ I don¡¯t really have any intention of looking in on anyone else, so I guess that is going to have to work.


    I check back on the dining room before I risk returning, but it seems the conversation was instantly defused by Kline¡¯s arrival. Although everyone in the room except Amy, Lilah, and Zoey appear to be blushing.


    I transfer down to the other dining room before heading back to rejoin the others.


    Belinda: ¡°That was quick¡­ Did you take care of it?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find a way to do it completely, but now nobody can mess with them but me so that will have to work for now.¡±


    Belinda doesn¡¯t look to happy with my answer, but she doesn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°So¡­ Kline how did things go last night, did you two enjoy yourselves?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Yes sir¡­ Thanks for allowing me to take her to dinner, and if it is ok I would like to also make plans with Scylla for lunch?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be a problem. She has her responsibilities, but as long as she has them taking care of you can spend all the time you want together.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Master I will be sure to take care of my duties, and return to working today.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Sir, if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­ Is there anything I can do to help? I always help the Young Master out, so I wouldn¡¯t know what to do with the down time.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me sir, Two-Twelve is fine. And sure I mean as long as you can read and write we could use your help at the office. Scylla has been keeping you and Amy company the last few days since the shipments have started to come in again there is a lot of paperwork to deal with and today is her day to help Belinda so we could use the help.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Actually I am about caught up, and Amy can help me out while she is in town, so why not have Scylla and Kline both help you out till Logan arrives?¡±


    ¡°That would be quite helpful.¡±


    We finish breakfast and then prepare to head out. I send the rest on ahead as Lilah pulls me to the side and asks to talk to me.


    Lilah: ¡°Master didn¡¯t restrict Lilah¡¯s access right?¡±


    ¡°Just to the screens in the bedrooms, they shouldn¡¯t matter anyway.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But what if some human sneaks in though one of the bedroom windows? How can Lilah protect us then if she can¡¯t see?¡±


    ¡°Nobody should bother with the house though.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But humans always want things that are not theirs. If a thief comes to Tobes, Master¡¯s house is the best so they would target it first.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess so¡­Just don¡¯t tell anyone, and no watching when the room is occupied alright?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Alright Master Lilah prom¡­ Alright.¡±


    ¡°I mean it¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah won¡¯t let you down!¡±


    Hearing that statement now makes me question every time she ever used it¡­But what she said was true so I guess I don¡¯t have much of a choice. I follow Lilah back to the core room and remove her restrictions again, but before leaving something catches my eye.


    The observation screen that I have been leaving open while at home has just started displaying an image. I am surprised to find that it is still displaying the large white humanoid bear like monster. At least I think it is the same one.


    Its body now has quite a few scars and it is even has a scar across its face that apparently took out one of the monster¡¯s eyes. If it was a dungeon monster it would have healed without scars, so if this screen really does follow what Dyson is watching does that mean it¡¯s not restricted to dungeons?


    The monster however is not in the same frozen cavern anymore, although the walls are still covered in ice they are now sculpted and it appears to be walking down a frozen hallway. It reaches the end of the corridor and everything starts to make sense.


    Entering a room similar to Dyson¡¯s or Madam Erin¡¯s throne room the monster walks up to a throne and kneels down in front of Elder Fredrick¡­ That must mean this monster is a yeti¡­ I read that Elder Fredrick has a village of yeti that are not part of his dungeon and that¡¯s where he gets all his xp.


    But that still leaves the question why is the observation following this yeti for the last few months. I don¡¯t know what to do now, and I still have never told anyone that this screen is still available. Should I ask Dyson about it?


    I am awfully close to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon and I need to quit relying on her so much just in case things eventually turn bad between us some day. After all she already attacked my dungeon once just to get information, but she has let me train my monsters in her dungeon as well¡­


    Maybe I should just warn Elder Fredrick, but then I am not sure if the observation screen truly is following what Dyson is watching. I know for a fact I don¡¯t want to make Dyson mad. I still don¡¯t know the purpose of all this either, so maybe I should just hold off¡­


    Lilah: ¡°Master isn¡¯t the others waiting for you? Don¡¯t you need to get to work?¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­Sorry, I will get out of your hair now¡­¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I transfer back to the house and begin to head to the office. I guess it really isn¡¯t my problem so I won¡¯t worry about it till it becomes one. I just hope it isn¡¯t too big of a problem if it does become mine...


    The next few days pass pretty quickly. It really helps having three people helping me instead of just one or two. Although I don¡¯t know if Scylla and Kline working together is quite as effective as it could be. There are some awkward moments a few times that seem to slow the work down quite a bit but not enough to cause a problem.


    From what Belinda heard Logan and Queen should arrive in Tobes right before noon tomorrow, so I need to make sure the dungeon is in top notch shape just in case. The adventurers are starting to return and I think even when Kline leaves with the amount of adventurers in the inn we should at least break even now at the end of the day.


    The groups have already been reaching the third floor so after dinner work on the dungeon. I decide to use the xp I have been gathering from Kline on adding a new floor. I got an idea and it takes me over an hour of working it out before I get it to work.


    I set a staircase that is 100 ft down which is the max without extra cost, but the door is only about 20 ft down the staircase. I debate it for a while but end up using a stone wall to block people going down the rest of the staircase.


    The room I attach to the door extends all the way past where the base of the stairs is so the door is about 80ft off the floor. Using stone wall I make three pillars in the room, and then make a narrow path across the room with wooden flooring.


    One wrong move or fire spell and adventurers will fall down the 80ft hole. The lighting in the room is dim and made only to cover the area above the pit so the only thing you can see off the sides is pure darkness.


    I am sure the fall will kill most adventurers that enter my dungeon but I don¡¯t know about high level people like Logan or heroes, but I am sure they would at least break something so I put a couple dozen blue slimes at the bottom.


    Red Slimes are now available to be summoned at 100xp


    I use more stone walls to make a small hiding spot for the crystal at the bottom of the hole, but build it where it isn¡¯t noticeable from the top or can¡¯t accidently take damage from someone throwing something down the hole to find the bottom.


    I am always so worried about the crimson brute and elder because they cost so much and aren¡¯t rift monsters that they are not helping me at all¡­ I decide for the first time ever to dispose of monsters myself using the small amount of xp refunded plus my last remaining xp to add normal crimson kobold rifts in the old crystal room.


    I debated letting them fight Logan and Queen, but I figured this way I at least got something from them. I put their gear on the new rift kobolds in the old crystal room. I leave one of the golems stored in the crystal but put the other two on the pathway on the fourth floor.


    I have almost no xp remaining but here in under an hour I will get another day¡¯s worth from Kline so we should be ok. I didn¡¯t realize it was getting that late already¡­ I can¡¯t do anything else so after stretching I decide to head to bed.


    The next morning at breakfast Kline looks a little down.


    ¡°You ok Kline? You seem a little down.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be. The Young Master will be here today, which is ok. It just means we will be heading back to the capital after another day or two.¡±


    ¡°I got a letter from one of the shipments that arrived from the capital saying I have to attend a gathering of the town leaders in a few months. It said it should take a week, if you like I will bring Scylla along so you can spend more time together.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Really? You would do that for us?¡±


    ¡°We will be there anyway, so I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    Kline¡¯s mood seems to improve quite a bit, and Belinda¡¯s does as well as takes my hand after filling my cup of coffee and smiles at me¡­ Though I¡¯m not entirely sure why¡­


    After breakfast Belinda tells Kline and Scylla they don¡¯t have to worry about helping out this morning and can spend time together just in case they don¡¯t get another chance before Kline has to leave. After they set out I catch Lilah up on the changes I made to the dungeon and then head to work myself.


    With the extra help I have been getting the last week we have managed to get ahead on our paperwork, so when Belinda sends me a message at noon telling me her brother has arrived and wants us to meet up for lunch I just close up the office and tell Bell she can have the rest of the day off.


    ¡°Logan, Queen, good to see you both again how was your trip?¡±


    Logan: ¡°A week in a wagon is easy traveling. One time Kline and I had to all the way to the east coast of Sarnova, that trip took us almost an entire year. Queen has been on the road almost all winter though.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Yes¡­ But I managed to get all my affairs in order so I plan to hang around Gowen for a while. I heard once the snow began to melt monsters started to be spotted from the ruins of Leona, so I thought I would go check that out.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Sometimes after a dungeon is destroyed and after a period of time passes it begins to grow again. We sent several group of adventurers to check it out. It was really a shame we were forced to destroy it, so if it is indeed back it will be a great boon for Gowen.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to issue an order of protection on it like Belinda did with the Ancient Kobold Stronghold then?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yea, they rarely ever come back with as much grandeur as they had before so we are going to have to keep an eye on it for a few years. I heard there was even a small group of beastkin that have taken up residence there so we need to keep an eye on them as well.¡±


    Queen: ¡°How did you guys pull through the winter? I heard when the winter is that bad it is really hard on the small towns like Tobes.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Luckily with the mild winter last year we had a good idea what was coming so I commissioned extra storage just for preparing for a bad winter. We still had to close quite a few businesses, but since I own most the land and buildings I didn¡¯t charge them while they were closed so once the shipments started to return they were able to pick back up right where they left off. It was touch and go for about a week, last month, though. We ran out of coffee and I didn¡¯t think Two-Twelve was going to make it, but one of our girls works at the tavern and she was able to gets us enough to make it the rest of the winter.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°Really? I have never had coffee before.¡±


    Logan: ¡°She is a really picky eater so I am not surprised, and she doesn¡¯t eat enough to keep a bird alive¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve is the same way, but he is getting better.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I left Kline a communication parchment, but I never heard from him, so I guess things were going good between him and the young lady of yours?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have been getting along quite well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well they have been¡­ but it¡¯s just been going very slowly. They are both so reserved they aren¡¯t making much progress.¡±


    ¡°I thought they were doing really good¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Says the man that took months to even hold my hand, and only then after I nearly died while adventuring.¡±


    ¡°See and they have actually been together for just over a week and they have already kissed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°On the cheek!¡±


    Logan: ¡°Kline always has been pretty shy¡­ I don¡¯t know how many times I tried to talk him into going to the brothel with the other soldiers so maybe he would cut loose and learn a thing or two, but he never would.¡±


    ¡°Yea if it wasn¡¯t for Cassandra at the brothel here I don¡¯t know if I ever would have figured out what Belinda wanted¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea over two weeks visiting a prostitute almost every day and even paying her and he still went home a virgin. That is how thick Two-Twelve is¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°That must be so hard on you¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh it was¡­ But let¡¯s just say we don¡¯t have that problem anymore.¡±


    Logan: ¡°This is not how I seen our lunch conversation going¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you started it!¡±


    Logan: ¡°We were talking about Kline, I didn¡¯t want to hear about my baby sister¡¯s sex life¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about you Queen? Have you and Logan?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Oh of course. He was my first as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You might have been his too if it wasn¡¯t for that slutty princess of Livinston.¡±


    Logan: ¡°How would you know anything about that? You were barely a baby then!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Exactly! You where what 11? 12? She had to at least be what 16 or 17 at the time.¡±


    Logan: ¡°And she hasn¡¯t been the only one¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe, but if she didn¡¯t corrupt you when you were so young you might be like Kline right now.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Then I would like to thank her, because I like Logan just the way he is.¡± ¨CShe says while leaning over and kissing him.-


    For the rest of lunch we continue to talk, I can¡¯t tell how much of what Queen says is true, because surely she hasn¡¯t been out of her dungeon as much as she talks about traveling, but then again she is only a few months old and has already been to the capital and here. I was over a year old before I went to the capital and I still haven¡¯t gone to any other dungeons.


    ¡°What are your plans now? With Kline¡¯s help I have been able to get ahead on my paperwork, so I went ahead and locked up the office for the day.¡±


    Logan: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, we will stay tonight, take a look at the dungeon tomorrow and stay tomorrow night, then head out the next day. Because I promised Queen that Kline and I would keep her safe while she explores Leona Ruins for a few days.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I can¡¯t really fault her, because I have been using Kline for the xp for a little over a week, and will get Kline and Logan for two more days. I just hope that isn¡¯t the only reason she is with Logan. I am sure that would upset Belinda if that was the case.


    ¡°We told Kline and Scylla when you were expected to arrive, so they are probably waiting for you at the house right now.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well we will let them have a bit more time together. What about you Belinda do you need to head back to work?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Unfortunately I do¡­ One of the receptionists got sick, and I had to have Amy cover the counter while we went to lunch, and you know how much she hates doing that¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well ¡°Mister Mayor¡± why don¡¯t you show the prince and his lovely girlfriend around your town.¡±


    I spend the rest of the afternoon showing them around Tobes, and even tell them the plans for the future development. After a few hours we start to head to the house.


    ¡°And that is where Belinda is planning on constructing a Town Hall building. She wants to make it have enough room to move the adventurer¡¯s guild inside as well.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Not bad for a little hunting village with only 100 or so people not even two years ago. You even made it through a winter of Faron¡¯s rest with only two winter related villager¡¯s deaths. That in itself is a huge accomplishment.¡±


    ¡°Of course I was only Mayor for the last half of the winter, the prep for it was all done by the previous Mayor and Belinda¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°That modesty is what is going to make you be a great Mayor, you¡¯re people will never get tired of it.¡±


    We head in the house, and Logan and Kline catch up a bit before dinner. We have to use the large dining room with all the extra people, and the conversations remain pretty normal. After dinner Logan invites me out to the tavern for drinks.


    That would leave another dungeon core in my dungeon with my monsters¡­ Even if it is Queen I am not comfortable with it so I have to decline. He seems surprised but not upset, so he takes Kline with him instead and they head out.


    After they are gone Queen approaches me.


    Queen: ¡°I am actually glad you didn¡¯t go, I would like to have a word with you if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°I am sure you anticipated this, but I still want for you to confirm it. My entering your dungeon isn¡¯t going to interfere with our agreement right?¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t remove any equipment, or tear things up to bad it won¡¯t be a problem. All the monsters that will be in the dungeon when you enter however are expendable. I also can¡¯t make any promises about your safety once inside. The monsters are not going to treat you any different than normal adventurers.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Fair enough. I actually am looking forward to it, because I hear your monsters are unique. I also have a few questions if you don¡¯t mind, and you can choose to not answer them if you like.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I heard you had a copy of the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> do you mind if I have a look at it?¡±


    ¡°It cannot be removed from the dungeon core room, and I am sorry, but I am not comfortable you entering my dungeon core room.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Fair enough. Can I ask you to look up a few of the cores for me and give me the information on them before we leave Tobes?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the cores.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Fair enough, I will make you a list you can just give me the information on the ones you want.¡±


    ¡°I am surprised you haven¡¯t asked Dyson, he should have access to one now.¡±


    Queen: ¡°He wants me to prove myself to him to become one of his allies so, he said I have 5 years to fend for myself and if he likes what he sees then he will consider it. Until then I have no contact with him.¡±


    ¡°I was going to ask you for some information about something he is up to, but I guess you can¡¯t help me then.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ When I did have access to a <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> during my training, your number was one that Dyson made me remember. At that time I seen that your boss monster was Belinda, but it said she was a Divine Being. Now I have seen Logan¡¯s adventurer¡¯s ID and it said he was human, so what¡¯s the deal with that? I have never heard of a Divine Being is it some kind of light element species?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should answer that or not. But in good faith I will say that as you know my crystal is unique, and some of the rules are different for me. Sometimes it is an advantage, and other times it¡¯s not.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I see all your girls are feral beastkin except Bell and the scarred one. She obviously wasn¡¯t summoned by you, so can you not summon normal beastkin? You didn¡¯t take the first three I sent because they were not bound to my dungeon, but their cost would have been minimal to make them part of your dungeon, so I still don¡¯t understand why you wanted Bell, and even put an emphasis on her remaining bound? I needed the agreement with you so I was willing to overlook it then, but I am still curious.¡±


    ¡°We will say it is just one of them advantages/disadvantages my crystal has, but to answer your first question is yes I can summon normal beastkin, the sub-species I can summon however is limited.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I understand. I heard some are limited that way. I was lucky enough to be able to summon all subspecies, so if you need another in the future maybe we can make a deal, because I cannot summon feral beastkin especially advanced sub-species like your beautiful salamander.¡±


    ¡°I also wasn¡¯t born with all the information that a normal core is born with, so if I ask an odd question that is probably why, that being said. How does a normal core summon new types of monsters?¡±


    Queen seems a bit surprised at my question but answers it anyway. ¡°Well every core can summon the basic monsters, and then they usually have their element list which they can summon at a reduced cost, but to say new ¡°types¡± of monsters they usually can¡¯t. Of course if you summon enough of one monster you can then summon its advanced forms. Like goblin allows you to summon brutes, brutes allows you to summon hobgoblins and so on.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°The exception of course is though breeding, so in the future after I am well established I would like to trade you for a feral beastkin, since they are breed-able with normal beastkin I might get lucky and be able to summon some in a few years.¡±


    ¡°Well a non-sentient one is only 25xp, I think after Bell I could easily summon one of them for you.¡±


    Queen: ¡°You would do that for me?¡±


    ¡°You summoned 4 sentient beastkin to get me to sign that agreement, sure I only kept one, so I would even be willing to summon you a sentient one if you could convince Logan to stay a little longer.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I might be able to get him to stay 1 extra day¡­¡±


    ¡°You want a rabbit, dog, or take your chances with a random?¡±


    Queen: ¡°What do you mean take my chances on a random?¡±


    ¡°I can summon it as a random subspecies, it seems to favor sub-species that are available to me, but with it you could even have the chance to get an advanced, which was how I got Scylla.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I have never heard of such a thing¡­ I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a dog or rabbit, but if I could get a chance at and advanced I would jump at the chance¡­¡±


    ¡°Well how do you want to do this? It would be odd for a random feral beastkin to show up and to follow you back with Logan?¡±


    Queen: ¡°How did you explain it when you summoned your girls?¡±


    ¡°Well because of people calling me by my number, they thought I was an escaped slave¡­ We kind of use that to say they are as well. The owner of the brothel is even trying to prove I am stealing someone¡¯s slaves and setting them free.¡±


    Queen: ¡°What if we use that? While we are at the dungeon tomorrow you summon it and when we return you can say it showed up looking to you for help, I will suggest it hiding among the settlement of beastkin that is forming at Leona and that we will take it there.¡±


    ¡°Works for me, if you can convince Logan to stay another day.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I will take care of that at breakfast in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Any preference for sex or build?¡±


    Queen: ¡°If it¡¯s a female I could only have a chance about once a year, but if it¡¯s a muscular male it could breed with several females to raise the chances, and also a lot easier to convince to breed.¡±


    ¡°Ok you take care of your end, and I will summon a random feral beastkin male tomorrow while you are in the dungeon.¡±


    I talk with Queen a while longer but she doesn¡¯t ask me any more questions on the contrary she seems very excited. After how much xp she must have spent on trying to get me to sign the agreement I don¡¯t understand why she feels I am making such a big sacrifice especially due to the fact 1 day of Kline and Logan¡¯s xp is more than it will cost to summon the beastkin.


    Belinda eventually checks to make sure everything is ok, so I bid Queen goodnight and head to bed.

 Failed Attempt

    By the look on Logan¡¯s face at breakfast the next morning I can tell he must have reaped the benefits of Queen¡¯s good mood which hasn¡¯t even shown a small bit of fading this morning still.


    Queen: ¡°Logan¡­ Would it be alright if we stay one more day in Tobes? I haven¡¯t gotten a chance to get to know your sister very well, and she said she would show me around at the adventurer¡¯s guild if tomorrow if we could stay.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well that is cutting into the time we can stay in Leona, but if that is what you want I guess it is ok.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Thank you so much! ¨CShe gives him a big deep kiss.-


    I told Belinda what was going on so she seemed somewhat surprised but she rolls with it. After breakfast they go prepare their gear for the dungeon, this time only Logan, Kline, and Queen are going. I have Scylla and Bell take care of things for me at the office so I can focus on the dungeon just in case, and to summon Queen¡¯s beastkin.


    I take the trip with them to the adventurer¡¯s guild where Queen picks up a few of the commissions I manage to catch a glimpse of her ID to see after the winter she has already managed to make it to level 8 already¡­ She also has also already managed to become a C-rank adventurer.


    Logan and Kline didn¡¯t plan to take a commission but Belinda makes them saying it¡¯s like a pass like they would have to get if they went to the Tower of the Gods. After they start heading up to the dungeon Queen almost seems confused I am not following them.


    Even once heading home and transferring to the core room when I see them finally heading up the mountain Queen still seems to be checking if I am following somewhere¡­ I guess she doesn¡¯t realize the house in Tobes is part of my dungeon¡­


    Madam Erin seemed to be able to sense when she was standing in my dungeon, but I guess not all cores can. If most cores can¡¯t tell Tobes is part of my dungeon that might turn into quite the advantage someday.


    That must have been the reason she was so shocked just by getting Logan to stay another day was enough to get me to spend the xp on the beastkin.


    Logan and Kline are much higher level than Queen but her gear is probably 10 times more expensive, yet Logan still seems overly protective of her as they go through the first floor he barely lets her fight at all. He is so protective of her Kline even tells him to chill out and get his head in the game.


    They then manage to make a little bit faster progress but Logan looks mighty nervous. Queen seems to be doing fine though. I have only seen other cores fight during the training and she had managed to reach level 4 at that time.


    Queen has only gained 4 levels but her combat potential has gone up exponentially. I have seen a few adventurers that have been around that level that have entered the dungeon, and none hold a candle to what Queen is capable of¡­


    Kline: ¡°See I told you there was nothing to worry about, you can tell the blood of Dyson runs through her veins.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Just be careful these kobolds are not like normal kobolds.¡±


    Logan seems to begin to get more comfortable fighting alongside Queen now. Well I want to watch how they feel about the changes to the third floor and the addition of the fourth floor, so I better hold up my end of the bargain with the beastkin.


    I feel a little bad now that I realize that Queen didn¡¯t realize how easy summoning this beastkin was going to be, and she called Scylla beautiful, so I decide to spend the extra the xp to summon a random advanced feral beastkin.


    Even with that I still going to make a profit from Logan and Kline staying the extra day, but it makes me feel a bit better about it. I open [Menu] prepare for the summoning and then focus¡­ She wants a strong capable male for breeding, so male and has good stamina. As I focus I hit the confirmation.


    Once the light fades the monster standing in front of me is rather shocking¡­ He which is a very clearly a he¡­ stands at least a full foot taller than me and his shoulders are at least twice as wide as mine. Zoey and Lilah have a lot of features of their animal counterparts because they are feral beastkin, but Scylla¡¯s were always more, I figured it was just because of because of the type of skin but this guy I find it hard to even call him a beastkin¡­


    Although he has the body of a large muscular man it is nearly entirely covered in brilliant golden feathers. With wings bearing the same color feathers as the rest of his body stretching at least 12 feet wide almost filling the entire dungeon core room.


    While his arms look normal enough although feathered, his legs on the other hand are thin and birdlike ending in a set of large dagger-like talons instead of normal feet. While his head is humanoid in shape it too is covered in the golden feathers with a large plume of feathers sticking up on either side like that of an owl. Instead of a normal nose and mouth he has a sharp beak positioned between a pair of piercing eyes.


    Without knowing how to react, I simply stare. He however kneels on one ¡°knee?¡± while folding his wings in tight against his body as he bows, and says. ¡°Greetings Master, your desire is my desire. Speak and it will be done.¡±


    The thing that makes me snap out of my daze is when I hear Logan say something¡­


    Logan: ¡°What is happening the kobolds just went crazy!¡±


    I notice Lilah too has completely forgotten about the battle and is staring as well.


    ¡°Lilah the dungeon!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Li¡­Lilah is sorry!¡±


    She turns and begins to control the kobolds again but keeps glancing over at the newly summoned beastkin. I know clothes make room for tails and such, but this guy is so different I don¡¯t know if clothes are going to work.


    I try summoning some clothes and equipping them on him but receive a message.


    Monster unable to equip item.


    That answers that question¡­ and after reading that message I see another that must have appeared when he was summoned.


    Avian (Eagle) now available to summon for 500xp


    A new monster available to summon containing sub-species, when summoning a creature with available sub-species you can select the sub-species, or allow a random sub-species to be selected. When random sub-species are selected it is possible to summon a sub-species not currently available.


    Avians are capable of being summoned as sentient at x10 xp cost. Sentient creatures have minds of their own and may ignore orders. Once per day you can use an Ultimate Command, and force a sentient dungeon monster to follow any command. Avians that are summoned as non-sentient at still capable of advanced thought they however have no will of their own.


    Beastkin of the third tier of evolution are separated into their own category and are not capable of summoning outside their category when summoning a random subspecies.


    I sounds like Avian beastkin are treated like a different monster all together¡­ I am going to try something.


    ¡°Search clothing available to be equipped on an avian.¡±


    [Menu] pulls though¡­ it displays several articles but they are at least 35xp which isn¡¯t much but in comparison to normal clothing it is quite a bit. I summon an outfit and equip it on the avian. The outfit looks less like clothing and more like a sash or a toga, but at least it keeps the important bits covered.


    Avian: ¡°Thank you Master¡­¡±


    I promised Queen but I am not sure it is a good idea to try to pass this guy off as an escaped slave¡­ We might have to come up with another plan or try another summoning.


    ¡°Well my intention of summoning you was to present you as a gift to another core, but I don¡¯t know if I will be able to do that now. For now just get comfortable here and we will figure out what to do when she returns¡­¡±


    Avian: ¡°As you desire Master.¡±


    I send a message to Belinda and tell her what¡¯s going on and that we may have a problem. I tell her that I need to talk to Queen without Kline or her brother so if she could do something when they return to give me a chance to try to smooth things over.


    When I finally get the chance to return to focusing on the dungeon the Trio has already begun their assault on the third floor and taking the + shaped hallway and are working on their second side room. Most of my girls are around 5 levels higher then Queen yet with the exception of maybe Belinda her combat ability is far greater even at level 8,


    That leaves me to wonder how much of it is the mythril equipment, and how much of it is just her ability. Kline and Logan to seem to be quite impressed with her, even with such a large level difference between them they are now working as a cohesive team.


    Lilah seems to be getting frustrated and doubling down her efforts as the kobolds are not even able to land a blow against anyone even Queen.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is sorry Master¡­ They were easier when they were with Master and Roxy¡­¡±


    ¡°It is ok Lilah¡­ Logan was pretty laid back last time, but now he seems to be trying to impress Queen so he his giving it his all this time, so we can probably consider this his real strength.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah should at least be able to cause problems for Queen, she shouldn¡¯t be stronger then the C-Rank adventurers that enter the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°She is also a dungeon core, so that could have something to do with it. She might have unique skills that help her in combat.¡±


    Logan: ¡°There is quite a few more kobolds here then there where last time but the dungeon has had all winter without interference of adventurers to increases its strength, so I wonder what else has changed.¡±


    When they enter the great room they however are quite surprised when the kobolds instantly attack. Even with their levels they still struggle quite a bit against the 8 heavy armored kobolds. The kobold¡¯s attacks don¡¯t cause much damage if any at all when hitting Kline or Logan, but Lilah seems relieved when she at least causes a few wounds against Queen even if they do seem mainly superficial.


    Logan: ¡°I am so sorry Queen I underestimated the dungeon because it was so different last time I was here, we should have asked Two-Twelve if we could have borrowed Scylla. Kline told me she is a healer.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± ¨CQueen casts a healing spell that surpasses anything I have yet to see so far instantly healing all of her wounds.-


    Kline: ¡°Aren¡¯t you full of surprises¡­ Being as good at combat as you are at your level, and casting advanced healing spells¡­ Are you sure you are not a hero yourself?¡±


    Queen: ¡°No I am not a hero yet, but I had a good teacher.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I would love to meet them someday.¡±


    Queen looks rather sad when she says. ¡°Yea¡­ Maybe someday¡­¡±


    They struggle quite a bit in the next room as well even with it being only 4 kobolds, but their high level gear even manages to cause decent wounds on Kline and Logan. If I could have a group of three times their size with that type of gear I might have even been able to beat them¡­


    Queen heals her own wounds and takes care of the wounds on Logan and Kline as well.


    Logan: ¡°The crystal was where that staircase was last fall, it seems the dungeon really has changed in the last few months. If it gets much more difficult we might even need to retreat for now¡­ I never thought I would say that about such a small dungeon before¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°I am sorry, if I was stronger¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°You are handling yourself far better then you should be able to for your level so it is by no way your fault. There are always things out there stronger then you, so a true adventurer isn¡¯t the strongest, but the one that knows when they have reached their limit.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Queen seems surprised when Logan says that, and she quickly grabs Logan kissing him deeply. Enough that it makes Kline embarrassed just by seeing it.


    Logan: ¡°¡­ I always thought they were wise words, but I never thought they would give that kind of reaction. Not that I am complaining.¡±


    Queen: ¡°The man that trained me once said something similar, you remind me of him sometimes and I can¡¯t help myself.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am starting to get jealous.¡±


    Queen laughs and says. ¡°Don¡¯t be, it¡¯s not quite like that. I don¡¯t feel that way about him just respect him a lot, but the parts of you that remind me of him makes me love you even more.¡±


    Logan seems to actually blush a bit, and for some reason Kline is blushing a lot more¡­


    Logan: ¡°Well, we better get going. Let¡¯s see what else the dungeon has in store for us.¡±


    Once they head down the stairs, Kline almost walks out the door but Logan quickly stops him.


    Kline: ¡°What is it?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Look at the floor¡­ I don¡¯t like the looks of this¡­¡±


    Logan then takes his pack off and ruffles though it pulling out a rope.


    Logan: ¡°There looks to be a stone part ahead, but it just drops off to the side there, so I am going to take this rope and tie it to my waist. You both stay here and hold the rope, if I make it to the stone over there then Queen can come across then Kline.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Young Master please let me go first.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I have no ability to attack at a distance, if you go first you will be defenseless holding the rope while we pass, but you can throw them daggers of yours if something attacks while I am over there.¡±


    Kline looks hesitant but he finally nods. They are actually acting a lot more cautiously then I expected as I figured the wooden floor looked rather sturdy. Logan sets out on the wooden floor after securing the rope. Making very slow progress across it, he eventually makes it to the stone pillar.


    Logan: ¡°Ok, it actually looks quite solid, but hold the rope tight as you cross just in case.¡±


    Queen nods and is the next to cross.


    Logan: ¡°Kline hold on¡­ There seems to be another wooden floor over here, I don¡¯t want us all to get out here in the middle and then be stranded.¡±


    Kline: ¡°But if you go any further I won¡¯t be able to reach with the daggers, and I should be able to jump that distance if I have to.¡±


    Logan is the one that is hesitant now but he eventually nods, Kline too of course crosses the wooden floor without problem. Kline then heads to the edge of the stone pillar looking down into the darkness.


    Kline: ¡°How far down do you think it goes?¡±


    Logan goes through his bag again pulling out a torch. Kline then lights it for him and then Logan drops it off the edge. The torch falls¡­and falls¡­and falls. When it finally hits the floor not even a second later one of the slimes rolls over the touch extinguishing the flame.


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s a long way¡­And there is something alive down there¡­ I have never seen anything like this¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°It¡¯s like a pit trap, but it¡¯s the entire room, and the depth of it.¡±


    Kline: ¡°There is another stone pillar on the other side of that floor, and it¡¯s not near as far.¡±


    Kline strolls across the next section of the wooden floor.


    Logan: ¡°Kline! Be careful!¡±


    Kline turns after reaching the next pillar. ¡°I¡¯m fine, see? The wood is solid¡±


    Logan is still extremely cautious but him and Queen cross the next section as well.


    Kline: ¡°There looks to be one more, and I think I can see the wall.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I¡¯ll go first again.¡±


    Logan crosses the third section of wooden floor. He however draws his sword and screams. ¡°It¡¯s not the wall!¡±


    The golem swings its massive fist. Logan didn¡¯t have a chance to pull his shield but he tries blocking with his sword. The clash of the stone on steel causes a spark the gives a brief glimpse of light and the others can see the other golem beginning to move as well.


    The impact was enough to knock Logan back and he is now dangerously close from falling from the edge of the pillar.


    Kline: ¡°Logan get back here!¡± ¨CHe says pulling a dagger from his waist throwing it at the golem.-


    The dagger clanks against the golem then falls tumbling off the pillar. Logan dives past the golem rolling across the wooden floor. The first golem quickly stomps after him causing the boards to creek and sag but they don¡¯t break.


    Logan: ¡°Damnit! It¡¯s strong enough to hold it. Get back!¡±


    The golems pass one at a time, as they chase the group all the way back into the stair well. One of the golems stands on the first pillar while the other is waiting moves back into the darkness.


    Kline: ¡°Well what are we going to do now?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well we should be able to beat the golems, but I don¡¯t want to risk falling though the floor or off the edge during the fight.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I really wanted to see the Crystal I heard it was so special.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am sorry¡­ I just don¡¯t think we should risk it till you gain a few more levels or we get some more help. Belinda lives here though so we should be able to come back any time¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°I understand, I got to see something interesting at least.¡±


    They are far more cautious then I thought¡­  I didn¡¯t think they would have any problem with the golems. They were even looking forward to fighting them last time they were here. I watch them as they start to head back up.


    ¡°Well congratulations Lilah, you just pushed back a group of B-ranked adventurers¡­¡±


    Lilah puffs out her chest and looks extremely proud of herself, I ruffle her hair and scratch her behind the ears.


    Once the group makes it out of the dungeon I send a message to Belinda telling her they are on their way back. After about 45 minutes I receive a message back from her telling me Queen is on her way. Apparently Logan and Kline are excitedly bragging in the adventurer¡¯s guild so it was rather easy for Queen to slip away to come talk.


    I look to the avian. ¡°Alright we are up.¡± After he stands and bows I tell Lilah we are going to be on our way and transfer back to the house. I leave the avian inside and meet Queen as she is heading up to the house.


    Queen: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Belinda said there was a problem and you needed to talk to me. You changed your mind didn¡¯t you¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ There was just an accident during the summoning, I don¡¯t think our cover story would work, and I am not sure if you will be ok with the result. I can try again in the morning if you want me to try again however.¡±


    Queen looks confused as I lead her into the house. The avian is kneeling in the entryway with his wings spread wide and his head bowed.


    Queen lets out a yelp. ¡°Dear god what the hell is that!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an avian feral beastkin.¡±


    Queen: ¡°¡­I see¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Like I said it wasn¡¯t exactly the desired result so, if you are not happy with it I can try again in the morning.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Wait you mean you will let me have him?¡±


    ¡°That was our deal.¡±


    Queen: ¡°But no one has ever seen a feral beastkin avian before¡­¡±


    ¡°But I heard Logan talk about seeing an avian before¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°Yea¡­ A normal beastkin avian¡­ You know basically human with a pair of wings and tail feathers¡­ That¡¯s it¡­ Bless, the one in the elder selection with you, she is a bat avian.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Queen walks up to the avian and he stands. She is a few inches shorter then me so when he stands she has to tilt her head almost all the way back just to meet his gaze..


    Queen: ¡°He is a marvelous specimen though¡­-She says while rubbing her hands across him.- But could I even breed him with normal beastkin? ¨CShe pulls his trousers and peeks inside.- ¡°Good god!¡±


    Avian: ¡°Even under perfect conditions the odds of producing an offspring would be next to nil, but if that is your desire, I am sure I could suffer though the many¡­Many attempts. We could even give it a shot.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Like hell¡­What kind of beastkin would I even attempt to breed with him?¡±


    Avian: ¡°Subspecies would not affect the odds, but if you are asking for my preference, I would say prey type subspecies. I would enjoy making them squeal¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°I don¡¯t know if he could serve the purpose that I wanted¡­But I am very hesitant to turn him down¡­¡±


    ¡°It is up to you, like I said I could try again in the morning if you want something. I can now summon avian feral beastkin so if you want to trade for one at a later time.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Can I think about it for a while?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but the longer you take the harder it will be to convince Logan with the cover story.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I understand. You said you could something tomorrow morning? So I will have my answer by then.¡±


    Queen peeks into his trousers again and shutters then says. ¡°I better get back to Logan now before he misses me.¡±


    After she leaves the avian speaks to me rather concerned. ¡°Does that mean I am not going to get to breed?¡±


    ¡°Not for a while it looks like.¡±


    He collapses to the floor looking truly pitiful¡­


    ¡°Well I guess we should take you back to the dungeon for now. Until Queen makes up her mind.¡±


    He perks up for a moment and says. ¡°Is there any females there?¡±


    ¡°¡­No¡­Not other then maybe a kobold if they spawned from the rifts.¡±


    Avian: ¡°I¡­I will have to endure¡­¡±


    I haven¡¯t giving him any access so he should be fine in the core room for now, so I take him there but I bring Lilah back with me when I come back to the house.


    Lilah: ¡°It is still a bit early isn¡¯t it Master?¡±


    ¡°I just think it would be a good idea to keep everyone at a distance from the avian for now.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°I understand, the less he learns about us.¡±


    ¡°Yea sure¡­ That¡¯s it¡­¡±


    When everyone returns that even Logan is still bragging about the dungeon, but Queen is wearing a very conflicted expression. Even though Logan has told the story at least three times by now at dinner Scylla asks Kline to tell her about their trip in the dungeon.


    After dinner I warn all the girls to steer clear of the core room until we figure out what we are going to do with the avian, and while preparing for bed Belinda asks me.


    Belinda: ¡°If Queen doesn¡¯t take him, what are we going to do with him?¡±


    ¡°Well he is a very rare monster, Queen said one has never been seen before¡­We might be able to put him to use somewhere.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But how are we going to explain him? Queen told me that his appearance is as close to monster as it comes.¡±


    ¡°The elder Draco looks like a cross between a dragon and a man, Greaks looked almost like a snake. Are there no other races that humans know about other than humans, beastkin, elves, or dwarves?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Beastkin only in the last hundred years have started to get a fair shake, some kingdoms still treat anything other than a human as monsters including elves and dwarves. There are very rare exceptions a very small portion of intelligent monsters trade with humans, but none associate enough to live amongst them.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe Queen will take him and we won¡¯t have to worry about it, I guess until then there isn¡¯t else much we can do.¡±


    The next morning however Queen gives me the bad news before heading to the adventurer¡¯s guild with Belinda.


    Queen: ¡°I am sorry, I might like to have one of your avians eventually, but for now I think it would be best to take a different feral beastkin so I can breed it.¡±


    After they are gone Logan catches me. ¡°Hey mayor, we got an extra day to kill while the women bond, and I even sent Kline to spend time with his lady friend. They can take care of your office today so what do you say we hit the town?¡±


    ¡°Well I have a few things to take care of¡­ But I guess we can after I am done.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Alright, let me know when you are ready.¡±


    Logan heads back off towards his room so I quickly transfer to the core room with Lilah. When we arrive the Avian is lying lazily on the bed, but he quickly jumps up and kneels in front of me.


    Avian: ¡°So do I get to breed now?¡±


    ¡°No luck. She wants a different beastkin. Sorry.¡±


    Avian: ¡°So what do I do?¡±


    ¡°Until we can figure that out, I guess you are going to have to wait here in the dungeon.¡±


    Avian: ¡°Yes Master, my desire is your desire¡­¡± ¨CHe says miserably.-


    The avian settles back in on the bed sitting on the edge leaning forward with his elbows on his legs holding his beak in his hand the position looks so normal but the creature preforming it seems so monster like¡­ Lilah begins her work looking at the screen while I start looking though [Menu]


    I notice something keeps catching the avian¡¯s eyes, I turn my head to see Lilah sitting in her chair minding her own business, but every now and then her tail twitches¡­ The next time it twitches the avian stretches his long wing brushing her tail with a feather at the end of his wing, causing Lilah to jump and quickly turn.


    Avian:¡±¡­Sorry¡­¡±


    The avian returns to resting his head in his hand, and Lilah goes back to work¡­


    ¡°How about Roc?¡±


    Avian: ¡°I¡¯m sorry?


    ¡°For your name, you¡¯re going to need one.¡±


    Avian: ¡°Your desire is my desire.¡±


    Set monster¡¯s name to Roc?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Monster¡¯s name is set as Roc.


    ¡°Alright, now Roc, if I send you outside do you think you could keep out of sight, and not scare the townsfolk?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master is really going to send him outside?¡±


    Roc: ¡°I will be invisible!¡±


    I transfer Roc to the area just outside the cave. I watch him spread his wings and take a deep breath and he takes off flying over the forest away from Tobes.


    Lilah: ¡°Master do you think that was a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Well he was driving me crazy¡­ And what is the worst that can happen? A hunter sees him and shoots him out of the air? We wouldn¡¯t have to worry about him then.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But what about his xp cost?¡±


    ¡°It was pretty much free because of Kline and Logan¡¯s visit. Who knows maybe he will stay out of trouble.¡±


    Lilah looks skeptical, but I am finally able to focus on summoning a feral beastkin for Queen¡­ This time I am not going to risk summoning an advanced feral beastkin just a normal one. If she gets an advanced so be it but I don¡¯t want to risk another Roc¡­


    This time when the light clears after its summoning it turns out to be a normal feral rabbit beastkin male. He looks a lot like Ike, but has a light in his eyes that Ike doesn¡¯t have.  He looks around the room and after seeing Lilah staring at him he awkwardly covers his crotch.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! Can Lilah have one?¡±


    I quickly summon him some clothes.


    Rabbit: ¡°Thank you Master.¡±


    ¡°No need to call me master. You can call me Two-Twelve.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°As you wish. What would you have me do?¡±


    ¡°You have been summoned for the purpose of filling and agreement with another dungeon core. She wishes to breed you.¡±


    Rabbit: ¡°Not with her right?¡± ¨CHe motions to Lilah.-


    Lilah: ¡°Oh Master please?!¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Lilah is much too young, and she is one of my monsters.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Just once!¡±


    ¡°You have been spending way too much time around Zoey¡­¡± ¨CI say to Lilah, then turning back to the rabbit.- ¡°You seem to fill what she was looking for quite nicely so here is the plan. I am going to give you some basic equipment, and take you just out of town. You are going to head into town and ask for the adventurer¡¯s guild, once there you will get your adventurer¡¯s ID and the girls will take care of the rest, and you can meet your new master.¡±


    I summon some cheap and basic gear and equip it on him.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need a name¡­ Belinda showed me a human game called cards once. The Queen was one of the cards, and the other monsters Queen summons seem to use themes from that game. You¡¯re a rabbit so how about Jack? Although I can¡¯t guarantee she will keep the name once she takes over your ownership.¡±


    Set monster¡¯s name to Jack?


    ¡°Yes¡±


    Monster¡¯s name now set to Jack.


    I spend the next 15 minutes going over a few things with Jack and then even though he shouldn¡¯t know anything about my dungeon I use a ultimate command to prevent him from devolving any secrets of my dungeon. I also send Belinda a message telling her the plan. I then transfer with Jack to the edge of the lake then head for one of the hunter¡¯s trails that leads around Tobes.


    Suddenly a large object falls from the sky crashing next to me startling me a bit.


    Roc: ¡°Hey master! What we doing now?¡±


    ¡°I thought I told you to stay out of sight?¡±


    Roc: ¡°But you¡¯re Master?¡±


    ¡°Jack here is for Queen, so I am setting it up so they can meet without arousing suspicion from the town.¡±


    Roc: ¡°Can I come?¡±


    ¡°That is the exact opposite of not arousing suspicion, but I guess it won¡¯t hurt long as you stay close to me, and out of sight.¡±


    I lead Jack to the edge of the path that leads to Tobes. ¡°Ok, just follow the trail into town and do just like I said. Remember when you see me the next time you have to act like we have never seen each other before.¡±


    Jack: ¡°Understood.¡±


    Roc and I watch Jack set out heading towards Tobes. I send a message to Belinda telling her Jack is on his way.


    Roc: ¡°Can we go to the village too? It has females doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just walk into the town you would scare everyone.¡±


    Roc: ¡°How am I supposed to breed with them all if I can¡¯t even meet them?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not breeding with anyone, because I told you that plan is done. Queen didn¡¯t want you.¡±


    Roc: ¡°Never¡­?¡± ¨CHe has a look like someone just stabbed him in the heart.-


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know about never¡­But you can¡¯t just go running into town asking to breed with random women. Alright, lets head back to the dungeon.¡±


    Once we get back I stop Roc as I see a group of adventurers heading up to the dungeon.


    ¡°Hold on, let them get in the cave then we will go.¡±


    Roc: ¡°Oh, there is a female can I ask her?¡±


    ¡°Well you could, but she would probably take that sword of hers and shove it in your gut.¡±


    Roc: ¡°I will endure¡­¡±


    Once the adventurers enter the dungeon I then head out of the tree line and transfer myself and Roc¡­

 A Surprise Announcement

    I was summoned barely over an hour ago. My master told me quite a few distressing things. He told me I was summoned as a gift for another dungeon, I guess if that is what he wants from me that¡¯s what I got to do, but I feel he seemed disappointed in me.


    He did give me some clothes, and basic equipment but told me to walk right into a human town¡­ He even wants me to head straight to the adventurer¡¯s guild. He said I would meet my new master there, but surely he doesn¡¯t expect me to make it that far.


    I am almost on the town now¡­Soon they are going to see me and call the guard and that will be it¡­ I don¡¯t want to die this quick, I am scared¡­ I close my eyes tight and keep putting one foot in front of the other.


    After what feels like forever I still don¡¯t hear any horns nor any screams¡­ Suddenly I bump into something soft.


    Soft voice: ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    What? No screams? I slowly open one of my eyes, and then quickly open the other looking around. There are humans surrounding me with concerned looks on their faces¡­ This is it this is how it ends¡­ But wait¡­ The person a bumped into¡­


    She is a fox¡­ No I mean she is literally a fox. She is wearing clothes that leave very little to the imagination¡­ and she is holding a basket in one arm and has her hand on her other hip. She has no weapons and has the same look on her face as the humans.


    I had resigned myself to my fate my master didn¡¯t want me and sent me to die, but this beautiful young creature in front of me surely she did nothing wrong. Maybe I can at least save her. I grab her arm and start to run.


    Soft voice: ¡°Hey!¡±


    Something hits me in the back of the head and I fall to the ground¡­It was the woman? What¡¯s going on¡­ Is it really going to end this way my mind is cloudy as I pass out¡­


    I open my eyes again I am staring up at the sky, wait I am not dead? I¡¯m not dead right? Something blocks the sky from my view. It¡¯s a face, a human¡¯s face¡­


    Human: ¡°Are alright? You kind of asked for it though, you can¡¯t just grab a woman, even if it is one of Denova¡¯s girls.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill me?¡±


    The human laughs and says. ¡°Of course not, but if you try to get handsy with the town girls again you might wind up in a cell.¡±


    Soft voice: ¡°Well if he is not dead, Denova will be waiting for me, I should get back. Thanks Harald.¡±


    Human: ¡°No problem Cassandra I will take it from here.¡±


    Master said something about being summoned to breed, I thought he was joking with me, but laying here on the ground and watching the fox Cassandra walk away I can see clearly up her short skirt. She isn¡¯t even wearing anything under it. If it was her I think I could really go for it¡­


    Harald: ¡°Can you sit up boy?¡±


    The human Harald is trying to sit me up so I follow his instruction.


    Harald: ¡°What¡¯s your name boy?¡±


    ¡°Jack¡­ Master named me Jack¡­ Oh but he told me not to call him Master.¡±


    Harald: ¡°Master? Are you a slave?¡±


    ¡°No I am a monster¡­¡±


    Harald laughs. ¡°You might have put a bit of a fright in Cassandra, but you are by far a monster. You didn¡¯t happen to mean Two-Twelve did you? You said your master told you not to call him master.¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ That¡¯s right that is what master told me to call him. I gave me this equipment and told me to go to the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    Harald: ¡°Alright, I will take you there, but promise me you won¡¯t go around grabbing any more of the young ladies alright?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    The human Harald leads me though the human town, I can¡¯t believe what I am seeing everyone is just ignoring me. I even see 2 more monsters on the way and they are laughing and joking with a human¡­ What is this place?


    We enter a building and another beautiful monster greets the human Harald¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Hey Harald, who is your friend?¡±


    Harald: ¡°He said Two-Twelve sent him to you, said his name was Jack.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh¡­ I am glad you found him we were starting to get a little worried.¡±


    Harald: ¡°You are going to have to tell Two-Twelve to be a little more careful after he gets these slaves. I am glad he is giving them a fresh start but Jack here tried to grope Cassandra. She gave him a bit of a knot on the head.¡±


    The human Harald then actually bows to the monster then he heads back out the building¡­


    ¡°I am sorry I don¡¯t know what is going on why are the humans not attacking us?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why would they?¡±


    ¡°Because we are monsters.¡±


    The other monster looks around the room nervous then awkwardly laughs saying. ¡°Well I don¡¯t know what your previous master called you, but any civilized human doesn¡¯t call a beastkin a monster. Now why don¡¯t you come have a seat over here real quick.¡± She then leads me to a table sitting me down.


    Belinda: ¡°Queen come here!¡±


    Another beautiful woman comes walking up she is also human, but I can tell she is a dungeon core as well. Maybe this is my new master.


    ¡°Are you my new Master?¡±


    She quickly looks around the room then says. ¡°Is he ok?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know he seems pretty confused. The guard that brought him here said he took a blow to the head so maybe we should just give him a few minutes.¡±


    The dungeon core sits down in the chair next to me and reaches her hand out to me.


    Dungeon core: ¡°Hi I am Queen.¡±


    Queen that¡¯s who Two-Twelve said my new master was¡­ ¡°I¡¯m Jack¡­¡±


    Queen leans in close and says. ¡°Yes, I am your new master, but didn¡¯t Two-Twelve explain things to you?¡±


    ¡°He told me I was a gift for you, so you could breed me¡­ I thought he was joking, but then he gave me equipment and told me to walk into this human town and head to the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    Queen looks at me with a confused expression, after asking me a few more questions she seems to reach a conclusion.


    Queen: ¡°I got it! I know what happened and I think we can fix this. Belinda do you think you can get Two-Twelve to meet us here before Logan arrives?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think so. What did you figure out?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Two-Twelve must have made a mistake when he used an ultimate command. I don¡¯t know exactly what he said, but it must have blocked something.¡±


    Queen and the monster Belinda talk back and forth while I am sitting here¡­ After a while Master enters the building in a hurry.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°So what exactly happened?¡±


    Queen speaks to him quietly¡­ He then leans over and says something to me. I don¡¯t know what it was but my head clears¡­


    Two-Twelve PoV


    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t realize, I haven¡¯t ever had to use one before.¡±


    Queen: ¡°That¡¯s alright. at least we were able to fix it. Jack you ok now?¡±


    Jack: ¡°Yes¡­ It was like walking in a fog¡­ I was so confused¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sorry¡­¡±


    Jack: ¡°I need to get my adventurer¡¯s ID now right?¡±


    ¡°Well we are kind of past that point, but I guess that is up to Queen now.¡±


    Queen: ¡°We might as well, you never know when it will come in handy.¡±


    Belinda takes Jack to the counter and goes through the process of issuing him an adventurer¡¯s ID.


    ¡°I better get back. Logan is waiting for me for the last 2 hours now, and I left the avian with Lilah¡­¡±


    I let Belinda know and then quickly head back home then transfer to the core room. Roc is lying on the bed messing with his wings while Lilah has one of Roc¡¯s feathers in her hands and she is playing with it while looking at the screens.


    ¡°Everything ok?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yep!¡±


    Roc: ¡°Yes master¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to go spend a few hours with Logan¡­ Roc I am going to transfer you back outside, but make sure you stay out of sight. I will send you a message when it¡¯s time for you to return alright?¡±


    Roc: ¡°Your desire is my desire.¡±


    After sending him out of the dungeon, I can see Lilah is watching the group of adventurers that entered the dungeon earlier, but they don¡¯t seem to be putting us in any danger.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything weird while I was gone did he?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ I will be back later.¡±


    After transferring back to the house I meet up with Logan, he seems pretty peeved about have to wait but it doesn¡¯t take him even 30 seconds till he is over it and drags me out into town for the rest of the day¡­


    By the time we finally make it back to the house it has been dark for several hours¡­ We spent the last few hours at the tavern and ended up drinking quite a bit. Just inside the door Logan and I meet with Fire & Ice.


    After chewing us out for 20 minutes Queen drags off Logan and Belinda drags me off to bed. Belinda tells me I need to be more responsible, and tells me with Queen here I should be level headed and not be coming home in the middle of the night drunk.


    She is right, I completely forgot about Queen after a few hours¡­ Keeping up with Logan is a full time job¡­ I feel sorry for Kline having to deal with it all day every day¡­ I can¡¯t help feel there is something else I am forgetting as I go to sleep, but I guess it can wait till tomorrow¡­


    The next morning before breakfast I am sitting at the counter in the dining room holding my head while Belinda is making the coffee. When Logan taps me on the shoulder with a smile on his face he puts a small bottle into my hand.


    It contains the same liquid he gave to Belinda to give to me when we were at the capital. I shudder after downing the bottle, but by the time the coffee is done my head is clear and I am feeling loads better. Lilah is pulling on my sleeve.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Lilah whispers in my ear. ¡°You forgot about Roc, he has been out all night¡­¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I quickly jump up surprising Belinda and Logan running from the room. I get out of view and transfer to the core room. I look though the screens but don¡¯t see Roc anywhere. I send a few messages to him but I don¡¯t receive a reply.


    I spend the next 30 minutes trying to find him but have no luck. Eventually I receive a message I quickly check but it is from Belinda. She is asking me if everything is ok, and that Logan and the others are preparing to leave.


    I decide there isn¡¯t anything else I can do so I transfer back to the house to see Logan and Queen off.


    Logan: ¡°There he is! You ok? That was quite a reaction, I have felt quite sick after drinking that, but it always went away pretty quick.¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ Sorry.¡±


    I see that Jack has joined the group.


    Logan: ¡°I hear you helped Jack here get back on his feet. He decided he wanted to head to Leona to check out that beastkin village that is said to be sprouting up there, so we are going to give him a lift.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Good luck.¡±


    Logan then turns to Kline who is holding Scylla¡¯s hands and whispering in her ear. ¡°Alright man you can see her in a month or two when they come to the capital just kiss her already and let¡¯s get on the road!¡±


    They both begin to blush, and Kline lets go and is about to step away but Scylla grabs him and kisses him. Kline seems surprised but after a few seconds he appears to kiss her back. When they finally quit they are both blushing profusely.


    Logan: ¡°Alright, now we are ready.¡±


    We wave to the group as they head out Zoey quickly begins to tease Scylla, but she just shows her a rude gesture then heads back into the house.


    Roxy: ¡°You kind of asked for that. You could be more supportive.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°She is basically my sister, it¡¯s no fun if I don¡¯t give her a hard time.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master did you have any luck finding Roc?¡±


    ¡°No I sent him several messages but he isn¡¯t at the dungeon and he isn¡¯t replying. Maybe he will turn up here pretty soon.¡±


    We finish getting ready and by the time I head into the office we still haven¡¯t heard from him. Scylla is helping Belinda today so it is just Bell and I at the office. There are a few things requiring my approval that the others couldn¡¯t handle yesterday, but after taking care of that there isn¡¯t much to do.


    Shortly before noon we get the news that we didn¡¯t want to hear however.


    Townsperson: ¡°Mayor! The hunters found some kind of giant bird monster in the forest. They managed to knock it out, and are bringing it in now!¡±


    I can¡¯t help but sigh, 3000xp out the window¡­ Bell and I however get up and to check out the commotion¡­ When we get close however I hear a voice.


    Roc: ¡°Help! I maybe a bird but I promise I don¡¯t taste like chicken!¡±


    Roc: ¡°Ouch! Watch it! I am a lover not a fighter!¡±


    Roc: ¡°Oh¡­Hey there beautiful would like¡­. OUCH!¡±


    Roc:  ¡°Oh! Master! Master! Please don¡¯t leave!¡±


    Harald: ¡°Mayor?¡±


    I sigh¡­ ¡±I told you Roc, not to scare the townspeople!¡±


    Roc: ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything! I promise I was sleeping then something smacked me in the head. Next thing I know I was being dragged through the village in a net!¡±


    Harald: ¡°You know this monster mister Mayor?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t a monster¡­ It¡¯s a rare type of beastkin, I was having him stay up in the forest because I didn¡¯t want him to scare anyone until I could find a place for him.¡±


    Roc: ¡°Master please tell them to let me go!¡±


    Harald: ¡°I have heard of bird beastkin but never anything like this.¡±


    ¡°I know he is kind of scary looking, so if you want to keep him locked up till I can figure out what to do with him I understand.¡±


    Harald: ¡°He isn¡¯t going to hurt anyone is he?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, he is just a peculiar looking beastkin.¡±


    Roc: ¡°I promise! I promise! Tell them to let me go!¡±


    Harald: ¡°Well he hasn¡¯t hurt anyone, and if you say its ok¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Harald: ¡°Well we were worried about the others when they showed up and they turned out fine, so if you say so I believe you.¡±


    Of all people after what happened with Thirty-seven I didn¡¯t think Harald would ever accept something just on my word¡­ The hunters look a little hesitant after looking at the talons on Roc but they eventually pull off the net.


    Roc doesn¡¯t hesitate to jump up and take off flying for the forest.


    Denova: ¡°What are you doing?! Are you crazy!¡±


    Harald: ¡°The Mayor said it was ok.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Do you know how much money we could have made off of selling a monster like that?!¡±


    Harald: ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear it? It wasn¡¯t a monster.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Just because it can talk doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t a monster. There are tons of monsters that can talk.¡±


    Harald: ¡°The Mayor said it is just a rare type of beastkin¡±


    Denova: ¡°And you are just going to take his word for it?!¡±


    Harald: ¡°I would his long before yours.¡±


    After a bit of squabbling from Denova things begin to settle down now. Over the course of the next few days I begin to bring Roc to town for brief periods. The adventurers are more receptive of him then the villagers but after a week or two they too start to warm up to him as well.


    I still don¡¯t ever leave him alone. He has already tried and failed to seduce every woman in the house and he doesn¡¯t seem to be having much luck in town either, but I try to keep him on a tight leash. That all changes however one day when I had to leave him with Belinda at the adventurer¡¯s guild while I had to make a quick run back to the mayor¡¯s office.


    When I return to the guild  Belinda is shaking her head while 4 adventurer women that arrived in town that morning are surrounding Roc, and rubbing his feathers. He seems to be as happy as can be¡­


    ¡°Alright girls, it¡¯s time for Roc to head home now¡­¡±


    Roc: ¡°Aww Master! We were hoping to copulate!¡±


    I can¡¯t help to say sarcastically ¡°What the 5 of you?¡±


    Female Adventurer: ¡°We promise to have him home for bedtime mister mayor.¡± ¨COne of the adventurers says while giggling.-


    I can¡¯t help just stand there with my mouth agape I look over at Belinda and she just shrugs while blushing. After that night word gets around quick and he begins to have frequent nightly outings apparently there is a fetish for that sort of thing among some of the adventurer women. Who knew¡­


    The girls and I are pretty surprised he has been as much luck as he has, and he seems to be doing alright on his own. That is until one day Denova storms into my office slamming the door.


    Denova: ¡°You have to do something about your bird!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    Denova: ¡°He is at it again! He is holding up my business! He has most of the girls lined up paying him for services. That¡¯s not the way this is supposed to work.¡±


    ¡°I think I remember someone once saying something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.¡±


    Denova: ¡°But he is operating out of my business! You don¡¯t see me going stealing other people¡¯s customers from their business.¡±


    ¡°How many times did you try to get me to leave the adventurer¡¯s guild to go to your place instead? I will talk to him though tell him he can¡¯t charge them.¡±


    Denova: ¡°That is not good enough! He would just do it for free then!¡±


    ¡°Fine then he can keep charging, but I will tell him he has to give you the gold.¡±


    Denova: ¡°That¡¯s¡­! I will get back to you¡­¡±


    And just like that somehow Denova ended up with her first male employee¡­ For once the girls where kind of relieved because they said he was kind of creepy¡­ I still haven¡¯t unbound him from the dungeon yet, but I can do it at any time so I guess there is no rush.


    Logan¡¯s failure in my dungeon also spread pretty quickly and the adventurers arriving in town are starting to have an increase in higher level C-rank adventurers. Nobody has found the crystal since it has been moved, but quite a few of the high level C-ranked adventurers have lost their lives on the fourth floor.


    Adventurers have stolen all the high quality gear on the kobolds, but enough C-ranked adventurers have died I am no longer too worried about it, but I still only replaced it with standard quality gear however. I have also managed to build enough xp to add a couple more of the pit type rooms on the fourth floor adding golems to each.


    From the C-rankers that have died quite a few new skills and spells have become available. Although I am not messing with the skills because they cost so much I have learned a few of the spells as well as taught them to Belinda.


    Without realizing it spring seemed to pass in a blink of an eye. There is still a little left, but once we go to the capital for the town leaders meeting it will be over.


    After adding Bo to their nightly activates every now and then, Zoey and Roxy have been getting along exceptionally well. So well in fact that a week before we are set to leave for the town leaders meeting Roxy and Zoey have a big surprise for us at breakfast.


    Zoey & Roxy: ¡°If you would allow us, we would like to get married!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°And I am willing to join your dungeon if you would have me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is wonderful!¡±


    ¡°You have gained another level since we last talked about it right?¡± ¨CI check it out in [Menu].- ¡°We should be ok right Lilah?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes Master, but I was hoping to hold that xp as a safety net for while you are gone.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Does that really matter right now? The important part is they are getting married! They can go with us and have a honeymoon at the capital. She can join the dungeon when we get back.¡±


    Belinda seems exceptionally excited giving Roxy and Zoey both a big hug. Then again it is not really that big of a surprise Belinda likes everything party related and from what I understand getting married involves one¡­


    Belinda: ¡°I will have to send out word today just so people can make it in time!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°It is ok. We can have just a small wedding we don¡¯t have to have a bunch of people.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Nonsense! It¡¯s your special day!¡±


    For some reason I end up heading to work alone today because Belinda has retained the entire household for wedding preparations¡­Scylla is going with us to the capital, as is Zoey and Roxy now. That leaves only Bell and Lilah to keep things going while we are gone¡­


    Being by myself all week and having to prepare for Bell taking care of things for at least 3 weeks at the office I am extremely tired each evening by the time I finally make it home. When I see the girls faces when I make it home however seems to make it worth it.


    Each day the ballroom seems to go through a transformation until the day before we depart is on us¡­ Belinda sent an invitation to the capital, but there just wasn¡¯t enough warning or time.


    Belinda has spent the entire morning making the final preparations for the wedding. I managed to finally complete my office work this morning and had to rush back home to prepare myself. I don¡¯t have the first clue on how to put on the outfit she has prepared for me so I casually cheat by storing it then equipping it.


    For once Belinda prepared a party and Denova was actually invited. Roxy even asked her to participate. Even though they have had an unusual relationship Roxy still gives Denova a bit of credit for buying her and bringing her to Tobes to begin with.


    They are making me be something called the best man, I am supposed to stand next to Zoey with a ring handing the ring to her at the right time. Surely I can¡¯t screw that up¡­ When I finally make it to the ballroom it has been covered in spring flowers, and covered in decorations.


    Belinda is wearing a quite attractive dress but it doesn¡¯t seem too special, for a change it is actually a perfect match for the ones Bell, Scylla, and Lilah are wearing. When she sees me she quickly pulls me to the front of the room to stand next to Zoey, handing me the ring that I am supposed to hand over.


    I think everyone in Tobes that could fit, are here in the room¡­ Zoey is wearing an outfit much like mine however where mine is mostly black with a few white pieces hers is the exact opposite almost solid white¡­


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss¡­ This is kind of weird isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Well you know Belinda¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°She tried to put me in a ridiculous dress, but we manage to make a compromise so I ended up with this. She was going to have Roxy and me both take a bride role, but I think this works better.¡±


    ¡°Yea, I have no idea what you are talking about.¡±


    Zoey laughs. ¡°That¡¯s ok Boss, just don¡¯t screw up your part during the ceremony or Belinda might kill you. You should also consider this a dry run, because you know eventually Belinda is going to make you be standing here in my spot.¡±


    ¡°Marriage? Me?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°The entire time she was setting it up she was making comments on how when you two get married she is going to do it this way and that way¡­¡±


    ¡°We have never even talked about getting married¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean she isn¡¯t thinking about it Boss¡­¡±


    Now that she mentions it when I look at Belinda making the final touches I can practically see the gears turning¡­And the smile she gives me when she notices me watching her¡­


    ¡°I thought you are not supposed to get married till you love each other.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Duh Boss.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ How did you know you loved Roxy?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well that¡¯s kind of embarrassing Boss...But I knew the first time there at Denova¡¯s place when she took her tongue and..¡±


    ¡°Ok ok¡­ I don¡¯t need the details¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well when did you know that you loved Belinda?¡±


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t been able to understand that emotion. So I don¡¯t know if I do¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Come on Boss, I have seen the way you look at Belinda. When did you know you wanted her to be next to you forever?¡±


    ¡°Well she was the one that came up to me and said she wanted to be my boss monster.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Not as your boss monster boss¡­When was the time you looked at her and said no matter what nobody else can have her that she can only be yours, and you couldn¡¯t be with anyone else for the rest of your lives.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know¡­I guess this past winter sometime¡­I guess about the time I started eating every day I never even realized it¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well there you go¡­ That was when you knew you loved Belinda.¡±


    ¡°I never¡­¡±


    My train of thought however is cut short as the girls take their positions and Belinda quickly hurries to hers as a group begins to play music. The girls make their way across the room to stand opposite of me on the other side of Zoey, and Lilah begins to walk down holding a large basket.


    Inside the basket are flower petals that she tosses as she walks. Something else is in the basket I can¡¯t really tell what it is until she gets closer¡­ It¡¯s the small cat stuffed animal I gave Thirty-seven¡­But instead of the head peeking out of the basket its head must be buried in the basket because its backside is sticking up¡­


    ¡°She could have at least turned it right side up¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Belinda tried¡­ Lilah said Thirty-seven wouldn¡¯t have wanted it that way.¡±


    Lilah finally makes it to the front and takes her spot. Roxy then enters the far end of the room. The music changes and she slowly makes her way forward to the song. The dress she is wearing is huge, but beautiful. She is walking down the aisle locked elbows with Denova who is wearing a masculine outfit as well.


    Denova takes a seat in the front row when they arrive and Roxy continues the rest of the way on her own. Once she reaches next to Zoey, they take each other¡¯s hands. The old man that spoke at Thirty-seven¡¯s funeral, that I later found out to be a priest of Faron takes a position in front of Zoey and Roxy.


    He begins the wedding ceremony¡­It is rather long winded and hard to follow, but once he asks Zoey a question she said ¡°I do.¡± He then asks the same of Roxy and replies the same. After talking for a moment more he then gives me the cue. I take the ring I am holding and hand it to Zoey¡­


    He continues to talk while Zoey places the ring on Roxy¡¯s finger then Roxy takes a ring that Belinda hands her placing it on Zoey¡¯s hand. After a few more word he says they are now married and tells them to kiss.


    When Zoey and Roxy kiss the room begins to clap and cheer. Zoey and Roxy then head to the back of the room¡­And finally the ceremony is over¡­ Unfortunately that means the party part has just begun¡­ There is quite a bit of dancing, I again end up dancing with a lot of people¡­


    Then there is a large cake that is split up¡­ Of all the food, I can manage just about everything now, but sweet food like cake¡­ I just loath¡­ Belinda however doesn¡¯t take no for an answer and I am forced to eat some. At least it is a very small piece.


    After the sun begins to set people finally begin to depart and about an hour later it is finally just me and the girls¡­ I collapse into a chair.


    Belinda: ¡°You did wonderfully today. I am proud of you.¡±


    ¡°All I did was hand over the ring¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright. If you say so.¡±


    Luckily the best part of doing stuff like this in the house we are able to clean up the entire mess in a few short minutes¡­ Zoey and Roxy have seemed to have disappeared but I guess that is to be expected.


    Lilah: ¡°Master. I am going to bed.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am as well we got a long trip ahead of us starting tomorrow.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I better go to bed as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well Two-Twelve what did you think of your first wedding?¡±


    ¡°Well I barely could follow what was going on, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves so I guess it turned out ok.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Come here and dance with me.¡±


    ¡°The music has been done for hours now¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s alright. Just dance with me.¡±


    I get up and Belinda takes my hand wrapping her arm around me placing it on my shoulder she places her cheek against mine and begins to step to an imaginary beat. After a few minutes she says.


    Belinda: ¡°I am glad I made that decision last year, I wouldn¡¯t trade any of this for anything¡­ I love you Two-Twelve.¡±


    ¡°Belinda¡­¡±


    I kiss her after a few moments after we part I look her in the eyes.


    ¡°Belinda Gowen¡­ I love you.¡±

 Observation Screen

    On our trip to the capital we picked up a ride from a merchant making a return trip to the capital after making a delivery in Tobes. The trip has been pleasant even after the fact we discovered Denova is along for the ride as well.


    She said her general store is ready to open now and she needs some more employees, so she is going to the capital shopping for some¡­ She also said she is thinking of picking up a few more male employees.


    Roc has proved very profitable for her, but quite a few of the women find him just too odd to handle and have requested a normal man.


    After we reach the capital Scylla stays in the same inn as Belinda and me, but Roxy and Zoey go off on their own. The town leader meeting is not quite what I expected. I know just north of our dungeon the Gowen line cuts through the middle of the forest, and to the east just past the forest Kartova sits on the eastern border, but I thought maybe we were in the corner of the kingdom and didn¡¯t realize Gowen was so small.


    The only others at the meeting other than me is a very old lady that is responsible for Kartova, and three men that have been though quite a few years themselves. I learn the capital houses over 80% of the Gowen population and our towns have another 10% and the last 10% reside in small villages like Tobes was before the dungeon.


    Tobes becomes the topic of discussion quite often causing the other men to seem to hold a grudge against me but the old lady seems indifferent about it. Some credit the growth of Tobes to Belinda taking up residence there, and others credit the dungeon.


    The meetings prove to be very boring but they are over pretty early each day so Belinda and I get to spend quite a bit of time together in the capital. Scylla has been spending quite a bit of time with Kline but he has been rather busy as he and Logan have been personally handling the production and selling of the communication parchment.


    Since they began selling them they have had to double their staff 3 times and move to a larger building twice just to keep up with the demand. Scylla has been helping out so she can spend time with Kline and she comes back to the inn late in a very tired state but she seems to be enjoying herself.


    On the last day of the meetings Belinda¡¯s sister Mindy proceeds over the meeting. She seems intent on making my day miserable, but it is the last day so I don¡¯t let it get to me. Being our last night in the capital Belinda and I eat dinner at an overly fancy restaurant and then return to the park we went to before to watch the sunset again.


    I remember thinking it was quite a sight last time, but this time I find it exceptionally beautiful. We don¡¯t head back to the inn for hours after the sun has long past set. We however are not the last to arrive though as Scylla doesn¡¯t appear to have made it back when we arrive at the inn.


    It¡¯s not till the next morning when we meet up with Zoey and Roxy for breakfast before making our return trip back to Tobes that Scylla sleepily makes her way back to the inn to collect her things then joins up with us. This fact doesn¡¯t pass Zoey as she begins to tease Scylla.


    Scylla: ¡°It¡¯s not like that! We don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s going to be till we can see each other again so we just didn¡¯t want to part¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t ¡°part¡± all night!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°He isn¡¯t like that! We did no such thing!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Why not? Is there something wrong with him?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We aren¡¯t ready for that!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Ok Zoey that¡¯s enough¡­ Let her be.¡±


    Scylla attempts to the change the conversation by asking how things are going back in Tobes.


    ¡°Bell is having a rough time, but she will be ok. Lilah said the dungeon is really picking up as well, but nobody has found the crystal since it has been moved. She said more and more of the adventurers that have begun to enter are foreigners.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We are going to have to be really careful now. The crystal was pretty safe when most of the adventurers were Gowen residents, but foreigners might not respect our protection of the crystal.¡±


    ¡°Well they got to find it first.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I know we have already been gone 2 weeks, and it¡¯s still going to be 1 more before we make it home, but when are we going to begin our training again?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Kline is just so far ahead of me¡­ I just want to be of use to him someday¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You don¡¯t need a high level to be a use to him.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I said let it be!¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s make it back first¡­ Make sure Lilah isn¡¯t hiding anything again, and we got to make sure we got the xp for Roxy.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure Lilah won¡¯t make that mistake again.¡±


    After breakfast we begin our trip home. The first day is pretty rough on Scylla, but after that the remainder of the trip passes easily enough. Spring is officially over by the time we make it back to Tobes and the sights and smells of summer are in full swing.


    Bell is tremendously relieved when we finally make it back, and it will a few days for me to manage to catch back up. Lilah seems to be glad we are back but it is just business as usual for her. She didn¡¯t hide anything from us this time, and we have roughly the same amount of xp we had when we left.


    She has however made quite a few changes in the dungeon¡­ The first room on the fourth floor is now sporting a rift of golems.


    ¡°Lilah that¡¯s over 10,000xp did you really make that much xp while I was gone?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah used Master¡¯s skills, and bunches of the magic crystals Belinda brought back from The Tower of the Gods, and saved bunches of xp.¡±


    ¡°Wait you can use MY skills when summoning monsters?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°The ones that affect the dungeon, of course.¡±


    ¡°Then how much did it cost for the rift?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah made the rift for 4500xp, but it took 20 of the magic crystals. We have enough for one more, but Lilah wanted to make sure we had enough xp for Roxy when Master made it back.¡±


    ¡°We should have used the golems all along at that price¡­ The kobolds are quite a bit cheaper but they aren¡¯t near as strong and we have to worry about their gear getting stolen¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Oh oh! Lilah also unlocked a new monster!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± ¨CI quickly open [Menu].-


    Unfortunately the only new monster available is a new evolution of the slime¡­


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wanted to try it out, but she thought she better ask Master first.¡±


    ¡°Has anyone even fought the red ones at the bottom of the pit in the last room?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°One of the adventurers fell on one when he was knocked off the platform. It killed it and he managed to kill two more in the dark, but the rest managed to eat him after that.¡±


    ¡°They ate him?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Well they covered him up, and he dissolved.¡±


    ¡°¡­ The blue ones never did anything like that¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°So can Lilah try out one of the silver ones?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait till we add another room then we can just use them like we did with the red ones.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°¡­Ok¡­¡±


    We wait a few days till things return back to normal before I bring Zoey and Roxy to the core room so I can add Roxy to the dungeon.


    Roxy: ¡°It¡¯s kind of dark here¡­What is this place?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well once you are part of the dungeon you can see everything that goes on in the dungeon from here.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Why is there a bed?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°This is where Boss lived before the house. Now it is more like Lilah¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Now this is only the second time I have done this, and Belinda seemed to have some special circumstances, so I am not quite sure what to expect.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°It¡¯s safe right?¡±


    ¡°Of course it won¡¯t hurt, but I just wanted to warn you. Belinda was covered in light, kind of floated above the ground, her body went through a few changes, but her race changed and from what I understand that isn¡¯t normal.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What if I change into some kind of monster?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I will still love you no matter what!¡± ¨CShe says and kisses her. - ¡°No but seriously, you will be ok you won¡¯t change.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh and all your stuff will be added to the dungeon inventory, so you will be naked afterwards.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Here in front of Two-Twelve and Lilah?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It¡¯s not like the perverts haven¡¯t peeked on you before, but it will only be for a minute until I reequip your things with the dungeon magic.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I am starting. You have seen the adventurer¡¯s guild magic when they do the IDs, a screen like that will appear to you and ask you for approval, after accepting it, it will start.¡±


    I set everything up in [Menu] and hit accept. Roxy is slightly startled when the screen popped up in front of her, she looks to be reading it over a few times she seems a little hesitant, but after Zoey kisses her cheek she closes her eyes tight and press in front on her.


    Light covers Roxy and she is lifted from the ground, and a message appears in front of me.


    Due to the unique nature of Small Polychromatic Diamond crystal, and the creation of a Secondary Dungeon, Boss Monster [Roxanne] will have their favored element removed, and be granted the [Gifted] skill.


    Evolution has occurred in Boss Monster [Roxanne] Race has changed from Beastkin (Wolf) to Divine Beastkin (Wolf) Level has been reset to 1.


    HP bonus +50, MP bonus +50, Ability bonus +5 granted to Strength, Agility, Endurance, Mace Arts, and Defensive Arts, Ability bonus +10 granted to Spell Power, Concentration, Mental Defense, and Spell Arts.


    Status Resistances Acquired: Confusion immunity, Charm immunity, and Fear immunity.


    New Monster Avaliable


    Divine Beastkin (Wolf)           Cost: 100,000xpUnauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Uh-oh¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t say that Boss!¡±


    When the light surrounding Roxy fades she lands back on her feet. Her once short dark hair now flows down to her waist and is lustrous silver in color, the fur on her large wolf ears and fluffy tail has also turned to the silver color.


    Her tanned skin to now has a sheen to it. Her body was healthy before but now is extremely fit resembling Bell¡¯s muscles however in a smaller package. Her hands and feet before appeared like a normal human¡¯s, but now although their shape is the same she has elongated claws similar to Zoey¡¯s.


    Her teeth too seem to have grown resembling more of a feral beastkin. The scar on her face is still there however it has faded enough that she could probably cover it with make-up like Belinda wears at parties if she wanted to.


    Roxy: ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad¡­ I feel lighter¡­ Wait what¡¯s that¡­?¡± ¨CShe bobs her head noticing the extra weight and feel of her new hair.-


    Roxy then reaches back pull it to look at it. ¡°Is this my hair? Wait my nails! My toes are the same¡­But look at them abs¡­ Even the hair there is silver?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hey Boss! Quit ogling my wife like that!¡±


    I clear my throat and turn my head blushing. Zoey uses [Menu] to put Roxy¡¯s clothes back on.


    Roxy: ¡°My ring! Where is my ring?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hold on¡­There it is¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°It even fits better now¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it was equipped with [Menu]. Clothes, and equipment change to fit perfectly when you use it.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°So that was how you changed those clothes for Lilah last winter! I thought there was no way you were some secret tailor¡­ Then Belinda¡¯s necklace you used [Menu] for that too?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That actually was quite impressive¡­ Even with [Menu] that was amazing.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°So what do you think Zoey?¡± ¨CShe says while twirling.-


    Zoey takes her hand while she twirls and then pulls her close embracing her. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to give this new you a ¡°Complete¡± inspection.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I feel pretty strong, and maybe I will just pin you to the bed for a change and ravage you.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± ¨CShe says then kisses her while wrapping her hands around her squeezing Roxy¡¯s new firmer butt.-


    ¡°Alright¡­ Save it for later. Lilah and I don¡¯t want to see this.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t mind!¡±


    Zoey and Roxy laugh.


    Zoey: ¡°Ok Boss¡­ But how are we going to explain the change to Roxy in town?¡±


    ¡°For Belinda we said she ran into something strange in the dungeon. It seemed pretty thin at the time, but maybe it¡¯s time for the commission for the ¡°Mysterious trap¡± to return. It adds a little bit of credibility to it if we say it happened to someone else.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But if it keeps happening only to people close to you it will still get suspicious.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t summon boss monsters like other dungeons, instead when it would be available the next Boss monster I guess this happens. Roxy didn¡¯t become a normal boss monster because of me placing the imitation crystal. So it should be a long time before I can make another special boss monster.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You reached level 13 a few weeks ago didn¡¯t you? That means 2 more levels and it will happen again.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Of course Boss. You get a boss monster at 1, 15,50, 100, and so on.¡±


    ¡°If you know all that how did you not know Roxy was going to change?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Because I didn¡¯t know it happened with a new boss monster would be available to summon.¡±


    ¡°It also concerns me you know more about dungeon cores then I do as well¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Every monster and dungeon core knows that. Boss is just weird.¡±


    I sigh¡­


    Zoey: ¡°That is also when your crystal grows in size if you didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to try one more thing. It worked for Belinda.¡±


    I use [Menu] to teach Roxy the [Heal Wounds] spell


    ¡°It worked. I guess it is just the special boss monsters.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I taught you a healing spell.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But I barely can use magic. I had to train to learn [Clean] while I was a slave, but that¡¯s it¡±


    ¡°Well not any more. I guess the accurate way to look at the power you just gained was like becoming a hero. That was about what Belinda and I figured after she joined the dungeon.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It also does hold a disadvantage though. You can still learn spells the hard way like you did [Clean] but you won¡¯t learn any new skills or spells when you level like normal monsters or adventurers.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I didn¡¯t know they did¡­¡±


    I show Roxy how to open [Menu] and show her, her status page.


    Name: Roxanne (Roxy)       Race: Divine Beastkin (Wolf)                        Class:  Knight


    Level: 1                                XP till next Level:   10                            Favored Element: N/A


    HP: 540/540                              MP: 260/260


    Strength: 45


    Agility: 39


    Endurance: 49


    Mace Arts: 41


    Defensive Arts: 41


    Spell Power: 27


    Spell Arts: 32


    Mental Defense 31


    Resistances: Confusion immunity, Charm immunity, Fear immunity


    Armor:


    Equipment: [Gold Ring], [Well-made Clothes]


    Skills:


    [Gifted] (Rank 1): Most creatures favor one element above all others, and are unable to cast spells from the opposing element. You however do not, thus granting you a 5 bonus to spell power and 10 additional MP. The more magic is used the greater the bonus that will be granted from [Gifted]


    [Dungeon Training] (Rank 2): Starting your combat training in the depths of a dungeon has giving you the ability to learn at a quicker pace.  Any skills or spells learned though leveling are gained 1 level sooner, Any skills or spells learned through training are learned in half the time, and +2 ability point per level


    [Guardian] (Rank 1): Your greatest strength lies in the ability to defend others. +5 Defensive Arts, Endurance, and Mental Defense


    Spells:


    Clean (Water) (Cost 1mp): summons water to clean items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Cool (Wind) (Cost 1mp): Summoning your mana with the power of wind you can cool items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Wind Blade (Wind) (5mp): Summons a force of wind like a small knife cutting objects up to 30ft away. Causes minor wind damage and minor slashing damage.


    Heal Wounds (Light) (Cost 10mp): A minor healing spell cast up to 20ft away, it heals small amounts of damage. This spell can heal more damage by being kept active, repaying its original casting cost once every 5 seconds.


    Roxy: ¡°What do all these numbers mean? Wait why is my level only 1?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry it didn¡¯t affect your ability Belinda was worried at first as well. I don¡¯t really know how to gauge the numbers. Most of them start between 10 and 25 though.¡±


    Zoey sighs. ¡°Well he isn¡¯t wrong basic human ability ranges from 10 to 25 ability points, so as your ability points increases it shows your progress. Use the first one Strength a 10 for strength would be about a young human  while 25 is a full grown sturdy man. So take mine as an example I have 38 strength so I am as strong and 1 and a half men¡± ¨CShe says while puffing out her chest.-


    Roxy: ¡°But that can¡¯t be right¡­ Mine says 45.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hu¡­? Boss! That¡¯s not fair!¡±


    Zoey quickly opens a screen messing with it a minute. ¡°What about agility?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°39.¡±


    Zoey looks frustrated. ¡°Endurance?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°49¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well I have bow arts at 38 and sword arts at 36!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well I don¡¯t have them but I have mace arts and defensive arts they are both 41¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss! I wanta be one of your boss monsters! When you reach 15 upgrade me to your boss monster!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ With my crystal only those from the outside can become my boss monsters. I have even tried Lilah, because she came from another dungeon, but I had already transferred ownership of her so it wouldn¡¯t let me.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But if Roxy is back at Level 1 and already stronger than me. When she catches up with me she will be twice as strong as me!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°That just means I can better protect you so nothing can hurt ¡°My¡± Zoey.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh I know, Boss there has to be at least one other dungeon core you hate. How about I go smash their crystal?¡±


    ¡°There are no dungeons I dislike that much¡­But even if there was we are not near strong enough to challenge another dungeon.¡±


    Roxy looks to be thinking for a moment then has a sly smile. It quickly turns into a frown and she has a concerned expression and grabs Zoey¡¯s hand.


    Roxy: ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have done this! You don¡¯t love me anymore!¡± ¨CAfter she says it she looks like she is about to cry.-


    Zoey: ¡°Of course I still love you!¡± ¨CShe quickly wraps her arms around Roxy hugging her.-


    From over Zoey¡¯s shoulder Roxy has a smile again and flashes a thumb up. She sniffles a few more times and Zoey continues to comfort her, until the conversation is forgotten. We then move on discussing on how to cover Roxy¡¯s new appearance.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be for certain, so I need to ask. Do you mind cutting the hair?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well I prefer is short like I had it before, so I was going to do it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Then this is going to be bad news. It will probably grow back to this length by tomorrow, or if you have a healing spell cast on you it will grow back.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°My hair is going to be this long from now on?¡±


    ¡°Belinda used to wear hers very short¡­ She tried cutting it several times it was always back by the next morning¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I would have to cut it off every day¡­?¡±


    ¡°Or if you get healed by a spell¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But it¡¯s all the way to my waist!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I like it.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well what I was going to suggest was we cut it for now, cover your ears and hair with a hat or something, and cover your tail or color it¡­ Then we will have you go to the adventurer¡¯s guild and make sure quite a few people see you. Then you, Zoey, and Scylla head up to the dungeon. After some time passes cast a cleaning and healing spell on you then it will return to this, then you go back to Tobes and say it was the ¡°Spray trap¡± like Belinda did.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°We could do without the hat completely and just color it all that would give it more credibility.¡±


    ¡°But how are you going to color it?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°We can get some dye easily¡­ We might not be able to match the color like it was perfectly but close enough.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I will go get some, and we could probably be ready by morning.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What if they take an adventurer or two with them like they used to do. We can put a trip wire that isn¡¯t attached to anything and when Roxy sets it off hit her with a [Clean] and [Heal Wounds].¡±


    ¡°That way they could watch the hair grow and change color¡­ The other adventurers could spread what they seen it happen and nobody would have trouble believing it then¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°We would have to time it just right¡­¡±


    ¡°You could use a magic stone for one spell and cast the other at the same time.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It sounds like we have a plan¡­¡±


    After filling in the blanks and choosing a place for the trip wire, we make sure we have everything covered then Zoey goes out to get the dye, and I show Roxy a little more on how to use [Menu], and while do that I notice the observation screen light up.


    It doesn¡¯t appear to be displaying elder Fredrick¡¯s dungeon anymore, but another dungeon core. I haven¡¯t seen this core before but they look to be pretty well established. While Roxy plays with her [Menu] I continue to watch¡­


    After a few minutes of following the core itself the screen then starts traveling the dungeon looking it over¡­ I can¡¯t quite be sure what is going up but it looks like if this really is Dyson he is sizing this dungeon up¡­ I keep watching even after Zoey returns and Zoey and Roxy head back to the house.


    The screen has been ¡°sizing up¡± at least a dozen different cores most of them seemed well established but not huge ones if I had to guess I would say they are all between 20 and 100 years old. It then hits a dungeon I wasn¡¯t expecting.


    It displays Queen¡¯s dungeon¡­ it doesn¡¯t take it long to cover the entire thing Queen doesn¡¯t seem to be focusing on making the dungeon bigger as she is summoning the beastkin. I see that she has Jack hard at work¡­ When it focuses on her she seems to be writing a letter on a communication paper.


    It focuses quite closely on the parchment and what she is writing and I find out a little more about Logan and her relationship then I cared to know¡­ The screen spends quite a while focused on the letter even after Logan and Queen quit writing to each other and have cleared off the parchment¡­


    The screen the changes again¡­Wait I know this place¡­ It¡¯s my dungeon! The screen is following my dungeon. It seems to follow my entire dungeon twice before it then shows the house¡­ It goes through the house¡­ Well no big surprise what Roxy and Zoey are up to already¡­


    Alright¡­ How long you going to focus here it watches Roxy and Zoey for at least 5 minutes¡­ finally its moving on¡­ I will have to apologize to them later¡­ Bell seems to have made it home already¡­ Well at least I can still say I haven¡¯t seen Scylla naked yet.


    The screen looks Bell over pretty well while she takes a bath, but it doesn¡¯t linger on her like it did Roxy and Zoey at least¡­ Luckily they appear to be the only three that have made it home so far. After traveling the rest of the way through the house heads out looking over the area covered by the dungeon.


    It enters the inn checking each room but quickly moves on. It checks the other few buildings I have managed to cover it seems to be trying to push the limits of the screen to see how much ground I have covered. I guess my dungeon has no secrets from whoever is on the other side of the screen.


    I should have guessed the next place it goes. I can see the top of my head and Lilah over to the side it circles the room moving in on Lilah she is looking over the dungeon. As it starts to circle the room back towards me I debate on closing the screen.


    I don¡¯t want him looking in on my girls though¡­ I let my emotions get ahead of me while quickly grabbing a piece of parchment as the screen circles my shoulder I simply write ¡°Like what you see?¡± from the screen I can now see the parchment, and me looking at the screen of the parchment and me, and so on an so forth.


    The screen quickly goes black¡­


    I wait for at least 20 minutes but the screen doesn¡¯t come back on¡­ That was stupid of me¡­ I am going to have to keep a close eye on things for a while. I am going to leave the screen open at all times just in case.


    The rest of the evening the screen never lights back up. I tell the girls about what happened and they seem rather concerned but I guess I can¡¯t blame them. Roxy and Zoey are pretty easy to apologize to, but Bell takes a bit of work¡­


    Bell: ¡°You promised... you wouldn¡¯t look into the bedrooms and bathrooms¡­!¡±


    ¡°I said I was sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t do it¡­¡±


    Bell: ¡°¡­That means¡­ Someone else¡­ Saw me naked as well¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sorry. I don¡¯t know what else to say.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How can we prevent them from looking in on us again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can, but I am going to keep a close eye on it for a while. Maybe just the fact they know I know will make them leave us alone.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Or it will make them mad and they will come after us.¡±


    ¡°We will just have to be careful.¡±


    Even as we are finished up breakfast the following morning the screen has yet to display another image¡­ Roxy and Zoey got up early to cut and dye Roxy¡¯s hair¡­ It looks kind of strange, but as long as you aren¡¯t focusing on it I don¡¯t think you would notice¡­


    Lilah heads to the core room, Bell and I prepare to head to the office, while everyone else prepares to head to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure you should be heading in to the office?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave everything to Bell. The observation screen is just that they can only look. I am actually more worried about when we are there not when we are gone¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    It¡¯s not long after Bell and I arrive at the office however I receive a message.


    The elders have chosen you to take part in a meeting held on this day at noon. A representative of the elders will arrive at your dungeon a little before to collect you. If you refuse to attend no consequences will be given, however future assistance from the elders might not be readily available.


    Dungeon Core #400 Dyson


    ¡°Well I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±


    Bell: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Dyson has requested a meeting.¡±


    Bell: ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much I can do. If an elder requests a meeting you pretty much have to go.¡±


    Bell: ¡°You don¡¯t think he will hurt you do you?¡±


    ¡°If he wants to hurt me he doesn¡¯t need to send a message.¡±


    I send Belinda a message telling her what has happened. I have almost the same conversation with her as I just had with Bell. I decide I got a few hours so I might as well get some work done before then, so I just return to my paperwork¡­


    I don¡¯t manage to get much work done¡­ I thought I would just try to put it out of my mind, but it was easier said than done¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I will be gone, but I will be back as soon as I can.¡±


    Bell: ¡°Be careful¡­¡±

 Dysons Meeting

    I can¡¯t help but become nervous after leaving the office heading back home. When I arrive there is a beautiful young lady knocking on the front door of the house.


    ¡°Excuse me, can I help you?¡±


    Young woman: ¡°Mister Mayor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ What can I do for you? I kind of have a prior engagement.¡±


    Young woman: ¡°Master Dyson sent me to collect you.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­Alright. Madam Erin usually uses a rock halfway up the mountain by the lake. I don¡¯t know if it has to be a rock, but we probably can find one a bit closer. Where did you come though?¡±


    The young woman walks up to me and firmly grabs my wrist. It is actually almost painfully tight, but before I can say something I feel a sudden jerk on my wrist. Before I realize it the world seems to be passing me by at and incredible speed.


    The young woman seems to be simply walking like she is strolling through town, but I am flailing about behind her while she keeps a tight grip on my wrist. It feels as if she were to let me go I would probably die¡­


    It lasts for roughly 10 seconds or so, but feels much longer. When she finally stops walking I crash to the ground in front of a large castle in the middle of a worn and rundown massive city. The young woman then lets go of my wrist as I stand up.


    There is a clear and visible handprint on my wrist and I can¡¯t help but to rub it. The young woman turns to point at the castle and the large front gates swing open.


    Young Woman: ¡°Master Dyson is waiting within.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ I think.¡±


    The young woman looks like she is about to take a step but instead she completely disappears. I quickly look around but she is obviously long gone by now. I then decide to walk through the front gate. Once I pass the massive gates they shut behind me and I am left in a large open courtyard with a massive amount of soldiers training.


    Another beautiful young woman walks up to me, she looks to be quite strong I would easily believe she is a soldier, however the clothing she is wearing looks much like Denova¡¯s ¡°advertisement¡± clothing. She apparently doesn¡¯t have much modesty either as she gives me a deep bow that reveals her breasts to me and her backside to anyone behind her.


    Woman: ¡°You must be the Mayor.¡±


    ¡°I am the mayor to Tobes in the Gown kingdom, but most people just call me Two-Twelve.¡±


    Woman: ¡°That¡¯s funny! I am called Two-eighty-seven. Master Dyson has instructed me to take care of ¡°Any¡± of your needs. However time is limited at the moment, so if you will follow me I will take you to the meeting place.¡±


    Two-eighty-seven leads me through the halls of the castle. She seems like a cheerful and energetic young woman as she bounces and skips when she walks, or it could just be intentional as to reveal what lies under her short skirt¡­


    She finally reaches a door that appears too made of solid gold, and it is covered in different types of gems. The handle of the door looks to be made of a ruby the size of a fist. Two-eighty-seven opens the door and bows to me again.


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°The other guests have arrived so it shouldn¡¯t take long now.¡±


    I enter the room after she motions me to and I find several of the other dungeon cores that appeared in the screen last night. Two of the cores are sitting alone, but one has a young mouse beastkin woman wearing clothes like Two-eighty-seven sitting in his lap she has a red face as he has his hand up her skirt.


    Another one has a young boy that is younger then Lilah in a pair of tight fitting shorts and shirt sitting in his lap the dungeon core had his hand on the boy¡¯s knee. There is a fifth core in the room she too is sitting alone.


    I sit down in a chair as much removed from the group as I can. The chair is quite large and comfortable, and before I can get settled in Two-eighty-seven quickly hops in my lap. I quickly lift her up off my lap.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary¡­¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°But I am to take care of you!¡±


    ¡°You brought me here, that¡¯s enough¡­ Why don¡¯t you sit there?¡± ¨CI motion to a nearby chair.-


    She looks hurt but does as I asked. The room has a rather awkward vibe, and it doesn¡¯t help with the squelching sounds coming from under the mouse beastkin¡¯s skirt¡­ Finally the female dungeon core speaks up.


    Female core: ¡°Could you please cut it out? That is disgusting.¡±


    The core with the beastkin does finally stop, shrugs his shoulders, and then begins licking his fingers. The female audibly shows her disgust and turns her back to him. Luckily after a few more minutes the door opens and Dyson enters.


    Dyson: ¡°Good I am glad the seven of you seemed to make it alright?¡±


    Seven? I quickly look around the room, but I only see 5 other then myself. Then the young boy jumps up from the other core¡¯s lap and takes a seat by himself.


    Dyson: ¡°A few of you I know, others I have only met in passing, but for the sake of Miss Sierra I am Dungeon Core #400 Elder Dyson. Let us start here on the left here and introduce ourselves.¡±


    Unfortunately that is me so I stand and say. ¡°I never found a name for myself I liked so people just call me by my dungeon core #. I am Two-Twelve.¡± After hearing who I am it causes a mixed reaction though the room.


    The next is one of the men sitting by himself. ¡°Dungeon Core #101 [Iakovos].¡±


    The core sitting by himself next to Iakovos quickly jumps from his chair. ¡°Duke Bozhidar¡­ Dungeon Core # 314 [Duke Bozhidar]¡± he says nervously glancing several times at Iakovos and takes a seat at the other side of the room.


    Next is the man that had the boy in his lap. ¡°Dungeon core #502 [Archbishop Hayden]¡±


    Then the boy that was in his lap¡­ ¡°Call me Tom I am number 521¡±


    Then the man with the mouse beastkin ¡°Dungeon Core #48 [Duke Dionysus]¡±


    The woman stands: ¡°That explains it¡­ Sorry as Elder Dyson said my name is Sierra I am dungeon core # 50¡±


    Dyson¡¯s Speech


    ¡°Very good! As I am sure you know by now I have been selected as the new Elder, as such they older Elders have decided I am now solely responsible for taking care of the training the new cores. However of course they still don¡¯t trust me.


    ¡°Now, 10 cores are being born this year. The old elders are taking 3 of them to test against my 7. As such I have chosen you 7 to be their trainers when they are born. Some of you may of trained cores before others have not, but let me just say, take everything the elders have told you and throw it out.¡±


    I have chosen you 7 because you each think differently than the typical dungeon core. Each one of you has not only taken a deeper interest in humans, but have even earned power or standing amongst them.


    Sierra found herself a human prince after forming her dungeon. In exchange for his love all the xp she gains above what she needs to survive, she uses to produce ore, gems, and other trade goods for her prince.


    Duke Dionysus lords over a section of the Adra kingdom. Far from a loved man but he lords over the humans in his care with force and power demanding their respect. Any humans that don¡¯t show him respect end up working the mines of his dungeon.


    Duke Bozhidar has an agreement with the king of Dalian and in exchange for xp from the soldiers he provides monsters for their training and their wars.


    Archbishop Hayden uses networks of tunnels in his dungeon too keep the humans of Lodia fleeing from the undead scourge that he has created. Their only safety from the scourge is Lodia capital which happens to be right the ground floor of his dungeon.


    Tom¡­ Tom has been running the continent¡¯s largest orphanage, behind the scenes of course, for the past 300 years. Although the children that disappear from time to time will be our little secret.


    Next is Iakovos. A dungeon core after my own heart he is. He ran things the elder¡¯s way for many many years, but in the last few years he has taking to the life of a mercenary. Not only does he gain the xp from his company of mercenaries, but taking part in every battle himself brings all that wonderful xp home with him as well.


    Lastly is Two-Twelve. Our newest up and comer isn¡¯t even 2 years old yet, he has already secured the respect of the royalty of the Gowen kingdom by taking one of the king¡¯s daughters as his. He also has been spreading his fledgling dungeon into what will soon be the second largest city in Gowen.


    You all have realized one pivotal piece of information. Humans are the future. Sure Lucille controls Merretta behind the scenes but she does it like she is a god, she doesn¡¯t get down there and ¡°see¡± the power of the humans.


    There are those who jest trying to insult me by calling me ¡°human¡± but what I have seen of the resilience and adaptability of humans, I take it as a compliment. If we don¡¯t learn from the humans we will surely be crushed by them eventually.


    Now the 7 of you are going to take these new cores and shape them to thrive in the human world, so not to be left behind in the coming years. You each have different ways to go about that, and I can respect that, but our 7 new cores must out preform the other elders 3 new cores.


    We must prove to the elders that the old ways don¡¯t work anymore and we must adapt to survive. I don¡¯t care about any of the old elder¡¯s rules considering the training of the new cores only their performance.


    Give them whatever tools, knowledge, and connections they might need to succeed. I will cover everything with each of you further over the next few months until the new cores are born. As a thank you I have provided a gift for each of you, some of you have already received theirs.¡±


    Dyson stands moving over to Sierra after tapping on his [Menu] he presents her with was looks to be a sword wrapped in a large red silken cloth. She looks at him questionably and he just winks at her and holds one finger up to his lips.


    ¡°It will be our little secret. You can return home from where you arrived, be safe.¡±


    She looks a little hesitant but she leaves the sword wrapped and leaves the room. Dyson then moves to Bozhidar, after tapping away again there is a flash of light like when a monster is summoned and he presents a large box to Bozhidar.


    ¡°I heard you were looking for one of these, have a safe trip home.¡±


    Bozhidar peeks in the box and his eyes light up, he then scurries out the door holding the box. Dyson then moves up to Dionysus and rubs the head of the mouse beastkin.


    ¡°She is the last you needed for your collection am I right?¡±


    Dionysus nods he then stands tossing the mouse beastkin over his shoulder walking from the room. Next Dyson places a hand on Tom¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I actually had quite a bit of trouble with yours but I think I finally got it.¡±


    Dyson leans forward and whispers into Tom¡¯s ear. A Devilish twisted smile forms on Tom¡¯s young looking face and departs from the room.


    ¡°Archbishop we have known each other for quite a long time already, I know of something you have hunted for years and I just so happen to be able to finally be able to assist you.¡±


    After tapping a way for a moment Dyson is holding a dried up old femur, but by the look on Hayden¡¯s face says he is grateful. Hayden takes the bone and goes as far as to run his tongue from one end of it to the other licking it before he leaves the room.


    ¡°Iakovos, my gift to you is a little hard to carry, but the 100 fresh mercenaries should arrive at your dungeon in the next 30 days or so.¡±


    Lakovos: ¡°You never fail to impress.¡±


    After shaking Dyson¡¯s hand Lakovos leaves.


    ¡°I guess that just leaves the two of us. Well three of us.¡±


    ¡°I got to say you surely are a unique dungeon core. I have to admit when Madam Erin chose you during the elder selection as her judge I was skeptical, but you are far from disappointing. I don¡¯t know how you managed to gain access to the observation screen but it sure gave me a shock last night.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had the chance to learn much about you, but like myself, I heard you are quite fond of beautiful women, so I hope my gift is acceptable. I put quite a bit of work into summoning her yesterday morning, and she turned out quite nicely.¡±


    He says caressing Two-eighty-seven¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°But after looking in on your dungeon last night I see you haven¡¯t taken any of your monsters other than the princess, and after seeing your reservation with this one today. If you like I will be happy to keep this one and maybe provide another gift if you like.¡±


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Is she still bound to your dungeon?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes, I figured transferring ownership would be far less costly for you, I see your xp is rather on the low side.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure if Belinda would be too happy with me bringing home a strange woman, but there is something I am interested in, so I can¡¯t guarantee I will keep her, but I think I will accept your gift.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It would be quite a shame if you don¡¯t use her to her fullest, but that being said her ability in battle should be quite helpful for a dungeon such as yourself.¡±


    ¡°My only other concern is that you would use her to spy on my dungeon.¡±


    Dyson laughs. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much of the observation screen you have access to, but I now see it appears not to be the full functionality of it or you would know I wouldn¡¯t need such things, but if it makes you feel better.¡±


    He looks to Two-eighty-seven and issues an order to clear any and all ultimate commands that she may be bound by.


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°Understood Master, but it still your wish that I join The Mayor is that correct?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    See seems to ease up a bit nodding, and appears to become more conscious of her appearance pulling on her skirt and crossing her legs and begins to blush a bit.


    Dyson: ¡°Now that, that is taking care of. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. I of course am willing to compensate for any answers.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee an answer, but I guess it won¡¯t hurt for you to ask.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I now know you have limited functionality of the observation screen, I know better than to expect you will tell all the functionalities you do have, but was it giving to you by Madam Erin?¡±


    ¡°I am actually not sure. As you know we had access to the observation screen during the elder selection. After the selection process was over it never was removed.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So it wouldn¡¯t be possible to teach it to others¡­ That is somewhat disappointing, but a promise is a promise.¡±


    After tapping on his screen Two-eighty-seven is startled as a sword is equipped to her appearing attached to a scabbard on her waist. I can¡¯t tell how good the sword is, but by the quality of the scabbard and the hilt it must at least be a master quality steel sword.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Dyson: ¡°Of course if you don¡¯t want her to keep it, it is yours I just thought some gear would be a good compensation. Now for the next question, what is a Divine Being?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I did extensive research on the Gowen family going as far back as 15 generations. The only non-human in their family tree was a beastkin hidden in there a few generations back. Yet Belinda Gowen is not human, but a Divine Being.¡±


    I decide to tell Dyson as he already knows Belinda¡¯s race should be human but isn¡¯t and that somehow I did it. ¡°All I can say for certainty is my crystal doesn¡¯t allow me to summon boss monsters so instead that happened to Belinda.¡±


    Dyson looks to be thinking hard on something while wearing a difficult expression.


    Dyson: ¡°You can¡¯t summon them at all? I think I am starting to understand. It doesn¡¯t happen to every time you take a boss monster does it?¡±


    ¡°It is unclear but from my understanding it is when I take a boss monster after passing a milestone in which a normal dungeon could summon one.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It makes perfect sense, just like I have been saying all along. The dungeon magic is even acknowledging the fact that we have to set out from the dungeons. It made you where you have to go out and form bonds outside your dungeon just so you can have a boss monster. Does it work for other races or is it limited to just humans?¡±


    ¡°I have already answered quite a few questions¡­¡±


    Dyson taps away quickly at a screen and Two-eighty-seven is equipped with and armor identical to Queen¡¯s with only one exception¡­No mythril, instead it has plates of a dark colored steel. Two-eighty-seven seems to be relieved to find herself with clothing with more coverage.


    ¡°I have only tried it once more but it also worked on a beastkin.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The one with the silver hair? I knew she looked different¡­¡±


    Somehow Dyson seems to find the information it worked on more the just humans upsetting and he lets out a sigh. He then taps the screen in front of him equipping a large shield made from the same blackened steel as the armor onto the back of Two-eighty-seven.


    After a brief silence I say. ¡°I have to ask¡­ For months you have been following a yeti in elder Fredrick¡¯s dungeon¡­ If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Oh that? Just a bit of entertainment, I want to see if he can succeed.¡±


    ¡°Succeed at what?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Killing Fredrick. I don¡¯t know what you told Bless to make her shift her hatred for me to the elders, but she sent him there to kill him.¡±


    ¡°You are just going to let Bless try to kill one of the elders?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well it¡¯s none of my business. Besides it will save me the trouble of having to do it eventually.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want Fredrick dead?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He is part of the problem. Like I said to you and the others I think the elders have gotten to full of themselves. Did you know Draco has never even seen a human without looking through a screen? Lucille and Faron have separated themselves so far from the humans I think they are actually beginning to believe they are deities.¡±


    ¡°But what about Madam Erin?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If any of them are able to accept the change, it will be her. She has spent more time among humans then any of the other elders. If it wasn¡¯t for her I might have never been given the chance to become a dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Are you sure we are talking about the same person?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are right she doesn¡¯t seem like the type, but I can tell she learned compassion from the time she spent with humans. Even if she tries to hide it behind that stone exterior of hers.¡±


    ¡°After the way I have seen her talk about humans, I just find it hard to believe.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Your title was added to your name by the humans, have you never wondered why she is Madam Erin instead of just Erin?¡±


    ¡°I just thought it was she chose for herself¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°She ran a brothel out of her dungeon for many years, using it to attract people. Of course humans don¡¯t tend to record their atrocities in their history records.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°This was all back when humans first started realizing the large amounts of power they could gain when destroying dungeon crystals, and they started to think they were some kind of gods. The brothel was inside Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, so they assumed the women inside had to be some kind of monsters. They killed the girls, the clients, and just anything that moved was fair game to them. They didn¡¯t stop until Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon was nearly completely destroyed. After that was when it began to grow towards the sky and it gained the name Tower of the Gods.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like it was way back during the purge though.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well she stayed cooped up in her dungeon for many years after that, but eventually she did come back down. That was when she discovered what was once her brothel and a few buildings had turned into a town surrounding her dungeon, and she learned of the adventurer¡¯s guild. People like these ¡°adventurers¡± were the ones that killed everyone she knew, so she originally joined it to try to find the heart of the organization and crush it.¡±


    ¡°She is an adventurer?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°During that time you could guess she met lots of humans, that was also about the time the remaining cores began to collaborate and would become the elders. She eventually learned that the adventurer¡¯s guild had grown so large that there was no single heart, but it didn¡¯t matter much to her though as by that time she had already met her husband.¡±


    ¡°She was married? Was he a human?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They traveled together for quite a few years, but he hated dungeons. As you can imagine after the purge the new cores being born tried to retaliate against the humans causing many outbreaks of monsters causing many grudges. Madam Erin then couldn¡¯t tell her husband that she herself was a dungeon core, but after a few years he began to notice that Madam Erin was not normal and was eventually able to piece everything together.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°She tried to convince him to join her after that, but he just couldn¡¯t accept her any longer. In his anger, and resentment he decided he was going to prove that Madam Erin was nothing but a monster so he gathered all the friends they had gained while they were together, and entered the Tower of the Gods.¡±


    ¡°This all sounds like reasons why Madam Erin would hate humans¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Of course she defended herself, having to watch while her dungeon killed everyone that she cared for. After they had all died she began to realize that maybe her husband was right. All of her friends and her husband, any one of which she would of fought next to and died for, but when it came to her dungeon instead of letting them pass she killed them all.¡±


    ¡°I had no idea¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°After that she has kept her distance from humans, but I know of at least a few times that she has gone out of her way to prove she isn¡¯t just a monster. Like when she took in that failed dungeon core #37. She also seems quite fond of you, and I think she sees the potential you have in bridging the gap between dungeons and humans.¡±


    ¡°I am just trying to survive¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well let me ask you then. Why did you build a human house in Tobes to live in?¡±


    ¡°Well after getting the imitation core I just figured if I put a secondary dungeon in Tobes I could use it to harvest the xp from the villagers.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You could have done that without moving in with them.¡±


    ¡°It made moving around in Tobes easier if people where comfortable with me.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Lucille controls the entire capital of Merretta, and hasn¡¯t stepped foot in it in at least 100 years, so why the need to be able to move around in Tobes? Why not just sit in your core room and spread your dungeon, there isn¡¯t a need for the townsfolk to be comfortable around you if you don¡¯t set foot in it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It¡¯s because you enjoy being with the humans. If you ask me it is a tossup between you and Iakovos who is the one to begin to be able to summon humans next.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking what are the requirements for it?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well let me ask you what are the requirements of summoning a Divine Being?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Same here, but I think you two may be close. I just don¡¯t know how close.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well this conversation ended up quite longer than I anticipated. I still have quite a few questions for you, but they will have to wait for a later date. I chose Speedy to bring here because I thought you would appreciate her beauty, but unfortunately she will be unable to take you both back, so you will have to forgive me. I will send you back myself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Alright hold on to each other.¡±


    I take ahold of Two-eighty-seven¡¯s wrist.


    Dyson: ¡°No, I mean really hold on to each other.¡±


    Two-eighty-seven reaches around me squeezing me tight. While blushing she buries her face into my chest. I stand there awkwardly.


    Dyson: ¡°Now you hold on to her.¡±


    I put one arm around her head holding it and another around her back holding her close¡­


    ¡°Is this really necessary?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°My apologizes, it isn¡¯t, but it will be entertaining to watch.¡±


    Before I can say or do anything Dyson smiles and there is a pull on my chest. Next thing I see is quite a few startled adventurers and then my gaze meets Belinda¡¯s¡­ I quickly release Two-eighty-seven, but she still holding me tight, and I realize I am standing in the middle of the Tobes adventurer¡¯s guild.


    ¡°Hey¡­I¡¯m back¡­¡±


    The adventurers begin to whisper to each other and Belinda¡¯s face makes several expressions in quick succession as she seems to be thinking of what is going on¡­ I notice it starts to switch to an angry expression almost more than any other so I quickly tap on Two-eighty-seven¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Hey¡­ We are here¡­ You can let go now.¡±


    Two things spread through town that day like wild fire. The return of the hair changing spray trap in the dungeon, and the Mayor got caught by the Princess with a mistress¡­ I would think the teleportation would have been the bigger concern but it is barely mentioned as a side note¡­


    Thankfully Belinda seems quite understanding of the situation. That is until we return to the house and I store the new equipment and Belinda sees the clothing or I should say lack thereof underneath. She quickly takes her to the bedroom and gives her a bath for some reason and they don¡¯t return for over two hours.


    I do receive a message before they go however.


    New Items Available to summon.


    Dark Steel Sword                        Cost: 250xp Large Dark Steel Shield              Cost: 500xp Dark Steel Battle Dress              Cost: 1000xp


    While they were gone the other girls have made it home and they have already heard about Two-eighty-seven within town. Zoey joked giving me a hard time, Scylla seemed to be level-headed and ignored the rumors, Bell seems offended and looks wary of me now¡­


    When they finally return Two-eighty-seven is wearing a knee length sundress, her shoulder length chestnut hair is tied into a pony-tail, and she looks rather nervous as Belinda leads her into the dining room.


    Zoey: ¡°This is Boss¡¯s mistress? I thought she would have more to her. You know like Bell.¡±


    Roxy slaps Zoey¡¯s shoulder and Bell covers her chest.


    Belinda: ¡°Why would you say that¡­ Did he say mine aren¡¯t big enough...?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°It¡¯s not fair! Lilah was supposed to have dibs on Master when he got bored with Belinda!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He is getting bored of me¡­?¡±


    ¡°I never said either of them things!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master isn¡¯t going to keep her is he?¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ I never received a message about transferring her ownership.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are going to have her join the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ I wanted to see if it would allow us summon humans.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So what went wrong? Is it because she is human?¡±


    ¡°By the way Dyson talked it didn¡¯t sound like it should have been a problem¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What if you make her a boss monster?¡±


    ¡°Well she won¡¯t change like you or Roxy did¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well that doesn¡¯t matter right?¡±


    I open [Menu] and move to check on making her a boss monster¡­ I quickly stop¡­


    ¡°What is this?!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It says it costs 94,000 xp to make her a boss monster¡­¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°Of course, because I am level 20. That is why Dyson said it would be easier to transfer ownership.¡±


    ¡°level 20¡­ Wait he said he summoned you yesterday, how can you be level 20 already?¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°That is the level he summoned me at.¡±


    ¡°Well after Bo and Ike reached max level it said I could summon feral beastkin up to level 10¡­ I guess it shouldn¡¯t be a surprise Dyson can summon monsters at higher levels, so do you know why we can¡¯t transfer ownership then?¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t have permission.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t Dyson already take care of that?¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°He told me that was his wish, but after you asked him to remove the ultimate command you also have to have my permission.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ You are right. I got caught up in everything and I forgot to even ask you what you want.¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°Thank you. Master Dyson did ask me to do this, but before I agree I would like to set some conditions.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°First I want to choose my own name.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°Next I do not want to be a sex slave.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem. Done.¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°I understand I will have to work for your dungeon, but I want to be able to make my own choices about what I do with my time when you don¡¯t have an immediate need for my services.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, Boss is the best!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I agree, Master has never even used an ultimate command on any of us once. He allowed Zoey to get married, and is even letting me pursue a relationship with a young man from the Gowen capital.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am Zoey¡¯s wife Roxanne, you can call me Roxy. Two-Twelve made me one of his boss monsters yesterday so he hasn¡¯t had me do anything yet, but the entire time Zoey and I have been together he has been really supportive and truly treats everyone like family.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I was a gift from another dungeon as well¡­ I help him at the Mayor¡¯s office¡­ Its hard work, but I enjoy it because it makes him happy¡­ And that makes me happy¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is Master¡¯s number two, she takes care of the dungeon so he can do his Mayor type things, and the other things he needs too. He trusts Lilah with his dungeon, his very heart, and Lilah loves Master.¡±


    Belinda has tears in her eyes at the girl¡¯s words, and she walks over to me rubbing my arm as she walks behind me embracing me.


    Belinda: ¡°I love Two-Twelve more than anything, and I promise if you join us you can be happy here, as a member of our family.¡±


    Ownership of Two-eighty-seven has changed from Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson] to Dungeon Core #212 [Mayor ------]


    Would you like to change Human Two-eighty-seven¡¯s name?


    ¡°You said you wanted to choose your name yourself? What would you like?¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°Sofia¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Two-eighty-seven: ¡°Yes, I want to be called Sofia.¡±


    Confirm change of Human Two-eighty-seven¡¯s name to Sofia.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    New Monster is available to summon


    Human (Battle Maiden)                               Cost: 3500xp


    Human summoning is a unique ability only granted to Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson] and now Dungeon Core #212 [Mayor ------] Humans can only be summoned as sentient and are split by class. You can spend an extra 25%xp to overwrite class with a random class.


    If random class is selected and the resulting class has requirements against what is requested at the summoning the class requirements will override what was selected before.


    Battle Maiden has reached level 10. Battle maidens can be summoned up to level 10 at an increased xp cost. Battle Maiden has reached level 20. Battle maidens can be summoned up to level 20 at an increased xp cost.


    Skill Acquired:


    [Human Summoner] (Rank 1): A skill unique to Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson] and Dungeon Core #212 [Mayor ------] it allows the dungeon core the ability to summon humans. Monsters bound to dungeon core holding human summoner that possess a class are granted and extra class based skill.


    New Skills Available:


    [Divine Spear]                                    Cost: 5,000xp [Keen Eye]                                          Cost: 1,000xp [Hardened Skin]                                Cost: 2,500xp [Mobile Defense]                              Cost: 1,000xp [Knight Training]                               Cost: 1,000xp [Dungeon Expert]                             Cost: 2,500xp [Advanced Combat Specialist]      Cost: 7,500xp


    New Spells Available:


    Advanced Heal Wounds                Cost: 2,500xp


    It takes me a minute to go through all the screens that appear¡­ Not only is Sofia impressive in her own right, but the others even managed to gain a new skill. I wonder if I should tell Dyson that I can now summon humans.


    ¡°Well that was something¡­ I think you will be a great benefit to our family Sofia. Scylla could you show her around? She can have one of the three guest rooms or the larger one next to Zoey and Roxy¡¯s room it¡¯s her choice.¡±


    Scylla nods and leads Sofia from the room.


    Belinda: ¡°So? Was it everything you hoped?¡±


    ¡°Summoning humans isn¡¯t quite what I expected. It treats classes like it does subspecies for beastkin so I can only summon more with Sofia¡¯s class unless I spend extra xp on a random one. What¡¯s more since her class is sword ¡°Maiden¡± I think I can only summon women¡­¡±


    I decide to check Sofia¡¯s status page and am floored by what I see.


    Name: Sofia                         Race:   Human                        Class:  Sword Maiden


    Level: 20                                XP till next Level:  57,000                  Favored Element: Light


    HP: 2100/2100                             MP: 250/250


    Strength: 95


    Agility: 85


    Endurance: 105


    Sword Arts: 95


    Defensive Arts: 125


    Spell Power: 15


    Concentration: 20


    Spell Arts: 15


    Mental Defense: 20


    Resistances: Confusion Immunity, Charm Immunity, Fear Immunity


    Armor:


    Equipment:


    Skills:


    [Dyson¡¯s Girl] (Rank 4): A unique skill granted to every female summoned by Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson]. Rank is determined by Dyson¡¯s satisfaction of the skill holder¡¯s appearance. It is one of few skills that is capable of having a negative rank starting at -5 up to a max of rank 5 which is only reserved for Dyson¡¯s favorite. It is also one of the few skills that can gain and lose rank. At rank 1 skill holder is granted immunity to confusion, charm, and fear. At rank 2 skill holder is granted +5 to Strength, Agility, and Endurance. At rank 3 skill holder is granted +5 spell power, concentration, and spell arts, she is also granted the spell [Protective Will], At rank 4 skill holder is granted a defensive skill and a weapon skill based off class. At rank 5 skill holder is immune to status effects and is granted the skill [Dyson¡¯s Love]


    [Mobile Defense] (Rank 2): Extensive training while wearing medium class armor allows the wearer to negate the penalties treating it as only light armor. +5% bonus to armor.


    [Iron Bulwark] (Rank 3): Through rigorous training with a shield, you can use a shield more effectively granting a +25 bonus to Defensive Arts, and you suffer less range of movement penalty while holding a shield.


    [Sword Training] (Rank 4): Sword training allows the use of basic sword techniques.  Lunge (5mp): A quick lunge attack with a sword boosted by magic. Cleave (10mp): Allows the user to attack two targets in quick sucession. Keen Edge (10mp): An attack boosted by magic causing increased damage. Armor Break (20mp):  An attack that can bypass most armor. Scorpion Strike (20mp): Gathering magic into you blade you have a chance to cause [Stun] effect Improved Cleave (30mp): Allows the user to attack all enemies within reach without loss of power Sword¡¯s Will (30mp): With the assistance of magic the user¡¯s sword seemingly acts on its own accord freeing the user up to preform another action. Dragon¡¯s Strike: (A furious blow powered with magic causes elemental damage based on user¡¯s favored element. The strike also ignores most armor, and will likely cause the status effects [Stun], [Knock-back], and [Fear]


    [Knight Training] (Rank 3): Heavy combat training grants bonuses in combat. +25 ability to Strength, Agility, Endurance, Defensive Arts, and Weapon Abilities.


    [Dungeon Expert] (Rank 2): At rank 1 it combines the effects of trap detection and life detection skills. At rank 2 grants +5 bonus to Agility, Endurance, Concentration, and Mental Defense


    [Advanced Combat Specialist] (Rank 1): Due to surviving many battles you have become accosomed to battle so well that you have formed your own unique style of combat. +25 bonus to Strength, Endurance, Sword Arts, Defensive Arts, +10 bonus to Agility, and a 50 MP bonus.


    [Guardian] (Rank 1): Your greatest strength lies in the ability to defend others. +5 Defensive Arts, Endurance, and Mental Defense


    Spells:


    Protective Will (Favored Element) (50mp): The effects of the spell are determined by users favored element. Light surrounds the caster granting a health regain and an increase in defensive power on self for the duration of combat.


    Light (Light) (Cost 1mp): Summing your mana with the power of light you can light items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Heal Wounds (Light) (Cost 10mp): A minor healing spell cast up to 20ft away, it heals small amounts of damage. This spell can heal more damage by being kept active, repaying its original casting cost once every 5 seconds.


    Cure Wounds (Light) (Cost 25mp): A moderate healing spell can be cast up to 25ft away, it heals medium amounts of damage. This spell can heal more damage by being kept active, repaying its original casting cost once every 5 seconds.


    Advanced Heal Wounds (Light) (Cost 50mp): An expert healing spell can be cast up to 25ft away, it heals large amounts of damage, and can regrow limbs with continued casting. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original cost every 5 seconds.


    ¡°My god¡­ Some of her abilities are over 100. After what Zoey told me yesterday, Sofia¡¯s defensive ability is 5 times that of a normal human¡­ I also can¡¯t believe Dyson even has his own Skills and Spells.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is it really that impressive, because he is the single most famous hero, and he is now a dungeon core elder.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right. I guess in the morning we can decide what Sofia can do to help us. For now it¡¯s been a long day and I am ready to go to bed¡­¡±


    Belinda nods and takes my hand as we begin to head to bed she says.


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t really think my breasts are to small do you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Once More into the Tower of the Gods

    It takes a few days after that for things to return to normal although the rumors from the villagers have not died down. Some are even getting worse saying I must of gotten my mistress pregnant for her to be living with us now¡­


    We started having Sofia help me at the mayor¡¯s office but she said that was extremely boring work. Now Scylla works with me full time along with Bell while Sofia goes with Belinda helping at the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    She seems quite flirtatious with the adventurers, but if any of them try to get close to her she instantly shuts them down. The revenue from the alcohol and such sold at the adventurer¡¯s guild has picked up considerably however.


    Denova¡¯s general store has become quite popular and has already taken over most of the general goods sales in Tobes. Her new slaves seem to be working quite well for her. Although one of the men she purchased doesn¡¯t seem like he fits in with the rest, he however seems pretty popular.


    Belinda has said that it is because he resembles me quite a bit, but I am not sure if she is joking or not¡­ The adventurers are even taking a big interest in Denova¡¯s shop as she now has a decent supply of adventurer gear as well.


    It is a week after things have begun to settle down and as we sit around the table for breakfast Belinda makes an announcement.


    Belinda: ¡°It is already well into the summer and we haven¡¯t even gone out to begin training yet. With the addition of Sofia we should really be able to push into Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Is that a wise idea to attack an elder¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright. Madam Erin was the one that trained me, and she has given me permission to train my monsters in her dungeon.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I see¡­ If she trains your strongest monsters she will be able to learn their weaknesses, and always know just how much of an edge she has against you. That sounds like a very elder thing to do.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Madam Erin isn¡¯t like that!¡±


    ¡°Actually it makes a lot of sense¡­ Remember she did send in a group that nearly wiped us out just to gain information.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She came to our housewarming party, just because she cared about you!¡±


    ¡°I think that was curiosity to see what I did with the imitation core¡­ She as much as said that to me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Should we train somewhere else then?¡±


    ¡°Well we don¡¯t really have much of a choice right now, but we might want to start looking into spreading out our training from here on out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is the gear she was wearing when she got here good enough for Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon? We also need to probably get some better gear for Roxy as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh most certainly I would say it was probably as effective as your gear even with the fact it was a lower class of armor. I wish I could make more like it so I could give all you girls equipment like that.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss I don¡¯t want to wear a dress¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah will take hers!¡±


    ¡°I just meant the material¡­ But if it¡¯s possible I am going to try to get Roxy one just like Sofia¡¯s before you leave though.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But if it is equal to Belinda¡¯s full-plate then the cost of such armor¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re family Roxy, you are also one of my boss monsters. I can¡¯t have my boss monsters entering other dungeons without showing them off a bit.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But is that really even possible? It takes a top smith to make equipment from Dark Steel. Even if you could find one that does, to be able to make is close to Dyson¡¯s designs¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I would just use the dungeon to summon it.¡±


    Sofia looks quite startled. ¡°But how!?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We told you Master is quite different than other cores. The moment he added your equipment to the dungeon inventory it unlocked the ability to summon it.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But that kind of thing¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was unusual. Is it not normally done like that?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course not Master¡­ Like monsters most dungeons are born with the ability to summon all the basic types of items, and they have to just keep summoning them over and over until they unlock higher tier equipment.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°And armor like that Queen and Sofia have are special designs that Dyson must have come up with himself, to be able to just copy it like that is kind of amazing.¡±


    ¡°I had no idea¡­ Does that mean it¡¯s the same for the skills and spells I have learned from the adventurer¡¯s that have died in the dungeon?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well most of those are basic, so you should have known them the moment you started your dungeon, but I have noticed one or two that Sofia brought with her when she joined that makes me think that is the case for them as well.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Wait you don¡¯t mean to tell me you learned Dyson¡¯s special skill did you?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I figure that is because it requires the monster to be summoned by Dyson himself. I did manage to learn to summon Human battle maidens though.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That is impossible only Elder Dyson can summon humans!¡±


    ¡°Not anymore. Although I was quite disappointed it was limited to class¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Something like that and you¡¯re disappointed¡­?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Like we said¡­ Special.¡±


    The girls spend the next few days preparing to go to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, and before they leave I manage to summon some better gear for Roxy.


    We still can¡¯t talk her into using a larger shield so I make a top quality small steel shield. Without her even getting to use it much we also replace the steel mace she had made last fall with a master quality one.


    Although it leaves us in quite a bind with xp I do manage to summon another dark steel battle dress for her. I spent quite a number of hours and even used my dungeon jewelcrafting skill to give it a unique appearance. This seems to floor Sofia yet again, and upsets Belinda a bit.


    Enough that when they are preparing to leave she makes the comment. ¡°I am just saying, you never made me armor as beautiful as that. It is almost so pretty it seems a shame to use it in combat¡­¡±


    ¡°Well your armor is the best it can get for being made of steel¡­ I could summon one and change the appearance, but it won¡¯t be as effective as the one you have¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well then promise me when you can make a full-plate out of a better material I am the first one you make armor for!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Master gave Lilah¡¯s armor to Bell.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need armor though, because you take care of the dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master promised to teach Lilah to fight¡­¡±


    ¡°That was before. Your job now is far more important.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah wants a pretty armor¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like the pretty dresses?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°It¡¯s not a frilly dress it¡¯s pretty armor!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We will bring back lots of xp, and then Two-Twelve can make you armor alright?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hey what about me? My armor still isn¡¯t that great.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said no dress.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t make me a better leather armor.¡±


    ¡°Yours is already black leather¡­ I could increase the quality, but I don¡¯t know how much more effective that would make it. It would be best to wait till we have better material to work with.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Then I get the first mythril armor!¡±


    ¡°We are a long way off from ever being able to make mythril¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You could just steal Queen¡¯s next time she visits¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that¡­ Besides that is still a dress.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°¡­¡±


    With a kiss from Belinda and a farewell from the rest of the girls they set out heading to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. After that Lilah and I head to work.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    This is kind of nice, just us girls. Roxy has been with us quite a while, but this is the first time we will get to fight together. Also with the addition of Sofia we should be able to do a lot of bonding over the next few weeks.


    We get to learn quite a bit about each other on the way and although Sofia was only 2 days old when she came to us we are able to learn more about her personality at least.


    So many of the stories from Roxy¡¯s past are heartbreaking, and I guess Zoey really was her knight in shining armor that whisked her away. Roxy and Zoey seem so in tuned with each other it almost makes me jealous, because of how many differences I have with Two-Twelve.


    Scylla tells us stories that she heard from Kline about his adventurers with Logan. Even though they are taking it quite slow you can tell how much she cares for him every time she talks about him. She is also constantly writing back and forth to him, even while we are one the road.


    I feel sorry for Bell as she has been working non-stop in the mayor¡¯s office and doesn¡¯t get the chance to socialize much. Although with how shy she is, she finds it difficult to talk to others even when she does get the chance.


    Sofia seems to be quite the flirt, but when it is just us girls she seems rather reserved. Bell and her have seemed to form quite a bond over the last week. Even though they just sit together and don¡¯t do any talking.


    I would never admit it to his face, but I find myself quite lonely without Two-Twelve around. We have made these trips several times, but this is the first time we have been apart since he told me that he loved me¡­


    I just hope he manages to keep it together this time. He has so far managed to have some kind of bad news every time I return from a trip. Now I am actually starting to get nervous at just what could go wrong this time.


    With Sofia¡¯s level I was able to bypass D-rank when I made her adventurer¡¯s ID, so this time all of us except Bell are coming in as C-rank adventurers. Bell has been working at the mayor¡¯s office and not taking commissions so she is still short on being able to raise her rank.


    After arriving at the town at the base of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon we take a short rest to prepare for the new commissions at midnight. The crowds are huge again when we collect commissions, and I am no longer reserved about which to take.


    The first two days in the dungeon actually seem to be rather dull as our group easily makes short work of the golems now. On the second day when we are turning in our commissions the receptionist calls me to the side.


    Receptionist: ¡°We have received quite a few complaints about your group from the other groups.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°They said your power level is just too high for the lower levels of the dungeon. They even heard one of your group is level 20.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Well that is true, but one of our group still a D-ranked adventurer and another only reached level 6 just today¡­¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°I find it hard to believe any of them girls are level 6¡­ But maybe you should head to the capital and have her take a test to rank up so you can go to the higher floors.¡±


    ¡°How far is the capital from here?¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°It is only two days north.¡±


    ¡°We would lose four days in the dungeon if we did that¡­¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°If you don¡¯t do that we have been requested to ban you from reentry¡­¡±


    ¡°It looks like we don¡¯t have much of a choice then.¡±


    The receptionist nods and then I go join the girls who have gathered at a table across the room. I tell them the news and Bell apologizes over and over even though I tell her it¡¯s not her fault. I send a message to Two-Twelve to let him know as well.


    We decide to rest the rest of the afternoon then the next morning we head towards the capital. I always remember hearing about the Tower of the Gods and other dungeons while growing up, but I now realize I might have focused too much on the dungeons and not the geography around the dungeons.


    Calhoun kingdom runs the entire northern border of Gowen, yet I never even knew where their capital was. I do know there is at least one more dungeon in Calhoun however¡­


    As we head north leaving the forest behind the rolling hills of Calhoun are actually quite picturesque and quite different then the plains of Gowen. There are quite a few small farming communities along the road, and it even begins to run parallel with a river after we make it a few hours down the road.


    The road from the capital to the Tower of the Gods is very well maintained and you can tell there must be massive amounts of traffic on it. When it begins to get dark we don¡¯t even have to make camp, because when we do one of the farmers near by tells us of an inn just a few minutes further along the road.


    The inn is nothing fancy, but it is quite big. It has one large room with barracks style sleeping arrangements, but it also has a few separated rooms. We take a few of the small rooms, but still have to bunk up together, leaving Scylla and I to share one room, Zoey and Roxy in another, and Bell and Sofia in the last.


    Not having to camp outside makes us feel refreshed the next morning and we make good progress the next day as well. It is late in evening by the time we reach the capital, so we decide to wait till morning before heading to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    The next morning when we get to the adventurers guild we go through the process of ranking Bell up. Normally you don¡¯t have to do anything to go from D-rank to C-rank but complete enough commissions, but since Bell is still short almost 50 commissions from ranking up she has to take a test instead.


    Taking the test instead of completing the commissions is quite expensive, but it will save us a lot of time. After paying at the guild they take Bell to a training room, and the rest of us are left to wait. While waiting on Bell to complete her test I decide to look at their commission board.


    Most of the commissions fall into the category of deliveries, but there are a few commissions to find a few thieves and other criminals. I even see that Logan¡¯s flyer for the communication parchment has made it here as well.


    It only takes about 30 minutes before Bell returns and she looks a little worn out.


    ¡°Well how did it go?¡±


    Bell: ¡°I managed to pass, but it was rather difficult¡­¡±


    Bell goes up to the counter and after receiving the report she is returned her ID that has been ranked up.


    ¡°Well we got that taken care of, we are all still too low to rank up to B except maybe Sofia, but if the test was that hard for C-rank I don¡¯t know what B-rank would be like¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Should we look around the capital a bit or head straight back?¡±


    ¡°I would like to take a look around a bit, I haven¡¯t been to another kingdom¡¯s capital since I was a little girl.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What about boss? He is counting on us.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Gathering intelligence for him is another one of our duties. The more the Mayor learns about the areas around his dungeon the better he can defend it.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But I think Belinda just wants to go shopping¡­¡±


    Roxy leans over and whispers into Zoey¡¯s ear.


    Zoey: ¡°On second thought what can it hurt?¡±


    Scylla sighs, and after that we set out into the capital having a look around. Zoey and Roxy find a lingerie shop that they spend a considerably long time in, but I even find something that maybe Two-Twelve will enjoy.


    Zoey tries to talk Scylla in getting something, but she just blushes and shakes her head. Sofia finds something she asks if she could have so I buy it for her, so I decide to ask Bell if she wants anything.


    Bell: ¡°I don¡¯t need anything like that¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°What are you talking about? With what you wear, if you take something like this.¡± ¨CShe says picking up a very erotic set of lace underwear.- ¡°It would be just visible enough to drive the men crazy.¡±


    Bell: ¡°Two-Twelve is the only man I have contact with on most days¡­And that would make me feel uncomfortable¡­¡±


    ¡°You get quite a few onlookers when you come to the adventurer¡¯s guild, so maybe you should. Although I would go with something a bit more¡­Conservative. Scylla you should get something as well, even if it isn¡¯t for Kline, just get it for yourself.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know the first thing about choosing something like that¡­¡±


    Roxy and Zoey help Scylla pick something out it isn¡¯t actually anything to fancy, but Scylla seems rather embarrassed about it. When Bell finally decided to get something it was thankfully a bit more reserved¡­ Zoey and Roxy on the other hand get quite a few different sets each more daring then the next as they seem to be trying to one up each other¡­


    After leaving the shop we continue on though the capital for a few more hours till we find a nice little restaurant for lunch.


    Sofia: ¡°I have been wondering, we eat quite a few meals¡­ I don¡¯t mind I actually find it quite enjoyable, but is it really necessary?¡±


    ¡°Well I know I don¡¯t have to anymore, but it feels like something is missing if I don¡¯t besides it gives everyone time be together and talk.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Two-Twelve used to not even touch food, but now I can¡¯t recall the last time he went without at least breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you could get him to give up coffee now either.¡± ¨CI say while laughing.-


    Sofia: ¡°Dyson talks about dungeon cores needing to act more human, but I think Two-Twelve has taken it to the extreme. I think he acts more human than even Dyson¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It is actually only recently he has been like that. When he first summoned Zoey and I he was quite different.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I think Belinda¡¯s influence has had a lot to do with that.¡±


    ¡°I really haven¡¯t done that much¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You don¡¯t really believe that do you? You think he would have ever come down off that mountain if it wasn¡¯t for you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He always intended to add Tobes to his dungeon though so he would have come down eventually.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°He would have done it without leaving his core room though. You really underestimate how much Boss has changed because of you.¡±


    ¡°But I never¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Don¡¯t make that face. I like Master just the way he is, and besides if it wasn¡¯t for you I wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to meet Kline.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°And he was the one that commissioned the brothel so I got him to thank as much as I do Denova for giving me a new life.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Without you, Boss would be boring!¡±


    Bell: ¡°I like the look Two-Twelve has in his eye when he sees you enter the room.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°If you are the reason Two-Twelve is like he is I am grateful as well. I am just glad I didn¡¯t end up like Two-eighty-eight¡­¡±


    ¡°Was that the mouse beastkin Two-Twelve told me about when he was at Dyson¡¯s place? He told me about what happened.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well that is just how things are¡­ Besides talking about such things at a meal is bad for you, so let¡¯s change the subject.¡±


    We spend the rest of the afternoon just wandering around the capital deciding to wait till tomorrow before heading back to the Tower of the Gods. I am glad we got to spend the day together like this it was a chance to bond better than when we were just traveling together.


    The trip back to the tower seems to go by much quicker even though it still takes two days. After a few short hours of sleep we check the adventurer¡¯s guild but find out we no longer have to wait for midnight for the commissions.


    We are lead to a second floor of the guild where there is another receptionist, commission¡¯s board, and a few tables. Looking over the commissions it looks there are some that even have monetary rewards. They range from the 13<sup>th</sup> floor and beyond.


    There is even one commission that looks old and faded with the reward marked out over and over always increasing in amount. That commission however will likely remain for many years to come as even though the reward is in excess of 10,000 gold the requirements are finding the crystal.


    Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon is more than 300 floors by what Two-Twelve told me, so I actually find that reward to find her crystal to be somewhat lacking. Although humans have barely made it past the 50<sup>th</sup> floor so they probably have no idea, after all the experts all said Simon¡¯s dungeon was smaller than it was as well.


    It appears the types of monsters that appear after the 12<sup>th</sup> floor vary quite a bit as well no longer just sticking to the different types of golems. After looking over the board the receptionist calls us over.


    Receptionist: ¡°Welcome, I heard that you guys are a pretty promising new group. I will let you know how things work for the upper levels of the dungeon. There is a flat fee of 20 gold per person, per month to access the dungeon above the 12<sup>th</sup> floor.¡±


    She slides over a form to me and then continues.


    Receptionist: ¡°But that gives you unlimited access to any of the floors above the 12<sup>th</sup> floor, and you can take as many as commissions as you want. However if your commission has a limited number of rewards, it will only be granted to the first ones that turn it in, and there will be no representatives that deep in the dungeon so you will have to bring the items for the commissions all the way back here to get your reward.¡±


    I look over the form she handed me and it asks me quite a few questions about me and my party. It asks for Name, Adventurer ID number, Home location, and even next of kin if we don¡¯t make it out of the dungeon¡­


    The girls and I fill out the form at one of the tables, we list Two-Twelve as the next of kin for everyone and after counting out the gold we return the form along with the gold.


    Receptionist: ¡°Two-Twelve? You are listing a slave as the next of kin for all of you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well he isn¡¯t a slave anymore, but he has never chosen a name for himself.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Which one of you is Belinda?¡±


    ¡°That would be me¡­¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Are you Logan¡¯s sister? I was unaware he had a sister that was an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°You know my brother? I also haven¡¯t been adventuring for long. Other than the two dungeons in Gowen, this is the only other one I have been at so far.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°I see. Yes your brother has come here quite a few times with his servant. If you really are a Gowen princess why list an ex-slave as your next of kin?¡±


    ¡°He is the mayor of Tobes, and has also received recognition from my father, but most importantly he is my boyfriend.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Is Gowen Kingdom really in such a state that it has to make an ex-slave the mayor of one of the towns, and even letting a princess date one¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how it is any of your business, but Two-Twelve is a very intelligent man. If you must know he was the one that came up with that communication parchment that is advertised on my brother¡¯s flyer.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°I see¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to offend, but you can see how it is rather unusual.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but just because he was a slave doesn¡¯t mean he is not a good man.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ About commissions though¡­ If you are planning on taking some you might want to wait till at least in the morning so the groups down stairs have a chance to clear your path.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    I still feel a bit offended by the way she talked about Two-Twelve, but we go ahead and take a few of the commissions, and then decide to go back to bed till morning. After a couple more hours of sleep we are refreshed and ready to go.


    It takes a while to make our way through the first 10 floors of the dungeon, and we even have to wait for a group to finish up the path up before we enter the rest area on the 13<sup>th</sup> floor. This is our first time on this floor.


    The 13<sup>th</sup> floor of the dungeon is just a massive empty room lit brightly and well furnished, and if I didn¡¯t know better I would say it was some kind of inn or something¡­ Did Madam Erin do this or did the adventurers?


    Well we have plenty of time so we might as well move up, but depending on how it goes we might rest up here tonight if we don¡¯t complete our commissions. After having a brief look around we take the stairs heading up to the next floor.


    The appearance of the 14<sup>th</sup> floor is quite different of the previous floors. The lower floors had walls and rooms that looked like the ones in our dungeon with large tan stone blocks. These now look more fitting for a tower with grey stones.


    The hallway we enter appears to have no monsters but we are on guard as we continue on. The first door we come to is a well-made wooden door after we are prepared we have Roxy, and Sofia take point and enter the room.


    The monsters are no longer golems like the commissions said, instead are rather brutal looking large gray hobgoblins. There are 4 in this room each wearing gear better than anything our dungeon monsters wear.


    I wish I had that spell to store items so I could take it back to Two-Twelve. My distraction allows the hobgoblins to become aware of us and begin attacking.


    Roxy and Sofia both block with their shields. Where the weapons just easily bounce from Sofia¡¯s large shield, Roxy has to put more effort to deflect it with her little one.


    I use this chance to test out one of the new spells Two-Twelve taught me. Focusing my magic I send out a blade of darkness sending it across the room to the heaviest armored hobgoblin. The spell seemingly passes through his armor causing it to scream out in pain.


    Scylla and Zoey as well both fire off a spell and arrow respectively at the ones attacking Roxy and Sofia. Scylla¡¯s freeze spell doesn¡¯t seem very effective and Zoey¡¯s arrow only causes minimal damage. Bell makes a move focusing her magic into her fist upper-cutting one of the hobgoblins in the jaw hitting him hard enough to raise his feet from the ground.


    Sofia swings her sword at the one whose attack she blocked causing him to take a step back recoiling from the impact. Roxy tries to do the same but doesn¡¯t affect her hobgoblin much.


    The hobgoblin I attacked decides I am his enemy charging forward after me with a large axe, I parry with my halberd but have quite the struggle to keep the blow from hitting me. The hobgoblin that took the blow from Bell tries to return an attack with a two-handed sword.


    Bell manages to jump to the side as the blow comes crashing down. She takes the opportunity of the slow strike to spin around this time kicking the hobgoblin square in the jaw. This time the hobgoblin can¡¯t recover from the blow causing him to hit the floor.


    The one Roxy is defending against also has a large axe and it bringing it back down this time Roxy isn¡¯t able to fully deflect the blow  causing her quite a bit of damage. The one attacking Sofia is still recoiling but and by the time he tries to bring his sword around it bounces weakly off of Sofia¡¯s shield again.


    I don¡¯t like how much more strength this hobgoblin has then me so I want try to end this quickly, so I focus magic into my halberd using the skill [Divine Spear] that I got when Sofia joined the dungeon casting the [Dark Blade] spell again, my halberd channels the spell surprising the hobgoblin as the spell exits from the blade of the spear piercing its body as the blade of my spear connects with its chest.


    The hobgoblin still doesn¡¯t fall but the strength of his axe pushing against my halberd starts to falter. Scylla starts to cast a spell using her [Empowered Magic] skill to raise the power of her [Freeze] spell. Zoey focuses her magic quickly firing quite a few arrows into the air.


    As the arrows reach the roof they seemingly disappear only to reappear above the two hobgoblins attacking Roxy and Sofia, raining down on them causing quite a bit of damage. Scylla¡¯s spell finally finishes building and she releases it against the hobgoblin attacking Roxy.


    This time the [Freeze] spell manages to cause the hobgoblin to begin to ice over. It doesn¡¯t completely stop it but slows it down considerably. Bell doesn¡¯t give the hobgoblin she is fighting a chance to get back off the floor kicking it in the stomach as it tries to get back to its feet.


    Sofia¡¯s slams her shield against her hobgoblin stunning him long enough to focus magic in her sword till it glows with a blinding light. She then swings it at the hobgoblin releasing the light causing a deafening explosion causing the hobgoblin to fly across the room crashing into a heap on the floor.


    After that the battle gets considerably easier as Sofia and Roxy work on her hobgoblin, while Zoey pulls her swords to assist me, while Scylla switches over to begin healing Roxy¡¯s wound. Bell meanwhile continues her one sided assault against her hobgoblin kicking it around the floor.


    After battle we take a short break making sure everyone is healed up and recovered enough to move on. We continue on battling quite a few more groups of the tough hobgoblins clearing the 14<sup>th</sup> floor, but with only 1 of 5 commissions complete we decide to head back to the 13<sup>th</sup> floor to rest.


    It is only midafternoon but we decide not to push it. The commissions we have will probably lead up a few more floors but we decide we need to train a bit more on the 14<sup>th</sup> floor before progressing higher.


    We rest a few hours and then check if any of the hobgoblins were reborn from rifts, when we discover they have been we clear a few more floors groups before heading back down to 13<sup>th</sup> floor to sleep for the evening.

 Unexpected Guest

    We have spent a few days now resting on the 13<sup>th</sup> floor and training on the 14<sup>th</sup>, and yesterday we decided to move on to the 15<sup>th</sup>. We found that it only had 1 extra hobgoblin, which was a mage, so we began progressing through it as well.


    We still have one commission left to complete, and as it is asking for fangs from 10 gnolls it means we won¡¯t be able to complete it on the 15<sup>th</sup> floor.


    I checked everyone status pages this morning as we sit around a table on the 13<sup>th</sup> floor having breakfast. It looks like everyone except Sofia has gained a level, and when I leveled some of my skills even ranked up as well.


    ¡°What do you guys think? Should we continue to train on the 14<sup>th</sup> and 15<sup>th</sup> floors, or try to see if these gnolls in our last commission are on the 16<sup>th</sup> floor?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I believe you are all capable to fighting a gnoll, but a group of them I don¡¯t think everyone is ready for that.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What is a gnoll anyway?¡±


    ¡°My brother once told me they are like a cross between a dog beastkin and a hobgoblin, but I am sure that can¡¯t be true.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well I assure you they are not, but I do see how their appearance could lead someone to believe that.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I see so like Zoey when she first wakes up in the morning.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I am not the one that sounds like a monster when they snore.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t snore!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry dear, but you kind of do. Bell thought we were being attacked the first night she heard it.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Well in any case¡­ I think we should at least check out the 16<sup>th</sup> floor if there are groups of gnolls we can head back down,  and train some more.¡±


    We press on and found only more hobgoblins. It wasn¡¯t until our 7<sup>th</sup> day in the dungeon that we reached the 20<sup>th</sup> floor and ran into the first gnoll. By that time Roxy has gained a few more levels and even Bell gained another.


    ¡°We have been in here a week already, I don¡¯t know about you guys but I want to walk in the sun shine again¡­ There is only a group of two gnolls, surely we can take them if we are careful.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I know I can hold off one while you guys attack, and Roxy has come a long way but I am still worried about her holding off the other.¡±


    ¡°Roxy and I will hold off one, while everyone else focuses on the other. Once it is down then we all switch to the remaining one, I think we got this.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That should work, even amongst other boss monsters you two have exceptional ability scores for your levels¡­¡±


    ¡°I am only 5 levels behind you, and none of my ability scores come close to 100 yet like yours though.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Once you reach level 20 you reach a higher tier of skills, so most of my ability scores come from that, and I don¡¯t have any magic abilities. Besides if I understand how Two-Twelve¡¯s boss monsters work if he teaches you two some skills then you both will surely pass me by the time you reach level 20.¡±


    After our conversation we enter the room charging the gnolls. The equipment of the gnolls are on a whole different level then what we have encountered before some of it equaling the quality of our gear. Both gnoll are geared for attack one with a small one-handed axe and a sword, the other with a large great-axe.


    Sofia takes the one with the great-axe, charging in with her sword technique, but even with her dark steel sword it seems to do a small amount of damage between the gnoll¡¯s armor and thick hide.


    Roxy moves in on the other blocking a blow from the hand-axe with her shield swinging her mace, but it is parried by the gnoll¡¯s sword. I take the opportunity to use a massive amount of my magic to use a spear technique combined with my [Divine Spear] skill to drive my halberd shrouded in both light and shadow magic into the belly of the gnoll.


    The attack causes the gnoll to tumble backwards, but to my surprise it almost instantly recovers jumping back to its feet looking far more angry then hurt. Zoey¡¯s arrows merely bounce from the armor of the gnoll Sofia is attacking, and even Bell¡¯s punches and kicks amount to little more than loud thuds against the beast. Even a [Freeze] spell that Scylla had charged to the max with her skills does little to the gnoll.


    The gnoll with the great-axe swings it around wide causing a deafening sound when it collides with Sofia¡¯s shield. Even with the blow blocked she seems to take some damage from the sheer strength of the impact, and even slides a foot across the floor.


    Meanwhile the other one isn¡¯t proving to be any more forgiving as it pummels its hand-axe into Roxy¡¯s shield. It takes all of her strength to block the blow which means as it brings its sword around it penetrates her defenses.


    Thankfully Two-Twelve got her the armor made of dark steel or the wound would have been far worse. Scylla immediately switches gears, and begins healing Roxy, as I thrust my halberd back at the gnoll. Without using any techniques or magic I can¡¯t even tell if my attack had any effect however.


    Since Zoey¡¯s arrows had no affect at all she pulls her swords and between her, Bell, and Sofia the gnoll is completely surrounded. Even with Zoey giving it her all her swords they do little against the gnoll. Bell then begins to use one of her techniques against the gnoll.


    With nowhere to go Bell begins to lay a flurry of punches and kicks each building up strength, Sofia takes the chance to use one of her own techniques bypassing the majority of the gnoll¡¯s armor to lay in a critical blow.


    The gnoll appearing to finally be in desperate situation swings his axe full circle hitting all three of the girls. Sofia manages to block most of the attack with her shield, and it causes Bell¡¯s flurry to end causing her quite a bit of damage, but Zoey takes the worst of it falling back with a huge wound across her abdomen.


    Roxy:  ¡°Zoey!¡±


    In Roxy¡¯s brief loss of concentration the other gnoll takes the chance to hit her with both of its weapons causing her to stumble back severely wounded as well. Scylla continues to put her all into her healing spell on Roxy, and I cast a healing spell onto Zoey.


    Roxy focuses purely on defense now and she too casts a healing spell onto Zoey. Bell looks like she is almost worn out after she focuses her magic into another technique that causes the gnoll¡¯s armor to vibrate after she hits it.


    Zoey manages to pull herself to her feet, but that is about all she can muster. Meanwhile Sofia lays into the gnoll with her strongest technique focusing magic into her blade it glows a bright white until it is unleashes an explosion against the knoll.


    Even when the gnoll parries the blow with his large axe it still causes him great amount of damage knocking him back to the ground. He doesn¡¯t seem to be able to regain himself to stand after the attack, but the other gnoll continues its assault against Roxy.


    She manages to block one more of his strikes but the second one still manages to get through severing Roxy¡¯s mace arm from her body causing her to scream out in terror and pain. The only thing keeping her from instantly blacking out was Scylla¡¯s healing spell that continues to be focused on her.


    I quickly gather as much magic into my halberd again using a massive amount of my magic to use my technique and skill, but this time the halberd is surrounded by white burning fire. This time when the halberd connects to the gnoll it causes an explosion launching it back at least 10 feet.


    It didn¡¯t seem enough to cause a severe wound against it, but at least it gave the rest of a chance to position ourselves between Roxy, Zoey, and the gnolls. Zoey can¡¯t take much more but she doesn¡¯t seem to be in any danger as long as we keep her  from getting hit again, and even Roxy with her arm severed off doesn¡¯t seem as in as bad shape as you would expect.


    The gnoll the others were fighting still hasn¡¯t been able to bring itself off the floor but that doesn¡¯t stop Bell from kicking and punching it while it is down. Sofia switches her target to the other gnoll now. Sofia fairs far better against this gnoll then Roxy did, as me and her tag team against it.


    It is still pretty much a stalemate until Bell finally manages to finish off the other gnoll and then joins us. After the fight Bell collapses completely drained of magic, I too am almost out, but Sofia seems to have been holding hers in reserve.


    Roxy: ¡°What am I going to do now¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you are a dungeon monster now. It might take a few months but it will grow back.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You¡¯re kidding¡­?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°She won¡¯t even have to wait that long.¡± ¨CShe says after examining Roxy¡¯s severed arm that she picked up.-


    Zoey: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°My healing spell should be enough to re-attach it. It could grow it back on its own, but I don¡¯t have enough magic for that. However since it was such a clean cut I should be able to reattach it and you will be right a rain.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Is that really possible?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it might take me a while¡­ I will do what I can for now, but we should probably head back to the rest area to rest after it.¡±


    ¡°What about the hobgoblins on the floors below us. Surely they have been reborn from the rifts by now.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Once we get Zoey back into shape, I will start on Roxy, once the arm is reattached the rest of you should be able to take it the rest of the way.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I can¡¯t believe I used to think so much about the scar on my face¡­ I lost my arm, and Zoey looked like she was about to be cut in two, yet you are talking about them like they were barely scratches that would just go away.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°That¡¯s what it means to be a dungeon monster.¡±


    ¡°My favorite part is I will get to look this young forever.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well technically you are still a bit young. You still have a little bit to mature. I think Roxy and Bell are the only ones that have reached full maturity.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Wait¡­ You mean I won¡¯t age either?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Zoey and Two-Twelve explain it to you?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Of course we did¡­ I told you we would be able to be together forever.¡± ¨CShe says while Scylla finishes patching up her wound.-


    Roxy: ¡°I thought you just meant the rest of our lives¡­ So how long will we live?¡±


    ¡°Forever or at least until Two-Twelve dies, and then so do we.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That too is actually not entirely true. Most monsters die when the core is killed, but boss monsters will just no longer be bound to a dungeon and will begin to age normally after that. Most boss monsters are killed defending the dungeon core, so I can see the misconception.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what was more of a shock to Roxy her arm or her agelessness. Sofia uses all of her magic bringing herself almost to the point of passing out to reattach Roxy¡¯s arm. It is quite grotesque but she manages to reattach it for the most part before running out of magic.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Scylla and I take over from there and it takes us over two hours but we are all eventually back into fighting shape. We are all mentally drained, and it is already getting pretty late so we decide to work our way back down.


    The hobgoblins seem so much more difficult now without using lots of techniques and magic, but we eventually make it back to the 13<sup>th</sup> floor just before midnight. Even after making it back Roxy is in disbelief of her arm, and Zoey and her take the first watch just so they can discuss things further.


    Two-Twelve PoV


    It has been a few days since the girls have left, they probably haven¡¯t even made it to the dungeon yet, and I am already missing them quite a bit¡­ I have tried to preoccupy myself with my mayor work, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be helping much.


    Things in the dungeon are going quite smoothly, we even had our second group of adventurers set up camp for a night inside the dungeon. Even with my xp consumption now above 100xp per day we are still managing to slowly build up xp until the point I am confident enough to add another room to the dungeon.


    I didn¡¯t have enough to put rifts yet but Lilah made me hold up to my end of the deal and I let her add 10 of the silver slimes to the bottom of the pit that she unlocked. With the red being twice the xp cost of the blue, and the silver being twice the price of the red, I hope they are worth it.


    Since my visit with Dyson I have kept an eye on the observation screen, it has lit up a few times showing several of the other cores but he seems to being more careful with what he is looking at.


    After a few more days pass Belinda sends me word that after only two days in the dungeon they are going to have to take at least 4 or 5 days off from gathering xp to head to the capital and raise Bell¡¯s rank.


    While at the mayor¡¯s office one day there is a great commotion in Tobes when a mysterious adventurer arrives in town. I go to check what is going on to find a man, or at least I assume it is a man covered from head to toe in the most elaborate armor I have ever seen.


    The armor is almost completely pitch-black covering him from the tip of his feet to the top of his head. There doesn¡¯t seem to be a single weak point in the armor, I can¡¯t tell how the person can see as even the helmet doesn¡¯t have a single hole in it.


    The adventurers are astonished and even fearful while all the townsfolk seem to be on the scared side. When the man in the armor ¡°spots?¡± me it begins walking up. I am not sure what to expect, but when he reaches me a crystal clear voice that doesn¡¯t seem muffled at all by the helmet can be heard that I recognize.


    Dyson: ¡°Mister Mayor, if you don¡¯t mind is there somewhere we can talk in private?¡±


    Dyson? What is he doing here? And dressed like that as well. I am left without knowing what to say eventually I just nod and lead him back to the office.


    We receive quite the following on the way I even have to shut the windows and curtains just to keep the townsfolk from looking in¡­


    Dyson: ¡°Sorry for the intrusion, but I wanted to see your little town myself.¡±


    ¡°Well that is quite the outfit for sightseeing.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you never can be too careful, besides there are many of statues made in my honor what would happen if I were recognized as someone said to have disappeared over close to 200 years ago?¡±


    ¡°Well if you were dressed casually I am sure they would have never known the difference, but that armor alone is enough to even more attention to yourself.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well it has been quite a few years since I have left Mar, and there are quite a few dungeons out there that would like to see me dead. If you have been watching you know I have been checking on their movements the last few days before I decided to make this trip.¡±


    ¡°So the cores you have been watching are your enemies? I hold nothing against you, but I guess that is quite the valuable information to have just in case.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well if I was truly worried, I wouldn¡¯t have told you, but do with it what you will. I am quite curious, I have been trying not to look in on your dungeon, but I would like to know how my Two-eighty-seven is getting along.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t mind you looking in my dungeon as an elder, but I just ask you refrain from looking in on private bedrooms, if you don¡¯t mind it makes the girls a bit uneasy. As for Two-eighty-seven, she chose the name Sofia for herself, and she is doing quite well.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Sofia¡­!? I see¡­¡± ¨CHe appears to be a little perturbed at the name.- ¡°Did she state the reason for taking that name?¡±


    ¡°No. You removed the ultimate command at my request so she didn¡¯t want to join my dungeon unless I let her make some stipulations. I didn¡¯t see any harm in it, but one of the things she requested was being allowed to choose that name.¡±


    Dyson:  ¡°Well sorry for the inconvenience but you did ask me to.¡±


    ¡°Like I said it didn¡¯t amount to anything that would be a problem so I actually prefer it this way.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well that¡¯s good then. Would you allow me to speak with her while I am here?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately she is out training with a few of my other monsters and won¡¯t be back for a while, but I would be happy to relay a message and send you her reply.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That¡¯s quite alright¡­Anyway on to the business why I am here. As I am sure you know you training a new dungeon core is going to be pretty unprecedented. You may have heard the year you were born Astar hosted a core and he was the youngest ever to host a new core at 15 years, so you at being only 2 years of age is going to be quite the upstart. ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to go about it, I have barely the xp to keep my dungeon alive much less another core.¡±


    ¡­


    Dyson: : ¡°Well of course the elders will grant you the standard amount for his training, of course with the way your training, and the ones of the cores last year that is quite a small amount. Anyway I want you to train the core any way you see fit, and don¡¯t worry about the way things went in the past.¡±


    ¡°You are saying if I wanted to I could give him nothing and keep it all myself and you wouldn¡¯t intervene?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well I am giving you quite a bit more leeway then the others, but if I thought you were really the type of core to do such things I wouldn¡¯t be doing this.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know if I am capable to training a new core¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You don¡¯t give yourself enough credit, after all you pretty much single handedly choose the next elder, after that a new core is a piece of cake.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Anyway, I finally received the word on the numbers of the 10 new cores. Greaks died that left 2 open, luckily Adair hasn¡¯t died so we don¡¯t have to worry about the cursed core if you believe in such things. Newt that was born same time as you is now open with 108, Simon¡¯s death left 245, during your training  344, 593, and 792 failed leaving them still open. Leaving 454, 602, and 682 who died before you were born. You can pick any one you like.¡±


    ¡°Does it really matter?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Depends if you have a lucky number or some such thing. Also 2, 454, 593, 682, and 792 will be male, and 108, 245,344,514, 602 will be female.¡±


    ¡°If you know all that do you even know their race they are?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well that is determined by multiple factors. My guess is the core you will train will probably be some kind of beastkin, but if we are really lucky we could get a dungeon core that is the same as your boss monster, we haven¡¯t had one of them before.¡±


    I guess they don¡¯t know that my race is considered Divine Being as well¡­


    ¡°Well then the number doesn¡¯t really matter much to me. I have grown accustomed to being around so many women however that it might be nice to have another guy around, but I guess he will be too busy to be able to talk much anyway. I guess I will leave that decision up to you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well, being you are of the 200s I guess I will just give you Simon¡¯s old number 245. After all if we are lucky to get a dungeon core that is a divine being I would like it be a beautiful woman rather than a man, and I am sure by looking at your monsters a beauty would be guaranteed.¡°


    ¡°¡­Well I did say I would leave it up to you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Now that all that is taken care of I have a question.¡±


    Dyson takes off his helmet setting it down on my desk and leans in with a serious expression.


    Dyson: ¡°Are you capable to summoning humans now?¡±


    ¡°How would that be possible?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have learned quite a bit about you. I know you can¡¯t summon monsters the way a normal core can. There is even the earth golems that you could summon all the way back since your training that should have been impossible unless your favored element is earth but we both know that isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°How does that bring you to me being able to summon humans?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You never summoned a feral beastkin until you acquired one bound to another dungeon, you passed on 3 beastkin from Queen only to take one that was still bound, and you made a clear point of making sure Two-eighty-seven was still bound. Even though you said you might not keep her.¡±


    ¡°Well taking a monster that is bound to another dungeon is free. As I told you taking a boss monster in my dungeon is different than other dungeons so it is rather costly.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I told you during the meeting I figured it would either be you or Iakovos who I figured would summon humans next, and I gave you Two-eighty-seven in the hopes my hunch was right.¡±


    ¡°Well, even for an elder isn¡¯t asking another core what kind of monsters they can summon on the rude side.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yet you still haven¡¯t denied it. Very well let¡¯s make a deal. My armor is made by the best dwarven smith that has ever lived, and although I can¡¯t give it to you I will allow you to store it in your dungeon inventory for a few moments in exchange for an answer.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but get excited at the thought, but surely it would cost a fortune so even being able to summon more just like it wouldn¡¯t do me any good if I can¡¯t afford it, but it sounds like he has figured out how my dungeon works already. Besides I am sure my obvious excitement just gave I away even if I were to deny it now he would see through it, so there isn¡¯t any point in turning down this once in a lifetime opportunity.


    ¡°How do you know I will give it back after storing it?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Let¡¯s just say that armor and I have been though a lot, and it would be worth crushing several dungeons to get back, so you get the idea.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you have a deal. I will store the armor and then give it back to you afterwards I will answer your question, but that means you will have to pay my dungeon a visit.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have invited you into my home, and I guess it¡¯s only fair you invite me into yours.¡±


    I get up to lead Dyson to the house, but not before he takes the helmet from the desk putting it back on his head. The spectators have died down a bit as we leave, but as we walk through town towards the house we pick plenty more back up.


    Once we enter the yard the townsfolk have enough decency to wait on the street and not follow us up to the house. I decide to send a message to Lilah as not to worry her.


    Dyson: ¡°Quite the curious bunch, but I see they must respect you quite a bit as well.¡±


    ¡°Well, we had a bit of a rough patch, but things seem to be going pretty well now.¡±


    I transfer the armor rack that Belinda uses for her armor to the living room, and then lead Dyson there. After taking the helmet back off setting it on the rack he begins to remove the rest of his armor with a sly smile on his face.


    It takes Dyson about ten minutes to remove his entire suit of armor, and after hanging the last piece he is left standing in my living room wearing little more than a pair of undershorts. Dyson seems quite a bit more muscular then I thought by what I have seen when he wears his normal clothes, and he is probably the only dungeon core that has scars. Dyson¡¯s face seems to be the only part of his body that isn¡¯t covered in scars.


    ¡°Looks like you have been though a lot while you were human. Why did you not use healing magic to heal all of those before they turned into scars?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Each one tells a story, and I am quite proud of each. Like this one here.¡± ¨CHe points to the largest scar going across his chest. - ¡°This is the trophy I have of the first dragon I ever had slain, and the third crystal that I destroyed.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± ¨CI say while storing Dyson¡¯s armor in my dungeon inventory.-


    New Items Available to summon


    Adamantium Full-plate                     Cost: 250,000xp* Adamantium Sightless Helmet        Cost: 250,000xp* Dragon Hide Gambeson                    Cost: 100,000xp*


    New Enchantment Available


    [Peerless Sight] Item cost x3 or 250,000xp whichever is less (15,000xp minimum) [Magic Repel] Item cost x10 or 1,500,000xp whichever is less (50,000xp minimum) [Self-healing] Item cost x8 or 850,000xp whichever is less (35,000xp minimum)


    New Enhancement Available


    Legendary Quality                            Base item cost x50**


    *Items must be of at least master quality. Base price does not include quality cost. **Items of legendary quality cannot be made from standard materials.


    Dyson: ¡°I can see by the look on your face it worked. That also means it¡¯s an answer to my question as well. You truly are something special.¡±


    I find Dyson¡¯s armor listed in my inventory simply as [Dyson¡¯s Armor], [Dyson¡¯s Helmet], and [Dyson¡¯s Gambeson] and return it to the rack.


    ¡°Well humans are far more difficult to summon then I first expected. They are summoned by class in the same way as a beastkin is summoned by subspecies so I am currently only able to summon more sword maidens.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see, so that is how it works? For me I had the basic classes available from the start and as I summoned them more become unlocked just like higher evolutions for monsters.¡±


    Dyson then begins reequipping his gear after he is done he puts the helmet under his arm and says.


    Dyson: ¡°I believe we could help each other a great deal. How about we form an agreement?¡±


    ¡°I am listening¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I will provide you with more human classes, items, or other types of monsters, and in exchange if I need something replicated I will bring it to you.¡±


    ¡°Well that does sound pretty good for me, but if your armor is any inclination of the kind of things you need copied I would be unable to afford to help you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I would provide the xp required for the duplicate, and to start off how much would it cost to make another set of armor just like mine?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t make another set yourself?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Like I said this armor was made by the best dwarven blacksmith that ever lived. No dungeon¡­ Well except for you now, can make armor of that grade.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So how much would it cost?¡±


    ¡°Not including the helmet or the gambeson¡­ just base adamantium full-plate would be 250,000xp make it the same quality as your and that raises it to 12.5 million xp¡­ Adding the enchantment of [Magic Repel] would be another 50,000xp¡±


    Dyson: ¡°My god¡­ You can even copy the quality and enchantments¡­ Can you only add it to that armor, or can you do it to anything now?¡±


    ¡°Well the quality and the enchantments I can add to anything, but legendary quality items can only be made from special material. The adamantium or dragon-hide however I am only able to make them specific items.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Damn¡­ I was hoping to get a sword made from it.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I can¡¯t help you there, but if you do get ahold of even a standard quality adamantium sword and let me store it, I could then make one of legendary quality.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is easier said than done¡­ but it is possible¡­ I will have to try that.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you could transfer xp to other cores though.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°How else do you think we give xp to dungeons training new cores? It is something only elders can do, although I don¡¯t know if that will be the case after we give you your first one¡­ but it is essentially a magic stone, but instead of storing magic you can store xp.¡±


    ¡°Well that is good to know.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well I don¡¯t have anything else prepared for now, but you can rest assured you will hear from me shorty in regards to things you can copy for me, and as I promised I will provide something in exchange.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to it then.¡±


    Dyson shakes my hand then after telling me farewell for now he heads out the front door. Before he reaches the gawkers standing in the street he however simply disappears causing quite the uproar.


    Things start to settle down over the next few days, and when people ask I told them the man that came to visit me was one of Queen¡¯s relatives, which since she claims to be Dyson¡¯s descendent it isn¡¯t really a lie.

 Dysons First Request

    A few days after Dyson¡¯s visit I hear Belinda and the girls are resuming their training in the dungeon, and after their first night inside Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon I receive a message from Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well aren¡¯t you full of surprises pup. I have been curious about your boss monster for a while now, and after seeing your new boss monster. I got the chance to meet her before she was your boss monster so I can see the changes she went though.¡±


    I decide to tell her about my unique boss monsters¡­ I have been telling a lot of dungeons lately about my dungeon. Madam Erin was my trainer, my monsters are training in her dungeon, and she is an elder so of course she would have eventually found out.


    Sofia might have been right though, so we should be careful in the future. We need to start looking into alternative ways to do our training.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I also see you have been making deals with Dyson. Not only do you have what looks like one of his monsters, but also his signature armor. It must have been quite a deal, I hope you were on the benefitting end¡­¡±


    ¡°Well the human girl was a gift for being one of his training cores this year, but the armor was a gift for the information I just gave you for free, so I would say it was worth it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I see so he did choose you¡­ I was sure you were too young, but I thought he might do it anyway.¡±


    ¡°I have had some time to think about it, and I have come up with a plan, and if it doesn¡¯t work I got a backup as well so it should be ok.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well don¡¯t disappoint me pup. I don¡¯t know if Dyson told you or not, but we elders are having a bit of a competition, so I must warn you. The core you train will be up against one I train so best of luck to you.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°How about we up the stakes a bit?¡±


    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Apparently Dyson has taking quite a liking to you in which I haven¡¯t seen before. The others are quite concerned about him so how about we make a deal. If your new core out preforms mine and I will provide you a new monster that would make a great addition to your dungeon, but if mine out preforms yours, you keep me informed about Dyson¡¯s movements.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know much about Dyson¡¯s movements, but what I do know I would be willing to share if I lose, so I see no problem with it. You got yourself a deal.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now for the question I messaged you to ask. Why does your dungeon monster¡¯s give such a disproportionate amount of xp to their level?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Unfortunately I believe you¡­ As you can imagine from my experience I can tell you what an adventurer¡¯s level is based off of how much I get from them, but your monsters are different.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You always leave me with more questions then I started with¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I am sorry I can¡¯t help, but I do what to thank you again for allowing me to train my monsters in your dungeon.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well it makes no difference to me, but if they keep progressing at this speed I don¡¯t know how much longer I will be able to help.¡±


    ¡°We have been talking about that ourselves, so maybe we can figure something out before their next trip.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well maybe your new friend can point you in the direction of a place to go next.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well you take care, and don¡¯t forget our deal.¡±


    Just like that I don¡¯t receive another response from Madam Erin¡­ Did she mean Dyson? Dyson¡¯s dungeon looks more like just a city though, I don¡¯t see how he could help. Well it won¡¯t hurt to ask him next time I talk to him.


    It stays pretty quiet over the next week until I head from Belinda one evening. She tells me they had a rough day, they tried to push a little too hard apparently and almost lost Zoey and Roxy, but they all at least managed to make it out alive.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    I told Two-Twelve about our trouble last night. He just told us to take it easy and be careful. We decide to train on the hobgoblins a few more days before we try attacking the gnolls again.


    Even after 3 days however we have each only gained one level a piece except Sofia who hasn¡¯t gained another.


    ¡°We still need 8 more of those gnolls to finish our commission.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°When do we need to start heading back to Tobes?¡±


    ¡°Last time we came here our trip was cut short, but the time before that Two-Twelve said he got a bonus because we were gone for at least a month so we need to keep going a least a few more days.¡±


    Sofia:  ¡°Then I say we push it to the limit on just the hobgoblins.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right, there is no reason to push our luck. There isn¡¯t a penalty for not completing a commission now so if we can¡¯t do it, we can¡¯t do it.¡±


    After 3 more days of training Bell however is the only one to gain another level.


    Sofia: ¡°I say we go for it, as long as they are groups of 2 like last time we should at least be able to get the 8 more done.¡±


    ¡°But we have only gained 1 level a piece.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Yea but for most of you that was level 15 with the addition of Scylla¡¯s new ice spell, and Zoey¡¯s archery skill it should help combat a lot.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I am sorry my new skill was useless in combat.¡±


    ¡°But the ranks you gained in your other skills made your abilities close to Sofia¡¯s.¡±


    So in our final day in the dungeon we push back up to the floor with the gnolls and after checking the room to make sure there are only 2 we make another attempt. The battle that ensues is far from what I would call easy, but this time we manage to take them out without serious injury, and after a brief rest we are able to check on the next room.


    We procced carefully and manage to get our last commission fulfilled. We then decide to head back down and work on some more hobgoblins for the rest of the day instead of pushing our luck on the gnolls.


    Saying goodbye to the 13<sup>th</sup> floor we then head out of the dungeon. Luckily the 12<sup>th</sup> floor and below has been cleared by other adventurers, so the rest of the trip is easy. Once we reach the adventurer¡¯s guild we head to the second floor to a receptionist that seems exceptionally relieved to see us.


    Receptionist: ¡°Oh thank Faron you are still alive¡­ I was about to send word that you must of fallen in the dungeon. The adventurers said you only packed enough supplies for a few days but it¡¯s been almost 2 weeks since you entered the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry for worrying you¡­Maybe you should consider adding <u>Gowen Communication Parchment</u> to the fee you charge for entering past the 12<sup>th</sup> floor. That way the adventurer¡¯s guild can keep in touch with groups that enter deep into the dungeons.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°That is not actually a bad idea, but I heard it is pretty hard to acquire¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I will see if there is anything I can do about it.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Well if anyone could I guess it would be you¡­¡±


    We turn in our commissions and then head to an inn. The 13<sup>th</sup> floor wasn¡¯t much different than an inn but at least now I can relax in a bath. After breakfast the next morning I let Two-Twelve know that we are on our way and we begin our trip home.


    Two-Twelve PoV


    Belinda should be arriving home in a few days¡­ I can¡¯t believe it has been a month since they left. I wonder if this adaptability is a human trait as well. When they first left thinking of how long they were going to be gone felt like somebody grabbing ahold of my crystal, but I didn¡¯t even realize it but that feeling disappeared.


    Not that I am not excited that they are returning. I can¡¯t wait to see Belinda and the other girls again. Lilah even keeps asking me at least twice a day when they will be back even though my answer doesn¡¯t change every time she asks.


    While at work that day I receive a strange visitor. A young woman enters my office wearing a thin summer dress, so much so, that with the light shining behind her outside you can clearly see her entire figure. She is rather young probably a few years older than Lilah in appearance. She has short kinky auburn hair, and green eyes.


    Girl: ¡°Excuse me. Mister Mayor?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Can I help you?¡±


    After entering the office she shuts the door and looks around cautiously.  She then makes her way up to my desk I notice she has something held tightly in her hand, and she reaches forward setting a plain gold ring on the table along with a small round glass ball that she sets in the ring to keep it from rolling on the desk.


    Girl: ¡°Master Dyson sent me to ask you to copy this for him. He said the bead should have enough xp to cover its cost, and you can keep the remainder as the payment.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well I won¡¯t be able to do it here, and I will have to take it back home.¡±


    Girl: ¡°I was prepared for that, I have 45 more minutes until he collects me. It just has to be done by then.¡±


    ¡°Well it is about lunch time so I guess I could use the break¡­ If you will follow me.¡±


    I then head home after picking up the ring and the small glass bead. I get quite a few questioning looks from the townsfolk as I head home with the girl following me, so when I arrive at the house I tell her.


    ¡°If you wait here I will step inside and see if I can copy it, did Dyson have any preferences on the ring it was copied to?¡±


    Girl: ¡°No, said the ring wasn¡¯t important just the enchantment.¡±


    I direct the girl to sit on a stone bench next to the fountain outside, and then head inside to see what it is Dyson is asking from me.


    New Enchantment Available


    Agelessness                               Cost: 100,000xp


    What just a flat cost? So far all the enchantments I have learned haven¡¯t worked that way. I next store the bead


    New Item Available


    Xp Bead 150,000xp                   Cost:150,010xp


    Xp Beads can be broken down in your dungeon and you will receive 100% of the bead¡¯s xp.


    I then check the agelessness enchantment


    Agelessness: An enchantment that can be added to any item causing the object to not suffer from age. However if the enchantment is placed on a jewelry object the effect will spread to the wearer.


    I don¡¯t know what Dyson would need with that¡­ I mean he and any of his monsters basically have that already. Is he planning on giving it to just a normal human? I am a little worried, but he has one already so it not like another is going to make much difference. Besides I will be getting a massive 50,000xp as my fee for making it¡­


    After breaking down the bead I look through [Menu] choosing just a plain silver ring and adding the enchantment bringing the total to 100,010xp¡­ I can¡¯t leave it at just that though so when I complete it I focus on making the ring as intricately detailed as possible.


    The plain silver band turns out to be an eternal knot that wraps around making a ring made of polished silver that manages to impress even me. I take the two rings and return to the girl handing them over. She grasps them firmly pulling it to her chest tightly.


    ¡°That should do it.¡±


    Girl: ¡°The master will be pleased. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Well the reward was more than fair, so it was a pleasure.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Do you mind if I wait here for master to call for me?¡±


    ¡°Go right ahead¡­¡±


    I decide to head back into the house and transfer to the core room. I ask Lilah how things are going while keeping an eye on the girl.


    Lilah: ¡°What was that just now? We had a massive jump in xp but it quickly dropped again, but there is still quite a lot remaining¡­¡±


    ¡°Part of my deal with Dyson, the amount that is left was my fee I guess you could say.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°So all that xp is for the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Well I plan on splitting it up a bit. I am going to use 20,000 on spreading into Tobes more, I am going to hang on to 10,000 for an emergency, and the other 20,000 can be used on the dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°So does that mean Lilah can have a new floor in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Sure, a new floor sounds ok, but I plan on adding a few more rooms to the current floor before that, but there should be plenty.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Next time tell Dyson we want a dragon. Lilah wants a dragon.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure how much a dragon costs, but I am sure it is more than I can make doing small favors for Dyson¡­¡±


    I watch the girl disappear from the bench.


    ¡°Well I better head back to work now, you and me can work on the dungeon this evening and we can surprise the others when they get back in another day or two.¡±


    Lilah looks excited and I then transfer from the room and head back to the office for the rest of the afternoon. That evening Lilah has prepared a list by the time I have arrived. After looking over it I nod she is actually put a lot of thought into this.


    ¡°Ok Lilah. Build it, and I will work on the area around Tobes.¡±


    I give Lilah the permission to use the 20,000xp and she hugs me around the stomach then puts on a serious face and begins working. I meanwhile use another 20,000xp to begin spreading around Tobes further.


    Even with 20 areas added I still only have 1/10<sup>th</sup> of Tobes covered. Now at least most of the buildings added are residential so our amount of xp per day should go up. The list of new items that is summon-able is huge, I spend a few minutes looking through it, but most of it is irrelevant.


    By the time Lilah is finished with her part my xp consumption is just shy of 200xp per day¡­So now I don¡¯t really know if the townsfolk are going to help much. The inn has been bringing in around 100xp per day, so as long as I get around another 100 from the new residents I covered we should still be fine.


    I decide to look over Lilah¡¯s work. She added a side room to each of the two middle pit rooms on opposite sides. She attached them with doors and the wood flooring. They are set up pretty much the same as the other four.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Adding another room on the back she used a clever setup with the wooden flooring and the stone walls making a ramp going down to the bottom of the floor. She surprisingly added a golem rift and several traps in this room. It isn¡¯t really a stairwell so it isn¡¯t safe, but I wonder how the adventurers are going to take it.


    From the bottom she connected a stairwell just like I did for the last floor connecting another pit room on her new floor. However where my platforms were made of stone and solid wood hers is made entirely from wood held together with ropes tying it all together¡­


    The golem obviously wouldn¡¯t be able to traverse it so she has instead are 4 weird giant kobolds with wings that I have never seen before.


    ¡°What are those? How did you even summon them?¡±


    ¡°Lilah unlocked them. At first Lilah was going to go back to kobolds but as soon as she summoned 2 this was unlocked so I used them instead.¡±


    Sure enough there is 2 crimson kobold brutes stored in the crystal, and there is a message I must have missed because of the lists of items from when I added the areas around Tobes.


    New Monster Available


    Lesser Dragonkin                            Cost: 800*


    Lesser Dragonkin are considered an elemental type monster usually only available in the dungeon cores favored element, but due to the unique nature of the polychromatic diamond their element will be random. They still will however still be discounted by the [Uniquely Gifted] discount.


    ¡°No matter how I add it up, it seems you had to have spent more than 20,000xp¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lilah has a guilty look on her face.


    ¡°But how? I set it to only allow you to use 20,000xp¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah used her normal access for most of the monsters¡­ The 20,000 ran out to fast...¡±


    ¡°You do realize that leaves us with just the 10,000xp I was planning on saving don¡¯t you.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But we get lots from the adventurers in town, and Belinda should be back in a day or two Master  said.¡±


    ¡°Well we have been in far direr of situations, but you shouldn¡¯t have spent the extra xp without at least asking first.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is sorry¡­She got excited to finally build on the dungeon herself. Lilah didn¡¯t realize how fast xp disappears when adding to the dungeon¡­¡±


    I am a little disappointed when even with all the extra space the increase from the village is only around 40xp¡­ So we are back to consuming more than bringing in again. Well now the traveling adventurers from other kingdoms have begun to arrive they tend to be a bit more reckless in the dungeon and often die, so maybe some higher level adventurers will begin to come.


    It takes another 2 full days before Belinda and the girls finally make it back. I give Belinda a kiss then hug her, and I quickly scan past the levels gained to check the xp amount on the screen that appeared.


    35,885xp earned from external source. 3588xp bonus for Belinda (Boss) participation, 3588xp bonus for Roxy (Boss) participation, 3588xp bonus for xp acquired in another dungeon, 358xp bonus for battle lasting more than 1 week, 3588xp bonus for battle lasting more than 1 month, -1794xp for attacking neutral dungeon.


    48,801 xp total rewarded


    I hug her tight and tell her ¡°I love you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You better be saying that because you mean it and not just because of the screen you are playing with behind my back.¡±


    I quickly close the screen¡­ ¡°Of course I mean it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So what trouble did you get into while we were gone this time?¡±


    ¡°I would say none, but Dyson paid me a visit while you were gone and I was forced to tell him more about my dungeon, but we came to an agreement. I think he will now go out of his way to help us, and I already got 50,000xp from our agreement. I don¡¯t see it as a problem, but I didn¡¯t tell you while you were gone so I thought I would start with that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You will have to tell me more about it later¡­But that doesn¡¯t sound bad, so I still ask what did you mess up while I was gone?¡±


    ¡°I did find out which core number I will be training as well, and Dyson said it would be another woman¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I shouldn¡¯t expect anything less by now¡­ So do you really mean to say that I finally made a trip without coming home to some kind of disaster?¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I will reserve judgement for 24 hours to make sure.¡±


    ¡°I promise you that is all that happened.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well in any case we will deal with it. For now I am just glad to be back.¡±


    She squeezes me a bit tighter in the hug which is actually kind of painful with her armor on, but I don¡¯t say anything. We then make our way home. Meanwhile I check a few of the other screens that appeared when they arrived.


    New Skills Available


    [Gentle Soul]                                Cost: 1000xp [Expert Archer]                            Cost: 2500xp [Combat Medic]                          Cost: 2500xp


    I guess Scylla, Zoey, and Bell are still learning new skills and such. Maybe I should use some of the xp they brought back to add a few more for Belinda and Roxy. That however can wait till tomorrow.


    After settling in we prepare a large dinner at the house and catch up the girls telling stories of their trip. Even though they all seem tired we continue on until the wee hours of the night.


    The next morning when I wake up with Belinda wrapped around me a warmth fills me leaving me in a great mood. After breakfast I ask Belinda and Roxy to join me in the core room so we can see about giving them some new skills and some spells.


    Roxy: ¡°I am just grateful for all you have done already I couldn¡¯t ask for more¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You won¡¯t gain them by leveling up any more so unless you spend the time to learn a specific skill, you won¡¯t gain anymore unless it is this way.¡±


    ¡°Besides you are one of my boss monsters so doing this for you is also doing it for me.¡±


    I teach the two girls a number of skills and spells that will be beneficial to them. In the end I end up with only 5000xp left from their trip but it gave both girls a major boost.


    Belinda: ¡°I know this helps us, but is ¡°All¡± of this really necessary? That has to be all of the xp we brought back with us¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°This is too much Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    ¡°You both are worth it. Besides it didn¡¯t take it all of the xp, adding back some of the xp that Lilah spent I still have 10,000xp that I am keeping for emergency, so we are in good shape.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Don¡¯t tell Zoey alright¡­ I don¡¯t know how she will take it with how my abilities were boosted. She already feels she isn¡¯t pulling her weight in the group.¡±


    ¡°We have to find a way to help Scylla, Zoey, and Bell¡­ Sofia is ok at the moment but eventually she as well will need help as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I actually think their power level is normal¡­ It is ours that is the unusual ones.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have used that xp to give yourself the skills besides me anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well you two are the ones out there. If we get more comfortable I will eventually do the same for myself, but I don¡¯t face a lot of combat in the mayor¡¯s office¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But if something happens to you it won¡¯t matter much, so maybe she is right. You should at least take a few of the defensive skills yourself.¡±


    To make them happy I try to learn more skills myself but most of the training or combat skills say that I don¡¯t meet the requirements¡­ I am however able to learn Zoey¡¯s [Keen Eye] and Bell¡¯s [Hardened Skin] skills. After filling the 10,000xp reserve and buying the skills for myself there is anything left from the girls trip now¡­


    ¡°Well I haven¡¯t seen enough combat to take most of them, but I was able to learn a few.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe we should take you with us next time just so we can get you more combat experience. I am sure as a dungeon core you are going to need it eventually.¡±


    ¡°That would put us over the group limit though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What group limit?¡±


    ¡°If a group has over 6 people it reduces the xp acquired, and when I don¡¯t acquire any from combat anyway it seems like a waste.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is that just for dungeons, because nobody has ever heard that before. I mean sure you have a large group you expect to not gain levels as fast but people always just assumed because you are fighting less.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ It is just something Thirty-seven once told me¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Some things that the dungeon cores know that seem so obvious, humans have been scratching their heads about for years¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I better get to work, and you probably have a lot of catching up as well.¡±


    The next few days pass pretty smoothly as things begin to return to normal. Belinda has finally got the paperwork finished and work has begun on the new town hall/ adventurer¡¯s guild building next to the house.


    She has contracted an actual crew from the capital for this construction only using adventurers as gofers so the commissions are pretty limited for it compared to most buildings she has built. When I ask her why she says the fact that most of the building¡¯s construction funds are coming from Tobes and not her it would be a political mess using the adventurers.


    I don¡¯t quite understand how it would be any different but I will take her word for it. The building seems to be constructed much better than the other buildings Belinda has had built as well. Even our house wasn¡¯t constructed quite that well¡­


    The construction crew doesn¡¯t have any adventurers among them but their levels actually seem higher than some of the adventurers that have been entering our dungeon lately as when the crew arrived the amount of xp I acquire per day rose considerably.


    Yesterday Belinda heard of an adventurer group planning to hit the dungeon early so Lilah takes her breakfast then heads to the dungeon early while the rest of us eat, and Belinda asks a question.


    Belinda: ¡°Lilah has been with us over a year now hasn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yea I guess so¡­ She was here a few months before we summoned Scylla and Zoey, and next month will mark a year since we summoned them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We never gave her a birthday party¡­¡±


    ¡°Well she was summoned by dungeon #47 a few months before we even got her, but even she doesn¡¯t know the exact date so there isn¡¯t really anyway to know when her birthday is.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t do something for her¡­ I am going to throw her party.¡±


    ¡°Of course you would¡­ Most of the townsfolk don¡¯t know Lilah though. They have seen her with us sometimes but she has been working on the dungeon so much she doesn¡¯t go into town much anymore.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We could still do something for her, even if it is just between all of us.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What should we get her?¡±


    ¡°She likes stuffed animals¡­ She filled her room with them when she had the room in the dungeon, She had to break them all down when we went to the capital, but she still takes really good care of Thirty-seven¡¯s stuffed cat, and the one Bell gave her during the solstice festival.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But she is growing out of stuff like that, surely we can come up with something better than that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even been a year since then¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You realize how much she has grown in that time?¡±


    ¡°She has learned a lot about the dungeon but she hasn¡¯t really changed much.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She hugged you this morning right?¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ She does it almost every morning.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok and how high did she come to you?¡±


    I motion to my chest then stop thinking¡­ ¡°Wait.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s right. She used to hug you around the waist, now it¡¯s around your stomach. She has grown almost a full head taller.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°There isn¡¯t many but the few young boys that are in town have taken notice of her when she is in town as well.


    ¡°Well then if not the stuffed animals then what?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss you did promise her the armor before we left.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, maybe an adventurer like birthday. I could take her down to get her adventurer ID.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°She wanted Master to teach her to fight as well, maybe we could take her to train against some of the kobolds in the dungeon? She won¡¯t gain any xp, but it would make for good training.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°She doesn¡¯t have a class though.¡±


    ¡°We just have never given her one. She might not like it though if we can¡¯t give her a class that uses magic. She seemed to really want to use magic as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If you gave her a class would she know?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°She would notice the abilities that would become available, especially if it was a class that could cast spells.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I didn¡¯t even know I could use wind attack magic until I joined the dungeon¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea humans aren¡¯t aware of skills either, and I thought the techniques I could do where just what I learned in training. I didn¡¯t even know they required magic either.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°How do humans even function as adventurers if they don¡¯t even know the basics like that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There is a guild magic at the capital that you can use that will show it all to you. Adventurers think it is just their hidden talents¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But back to Lilah¡­ I guess it won¡¯t at least hurt to see what classes are available to her, and we can make a decision after that.¡±


    I have only done this with Zoey, as Belinda did Scylla¡¯s so it takes me a minute to figure out how to get back to the right screen for Lilah.


    Monster Lilah


    Race: Feral Beastkin (Rabbit)                                    Gender: Female Level: 2                                                                          Class: None Favored Element: Shadow


    After selecting class it brings up another screen.


    Assign Class


    Basic:


    Martial Artist: +10 Strength, Agility, Endurance, +5 Unarmed, 1 random class based skill Warrior: +15 Strength, Endurance, +5 Weapon Ability, 1 random class based skill Archer: +15 Agility, +10 Strength, +5 Endurance, +5 Bow Arts, 1 random class based skill


    Advanced:


    Agile-warrior: +15 Strength, Agility,+10 Endurance, +10 Weapon Ability, 1 Weapon skill, 1 random class based skill Sword-Maiden: +15 Strength, Endurance, +10 Agility, +10 Sword Arts, Sword Training skill, 1 random class based skill


    Special:


    Dungeon Tactician: +15 Strength, Agility, Endurance, +10 Weapon Ability, Leadership, +5 Spell Power, Concentration, Spell Arts, and Mental defense, 2 random class based skills.


    ¡°That is curious¡­ Belinda I have only seen this screen for Zoey and it just has a few available. What did Scylla¡¯s look like? Lilah¡¯s has three different lists although they are pretty limited.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know I asked Scylla if she could use magic and it just asked me to assign the mage class, I didn¡¯t see any screen with other available classes.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°There are 3?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Of course the 3<sup>rd</sup> Tier would be the strongest, but if she wants to use magic and it¡¯s not a casting class but one of the others you might want to go with it.¡±


    ¡°Actually the 3<sup>rd</sup> one is the only one that has a bonus to magic, but it might be a bit troubling if she ever decides to go adventuring.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°How so.¡±


    ¡°I am assuming it is because her training with the dungeon but she has a class called Dungeon Tactician available.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That is actually a boss class¡­ I don¡¯t even know how to start to figure out how that is available.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That actually should be ok.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That actually isn¡¯t the first time I have heard of that class. The hero that trained me to be an adventurer had that class.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But that is a boss monster class¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you saying my mentor was the boss monster for a dungeon? That can¡¯t be he died of old age a few months before I came to Tobes.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°His core could have died leaving him left behind.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am dating a dungeon core, and so is my brother. My grandfather apparently knew Madam Erin, and now you are telling me my mentor was a dungeon monster as well¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That is not really surprising when you factor in the fact you are a princess¡­ Most royalty has had at least some contact with a dungeon at some point.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I guess we could select her class as Dungeon Tactician then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It is a recognized class at the adventurer¡¯s guild, so I guess. It might be pretty surprising with her age though.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Does that mean even Lilah is going to be stronger then me¡­?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Depending on the skills she acquires, if she catches up with your level odds are she would indeed have a bit of an edge over you.¡±


    Roxy comforts Zoey after her ears and tail droop.


    Belinda: ¡°I will get her an adventurer¡¯s ID, Two-Twelve will give her a class and some armor, and what else can we get her?¡±


    Bell: ¡°I have not spent any gold from the commissions I have completed¡­ I could get her a sword.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey and I will take her into the dungeon to train, and we can probably come up with something else as well.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I will see what I can come up with.¡±


    I can tell Belinda is already planning the party in her head while we finish with breakfast, and we then head off to work.


    Bell: ¡°Two-Twelve can you take me to Denova¡¯s store this afternoon to get a sword for Lilah? I don¡¯t want to go alone every time Roc sees me he licks his beak and looks like he wants to eat me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yea, I think that would be ok. I am sure Belinda will be busy with the preparations anyway.¡±


    After work we head to Denova¡¯s general store. I haven¡¯t been inside since it opened up, but Belinda has even begun shopping here for a few things. It actually it quite impressive, there are quite a few rows of shelves set up with general goods items, and off to one side she has several cases displaying weapons and some armor, with more displayed on the walls.


    There is one of her girls that quickly greets us when we enter, and although I wouldn¡¯t call what she is wearing normal attire, it is definitely more conservative then what Denova¡¯s girls usually wear. The shirt is open quite a bit in the front, but I guess it isn¡¯t much worse than Bell¡¯s shirt, and she isn¡¯t carrying near as much.


    The skirt she wearing looks normal enough even if it does seem just a bit too short, but she could at least bend over without showing the contents which is more than you can say for the advertisement skirts Denova¡¯s other girls wear.


    Moving over to the adventurers gear we find that Scylla has beaten us to the store.


    Scylla: ¡°Oh I see, you came as well?¡±


    ¡°Bell asked me to help her out. Roc still makes her nervous.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him, but I understand how she feels¡­¡±


    Bell: ¡°Have you found anything?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I was kind of just looking to come up with an idea, as I don¡¯t really have any gold.¡±


    ¡°I told you to hang on to some¡­ but if you find something let me know I am sure Belinda wouldn¡¯t mind me getting it for you to give to Lilah.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Then it¡¯s not really a gift from me.¡±


    ¡°It is if you are the one that pick it out.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well I will keep looking.¡±


    Bell: ¡°What kind of sword do you think Lilah would want?¡±


    ¡°After Thirty-seven died I had her carry a short-sword for a while because a normal sword was a little too big. It might still be a little big but she might be able to use a normal sword now though.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°She is pretty agile as well. She might do better with a thin blade like a rapier or cutlass.¡±


    Looking over the supply most of the weapons are of the standard variety. Short-swords, swords, broad-swords, hand-axes, great-axes, Maces, there is even one exceptionally large maul, but no thin blades.


    Scylla: ¡°What about at home, can you not put something together?¡±


    ¡°I have seen a few, but never been able to get ahold of one.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t the Mayor, just window shopping I see.¡±


    ¡°Well that wasn¡¯t the intention, but that¡¯s what happens when you don¡¯t have what we were looking for.¡±


    Denova looks a little dissatisfied with my answer and says. ¡°Well we are of course just starting to branch out with the adventurer gear, if there is something you are looking for maybe I can see if I can get it in for you.¡±


    ¡°We are looking for a blade for Lilah. She is starting to get the age to start training her I guess, but the standard sword is still a bit heavy. We were looking for a thin bladed sword.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well if you are dead set on a sword, I probably can¡¯t help you unless you go with just a short-sword, but that little rabbit of yours is pretty agile right? If you willing to think outside the box I might have something that might take a bit for her to get used to but might work for her.¡±


    ¡°Well it won¡¯t hurt to take a look I guess¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. Wait here I will go get it.¡±


    Denova makes her way to the back room, when she returns she is carrying a very questionable pink box¡­


    Denova: ¡°I had a client with ¡°special¡± interests and ordered this, but it wasn¡¯t quite what I ordered.¡±


    She opens the box and there is something curled up in the box that looks like a leather rope.


    Scylla: ¡°A whip?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Why yes it is, but as you can see it wasn¡¯t really what I had in mind.¡±


    As she removes it from the box at one end has a place to hold on to it and the other it splits into three strands with sharp metal barbs.


    Denova: ¡°I thought of just cutting off the end but after spending the amount of gold I did on it, I hated to damage it.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you had a weapon¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Hard to believe an ex-slave as obstinate as you never was at the receiving end of a good lashing.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Lilah was a slave as well I don¡¯t really think¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°She was one of Edward¡¯s slaves, he doesn¡¯t use a whip, so she shouldn¡¯t have any preconceptions about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really an effective weapon is it?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well I mean I guess it could be, but I am not quite sure what Belinda would say¡­¡±


    ¡°Well the question is how much do you want for it?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Like I said I paid quite a bit for it.¡±


    ¡°You also said it was useless for what you ordered it for, and you didn¡¯t bother to display it leaving it to gather dust in your back room this whole time.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well I paid 25 gold for it, and I need to make a bit of profit off of it so how about 30 gold?¡±


    ¡°At the moment it is just taking up space, if you even really did pay 25 gold for it, how about giving it to us at cost, so you at least get your money back off of it.¡±


    Denova looks like she is thinking hard about it.  While Bell pulls on my sleeve.


    Bell: ¡°Two-Twelve I only have 22gold¡­¡± -She says holding a bag of gold coins.-


    Denova: ¡°Fine!¡± ¨Cshe says snatching the bag from Bell¡¯s hand.- ¡°But remember you owe me one.¡±


    She then wraps the whip back up putting it back in the box handing it to Bell.


    ¡°A deal is a deal, but out of curiosity how much did you actually pay for it, as I know you wouldn¡¯t sell ¡°anything¡± at a loss.¡±


    Denova regains her sly smile while saying. ¡°But I would never lie to a client.¡±


    ¡°Yea I am sure¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well is there anything else I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°I think you have done enough¡­¡±


    The three of us then leave Denova¡¯s store. While walking down the street holding the box in her arms Bell asks.


    Bell: ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s alright to give this to Lilah?¡±


    ¡°Well Scylla said it is a weapon, but if Lilah doesn¡¯t like it we can use the dungeon, or order a thin blade from the capital. This will at least get us by.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am not too sure Belinda will be happy about it however¡­¡±


    ¡°Well what are you planning on getting for Lilah?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°¡­¡±


    After reaching the house Bell takes the gift upstairs putting it in her room.

 Lilahs Birthday Party

    As we get closer to the day Belinda plans to have Lilah¡¯s birthday party things start to come together. Scylla ended up getting Lilah a stuffed animal like my original suggestion. Roxy and Zoey got Lilah a few dresses in addition to their plans of taking her for combat training in the dungeon.


    Belinda surprised me when she asked to have some xp and summoned something for Lilah herself. She usually leaves things like that to me, but she seems to want to keep it from me as well. I don¡¯t know if she put any thought into it but Sofia got Lilah a dagger. I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have a backup weapon¡­


    So far we have seemed to be able to keep it a complete surprise from Lilah, at least she hasn¡¯t made any suggestion that she is on to us yet. Then again it is months past when her birthday should be so even if we told her we were planning a birthday party she probably wouldn¡¯t realize it was for her.


    I had Belinda take Lilah shopping in Tobes this evening so I could summon her armor. I spend a bit of time thinking about how it should look as I want to make it different from Roxy¡¯s and having it just plain like Sofia¡¯s seems like it would be a waste.


    After finally coming up with an idea I select the [Dark Steel Battle Dress] in the [Menu] and begin to focus on the details after I hit the conformation.


    It comes out quite a bit smaller than I anticipated, but that will easily be fixed when she equips it with [Menu], she also probably won¡¯t be happy with the fact it has quite a few more folds and frills then even Roxy¡¯s did.


    The cloth of the dress is blue like her favorite dress but it has white folds of a lace like material woven in it. The dark steel breastplate and other segments have intricate designs on it similar to Roxy¡¯s, except there are several caricatures of rabbits in several places giving it a cute appearance¡­


    I can¡¯t help to feel it was quite the failure because she hated the frilly dresses Belinda tried to get her to wear and with the addition of the rabbit caricatures it almost seems like it isn¡¯t actual armor and I am poking fun of her¡­But with its cost I can¡¯t really afford to go again.


    Maybe after facing combat a few times the caricatures will buff out¡­ Now that I think about it though we have never had to repair any of the armor¡­ Even the clothes I used to wore, I just now realized even after receiving wounds though my old clothes the next time I put them on they were back to normal¡­


    Even the times I didn¡¯t equip them with [Menu] because they considered dungeon items do they heal as well? Next time my clothes get torn I will have to watch and see if I can see it mend itself¡­ It¡¯s kind of creepy to think about.


    For now I shake the thought from my head and fold the armor up putting it in a box that Belinda prepared for me. After putting the lid on the box I then transfer back to my room where I set the box on the desk.


    The girls ask how it went when I head downstairs and I am not sure how to answer so I just say I summoned it and left it at that¡­ All this work for Lilah¡¯s party and we are going to have to turn around and do it again next month for Zoey¡¯s and Scylla¡¯s birthdays as well I am sure¡­


    Speaking of which¡­¡±When is your birthday Roxy?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ A few of my old masters celebrated a birthday for me, but it wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience or even necessarily just once a year either¡­ I couldn¡¯t even be certain on how old I am. Don¡¯t tell Belinda though or she would try to throw me a birthday party. I would rather celebrate on the day Zoey and I got married. That is the only date important to me.¡±


    ¡°That just leaves Zoey and Scylla next month, and Bell towards the end of the year.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t forget yourself boss!¡±


    ¡°You each get me a sack of coffee, and I will be happy.¡±


    The girls laugh. Shortly after Belinda returns with Lilah, after putting things away they join us in the dining room where we have a small dinner before retiring for the night. After heading to the bedroom Belinda wraps the box I put the armor in with a large ribbon and ties it in a big bow at the top.


    Belinda: ¡°Well we should be ready for the party tomorrow, I just got to pick up a cake that Susan is making for Lilah. What did the others get Lilah?¡±


    ¡°Well what did you get her?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess it can wait till tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I can¡¯t go the complete day without going to the office, so I spend the morning making sure everything is taken care of before closing down at noon. I meet up with Belinda and we pick up the cake for Lilah then head to the house.


    Lilah is confused when I arrive in the core room while she is dealing with two separate adventurer groups in the dungeon¡­


    Lilah: ¡°What is Master doing here this time of day?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to come check on you to see how things are going.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is busy right now¡­ See they just killed one of the non-rift golems, but don¡¯t worry I will get them.¡±


    ¡°What about the other group?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Oh they are just milling around on the second floor they aren¡¯t anything to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t bother you then, but mind if I just sit here for a little bit?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok, this group will most likely make it to the next room, Lilah will show Master what those silver slimes of hers can do!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t leaving them at the bottom?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah did in the beginning the first few times groups made it to that room, but she never got to see what the slimes could do so she brought one up¡­ Well Master will see.¡±


    Sure enough after a few minutes Lilah clicks her tongue when a second golem falls, and I see her position several of the silver slimes clinging to the roof and walls of the next room. When the group enters the next room they ready their weapons beginning to attack the next two golems.


    Without any warning one of the silver slimes shoots off the wall like an arrow fired from a bow hitting one of the adventurer in the face and chest almost covering half of the adventurer as soon as it hits. The adventurer loses his balance the slime and adventurer both fall from the platform.


    It isn¡¯t a pretty sight when the adventurer gurgles as he tries to scream hitting the ground with a loud thud. Before the remaining adventurers on the platform even realize what just happened the silver slime and 3 more on the bottom of the room swarm the adventurer and within seconds the only thing remaining is the adventurer¡¯s gear¡­


    Lilah rocks back and forth in her chair humming happily while the adventurers finally realize their situation when another slime launches from the roof knocking another adventurer from the platform¡­ Out of the six adventurers that entered the room only two successfully flee the slimes taking the rest.


    Lilah: ¡°What did you think Master? I have been saving quite a few of the adventurer¡¯s skeletons that are left behind after the slimes are done, just in case we can learn to summon skeletons that should reduce their cost greatly!¡±


    I am the dungeon core¡­ and even I feel somewhat creeped out at Lilah¡¯s savagery against the adventurers¡­


    ¡°You sure you are not being a little hard on the adventurers? That looked pretty bad¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°I saw them last night while out with Belinda. They were mean to the store owner and wouldn¡¯t settle down until Belinda stepped in. They even made rude comments against Belinda, so I returned the favor.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should give you some more time off. You might be spending too much time in the dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master, please don¡¯t take Lilah¡¯s job away from her!¡± ¨CShe says quickly hugging me.-


    ¡°I am not talking about taking it away from you, but I am just saying you might need to spend more time to do other things you want to do.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But this is what Lilah wants to do¡­¡±


    ¡°What about friends? Or maybe even a boyfriend eventually?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If Lilah needs anything like that Master would summon her one!¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted to start combat training, maybe you will want to go adventuring someday.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Never¡­ If it means Lilah won¡¯t get to keep doing her job¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I am glad you have pride in the dungeon, but I wouldn¡¯t mind watching the dungeon for a little bit if you want to go out sometimes¡­ I would like you to have a chance to see more then these drab walls all the time.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master won¡¯t take Lilah¡¯s job away from her?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, I count on you here, I just would like you get out and do things as well.¡±


    ¡­Maybe I have left the dungeon up to Lilah a bit too much lately¡­ I have been taking her for granted since I became mayor she has basically watched the dungeon every day without rest since then¡­


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t like talking with humans though¡­¡±


    ¡°You like Belinda and Sofia right?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But they are different! They are Master¡¯s monsters.¡±


    ¡°I am sure there are other humans out there you can get along with that aren¡¯t bound to the dungeon¡­ You can¡¯t group all humans together as one. Each is different.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah will try, as long as Master promises he won¡¯t take her job away.¡±


    ¡°I promise the dungeon needs you. Speaking of which the other group just left the dungeon as well so why don¡¯t we head to the house for now?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What if more come?¡±


    ¡°We will set [Menu] to warn us, come on I want to show you something.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    I send Belinda a message that we are on the way, and I then take my time transferring us to the entryway.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see where the others are.¡±


    To give the girls a bit more time to prepare I poke my head into the dining room and the living room before leading Lilah into the ballroom.


    Girls: ¡°SURPRISE!!!¡±


    The girls startle Lilah for a moment then she just looks confused.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve said you won¡¯t really know when your birthday was, and we didn¡¯t really get a chance to celebrate it, so we decided to throw you a birthday party today!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But it was back sometime during Belinda¡¯s birthday, why wait this long?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I didn¡¯t know¡­ I only asked Two-Twelve recently if he knew and that was when he told me so I decided to throw it now. If you don¡¯t want the gifts we got you though¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°You got Lilah gifts?¡± ¨CShe says with her eyes sparkling.-


    Belinda: ¡°Of course you are just as much family as everyone else! I even had Susan make your favorite type of cake.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Oh¡­ Cake¡­¡± ¨CShe says already drooling.-


    Lilah walks up to the table the girls set up with the cake and the presents around the table.


    Lilah: ¡°Are these all Lilah¡¯s?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course! Do you want to open them?¡±


    Belinda pulls a chair out for Lilah after she nods. Lilah sits in the chair and Zoey rushes forward with an awkwardly wrapped present.


    Zoey: ¡°Open one of mine first I got you a few!¡±


    Lilah takes it looking at it¡­ After a moment she rips the packaging off revealing a single solitary boot¡­


    Zoey: ¡°Oh Oh this one next¡­¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Zoey hands Lilah another poorly wrapped package that looks suspiciously like the other boot¡­ After she unwraps other present, it really is the other boot¡­


    Roxy: ¡°Here is another from both of us.¡±


    Lilah opens it revealing a nice set of traveling clothes.


    Zoey: ¡°I told her to wrap each separately so you would get more presents but Roxy didn¡¯t listen¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°¡­Thanks¡­¡±


    Sofia drops one on her lap. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what would be good, so well anyway I hope you like it.¡±


    Lilah unwraps the dagger. It looks like a normal steel dagger in a small sheath but you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell by the smile on Lilah¡¯s face. After Belinda takes the dagger setting to the side for Lilah she hands her another package.


    Belinda: ¡°This one is from me with a little help from Two-Twelve.¡±


    Lilah tears open the package and it is a little box. She opens the box and Belinda used the xp to summon a pair of gold cuff like earrings with a small blue stone set in them.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure you don¡¯t have any ear piercings, I don¡¯t even know how well it would work as they will probably heal once you take the earrings out, but if you want we can try it out later.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok.¡±


    Roxy hands Lilah another package that is another set of clothes but this time it¡¯s a dress much like the ones she normally wears.


    Scylla then awkwardly hands Lilah a package.


    Scylla: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I just couldn¡¯t think what else to get you¡­¡±


    Lilah opens package taking out a large stuffed bunny¡­ Lilah hugs it and thanks Scylla.


    Bell then hands Lilah the pink box, she didn¡¯t seem to wrap it or anything. Lilah opens the box and looks at it questionably then takes out the whip.


    Bell: ¡°Two-Twelve said a sword was too big, and they didn¡¯t have any thin blades, but they said since you have good agility maybe you could use that pretty well.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That is Roxy and my final present as well. We will take you into the dungeon a few times while Boss watches over us and let you practice a bit.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And if you go into the dungeon like the normal townsfolk you will need an adventurer¡¯s ID so I will take you to the guild tomorrow and we can get you one!¡±


    ¡°If you are going to be practicing combat you will probably need this as well¡­¡±


    I hand her the box with the bow. She looks at it pulling the bow, and then takes off the lid pulling it off. Belinda looks over her shoulder trying to peer into the box as well.


    ¡°It turned out a bit small, but that shouldn¡¯t matter once you use [Menu]. Why don¡¯t you try it on?¡±


    Lilah quickly jumps up dropping the box on the floor while cradling the armor. She quickly taps a screen in front of her until the armor disappears and then it appears on her. She carefully looks over it while wearing it.


    Lilah: ¡°Master really made one for Lilah!¡±


    She runs over hugging me rubbing her face on my chest her long ears tickling my nose.


    Zoey: ¡°I got Lilah 4 presents¡­ 5 if you count taking her to train and I didn¡¯t get a hug¡­¡±


    It surprises Zoey, but with tears in her eyes Lilah lets go of me and quickly gives Zoey a hug as well, she then goes around the room giving everyone else a hug as well.


    Lilah: ¡°Thanks¡­Lilah thanks you all for the gifts.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course. You¡¯re family, and I promise next year we will have your birthday closer to mine around the time it is supposed to be.¡±


    ¡°I also have one last thing for you.¡±


    I use [Menu] to hit accept Lilah¡¯s class that I prepared while she was giving a hug to everyone.


    Lilah: ¡°What did Master do? I feel much stronger¡­ Oh and Lilah has spells!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not much but if you are going to be training you will need a class won¡¯t you?¡±


    Lilah gives up holding the tears back and hugs me again. Lilah finally calms down and everyone has some cake. We continue the party for a few hours and Lilah messes around with the whip for a while. It doesn¡¯t take her long till she can control it pretty good, but I don¡¯t know if it will work out as a weapon or not yet.


    Roxy and Scylla help Belinda pierce Lilah¡¯s ears to put the earrings in clamping them about midway up her ears, but before she can put the second earring the second hole has healed itself so they have to pierce that ear again¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of high up on her ears for the earrings?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I mean I guess it¡¯s up to Lilah. Do you want us to move him lower?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah likes them where they are at.¡±


    ¡°Well that is what matters I guess. Have your ears not healed Belinda?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, I don¡¯t wear earrings often, but I guess since my ears where pierced before I joined the dungeon it¡¯s like the scar on my stomach.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Yea my scar is a lot less visible, but it is still nowhere near gone.¡±


    ¡°Yea Dyson has tons of scars as well from the time before he was allowed to start his dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yea I told you about how he let me learn how to copy his armor, well when he took it off his body was covered in scars.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You would think someone like Dyson would have had healing magic nearby.¡±


    ¡°He said he kept them intentionally kind of like you did for the wolf bite. He said he just used magic on the ones on his face.¡±


    Sofia looks a bit nervous. ¡°You talked to Dyson again?¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ While you were gone, I guess I didn¡¯t tell you about it¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Did he ask about me?¡±


    ¡°Yea he was pretty curious about the name you choose, and asked to see you. I told him you were out training and could relay a message but he didn¡¯t give me one.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°He knows I am using this name then¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ Is there something wrong?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well I guess it doesn¡¯t matter, I am your monster now¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    Belinda¡¯s sudden outburst startles us.


    Belinda: ¡°I thought it sounded familiar, that was Dyson¡¯s wife¡¯s name wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°How do you know¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I used to listen to all the stories about Dyson growing up and I just remembered hearing about one that he had a wife that died not many years after they were married, it wasn¡¯t long after that Dyson disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Dyson was married? You wouldn¡¯t think so by the way he acts¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That was many years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°You were summoned only the day before he presented you to me, so I don¡¯t see how you fit into any of this¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is really my place to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I am curious, but if you don¡¯t want to talk about it. I guess I understand.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well he was a pretty crappy husband¡­He wasn¡¯t much different then as he is now. Sofia was a country girl that he courted. He spent a few months with her and married her, but he neglected her after he went back to adventuring.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Of course he didn¡¯t even realize that he actually loved her until after she was killed. She was taken by a band of bandits. They raped her for months until they finally killer her. It was said she never gave up hope that Dyson would come for her. Of course he was off fighting in a dungeon somewhere completely oblivious.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s horrible¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°After he rolled back in the village looking for his wife he learned about her fate. That was the point he went to the elders asking how he could earn his place as a core. Of course by then he had killed quite a few dungeons already so they gave him a list of cores that were being a problem.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what Madam Erin meant by saying most deserved it¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°After taking care of the list the last one they wanted him to kill was the one that took original number but he refused. That¡¯s when they made the rule that to become a core again once failed you can only take your original number so he had no other choice.¡±


    ¡°I see why Bless is going after them now then, if she found that out she thought it was Dyson¡¯s fault¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Anyway¡­ After getting permission to start his own dungeon he placed his dungeon right in the middle of Mar the city the thieves came from that killed his wife. He spent the first 50 years after forming his dungeon purging the entire city¡­ With the strength he gained from killing so many cores there was no stopping his dungeon.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°He found the last remaining member of the group that killed his wife of course by then he was an old man. He told Dyson what happened. Soon after that was when Dyson was able to begin to summon humans.¡±


    ¡°I saw Mar during Queen¡¯s training and it doesn¡¯t seem to have changed much though¡­Other humans even call the area the portal to hell¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That is the irony of it all, the human males Dyson can summon are all of thief and bandit type classes¡­ Only the women have normal classes.¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t answer why you choose to take Sofia¡¯s name¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well he has been trying to summon a woman that matches her likeness since he first was able to summon human women, but so much time has passed he can¡¯t even remember exactly what she looked like. He was extremely pleased with the way I turned out and I was hoping maybe someday I could be his Sofia¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Even with Dyson being the way he is you still want that?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°He made me as a gift for Two-Twelve, but he said I was so close that he was thinking of changing his mind¡­ I think in the end he was ashamed because I was so close to Sofia¡¯s appearance that he had trouble looking at me, so he went ahead and gave me away¡­ I owe him my life, and I love him, so of course I still want that¡­ Maybe if I give him time he will eventually come for me. After all he did go back for Sofia it was just already too late.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t see how you can have that much devotion to him though¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you wait forever for Two-Twelve.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But that¡¯s different! He loves me, and not just because I look like someone else.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But if he does come for me it might be because I look like his wife, but the one he holds, and cares for would be me.¡±


    ¡°But you said he treated his wife so badly, would you willingly suffer though what she did, just to be with him?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Every day of my life, if that is what he wanted¡­Because I love him.¡±


    Belinda & Me: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well! Who wants more cake?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s right, this is Lilah¡¯s party. We can talk about that some other time, today is Lilah¡¯s day!¡±


    We continue Lilah¡¯s party but it never does regain the lost steam, Lilah seems to have had fun though so it worked out in the end. That night while we are getting ready for bed Belinda asks me.


    Belinda: ¡°What are we going to do if Dyson does come for Sofia?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much we could do¡­But if that is what Sofia wants I wouldn¡¯t even want to stop her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re a big softy¡­¡± ¨CShe says while wrapping her arms around me brushing my chest with her fingers.-


    ¡°Actually I think that would be worse for her then staying away, but I think it should be her decision if it comes down to that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well what about Lilah, she seemed too really like how her party turned out, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Yea but I hope this gives her a chance to take a bit of a break from the dungeon. I watched her with some of the adventurers and I am starting to get a little worried¡­ Maybe it¡¯s time we summon another monster to help her out so she doesn¡¯t have to do it alone?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really? What kind of monster are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about having a male cooped up with her for hours and hours, especially after she made the comment that if she was going to have a boyfriend she wanted me to summon it for her¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°As long as you don¡¯t make her cuter then me.¡±


    Well let¡¯s give it a few weeks to think about and then we can make a decision on what to summon.


    Over the course of the next few weeks I cover for Lilah in the dungeon at least two days a week so she can practice, and I have to say she has done pretty good.


    Of course she hasn¡¯t gained any levels only practicing against our monsters, but she has actually taken to the whip pretty good.  I can¡¯t believe I was even skeptical about it being a weapon, as now I have seen the kind of damage she can inflict against the kobolds¡­


    Belinda has already begun to prepare for Scylla and Zoey¡¯s birthday party, but for once she actually has plenty of time for preparation. Logan said he was busy and couldn¡¯t make it, but he promises that Kline will be there.


    We haven¡¯t been building a lot of xp, but it is slowly increasing so that is a good sign, I try not to spend anything more then we have to however. I was hoping Dyson would come calling again with another item for me to copy giving us a bunch more xp but so far I haven¡¯t heard from him.


    I have managed to gain another level, but after their last trip I am still trailing behind them by a few levels. If nothing changes with the dungeon I should be able to gain another about the time I finish training the new dungeon core.


    It isn¡¯t till a few days before the girl¡¯s birthday party that I receive a message from Dyson, and it simply says.


    Dyson: ¡°Check your observation screen. It is going to go down today!¡±


    On the day I receive the message from Dyson it is just Bell and I at the office as Kline arrived for Scylla and Zoey¡¯s birthday and Scylla has been spending time with him. We haven¡¯t been very busy though so I tell Bell I just received a request from Dyson and that I needed to check it out.


    I quickly head home. On the way home I try to sort out what Dyson is talking about, but I duck behind one of the buildings as I near the house and once I am hidden I transfer to the core room. I quickly open the observation window then it clicks.


    I see a tall white bear like humanoid covered in scars with a suspicious look on its face as it makes its way through some ice covered hallways. I send a message to Dyson.


    ¡°Does that mean it is going to try to take out Fredrick today?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good, he has already been found out. Fredrick is on his guard, but the idiot is just waiting in his core room hoping the problem is going to fix itself...¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t at least raising the protection around the crystal?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He added a few yetis to protect it, but this yeti of Bless¡¯s is of far higher level¡­ His combat prowess was what got him access to the inter-sanctum of Fredrick¡¯s dungeon to begin with¡­¡±


    ¡°I am still a little confused, if the Yeti was released from Bless¡¯s dungeon almost a year ago, why is it still trying so hard to take out Fredrick?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is the power of an ultimate command¡­ I know of a monster that another dungeon tried the same thing Bless here has, but it waited 20 years even after being accepted by the other dungeon before it made its attack. Bless was too impatient though that is why Fredrick was able to figure it out.¡±


    While watching Bless¡¯s yeti take on two of Fredrick¡¯s I seen what Dyson means the difference in strength is easily apparent. After making short work of Fredrick¡¯s yetis it moves on.


    ¡°So the one that waited 20 years did it succeed?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am still here aren¡¯t I? But she was great in bed, so it was worth the 20 years in my opinion, I felt kind of sorry having to put her down.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    We continue to watch Bless¡¯s yeti tear though Fredrick¡¯s as it makes its way through the dungeon, but even after a few hours I don¡¯t know how close it is to his crystal room.


    ¡°He has been at it quite a while. Does he have much further to go?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So you can¡¯t see everything¡­Good to know, but no he doesn¡¯t have much further to go about another hour and he will reach the crystal room.¡±


    It looks like my question gave out a more information then I intended, but Dyson and I seem to be in pretty good standing at the moment, so I guess it doesn¡¯t hurt¡­


    Since Bless¡¯s yeti isn¡¯t bound to a dungeon you can tell the fatigue is starting to build up with him. The question isn¡¯t if he is going to be stronger then Fredrick¡¯s yetis but will he be able to make it that far before becoming too fatigued to carry on.


    Sure enough at almost exactly on the hour mark he reaches what appears to be Fredrick¡¯s Crystal room. Fredrick¡¯s crystal is an aquamarine that blends in with the ice so well it is hard to tell where the crystal ends and the ice begins.


    There are 4 yeti much like the others Bless¡¯s yeti has fought, but there is also one quite a bit larger that looks to be about equal in size to Bless¡¯s. They look like large humanoid bears, but they fight more like gorillas as they charge Bless¡¯s yeti.


    He grabs one of the smaller ones by the head flinging it to the side like it was little more than a nuisance, but two more manage to begin to bite and claw at him. He manages to kick another but not before the other large one has arrived punches him in the jaw.


    The fight takes at least another 30 minutes before Bless¡¯s yeti is the only one left standing. Although he doesn¡¯t look to be in very good shape, he is going to have to take out the crystal before Fredrick has the chance to send in reinforcements.


    Fredrick however appears in front of the yeti. The yeti is battered and bleeding, but still towers over Fredrick at least 3 times his size. Fredrick however doesn¡¯t seem afraid. Fredrick begins to speak to the yeti in the yeti¡¯s language.


    ¡°What are they saying?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You don¡¯t understand it? I didn¡¯t understand monster languages when I was an adventurer, but once I got my dungeon then it was like I knew them all along¡­ I thought all cores knew the monsters languages.¡±


    ¡°Well I am not like most cores¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That becomes more apparent every day¡­ Anyway he is saying about what you would expect. Why are you doing this, who sent you, that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the yeti has a chance now? Fredrick¡¯s level is quite high.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°if he tries to attack Fredrick he doesn¡¯t stand a chance, but if he goes for the crystal he just might win.¡±


    Bless¡¯s yeti barks something out and all I see a message from Dyson that just says ¡°Bad move.¡± And with that the yeti charges Fredrick. It is over in almost an instant¡­ I am not even quite sure how it happened, but the yeti¡¯s head has been severed from its body and is launched airborne.


    Fredrick has in his hand a thin blade covered in the yeti¡¯s blood. As he wipes the swords blade on the yeti¡¯s fur his head finally hits the floor rolling around.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s over then¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not quite, Bless made a critical error. The yeti gave her name before he tried to strike down Fredrick. It may take a while, but the fun is just starting.¡±


    We watch as Fredrick begins tapping away on his [Menu].


    Dyson: ¡°Here we go! He just sent a message to the elders asking for a meeting.¡±


    The observation screen fades to black and I receive one last message from Dyson.


    Dyson: ¡°Well if anything else interesting happens I will let you know, I better go see what the elders are going to do.¡±


    Well it was after noon when I got the message from Dyson, so I shouldn¡¯t be surprised when I notice that the sun has begun to set. Lilah has already left from the core room, so I transfer down to the house and startle Kline and Scylla appearing right in front of them.

 Scylla and Zoeys Birthday

    Scylla, Kline, and I are all speechless after I appeared right in front of their eyes in the entryway of the house. Without knowing what else to say I simply say.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Sorry about that, I still haven¡¯t gotten used to this teleport spell¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°¡­ Really you were able to learn a teleport spell? I am rather envious¡­ That would help the young master and me a great deal on our trips.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Yea¡­ He hasn¡¯t figured out how to take anyone else with him yet, and hasn¡¯t been able to travel more than a couple hundred feet. He has even left his clothes behind after teleporting once.¡±


    ¡­I don¡¯t know if that comment was really necessary but maybe it was her way of getting back at me for not paying attention when we have visitors in the house, so I guess I kind of deserved it.


    Kline: ¡°Well I am glad I at least got to miss that one¡­But once maybe you get it figured out you could teach Scylla and we could visit each other more often.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly learn a spell that hard¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°You have already come so far, I am sure you will be at that level in no time.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well I only have Water magic and a bit of Earth magic as well.¡±


    Kline: You should consider making a trip to the capital pretty soon and see if you have awakened any hidden talents as you have leveled up. The young master and I make a point to check it out every few months just in case.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am sure I don¡¯t have anything like that, but next time I am in the capital maybe you could take me¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if you will excuse me, I better to check how things are going in the kitchen¡­¡±


    I screwed up pretty bad¡­ But maybe a teleport spell isn¡¯t a bad idea. Dyson has quite a few ways to travel quickly, and maybe he could teach me one as payment for copying something for him. I guess it won¡¯t hurt to ask, it could help the training of the girls a great deal.


    Belinda: ¡°How did things go? Bell said you had a request from Dyson, and Lilah said you were quite focused on your [Menu] most the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Oh it wasn¡¯t anything to important, but I screwed up and Kline has seen me transfer¡­ We passed it off as that I leaned a teleport spell.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But they are very high level spells¡­¡±


    ¡°We told him it was only a few hundred feet and only single person¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I guess there has been quite a bit of teleporting traffic as of late in Tobes so I guess we can make due. You also have covered a good chunk of Tobes with the dungeon, so we can use it just in case a townsperson sees you transfer as well.¡±


    ¡°I was actually surprised they haven¡¯t made much larger deal about it as they have¡­Like you said it should be a pretty high level spell.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Tobes has progressed so much in the last year and a half, I don¡¯t think much would surprise them anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of asking Dyson if he would teach me a teleporting spell for my next fee anyway. He seems to have various methods to go about it, surely we could utilize at least one of them to help us out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know I am sure it would take massive amounts of magic¡­¡±


    ¡°So, how are things going with Scylla and Zoey¡¯s birthday preparations?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Everything is all set, you have gotten them both birthday presents already right?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea I know better¡­ You better summon something up for them pretty quick if you don¡¯t plan to get it in town.¡±


    ¡°I will take care of it tomorrow.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You better their party is the day after.¡±


    The next day when I sit down to get gifts for the girls I quickly summon two stuffed animals. I am going to give Zoey a dog stuffed animal, and Scylla a salamander stuffed animal, and see what their reactions are before giving them my actual gift.


    I spend quite a bit, on Zoey as her gear was the worst of all the girls. Unfortunately I can¡¯t use better material, but I up the quality to master level and put a great bit of detail into the design of them. The bow comes out normally enough as [Intricately Designed Master Quality Stout Wooden Bow], but the armor however something strange happens.


    New Item Created


    Through painstaking effort the [Intricately Designed Master Quality Black Leather Armor] has resulted in the creation of a unique item.


    The armor that is called [Zoey¡¯s Armor] is made of a combination of black leather, with plates of dark steel leaving the body protected without restricting movement. There are several additions to it that seem to be catered to an archer.


    Both sleeves of the armor contain the dark steel plates extending down to a wrist guard on one side and the other extends into a three fingered glove. Unlike normal leather armor it extends down the legs with leg and shin guards, even with a small curved plate covering the top of the foot.


    Not preventing movement leaves quite a few weak points in the armor, but overall, I have seen full-plate armor with less coverage. It has a half helmet with plates to protect Zoey¡¯s pointy ears. There is even a leather strap that has plates attached to it to protect her tail¡­


    Each plate of the armor has intricate carved designs into it. I looks like it will have decent protection, but by the look alone Zoey will be unable to complain about her armor anymore at least. Now the only problem is Scylla¡¯s gift probably won¡¯t be able to compare¡­


    New Items Available


    Archer¡¯s Armor                                     Cost: 1500xp Archer¡¯s Half-Helm                              Cost: 250xp Beastkin Tail Armor                             Cost: 400xp


    New Skill Learned


    Advanced Summoning (Rank 1): The details are everything. Focusing on smallest of details when summoning items or monsters it can lead to results greater than anticipated. Advanced summoning increases the chance of such an events occurring.


    I learned a skill while preparing for Belinda¡¯s birthday, and another now while preparing for Scylla¡¯s and Zoey¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t understand though if there are three new pieces available to summon why did [Zoey¡¯s Armor] show as 1 item.


    I use [Menu] and search [Zoey¡¯s Armor]


    [Zoey¡¯s Armor]: Zoey¡¯s armor is a unique set of beastkin only archer¡¯s armor, combined with an archer¡¯s half-helm, and beastkin tail armor, that when worn together provides a set bonus increase to the defensive ability of the armor. Zoey¡¯s armor is considered a light armor.


    If I thought preparing a gift for Scylla before was going to be hard now it seems all but impossible¡­ her robe and staff are already of master quality, she has the minor ring of magic. I can¡¯t teach her skills or spells. I don¡¯t believe anything I could get her would help her during training so I need to think of something else¡­


    The only time she isn¡¯t working is when she gets the chance to talk or spend time with Kline. Maybe I could come up with something for both of them that she would like. I come up with an idea, but I will have to get Belinda and Logan¡¯s approval.


    I pack up Zoey¡¯s armor in a box similar to the one I gave Lilah for her birthday, and take the bow and the box transfer to the bedroom. After setting them down I set out looking for Belinda.


    The next day while we finish up preparations Belinda takes the stuffed animals away from me placing them on the table on either side of the cake telling me I can¡¯t give them to as gifts¡­ When we are finally ready we tell the girls we are ready for them.


    The party goes off without any problems and we spend quite some time visiting. There wasn¡¯t a good way to wrap Zoey¡¯s bow so it just has a bow tied to it, and that seems to keep catching Zoey¡¯s eye the entire party till she can¡¯t take it anymore and demands we open presents.


    Everyone laughs and we agree. Zoey makes a beeline to the bow now finally able to give it a closer inspection.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss got me this right?¡±


    ¡°Yea I am sorry only the quality is better than you old bow, but I hope you like it.¡±


    Kline: ¡°The design of it is quite impressive, I would almost think it was elven made, but they use special wood when they make their bows.¡±


    Most of the gifts from the others are clothing and such items Scylla thanks everyone for every gift after opening it, but Zoey seems indifferent about the gifts of clothes. When we get down to only Zoey¡¯s armor I decide to let Scylla know about my gift to her.


    ¡°I had a lot of trouble trying to think of a gift for you¡­But after talking it over with Belinda I think I came up with something. Anywhere you and Kline want to go, here, the capital, where ever for the next month, Belinda and I will cover the cost of it.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°¡­But¡­¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t worry Kline I made sure to get Logan¡¯s permission and he gave me the go ahead. He even said he would chip in if needed.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We have so much work to do though¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You and Kline don¡¯t get to spend very much time together so take this chance while you can.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just say you will have fun.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course!¡± ¨CShe hugs Kline while he is trying to grasp the situation and he then quickly begins to blush.-


    The two of them begin to discuss what they want to do with their month while I get the last box. I hand it to Zoey while she is messing with a questionable set of lingerie that Roxy got her.


    ¡°I got one left for you.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Ha! Boss got me two gifts!¡± ¨CShe calls to Scylla, but Scylla is too preoccupied blushing while talking to Kline.¡±


    Zoey opens up the box looking at it questionably¡­


    Zoey: ¡°This is made out of the same thing as Sofia and Roxy¡¯s armor¡­ You didn¡¯t make me a dress did you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dress I promise.¡±


    Zoey takes the helmet out first sliding it on her head, only one ear slides into the correct slot the other must be laying flat against her head. She then takes out the tail armor. After looking at it and flipping it over a few times she tries to wrap it around her waist.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you and Roxy take it in the other room and she can help you put it on¡­¡±


    Zoey tilts her head questionably and Roxy looks over at Kline then nods her head she picks up the box from Zoey¡¯s lap and leads her from the room. From the other room all I can hear is Zoey call out with a loud voice. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s got my name on it!¡±


    Belinda asks me. ¡°That didn¡¯t look like any of the armor I have seen before. How did you make it?¡±


    ¡°I got lucky I guess.¡±


    When Zoey walks back in the room it catches Kline¡¯s attention causing him to stand up, which causes Scylla to turn to look as well. With Zoey in her armor her goofy nature is hidden and her appearance is at least equally intimidating as Logan and Kline in their armor.


    Kline: ¡°What kind of armor is that? Did you have it custom made?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, it is made of black leather and dark steel.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Kline is interested enough that he walks over to check Zoey out.


    Zoey is still checking out the armor as well.


    Zoey: ¡°See I told you Boss is still watching, how else would he know which fingers I use?¡± ¨CShe says at looking at the three fingered glove.-


    Roxy shakes her head and says. ¡°They are the fingers you use to hold your draw your arrows with, dumb dumb¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh that makes sense¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°The craftsmanship is simply magnificent¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Scylla your boyfriend is getting handsy with me¡­¡±


    Kline quickly blushes taking his hand off Zoey. ¡°I am so sorry¡­¡± He then turns to me. ¡°Where did you have the armor made? Was it at the capital?¡±


    ¡°No¡­Not really¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°I didn¡¯t think so¡­ The young master and I had to have ours made in Merretta, but to be able to have it sent that amount of distance and even a perfect fit¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Kline¡­ What about our trip? ¨CShe says while hanging on his arm.-


    It doesn¡¯t seem to get his attention however so she blushes and lightly kisses his cheek which does draw his attention.


    Kline: ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I got distracted¡­¡±


    Scylla then drags him back over to their chairs¡­


    Zoey: ¡°Hey Boss. This is great!¡±


    ¡°I am glad you like it.¡±


    The party slowly begins to progress again, Roxy has a hard time trying to get Zoey to take off the armor, but after whispering in her ear, she quickly heads out of the room coming back a few minutes later without it¡­ Poor Zoey is so easy to read¡­


    Scylla and Kline decide on heading to the Calhoun Capital, which is where the girls went to raise Bell¡¯s rank when they were at Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. I am not quite sure why they are going there instead of Gown¡¯s Capital, but Belinda figures it just so they can actually be alone.


    To make it back before my birthday Scylla and Kline have to leave within the week, but by the next morning they are already packed and ready to go¡­ We have breakfast together and see them off. Belinda whispers to Scylla causing her to blush a brightly and then she hands her a bag of gold coins that should be enough to get them though a month.


    Kline¡¯s xp has left us in relatively good shape now, and we have the 10,000xp put back plus a decent amount in reserve.


    Dyson sends me some messages every now and again over the next few weeks making sure I am prepared for the birth of the new core and about a week before my birthday he arrives in Tobes again. This time he is without his armor.


    Dyson: Greetings. ¡°I thought I would bring you your core summoning stone, and go over the last bit of details before hand.¡±


    ¡°Well I think I am pretty much set I have and two ideas for the new core¡¯s training. If the first doesn¡¯t work I got a backup so it should be alright.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Good to hear.¡±


    He talks about how the summoning process is going to work.


    Dyson: ¡°You saw the most of it last year during the elder selection, but once we set the core summoning stone in your dungeon it should take care of the rest.¡±


    I leave Bell to the office and take Dyson to the house. The summoning stone is like a large stone bench so I take him into the ballroom.


    Dyson: ¡°This should work fine, although I wouldn¡¯t throw a party for the summoning if I was you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t plan on it¡­¡±


    Using the storage magic he pulls the large stone bench practically out of thin air. It is solid stone so it much weighs a ton yet he carries it like a simple wooden bench setting down in the middle of the floor.


    ¡°I would really like to learn that magic one of these days. I also was wondering if the next time you need something copied, if I could ask for a means of teleportation magic as a reward.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Storage wouldn¡¯t be hard at all unless you can¡¯t use shadow magic, but teleportation¡­ They are all pretty high level spells. I think the only one you would be able to cast would be a self teleport, and the range wouldn¡¯t be that great.¡±


    ¡°Well I have a mage type class so maybe that would help?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The lowest group teleportation spell I know costs 500mp¡±


    ¡°Well I could manage¡­ It would be at my limit, but I could use it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Really you have exceeded 500mp at your level? You really must have taken every mage skill available. In that case I will see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°I hope the ring was sufficient for your needs for the last request?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It was a big help, although you didn¡¯t need to spend the extra on such an elaborate ring, a simple band would have sufficed.¡±


    ¡°Well it wasn¡¯t really a problem.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I was glad to hear the xp gem was sufficient as well, I think I have a pretty good understanding the value of items xp cost compared to how much the item would cost with gold, but rare items like that ring can really throw you off sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Human gold still leaves me scratching my head most days.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you are all set up. The new dungeon core #245 will be born in one week at exactly 10am. Her race and personality will be based on her training core, so hope you don¡¯t have any weird fetishes or your princess might find out about them.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t have anything like that.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well we will see¡­ I will be keeping an eye on the training of the new cores so don¡¯t be surprised to see me looking in on you.¡±


    ¡°Like I said I really don¡¯t mind as long as you avoid the bedrooms and bathrooms if you don¡¯t mind to keep the girls at ease.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well I have never been particularly fond of beastkin, so no need to worry much there. Well you are my first stop, so I got 6 more of these to deliver so I better get along with it.¡±


    Without as much as a nod he disappears¡­ I open up [Menu] and it shows a screen for the core summoning bench, but I can¡¯t do anything with it and it just has a countdown timer. That ends what is most likely 10am, 7 days from now.


    Since I am already here I decide to pop in on Lilah to see how things are going in the dungeon. She has summoned a few combat training items in the core room and when I arrive it is just in time to hear a loud crack of her whip at it hits a training dummy.


    ¡°You have gotten pretty good with that thing. I remember thinking that there was no way it would make a good weapon, but I guess it just takes the right touch.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah practices every chance she gets.¡±


    ¡°Well I am glad you are getting the use out of it, but don¡¯t over work yourself. Don¡¯t forget to take some down time as well.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes Master.¡±


    ¡°How are things going in the dungeon?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah used the xp from Kline to finish out most the rifts in the existing rooms, but the dragonkin. The slimes at the bottom however are a rift.¡±


    ¡°Has anyone made it past the last floor yet?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°We had a few get close, but the silver slime are sneaky and quick, even with the warning about them at the adventurer¡¯s guild they are still unable to pass the room.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful we don¡¯t need a hero showing up.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah would like to see what one fights like though.¡±


    ¡°We have come quite a ways since Listel visited, but I assure you, we still aren¡¯t ready.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes Master¡­¡±


    I leave Lilah to the dungeon and return to the office looking at the new office as I pass by. It is taking quite a long time for its construction and I was quite surprised when Belinda said it might take even till the end of the year before it is completely done.


    It however seems to be at least the size of our house and is constructed from stone they are cutting directly out of the mountain and hauling down so I guess it shouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise.


    Also the stone that is left from when a one of the golems in the dungeon dies is quite sought after for buildings such as this, so a commission has been set to recover as much as possible from the dungeon.


    I finish out the rest of the day at the office with Bell and we meet up with the others for our weekly dinner together. Things seem to still be going great with Roxy and Zoey. Bell and Sofia seem to have kind of grouped up together, but they are mostly quiet.


    Lilah has still been worrying me a bit with how she is acting in the dungeon, but we make her take a few days off a week, and with her combat training she seems to be making a bit of progress.


    I tried to get Belinda not to make a big deal about my birthday because I will be busy with the new core, but she has already began making the preparations, and invited what I think is half the town for it. She told me Scylla and Kline are also on their way back from their vacation and should arrive the day before.


    I wake up on the morning of my birthday with a small wrapped package sitting on my chest. I move it out of the way and sit up. I am alone in the bedroom even though the sun still has yet to rise. I pick up the package and look it over.


    It just a small box wrapped in a bright green colored wrapping with bow on top. I unwrap it and open the box. Inside is a very high quality set of clothing folded up along with a note.


    Good morning~ I hope you like the clothes I got for your birthday, and to welcome a new core into our home you should be dressed in the best. After you get dressed I will be waiting for you downstairs with the girls.


    I set the note down and pull the clothes from the box. I thought with the quality of the clothes it would be something flashy, but after looking them over they don¡¯t look much different than my other clothes another then the quality of the material and the craftsmanship.


    I feel the softness of the material with my fingers for a second then I notice something¡­ I pick up Belinda¡¯s pillow next to me and take a deep breath, and then hold the clothes up to my face taking another deep breath¡­


    I am not quite sure why but the clothes smell like Belinda¡­ I have never known her to sew anything so surely she couldn¡¯t have made them, but I can¡¯t think of another reason she would have enough contact with them to leave her scent behind.


    I guess it isn¡¯t like it matters, I actually find the scent rather comforting and enjoyable. I find myself putting the clothes on without using [Menu] like I am afraid the scent will disappear if I do. After getting dressed I prepare to leave the room taking ahold of my shirt briefly just to breathe deeply again before walking out of the room.


    When I enter the dining room everyone is already sitting around the table chatting happily. They all seem to be wearing their best sets of clothes. Even Zoey¡¯s and Lilah¡¯s hair have been brushed thoroughly¡­


    I have a bit of a questioning look on my face as Belinda quickly makes her way to me wrapping one of her arms around me, kissing me, and rubbing my chest with her other hand.


    Belinda: ¡°That looks great on you.¡±


    ¡°I thought I said I didn¡¯t want you to make a big deal of my birthday, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are going to begin training a new core today, I just want to make sure we all make a good impression. We are all your monsters, and if we are not up to par it would look bad on you.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t really that big of a deal¡­¡± ¨CI turn my attention to Scylla. - ¡°I see you made it in last night then? Is Kline still in bed?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I think so, he wanted to stay for your birthday party this evening, but he has already been away from Logan so long¡­ He is going to begin heading back this morning so I wanted to let him rest.¡±


    ¡°How did things go for you and Kline?¡±


    Scylla blushes and turns her head.


    Zoey: ¡°We were just asking her when you came in, but so far she won¡¯t give it up.¡±


    ¡°Well as long as you enjoyed yourselves that is what matters, if you don¡¯t want to talk about it, it¡¯s ok.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t tell her that Boss I want the details!¡±


    Roxy hits Zoey on the shoulder.


    Scylla: ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    Lilah says matter-of-factly ¡°Couldn¡¯t have enjoyed it to much they still used separate rooms last night.¡±


    Scylla is blushing brightly as she quickly says. ¡°Of course we are, we had our own rooms the whole time!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What¡¯s the point of a romantic getaway if you don¡¯t spend it together?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We did! But sharing a room¡­ That is just too much¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°It¡¯s alright Scylla ignore them, take all the time you need.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That sounds strange coming from you.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You think I wanted to grow up the way I did? I think the fact she gets to make the choice herself very important.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¨CZoey¡¯s ears droop.-


    Roxy: ¡°I know¡­ -She says with a sweet smile while kissing the end of Zoey¡¯s nose.-


    Sofia: ¡°I am surprised even if you haven¡¯t made a move that he hasn¡¯t tried it yet¡­ I mean he is a man right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°As long as I can remember Kline has been at Logan¡¯s side, he has always been reserved.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°From what I have heard about your brother. He seems like he was quite the ladies¡¯ man before Queen wrapped him around her finger. If Kline was around for all that you would think they would be just alike.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Kline has his duties to Logan, and he is afraid a serious relationship will affect that.¡±


    ¡°Of course it would, but I thought it was obvious by now that Logan is obviously alright with that.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Maybe he just doesn¡¯t know how to do it! I could show him how if you want!¡±


    Scylla couldn¡¯t possibly blush any brighter as she quickly says ¡°No! Besides if that was the case I would show him!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°So you do want him to!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough girls¡­ We have a lot to do today, to be worrying about Scylla¡¯s love life¡­¡±


    We then finish up with breakfast, and even after cleaning up the sun has barely begun to rise. When Scylla leaves to check on Kline, Belinda pulls me off to the side.


    Belinda: ¡°You know not the showing him part, but what Lilah said might be true¡­He could be holding back because he doesn¡¯t know what to do and is embarrassed about it. Maybe you should talk to him about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea I am sure that would be a fun conversation.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I didn¡¯t say it would be fun, but I can see Scylla is frustrated like I was¡­ And you explaining it to him is far better than having a prostitute do it like you did.¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright¡­ If I get the chance I will talk to him before he goes, but shouldn¡¯t that be Logan¡¯s job?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Kline would never talk to Logan about it. He would be too ashamed to lose face in Logan¡¯s eyes.¡±


    Belinda then goes and begins setting up the ballroom for my party this evening. Lilah heads to the core room, but if there aren¡¯t any adventurers in the dungeon just before 10 she is supposed to return for the birth of the new core.


    The core summoning stone is kind of in the way being in the middle of the floor of the ball room, but after the new core is born I should be able to remove it with [Menu]. I decide to check on Scylla and Kline and find them passionately kissing in the hallway outside his room, so apparently they were able to make some progress during their trip. When they notice me they both blush and seem ashamed¡­


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt.¡±


    Kline: ¡°It¡¯s quite alright. I should really get on the road anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well I will let you say your goodbyes¡­ If you don¡¯t mind I would like to have a word with you before you go, so when you are ready I will be downstairs.¡±


    I sigh as I sit in one of the chairs in the large dining room. For some reason Kline knocks on the door before entering.


    Kline: ¡°You wanted to talk to me sir?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask how things were going between you and Scylla.¡±


    Kline: ¡°¡­Things are going great Sir! Scylla and I had a great time during out trip.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ But you had separate rooms the entire time?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Yes sir! I promise!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Hu...?¡±


    ¡°Do you not feel strongly enough about Scylla to sleep with her?¡±


    Kline: ¡°I am not sure I understand Sir¡­ I care for Scylla very much¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it her appearance then?


    Kline: ¡°Of course not. I am not going to lie and say it was love at first sight or anything like that, but after I got to know her I begun to see her as beautiful¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    Kline: ¡°We barely know each other¡­¡±


    ¡°You have talked to each other almost every day for almost a year now.¡±


    Kline: ¡°We both have are responsibilities, mine to the Young Master, and Scylla to you¡­¡±


    ¡°You had a full month without having to worry anything about that.¡±


    Kline: ¡°We haven¡¯t even talked about getting married¡­¡±


    ¡°Belinda and I aren¡¯t married. Not that I am sure one of these days she isn¡¯t going to make me eventually marry her¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°I still don¡¯t understand Sir¡­ I mean you are making it sound like I should have slept with her.¡±


    ¡°By the way I have seen you two when you are together, and by what you said. I was wondering if there was a good reason why you haven¡¯t slept with her, because so far I haven¡¯t seen one.¡±


    Kline: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Logan told me you were still a virgin. Do you not know how to do it?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Just because I haven¡¯t done it before doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know how!¡±


    ¡°Well at least I was saved from that one¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°That isn¡¯t the only thing though. What about her?¡±


    ¡°Well take it from someone that has been there¡­ Women are quite finicky about the when and where or at least Belinda is, but I am sure you probably missed quite a few chances over the past month.¡±


    Kline: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I will let you get on the road, but next time you two are able to spend time together, if everything is going good, just try to go further. If she wants you to she will tell you to stop.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Well Sir¡­Thanks for the talk¡­ I think¡­¡±


    After a bow Kline leaves the room and I slunk back in my chair¡­ ¡°Well I did more than my part, the rest is up to them I guess.¡±


    A sudden voice causes me to sit bolt upright in my chair.


    Belinda: ¡°Well not ¡°too¡± bad of a job. It¡¯s your birthday today so I will give you a pass.¡± ¨CShe says as she enters the room from the kitchen.-


    She then walks over to me putting a hand on each arm of my chair leaning forward kissing me. After I warp my arms around her pulling her closer she sits in my lap without our lips ever parting. While we kiss I begin to manipulate one of her breasts over her clothes, but once I reach down to slide my hand up into her shirt she stops me.


    Belinda: ¡°Na na na, you can squeeze the package a bit, but you can¡¯t open all your presents before your birthday party.¡±


    She kisses me again then jumps up saying. ¡°Besides we don¡¯t have enough time.¡±


    I check a screen looking at the corner. ¡°We still have just over an hour.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like I said. Not enough time.¡± ¨CShe says with a wink before leaving me alone in the room alone again.-


    I lean back in my chair again for a moment before slapping my cheeks a bit and getting up straightening my clothes then heading into the other room.

 Dungeon Core #245

    The girls continue to work on the ballroom preparing for my birthday party, but about 15 minutes before the time the new core is supposed to be born they stop while we gather around.


    Belinda: ¡°It is supposed to be a girl right? How old is she going to look?¡±


    Scylla enters the room after following Kline to the edge of town before returning, and she says. ¡°It all depends on Master.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°The number and sex of the new core is determined beforehand, but the age, how she will look, or even her race will depend on Two-Twelve¡¯s tastes.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°In other words it will be like being able to take a peek into Boss¡¯s pervy mind. I bet you she will be a beastkin.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I highly doubt that, I am sure she will resemble Belinda.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh yea? I¡¯ll bet you!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I got some gold left from the trip so ok, if the new core is a beastkin you win, if its anything else I win.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That¡¯s not what you said, but ok 5 gold.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°How about doubling it if she has larger breasts!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°No deal on that one¡­¡±


    ¡°I like Belinda¡¯s breasts just the way they are!¡±


    Bell looks skeptical and a little nervous covering hers¡­ I just sigh.


    As the countdown hits 5 minutes I actually begin to get nervous and Belinda takes ahold of my hand. At 2 minutes I remember clothing and quickly scramble to summon some clothes. It¡¯s a dress much like the ones Lilah wear but the size is quite a bit larger.


    Zoey elbows Roxy and says. ¡°See.¡±


    Light then fills the room. When the light fades the stone statue looking featureless figure on the bench appears quite a bit small then I anticipated. The dress is clearly way to large, I try to summon a smaller size but not before the rock begins breaking off the statue disappearing.


    Ears like Zoey¡¯s but at least twice as large, twitch on the girls head and she sits up. The girl appears older then Lilah but not by more than a year or two. Other than the large snow white ears on top of her head and bushy snow white tail she has only a few small strips of fur on her body.


    I want to say I proved my point because her breasts aren¡¯t as large as Belinda¡¯s, but they are only barely smaller, and with her size if she grows they probably will be quite a bit larger then Belinda¡¯s¡­ She raises her arms and begins to stretch causing them to jiggle. I quickly resume my effort to summon another dress.


    As she stretches she also yawns showing some rather large canine teeth in her mouth. She finally opens her eyes and they are a captivating golden color with slit pupils. She blinks a few times looking around the room as I finally find a dress again.


    Before I have a chance to summon another one she jumps up, runs to me, and jumps wrapping her arms around my neck and begins to rub her cheek against mine as her snow white tail waves back and forth behind her.


    Girl: ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Scylla sighs handing Zoey a couple of coins while Zoey has her chest puffed out. I grab the girl by the shoulders trying to pull her off of me while I summon another dress. I pull the dress over her head  and she puts her arms through the arm holes before she wraps her arms back around me rubbing her face against mine while her tail wags under her dress.


    Belinda: ¡°This isn¡¯t normal is it...?¡±


    Belinda seems to be a bit upset, but the girl pulls herself off me then looks at Belinda.


    Girl: ¡°Are you mommy then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Aww¡­¡± ¨Cshe holds her arms out to the girl and the girl jumps in her arms rubbing her face against Belinda¡¯s.- ¡°You can call me mommy if you want!¡±


    ¡°Wait just a minute here!¡±


    Sofia says to Scylla. ¡°Have you guys ever had a normal day¡­?¡±


    The girl quits hugging Belinda and looks back at me tilting her head. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Daddy?¡±


    ¡°You are a dungeon core right?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Of course! And once Daddy trains me I will become the best dungeon core ever!¡±


    ¡°You know everything on how a dungeon core is right?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Silly Daddy, Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°You know how to use [Menu], [Communication], how to use magic, and stuff like that?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t worry little Inari, Daddy had a rough time when he started¡± ¨CShe says hugging the girl from behind.-


    ¡°Inari?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°Well I guess it doesn¡¯t matter she can choose her own after her training is over.¡±


    Inari: ¡°So is Daddy going to begin my training now?¡±


    ¡°Well I want to try something a little different. It will take a lot of work, but if it works it will give you a major head start.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy is the best! Ok let¡¯s do it!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°first let¡¯s get you some proper clothes, because that dress just isn¡¯t cutting it.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Let me know where to set up my training dungeon and I will just summon some.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Belinda & Inari: ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, just try not to use [Menu] for now.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°If my plan is going to work at all you are going to have to avoid [Menu] for the month.¡±


    Inari: ¡°If Daddy says so¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok let¡¯s go get you some clothes.¡±


    After they are gone I begin looking at several messages that have appeared.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss is more of a perv then I thought.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What does that make you? You have asked me to call you daddy before.¡±


    Zoey quickly covers Roxy¡¯s mouth and has a sheepish grin on her face.


    I shake my head while looking at the messages.


    Dungeon Core #245 has been born in your dungeon


    242,500 xp jewel added to dungeon inventory for her training. Due to restriction removal by Elder Dyson, xp may be used without restrictions.


    New Items Available


    Training Core Crystal*                                  Cost: 0xp


    *Item can be only be used for training cores.


    New Dungeon Set Available


    Training Dungeon Set*                                Cost: 0xp


    *Item can only be used for training cores.


    Dungeon Core #245 name has been temporarily set as [Inari] until the end of her training.


    242,500xp¡­ That¡¯s a lot of xp, if my first plan works Inari¡¯s dungeon after training might quickly grow larger than mine¡­


    Sofia: ¡°Am I the only one that finds it creepy everyone just handled that event like it wasn¡¯t strange?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°After being with Boss long enough you just get used to stuff like that.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t know what normal would even look like anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks a lot you two¡­ I guess you guys can get back to planning the party for this evening. If you don¡¯t mind though I might borrow you Sofia.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°You are the highest level monster I got. Besides like you said you found it weird, you probably have the best sense for what normal is for training a core, so I might need your help.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Alright¡­ but don¡¯t expect me to ever call you daddy¡­¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Just go get your gear ready.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Wait Boss is going to fight? I wanna go!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be doing any fighting. Just Inari.¡±


    Sofia equips her gear with [Menu], after 20 or so minutes Belinda returns with Inari, but Inari appear to be wearing an odd robe.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s formal wear clothing in Shima¡±


    ¡°Shima?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s an island off the coast way up north. I heard a legend they worship a snow white fox god named Inari there, and that was why I chose her name and clothes.¡±


    ¡°If they worship it, then it is probably a beastkin dungeon core, you could have just stole another dungeon core¡¯s name.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have looked in your book before, I have never seen it.¡±


    ¡°She needs clothes for combat anyway, because I am going to begin her training.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s ok Daddy, this is like a mage robe so it will be ok.¡±


    ¡°Oh so you a mage type of core?¡±


    Inari looks like she struggles with herself for a minute before saying. ¡°Well I guess it is ok if it is Daddy asking, but yes I am a mage.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let you prepare for the party, I will make sure we are back before then. Come on Inari.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But I want to go¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like Zoey¡­ I am just going to take her to get her adventurer¡¯s ID then to the dungeon to train.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But if you are going to the adventurer¡¯s guild I really should go!¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ but you come back when we go up to the dungeon alright?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­ok¡­¡±


    We head to the adventurer¡¯s guild with Inari walking between Belinda and me holding our hands which might look cute if Inari appeared about 10 years younger instead of looking at most 5 year younger then Belinda¡­ Sofia follows up behind us shaking her head.


    Receptionist: ¡°And who is this?¡±


    Inari: ¡°My mommy and daddy brought me here to get my adventurer¡¯s ID.¡±


    The receptionist has a confused look on her face.


    ¡°We are giving her a hand like we did the others¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Isn¡¯t it so cute! She calls me mommy!¡±


    Me and Receptionist: ¡°¡­¡±


    We go through the process of making Inari an adventurer ID. Belinda quickly snatches up the ID so the receptionist can¡¯t see. She then shows me the result¡­


    Adventurer #92,157 [Inari]                                       Base: Tobes


    Race: Divine Beastkin (Fox)                           Gender: FemaleThis tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Rank: D                                                            Level: 1


    Class: Spiritual Mage                                   Favored Element: N/A


    Commissions Complete: 0


    Dungeon Crystal Destroyed: 0


    I grab one of the most basic commissions off the board for the dungeon for Inari.


    Receptionist: ¡°You are already going to take her to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°She is a mage so she can stay in the back safely.¡±


    The receptionist approves the commission and we quickly leave the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Inari is holding her ID looking at it. ¡°Lookie, I am like Daddy!¡± she points at the N/A on her favored Element.


    ¡°Wait you know about my element?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Of course, because it¡¯s Daddy!¡±


    ¡°What kind of skills and spells do you have?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t know you told me not to look at [Menu].¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­Well if we don¡¯t know what spells you can use being a mage won¡¯t help you much. I guess open it up but only look at your status screen.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Ok, I should be ok now.¡±


    ¡°You have some skills and spells already?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Of course, I am a mage class after all.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    When we get back to the house I have Belinda sit with Inari while I go and tell Lilah the plan. And make sure we won¡¯t run into any problems with other adventurers. I then transfer back to the house and find Belinda hugging Inari as she sits in a chair.


    ¡°¡­ Alright time for us to get to work¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Later Mommy, I will work hard just watch.¡±


    Belinda looks extremely pleased as she lets go of Inari and I transfer us to one of the pit rooms. The golems at the end of the room ignore us and I pull a chair from storage for Sofia and myself sitting down.


    ¡°Ok we are going to start with some simple slimes, about 10 of them after you finish them I want you to check your status screen again.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But I don¡¯t have my dungeon set up yet Daddy, I can¡¯t take xp back if it¡¯s not set up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright I am actually hoping for that result.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only one battle, but if I am right you will see. Are you ready?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Ok daddy!¡±


    I summon 10 husky slime for a total of 100xp. They don¡¯t attack just kind of blob around about 30ft around on the ground.


    ¡°Ok get rid of them.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But they aren¡¯t doing anything.¡±


    ¡°I just want to check this if it works then we will do a real fight.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Ok Daddy. Watch this!¡±


    Inari holds her hand in a weird shape and draws a circle in the air after reaching several points a small ball appears in the air, and after the circle complete there are 6 different colored balls. With direction from her other hand each ball shoots through the air each hitting a different slime having a different effect.


    1 burns a slime, 1 freezes another, 1 brown ball simply crashes into a slime, 1 green ball flattens into a disc slicing another, a glowing ball shoots through a slime, while the last black ball completely consumes a slime in shadows and when the shadow fades the slime is gone.


    Sofia: ¡°Did that spell use all 6 elements at once?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Each ball was an element, so all 6 would have to hit at once to be affected by all 6 elements.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°The magic cost must be extremely high¡­.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Not as high as you think, I combine all 6 basic attack element spells, but it only cost as much as casting four of them. I am sure as my skill ranks up it will become better though.¡±


    ¡°Well you got 4 left, so don¡¯t let your guard down in combat.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But they aren¡¯t doing anything! And Sofia started it¡­¡±


    ¡°These are the only monsters that won¡¯t attack you so don¡¯t get used to it, now take care of the other four.¡±


    Inari puffs out her cheeks and stomps her feet, she then turns back to the 4 remaining slimes. She draws the circle again taking the slimes out with 4 of the six balls the other two circle around her for a few seconds before they disappear.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy! Daddy! I leveled up!¡±


    Sofia: ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± ¨CI have a sly smile on my face as I say. - ¡°Simple she killed enough monsters to gather enough xp to level up.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But she is a dungeon core they don¡¯t level like that.¡±


    ¡°How do you think Dyson reached such a high level in only short time? He must have kept his levels he gained while he was a human. Inari hasn¡¯t formed a dungeon yet so she is basically just a dungeon monster, not a core.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But that¡¯s¡­.¡±


    ¡°My job is to make her strong enough so she can survive, if I spend this month training her this way, she could easily be stronger then me before the end of the month.¡±


    Inari: ¡°So what is next Daddy?!¡±


    ¡°How are you doing on magic?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am still ok¡­¡±


    ¡°Ok I am going to summon 6 more slime this time they will try to attack you. Once you defeat them I will summon 6 more, we will repeat it until you are low on magic then we will take a break and start again.¡±


    After two more waves of the slime none have even came close to her, but she has to take a break. After a little rest we go again and after 3 more waves she levels again. However she seems pretty tired so I make her take another break.


    ¡°The down time is longer then it takes her to fight and run out of magic¡­ How many rings can you wear?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°As many as you want¡­. But I think what you are getting at is you can only receive benefits from 2 rings at a time.¡±


    ¡°What about other jewelry?¡±


    Sofia:  ¡°1 necklace, 1 set of earrings/helmet/headband, 1 bracelet/set of bangles, 2 rings. You also have Clothes/underarmor, Armor, belt, and boots. You also have you primary and seceondary weapons. In the end though you can only have one of each type of enchantment.¡±


    ¡°So no matter how many I do if I can only increase her magic once?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well if you have different types of enchantments it will work, or even different ranks, but you can¡¯t combine the powers of Belinda and Scylla¡¯s rings. You could use one of their rings and another one of higher rank however.¡±


    ¡°I only know the one enchantment¡­¡±


    I summon another minor magic ring for Inari, using a small silver band. Of course I can¡¯t leave it just a plain band so after some work once the ring is summoned it is 6 different colored strands woven together forming the actual ring.


    ¡°Inari, use this it might help with your magic just a bit.¡±


    She rubs the ring against her cheek saying. ¡°Thanks Daddy! I will cherish it!¡± She slides the ring onto her middle finger and hugs her hand.


    After taking a few more breaks and defeating 9 more waves of husky slimes she reaches level 3 but she is almost out of magic again so I finish her off with a 10<sup>th</sup> wave before letting her rest.


    ¡°Only spending 1500xp and you are already a level higher then when I started my dungeon.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I can¡¯t believe this¡­¡±


    Inari is inelegantly sitting on the floor breathing roughly. ¡°Daddy¡­ How much more¡­?¡±


    ¡°I think we are done with the slimes, it still takes 1 ball per slime even though it easily kills them so your magic won¡¯t keep up. Maybe we should also give you some kind of weapon to help supplement some damage.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well if she is a mage you should stick to a staff or a rod¡­¡±


    ¡°I got the perfect thing¡­¡±


    I open [Menu] finding the battle staff. I go ahead and crank it up to master quality. A plan staff of course however isn¡¯t good enough so I spend the next 20 or so minutes thinking up a design. Inari¡¯s breathing has finally calmed down and she is repositioned herself to be kneeling sitting with her legs kicked over to one side.


    Once I finally have a plan for a staff I focus while summoning. The resulting item is a staff that is far from perfectly straight appearing like a branch from a tree although appears to be made of strands of metal like her ring. Along the length of the staff are 6 colored stones representing each element woven into the strands, and each end of the staff has been tapered down to a bladed end.


    Inari looks extremely happy and Sofia quite shocked as I receive a message.


    New Item Created


    Through painstaking effort the [Intricately Designed Master Quality Battle Staff] has resulted in the creation of a unique item.


    New Items Available


    Bladed Combat Staff:                              Cost: 500xp


    [Inari¡¯s Staff]: A unique bladed combat staff made by dungeon core #212 during Inari¡¯s training. Made with elven ironwood woven around a dark steel staff with bladed ends, and contains 6 gemstones able to store 1 spell of the element determined by the stones color.


    ¡°I have never even seen elven ironwood. For Zoey¡¯s armor I at least had access to the materials when I created it. If I can keep creating items like this I might need Dyson¡¯s help for much longer¡­¡±


    Inari jumps up taking the staff from me. It is easily as tall as her but she has no difficulty as she twirls it around expertly.


    ¡°Well I guess there is no need to worry if you will be able to use it¡­¡±


    Inari runs up to me giving me a hug. ¡°Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Daddy. This is the best!¡±


    ¡°Well are you ready for some more training?¡±


    Inari lets go of me she then turns to the empty room sliding her feet across the floor taking a battle stance. Her ears perk up and her tail sticking straight out twitching at the end.


    I don¡¯t want to start her off with too much so I summon a single young kobold giving it some gear from storage. As soon as it hits the ground it charges Inari swinging its sword. Inari twirls her staff around parrying the sword with one end of it as the kobold passes her.


    She spins around slashing the kobold¡¯s back with the other side of the staff, causing the kobold to scream out. It doesn¡¯t drop him however as he turns quickly swinging his shield crashing into Inari pushing her back a few feet across the floor.


    She has a small amount of blood on her lip but the distance gives her the advantage. Now without using her hand and just twirling the staff the 6 small colored balls appear in a circle all shooting out at the kobold at once.


    The kobold manages to hit the red ball with his sword causing a small explosion, but not big enough to affect him. He also manages to block the blue, green, and brown balls with his shield. He also would have blocked the black one but it seemingly passes right though his shield, and it along with the white ball hits his body.


    The light and shadow seem to fight for dominance over the kobold¡¯s body but it doesn¡¯t make the kobold any less dead as it hits the floor.


    ¡°Are you alright? It looks like he got you pretty good there with his shield.¡±


    Inari wipes her mouth with the back of one of her hands looking at the blood.


    Inari: ¡°I am ok Daddy¡­¡±


    ¡°You think you can handle two at once?¡±


    She looks a little worried but she nods. She then turns back around taking her stance again.


    This time when I summon two young kobolds I give one a spear and the other a great-sword. Inari doesn¡¯t give them a chance this time. As soon as they hit the ground and begin their charge, she pelts both of them each with three of the colored balls.


    The spear kobold can¡¯t handle the spell and falls but the great-sword kobold manages to evade one of the balls and block another with its sword only taking the third in the shoulder which begins to ice over.


    It swings its massive sword down when it reaches Inari, but she holds her staff out to block the blow. She manages to prevent being sliced up, but the sheer impact of the blade causes her to fall back on her butt and she drops her staff.


    She scrambles across the floor to try to grab it but the young kobold kicks her causing her to roll over grabbing ahold of her stomach. As the kobold begins to bring his sword down on her again I order it to stop a mere inches from her face.


    Inari begins to cry while clutching her stomach as the kobold stands down stepping back.


    ¡°No use crying, if this was a real battle you would be dead now. Get up and let¡¯s go again.¡±


    She chokes back the tears and pulls herself to her feet dusting herself off. She then walks over picking up her staff.


    ¡°You ready to try again?¡±


    She returns to her battle stance after nodding but her tail is now drooping loosely and her ears are no longer perky.


    As soon as I summon another kobold the great-sword wielding kobold charges which she targets with all 6 balls this time. She however is caught off guard as I summoned the other kobold with a bow this time. The great-sword wielding kobold didn¡¯t hold up to her entire spell, but she also takes an arrow to the shoulder loosed from the archer.


    Inari screams out in pain, and then casts a single spell this time hitting the archer with a small [frost] spell then charges forward with her staff. This time the archer aims down hitting her in the leg causing her to drop to the floor.


    Inari begins to cry again as the archer draws back it bow with another arrow. She closes her eyes tight as the arrow flies though the air, but it clanks against floor right next to where she is laying, and the kobold stands down.


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry *sniffle* Daddy, I wasn¡¯t ready for that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ready or not adventurers or monsters are not going to go easy on you. You must be ready for anything. You didn¡¯t have enough magic to hit the archer with a full volley did you?¡±


    Inari: ¡°No¡­ *Sniffle* I thought if I took care of the one with the *Sniffle* Great-sword, the spear user would have been easy against my staff.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s rest a bit, before we try again.¡±


    I get up walking over to her pulling the arrow from her leg and shoulder causing her scream out. I then heal the wounds.


    Sofia: ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit hard on her? I mean it is her first day¡­¡±


    ¡°If this kind of training is going to give her a head start, we have to push her to her limit.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But she is a mage¡­¡±


    ¡°And she went into battle without enough magic. We have given her plenty of chances to rest, so she should have known better. I am not going to let her die in these fights, but if I take it easy on her she won¡¯t take it seriously.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Daddy¡­¡±


    ¡°Now is the time to make these mistakes, you won¡¯t get the chance after your training is over. It may be painful, but maybe that pain will remind you not to make that mistake again.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I understand Daddy, I will try harder¡­¡±


    ¡°Rest up, and when you are ready we will go again.¡±


    After 10 more waves she finally gets the knack for it though, I switch the weapons and equipment every time I summon them but she doesn¡¯t lose another match. She has taken quite a bit of damage however and I heal her between each wave but her ¡°robe¡± is in pretty bad shape.


    At one point though the observation window I seen Dyson watching her practice so to keep him on his toes I made sure we stopped long enough for us to wave at him.


    She still has only reached halfway to level 5 but it is now almost time for the birthday party so I transfer us back to the house¡­ When we arrive Belinda is wearing a gorgeous dress the hugs her curves. She sees the state of Inari¡¯s outfit she yells at me, but I don¡¯t mind much because the dress has me distracted.


    Belinda takes Inari and they retreat to the bedroom. When they return the outfit is a completely new one. Even the colors and patterns are different.


    ¡°You know I haven¡¯t seen anything like that in the [Menu] where are they¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I searched formal wear for females selecting Shima for region.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you could do that¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You two better go get dressed as well.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was didn¡¯t you set these clothes out for me just for that reason today?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That was for meeting the new core! Of course I have something else for your party!¡±


    I sigh and head to the bedroom.


    I stand looking at myself in the mirror after changing my outfit for my birthday party¡­ I can¡¯t really tell the difference between this set of clothes and the ones I just took off, but I am sure if I didn¡¯t change Belinda would have noticed.


    I head down to the ballroom in time to see the guests begin to arrive. I put on my best ¡°mayor¡± smile and greet them welcoming them in. I find Inari sticking close to Belinda as they walk around greeting a few people that have already arrived and making the final touches.


    The people are rather confused when Inari introduces herself as Belinda and my daughter, but Belinda seems oblivious as she rubs her cheek against Inari¡¯s smiling. I find Lilah upset sitting in a chair with her arms crossed wearing a puffy dress with her hair all made up.


    All the other girls seem to be wearing matching dresses as well. Sofia and Bell seem to be hiding in the corner, while Scylla and Roxy are busy helping Belinda with the final touches. Zoey is sitting at the bar wearing one of the dresses as well but talking with several of the villagers like she is just one of the guys¡­


    I ask Belinda if there is I can do to help and she send Inari to me, and tells me just to relax. I don¡¯t know if Belinda had the chance yet or not, so I take Inari to meet Lilah.


    Inari: ¡°Are you one of my big-sisters?¡±


    Lilah watches Inari suspiciously then says. ¡°Lilah is Master¡¯s number 2. Remember that and you will be fine.¡±


    Inari runs up to Lilah wrapping her arms around her jumping up and down while Lilah has a sour expression on her face.


    Inari: ¡°Big sister Lilah is funny and a cute bunny!¡±


    Inari appears to whisper something into Lilah¡¯s ear while hugging her, which causes Lilah¡¯s face to change from annoyed to that of concern. Inari lets her go then looks to me.


    Inari: ¡°Ok Daddy, I worked hard and am tired, and Mommy said to relax so let¡¯s go sit down.¡±


    As I take Inari to go sit down. Lilah jumps up from her chair moving over to Bell and Sofia to begin talking with them.


    The party is nothing if not what I would call bland¡­ A bunch of villagers all gathered gossiping all evening. Of course a lot of the conversations have been about the sudden appearance of Inari, her unique clothing, and her manner of calling Belinda and me, Mommy and Daddy.


    I open quite a few of the gifts from the villagers, but none of them have anything that are very relevant to me. Only a few will be used and mostly they are gifts that pertain to things I would use at the office.


    The gift I received from Belinda is a simple coffee cup but each girl has seemed to write something along it.


    Belinda wrote ¡°I love you¡±, Scylla wrote ¡°Thanks for everything Master¡±, Zoey wrote ¡°Two-Twelve is #1 Boss¡±, Roxy wrote ¡°Thank you¡±, Lilah wrote ¡°Master is the best¡±, Bell wrote ¡°Best Mayor¡±, and Sofia wrote ¡°You¡¯re Alright¡±


    There is one more bit of writing which still hasn¡¯t completely dried that I can only assume belongs to Inari which says ¡°I love Daddy!¡±


    After the party starts winding down and the guests begin to leave I can tell Inari is extremely tired. She trained really hard and even though her wounds were all heal it still takes quite the toll on you so I have Scylla show her to one of the guest rooms so she can go to sleep.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t forget it only gets harder from here on out, so rest well we will start training hard first thing in the morning.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Are you going to still have me sit in on the training?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I am not doing anything though, the monsters are yours so there is no way they could hurt her if you tell them not too.¡±


    ¡°I am more worried about myself actually¡­ She may be calling me Daddy, but she is still another dungeon core.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I am actually surprised you thought that much about it¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if a training core has ever made an attempt on a teaching core, but you never know¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But still why me?¡±


    ¡°I need Scylla and Bell at the office while I am busy with Inari, Zoey is¡­Zoey. Roxy is getting quite strong but I don¡¯t know if she is ready for something like that yet, and again you are the highest level of them all.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Why not Belinda?¡±


    ¡°Belinda seems quite taking with Inari¡­ I don¡¯t want to have to put her in that kind of situation, so I would also ask you to keep this to yourself.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Alright papa¡± ¨Cshe says with a smirk-


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After we clean up Belinda and I head to bed.


    ¡°Does that mean I can finally open the present I have been waiting on all day?¡±


    Belinda giggles while kissing me, however when I start to run my hand up her nightgown there is a knock at the door¡­


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Inari opens the door walking in and rubbing her eye with one hand wearing one of Lilah¡¯s old pajama sets.


    Inari: ¡°I can¡¯t sleep¡­ Can I come sleep with Mommy and Daddy?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright darling come here.¡±


    ¡°What about my present¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well its Inari¡¯s birthday to you know.¡±


    Inari runs and jumps crawling between Belinda and me snuggling up to us appearing to instantly fall back to sleep¡­ I still don¡¯t want to say anything to concern Belinda, but I am rather nervous about the situation as Belinda settles back down falling asleep.

 Inaris Training

    With Inari sleeping between Belinda and myself I don¡¯t get any sleep, so early the next morning I decide to get up and begin making breakfast. I use my new coffee cup I got last night to drink my coffee with while making breakfast, while yawning tiredly.


    After a while the girls begin to appear in the dining room, however Belinda and Inari still haven¡¯t arrived yet.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss looks awfully tired that must have been some birthday present he got last night.¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ A daughter¡­ Inari showed up after we were getting ready for bed¡­¡±


    Sofia looks a little concerned.


    ¡°Yea I know¡­ Needless to say it was a bit uncomfortable, so I wasn¡¯t able to get any sleep.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t like her, she said something mean to her at the party.¡±


    ¡°Well it was her first day¡­ But she Is a dungeon core so don¡¯t let your guard down around her either.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She seems to really think like you and Belinda are her parents though. You really think she would do something like that?¡±


    ¡°I would like to think not, and I want Belinda to remain that way if we can, but you never know. I am going to keep Sofia with me to make sure, and I got Lilah as backup as well she could always send something in from the core room if things turn bad.¡±


    Bell: ¡°Should you leave Belinda alone with her then?¡±


    ¡°Well if she hurt any of you it would give away her intentions, so I don¡¯t think we don¡¯t have anything to worry about there. If she is going to go after someone it would have to be a surprise attack against me or the crystal.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Isn¡¯t Belinda usually up by now though, and you said Inari stayed in you room right?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will go check to make sure.¡±


    I head back up to the bedroom but find it empty¡­ I decide to check the bathroom, and as soon as I open the door I am tackled by a soggy hug.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Come on Inari, you are getting Daddy all wet.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda moves over grabbing Inari and putting her in the tub. Again the situation would be far less creepy if Inari wasn¡¯t only a head shorter then Belinda¡­


    Belinda: ¡°I thought you two are going to have a lot of training today so Inari could use a warm bath. You still look pretty warn out yourself, why don¡¯t you join us?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yay Daddy is going to take a bath with me and Mommy!¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s alright¡­ I am working on breakfast I just came to make sure you guys made it up alright¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°No fair! I want Daddy!¡± ¨CShe says slapping the water with her fists.-


    I just shut the door and make my way back downstairs as there was just way too much wrong with that whole situation.


    Scylla: ¡°What happened to you Master? You look all wet.¡±


    ¡°They are fine¡­ They are getting a bath¡­ I don¡¯t even know where to start with what is going on with Belinda.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You said dungeon cores can¡¯t have children right?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well did Belinda know that when she choose you?¡±


    ¡°Yea she knew that before she had become my boss monster.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She probably set it in her mind that she would never have kids then. Now that Inari has showed up calling you her parents her motherly instinct just kicked in high gear as she thought she would never get the chance.¡±


    ¡°Well we talked about it before though¡­ Belinda checked on summoning a child. You can lower the age of a monster summoned almost down to birth, so when Belinda thought she would be ready to become a mom she was just going to summon a child.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But that¡¯s just not the same.¡±


    ¡°Neither is Inari¡­ At least a baby wouldn¡¯t be nearly adult acting like that¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well it is only a month, and then she will be on her way.¡±


    ¡°I think we should try to limit Belinda¡¯s time with her when all possible though.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I agree¡­¡±


    I cast clean on myself drying myself off and we then sit down to breakfast. Only when breakfast is almost completely done do Belinda and Inari arrive. Inari is wearing another one of them robe like things different yet from the last two¡­


    Lilah jumps up putting up her stuff then hugs me then heads to the core room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any problem in your choice of clothes but with using your new staff in combat as well you might want to consider something you can move around in a bit more¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Mommy gave this to me, so it will be fine.¡±


    ¡°It will also probably get tore up like the one from yesterday¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°That one was all better by this morning, so its ok.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do you want anything for breakfast Inari? You haven¡¯t eaten before have you?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Can I Daddy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, but we aren¡¯t stopping for bathroom breaks.¡±


    Inari looks confused. ¡°But I just had a bath¡­¡±


    Belinda laughs. ¡°You definitely your father¡¯s daughter.¡± She then explains the bathroom to Inari.


    ¡°Well if you are going to eat, you need to hurry we need to start.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s ok Mommy maybe tomorrow¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok¡­ Be careful with Daddy today ok?¡±


    Inari nods, and Belinda kisses her on the forehead. Belinda then walks over to me and kisses me. It is actually quite a good kiss. I could actually get used to that, but after what was sacrificed last night it isn¡¯t worth it.


    Sofia, Inari, and I then transfer to the dungeon. We are on the same platform in the dimly lit pit room. The golems patrolling the platform both head to each door and stop moving.


    I pull her staff from storage handing it to her, she then takes her stance and without further warning I begin summoning monsters again. I switch out one of the two young kobolds for a young kobold mage.


    It doesn¡¯t seem to surprise Inari this time however. It takes her a bit more work, but she manages to defeat them both. After 3 breaks and 7 more waves of the young kobolds and young kobold mages Inari hits level 5.


    I give her a short break to look over her status page and then when she is ready I summon two more monsters this time increasing the difficulty to hobgoblins.


    Reaching level 5 however seemed to change the entire ballgame however, because the balls summoned by Inari grow quite a bit brighter and when they hit the hobgoblins there is little they can do to protect themselves.


    I increase the count to 3 for the next batch of monsters summoned. This time the hobgoglins at least have a chance to blink before she wipes them out as it takes her two castings of her 6 balls. On the third summoning she targets just 2 of the hobgoblins with the balls taking them out, then hits the other with a fireball before using her staff to finish it off.


    This time however she doesn¡¯t make it out of the battle unscathed. She however quickly resumes her battle stance ready for another round. After three more rounds of 3 hobgoblins however she drops to her knees.


    She is quite battered now, and breathing heavily, but as I stand up to heal her she holds her hand out signaling me to stop. After she catches her breath she then casts a healing spell on herself. I guess she must have learned that spell as well¡­


    After resting for a bit I begin again, after 6 more waves, and one more break she has already hit level 6, and she is now officially 24 hours old¡­


    Sofia: ¡°Her progress is at an insane level. The benefits of a dungeon cores abilities but leveling like a normal monster is truly amazing.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Is Daddy proud of me?¡±


    ¡°Very much so, but once you catch your breath we will increase the difficulty again.¡±


    There was an advantage for me by summoning all those hobgoblins. The hobgoblin brute has become available for me to summon now. Although that is probably too much to throw at her so I will switch back to kobolds for a while.


    I summon 1 normal kobold and 1 kobold mage to see how she fairs, but as they are only a small amount tougher then the hobgoblin, she easily eliminates the kobolds, but has to put a little effort forth with her staff to finish the mage.


    The battle gets much more evenly matched when I add a second normal kobold in the mix along with a normal kobold mage. 3 against 1 is evenly matched in itself is rather promising¡­ She ends up wasting too much magic though and has to cast a healing spell during battle as well.


    I switch back to 1 normal kobold and 1 kobold mage, but due to the extra spells during the last wave she has to rest after defeating them.


    Inari: ¡°I could handle the 3 why did you summon less this last time.¡±


    ¡°You managed to defeat them, but you used too much magic. If you use too much magic during each fight we will have to take far more breaks, so it is more effective to do the 2 kobolds.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But¡­ Ok¡­ If Daddy says so.


    We cut it back to 1 kobold and 1 mage and it takes quite a while and several more breaks but about over a dozen more waves she finally reaches level 7. Inari is started to appear to become tired though even after resting up.


    Thought the observation window I seen Dyson check us out during one of Inari¡¯s breaks. He seemed to check us out for quite a bit longer then yesterday. Eventually I receive a message.


    Dyson: ¡°I am at a loss to understand quite what you are doing. I put quite a bit of faith in you allowing you to train one of the new cores. I hope you don¡¯t plan to disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°Far from it, I would even be willing to wager my new core will be the strongest of the 10.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is some confidence coming from the fact it is almost the end of the second day and you still haven¡¯t giving your training core access to her dungeon yet.¡±


    ¡°You said train her the way I saw fit, so continue to trust in me and I promise not to let you down.¡±


    The observation window fades and I don¡¯t receive another message.


    ¡°Well Dyson is starting to wonder about what we are up to, so I don¡¯t know how much longer they are going to let us keep this up. You might not be able to reach another level today, but let¡¯s do all we can while we can.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Ok Daddy¡­¡±


    I summon another kobold mage but instead of another normal kobold I summon a red slime. Inari takes out the mage almost right off and tries to save her magic by attacking the red slime with her staff. It proves to be a rather bad move though.


    She ends up panicking after the slime starts to ¡°eat?¡± her like they do to the adventurers. She casts quite a few wasted spells barely managing to defeat it, but we have to take a break afterwards, and have to make a trip back to the house as her robe has all but completely dissolved¡­You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    When we arrive at the house we bump into Zoey who has a weird smirk on her face. Inari blushes covered in slime and practically naked telling Zoey.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy is a pervert!¡±


    Zoey busts out laughing and Roxy comes to check on the commotion. Roxy leads Inari to the bedroom to get more clothes, but not before casting a clean spell on Inari. Zoey wipes tears from her eyes after laughing so hard asking what happened so I tell her.


    Zoey then says something out loud while thinking but I don¡¯t think it was directed at me¡­ At least I hope it wasn¡¯t


    Zoey: ¡°¡­Them red slimes might be too much, but if we were to use a blue slime or two¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not sure where you are going with that¡­But I am putting my foot down with Bo, you can¡¯t borrow any more monsters¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But Boss! Bo is to help Roxy, what about me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Luckily Roxy returns with Inari. Inari is wearing the robe she was wearing during training yesterday. It really is all back together. I still haven¡¯t seen clothes and armor repair themselves. Maybe it doesn¡¯t happen if you watch it.


    ¡°We still got a few more hours to go, are you ready to get back to it?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I think so¡­¡±


    As Inari and I teleport back to the dungeon to Sofia I can hear Zoey begin telling Roxy of her great idea while Roxy looks on with a confused if not concerned expression.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy¡­ Are you going to use more of those slimes?¡±


    ¡°I think the crimson kobolds and hobgoblin brutes are still too much. It would take hundreds of hundreds more kobolds for you to gain a level. I think we need to start thinking of begin giving you some help.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy doesn¡¯t think I am good enough?¡±


    ¡°That has nothing to do with it. Surrounding yourself with allies is always a good idea. Especially for a mage. Now they are going to be your allies, so I will let you choose.¡±


    Inari: ¡°A dragon!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t summon a dragon, but even if I could I don¡¯t have a clue how much xp they would cost, but I am sure it is more then we have¡±


    Inari: ¡°More of me!¡±


    ¡°That is another no go. I can¡¯t summon more divine beastkin because the cost is way to high, besides I don¡¯t know what is going to happen after the month is up so it would be best if it¡¯s a non-sentient monster just in case.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy said it was my choice, but won¡¯t let me summon what I want¡­¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s start with one of the Golems here in the room, because we need to check if you can even gain xp fighting monsters in my dungeon with other monsters in my dungeon.¡±


    Inari sighs then nods. I have her check how much xp she has, and then with her and one of the two golems have her attack another one of the red slimes by itself, but after the battle her xp hasn¡¯t moved.


    ¡°I guess we could get you some help from the adventurers in town, but I feel they will slow you down going at their pace.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°What if you summon a monster use an ultimate command to follow Inari, and then unbind it from the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well that might work¡­But then it would have to be a sentient monster right?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But not being bound by the dungeon, it surely won¡¯t disappear at the end of the month either, she might even be able to take it with her when she gets her own dungeon.¡±


    ¡°We would have to start training it from level 1 as well though.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°You can summon it at a higher level for an extra xp cost though can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°The only ones I have that option for human battle maidens and up to level 10 on feral beastkin. It cost quite a bit of xp though¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well just start with one for now and see if it even works.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ Inari, you want a human to help you or a feral beastkin. A beastkin could be a dog, rabbit, I don¡¯t know if I can do it at the increased level but I can try if you want a salamander, or you can take your chances with a random one.¡±


    InarI: ¡°No rabbit!¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­ So what would you like?¡±


    Inari: ¡°If I choose random what are my chances of getting a rabbit anyway?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure how it works, but I think the odds are increased in producing a subspecies I already know. If it is 50% chance of known to unknown then probably 25% it will be rabbit,25% chance a dog, and 50% chance something else.¡±


    Inari: ¡°25% chance is a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Does it really matter if it turns out as a rabbit?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t like rabbits¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine if it turns out as a rabbit I will then summon a dog as well and you can use it.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You will send the rabbit away?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about sending it away¡­but I won¡¯t make you use it if you don¡¯t want¡­¡±


    Inari looks to be thinking about it really hard¡­ I wonder what her grudge is against rabbits. Lilah did say she told her something really rude last night, but she hugged her and called her big sister¡­


    Inari: ¡°Ok I will try it, but if it¡¯s a rabbit you got to keep it away from me.¡±


    It¡¯s all her xp anyway, but after checking it out to summon a sentient feral beastkin already at level 10 is 4900xp, if it turns out as a rabbit this is really going to take a toll on her training, but I guess we don¡¯t have much choice. As I select the random option I focus on a beastkin to help Inari¡¯s training and hope for Anything but a rabbit.


    Inari made such a point about not wanting a rabbit I forgot to ask her if she had any other preferences so I forgot about it leaving it blank¡­ I don¡¯t know what the odds were that it happened¡­ Maybe because I was focusing on Inari, or if it was just chance.


    A very buff young man roughly Inari¡¯s age with very large canine like ears, on top his head of red hair, with a large bushy red tail that looks like it was dipped in white paint at the end. He has a patch of white fur on his chest, but the fur that is on his shoulders running down his back is all red matching the ears, tail, and hair on his head.


    Inari runs up to the young fox feral beastkin sizing him up. Rubbing her hands across him as he just stands there watching her, but after she grabs his manhood however he jumps a little, and I decide it¡¯s time to equip him in some clothes.


    Inari: ¡°He will do nicely. Thanks Daddy!¡± ¨CShe hugs me.-


    After he is dressed he kneels to me and says.


    Fox: ¡°I understand you wishes master, and I promise to protect your daughter with my life!¡±


    ¡°Then you understand I will have to unbind you from the dungeon for this to work?¡±


    Fox: ¡°If that is what it takes Master. I would be glad to make that sacrifice to be allowed this great honor.¡±


    I screwed up last time I used an ultimate command, but I take another shot at it.


    ¡°After I unbind you, you are to protect Inari. You are to not divulge any secrets of my dungeon without my consent, or any of Inari¡¯s without hers. Until Inari¡¯s dungeon core training is complete you are to follow all her instructions within reason. Unless they include instructions to harm me, any of the sentient monsters of my dungeon, Inari herself, or cause unnecessary harm to you. After Inari¡¯s training is complete you are no longer obligated to protect or follow her instructions, but the other commands still apply. As long as you follow them instructions you are free to act according to your own will.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But Daddy!¡±


    Fox: ¡°Yes Master!¡±


    I notice the message about the fox subspecies added to the skill defensive swordsmanship is available for 2500xp.


    ¡°What kind of equipment would you like?¡±


    Fox: ¡°A one or two-handed sword and a set of medium armor will suffice, Master.¡±


    I decide to look for some equipment for him in [Menu]. The only Medium armor available to me is the most basic of chainmail, the battle dress, or archer¡¯s armor. I guess I could do the archer¡¯s armor, it is focused more for an archer but it would be better than basic chainmail.


    Belinda told me about selecting region during summoning and it changed normal formal wear into what Inari wears, so since he is going to help Inari I decide to try it out selecting Shima when I summon an archer¡¯s armor.


    I am not quite sure how much different a normal archer¡¯s armor looks compared to Zoey¡¯s armor, and even if it¡¯s the same I don¡¯t know how much difference selecting Shima as region will affect its look so I can¡¯t really focus on finer details.


    The resulting armor looks quite a bit different then Zoey¡¯s armor, but you can tell they are from same type of equipment, it however the dark steel plates on the armor are red in color. I decide to go ahead and summon an archer¡¯s helm as well using the same options.


    Other than being red in color the only other difference in the helmet compared to Zoey¡¯s is that it has a decretive crescent shape sticking up like a pair of horns. When I summon the sword I decide to go with a one-handed sword as the best I can make of a two-handed is steel.


    The selection of Shima region for the sword causes quite a bit of change to the sword. Although it is a bit longer than a standard sword it is also quite a bit thinner and only edged on one side. The hilt as well is of quite different design.


    After equipping the [Master Quality Archer¡¯s Armor] [Master Quality Archer¡¯s Helmet], and [Master Quality Dark Steel Sword] on the fox I unbind him from the dungeon.


    Fox: ¡°Thank you Master, I will not fail you.¡±


    ¡°Now that you are not bound to the dungeon so you can call me Two-Twelve.¡±


    Fox: ¡°I must apologize, for I can¡¯t do that Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That was quite a chunk of xp, but it was for Inari¡¯s training so I guess it was necessary.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Can I choose his name?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t bound to the dungeon any longer, so I guess that it his decision.¡±


    Fox: ¡°I would be honored if Inari would grace me with a name.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Mommy gave me a Shima name and clothing. Daddy gave you some Shima equipment as well, I guess I will think up another Shima name.¡±


    Inari looks to think hard about it. She looks him over again then takes hold both of his cheeks turning his head side to side.


    Inari: ¡°You will be a fierce warrior keeping me safe, so how about Takeshi?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I promise to give honor to the name you have chosen for me.¡±


    ¡°Well if we bump into some adventurers in the dungeon and they find out in town that he is in the dungeon without and adventurer¡¯s ID the other adventurers will throw a fit so during your next break we will run down to the guild and get him one.¡±


    Takeshi is already level 10, so with his addition I decide to crank up the difficulty another notch. I haven¡¯t seen what a hobgoblin brute is capable of since it was just unlocked earlier, so I summon one of them and a crimson kobold that has the same cost to compare the two.


    Inari seems to breathe a sigh of relief when she sees there isn¡¯t another slime, but she quickly regains herself and begins the battle. Takashi pulls his sword slashing the crimson kobold in a single fluid motion.


    The crimson kobold actually takes a massive amount of damage between Takashi¡¯s level and the exceptional quality of the sword, but it isn¡¯t quite out of the fight. The crimson kobold tries to hit Takashi with a large great-axe, but even with such a thin blade Takashi manages to parry the blow.


    Inari leaves the kobold to Takashi and focuses all 6 balls of her attack at the hobgoblin brute. He too appears to take substantial damage but doesn¡¯t stop his charge at Inari. Takashi however doesn¡¯t allow the hobgoblin pass him stepping away from the kobold to prevent the hobgoblin¡¯s charge.


    Takashi trips up the hobgoblin but is simply decides to change targets using its momentum against Takashi instead. Takashi effortlessly deflects the charge with his sword and decapitates it.  Stepping away from the kobold makes the kobold change targets as well.


    Inari prepares her staff, but doesn¡¯t get a chance to use it as Takashi stops the kobold shoving his sword though its back pushing with enough strength that at least a foot and a half of the blade protrudes though the kobold¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Well this might have been some well spent xp, if we can increase the difficulty yet again.¡±


    He managed to hold off 2 monsters at once but surely if I add a 3<sup>rd</sup> it should even things up a bit. Takashi begins to take quite a bit of damage against three monsters, but he still tries to prevent them from getting close to Inari.


    I find out she can even use one of the balls to heal after one of the light balls hits Takeshi. I am unsure to call what Takeshi is doing as a wise move or not, because I would feel that focusing on one target at a time would be more effective, but the symmetry between him and Inari seems good so I hold my comments for now.


    I alternate between 2 hobgoblin brutes and 1 crimson kobold and 2 crimson kobolds and 1 hobgoblin brute to see if there is any difference. After 5 waves Inari and Takeshi appear in good shape although Inari has to rest.


    ¡°It is starting to get late, but I would like Inari to at least hit level 8 before we stop this evening, so let¡¯s hurry to the guild before Belinda closes it down, and then return quickly.¡±


    I transfer all of us to the house, I tell Sofia she can relax a bit till we return and Inari, Takeshi, and I make our way for the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Receptionist: ¡°Another one so soon? He looks to be quite experienced already though. His gear is quite unusual however.¡±


    ¡°Inari and Takeshi here came together, but he was delayed yesterday so was unable to make it.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°So does he already have his ID then?¡±


    ¡°Like you said he has some experience, but no he hasn¡¯t gotten an ID.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Alright, Takeshi you said? If you come with me a minute I will take care of it.¡±


    Takeshi should be straight forward so nothing to worry about so I let the receptionist handle getting him his ID while Inari and I take a seat. I don¡¯t see Belinda anywhere, but after a few moments of sitting she exits from the back.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you guys done for today already? I thought you would be pushing on for at least a few more hours.¡±


    ¡°We had a new addition so we took a break and stopped by to get his ID.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I see, you even kept the Shima theme going.¡±


    ¡°After you telling me about it, I thought I would give it a shot when I made his gear. Inari named him Takashi.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So is he hers? Or?¡±


    ¡°Well I had to summon him, but to help with Inari¡¯s training I had to unbind him. I used a command for him to stick around till Inari¡¯s training is over, but he is free to do as he pleases afterwards.¡±


    Takeshi appears be done collecting his ID and he makes his way to the table. I introduce him to Belinda.


    Takeshi: ¡°Worry not, I promise on my life I will keep your daughter from harm.¡± ¨CHe says while kneeling, taking off his helmet, and bowing his head to Belinda.-


    Belinda scratches him behind the ears and says. ¡°That is good to hear, I am glad to have someone sincere as you looking after my Inari.¡±


    ¡°Well we got a few more hours of training to go, so we better get back to it.¡±


    I grab one of the dungeon commissions for Takeshi and then head back to the house. After collecting Sofia we resume Inari¡¯s training.


    The hobgoblin brutes and crimson kobolds seem to be evenly matched, but since I already have the kobold¡¯s evolution I decide to stick with straight hobgoblin brutes now. After one more wave it pays off unlocking the Hobgoblin Elder so I switch it in the place of one of brutes.


    We do 4 more waves taking another break in-between, but Inari finally hits level 8. I still want to go further but Belinda has sent me two messages already, and without being bound to the dungeon Takeshi¡¯s stomach is making quite a racket as he hasn¡¯t eaten anything since he has been summoned.


    The house is already dark when we return, and we make our way to the dining room to get something for Takeshi, after getting him something to eat I run into a dilemma when we prepare for bed, and Inari tries dragging Takashi to her room.


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to work¡­ Belinda would skin me alive. Takeshi can stay in one of these rooms.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But Daddy! He has to protect me!¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything he needs to protect you from here in the house.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Do not worry Master, I would never even dream of deflowering your daughter.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I shake my head.


    ¡°I am not worried about you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Actually it¡¯s not you either. You are a dungeon core, so I couldn¡¯t careless as long as you didn¡¯t take advantage of him. Belinda on the other hand would kill me and that is what I am worried about.¡±


    Inari & Takeshi: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You are the one that laid the Mommy and Daddy thing extra thick, so deal with the consequences, and at least wait till your training is over.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But Daddy!¡±


    ¡°No buts! To bed young lady!... I can¡¯t believe I just said that¡­¡±


    Inari enters her room slamming the door. I look over at Takeshi he has a weird expression on his face, I motion to one of the other guest bedrooms and he retreats inside. I start to walk off when I hear Inari¡¯s door creak.


    ¡°I am setting [Menu] to warn me if you set 1 foot out of that room, or someone else sets 1 foot in it!¡±


    The door swings open just to slam closed again. I was prepared for quite a few scenarios concerning training a new dungeon core, but this wasn¡¯t even close to one of them. For peace of mind I set [Menu] like I said and head up to bed.


    When I reach the bedroom Belinda is already in bed. I get ready for bed and crawl in rubbing up next to Belinda kissing the back of her neck. She rolls over smiling at me. I give her a deep kiss while taking ahold of one of her legs wrapping it around me.


    I receive a notice about Inari leaving her room¡­


    You know what¡­ Forget it, I don¡¯t care¡­. I shake my head and then bury my face into Belinda¡¯s chest¡­. *Knock Knock Knock*


    ¡°Awww!¡±


    The door creeps open¡­


    Inari: ¡°Mommy¡­¡±


    Belinda giggles brushing my cheek with her hand and says. ¡°What¡¯s the matter Inari?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I can¡¯t sleep¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok baby come here, but this is the last night alright?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Ok!¡± ¨CShe runs though the room jumping onto the bed.-


    Second night in a row¡­ I didn¡¯t get any sleep last night¡­ I don¡¯t even care she is a dungeon core anymore. I let out a deep sigh as Inari snuggles up to Belinda and me. Maybe she will kill me in my sleep and I won¡¯t have to suffer no more¡­ Well not really, but I am tired enough that I have no problem drifting off to sleep tonight.

 Inaris Training Part 2

    I wake up the next morning when I fall out of bed with a foot pushing against my face¡­ Inari is stretched over three quarters of the bed with a large smile on her sleeping face, while Belinda seems content with her one quarter sleeping peacefully.


    At most I will only have to deal with the 28 more days. I resolve myself then and there no matter what happens Inari cannot fail her evaluation at the end of the month. It is getting pretty close to day break so I decide to get ready, and then head downstairs to the kitchen.


    I hear a bit of racket right before entering the kitchen and think to myself who else would be up this early in the morning. When I open the door I find Takeshi with a troubled look on his face when he sees me enter. He is cooking some breakfast, but once he spots me he quickly drops to a knee and bows his head.


    Takeshi: ¡°I apologize Master, I barely ate last night and was feeling quite hungry so I came to prepare some food without your consent.¡±


    ¡°That is quite alright¡­ After all you are the only one in the house that actually needs to eat. Have you made any coffee yet?¡± ¨CI say while walking over shaking the coffee carafe which is empty so I begin making some coffee.-


    Takeshi: ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°We all usually share breakfast together in the morning, even though none of us are required to eat. It gives us all a chance to catch up one what happened the day before, and figure out the plans for the current day.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I see¡­¡± ¨CHe then stands resuming making his breakfast.- ¡°So should I begin preparing some more?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ What exactly is that you are cooking?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I see you had quite a bit of food supplies, but assumed it was just for appearances as I couldn¡¯t even find any rice. I did find some eggs so I made this.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s rice? And that is eggs?¡±


    Zoey comes trampling though the kitchen sleepily wearing her disheveled pajamas with her hair a mess. ¡°I smell breakfast.¡±


    Takeshi seems quite embarrassed and shocked at Zoey¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Zoey, we have another guest, do you mind at least making yourself presentable before leaving your room?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yea yea¡­ I heard the commotion last night.¡± ¨CShe then wraps her arm around Takeshi making him even more nervous as he has to keep forcing himself from looking down her half unbuttoned shirt.- ¡°He is kinda cute for a guy though. Maybe we could borrow him for a few nights instead of Bo. Roxy might like to change things up a little.¡±


    ¡°I did summon him, but he isn¡¯t bound to the dungeon. He is helping Inari with her training, and then he is free to do as he pleases, so don¡¯t treat him like some new plaything¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I thought he smelled a little funny¡­¡± ¨Cshe then smiles at Takeshi then quietly says.-  ¡°Are you helping with all of her needs? You could bring her with and we could make it a party if you want.¡±


    ¡°Zoey!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Alright!¡± ¨CShe finally let¡¯s go of Takeshi and heads out of the kitchen, heading to what I hope is back to her room to get dressed.-


    Takeshi is blushing quite a bit while he says. ¡°Did she really mean what I think she did?¡±


    ¡°I think Zoey was just teasing you, but I will have Roxy talk with Zoey later to make sure¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Roxy is another one of your monsters?¡±


    ¡°One of my boss monsters, and Zoey¡¯s wife, I will introduce you to everyone at breakfast¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Wait¡­That was a guy?¡±


    ¡°Who Zoey? Of course not.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°But you said wife.¡±


    ¡°After everything we are, that is what you are getting hung up on? Nobody else has ever seemed to find it strange¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Things aren¡¯t like that in Shima¡­¡±


    ¡°Now I don¡¯t understand. I just summoned you yesterday, so how do you know how things are in Shima?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Didn¡¯t you summon all of Inari¡¯s things, me, and my things with Shima set as region?¡±


    ¡°Well Belinda thought up the Shima thing for Inari, I didn¡¯t intentionally summon you with Shima set as region, but I guess since I was thinking about summoning you for Inari it could of happened. Your gear I did just so they would fit with Inari¡¯s¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°You should have had to manually set it, because even my class is a Shima class.¡±


    ¡°So the knowledge you were summoned with is that of what is normal in Shima then?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I know a little bit about the areas outside of Shima, but yes I was summoned with the knowledge which would be considered normal to someone from Shima.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Maybe I should summon a monster from each region just so I can learn about them.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°¡­¡±


    The girls slowly begin making their way down for breakfast as I help Takeshi, showing him the kinds of things we usually have for breakfast, but he seems fond of some odd seasonings I haven¡¯t used before. Scylla, Lilah, and Bell arrive in their pajamas as well.


    Lilah is in about the same shape as Zoey was but she doesn¡¯t seem to mind, Scylla¡¯s pajamas of course are in such a way that even if she were to wear them into town she wouldn¡¯t receive any odd looks. She does however head back to her room to change after I introduce her to Takeshi.


    Bell however turned and practically ran from the room the moment she entered the dining room in her half buttoned up pajama shirt and shorts after seeing Takashi. By the time Belinda and Inari arrive everyone has returned in their normal clothes other than Lilah who is happily chewing on a piece of toast in her pajamas.


    Inari is again in a new one of the robe like outfits this time ironically has a design with little foxes on it. When he sees Inari, Takeshi quickly prepares a breakfast much like the one he made for himself. Kneeling as he presents the breakfast to her.


    It smelled kind of odd, and Inari has yet to eat anything yet so I thought it might have been a bad idea but after taking a bite she grabs her cheeks and smiles as she chews seeming to greatly enjoy it causing Takeshi to blush.


    I guess even concerning food I am odd even amongst dungeon cores¡­ I was sure by the way Madam Erin talked that no dungeon cores like human food but I guess I was wrong.


    Once everyone settles into breakfast we begin to talk. After talking a while about Inari and her training I mention to Belinda about what I learned about Takeshi, she spends the rest of breakfast asking him questions about Shima.


    Breakfast is finally over and after kissing Belinda has she heads out the door, Inari, Takeshi, Sofia, and myself head to the dungeon to resume Inari¡¯s training. As we are preparing for their first battle Inari and Takeshi make several confident comments to one another so I decide to start the day out with a bang.


    Takeshi takes his stance with seriousness and precision, but Inari is slacking a bit when she takes hers as I summon the 2 hobgoblin brutes and hobgoblin elder. They however quickly panic as another identical set appears a few seconds later charging into the fray with the last group.


    I didn¡¯t expect them to win, I just wanted Inari to focus a little more, but I might have pushed it a bit far. Takeshi tried to take a blow that would have proved fatal to him if it connected were I not on my toes and stopped the hobgoblin.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy that was too much! You¡¯re mean!¡±


    ¡°You need to take this seriously! If this was a real battle Takeshi would have lost his life.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But it¡¯s not our fault! It¡¯s yours! You knew that group was too much for us!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I am sorry Miss Inari¡­¡± ¨CHe says as she heals his wounds while the hobgoblin stands there next to him just snarling, but making no other movements.-


    ¡°You actually did better than I expected there is only one of the brutes and one of the elders left. If you would have taken the battle as serious as Takeshi from the start he might not have ended up in that state.¡±


    Inari: ¡°See! You didn¡¯t expect us to win from the start!¡± ¨CShe says as I back the two remaining hobgoblins moving to the end of the room.-


    ¡°You need to learn that not all battles can be won, you need to make plans for when you find yourself in a battle you can¡¯t win. Besides, there are several options that were still available to you that you didn¡¯t consider.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Like what!¡±


    ¡°You need to figure that out yourself. Now, do you need a rest or are you ready to go again?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Against a normal group or another one like that?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    Inari looks at me angrily but she then takes her stance along with Takeshi, this time she is putting all her effort into it. This time I summon 3 more of the hobgoblin brutes to go with the one still left, but not a second elder.


    Without the second mage they still take quite a beating but they manage to finish off the group this time. As soon as the battle is over Inari tends to Takeshi¡¯s wounds then tells him.


    Inari: ¡°If it ok if I get hit you know.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°If you are hurt it means I have failed.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That is nonsense. I am not made of glass. You would have died during that first fight if Daddy didn¡¯t stop that hobgoblin, but it would have been far from a fatal blow if it struck me.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°But you already took enough damage from the mage¡¯s spells.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t have died! You would have! You can¡¯t protect me at all if you die.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°It would have been an honor to die protecting you Miss Inari¡­ You could just summon another after I am gone.¡±


    Inari: ¡°We can¡¯t just replace you!¡±


    ¡°She is right Takeshi. You might feel like giving up your life to protect her is honorable, but what about the xp used for your summoning? That xp is valuable to Inari¡¯s training are you saying her xp isn¡¯t worth enough to preserve and protect as well?¡±


    Takeshi looks offended¡­ ¡°But¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°That¡¯s right if you die you are just throwing away my xp so you¡¯re not allowed to die without my permission!¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t quite what I meant, but learning what your teammates can handle and acting accordingly is what is going to keep her alive, not you just throwing yourself at the attacks directed towards her.¡±


    Things continue to be awkward for a few more waves but by the 8<sup>th</sup> wave they are making quite a bit faster progress even with Inari taking more damage. Even still with having to take several breaks that now are beginning to get longer it isn¡¯t till noon that she reaches level 9 after on the 10<sup>th</sup> wave.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°We spent quite a bit of time on breakfast this morning¡­ I don¡¯t know if we are going to manage to get you to level 10 today but we are going to push as long as we can with that being the plan.¡±


    While Inari rests and checks her status page after leveling up I send Sofia to the house to collect something to eat as all the combat has left Takeshi pretty drained, and his stomach has been making quite a bit of racket for the last hour or so.


    The continued use of the hobgoblin brutes and hobgoblin elders has unlocked the hobgoblin hero but at double the cost of the hobgoblin brute I don¡¯t think they are quite ready for it yet. After lunch I decide to switch gears and summon 4 of the small weak earth golems.


    Inari and Takeshi make short work of the golems they appear to be no stronger than the normal hobgoblins. Before my discount they cost more xp then a hobgoblin elder, but I guess since they don¡¯t use equipment there cost is a bit higher.


    After having Inari check her xp gain though it appears they still get the xp of the non-discounted price, and with not getting xp off of what the equipment the other monsters were using the golems seem to be quite a bit more effective for leveling up quickly.


    Since they had no problem with the little golems I decide to switch out 4 little ones for 1 large one for the next battle, and giving the fact of having to only worry about one monster they actually perform better against it did then they did the 4 little ones. I continue to use a single golem however until after they deal with 4 more waves and Inari has to rest.


    When we resume again I increase the size to 2 golems, and by the next time Inari has to rest she has hit level 10. By Takeshi¡¯s adventurer ID it says he has gained a level as well.


    ¡°The golems made a huge difference. You made a lot better progress with them. I think if we continue with them for the rest of the afternoon you will be close to 11 before we will have to call it a day.¡±


    There isn¡¯t much room on the platform for more than two golems so I will have to leave the attack the same size but maybe I will summon another two as soon as they drop the first two to keep them on their toes.


    My plan however is forgotten as Sofia and I are both left shocked when I summon two golems. Inari now summons 12 of the floating balls each glowing so much that they appear as 12 balls of colored flame. 6 of the balls impact one of the golems so hard that it literally knocks it off of its feet.


    The other six pelt the other not quite and are not quite as dramatic as the other 6 but the golem is just as dead. With only her first attack she killed two golems. Surely she can¡¯t keep this up though. When I finally regain myself I quickly summon two more. Then two more¡­


    After that one however Inari looks worn out and she quickly calls out. ¡°Hold on Daddy¡­¡± She then collapses onto her butt on the floor and Takeshi runs to her side.


    Takeshi: ¡°Miss Inari!¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am ok. I just need to rest for a bit.¡±


    During their breaks Inari has been continuing the conversation that Belinda started this morning by asking Takashi about Shima. After Inari catches her breath they start it up again meanwhile Sofia looks to me and talks to me where they can¡¯t hear.


    Sofia: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we back off of her training now?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°She killed 6 golems without giving them even a chance to attack¡­ If she keeps up this growth I am worried about our safety. After seeing the strength of those balls I don¡¯t think I could even withstand them if she hit me with an entire volley.¡±


    ¡°I admit her progress is going quite better then I hoped, but I wanted to get her to level 20 by the end of the month. With how much harder it becomes between levels though I am afraid we will run out of her xp before then.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°20? You want her twice as strong as this!? What if she decided to attack you? I am sure at that level none of us will even hold a candle to her¡­¡±


    ¡°Each one of those balls look to be stronger than the spells I can cast, and she can cast 12 at a time. I am pretty sure we are already at that point.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Then why are you keep pushing for more?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t get it my all I can¡¯t say I did a good job training her¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°You were getting on to Takashi earlier, but this is pretty much the exact same thing. You are just asking for trouble.¡±


    ¡°There are already plenty of dungeon cores and even humans out there that if they wanted to could easily wipe us out. Training her to the best of my ability might be the thing that turns her into an ally in the future rather than just another dungeon core that is stronger than me.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°But you aren¡¯t even getting anything out of this.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t true I already learned how to summon a few new monsters and items. Besides I also have a bet with Madam Erin and when I win it I am sure the reward from her will be quite beneficial as well.¡±


    Sofia sighs.


    ¡°Alright Inari, are you ready yet?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am sorry Daddy¡­ I am still pretty drained.¡±


    ¡°Well while your magic is returning why don¡¯t we throw some monsters a bit easier at you and you practice with only your staff?¡±


    Inari: ¡°You promise it will be easier?¡±


    ¡°We will do some of the little golems, maybe start out with 2.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Ok I think I can do that¡­¡±


    For the rest of the evening we two do sets of the small golems then one set of the large golems. But after doing that three times it is starting to get pretty late. Inari didn¡¯t hit level 11 but she is getting pretty close.


    I didn¡¯t see Dyson checking up on us today even though I seem him looking in on some of the others. I didn¡¯t look close enough to find out who was who, but I can tell Inari has no competition among any of the cores much less the ones the old elders train using their outdated rules.


    Dyson has already been questioning me about Inari¡¯s training I wonder how long it will be before his curiosity gets the best of him. Just taking my word for it has been enough for him but I am sure sooner or later that won¡¯t be enough.


    We quit Inari¡¯s training early enough today just to catch the last bit of dinner before everyone headed out retiring for the day. For not having to eat we sure spend a lot of time in this room. Other than our bedrooms it is just about the only other room we do use unless throwing a party.


    After we finishing dinner while Belinda is cleaning up I pull Inari to the side out in the hallway.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t care what you do tonight as long as you stay out of my room. If you do choose to do anything that would upset Belinda, you better not let anyone find out about it.¡±


    Inari has a devious smile on her face as she says. ¡°I promised Daddy. Cross my heart.¡±


    I set [Menu] to track Inari¡¯s and Takeshi¡¯s movements just so they don¡¯t cause problems for the dungeon, but more than that I don¡¯t care. I then return to Belinda and help her finish clean up.


    After heading to our rooms Belinda and I finally get our time alone. We even get to share a warm relaxing bath. Shortly after retiring to our rooms is seems Inari practically dragged Takashi back to her room, but they haven¡¯t left her room so I don¡¯t care.


    I was so happy about getting to have my time with Belinda by the next morning I am starting to regret my decision. I need to at least make sure Inari didn¡¯t make Takeshi do something he didn¡¯t want to, because with how I set up [Menu] I can¡¯t actually see them but from the details I can make out he appears to be huddled in one of the corners of her room while Inari is sprawled across the bed.


    After getting ready I give Belinda a kiss on the cheek and tell her I am heading downstairs to start breakfast. She slowly opens her eyes and smiles at me which makes me want to change my mind, but after reaching up and giving me a kiss she lays down pulling the blanket over her head which gives me enough resolve to leave the room.


    When I head downstairs I find Takeshi trying to sneak out of Inari¡¯s room, for some reason he even has is sword with him. He sees me and quickly begins to panic.


    ¡°I am heading down to go make breakfast. Since you are up, do you want to give me some help?¡±


    Takeshi looks confused and doesn¡¯t seem to know what to do. He quickly puts his sword up in his own room then joins me as I head to the kitchen. Even after starting the coffee and beginning to make breakfast he helps out, but doesn¡¯t say thing wearing a guilty look on his face.


    ¡°You alright? You know just between you and me I told Inari it was alright last night, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it. Unless she did something you didn¡¯t want to do.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Oh I see¡­But I promise I would never take advantage of your daughter.¡±


    ¡°I was sure it would have been the other way around.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°On my honor I promise I would never¡­ I even put my foot down when she tried to insist I help her bathe. After that she eventually gave up and went to sleep.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ If that is all that happened is it really such a big deal to get all worked up about?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°If that is all? Staying in Miss Inari¡¯s room I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised for you to ask for my head!¡±


    ¡°You do realize that Inari isn¡¯t really Belinda and my daughter right?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Pardon¡­?¡±


    ¡°Inari isn¡¯t my daughter. I thought monsters that were summoned knew all about dungeon cores, they can¡¯t have children.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°But Miss Inari said it was because your unusual core that it was possible¡­ She even shares your unique lack of element. Even being summoned in your dungeon something like that surely wouldn¡¯t carry over¡­¡±


    ¡°I assure you, she was just born the day before you were summoned on the day the new cores are born¡­ I don¡¯t know how she ended up without an element like I did, even if she is a divine beastkin she is still a beastkin, and neither Belinda or I are beastkin so how would that be possible?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Then why does she insist you are both her parents, even going as far to lie to me about it?¡±


    ¡°I have been trying to figure that out since she has been born¡­ If I could figure it out maybe I wouldn¡¯t be so cautious of her.¡±


    Takeshi moves over to a chair in the dining room and collapses in it with a look on his face like his entire life is a lie.


    Takeshi: ¡°How can she train like an adventurer then, and why doesn¡¯t she have a training dungeon then? I mean everything about how her [Menu] and things like that all seemed to make sense if she was your daughter and not a normal core¡­¡±


    Takeshi listens as I tell him about what Dyson did regarding the training this year, and my plan for training Inari, he has the ultimate command so I don¡¯t hold nothing back. Takeshi seems to take the information kind of hard for some reason.


    The girls begin to arrive for breakfast so the conversation is dropped among the other conversations that begin to pop up. That is until Inari arrives, and Takeshi quickly stands his chair sliding across the floor.


    Takeshi: ¡°You lied to me!¡±


    Inari just entering the room looks surprised and confused at Takeshi¡¯s sudden action and outburst. The rest of the room suddenly grows quiet.


    Inari: ¡°¡­Hu?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°You¡¯re just a normal dungeon core! How could you lie to me and tell me you were Master¡¯s daughter.¡±


    Inari now looks offended. ¡°I never lied to you! I am dungeon core #245, but Daddy and Mommy are still Daddy and Mommy!¡±


    Belinda walks in at the yelling looking confused. Inari sees her and runs to her wrapping her arms around her and begins to cry.


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Takeshi was being mean to me, even after I shared my bed with him last night!


    Belinda: ¡°Wait what!?¡±


    Takeshi looks taken aback and quickly shifts gear. ¡°Miss Belinda I assure you nothing happened!¡±


    Inari: ¡°But you told me to take off my Kimono!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°To change into your night clothes! I even tried to leave the room but you wouldn¡¯t let me!¡±


    Inari: ¡°Then you snuggled up to me on my bed!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°You made me! You said you always sleep with Master and Miss Belinda and couldn¡¯t go to sleep alone!¡±


    Inari: ¡°He said he would be gentle and then started scratching me behind the ears and rubbing my back¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Again at your request! You said Master did that to help you fall asleep!¡±


    Inari begins to sniffle. ¡°He even had his sword, I was afraid to tell him no¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I am supposed to protect you! Of course I had my sword!¡±


    The rest of the room is captivated by the conversation their heads snapping back and forth with each exchange.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve! Are you going to just stand there after what this brute did to our daughter?!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda then leads Inari from the room while talking quietly to her. After of a few minutes of just speechlessness I receive a message from Belinda:


    Belinda: ¡°She said nothing happened after that, but I don¡¯t care! He has to go, and I don¡¯t want him anywhere near our daughter!¡±


    I move over and collapse in a chair. ¡°What just happened...?¡±


    The next one to say something is Zoey. ¡°Woooo someone¡¯s in trouble!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I promise Master it wasn¡¯t like that!¡±


    ¡°I believe you¡­ This is getting out of hand though we are going to have to do something about Belinda.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°What about Miss Inari¡¯s training?¡±


    ¡°Well this is all her doing, if she isn¡¯t going to take her training seriously there isn¡¯t much I can do about it. Sofia do you think you can handle her training till I can talk with Belinda?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I guess¡­ But what do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Just keep doing like I was last night, she should have a lot of difficulty with it without Takeshi¡¯s help. Don¡¯t let her die, but make sure she gets the point.


    Takeshi: ¡°What do you want me to do then?¡±


    ¡°For now we will just have you hide out in your room till we get this all figured out¡­¡±


    I head out of the room I find Belinda and Inari in Belinda and my bedroom. Inari doesn¡¯t look upset at all now laughing while talking to Belinda. When she sees me Inari runs over to me hugging me.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy! Did you make the bad man go away?¡±


    ¡°He is taken care of, but I need to talk to mommy¡­ So why don¡¯t you go back downstairs with Sofia and she will start your training for today.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But Daddy¡­ I need a new body guard now.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry but we will have to make due for now, now run along Sofia is waiting for you.¡±


    I am not quite sure what Inari¡¯s intention was with all this, but it has seemed to come crashing down around her as she has a troubled expression and seems to be thinking awfully hard. I scoot her out the door then shut it.


    Inari doesn¡¯t sound like she leaves from in front the door, but after a  good 10 seconds or so I then hear her walk off heading back downstairs, I confirm it with the screen I still had open from earlier.


    Belinda: ¡°I think you should be with Inari to make sure she is ok.¡±


    ¡°She will be fine Sofia is going to look after her. I have to ask though, what is the deal with you and Inari? When it wasn¡¯t being too much of a problem I was letting it go, but that back there¡­What was that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Ever since Inari has been born you have been acting quite strange. It is almost like you are starting to believe her about being her mother.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What are you talking about? Of course I am her mother!¡±


    ¡°She is a dungeon core, she doesn¡¯t have a mother any more than I do.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I might have not given birth to her, but she was born from your dungeon. She even has taken traits from you like a child would. Does it really matter as long as she wants to be our daughter?¡±


    ¡°I am not really sure what she wants¡­But is clear she is trying to manipulate your emotions about it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Inari wouldn¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°That is exactly what I mean! What about after the month is over and she gets her own dungeon?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She could place her dungeon nearby, and we could stay together.¡±


    ¡°I hope that doesn¡¯t happen¡­ She is already strong enough to pose a danger to our dungeon, if she gets mad at us like she did with Takeshi and tried to wipe us out. In a few short months¡¯ time we probably would be unable to do anything about it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After what he did to her can you blame her for being upset?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, but what I do know is honor is everything to Takashi do you really think someone like that would do something like Inari was suggesting?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe you just don¡¯t know him like you think you do.¡±


    ¡°Inari was the one that started it all, she was the one that led Takashi into her bedroom, and I am sure she had far more plans for him then what happened.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How could you possibly know that?¡±


    ¡°Like I said she is capable of causing great harm to our dungeon, do you think I would let her walk around it freely without knowing what she is up to and when?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then it has got to be all some kind of misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°If it is it is one she purposely orchestrated, I don¡¯t know what her plan is yet, but I would feel a lot more comfortable if you keep a bit of distance from her till she is done with her training.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re being unreasonable!¡±


    ¡°I have never used a ultimate command on any of you girls and I never want to, but if it comes to having to use one to keep any of you safe from harm I promise I won¡¯t hesitate to do it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ Just trust me, and distance yourself from the situation a bit and look at it from the outside. I need to go see how the training is going.¡±


    I try to kiss Belinda but she turns her head so I kiss her cheek then transfer to the dungeon.¡±

 Inaris Training Part 3

    When I arrive at the dungeon Inari already looks like she has taken quite a bit of damage, her robe is all torn and she is battered and bruised. There are 4 of the large golem standing by as she is breathing heavily while lying sprawled out on the floor.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy¡­ Sofia is being mean¡­¡±


    ¡°She is just doing what I asked, how many golems did you start out with?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I started with 2 and I summoned 2 more every 5 minutes until she got too tired to go on.¡±


    ¡°So how many did she manage to defeat?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I killed 4! But she hasn¡¯t given me a chance to rest!¡±


    ¡°I am sure if you didn¡¯t start that trouble with Takeshi this morning, he would have helped you and you could at least taken care of 2 more by now.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That¡¯s not fair! Daddy is going to take his side?¡±


    ¡°He was summoned to help you out, but he wasn¡¯t summoned to be your yes man. He isn¡¯t here to suit your wants he is here to help you train and that¡¯s it.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I promise the next one will be better, just summon one more for me.¡±


    ¡°He was all you get, you are already using up more xp then I anticipated and are not going to reach the level I had hoped by the end of the month. If you want help you will have to make things right with him.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡±


    ¡°Then whenever you are ready let¡¯s get started again.¡±


    Inari sits up looking over at the 4 golems standing there. One of them looks like it is in pretty bad shape but 2 are completely undamaged and 1 only has minimal damage.


    Sofia: ¡°Alright 5 minutes are up, time for 2 more.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Even with Takeshi there is no way I could handle six at once!¡±


    ¡°Well the room won¡¯t hold much more anyway, so we will just have the next 2 on standby.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But as soon as I kill two those two will come out?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Ok¡­ I need help¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not the one you need to be talking to.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Fine¡­ I will talk to Takeshi.¡±


    ¡°Alright Sofia hold on for a bit, we will be back.¡±


    I move over to Inari taking her arm and transfer her outside my bedroom door.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy, why are we at your room?¡±


    ¡°You are not going to talk to him dressed like that are you? Besides you have more than just Takeshi to apologize to.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yes Daddy¡­¡±


    Inari knocks on the door, and after a few seconds Belinda opens it looking a bit confused.


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s going on? Inari, your clothes are already torn up. What happened baby?¡±


    Inari starts to cry then walks forward grabbing ahold of Belinda.


    Inari: ¡°I am sorry Mommy! It¡¯s my fault! Takeshi didn¡¯t do what I told him to, so I said he did those mean things. I just thought if Mommy got mad at him, I could get a new monster that would do what I said.¡±


    Belinda tries to comfort Inari but is a little confused. Inari tries to explain things to Belinda of course leaving out the details of what she was wanting Takeshi to do¡­ But eventually they both calm down and Belinda tells her she need to apologize to Takeshi as well.


    After Inari changes again, I start to head downstairs with Inari but Belinda grabs my arm. She asks me if I have a minute, so I then send Inari downstairs to wait for me.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But after all this time I trust you¡­ I should of taking you at your word, but I just got so caught up with Inari.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure how much of what Inari says can be trusted. She may just be doing this to get what she wants, but I am hoping that she at least means some of what she is saying¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to try to keep a bit more distance from Inari, at least till we can figure out a little more about what she wants from us¡­¡±


    I nod my head and then start to walk out the door but Belinda pulls on my arm again then kisses me.


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s for the one you tried to give me earlier¡­¡±


    She then kisses me again.


    Belinda: ¡°And that¡¯s for everything else.¡±


    I brush a tear from Belinda¡¯s eye I feel I should say something, but I just can¡¯t find the words¡­ I brush her cheek wiping a few tears from Belinda¡¯s face. She then smiles and kisses me one last time before I finally head downstairs to find Inari pacing in front of Takeshi¡¯s door.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright¡­ I can do this¡­¡±


    She then knocks on Takeshi¡¯s door, but as he starts to open it she quickly runs and hides behind me. I casually step out of the way and her and Takeshi¡¯s eyes meet.


    Takeshi & Inari: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You had something you wanted to say right?¡± ¨CI say while pushing Inari forward.-


    Inari: ¡°uh¡­¡±


    Takeshi takes a knee, bows his head, and says. ¡°Are we starting your training Miss Inari?¡±


    Inari looks to have a smile creep across her face like she managed to dodge the bullet, but I step forward.


    ¡°Yes, we are resuming her training, but first she has something to say to you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    Inari then quietly says. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t hear you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry!¡± I need your help Takeshi, I shouldn¡¯t have said them things.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Miss Inari¡­ I should apologize as well. I got upset when I found out you really aren¡¯t the daughter of Master, but it shouldn¡¯t have mattered because Master asked me to be your shield. Regardless if you are his real daughter or not, that was the task I was given to by Master, and I failed you¡­¡±


    Inari starts to get some of her cockiness back as she says. ¡°Well don¡¯t let it happen again.¡± But I lightly slap the back of her head and she adds. ¡°But I promise I will try harder as well¡­¡±


    Without being connected to the dungeon it takes Takeshi a while to get his equipment ready and we then set out back for the dungeon. Once we arrive Sofia quickly sits up after nearly falling from the chair she was kicked back in.


    Sofia: ¡°We ready to continue then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to them.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yes Daddy!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Whenever you are Master.¡±


    Two of the golems quickly begin to charge across the room while I head over sitting in the empty chair next to Sofia. Inari and Takeshi manage the first 4 golems without a problem and even take out 4 more before Inari has to stop to rest.


    Inari managed to hit level 11 after the first wave, but it looks like it might take the rest of the day before she gains another. Her breaks are now at least an hour long before she can return to fighting so we decide to switch back in the small golems during her rest periods.


    Around noon we break so Takeshi can eat something and we come to realize that Inari¡¯s magic doesn¡¯t return near as quick while she battles the small golems as when she is resting. We resume after lunch but it seems the number of small golem waves is increasing between every wave of the large golems.


    We manage to push it right up to the point where Inari reaches level 12, before stopping for the day and I also receive a message.


    New Monster Available.


    Earth Golem                        Cost: 2500xp*


    *Elemental type monsters are granted a discount of 1/4 due to [Uniquely Gifted] skill.


    Inari: ¡°Takeshi, I have managed to catch up with you in level now.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°That may be so, but you surpassed me in power long before now.¡±


    ¡°She is a dungeon core after all.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Do you think I will catch up with Daddy before my training is over?¡±


    ¡°We will see¡­¡±


    When we head back to the house and find some dinner prepared for us. Dinner goes pretty quietly and Inari doesn¡¯t even seem to kick up a fuss when Takeshi retires to his room. After heading to bed myself it doesn¡¯t seem Inari is going to try to drag him room tonight.


    It isn¡¯t long however until she is knocking at our door¡­ ¡°Daddy, Mommy¡­ I can¡¯t sleep.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know baby, I think you need to sleep in your own room.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But I never have slept by myself before¡­¡±


    ¡°You could have asked Takeshi again, but after what you pulled this morning¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How about I stay with you just until you go to sleep will that work.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But I¡­ Ok Mommy¡­¡±


    Belinda leads Inari out of the room and I wait for quite a while but I end up falling asleep before she returns.


    Things really begin to slow down after that day, and it takes a lot longer for Inari to gain a level. It takes close to 3 more days before she finally reaches level 13 and it causes Inari to become discouraged. We are going to run out of xp far before we run out of time so I decide to give Inari a day off to relax a bit.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    She insists in still acting if Belinda and I are her parents and wants to spend her day of rest together. Belinda and I finally agree and by the end of the day even I am starting to believe she is sincere about wanting Belinda and I to be her parents.


    She has begun to call all the other girls Auntie all that is except for Lilah. For some reason they just seem to be like fire and ice. Luckily most of the animosity is childish at best, so I don¡¯t think it will lead to an actual fight, but to be on the safe side I try to keep them apart as much as possible.


    After Inari¡¯s day off I take her training a lot slower, and it isn¡¯t till the end of her second week of training before she finally reaches level 14.


    ¡°Now Inari, Dyson has kept bugging me because he thinks I still haven¡¯t begun your training, little does he know how much work you have done, so I am going to ask you what you want to do next.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Now we don¡¯t have enough xp left for you to gain another level, but we can continue on like we are until you run out so you will reach level 15 faster, or to make Dyson happy we can let you start your dungeon, so you have 2 weeks to get used to it before the evaluation.¡±


    Inari: ¡°If I start my dungeon I can then use [Menu] right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and if you do that I suggest spending as much xp as possible on skills or spells, that way you won¡¯t lose it after your training is over.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about monsters and actual dungeon training?¡±


    ¡°I believe you were born with more knowledge about running a dungeon then I even had when my training was over, so I am not much worried about that. I am more concerned that you can function in the world of humans.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I have done alright with you and Mommy while in town haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°But after your training is done you will be far away, by yourself.¡±


    Inari: ¡°¡­Can¡¯t I just stay here with you and Mommy?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t do all this work for you to fail. I know you can do it.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about Takeshi?¡±


    ¡°That is up to him. Once your training is over he is free to do as he wishes.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You think he would go with me¡­?¡±


    ¡°You guys had a pretty rocky start, but you have begun to work well together again, I think that is something you should discuss with him.¡±


    Inari: ¡°He can at least be my boss monster for the rest of my training right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever had to pay for Thirty-seven to become my boss monster during my training so I don¡¯t think it would be a problem.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I think I am ready to start my dungeon then.¡±


    ¡°Now once you do start your dungeon you have to guard it for the rest of the month, which means you are going to have to move into it. If you want to come into Tobes you are going to have to fight your way out of the dungeon.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about if I just want to see you or Mommy?¡±


    ¡°I will visit once a day, just to check on you. Other than that you will have to make your way out of the dungeon yourself.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Are you going to send monsters to attack my crystal?¡±


    ¡°At this point I don¡¯t think there is any point. I might try to whip something up every few days or so just to keep you on your toes.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Can I talk to Takeshi before I make up my mind?¡±


    ¡°Go right ahead¡­¡±


    Inari leaves to talk to Takeshi, and doesn¡¯t return until over 30 minutes has past, but Takeshi is with her and he has his gear.


    Inari: ¡°Ok we have decided to start my dungeon, but can we pack some food first?¡±


    ¡°Well once you start your dungeon and make Takeshi your boss monster neither of you should have to eat.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I won¡¯t, but Takeshi said he will go with me to defend me like you wanted, but he said he won¡¯t become my boss monster¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I will get some stuff together after you guys get settled in and will bring it to you this evening.¡±


    I transfer all three of us into the bottom of the ramp on the last room of the pit room floor. I then open [Menu] and set up her training dungeon out of the back side of the stairs. She is awfully close to my crystal now, but she doesn¡¯t know that and has no idea what lies beyond this floor.


    ¡°Now beyond this floor will probably be too much for you two, but you should be able to handle this floor and up, so I would suggest you stick to them. I would suggest hitting the adventurer¡¯s guild every few days to gather up some commissions if you plan on making your way through my dungeon, but I ask you not take the mapping commission as adventurer¡¯s haven¡¯t made it this deep yet.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Why take the commissions?¡±


    ¡°It is a good chance for you to interact with humans, and you need commissions to rank up your adventurer¡¯s ID. High ranking adventurers are granted quite a bit of leeway in most kingdoms, so it should benefit you in the future.¡±


    I lead Inari into her training dungeon and take out the training crystal when I do I receive a message.


    Once new dungeon core places training crystal 10,000xp will be turned over to the new core, do you wish to proceed?


    I check and sure enough it lets me change the xp about transferred, I don¡¯t know if that is due to Dyson¡¯s new rules or Madam Erin tampering, but it works as I raise the amount to 25,000xp. I will use the remaining 30,090xp to summon monsters to attack her for the next two weeks. I then hand the crystal over to Inari.


    ¡°Alright, I will let you guys get started. This evening I will bring in the supplies Takeshi might need, and we can discuss your thoughts on starting your dungeon.¡±


    Inari hands the crystal to Takeshi then gives me a hug while saying. ¡°Ok Daddy I promise I will try my best.¡±


    After Inari takes the crystal back from Takeshi she places it in the middle of the floor and looks to be reading over a [Menu] so I leave them to it and head back into my dungeon. I then transfer to the core room with Lilah and look over my own [Menu] I find it hard to believe we have gone through almost 200,000xp in just 2 weeks.


    Lilah: ¡°Does Master really think it¡¯s wise to put Inari that close to the crystal?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were more confident in your skills then that?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides if she goes down into your floor I expect you to show her no mercy.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah still doesn¡¯t know how strong the dragonkin are, and she was dealing with the kobolds and golems with no problems.¡±


    ¡°As a precaution I have blocked communication with the monsters I was summoning during her training, so she was only fighting kobolds and golems how they act in normal dungeons. She will be in for quite a shock once she sees how much more difficult our dungeon truly is.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides I am giving you 10,000 extra xp to make sure she stays out of the crystal room.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah understands, she won¡¯t let Master down.¡±


    After turning the xp over to Lilah I then transfer to the house taking a much needed break. I decide to head down to the office for a bit.


    That evening after gathering some supplies for Takeshi, I send in 4 golems into Inari¡¯s dungeon to make sure she was doing her job right, and she had what looks to be 1 of each type of basic creatures in her dungeon including a non-sentient beastkin (fox). I guess she just wanted to see what they all could do.


    Of course the basic creatures can¡¯t hold up to the golems and are easily wiped out, but I find out some critical information when they die.


    New Monsters Avaliable


    Tiny Flame Elemental                 Cost: 100xp* Small Flame Elemental               Cost: 250xp* Ill Lizardman                                 Cost: 100xp* Weak Lizardman                          Cost: 250xp* Tiny Earth Golem                        Cost: 100xp* Weak Fariy                                    Cost: 100xp* Weak Pixie                                    Cost: 250xp* Old Skeleton                                Cost: 100xp* Weak Skeleton                             Cost: 250xp*


    *Elemental type monsters are granted a discount of 1/4 due to [Uniquely Gifted] skill.


    Her dungeon must still be considered part of mine¡­ I didn¡¯t even think about that when I didn¡¯t have to name the monsters before sending them in. I wonder if I can send in the rift monsters then¡­


    After the monsters fall Takeshi and Inari appear and take out the golems. I decide since they are already fighting the golems I try sending in a few of the rift golems. They pass into the dungeon no problem and begin fighting¡­


    If that¡¯s the case after the adventurers leave in the evening I will continue to send in the rift golems that are left on this floor. That is at least 12 golems a day if no adventurers take care of them on this floor, I might even use some of the slimes, but not all of them have rifts yet.


    I decide to stop after 2 of the rift golems have been defeated. I then take the supplies and enter Inari¡¯s dungeon.


    ¡°Congratulations, you survived your first defense, but you did lose all of your monsters in the process.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I just wanted to see which ones I liked. Besides 6 of those golems are far from what I should have received for my first dungeon battle.¡±


    ¡°I knew you could handle it, but remember you should be 2 weeks in by now.¡±


    I hand the bag of food I brought for Takeshi over to him, and he thanks me.


    ¡°Lilah hasn¡¯t had a day off since we started your training, so I will be watching my dungeon tomorrow, just remember that if you decide to push into my dungeon tomorrow.¡±


    Inari nods and we talk a little longer I then leave them to clean up her dungeon and transfer back to the house. I set [Menu] to warn me if they step foot outside her dungeon and then head to bed.


    The next morning feels almost odd without Inari and Takeshi, I guess I was already getting used to them being around. Although I don¡¯t know what Takeshi is going to do after Inari¡¯s training is done I might ask if he wants to stick around so I have another guy around the house.


    While watching the dungeon Inari¡¯s first solo trip into my dungeon already looks bad, as the first thing they do against Takeshi¡¯s begging is head down into the crystal room¡­ Lilah looks to have set up the dragonkin with some rather decent gear.


    Takeshi is unable to do anything without any ranged equipment, so it all falls onto Inari as the dragonkin swoop in and out after them. Their agility is high enough that every time she casts her special balls they manage to dodge most of them.


    Takeshi manages to drag Inari from the room after she collapses after casting to much magic and they only managed to kill one of the dragonkin. They take refuge back into Inari¡¯s dungeon while I replace the falling dragonkin. As strong as Inari is, she runs out of magic way to quickly¡­


    I follow them as they reenter Inari¡¯s dungeon, but they then appear to transfer out. I can see her entire dungeon from the core room, but I guess I can¡¯t see her core room. I also end up having to defend the dungeon from three separate adventurer groups that enter the dungeon that day.


    Even just last month it wasn¡¯t this bad¡­ I guess it is time we start thinking about adding more rifts to the first few floors. Not including the 16,000xp we still have left for Inari¡¯s training there is quite a bit of xp beginning to build in the dungeon so I decide to add a few more kobold rifts to the first floor.


    I just did the main two rooms for now, we still have plenty of xp but I don¡¯t want to do too much just yet. Once I am satisfied I prepare to transfer to the house when I receive a message.


    Dyson: ¡°How the hell did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see that you finally allowed your new core to make her dungeon, but she is already level 14. There is no way a dungeon core can reach that high of a level during her training. Especially when she has only had her dungeon 24 hours, so how did you manage it?¡±


    ¡°How did you gain so many levels to the point where you are now the highest level dungeon core?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°After I failed and had to join the humans, I leveled like they¡­ Could that really work¡­?¡±


    ¡°It actually proved to work far better than I hoped, as she still leveled up like a dungeon core even though it was as quick as a normal adventurer.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes, I leveled the same way¡­ But just by denying her a crystal she was able to level like a normal adventurer?¡±


    ¡°That is how it seems.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You truly are a genius¡­ I just wish it wasn¡¯t too late to train the others the same way.¡±


    ¡°Of all people I am surprised you haven¡¯t tried this yourself in the past.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I guess as much as I preached about change, and how much I fought to become a dungeon core again. I never thought about not giving a new core a dungeon intentionally¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much of an advantage it truly puts her at though, as it will take a long time for her to gain another level, maybe even years, if her dungeon doesn¡¯t grow quickly.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°But she could personally protect her dungeon while it is still weak, that¡¯s the thing most new cores struggle with. Although I am a little disappointed she turned out as a beastkin, I was really hoping for her being the first divine being dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have to admit she is a little young for my tastes, and even if she is a beastkin you still have pretty good tastes.¡±


    ¡°Well I am still not sure how she turned out that way I really was hoping for her not to be a beastkin.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well what you say you want and what you want is sometimes not the same thing.¡±


    ¡°¡­And her personality, I don¡¯t even have a clue where that came from.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°All those beautiful beastkin women at your disposal that you secretly desire, but can¡¯t have. I bet she is quite kinky isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t secretly desire anything¡­ And no she isn¡¯t kinky. Well actually I don¡¯t know, but that¡¯s not the point. She is just acting like she really thinks she is my daughter.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see, I think I get it now. I always thought there was something off about you, but now I get it. Your unique nature always threw me off, but given the fact you came from Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon it makes perfect sense now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well, not all the others are proving to be as good at training new cores as I would have hoped, so I better get back to it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t understand, what did you figure out?¡±


    Dyson however doesn¡¯t respond. I wait with the observation window open, but he doesn¡¯t seem to be checking on the other cores with it, so I decide there is nothing left to do but go to bed.


    I wait out with Lilah to see what Inari is going to do the next morning, but it seems with what Inari has in brute magical force she lacks in tactics, as after clearing two rooms of golems trying to make their way out of the dungeon she is drained enough, that they have to retreat back to her dungeon.


    The next day though Lilah told me they started to finally use the pit as an advantage. I can¡¯t believe it took them almost 3 weeks to think to push the golems off the edge of the pit¡­ She however still prevented them from making it entirely out of the dungeon.


    Inari gripes at me when I arrive that evening for my visit, saying I took it too easy on her during her training¡­ I brought Belinda with me today so she could see Inari as well, and that seemed to be the only thing that saved me from her getting to mad.


    Even I was surprised though that it wasn¡¯t until the start of her last week of training that she eventually made it out of the dungeon. They seemed so happy spending the day in Tobes that they completely forgot about her dungeon. She didn¡¯t even leave it with any kind of defenses, so I had to send in a golem to destroy the training crystal to teach her a lesson.


    She griped at me again that evening but it seemed like she understood why I did it this time at least. The day before her training is over I go to her, we break down her dungeon, and I then bring her and Takeshi back to the house to have a little celebration with the girls.


    We don¡¯t know where she will go once she gets her own dungeon so we thought we would have it before. The party isn¡¯t anything to special, but everyone seems to have a good time. During the party I notice that Inari and Takeshi¡¯s relationship has gotten quite close over the past two weeks, but it doesn¡¯t appear to be a romantic one at least not from Takeshi¡¯s side.


    As we wrap up the party Takeshi asks if he can speak with me alone.


    Takeshi: ¡°Master I know Inari isn¡¯t really your daughter, but if it is alright with you. I would like to continue to protect her as such even after her training is complete.¡±


    ¡°Well come tomorrow you are free to do whatever you want, rather it be leaving to do your own thing, or continuing to protect Inari. She will however teleport straight to her dungeon after the evaluation, so I just don¡¯t know how to get you to her after that, but if that is your wish I will see what I can do.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Yes Master, that is my wish.¡± ¨CHe then bows to me and retreats to his room.-


    I then head up to bed, but not long after Belinda arrives there is a knock at the door¡­


    Inari: ¡°It is going to be so different after tomorrow¡­ I am scared¡­ Can I sleep with Mommy and Daddy just this one last time?¡±


    Belinda looks a little hesitant, but I think she has earned that much so I nod. She happily calls out and runs jumping into the bed hugging up close to me. Belinda shakes her head then uses [Menu] to change into her pajamas then crawls into bed.

 Inaris Evaluation

    I wake up the next morning with Inari pushing me from the bed again¡­ I don¡¯t know why but for some reason I feel like I am going to miss that when she is gone. I think she has pushed the mommy and daddy thing so hard even I have started to accept it¡­


    I see that I have received a message about the evaluation that is supposed to take place in less than an hour, so I quickly try to wake Inari up. It takes me a few minutes and it wakes Belinda up in the process but I finally manage to get Inari out of bed.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s your big day baby, are you ready?¡±


    Inari: ¡°But if I do a good job that means I won¡¯t see Mommy and Daddy for a long time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well now that you have access to your [Menu] you can talk to us any time, no matter how far apart we are. Besides you need to show those elders how much work you and Daddy put forth this month.¡±


    Inari nods.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve why don¡¯t you go wait outside, I am going to get her ready, but before you go though I am going to need 500xp.¡±


    ¡°500xp? What for?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We can¡¯t have our daughter meet the elders without looking her best. It¡¯s not a problem is it?¡±


    ¡°500xp for clothes seems a lot, but I guess for a one-time thing it will be alright¡­¡±


    After I set it up Belinda gives me a kiss and then pushes me out of the door. I wait till almost right on the mark of the time we are supposed to set out before the door to the bedroom opens back up.


    Inari looks really nice, but I honestly don¡¯t see a reason for this set of robes costing so much more than her normal ones, but it does look to be made of a very luxurious material. Her hair has also been tied up with what I could only describe as some kind of headdress.


    ¡°Alright, Inari you look great, but we are running a little behind now, so wait downstairs and I will be there in a second.¡±


    Inari hugs Belinda really tightly and says. ¡°I love you Mommy, take care of Daddy for me ok?¡± Belinda then hugs her back and nods. Inari then heads downstairs.


    ¡°They said something about some kind of competition or something so I don¡¯t know quite how long this will take, but I will be home as soon as possible.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know she isn¡¯t really our daughter, but she is still quite young, and has been our responsibility since she was born, so¡­ Just take care of her ok Two-Twelve?¡±


    I nod and give Belinda a kiss. I then head downstairs to meet up with Inari who is giving Takeshi a hug.


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will work out, but I hope I will get to see you soon Takeshi¡­¡±


    After Inari lets go of Takeshi he takes a knee. ¡°I don¡¯t care if I have to swim across the ocean, I promise I will be there to protect you Miss Inari.¡±


    She ruffles his hair as he kneels saying. ¡°I really wish you would at least just call me Inari.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°¡­¡±


    I pat Takeshi on the shoulder as I pass. ¡°I will do what I can.¡± Inari and I then head down to the entryway just in time to hear a knock at the door. When I open it, surprisingly it is Madam Erin who has come to collect us.


    ¡°I am rather surprised to see you being the one to come get us.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I wanted to personally see the competition before we get to the evaluation. I heard you went through quite a few unorthodox methods for her training, but no matter how I tried, I couldn¡¯t get Dyson to spill any more details.¡±


    ¡°Well I am confident that she will surpass everyone¡¯s expectations, and I will win our little bet.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You seem pretty confident, even with limiting her training to only 2 weeks instead of the normal 4. It didn¡¯t seem to instill enough confidence into Dyson for him to join in on our bet as well so we will see.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy¡¯s training is the best! I will show you!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Daddy?¡± ¨CShe says with a sly smile. - ¡°Isn¡¯t that cute. Well shall we pups?¡±


    We head out of Tobes heading up towards the dungeon till we find a large stone and Madam Erin begins to draw the doorway on it. Before she is done however a group of adventurers can be seen making their way to us.


    Adventurer: ¡°Mister Mayor, what are you doing up here in the mountains?¡±


    ¡°I have some business to attend to out of town, and Madam Erin here was going to use some magic to make the trip a bit quicker.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Is Miss Inari going with you as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes she has managed to get on her feet, and felt it¡¯s time to move on so she is going along for the ride.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°I am sorry to hear that¡­ I hoped she would stick around like some of the others you have helped out.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well Daddy helped me so much, but I need to go out into the world and prove myself.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°I understand. Is Takeshi not going with you? I thought he would never leave your side.¡±


    Inari looks kind of sad as she says. ¡°He has something to take care of first, but he is going to try to catch up with me later.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Excuse me, but we are quite pressed for time.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ You guys heading up to the dungeon? We¡¯ll be careful up there.¡±


    The adventurers nod and watch us as we disappear though the portal.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I see you have managed to make quite the impact among the humans, no wonder Dyson has so much interest in you. They weren¡¯t even surprised by me or the teleportation magic.¡±


    ¡°Well they are starting to get used to that sort of thing. I have found humans to be very adaptable¡­¡±


    We head though the hallways reaching the waiting room. Madam Erin asks Inari to wait inside while she leads me to the evaluation room. Once we enter I find we are the last to arrive. Madam Erin takes her place among the elders and I move over to stand behind one of the ten chairs before the podium like the other 7 I met at Dyson¡¯s dungeon.


    Draco: ¡°Welcome. You were all chosen by Dyson to host new dungeon cores this year, and I have heard quite a few rumors about unorthodox training methods.¡±


    Faron: ¡°That being said, we expected as much when we turned the responsibilities of training the new cores over to Dyson.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°However we decided to not just take his word that his way of training new cores is better, so we decide to have a bit of a competition pitting the training cores against a dungeon that all of the elders built together.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°We are going to separate the 10 training cores into 3 groups, and only 2 groups will be allowed to start their own dungeons the one remaining group will fail.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°If both of Dyson¡¯s groups are the winning groups he wins, but if the elder¡¯s group beats either of the other two groups it will be our win.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As such I have been allowed to group you how I see fit, and the others were quite curious about how I wanted to separate you so let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Iakovos, Duke Bozhidar, Archbishop Hayden, Tom, and Duke Dionysus, your 5 training cores will make up group 1.¡±


    Faron: ¡°The elder¡¯s group will be group two.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Sierra and Two-Twelve¡¯s cores will finish out with group 3.¡±


    After that Lucille stands walking out the door and returns with the 10 training cores, each taking a seat in front of us.


    Duke Dionysus¡¯s training core is an ugly skinny man he appears to be some kind of mouse or rat beastkin with beady eyes, a crooked smile. His entire being just screams villain, but after what I have heard of Duke Dionysus he seems to match with him quite well.


    Next is a young woman sitting in front of Sierra with short blond hair, wearing chainmail. Her appearance is rather average, but the look in her eye shows determination.


    In front of Iakovos is another beastkin this one appears to be some kind of dog, but doesn¡¯t have a fluffy tail like Zoey. He appears to be some kind of hunting dog with sleek black hair, ears, and tail.


    Next up is Inari who standing in front of them, then on the other side is another young human woman who is quite young and beautiful with long blond hair taking the seat in front of Duke Bozhidar


    The man in front of Archbishop Hayden, at least I think it¡¯s a man. He looks somewhat like some kind of furry beast with dog like features that is quite disturbing to look at like some kind of were-creature.


    However the most disturbing of the group is in front of the dungeon core Tom. She appears to be a child like Tom, but her appearance is almost doll like, even with solid black doll like eyes. She is wearing a very puffy blue and white dress complete with a bonnet.


    The last three chairs are for the cores that were trained by the elders. I am not sure who trained who, but out of the three the young human woman looks suspiciously a lot like Thirty-seven, so she probably is Madam Erin¡¯s.


    Madam Erin didn¡¯t summon Thirty-seven though so I may be wrong. One of the guys as well, although he is human instead of that of a dragon, he also appears to resemble Simon¡¯s facial features.


    Fredrick: ¡°Group 1 you remain here with your training cores, and the rest of you will wait till your turn.¡±


    Madam Erin, Faron, and Lucille gather with us and leads their cores, Inari, Sierra, her core, and me back to the waiting room. The human man that resembled Simon appears to be Lucille¡¯s training core, the female is indeed Madam Erin¡¯s, and the last is Faron¡¯s.


    Once we reach the waiting room Madam Erin is the first to speak.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Of course Lucille, Faron, and myself help set up the challenge, but so was Dyson so you should take that as comfort.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°The others are explaining the rules right now, after that they will begin. We will only hear the results until after all three groups have finished.¡±


    Faron: ¡°This will take quite a while so you might want to get comfortable.¡±


    Inari pulls on my arm and we go sit down on one of the couches in the room. Sierra and her training core sit down across from us.


    Sierra: ¡°Do you know why Dyson put our cores by themselves in the third group?¡±


    ¡°if only one of his groups had to out preform the elders training cores it makes since to give one group an advantage, but both of his groups have to, so I guess that means he thinking Inari, and your training core can handle it by themselves.¡±


    Sierra: ¡°But he seemed so displeased with Mira¡¯s training I was sure he must of just wrote us off. Maybe he doesn¡¯t expect to win now, so he just chooses us as sacrificial pawns so the others will be allowed to start their own dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Dyson really well, but I think losing is the last thing on his mind. Besides I am confident Inari can handle it. I am not quite sure what they are going to have to do, but I think it would be a good idea for Inari and your training core to use this time to get to know each other better.¡±


    Mira: ¡°But we don¡¯t even have any idea what is coming.¡±


    ¡°The elders said they prepared a dungeon. I could only assume that means they have to beat that dungeon, but as most of the elders just hold up in their dungeons, I would assume they will have the training cores prepare one as well and have to fend off attackers.¡±


    Sierra: ¡°So you really think that it will just be an extreme version of the normal training?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy is very smart, I would trust him if I was you.¡±


    Sierra: ¡°Daddy?¡±


    Inari squeezes my arm as she says. ¡°Yes Daddy! I was born in his dungeon so he is my Daddy!¡±


    Sierra seems to lose the confidence she was starting to gain about the situation. She then gets up calling Mira and they go talk to the elders group. After what looks like Sierra arguing for a few minutes Madam Erin leaves from the rest to sit across from us.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Seems like Sierra isn¡¯t very satisfied with the way Dyson is handling this.¡±


    ¡°I am sure he has his reasons.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I was actually starting to think I might have to worry about losing my bet with you, but after Dyson suggested the group arrangement I guess I was overthinking it.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°So you side with Sierra, you think Dyson has gave up on winning and is just pushing to get as many of his cores to pass as possible?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°This will be no easy task even among 3 strong cores. After hearing how unsatisfied Dyson was with Sierra and Mira, I am sure even if you did you best your poor core doesn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You¡¯re wrong! Daddy trained me better than any core has ever been trained before. I inherited his special traits and with them we will show you, you mean lady!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough Inari.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Really? His special traits you say?¡±


    Inari looks troubled at her outburst and Madam Erin now looks extremely interested.


    Madam Erin and I talk for a while, and she keeps trying to push for information, but Inari now remains silent. Madam Erin eventually gives up heading back to the other elders, Sierra and Mira have now taking a seat at the other side of the room.


    After a while I message Belinda and catch her up with what¡¯s going on, and it isn¡¯t till noon till we hear the first bit of news. Although it isn¡¯t the kind of news we wanted to hear.


    Dungeon Core #344 Naulin has died at the hands of a crimson kobold.


    After that Faron stands up addressing the room. ¡°As you can see, this is no easy task. Remember do not let your guard down for a second.¡± He then sits back down whispering to the other cores with a troubled expression.


    Not long after that we receive two more messages back to back.


    Dungeon Core #454 Chase has died at the hands of a crimson kobold brute.


    Dungeon Core #593 Kellam has died at the hands of crimson kobold brute.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy¡­ I am scared¡­ I rather fail and stay with you and Mommy then die¡­¡±


    ¡°You will be alright, look what killed them. I don¡¯t quite know what the battle looks like, but you can easily handle crimson kobolds¡±


    We then receive one last message.


    Dungeon Core #2 Caecilius, and Dungeon Core #514 Ferox Marionette completed elder¡¯s trial at 4 hours 37 minutes.


    Lucille stands and addresses the elder¡¯s training cores. ¡°There was only two left, it doesn¡¯t matter how long it takes as long as all three of you make it though we win.¡±


    Faron and Madam Erin then stand leading the three training cores out of the room. Now only Sierra, Mira, Inari and myself remain in the room. Inari lets go of me standing up heading over to Sierra and Mira.


    Inari: ¡°I couldn¡¯t help hear them say if all three make it they win. That means no matter if they win or lose we need to beat 4 hours and 37 minutes so that we at least pass.¡±


    Mira: ¡°What of it? It took three of their lives to complete it that fast, do you really think we even stand a chance?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy didn¡¯t train me to be weak. I will do it even if I have to do it alone, but that doesn¡¯t sound like it will be enough for me to pass. I promised Daddy I would pass and make him proud, so like it or not you are going to have to at least survive.¡±


    Mira: ¡°Easy for you to say in that, what is that anyway a dress? A robe? You probably sat in your dungeon core room you entire month throwing monsters out.¡±


    Inari: ¡°My Mommy gave me this Kimono for meeting the elders today, and for your information I only had to defend my dungeon 4 times as every other day I left my dungeon to train in Daddy¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Sierra: ¡°4 times? You only fought intruders 4 times? No wonder Dyson is displeased with your training.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. This isn¡¯t going to help the girls pass. Besides Dyson had no complaints about Inari¡¯s training. All the others died by crimson kobolds or crimson kobold brutes. As long as there are not too many of them I have no doubts Inari can handle at least that much.¡±


    Sierra: ¡°We don¡¯t even know what they are giving to attack with, they all died in a fight so for all we know they aren¡¯t even giving them any monsters to defend with.¡±


    ¡°Like I said Inari can handle that much. You are going to have to be careful though Inari, if there are too many you are going to have to try to conserve your magic as much as possible only using it if you have to.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I wish Takeshi was here, I wouldn¡¯t be worried at all if he was with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Well did you use your xp like I said?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I did¡­ I already knew all the spells, but since I haven¡¯t been able to level the skills are all still rank 1, so I don¡¯t know how much they will help.¡±


    Sierra: ¡°You both are delusional if you think they are going to stand a chance. They were not just kobolds, but crimson kobolds, and even a crimson kobold brute. There is no way a training core can handle that much.¡±


    ¡°#2 and #514 did.¡±


    Sierra: ¡°By sacrificing 3 others, I sure they just pushed to the crystal ignoring those that fell.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Is Mira¡¯s armor just for show then? Look if you are just going to be a liability as soon as it starts you find a place and hide. I will take care of it. I can¡¯t afford for you to die.¡±


    Mira: ¡°You both are crazy¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on Inari, we aren¡¯t going to get anywhere with these two.¡±


    Inari and I go sit back down on the other side of the room while Sierra and Mira scoff at us. We sit around waiting for word, but after the 5<sup>th</sup> hour mark we still haven¡¯t heard anything. I send Belinda another message telling her that the second group is still in battle and that Inari¡¯s group has to go after that so I probably won¡¯t be home at least till the middle of the night.¡±


    Just after the 6<sup>th</sup> hour we finally receive word.


    Dungeon Core #792 [Garnier] had died at the hands of a crimson kobold elder.


    Dungeon Core #602 [Ivetta] and Dungeon Core #682 [Ysaac] completed the elder¡¯s trial at 6 hours 5 minutes.


    ¡°This is good news, one died right at the end that means the first group beat them. As long as neither of you die and you beat 6 hours Dyson wins.¡±


    Sierra: ¡°Are you still going on about that? They don¡¯t intend for us to win. Even one of the cores the Elders personally trained died.¡±


    Madam Erin enters the room and says. ¡°Alright pups its time.¡± She then leads the four of us back to the main room. The four remaining dungeon cores are sitting behind the table in the corner, even though their wounds appear to be healed their clothing shows of quite the battles they had to face.


    Draco: ¡°As you can see we are at quite a stalemate. Both of our groups completed the trial with two cores still alive. Now it just comes down to time completion.¡±


    Faron: ¡°If either of you die, or the time surpasses 6 hours 5 minutes it¡¯s over, your group will automatically fail.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now for the rules. We have two dungeons joined by a single small hallway, your dungeon will be a basic training dungeon and you must defend it against attackers while sending out monsters in effort to destroy the crystal of the other dungeon.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°Now our dungeon isn¡¯t quite a basic as a training dungeon you will have to face 8 rooms each rising in difficulty. The enemies sent to attack your dungeon will be the difficulty of the first room, and for every hour of defense they will rise in difficulty as well.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°The other groups were giving the option of just sticking to defense and after 10 hours it would have been considered a win, but as you have to beat 6 hours 5 minutes you do not have that option.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Now for the good news, you are allowed 1000xp every 10 minutes, and you are allowed to bring anything you had in your training dungeon.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Does that even include our boss monsters?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes it includes your boss monsters.¡±


    Inari: ¡°My boss monster wasn¡¯t bound to my dungeon though, so will I still be able to use him?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He wasn¡¯t bound¡­?¡± ¨CHe then looks to the others.-


    Draco: ¡°Explain.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy summoned him for me, I¡­ He didn¡¯t feel comfortable being bound to me in case of an ultimate command, so he just protected me without being bound.¡±


    Draco: ¡°So he was summoned by someone other than you¡­ It isn¡¯t uncommon to takes boss monsters from outside a dungeon or from another dungeon, but I have reservations.¡±


    ¡°If it is any comfort I used the xp dedicated for Inari¡¯s training, and his level is not any higher than that of Inari¡¯s.¡±


    The other elders seem to be discussing it amongst each other but Dyson¡¯s face curves into a sly smile while giving me a nod. He quickly however resumes a natural expression when Lucille asks him.


    Lucille: ¡°And what about your thoughts Dyson?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As this is one of my groups, I feel I shouldn¡¯t get a say. I will leave it up to your judgements.¡±


    Draco: ¡°What is the monster¡¯s race?¡±


    ¡°He is a beastkin. Just a fox beastkin.¡±


    After a short while of discussing it again they reach a decision.


    Draco: ¡°Very well, we are still a little concerned he may possess a few extra abilities because Dungeon Core #212¡¯s unique nature, then what a normal monster of his level should have, but at that level it shouldn¡¯t be as much of a concern. As long as his level is not higher than that of Inari, we will allow it.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°As he isn¡¯t bound to a dungeon, Dyson do you mind returning to Dungeon Core #212¡¯s dungeon to collect him?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Very well, I will go right away, Two-Twelve if you could let your boss monster know I am on my way as to not cause any problems.¡±


    After I nod Dyson leaves the room and I send a message to Belinda. It doesn¡¯t even take 5 minutes for Dyson to return with Takeshi. Takeshi looks a little confused and worried until he sees Inari and me, he starts to walk over to us but looks to Dyson. After Dyson nods Takeshi joins us.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now that that is taking care of let¡¯s get started. Inari¡¯s boss monster, you might want to take ahold of her arm or something.¡±


    Takeshi looks a little nervous still but takes Inari¡¯s arm. Then Inari, Takeshi, and Mira both disappear. A large screen appears on the far side of the room displaying the three in the crystal room of a training dungeon with a small glowing training core against the back wall.


    Inari¡¯s Evaluation


    Inari: ¡°I am so glad you made it Takeshi.¡± ¨CShe says while hugging him.-


    Takeshi: ¡°I am not quite sure what is going on, but if it means I can be assistance to Miss Inari, I am happy to help.¡±


    Mira: ¡°That¡¯s a touching reunion and all, but what are we going to do? We have 1000xp and under ten minutes to prepare.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Ok let¡¯s get started. Mira what kind of monsters can you summon?¡±


    Mira: ¡°Just the basics, same as you. My element is fire, so what about you?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am curious, I know being of a fire element you can summon them at a lower cost, so how much is a small flame elemental.¡±


    Mira: ¡°It should be the same as the creatures of your favored element, unless your element is light, I heard theirs are different.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Humor me¡­¡±


    Mira: ¡°125xp of course¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Mine are 187xp¡­


    Mira: ¡°Then what is yours?¡±


    Inari: ¡°That¡¯s what I am saying it cost 187xp for me to summon a small flame elemental.¡±


    This conversation seems to pique the interest of the elders as they begin whispering back and forth. I hope she doesn¡¯t say too much¡­ But it has been something I have wondered for quite a while now.


    Mira: ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°We don¡¯t quite know what they will send in but the elementals don¡¯t require equipment so they should be the least costly. If we summon all flame elementals a few freeze spells will be the end of us, so I will take care of the rest.¡±


    Mira: ¡°Alright, how many do you want me to summon?¡±


    Inari: ¡°We have 1000xp¡­ So let¡¯s start with one.¡±


    Mira nods and after messing with her [Menu] a small flame elemental appears in the room. Inari quickly starts tapping away on her own [Menu]. The screen functions like the observation window so we can see what is displayed on her screen.


    Her screens appear far different than mine¡­ Is that normal? It even has a floral pattern in the background of the screens. That doesn¡¯t get any reaction out of the elders, but what does is when she accesses her [Monsters].


    She summons a weak skeleton, weak Lizard man, weak pixie, and a small weak earth golem dropping them down to 2 xp. Next she does something I have never heard before. Inari sets a queue to summon a dozen of each type of monster again on 10 minute intervals at a designated location.


    I can¡¯t do that¡­ I thought that is what rifts are for. The elders are kicking up quite a fuss at the fact she can summon monsters from all the elements, even Mira seems shocked as the monsters begin to appear in the room.


    Inari however pays her no mind spending the last 2 remaining xp on two rusty daggers throwing one to the lizardman and the other to the skeleton.


    Inari: ¡°Alright every 10 minutes you should now get a set just like this, the lizardmen and the skeleton will need gear, so after dropping the attackers try equipping them with their gear. You just summon another small flame elemental.¡±


    Mira: ¡°Well what are you going to do?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Takeshi and I are going to go destroy that other dungeon. You can handle this right?¡±


    Mira: ¡°I think so¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°If you fail, we fail, and that I can¡¯t accept. Do you understand?¡±


    Mira: ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Good, well we will try to wrap this up quickly then.


    Inari then opens [Equipment] finding her and Takeshi¡¯s gear among them.


    Draco: ¡°What is the meaning of this Two-Twelve?¡±


    ¡°You said they could have what they used during their training.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I have never seen a sword like that before.¡±


    ¡°It is actually her mage¡¯s staff¡­¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°How much of your own xp did you spend on their equipment¡­?¡±


    ¡°None, I actually spent 10,000 xp from her training in my dungeon, and there is still around 6000xp left.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Unique items, and high quality equipment, you must be taking a page from Dyson¡¯s book.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well it¡¯s too late to change the rules now, let¡¯s just see if that gear does them any good, if they don¡¯t even plan to take any monsters with them it will be near impossible.¡±


    After Takeshi manages to get his armor equipped Inari and Takeshi then begin to make their way from the dungeon. Mira looks to be a little scared, but more of Inari now then of the monsters that will soon be attacking.


    Inari and Takeshi enter into a small hallway from a doorway at the far side there is a dozen young kobolds filtering out of it.


    Inari: ¡°This looks simple enough, I don¡¯t want to waste any magic so let¡¯s stick to melee, we should be able to buy Mira 10 more minutes this way.¡±


    Takeshi nods and the quickly begin to charge across the room.


    The proceeding fight looks no less then like when Listel waltzed though my dungeon and all the elders appear to be speechless. Dyson however has his fingers interwoven in front of his face with a devious look on his face¡­


    The first room of the dungeon Inari and Takeshi enters appears to be more of kobolds like they just killed and Inari still has yet to cast a spell after they clear it. The next room starts to get harder but not by much as it only switches out half of the young kobolds for young kobold mages.


    By the time they enter the third room Inari¡¯s second set of monsters appear in the room with Mira causing her to jump, she then summons her next fire elemental and then begins pushing the group forward.


    She as least seems to have the sense enough to leave the lizardmen and skeletons in the back while moving the monsters that don¡¯t require weapons towards the front.


    As Inari tears into the third room they are fighting against a dozen normal kobolds, and Inari uses her first spell. She however seems to be conserving her magic as it is just a single spell. It still however gets quite the attention from the elders as a simple [Fireball] spell wipes 3 of the kobold completely from existence.


    Draco: ¡°How is this even possible?¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°It must be the equipment, there is no way a new core can cast spells with that much strength.¡±


    I can¡¯t tell if Madam Erin is mad or proud as she simply says. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that¡­¡± As she looks at me across the room¡­


    The second wave of attackers has finally entered the dungeon and begun attacking the defensive force. The little kobolds however stands no chance against the much stronger element based monsters. It does however allow the two lizard men and two skeleton gather some better gear even if it is still rusted.


    Inari and Takeshi make their way into the fourth room about the same time the last of the attackers are defeated. This room too is normal kobolds, but like the second room there are now kobold mages mixed in.


    Takeshi appears to take his first bit of damage from a spell, but it doesn¡¯t appear to faze him at all as they still clear the room. It does take them a bit more time however as a third group has now appeared in the defending dungeon.


    Mira directs the skeleton and lizardman to pick up some gear and then they prepare for another wave. There are more of the young kobolds entering the dungeon this time, but the power level difference is still way in favor of the defense.


    If things keep up like this the defense will be able to stand up at least until Inari¡¯s monsters quit spawning in. at the two hour mark, but even then I don¡¯t know how much stronger the waves of attackers will be so they might be safe even after that.


    The fifth room has the first set of crimson kobolds.


    Inari: ¡°I am getting tired of all these little guys¡­ Takeshi can I cut lose a bit?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are asking me Miss Inari. You always do as you please regardless.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I guess you are right¡­¡±


    Inari then begins to focus as twelve of the balls appear in front of her, but from what I can tell they are nowhere near full strength. The elders seem interested at first but even Dyson is shocked when the 12 balls each seek out their own crimson kobold.


    With explosions, gusts of wind, frost, and even stone filling the room, two crimson kobolds just seems to fade from view and disappear while balls of light pierce two more. After the dust settles Inari simply dusts her hands off. As they proceed to the next room.


    Lucille: ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I am not one to give out information about other dungeons, so you will have to ask her yourself.¡±


    Draco: ¡°That was clearly too much for a training core, it even appeared to contain every element.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So she did indeed inherent your unique traits.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what you mean.¡±


    Even with the addition of the mages in the sixth room one set of balls from Inari that room is clear as well. I don¡¯t know what skills she learned and such, but she has two more rooms to go so she better save some magic¡­


    There is easily 30 young kobolds in the fourth wave of the defense but still even though the sheer numbers begin to cause a bit of harm to the defending team Mira really seems to be a decent core after all as she cycles out the injured before they fall spreading out the damage more.


    I still have yet to see her attack personally, but there is quite a bit going on so I guess it could be chalked up to having to keep an eye on everything. Even though one of the skeletons appears to be missing half of his bones none of the creatures seem to fall by the time the last of the kobold falls.


    It takes Inari two set of balls to deal with the crimson kobold brutes in the 7<sup>th</sup> room, but in the 8<sup>th</sup> room when the crimson kobold elders are in the mix she just cranks up the balls to what appears to finally being full power and she clears the elder¡¯s trial, after giving the dungeon crystal a little tap with her staff.


    Mira, Inari, and Takeshi are instantly teleported back to the room as I receive the message.


    Dungeon Core #108 [Mira] and Dungeon Core #245 [Inari] completed the elder¡¯s trial in 47 minutes.


    Mira looks a little confused after teleporting until she reads what is most likely the message in front of her. Inari however hugs Takeshi and says. ¡°We did it!¡±

 Madam Erins Bet

    After Inari¡¯s evaluation I am sitting in one of the chairs next to the other trainers watching the remaining dungeon cores choose a location for their dungeon. The elders always seem to do things numerically but for some reason Madam Erin skips Inari allowing the creepy doll girl go first.


    Inari has a look of surprise and even anger as the creepy girl chooses a location. Inari then moves up to the map but Madam Erin stops her. I can¡¯t tell what they are talking about, but Inari looks at me questionably as Madam Erin leads her away from the map heading out of the room¡­


    Dyson comes down from the podium to talk to us.


    ¡°What is Madam Erin up to now?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it, she is probably just trying to get some information from your little core, but I am sure you trained her well enough for her to know better. Well, very impressive everyone, although the losses were a bit unfortunate. I have a feeling the other elders are going to pass their remaining two cores just to try to save face, but it doesn¡¯t matter because we proved to them our win.¡±


    Iakovos: ¡°I was truly surprised by #245¡¯s performance¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure what to think when you separated the groups like you did.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yea sorry about that Sierra, I heard it led to quite the misunderstanding, I was confident #245 could handle the evaluation by herself, so figured you would have preferred grouping up with Two-Twelve instead of the others.¡±


    Sierra: ¡°¡­¡±


    Duke Bozhidar: ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start with the questions I want to ask about her training.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well for now that is Two-Twelve and my secret, but don¡¯t worry if I feel you are qualified to continue to train new cores, I will fill you in when the time is right.¡±


    Duke Bozhidar, Iakovos, and Archbishop Hayden look a little concerned at Dyson¡¯s comment while Duke Dionysus seems proud of himself. Sierra seems indifferent and Tom looks to be bored with the entire conversation.


    Dyson continues to talk mentioning some of the highlights of the other groups, since I didn¡¯t get to see either of those matches I find it rather interesting, but as things start winding down Madam Erin and Inari return to the room.


    Inari makes her way back to the map with Madam Erin, but she looks over to me and quickly comes running across the room and wraps me in a big hug. While hugging me she says. ¡°I love you daddy. Take care of Mommy and Aunties for me.¡±


    She then goes and talks to Takeshi who has been sitting quietly in a chair nearby. He seems to say something that causes Inari to blush and her eyes to sparkle she then wraps him in a hug as well before returning to the map.


    Once she points to the map Madam Erin has a sudden shocked and concerned look on her face as Inari disappears.


    Dyson finishes up his conversation and everyone goes on about their business heading back to their dungeons, but he pulls me to the side to get a detailed rundown on Inari¡¯s training.


    Dyson: ¡°I am curious of trying a few different things for next year, I might even have you give it another shot, and maybe we will get the divine being next year.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well Madam Erin said she had a debt to settle with you so I better leave you to it¡­ I really should have accepted her bet as well. Good luck.¡±


    Dyson leaves and Madam Erin enters the room with a smirk on her face.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I managed to learn quite a few good bits of information from your little training core. Shame about her choice for dungeon location though, but if she does manage to pull it off I really will be impressed.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Shima has been a dead zone for dungeons for 3 decades. Only a few have tried to establish themselves after we quit receiving word from there, but none have made it more than a few weeks. Even one set up in the capital was taken out after only a month.¡±


    Madam Erin¡¯s comment seems to unsettle Takeshi as he says. ¡°Then you must send me to her immediately!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Like I said Shima has been a dead zone, it is going to take a while to hold up my promise to the girl¡­ I am sorry, but that is just the way it is.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Master you must message her and warn her!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You are not getting the message about a dead zone¡­ I am not exactly sure how [Communication] works, Two-Twelve even managed to bend the rules last year and we still haven¡¯t figured that out either, but it doesn¡¯t have an unlimited range¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Sure the mainland is no problem, but a few of the islands, Shima, and half of Belgore are completely unreachable. The notices and <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> might even take days to be updated.¡±


    ¡°Well is there anything we can do?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Even if the dungeon network isn¡¯t active in Shima, the adventurer¡¯s guild seems to be thriving there, so you might be able to get a message though with them but that could still take weeks?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Her adventurer¡¯s ID! We could send her a message though on it like the communication parchment!¡±


    ¡°Takeshi!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I am sorry Master¡­ The communication parchment from Gowen it uses the adventurer¡¯s guild magic, and Two-Twelve discovered that duplicate adventurer¡¯s IDs can pass information, the Gowen communication parchment is essentially blank adventurer IDs¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Who says an old dog can¡¯t learn new tricks, I have learned all kinds of interesting information today.¡±


    I sigh¡­ ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter though because we have to have her to make a copy of her ID so there is no way to send the message.¡±


    The gears appear to be turning in Madam Erin¡¯s head for a minute before she says. ¡°Well I can¡¯t make any promises, but I might have an idea. It will take at least a week and a half to find out if it will work or not, but if she can hold on that long we might just be able to get you to her.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet, besides after what she informed me of earlier is payment enough. If this works you can tell her we are even.¡±


    Takeshi nods and bows deeply to Madam Erin. Madam Erin seems to have a pained expression on her face after Takeshi bows, she then takes a deep breath then says.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well back to our other business I believe you won our bet pup. You never cease to amaze me, so I decided I want to do something special, but I am afraid we will have to take a bit of a trip.¡±


    ¡°How long is this going to take¡­? It is already pretty late.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Don¡¯t worry pup I am sure your princess is capable of putting herself to bed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s just a quick extra jump back to my dungeon before I take you home. I could do it here, but you never quite know how many ears the walls may have.¡±


    ¡°I actually have been wondering were exactly are we right now?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well you never know what the future may bring, so maybe someday you will become an elder and find out, until then let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a secret.¡±


    Madam Erin leads Takeshi and myself out of the room heading to the portals, She pushes Takeshi, then me though then follows shortly behind. We arrive in a familiar room, it is the small portal room in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Not exactly the most glamorous location, but since you seem to be in a hurry it will work.¡±


    Madam Erin appears to messing with her [Menu] and thinking rather hard. After a few minutes she looks to have finished, and she then says. ¡°Now I haven¡¯t summoned one of these in a couple hundred years, so forgive me if I am a little rusty, but it should serve you well.¡± She then hits her [Menu] and there is a flash of light¡­


    When the light clears what is left is a little girl¡­ No little girl is probably the wrong word, she looks quite mature, but she only stands chest high, she has dark brown hair runs down to her ankles, but giving her height it probably isn¡¯t any longer then Roxy¡¯s¡­


    Her body is quite stout, and although I wouldn¡¯t call her fat by any means she does have some extra few pounds. Her skin is of an earth tanned color, and her eyes are a deep red. Her appearance is not that of a beauty, but it almost sounds like an insult to say average. Making me finally realize what people say about how many stunningly attractive women there are around me.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well like I said I am a bit rusty, she may not be a 4 but she is probably a 2 or at least a solid 1 on the Dyson scale. Although I am not too sure how much faith you could put into his ideals anyway as he wouldn¡¯t ever rank a beastkin above a 1 no matter their looks.¡±


    Takeshi becomes embarrassed turning around while blushing. The woman looks around quite curious scanning the room. When she looks at Madam Erin she says something but I can¡¯t understand it. Madam Erin smirks and says something back in what sounds like the same kind of language. The woman¡¯s eyes briefly get big and she then looks to me with a sly smile and says a single word.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the language you were speaking in.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Its dwarven¡­ What do you mean you don¡¯t understand it? Dungeon cores understand all languages even the monster languages.¡±


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Madam Erin looks to the woman and says something else she then nods clears her throat and says. ¡°How¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Much better¡­¡±


    Woman: ¡°Well good, now that that is taking care of can I get some clothes? The girls are getting a bit chilly.¡± ¨CShe says rubbing her modest breasts.- ¡°But If my new master wants he could¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t know what she said in dwarven after that but it causes Madam Erin to laugh, so maybe I am best not knowing¡­ Madam Erin then equips some clothes on the woman, and it looks like some kind of one piece outfit.


    After a checking the outfit over however the woman unbuttons the top of the outfit pulling it down tying the top half around her waist and underneath it is a thin undershirt with just two thin strips over the shoulders leaving it with no sleeves and a wide neck. She then looks it over again and nods crossing her arms in front of her.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well what do you think Two-Twelve? Will she do?¡±


    ¡°Why does everyone keep insist on giving me women all the time¡­ Do I really look like someone that thinks a woman is an acceptable gift¡­?¡± ¨CAfter Madam Erin smirks she and is about say something I continue.- ¡°Don¡¯t answer that¡­ You said you were speaking Dwarven? So does that mean she is a dwarf then?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I told you I would give you something special, I guess we can¡¯t leave it at just that though¡­¡±


    After looking at the dwarf woman for a few seconds Madam Erin taps away at her [Menu] again doesn¡¯t stop until the dwarf woman is covered in a heavy armor complete with a half-helmet, complete with a large two-handed hammer both made out of what I assume is dwarven metal as it is the same color as my sword.


    Madam Erin: ¡°There, now she has got to be at least as good as the gift you got from Dyson, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Is that what this is about¡­?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Of course not. This is about settling the bet I lost, but I can¡¯t have you saying that the payoff was lackluster.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ I will take her, but like I told Dyson I can¡¯t guarantee I will keep her.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fine with me. Once you accept her it doesn¡¯t matter much to me what you do with her after. Well, take care of Two-Twelve, and remember¡­¡±


    Whatever she says next I can¡¯t understand as it is in dwarven¡­ But the woman smiles and nods.


    Madam Erin: ¡°And Takeshi? Was it? I promise once I find out if my idea will work you will be the first to know.¡±


    After Takeshi tries to thank Madam Erin again and her warning him again she then erases a few of the runes on one of the portals causing the blackness through the door way to disappear leaving the wall on the other side in view. She then rewrites some different runes and the area behind the frame disappears behind the darkness again.


    Madam Erin says one last thing to the woman in dwarven before she walks through the door frame disappearing I then follow after her and Takeshi follows behind me. When we arrive we find ourselves almost in my back yard¡­


    I wondered if the portal had to be one rock, but apparently my question has now been answered as we have appeared too stepped out of a large oak tree at the edge of the forest. I don¡¯t see any lights on in the house as we approach.


    Once we pass around the side of the house to the front we pass the threshold into the dungeon and I receive a message.


    Monster Katherine has changed ownership from Dungeon Core #36 [Elder Madam Erin] to dungeon Core #212 [Mayor ------].


    Would you like to change Katherine¡¯s name?


    ¡°Katherine? I didn¡¯t think of it as you obviously had to have a name to leave her dungeon, but when did she give you a name?¡±


    Katherine: ¡°It was when we were speaking in dwarven¡­¡±


    ¡°Well are you alright with that name?¡±


    Katherine: ¡°It is fine¡­But if it isn¡¯t too much trouble maybe you could cut it down to just Katie¡­?¡±


    I change it in the [Menu] and confirm it, and receiving the message about a new monster available. We then finish heading around the house entering it. I then store Katie¡¯s armor and hammer receiving the message about new items available, but I ignore it for now as well.


    We quietly make our way upstairs, after telling Takeshi goodnight he heads into the room he has been using, I then point out one of the other guest rooms for Katie.


    ¡°You can sleep there, and we will take care of everything else in the morning.¡±


    She looks a little hesitant but eventually nods heading into the room. I then creep upstairs and enter the bedroom. Belinda appears to be asleep, so I use [Menu] to remove my things and then slide into bed. Not long after I settle in though Belinda wraps herself around me.


    Belinda: ¡°It went alright then?¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin appears to be a little worried about the location Inari chose, but I guess so.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the location she chose?¡±


    ¡°I will fill you in on everything in the morning for now I am just ready for bed.¡±


    Belinda gives me a short kiss then buries her face into my chest, then rubbing my hand down her back I drift off to sleep.


    I wake up the next morning and Belinda is still holding me tightly drooling on my chest again¡­ I just simply cast [Clean] and as there is little else I can do I check the screens I pushed out of the way the night before.


    New Monster Available


    Dwarf                               Cost: 250xp


    Dwarves are capable of being summoned as sentient at x10 xp cost. Dwarves that are summoned as non-sentient are still capable of basic thought but possess no independent will of their own.


    New Items Available


    Dwarven Maul                               Cost: 1750xp


    Dwarven Full-plate*                      Cost: 4000xp Dwarven Half-helm                        Cost:  800xp


    Dwarven heavy armors are designed in a way that does not require a gambeson. However the padding can be removed to accommodate the use of a gambeson.


    Katie has reached level 10 dwarves can now be summoned up to that level at an increased xp cost Katie has reached level 20 dwarves can now be summoned up to that level at an increased xp cost


    New Skills Available


    [Crafting Combat]                   Cost: 2500xp [Hammer Training]                 Cost: 1000xp [Crafting Specialist]                Cost: 2500xp [A Daisy Amongst Roses]      Cost: 10,000xp


    I didn¡¯t expect her to be level 20 as well, but I guess Madam Erin really didn¡¯t want to be shown up by Dyson. I am not surprised to see a dwarf with crafting skills but what is that last one¡­ I decide to check her status page.


    Katie


    Name: Katie                           Race: Dwarf                                       Class:  Battle-smith


    Level: 20                                XP till next Level: 57,000                 Favored Element: Earth


    HP: 2,800/2,800                             MP: 250/250


    Strength: 140


    Agility: 50


    Endurance: 140


    Blacksmithing: 105


    Resistances:


    Armor:


    Equipment:


    Skills:


    [Crafting Combat] (Rank 5): Your combat prowess is only equal to your crafting ability. Allows the use of a crafting ability to supplement weapon abilities. Bonuses to crafting ability increase weapon abilities, but bonuses to weapon abilities have no effect. At rank 5 +50 Strength, Endurance, and crafting abilities


    [Hammer Training] (Rank 4): Mace training allows the use of basic hammer techniques.  Smash (5mp): A quick crushing attack with a hammer boosted by magic. Dual impact (10mp): Allows the user to attack two targets in quick succession. Crushing Blow (10mp): An attack boosted by magic causing increased damage. Armor Break (20mp):  An attack that can bypass most armor. Molting Strike (20mp): Gathering magic into you hammer you deal a small amount of fire damage, and have a chance to cause [Burning] effect. Wide Swing (30mp): Allows the user to attack all enemies within reach without loss of power Deconstruction (30mp): A strike with a hammer that can destroy armor, and break scales. All armor is reduced by 1 rank until repaired, or in the case of natural armor healed. Earthquake (50mp): A heavy blow centered at the point of impact spreading out 20ft causing massive earth damage to all affected, and will likely cause the status effects [Stun], [Knock-back], and [Fear]


    [Iron Defense] (Rank 3): Rigorous training with Heavy Armor, grants a %45 bonus to armor when equipping Heavy Armor.


    [Crafting Specialist] (Rank 2): Items created though crafting are increased by quality by 1 rank to a maximum of (Top/Expert Quality)


    [Advanced Combat Specialist] (Rank 1): Due to surviving many battles you have become accustomed to battle so well that you have formed your own unique style of combat. +25 bonus to Strength, Endurance +10 bonus to Agility, and a 50 MP bonus.


    [A Daisy Amongst Roses] (Rank 1): Being surrounded by beautiful people has made you try harder, and be more determined to prove yourself their equal giving you the confidence to stand proudly amongst them. All abilities +25 bonus


    She doesn¡¯t have many abilities but what she does have is really high up there. Although that last skill makes me feel bad. If that was the bonus skill she got because of my skill when she joined the dungeon, I feel I should apologize somehow, even if the bonuses from the skill itself are impressive.


    ¡­Wait there isn¡¯t anything listed under equipment. I stored her gear last night but her clothes should still be listed if she is wearing them. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter... I mean the more I think about the more I realize over half the house right now probably shows up the same in their status screens including my own¡­


    That train of thought actually causes me to blush for some reason. I decide to put it out of my head for the moment, close the screens, and then begin tickling the end of Belinda¡¯s nose with my finger. She blows several times and makes a few cute faces before she finally opens her eyes.


    ¡°Morning¡­¡±


    She grunts scooting down burying herself further in the bed, but after a few seconds I can fill her tickling my stomach causing the muscles to contract. My stomach muscles however aren¡¯t the only ones that have a reaction causing Belinda to giggle.


    Needless to say it takes a while before we finally make it out of bed, and by that time I can already smell breakfast cooking downstairs. Once we finally do get out of bed and begin getting dressed I realized I haven¡¯t mentioned Katie yet.


    After all I was preoccupied and that is not really a good time to begin talking about another woman¡­ But I need to say something before we head down stairs. As we finish getting dressed and I am putting on my boots I figure I need to hurry and say something.


    ¡°You remember me telling you about the bet I had with Madam Erin right?¡±


    Belinda nods and says ¡°Mmhm¡± as she has a long ribbon hanging from her mouth as she looks in the mirror as she messes with her hair.


    ¡°Well Inari of course far exceeded anyone¡¯s expectations so naturally I won the bet¡­ But you know how Madam Erin is¡­¡±


    Belinda turns from the mirror both hands full of her beautiful hair, and the ribbon still hanging from her mouth. She begins to wrinkle up her brow and scowl at me, which I find actually rather cute, but I screw up letting out a nervous chuckle while turning to look away.


    ¡°Well you see¡­¡±


    *Knock Knock Knock!*


    Scylla: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ Belinda¡­ I don¡¯t want to alarm you, but there seems to be a little naked drunk woman passed out in the ballroom¡­¡±


    I let out a long sigh¡­ Why did she have to be naked¡­Any or all of the rest of that would have been fine, but why naked!


    Belinda pulls the ribbon out of her mouth and begins tying up her hair. The scowl on her face is now turning more menacing¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Yea¡­ I think Two-Twelve was just about to explain that to me.¡±


    You can tell by the tone of her song like voice this isn¡¯t good¡­ Enough so that I literally hear Scylla make an awkward sound, before a panicked ¡°Alright then¡­ Excuse me.¡± As she flees¡­ Don¡¯t just save yourself Scylla, Master doesn¡¯t want to die alone!


    ¡°I¡­I can explain.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh you can?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I mean I don¡¯t know why she is naked and passed out in the ballroom¡­ But I can explain why she is here¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can imagine¡­ Every time I leave you unsupervised you pull something like this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not entirely fair¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Every time you leave Tobes you return with another woman! Every time I leave you pull something here!¡±


    ¡°She is a dwarf though! We don¡¯t have one of them yet.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you starting some kind of collection now? Two-Twelve¡¯s 212 beauties¡­¡±


    That actually causes me to chuckle which doesn¡¯t help matters none. ¡°You know you¡¯re the only woman I love¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know that, but it doesn¡¯t stop you from beautiful woman after beautiful woman into this house.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ I have only brought Lilah, and Sofia, and now Katie. You summoned Scylla and Zoey, you made the specifications on Bell, and you were even the one to suggest having Roxy move in with Zoey.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But they are family!¡±


    ¡°Well maybe Katie can be to, if you give her a chance¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We are running out of bedrooms!¡±


    ¡°Well Takeshi will be joining Inari as soon as we manage to find a way to get him to her, and Lilah has already said if we needed the space she wouldn¡¯t mind making the core room her bedroom.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know as well as I do, we are trying to get her out of the core room more not having her spend more time in there.¡±


    ¡°I am just saying, you were mentioning space¡­ We could always add on to the house, or use the dungeon if we need to.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What you really are trying to build a collection?¡±


    ¡°Well no¡­ But I did want to learn how to summon elves as well someday, but I mean it doesn¡¯t have to be a beautiful woman¡­¡±


    Belinda sighs dropping down in her chair then says. ¡°You said something about once you figure out how to get Takeshi to Inari? You also said something about Madam Erin being worried last night¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess your stories of Shima made her want to start her dungeon there, but apparently there are some places [Communication] doesn¡¯t work, and Shima hasn¡¯t had a successful dungeon in decades.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So she could be in a lot of danger?¡±


    ¡°Well, all dungeon cores are¡­ But I think we trained her good enough she can handle just about anything that is thrown at her. Besides Madam Erin thinks she might have a plan.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t say, but she thought of it after Takeshi blurted out how the communication parchment works so maybe it¡¯s related.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If we used the guild magic to replicate the dungeon magic, maybe she is going to try to do the opposite?¡±


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine, but she said she would have an answer in a week and a half.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I hope my little girl is going to be ok¡­¡±


    I move over sitting down next to Belinda wrapping my arm around her. ¡°If she is anything like her mother she will be fine.¡±


    Belinda lays her head on my shoulder. I think I finally managed to smooth things over.


    Belinda: ¡°About the dwarf¡­¡±


    ¡°I think Madam Erin felt a little put out about Dyson giving me Sofia, so I think Katie was her response¡­ She even summoned her at level 20 like Dyson did, and gave her a full set of Full-plate out of dwarven metal.¡±


    Belinda shoots up off the bench. ¡°Dwarven Metal! A Full-plate?!¡±


    ¡°Yea, even with a half-helm and a big two-handed maul made of it as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Logan¡¯s armor is the best armor in the kingdom and it would only be a quarter of the cost of a dwarven full-plate¡±


    ¡°Well Queen has her dress made out of Mythril so I am sure hers is far more expensive.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea, but Queen doesn¡¯t count¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if you want to get technical, the dwarven armor isn¡¯t even the best I can make¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Dyson let me store his armor when he was here and it was made out of something called Adamantium.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but to make another dwarven full-plate costs me 4000xp but a full-plate of adamantium is 250,000xp¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Not even Dyson can replicate that armor though, from what he said the best smith in the world made it, if you take him at his word.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well he is the strongest Hero that has ever lived, and you said he is the strongest dungeon core as well didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well I guess the plus side of the dwarven armor, is I can now do like I did for Roxy and make you a new armor as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Out of dwarven metal?¡±


    ¡°Of course, now that I got one, I can summon as many as I want as long as I spend the xp.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­ Logan is going to be so jealous.¡±


    ¡°Katie, also has crafting skills as well, so who knows what she is capable of making.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°A dwarven smith¡­?¡±


    ¡°I would take you to meet her, but well¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If I know anything by now, it¡¯s that I can¡¯t be mad about you seeing women naked¡­ I am sure you have already seen her naked when she was summoned?¡±


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t make it a point¡­ I am actually quite proud that I have managed to never have seen Scylla naked yet¡­ I could say I never seen Sofia without clothes, but you seen what she was wearing when we got her, so even though she had clothes on the time I still pretty much have to say I have seen her naked¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well how many women have you seen naked¡­?¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­I¡­Maybe it¡¯s better that I don¡¯t¡­ ¡°


    Belinda grabs on of her bath robes. ¡°Well we better at least take her this.¡±


    We then head downstairs, and Belinda covers Katie with the robe then attempts to wake her up. I meanwhile notice quite of bit of the alcohol that is missing¡­


    ¡°Maybe you should let her sleep it off. It looks like she drank quite a bit¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But she is a dwarf right? Isn¡¯t that kind of what they do?¡± ¨CShe then shakes Katie a bit harder.- ¡°Hey are you ok!?¡±


    Katie finally sits bolt upright, but she is lying on part of her hair so when she jerks on it causing her to grab her head, of course that leaves the robe to fall to her lap. Belinda just raises it back up.


    Katie: ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am Belinda. I am Two-Twelve¡¯s boss monster.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Oh¡­ Where are my clothes?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well Master tried to put me in that wood box¡­ I tried, I really did, but I just couldn¡¯t take it anymore, that¡¯s when I came down here and found this wonderful marble. That¡¯s when I noticed the bar. I hope Master doesn¡¯t get mad at me.¡±


    ¡°I am right here you know¡­ And I think I found your clothes. ¨CI pull them out from behind the bar.-


    Katie: ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back upstairs and get dressed, then you can join us for breakfast and I will introduce you to everyone.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Not back to the wood box¡­ Please?¡± ¨CShe says as she begins to crawl across the floor, meanwhile Belinda is trying to keep the robe over her.-


    ¡°Alright¡­ Here.¡± ¨CI cast [Clean] on her clothes then store them, then equip them on her.-


    She finally gets to her feet examining herself, she then unbuttons it to pull the top half of the outfit down trying it around her waist again.


    Katie: ¡°Wait did you say breakfast? Like actual food?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea we eat breakfast almost every morning.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Can I try it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course.¡±


    Belinda starts to lead the way Katie following behind, but she stops to grab one of the small kegs off the corner of the bar.


    ¡°What are you doing.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well I will need something to wash it down with.¡±


    ¡°Not for breakfast¡­¡±


    Katie looks traumatized, but she sets the keg down then begins to follow Belinda again.

 Katie Finds her Place

    Breakfast is already half over by the time Belinda, Katie, and I arrive into the dining room. I introduce Katie to everyone, and we all finish breakfast together. I catch everyone up on the situation with Inari, and how Katie came to be here.


    After we are finished with breakfast and everyone begins going about their normal tasks Katie asks me. ¡°What would you like me to do Master?¡±


    ¡°That is actually a good question, I think Scylla and Bell can handle the office for at least one more day, while we go get you an adventurer¡¯s ID, and show you around.¡±


    Katie: ¡°You are going to have me become an adventurer?¡±


    ¡°Well so far all my girls have joined the adventurer¡¯s guild, it just kind of makes things easier in town, when they go train, and gather xp for the dungeon.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I see.¡±


    I decide to take Katie to the adventurer¡¯s guild first so Belinda, Sofia, me, and Katie head there together. It was dark when we arrived, so Katie wasn¡¯t really able to see much of Tobes but now she is quite shocked.


    Katie: ¡°Wait¡­ I was curious about the house, but are you saying you live in a real human house in a human town?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Belinda runs the adventurer¡¯s guild here in Tobes, and I am the town¡¯s mayor.¡±


    Katie: ¡°That¡¯s how you got your name?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t quite figured that out yet, but yes after I became mayor that title was added to the blank spot in my name.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I heard everyone call you different things, so how do you want me to address you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter, but most people just call me Two-Twelve.¡±


    We make Katie¡¯s ID as soon as we open up the adventurer¡¯s guild so the receptionists haven¡¯t even arrived yet making it a bit easier as she is already level 20. Like Sofia, Belinda is able to skip D rank allowing Katie to be a C rank adventurer.


    After saying our farewells to Belinda and Sofia, I give Katie the Tobes tour. When we make it to the blacksmith she seems rather disappointed.


    Katie: ¡°Is that all you have for a blacksmith?¡±


    ¡°Well my dungeon is still classified as the beginner dungeon so most adventurers are just starting out.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Can I have a look inside?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s a shop, and we are about done with the tour, so sure.¡±


    Katie heads inside and to the confusion of the blacksmith Katie seems more and more distraught as she looks at the items on display.


    Katie: ¡°This is horrible!¡±


    Smith: ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Katie takes one steel sword dropping it on the counter. ¡°The fire wasn¡¯t hot enough when this was made.¡± She then quickly grabs a shield dropping it on the counter. ¡°The fire was too hot when this was made.¡± She then takes a pot dropping it on the counter. ¡°And don¡¯t even get me started on this catastrophe¡­¡±


    Smith: ¡°Mister Mayor, who is this little woman¡­?¡±


    ¡°She is like the others¡­ Belinda and I are giving her a hand.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Oh! What¡¯s this? ¨CShe quickly grabs a small hand-axe. - ¡°Is this your best work?¡±


    Smith: ¡°¡­ Well it¡¯s no different than the rest¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°You can¡¯t even tell the difference from this!¡± ¨CShe shakes the hand-axe. - ¡°And these?¡± ¨CMotioning to the other items she threw a fit over.-


    Smith: ¡°¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°Just show me your forge¡­¡±


    The smith looks at me questionably¡­ But after I nod he hangs his head and we go to the back of the shop.


    Katie: ¡°Well that explains it! Is that what you are using to stoke your forge?¡± ¨CShe says grabbing a piece of lumber.-


    Smith: ¡°Well yea¡­ I mean it¡¯s cheap and easy to come by since we are in the middle of a forest¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°Wood is far too inconsistent! It has to be coal! Look at the damage you have done to this forge with the fluctuating temperatures!¡± ¨CShe says rubbing her hands over the forge.-


    Smith: ¡°I don¡¯t see anything¡­¡±


    Katie looks like she is about to bust a blood vessel in her head as she begins a angered rant while me and the smith just look at each other¡­ At some point she ends up sending the smith out of his own shop to go get her supplies¡­


    After his is gone Katie looks at me with pleading eyes. ¡°Master¡­ We have to do something about this¡­ It is just unacceptable¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, what do you have in mind?¡±


    Katie: ¡°You can summon golems right?¡±


    ¡°Just weak ones.¡±


    Katie: ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, I need their stone.¡±


    ¡°Well I have some in the dungeon inventory, how much do you need?¡±


    Katie: ¡°There is nothing salvageable about this forge. I will have to rebuild it from scratch, so enough to do that.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t have that much, but is the forge really in that bad of shape? I mean it doesn¡¯t look any different than when the building was built¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well what do you know about forges?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡±


    ¡°What if we just scrap it with [Menu] and summon a new one?¡±


    Katie: ¡°Wait¡­ We are in your dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I have about a quarter of the town covered.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Then let¡¯s make it 3 times this size. this building just isn¡¯t going to work.¡±


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t do that¡­ The humans would definitely notice that¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°Fine, just replace this one then.¡±


    ¡°Ok, go make sure the smith doesn¡¯t return until I am done.¡±


    Katie goes back up front of the building while I open [Menu] I hope I didn¡¯t lie¡­ I had so many lists of items added to the dungeon I am sure the forge was one of them, but I could have been wrong. Luckily when I search I find it.


    After scrapping the forge it leaves a rather large hole in the side of the building. Luckily that side of the building is facing the forest, so I quickly select a new forge and summon it back in the same spot. Honestly it barely had a cost so it doesn¡¯t matter, but I can¡¯t tell a difference other than the fact it is clean.


    ¡°Alright Katie, it¡¯s done.¡±


    She quickly rushes back in the room. ¡°Still not great, but at least now it isn¡¯t falling apart.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell a single difference¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°Once the human gets back with the coal I will show you.¡±


    It still takes another 20 minutes before the Smith returns. He notices the forge and goes and wipes his hand on it. It looks like he noticed it¡¯s clean but not that it is a completely different forge¡­ At least I am not the only one.


    Katie: ¡°Is this all the coal you could find?¡±


    Smith: ¡°It¡¯s all there was¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well it will have to do for now¡­¡±


    Katie then sets setting up the forge. While the forge is heating up Katie picks though the smith¡¯s supplies then she begins work¡­ I don¡¯t know how long we have been just watching her, but I can hear the smith¡¯s stomach growl but he makes no attempts to move.


    Where he seemed skeptical and disapproving when we first arrived he now is following Katie¡¯s every movement like he is watching an artist paint a masterpiece. Being a dungeon core the only time I have ever broke a sweat was when the adventurer touched my dungeon core, but even being across the room the heat bellowing from the forge makes me think I might start¡­


    Even with Katie being a dungeon monster she is sweating enough that her white undershirt has practically become see though. Even with her average appearance and none of her actions being erotic in nature for some reason it¡¯s somewhat¡­Appealing¡­


    When she finally finishes with what she is working on she is covered in soot, her long hair is sticking in weird ways to her sweaty body, and I think the smith is beginning to drool¡­ I clear my throat and cast [Clean] on Katie till she returns to normal.


    Even with all the time it took the resulting product was only a [Expert Quality Steel Sword], but by the look on the smith¡¯s face you would think it was made of mythril or something¡­


    Smith: ¡°That is amazing¡­¡±


    I feel that a quarter of the day just to make a [Expert Quality Steel Sword] isn¡¯t really that great, but the material used would only cost 25xp, and to summon the sword like it is would have been 200xp so we might be able to put her to some use in the dungeon.


    Katie: ¡°Not really pressing my limits, but its definitely solid work for the materials I had to work with.¡±


    Smith: ¡°Do you think you could teach me to craft like that?¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well I am not going to let you tear up that forge again¡­ If you really made that hand-axe up front, I think I could teach you a thing or two. That is if Master says its ok.¡±


    The smith looks at me with large puppy dog eyes¡­


    ¡°Well, as long as you pay your rent the business is yours, if you want to hire an employee that is up to you. Just know Katie has some responsibilities to Belinda and me, so as long as it doesn¡¯t interfere with that I think it would be a good idea.¡±


    Smith: ¡°I can¡¯t afford to hire an employee, but in exchange for teaching me you can have the profits from the items you create.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well I don¡¯t really have any use for gold¡­¡±


    ¡°You do if you plan to continue to drink like you did last night¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°I will take you up on the offer!¡±


    Smith: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I have a bit more to show Katie, so she can start in the morning.¡±


    Katie: ¡°And don¡¯t you dare put any more of that wood crap in that forge.¡±


    I can¡¯t really tell by his expression how the smith feels about Katie helping him, but it looks to be a mix of excitement and fear¡­ I finish showing Katie around the last few buildings of Tobes, and then show her the dungeon.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°I know you just got a job in the blacksmith shop, but do you seemed to be enjoying the work, so do think you could make some equipment for the monsters in the dungeon as well to cut down xp costs?¡±


    Katie: ¡°Sure, I love to hit stuff with a hammer. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s men, monsters, or metal. Just please don¡¯t make me sleep in that wooden box¡­¡±


    ¡°Well the bedrooms are actually pretty nice¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°But it¡¯s wood, and soft¡­ I can just sleep in the dungeon somewhere, or were I did last night.¡±


    ¡°You slept on the marble floor in the ballroom last night¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°I know it was the best! Make me a bed out of solid marble and I will make you enough weapons and armor for your dungeon that even the slimes would be wearing full-plate!¡±


    ¡°Well we will have to make you another forge maybe in a hidden room in the dungeon because we can¡¯t use the one in town¡­ I guess I could put a bedroom there you could use, but are you sure you don¡¯t want a room here at the house?¡±


    Katie: ¡°I¡¯m a dwarf. Bury me in the ground with a forge and a stout beer, and I will be happy till the end of time.¡±


    I go through [Menu] with Katie figuring out just what she will need which ends up taking the rest of the afternoon. I feel bad about putting it up at the dungeon, we have plenty of xp, and I was planning on doing it eventually anyway, so I add a floor to the secondary dungeon.


    Connecting a stone spiral staircase to one of the doors under the stairs I add a few rooms to a basement under the house. Following Katie¡¯s specs I build a rather sizeable forge, as an added bonus I connect it to the furnace upstairs, and now we can use the heat from the forge to help heat the house as well.


    Katie¡¯s bedroom looks like prison cell with no windows and dark drab stone walls. I add a bathroom for her down there mimicking what the others looks like, but Katie suggests the use of a type of metal called copper that apparently become available at some point while expanding the dungeon, to make the bathroom fixtures out of.


    The hardest part ended up being getting the water fixed as I realized after adding the rooms under the house I had cut off the supply of water to the house. Katie again saved the day using more of that copper metal and we got it worked out.


    Apparently dwarves use this copper metal for a lot of stuff¡­ Katie said dwarves use it enough that some even call it lesser dwarven metal. She lets me make all the furniture in her room except for the bed out of wood, but since she likes it so much I add in some of the copper which seems to impress her.


    The bed of course however is made of a large chunk of marble. Instead of just being a square block I did quite a bit of focusing to give it a rather intricate designs along the sides. After I am done I spent more xp then I am willing to admit, and more then I will tell Belinda about¡­ I even dropped under the 5000xp mark for the first time since I made that ring for Dyson.


    Katie and I are walking through it after it is complete and she says. ¡°This is actually really impressive¡­ You would make a great dwarf.¡±


    ¡°I am glad you like it, but I think I will stick to my warm soft bed upstairs.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I think I am starting to see what the girls where talking about when they said I would like it here. Oh and I might need to take a bit of the coal you summoned for my forge to the blacksmith if what he brought today really was all there is in town.¡±


    ¡°Well make sure he puts an order to the capital for it tomorrow, because buying things with gold is far easier then summoning it. Oh and I would suggest wearing a different shirt tomorrow¡­Or at least wear something under that one.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Aw how cute. Master is worried about my modesty.¡±


    ¡°Belinda and I have quite a good reputation in town, and I would like to keep it, so I would ask you try to act respectably among the humans.¡±


    Katie: ¡°You really do care what the humans think of you¡­ Don¡¯t you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course, a good relationship with the humans can only benefit our dungeon.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Madam Erin did say you were quite the odd one. Alright Master, I promise I will try to conduct myself in a way that is respectable¡­¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, other than that, unless we need something, you are free to act on your own. Oh and I think Belinda would appreciate it if you show up for breakfast in the mornings as well, she seems to enjoy everyone being there.¡±


    Katie: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°As for the equipment for the dungeon, just whatever you can is good. Since we can use [Menu] to equip it on the monsters the size doesn¡¯t matter so if you can save some materials by making it smaller that¡¯s great, but I understand if making it smaller would make it a bit more difficult as well so I will leave it up to your discretion¡±


    Katie quickly begins to fit in over the next few weeks. Her work at the blacksmith has brought in quite a bit of interest, especially when people began to find out she was a dwarf.  Her work in the basement has supplied the dungeon with some good gear as well.


    I try to keep the upper floors with just the standard gear, but I have had Lilah work in some advanced gear every few groups causing a large commotion in town. Even after having the first snowfall it doesn¡¯t seem the adventurer count is decreasing.


    Madam Erin wouldn¡¯t fill me in the details, but she managed to find a way to teleport Takeshi to Inari. It also allows us to send messages to her, but they still take around 24 hours to arrive so it still takes quite a bit of work.


    Apparently things are very rough in Shima, but it has also given Inari a chance to gather xp in large quantities. She is doing far better than I was in the beginning and she seems happy, so that¡¯s what is important I guess.


    Once the winter solstice is a few weeks out, Belinda and I begin to prepare for Tobes second annual Winter Solstice Festival.


    Belinda tried to get Logan to come for the festival, but he took a few weeks off to visit Queen in Leona, so he can¡¯t make it, but he is going to let Kline come to spend time with Scylla. Maybe I can get enough xp from him to build a sizable reserve.


    Queen seems to be doing quite well. She is starting to have adventurers enter her dungeon while maintaining the beastkin village. She seems excited because Jack has managed to get at least 4 of her beastkin pregnant, so she is hoping to be able to summon feral beastkin from at least one of them.


    Word seems to have spread about the beastkin village of Leona as well, as she is starting to have stray beastkin wander in to live there giving her another flow of xp. With the protection of her dungeon by Gowen law, she looks like she is going to be in really good shape.


    Sofia has begun taking an interest in Lilah¡¯s work, so when Belinda doesn¡¯t need her help we are letting Lilah show her the ropes, but she doesn¡¯t seem to be taking to it like Lilah did. It has given Lilah a chance to socialize a bit.


    Lilah managed to meet another girl around her age in town. She is keeping up quite a distance to her, but it has gotten her out of the core room a bit, so it is a good thing.


    We had another particularly bad snowfall that causes the preparations for the festival to become much harder, and before we can get on track I receive a visitor. It is the woman that took me to Dyson¡¯s dungeon the first time.


    Speedy: ¡°Dyson has requested your presence. He said you would be handsomely rewarded for your help and discretion.¡±


    I hate to leave the girls when we are running so far behind on the preparation for the festival, but I could really use some of Dyson¡¯s xp right about now.


    Belinda kisses me. ¡°Go¡­ We¡¯ve got this. Just promise me you won¡¯t bring home a woman again.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best, but you know Dyson¡­¡±


    Even though I am expecting it I still wince when Speedy grabs ahold of my wrist so tightly it fills my hand might pop off¡­ And after two steps we are off¡­ Crashing into the ground at the entrance of Dyson¡¯s castle this has got to be my least favorite mode of transportation¡­


    After entering the dungeon this time the beautiful woman that greets me is at least fully clothed, but it still makes me nervous as she leads me through the halls. She leads me to the same gem covered gold door with the ruby handle, but luckily she waits in the hall shutting the door behind me after I enter.


    I look around but this time I appear to be alone. By the time I take a seat however the door quickly opens and Dyson enters in a hurry. He seems really relieved to see me quickly walking over sitting down across from me.


    Dyson: ¡°I have to ask you a question before we get started. What I am about to ask you to do would be considered the highest possible favor, but you can¡¯t tell anyone but your own monsters about it, and even then I would keep it limited, can you do that?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises like that without knowing what it is, but as long as it doesn¡¯t affect my dungeon, I promise anything said within the next five minutes never happened.¡±


    Dyson looks a little hesitant but then says. ¡°Fair enough¡­¡±


    He then leans forward with a serious and stressed expression saying. ¡°I need you to destroy a dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°A dungeon? What do you mean?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The dungeon is only 50 years old, and it may be a bit tough for your monsters, but you are the only one I can rely on this for.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ Why me?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The proximity to your dungeon, and the fact you have already been training your monsters in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, we can easily pass it off, all of my other allies would be to suspect.¡±


    ¡°Well I do have a relatively new monster that needs to be tested out, but why do you want this core dead?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The dungeon itself isn¡¯t important, but something the dungeon core has needs to disappear. You don¡¯t have to worry about finding said item, as it will disappear with her death.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know this all seems pretty sketchy.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I can tell you the object will prove to cause serious damage to the human population, and will seriously undermine our plans to work alongside humans.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have a letter here from the king of Calhoun granting the 3<sup>rd</sup> princess of the Gowen kingdom the permission to eradicate The Howling Caves dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Calhoun, that¡¯s the same Kingdom as Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon is in¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You have the rest of winter, and all of spring to get the job done, but the task has to be complete before summer.¡±


    ¡°You said this dungeon proves a significant threat to the humans of Calhoun?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not just Calhoun¡­But all humans.¡±


    ¡°That new monster I was talking about was a gift from Madam Erin¡­ I don¡¯t know if she has any ultimate commands from her, and I am in the middle of prepping for a festival for my town. If I drop everything after coming to talk to you, and go dungeon hunting it may get back to Madam Erin. That means if I do this it will have to wait till the start of the New Year just to be safe.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That should still give you plenty of time, as it will probably take 2 weeks for your monsters to arrive. I think that would give them plenty of time left to take out the dungeon. I am not going to lie, even if your monsters reach Two-Eighty-Seven¡¯s strength it is going to be tough to accomplish.¡±


    ¡°I have faith in my girls. That letter from the king, it says specifically the 3<sup>rd</sup> princess of Gowen?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes, I made sure it was directed to your boss monster.¡±


    ¡°Can you get that into the King or first prince of Gowen¡¯s hands by the end of the day?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That should be possible¡­¡±


    ¡°One of the first prince¡¯s attendants is leaving the capital in the morning to head to my dungeon, if they send that letter with him. If that monster of mine that is from Madam Erin is still in touch with her then it would help alleviate any suspicion.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I knew you were the right choice for this and not just because you were the only choice¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet the reward for this is going to cost you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Already prepared.¡± -He takes out a small xp bead.- ¡°I must warn you this was the most I could do without suspicion, but consider it a down payment as I will have the teleport spell you wanted ready after the task is complete.¡±


    ¡°I will do this as long as you are telling the truth, but at any point of this I find out differently I make no promises.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then I have nothing to worry about.¡±


    He hands me the bead and escorts me to the hallway. The girl in the hall leads me back to the front gate where Speedy is waiting¡­ After another bruised arm later I am back at home.


    New Item Available


    Xp Bead 10,000xp                                   Cost: 10,001xp


    10,000xp is all¡­ I guess it is better than nothing, but after all the secrecy and such I was expecting a bit more. This will at least put us back to the point we were at before I spent all that xp on the basement. Then there is also the promise of the teleport spell, not to mention the benefits of destroying a dungeon.


    I rejoin the preparations for the festival for now, and wait till that evening when Belinda and I are preparing for bed before I tell her what is going on.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you really going to go through with this?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon supposedly a threat to humans, and there is even the permission from the king of Calhoun himself¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But can we trust Dyson?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Who would I take with me? Our group has grown too big.¡±


    ¡°I want you all safe, this is too risky as it is, I rather you all go and bring less xp back, then risk getting killed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But you will be here by yourself, and you said this could take up to a couple months this time.¡±


    ¡°Honestly I want to go to, but someone has to stay here, and I can¡¯t level up like you guys can to help, so I would probably just get in the way¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Your job is to summon the monsters to protect the dungeon, it is my job to protect you, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¨CShe says stepping up to me rubbing my chest.-


    ¡°Thanks¡­But that doesn¡¯t make me feel much better.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh yea? Then how this.¡± ¨CShe says leaning in and begins to nibble on my ear while untying my trousers.-


    The next week passes really quickly as our hands are full with preparations for the festival, and when Kline arrives he seems really excited as he hands the letter to Belinda.


    Kline: ¡°The Young Master and I couldn¡¯t believe it when Master received that letter!¡±


    Belinda reads it over and it was what we had expected, but when Kline starts to look confused and begins to say something Belinda quickly changes gears.


    Belinda: ¡°What is this? Is it real?¡± ¨CShe says enthusiastically.-


    Kline: ¡°We couldn¡¯t believe it ourselves. We can¡¯t figure out why the king of Calhoun would ask for you specifically¡­¡±


    Belinda is doing her best to appear surprised, but as we haven¡¯t told anyone else, so the girls are genuinely surprised.


    Scylla: ¡°What is it?¡±


    Kline: ¡°A dungeon! Belinda has been asked by the king of Calhoun to destroy a dungeon there.¡±


    The girls have mixed reactions, but most of them look towards me.


    ¡°So¡­ What are you going to do?¡±


    Kline: ¡°What do you mean? The chance to become a Hero, who wouldn¡¯t take it?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well I am sure it isn¡¯t as easy as all that¡­ I mean are we even ready to try to dive deep enough into a dungeon to destroy it¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°That is the best part, this dungeon has barely left the beginners classification, sure the Hero skill she receives won¡¯t be the best, but there is still the title. Even the Young Master hasn¡¯t been able to become a Hero yet.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Why doesn¡¯t Logan do it then?¡±


    Kline: ¡°You¡¯re the one the king wants to eliminate it.


    Belinda: ¡°Well let¡¯s worry about this later¡­ There is still quite a bit to do for the Winter Solstice Festival, and only 3 more days to prepare.¡±


    Kline looks pretty surprised at Belinda¡¯s reaction, but Scylla manages to draw his attention from it and we then continue working on the festival. On the day before the festival I decide to make Belinda a set of full-plate armor out of the dwarven metal to give to her during the festival as a gift.


    I spend the entire day trying to think of ideas on designs for the armor while making the last final touches on the festival preparations. I wait for Belinda to fall asleep before sneaking off to the core room to make the armor.


    Even with an idea with what I want to do, it still takes me at least two hours before I am finally happy with my idea. With the xp I received from Kline the last few days, the 10,000xp from Dyson I manage to summon a [Expert Quality Dwarven Full-plate Regalia]


    The beauty of the armor is like nothing I have seen before, even though Dyson¡¯s armor was surely far better, this is by far more appealing. really would have liked to make it at least master quality, but even if I used every point of xp we had I would have still come up short.


    As a matter of fact if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Kline will be here at least 3 more days I would be worried with the amount of xp I left the dungeon with, especially when I spent an extra 1000xp just to make sure the design came out perfect adding jewels into the design.


    I was also a little disappointed it didn¡¯t result in a new creation like Zoey¡¯s armor, or Inari¡¯s weapon. Both of them were master quality though, so that might actually be a factor in the chances. Even though it turned out just the way I wanted I still can¡¯t help feeling a little bit cheated.

 2nd Annual Winter Solstice Festival

    On the morning on the first day of the festival breakfast is pretty rushed, and we are out the door before the sun has even fully risen. Everything is taking more work now that I am responsible for keeping everything together, and it doesn¡¯t help the fact that due to our own suggestions every event seems to be twice as grand as it has to cater to the villagers and the inn full of adventurers¡­


    I can¡¯t get out of work, but I finally managed to talk Scylla to relax and spending time with Kline instead of helping. I tried to convince Belinda to join the rest of the girls in the celebration using the excuse of with them going to fight the dungeon in a few weeks she needs to relax. She however turned it back around on me saying that was even more reason to be with me instead of with the others.


    In the time before noon Belinda and I are running around so much that we barely even have time to talk, and when we rejoin the others at lunch we are already worn out. During the lunch break Belinda and I get to enjoy the festival through Scylla¡¯s retelling of the things they have done this morning.


    They talk about the booths, games, and events going on. Scylla shows off a stuffed animal the Kline managed to win her. Apparently the booths have been made tougher for adventurers, but they still are no match for a B-rank adventurer.


    Roxy and Zoey seem to be enjoying themselves as well each carrying a few stuffed animals that they share with the other girls.  Although Bell, Lilah, and Sofia aren¡¯t saying much they seem to be having fun as well.


    Katie hasn¡¯t been able to go to the booths because she has been working with the blacksmith, and they are running one of the booths making small trinkets. Belinda and I seem to be the only ones that haven¡¯t stopped by and bought one from her yet.


    Unfortunately after lunch Belinda and I have to get back to work, while seeing the girls off.  Everything seems to settle down a bit after lunch allowing Belinda and I to have time to enjoy a few the things together.


    We stop off at Katie¡¯s booth and she makes Belinda a bracelet out of that copper material. Katie still wears the one piece outfit with the top tied around her waist with the white undershirt, but she at least wears a thick leather apron when working now.


    I don¡¯t know why she seems so instant on not wearing the top half of the outfit, but she wouldn¡¯t even trade the outfit for a normal pair of trousers when we got her more clothes a few weeks back, so now she just has a bunch of the same outfit.


    I feel a little down after I am forced to use the adventurer booth for one of the games and I don¡¯t manage to get a prize. It makes matters worse when Belinda goes next and gives me the stuffed animal she won.


    We hit a few more of the booths before the sun starts going down however and things start wrapping up things begin to get hectic again. Even after the rest of the girls retire, Belinda and I still have to spend a few more hours wrapping things up.


    By the time we finally make it home we are so tired we head straight to bed. I am so tired that I remember entering the bedroom, but when [Menu] wakes me up early the next morning I can¡¯t even remember removing my clothes and crawling into bed.


    One advantage to being a dungeon core, even though morning seemed to come way too quickly, all my muscle fatigue is gone. Belinda still however has to drag me out of bed as I try to bury myself in our blankets.


    When we head out into the hall we bump into Kline and Scylla as they leave Scylla¡¯s room. They both begin blushing profusely.


    Scylla: ¡°It isn¡¯t what it looks like!¡±


    ¡°You are both adults¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°But we didn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    Scylla and Kline continue to defend themselves like they did something wrong. After our talk the last time Kline was here it seems like the festival would be the perfect chance for him. Scylla and Kline are so awkward together though so I don¡¯t know if it is going to happen or not.


    Today is the start of the larger events so it only takes Belinda and me a few hours to get things squared away before we can relax a bit more. We still have quite a bit to do between the events but we at least get to enjoy them.


    We have spread the time between the events by quite a bit so that only half of the events could take place today, and the rest will be on the last day so maybe the third day won¡¯t seem so slow this year.


    Instead of just a dance this year Denova¡¯s group performs a stage play. The story however is pretty weak, and the themes are questionable, but quite a few people seemed to enjoy it. Roc seemed to greatly enjoy his role as the big bad virgin eating monster¡­ He however seemed quite a bit disappointed in the ending when the ¡°hero¡± slayed the monster.


    We have been pretty lucky lately as Denova has been lying pretty low, even when they were getting the paperwork together for their event Denova seemed to use some of her slaves instead of coming herself. So when Denova joined her group on stage after the play, I was surprised to see she has gained quite a bit of weight.


    Belinda however quickly hits me in the shoulder several times. ¡°Did you know Denova was pregnant!?¡±


    Pregnancy however doesn¡¯t seem to have changed her personality however, because after taking a bow Denova notices Belinda¡¯s shocked expression and forms her normal sly smile. After leaving the stage she moves over to our table.


    Once reaching out table she collapses into one of the chairs with a grunt. ¡°Uh¡­ Why anyone would do this to themselves intentionally is beyond me. I wish I knew before that the magic they cast on slave girls only lasts 10 years.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Wait¡­ -She looks to be thinking. - ¡°Then you mean in 3 more years I might be able to have children.¡± ¨CShe says excitedly.-


    I thought Roxy told me that she wasn¡¯t sure she ever wanted children. I guess not wanting them and not being able to have them are quite different.


    Denova: ¡°If that¡¯s ten years from when they cast that magic. ¨CShe looks over at Zoey.- ¡°Although that might be a little hard.¡±


    Out of all the things Denova has done, it seems something she did unintentionally is bothering Belinda more than anything else she has ever done. You can practically feel the jealousy pouring off of Belinda, and of course Denova seems to be eating it up.


    Denova sniffs a drink at the table and then turns up her nose. ¡°Ugh¡­ This pregnancy thing is for the birds¡­ Speaking of birds if this thing turns out to be one, I am going to be pissed.¡±


    ¡°Why would it be a bird?¡±


    Denova & Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I get it¡­ I am just saying that shouldn¡¯t be possible, Roc is practically incompatible with a beastkin, so I am sure a human would be impossible.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I hope you¡¯re right¡­ Human is fine by me thanks¡­ I could even handle if it turns out as a cat, dog, or bear beastkin, but I don¡¯t think I could handle a bird.¡±


    ¡°I think that is far more information then I needed to know¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Oh I forgot about the fox¡­ He had a lot of gold too¡­ Now I am hoping it¡¯s a fox.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait¡­ You¡¯re not going to raise a baby in a brothel are you?¡±


    Denova: ¡°You really have been losing your touch haven¡¯t you? I haven¡¯t lived in the brothel in months. I bought a house in town. It even has a little painted fence.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That little one by the school? I didn¡¯t know you bought it¡­¡±


    Denova:  ¡°I guess with all the women Two-Twelve keeps bringing home it has become a full time job just to keep him in line. Although I like this new dwarf girl, I have been buying some of her work and making a bit of profit. They are really underselling her items. It doesn¡¯t matter the quality you just put dwarven made on it and it easily triples the price.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°As long as you are paying Katie¡¯s asking price, and not putting dwarven made on things she didn¡¯t make I guess I can¡¯t say anything, but I better not find out otherwise.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I would never lie to a client.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But you will push the boundary awfully hard.¡±


    Katie: ¡°She is actually quite a good customer, and our merchandise in her shop is also good advertisement so I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well another downside of this thing¡­ I got to pee again. Later.¡±


    Denova then gets up wandering off, with a victorious smile on her face¡­


    Belinda doesn¡¯t quit talking about Denova and her baby for the rest of the day. After Inari and now this maybe Belinda is really starting to take this child business hard.


    Zoey still only places in second during the eating competition again, and after it there is the dancing event. We didn¡¯t use the suggestion from the old mayor, putting me in the spot light. I do however dance with several of the older village ladies, but it doesn¡¯t turn out nearly as weird as it did last year.


    Things really seem to be going great for Scylla and Kline during the dance, but the last event for the day is a drinking competition, and for some reason Kline thinks he has a chance against Katie and he ends up passing out before it¡¯s over.


    Scylla seems quite disappointed when we have to carry him to the house and put him in bed. She stays with him but I return just in time to see Katie win. She even seemed to be disappointed when the last other contestant fell, because that means the drinking was over.


    After a few more hours of work Belinda and I retire and that marks the end of the second day. Unfortunately it starts snow the next morning making our work a little harder. We had to spend a lot of work rearranging events, bumping some up, and delaying others.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I was going to announce the opening of the town hall and new adventurers guild as the grand finale but the huge building is capable of holding the remaining events so we move it up taking the festival indoors¡­


    There is still a bit of work left to complete on the building but most of it is minor things that will be completed within the next few weeks. Everything should have been completed by now, but Katie made some major improvements with dwarven knowledge of stone and such, so some changes had to be made.


    The snow has begun to accumulate, but with the events now taking place indoors it doesn¡¯t matter much and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. During the second to last event none of us are participating so I take Belinda, Kline, and the girls on a tour of the building.


    I save my new office for the last stop, and I tell Belinda to close her eyes before entering. She seems a little confused but does as I ask. When she enters I tell her to open her eyes revealing her new armor which I set up in my new office.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh my! It is beautiful!¡±


    She then quickly wraps her arms around me and kisses me.


    The armor rack doesn¡¯t do the armor much justice. The entire armor is a brilliant golden silver color, but the large pauldrons with the jewel laden designs are definitely eye catching. The breastplate is rather basic with a few simple designs worked in and I was trying to avoid using the Gowen crest, but I came up with a work around that has the Gowen crest hanging from a chain that attaches to the pauldrons hanging down like a necklace that can be removed.


    There is also quite a bit of high quality cloth that went into the armor as there is a decorative sash that hangs down that also bares the Gowen crest in which I have a spare that doesn¡¯t have it just in case. There is also a skirt that extends from the bottom with several plates like that of the battle dress. The greaves and sabatons likewise have the intricate designs on them with several laden jewels.


    Kline seems truly shocked by the sight of the armor, and he looks like he is fighting himself to keep his mouth shut to not spoil the moment. The only one that seems more shocked then Kline is Katie. I told her about using [Menu] to summon dwarven armor for Belinda, because I would probably have to use her to explain the armor, but she seems shocked at the result.


    Katie was ok with me saying she made the armor when I talked to her about it before, but when Kline can no longer hold it in any longer and he begins to ask a lot of questions she seems upset having to put her name to it. Maybe the designs and jewels I added to it are in bad taste to a dwarf.


    After a while we return to the villagers in the main hall, and I move up to the front.


    ¡°I am not much of a public speaker, so I will try to remain brief. First of all I want to thank everyone for their hard work, especially for making the adventurers welcome by making events just for them. Only a few short years ago this small hunting community has come a long way.¡±


    ¡°With the discovery of the dungeon, the arrival of the princess, and all of the original villager¡¯s help we have become turned Tobes into the largest township in Gowen except for the capital itself. With this town hall and new adventurer¡¯s guild I look forward to our continued growth.¡±


    ¡°I would like to personally thank everyone of Tobes for a great first year for being mayor, and I hope you continue to support me in years to come. I also want to thank everyone for making a successful Winter Solstice Festival, and may we have many more together.¡±


    Belinda starts to clap and the rest of the hall joins in I then sets down rejoining the others while the festival enters the final stages of completion. Once everyone starts wrapping up it only takes an hour before the last of them have retreated home to get out of the snow.


    With the new town hall being part of the dungeon we send Kline and Scylla on their way and easily use [Menu] to clean up saving hours of cleaning. After we are done Belinda goes to check out her armor and now try it on.


    While she stores it with [Menu] and equips it Katie comes up to me.


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ I told you about the armor saying I would probably have to use your name, but I didn¡¯t consider you might be disappointed in it.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Disappointed? If anything I am disappointed in myself. I know you used your dungeon, but I am still ages away from creating anything that detailed, so I am feeling a bit discouraged¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if it makes you feel better the xp cost was extravagant, and although I am glad I was able to do it for Belinda. The practicalities of the work you do creating the items you have are a great benefit to the dungeon.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Thanks for that. I just felt a little unneeded.¡±


    ¡°You have to remember as well, sure I added the designs and gems but all I can do is copy, you can create. Once we start getting access to new materials I will be counting on your skills.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I look forward to it¡­ I am going to head home now, I am sure your princess would love to thank you for the gift.¡±


    Katie then transfers from the room leaving Belinda and me alone in my new office.  After looking herself over she moves over giving me another large hug. Although with the armor on it is quite painful¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Oh I love it Two-Twelve, thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°I told you when we had some better material to work with I would make you something special, I am just sorry it didn¡¯t turn out a unique item like Zoey¡¯s armor did.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure you tried your best, and I am sure this cost the dungeon a great deal of xp.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worth it, and it¡¯s the only thing I could do to help you with your trip to the other dungeon¡­¡±


    After talking for a while we transfer home, Belinda uses [Menu] to store the armor, but she then pulls it back out replacing her old armor on the rack storing it in the dungeon inventory. We then head to bed, but we however get very little sleep.


    When we head to breakfast the next morning we aren¡¯t the first to arrive, but we aren¡¯t the last either. Another young lady and her visiting boyfriend have yet to arrive at breakfast. Roxy is making breakfast and for once Zoey is even helping her¡­


    When they finally come to the table Zoey has a big grin on her face, and you can tell it is taking every fiber of her being to keep her mouth shut. When Scylla finally arrives she isn¡¯t her normal serious and dignified appearance, but she looks to be in a good mood.


    Zoey starts bouncing in her chair but Roxy elbows her. Zoey then quickly excuses herself from the room. There is a loud noise in the other room that seems to escape Zoey, and a few seconds later Kline enters the dining room with a confused expression.


    However when Kline¡¯s eyes meet Scylla¡¯s they break eye contact and begin blushing profusely. I had a sneaking suspicion before, but now I am sure I wasn¡¯t the only one that had a good night last night. The room is so quiet, that the only noise that can be heard is Lilah crunching away on a piece of toast.


    ¡°So¡­ Kline.¡± ¨CAfter saying his name Kline becomes rigid.- ¡°What did you think of Tobe¡¯s winter solstice festival.¡±


    He seems to let out a sigh of relief as he says. ¡°It was great¡­ I don¡¯t think I have had quite as much enjoyment at a festival before.¡±


    Scylla turns her head and awkwardly fidgeting, and Zoey who is apparently just outside the door makes an odd noise.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear¡­¡±


    That¡¯s it¡­ That¡¯s all I got. I tried¡­


    We sit there in silence for a bit longer until Lilah¡¯s crunching finally ceases.


    Lilah: ¡°So are we not going to talk about Kline and Scylla having sex last night?¡±


    Kline almost spits out the coffee he is drinking, and Scylla looks like she wants to crawl under the table. We can hear Zoey begin laughing in the other room, while Belinda, Roxy, and I all let out a deep sigh.


    Belinda: ¡°Lilah, that is just not something you talk about¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What? Roxy and Zoey are always talking about it, and we have teased Belinda and Master quite a few times¡­ Lilah thought that is just what we do¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Alright Zoey, you can come back now¡­¡±


    Zoey is still laughing when she comes back into the room sitting back down next to Roxy.


    Zoey: ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Yes and I am proud of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it isn¡¯t a secret, and we know what happened, now let¡¯s move on. I am sure Scylla and Kline are embarrassed enough as it is.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Well if we aren¡¯t talking about it, I am going. With the snow things might take a few days to get back to normal, but just to be safe.¡±


    Lilah puts her stuff up and leaves the room.


    Katie: ¡°I better go to. We just tossed the things in the store out of the snow from the booth, so we got to clean stuff up before opening the blacksmith¡¯s shop.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Hey, we get to walk to work together today!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just next door¡­ We walked together longer when I walked you to work on the way to the office.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea, but when I want to see you, I can walk upstairs and see you now without having to worry about what is going on at the guild.¡±


    ¡°¡­ So have you figured out what to do with the old adventurer¡¯s guild building?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it belongs to the actual adventurer¡¯s guild so it is just probably going to end up as storage.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I was thinking of holding some adventurer training there if that¡¯s ok. I heard about what Scylla, Zoey, and Roxy did up in the dungeon last winter and thought quite a few adventurers could benefit from the same kind of training.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ That sounds like a lot of work.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°You don¡¯t think I work hard or what?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way¡­ I guess if that is what you want to do.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be any problem because it would be adventurer¡¯s guild related, if you plan on charging people for it though the guild will probably have to take a percentage¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess you can start that up when you guys get back from the dungeon.¡±


    Bell: ¡°The new town hall has quite a few fireplaces to heat up the building, so with the snow I better head over there now and get things started heating up.¡±


    Bell and Sofia leave the room. Roxy looks around and then gets up pulling Zoey along. Zoey tries to struggle to finish what is on her plate as Roxy pulls her, as she was out of the room for so long she still hasn¡¯t finished eating¡­


    Now only Belinda, Scylla, Kline, and myself are in the room. Both Kline and Scylla are still blushing and are keeping their distance from one another.


    Belinda: ¡°Scylla, why don¡¯t you help me clean up real quick?¡±


    The kitchen is connected to the dining room with the large open window, but the few extra bit of distance helps the awkwardness as Scylla nods heading into the kitchen with Belinda.


    I get up tapping Kline on the shoulder. He nods and follows me out the door. Out of all the rooms in the house the living room seems to be the least used. Even the ballroom seems to have gotten more uses, but for some reason Kline and I end up there and he drops into one of the big arm chairs.


    ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°That¡¯s ok¡­ I am sure Lilah didn¡¯t mean anything by it¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not so sure¡­ She may be young, but she is quite intelligent and devious when she wants to be.¡±


    Kline: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry, and you don¡¯t have to answer, but you two going to be alright? Things seemed rather awkward than usual this morning. Something didn¡¯t happen did it?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Nothing like that. We intentionally had her enter first then wait a few minutes for me to enter to try to make things less awkward between everyone, but as soon as I seen her sitting there I started thinking about it and I couldn¡¯t think about much else¡­¡±


    ¡°Things will return to normal eventually, you just need to talk to Scylla and make sure you are both on the same page.¡±


    Kline and I sit there and talk for a little while until I receive a message from Belinda asking where I am at. I guess it really is unusual for us to use the living room she didn¡¯t even think about checking it¡­ After telling her where we are there is a knock at the door a few seconds later.


    Scylla: ¡°Excuse me Master¡­ Can I talk to Kline?¡±


    ¡°Go right ahead. Take your time. Belinda and I should get to work, and don¡¯t worry Bell and I have things taken care of till you are done.¡±


    I get up and leave Kline and Scylla in the living room joining Belinda in the entryway.


    ¡°You think they are going to be alright?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They will be fine, but it might take them a bit of time till they are comfortable around everyone else again.¡±


    Belinda puts her head on my shoulder as we walk next door to work, giving her a kiss I head upstairs to my office and begin work. Scylla shows up around noon blushing quite a bit, but she begins working.


    ¡°You get everything taking care of? You can have some more time if you want.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I¡¯m ok Master. I need to get back to work, so things can return to normal.¡±


    Things remain a little strained for a few days until the day Kline gets ready to head back to the capital. Scylla and him share quite a farewell. After he is gone we start focusing on preparing for the girls departure.


    On the last night of the year we have a little celebration at the house with only a few of the townspeople that we are close to like Susan. The next morning the girls are all standing out front of the house with their gear packed and ready to go.


    ¡°You all be careful, I don¡¯t care about you becoming heroes or bringing back xp more than all of your safety. If things get to rough just come home to me safe.¡±


    Belinda comes up to me giving me a big hug and a kiss. I take something I prepared sliding it on her finger.


    ¡°And this time it isn¡¯t a magic ring¡­ So make sure you bring all of your bridesmaids back home with you.¡±


    It takes a second for Belinda to realize what is going on, but then her eyes begin to fill with tears as she tightly hugs me again.


    Belinda: ¡°I love you Two-Twelve. I promise we won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, and I am serious.¡± ¨CI then lower my voice so only she can hear.- I don¡¯t care about Dyson¡¯s task if it means causing harm to one of you girls so don¡¯t push to hard.¡±


    After nodding she then turns and squeals showing the small diamond ring off to the others which shocked expressions. They then depart talking about wedding plans. I turn ruffling Lilah¡¯s hair. ¡°This is going to be a long stint. Let¡¯s get to work¡­¡±

 Dungeon #135

    I can¡¯t believe Two-Twelve gave me an engagement ring¡­ I thought the whole thing was beyond him. I love him, but I thought I was going to remain un-married until either my father stepped in or I forced him to go through with it.


    Then again he didn¡¯t give a time-frame¡­ Maybe I am just overthinking it. I had to stop myself from sending a message to the capital or it would have caused quite the big fuss already. I don¡¯t want to even risk telling Amy.


    I also made sure Scylla doesn¡¯t tell Kline about it just in case. At least I have the girls to talk to about it. They seem happy for me, but don¡¯t seem to think it is quite of a big deal as I do.


    We follow a road west though Gowen for a week until we reach one of the other towns of the Gowen Kingdom called Lancaster. We tried to hide who I am when we entered, but with the type of equipment we have, it doesn¡¯t take long for them to discover my identity¡­


    Townsperson: ¡°Are you here because of the new dungeon?¡±


    Townsperson 2: ¡°Are you going to do the same for us as you did in Tobes?¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ New dungeon what are you talking about?¡±


    Townsperson: ¡°We sent a message to the capital, we thought you arriving here was their response¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I was just passing through town.¡±


    Townsperson: ¡°We are all so scared, it has been sending out its monsters to the town.¡±


    ¡°A new dungeon is attacking the town?¡±


    Townsperson 2: ¡°Well¡­No it isn¡¯t attacking¡­ But there have been a lot of strange sightings¡­ It has to be the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well I am sorry, I have pressing matters to attend to elsewhere, so if it¡¯s not actually attacking¡­ You said word was sent to the capital, was it by letter, or did you use a communication parchment?¡±


    Townsperson: ¡°The mayor sent out an official letter a few weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°Well I can use a communication parchment and tell them what is going on, but I really can¡¯t stay¡­¡±


    Townsperson: ¡°You should really speak with the new mayor then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    We really need to get on the road, but these are Gowen residents, I can¡¯t just ignore them. I decide I need to at least meet with the mayor. The townsperson leads us through town arriving at the mayor¡¯s place.


    It looks much like the old one in Tobes with a small house attached to a small office.


    Townsperson: ¡°Miss Mayor! The 3<sup>rd</sup> princess is here herself!¡±


    Scratchy woman¡¯s voice: ¡°I am in a meeting! Wait¡­ Did you say princess? Don¡¯t make her stand out in the cold let her in!¡±


    The townsperson escorts me inside, but the building is rather small so I ask the others to wait outside. Once I enter I see an older woman quickly get to her feet from behind a small desk and bows to me. She appeared to be talking with someone in a large armchair across from her but from the back I can¡¯t see anyone in it.


    ¡°I am sorry to interrupt, I heard about the new dungeon while I was passing through town to attend to some business in Calhoun, and some of the townspeople asked if I would speak with you.¡±


    A young girl¡¯s voice speaks from the armchair ¡°That is quite alright. I believe our conversation has come to an end anyway. Now just remember what I said.¡±


    After that I see a little girl that can¡¯t be more than 10 years old step out from the chair. Even for her age she is rather short and she has quite the doll like appearance. Her eyes however are rather unsettling her pupils are so large and dark that it almost appears that her eyes are solid black.


    Her outfit is very cute and frilly, something I would love to get Lilah to wear but she always refuses flatly. It even has a matching bonnet. She walks over to me and appears to be sizing me up.


    Girl: ¡°This is the kingdom¡¯s 3<sup>rd</sup> princess? What did they not have any boys to play adventurer?¡±


    The old lady seems to get a little upset hitting a cane she is using on the floor. ¡°Gowen is a wonderful kingdom. I don¡¯t care where you say you are from, but I ask you treat Princess Belinda with the respect she deserves.¡±


    Girl: ¡°I see. This is Two-Twelve¡¯s pet¡­ Does he make you call him daddy as well?¡±


    ¡°Who are you¡­?¡±


    The girl stars hard into my eyes for a few moments, then looks somewhat surprised but she shrugs it off. ¡°I am Dungeon Core #514 Ferox Marionette, but if you must, just call me Marion¡±


    I quickly look to the mayor but she is still staring straight ahead with her angry expression with both of her hands on her cane.


    ¡°What is going on here?!¡±


    Marion seems no longer interested in talking anymore and simply walks out the door. A few seconds later the mayor lets out a sigh.


    Mayor: ¡°Oh she is gone? She does that a lot¡­ Please forgive the rudeness Princess. Marion only recently arrived in Gowen and has been though quite a lot for someone of her age.¡±


    ¡°What do you know of her?¡±


    Mayor: ¡°She is from up north, I am not quite sure where, but apparently her father was a duke and after a rebellion Marion¡¯s mother and father were killed. She had traveled months on foot just to arrive here because her father once told her of an uncle that lived here. However as you know Duke Lancaster has been dead for some time.¡±


    ¡°She claims to be Duke Lancaster¡¯s niece?¡±


    Mayor: ¡°She indeed is, I had completely forgotten, but after Marion arrived I remembered the Duke once talking about his brother up north and Marion had all the correct documentation. Poor girl after all that to find out her uncle has passed and his home has become a dungeon not even a few weeks before her arrival.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying the new dungeon the townspeople were talking about is the old Lancaster mansion?¡±


    Mayor: ¡°That¡¯s right. There have been all manner of foul spirits seen in the last few weeks in the old mansion. Several have even been sighted in town, but so far there doesn¡¯t seem to be any incidents of any kind of attacks.¡±


    ¡°Have no adventurer¡¯s investigated?¡±


    Mayor: ¡°We are quite a ways from any dungeons, so we have few adventurers, but Miss Marion is the Duke¡¯s only living kin so the mansion is now hers, and so far she is hesitant in letting any adventurers inside because she is afraid they may damage the only home she has left.¡±


    ¡°Well unfortunately I am just passing through on my way to Calhoun, but I will use some communication parchment to inform the capital further about the situation. With that maybe you can see a bit quicker response.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t want to impede your travels, and I appreciate the assistance.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is the least I can do for the people of Gowen.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°If you will excuse the ramblings of an old woman. I got the chance to meet your young man at the town meetings in the capital last spring I wasn¡¯t the mayor then, but my late husband was. Your young man seems like a very intelligent person, and I am glad someone with such a tragic background has managed to set an example for others like him. I hope you both find happiness together.¡±


    I can¡¯t help to blush a little bit and I fiddle with the ring around my finger. ¡°Thank you I will be sure to let him know to keep up the good work. Unfortunately it may be a while before I can see him again, but we should be able to say in contact with the communication parchment.¡±


    Mayor: ¡°Some advice from an old woman. Don¡¯t let the small things between you bother you. Once you get my age you only remember the fond memories and wish you took more opportunities to make them.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I will remember that.¡±


    After a few more pleasantries I show her the communication parchment, and I send a message with it to Logan to tell him the situation that is going on here in Lancaster. After leaving the mayor¡¯s office I also send a message to Two-Twelve asking about this dungeon core #514.


    Apparently he doesn¡¯t know much except the fact that she was one of the new cores that lived through the test this year. He didn¡¯t even know that she had chosen to make her dungeon this close. I also tell him I am a little worried about the ability she seemed to have over the mayor.


    He doesn¡¯t seem know anything about it, but that isn¡¯t surprising that is sort of the thing I usually have to learn from Scylla or Sofia. After I ask them they don¡¯t know of anything either, but Sofia thinks it might be some kind of charm spell after telling her about Marion¡¯s seemingly surprised expression after making eye contact with me.


    After being delayed we decide to rest in Lancaster for the night and set out again the next morning. We then hit the road north out of town heading towards the Gowen border, and after a few more days we reach an outpost on the road separating Gowen from Calhoun.


    Relations with Gowen and Calhoun are pretty good so we have no trouble crossing the border, and we don¡¯t even have to use the letter from the king to do it. After crossing we don¡¯t slow down till we hit a Calhoun town that is only a day away from the dungeon.


    The only thing in the adventurer¡¯s guild about the dungeon is warning to stay away¡­ Before I left Two-Twelve made sure I read the information about the dungeon in his book until I had it memorized.


    The dungeon core seems to be of a shadow favored element using poison type traps and all the monsters mentioned seem to be different types of wolves. There is also rumor of a poison in the dungeon that isn¡¯t curable by medicine or light healing magic, but water healing magic is able to cure it, so we should be ok as long as we keep Scylla safe.


    Since there are no commissions we can take we rest up in the town and then continue our trip until we finally reach the dungeon. We set up camp outside the dungeon deciding to wait till morning till heading in.


    The dungeon is 35 floors deep with just over 400 rooms, so we won¡¯t be able to head back out of the dungeon each day so the dungeon core is going to be able to know our power level as we are going to have to sleep in the dungeon.


    We have already made it clear that we are not to talk about destroying the dungeon since before we even entered the town as not to tip off the dungeon core. As far as she is going to know we are just here to train.


    We are even going to try to not let her know we are from another dungeon, but I don¡¯t know if that is something we are going to be able to keep from her for long. I am still not 100% sure we should be doing this, but even the people in the town said this dungeon is a danger to the people, even if it isn¡¯t sending monsters out at the moment.


    Katie, Scylla, and I take the first watch while the others head to bed. I send a message to Two-Twelve but I try not to make it obvious I am using [Menu]. He gives me an update on the dungeon, so far it doesn¡¯t seem to have changed except for the xp amount the dungeon has.


    No adventurers are entering the dungeon and yet the dungeon has a higher xp count then the last time. Two-Twelve told me so she must be getting xp somehow, so we need to be careful,. After talking to Two-Twelve for a while, he heads to bed so I talk with Scylla and Katie till our watch is up. After that Roxy and Zoey relieve me, so I head to bed myself.


    The next morning after breakfast we pack our things up and enter the dungeon.


    ¡°Alright everyone, be careful we don¡¯t know what to expect to take your time and play it safe.¡±


    From the entrance of the dungeon there is a long tunnel down similar in the way Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon starts. Roxy, Sofia, and I all have the dungeon expert skill so we should be able to find any traps or hidden monsters as we go.


    We progress deeper in the dungeon with Roxy and Sofia up front, me, Katie, and Bell, in the middle, and Scylla and Zoey in the back. As I start to sense something ahead we can begin to hear growling. We proceed on guard finding a large group of about 10 wolves at the end of the tunnel.


    As we swiftly deal with the wolves I can¡¯t help feel nostalgic¡­ The first creature I ever fought for a commission was wolves and they managed to take a good size bite out of me. Even Scylla and Zoey¡¯s first battle included wolves. We have come so far¡­


    I don¡¯t know how many wolves we have killed today, but if things continue this way the dungeon is only supposed to have a little over 2000 monsters, so the dungeon will be out of monsters by the 10th floor. I am sure most of these wolves are rift monsters so they will respawn, but we still try to clear each room before moving on just to gather as much xp as possible.


    The entire dungeon so far has been made of natural materials so it¡¯s hard to tell where one room starts and another ends, but after a full day of just killing normal wolves I still think we are only on the first floor.


    Once it starts getting late we try to find a room that is easily defendable, but it proves to be a bit harder than we thought and we have to go through at least a couple dozen more wolves before finding one.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been in to many dungeons, but the Ancient Kobold Stronghold, Leona Ruins, and The Tower of the Gods, were all quite different. Are dungeons like this normal?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Something seems off about the wolves, and we haven¡¯t ran into any traps yet which is a bit worrying, but dungeons come in all shapes and sizes so caverns like this are actually pretty common.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I would probably even say dungeons like the ones you mentioned are the uncommon ones, it¡¯s just a pretty big coincidence that there are three like that close to each other.¡±


    ¡°How much bigger do you think this floor is? I am not used to them being this large¡­¡±


    Sofia seems to fumble a bit then says. ¡°Caverns are just like that, and sometimes they are just a single one going on and on.¡±


    I however get a message from her. (We appear to be on the third floor already, but it might give away that we are part of a dungeon if I said it out loud.)


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    We talk for a while, after setting up camp in the dungeon and it is kind of weird trying to be careful what we say. The girls don¡¯t even use my name just to be on the safe side calling me everything from miss to master. I don¡¯t see how Two-Twelve keeps it straight with each girl calling him by different things¡­


    When Scylla, Katie, and I are about to finish out the first watch I begin to sense a lot of creatures. Roxy and Sofia seem to sense it as well because Roxy pokes her head out of her tent, and Sofia comes charging from her tent wearing nothing but a pair of panties and an undershirt but she at least has her sword and shield¡­


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    We wait almost breathlessly as we can feel something move closer. Roxy quickly tries to wake Zoey while, Bell has already appeared from their tent as well wearing her pajamas.


    Sofia: ¡°Here one comes!¡±


    We quickly prepare for battle when suddenly though the opening of the tunnel comes a small bunny hopping into the room.


    Everyone: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°The dungeon must spawn rabbits to feed the wolves.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Before I say anything else I receive a message from Sofia. (I thought there was something weird with the wolves. Not all of them must have been bound to the dungeon, so she must be breeding them and the rabbits are the food for the wolves not bound to the dungeon.)


    ¡°This is going to make things quite a bit more difficult, I can¡¯t tell the difference between the rabbit and the wolves with my skill¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°We are going to have to just be far more careful.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Alright Zoey, it¡¯s our turn. I can¡¯t tell the difference either so we are going to have to watch more carefully.¡±


    ¡°I can stay up a bit longer if you want some help¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°That¡¯s alright. You get your rest now.¡±


    Sofia and Bell go back to bed, and Katie, Scylla, and I then prepare for bed while Roxy and Zoey take watch. I however have quite a bit of trouble getting to sleep when it feels like we are surrounded¡­


    There however doesn¡¯t seem to be any problems because it isn¡¯t till morning that Bell wakes me up, and after a small bit of breakfast we start after it again.


    After a week and a half we have continued to progress deeper in to the dungeon. The wolves progressively get more aggressive and larger the further we go until they switch from normal wolves to dire wolves.


    The first appearing on what Sofia says is the 10<sup>th</sup> floor and it also marks the point when traps begin to appear. I guess the monsters from here on out are strictly dungeon monsters. It makes me feel a bit better however because without the rabbits showing up in the middle of the night I am able to rest a bit easier.


    We have progressed 1/3 of the way into the dungeon, but it has now been a month since we left Tobes. We only have 4 more months to complete this dungeon. Although with over 2 weeks being traveling time we are making good progress, but the dungeon is only going to get harder.


    So far the dire wolves have proved pretty manageable, but we have to actually focus on combat to prevent injury. Even after the week and a half though only Roxy has managed to gain a level, however it proved to increase her abilities by quite a bit.


    Even though Two-Twelve¡¯s boss monsters don¡¯t learn new skills or spells at levels 5, 10, 15, and so forth apparently our skills still gain levels at that time. I was already past 15 when Two-Twelve give us both our extra skills, but Roxy was only level 14 so even her new skills gained a level making them better than mine.


    It is strange magic was always my weakness, yet that is the only thing she hasn¡¯t surpassed me in yet¡­ I also see what Sofia was saying because she has started to surpass her as well, and Roxy is still quite a few levels behind her.


    ¡­30 days¡­ It¡¯s been 30 days since we last saw daylight. We have been stuck on the 28<sup>th</sup> floor for the last 3 days. The dire wolves gave way to wargs and now we are doing everything we can just to move from one room to the next having to take long breaks in-between.


    The truth is the only reason I know we have been here for 30 days is Two-Twelve told me when he messaged me earlier. It feels like it has been far longer.


    We have also begun to lose a since of time as we got so off track that when I receive a message from Two-Twelve saying he was going to bed, we all thought it was just before noon not almost midnight¡­


    Logan seems rather proud of me for taking on this task, and often sends me messages to check my progress. He often gives me advice, as he has had to spend long periods of time inside a dungeon 3 times now.


    I am still hoping we are done before we hit two months but if these wargs aren¡¯t the toughest thing in the dungeon we might be in trouble.


    I am sure the dungeon knows we belong to another dungeon now, because we even ran out of food over a week ago, but we made the decision to keep pressing forward instead of leaving and risk taking too much time to get back.


    Even after all this time only Bell and I have managed to gain another level. We spent far less time in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon and seemed to be gaining far more xp. These wolves and wargs must be horrible sources of xp for their difficulty.


    It has now been over 2 months since I last laid my eyes on Two-Twelve. I keep staring at the engagement ring he gave me before we left¡­ I know I love him, but I am starting to forget things about him¡­ Like I can¡¯t remember what color his eyes are. I didn¡¯t even realize it was my birthday until I received a message from Two-Twelve.


    I don¡¯t know if it is the time we have been gone, being trapped underground like this, or this blasted poison fog that we have been dealing with since we reached the 30<sup>th</sup> floor. Scylla has had to bow out of the fights to conserve all her magic on keeping this poison fog from causing us too much harm.


    It doesn¡¯t seem to be outright hurting us, but it seems to be sapping our strength. Luckily as long as Scylla casts a healing spell on us at least once every few hours the effects aren¡¯t too bad.


    The amount of xp we are acquiring has seemed to pick up as in this last two weeks everyone except Katie has managed to gain a level. With Roxy¡¯s last level I received a message saying that I am now a secondary boss monster, which caused Roxy to panic asking what she did, but I told her it was alright.


    It takes us a week for each floor going forward until we only have two floors remaining. We still have 5 weeks until we run out of time and according to Two-Twelve the number of monsters are now under 1000 in the <u>Dungeon Core Information.</u> Most of them should be the rifts behind us, so we should not have many monsters left.


    The poison fog is really beginning to take a toll on the girls especially Zoey, she seems to be taking it the hardest. I don¡¯t know if she is going to be able to continue fighting much longer under the strain of it. Luckily the last time her and Scylla leveled Scylla learned a new water healing spell that seems to be helping quite a bit.


    Roxy also managed to gain another level pulling even further ahead of me. I am happy for her getting stronger, but I do fill a little jealousy as I should be Two-Twelve¡¯s primary boss monster¡­


    The Wargs on the 34<sup>th</sup> floor prove to be very frustrating, they look quite a bit stronger than the ones we fought on the lower floor and they almost seem sentient. It seems like we will never clear the 34<sup>th</sup> floor as the wargs seem to respawn as fast as we can kill them. They are even crossing rooms so we have even had several attacks occur at night.


    Before getting a healing spell from Scylla, Zoey weakened by the poison nearly loses her life and gave a great scare to Roxy and me. It took hours of Roxy crying after the battle before she was able to let Zoey go long enough for us to resume movement through the dungeon.


    Bell still gets in a random hit here and there, but for the most part Scylla, Zoey, and Bell have just become spectators as even Katie and Sofia begin to struggle while Roxy and I push forward. Luckily we know we are making progress because Two-Twelve has let me know nightly how much the dungeon¡¯s xp has dropped and when it hits under 500xp we finally pass the 34<sup>th</sup> floor, but it took us two more weeks.


    That leaves us with 3 weeks for the last floor, but that is cutting it closer then we wanted to. After 1 more week of fighting wargs we find a door at what appears to be the back of the cave.


    ¡°This must finally be it¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°It is a bit early but I say we rest here for at least one more night.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am still worried about the effects of this fog are having on Zoey.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I am fine.¡±


    ¡°The truth of the matter is we still haven¡¯t seen the boss monster either, so it won¡¯t hurt to make sure we are at 100% before entering.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°We are running out of time though, what if there is another 2 weeks¡¯ worth of dungeon on the other side of that door.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is¡­ The warg were much lighter on this floor I don¡¯t think there can be much more left.¡±


    That night Roxy wakes a bit early before her watch to have a talk with me.


    Roxy: ¡°I am really worried about Zoey¡­ Even after Scylla casts her healing spells Zoey is still not recovering completely. I am worried that the effect may be permanent.¡±


    ¡°I have noticed Bell and Scylla are having a hard time as well, and even Sofia and Katie seem to be effected. We won¡¯t know anything though until we finally clear this fog though.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What do we do if they don¡¯t recover?¡±


    ¡°Well they don¡¯t seem to be worried about it, and a dungeon monster can even regrow a limb without healing magic, so I am sure after we get out of here even if it takes a while they should eventually make a full recovery.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I just hope Zoey can hold on that long¡­¡±


    The next morning Zoey is barely able to move before Scylla casts a healing spell on her, I am afraid if we don¡¯t end this and soon we are going to have to retreat just so we don¡¯t lose anyone to the poison fog.


    Once we are geared up we pass through the door carefully finding a large well-furnished room. Out of a large relief the poison fog has also ceased. Being so far underground I don¡¯t know if you can say its fresh air, but at least it¡¯s not poison so we find ourselves taking deep breaths.


    We keep up our guard but Roxy helps Zoey over to a couch having her lay down on it. Roxy then says. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. This seems like living quarters did we pass the crystal room somewhere?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± ¨CShe says while investigating the room more carefully.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any other doors though.¡±


    Sofia stops in front of a large armoire, and after staring at it for a few seconds she shoves it to the side revealing another door. Without the poison filling our lungs the girls are actually beginning to recover, so we let them rest for an hour before we decide to move on.


    When we open the door that was behind the armoire, we can instantly sense the strong presence of something in the next room, and as it begins to growl the entire room seems to rumble at the sound.


    We enter the room with our weapons ready. The room is rather small but seems even smaller with over half of it filled with a giant warg. The warg doesn¡¯t attack as it appears to be guarding something behind it. Instead it just snarls and growls at us.


    ¡°This may be it everyone, be careful!¡±


    Using a fully powered [Exploding Fireball] that is boosted by my [Empowered Magic] skill stored in my spear with my [Divine Spear] skill combined with the charged spear technique it only boosts the strength of the spell even more aiming straight at the jaw of the giant warg.


    The resulting explosion when my spear hits the warg is so strong it pushes the massive creature back against the wall leaving the rest of us with ringing ears and watery eyes. It does seem to cause a deal of damage to the warg, but not as much as I would have liked as that was the strongest attack I can muster.


    The warg lunges back at me swiping at me with its massive paw. The paw is so large it takes Roxy, and Sofia both to block the blow. They manage to push it back between the both of them but it takes everything they have.


    Katie likewise uses her strongest technique slamming her maul into the chest of the warg causing the entire room to shake. Scylla summons a stone wall next to the warg trying to further reduce its ability to move. While Zoey uses her strongest technique shooting a fiery arrow hitting the warg in the shoulder.


    Bell seems a bit hesitant but she dives into the fray as well using her flurry of blows technique causing no damage in the beginning, but as the attack begins to build it seems to start to cause a little bit of damage.


    I use my technique again, but without the charged spell it causes considerably less damage. The warg kicks with one of its back legs landing a blow against Bell sending her across the room crashing into the wall.


    The warg then reaches down with its massive jaws trying to pin me to the ground. Sofia and Roxy are using all their effort to hold back its front paw, so I am forced to dodge out of the way. Katie doesn¡¯t let the chance pass her by now she can hit it upside the head with her maul.


    Another earthshaking blow hits the warg¡¯s head this time seems to leave it a bit dazed. It quickly shakes its head back and forth catching Katie with its snout throwing her across the room as well. Scylla has switched over to healing spells starting on Bell who seems to be having trouble getting off the floor.


    Zoey quickly fires off several arrows but even though they seem to pierce the warg¡¯s hide I can¡¯t tell if they are doing any actual damage to it. I can¡¯t tell how hurt Bell is, but even though she is having trouble standing it doesn¡¯t look like she is in life threatening danger.


    Katie on the other hand looks like her armor took the brunt of the damage as she is already charging back across the room with her maul.


    Roxy and Sofia nod to each other quickly fall back, and both then they each take a side of the warg¡¯s head hitting it with their strongest attacks. The deafening sound of their attacks seems to cause a great amount of damage to the warg. Now unhindered by Sofia and Roxy, the warg now lunges forward again.


    Roxy and Sofia manage to stop its paw again, but it manages to grab me in its teeth lifting me from the ground shaking its head back and forth. I can feel its hot breath, and the pressure of its jaws as it crunches down on me.


    Although the pain is quite intense I would imagine if I was still in steel armor it would have crushed me instantly. I can hear the girls calling out to me, but I can¡¯t make out what they are saying with the loud sounds of the warg¡¯s teeth on my armor ringing in my ears.


    Sofia and Roxy appear to have given up on defense again, and begin hitting the warg with all they got. I can¡¯t move well, but my unique position leaves me in an opportune spot to swing my halberd around, charging my spear technique again I shove it into the warg¡¯s eye.


    I don¡¯t quite know the extent of the damage caused by my attack as I am quickly thrown across the room out of the warg¡¯s mouth, but there is the sound of the explosion and the yelp from the warg.


    My ears are still ringing from the sound of the warg crunching down on me, and I am still about dazed, but I can feel the pain in my body begin to alleviate so someone must be casting a healing spell on me. I start to regain my bearings, and I look around the room.


    The warg is collapsed on the floor with half of its head missing. I guess the explosion being tightly confined inside its eye socket was enough to cause half of its head to explode.


    Sofia: ¡°Are you ok Belinda?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­ Do you see the crystal?¡±


    Across the room is a black glass like stone growing from the wall, and it¡¯s only a bit larger than Two-Twelve¡¯s diamond. We return to being on guard as I walk forward towards the crystal. When I begin to get close a creature appears in front of me.


    I can tell it was transferred in and didn¡¯t come from the crystal. The first thing that comes to mind when I see it is a lycanthrope, but I always thought it was some misguided legend made to make wolf beastkin look bad.


    It appears to be female and even is wearing a rather well made set of clothes, but they are in good condition so they appear to be made to fit this large wolf like form.


    Lycanthrope: ¡°Stop this now!¡±


    ¡°You can talk?¡±


    Lycanthrope: ¡°I will warn you. If you harm me the elders will bring their wrath on you and your dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You mean you are Serena?¡±


    Serena: ¡°So you know who I am, then you know I have been given an important task from the elders. If you don¡¯t want them to retaliate against your dungeon you will leave right now!¡±


    Sofia: ¡°The elders don¡¯t work that way.¡±


    Serena: ¡°They never had my special poison before either.¡±


    ¡°You plan to release it outside your dungeon.¡±


    Serena: ¡°Not just outside the dungeon, but over the entire continent.¡±


    ¡°That is insane. Even if it was possible, do you know how many humans it would kill?¡±


    Serena: ¡°That¡¯s the plan. We figured it would be an 80 percent mortality rate. Without the humans we won¡¯t have to live in hiding in our dungeons any longer.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°If you kill the humans how do you expect to acquire xp to survive?¡±


    Serena: ¡°Fredrick is an elder and no human has even discovered his dungeon. It¡¯s easily possible.¡±


    ¡°Even if the elders agreed with this plan I simply refuse to.¡±


    Two-Twelve told me if I get a chance to talk to Serena make sure she actually proved a threat to humans, but if what she is saying is true she poses far more than of a threat then we even could imagine. I no longer have any hesitation as I point my halberd at Serena.


    The girls seem hesitant but after I start to battle with Serena they quickly move in to assist. Serena is a level 20 dungeon core, but between all of us she doesn¡¯t stand a chance. After finally piercing her heart with my halberd the black stone against the wall shatters and the room begins to shake.


    After Serena falls I feel a rush of power flow into me as the shards of the broken crystal fly into my body without leaving a wound, and I receive a message about becoming primary monster again. The girls seem to have a lot of questions, but now isn¡¯t the time as pieces of the walls begin to crumble and fall. We begin retreating back though the dungeon.


    Now that the dungeon is dead the poison fog, and all the monsters have vanished leaving the trek back though the dungeon much quicker. Even at a quickened pace however it still takes us the rest of the day and most of the night till we finally exit the dungeon.


    Once we are finally safe outside the dungeon we begin setting up camp, and the girls finally start asking me what is going on. Now that is over I tell them about everything. I then see a message I received from Two-Twelve asking me if everyone is ok, so I reply to him and decide to get a few hours of sleep before we begin our trip home.

 Meanwhile Back in Tobes

    It has only been a few weeks since the girls left but I am a little nervous as this time it isn¡¯t just training. They might have been in harm¡¯s way before, but this time it is different. Once they reached the dungeon I have been keeping in contact with Belinda everyday just to make sure things are going ok, and to get her a heads up with the changes in the <u>Dungeon Core Information.</u>


    With all the girls but Lilah gone it has made things pretty tough, but with the new office being within the dungeon, and only having to step out my office door to talk with the receptionists at the adventurer¡¯s guild. It has been a lot easier than it has been in the past.


    We have gotten a few more snow falls since the girls left but nothing real serious. It hasn¡¯t even slowed down the adventurers one bit. Lilah has added more rifts to the upper floors of the dungeon just to keep up with the foot traffic in the dungeon.


    On the day after the girls reached the 15<sup>th</sup> floor of the dungeon I received an unexpected set of guests.


    Logan: ¡°Mister Mayor! How are you doing on the brisk morning?¡±


    ¡°Logan, Kline, and even Queen, what brings you three to Tobes?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well it was only a few hours out of our way. Belinda getting a request to destroy a dungeon has left me quite jealous. I haven¡¯t even been able to adventurer since we started making the communication parchment. So when I got word about the new dungeon in Lancaster I thought I would check it out personally.¡±


    ¡°Well I heard it was quite new, so I doubt it is worth enough for the prince to get involved.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well there seems to be a political problem as well. It appears the dungeon formed in the old duke¡¯s mansion. Recently a next of kin arrived so it technically belongs to her, but she isn¡¯t allowing any adventurers in to investigate.¡±


    ¡°So you plan to use your title to allow you to investigate is that it?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well there still haven¡¯t been any attacks in Lancaster, but they said that several undead type monsters have been sighted around the town, so we are afraid that it is only a matter of time. We want to get the situation under control before something bad happens.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am also delivering a communication parchment to the outlying towns, so if more events like this pop up we can quickly address them.¡± ¨CHe hands me a roll of parchment.- ¡°This one is yours. It gives you direct contact with the capital, but just remember it is linked with the others as well so all the towns will be able to see what is written.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Logan: ¡°We were also wondering if we could crash at your place tonight before getting back on the road.¡±


    ¡°Well it is just me and Lilah, but like I said before you guys are always welcome.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s great. We will go drop our things off and then maybe we can grab some drinks this evening? By the way I like the new office you got here.¡±


    ¡°No problem and the office was your sister¡¯s idea of course.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Logan do you mind if I talk with Two-Twelve while you drop off our belongings at the house? I want to ask him a few things about running a town.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yea I understand, we can meet back up downstairs in about an hour.¡±


    Queen then hands Kline a pack, and then Kline and Logan leave the office while Queen then sits down.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about asking me a few things about running a town?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Well it was actually an excuse so I could talk to you about the dungeon we are going to, but it actually wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. As the beastkin camp I made at my dungeon has become an actual village beastkin are coming from all over to live there now. They have even appointed me to be the village leader.¡±


    ¡°Well as for the dungeon in Lancaster, after hearing about it from Belinda I looked it up. I met the new core during the evaluation, but I don¡¯t really know anything about her. From what I heard the mysterious relative of the late duke Lancaster is the new core. Belinda said she seems to have some kind of charm magic or skill that let her manipulate the townsfolk.¡±


    Queen: ¡°What about her personality?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much, but she and the core that trained her just kind of rubbed me the wrong way when I met them. Her appearance is that of a young child, but I will just say it wasn¡¯t a surprise to find out she was using undead monsters.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Do you think I will have any problem with her?¡±


    ¡°Her dungeon looks to only cover a small portion of the mansion so I doubt it will be anything difficult. Logan and Kline should easily be able to handle anything there, but I would be on the look out to make sure she doesn¡¯t use that charm ability on either one of them. I don¡¯t know how powerful it is.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Ok I will be careful¡­ Now about my village the normal beastkin now outnumbered the ones I have summoned, and it seems like there isn¡¯t a day that goes by that at least 1 more beastkin shows up moving in.¡±


    ¡°Well first of all I would focus on the buildings. Last I heard you at what was little more than a campsite. To help with the dungeon and the town I would suggest starting with a decent adventurer¡¯s guild. I am sure with Logan¡¯s help you could easily get it approved. Once that is done you can use commissions to build more buildings that the village may need.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    ¡°The guild will handle the gold cost for normal commissions, but for the buildings it would have to come out of your own pocket, so I would suggest finding a source of income quickly. If all else fails you could summon things from you dungeon to sell in the capital, but be careful doing that as eventually someone will begin to wonder were the stuff comes from.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I will keep that in mind¡­¡±


    ¡°So how are things going for your dungeon? The adventurers respecting the Gowen protection order?¡±


    Queen: ¡°So far it has worked well, but I used most of my xp on the beastkin so at the moment I am just flooding the dungeon with as many rifts of weak monsters just so there is something there for the adventurers to play with.¡±


    ¡°Also from what I understand spreading your dungeon in the villages can be quite difficult, so if you plan on going that route. Make sure you expand in areas before it becomes developed.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Are you planning on bringing your dungeon into Tobes one day?¡±


    ¡°Who knows¡­ How are things going with Jack?¡±


    Queen: ¡°He has gotten a half dozen of my beastkin pregnant already, so hopefully in a few more months I will be able to begin summoning feral beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Half a dozen?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Well actually only 5 are my dungeon monsters 1 of them however isn¡¯t. I am curious though what is going to happen when that baby is born.¡±


    ¡°Well sounds like he has been busy¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°Yea he has three or four more that still haven¡¯t taken yet, but I think at this point it would be just overkill, but as long as he is enjoying himself I don¡¯t see any reason to stop his fun.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It has been a while since we have spoken so we talk quite a bit. She keeps asking how things are going with Dyson, as with the addition to Sofia to our family Queen has realized I have had regular contact with him.


    We meet up with Logan and Kline down around the adventurer¡¯s guild area, and then the four of us set out to the tavern for a drink. After a few drinks I see why Logan didn¡¯t bring Queen drinking with us in the past as he begins getting pretty clingy¡­


    He also does quite a bit of whining about Belinda¡¯s new armor, and the fact she gets to destroy a dungeon crystal before him. I don¡¯t know if he has just gotten more comfortable around me or it is something that just is really bothering him as this is the least dignified I have ever seen him.


    Kline forces him to retire pretty early in comparison to our normal outings, and after a small breakfast the next morning the three set out from Tobes. All in all it was a pretty weird visit from Belinda¡¯s brother¡­


    The boost of xp from Logan and Kline, and the ever increasing amount of adventurers wanting to head into the dungeon every day. I decide to sit down with Lilah and work up a plan. We decide to leave the dungeon currently like it is with a small exception.


    At the back of the ground floor where the stairs go down we add another hallway off the back side extending the ground floor further back. For now we add large rooms off the hallway two on either side and one at the end.


    Inside each we fill it with one rift of each type of elemental creature that we learned from Inari with d¨¦cor to match the element. Now there is a fire room with tiny flame elementals, water room with weak lizardmen, wind room with weak fairies, earth room with the tiny earth golems, and the room at the end of the hall is a shadow room with old skeletons.


    This puts us in a pretty bad place with xp, but I am not really worried with the amount of xp we have been gaining lately. With the exception of the light based monsters we now have rifts of every element. Light based monsters are apparently pretty high level though so until then I guess the non-element based monster will have to fill their place.


    After adding to the dungeon the next day I can hear the uproar at the adventurer¡¯s guild from my office. The new elemental monsters are quite a bit more difficult than the other monsters on the first floor, but the fact it covers every element but light is not lost on the adventurers.


    Adventurer: ¡°I heard the crystal is unique, but this proves it. The dungeon¡¯s favored element has to be shadow.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Are you sure I know a few adventurers that are of the light element, but I don¡¯t recall of hearing any monsters of the light element before, maybe there just aren¡¯t any.¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°I agree. I have heard of light based monsters, but they are of hero level in strength so this doesn¡¯t prove anything, the dungeon still might not have a favored element.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°That is ridiculous everything must have a favored element.¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°I heard there is a rumor that the princess doesn¡¯t have a favored element.¡±


    Wait what? How did people figure that out? I decide to pay a bit closer attention to the conversation.


    Adventurer 2: ¡°I heard that girl that called the princess mommy that was here for a few weeks last year didn¡¯t have one either.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°That is impossible. you both are just spreading rumors now.¡±


    Things seem to calm down after that but if the rumors are really beginning to spread we might need to come up with an excuse pretty quickly¡­


    The next few weeks pass and the new wears off the elemental rooms, but I noticed after checking the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> before messaging Belinda one evening that my own dungeon has changed its name.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Current Dungeon Core #212 [Mayor ------]                                      Location: Emeraldline Mountain


    Dungeon: Elemental Stronghold                                             Crystal: Small Polychromatic Diamond


    Dungeon contains 7 floors, 40 rooms, 192 monsters, 22 traps


    Dungeon core level: 16                                                                       XP: 4821


    Dungeon active: 2 years


    Formally known as the Ancient Kobold Stronghold it is buried in the back of a small cave, on top of a small mountain in the Emeraldline forest. In the short time since its discovery it has become a training ground for adventurers from far and wide. The high difficulty of even the most basic of monsters even managed to cause a well-known B-Ranked adventurer group to retreat. Although humans still have been unable to uncover the secret of the polychromatic diamond, much about it has been well documented in the adventurer¡¯s guild. Deepest floor reached 4, Deepest floor mapped 4, Most favored monster weak earth golem, most purchased monster small weak earth golem, most favored trap icy spike trap, most purchased trap icy spike trap, boss monster Divine Being [Belinda Gowen]


    With the new elemental rooms it has begun to attract even more adventurers. Particularly of the mage variety as they have come for elemental items from the fallen monsters. This doesn¡¯t pass Denova even as she seems weeks from having her baby she single-handedly monopolizes the elemental ingredients in the marketplace of Tobes raising the cost of such items exponentially.


    With no one to give Lilah a day off she appears to begin to be bogged down by the sheer number of adventurers that have begun to enter the dungeon every day. Belinda and I talked about summoning her some help a while back but the plan kind of went on hold. I fear now I can¡¯t hold off any longer.


    When Belinda and I talked about it before Belinda was the one said I should summon a female beastkin. I would wait till Belinda returns but I think Lilah will need help before then. I also don¡¯t want to distract Belinda so I will wait till they are on their way back before telling her just in case she gets upset about it.


    The only other problem is trying to convince Lilah that I am not going to replace her, but trying to give her an extra hand¡­ After half of a day of planning I throw it all away as I decide the best course of action. That evening I head to the core room to talk to Lilah.


    ¡°How are things going?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is tired¡­ She can handle two groups at once, but now sometimes there are now 3 in the dungeon at once.¡±


    ¡°That is actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I know you haven¡¯t gotten a day off again now that the girls are gone, and even though Sofia was trying to learn how to help you she seemed to not be taking to it like you did, so I think it¡¯s time we start think of summoning another monster just to give you a hand.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But this is Lilah¡¯s job¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I thought I would let you summon the monster, that way it is yours.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Really? Lilah can have her own monster?¡±


    ¡°Belinda and I talked about it a while back, so as long as it is a female beastkin, I will let you decide the other parameters.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Master doesn¡¯t have any sentient male monsters.¡±


    ¡°Well you remember how Roc turned out, so I figured we need to err on the side of caution¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes master¡­¡±


    ¡°So any ideas?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t have much of a choice. The only beastkin available is a cow...¡±


    ¡°Well you could do a random.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But then who knows what might happen.¡±


    ¡°Well if you select the age, and focus on the personality while you summon it. Does the sub-species really matter?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Ok Lilah is ready.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to think about it a little bit at least?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If Lilah can¡¯t have a male, then Lilah knows what she wants.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    I make the 2500xp available for Lilah and wait while she taps away on what I assume is her [Menu]. She then makes a serious expression as she taps in front of her one last time, and the core room is then filled with light.


    When the light fades what is left behind is Lilah¡­ Well everything about the new monster looks like Lilah, except less¡­ It is a rabbit beastkin, but of course it is not feral so it has no fur except the ears and little tail.


    The age is about what Lilah was when she first arrived making her about a head shorter then Lilah. Even when she arrived Lilah still has some semblance of breasts, and now they are modest as she grows in the next few years they will probably be around Belinda¡¯s size but this new monster¡¯s breasts are practically non-existent.


    Even the monster¡¯s hair is the same color as Lilah¡¯s only about half as long. It then dawns on me what Lilah must have done¡­ Lilah equips the new monster in what looks like one of her old dresses.


    I quickly read over the screen that popped up telling me of the rabbit subspecies becoming available and close it while Lilah walks up to the new monster putting her hand on her shoulders.


    Lilah: ¡°Alright Lylah, Lilah will show you what she expects from you.¡±


    Lilah then taps on a screen and I receive the message about the monsters name being set as Lylah.


    Lylah: ¡°Yes Master, I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    I move over and tap the new monster on the shoulder. ¡°I am going to send you to your bedroom for now, so I can have a talk with Lilah, alright?¡± The new monster looks worried but nods. I then transfer her to one of the spare bedrooms at the house.


    Lilah: ¡°What¡¯s wrong Master?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that was a little cruel?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Lylah is sentient, but you made her basically a copy of yourself only less then you.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course. Lilah needs Lylah to help her in the dungeon, but Lilah is the master so she should be better.¡±


    ¡°If she wasn¡¯t sentient I wouldn¡¯t have a problem with it, but with Lylah being sentient she is going to have a real hard time. If Lylah is constantly living in your shadow she isn¡¯t going to have much self-esteem¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah is Lylah¡¯s Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I decide to make dinner that evening so the three of us can talk, but it feels kind of strange. Lylah is almost exactly like Lilah was a year and a half ago.  She at least talks differently so that is something I guess.


    Lylah: ¡°Master is going to teach me how to help her in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°At least for now, but if you don¡¯t like it we might find something else for you to do.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Master!¡±


    ¡°You know we don¡¯t force anyone to do stuff they don¡¯t want to do, so if she rather do something else we will have to come up with something else to help you.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°If Master wants me to help her I will do as I am told.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°See she wants to do it.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t what she said, but for now she is all we got.¡±


    Luckily with my office now in the dungeon I am able to keep a screen open displaying the core room to keep an eye on how things are going with Lilah and Lylah. Lylah seems to be working really hard, but she isn¡¯t taking to the dungeon like Lilah did.


    She however is taking to it far better then Sofia was, and it does seem to want to learn to do it. I am actually surprised with the way Lilah is treating Lylah, I was afraid that she was going to treat her like a slave, but instead she treats her more like what I would assume would be like a little sister.


    Things continue much like that for the next few weeks, and I am even able to give Belinda a bit of good news as the number of monsters in the dungeon they are in is beginning to decrease each day so they must be deep enough that have passed the rift monsters.


    By their early progress I was hoping they would finish with plenty of time remaining, but things have really begun to slow down now as they are struggling to pass each floor. They even have had to begin dealing with some kind of poison fog.


    I was worried especially when Belinda seemed surprised when I wished her a happy birthday. Her messages have even seemed to become weird, but I receive a visitor that sets me a bit at ease.


    Dyson: ¡°Good they are making good time, and I wouldn¡¯t worry about the fog I promise it won¡¯t have any lasting effects once they make it out of the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°But why the visit? Isn¡¯t that kind of thing the observation screen is for?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you have access to it, so who knows about the other elders, and like I said I want to keep myself out of this so I am avoiding looking in on them. Besides I have some more work for you.¡±


    Dyson draws a line in the air taking out several items. 1 sword that looks to be made from mythril, a small dagger, and a xp bead.


    Dyson: ¡°I am having trouble coming across an adamantium sword, but maybe if you can add the enchantment from this dagger to the sword it would get me by till I can.¡±


    ¡°Well I am sure I could learn the enchantment, and then add it to a new sword, but I don¡¯t think I can add it to an existing weapon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well give it a shot, and if not we can at least find out the total cost it would be.¡±


    I nod and for now I leave the xp bead on the desk but take and store the sword and dagger.


    New Items Available


    Dwarven Dagger              Cost:  250xp Mythril Sword                  Cost: 10,000xp


    New Enchantment Available


    Assassin¡¯s Blade Item cost x10 or 150,000xp whichever is less (50,000xp minimum)


    I then look through the dungeon inventory finding a [Legendary Assassin¡¯s Dwarven Dagger] I then take it out setting it back down on the table. I then look until I find [Legendary Quality Mythril Sword] I then look to see if there is a way to add an enchantment to the sword but I can¡¯t find anything.


    I then see how much it would cost to summon a new sword with the enchantment.


    Insufficient xp required to summon item, requires 650,000xp


    ¡°I don¡¯t see a way to add the enchantment, but to summon a new one would be 650,000xp¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Damnit.¡±


    I then prepare to take out the sword but decide to try something first. ¡°Add enchantment to [Legendary Quality Mythril Sword]¡±


    Select enchantment to add to selected item.


    Assassin¡¯s Blade   Cost: 150,000xp


    ¡°Wait¡­ That worked.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°How much xp is that bead for? As it still costs 150,000xp to add the enchantment.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well that I can work with¡­ The bead is only half that, but I should be able to get another one for you within the week.¡±


    I take the sword out of the inventory and set it down on the desk with the dagger and xp bead. ¡°Alright, once you get it together I look forward to taking care of it for you, because you haven¡¯t let me down so far regarding the compensation.¡±


    Dyson nods taking the items and he leaves. The next few days pass uneventfully and even Belinda¡¯s group only manages to make it past 1 more floor. Belinda tells me that she is really beginning to worry about the effects the poison fog is having on Zoey.


    When Dyson finally returns he has me add the enchantment to the sword after giving me a 150,000xp bead, he then hands me another xp bead but this one is only for 10,000xp. I am actually a little disappointed in only receiving 10,000xp, but he then sends a message and a monster appears in the room with us.


    The monster looks like some kind of goblin mage, but it is far higher on the evolution chain then I have yet seen. It looks around the room but doesn¡¯t appear have any sentience.


    Dyson: ¡°Does it matter how it dies in your dungeon, or can you learn its magic just by it dying in your dungeon?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, as long as it dies within the dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Good then I am going to test out this sword then.¡±


    Without another word Dyson swings his sword so fast I can¡¯t even follow the movement. The goblin doesn¡¯t even seem to notice what happened even as it collapses to the floor in quite a few smaller pieces¡­


    New Monster Available


    Goblin Shadow-walker             Cost: 1500xp


    New Skill Available


    Darkness Expert                       Cost: 2500xp Primal Magic                             Cost: 2500xp


    New Spell available


    Greater Dark Blade     Cost: 500xp Blink                                Cost: 2500xp Shadow-ball                   Cost: 2500xp Shadow Pocket             Cost: 2500xp


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think monsters had skills.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°¡­Once you start reaching that level of monster they do. Do you mean you even learned how to copy monster skills?¡±


    ¡°Is there a difference?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Surely there are restrictions that prevent you from learning them. After all they are monster only skills.¡±


    I check out darkness expert in [Menu]


    Darkness Expert (Rank 1): Monsters born of shadow can manipulate them allowing the use of existing shadows as a source to cast shadow based magic.


    I attempt to learn the skill but receive the message.


    You do not meet the requirements of the skill. Monster must be of the shadow favored element.


    Alright, how about primal magic?


    Primal Magic (Rank 1):  Monsters with the primal magic skill are born from magic, shaped by it, and are able to take mastery over it. +25 bonus to spell power, spell arts, concentration, and 50 mp.


    The skill sounds like a higher level skill but the cost is quite low for the bonuses it grants. I guess due to the fact that it is a monster only skill is why the cost is so low. However when I try to learn the skill the xp is deducted and I gain the skill¡­


    ¡°Well I couldn¡¯t learn darkness expert, but it said it was because you had to have shadow as your favored element, but I was able to learn primal magic.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That¡¯s impossible it should only be for monsters¡­¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t we? Regardless of our race aren¡¯t we born in a dungeon with magic just like we do when we summon a monster?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are truly something else¡­ Well you wanted the spell to store items, got a bonus of a new monster, and even new skills, so I think that makes us more than even in our trade.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I look forward to being able to help you out more in the future.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yea¡­.¡±


    After Dyson leaves I use [Menu] to clean up the goblin remains from my office floor, and then use up almost all the remaining xp from the xp bead I got from Dyson to learn [Greater Dark Blade], [Shadow-ball], and [Shadow Pocket]


    Over the next few weeks things seem to slow to a crawl, as Belinda¡¯s group is barely making progress even as the deadline is coming up quickly. Lilah and Lylah seem to be getting along well, maybe I was worried about nothing, Lilah doesn¡¯t seem to be mistreating Lylah at all and Lylah seems to enjoy following in Lilah¡¯s footsteps¡­


    Belinda has gotten increasingly worried about the girls. Everyone has begun to suffer the effects of the poison fog now, and Zoey has gotten so bad she is afraid they might have to turn back without completing Dyson¡¯s request.


    Dyson also makes another visit to check how they are doing, but I leave out the part about them might not being able to finish. He seems to be a bit worried but after telling him that Belinda will do her best he just nods and excuses himself.


    One evening I receive a message from Belinda informing me the cave that has looked completely natural so far has ended with a large door. She is hoping that will mean that there is only a small amount of dungeon left, and by the information I have been giving her from my book it sounds like they should be really close.


    After waking the next morning I wait on pins and needles waiting for some word, but it isn¡¯t till just before noon that I receive a message.


    Dungeon Core #135 [Serena] has fallen at the hands of the adventurer Belinda Gowen.


    I know they will busy for a while trying to leave the dungeon in a hurry, but I leave Belinda a message anyway telling her good job and that I hope everyone is ok. Of course it isn¡¯t long before I receive a message in return, but this message is from Dyson.


    Dungeon Core #212, the elders have requested a meeting with you in regards to the actions taken by your boss monster Belinda Gowen. A representative from the Elders will be along shortly to collect you. Refusal to this meeting is not advised as it may lead to repercussions.


    Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson]


    The message from Dyson seems to be the standard type message from the elders so I am sure he sent it as a precaution. When he arrives shortly after himself he confirms as much.


    Dyson: ¡°Just stick to the information from the letter and you should be fine. The others may be upset with you for a while, but I promise I will make it worth the effort.¡±


    ¡°I just hope it was the right thing to do.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I assure you, it needed to be done even if the other elders don¡¯t see it that way. Now we better get going.¡±


    I nod and after a few seconds Dyson takes my arm and with a pulling felt on the back of my chest we depart from Tobes.

 Reprimanded

    When Dyson and I arrive we are standing in a familiar hallway. It¡¯s the same one that I have been in for all the meetings with the elders, and Dyson leads me down the hallway till we reach the large room.


    Once heading inside he quickly makes his way up to his spot among the elders. There is a small chair in front of the podium and all the elders seem to have conflicted expressions on their faces. I can¡¯t help but to feel nervous as I move over to sit down in the chair.


    Draco: ¡°Dungeon Core #212, I am not sure what Dyson has told you about the meeting we have requested, but I am sure you can guess it regards your boss monster taking the life of another dungeon core.¡±


    Faron: ¡°As I am sure you can guess one dungeon core killing another is not necessarily an uncommon occurrence, but there are a few matters about this particular core that concern us.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I understand you wanted to move on beyond from training your monsters in my dungeon, and giving the proximity of Dungeon Core #135 to your own it is a understandable conclusion that you would look to it as well.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°However you have made no notions for a desire to destroy another core before, so we would like to ask why this core and why now?¡±


    ¡°Well as I am sure you are all aware, but my boss monster is the 3<sup>rd</sup> princess of the Gowen kingdom. I guess my dungeon monster¡¯s trips to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon caught the attention of the king of Calhoun. I don¡¯t follow into the politics too well, but what I do know is he sent a letter to Gowen requesting my boss monster to deal with a troublesome dungeon in his kingdom.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You say you received a letter? That was the only reason, a request from a human?¡±


    ¡°Well I am sure you know I run my dungeon quite different than most, even living among humans, so yes my boss monster informed me of the possible political gain, and not only that but for my boss monster to acquire the power from another dungeon core, I felt it was worth it.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°We have heard quite a few rumors that Elder Dyson himself had paid you quite a few visits, and he never talked to you about Dungeon Core #135?¡±


    ¡°No, his visits were for an unrelated trade agreement between us. Of course I can¡¯t go into details as it would reveal sensitive information from both parties, but Madam Erin knows of some of my dungeon¡¯s oddities and she could probably tell you how it might be able to benefit Dyson.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I understand. He is correct as Two-Twelve has proven during the elder selection, and again on training the new core. His outside the box thinking and the abilities of his dungeon, I could easily see how Dyson might try to benefit from some of it.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Then what of Madam Erin, did she talk to you about Dungeon Core #135?¡±


    ¡°No, I received a monster from her on a bet I won during the new core training, but that was the last time I have spoken with Madam Erin. I am curious however what Dungeon Core #135 was up to that would even make the elders question each other¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That matter doesn¡¯t concern you!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well it isn¡¯t like it matters now, but I will just say she was working on something for us that would have been completed in a matter of weeks that would have been a great assistance to the dungeons, but with the destruction of her dungeon that work went with it.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe if you warned others about such things, something like this wouldn¡¯t have happened¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I still find the timing of all this rather suspicious as the adventurer¡¯s guild labeled Dungeon Core #135 as dangerous 5 years ago, and they have never acted on it till now.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There were two commissions about my dungeon around the same time the king would have had to send the letter to Gowen. We may ask Dungeon Core #482 if his dungeon received any new commissions around the same time. It may have been the king trying to gain favor with the adventurer¡¯s guild and the Gowen Kingdom.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I could understand the king wanting to get on Gowen¡¯s good side after they started producing that communication parchment.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Yes¡­ Another headache brought down on us by Dungeon Core #212¡­ Once that stuff becomes wide spread there will be no end to the damage it will cause.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well thanks to that communication parchment we have reestablished communication with Shima, and even have a new core that seems to be thriving there. That too is thanks to Dungeon Core #212.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Shima was hardly a loss.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I have actually maintained quite a bit of communication with Dungeon Core #245, and the information regarding Shima is actually very interesting, of course we will speak of that some other time.¡±


    Draco: ¡°I have just heard back from Dungeon Core #482, and it appears he too has a commission regarding his dungeon sent directly from the Calhoun king.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Perhaps then maybe it was just an unfortunate coincidence. However Dungeon Core #212, take this as your one and only warning. Your name or lack thereof has come up way to often since your birth. If the trend continues you might find your own number becoming available sooner rather than later.¡±


    The elders then dismiss me, but as Dyson brought me to the meeting the portal door is not active, so I am left stuck in the hall waiting for them to quit bickering at each other. To my surprise instead of Dyson, it is Madam Erin to be the one to find me after the meeting.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well pup, it looks like you stepped in it this time, but don¡¯t take it too hard. I wasn¡¯t the one that manipulated the Calhoun king, but I would say who ever did might of done us all a favor.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It¡¯s not important, but I too had reservations about what Dungeon Core #135 was up to, but things can¡¯t continue as they are so I fear I might of lost sight of the forest for the trees. Anyway, how is that new dwarf of yours doing?¡±


    ¡°Katie is working out rather nicely, but I haven¡¯t heard from Belinda since the notice this morning, so I don¡¯t know the condition of their group, and she was among them.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I have seen what your monsters are capable of, so I would bet on their safe return.¡±


    ¡°I hear the poison in Serena¡¯s dungeon was quite severe though, and one of the monsters was affected pretty severally by it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Nothing a few weeks back home won¡¯t cure.¡±


    ¡°So what is this about you keeping regular contact with Inari? She only leaves me the most basic of greetings and says she is doing good. With the delay in the messages it almost seems like she is avoiding me.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it too much, she has quite the challenge to overcome in Shima, but you prepared her well for it. I think she just wants to make her daddy proud, so she doesn¡¯t want to tell you about her hardships.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you are ready, I will take you back home, Dyson had another matter to attend to so he asked me to send you back.¡±


    ¡°I see, I am ready.¡±


    Madam Erin erases a few of the ruins on one of the doors changing them, and once she is done the portal forms and she places her massive hand on my shoulder.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now watch your back pup.¡±


    Before I can say anything she spins me around shoving me through the doorway. When I arrive I am standing at the same tree close to the backyard that I came through last time. When I make my way around the house I find a large package sitting on my front steps.


    I pick up the package and find a small note that just reads. ¡°For holding up to your end of the deal, you have my thanks. Your friend #400.¡±


    I don¡¯t have a clue what is inside so I wait till I enter the house before I open it. Inside there is a rather old looking book. When I take it out and look it over I can¡¯t understand any of the writing on the outside, but when I open the front cover the pages begin to light up and with a gust the pages begin to flip.


    Once the book flips past the last page the book slams shut, and the book crumbles to dust¡­ I however receive a few messages.


    You have learned the spell [Gate] from reading a magical tome.


    New Spell Available


    Gate                   Cost: 10,000xp


    I wish I would have known that would have happened, I might have been able to store the tome and learned to summon them as well. Then I could have taught it to any of the girls instead of just the boss monsters. I decide to check out the [Gate] spell.


    Gate (Light) (Cost 500mp): Summons a gateway across great distances.  The spell is cast by focusing on a destination creating a temporary doorway between two points. Unlike the teleport spell the caster isn¡¯t required to have previously visited the destination, but the castor is required to know detailed geographical location and general knowledge on the surroundings. The gateway will remain for 1 minute unless dispelled by caster, the gate may also be held open as long as the 500mp cost is maintained after every 1 minute interval.


    I would have to rest for quite a while after casting the spell, but if I don¡¯t use any magic other than to cast [Gate] I should be able to cast it every few hours if I needed to. I want to try it out, but I think I will hold off till I at least hear back from Belinda.


    It is already late enough in the afternoon that heading back to the office would be pointless so I decide to go check on Lilah and Lylah. When I arrive in the core room they both quickly jump and look guilty of something.


    ¡°How are things going girls¡­?¡±


    Lilah and Lylah: ¡°Good~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Did Master need something?¡±


    ¡°I thought I would just check on you two and make sure everything is going alright¡­¡±


    Lilah and Lylah: ¡°We are fine~¡±


    ¡°I guess I will leave you two to it then¡­¡±


    I transfer back to the house¡­ I was worried that Lylah would have trouble fitting in, but now it just seems like we have two Lilah¡¯s. That in itself is rather disturbing in its own way. Even after the sun goes down I still don¡¯t hear anything from Belinda.


    The dungeon was 35 floors, but heading straight out without any monsters or traps should be pretty quick. After all it didn¡¯t even take Logan 24 hours to make it out of Simon¡¯s dungeon and it was much larger.


    I find myself unable to sleep that night waiting for word from Belinda, and it isn¡¯t till a few hours before sunrise that I receive a short message.


    Belinda: ¡°We are all ok. We just made it out and are extremely tired. We are going straight to bed. When I wake up I will fill you in. I love you and goodnight.¡±


    I send her a message back telling her that I love her and to rest well. I then am finally able to get to sleep. When I wake up the next morning there are two sets of eyes peaking up at me from the foot of the bed.


    ¡°What are you girls doing?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah was worried about Belinda. Master said she destroyed the dungeon yesterday, but you never told her if they made it out of the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear from her until a few hours ago, but yes they all made it safely out she said. She also said she would fill me in on the details after she woke up because they were really tired.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°So they will be back in a few weeks?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully a bit sooner, but I will have to see if I can get it worked out.¡±


    Both girls then jump up moving over sitting on the side of the bed.


    Lilah: ¡°What is Master going to do?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I got my reward from Dyson and it might help out with that, but it may take a few days of practice. Now do you girls mind if I get dressed? I can tell you more during breakfast.¡±


    Lilah and Lylah: ¡°We aren¡¯t hungry.~¡±


    They both then disappear transferring out of the room¡­ Of course they aren¡¯t hungry, but Lilah never turns down breakfast. Not eating is actually normal for a dungeon monster, but it¡¯s not normal for our dungeon. They were both also acting strange last night, I might need to keep a closer eye on them.


    I stretch and get out of bed getting dressed. No use making breakfast but I at least make myself some coffee before heading into the office. I slept in a bit because saying up most of the night waiting on a response from Belinda so the receptionists are already at the adventurer¡¯s guild this morning.


    ¡°Morning ladies, how are things going?¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Mister Mayor, good morning! Any word on how things are going with Belinda?¡±


    ¡°They managed to complete the commission, so they should be heading home soon.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Was the dungeon big enough to grant Belinda a hero¡¯s title?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, they spent most of the day fleeing the dungeon afterwards, so she just told me everyone was ok and then went straight to bed.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°I see, Let us know when you find out.¡±


    I nod then head upstairs to the second floor and my office. To my surprise there is a large person crushing one of the chairs at my desk.


    ¡°Madam Erin?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Good morning pup, I thought you would eventually show up.¡±


    ¡°How long have you been waiting?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Not long.¡±


    ¡°Not that I mind you stopping by, but what exactly are you doing here this morning?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I have been asked to keep a closer eye on you and Dyson¡¯s activities.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It should be no surprise with how both of you view humans, that the others are still not entirely sure yesterday¡¯s events were accidental.¡±


    ¡°What you think Dyson and I are behind some grand conspiracy or something?¡±


    Madam Erin laughs and then says. ¡°Nothing like that, well I guess it doesn¡¯t matter anymore so I will tell you what Dungeon Core #135 was working on. I am sure you heard the details about the poison fog that your monsters must have encountered in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was pretty bad from what I heard. Normal healing didn¡¯t work, if it wasn¡¯t for Scylla¡¯s water magic things would have been a lot different, but even with her spells Zoey still suffered pretty badly due to the fog.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You monsters are far stronger than the average human, now just imagine what would happen if that fog was spread on the wind into human towns and cities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And why is that? Didn¡¯t they try to do the same thing to use during the purge?¡±


    ¡°If all the humans are killed how are we supposed to acquire xp to survive?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We could house monsters from other dungeon to acquire xp, or just look at Fredrick. He is an elder and still has never been discovered by humans.¡±


    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t hate humans enough to warrant such drastic measures? You even choose to take one as a husband in the past didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°How did you¡­!? Dyson¡­Yes I had a human husband a long time ago, but did Dyson tell you that I killed him?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t exactly how he said it went down¡­ But wouldn¡¯t using Serena¡¯s poison just be a repeat of your mistake back then?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Dyson didn¡¯t hold anything back did he¡­? I am going to have to have some words with him. Well it doesn¡¯t matter anymore, but like I said I had my reservations about the matter. Was that story how Dyson managed to talk you into sending you boss monster after another dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. As far as I know he wasn¡¯t even aware that my monsters were in Serena¡¯s dungeon. He told me about your husband back before I trained Inari.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well, about your deal with Dyson. What exactly are you doing for him?¡±


    ¡°Well for those matters you would have to take up with him, but I will tell you that my part in exchange I receive monsters, skills, spells, and items that are not available to me, because as you know my dungeon is a little different.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I don¡¯t think I am going to get much more out of you, and I believe I have giving you a fair enough of a warning. So keep your head down and watch you back pup.¡±


    ¡°Well you are welcome here anytime.¡±


    Madam Erin looks conflicted, but without another word she gets up and walks out the door. I then settle into to my office work. After finishing with some paper work I look over at a few of the dungeon screens that are open around me.


    My office is starting to look like the dungeon core room, with all the things I am keeping an eye on. Dyson has mentioned several times that I can¡¯t see all that he can with the observation screen and I wonder if that means times he is viewing it as well.


    As he seems to use it far less then what I would imagine as I have gotten in the habit of keeping it open. It has been a while since I have tried to force an image to appear and my magic has gone up quite a bit since I got nothing better to do I decide to give it a shot.


    I try focusing on Dungeon Core #135, but after a few minutes it looks like since she is gone it won¡¯t work. I then spend the next few minutes focusing on Inari, but likewise I can¡¯t get an image to appear. Dyson was following that Yeti, but it wasn¡¯t joined to a dungeon, maybe it was just because it was in Fredrick¡¯s dungeon.


    I decide to give it a try anyway and focus on Belinda. I actually seem to start making some progress but I can¡¯t seem to bring up a clear image even after expending a great deal of my magic. I might have been able to get a clear image if I spent more magic on it, but then I would have been unable to cast the [Gate] spell.


    I decide to give it up for now, and watch Lilah and Lylah in one of the screens for a little bit until I finally receive word from Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry it was so late, but we just got things packed up, we will be heading home as fast as we can, but some of the lingering effects of the poison fog seem to still be affecting Zoey pretty harshly, so it might take us a bit longer.¡±


    ¡°Well I might be able to help with that. Describe your surroundings to me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You are just outside the dungeon right? Can you still see the cave? Are there mountains, hills, or trees? Is the ground plain dirt, is it grassy, or is it rocky?¡±


    ¡°Well we have moved on from the cave, we are traveling an old abandoned road that the adventurers used to take before the dungeon was closed off. Everything else is just the typical grassy hills of Calhoun¡­¡±


    I take out a map rolling it out on my desk. ¡°You went west from Tobes to that other village in Gowen, and then followed the road north into Calhoun right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Right to a town called Lether? Lither? Something like that.¡±


    ¡°From Lither, the cave was a day¡¯s travel on foot straight north?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I would say more northwest. What¡¯s all that matter anyway?¡±


    Northwest, about a day on foot, I study the map trying to pinpoint their location. I don¡¯t know if this is going to work but I begin focusing on grassy hills, and old overgrown road, but most importantly the girls.


    Bell and Sofia have gotten close so they are probably next to each other. Katie and Scylla tend to stick close to Belinda with Belinda in front of the group. She said Zoey is still not feeling well so Roxy is probably giving her a hand towards the back.


    As I focus I cast [Gate] causing a pitch black doorway like the ones in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. I don¡¯t know if it worked, but I close my eyes and step through. After a pull on the back of my chest I feel like I am being transferred. When my feet finally meet the ground I slowly open my eyes to find the girls with a shocked expression.


    ¡°It worked! But never mind that. Hurry though it won¡¯t last long and it will take hours before I cast it again!¡±


    Scylla seems to be the first to realize what is going on and nods stepping through the black door behind me, Sofia too then realizes and she enters as well quickly followed by Bell.


    Roxy: ¡°Is it safe?¡±


    ¡°Well I came through alright.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°If I don¡¯t have to walk all the way back to Tobes. Then count me in.¡±


    Zoey really does appear to be in bad shape, even though dungeon monsters don¡¯t have to eat it looks like she is starving, and has lost quite a bit of weight, with her eyes sunk into her head. Roxy still seems a little hesitant while she holds Zoey, but they too then step through the doorway.


    Kate then heads through leaving Belinda and I alone.


    Belinda: ¡°I missed you so much¡­¡±


    She wraps her arms around me burying her head into my shoulder. I pull her free long enough to step back through the door pulling her along. With another pull on my chest we arrive back in my office.


    The office isn¡¯t big enough to accommodate this many people comfortably so everyone is rather cramped up. I quickly transfer us all to the house, and we are all now standing in the entryway.


    Scylla: ¡°It is so good to be back home¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am going to take Zoey to bed.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Alright!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°To rest¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°I am going to go put my stuff up then go check to make sure the blacksmith hasn¡¯t torn up the forge while I was gone¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I guess I should go put my things up as well¡­¡±


    Bell: ¡°Me too.¡±


    The girls quickly scatter leaving Belinda and I alone again. Belinda gently pinches my cheek with a smile.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s been so long I just wanted to make sure¡­¡±


    When I lean in and kiss her she quickly drops her pack to the floor and wraps her arms tightly around me. She then transfers us to the bedroom were our lips part long enough for he to push me back onto the bed.


    She then quickly crawls over me while trying to kick off her boots. After kissing me again she then starts pulling on my shirt.


    ¡°I think you should know, I let Lilah summon a beastkin to help her in the dungeon like we talked about back when I first started to summon a divine being.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s the last thing on my mind right now¡­¡±


    ¡°I just wanted you to know so you don¡¯t get mad at me later for not telling you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We will deal with it later, now shut up and take your clothes off.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Needless to say I don¡¯t argue the matter, and it isn¡¯t till a few hours later while we are lying comfortably in bed while Belinda draws circles on my chest with her finger that she says.


    Belinda: ¡°So you said you let Lilah summon another beastkin?


    ¡°Well we talked about it a while back, and she was really starting to struggle by herself. I remembered what you said about what to make it, and I thought if I let Lilah summon it would let her understand I wasn¡¯t going to try to take her job away from her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So how did she turn out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s another Lilah.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But what does she look like?¡±


    ¡°No I mean Lilah tried to copy herself when she summoned her. She is a regular beastkin instead of a feral one, and she is smaller in all regards, but they could easily pass as sisters, maybe even twins¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What did you name her?¡±


    ¡°Lilah named her Lylah¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think it¡¯s kind of cute she wanted a little sister.¡±


    ¡°I thought she just wanted an inferior version of herself that she could boss around, but they have been getting along quite well, but I think they are up to something¡­ They have been acting strange the last few days.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am going to go get the bath ready, and after that we can go meet her.¡±


    Belinda crawls back over me giving me a deep kiss then crawls out of bed heading to the bathroom¡­I can honestly say I definitely missed that view¡­ I hear Belinda start pumping the water into the bath and I notice a few messages that appeared, but we were too busy to notice.


    Monsters have returned from battle


    Battle Results:


    Monster Belinda (Boss) has gained 4 levels


    Monster Roxanne (Boss) has gained 3 levels


    Monster Scylla has gained 2 levels


    Monster Zoey has gained 2 levels


    Monster Bell has gained 4 levels


    Monster Sofia has gained 2 levels


    Monster Katie has gained 1 level


    Acquired: Monster Belinda (Boss) has acquired the title of Hero.


    Losses: Monster Katie status [Weakened], Monster Sofia status [Weakened], Monster Scylla status [Weakened], Monster Bell status [Weakened], Monster Zoey status [Poisoned], [Weakened]


    161,325xp gained from external source. 16,132xp bonus for Belinda (Boss) participation, 16,132xp bonus for Roxanne (Boss) participation, 16,132 xp bonus for xp acquired in another dungeon, 16,132 xp x4 bonus for battle lasting more than 4 months, -16,132xp for attacking neutral dungeon, -50,000xp for destroying neutral dungeon.


    208,117 XP total rewarded.


    ¡°Oh my god!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± =She says quickly rushing back into the room.-


    ¡°You girls brought back just over 200,000xp¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really? We barely managed to gain any levels I was worried. I did gain two levels when I killed¡­ When I destroyed the dungeon.¡±


    I get up out of bed moving over to embrace Belinda. ¡°I am sorry, you had to do that I know you don¡¯t like killing people.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­ She wasn¡¯t really a person anyway. She was more of a sentient monster, and she really was about to kill a bunch of people so I don¡¯t regret it at all, but it¡¯s still kind of hard.¡±


    ¡°Yea the elders were quite mad about her death though. They even pulled me into a meeting yesterday trying to find out why we destroyed the dungeon. After that Madam Erin has also confirmed she was dangerous to humans.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are we going to be ok?¡±


    ¡°I think so. We are just going to have to be careful for a while.¡±


    Belinda nods, and while I have ahold of her she drags me into the bathroom. After a long pleasant bath we finally get dressed, but the sun has already begun to set. I then take Belinda to go meet Lylah in the core room.


    When Lilah sees Belinda she gives her a hug, Lylah looks a little confused but she gives Belinda a hug as well.


    Lilah: ¡°Welcome home Belinda.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thanks Lilah¡­ So is this Lylah?


    Lylah looks a little shy while she lets go of her hug on Belinda and says. ¡°Master told me you have some pretty dresses I can wear, so I don¡¯t have to wear Master¡¯s dresses anymore.¡±


    Belinda looks at me a little confused and I shake my head and then motion to Lilah.


    Lilah: ¡°Well Lilah thought nobody was using the dresses, so it would make Belinda happy if Lylah wore them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure that is ok? If you didn¡¯t like them do you think Lylah will?¡±


    Lylah looks a little confused when she looks to Lilah.


    Lilah: ¡°Of course. Lylah will love them.¡± ¨CShe says with a crooked smile.-


    Lylah: ¡°If Master says so, then I will!¡±


    Belinda looks a little conflicted, but she then says she will be right back. She then transfers out of the room and returns a few minutes later with one of the bright frilly dresses. Lylah looks confused looking at Lilah.


    Lilah: ¡°See aren¡¯t they pretty, don¡¯t you want to try it on?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°¡­ Yes Master¡­¡±


    Belinda looks delighted, choosing to ignore the fact the Lylah seems unsure. She then quickly moves over to help her change into the frilly dress. She begins to look embarrassed as Belinda starts to remove the dress she has on.


    Lylah: ¡°Wait, Master said if Master Two-Twelve seen my petite naked body, he might get excited and jump me, so I can¡¯t ever be naked in front of him.¡±


    ¡°Lilah what exactly is it you are teaching poor Lylah?¡± ¨CI turn my back to them though.- ¡°There now there isn¡¯t a problem¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There all done! Ahhh you look so cute!¡±


    When I turn back around Lylah is standing there wearing the colorful frilly dress with a conflicted expression and her face while Lilah stands there trying to hold herself back from laughing.


    ¡°You look very nice Lylah, but if you don¡¯t like the dresses we can summon you some like Lilah¡¯s.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, she loves it. Don¡¯t you Lylah.¡±


    Lylah seems to be struggling with it but she bows her head and says. ¡°Yes Master¡­¡±


    Belinda squeals wrapping her arms around Lylah hugging her, and now Lilah is starting to look like she is having second thoughts.


    Lilah: ¡°Then again, that kind of dress could get in the way from Lylah doing her job, so maybe you should summon her some normal dresses¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe she can wear them for special occasions, and that should be ok.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, the girls brought back a lot of xp, so we got a lot of work to do tomorrow, so make sure you two get your rest tonight.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°How much did they brin¡­¡± ¨CShe appears to be looking at a screen when her jaw drops and she quits talking.-


    ¡°Like I said, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so we will have a big breakfast in the morning, and get to work ok?¡±


    Lilah & Lylah: ¡°Ok~¡±


    Belinda doesn¡¯t look like she wants to let Lylah go, but she eventually does, and then both girls transfer from the room.


    ¡°Well the house is starting to get pretty packed, we might want to think of adding-on to it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are probably right, but some of the girls might want their own house, so maybe we should consider that instead. I mean as long as it is in the dungeon they can transfer where ever they need to, so we don¡¯t really need them all under one roof.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s always been that way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know, but Roxy and Zoey are married I am sure they would like a place to call their own, Sofia is also kind of an independent spirit, so she might like her own as well. I am not too sure about Scylla either, she might feel more comfortable when Kline comes to visit if she had her own place.¡±


    ¡°But what about our breakfasts in the morning¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We can all still gather for breakfast or maybe dinner instead. Besides I thought you didn¡¯t like eating?¡±


    ¡°¡­I just got you all back.¡±


    Belinda smiles then walks over giving me a big hug and kiss. ¡°Your girls love you, so it will be ok I promise.¡±


    We spend the rest of the evening just catching up with everything that has gone on for the last few months. I tell her about how things have gone with the adventurer¡¯s guild, with my office work, and other things going on in Tobes. While she gives me more details on the events that took place in the dungeon.

 Dungeon Expansion

    It was pretty late before Belinda and I went to sleep, but we are up early the next morning preparing a large breakfast for everyone. Most of the girls haven¡¯t even had the chance to eat in a few months now, so I am sure they are looking forward to it.


    Sure enough as soon as the smell of the cooking food travels through the house heads start to pop up in the dining room. When Roxy and Zoey come in and sit down, Zoey was able to make it on her own, and she looks a little better then yesterday, but after checking her status it hasn¡¯t changed any.


    While I am at it I check the rest of the girls as well, and it seems all of their statuses have returned to normal. Also looking through their progress is quite pleasing, especially Belinda¡¯s and Roxy¡¯s.


    ¡°You girls made pretty good progress while you were gone, I am quite proud of you all.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am just glad Belinda was able to pass me, I didn¡¯t know how you would react with me as your primary boss monster¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She managed to pass me for a few weeks, and I was only able to catch up because of destroying the dungeon. I tried to tell her it wasn¡¯t really a big deal, and I am sure once she hits level 20 she might pass me again.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But you are a hero now aren¡¯t you? So that can¡¯t be true¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The hero bonus is quite nice, but all your skills will be 1 rank higher once you reach level 20 and I think that will end up being worth more than the hero bonus.¡±


    ¡°You two are starting to understand this dungeon monster thing better than I do¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That isn¡¯t saying much boss¡­¡±


    The girls laugh, and after a few more minutes Lilah and Lylah arrive. Zoey quickly has a confused look on her face.


    Zoey: ¡°I think I need to go back to bed. I am starting to see double¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, I forgot to tell the rest of you. This is Lylah. Lilah summoned her to help her out in the dungeon.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Why does the doggie lady look like a zombie?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°That is Zoey, she always looks funny, but even for her that is a little odd¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hey, I got poisoned while helping out the dungeon!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Well Lilah and Lylah don¡¯t sit in the core room and do nothing all day, they protect the dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Alright girls¡­ That¡¯s enough, you both have important jobs, and Zoey should be back to normal soon.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Are you sure boss¡­? I even had Scylla cast a healing spell on me before bed, and another this morning. I still haven¡¯t gotten rid of the poisoned and weakened status.¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin told me that the effects wouldn¡¯t be permanent but she did say it may take a few weeks for you to be back at 100%¡±


    Katie: ¡°You talked to Madam Erin?¡±


    ¡°Yea her, Dyson, and all the other elders they were not too happy about the destruction of the dungeon. Madam Erin said they might be keeping an eye on us for a while.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I already told them about Dyson, I didn¡¯t think there was any point in hiding it after the dungeon was gone.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ We just thought the less people that knew the better.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I understand, you were worried I might tell Madam Erin what was going on because she was the one that summoned me.¡±


    ¡°Well to be honest, I just didn¡¯t want to have to put a tough decision like that on you all. Even I wasn¡¯t sure if we should have gone through with it, but after hearing the truth from Madam Erin. Even if the elders tried to stop me I think I would have still tried it.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°So what she said there at the end was true?¡±


    ¡°You see how much harm that fog had on you girls, Zoey hasn¡¯t even fully recovered yet even with the healing magic. Imagine if that was turned loose in the cities and capitals¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I can¡¯t believe the elders would go through with such a plan.¡±


    ¡°I think they are starting to feel the pressure from Dyson. Since he has become an elder he has managed to bring them leaps and bounds ahead with the training of new cores, and they are afraid they are going to be left behind, so they are getting desperate to stay relevant.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But the progress is good for all of the dungeons, I don¡¯t see what the big deal is¡­¡±


    ¡°The elders have been in charge for a long time. They are all pretty set in their ways, and Dyson doesn¡¯t make it a secret that he thinks it¡¯s time for things to change.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am just glad we were able to stop them before they were able to spread the poison. I understand the dungeons need xp to survive, and the adventurers that enter the dungeon on their own accord know the risks, but dungeons never should target the innocent people just trying to live their lives.¡±


    We finish breakfast, and all go to work. Roxy decides to stay with Zoey for a while, Katie returns to the blacksmith, Bell and Scylla join me at the office while Belinda and Sofia are downstairs at the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    The first few hours are pretty hectic with the adventurers excited to see Belinda return asking her over and over about the trip. After I spend a few hours getting Bell and Scylla caught up, I decide to go start work on the dungeon with Lilah and Lylah.


    As I head downstairs however I find that Belinda is holding a baby¡­


    ¡°Where did you get that¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s Denova¡¯s isn¡¯t she adorable?¡±


    ¡°If its Denova¡¯s where is she?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She needed to get some paperwork from the brothel, so she asked me if I would hold her baby while she went and got it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Well I am going to go help Lilah and Lylah for a while.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°See there she is now.¡±


    Sure enough Denova just came back in the door, and for a change she looks worn out and is not wearing her normal sly smile.


    Denova: ¡°¡­Thanks¡­ Here is the rest of the form, but like I said any that you would approve of should suffice.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making a commission?¡±


    Denova: ¡°I can¡¯t exactly run my businesses while constantly having to deal with the baby, and I don¡¯t trust any of the slaves to watch her¡­ I thought if anyone could find the right person for the job it would be Belinda.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will take care of it personally. I will even use some communication parchment to contact the capital so it should only take a week or two tops.¡± ¨CShe says while handing the baby back to Denova and begins looking over the form that Denova brought.-


    After Denova takes her baby it starts to fuss, so she begins rocking it. The entire situation seems rather odd giving the fact it is Denova.


    Belinda: ¡°Well everything looks in order now, and thanks for letting me hold her she is very adorable¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Yea I was glad she turned out human at first, but now I kind of wished she turned out as a beastkin, so I at least knew who the father was.¡±


    ¡°Only to get money from him¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well why not? Babies are expensive. I already spend two to three times the amount on her as the full grown slave¡¯s upkeep, and all her food comes straight from me¡­¡±


    ¡°Only you would think of a baby as a business expense. You¡¯re not going to sell it if someone comes asking are you?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Of course not. Even I think about leaving a legacy behind, you know. What about you, or are you going to just keep dragging in strays?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Things are complicated¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°What do they cast that magic on princesses as well as slave girls? I guess it makes since you don¡¯t want any undesirables to end up with an heir to the kingdom.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°My father wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°Your mouth says one thing, but you expression says another.¡± ¨CEven though it doesn¡¯t last long because the baby starts crying but for a moment Denova has normal sly smile.-


    Belinda doesn¡¯t say anything else and Denova takes it as a victory, and then leaves.


    ¡°Did your father really do that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course not, but then I thought it would be a simple excuse to keep her from bringing the subject up again, so I left it like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But you know, you haven¡¯t said anything more about the wedding since we returned.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Well I better get back to work.¡±


    I quickly give her a brief kiss and then flee. I gave her the ring before she left but I hoped that would keep her happy for a while. She doesn¡¯t appear to be mad though as she even has a smirk on her face as I leave.


    Once I make it back to the house I transfer to the core room. Once I get there Lilah and Lylah begin to get excited.


    Lilah: ¡°Is Master going to work on the dungeon now? Lilah and Lylah have been staring at the xp all morning, and been talking on what they want to do!¡±


    ¡°Well the bottom floor is yours so I will let you finish it out, just make sure you remember to leave room for stairs going down to the next floor. I am going to do some work with the elemental rooms we started on the first floor.¡±


    Both: ¡°Yes Master!¡±


    ¡°I know we have enough xp for rifts but any creature that we don¡¯t have access to its evolved form like the dragonkin, hold off on making rifts of them at least till the next form in unlocked.¡±


    I begin working on the elemental rooms while the girls start to get noisy while working on the bottom floor. I start off with stairs in the back of each of the rooms. I was worried it would cost 10,000xp to go down from them, but I guess since we already do have that floor open it only cost the 500xp for the spiral stairs.


    I put an equal size room on the sub-level floor as the ground floor, which is a medium sized room with a high ceiling. I decide to stretch the limits of the next room lowering the ceiling to only 10ft but making it a massive 100x100ft room.


    It takes quite a bit of work to set one up for each element where they don¡¯t end up hitting an existing room or each other. All of them are accessible by a single door except the shadow one, I connected it with two doors from either side of the stairwell on the previous room, and had to make that room just a bit smaller to make room for the stairs.


    I then connect each of the grand rooms with another medium sized room with the high ceiling putting stairs going down in the back of each one. After adding another medium sized room at the base of the stairs to each one I am already standing at 25,000xp spent and I haven¡¯t even started the monsters yet.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    I also don¡¯t know how big the girls are going to make the bottom floor and the dragonkin are quite expensive as well. We also don¡¯t have the 3<sup>rd</sup> tier elemental creatures for all the elements so I decide to leave it like that for now.


    I fill the rooms with the second tier elemental monsters and even without rifts it cost close to another 19,000xp. The xp doesn¡¯t quit dropping from there as the girls are taping madly away on their own [Menu]s.


    When they are finally finished there is only just under 50,000xp of the 208,000xp the girls brought back. They did however manage to unlock the regular dragonkin and king slimes, which they used both of in their last 3 rooms.


    Looking over the work they did, it looks like the made the bottom floor in an arrow head design with the middle empty. They added over a dozen more pits rooms that are almost identical except the bridges and pillars inside each of them.


    The two right before the tip are the ones with the dragonkin and the king slimes, along with a massive pit room at the tip that had to have costed the price of at least 3 rooms¡­ It is large enough to even have a spiral staircase itself just to go from the top of the pit down to the bottom. I guess that is there for when we decide to add another floor.


    Now if any of the silver slimes or the lesser dragonkin die we will hopefully be able to replace them with rifts, but so far no adventurers have gotten down to see this floor yet. I didn¡¯t manage to unlock any of the other elemental monsters but they unlocked two¡­


    The adventurers have taking a great interest in the elemental rooms though so with the new additions we should unlock them in no time, because they are not having too much difficulty with the ones that are available now.


    Lilah: ¡°Master there still is quite a bit of xp remaining, what are you going to use it on?¡±


    ¡°I was wanting to add more to Tobes, but I think the monsters I added will die quickly so I want to save up to replace them with rifts once we unlock the next tier. These additions alone already raised my xp consumption by quite a bit as well.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We might soon find out. One of the groups that visit the fire room almost every day has just entered the dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah thought Lylah chased them out earlier?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°No Master¡­ That was the earth group.¡±


    ¡°How many different groups do we have entering the dungeon now?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°First thing in the morning there is usually a group the pushes though heading down to the second floor, and a few groups that hit certain element rooms usually follow them in. After that they come and go the rest of the day.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize the dungeon traffic had grown by that much¡­ I thought we were still at 2 groups a day.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that slow since winter time¡­ When you added the element rooms it just made it that much more.¡±


    ¡°If you two start getting too busy we might have to do something¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah and Lylah have already decided their next sister will be Lila!¡±


    ¡°Two of you are enough for now¡­ I meant setting some restrictions at the adventurer¡¯s guild¡­¡±


    Both: ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    I am not sure I am ready to head back in case Belinda wants to continue talking about the wedding. Besides Bell and Scylla should have things under control, so I decide to stick around and watch this group¡¯s progress with Lilah and Lylah.


    As the group fights though the low level kobold rifts in the first two rooms I notice they are actually quite strong. The group ignores any of the side rooms heading straight for their destination. Once entering the fire room it doesn¡¯t even take them long to wipe out the tiny flame elementals.


    After packing up some parts of the dead elemental one of the adventurers say. ¡°Hey, there is some stairs over there¡­¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°See I told you!¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°There is no way to even know if the dungeon knew she was back, if it is even capable of thought.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°But I told you didn¡¯t I.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What are they talking about Master?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°All I know is we can get a fat commission for discovering a new area in the dungeon, so let¡¯s go check it out.¡±


    Once the adventurers reach the bottom of the stairs one of them calls out. ¡°Hot damn, it¡¯s more fire elementals and these ones are a bit larger. This is turning into a great day!¡±


    Even the slightly larger fire elementals prove to be pretty easy for this group of adventurers. I guess the new elemental rooms aren¡¯t tough enough for the types of adventurers we have entering the dungeon now¡­ I should be able to unlock the stronger ones pretty soon.


    They start to have a little trouble in the huge room with double the amount, but after they manage to take out the 10 elementals in that room the last set on this floor and the set in the last room on the floor below aren¡¯t any problem for them.


    Adventurer: ¡°This proved to be a very profitable day! Do you think the other elemental rooms have had the same treatment? Maybe it would be worth checking them out for the discovery commission.¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°All 3 of us have a favored element of fire, that¡¯s the only reason we are able to deal with these so easy, I don¡¯t think we should risk any of the other elements without another person or two.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°No use getting greedy, we will report this one, and maybe tomorrow we can get some help and hit the others, even if they are discovered by then maybe we could still get the confirmation bonus.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°If all the element bases rooms grew like this one, how deep do you think the main pathway is now?¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Who knows¡­ Nobody has made it past them silver slime and golems yet, so we don¡¯t know how deep it got after the last expansion.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Maybe we could be the first?¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°Now you are just dreaming, the first prince of Gowen retreated on that floor, and his group was B-Ranked adventurers.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°There was only 2 of them and a D-Ranked adventurer, I am sure they were just being cautious so the D-Ranked adventurer didn¡¯t get hurt. Besides they only made it to the first room of that floor and other C-Ranked groups have passed that.¡±


    Adventurer 3: ¡°Well if you want to go there you can do it without me, I will stick to these fire elementals they provide more than enough to get by on especially now that there are so many more of them.¡±


    The group continues to talk on their way out of the dungeon. The original elemental room was already a rift so it will respawn later, but start summoning replacement fire elementals for the other rooms. After only the first room however I receive a message.


    New monster available


    Weak Flame Elemental          Cost: 1000xp


    I decide to leave the ones I summoned, but I also put a rift in that room and a rift to refill the huge room. I then use the newly available weak flame elementals to fill out the last room on that floor and the single room underneath it.


    We still have to make them two rooms rifts yet that still cost me double then what I wanted to spend on each of these rooms. With this kind of set up in each of the elemental rooms it looks like we are going to end up short after only 3 or 4 of the elemental areas are full of rifts.


    Lilah: ¡°Master do you think 5 of the elementals are necessary in each of the last two rooms? They should be equal to the golems on the main section of the dungeon, and Master only uses 2 of them in each room.¡±


    ¡°Maybe but these are just square rooms, I think the adventurers would have a lot less trouble with the golems if they didn¡¯t have to worry about falling off the edge. This is a learning experience though, if it proves to be too much they aren¡¯t rifts yet so we can always tone it down as well.¡±


    I hang out for a while with Lilah and Lylah, but no other adventurer groups show up, so I tell them to keep up the good work and then transfer back to the house. It¡¯s nice to have free time again, but I guess I shouldn¡¯t put everything off on the girls after all they just did a lot of work for the dungeon so I can let them down by slacking off now.


    I decide to check to see how Zoey is feeling, but before I knock on the door I realize they are busy¡­ I guess she can¡¯t be feeling too bad then. I then decide to head back to the office, but when I enter the building the adventurer¡¯s guild is in quite an uproar about the new rooms already.


    Adventurer: ¡°If all of the elemental wings of the stronghold have been changed like the fire one. Then the dungeon probably doubled in size!¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Just fill out the form the best you can, and if it is confirmed then your party will receive the commission.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°But I am not joking it really has grown that much.¡±


    Random Adventurer: ¡°Dungeons don¡¯t grow that quickly.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°He isn¡¯t wrong. I have been telling them maybe it¡¯s some kind of defensive mechanism, because the princess returned as a hero, so the dungeon is fortifying its defenses.¡±


    Random Adventurer: ¡°The princess hasn¡¯t gone into the dungeon here for over a year now. I am sure the dungeon couldn¡¯t care less about her if it even can. Care that is.¡±


    Belinda must have noticed me walk in the door because she slips in behind me without me knowing and warps her arms around me whispering in my ear. ¡°Now that¡¯s not true now is it?¡± She then kisses my cheek then lets me go to join the conversation.


    Belinda: ¡°The truth of the matter is we don¡¯t really know what causes a dungeon to grow. However when there are strong adventurers or a lot that frequent the dungeons they do seem to grow more quickly. As for the¡­ What are we calling it now?¡±


    ¡°The elemental stronghold?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Right¡­ The elemental stronghold is still not sending monsters outside of its walls, and after the reports I have been reading all day it seems it has even begun to produce the widest verity of magic ingredients that I have ever heard of, and as long as it stays that way the protection order issued by the Gowen Kingdom will remain.¡±


    ¡°Besides, more dungeon means more commissions.¡±


    That seems to light a fire under the adventurers and Belinda just shakes her head as she rejoins me.


    Belinda: ¡°So, it looks like you got things all squared away.¡±


    ¡°Well not quite but it¡¯s a good start.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well then what do you say you and I sneak off and have dinner with just the two of us to celebrate?¡±


    ¡°I actually was quite interested in trying out the new menu at the restaurant.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You and new food?¡±


    ¡°They said they are using parts from the fire elementals in the stoves, something about it producing a better flavor, I was actually quite curious. Maybe it won¡¯t taste like coal or wood now¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am sure they still use the coal and wood as well, but ingredients from the fire elementals just keep it from burning near as quickly.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should summon a tiny fire elemental and shove it in the stove, we wouldn¡¯t need any coal or wood that way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That sounds mean the way you said it, but I have heard to mages using summoning magic for that sort of thing before.¡±


    ¡°We could also put one in the furnace. I wonder how Katie would feel about using them in the forge.¡±


    Belinda just says. ¡°I give up¡­¡± And then offers me her hand which I take leading her from the building towards the restaurant. Other than the gimmick about the fire elemental parts the restaurant hasn¡¯t changed much and the food is just as disappointing as ever. Belinda however is smiling happily and that is something I greatly missed while they were away so it is worth it.


    After dinner she opts to not head straight home having me show her around Tobes. ¡°You know it hasn¡¯t really changed. I don¡¯t think there as even been much building going on while you were gone.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But after spending a few months underground this breeze feels great. Besides do I need a reason to want to spend more time alone with my fianc¨¦?¡± ¨CShe says with a coy smile.-


    ¡°I knew you would get back to that topic¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You aren¡¯t having regrets are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, and it¡¯s not like anything is going to change. I am just dreading the wedding itself, you know me and parties¡­¡±


    Belinda laughs and pulls me tight and gives me a big kiss. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it will take months to get everything ready.¡±


    ¡°Months?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well we can make the announcement when you go to the mayor meeting this year, as it should be here in a few weeks. After that is taken care of we will have to set an official date, and then send out invitations. The date will have to at least be 3 months from when the invitations go out so everyone has time to reply and make plans.¡±


    ¡°I forgot about the meeting¡­ Shouldn¡¯t I have already received the letter by now?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are changing the subject again aren¡¯t you?¡± ¨CShe giggles. - ¡°Logan told me he gave you a communication parchment strictly for matters like that, has there been nothing on it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I haven¡¯t looked at it since he gave it to me a few months ago¡­ He said the communication wasn¡¯t private so I just ignored it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ Where is it at?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s at the office.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We better stop by and pick it up on the way home, because for all you know the meeting could have started today.¡±


    ¡°Surely if that were the case you would of heard about it by now on your communication parchment.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything on it this morning, but it¡¯s not like I stare at it all day. I am sure we would of heard something by now though if it was that close.¡±


    ¡°Have you even told your brother you made it back to Tobes yet?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I told him about the dungeon, but I didn¡¯t know if you wanted anyone to know about the teleportation spell, so I haven¡¯t said anything else yet.¡±


    ¡°Well we already laid the groundwork for it when Kline was here, and it would make it a lot easier to use if people know about it. We probably should teach you and Roxy the spell as well, but I want to make sure we have enough xp for the new additions to the dungeon first.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know every time we try to have a normal romantic conversation it always ends back up talking about the dungeon or Tobes¡­¡±


    ¡°Well that is kind of who we are¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know, but well how about this. How do you feel Two-Twelve? ¨CShe says leaning in close, looking deep into my eyes, and rubbing my chest with one of her hands.-


    ¡°Well I am glad you all made it back safely¡­ I missed you all quite a bit. With what you brought back the dungeon is doing great as well¡­¡±


    Belinda giggles. ¡°You really are bad at this aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Alright fine¡­¡± ¨CI brush some of her hair from in front of her face and caress her cheek. - ¡°Well Belinda Gowen, how do you feel now that you are finally back home?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thankful we made it all in one piece, excited to see you again, and glad things are going well in Tobes.¡± ¨CShe laughs.- ¡°I guess I am not any better, but seriously¡­ I am really glad to be home, I missed you so much, and I love you Two-Twelve.¡±


    After sharing a deep kiss, and older lady walking by us on the street clears her throat, causing Belinda to start to giggle and laugh.


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go grab that communication parchment, then head home.¡±


    I head into the office grabbing the parchment and then we head to the house, once there I then roll it out to have a look.


    There looks to be quite a bit of communication that has gone one the entire parchment is practically covered in writing. It seems I am the only one that hasn¡¯t been using it, and I even see quite a few comments mentioning that fact¡­


    Belinda: ¡°ohhhh, someone is in trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°Now you are starting to sound like Zoey¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There, See the meeting is in 8 days¡­ That means we are going to have to leave tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°I teleported all the way to Calhoun and I have never been there, the capital will be simple. We will just go the night before it starts just in case.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They are asking you to clear off the parchment once you read it, so maybe you should so they know you have seen the messages.¡±


    I cast [Clean] on the parchment removing all the writing leaving only the small parchment ID number in the top corner, I then roll it back up.


    The next few days pass quickly as we begin yet again to leave for the capital for a week, of course we decide to take Scylla with us so she can spend some time with Kline. Zoey and Roxy are staying behind this time however.


    Zoey has managed to kick the [Poisoned] status but she still has the [Weakened] status, and she is even starting to regain the color in her face and gain some weight back. She should be back to normal by the time we return.


    Katie has already dived back into her work at the blacksmith after scolding the blacksmith about the cleanliness of the forge when she returned. When Bell isn¡¯t busy at the office and Sofia isn¡¯t busy at the adventurer¡¯s guild they visit with each other. I don¡¯t really know if they even speak when they go out, or just enjoy the silence together¡­


    After the rush of adventurers after they seen the new additions to the dungeon, we expended the xp into dangerous levels. With my new consumption rate I was quite worried for a day or two, but once the new higher tier elemental monsters became available Lilah and Lylah managed to catch a few groups off guard gaining as a small safety net.


    And on the day before the start of the mayor meetings in the capital Belinda, Scylla and I depart for the capital using my [Gate] spell.

 An Audience with the King

    When we arrive through the portal we are a few minutes outside of the capital, as I didn¡¯t want to teleport right into the middle of town. Given the fact I used [Gate] on a location I have been to before, it made the spell seem so much easier to use.


    We quickly gather up our things and head into the capital, surprisingly this time when I start to turn down the street to the inn we usually stay at Belinda stops me, and we don¡¯t quit walking until we reach the castle.


    After entering the gates Amy is waiting on the other side. She seems somewhat nervous as she leads us though the castle.


    Amy: ¡°Are you really sure you want to stay in the castle this time?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Positive.¡±


    Amy: ¡°What about Two-Twelve.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course he will be staying with me.¡±


    Amy: ¡°That will lead to certain expectations¡­¡±


    Belinda places her hand on Amy¡¯s shoulder to reassure her, and that¡¯s when Amy notices the ring.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be a problem.¡±


    Amy has a shocked expression. ¡°You mean¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We are going to make the announcement while Two-Twelve is here for the meetings.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Then you are moving back into the castle?¡± ¨CShe says looking somewhat hopeful.-


    Belinda: ¡°Of course not. We are going to remain in Tobes.¡±


    Amy¡¯s tail drops practically dragging on the ground and her shoulders slump as she says. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I am going to have a talk with Logan, and maybe you won¡¯t have to move to Tobes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Amy is my aid, and she is required to serve me. That usually means she can¡¯t leave my side like Kline does with Logan, but since she doesn¡¯t like leaving the city, we made it as she is taking care of my affairs while I am gone.¡±


    Amy: ¡°If Belinda gets married however her duties to the castle will end and her duties will then be to her husband, so I would no longer be able to stay here.¡±


    ¡°I understand being her royal attendant is almost like when a monster is bound to a dungeon, so couldn¡¯t you just release her bond?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The magic that affects her is not as forgiving as a dungeon¡¯s¡­ Dismissing a royal attendant would cause her great harm possibly even death.¡±


    ¡°Why would you even bind someone like that?¡±


    Amy: ¡°It is a security measure, a royal attendant hears a great deal of a kingdom¡¯s secrets so not only does it protect the kingdom. It prevents royalty from having to kill their attendants every few years just so they don¡¯t learn too much.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No one remembers how exactly it came about, but the magic is generational so Amy¡¯s family has been bound since Gowen was founded.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon magic gives you the choice of binding offspring¡­ And humans call us monsters.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It isn¡¯t really that bad. Kline says he prefers it that way.¡±


    Amy: ¡°You do realize if you two have children that would mean your child will be bound by the same magic.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course. Kline and I spoke about it in great detail.¡±


    Amy: ¡°You talked about having children with Kline?¡± ¨CShe says somewhat surprised.-


    Scylla: ¡°There is always the possibility that I may get pregnant when we¡­¡± ¨CShe begins to blush. - ¡°So of course we talked about it.¡±


    Amy: ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t believe my brother is getting some and I am not¡­ Maybe Tobes won¡¯t be so bad this time. You could summon me a man right Two-Twelve?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That isn¡¯t how it works, and besides your brother is 10 years older than you.¡±


    Amy: ¡°He may be older but he is still Kline¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think we have gotten far enough off topic¡­ and we have reached my room, so I will see you in the morning, and please show Scylla to one of the guest rooms.¡±


    Amy nods and begins to escort Scylla down the hall. As Belinda and I enter the room I hear Amy asking questions about her brother that causes Scylla to blush as they disappear around a corner.


    Belinda¡¯s room is much like the one she originally set up in the dungeon, although this one seems to be quite a bit more girly. There are quite a few different stuffed animals about the room, and even a small wooden house in the corner of the room that looks suspiciously like our house in Tobes¡­


    When I walk over to it and start to peer in one of the tiny glass windows however Belinda quickly runs over covering it with a blanket while blushing. ¡°That¡¯s just something from when I was little it isn¡¯t important.¡±


    ¡°You really did model our house after a toy one like Logan said¡­¡±


    Belinda nervously chuckles. ¡°Yep down every inch of it¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought he said¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well! We should get ready for bed, you got quite a day ahead of you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I am kind of curious about your room, not every day I get to see what you were like when you were younger.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°As I got older I only used my room to sleep, so everything in here practically goes way back¡­¡±


    ¡°Even more reason, I can see what you were like back when you were cute and wore frilly dresses like the ones you try to put on Lilah and Lylah.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What are you trying to say I am not cute anymore?¡±


    ¡°Well now you are beautiful.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Uh-hu nice save there Mister Mayor.¡± ¨CShe says while smiling and wrapping her arms around me.-


    She then kisses me and pulls me across the floor. I know what she is doing trying to lure me away like this, but I guess it is fair to say that it is working. As I no longer am interested in her old dollhouse. She practically throws me onto her bed then crawls over the top of me.


    With my head touching the headboard and my feet sticking past the bottom of the bed she laughs.


    Belinda: ¡°It has been a few years, but I don¡¯t quite remember my bed being quite this small.¡±


    ¡°Yea I don¡¯t think this bed is quite made for this¡­¡±


    She stops pulling on my shirt and sits up. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right, so maybe we should stop.¡±


    ¡°Well now¡­ I wouldn¡¯t go that far¡­¡±


    Belinda laughs, then pulls off her shirt, drops it off the side of the bed, then leans forward nibbling on my ear, while softly saying. ¡°Then maybe we should take it easy and real slow.¡±


    It actually proves to be quite difficult as I bump my head more than a few times, and once we even accidently roll right off the bed. I don¡¯t think the bed will ever be the same afterwards, especially when in the heat of the moment Belinda accidently snapped on of the bedposts clean in two. When we finally go to sleep in the early hours of the morning I think the bed is even leaning to one side¡­


    It is also quite difficult to sleep as we both have to curl up on it just to fit. By the time I wake up one of my legs feels weird as I ended up at some point dangling it off the edge using it as a brace to keep me in bed¡­


    When it get out of bed it is leaning enough the Belinda ends up sliding off¡­ She just giggles while pulling a few pillows from the bed and the blanket giving up on the bed completely. After getting dressed I get back down in the floor and give Belinda a kiss.


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will get this taken care of today.¡±


    ¡°How you going to explain this one?¡±


    Belinda shrugs her shoulder. ¡°The bed broke!¡± She then gives me another quick kiss before cuddling up on the rug on the floor. I can¡¯t do much else but shake my head as I head out of the room towards the meeting destination.


    The meeting is long and boring, but it gives me an opportunity to speak with the other Gowen mayors again. They still don¡¯t appear to like me much, but at least the meeting is over early and there is still quite a bit of daylight remaining.


    When I return to Belinda¡¯s room, just like she said there is a normal sized bed in the room now, and I never hear anything about the old one. I guess talking about such things in the castle is frowned on. The next few days pass along boring in the morning with a bit of wandering around the capital with Belinda in the afternoon.


    We get to eat a few meals with Logan, but other than that it is just us. I find it kind of strange that even Belinda has to set a time to meet with her father, which she plans on the last day of the meetings. Belinda said she did it that way because Mindy will have quite a bit to attend to after that final meeting so we would be able to meet with her father without Mindy¡¯s interference.


    On the day before Belinda and I are to speak with her father, Belinda speaks up over dinner that we happen to be sharing with Logan.


    Belinda: ¡°Logan¡­ I wanted to speak to you about Amy¡­¡±


    Logan sets down his silverware. ¡°I figured you might.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know there isn¡¯t a way to unbind her, but I don¡¯t feel she should have to leave everything she has here at the capital for Tobes.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well she is your lady-in-waiting, and as such shouldn¡¯t she be with her mistress?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know, but you are the first prince. If you order her to serve you instead she would be allowed to stay here. I am sure you could use the help with the communication parchments.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Then what about you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We both know the only reason I ended up with Amy was because she was too young to attend to Mindy and Tanya said that she was allergic to Amy¡¯s tail¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yes, but I would feel better if my little sister wasn¡¯t all alone out there in the wide world.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Now you are just teasing me¡­ I am sure you know why we are here in the castle instead of the inn by now.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I would still like to hear you say it. Besides you haven¡¯t gotten father¡¯s or my approval yet.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to marry Two-Twelve! Besides I am a hero now, so I can and will use my one favor from the king if I have to.¡±


    I realize the conversation somehow got derailed from talking about Amy to talking about Belinda and I, but I am beyond the point of being useful right now so I just smile, nod, and continue eating this god awful soup¡­


    Logan then smiles and sits up in his chair. ¡°There was it that hard to say? Besides I don¡¯t think using your favor will be necessary.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then what was all that about, and what about Amy?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Like you said I could use the help, but I got another solution.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am not moving back to the capital¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°As much as it pains me¡­ that too is quite clear, but no, my suggestion is if I take your lady-in-waiting why not take my valet in her place?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I couldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what is a valet?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He is telling me to take Kline.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Think about it sis¡­ It is perfect. Kline has been with that young lady of Two-Twelve¡¯s practically all week, and the few times I have seen him he has a smile on his face that is borderline creepy coming from him.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He has always been with you though, and I don¡¯t even know if he would want to be with Scylla if he has to leave your side.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Logan: ¡°That is why we don¡¯t give him the choice. Yea I might swing by and borrow him for a few weeks here and there, but most of my adventuring days are behind me. Like you said my baby sis is going to get married, so I better get on the ball myself. Kline would be much more suited to serving a hero now then he would me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I just don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well that is my offer. Little Amy goes with you to Tobes and is miserable, while Kline says with me, only getting to visit his beautiful girlfriend a few times a year making him miserable. Or Amy stays where she wants to be here in the capital, while poor Kline has to suffer in the arms of the woman he loves¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°¡­ I honestly don¡¯t see why you are having such trouble with this decision.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There are a lot of things to consider¡­ What if things don¡¯t work out between them?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well I guess it is possible she would get tired of him eventually. If that happens you can just send him on back to the capital.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a great idea. Having a high level adventurer like that around all the time just in case there is an emergency with the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda gives me a bit of a look and then sighs. ¡°Can I at least talk about it with him first?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well it is your decision. I will consider which one you leave behind when you go back to Tobes as your answer, so take one or the other.¡±


    Belinda seems to be thinking pretty hard for the rest of dinner, and afterwards while we are going for a walk outside in the evening air the mood doesn¡¯t seem to improve.


    ¡°I may be missing the point here, but is it really a bad thing?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t realize how much Kline looks up to Logan, if I were to tell Kline that Logan wants to give him up to me in exchange for Amy, I don¡¯t even know what Kline would do¡­¡±


    ¡°Logan is trying to make them both happy¡­ Amy would like to stay in the capital, and sure Kline might like to stay with Logan as well, but at least at Tobes he would be able to be with Scylla.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You just want his xp¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not saying that wouldn¡¯t be nice, now that my consumption rate is in excess of 250xp per day¡­ but what about Scylla, don¡¯t you think she would like to have Kline with her as well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, I said I would talk to him, I guess I should¡­¡±


    Belinda taps away on what I am sure is a screen. She is probably sending a message to Scylla, and after a few moments she says as much.


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, I asked Scylla to bring Kline here so we could have a talk¡­ I hope I didn¡¯t interrupt them.¡±


    It doesn¡¯t appear we did though as it only takes about 5 minutes before they appear from inside the castle joining us in this garden like area. Belinda asks them to sit down on one of the stone benches and by the serious look on Belinda¡¯s face you can tell Kline seems a little nervous.


    Belinda: ¡°We need to have a serious talk¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ I thought you were ok with me being with Scylla.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No it isn¡¯t anything like that. I had a talk with Logan at dinner, and of course it isn¡¯t a secret why we have come to the castle during our visit this year.¡±


    Kline: ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°As you know Amy isn¡¯t fond of Tobes and prefers the capital life. Well Logan gave me a choice, which would allow Amy to remain here in the capital like she wishes.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I understand you are saying, but what does this all have to do with me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well she is your sister for one¡­ But that isn¡¯t it. Logan decided if Amy is to remain here in the capital then you should return with me to Tobes.¡±


    Scylla seems to get excited briefly but when she sees the look of horror on Kline¡¯s face she quickly calms down.


    Kline: ¡°The young master wants to be rid of me¡­?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t nothing like that Kline¡­ He even said he would stop by when he goes adventuring to come get you to go with him. He just felt if Amy wanted to remain here, you could then go to Tobes to be with Scylla.¡±


    Scylla lightly squeezes Kline¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be with me Kline¡­?¡±


    Kline seems torn. ¡°Of course I do¡­ But I have always been with the young master¡­ He needs me.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You won¡¯t be that far away, and Master has been able to master his teleport spell allowing him to travel the distance from Tobes to the Capital almost instantly so he could bring you here any time.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°But who is going to take care of the young master¡¯s needs? And who is going to go collect him from the bar when he has had too much? You know my sister isn¡¯t going to take care of him like I do.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We are not saying there isn¡¯t going to be an adjustment period, but if you ever have any hope of getting to spend more time with Scylla this is it¡­¡±


    ¡°Think of it this way, while getting to spend more time with Scylla, you will be helping to keep Logan¡¯s sister safe for him so he doesn¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Kline: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°We will leave you to think about it, and this might be something you need to talk about with Scylla as well, so we will leave you to it.¡±


    Belinda and I leave Scylla and Kline in the garden and head back into the castle.


    Belinda: ¡°Do you think it¡¯s the right thing to do?¡±


    ¡°I think that is the question Kline has to answer, but I do think if he chooses to stay it doesn¡¯t look promising for him and Scylla.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She will be sad, but I don¡¯t think it would be the end for them.¡±


    ¡°Really?  I would think by choosing another man over her, Scylla would have no choice but to move on.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But Kline takes his duties to Logan seriously¡­¡±


    ¡°If that was true he would go no questions asked, as that is what Logan wants.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    The mood doesn¡¯t really improve the rest of the evening, and once I get to the meeting the next morning with Mindy running it on the final day it doesn¡¯t help matters any either. Instead of treating me the way she did last year this time she practically pretends I don¡¯t exist which is fine with me.


    After the meeting is finally over I rush back to the castle to get ready to see the king with Belinda¡­ Belinda of course has a fancy outfit set out for me when I arrive and coaches me one how to act and what to say for the next hour.


    Finally the time has arrived and we set out through the halls arriving at a lavish door. After a brief knock an older gentleman opens the door and invites us in. I have only seen Belinda¡¯s father the one time before and up close was only for a brief minute.


    This time Belinda and I are ushered over to sit directly across from him on a small couch. Even though it is Belinda¡¯s own father I am not sure which of us is more nervous. After the older gentleman presents us with a cup of what appears to be coffee, he then leaves the room closing the door.


    Belinda¡¯s father never moves until the door shuts, but once it does he takes the cup in front of him taking a small sip before setting it back down on the table.


    King Rondsom: ¡°I believe you have asked a meeting with me because you have an announcement to make?¡±


    Belinda stutters a bit as she says. ¡°Ye¡­Yes father, Two-Twelve and I have decided to get married¡­ That is of course if you approve.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I do believe this Two-Twelve of yours is an intelligent and good man, after all that I have seen him accomplish. However there is still the matter regarding his name. I cannot, and will not accept any of my daughters to marry a man that doesn¡¯t even have a name.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But¡­¡±


    King Rondsom cuts Belinda off as he says. ¡°As such if I agree to such a union I will require this Two-Twelve to take the name I provide him.¡±


    ¡°I have been called many things, and in truth the only reason I have remained as Two-Twelve so long is I never found another to my liking. That being said Two-Twelve is part of me now and even if you wish to call me by another name I will still be who I am.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Are you saying at even at the cost of being denied the privilege of marrying my daughter you will not accept a name from the king himself.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That isn¡¯t what he is saying at all¡­ Right Two-Twelve?¡±


    ¡°I am saying my name despite the fact it is unusual, is the name I have used to get me where I am today, and although I don¡¯t mind you giving me another, I will always be Two-Twelve.¡±


    Belinda seems to get extremely nervous, and the king narrows his eyes sitting back in his chair just staring at me seeming to be deep in thought. After a few silent moments pass he sits back up taking another sip from the cup then says.


    King Rondsom: ¡°My daughter, leave us. I wish to speak to the young man alone.¡±


    Belinda seems to start to panic even standing up as she says. ¡°But Father!¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Now girl.¡±


    Even speaking to Belinda he never takes his narrowed eyes off of me. Belinda looks torn on what to do but I gently take her hand, look up to her, and smile. After a few seconds she then nods and then walks from the room, but the door closes ever so slowly.


    King Rondsom: ¡°Any or all of this conversation may never have taken place. I have put a great deal of effort in gathering information on you. The only information I can turn up before when you showed up in the small hunting village of Tobes is the word of an adventurer that is only just as elusive.¡±


    ¡°As you can imagine about my background, there isn¡¯t much that can be said about me from my time before.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°There however are not even any records of any slave referred to as Two-Twelve that I have been able to come across, and I assure you as king there isn¡¯t much I am unable to find out. After the gift that was the communication parchment it seems clear you don¡¯t have any ill intentions, so what is it you want from my daughter?¡±


    ¡°It is as simple as stated¡­ I wish to marry her.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Giving the communication parchment you could have been granted a position of Duke in any kingdom, and sure it might not be king, but the area you would have had control of could have even exceeded that of the entire Gowen kingdom. If there was a reason specifically that you wish for Gowen, my eldest daughter Mindy would have been the far better of choice. What I mean to say is Belinda holds no political weight in the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Matters like that do not concern me¡­ Even with my duty as mayor of Tobes, when something falls too heavy on the side of politics I leave it to Belinda.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°If not for political gain, why seek out my daughter? I have heard you have gathered a great number of beautiful women around you from all races, what makes my daughter special?¡±


    ¡°Giving my background I knew very little about most things concerning others when I arrived in Tobes, and I even admit when I first met your daughter I thought her to be trouble and on the annoying side. She however tried to assist me when everyone ignored me even leading to great personal sacrifice just to do so. Even now I admit there are many things I do not know, but the one thing I am sure of is I love your daughter.¡±


    I am not sure how he felt about my answer and he has returned to the stoic expression while he appears to be deep in thought.


    King Rondsom: ¡°There are quite a few other factors that concern me as well. Since Belinda took up residence in Tobes to study the dungeon there she has spent a great deal of the kingdom¡¯s gold. My eldest Mindy has meticulously monitored her spending and although some of it may seem to have been sent in an effort to impress you none has ever seemed to be spent on you. Yet several of the items you have presented to her, like the armor I heard you recently gave her, could have easily drained the coffers of the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°With the addition of Katie to Tobes the armor I presented to Belinda was a gift for me allowing her to get on her feet there in Tobes. It may seem a bit excessive, but for a dwarf the gift of her finest work seemed an equivalent exchange.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Putting aside the fact of the dwarven smith for a moment, even the ability to acquire enough dwarven metal to make such armor would be more then I could even bestow on my very heir.¡±


    ¡°The ore along with Katie were both sent to me from Madam Erin.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Madam Erin¡­ I have of course heard her name before, and even believe I seen her once in passing as a young man. Her name predates the kingdom of Gowen, and I would hazard to guess predates written records all together. Even my father and grandfather spoke of her as some spirit or other worldly being, and yet I hear from my Logan that you are close enough to her for her to even refer to you as family.¡±


    ¡°Family is a bit of a stretch¡­ However she was the one that gave me a hand when I needed it the most, and although I can¡¯t say I know her well. I do have means of contact with her. Although giving her personality I tend to avoid such things if all possible.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°When my son came to me stating he got to meet Madam Erin at a party prepared by you and my daughter, I was disinclined to believe him. From the stories I heard of her. To even share a dance with my son seemed rear impossible. I am half-tempted to allow you to marry my daughter just in the hope she would attend.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well although I don¡¯t know if she will attend I am sure your daughter will extend her an invitation if you allow it.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Not only the elusive Madam Erin, there are even the matters concerning the Hero Dyson.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t quite follow.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°When my son said he began dating the descendant of the greatest hero that ever lived I sure he was being deceived, but after seeing her armor for myself it left no question. Then to only find out the only reason I was allowed such a meeting was due to the fact she arrived at the capital to attend a secret meeting with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of contract you seemed to form with the house of Dyson, or why after all these years they have suddenly reappeared, but to even have another descendant of Dyson make frequent appearances in Tobes who is a splitting image to the Hero Dyson himself, and wearing the Hero Dyson¡¯s armor which only legends could conceive of¡­¡±


    ¡°I assure you it is nothing as grand as you may be imagining, I am just trying to get by the best I can¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Then there are the matters of the beastkin, and now others that seemly appear out of nowhere around you. Some of which are of uncommon to never heard of before races.¡±


    ¡°To be honest I am not sure how they find us, but I am now in a position to help those in need and I won¡¯t turn them away just because they might be unusual¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°The truth of the matter is I have no reason to deny my daughter¡¯s wish to marry you. Given your gift that was the communication parchment in itself was grand enough to ask for my 3<sup>rd</sup> daughter¡¯s hand, but not only that you have taken Tobes and made a great progress with it as well.¡±


    ¡°Well Belinda did most of the work in Tobes I was just there to help her, and Logan did equal amount of work on the communication parchment¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Very well. I King Rondsom Gowen the 2<sup>nd</sup> grant you the blessing in marrying my daughter. However don¡¯t take that as a sign of trust, as you may have performed great services for Gowen, but there are many things about you that are just as troubling. Keep in mind marrying my daughter will give me the chance to keep a closer eye on you.¡±


    After taking another drink from his cup he then picks up a bell from the table ringing it. After a few seconds a servant enters the room and Belinda quickly rushes back in the room behind him. The King then dismisses the servant.


    Belinda looks nervous as she joins me back on the couch.


    King Rondsom: ¡°I have decided to grant your request to marry. I will not require him to change his name, but as he doesn¡¯t have a family name he will take the Gowen name after the wedding. Any formal communication will be directed to Mayor Gowen. Those are my terms.¡±


    ¡°I accept.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°With the influence Gowen has been able to obtain with the communication parchment. Mindy¡¯s re-marriage into the Korta royal family has been renegotiated. As such preparations have already begun to be made, so we shall repurpose the date, for your wedding. That should allow plenty of time for any guests as far as Merretta to attend.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But I was hoping we could choose the date ourselves¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°If you wish to have the wedding at the cathedral here in the capital the date must remain firm. They have already delayed a reconstruction plan for a year.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What are they are going to do to the cathedral?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°As the favor of the old gods has begun to fall only the Faron church has remained strong. They have taken up the Gowen cathedral and plan to convert it to a temple of Faron.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But all the statues of the old gods and goddesses will be removed, not to mention the beautiful windows¡­?¡¯


    King Rondsom: ¡°The cathedral is not a cheap building to maintain, and only the Faron church was willing to cover its costs. We had little choice but to accept.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Fine¡­ If it is ok with Two-Twelve we will keep the date then.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I also have a request for your honeymoon. I would like you to consider heading to Catalina.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the capital of Longolia?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Indeed. With the founding of the beastkin village just north of their border at the old Leona ruins, many of their beastkin residents have begun to relocate to Gowen. It hasn¡¯t helped our already strained relationship, so I believe if you choose their capital as a honeymoon destination as a princess and a Gowen hero it would go a long way in soothing the tension.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ We will already have to spend a great deal of time away from Tobes for the wedding itself, but a trip that far would surely take at least a few months¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I ask you to at least consider it.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡±


    Belinda looks a little taken aback but my words but she then nods. We continue to discuss the fine details of the wedding for the next few hours, and although most of it is lost to me, Belinda seems to greatly enjoy getting to speak with her father in any capacity. The king even he seems to lighten up after a while even forming a smile.


    After everything is set Belinda hugs her father, but afterwards she quickly bows lightly to him and things then turn back to that of seriousness. We then excuse ourselves and depart to find Logan waiting in the hallway.


    Belinda quickly gives him a bright smile and gives him thumbs up before Logan smiles and nods. Without exchanging any words however Logan then heads into the room with the king and shuts the door. We then retreat back to Belinda¡¯s room where she collapses onto the bed.


    Belinda: ¡°That was so nerve racking¡­ But it looks like things worked out in the end.¡±


    After lying down on the bed next to her she rolls over the top of me kissing me. ¡°You must of impressed father. I haven¡¯t seen him that excited in a long time.¡±


    ¡°That was excited?¡±


    Belinda laughs. ¡°He showed emotion, that is quite the feat¡­ I know he has to remain that way when he is around people, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt him to lighten up when it is just family.¡±


    After we talk awhile we then go to sleep.

 Klines Decision

    Belinda and I woke up the next morning and prepared to head back to Tobes. After rejoining with Scylla she looking a little depressed and when we arrive at the front gate we find out why. Waiting for us at the front gate is Amy with a rather large pack, and she too looks unhappy to be here.


    ¡°I guess Kline decided to stay?¡±


    Scylla doesn¡¯t say anything but bows her head. Amy however seems angry when she says. ¡°That was your big plan? Taking Kline instead of me¡­ How could you even think he would go along with that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It wasn¡¯t our first choice. I tried to get Logan to allow both of you to stay but this was the result. I am sorry both of you¡­¡±


    Scylla seems to be holding back as she says. ¡°It¡¯s ok really¡­ Kline has his duties to Logan, it has always been that way.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to say bye to him? We can wait a while longer if we need to.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°No¡­We said what we needed to last night. I even gave him back the communication parchment¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh Scylla¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± ¨CShe says while she quickly moves over to give Scylla a hug.-


    Scylla¡¯s voice crackles as she says. ¡°I just thought I would have been enough for him¡­But I guess I was wrong¡­¡±


    Scylla never sheds a tear, but you can tell it is taking everything in her power to prevent it. Belinda just holds her for a while, and after Amy suggests that we need to get a move on Belinda and Scylla straighten themselves up and we depart from the city gates.


    We head out of the capital for a about 15 minutes till we are sure we are clear from the sight of the walls and I then focus on the house while casting [Gate]. Amy¡¯s initial shock quickly fades after Scylla passes through the gate.


    Belinda: ¡°You next Amy, you¡¯ll arrive at the house.¡±


    Amy nods moving forward looking at the gate. She seems unsure, but after a few seconds Belinda walks up behind her pushing her through, and then steps through herself. I take a quick look back towards the capital and then follow the rest through.


    After arriving back in the house at Tobes I see that Amy is doubled over on her hands and knees looking a little worse for wear.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Amy: ¡°Ugh¡­ That was like when you took Belinda and me to your bedroom on her birthday a few years ago but ten times worse¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°its ok you will eventually get used to it.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to¡­¡±


    Roxy has come down the stairs to see what the commotion is about, so I have her help Amy with her things taking her up to one of the spare rooms.


    ¡°I guess I will go check on Lilah and Lylah real quick, and then head to the office. Scylla you can rest, and take as much time as you need.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Thank you Master, but I would rather just go back to work.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really Scylla it is ok, why don¡¯t you at least take today, and if you still feel the same way you can get back to it tomorrow.¡±


    Scylla looks like she wants to argue about it but she eventually just nods and heads up to her room with a sullen expression.


    ¡°You think she is going to be ok?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard for a while, but I think she will eventually come around¡­ I feel I failed her though.¡±


    ¡°We did our best, Kline¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t be changed when it meant being with Scylla and helping out his sister, so I don¡¯t think anything we could have said would have made a difference.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I could have gone with Logan¡¯s suggestion and not given him a choice.¡±


    ¡°But you really think it would have been good for Scylla and him if you did that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess you are right¡­ I just wish there was something I could do¡­¡±


    ¡°Well like you said she will eventually come around¡­¡±


    I give Belinda a brief kiss then transfer to the core room. Both Lilah and Lylah quickly jump to their feet when they see me arrive grabbing things from around the core room trying to hide it. To say it¡¯s a mess is overstating it a bit, but there are a few plates and silverware scattered about, and the bed looks to have seen use lately with a little stuffed cat sitting on one of the pillows.


    Lilah: ¡°Master is back already?¡±


    ¡°You knew we were coming back today, and with the teleport spell it doesn¡¯t take any time at all. What have you two been doing anyway? Have neither of you left the core room at all this past week?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Of course we did! We took turns getting food!¡±


    ¡°We summoned Lylah so you could get out more Lilah, not for you both to hold up in the core room together.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master doesn¡¯t understand! Lilah and Lylah have been really busy¡­¡±


    ¡°Even at night?¡± ¨CI say while motioning to the bed.-


    Both: ¡°Uhhh¡­Yes?¡±


    ¡°There have been adventurers staying overnight in the dungeon?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Well no¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But there have been so many during the day we thought it would be better safe than sorry, and Lilah didn¡¯t want to disappoint Master like last year.¡±


    ¡°I was gone three times as long last year, and we are in a lot better shape. You know you can set [Menu] to warn you when an adventurer enters the dungeon, and with the tunnel that gives you plenty of time to get ready.¡±


    Both of their ears droop and they don¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°So what about Sofia has she came to help you two at all?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°She has been working on the old adventurer¡¯s guild to begin training the new adventurers so she has been too busy.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Roxy makes sure we are doing ok she checked with us at least once a day to make sure.¡±


    ¡°Well now that I am back you two can sleep in your own rooms tonight, and you better get the core room cleaned up before I get back.¡±


    Both: ¡°Alright!¡±


    They look a little suspicious but Lilah has never directly disobeyed me, so I will leave it be for now. I then transfer back to the house walking to the office. Bell seems to be fairing alright at the office by herself but she is glad to see me.


    Bell: ¡°Other than that everything has been running smoothly.¡±


    ¡°I was a little worried with all the new items that are required, but you handled yourself very well. I am proud of you.¡±


    Bell seems to blush as I say that and she quickly gets back to work. After a few hours at the office I head back on the house. I saw Roxy earlier, but I didn¡¯t have a chance to ask how Zoey was or talk to her at all. I also need to see how Amy is fairing now.


    When I make it back home I find a little more then I bargain for when I find Roxy and Zoey in the kitchen¡­ Needless to say I think Zoey is back to normal otherwise I don¡¯t see how she could have been in that kind of position¡­


    Roxy enters the entryway shortly later apologizing profusely¡­ I awkwardly say everything is alright, but that is kind of where we all eat¡­ When Zoey finally joins us she has a sheepish grin on her face.


    Zoey: ¡°Sorry boss, it¡¯s my fault I said being your first day back you wouldn¡¯t be home so early¡­ Guess I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Well I am glad you are feeling better, but keep it to your room please¡­¡±


    I guess Belinda is right, I mean if they had their own house they could do what they want. I guess we should actually sit down with everyone later and talk about it. Roxy meanwhile still hasn¡¯t quit apologizing.


    I don¡¯t tell anyone else about what happened but needless to say it makes eating dinner that night a little awkward for me¡­ When everyone finishes and begins to leave I ask them to stay for a minute.


    ¡°I wanted to talk to you all. First of all I am proud of all of you for taking care of things in my absence and after getting the kings approval for Belinda and my wedding to progress I am sure we will be quite busy with that for a while, so I know I can count on you guys all for that.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Of course boss we are here for you!¡±


    Lilah & Lylah: ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything all week!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I was sick! Boss can you do something about them that is starting to get a bit creepy¡­?¡± ¨CLilah and Laylah both stick their tongues out at Zoey at the same time.-


    ¡°Alright girls, that¡¯s enough, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing I wanted to talk about. I also wanted to ask if you are all happy here?¡±


    Most of them look confused. Katie and Sofia appear the only ones indifferent about my comment.


    Scylla: ¡°Of course Master, we love it here.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yea you¡¯re the best Boss I could ask for Boss¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What I think he means is here in the house¡­ We talked about it a little bit and we thought maybe some of you would like to have your own place, even if it is just here in Tobes.¡±


    Katie: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me, I got everything I need right here.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°This isn¡¯t about earlier is it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What happened earlier?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t about earlier. We started talking about this before we went to the capital. I still need all of your help, but I thought maybe you would at least like to have your own places. They would still be in the dungeon, but they would be your own homes to do what you like with.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I like you a lot boss, but Roxy and I having are own place where nobody can walk in on us when¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Yes¡­ We get it Zoey. She means I think we would consider it if you let us.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I have no reason to leave. I think I will just stay where I am¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Can Lylah and Lilah¡­¡±


    ¡°No the core room is not a house, but if you two want a house in town when you get a bit older we can talk¡­¡±


    Lilah and Lylah seem a little disappointed¡­


    Katie: ¡°I am with Scylla. As long as I have my forge in the basement I will stick with what I got.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I am down for having my own place, or if anyone wants to be my roomie that is good too.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How would that be any different than being here?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°It¡¯s not, I am fine either way, but it might be fun.¡±


    ¡°Well if you want to it is fine with me, as long as you remember you still have responsibilities to the dungeon.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I don¡¯t think I could be on my own, but if it is ok with Sofia I might like to try staying with her¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, we can have wild parties, have all kinds of men stay the night, and drink without worries.¡±


    Bell: ¡°uhm¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t mind you living your own life. I just ask you at least remember you represent Two-Twelve and me in your actions.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I was only joking¡­Well mostly.¡±


    We continue to talk a while and so far it sounds like Roxy and Zoey are going to have a house commissioned, Bell and Sofia will as well, but Katie, Scylla, Lilah, and Lylah will remain here. Zoey asks for nothing short of a castle, but Roxy says just a simple house is more than enough.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Belinda draws up a floor plan large enough to suit both sets of girls needs and she tells the girls she will begin working on getting it started tomorrow. We finally part for the evening, and even though the rest of the girls are rather neutral about the new houses Roxy seems rather excited.


    After the next few days pass we begin to get back in the swing of things, and although Belinda is slowly working on plans for the wedding the majority of it will have to be handled back at the capital in a few months.


    Scylla has returned to work but she has been remained rather depressed, but she is just focusing on her work to take her mind off of it, she even chases me out of the office telling me she has got everything taken care of¡­


    She is never downright rude, and I know she is hurting so I give her a bit of leeway, so I head out. I find Amy bored out of her mind at the adventurer¡¯s guild watching Belinda work.


    ¡°Maybe you wouldn¡¯t be so bored if you gave Belinda a hand?¡±


    Amy: ¡°No thanks¡­Maybe I should go apply at the brothel for a job.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Belinda would like that.¡±


    Amy: ¡°So your Monsters get to do whatever they want, but I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°You are not my reasonability, so I don¡¯t have any say in the matter. The magic that binds you is quite different then what binds my monsters.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Well you think you could talk to Belinda for me? I need something to do.¡±


    ¡°I think that was the key word something not someone.¡±


    Amy: ¡°That is easy for you to say. Meanwhile I am the one left doing without.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should help Sofia over at the old adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I would rather just sit here¡­¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t at least try to help. I will leave you to it then.¡±


    I head over to Belinda and talk to her for a minute but she is pretty busy, I tell her I am a little worried about Amy, and she is as well. After giving Belinda a quick kiss I decide to go check out what Sofia is doing over at the old guild.


    Sofia has practically gutted the building completely leaving only the bare floor in the front room. I don¡¯t see her anywhere so I head to what used to be the back room. What were once the hallway, storage room, and the two makeshift living quarters where Belinda and Amy stayed when they first arrived is now another wide empty area. Sofia has even taken down the walls.


    Sofia is huddled in one of the corners working on something but I can¡¯t tell what, and she is so engrossed in it she doesn¡¯t appear to have noticed me yet. I clear my throat to make my presence known and Sofia doesn¡¯t even react.


    Sofia: ¡°Yea, yea. Give me just a second¡­¡±


    I wait for a few more minutes before she finally stands up, stretches, and says. ¡°Whatca doing, checking up on me?¡±


    ¡°Well I got run out of the office for the rest of the day, so I just thought I would see how everyone was doing. What was it there you were working on?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°You looked awfully focused on it, do you need some help?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I see why they chased you out of the office.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would like some help, I guess I will go check on Katie now¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Hey, wait¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Belinda was telling me since we missed her birthday and Lilah¡¯s again. Then with the wedding there is a good chance we could miss almost all the others as well, so she was planning on just throwing a single big party for everyone this year.¡±


    ¡°Well that is news to me, but it sounds reasonable¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well Bell has been sort of my plus one the last few months. She doesn¡¯t say much but I actually find that the best part, so I wanted to know if you think she would appreciate if I made her a pair leather gloves?¡±


    ¡°You were making a pair of leather gloves?


    Sofia: ¡°I will have you know I am quite good with my hands. Thank you very much¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it¡­ I think Bell would like that¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Now I don¡¯t know if you are being honest or just trying to make up for being rude.¡±


    ¡°Like you said Bell and you have grown quite close, she even wanted to move in with you to be your roommate, I am sure she would appreciate anything you make yourself a great deal.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I am not going to tell her I made it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright. I think she would still like it regardless. I guess if that is all I will now go check on Katie.¡±


    Sofia doesn¡¯t object this time and I have learned better then to delve too deep into it so I leave from the building and decide to go check on Katie at the blacksmith shop.


    The blacksmith shop has come a long way in the last few months¡­ What used to be a small building with a poor variety of weapons and armor is now a fully furnished blacksmith. They have been so increasingly busy as of late that when I enter there is one of the young men from the village running the counter.


    Young Man: ¡°Mister Mayor. Good to see you today, can I interest you in a new weapon or suit of armor perhaps?¡±


    ¡°No thanks¡­ I actually just came to check to see how Katie is doing.¡±


    Young Man: ¡°Katie and boss are in the back working on a suit of armor, they asked not to be disturbed till it was complete. They seemed quite adamant about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I guess it isn¡¯t anything important, and I can talk to her later. What about you? How do you like working here?¡±


    Young Man: ¡°I have already learned quite a lot, they haven¡¯t let me make anything for adventurers yet, but simple things for the villagers they have let me make a few. Boss is pretty slow, but Katie keeping everything running smoothly.¡±


    ¡°So you want to learn to be a blacksmith as well?¡±


    Young Man: ¡°To be honest I just wanted a job till I could save up some money to buy my adventurer¡¯s ID and some gear. I thought working for the blacksmith I might be able to get a discount so that is how I ended up here, but watching Miss Katie work is rather enthralling¡­After that I thought it might not be too bad to learn the trade.¡±


    ¡°She does seem to turn blacksmithing into almost an art form doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    Young Man: ¡°Indeed she does¡­ At first I just wanted any kind of weapon and armor I could get my hands on to become an adventurer, but now I wouldn¡¯t settle for anything less than one of Katie¡¯s works. Although the thought of wearing equipment I made myself is starting to have a nice ring to it.¡±


    ¡°I would imagine the pride you would feel in knowing the armor you wear and the weapon you wield being made by your own hands would be quite the empowering feeling. Although I guess if you feel your abilities are lacking it could be quite nerve-racking as well.¡±


    Young Man: ¡°¡­Your right. I didn¡¯t think of it like that. Maybe I should just wait till I can afford some of Katie¡¯s works¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sure once they begin to let you make weapons and armor you will begin to have more confidence in your work, but if you focus on wanting to make equipment for yourself, knowing your own life will depend on it will make you want to work that much harder.¡±


    Young Man: ¡°Thanks Mister Mayor, I will keep that in mind.¡±


    After bidding the young man a good afternoon I leave from the blacksmith. There is still quite a bit of time till the sun sets and I have about run out of things to distract myself with so I decide to make a round around Tobes, because I haven¡¯t done that lately.


    Concerning what Sofia said earlier, Belinda hasn¡¯t spoken about it to me, but I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to at least begin looking around for gifts for everyone, as at least I know I should have already came up with an idea for Belinda as her birthday was a few months back already¡­


    I eventually find myself on the other side of town at Denova¡¯s general store. Denova should be busy with her new baby so I should be able to have a look around with too much difficulty. I however quickly find out I might have been wrong as after looking around for a bit Denova approaches me.


    She looks a bit more rested then the last time I seen her, and she looks to be starting to even get her old sly smile back it is only visible for a few short seconds, before returning to a depressed expression.


    Denova: ¡°I would like you to thank the princess for me. The young lady that responded to the commission at the capital is quite good. I have begun to have enough free time to return to running my affairs.¡±


    ¡°I am sure Belinda would like to hear that, you still look rather troubled though.¡±


    Denova: ¡°It is the incompetence of the ones I left in charge. Did you know the dungeon went through quite the expansion here a while back yet these idiots didn¡¯t bother even trying to get a lock on the new items that started to flow from the dungeon? They even kept buying the older items at the same price making me have an overabundance of weak magical ingredients at the same cost as what everyone else has been selling the more advanced for¡­¡±


    ¡°Sounds like quite the problem.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well enough of my troubles, I actually wished to speak with you for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t really that busy, so what do you need?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well it is concerning the items coming down from the dungeon, I tried to carry a wide verity here at my store, but as you image as even more items begin to appear in the dungeon it¡¯s going to be hard to maintain enough room for it all.¡±


    ¡°Ok?¡±


    Denova: ¡°I was thinking of expanding again, well that is to say opening another store. I have spread this one to thin, it supplies most of the general goods in town now, but with the space taken up with the adventurer type items I am sure I am missing out on some opportunities. If I separate the two I believe I could increase my revenue.¡±


    ¡°Well you will just need to file the form at the office.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Well the general goods items are fine here, but I was hoping with the adventurer¡¯s guild entering the town hall, the old building would be more in lines in the part of town were the adventurer¡¯s tend to congregate. As some of these more dedicated adventurer¡¯s that have been arriving lately haven¡¯t been visiting the brothel.¡±


    ¡°Belinda said something about the restrictions on the old building as it belongs to the guild, but I believe we are going to open a training facility for the younger adventurers.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Then what of the land next to the town hall?¡±


    ¡°Well Belinda has acquired all the area pretty much east of the main road, and I am sure if things continue as they are the blacksmith will need an expansion quite soon, but the area beyond that heading up the mountain is available. We could probably squeeze a few more buildings in there before the grade would become too steep.¡±


    Denova: ¡°That would leave very little room for expansion¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless you speak with Belinda, I am afraid that is the only option available if you plan on placing it on the main street there.¡±


    We continue to speak about it for a while and she decides to wait for now, asking me to hold the land for her. As the only ones in Tobes with enough funds to handle a property that requires that much work is her or Belinda I don¡¯t see any problem with it so I say I will. Then without any snarky comments she leaves me to return to my looking around. After finishing my browsing I head back home.


    A few days later when the form crosses my desk I am almost in disbelief as it appears Belinda has sold a large portion of land right next to the town hall to Denova¡­ That is literally 2 doors down from our house, so before I stamp the form I decide to talk to Belinda about it first.


    Belinda: ¡°Yes I realize, but we managed to come to an agreement. I have to say motherhood has really seemed to take its toll on Denova¡± ¨CShe says with a sly smile worthy of Denova¡¯s old self.-


    ¡°Well if you are sure¡­¡±


    I then turn to head back upstairs to complete the form, but before I make it I see someone entering the town hall that causes me to hesitate. Quickly heading over to Belinda and me, Kline wears a serious expression.


    Kline: ¡°I am so sorry¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I believe you are saying that to the wrong person.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I realized I made a critical mistake by the morning you planned to leave the capital, and I even tried to catch you before you left. I traveled to all the caravans trying to find the one you were taking, and it wasn¡¯t till I came up empty that I heard you already departed on foot. After getting the Young Master¡¯s permission I quickly gathered my things and tried to catch up, but no how hard I pushed I didn¡¯t seem to be able to catch up¡­¡±


    ¡°Well sorry about that¡­ I have managed to get the kinks worked out in that teleport spell so we used it to travel back to Tobes.¡±


    Amy quickly joins the conversation with an excited expression. ¡°Does that mean I can return to the capital?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Hold on a minute¡­ With the pain you caused Scylla, I am not sure if the offer still stands.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Please before you turn me down, can I at least speak with Scylla first?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Kline & Amy: ¡°Please?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, but if Scylla asks you to leave that¡¯s it.¡±


    Amy pats her brother on the back in the first show of care for her brother I have ever seen as she says. ¡°Good luck Kline¡­¡± Unfortunately I know the only reason she hopes he succeeds is so she can then return to the capital¡­


    We start to head upstairs, but we have to force Amy to wait downstairs¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know about leaving you to alone right now¡­ But I will head in and send Bell out then you and Belinda can come in and it would just be the four of us at least.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I guess it concerns you both as well, so I guess that is fair¡­¡±


    I head back into the office and ask Bell to step out to talk to Scylla, they both seem a little confused but Bell quickly agrees. When she heads out though and Belinda and Kline enter Scylla quickly grows angry. I don¡¯t think I have ever seen Scylla angry before¡­


    Scylla: ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Please just let me explain¡­ I know I said some stupid things, but I instantly regretted it. I tried to catch you before you left, but I didn¡¯t know you guys were using a teleport spell to return. If you give me a second chance, I promise I will make it up to you.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°And what about Logan?¡±


    Kline: ¡°He still would like to take me with him when he goes adventuring, but he said if it is a problem I don¡¯t have to go. Other than that I will serve Lady Belinda instead from now on.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You would stay here, even if I asked you to give up adventuring entirely?¡±


    Kline: ¡°I won¡¯t lie and say gladly, but I do promise if that is what you ask of me I am willing to make that sacrifice.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well I won¡¯t take it away from you, and I will still be required to help Master when he requires it as well, but if you are willing to give up so much¡­¡±


    Kline then moves forward taking Scylla¡¯s hand. ¡°Then if it is alright with your Master, and Lady Belinda.¡± He then takes a knee. ¡°Will you marry me?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°That¡¯s not fair¡­ I still want to be angry with you¡­¡± ¨CShe looks over to Belinda and me like she doesn¡¯t know how to answer.-


    ¡°I think Scylla is wondering if it is too late to get her own place now.¡±


    Belinda elbows me, but smiles while Scylla¡¯s once angry face, that turned confused, now turns to one of embarrassment.


    Scylla: ¡°I¡­ I will¡­¡±


    Kline quickly jumps up wrapping his arms around Scylla, and then gives her a deep kiss which seems to make her blush even more.


    ¡°Bell and I can take care of things for the rest of the day, and I am sure you two have quite a bit to talk about, so why don¡¯t you take the rest of the day off Scylla.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And I am going to have to try to explain to Amy that she is going to have to go back to the capital¡­ I am sure it is going to break her poor little heart.¡±


    Scylla laughs wiping a tear from her eye. ¡°Thanks Master, Kline and I will make dinner this evening to make up for it.¡±


    ¡°Really you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It isn¡¯t any trouble. We can still talk while making dinner.¡±


    Belinda sighs and says. ¡°Fine, but we might be a bit late tonight, so you might want to wait a few hours before you plan on starting anything.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°If things are busy here we can just talk while we work then¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite alright, I am sure there are some things you need to talk about alone¡­¡±


    It takes a bit of work but we finally manage to convince them to head to the house¡­ I still don¡¯t think they got the idea though. Anyway Amy quickly rushes in the office after they leave together with a beaming grin on her face.


    Amy: ¡°Does this mean I get to go home?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was hoping you felt being with us was starting to feel like home¡­ But yes Kline is staying so you can return to the capital. Remember though part of the agreement means you will serve Logan from now on, meaning you have to do what he asks.¡±


    Amy: ¡°I am going to go pack my things then! I can probably make it quite a distance before nightfall if I leave within the hour.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I didn¡¯t think you hated being with us that much¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind you, it¡¯s this small town I don¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°Well if you stick around till the morning I promise I will send you back to the capital with the teleport spell. That should at least save you the travel time.¡±


    Amy looks a little hesitant after the last [Gate] spell but she eventually agrees. After she leaves the room Bell slowly peeks in the door.


    Bell: ¡°Is it ok to return now?¡±


    I laugh and say. ¡°Yes, we are done now¡­¡±


    Belinda had commissioned quite a bit of land to be cleared behind our house to begin another road, and for the girls houses, so it is not going to be difficult to add a little more to it for a house for Scylla and Kline, but also gives her plenty of time to find out if they have any special requests.


    It probably won¡¯t be till Belinda and my wedding before the houses are built anyway, so I guess there isn¡¯t any rush. There is also this form I am still holding in my hand about Denova¡¯s new shop as well. It looks like Tobes is going to go through quite the growth spirt yet again. We are going to keep the lower level adventurers busy for quite a while at least.


    Once we make it home that evening it is apparent the suggestion to Scylla and Kline was indeed lost on them as they have prepared a grand dinner, and Kline¡¯s things are sitting in the corner of the dining room so they haven¡¯t even went upstairs yet.


    The meal turns out very good, even though I of course don¡¯t exactly enjoy the taste¡­ But we all seem to have a good time. With Amy getting to go back to the capital the next day Belinda tries to spend as much time as possible with her.


    Even after dinner is over and we begin heading to bed Kline gathers his things and Scylla shows him to one of the guest rooms¡­


    ¡°You know you got engaged today¡­ It would be ok if he stayed in your room from now on.¡±


    They both appear to begin blushing and looking at each other serious expression like it hasn¡¯t even crossed their minds yet¡­


    Scylla: ¡°I guess I¡­I will¡­Show you to¡­ Our room then¡­¡±


    Belinda and I can¡¯t help but shake our heads as Kline gulps, nervously nods his head, and follows Scylla upstairs.


    Zoey: ¡°Well boss it looks like you are safe from becoming a grandpa for a while.¡±


    Roxy elbows Zoey as she drags her off into their bedroom, Belinda and I then head to bed as well.

 Summer Ends as the Wedding Approaches

    Over the course of the coming few weeks, progress on the land behind the house has been quite nice, but that is nothing compared to the speed with which Denova¡¯s new shop is progressing. They have yet to finish clearing the whole area, but they''ve already begun to build on it.


    Kline¡¯s steady income of xp has left us in a pretty good spot, so much so I was able to buy all available skills and spells for Belinda, Roxy and Myself. I guess I am going to have to go out and get some combat experience because most of the combat based skills are still locked for me.


    We did end up having a birthday party for the entire household. I added Sofia, Katie, and Lylah to Belinda¡¯s necklace, and improved the old pieces on it, with things such as changing Roxy¡¯s gem to diamond to reflect how she doesn''t has a favored element anymore.


    None of the other gifts where very elaborate, but everyone had a good time so that was the important part.


    Belinda has been making use of the [Gate] spell to make trips to the capital several times a week, to work on things concerning the wedding. Originally it was quite a shock to people there, but since she is a hero now they accepted it rather quickly.


    Lilah and Lylah want to work on the dungeon, but I used all the extra xp on skills and spells, so it hasn¡¯t left them with much to work with, but since we already acquire everything we could, from now on I¡¯m letting them use half while I expand further into Tobes with the rest.


    Much to Belinda¡¯s dismay, Scylla and Kline got married without much of a ceremony. Scylla didn¡¯t even want a wedding dress, and although Belinda tried awfully hard to throw them an actual wedding, they kept insisting about not wanting that kind of fuss thrown for them.


    Eventually Belinda caved in, and the local Faron priest officiated the ceremony in the house''s ballroom with just the girls and myself as witnesses and guests. They also refused to take longer than a week for their honeymoon. They just piggybacked with Belinda in one of her trips to the capital, stayed there for a week, and returned.


    Sofia has gotten her adventurer¡¯s training course up and running now, she hasn¡¯t had much luck with people taking an interest in it, but she has managed to get  a few of the younger adventurer¡¯s to start going there.


    By the time Scylla and Kline returned from their honeymoon, the area behind our house had already been cleared, and construction had begun on the girl''s new houses. Denova¡¯s new store, however, is already up and running, with normal employees instead of slaves, as per the agreement Denova made with Belinda.


    The store itself is actually quite impressive. Denova quickly formed a contract with the blacksmith, and now the blacksmith sells only through her. Belinda was worried at first, but Katie likes the change because the gold from the contract allowed them to start expanding the forge, and they can focus solely on making things, without worrying about the customers.


    I am a little worried about Denova¡¯s store accepting more orders then Katie and the blacksmith can handle, but their deal seems to be working well so far, so for now I will leave it be.


    Katie has also been spending quite a bit of time with the young apprentice at the blacksmith shop. They don¡¯t appear to be dating, but I think they are more than just coworkers. Not that it matters, as I think it is fine either way as long as she still takes care of her duties to the dungeon.


    Dyson sent someone to have me make another ageless ring, which was enough extra xp include all of Tobes into the secondary dungeon. My xp consumption has gone up... considerably.


    After hitting 240/day, it began charging by the hour, and right now it¡¯s all the way up to 25/hour. I would worry if it wasn''t for Kline''s contribution, but if we keep growing at this rate, soon his xp isn¡¯t going to be enough.


    The dungeon expansions have drawn in more and more adventurers, so Denova quickly took the opportunity to start construction of another inn, at least 3 times the size as the current one.  Pretty soon, Denova will have more businesses ventures in town than Belinda does, but we still receive xp from it so I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.


    Every item in Denova¡¯s impressive inventory has also been added to those available to the dungeon as well, so as long as their materials weren''t better than steel, we became able to pretty much summon any type of armor or weapon imaginable.


    That restriction did not last long, however, as Denova¡¯s best contribution to the dungeon yet came in the form of a small amount of raw dwarven ore, which she acquired in hopes Katie could make a dagger out of it. She, of course, was able to make the dagger, but the important bit is that now we can summon items made from dwarven ore if we want to.


    Because of the dungeon''s continuous growth, an Adventurer''s Guild representative came to re-assess the dungeon, and removed the beginners label from it. That brought in a B-ranked group that finally managed to get past the silver slimes, discovering the dragonkin further down.


    Lilah and Lylah only let one of them make it out of the dungeon to report what happened. I am a little worried of what will happen, now that members of a B-ranked party lost their lives in the dungeon.


    Belinda has continued to make quite a bit of plans regarding the wedding, and as summer draws to a close I receive a message.


    Dungeon Core #400 Elder Dyson has requested a meeting with you on this day at noon. A representative will be sent to collect you before the appointed time. Refusal to attend is acceptable, but future assistance from the Elders may be refused.


    The only reason I could think Dyson would send me an official message like that, would be related to the training of new dungeon cores. That meeting should have taken place a few months ago though, but I don¡¯t know what other reason could there be.


    The biggest problem if Dyson does want me to train another core this year, is that my wedding is scheduled to be in what would be the last week of the training of new cores. With the last bit of preparations and the wedding itself, I doubt I could be of assistance.


    I inform Belinda about the meeting, and after I get everything squared away, I wait for the Dyson''s representative. I decide that if it is Speedy this time I am just going to attempt to teleport myself, because I really don¡¯t like that kind of travel.


    However oddly enough it is Madam Erin who walks through my door.


    ¡°What a surprise. I was not expecting you.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I would imagine not, now if you don¡¯t mind we are a bit late. You have expanded your dungeon so much I had trouble finding a place to teleport into.¡±


    ¡°Well sorry about that.¡±


    I get up and follow Madam Erin. We quickly make our way through town and make our way into the forest. After a short while we arrive at a tree that has the runes on it. This tree is quite a bit smaller than the ones she used in the past.


    Madam Erin quickly draws a rune into the frame, and the emptiness appears. With the tree being so much smaller Madam Erin literally has to squeeze through it, and even I had to turn to pass through. We arrive in the familiar hallway of the place I usually meet with the elders.


    ¡°I thought we would be going to Dyson¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°He wasn¡¯t comfortable with my presence in the depths of his dungeon, so we are meeting here.¡±


    We don¡¯t head to the meeting area, but instead stop at the rest area instead. I am surprised yet again when we enter and only Dyson is in the room. After motioning for me to sit across him, Madam Erin takes a seat on a small couch a few feet away filling the entire thing.


    Dyson: ¡°I see the confused look, but worry not we are just here to discuss the birth of the new dungeon cores this year.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There will be only three new cores born this year. Dyson has chosen a unique way to handle things this year.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes, and even though the other elders promised to let me do the job they gave me, they still wanted another elder to train at least one of the new cores so they could see firsthand the new training techniques, and Madam Erin was the one selected.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I am getting married at the end of next month, and I am not sure I would be able to focus enough attention onto training a new dungeon core.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As your boss monster has sent me an invitation, I am well aware, but I am not sure who I am willing to trust with the new training methods quite yet, so I was left with little choice. I do however have a plan.¡±


    I fear that this might lead to more of a headache then when I was training Inari last year¡­


    Dyson: ¡°I plan on the three of us working very closely with the new cores this year. Madam Erin and I have already agreed on assisting you with your core¡¯s training, and taking over for that final week you will be unavailable.¡±


    ¡°Even still¡­ There are quite a few items to attend to just before the wedding as well.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°When he said working closely, he meant we will be training the cores together this year in hopes that working together we will be able to help refine your training method. That means if you do need to bow out for a few hours or an entire day to attend to something, you can. Dyson and I will still be there to take care of things.¡±


    ¡°Has that been done before?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well, not exactly. There have been instances where two or more cores being trained by a single dungeon, and they have worked together. Like that pair Lucille trained the year you were born, but to say multiple dungeon cores training new cores together, I would say this is a first.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, why even involve me at all? I have told Dyson everything.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well there is the chance that your method of training will only work because of your unique dungeon, so we have decided to have two of the dungeon cores be born to you, while Madam Erin will birth the third.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Dyson wanted you to birth all three, but I made the suggestion to birth one just to be sure. After all if the training method will only work for your new cores that would be quite problematic. At least this way we will be able to be sure, and even if it doesn¡¯t work we will at least get 2 more of the advanced dungeon cores.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That, and the fact two of the new cores will be women and Dyson is still in hopes of having a divine being dungeon being born. He is still fuming about the first divine-type core to be born was a beastkin.¡±


    After Madam Erin says that however she smirks and I receive a message from her. ¡°But of course we both know your Inari, wasn¡¯t the first divine dungeon, don¡¯t we?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t really hiding the fact I was a divine being, truth be told I didn¡¯t even know until I got my adventurers ID, but Madam Erin is treating it like a highly guarded secret, so I guess I will just let it go like that.


    Dyson: ¡°Well it was a shame that such a thing was wasted on a beastkin.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I assure you that beastkin or not, Dungeon Core #245 Inari, is one hell of a dungeon. In just under a year she has made so much progress in Shima that I believe we could feel confident in suggesting Shima to new cores in a few years.¡±


    ¡°Belinda and I talk to her at least once a week, but she won¡¯t mention anything about how things are going there. Based on <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> she is doing well, but I am glad to hear it directly from an elder as well.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Quite so, but back to the topic at hand.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Dyson: ¡°Indeed. You will have dungeon core #344, and #443, while Madam Erin will be responsible for birthing core #615, and as Madam Erin said #344 and #443 will both be female, while #615 will be male.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We have also decided to handle their xp differently. If all three are capable of following the new training method then we will combine the xp for their training. Training them together that way will give them quite the advantage.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Your boss monster has a good hold on the adventurer¡¯s guild there in your town, so once Madam Erin¡¯s core is born she will bring it to meet with us in your town to collect their adventurer IDs, and begin their training.¡±


    ¡°You plan to train all three in my dungeon?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Your dungeon has the widest verity of monsters of any dungeon, and with Two-eighty-seven¡¯s adventurer training I thought that would be a good way to start them off.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am all for leveling the new cores up quickly through the new method, but I am still skeptical of training them like adventurers. Dyson however does make a valid point that if they know the ins and outs of being an adventurer it will help them defend their own dungeon from adventurers, so we have agreed to give it a shot.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I believe that is all for now. Madam Erin and I look forward to working with you next month. She and I still have some important things to discuss, so I am sure you are capable now of making your own way home?¡±


    Madam Erin looks a little confused, but I can quickly see her eyes jolt to what I am sure is some kind of message, and after that she nods. I am a little curious, but I say my goodbyes and then use [Gate] to head back to my office.


    It takes a while to smooth things over with Belinda after filling her in, but in the end she just says. ¡°I figured as much as soon as my father gave us the date, but 2 cores this time¡­?¡±


    After I tell Sofia about Dyson¡¯s plan to use her ¡°adventurer school¡± she becomes quite excited and even starts planning a unique course just for the new cores.


    Over the course of the next month things really begin to get rather busy, Belinda has begun to spend almost every day at the capital working on matters concerning the wedding, and we are even forced to meet with people that have begun to arrive for the event from as far away as Merretta and Adra.


    Things in the dungeon have gotten pretty intense as well as we have had several more B-ranked adventurer groups enter the dungeon. One has made several attempts, each time reaching a little deeper into the bottom floor.


    It has been enough that Lilah and Lylah decided to spend most of our stored xp to begin placing lesser dragonkin rifts. Even with Katie making the gear for them as quickly as possible, saving a considerable amount of xp, each rift still costs us close to 15,000xp.


    Katie is also making us quite a few items from dwarven metal. We haven¡¯t introduced them into the dungeon yet, but at least when we want to we will be able to summon more. Working the dwarven metal, however, is quite time consuming, and the ore itself has a heavy xp cost, even in its raw form, so we have started pretty small and are slowly working our way up.


    With the quickly increasing xp consumption, I have begun to catch up with the girls again, reaching level 19 just the other day. I do fear though that my consumption may be growing a bit too quickly. With the B-rank group that has taken to the dungeon the last week and a half, Kline, and the entirety of Tobes, however, I am getting close to 10,000xp per day.


    The xp however is quickly going back out as fast as it comes in, though, with the group heading down into the depths several times a week, Lilah and Lylah are going to focus on that part of the dungeon for a while. All the new elemental rooms already have rifts, so it looks like a good time to focus on the main part of the dungeon.


    The rest of Tobes hasn¡¯t slowed down its growth either. You wouldn¡¯t even recognize it as the same town from the time I arrived just under 3 short years ago. The capital has commissioned an expansion of the road between the two, to help with the increased trade.


    The items from the dungeon have been growing in popularity, to the point they are being exported to markets far and wide outside the kingdom. There have been several permission requests from Heroes to enter the dungeon, but so far Belinda¡¯s father has turned them all down, even the ones that insure the safety of the dungeon itself.


    Logan has begun pressuring Belinda into allowing troops to train within the dungeon. Belinda has managed to convince him the dungeon can¡¯t handle that many people going in and out of it all the time, but once Lilah and Lylah have the depths of the dungeon secured, I will give it deeper thought.


    Kline has been a big benefit helping out around the office, and the adventurer¡¯s guild. Even as Scylla¡¯s husband, he understand there are things Scylla can¡¯t discuss about us, but I don¡¯t know how much longer we are going to keep our secret from him.


    If we did tell Kline I don¡¯t know if he would be able to keep if from Logan or not. I am sure we could trust Logan but I don¡¯t know about the rest of Belinda¡¯s family. I am sure we can handle anything Gowen could throw at us at this point, but I would hate to have Belinda or Scylla go through what Madam Erin did.


    We decide it would be best to at least get completely done with the wedding before we make any further decisions about it.


    Just like that the month is over, and with Dyson¡¯s arrival with the second stone bench for the dungeon cores we begin preparing for their birth. This time when we all gather in the ballroom with the two stone benches in the center of the floor, we have several different sized outfits for the new cores just in case¡­


    We are however caught off guard yet again, because once the light fades the ¡°Molds¡± that are the new dungeon cores completely cover the benches. We thought of having normal clothing to smaller clothing on hand, but we didn¡¯t expect the new cores to be this large. As the stone-like shell begins to crumble, revealing the cores underneath, they both happen to be young women similar to Roc.


    As the two tall bird women sit up on their benches and begin to open their eyes I can hear Dyson curse quite loudly from the back.


    While Roc''s bird side hails from a golden eagle, these two seem made from far more exotic stuff, with large decorative plumes near the back of their heads. Their features appear to be identical, but while one has vibrant blue-colored plumage, the other has fiery bright, red-colored feathers. Like in Roc''s case, their bodies are human-shaped, but their heads, hands and feet are bird-like, though rather than sharp talons, their claws are much smaller, and the overall impression is very different from Roc''s bird of prey feel, and more like that of an exotic, colorful singing bird.


    The clothing we summoned is too small, but Belinda quickly takes two robes, at least covering them somewhat. After each of them thanks Belinda with sweet song-like voices, Belinda accesses [Menu] to find them some more suitable clothes.


    After a sigh, Dyson says: ¡°I am Elder Dyson, and although you were summoned by Two-Twelve, we are going to be completing your training quite differently.¡±


    After I approve of Belinda''s request for a red and blue sets of clothing, similar to what I first summoned for Roc, she hands them over to our new arrivals. These have a little more coverage and are meant for female avians, of course.


    The girls thank Belinda again, but still have a confused look on their faces at Dyson¡¯s comment.


    ¡°Belinda here will take you to get dressed, and we will explain further after that.¡±


    They stand and lightly bow, trying to maintain a bit of modesty due to the overly short robes. After Belinda leads them out of the room Dyson sighs again.


    Dyson: ¡°More beastkin¡­ I do have to say you manage to summon the most unique dungeon cores possible, yet still manage to disappoint.¡±


    ¡°I always found humans to be so adaptable. Even when I summoned my first monster of that particular race, the humans quickly adapted, but for a dungeon core others refer to as human, you seem to hold a lot of bias against anything non-human. What exactly do you have against beastkin?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I don¡¯t have anything against them as a race. I just don¡¯t care to have one in my bedchamber.¡±


    ¡°I find it rather troubling that your first thought for a new core is about whether it meets your bedchamber standards or not.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What can I say I like the small pleasures in life.¡±


    After a few minutes Dyson informs me of the arrival of Madam Erin, so while Belinda takes care of the two avians we head outside to meet with Madam Erin.


    When Madam Erin arrives she has man following closely behind her, and although I would say he is short and kind of thin, I guess standing next to Madam Erin would make anyone look that way. When they get closer, I realize he and I share quite a few physical similarities.


    Since I was born in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, my appearance is most likely due that, but does that mean I am actually Madam Erin¡¯s preferred type¡­? That makes me wonder about all those times in the past when she''s made sexual passes at me and I dismissed them as jokes.


    Madam Erin pushes the new core forward while saying. ¡°This here is dungeon core #615 Var.¡± The young man looks at Dyson and myself rather nervously.


    Dyson: ¡°I am Elder Dyson, and this here is Dungeon core #212, we will be using his dungeon for your training this month.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°By Dyson¡¯s apparent disappointment I assume your cores didn¡¯t result in a divine being?¡±


    ¡°So far they just appear to be beastkin, but at least they are 3rd tier beastkin.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Third tier?¡± ¨CShe says with a confused expression, and by Dyson¡¯s reaction it looks like I said something odd.-


    ¡°Yes¡­ They are avians like Roc. When I summoned him my [Menu] referred to him as a 3rd tier beastkin, but they are treated like their own individual race in terms of summoning.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I knew your Roc was a beastkin that has never been seen before, but I have never heard anything about 3rd tier beastkin before. With your unique way of summoning monsters, does that mean you can summon different kinds of 3rd tier beastkin now?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it treats it like its own race, so it just calls them avians, and I can summon a random bird sub-species, but not any other 3rd tier beastkin.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We have been looking at divine beings as an evolved form of humans, then the same should be said for a divine beastkin, but if your avians are 3rd tier, what are the divine beastkin?¡±


    ¡°I am not exactly sure how it works.¡±


    We head back to the house to find Belinda has the two avians dressed and ready to go now. Both of the Avians are wearing clothes that match the color of their feathers. Their clothing is barely more than swimwear, with an appearance closer to that of a long strip of soft fabric, tied in various places to form clothing.


    Madam Erin moves forward and introduces herself to the two avians, and for the first time I see someone that meets her eye to eye. Then Dyson explains the situation to the three new cores. They appear confused at first and ask several questions, but after we get that squared away we decide to head next door to acquire their adventurer IDs.


    Entering the adventurer¡¯s guild with Madam Erin, Dyson, and the two avian has caused quite of a stir as the adventurers begin to whisper to one another. Belinda completes Var¡¯s adventurer ID and it appears his came out normal enough.


    Adventurer #122,273 [Var]                                                          Base: Tobes


    Race: Human                                                                                 Gender: Male


    Rank: D                                                                                            Level: 1


    Class: Dungeoneer                                                                        Favored Element: Earth


    Commissions Complete: 0


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    After looking over his ID I realize something¡­ I still haven¡¯t given the Avians a name, but Belinda has already begun processing the red avian¡¯s ID.


    Adventurer #122,274 [Dawn]                                                                Base: Tobes


    Race: Avian                                                                                             Gender: Female


    Rank: D                                                                                                    Level: 1


    Class: Mage                                                                                           Favored Element: Fire


    Commissions Complete: 0


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Oh I guess Belinda already took care of their names. She named this one Dawn, if she named the other one Dusk, I would be a little disappointed however.


    Adventurer #122,275 [Twilight]                                                     Base: Tobes


    Race: Avian                                                                                        Gender: Female


    Rank: D                                                                                             Level: 1


    Class: Mage                                                                                      Favored Element: Water


    Commissions Complete: 0


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    ¡­Twilight¡­ Oh well I guess they can rename themselves once they finish with their training. I am a little disappointed they both appear normal enough, otherwise. Both with just a standard Mage class and a favored element, so I almost feel like I let them down.


    After the new cores have their IDs we all then depart, heading back to the house.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright, we should be ready to begin their training. Do you have a room prepared in your dungeon for the training?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I set one up just for this.¡±


    To be on the safe side I use [Gate] to take the six of us into a large, empty, perfectly square room that I had prepared the day before. The only thing in the room other than us, is a large double door on the far side.


    Dyson: ¡°This should work.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we need to summon some equipment for the new cores, and then we can start.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am still not convinced this is going to work, so let¡¯s start off small.¡± ¨CShe presents me with a small xp bead.-


    I add the bead to my inventory adding the ability to summon 5,000xp beads to my dungeon and I then break it down adding the 5,000xp to my total.


    ¡°Alright we will start with Var, I am not familiar with the dungeoneer class so what kind of equipment do you require?¡±


    After an odd look from Var, Dyson clears his throat and says. ¡°I believe he means what kind of equipment would you prefer?¡±


    Var: ¡°Any light to medium armor should do, along with a thin blade and perhaps a buckler or small shield for the added protection.¡±


    I will get Katie to start working on some items for them, but for now I summon a normal steel sword, buckler, and chainmail armor. I give them their own unique design while keeping their quality.


    Var: ¡°Thanks. This should work nicely for now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, now Dawn and Twilight¡­ You both hold the mage class, so what can I get for you?¡±


    With a song like voice Twilight says. ¡°Whatever Papa thinks is best.¡±


    Papa¡­ We aren¡¯t going to go through this again are we? I can already see Dyson and Madam Erin both have smirks on their faces. I try to ignore them while bringing up [Menu] again, and searching for equipment for both avian and mages.


    This actually narrows the results down quite a bit. For some reason normal rods and mage staves are unavailable. Only the battle-staff, and the bladed combat staff are available for weapons. For now I do the same as I did for Var when summoning Dawn a simple battle-staff.


    Dawn: ¡°Thanks papa.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°You¡¯re not going to give me the same thing are you?¡±


    ¡°Well you are a mage as well, so why not?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°At least give me something I can stab someone with¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, fine¡­¡±


    I haven¡¯t summoned a bladed combat staff other than Inari¡¯s so I honestly don¡¯t know what a normal one looks like. It is quite a bit higher xp cost, but we are still doing well so far so I go ahead and summon a bladed combat staff for Dawn.


    Once I summon the staff it looks rather plain¡­ It looks nothing like the staff Inari had. This one looks more like a slightly curved battle-staff with sharp ends is all.


    Twilight: ¡°Not exactly what I had in mind, but it¡¯s acceptable.¡±


    Unfortunately it doesn¡¯t appear there is any armor available to them, so I guess we will have to take it easy on them for a while.


    Dyson: ¡°Alright, now that everyone is ready, we can begin.¡±

 Final Preparations

    ¡°Alright, today we are going to just push them as far as we can, and starting tomorrow we will begin their actual training is that correct?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s right, we want to find out how well this works.¡±


    With [Menu] I add a rift to the small room just through the door. I set them up this way as I can¡¯t summon monsters directly into this room as Dyson, Madam Erin, and Var are all considered intruders. I spent most of the remaining xp I got from Madam Erin on this rift, but it only spawns husky slimes.


    I did however raise the count to 1000 per day up to 5 at a time. This should keep them busy for a few hours at least. I don¡¯t know how many days they will be able to benefit from husky slimes, but with the rift it should at least pay for itself after a few days.


    Dyson and Madam Erin are however a bit skeptical after the first five slimes come slithering into the room through the door.


    Var: ¡°You do realize we are dungeon cores right? Slimes shouldn¡¯t pose any problems once so ever¡­¡±


    ¡°Just trust me.¡±


    My statement seems to satisfy Dyson however Madam Erin still looks a bit skeptical. The new cores however do as they are told and begin dispatching the slimes. It doesn¡¯t even take 5 minutes of almost a constant stream of slimes slithering out of the door before both avians have exhausted their magic and are fallen back to melee combat.


    Var: ¡°There is just no end to them¡­¡±


    I summon Dyson, Madam Erin, and myself some seats and with the groups adventurers IDs we sit back and just watch. After an hour and a half of the endless combat with the slimes they have only gone through about 250 slimes, and they all have already reached level 5.


    Twilight: ¡°Papa please¡­ They are easy to kill now, but they just don¡¯t stop. We need a break¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine, take a few minutes to rest. I will have them hold off for a few minutes.¡±


    The group quickly collapses to the floor after the slimes quit pouring into the room. I then look to Dyson and Madam Erin who are both staring at the groups adventurer IDs in their hands in disbelief.


    Madam Erin: ¡°This is insane¡­ It hasn¡¯t even been two hours yet, and they have already made this much progress¡­¡±


    ¡°The progress goes very quick at first, but even now it will begin to slow down considerably. I was actually hoping the slimes would get us a bit further, but it looks like they aren¡¯t as effective as I had hoped.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°This is ineffective¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well I summoned a rift, and I hoped it would prove useful at least till it paid for itself, but it looks like it might have been cheaper to buy the slimes instead. Well now we know. Alright enough rest you three, I can¡¯t be certain the number you have taken out so far, but by judging by your levels I would say you are about a quarter of the way done.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Just a quarter¡­?¡±


    The group pulls themselves to their feet and begins killing the slimes again. They have reached the point where they are killing slimes with every swing and with the slow movement of the slimes they are starting to get ahead.


    I discuss ideas with Madam Erin and Dyson about how to make it more effective while time slowly passes forward and by the time they finally finish draining the rift for the day the group is just shy of reaching level 8.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I can¡¯t believe we made so much progress in just one day.¡±


    ¡°Like I said however this is the point where things really begin to slow down. We will add some more rifts starting tomorrow, but they will begin to have to take more breaks in-between combat. During their breaks is when Sofia plans to come in and teach them more about adventurers.¡±


    After a bit more discussion the two elders decide to let the new cores stay at the inn, but they head back to their own dungeon with plans to return first thing in the morning¡­


    Like I predicted the next day things slow down considerably. Sofia makes quite a few visits with the group cramming information about adventurers down their throat while they lie exhausted on the floor. They still however manage to make it to level 15 by the end of the first week.


    Madam Erin gives me the xp for their training in small amounts which adds quite a few different sizes of xp beads to my list of available to summon so I don¡¯t really complain about it. Sofia puts a lot of effort into her lessons for the new cores as she seems to be trying really hard to impress Dyson.


    He however has seemed to make an effort to avoid her when she speaks with the new cores. I find it kind of strange that he was the one that suggested to have her help but now seems to be trying his hardest to avoid her¡­


    During the second week of the new cores training is when things start to get far busier. I had to leave Roxy with Dyson and Madam Erin to summon monsters, while Belinda and I headed to the capital to meet with arriving guests.


    Roxy was quite nervous working with the elders at first, but Madam Erin seems to have a soft spot for her so she helps her out quite a bit. By the end of the second week the new core trio has already exhausted the xp for their training, but since we used all rifts this time, they can continue to train while still gathering more xp each day.


    As the wedding quickly approaches I find myself spending far more time in the capital then with the training cores. Roxy and Sofia however have been keeping me informed of the progress, while I meet with some of Belinda¡¯s relatives that she didn¡¯t even know¡­


    I also have the chance to finally meet with Belinda¡¯s other two brothers and mother. They however are not like the king or Logan. Even Belinda¡¯s mom¡­ Let¡¯s just say I see where the rest of Belinda¡¯s family gets their personalities from.


    During one of our trips to the capital, Logan approaches with large smile on his face.


    Logan: ¡°I must apologize baby sister, but I must steal your fianc¨¦ for a few hours. Father requested that he join in on a meeting.¡±


    Belinda looks a little concerned but happy as well as she says. ¡°Why does father want Two-Twelve there?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Now that Ben and Doug are back, he wants to have a meeting with all his sons, and father and I agreed that Two-Twelve is close enough, so he wants him there as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­You sure it¡¯s going to be ok¡­?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I make sure he is alright.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like you are taking me into battle, not a family meeting¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°That may be a good way to describe it, but don¡¯t worry I will have your back.¡±


    Belinda seems hesitant to let go of my arm but she eventually does as Logan leads me from the room. He leads me though the hallways humming a happy tune, but once he reaches a large door he stops placing a hand on each of my shoulders and looks at me with a serious expression.


    Logan: ¡°Like I said I got your back, and father has so far been quite impressed with you, but don¡¯t let your guard down in here. Don¡¯t let any of them talk down to you, but choose your words carefully as well.¡±


    After I nod he leads me through the doors. The room is rather smaller then I would have guessed, with a large table in the center. With Logan entering it appears all of Belinda¡¯s brothers are now present. Although there is only a large chair at the head of the table empty and one right next to it Logan quickly pulls up another chair and motions for me to sit.


    Belinda¡¯s brothers seem pretty shocked when they see me. I haven¡¯t gotten a good impression from any of them so far, but the looks they now give me are almost downright hostile.


    Ben: ¡°Logan! What is the meaning of this?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am not sure what you mean.¡± ¨CHe says with a smirk sitting in his chair next to me.-


    Ben looks like he is about to say something else but instead everyone quickly stands with Logan pulling me up as well as the King enters. After Belinda¡¯s dad takes his seat we all take our seats again. The conversation seems to have stopped, but you can tell Ben is not happy with my presence.


    King Rondsom: ¡°It is good to see all my sons again in one place. It has been far too long.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°Father I mean no disrespect but what is Belinda¡¯s thing doing here. Surely you didn¡¯t approve of such¡­¡±


    Quinn however is quickly silenced as the king raises his hand.


    King Rondsom: ¡°Then the matters concerning your own marriage are progressing quite well then?¡±


    Quinn quickly looks down and says. ¡°No sir¡­ But with the continued success with the communication parchment princess Rose has at least began to accept my letters, so I believe I am getting closer.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°So instead of questioning my decisions, maybe you should thank the man, who is soon to be the newest member of our family, for his contribution in the task left to you.¡±


    Quinn doesn¡¯t raise his head as he simply says. ¡°Yes sir¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Now Benneit, I see you to have questions regarding the young man¡¯s presence here?¡±


    Ben: ¡°I can appreciate his contribution of the communication parchment, but to even allow him to join in our meeting seems to be a bit much.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I see. Does that mean you managed to get the king of Duscae to assist us should we go to war with Longolia?¡±


    Ben: ¡°¡­ No sir they still insist they wish to remain neutral.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Mayor, where is it you and my daughter are going for your honeymoon?¡±


    ¡°¡­Well following your suggestion¡­ Belinda and I agreed to go to the Longolia capital for a honeymoon in hopes to ease the tension a bit¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Very good. Logan how has the effects of the mayor¡¯s work had on the kingdom?¡±


    Logan: ¡°No matter how much we grow the production of the communication parchments we can¡¯t seem to catch up, and they have easily become a major factor in not only the kingdoms income, but political power as well. Then there is Tobes itself. It is now teetering on the border of raising its classification from a town to a small city. Its exports from the Elemental Stronghold have become a major boon to the economy of not only the kingdom but the entire region.¡±


    Ben appears angry but doesn¡¯t say anything else while Logan maintains a smug look on his face. After that the conversation shifts and the king discusses politics, issues, and other things concerning the kingdom and its neighbors.


    When the conversation turns to Longolia it seem the tensions have been continually rising for years now, but with the sudden economic boom in Gowen the tensions have escalated. They even speak in detail how they hope Belinda and my honeymoon there will be seen as a move of good faith.


    It seems no matter how a conversation starts though it always ends on either the communication parchment or Tobes though, so the others don¡¯t seem to change their attitude with me the entire time¡­ Once the king dismisses everyone Logan takes my arm and asks me to stick around for a minute.


    After only the king, Logan, and I remain the king even dismisses Logan leaving me alone with the king¡­


    King Rondsom: ¡°Please, relax. I just wanted to say a few things just between us. I wanted to start with an apology it seems I made of matters worse between you, Benneit, and Quinn. Douglas however seems to have changed his mind about you however.¡±


    ¡°An apology is far from necessary. Even I found it rather odd to be included in the meeting.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°My sons are rather strong willed like their mother, and sometimes need to be reminded of their place. I am just sorry it had to be at your expense this time. Now as to the matters concerning your honey moon, I know I am the one that asked this of you, but it could be dangerous.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Belinda and I talked about it including the risks that could be involved. With Belinda being a hero now we figured they wouldn¡¯t try to start any trouble, at least not directly. Besides Belinda is looking forward to the seaside honeymoon¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°And what of Tobes, how will it fare in your absence?¡±


    ¡°Well in truth you seem to be giving me too much credit on that front. Most of the progress in Tobes is due to Belinda, another entrepreneur, and the dungeon. I just stamp the forms¡­But I have left it in good hands. If anything seriously goes wrong they have a communication parchment, and we can use Belinda¡¯s teleportation spell if we must.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I see. Well my boy. Good luck, and I will see you at the ceremony in a few days.¡±


    The king then dismisses me and I meet back up with Logan who is waiting just outside the door. He is joined with Belinda¡¯s youngest brother Douglas. I have not really had a chance to talk to him before, and he stayed rather quite during the meeting but he is now chatting quite annoyingly with Logan.


    Doug: ¡°Please brother! I am old enough now. Please! Please!¡±


    Logan: ¡°We will discuss it later¡­ Ah good. Two-Twelve, I see things seemed to go alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems so.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well I had a few things to go over with you, but I have a prior agreement with Doug here, so I will have to catch back up to you later.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I don¡¯t mind, if Belinda¡¯s fianc¨¦ doesn¡¯t mind tagging along, he can come with us.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am sure with just over 48 hours till his wedding. He has a lot of things to deal with instead of following us around town¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I should really get back¡­¡±


    Logan nods and with a little disappointment from Doug I depart heading back to Belinda and the preparations. When we are done for the day we use [Gate] to go home for the day. The next morning comes and I spend my last morning with Dyson, Madam Erin, and the new cores.


    The new core¡¯s progress has come quite a long way. With just over a week to go with their training they are already nearing level 20. With the wedding and such they won¡¯t be able to use my dungeon very well so this evening they plan on taking them to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon for their final week.


    It took Katie quite a substantial bit of effort but she has managed to make some gear for all three of the new cores which I present to them with. Unfortunately the best quality of equipment that Katie can make is expert quality, but she made Var a [Expert Quality Dwarven Rapier], [Expert Quality Dwarven Buckler], and something she was exceptionally proud of a [Expert Quality Dwarven Reinforced Archer¡¯s Armor] with a [Dwarven Half-helmet].


    For the girls I had Katie just make a bladed staff from dwarven metal so I could summon some specially designed ones. Which both turned out as [Intricately Designed Dwarven Bladed-staff]s. Katie also put quite a extraordinary bit of effort into taking two [Master Quality Magician¡¯s Robes] I summoned and while working closely with the tailor in town was able to customize them to fit the girls while weaving in small dwarven plates to turn them into [Dwarven Reinforced Avian Magician¡¯s Robes].


    Customizing the robes lowered their quality quite a bit, but they are still the best set of robes I have ever seen. I have seen some of the B-ranked mages wearing reinforced robes before, but they have always used leather.


    I am also not sure how it works but when they were added to my list for items available to summon they are still considered robes and not armor, even though their protection is vastly higher than some of the adventurers that still enter the dungeon.


    After the new cores thank me for the gifts Madam Erin says. ¡°Giving you Katie might have been a mistake. At only a few years old you have already surpassed some dungeons that are over 100 years old.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am sure he would of found a way regardless of the dwarven smith, but I would have to agree even though his dungeon isn¡¯t great in size the way he has designed it is superb.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the compliments, but I am just doing what I can to try to survive. Even now the strength of the adventurers entering my dungeon continues to raise in which makes me quite nervous, and I even haven¡¯t had to deal with another hero since Listel.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It will mellow out. When they first learn of the dungeon the high ranking adventurers always come in droves, but once they get bored things tend to slow down considerably. I don¡¯t think I have even had an A-ranked adventurer or hero enter my dungeon in the last century.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is only because there hasn¡¯t been an A-ranked adventurer in that long, and the other reason is your dungeon is boring. The same monsters over and over for floor after floor, that¡¯s the reason I avoided your dungeon back when I was still human.¡±


    Madam Erin laughs then says. ¡°Well then at least it gets the job done and keeps out the riffraff.¡±


    Dyson and Madam Erin continue to bicker to each other and Dawn approaches me.


    Dawn: ¡°Papa, thanks for everything, I can tell you put in a lot of work to make sure we can take care of ourselves. It may be a long time till we can see you again so take care, and make sure to treat Belinda right ok?¡±


    She then wraps me in a hug. She may be a mage, but with their aggressive leveling and her height being equal to that of Madam Erin, her firm hug is actually quite strong and makes it feel like my eyes might pop out of my head.


    ¡°It really wasn¡¯t that great¡­ Katie was the one that did most of the work. I am just sorry I couldn¡¯t do more, or be here for the rest of your training.¡±


    Twilight then walks up slapping me on the back, but with her clawed hands it almost feels like being stabbed with daggers as she says.


    Twilight: ¡°Non-sense, we are far better prepared then what we would have been if we were born not even a few years ago, so think nothing of it. Besides I am sure Elder Dyson and Elder Madam Erin are still not done with us.¡±


    Var too approaches and thanks me, and after watching the group use their equipment for the first time to deal with the monsters from the rifts we had prepared for the their training I leave the last of it up to Madam Erin and Dyson heading back to the house.


    We plan on coming for the girls so they can attend the wedding first thing in the morning, but for now Belinda and I return to the capital alone to complete the last bit of preparations.


    After a few hours of our preparations, I see Belinda arguing with Logan. Doug is with Logan, but he is pale faces and avoiding eye contact.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Logan then quickly puts on a big smile throwing up his arms, and says. ¡°There he is!¡±


    He then pushes past Belinda moving over to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulder. ¡°Now come on sis, it¡¯s a tradition. You know me no funny business. We are even taking Doug along!¡±


    Belinda still looks rather upset but she says. ¡°Fine! Don¡¯t keep him out all night either, he has to have his sit down with mother tomorrow remember!¡±


    Logan: ¡°I know. I know you don¡¯t have to worry!¡±


    Belinda still looks rather hesitant as Logan then drags me from the room with Doug following quickly behind.


    ¡°What exactly is going on?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Your bachelor¡¯s party of course! You don¡¯t think I would let you marry my sister without throwing you a bachelor¡¯s party do you?¡±


    ¡°¡­uh¡­What exactly is a bachelor¡¯s party?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Come on! You don¡¯t even know what a bachelor¡¯s party is? It¡¯s your last night as a free man, we got to live it up, go drinking, and have a good time!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you do that all the time anyway?¡±


    Logan: ¡°This is different! Besides without Kline it has been kind of dull around here and this will be Doug¡¯s first chance to hang out with the big boys!¡±


    ¡°What about all the final preparations for the wedding though?¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s what I am telling you this is part of it!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Most of the times when I have went out with Logan he always hits a tavern and just hunkers down and drinks, but tonight we seem to be bouncing around quite a bit from tavern to tavern. He seems to be enjoying it a great deal as at every one he announces it¡¯s my bachelor¡¯s party which always causes the tavern to cheer¡­


    Doug has been trying to keep up all evening but he has even fallen behind me and he appears to losing the fight to his drunkenness. After leaving a tavern Doug whispers into Logan¡¯s ear which causes a sly smile to form on Logan¡¯s face.


    Logan then nods and he then quiets down considerably¡­ We then travel quite a few of the capital streets darting from one place to the next like Logan is trying to be secretive. We then arrive at a building that reminds me greatly of Denova¡¯s brothel¡­


    Once inside it appears much like Denova¡¯s tavern in her brothel with quite a few scantily clad women making suggestive passes on the patrons, while others are literally nude dancing around¡­ Doug quickly begins makes his paces around looking like a kid in a candy store while Logan leads us to a table and we sit down.


    After ordering us some drinks I ask Logan. ¡°What are we doing in a brothel?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Ah but you see it¡¯s not. A prince like me or Doug wouldn¡¯t be able to go to a brothel without it causing a big uproar. The same goes for quite a few higher political positions, but this place. It is like window shopping you get to look but not touch, so nobody bats an eye.¡±


    I look around relatively confused¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°what¡¯s to get? Who doesn¡¯t like to look at beautiful women? Of course for some extra gold you can discreetly have a ¡°private dance¡± with one of the girls, but if we were to do something like that Belinda and Queen would kill us¡­ Doug on the other hand, I was basically an adult already when he was born and have never got to spend much time with him so I don¡¯t know how ventured he is. Perhaps I can make it up to him tonight and he can have a better night then both of us.¡±


    We stay here for quite a while, and Logan seems to be enjoying himself with several women coming around shaking their bodies in our faces¡­ Doug on the other hand seems to be enjoying himself even more, as he has picked up the pace of his drinking and is now really drunk.


    I however just sit back slowly sipping away on my alcohol. It isn¡¯t like the women aren¡¯t good looking, I just don¡¯t find any of them to be attractive¡­ That is all except one. There is a young beastkin woman, by her ears and tail I can¡¯t really tell what kind of beastkin she is, and she has stuck to the other side of the room since we have been here.


    She has stuck close to one of the other girls at all times and doesn¡¯t even dance unless the girl she is with dances, and never with any of the patrons, but when she does dance it is quite a sight to be had¡­ She has large fluffy pawed gloves and boots on and her clothing too seems to reference the animal she takes after.


    Out of all the beastkin women the only others that share the same similar type clothing are others that share another trait¡­ A large steel collar around their necks¡­ Several of the human women have collars as well but they don¡¯t appear to be dressed any differently, but they do seem to be having to work twice as hard.


    I try to sit back and just enjoy my drink while Logan and Doug enjoy themselves, but I can¡¯t help my eyes wandering to the young beastkin woman every time she begins to dance. The fact doesn¡¯t pass Logan either as he says.


    Logan: ¡°Thank goodness¡­ I was starting to wonder if we made a mistake coming here because you seemed so disinterested¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh its nothing like that, I just think she dances well is all¡­¡±


    Logan smirks and says. ¡°I bet. I am a little worried for my sister, because with all the beautiful women around you still single out one of the beastkin. Maybe there is some truth to the rumors I have heard about the beastkin loving mayor of Tobes?¡±


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t like that¡­¡±


    Logan whispers to one of the employees motioning to the beastkin woman. After the woman looks over to the beastkin she says.


    Dancer: ¡°I am sorry sir, but she is a new arrival¡­ She isn¡¯t ready to interact with customers yet.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    Dancer: ¡°Of course sir¡­¡±


    Logan then whispers to the girl and she looks conflicted¡­


    Dancer: ¡°I will have to ask the boss¡­¡±


    She then departs from the table.


    ¡°All that wasn¡¯t necessary¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Of course it was, this is your night, and I can¡¯t have you not enjoying it like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what isn¡¯t necessary.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You will thank me later, trust me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After a few minutes you can see the woman Logan was talking to talk to the beastkin woman and the other woman she is with. They both look confused and the woman Logan spoke with just shrugs her shoulders.


    The beastkin woman and the one with her then make their way over to us, but it is the human woman that speaks.


    Dancer: ¡°I thank you for your patronage Prince Logan, the boss said you would like Aria to perform for you?


    Logan: ¡°Not me, but for my friend here.¡±


    Dancer: ¡°Very well, but I must inform you again that she is still in training, so it may result in a less than satisfactory performance, and I will stay here with her to make sure she doesn¡¯t mess up to bad.¡±


    After Logan nods the dancer moves over to Aria and whispers in her ear. Aria nods and begins to blush as she starts dancing much like she was on the other side of the room.


    Even though her clothing and dance are rather erotic I find watching her more soothing then erotic¡­ After the better look at her I can now see she appears to be some kind of cat beastkin, but she isn¡¯t quite the same as other cat beastkin that I have seen.


    Her dance starts off pretty rough with her blushing quite a bit, but after a bit she starts moving with much more grace. Every so often the human woman pushes her forward a little closer. I don¡¯t even notice as I am focused on her dance until she is close enough she accidently kicks me in the head when she gets to close.


    She quickly drops to her knees with tears in her eyes as she starts apologizing profusely, and the human woman quickly starts apologizing to Logan.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright really¡­¡± ¨CI take her large gloved hand pulling her back to her feet. - ¡°Would you like to try again?¡±


    The human woman breathes a sigh of relief while Aria nods while blushing, and although I don¡¯t notice it Logan sits back with a large smirk on his face. After another dance in which this time Aria completes without incident the human woman practically forces her to sit in my lap.


    I try to object which causes the woman to stop, but after she looks to Logan, he whispers to the human woman and she then makes Aria sit down in my lap. Logan then makes a motion to Doug and the human woman sits in Doug¡¯s lap.


    Aria actually danced for quite a while so as she is sitting in my lap it¡¯s hard to ignore her as much as I try with her heavy breathes, and I can practically feel the heat from her face as she is blushing.


    The human woman rubs her hands all over Doug while picking up his drink and practically pours it down his throat. He however seems to be enjoying it quite a bit and has a big smile on his face. Seeing this Aria awkwardly picks up my mug with her gloved hands and tries to make me drink, but she only manages to pour my drink down the front of my shirt.


    She quickly begins blushing heavily again, setting my drink back on the table, and brushing my shirt with her gloved hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¨CI cast [Clean] on myself.-


    Aria then speaks for the first time in a soft voice. ¡°I am Aria.¡± After saying her name brings up her gloved hands and lets out a cute little roar sound.


    ¡°¡­I gathered that when the other woman called you by name earlier, but what was the rest of that about?¡±


    Aria: ¡°Crescendo? She has been taking care of me while I get used to things around here. Roar~¡±


    I can¡¯t help but laugh while saying. ¡°No, that the sound you made.¡±


    Aria: ¡°My roar? Roar~¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ I guess so.¡±


    She hesitates for a moment then says. ¡°I just like doing it. Roar~¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The human woman, I guess her name is Crescendo, then takes the last little bit of alcohol in the bottom of Doug¡¯s mug and purposely drips it onto her cleavage. Doug laps it up but then quickly looks around blushing.


    Aria begins to blush again as she looks over at my mug.


    ¡°No, no, no¡­ That¡¯s ok. It looks like we are both in a bit of an uncomfortable spot. If you just want to sit there I think that would make Logan happy and you won¡¯t have to do anything else ok?¡±


    Raising her gloved hands up again she just replies with ¡°Roar~¡±


    Things progress pretty quietly after that, with Logan getting a few more dances from some of the other dancers, and even Crescendo seems to maintain a status quo at a certain level not letting Doug pass it as she continue pouring drinks down his throat¡­


    I just sip my drinks slowly while talking with Aria, but it seems if I try to ask personal questions she cuts me off with one of her cute little roars so I eventually quit asking about her and just try to hold a general conversation¡­


    When Doug ends up passing out into Crescendo¡¯s cleavage Logan finally decides to call the evening. He however gets Aria to give me one more dance before we carry Doug out into the night.


    Logan: ¡°Such a lightweight, to think he missed the best part. Oh well I think we will have a few more chances after your wedding till he has to set back out. What about you? Did you at least enjoy yourself?¡±


    ¡°Well it was definitely different¡­¡±


    Not long after that Doug starts throwing up, so we end up hiring some transportation to take us back the rest of the way to the castle. After bidding me a good night he follows some guards as they carry Doug off.


    By the time I reach Belinda¡¯s room she is already peacefully sleeping in bed, so I just slide in with her and go to sleep as well.

 The Wedding

    When I wake up the next morning I feel around in the bed, but find myself alone. After getting up and getting dressed I set out into the castle. The first person I run into however is Bell.


    Bell: ¡°Good morning¡­ I will let Belinda know you have finally awoken.¡±


    Without another word she travels back down the hallway. Next I run into Logan and Doug. Doug looks a little worse for wear but Logan is trying to get him to drink that odd green liquid he uses to cure his hangovers¡­


    Doug: ¡°I don¡¯t know it smells disgusting¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°It really helps though I promise.¡±


    ¡°He is right, he has given me some in the past and it really does work like he says.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Oh Two-Twelve you are up I see. Do you need some as well?¡±


    ¡°No I am fine¡­¡±


    Doug finally pinches his nose and quickly throws back the drink, he then coughs and has a sour look on his face with the appearance that he is about to throw up.


    Logan: ¡°There you will be as good as new in no time. Two-Twelve, do you think you can keep Doug company for a bit, I need to start meeting with some of the guests.¡±


    ¡°I guess but what is it I am supposed to do?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Normally you would meet with your guests, but I think Belinda said she is taken care of all that so I guess it¡¯s just a waiting game now.¡±


    Logan then slaps Doug on the back and heads off. Doug still doesn¡¯t look like he is in too good of shape to I help him over to a chair to sit down.


    ¡°It is kind of heavy on the stomach, but once the nausea passes so does the rest of the hangover.¡±


    After sitting with him for a while he starts to regain his color and he says. ¡°Thanks¡­ I am sure you got a lot better things to do then sit here with me.¡±


    ¡°Well you heard Logan. I just got to wait till they are ready for me I guess.¡±


    Doug: ¡°So what happened after a passed out last night?¡±


    ¡°After you passed out we called it shortly after and just come back to the castle.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I am sorry, I guess I kind of ruined it for you.¡±


    ¡°Truth be told, I wasn¡¯t very comfortable there, so I wasn¡¯t disappointed in the least to leave.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I guess that is one thing Ben got right about you. You are pretty straight-laced¡­¡±


    ¡°I have only met Ben twice and you were there both times, so anything he says he knows about me has to be rumors or just his opinion so I wouldn¡¯t look too much into it.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well just getting along with Logan is enough to turn you on Ben¡¯s bad side.¡±


    ¡°Well at least now I know I didn¡¯t do something to him directly, I was starting to wonder if I had more enemies among Belinda¡¯s family then allies¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well Father seems to think very highly of you. He spoke more to your defense then I have heard him do to any of his actual children including Logan, so as long as you are in his good graces I doubt even Mother will try to rock the boat.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t really understand how I managed that¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°My one warning to you though is if something ever happens to father, until Logan manages to get things under control I would seriously watch your back, and if something were to happen to Logan after that I would just run.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not very comforting to hear¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well Father is still fit as can be, so I am sure you have nothing to worry about for the foreseeable future.¡±


    ¡°When I first met your father I have to say he was quite younger than I expected.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Yea Father was barely 15 when Logan was born. Many of the politicians hope with Logan being so close in age to Father that he will have a son to take the throne instead of taking it himself when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°I was under the impression the people liked Logan¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°Oh they do¡­ They all feel he would be a fair king, but they think he is too soft, and would never be a great king. That is the main reason for the discord between Logan and Ben.¡±


    ¡°From the conversations I have had with your father though I would think Logan and the king are quite similar. Sure Logan is more outspoken, but I still think its close¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well if you have seen enough of Father to come to that conclusion I really am impressed. I wouldn¡¯t say that out loud however or someone might toss you out of the castle by your ears.¡±


    ¡°So what are your plans after the wedding? You were with Ben and your Mother in Duscae before right?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Yes, but after Father¡¯s meeting the other day, I am actually looking forward to sticking around here for a while.¡±


    ¡°Well we with the exception of the wedding we usually don¡¯t make it out to the capital very often, so if you make it out to Tobes. You would be more then welcome I am sure.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well that¡¯s good to hear. I am feeling much better now, and I am sure you got quite a bit to prepare before you have the sit down with Mother, so I won¡¯t hold you up any longer.¡±


    Doug too leaves, and I am again standing by myself in the hallways of the castle¡­ After a bit more wandering around the next person I bump into however seems to be the end of my good luck.


    Mindy: ¡°Uh¡­Well then. It is time you meet with Mother, and as much as it pains me I will show you the way¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Thanks.¡±


    Mindy looks dissatisfied the entire time she leads me down the hallways, never saying a word as we go. I can¡¯t be for certain but the door she leads me to appears to be the same one the meeting with the king and the others took place the other day.


    Mindy rudely tells me to wait in the hallway, and then heads inside. After what seems like an hour Tanya is the one to open the door telling me to enter. Tanya quickly takes a seat back towards the head of the table next to her mother before I even get the chance to make my way up to the table.


    Belinda¡¯s Mother and both of her sisters are sitting at the head of the table looking on with sour expressions. It is easy to tell they are all related, but if I didn¡¯t know better I would be hard pressed to tell which Belinda¡¯s Mother was and which Mindy was¡­


    Tanya however still hasn¡¯t even begun to lose her youthful appearance, and only looks a few years older than Belinda. I am not exactly sure what to do so I walk up to the table but remain standing. It isn¡¯t long however till Mindy rudely gestures me to sit.


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°No matter how many times I look at you, I still don¡¯t see what my daughter was thinking¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°You should be. We could have used Belinda for far greater political gain until you came along.¡±


    I always talk about Tobes and the communication parchment as not my achievements, but I lean on both as I try to defend myself with them¡­


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°As a citizen of Gowen that is your responsibility. Maybe being granted a small title, but the hand of one of the Gowen princesses? I can¡¯t see what Rondsom was thinking¡­¡±


    ¡­I am starting to think the same thing, but for another reason of course¡­


    ¡°I gladly did it to help Belinda, but I am not originally from Gowen, so saying it¡¯s my responsibility as one of its citizens is pushing it a bit isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°After taking up residence in Tobes you became a citizen of Gowen, so yes it was your responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Well I am sorry, but I am not exactly sure what you expect me to say¡­¡±


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°He seems rather simple minded as well¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Well what can you expect from a slave? I am sure Belinda chose him just as a slap in the face to the family name.¡±


    ¡°I mean no disrespect, but I believe that is uncalled for. Belinda¡¯s father approved the marriage, and even allowed me to sit at this table along with your sons, so I don¡¯t feel the way you are speaking to me is warranted.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s mother looks appalled and appears like she is about to say something, but after Mindy nods she just shuts her mouth with an even more appalled expression¡­ After a few minutes of silence Belinda¡¯s mother finally speaks again but only to say.


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°Well it looks like it is a lost cause. You won¡¯t get my approval, but I can¡¯t deny Rondsom¡¯s approval either. After the wedding just take my worthless daughter to that forest hamlet of yours and leave the kingdom to your betters¡­¡±


    I can¡¯t take anymore, she hasn¡¯t dismissed me yet, but I stand anyway and before storming out of the room I say. ¡°I take quite a bit for Belinda and am willing to take a lot more. I however am not going to sit here and let you talk down on her like that after she appears to be the only one truly making a difference in this kingdom.¡±


    After slamming the door after entering the hallway I start to regret my decision but I then hear a slow clap a few feet to my left. I quickly look over to find Logan leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face.


    Logan: ¡°You sure seem to like making friends. I am not quite sure father would approve of such a thing, but for him to learn of it he would have to hear Mothers account as well, so I am sure between you, me, and the doorknob. That is as far as that conversation will see the light of day. Especially with the fact of them having to admit they got told off.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°You can call me about anything you want, but the one thing I won¡¯t stand for is anyone to talk down about my girls, and that goes double for Belinda.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Oh I agree, you hold no blame in that matter, but I don¡¯t think even I would have had the courage to stand in front of all three and talk to them like that.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well you better start getting ready for your wedding, and I will go inform sis that you already met with Mother.¡±


    ¡°I got everything I need already, if you are heading to the cathedral I will just tag along.¡±


    Logan: ¡°What about your clothes?¡±


    After drawing a line in the air I reach into an empty space beyond pulling my clothing partly out to show him. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to lose it¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Teleportation and Storage? Maybe I should go back to training¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really that big of a deal.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well I have always been useless at magic. I always thought that was something Belinda and I shared, but I guess that isn¡¯t true anymore either¡­ is it?¡±


    ¡°She started to pick it up pretty good before becoming a hero, but the benefits of being a hero are pretty good.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Maybe I could talk Queen into letting me take out the dungeon there at Leona ruins, it already came back once. Maybe it will do it again, and besides with the growth of the dungeon in Tobes it looks to be a far more promising prospect for training the troops anyway.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Well I wouldn¡¯t even suggest it if I was you¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°I guess you are right, she seems pretty hung up on the dungeon there for some reason.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Speaking of Queen, how are things going between the two of you?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Honestly it¡¯s pretty stale¡­ It¡¯s great when we are together, but we are both so busy we can go entire months without being able to see one another. If things keep going like this I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°You used to spend months at a time out from the capital while adventuring, maybe you should tell your father, if he wants to have grandchildren in the future you are going to have to take some time to try to build a relationship.¡±


    Logan: ¡°There is just so much going on with the communication parchment¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sure you have enough staff now that they wouldn¡¯t even notice you gone if you ducked out for a while.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You are probably right, but I don¡¯t want Mindy or Tanya sinking their talons into it while I am not looking either.¡±


    ¡°You are making the communication parchment for god¡¯s sake. If something comes up your employees could warn you.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You know¡­ You might actually be on to something there¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides it¡¯s not like you are traveling across the countryside, you will just be a few days out at the Leona Ruins.¡±


    Logan: ¡°New Leona.¡±


    ¡°New Leona?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Queen named the town sprouting up there New Leona. I suggested something different, but she was pretty adamant on New Leona.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    When we arrive at the cathedral there is quite a commotion going on, and working our way through the crowd I easily see why. There are two suspicious people just standing there taking in the sights. When one of them spots me however I quickly hear.


    Twilight: ¡°Papa! Papa! We came to watch you get married!¡±


    The entire crowd almost turns to me in unison¡­


    ¡°¡­ Hey girls¡­ What are you doing out here? What about Madam Erin and Dyson¡­¡¯s descendent?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°It is rather stuffy in there and we have been training for so long we wanted to take in the sights and get some fresh air.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That conversation had about 5 questioning points that I don¡¯t even know where to start¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, this is Dawn and Twilight. Madam Erin apparently knows the Dyson family as well. Dyson¡¯s descendant and Madam Erin where helping these two much like Madam Erin helped me, and they have been training in my dungeon the last few weeks.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Your dungeon?¡±


    ¡°That is the dungeon in Tobes I mean¡­¡±


    With so much going on between dungeons and humans it¡¯s starting to all run together I am going to have to be more careful in the future¡­


    Logan: ¡°Does that mean I get to meet Queen¡¯s brother finally as well?¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­? It sounds like it¡¯s a good possibility.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Queen must be tickled pink¡­ She hasn¡¯t seen him in so long, when she heard he made a few visits to Tobes she was beside herself at the fact she missed him.¡±


    ¡°So Queen is here as well?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Of course, she can¡¯t stay long, but she arrived first thing this morning.¡±


    ¡°Well we better get inside¡­ You girls don¡¯t cause any trouble ok¡­?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Yes Papa!¡±


    ¡­After entering the cathedral it seems one spectacle after the next with Queen in her mythril armor¡­ Dyson in his adamantine armor minus the helm¡­ and then just Madam Erin¡¯s presence alone¡­ Logan quickly excuses himself to join Queen who is excitedly speaking with Dyson, while Zoey comes up to me.


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss, I see you finally made it. Come on I will show you where to get ready.¡±


    ¡°What about everyone else?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It¡¯s been pure chaos since everyone started arriving so a bit more time won¡¯t hurt anything. Belinda however will kill us both if you¡¯re not ready on time.¡±


    Zoey leads me to a room where she leaves me to get ready, I however can tell she is waiting just outside the door like she is worried I might try to run away or something¡­ Putting the outfit on by myself proves to be quite a chore.


    I eventually cheat by casting [Gate] stepping though the portal, quickly equipping the clothes with [Menu], then stepping back though the portal before it shuts. After walking out the door Zoey quickly looks me over suspiciously then says ¡°Cheater¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk¡­ You used [Menu] to put yours on for your wedding as well.¡±


    Zoey has a sheepish grin on her face as she says. ¡°Yea, but we had my wedding at the house, so that¡¯s different.¡±


    Zoey and I then return to the main hall where everyone is gathered. Zoey quickly goes to join Roxy who is talking to Sofia, Bell, and Katie. I however head to the large group that is gathered around Logan, Queen, Dyson, and Madam Erin.


    ¡°Quite a group we got here¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Yea¡­ Sorry about that everyone just started coming up asking questions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, but I was quite surprised to see you here.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well we were invited weren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Well of course¡­But I figured you would have more pressing matters?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Interacting with large groups of people will be good for their training.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I visit with them for a while and then go check on the girls.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Lilah or Lylah.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am going to go get them just before it starts. To try to get away with the restriction placed for adventurers to avoid the dungeon today, a group tried to sneak in yesterday evening and camped out on the third floor last night.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I have never seen Belinda so mad¡­ She even told Lilah and Lylah to Deal with them¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    More and more people begin to arrive. Many of them are people I don¡¯t even know. When Belinda¡¯s sisters and mother arrives things turn awkward for a few minutes. After speaking with Dyson and Madam Erin however Madam Erin lets out a loud laugh that echoes though the room and then turns her back on them walking off¡­


    Belinda¡¯s Mother appears like she is about to pop a vein in her face, but she says nothing else retreating though a door. Mindy and Tanya quickly follow her like lost puppies¡­ Logan is standing nearby with a look of disbelief on his face.


    When Ben and Quinn arrive they seem vastly interested in Queen, Dyson, and Madam Erin, but they keep eyeing Logan avoiding the group. Doug however quickly goes to join Logan. After Logan introduces Doug to everyone it seems to make Ben and Quinn even more envious.


    Not long after Roxy ducks out to go get Lilah and Lylah I begin to hear whispers that the King has arrived, but I have yet to see him anywhere. Not long after that everyone starts to take their seats as things begin to start.


    Once everyone takes their positions the wedding finally beings to get underway.


    The noisy grand cathedral grows quickly grows quiet making the only sound to be heard coming from a large group of musicians as they begin to play signifying the start. To say the event was drawn out would be an understatement¡­


    After the initial ceremony it was followed by lots of grandiose speeches, and congratulatory toasts¡­ Out of the entire event the only things that made the entire thing worth it was the truly stunning beauty Belinda was in her wedding dress, and to see the enjoyment she got from the wedding.


    The king requested a visit with Dyson and Madam Erin, but they somehow managed to slip out and disappear before he got the chance. After saying his speech and congratulating us he too then disappeared.


    The rest of Belinda¡¯s family remained till the conclusion most of whom stuck around it seems just out of spite¡­


    After everything is eventually over we check to make sure everything is set for our departure on our honeymoon before retreating to an inn for the night.


    The next morning comes way too quickly and I am rather tired for obvious reasons, but after we double check everything one last time we then depart on a carriage heading south to the Longolia kingdom for our honeymoon.


    Queen¡¯s new village is the last stop in the Gowen kingdom before crossing the border, so we decide to stop there for a day before proceeding out of Gowen.


    The work Queen has accomplished in her village seems quite impressive. Belinda did most of the work in Tobes, but Queen has taken care of her dungeon, her village, and even traveled far more then I have and has still progressed this much.


    Queen shows us around the village a bit, and introduces us to some people, and I can¡¯t help but feel Queen has already surpassed me on many aspects¡­ I always knew Queen was probably the stronger dungeon core, but now it seems like she will pass me in every aspect.


    After we leave passing over the Gowen/Longolia border I decide to double down on the dungeon and Tobes when we return. The next few weeks of travel are pretty hectic. Every hamlet and village we come across on the way to the capital seems to already know who we are and they all treat us pretty badly.


    I knew there was a bit of hostility between Gowen and Longolia, as our trip here itself was to help with the relations a bit, but it seems everyone down to the last pig handler knows who we are and are looking down on us.


    We even seem to have to pass excessive amounts of military checkpoints on the way, and most of which seem like they were set up specifically for us to flex their military strength in our faces. Even though they all seem to know exactly who we are and what we are doing they still each hold us up for hours questioning us like they don¡¯t.


    I want to just use the teleport magic to hurry up and get to the capital, but Belinda said we have to do this the right way. At least once we finally arrive we can return home with the magic so it at least won¡¯t be this way on our way back home.


    Speaking of home Tobes seems to be running pretty smoothly without us. The girls seem to have everything taking care of pretty well. We have yet to see a single trace of snow, but apparently it has begun to fall in Tobes.


    After almost 3 straight weeks of travel we finally arrive at the coastal capital of Longolia¡­


    As we step out of the carriage at the inn we will be staying at during our visit I am stuck with a sight of the ocean in a panoramic view extending as far as the eye can see. With the sounds of the waves crashing barely audible, the sounds of the sea birds, and the bustle of the city goers I feel like I have stepped into another world.


    When Belinda exits behind me she has quite the marvelous expression on her face and she seems really excited.


    Belinda: ¡°I haven¡¯t been to the beach since I was a little kid, and there are actual beaches here! Off the coast of Gowen it was mainly rock. It might have been a long trip but it was so worth it.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not all fun we still have to do some work for you father while we are here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know but it is our honeymoon we should at least enjoy as much of it as we can. Once we get everything set up in the inn why don¡¯t we head down to the beach?¡±


    After I agree we then make our way into the inn. The inn itself is quite lavish, and its better than anything we have stayed in at Gowen. I would even say it¡¯s on par with the Gowen castle itself. After securing our room Belinda quickly changes and urges me to do the same to head down to the beach.


    Belinda: ¡°So what do you think?¡± ¨CShe says as she steps out in her swimsuit.-


    Belinda¡¯s swimsuit is quite plain one-piece of a blue color, but the way it hugs her curves along with a light shirt she has over the top and a sarong around her waist is very eye catching. Even the goofy looking hat on her head adds a unique charm to it.


    ¡°You look great, but somehow I feel your outfit is rather different than mine¡­¡±


    I now feel a little foolish standing here wearing nothing but a tight pair of shorts that makes the outfits Denova¡¯s girls wear seem like ballroom dresses¡­


    ¡°I thought Zoey had to be joking when she said this was men¡¯s swimwear¡­¡±


    ¡°Well she isn¡¯t exactly wrong. I mean that is men¡¯s swimwear, but I am not sure I would call it normal attire.¡±


    ¡°I have to say I am quite relieved¡­¡±


    Belinda goes though some of my things handing me an overly large colorful shirt. ¡°Here, does this help?¡±


    After putting the shirt on I can¡¯t help but ask. ¡°But what about the bottom half¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I kind of like it.¡±


    ¡°Now you are joking¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am serious. Why the sudden shyness? You are the last person I would think got embarrassed over swimwear.¡±


    ¡°Well then if you are serious then let¡¯s go¡­¡±


    Belinda then hands me a pair of shoes that she called sandals¡­ Even the footwear is quite lacking¡­ I am still waiting for Belinda to say she is joking but she doesn¡¯t stop me as I walk off of the room. There are quite a few eyes on us on our way to the beach, and even I am starting to get a bit embarrassed.


    Once we reach the beach I can¡¯t believe what I see. I thought Belinda¡¯s outfit was quite lacking, but compared to a lot of the women are wearing is crazy, and even though shorts like mine are not common there are indeed other guys wearing similar outfits¡­


    ¡°So what exactly do we do now?


    Belinda: ¡°Well what do you want to do? Do you want to just start off with a walk and enjoy the scenery?¡±


    Without any other ideas I agree and for the rest of the afternoon we just walk along the beach in the sand just enjoying our time together. Tomorrow we have to have a meeting at the castle so after the sun begins to set we retire back to our inn.

 Catalina

    With the crashing waves and the warmer weather this place really is rather relaxing. Although even with the fact of being a dungeon core the heat still manages to wake me from my slumber before noon. I look around but don¡¯t see Belinda anywhere so I quickly get up and get dressed.


    Looking over the room I find a note from Belinda that says. ¡°Gone to the Castle to announce our arrival and take care of things for father. It shouldn¡¯t take long so I thought I would let you sleep. I will see you soon and we can get back to enjoying our honeymoon.¡±


    There isn¡¯t much else for me to do, so I just wait in the room and decide to message Lilah to see how things are going back in Tobes.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah promises master everything is under control. Just enjoy yourself and don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that. Belinda went on to take care of things leaving me behind, so I am just bored is all.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Okay. Everything is running smoothly the elemental rooms are still seeing a great amount of traffic, but that doesn¡¯t result in much gain for Master. On the other hand the main pathway has also begun to pick up again which is netting the Master a decent amount of xp. It is taking Lilah and Lylah everything they have to keep up with things.¡±


    ¡°The others are helping out right?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Sofia is helping when she can, but she has acquired 2 new dedicated students in her adventuring classes and she has been giving her all with that. Scylla and Kline have been busy with the Adventurer¡¯s guild, while Bell and Roxy are dealing with the Mayor duties, and Katie has been working hard with the blacksmith.¡±


    ¡°What about Zoey?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Zoey is Zoey¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if things get to rough I guess I will allow you to summon one more to give you a hand, but only if it gets too much for you and Lylah to handle on your own.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Don¡¯t worry master. Lilah, Lylah, and Lila won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    ¡°Lila? Wait you already summoned one?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Sorry master, Lilah has to go now!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡­


    Well it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t just give her permission, but still to summon another one without asking first¡­ I wonder how Zoey is handling three of them. Two of them was already driving her crazy. I just hope we don¡¯t end up with a small army of Lilah¡¯s running around.


    It isn¡¯t long and true to her word Belinda returns looking a little run down.


    ¡°You look tired, did it not go well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess it went as best as could be expected. After all Gowen is on the brink of war with Longolia, so they are trying to figure out if we are really here for the sake of peace like we said or trying to spy. We might have quite a few eyes on us for our trip, but once they see we really are here peacefully relations should improve.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind them keeping an eye on us, I just hope it doesn¡¯t hinder our honeymoon.¡±


    Belinda smiles and caresses my face. ¡°I am glad it is so important to you, and I promise it won¡¯t interfere. I won¡¯t let it.¡±


    Now that it is getting close to noon the temperature in the room is enough to make even me uncomfortable so we decide to do some exploring in Catalina. We have had eyes on us since we crossed the border, but now it seems we have actually picked up a few guards following us around.


    They don¡¯t seem to be planning anything so it is no problem as we make our way around. We stay out all day and well into the evening long after the sun set. We still have our followers but they are still keeping their distance. When we do finally make our way back to the inn the guards seem to set up post at the end of the hall.


    We spend a week just enjoying the capital until Belinda receives a message from the castle requesting another audience. This time however it requests that I attend as well, so we set out to the castle.


    Castle Guard: ¡°Greetings, we have been expecting you. Please follow me.¡±


    The guard leads us through the castle and once we reach a waiting room we are told to sit till we are called. It isn¡¯t long till a guard returns. This guard however is wearing much fancier gear and seems to be one of the royal guards.


    Royal Guard: ¡°Belinda Gowen, you are to meet with the king now.¡±


    Once we rise however the guard says. ¡°Only Belinda Gowen.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The letter requested that both of us come.¡±


    Royal Guard: ¡°He will be here when you return.¡±


    Belinda seems somewhat hesitant but nods.


    Belinda: ¡°I guess I will be back soon.¡±


    After I nod Belinda follows the royal guard out of the room. I sit back down and wait for Belinda¡¯s return.


    The room is pretty bare for a waiting room with only a few seats and tapestries. There aren¡¯t even any windows so I can¡¯t even enjoy the scenery. After what seems like forever two guards enter the room.


    They don¡¯t say anything, and it makes me a little nervous, but what happens next causes me to bolt up out of my seat.


    Listel: ¡°Nice to see you again Two-Twelve. I have heard you have been keeping quite busy.¡± ¨CThe beautiful beastkin hero says as she enters the room.-


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I have been sent to keep you company while the royal guards dispose of your boss monster.¡±


    I have to say Listel is quite a shock, but Belinda and I planned just in case something like this happened. We are supposed to not fight and just immediately teleport back to the dungeon. However as I begin casting the spell Listel leaps at me pushing me to the floor quickly wrapping a leather belt around my neck quickly tightening it.


    Listel: ¡°There¡± ¨CShe says then crawls off me sitting down.- ¡°Now that you can¡¯t run away we can talk.¡±


    The leather collar is tight and makes it hard to swallow. I quickly try to remove it but it doesn¡¯t seem to have a buckle anymore it¡¯s just a tight leather band. I then quickly try to teleport again but this time the spell fizzles and won¡¯t work. I try to cast a few more spells but they fail as well.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Listel: ¡°We can now talk, but these guards are a bit of a problem aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Before anyone even can tell what happens Listel quickly fires of a spell killing both guards instantly.


    Listel: ¡°Now we can talk without worry of what the Longolia interfering.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane?¡±


    Listel: ¡°That is a rude thing to call a lady. Besides they will just blame their deaths on you.¡±


    ¡°What is it you are planning?¡±


    Listel: ¡°It is quite simple. Laura is finally making her move and you are quickly becoming a problem so she wanted to take care of the situation before it got out of hand. You are fortunate at least she thinks you may still be of use, so she doesn¡¯t plan to have you killed. At least not yet.¡±


    I quickly try to access [Menu] to send a message while Listel talks but even it won¡¯t appear to me.


    Listel: ¡°Yes that collar is quite something is it not? Not only does it prevent magic, it also prevents skill use, and prevents dungeon monsters from accessing [Menu]. Now are you ready to talk?¡±


    ¡°You think the elders with let this slide?¡±


    Listel: ¡°The elders?¡± ¨CShe laughs.- ¡°You think they really care about some random dungeon core, but if you are talking about your buddy Dyson. He has no way to know that Laura is behind this. From the outside it will look like Longolia killed the princess to start a war with Gowen and her husband will just been collateral damage.¡±


    ¡°If you think Belinda would be so easily killed you are mistaken.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Even if she does manage to escape with her life, a war is now inevitable. Before any kind of retaliation for your disappearance happens we will be long gone back safe and sound in Southern Merretta without anyone else being the wiser.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    The royal guard leads me though the hallways toward the throne room. It is the same place I went last time I was here but they didn¡¯t have a royal guard escorting me, and they wanted me to bring Two-Twelve but made me leave him behind. I have to say I am a little nervous, but if things go sideways we have a plan.


    Once I enter the throne room there does seem to be far too many guards in the room, but the king is on his throne so he does appear to wish to speak, so maybe things aren¡¯t entirely hopeless yet. I make my way to the front and kneel.


    ¡°Thanks for seeing me again your highness. Would you like to continue our negotiations?¡±


    King: ¡°Belinda Gowen, I have it on good authority that you and your husband entered Longolia to attempt a coup.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I assure you your majesty we just wished to strengthen our bonds with your country by spending our honeymoon here. My father did however wish for me to speak with you if at all possible but I assure you it was for peaceful negotiations.¡±


    King: ¡°The report I received was not the only evidence. Most of my scouts at the border have failed to return, and the few that have told of the Gowen army massing in numbers.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That can¡¯t be true!¡±


    King: ¡°Guards!¡±


    The royal guards begin to draw their weapons so it leaves me with no choice but to cast the teleport spell fleeing back home. Once I hit the ground back at the house in Tobes I quickly send a message to Two-Twelve telling him what happened. I then transfer to the core room.


    Once I transfer to the core room it takes a minute for me to figure out what is going on because there are 3 little rabbit beastkin each a bit smaller than the last.


    Lilah: ¡°Belinda! You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Never mind that for now, Have you heard from Two-Twelve?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah hasn¡¯t heard from master since this morning.¡±


    ¡°We ran into trouble in Catalina and we were supposed to teleport back here if anything happened. I sent him a message so he should be here any second. Why is there three of you?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°This is Lila, she is our newest sister. Master said if Lylah and Lilah needed more help we could make a sister, so we did.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s nice to meet you Lila. Sorry for being a little short right now I am just worried about Two-Twelve.¡±


    Lila: ¡°I understand all too well, if something would happen to Master Two-Twelve it would be the end for all of us.¡±


    ¡°Well at least we know he is ok, but he should have received the message and teleported back by now¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah will send him a message as well!¡±


    We wait for half an hour and even send a few more messages but we still have yet to get a response or see him teleport back.


    ¡°I am really starting to get worried now. Let¡¯s call the others home, and let¡¯s figure out what to do next.¡±


    We send messages to the other monsters telling them all to return home, after telling them it¡¯s an emergency they all hurry home.


    Scylla: ¡°What¡¯s going on Belinda¡­?¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve and I were in the castle in Catalina and things went bad. I managed to teleport back like we planned, but it¡¯s been almost an hour now and we have yet to hear from Two-Twelve despite sending multiple messages. I am afraid they might have done something from him.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Most of us are still around, so he is at least alive, but they could have knocked him out.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°This is also a major diplomatic problem, have you warned the capital yet?¡±


    ¡°You are right. I was so worried about Two-Twelve I completely forgot.¡±


    I withdraw the parchment to communicate with Logan from my [Shadow-Pocket] and tell him what is going on.


    Logan: ¡°This is terrible news I will have to inform father at once, and I am sorry about Two-Twelve I hope he is ok.¡±


    I send another message. ¡°I know he has to be alive. If I have to bring the entire castle down I am going to go back for him.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I know you need to believe that, but even if it is true there is no way you would be able to fight the entire Longolia army. Father will know what to do next, and I will let you know what he says.¡±


    ¡°Logan said they can¡¯t do anything¡­ We are going to have to go get him back ourselves.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°He is right though Belinda, there is no way we would be able to fight off the entire army.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Well I know where the last place I saw him was, if we are lucky he is still there, and if not we might be able to track down where they took him. If things get to tough we can teleport back.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is with you, Lylah, Lila, and Lilah will do everything in their power to bring Master home.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it Lilah, but what you are doing here is too important to abandon even if Two-Twelve is in danger.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I will go get Kline, I am sure he would want to help.¡±


    ¡°I hate to ask you to be in that kind of position, but at this point I will take all the help we can get.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°What about Master Dyson or that Madam Erin lady. They are both pretty fond of Two-Twelve and might even come to help.¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin is pretty hands off with matters like this but the worst thing she can tell us is no. Dyson on the other hand might try to get him back just so he doesn¡¯t lose Two-Twelve¡¯s help, so it is worth a shot.¡±


    I quickly send a message to both Madam Erin and Dyson informing them of what has happened. We then start to prepare our things, and it isn¡¯t even a few minutes before Dyson is the first to reply back.


    Dyson: ¡°By what you said it seems the dungeon is still active so that is a good sign. Are you sure the matter is not dungeon core related?¡±


    ¡°We went to try to patch things up between Longolia and Gowen, and before we set out we tried looking into it as best we could and Longolia didn¡¯t seem to be affiliated with any dungeon, so I am sure it is just humans.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Being an elder I can¡¯t risk sticking myself in between two dungeons, so until we know for sure my hands are tied. I will do my best to try to track him down and inform you as long as another dungeon isn¡¯t concerned. Two-Twelve is also and valuable asset to me as well so as long as this stays just between us I will send you a few monsters that can¡¯t be traced back to me. I wish you luck.¡±


    A few minutes later Lilah quickly warns me of a group teleporting just outside the cave entrance at the mountain. We are lucky there currently isn¡¯t a group entering or exiting the dungeon because most truly are monsters some with quite grotesque appearances.


    I can see why he sent them way out there instead of in town, because even knowing that Dyson sent them I am still a little worried about transferring up to them. At this point I would do anything to get Two-Twelve back, so after my gear is squared away I transfer up the mountain to the creatures.


    In person these creatures are even more unsettling they didn¡¯t immediately attack me, so that is a plus, but I don¡¯t see any intelligence to them so I don¡¯t know how much help they can be.


    ¡°Do any of you understand me?¡±


    ¡°You must be Belinda?¡± ¨CA voice calls out from behind one of the creatures, and then a girl squeezes between two of the creatures.-


    The girls stature can¡¯t be more then Katie¡¯s, but she is however quite thin. Her face however makes her look quite mature. Even for her size she is quite attractive, but given the fact she was sent by Dyson, I guess that is to be expected. She has large green eyes that match the long green hair on her head, but if that wasn¡¯t clue enough her ears long and pointed giving her away.


    ¡°You¡¯re and elf!?¡±


    Elf: ¡°I¡¯m and elf? Oh my god! I¡¯m and elf!¡±


    After a few moments of awkward silence the elf speaks again.


    Elf: ¡°Of course I¡¯m and elf, unless of course I am an anorexic dwarf, but that wouldn¡¯t explain the ears so yes, I am most definitely an elf.¡±


    ¡°So are you an elf or are you not?¡±


    Elf: ¡°Yes, I am most definitely and elf, because they are not elves.¡± ¨CShe motions to the creatures behind her.- ¡°So that must mean I am the elf. My name is Azami, but you can call me Azami. There was a bit of a situation so our friend sent me here with my friends to help. Either that or our friend sent my friends and I here to help because there was a situation.¡±


    ¡°So your ¡°friends¡± there will help us get Two-Twelve back?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Who is Two-Twelve? I am here to help Belinda rescue Two-Twelve.¡±


    ¡°I am Belinda¡­ So you and your friends there are going to help me rescue Two-Twelve?¡±


    Azami: ¡°To help Belinda rescue Two-Twelve I must first become his boss monster is what our friend said. Either that or our friend said I need to become Two-Twelve¡¯s boss monster to be able to rescue him with Belinda¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°Without Two-Twelve here how can he make you his boss monster?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Once Belinda arrives I am supposed to give her this in secret.¡± ¨CShe hands me a small note and a tiny jewel. - ¡°Of course that is a secret.¡±


    I look at the jewel and then unfold the note to read it.


    Dyson¡¯s Note:


    I apologize that this is all I can do to asset, but I assure you Azami would be a great assistance even if she doesn¡¯t seem like it. Unfortunately for her to be much help she will need to be bound to Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon, as sometimes an ultimate command might be required to set her on task. With her level and the fact she too is a hero she will probably become Two-Twelve¡¯s primary boss monster, but if he really is incapacitated she should still take orders from the one that binds her to the dungeon. I know xp cost is also a factor so I included an xp jewel that should cover her cost to bind her. If binding her to the dungeon is not something you are willing to do just instruct her to go home, and she will know what to do. Again I apologize this is all I can do, and I wish you luck.


    I don¡¯t know about making another monster Two-Twelve¡¯s boss monster without permission, but if she can really help us get him back that is the most important part.


    ¡°The note says I am supposed to make you a boss monster for the dungeon, but what about the others do I have to do the same for them?¡±


    Azami: ¡°These guys?¡± ¨CShe motions to the creatures behind her. - ¡°Of course not. You don¡¯t bind weapons to a dungeon. Unless of course you do.¡±


    ¡°Weapons? Are they not monsters?¡±


    Azami: ¡°These guys?¡± ¨CShe motions yet again to the creatures. - ¡°They are my weapons I made them with magic and mud.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying it¡¯s a spell, so they are not monsters?¡±


    Azami: ¡°These guys?¡± ¨CShe motions again. - ¡°They are made with magic and mud, so they are my weapons not monsters.¡±


    ¡°¡­Are you really capable of helping me get Two-Twelve back¡­?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Of course not, because I have to become Two-Twelve¡¯s boss monster so I can go rescue him with Belinda.¡±


    ¡°Well is there anything you can do about your ¡°Friends¡±? I will have to take you back to the house first to make you a boss monster, but if they are seen in town it would cause a commotion.¡±


    Azami: ¡°They go where ever I go, so if I am there so are they. Unless I store them with magic then they disappear until I bring them back.¡±


    ¡°Then can you please store them, so we can go rescue Two-Twelve?¡±


    Azami draws a line in the air casting [Shadow-Pocket], and then the creatures begin to move taking turns crawling/slithering into the line drawn in the air until they all disappear. After the last one is gone Azami looks around confused.


    Azami: ¡°Have you seen my friends?¡±


    ¡°You stored them with your magic, now we are going to transfer back to the dungeon, ok?¡±


    Azami holds out her hand, and once I take it I transfer back down to the house with the girls.


    Sofia: ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°This is Azami, Dyson sent her to help, but I guess I am supposed to bind her to the dungeon as a boss monster first.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Azami!? He sent Azami?¡±


    ¡°You know her?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I know of her, but of course I wasn¡¯t with Dyson long enough to meet her.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If her cost is low enough to bind her she won¡¯t really be much help¡­¡±


    ¡°Dyson also sent an xp jewel to cover her cost, but I don¡¯t know how they work so can you take care of it Lilah?¡± ¨CI say as I hand her the small jewel.-


    Lilah looks it over closely and then says. ¡°I am not exactly sure but I think like this.¡±


    The jewel glows then disappears. Lilah, Lylah, and Lila all three call out in unison. ¡°EHHH!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter!?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°The dungeon¡¯s xp just jumped by over half a million xp.¡±


    Lila: ¡°650,000 xp to be precise.¡±


    All eyes quickly turn to Azami.


    ¡°Azami¡­ Just how strong are you?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am not strong at all, I am a mage. My level is only 35 and I have only destroyed one dungeon so in comparison to most of our friend¡¯s monsters I am lacking a great deal.¡±


    ¡°Level 35 and a hero¡­ No wonder the note said you would most likely become the primary boss monster, but even still 650,000xp¡­¡±


    Lila: ¡°A level 35 class based monster would require 302,000xp to summon. Add 2,500 for the average base sentient monster, if you multiply that by 2 for a dungeon to take it as a boss monster that would be 609,000xp, and then you add the 50,000xp for a single dungeon hero you end up with a total of 659,000xp to bind her to the dungeon.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am sorry it appears our friend might have short changed you.¡±


    ¡°That has got to be close to the xp cost of a dragon¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, a dragon¡¯s base summoning cost is 1,000,000xp. That is unless you are talking about a lesser drake then that would be about right.¡±


    ¡°Is it really ok to bind someone like that to Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Azami: ¡°That would be the reason I was sent here.¡±


    I bring up [Menu] trying to find the way to bind her to the dungeon and sure enough it says the total cost would be 659,000xp on the dot¡­I am still hesitant however to hit the confirmation. I send one more desperate message to Two-Twelve, but after waiting a few minutes there still is no reply.


    Azami: ¡°I thought time was a crucial factor in rescuing Two-Twelve.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¨CI mash the confirmation with my eyes closed.-


    Light engulfs the room covering Azami as her figure rises in the air. As she is placed back down on her feet she is now standing before us naked. Her hair was green before but now it is deeper and denser, her eyes now glow like a polished garnet with a brownish red color. She has also grown at least a foot but still only tall enough to come up to my shoulders. Her skin is a darkened tan that even makes me a bit jealous, but I at least can say that my breasts are still superior, I don¡¯t think I could take another hit from another drop in rank in that department.


    I quickly summon her some clothing equipping it on her as she looks over her new body.


    Azami: ¡°Very nice, our friend was correct in his assumption that I would be very pleased with the results.¡±


    I open [Menu] to Azami¡¯s status page.


    Azami


    Name: Azami Race: Divine Elf Class: Forest Nymph


    Level: 1 XP till next Level: 10 Favored Element: N/A


    HP: 5,150 MP: 4900


    Strength: 105


    Agility: 159


    Endurance: 130


    Magical Weapon Arts: 85


    Spell Arts: 369


    Spell Power: 394


    Concentration: 369


    Mental Defense: 254


    Magical Endurance: 100


    Resistances: Confusion immunity, Charm immunity, and Fear immunity.


    Armor:


    Equipment: [Luxurious Clothes]


    Skills:


    Elvish Crafting (Rank Max): Elvish crafting gives the term Spell-crafting a literal use. Using magic to summon objects and craft them into a desired shape or use. Rank 1 allows the ability to craft items out of wood, Rank 2 allows the ability to craft out of standard ores, Rank 3 allows the ability to craft items from Alloys or advanced ores, Rank 4 allows the ability to craft items from Iron Wood, and at Rank 5 allows the ability to craft items from Elvish Steel.


    Elemental Summoning (Rank 8): Allows the castor to summon elemental creatures from items in nature. Each rank increases the number of max allowed elementals by 1 and increases the strength of each.


    Magician Training (Rank Max): Skill grants +100 bonus to Spell Power, Spell arts, Concentration, and Mental Defense.


    Heroic (Rank 1):  This skill does not increase with leveling but by destroying dungeon cores. +50 bonus to all abilities, 250 hp, 250 mp


    Magic Surplus (Rank 7): Skill grants 100 bonus mp per rank.


    Combat Mage (Rank Max): Grants +100 bonus to Concentration, Spell Power, and Spell Arts


    Empowered Magic (Rank 2): Allows the user to increases casting time of a spell to increases power. For every time the casting time is increases by 50%, the power by 100% and Magic cost by only 25%. Max of 750% power increase.


    Advanced Magician Training (Rank 4): Skill grants +150 bonus to Spell Power, Spell arts, Concentration, and Mental Defense. +50 to Magical Weapon abilities, and 300 bonus to HP and Magic


    Advanced Elemental Summoning (Rank 3): An advanced form of elemental summoning allows the elementals being summoned to be made from 2 types of material increasing its strength by 50% at rank 1, At rank 2 increases the quantity that can be summoned by 50%, at rank 3 increases the quantity that can be summoned by 100%


    Pride of the Elves (Rank 2): A hero to the elven people grants +50 to agility and endurance, +25 to strength, spell power, spell arts, concentration, and mental defense. Your name is also well known amongst the elves and you can easily rally small groups of elves to your cause.


    Advanced Combat Mage (Rank 1): Grants +25 to concentration, spell power, and spell arts, and +10 to Mental defense and Magical weapon abilities. Any magical weapon arts abilities are combined to form a single ability in which allows the use of all magic type weapons to be used under (wands, staves, battle-staves)


    Gifted (Rank 4): Most creatures favor one element above all others, and are unable to cast spells from the opposing element. You however do not, thus granting you a 25 bonus to spell power and 100 additional MP.


    Fount of Magic (Rank 1): Grants the ability Mental Endurance 100. This previously unrecorded ability is the base in which the amount of mp you gain per level is granted. Unlike normal abilities most skills and effects do not grant bonuses to Mental Endurance


    Spells:


    Cool (Wind) (Cost 1mp): Summoning your mana with the power of wind you can cool items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Sleep (Wind) (Cost) (5mp): Focusing your magic you can attempt to put a creature to sleep up to 15ft away.


    Wind Blade (Wind) (5mp): Summons a force of wind like a small knife cutting objects up to 30ft away. Causes minor wind damage and minor slashing damage.


    Wind Cutter (Wind) (10mp): An advanced form of wind blade that can strike up to 50ft away. Causes moderate wind and minor slashing damage.


    Dual Wind Cutter (Wind) (Cost 25mp): Like wind cutter, dual wind cutter is an advanced form of wind blade, but it produces two blades that cut in a cross shape propelled from the castor up to 50ft away. Causes moderate wind and slashing damage, and can cause [Knock-back] to light or unbalanced targets.


    Wind Storm (Wind) (Cost 50mp): Fills an area with a force of wind that can cause [Knock-back], any objects caught inside are dealt major wind and slashing damage. The storm can be maintained as long as the original cost of magic is spent every 5 seconds.


    Sleep Cloud (Wind) (Cost 75mp): A more advanced form of the sleep spell that fills the area with a light visible mist that causes all within to grow tired with a good chance of causing the [Sleep] status effect.


    Gale (Wind) (Cost 75mp): A slightly more effective version of the wind storm spell, which allows more control allowing you to pick and choose targets within the area that are affected.


    Tornado (Wind) (Cost 150mp): A massive whirlwind is formed under complete control of the castor causing massive wind and slashing damage, will likely cause the [Knock-back] status, but is also possible to cause [Airborne]


    Dual Tornado (Wind) (Cost 250mp): An advanced form of Tornado that allows to control two tornados at the same time.


    Soil (Earth) (Cost 1mp): summoning your mana with the power of earth you can soil items and objects up to ten feet away. This spell can be kept active by repaying its original casting cost once per second.


    Stone Pillar (Earth) (Cost 5mp): A small pillar of stone can be grown from any stone, or dirt surface at a location up to 30ft away. Causes minor damage.


    Stone Spike (Earth) (Cost 10mp): A small sharp pillar of stone can be grown from any stone, or dirt surface at a location up to 50ft away causing minor piercing damage.


    Stone Wall (Earth) (Cost 20mp): A wall of stone can be grown from any stone, or dirt surface at a location up to 50ft away. Causing no damage itself, it has a hp equal to the casters spell arts ability x10. The wall will last 10 seconds, but can be maintained without additional casting for 5 mp per 10 second period.


    Piercing Stone (Earth) (Cost 50mp): An advanced form of stone spike that consists of a sharp pillar of stone can be grown from any stone, or dirt surface at a location up to 50ft away that causes moderate piercing damage.


    Reinforced Wall (Earth) (Cost 75mp): A advanced for of stone wall that causes a reinforced wall to be grown from any stone, dirt, or metal surface at a location up to 50ft away. Causing no damage itself, it has a hp equal to the casters spell arts ability x25. The wall will last 10 seconds, but can be maintained without additional casting for 50 mp per 10 second period.


    Summon Boulder (Earth) (Cost 150mp): Focusing your magic you can summon a large boulder that can be hurled up to 50ft away causing major crushing damage. After the boulder lands it functions like a reinforced wall.


    Earthquake (Earth) (Cost 250mp): the ground begins to tremble beneath your feet causing cracks and fissure to form causing the [Stun], [Knock-back] statuses and shards of cracked stone cause massive slashing damage to those the castor targets.


    Shadow Pocket (Shadow) (Cost 1mp*): A spell used to store items in shadow. The spell cost is determined by the space created and although the spell can be maintained indefinitely without additional cost, mp used to cast the spell can¡¯t be recovered until the spell is released. * The cost is 1mp/1 cubic ft. of space created.


    I am completely taken aback by her massive spell power, and the sheer number of her skills and spells, but that is when I notice a collection of screens surrounding her status page, 16 of them to be exact each saying the same thing.


    Mud and Iron Wood Elemental


    Lvl: 16


    Hp 1920


    Strength: 120 Agility: 120 Endurance: 120


    ¡°This is quite impressive, but we don¡¯t have time right now to worry about it. First thing is first are you prepared to help me rescue Two-Twelve?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I told Kline what was going on and he is back at our place getting ready. Let me go grab him real quick and we will be set.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I have neither robe nor staff, but my weapon is my friends, so I should be fine. Either that or my friends are my weapons so I have no need for a robe nor staff.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look too much into it. That just seems to be the way she talks.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Even without master being here we still get the broken one!¡±


    Scylla quickly leaves the house returning a few short minutes later with Kline.


    Kline: ¡°Scylla told me what was going on, I don¡¯t know how much help I can be on my own, but I will do my best.¡±


    Azami: ¡°This one is not from the dungeon but he is still an ally yes?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Who is this, and what does she mean not from the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well never mind that for now, we have to find Two-Twelve before something happens to him.¡±


    We all quickly gather together and leaving only Lilah, Lylah, and Lila behind the rest of us teleport. It proves quite difficult to move us all at once with a single casting of [Gate], but we all seem to make through it in one piece before it closes as we arrive in the waiting room Two-Twelve and I were at in the castle.


    There are two dismembered guards on the floor on either side of the door, but other than one overturned chair everything else looks just the way it was when I left.


    ¡°Well he isn¡¯t here anymore. These guards appear to be from the castle, but their wounds don¡¯t look like anything Two-Twelve might of caused. Just what is going on here?¡±


    Kline: ¡°There seems to be quite an uproar in the hallway, but I don¡¯t hear the sound of combat.¡±


    ¡°Ok Azami, we will let your friends go first and then we will begin our search.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Her friends?¡±


    Kline however is quickly taken aback as Azami draws a line in the air casting [Shadow-pocket] and the grotesque wood and mud made elementals seemingly begin to pour out of the opening. Once the creatures begin to filter out of the room screams and the sounds of combat can be heard.


    ¡°Alright we don¡¯t have much time we have to find Two-Twelve quickly.¡±


    Readying our weapons we all then follow the elementals out into the corridors of the castle.

 The Aftermath

    Once the group enters the hallway the elementals are quickly spreading out. This has gotten the attention of quite a few guards that now have begun to engage in combat with the elementals. Non-combative people of the castle are beginning to flee in every direction.


    Belinda quickly grabs one of the fleeing maids asking if they have seen Two-Twelve, but she is too afraid to speak. Belinda decides that the group is going to have to search for him on their own so she let the maid go and she runs off. The path to the left leads to the throne room, and everything that way will be more heavily guarded and more than likely they would take a prisoner that way.


    Besides the guards were already dead in the room so maybe someone came to Two-Twelve¡¯s assistance. If that is the case they would have tried to get out of the castle as quick as possible. Belinda then decides to take the path to the right heading towards the main courtyard of the castle.


    For a single mage being able to summon so many elementals and them being as strong as they are is quite frightening. Any guards that the group comes in contact with are swiftly dealt with by Azami¡¯s elementals. By the time the group makes it to the courtyard the entire castle is on alert, but the group is still no closer to finding any information about Two-Twelve.


    With the guards getting thicker and even the army beginning to move in the group has no choice but to retreat back to Tobes.


    Kline: ¡°Miss Belinda, I am sorry we were not able to locate Two-Twelve.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°There is just no way to know where they took him, and with the guards dead when we arrives we don¡¯t even know who took him.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°With him still being alive after this much time has passed I am sure the intention isn¡¯t to kill him.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I guess with your pact you are able to tell if he is still alive? Can we use that to locate him?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well something like that, but as far as I know we can¡¯t. That doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t worth investigating though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We will find him¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°For now maybe your father or brother will be able to do something. They may be holding him for ransom.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Knowing he is still alive that is probably the best bet, but it¡¯s the dead guards that were there when we arrived, something just doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I agree, and as much as it pains me to say, I don¡¯t think we are going to learn anything else today. We can only hope where ever Master is he will be safe.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°As worried as I am about Two-Twelve, I am also concerned about you girls. Roxy and I should be ok if something happens to Two-Twelve, but with the rest of you still being bound to him. I am sure he would not want something to happen to you all.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I accept the risk. I couldn¡¯t imagine not being bound to Two-Twelve.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°It is just part of the deal.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Besides it¡¯s our job to keep him safe and if we failed him we deserve whatever comes from it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But Zoey has Roxy, and Scylla has Kline it wouldn¡¯t be fair to them if something does happen to Two-Twelve.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That just means we have to make sure and find Boss before something does happen.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Wait, you mean your pact even includes your lives ending if his does? That is too much¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kline I told you our situation is complicated.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, he is right. I am going to un-bind Zoey and Scylla no matter how strongly you feel on the contrary. That doesn¡¯t mean you are not still family, but you just won¡¯t be bound anymore. If anyone else wants to be unbound I will unbind them as well.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Won¡¯t boss be mad?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure he will understand given the circumstances.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ What would I do if I wasn¡¯t bound.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like I said you don¡¯t have to stop doing anything, I just want you all to be safe.¡±


    Belinda accesses [Menu] sending Two-Twelve a message about what she is going to do, then accesses Scylla¡¯s and Zoey¡¯s information and confirms their removal from the dungeon.


    Belinda: ¡°We don¡¯t know what is going to happen next, so anyone else wish to be unbound?¡±


    Bell: ¡°No, I wish to keep serving the mayor even if he is not here at the moment.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°If I remain bound to Two-Twelve even in a situation like this maybe Dyson would look favorably on it, so I too wish to stay bound.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Understand your reasoning behind it, but I too wish to remain bound.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright¡­ Now that is taken care of what DO we do now?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am sure after trying to siege the castle gathering information is going to be tough now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry Kline this some of this doesn¡¯t make since to you, and I will let Scylla explain the details to you later, but right now the only thing important is finding Two-Twelve. Your experience with combat and being with Logan in foreign kingdoms could really be helpful right now.¡±


    Kline: ¡°You¡¯re right about being confused, but from now two things will happen. Your father will most likely declare war against Longolia for the assault on you and the capture of Two-Twelve, and after that I am sure there will be a few skirmishes along the border of the two kingdoms. After that it is too early to tell if this will be a war fought with sword or one fought with a pen, but depending on which it is will vary greatly on as to what happens after that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So we very well could actually have to defend Tobes against invaders?¡±


    Kline: ¡°The position of Tobes leaves it pretty safe. Only if Longolia joined in an alliance with Calhoun maybe, but with you helping them with their dungeon problem earlier this year I think we are safe in Tobes. If you add the fact your brother Ben and your mother are in with the Duscae kingdom, and the recent acquiring of a hero in Korta due to a Gowen dungeon I am sure all our neighbors to the north will be allies. Now if they assist Gowen or not is a different matter completely.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Where does this leave us with Two-Twelve?¡±


    Kline: ¡°If he is being held by Longolia, they might use him as a bargaining chip. He might only be your husband, but with what he has accomplished in Gowen he might even prove to be a bigger bargaining chip then you would have been. No offense¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But there is no way to even know if they have him or not¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°What we need is eyes in Longolia, but with our assault earlier I am sure none of us could even get close to Catalina now. With your pull in the adventurer¡¯s guild you might be able to commission some adventurers to act as mercenaries for you, but you leave it up to chance they in turn might be bought.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I might be able to take care of that. Scylla can you go get Lilah, Lylah, and Lila?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am sorry¡­ Without being bound¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Bell would you please?¡±


    Bell nods and begins to walk out the door.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok Bell just go.¡±


    Bell looks back at Kline before nodding then she transfers from the room.


    Kline: ¡°She can teleport as well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I will let Scylla explain everything to you later, but for now just go with it.¡±


    A few seconds later Bell returns with the three bunnies.


    Lilah: ¡°Where is Master?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry Lilah we still haven¡¯t found him yet.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Then Belinda has to go back! We have to find Master!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know Lilah, but it¡¯s just too dangerous for us to go back so I wanted to ask you how are we doing with xp?¡±


    Lilah looks confused when she looks over to Kline.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok Scylla is going to explain things to him later, can we afford getting a few more people?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Well level 1s shouldn¡¯t be a problem we could probably spare enough for half a dozen.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What if we made them level 15?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Level 15!¡±


    Lila: ¡°Not including gear that is 14,500xp.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If it¡¯s to save Master we could push and get 2¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How high could we get a group of 4?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Let Lilah think¡­¡±


    Lila: ¡°To maintain current functionality as we are using only our reserve funds we can stand to lose 30,000xp without our¡­ ¡°Job¡± being compromised.  Using gear we currently have stashed away we could make 4 standard beastkin level 13, but even just cutting it down to level 12 we could switch out the beastkin with advanced beastkin or even humans.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yea what Lila said.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s very good Lila, I am sorry everything going on I haven¡¯t gotten the chance to welcome you to the family¡­¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Big sister Lilah is really smart, but we she was acquiring Lila I suggested we focus on her being really good at the things we don¡¯t like so she can do them things.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am glad it worked out, but don¡¯t let them overwork you ok Lila?¡±


    Lila: ¡°I am currently happy with our arrangement, big sister Lilah and big sister Lylah let me do all the fun stuff while they do the work.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well as long as you are enjoying yourself¡­ Now back to the group¡­ I think a group of just beastkin would be suspicious as most beastkin have been fleeing from Longolia to Gowen since Queen¡¯s town was established. What kind of gear do we have stored for them to use?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Most of the items we have stashed away are the items Katie made for us. That means their value would surpass the groups level, but we still could make better.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°But if we made gear better then Katie made we couldn¡¯t afford the group.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Azami, aren¡¯t you capable of making equipment as well?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Why yes I am, but it would take days to make entire sets of armor. Unless I just made sets of armor then it would only take days.¡±


    Katie: ¡°To make a great suit of armor it can take me a week easy¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°While I do acknowledge dwarven armor might be better for heavy armor, I still find the process of making such a thing barbaric.¡±


    Katie: ¡°You don¡¯t use a forge? Then how do you make equipment?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Elves use their magic to make equipment of course. Either that or we make our equipment with magic.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I am not saying that would be better, but I would like to see that sometime.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Once the matters concerning Two-Twelve are dealt with I would be happy to show you how it is done.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, for the group we should make at least two or three of them humans, then the last we can make a beastkin.¡±


    Katie: ¡°What about making one a dwarf? I don¡¯t mind human company, but if they make it back alive maybe I would have someone I could relate to a bit?¡±


    Kline seems confused about the conversation, but he hasn¡¯t said anything more.


    Sofia: ¡°If we are making requests maybe you can make the beastkin a big handsome bull? I am sure that would make Bell happy.¡±


    Bell quickly shakes her hands out in front of her then covers her face blushing.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry Katie, but a dwarf would probably stick out to much, besides Two-Twelve usually sticks with the random settings so he can acquire more variety. That way when we get him back we can at least say we unlocked some more for him.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Katie: ¡°I understand¡­ But once Two-Twelve is home safe I am going to ask him for a drinking buddy.¡±


    Belinda realizes they are making the jokes to try to help ease the tension so she doesn¡¯t lose it, but she can only think of trying to recover Two-Twelve at the moment, so she focuses on the task.


    Belinda: ¡°We know the advanced beastkin can take magic classes and the normal ones cannot, and I don¡¯t know how things work with the humans, so let¡¯s do the beastkin as an advanced random, and then three random humans. At this point I think Scylla, you should take Kline home and explain things to him.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I admit I am confused, but I am also curious do you mind if we stay?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, but this next part is going to be quite shocking, having it explained to you is nowhere near as shocking as when you actually see it.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Kline maybe we should¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Scylla if I may, it might also help. I know I figured it out on my own, but actually getting to see it was shocking, but with it also came a great sense of relief.¡±


    Scylla nods then takes ahold of Kline¡¯s arm firmly.


    Belinda: ¡°Ok Lilah, Lylah, Lila you three take the humans and I will do the beastkin, and remember we want them to blend in. Try not to give them bright pink hair or something.¡±


    Lylah & Lila: ¡°Understood.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Now all Lilah can think about is pink hair¡­¡±


    There is no way to really have a clue what they are going to turn out like so Belinda summons 4 sets of unisex style clothing. Just the appearance of the clothing seems to shock Kline quite a bit so telling how he is going to react to the next part.


    Lilah, Lylah, Lila, and Belinda seem to hit the acknowledgment at the same time, and the house is filled with light as the headcount in the room increases by 4.


    Lilah¡¯s human results in a young woman around 16 or 17 years old, with pale skin, freckles, and short red hair. There are a lot of features of the girl that match with Belinda. It is almost like Lilah was trying to picture what Belinda looked like before she joined the dungeon. Luckily her face is rather plain, she isn¡¯t unattractive, but she is leagues behind the other girls. Even Katie the girl with the most normal looking face of the group is even a rank higher. If Lilah really did focus on what she thought Belinda looked like before hopefully Belinda doesn¡¯t find out.


    Lylah¡¯s human is a female as well with shoulder length dark brown hair, with the very essence of normal. If you were to put some clothes on her right now and toss her into a group of people none in the room would probably be able to pick her out.


    Lila¡¯s human is the first male of the group and given the fact the dungeon could only summon sword maidens before at least one new class has become available. The male human has dark brown hair that is a perfect shade match for the female Lylah summoned, as a matter of fact he too looks to be cut from the most generic cloth one could find. Lila and Lylah¡¯s humans could easily pass as siblings.


    With three successes there was bound to be a mistake¡­ Belinda¡¯s beastkin ends up being far from ordinary. Being a feral beastkin you would expect quite a few animal like features and patches of fur. For this beastkin however his entire body is covered in short gray and tan fur sporting a multitude of black spots.


    From the tip of his sharp claws on his paw like feet up to his neck is covered in the course fur. Even though he has a tail it is very short maybe 10 to 12 inches long it too covered in the gray and tan fur. The fur that continues up his neck and the side of his face starts to get longer giving him long sideburns of fur. The fur continues at that length to the top of his head giving a bit of semblance of hair. The fur even extends past the tips of the pointed ears on the top of his head with black flayer tips at least 2 inches past the end of the ear.


    His face extends into a short muzzle with a cat like nose and even whiskers, likewise his teeth seem to be that of a cat, along with piercing blue-green eyes with slited pupils. Unlike his pawed feet his arm and hands look normal enough with the exception of more of the grey and brown fur. He is also sporting what looks to be some razor sharp claws from the end of his fingers.


    Belinda quickly uses her [Menu] to clothe the three humans but for some reason [Menu] won¡¯t allow her to put the clothes on the cat like man. Instead a screen appears to her


    Cat-folk being a third tier beastkin cannot equip standard gear.


    Belinda: ¡°It won¡¯t let me put clothes on him, it says he is a third tier beastkin and cannot equip standard gear.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master said the same thing about Roc, he just asked [Menu] for clothes equitable to Rocs race and it worked fine after that.¡±


    Belinda:  ¡°Clothing for Cat-folk.¡±


    Belinda scans the short list at 35xp she selects and item and has it equipped on the beastkin.


    The outfit doesn¡¯t look dissimilar to a normal traveling outfit, even for a normal beastkin [Menu] automatically takes care of size and shape to fit a tail, so you can¡¯t help but wonder what makes this beastkin that different.


    Belinda: ¡°Well he is at least clothed now what do we do¡­?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Belinda always gives Boss a hard time, but it looks like her fetishes aren¡¯t far off of the Bosses.¡±


    Kline¡¯s original shock has worn off now as he steps forward inspecting the cat-folk male that stands at least a head taller than him.


    Kline: ¡°That is amazing, how did you do that? And what is he?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know much as I do, as I said he is a third tier beastkin. Sometimes this happens I guess. Same thing happened when Two-Twelve tried to summon an advanced beastkin for Queen.¡±


    Kline: ¡°What do you mean summon a beastkin for Queen?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You remember Jack? He was summoned the same way. Two-Twelve¡¯s first attempt was Roc, he then tried again to get Jack.¡±


    Kline: ¡°So Queen knows you can summon people from thin air like a dungeon summons monsters?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Kline¡­ that is exactly what it is.¡±


    Kline: ¡°But¡­How¡­?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Two-Twelve, the dungeon up in the mountain is his.¡±


    Kline: ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s his?


    Belinda: ¡°I guess it is more accurate to say he IS the dungeon, the dungeon crystal is like his heart. That¡¯s how we know he is still alive, because if he wasn¡¯t the dungeon and the monsters summoned from it would die as well.¡±


    Kline: ¡°But how can a person be a dungeon?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I promise I will explain it all, but right now we need to find Two-Twelve.¡±


    Kline: ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if we can use the beastkin, but the humans look like they will do nicely. Any ideas on names?¡±


    One of the newly summoned humans speaks for the first time with a shy but cutesy voice and it happens to be the girl with red hair.


    Redhead: ¡°If master wishes to hear, I would adore being called Poppy.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That sounds acceptable. Do the rest of you have any preferences?¡±


    The other two humans shake their heads. And the beastkin speaks for the first time with firm voice.


    Beastkin: ¡°I only require a name if you wish for me to leave the dungeon, if that is the case then I resemble a Lynx so that should suffice.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So you want your name to be Lynx?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Yes, that will work fine.¡±


    Belinda accepts the name with her [Menu] along with Poppy¡¯s she then looks at the other two.


    Belinda: ¡°We got a flower, a type of cat, now what about you two?¡±


    The brown haired girl finally speaks and she has a tomboyish voice.


    ¡°If you want to stick with flowers, I guess I wouldn¡¯t mind being called Iris.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright Iris, and then how does Aster for you?¡±


    The male human isn¡¯t very muscular or even that tall, the beastkin is probably double his weigh, and when he speaks the tomboyish voice of Iris even sounded more masculine.


    Aster: ¡°If master wishes, I accept.¡±


    After accepting both Iris¡¯s and Aster¡¯s names in [Menu] Belinda then turns her attention back to the group of humans.


    Belinda: ¡°It will be faster if you just tell me, what are your three classes?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°I am a sword maiden.¡±


    Iris: ¡°I am as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s a little unfortunate, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped, what about you Aster, surely you aren¡¯t a sword maiden as well.¡±


    Aster: ¡°I am just a warrior.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just plain and simple, I guess it is something at least, no castor classes though.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°I can cast the most basic of spells, but not near the strength that a mage could.¡±


    Iris: ¡°Same here, for the moment I know the basic [Light] spell and [Mending Touch]¡±


    Poppy: ¡°I don¡¯t have any healing spells, but I have [Heat] and [Fire].¡±


    Aster: ¡°I can¡¯t cast spells but you can give me any weapon combination and I should be alright.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about you Lynx?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°You haven¡¯t set a class for me yet, but my race is possible of magic based classes.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t know if they will be able to use the beastkin for the group, but there is no point in him being without a class so she opens [Menu] to see his options.


    Assign Class


    Basic:


    Martial Artist: +10 Strength, Agility, Endurance, +5 Unarmed, 1 random class based skill Warrior: +15 Strength and Endurance, +5 Weapon Ability, 1 random class based skill Thief: +15 Agility, +10 Strength, +5 Endurance, +5 Dagger Arts, 1 random class based skill Vagabond: +15 Agility and Endurance, +5 Strength, 1 random class based skill Archer: +15 Agility, +10 Strength, +5 Endurance, +5 Bow Arts, 1 random class based skill Mage: +15 Spell Power, Spell Arts, +5 concentration, 1 random class based skill Magician: +10 Spell Power, Spell Arts, Concentration, +5 Mental Defense, 1 random class based skill Sorcerer:+5 Strength, Agility, Endurance, Spell Power, Spell Arts, Concentration, Mental Defense, 1 random class based skill


    Advanced:


    Agile-warrior: +15 Strength, Agility, +10 Endurance, +10 Weapon Ability, 1 Weapon skill, 1 random class based skill Rogue: +15 Agility, Endurance, +10 Strength, +10 Weapon Ability, 2 random class based skills Pilferer:  +15 Strength, Agility, Endurance, +5 Weapon Ability, Pilfer skill, 1 random class based skill. Shaman: +15 Endurance, Spell Power, Spell Arts, +5 Concentration, 2 random class based skills Alchemist: +20 Endurance, + 10 Concentration, Spell Arts, +5 Spell Power, Mental Defense, Alchemy skill, 1 random class based skill


    Special:


    Cat-Folk Warrior: +25 Strength, Agility, Endurance, +10 Weapon Ability, 2 random class based skills Cat-Folk Thief: +30 Agility, Endurance, +25 Weapon Ability, 2 random class based skills Cat-Folk Mage: +15 Agility, Endurance, Spell Power, Spell Arts, Concentration, +10 Mental Defense, 2 random class based skills


    It seemed to be a pretty big deal when Lilah had 1 special class available and this guy has 3¡­ Well a mage was the reason for summoning him so Belinda selects the Cat-Folk Mage and assigns him the class.


    Belinda: ¡°Will that work?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°If that is what you require of me, that is what I will be.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We actually need someone that doesn¡¯t stick out in a crowd and you unfortunately kind of stick out. What I need is a group to enter the kingdom of Longolia to the south and try to uncover any information in the location of Two-Twelve without arising suspicion.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°The Dailian Kingdom treats all non-humans as monsters, but they use quite a few species to fight their wars for them as slaves. They have a group within their army that consists of strictly Cat-folk slaves. If you place a slave collar around my neck claiming the group is from Dailian, it would explain how we obtained our levels without adventurer IDs, and also allow me to assist.¡±


    Kline:  ¡°So you were summoned from Dailian?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°No, I was just born.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I don¡¯t understand, if you were just born how are you an adult, and how can you know so much about Dailian military?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°I don¡¯t understand, you don¡¯t appear to be from the dungeon, how is it you are here?¡± ¨CLynx appears to start getting tense.-


    Scylla: ¡°It is ok, he is family, but he is just learning about things. I promise I will explain everything to you Kline.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am curious about the second question as well, how can you know so much about Dalian military from birth?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°I know the history of my race, as it appears the only cat-folk are that of the Dailian military, so I was born with such information.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am a little hesitant to put a slave collar on one of our own, but if it is just for show I guess at least allow you to accompany the others.


    Belinda finds Lilah¡¯s old slave collar in the dungeon inventory equipping it on Lynx. She then equips the rest of the group in some of the extra gear held in storage that Katie manufactured. She even tries to equip several different types of mage robes for Lynx but they like the clothes say they are not able to be equipped by his race. She does however manage to give him one of the basic battle staves.


    Belinda: ¡°Alright I think you are all set. We can¡¯t have you just appear in the capital, but sending you to the border would take at least a month of travel. Two-Twelve and I passed a small village about a day north from the capital when we were traveling there. If I transport you just outside the village, that should work. You will just have to make sure you are seen by several of the villagers before continuing south to the capital.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Keep us informed about what is going on in Catalina with [Menu], and be careful, and please please! Help us find Two-Twelve¡¯s location.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°I promise we will do everything in our power to help.¡±


    Belinda continues to talk to them for a while and after preparing them with some gold and making sure they all got their stories straight she uses her [Gate] spell to send them 20 minutes or so outside the village in Longolia.


    That would put them in the village just as it gets dark so they will stay in the village for the night then set out for Catalina in the morning.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    I am not sure what happened¡­ After Listel killed the guards we talked for a while then she appeared to get some type of message that she seemed to find unpleasant. The next thing I can recall is waking up in this cold damp cell.


    There are no windows, there is a set of bars separating this room I am in from another but it appears to be identical to the one I am in with no windows or doors in it as well. I am still unable to cast magic, or even access [Menu] so I can¡¯t sure how much time has passed but it feels like it has had to be at least a few days since I originally woke up here.


    In that time frame I haven¡¯t seen or heard anything, so I can only assume I must be in the depths of Laura¡¯s dungeon somewhere. If that is the case maybe there is a silver lining that Dyson might find me, but he can¡¯t see everything and he has little reason to be looking for me in Laura¡¯s dungeon.


    With little much else to do I have given up counting the 1440 blocks that make up the wall and have begun to counting the strands of straw that makes up the pile on the floor that is my bed. I only make it to 346,000 and something when I get distracted and loose count because someone has appeared nearby.


    Listel: ¡°Man you look pitiful, I have been watching you for hours¡­¡±


    ¡°If you really felt bad about it you would let me go.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I can¡¯t do that, you have become too much of a variable in Laura¡¯s plan.¡±


    ¡°I already told you I don¡¯t care about Laura, I just want to live my life.¡±


    Listel: ¡°You say that. Yet you are on close enough terms with at least 2 elders in which they rely on you and ask for favors of you. You quickly established yourself in a kingdom and then propelled one of the smallest kingdoms and have quickly been able to raise its power by introducing them communication parchments. Not only that, but even have quite the pull in the adventurer¡¯s guild itself. I have heard your name spoken as far away as Sarnova.¡±


    ¡°Honestly I just want to survive, most of them events are purely coincidental, and I didn¡¯t actively pursue any of them.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well it makes no matter, the truth is Laura is still unsure what to do with you. The good news is until she makes up her mind I have talked her into giving me permission to have you do my bidding. Of course with your dungeon abilities sealed along with your magic you are still easily recognizable, so I got a few gifts for you.¡±


    Before I can respond or even react she closes the distance between us securing a slave collar around my neck along with the leather strap that is blocking my abilities. Next in the same fashion she attaches a metal cuff around one of my wrists that once connects together appears as seamless as the leather collar.


    Listel: ¡°Now we won¡¯t have problems with you in public. See?¡± ¨CAfter drawing a line in the air casting [Shadow-pocket]  she takes out a small hand mirror handing it to me.-


    Looking into the mirror I don¡¯t recognize the man starring back at me¡­ I feel my face and it has indeed changed shape and even my hair has changed from the drab brown color to a golden blond. I wouldn¡¯t say I was unattractive before, but I can say I was the lucky one to be surrounded by so many beautiful women before, but now my face is all but the perfect chiseled shape, with the sharp chin, dashing blue eyes, and wavy blond hair.


    ¡°What did you do to me?¡±


    I quickly grab at the throat¡­ Even my voice has changed.


    Listel: ¡°I don¡¯t know I think I would consider it an improvement to your normal boring look.¡±


    ¡°What is it you are expecting me to do?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Let¡¯s just say you are my new plaything. Although I am not allowed to break you I can still get to bat you around a bit and have some fun. First thing is first however. If we are going to be wondering the continent together I need to make sure you are not going to try to cause a scene, blab your mouth, or try to stab me in the back. If you can do that I might see about letting you have some of your magic back.¡±


    Listel then seems to begin casting a spell then says. ¡°Under contract I bind you to do my bidding, you are not to cause harm to me, my Mistress, or by your actions or words lead others to uncover your true identity, under these rules you may retain most freedom of actions until such a time I release you.¡±


    After her words the collar around my neck glows brightly and becomes hot as it feels like it begins to burn my skin, but as the light fades so does the heat.


    Listel: ¡°Wonderful, it actually worked. Now let¡¯s see how well it worked. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    I try to say my name but the words won¡¯t come, not only can I not speak it but the harder I try the hotter and tighter the collar around my neck seems to become.


    Listel: ¡°Perfect. Now where are you from?¡±


    Again as I try to speak my voice is lost and the collar restricts.


    Listel: ¡°This is going far better than we could of ever of predicted. Now what do you say we go for a walk?¡±

 Southern Merretta

    After the encounter with Listel putting the collar on my neck and the cuff on my wrist she takes my other wrist and she transfers us. With the all too familiar pull that comes from behind my chest we arrive on a small landing platform in the bustle of a major city.


    The city is massive and crowded. Every area of it looks to be as densely populated as the busiest sections of the Gowen capital, but as I think as much the collar begins to get hotter. Still holding my wrist Listel drags me off into the crowd.


    Passing through the busy streets we round a corner and enter a large stone building, as we enter even I can tell the inside temperature is smoldering. Listel on the other hand seems to not notice at all and is acting like it¡¯s as fresh as a daisy.


    The building is lined with racks of weapons and armor. The front door is guarded by no less than two heavily armored men who each have a golem made from steel standing behind them. We make our way through the scorching building and reach a counter with lines of people waiting with various items.


    Listel walks straight past everyone arriving at the counter slamming her empty fist down on the counter causing a loud racket that causes several of the other patrons to jump. She then calls out. ¡°GeeGee!¡±


    An older lady with graying hair appears from a door that seems to be the source of the heat, as when it is open a rush of hot air passes through and you can hear the sounds of multitudes of hammering and beating against metal.


    The older lady approaches the counter with a warm smile on her face as she addresses Listel.


    GeeGee: ¡°Aw, if it isn¡¯t the Grand Marshal. What can I help you with today my child?¡±


    At the mention of Listel¡¯s title several of the other patrons begin to murmur to each other, but ignoring it Listel answers the lady.


    Listel: ¡°You see I acquired me a new pet, so I thought I would come get him some equipment.¡±


    GeeGee: ¡°I see, I see. It is always an honor to have the Grand Marshal¡¯s patronage.¡±


    The old lady then walks from behind the counter walking through another door with listel following shortly behind, and with the tight grip she has on my wrist I have no choice but to follow. This room itself has two more heavily armed guards with 2 more of the steel golems. The items and equipment on the shelves here are fewer and further in-between but the quality is leagues better.


    GeeGee: ¡°What kind of equipment were you looking to get the young man? A strapping young lad like him could do well with a great-axe, or maul.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well despite his looks, he fancies himself a bit of a mage. Although due to circumstances he will have to do without his spells till we get better acquainted, so I think we should stick to one handed so he can use his free hand for spells once we can build a rapport.¡±


    GeeGee: ¡°Very good, very good. We can set him up with a sword like yours if you like, or we could go for something less conventional?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Your son finally managed to make another mythril blade did he?¡±


    GeeGee: ¡°He has been able to make 3 now not counting yours, but I think yours still remains his crowning achievement.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Good, I will take all three then, I will take one for the boy and the other two can be delivered to the castle.¡±


    Listels words seemed to make the old ladies day as she says with a bright smile. ¡°As you say Grand Marshal, it¡¯s always a pleasure!¡±


    The old lady then quickly moves over to the shelves returning with a brilliantly decorated scabbed she partially unsheathes the bluish mythril blade presenting it to Listel.  Listel takes the scabbard in one hand and the handle of the sword in the other unsheathing the blade she swings it around a bit testing it weight, and after looking pleased she tosses the sword to me.


    Listel: ¡°Well boy what do you think?¡±


    She then finally releases my wrist as I hold the blade turning her attention to GeeGee.


    Listel: ¡°Now that I said it, I realized I haven¡¯t given him a name yet, what do you think GeeGee?¡±


    Listel wouldn¡¯t be so carless as turn her back on me with the sword if she thought I could attack her with it. She is much too quick if I tried to make a move against her she would easily stop me, instead I see if I can maybe get the leather collar off, if I do that I could teleport back home.


    Just thinking about it makes the metal collar begin to burn, but I try to ignore it as I attempt to remove the leather collar. No matter how hard I try however the metal collar just continues to get hotter and the blade gets no closer to my neck.


    GeeGee has a considered look on her face while Listel continues to talk.


    Listel: ¡°Well he is bright enough to try to stab me, going for the collar was definitely the smarter choice. What do you think GeeGee? Should we call him Galien?¡±


    GeeGee: ¡°I have always been fond of Arngrim¡±


    Listel: ¡°Arngrim. I like that I could call him Grim or Arny.¡±


    Listel then takes the empty scabbard shoving it in my empty hand.


    Listel: ¡°Here you go Arngrim, why don¡¯t you put that thing up before you hurt yourself.¡±


    I am not getting anywhere and the burning is only getting worse so I don¡¯t really have much of a choice so I sheath the blade.


    Listel: ¡°That¡¯s better. Now GeeGee what about we find him some armor?¡±


    GeeGee: ¡°Well if he fancies himself a mage we don¡¯t want to weigh him down too much, we don¡¯t have any mage robes of course, but we might have something that could work.¡±


    Leading us down a few shelves she finds what she is looking for and presents it to Listel. The armor is quite similar to chainmail although instead of small rings they more closely resemble scales. Each scale looks like it was meticulously made from a metal I haven¡¯t seen before that looks similar to the dark steel I have used. They are connected in such a way that resembles that of the scales of a monster.


    Listel looks pleased with it and then forces me to put the armor on. It takes some work but once the armor is on it fits pretty tightly. The neck guard and pauldrons of the armor are solid, but the rest of the armor is made from the tightly packed scales. The size of the armor is pretty tight, but the mobility of it is superb.


    It fits much like chainmail armor on the body, but the movement feels as natural as a second skin. Unlike chainmail however this armor also incorporates a pair of Cuisses and greaves that end in sabatons similar to that you would wear with full-plate armor.


    The final piece of the armor is a barbute type helmet made from a single piece of the same type of metal as the rest of the armor. Even the helmet gives decent protection it doesn¡¯t hinder my visibility at all. I can¡¯t help to think I wish we had access to armor like this in our dungeon, but again as soon as I start thinking of home the collar begins to burn again.


    Listel: ¡°It looks like it is a little snug, but I think we can work with that. Well GeeGee, it¡¯s always a pleasure. We have several more stops to make so we will get out of your hair.¡±


    GeeGee: ¡°You are welcome any time Grand Marshal, and I will have the other two swords delivered to the castle before sundown.¡±


    Listel then grabs my wrist again and I am dragged out again into the bustling streets. We stop off several other places including a leather shop, in which we get a belt to attach my sword and scabbard too along with several belt pouches.


    We eventually come to the largest building we have come to yet, standing several stories tall with quite a bit of foot traffic coming to and from it, before we reach the door however Listel steps to the side drawing a line in the air casting [Shadow-pocket] pulling a very familiar looking book from inside.


    After looking at one of the bookmarked pages she wears a complicated expression on her face before she places the book back into the void and she drags me into the building.


    From the inside it is easy to tell what this building is with the large commission board along the entire wall of one side to the building the rows and rows of tables and the bar like area in the back. The commission counter appears to have no fewer than half a dozen people and there is still quite a line formed.


    Listel drags me upstairs to a room very similar to what was downstairs but to a much smaller scale, we then head up one more flight of stairs to a room that is even smaller but is still as big as the original adventurer¡¯s guild was in Tobes.


    There is one person behind the bar, one person at the commission counter, and only three other people sitting around the tables as Listel drags me straight to the commission counter.


    The man at the commission counter greets Listel like everyone else we have encountered today. ¡°Grand Marshal it¡¯s a pleasure to see you today, what can I do for you?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I would like to make an adventurer¡¯s ID for my new pet here.¡±


    Man: ¡°Certainly, I would be glad to do it for you, no need to worry yourself with such things.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I want to do this one myself.¡±


    The man looks a little hesitant but doesn¡¯t dare turn her down. Listel moves over and we go through the process I have seen dozens of times but to my surprise and a devilish smile from Listel my adventurer¡¯s ID reads.


    Adventurer #183,257 [Arngrim]                                          Base: Uthaira


    Race: Human                                                                           Gender: Male


    Rank: D                                                                                      Level: 19


    Class: Hexamage                                                                     Favored Element: N/A


    Commissions Complete: 0                                                     Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    Listel: ¡°Not applicable, now that is interesting.¡±


    Man: ¡°Madam Grand Marshal is something the matter with his ID?¡±


    Listel: ¡°He is somewhat special, but nothing I wasn¡¯t expecting.¡±


    Listel takes the ID from me placing it on the counter.


    Listel: ¡°He is a mage, but can¡¯t use any spells at the moment, but starting all the way from rank D would be such a pain, if I promise to keep and eye on him can you at least bump him to B?¡±


    The man looks hesitant to answer but finally seems to get the courage to say. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Madam Grand Marshal, but even I could only authorize raising him to rank C.¡±


    Listel looks a little agitated which scares the man, but she then clicks her tongue and says. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I guess we will have to push a bunch of C rank commissions till I can get him trained up enough to pass that stupid test.¡±


    The man looks greatly relieved as he takes my idea and goes through the process of ranking it up he looks at it a little curiously, but don¡¯t say anything when he hands it back to Listel.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Listel: ¡°Well it looks like it might be a while before we can do commissions here, let¡¯s go back downstairs and grab some good ones.¡±


    Without another word she stuffs the ID into one of my belt pouches and then drags me back down the stairs. After looking at the board on the second floor for a few second she clicks her tongue again and drags me back to the ground floor.


    After looking over the board on the ground floor she voices complaint to commission counter. The young lady at the counter looks worried and seems unable to respond as Listel says. ¡°What¡¯s with all these crappy commissions, Were do you keep the Good C rank commissions.¡±


    One of the other guys at the commission counter takes the girls arm and says. ¡°I am sorry Madam Grand Marshal, but it is already past noon. When the commissions are placed first thing in the morning the more experienced C-ranked adventurer¡¯s always have first choice, so by this time we are only left with what we got.¡±


    Listel seems to snarl a bit which causes the man to panic and he quickly adds. ¡°However Madam Grand Marshal is able to get around very well, so we have received a commission from one of the settlements to the south, but with the distance none of the normal adventurers have taken it.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well is it at least a good one?¡±


    The man hesitates and then says. ¡°I am not sure what the Grand Marshal considers a good one, but they seem to be having trouble with the Ingress Mines.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Ingress Mines, isn¡¯t that a dungeon?¡±


    Man: ¡°That¡¯s right Grand Marshal, it was discovered about 5 years ago, and has been supplying the area with some favorable ore, but recently the adventurer mortality rate has really spiked, it is still classified as an entry level dungeon, but they posted the C-ranked commission in hopes to get some help with the matter.¡±


    Listel: ¡°If I remember correctly the Ingress Mine isn¡¯t one of the protected dungeons isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Man: ¡°It has been a help with the ore that has been received from there, but Ingress already has a wide verity of mines in the area, so the adventurers have just been using it as training and the ore has just been a bonus.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I see. Then maybe this is the perfect commission then. You hear that Arngrim, your first dungeon commission.¡±


    After accepting the commission she drags me out the door again and we stand in the busy street.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I told you Laura has her hands full putting her plans into motion, and she has the king with her now, so I am little more than their errand girl, but since they are so busy I got free time so I am bored, so they are letting me out to play a bit.¡±


    ¡°But what do you expect of me?¡±


    Listel: ¡°When you go out to play its always more fun when you have a toy to play with.¡±


    ¡°So you are really expecting me to attack another dungeon?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well it is on Laura¡¯s land without permission, if I find it agreeable we will let it live, but if not. Well we will see.¡±


    ¡°And how did you do that with my ID?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well I can¡¯t let out to many of my mistresses secrets now can I, but I will say I was hoping your class and level would rest as well. At least you got to keep your lack of element though so it¡¯s not a total waste.¡±


    ¡°So now what¡­?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well I don¡¯t have any teleportation magic myself, and my mistress can¡¯t be disturbed, so I guess we hoof it. It should only take a week to get to Ingress.¡±


    ¡°Just how long do you plan on holding me?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well if you don¡¯t suddenly kill over because something happens back you know where, then I guess till my mistress makes up her mind, but don¡¯t worry she should be done with her plan in 15 to 20 years, so you should have and answer by then.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    It¡¯s been really hard this past week. The new monsters have scoured Catalina, but they still have yet to turn up even a single clue about Two-Twelve¡¯s location. After our initial attack on the castle Longolia has been trying to spread the word that Gowen initiated the hostilities, but father was quick to remind our allies that Two-Twelve and I was there on our honeymoon as representatives of peace. At the moment it is just our word against theirs and so far we have been lucky as we have done well to making allies of most of our neighbors, so they have all taken us at our word, but Logan scolded me pretty fiercely for acting on my own.


    With the communication parchment on our side we have been able to get ahead of any rumors that Longolia has tried to dish out. Father even tried to peacefully negotiate the return of Two-Twelve in exchange for allowing a few of Longolia¡¯s demands, but they have denied capturing him.


    I can only hope that means he managed to get out of there, but if so why hasn¡¯t he come home yet, or at least tried to contact us. We all have been worried sick.


    Like Kline said there have been a few skirmishes near the border, but there is still quite a bit of communication going on between the two kingdoms. As soon as I heard that the war was inevitable I contacted Queen to warn her since she was right on the border, but she seems excited to have invaders entering her little town.


    I can tell the rest of the girls are worried about me because I haven¡¯t left the house since we returned, but it just doesn¡¯t feel right to go to the City Hall building without Two-Twelve. I haven¡¯t heard how Kline took the news about Two-Twelve yet, but Lilah hasn¡¯t said anything unusual has happened in the dungeon so at least Kline is keeping it to himself.


    Other than the group we have in Longolia I have left all the other dungeon matters to Lilah, Lylah, and Lila. They have been doing such a good job for Two-Twelve before now so no use stepping on their toes now.


    The girls even send Susan to try to get me to leave the house, but I just don¡¯t feel like it. It¡¯s not till the 10<sup>th</sup> day has passed when I receive a message that I can¡¯t ignore.


    Belinda Gowen we know you are currently not the primary boss monster of Dungeon #212, but Elder Dyson and myself believed you would be the one we should speak with. I do not wish for you to give your hopes up so I want to warn you we have received no information about Two-Twelve¡¯s location or situation, but there have been some matters we wish to discuss with the monster currently in charge of his dungeon. This is unfortunately not a request, and a representative of the Elders will be there to collect you shortly.


    Elder Madam Erin.


    It isn¡¯t even ten minutes later before I receive another message from Madam Erin stating she is here to collect me. I don¡¯t really want to deal with the elders, but if maybe I can convince them to help me find Two-Twelve it would be worth it so I manage to pull myself out of bed heading down to meet with Madam Erin.


    When I answer the door Madam Erin says. ¡°Girl you look terrible¡­ I know how you must feel right now, but this is important.¡± She then casts [Clean] on me and takes my arm.


    After leading me to an area back behind the house, and past the other girl¡¯s houses she leads me to a tree in which she starts to draw runes on. Once complete it opens a doorway similar to when I can [Gate] and she squeezes in through the opening and drags me in by the arm.


    We arrive in a large stone corridor unlike anything I have ever seen, it has to be part of some dungeon somewhere but I don¡¯t have a clue where.  Once we enter through a large door there is a large podium with six chairs each containing a person.


    The man in the first chair, at least I think is a man appears to be some kind of dragon looking man, he doesn¡¯t look to dissimilar to the creatures Lilah summons at the depth of our dungeon. The next chair has a tall older man, next is an empty chair that Madam Erin moves over to and sits. Next to madam Erin is another man then a quite attractive woman, and lastly is Dyson.


    The dragon like man is the first to speak with a powerful voice. ¡°This is Two-Twelve¡¯s monster correct.¡± After Madam Erin nods he continues. ¡°First things first we have to be certain. Are you sure Two-Twelve has made no attempts to contact you since his disappearance?¡±


    ¡°That is correct¡­ I have tried everything I can from sending messages, to having others from the dungeon out searching for him.¡±


    The next to speak is the man between the dragon and Madam Erin. ¡°There have been no problems with the dungeon since his disappearance? No irregularities? Even if they seem like nothing we need to know.¡±


    ¡°No, the dungeon has been functioning just like if he was there. He has been focused on Tobes, so he has left the dungeon in the hands of some of our girls, so we know he is still alive, but we just don¡¯t know where.¡±


    Madam Erin then speaks. ¡°We don¡¯t wish to alarm you but we have a book that displays generalized information about each of the 799 dungeon cores.¡±


    ¡°Yes we have one as well, we even looked at it in hopes it would give us a clue to his location but we had no luck.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Have you seen it today?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Did something change?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We don¡¯t know what it means but we were hoping you could help us, but it appears his entry has been completely stricken from the book.  The previous Elder Leland¡¯s entry is still there but all the information for the current dungeon core #212 is completely blank.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    The fidgety man next to Madam Erin speaks next. ¡°This entire situation is quite puzzling something like this has never happened before.¡±


    The woman then speaks. ¡°We currently have two theories as his dungeon is still functioning he can¡¯t be dead so. 1) He has found a way to mask his presence from us and is doing who knows what possibly even trying to cause us harm. Or 2) The humans or some other factor has found a way to erase him from our sights and has taken him for who knows what purpose.¡±


    ¡°That is all you have come up with?! My husband would never run away from me and the girls. He has always done whatever the elders have asked from him even when it caused great stress on him, and when he really needs you. You try to blame him and say he is out to get you!?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We said these are just theories. I have tried to look in on him several times over that past week and a half, and I spent the entire morning trying to locate him after we noticed the change in the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> so I assure you we are just trying to find him, but there are so many unanswered questions.¡±


    ¡°You are supposed to be the oldest, smartest, and strongest dungeon cores there are and that is the best you can come up with? If he was really doing it intentionally why would he leave his small dungeon  which would be a glaring weakness open and exposed without him there?¡±


    Draco: ¡°She does have a point.¡±


    I am shaking mad, and tears are streaming down my face. The gull of these people¡­


    Faron: ¡°As something like this has never happened before we are going to ask Madam Erin who is the in the closest vicinity of Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon to continue to look in on it to see if any changes occur.¡±


    ¡°And what of Two-Twelve, what are you going to do to help me get my husband back?!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I know it is of little comfort, but I assure you we are going to do what we can.¡±


    Madam Erin then stands and then guides me from the room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand was all this just a ploy trying to see if you could get me to say that Two-Twelve is trying to attack the elders?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well is he?¡±


    ¡°Out of all people¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well you have to understand change doesn¡¯t come easy, and of all the changes that have occurred in the last 100 or so years Two-Twelve is smack dab in the middle of.¡±


    ¡°It is never by choice, either you, or Dyson drag him into these messes and when he does what you ask of him you treat him like this?! You know he once told me after a peaceful day, that he wished he was born a human so he could just live a normal life with me without all the dungeon stuff, so if you honestly think he would give up the one thing he loves just like that¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am sorry Belinda I really am.¡±


    ¡°If you are, you will do more to help me bring my husband home!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just hang in there, like you said his dungeon is still there, so as long as it is there is still hope.¡±


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    As we head out of the capital south towards this dungeon I have noticed people seem to react one of two ways around Listel. They either deeply respect her or are absolutely terrified of her, but every one of them seems to know who she is.


    We travel on the road silently for a few hours before she makes an odd sound as she stretches walking along.


    Listel: ¡°I just love being on the road, don¡¯t you Arngrim?¡±


    I try to ask her if she is still going to call me that way out here but with the pain from the collar I still can¡¯t find my voice.


    ¡°Is it really that great?¡±


    Listel:  ¡°Of course I can¡¯t stand being cooped up in town with all them humans.¡±


    ¡°But it seems like everyone in South Merretta knows and respects you.¡±


    Listel: ¡°They don¡¯t respect me they respect the title, underneath it I am just another bearskin to them, that¡¯s why the ones that don¡¯t jump to kiss my feet are so afraid. They think I am going to go savage or something and eat them.¡±


    ¡°I have never seen humans react that way to beastkin.¡±


    I try to continue with how the people have been so welcome of the girls in Tobes but my voice is taken from me again and I can¡¯t help but just sigh.


    Listel: ¡°So are you excited for doing your first commission Arngrim?¡±


    ¡°Are we really going to keep doing it like this?¡±


    Listel: ¡°This is who you are now, the sooner you realize that the better off you will be.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I just want¡­¡±


    To go home¡­ The words that can¡¯t escape my mouth cause the collar around my neck to burn.


    Silence then returns to us as we continue down the road.  We continue on for the rest of the day, and once the sun starts to set Listel stars looking around.


    Listel: ¡°Arngrim, this should work.¡±


    She says as she moves over to a tree to the side of the road and plops down leaning against it.


    ¡°You¡¯re just going to lean against the tree and go to sleep or what?¡±


    Listel: ¡°What do you expect? You want a luxury mattress where ever you go?¡±


    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t expect to be exposed to the elements. Haven¡¯t you ever heard of a tent?¡±


    Listel: ¡°What¡¯s the use? It will just weigh you down.¡±


    ¡°I figured you just carried everything in that [Shadow-pocket] of yours. Are you saying you have absolutely no supplies?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Of course not, we are monsters. Why should we inconvenience are selves with human¡¯s trash.¡±


    I sigh and look around finding a spot I lie down in the dirt.


    Listel: ¡°I am not going to bite. I will share the tree with you.¡±


    ¡°For one I am sure you probably do, and two I am fine here thanks.¡±


    Listel: ¡°You could at least remove the armor.¡±


    ¡°Why should I inconvenience myself with human¡¯s trash of comfort?¡±


    Listel then clicks her tongue and says. ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    After laying there a while it is quite uncomfortable though¡­It doesn¡¯t matter though as once I am sure Listel is asleep I get up and try to sneak away. It is quite dark, and I am not entirely sure where I am but I know I just need to get away.


    I don¡¯t even make it out of sight of the road before I am tackled to the ground. Listel then flips me over pinning me to the ground much in the same way she did in my dungeon. Even when I think back to that event the collar beings to burn my neck.


    Listel: ¡°If you wanted to play tag you just had to ask.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you win just get off me.¡±


    Listel: ¡°But it¡¯s my win that means I get to take the prize.¡±


    She then pulls the helmet off my head and presses her lips against mine, I try to move but her strength is just too much for me as she starts to grind her hips against me. I can¡¯t do much against her lips but at least the armor is a good barrier between the rest of me and her.


    When she finally stops kissing me I ask her. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I was always told if someone gives you a toy you should play with it to its fullest.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you had your fun now get off.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Who said I got to the fun part yet?¡±


    ¡°Enough! I am¡­¡± ¨CI try to say married, or taken, or anything but the pain is intense.-


    Listel: ¡°I know you would like it, See?¡± ¨CShe says as she works one of her hands past the armor and down my trousers.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a physical response. It doesn¡¯t mean anything, now stop I¡¯m¡­¡±


    The pain is getting worse, the more I tell her to quit it gets so bad that it takes everything I have just to keep trying to push her away. Finally she clicks her tongue and jumps off me and the pain then fades.


    Listel: ¡°If you¡¯re going to be that way it¡¯s not fun anymore.¡±


    ¡°Good, keep it that way.¡±


    She then grabs my arm dragging me back towards the tree, and then she plops back down seeming to go back to sleep. I still can¡¯t manage to get any rest, the more my mind tries to wonder back to home the more the pain keeps me here under this god awful tree with this crazy woman¡­

 Traveling with Listel

    Listel begins to stir just before the sun rises, and she gets up brushing herself off. She then casts a [Clean] spell on herself then takes a sniff of me casting it on me as well.


    Listel: ¡°You not get any sleep? I told you to take that armor off.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the armor it¡¯s the situation.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I told you. You best get used to it. Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    Without another word she begins her trek on the road heading south. We continue walking all morning and it¡¯s not till at least noon before she speaks again.


    Listel: ¡°You¡¯re not very talkative.¡±


    ¡°How can I be when any time I try to talk this collar around my neck tries to burn me.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s just a gentle reminder that you are Arngrim now. No use drudging up the past right?¡±


    I want to say that is who I am but of course the words don¡¯t form and the collar causes me pain.


    Listel: ¡°You are telling me there is nothing about Arngrim that you like?¡±


    ¡°I like the equipment if I¡­¡±


    My words cut of there as I try to say had it back in the dungeon causing me pain.


    Listel: ¡°See just leave it at that. You like the equipment, and so you should. I promise as long as your my pet I will see to it you have the very best.¡±


    Any words I try to say now just cause the collar to burn again so I stay silent and Listel continues.


    Listel: ¡°So I know you fancy yourself a mage, but you seemed to take to the sword, so can you use it at all?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± ¨CThe pain stops me from saying anything else so I end with.- ¡°A little bit.¡±


    Listel: ¡°If we keep this pace we should reach Ingress in about 4 or 5 more days, but if we pick up the pace a bit more we can reach Arunta by nightfall. That would give us a day or two we could maybe take one of their little hunting commissions so I can see how good you really are before we enter a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Do I really have a choice?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Now you are getting it. Let¡¯s see how good your stamina is little mage!¡±


    Listel gets behind me and pushes till I pick up the pace to a steady sprint.


    Listel: ¡°I am sure you got a bit more in you, but let¡¯s see how long you can hold that pace!¡± ¨CShe says as she is practically running backwards right beside me with no trouble keeping up.-


    I have never tried to push my body to its limit like this before, and even I am surprised that even though I can feel fatigue start to build I still have no problem maintaining the pace even in the armor. By the time some small buildings start to come into view the sun is still a ways from setting.


    As we begin to approach the town Listel slows us down and we reach the village of Arunta with at least an hour of daylight remaining.


    Listel: ¡°See wasn¡¯t that fun?¡±


    ¡°It was interesting, but I don¡¯t know if I would say it was fun. My legs are feeling pretty sore.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well for a mage you held up far better than I expected I honestly didn¡¯t think you would make it an hour much less all afternoon. As a reward I will give you a good rubdown later.¡±


    ¡°No thanks¡­ I will pass.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Suit yourself, but I promise you are missing out. After all I am and expert with my hands.¡±


    As we continue into the village it seems even the people here recognize Listel, but the reaction here is far more on the fearful side then the side of respect. When we reach a building in which I could only assume is their adventurer¡¯s guild a small meek man approaches cautiously.


    Man: ¡°Madam¡­ Madam Grand Marshal¡­ What do we own the pleasure of your visit?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am just passing through on my way to Ingress.¡±


    The man seems relieved and then says. ¡°I see, I there is anything we can do to accommodate you on your trip do let us know.¡±


    Listel waves the man off and he flees. Listel then walks into Arunta¡¯s Adventurers guild.


    Most adventurers¡¯ guilds that I have seen also serve as a bar, but this one seems to serve as the towns inn as well, that would explain why the building was so large for such a small village. There commission board is rather small as well, but that is the first place Listel heads.


    The commission board is rather bare, and it seems to displease Listel as she clicks her tongue and moves over to the counter.


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t you have any decent commissions.¡±


    The man behind the counter quickly grows nervous as he says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Madam Grand Marshal, it has been rather peaceful as of late¡­ There has been a pack of wolves seem to move into the area, but they haven¡¯t caused enough trouble yet to warrant a commission.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Wolves? You think someone like me would take care of a little wolf problem?¡±


    Man: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to assume Madam Grand Marshal.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll just have to wait till Ingress to see what the kid has. Just give me a room then.¡±


    Man: ¡°Yes Grand Marshal.¡±  -He turns moving over to a board taking a key from a hook then stops turning around.- ¡°And your friend?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t want him sneaking out and deflowering your sweetheart in the middle of the night do you? I better keep a close eye on him.¡±


    The man returns to the counter placing the key down in front of her and awkwardly looks over to me a few times but tries to act like he isn¡¯t. With this armor and helmet I guess I do look pretty intimidating, but the genuine fear in the guy¡¯s eyes seems to still hurt a little.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ She is just joking I wouldn¡¯t do something like that.¡±


    The man awkwardly fakes a smile as he laughs stepping back from the counter. Listel then grabs my wrist and begins pulling me upstairs. Once finding the correct room Listel leads us inside.


    The room itself is not very big but it has several items that are not typical. There is a hard looking bed, and small writing desk that looks normal enough, but there is also an armor rack in the corner and a large washbasin half filled with murky water.


    Listel moves over to the basin and kicks it sloshing the water a bout and then seems to get angry. ¡°The Grand Marshal¡¯s room still gets someone¡¯s dirty water!¡±


    ¡°Is it a big deal? Do you even plan to use it? If it bothers you that much just cast [Clean] on it.¡±


    Listel: ¡°That¡¯s not the point!  I worked hard for Laura till I was appointed to be one of her boss monsters, and when she took Aaron he made me the Grand Marshal and I should never have to be looked down on again.  Yet people still treat me like some beastkin freak disrespecting me any way they can!¡±


    ¡°I think you are reading far too much into it¡­ I think it¡¯s not your race that bothers them it¡¯s your demeanor. ¡°


    Listel: ¡°And what is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want them to disrespect you just because you are a beastkin, but making them fear you is not any better, that is just cementing in any bias they might have, or causing bias that didn¡¯t exist before.¡±


    Listel: ¡°You are saying I should let them walk all over me then?¡±


    ¡°You want respect, treat them with respect unless they give you a reason not to. You show them that beastkin are more then they think. I heard you¡¯re the first beastkin to ever make it this high in the chain of command but if you cause people to fear you everywhere you turn. That is going to make others of your race not get their own fair shake.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I am not responsible for how other beastkin are treated.¡±


    ¡°But you are. You make humans fear you but they can¡¯t take it out on you because of your strength and position so they take it out on the normal beastkin keeping the chain of disrespect to beastkin alive, but if you show them that you are above that then the entire perception of beastkin increases breaking the chain.¡±


    Listel: ¡°One little innkeeper boy isn¡¯t going to make a difference.¡±


    ¡°I am not saying it will, but if you treat everyone like that and it just might.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Whatever¡­¡±


    Listel then turns and starts to take off her shirt. There is not much to her wardrobe as it is so when she does I quickly say.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Listel drapes her shirt over the chair at the writing desk then kicks off her boots and starts to her shorts as well. ¡°Well if I am not going to go yell at the boy downstairs I am going to bed.¡±


    ¡°And you have to remove your clothes to do that?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well it is far more comfortable that way. Aww is little Arngrim embarrassed?¡± ¨CShe says as she drops her shorts to the floor and walks over and presses against me wearing underclothes that would even cause Zoey and Roxy to blush.-


    The quick bit of pain in my neck as I think about the girls again and I say. ¡°Alright, fine that¡¯s enough.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Oh I haven¡¯t even gotten started.¡± ¨CShe says as she takes the helmet from my head dropping it to the floor with a loud clank.-


    Taking the helmet with both hands means she let go of me so I duck under her arms and gain a bit of distance from her. That however puts me closer to the bed in which she then tackles me onto. With her strength pinning me down I am helpless to more then watch as she starts removing the buckles and straps of my armor as piece by piece is removed.


    ¡°I thought we made it clear last night. That this isn¡¯t happening.¡±


    Listel: ¡°That was last night, you can¡¯t fight me forever.¡± ¨Cshe says as she drops the last piece of my armor to the floor.-


    She then unbuttons the front of my shirt and starts to caresses my chest with her tail as she grinds her hips into my crotch again. When I grab ahold of her tail I get an instant shot of pain through the collar that was more intense than it ever has been before which causes me to quickly let go.


    Listel: ¡°Ah! Easy there tiger, I don¡¯t mind you catching the cat by the tail, but you got to be gentle with a ladies sensitive parts.¡±


    I take a deep breath clench my teeth then grab her tail again pulling as hard as I can to pull her off of me. The pain and heat is so intense that I may have even blacked out for a second but finally Listel jumps up out of the bed so I let go.Stolen story; please report.


    She says ¡°Fine¡± then grabs both my wrists and jerks me from the bed and tosses me to the floor. She then crawls back on the bed and shortly after her bra and panties both hit me in the face before she curls up under the covers.


    I can see her peaking up at me from the covers as I get up off the floor placing my armor on the rack, I then choose the corner furthest from the bed to sit down and lean against to get some sleep.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    Even though I have been home since yesterday I am still steaming mad over the way the elder¡¯s where handling this situation. Madam Erin sent me home after talking to me in the hallway, but not before promising me she would help me find Two-Twelve.


    Dyson likewise sent a message later says he is going to start scouring the other dungeons one by one if he has to just to make sure Two-Twelve hasn¡¯t wound up in one. The other elders though seem not to care at all.


    I finally made up my mind leaving the house. I head over to the City Hall and to the adventurer¡¯s guild and write up a commission form.


    Receptionist: ¡°Miss Belinda. Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I should have done this as soon as he disappeared.¡±


    Commission request:


    Location:  All                          Commission type: Find Commission Reward: 250,000 gold Commission Details: Any information leading to the location of the mayor of Tobes Two-Twelve Gowen will be giving the reward. Any adventurer/agent acting under a foreign kingdom that returns Two-Twelve Gowen safely to Gowen will also be granted the secret of the Gowen Communication Parchment with instructions for its reproduction even in the event the returning party is the cause of his disappearance.


    Receptionist: ¡°I know you are the princess but can even you afford that reward?¡±


    ¡°If I have to sell everything I own including my stake in Tobes to get Two-Twelve back I would do it gladly. Now send the commission out to all adventurers¡¯ guilds I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a no-name village I want the commission posted.¡±


    The receptionist nods and I turn to start walking back out the door and I notice Sofia enter while talking to someone but as soon as she sees me her face changes and she tells them to wait outside.


    Sofia: ¡°Miss Belinda! I am glad you have finally managed to get out and about.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Well we told you I had a pair of new students over at the adventurer¡¯s training school, but with everything going on we all decided it was best not to say anything.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Hey sis¡­ I am really sorry to hear about your husband.¡±


    ¡°Doug?! What are you doing here?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well I heard about your little adventurer¡¯s training school here, so I thought I would come learn a thing or two while you were on your honeymoon and maybe you might take us along next time you go adventuring, but after hearing what happened with Two-Twelve though we didn¡¯t want to be a bother.¡±


    ¡°What about Father and Logan, do they know you are here?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Of course not, they think I went to Adra. That¡¯s why I said I didn¡¯t want to be a bother.¡±


    ¡°And what do you mean we?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the other thing. I want you to meet my partner.¡± ¨CHe then brings a young beastkin woman into the room.-


    The beastkin girl is young and very beautiful, she has soft round ears and a long cat like tail which she is holding on to with both hands with her head bowed and her ears drooping her most notable feature however is a large metal collar around her neck.


    ¡°Your partner?


    Doug and the beastkin girl both blush as Doug quickly says. ¡°No no sis, not like that. You see when me, Logan, and Two-Twelve went on his bachelor¡¯s party we went to a men¡¯s dance club¡­ You know¡­ Anyway Two-Twelve really seemed to take a interest in Aria so when I decided I wanted to learn more from you and Two-Twelve I went and bought her so maybe I could get your husband to like me¡­¡±


    ¡°You bought your sister¡¯s husband a prostitute to try to get on his good side?¡±


    Doug: ¡°No, she isn¡¯t a prostitute, just a dancer girl, well not really even that I bought her before they put her to work, Two-Twelve was the only one she danced for, but that was before everything happened with Two-Twelve.¡±


    ¡°And you went along with this? ¡° ¨CI ask Sofia.-


    Sofia: ¡°They showed up before Two-Twelve disappeared, and I needed the students, and wasn¡¯t about to turn down one of the Gowen princes¡­ The dancer girl thing is news to me though, I promise, but I guess it makes sense she fits into Two-Twelve¡¯s tastes.¡±


    ¡°My husband is out there somewhere, with gods know only what happening to him, and you are making stripper joke?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean¡­ I meant.¡± ¨CShe leans in and whispers in my ear.- ¡°She is a dungeon monster.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you sure.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Of course, it is as obvious to me as the collar on her neck¡­¡±


    Doug and Aria are now looking on confused.


    Sofia: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, why don¡¯t you two go grab that commission we were talking about and I will finish things up with Belinda real quick.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I really do hope you are able to find him sis¡­¡±


    Doug says as he walks by before moving over to the commission board with Aria.


    I lower my voice as I talk with Sofia. ¡°So does she know about us?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I don¡¯t think so. if she does she hasn¡¯t said anything yet. She seems pretty sweet and naive¡­ Another thing Two-Twelve seems to enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she is with whoever has Two-Twelve? She might be keeping an eye on us¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I know you want to find Two-Twelve but I think you are reaching now. Everything is way too coincidental for her to be a plant.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know what I am going to do about Doug, but you keep an eye on the girl just in case¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Ok¡­ And it¡¯s good to see you out of the house. Two-Twelve needs the strong hero Belinda right now, not the pampered princess.¡±


    I know she is right, I admitted it to myself not even a few minutes ago when I posted the commission saying I should have done that from the start. With a new determination I stay bye to Sofia then head out the door.


    My next stop is Denova¡¯s if anybody can track down information especially if there is profit in it for her it is Denova. I don¡¯t find her in the adventurer¡¯s shop next door, so I have to walk across town and try the general goods store first.


    I don¡¯t find her in the store, but when I ask the attendant they said she was in the back so they go to get her. It¡¯s not long till she comes walking out of the back room with a dirty apron on wiping her hands off on it as she walks up.


    ¡°Were you actually working?¡±


    Denova: ¡°You don¡¯t think I get paid for lying on my back all day do you?¡± ¨CShe kind of chuckles.- ¡°At least not anymore.¡±


    I shake the thought from my head¡­


    ¡°I got a proposition for you. As you know Two-Twelve has been taken from us, and I thought maybe using your connections you could help track him down.¡±


    Denova: ¡°All my connections are from here and out of Gowen itself, and you lost him down in Longolia, so I don¡¯t see how I can be of any help.¡±


    ¡°Well I thought you might like to know I placed a commission with a reward of 250,000 gold, for information leading to his location.¡±


    Denova licks her lips and I can tell I now got her undivided attention.


    ¡°Furthermore since we are friends, I thought I might entice you more with the promise of a request from me. Any request you want as long as it is legal and within my means I will grant it. If you or someone you send are the ones that bring me the information that leads me to my husband.¡±


    Denova: ¡°That¡¯s¡­Quite a promise there. Like I said though I can¡¯t say I can be much help, but you can guarantee with them kinds of stakes, I will do my best.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Now what else can I do¡­ I decide to head back home for now and transfer to the core room.


    Lilah: ¡°Belinda¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok Lilah, you guys protect his heart for him and I promise I will bring him back to us.¡±


    I move over to the desk picking up a book and looking it over.


    ¡°This is the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> right?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°We already went through it though. We couldn¡¯t find anything that would help.¡±


    ¡°I have a different idea.¡±


    I open the book to the first page Dungeon Core #001 Maric. I open [Menu] open [Communication]


    ¡°Dungeon Core #001 [Maric], This is Dungeon Core #212¡¯s boss monster I am sorry to interrupt what you are doing but I am in desperate need of assistance. Dungeon Core #212 has been taken from us, and as such it has been in a way the Dungeon Core Elders can¡¯t even fathom as his entry in the <u>Dungeon Core Information </u>has been erased. I know he is still alive because his dungeon is still alive and active. As many of the Dungeon Core¡¯s now know Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon is rather unique and is able to summon a race that has been never seen before the Divine Being. As Dungeon Core #212¡¯s boss monster I promise any Dungeon Core that returns my Two-Twelve to me will be given one of these unique Divine Being monsters. This offer is not exclusive, I will continue down the list sending every dungeon core this message until my Two-Twelve is returned to me. Thanks for allowing me to take up a bit of you time.¡±


    I send the message, turn the page, and then open another message.


    ¡°Dungeon Core #002¡­


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    I must have been tired because I slept like a log last night¡­Since the day we went to Arunta, I have been spending my days jogging and night dodging Listels advances until we arrived in Ingress last night. I even managed to be able to allowed to sleep in a bed.


    As I start to wake up and stretch I find my movement restricted I raise the covers and find Belinda¡¯s head nuzzled against me chest and warmth fills me as I run my fingers down her back. Then the sudden shot of pain and heat in my neck brings me to my senses and I realize the head on my chest has two pointed ears on top of it and the back I am rubbing my fingers across is furry¡­


    Listels tail then brushes my nose and she looks up with her piercing cat like eyes. Biting her lower lip leaving her sharp canine teeth exposed she then says. ¡°Last night was amazing.¡±


    Panic starts to set in as she sits up in my lap. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t have!¡± My emotions quickly become jumbled as pain in my neck intensifies as I think how I could do this to Belinda. The more I try to block it out the more I think about what happened then the more it makes me think of Belinda causing even more pain.


    Listel however jumps out of bed and starts laughing as she starts pulling on her panties. ¡°Your pants are still on stupid. Don¡¯t go burning your head clean off your shoulders.¡±


    Relief washes over me, but that just makes me think of Belinda more so the pain in my neck doesn¡¯t quit. Eventually I manage to calm down enough to sit up on the edge of the bed.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I know it was hysterical. Now come on now Arngrim, we get to enter the dungeon today, so make sure you put everything on correctly.¡±


    ¡°I am still not so sure about all this. I haven¡¯t ever fought in a battle without my magic before.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s a piece of cake, besides I will be right there with you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s part of the problem.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I told you my mistress said if I play with you I got to keep you in one peace at least till she makes up her mind what to do with you, so your safety is guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­¡±


    I start the long task of putting my armor on. After I get everything situated we then head out of the inn and move down a few blocks to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    Listel: ¡°We need to get you as many commissions complete as possible so take every single one that is in the dungeon.¡±


    I move over to the board and look it over. Most of the listed commissions on the board are for moving, shipping, hauling, and mining ore from the mines. None of them appear to be any kill x amounts of these creatures and bring y as proof. Not equipment, no mapping. Hell I don¡¯t see any commissions for the dungeon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any¡­¡±


    Listel:  ¡°What do you mean.¡± ¨CShe moves over looking at the board.- ¡°Hey! Where are the dungeon commissions?¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°The dungeon has become too dangerous, so they just closed it down.¡±


    Listel: ¡°You are telling me there are 0 commissions in the dungeon.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°There are plenty of other mines, who needs a mine full of monsters when you got 3 that are full of only ore.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well shit. Oh well it¡¯s the combat experience you need the most anyway, lets go.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Wait you can¡¯t go to it they closed it.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Should I?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I am the Grand Marshal of Southern Merretta.¡±


    The adventurer¡¯s face begins to pale, but then he has a nervous chuckle and says. ¡°Yea, and I am Aaron Merretta.¡±


    Between heart beats Listel draws her mythril blade bringing it to the man¡¯s neck.


    The room quickly grows quiet.


    ¡°Listel that¡¯s enough, there is no point in making a big deal of it.¡±


    Listel: ¡°The insolent whelp needs to learn his place. You can¡¯t just go around insulting the Grand Marshal, and definitely not the king.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wearing any armor, and with your sword sheathed you don¡¯t even look like much of an adventurer, if someone doesn¡¯t know who you are, there is no way they would think you are someone of that rank.¡±


    Listel: ¡°You¡¯re lucky Arngrim was here to talk me down, or I would have made an example of you just for the fun of it.¡± ¨CShe says as she pulls her blade back, but when she does she draws it across the man¡¯s chin. The blade is so sharp and Listel wields it with such precision it shaves the growing stubble from the man¡¯s chin without cutting him. She then sheaths her sword and walks out the door.-


    The man looks like he is about to pass out as he collapses into a chair, and then I follow Listel out the door.


    ¡°That was good, but next time leave out the threat there at the end.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Then how would he know I was serious.¡±


    ¡°You had him from the moment you had the blade to his throat. Letting him go shows restraint which would have earned you points for respect, but the threat afterwards destroys your credibility, and made it seem like you were someone that just has fun killing.¡±


    Listel: ¡°This is pointless, let¡¯s just go get rid of this stupid dungeon, so we can get you on to some real commissions.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were just checking it out.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Aw whatever.¡±


    I just shake my head as we then exit the small town and make our way along a mountain trail till we reach the entrance of a cave.


    ¡°Are you sure this is it?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Of course this is it. I can practically smell the dungeon core already. It¡¯s an earth core if you were wondering.¡±


    ¡°Now you are just pulling my leg, you just looked in the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u>.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Alright, don¡¯t believe me then.¡± ¨CShe closes her eyes sticks her nose in the air and slowly takes a deep breath.- ¡°Then how about something the book wouldn¡¯t say, like the is pretty much a straight shot down a long tunnel but at the very back there is a sharp left and then a right which is the crystal room.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true you had to have been here before there is no way you could know all that just by one sniff.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Alright, then how about this. I can tell how many times you¡­ -She leans over taking a big whiff of me. She then has a strange look on her face.- ¡°Really?¡± ¨CShe takes another deep breath.- ¡°Never?!¡± ¨CA third breath.- ¡° I can¡¯t believe you have never masturbated¡­¡±


    ¡°How does that even come into play¡­ And how would you know that?¡±


    Listel looks a little disappointed in me when she says. ¡°It¡¯s a hero skill, I can smell history, I focus on something and I can smell the history of it.¡±


    ¡°I might be able to see with magic being able to see the history of an object, place, or person, but smell¡­ That¡¯s rather odd.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It could have to do with my state of mind when I got the skill. You see beastkin noses are more sensitive than most, so when I was tackling this dungeon, my second one mind you, all I could think about was how the dungeon reeked of rotted cabbages. When I finally reached the crystal room it turned out to be the dungeon cores feet! After I killed him I just remember thinking what would make someone¡¯s feet smell that strongly of rotted cabbage. That¡¯s when I got the skill and trust me when I say you don¡¯t want to know the answer.¡±


    ¡°I have never heard of a hero skill being granted by the frame of mind at the time¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it, your normal skills you gain when you level are the same way, depending on your frame of mind is what kind of skill you get.¡±


    ¡°I never knew that either¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well enough about that lets go get us a dungeon crystal!¡±


    I sigh as we enter the cave.

 Ingress Mine

    Listel and I enter the Ingress Mine dungeon. From the front entrance it looks every part the mine as it has a long shaft as far as the eye can see down at a steady slope. There are wooden beams set up to act as braces, but the advantage of having a mine that is a dungeon, a collapse would be impossible unless it was a trap. There is even a set of tracks that run parallel down the center of the tunnel.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure this is the dungeon?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Of course, now draw your sword there is something moving just ahead up there.¡±


    I don¡¯t see anything so I will have to take her word for it. I draw the mythril blade from its scabbard and ready myself as we slowly progress into the shaft. There are scones on the wall with unlit torches and as we progress deeper Listel passes her hand over each one causing it to light up.


    I finally start to see some movement as what looks to be a pair of bats the size of a dog screeching through the air. Listel crosses her arms and leans against one of the braces as the bats reach close enough that I swing my sword.


    The bat is big enough it¡¯s kind of a hard target to miss, so once the blade touches its wing it tears through it with what feels like no resistance at all. The swing wasn¡¯t pretty but it managed to sever the entire wing off of one of the bats which causes it to crash into the floor. Out of habit I try to reach out with my other hand to cast a spell, but of course it doesn¡¯t work so instead the bat latches its mouth around my hand reaching halfway between my wrist and elbow before chomping down.


    I start to flail my arm but after a few seconds it dons on me to bring the sword around and stab the stupid creature. Being pinned in place by trying to eat my arm makes carving it rather easy. Once it falls to the floor finally dead I start to look over my mangled arm which is in quite a bit of pain, when suddenly I her Listel chortle as something sinks its fangs into my leg.


    The one winged bat thrashes around on my leg as I bring the sword around finally putting an end to it as well. Luckily my armor is pretty effective so the damage to both my arm and leg are not near as bad as I initially thought, it doesn¡¯t stop it from hurting like hell though.


    ¡°Alright, you mind fixing me up now?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Quit being a baby, you¡¯ll live.¡±


    ¡°If I had my magic I could take care of it myself!¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well you don¡¯t so get used to it, now let¡¯s go.¡±


    I sigh then start to make my way through the shaft again, until we finally come to a gap in the wall.


    ¡°Should we check out what is in there, or just continue on?¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s your show, I am just along for the ride.¡±


    The path isn¡¯t exactly accommodating as I have to squeeze pass the crevice to enter the room to the side. Listel said this collar is supposed to block magic, and she said skills as well, but with the light flicking in from behind me from the main shaft my [Keen Eye] skill seems to be working well enough that I still have decent visibility.


    The room is an oblong square shape, but there doesn¡¯t appear to be anything in it until a torch is tossed through the crack behind me landing at my feet causing two what I thought was coiled ropes in the corner to strike out at me.


    One of the serpents latches onto my thigh while coiling around both of my legs, the other strikes at my neck. Luckily I am however able to dodge that one as the first snake causing me to fall. As the snake tightly constricts around my legs the one that propelled itself though the air is making a return pass slithering towards my head.


    Pain engulfs me as I can begin to feel the popping and cracking in my legs, but I manage to swing my sword above me to sever the head of the snake going for my face. As my leg twists in a peculiar fashion with a crackling noise I manage to stab the other snake in the head as well.


    I try to pull myself from the now dead snakes clutches but the pain is simply excruciating¡­


    Listel: ¡°Alright, I guess I will heal you up, come here and I will take care of it.¡± ¨CShe says while still on the other side of the crevice.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­ I can make back through there like this.¡± ¨CI say while dragging my limp lower half of my body free of the snake.-


    At least the snake wasn¡¯t venomous, because other than the broken bones I am not feeling any effects from its bite.


    Listel: ¡°Well you¡¯re not going to see me squeeze though there. Hurry up!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re horrid¡­¡± ¨CI say while dragging myself across the floor towards the opening.-


    I have to stop after a few feet however breathing heavily while in unbearable pain. I don¡¯t know exactly how long it took me, and I am sure I blacked out several times but eventually I finally fall to the floor at Listel¡¯s feet after pulling myself though the tight crevice.


    With raspy breath and a sweat covered brow I look up to Listel that just clicks her tongue saying. ¡°Looks like it did a real number on you. Looks like it broke both your legs and your pelvis.¡±


    She then roughly flips me over causing me to black out again. When I come to the pain has faded and I can feel my toes again. I manage to sit up and twist both my ankles around making sure they work.


    Listel: ¡°About time you wake up, its rather rude to fall asleep while someone is trying to help you.¡±


    My legs are still a bit wobbly as I pull myself to my feet. ¡°How long was I out¡­?¡±


    Listel: ¡°At least 45 minutes to an hour.¡±


    ¡°So are you happy now? Can we go now?¡±


    Listel: ¡°What are you talking about, we have barely even scratched the surface of this dungeon. Now hurry up we are burning daylight.¡±


    I find my sword propped up next to the wall. I know I didn¡¯t bring it back though the crevice with me so Listel must of went and got it, so her entire comment about not squeezing though the crevice to help me was total bull.


    As I move over to pick it up Listel says. ¡°You know you are lucky the dungeon didn¡¯t store that after you left the room. That sword is far harder to replace then you are you know.¡±


    ¡°Well sorry for being such a disappointment.¡± ¨CI say while snatching up the sword and then continue to hobble down the mine shaft.-


    As we continue on I encounter two more pairs of the bats but manage to deal with both with far less difficulty then the first set, and I encounter another crevice I toss one of the torches Listel lit in before squeezing though to investigate.


    This time the room seems to be devoid of monsters, but there is a sizable chest against the far wall. It¡¯s at this moment I realize this room must be some form of trap. I wish I took more skills when I had the chance. Now I just have to figure out where and what kind of traps are here with me.


    Now if just the chest is a trap then I should be able to just leave it be and get out of here, but who is to say if that is the only trap.


    Listel: ¡°What are you doing? Grab the stuff from the chest and let go.¡±


    ¡°Surely the chest is a trap, we should just leave it and keep going.¡±


    Listel: ¡°You know how much gold I have spent on you already? You can at least start to make it up by getting some loot, just disable the 3 traps and grab the dagger from the chest and lets go.¡±


    ¡°If you know all that including what¡¯s in the chest can¡¯t you at least give me a hand?¡±


    Listel: ¡°This is your show I am just along for the ride, besides I already told you how many traps there are you just got to take care of them now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any skills to detect, or disable traps so how am I supposed to do that?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Learn, just like everyone else.¡±


    I sigh then look over the room. I don¡¯t see any trip wires, the floor is rock, but it¡¯s of a natural texture, so there are no discolored tiles or anything. Since Listel said there are 3 traps I am sure one is on the chest, so 2 have to be somewhere else in the room.


    I wish I used more traps in my own dungeon that way I knew more about the different types of activators, but thinking of that is just causing my neck to burn so it¡¯s not helping¡­ Well I do know that where I am standing must be safe, and the torch being tossed though didn¡¯t set anything off so where it is at should be safe.


    I hold my breath as I take a step forward as close as I can to the torch¡­ Nothing¡­ Well I guess that¡¯s a good sign. I bend down and pick the torch back up. I toss it forward again to see if it triggers again but again it just lands on the floor and nothing happens.


    ¡°Are you sure there are 3 traps in here?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Are you saying you don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t trust you!¡±


    Something comes flying from behind me, over my shoulder landing a few feet in front of me between where I stand and where the torch is, causing large stone spikes to launch from the wall. I quickly dive back but still get caught by a spike as it pierces my stomach.


    ¡°Gah!¡± ¨CI was in the process of diving so I am airborne as the spike wrenches me through the air.-


    Listel: ¡°Oh quit being a baby something like that isn¡¯t going to kill you, and now you only got 2 left to worry around.¡±


    I pull myself from the spike which in itself is quite painful. I think it if wasn¡¯t for my armor I would have been run clear though like a kabob, but It didn¡¯t pierce all the way through me there is still a massive wound in my stomach though. Any normal human would be bleeding out right now, but even though there is quite a bit of blood, it is still not as much as it should be and no more is pouring out of the wound.


    The pain however is still very much the same as I double over while holding my hand over the wound. After a few more moments I manage to stand back up straight while surveying the room.


    The earthen spikes have still not retracted so now the room is a maze of spikes and I can¡¯t even see the chest on the other side of the room now.


    ¡°Alright, can I come back now?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Have you gotten the dagger yet?¡±


    I sigh¡­ Well the spikes might be able to help if I climb through them without touching the walls or floor I should be able to prevent any more traps going off at least till I get to the chest that is. Climbing and squeezing though the spaces between the spikes is quite painful on my stomach, but I eventually make it to the far side of the room and I straddle a spike with the chest about a foot below me on the right.


    Laying down on the spike I try to get a closer look at the chest, checking every inch of it for some kind of activator. I can¡¯t see anything, but that doesn¡¯t mean much. If any more spikes trigger there will be no room left so I can only hope that is not the trap. I decide instead of opening the box I cautiously lift it off the floor.


    A few panic filled seconds later nothing seems to happen so I then take the box and try to make my way back through the spikes. It proves to be quite difficult as the box keeps getting hung and I end up having to take a different path but eventually I make it back out of the spikes with the box intact.


    The chest isn¡¯t attached to anything so if one of the three traps is indeed the chest it has to be something in it, maybe a spring trap, or poison gas or something when you open it. I feel like throwing it at Listel, but I find the chest won¡¯t fit though the crevice¡­


    Well crap I guess I have to open it then. I inspect the box again, it won¡¯t help much if it¡¯s a gas, but if the activator is in the latch I might have a way to bypass it by popping the hinges in the back instead. I was just trying to pry off the hinges but with the mythril sword I easily just end up cutting them off instead.


    No gas seems to be leaking from the box as there is a bit of a crack though the back side of it now, so that is a plus. I decide to slowly try to open the box away from me while trying to drop the contents on the floor.


    I get it open far enough to see the dagger as I try to get it out it gets hung so I shake the box a bit with the chest then jerks out of my hand hitting the floor the lid flops open with a spike sticking into the front on the box.


    I pick up the dagger that fell out in the process and it looks to be nothing more than a run of the mill steel stiletto type dagger¡­ I slide it into my belt and look at the chest a bit closer. Apparently the front latch was the activator and it was meant to fling the spike as you opened it. I guess when I opened it from the back it was just putting just enough pressure on the latch that when I shook it the trap triggered without anywhere to go the spike just lodged into the front of the chest.


    I climb back though the crevice careful with the wound on my stomach, I then pull the dagger from my waist and toss it at Listel.


    ¡°There! There is your stupid dagger! It doesn¡¯t look anything better than a steel dagger.¡±


    Listel tosses it back at me while saying. ¡°What do you expect? This is classified as a starter dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Then what all was that about? You wanted me to just suffer through all that for the fun of it?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Not for the fun of it, for the learning experience. You managed the chest quite well, although it was a bit inelegant. You could have just cut a side out of the box with your sword and the trap would have never triggered.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°How could I have known that? For all I knew the chest was filled with poison gas!¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well see you have the smarts, you just need the experience.¡±


    ¡°Well can you at least do something about this gaping hole in my gut, since you were the one that set it off.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Speaking of that, you grabbed my boot right?¡±


    ¡°Your boot?¡±


    She wiggles her bare clawed toes. ¡°Yes my boot¡­¡± ¨Cshe then clicks her tongue.- ¡°Go back and get it and I will think about healing the wound.¡±


    I sigh and then crawl back though the crevice.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    I was up all night sending messages to every dungeon core in the book. Most of the messages were the same but a few for the dungeon cores we know where a bit personalized like the ones I sent to Dawn, Twilight, and Inari.


    I haven¡¯t received much replies, Inari seemed to be really worried I of course used the communication parchment to let her know instead of [Menu].  Some of the cores that respond are just asking if I was serious, and I received messages from the elders advising me against taking such action, but if they are truly not going to help me find Two-Twelve I will do whatever it takes. At some point Lilah or one of the other two must have put a blanket over me, but when I woke up leaning over the desk there was a blanket on me and the three were paying attention to the screens for the dungeon.


    ¡°Thanks girls¡­¡±


    Lila: ¡°Of course Miss Belinda.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Did Belinda have any luck in finding Master?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but it¡¯s only been a few hours since the last message was sent.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Can Miss Belinda really hold up on the deal though if one of the dungeons comes though? We don¡¯t have anywhere near enough of the 100,000xp it takes to summon a Divine Being¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it includes a bit of luck and speculation at this point, but Azami became a Divine Elf when we accepted her making her one of Two-Twelve¡¯s special boss monsters. If I understand it right Two-Twelve should have at least 1 more of thosespecial boss monsters available, so we should be able to make one that way.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But where would Belinda get someone willing to join a dungeon like that?¡±


    ¡°Well I am ashamed to admit, but I was thinking if this does work I would buy a slave. I hate to do things that way, but in truth the slave would be highly coveted by the other dungeon core, so I am sure it would be a life better than a normal slave even if it was in the service of a dungeon.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°But would master really be ok with such a thing.¡±


    ¡°We have to find him first, and he can yell at me all he wants for it when he is back, but he has to be home to do that.¡± ¨CI say fighting back some tears.-


    The three little bunnies surround me and give me a hug.


    Lilah: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Belinda¡­ Master will be home soon just wait and see¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    Since I encountered the room with the dagger, Listel and I have trekked a few more hours into the dungeon, and I have finally graduated from the bats and snakes as we have begun to encounter some kobolds.


    Kobolds are something I am used to however so they proved easier than the snakes and bats. Although just looking at them causes me a literal pain in the neck¡­


    I have had to suffer though massive amounts of damage, but unless I am at death¡¯s door, or unable to move Listel doesn¡¯t use her magic to heal me. I have been speared, pounded, pierced, prodded, poked, maimed, mauled, munched, mutilated, cut, sliced, diced, burned, and after a particular acid trap partly melted, and yet Listel hasn¡¯t lifted a finger to help me unless it was to prevent my death.


    I can¡¯t even be sure if she is truly trying to teach me anything, or just enjoying watching me suffer, but after hours after clearing a room off the main tunnel she follows me in and slides down in the corner.


    ¡°What are you doing now?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Getting some rest of course, it¡¯s almost midnight.¡±


    ¡°What about the monsters?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well the dungeon can¡¯t summon anything directly into the room, and I got you to guard the door, so what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Me? Then when am I supposed to get some rest?¡±


    Listel: ¡°its good training.¡±


    ¡°You know what fine¡­¡± -I choose the opposite corner and slide down in it.- ¡°Laura doesn¡¯t care if you torment me but she doesn¡¯t want me dead yet. So I am going to go to sleep. I guess that means you got to protect me!¡±


    A smile creeps over Listel¡¯s face after drawing a line in the air and pulling a ring out of [Shadow-pocket] she slides it on her finger and then casts a spell. A wall of stone fills the door blocking us off from the rest of the dungeon.


    Listel: ¡°Now you¡¯re getting somewhere.¡± ¨CShe says as she settles back down into her corner.-


    When I awaken Listel is standing over me. She offers me her hand and then pulls me to my feet.


    Listel: ¡°Alright then, back to it.¡±


    She draws a line in the air casting [Shadow-pocket] takes the ring off her finger tossing it through then with a wave of her hand the rock wall blocking the entrance disappears.


    ¡°So what was the deal with the ring?¡±


    Listel: ¡°lets me maintain a spell even when I am sleeping, you have to be careful though because if you run out of magic while you are asleep, it doesn¡¯t cancel the effect so it could essentially keep you unconscious forever. Something as simple as a [Stone Wall] spell though isn¡¯t even noticeable to my magic though.¡±


    We then set back into the main shaft of the dungeon heading in deeper, when I come in contact with the first group of monsters Listel leans against the wall again and waits. I am getting tired of this so I sheath my sword and just start to walk into the middle of the group.


    Listel: ¡°Aye! Have you lost your marbles?¡±


    The wounds are quite painful, and are building up quite quickly, if I am not careful I might actually die, but the moment I was waiting for comes before that happens.


    Listel lunges forward taking out the kobolds in a matter of seconds¡­


    Listel: ¡°What are you playing at you fool! They could have killed you!¡±


    ¡°I am tired of the bystander routine, either you help me out, and we get this done a lot quicker, or I leave my sword sheathed.¡±


    Listel clicks her tongue.


    Listel: ¡°Fine, but I am not going to take more than half, so you better do your part as well.¡±


    Things really pick up after that, without having to take the groups entirely on my own I am taking far less damage which even not counting the ones Listel kills I am killing far more then I was the previous day. By the end of the second day we have made massive progress, I don¡¯t know how deep we have gotten now, but Listel has a refreshing smile on her face.


    Listel: ¡°At this progress we should reach the back of the mine shaft before tomorrow¡¯s up, but she isn¡¯t going to be pulling any punches from here on out.¡±


    ¡°What about the crystal, we are going to leave it intact right?¡±


    Listel: ¡°She hasn¡¯t come out yet and apologized for being on the Mistress¡¯s land, so still too early to tell.¡±


    On the third day of Listel and I making our way through the Ingress Mine dungeon we reach the back of the shaft of the mine.


    Listel: ¡°See left turn, we got a few more rooms then it will be a right turn and then the crystal room.¡±


    ¡°You know I have been struggling a bit, but with a solid group of adventurers I haven¡¯t seen a reason why they would close the dungeon.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I have been thinking that as well. Either knowing we are from Laura¡¯s dungeon or just our strength alone she seems to be holding back. She may be trying to store her best monsters in her crystal so we don¡¯t wipe them all out, or she intends to throw them all at us at once to overwhelm us.¡±


    ¡°Well I can understand how she feels¡­¡± ¨CA pain in my neck and lost voice prevents me from saying anything more.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well regardless we just have to press forward.¡±


    Turning left at the back of the mine shaft the walls turn from the natural stone to dull grey stone blocks. The sizes of the rooms are more uniformed in shape. The kobolds however have seemed to skip the crimson stage and went straight to crimson kobold brutes and elders.


    I have quite a bit of a problem keeping up with Listel as she tears though the kobolds, and I begin to suffer more and more damage as we progress.


    ¡°Without my magic I am about at my limit. My ability with a sword just isn¡¯t good enough.¡±


    Listel: ¡°We are almost done, we just got to cut through!¡±


    When we finally reach the room that makes the right turn Listel stops she then does something she hasn¡¯t done since the start¡­ She heals all my wounds completely.


    Listel: ¡°Two more rooms, we can bet on her boss monster being in the next room, and then we just have to deal with the missing monsters whatever they might be. Now I have a pretty good idea what her boss monster might be, and I can handle it alone, but keeping you alive in the process will be tricky, so you have to promise me right now to do your very best.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do my best without my magic.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I mean it!¡±


    I want to argue but she says it with such conviction that is seems out of character for her and she seems to actually be a little worried as well.


    ¡°All I can promise is I will give it all I have with the limitations I have been given.¡±


    Listel then cracks a cute smile and simple says. ¡°Good.¡± Her face then gets serious again. She has only used her brute strength and claws the last two days but before preparing to step into the next room she draws her blade.


    We enter the room shoulder to shoulder. Listel quickly waves her free hand and 4 scones in each corner of the room light up revealing a large scaly mass curled up on the floor.  As the room lights up the creature raises its head which by itself is as big as I am.


    With ruby slit pupil eyes it starts down Listel and me as it gets to its feet. A pain in my neck signifies I have seen a creature like this before during the last battle of Queen¡¯s training. A small earth dragon¡­


    Listel: ¡°I am somewhat curious what you can be trying to recall at a time like this, but we don¡¯t have time right now. Clear your mind!¡±


    Listel preemptively makes the first move launching herself though the air almost quickly then I can even follow.  Listel¡¯s sword sinks deeply into one of the shoulder joints of the dragon and it lets out a bellowing roar.


    I can feel the sheer pressure of its roar and know a normal person would have been engulfed with [Fear]. The pain in my neck doesn¡¯t fade as I recall how Queen dealt with the dragon she faced hoping to at least not make the same mistakes she did.


    I know if I get close to the creature¡¯s mouth it could snap me in half with a single bite so I try to move over to the other shoulder joint replicating Listel¡¯s action. The creature lets out another deafening roar as my sword to pierces its other shoulder.


    These mythril blades cut stone and steel alike as if it was butter, yet I struggle to pierce the hide of the dragon. Listel has now moved on as she seems to trying to hack the dragons arm off. As the dragon rears up Listel swiftly jumps back with her sword still in her hand, but I almost suffer the same mistake as Queen and only barely manage to pull the sword free before kicking off from the dragon and crashing on the floor.


    Listel takes this opportunity to get at the soft underbelly of the dragon charging right underneath it¡­ I however not feeling near as confident begin to hacking at the creature¡¯s side and rear leg. As the dragon comes crashing back down to all fours Listel rolls to the side and jerks me back as well as the dragons tail comes sweeping past where my head was a fraction of a second previously.


    Listel throws me her sword and says. ¡°Take them and climb its back, whatever you do don¡¯t let go!¡± She then jumps out in front of the dragon kicking it in the jaw drawing its attention.


    She is crazy¡­ But I do as she says and try to jump as high as I can by plunging both the swords into the creatures side. I try to make my way up to the dragons back but with Listel¡¯s constant dodging as the dragon swipes, bites, and rends at her makes progress slow.


    After kicking it in the chin again and doing a backflip the dragon seems to be preparing a breath attack against her. As it rears up again lightning arcs though the air, but Listel slides underneath it, rolls to one side then begins to climb up.


    She quickly climbs past me as I do everything I can to hold on, she grabs one of the swords from my hand moves a few feet up stabs it into the center of the dragons back and then continues her climb up the dragon leaving the sword behind.


    Once on its head she flips of the tip of its snout, kicking it in the chin again keeping it focused solely on her. I manage to reach for the other sword and pull myself to the center of its back and just bury the other sword into it as well holding on for dear life.


    Listel dodges a few more attacks before she calls out. ¡°Hold on tight! And don¡¯t you dare move one inch from that spot!¡± She then kicks the dragon in the chin again as he starts to rear up preparing another breath attack.


    Listel this time however doesn¡¯t dodge as she channels her magic calling out ¡°[Dark Arcana Blade]!¡±  My neck burns as I recall her using the spell in my dungeon but I hold on with every ounce of strength I got as the room is filled with large sweeping blades of pure darkness.


    The blades go in every direction ricochets off the walls, but each time one of the blades comes in contact with the dragon it slices deeply into the creature before disappearing, once the final blade finds its mark the dragon seems to be in bad shape. The only place that seemed to avoid a wound is right where I am.


    Listel: ¡°Now Arngrim come!¡±


    I am not sure what she is asking me to do, but I pull on both sword and kick off the dragon and inelegantly crash to the floor as I jump/fall from the dragons back.


    Listel moves over and pulls me to my feet I try to hand her back her sword but she shakes her head. ¡°He is all yours now. Go get him Arngrim!¡±


    She then pushes me in the back sending me scooting across the floor till I am directly in front of the dragon. The dragon has clearly seen better days his entire body now covered in deep lacerations including the loss of an entire eye, but when the other eye locks on me he lunges forward trying to snap me up in his mouth.


    I take both swords and begin to slash at it as it snaps at me. The swords colliding with its snout and chin don¡¯t seem to faze it much but it at least keeps me from ending up dinner. The dragon then rears up again to release another volley of its lightning breath but a wall of solid rock quickly forms between us right before it fires it off.


    Even with the solid stone cracks under the pressure of the lightning and the sound is intense. As soon as the attack ends the wall crumbles leaving me again nose to nose with the dragon. I spend another few minutes just trying not to get eaten by beating it back with the swords but I don¡¯t seem to be getting anywhere.


    The dragon prepares another breath attack which is again blocked with a stone wall, but after the wall crumbles I decide I have to try something different. After blocking a few more attempts from the dragon to eat me I try to slide underneath it to get to its softer underside.


    I manage to land a few good wounds on the underside of the dragon¡¯s neck and chest but he swiftly tries to smash me with one of his front legs. A swift gust of wind hits the side of me knocking the air out of me, but it manages to slide me out from underneath the dragon as it comes crashing down.


    The dragon however seems to be able to lift itself back up completely, so I pull myself back to my feet and start slashing at the side of its head. Being on the side of his head that lost its eye it snaps wildly and I am able to dodge out of the way.


    I lay into it with a series of a few more blows but this time when it snaps I roll underneath it and sink both swords into the soft area under its chin. I am surprised however when it quickly jerks its head flinging me sideways and I only manage to hold on to one of the swords.


    I crashed with quite a bit of force that time, but I manage to hobble myself back to my feet. With one of the sword still lodged in the underside of its jaw the dragon turns its head locking its one good eye on me again.


    As the dragon starts to rear up for another breath attack Listel rushes back in kicking the sword in its bottom jaw hard burying it up to its hilt. The dragon then collapses to the floor. Listel reaches down pulling the sword from the dragon¡¯s head.


    Listel: ¡°Still not ready for a dragon, but it wasn¡¯t too shabby. I was starting to get bored though. I think this one is your sword.¡±


    I trade swords with her and then sheath mine while I say. ¡°I thought I almost had it.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well I did most of the damage to it, and if I wasn¡¯t blocking the breath attacks you wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance. The fight probably would have gone on another 30 minutes before I would have had to finish it off because you would have run out of steam.¡±


    ¡°Well in any case, now what?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well we can¡¯t leave the dragon alone, there are far too many parts on it that are valuable.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do throw it over your shoulder and drag it out of here?¡±


    Listel starts at the ground right at the tip of the dragon¡¯s nose and draws a line straight up as high as her hand will reach while casting [Shadow-pocket]. ¡°I thought I would just use magic, but if you want to try that go ahead.¡±


    She then grabs ahold of the dragon and begins to pull on it slowly sliding it though the line. I over back behind it and begin to push. I don¡¯t know if I am helping at all, but somehow we manage to shove the massive creature though the line.


    Listel: ¡°Alright, I better heal you up. That should be her strongest monster, but she probably has a bunch of monsters stored in her crystal by now.¡±


    Listel then heals my wounds as we prepare to enter the crystal room. As we enter the door the room appears to be empty, that is all except for a small stone pillar in the middle of the room that has a glowing reddish brown stone growing from it.


    Listel: ¡°I always find it tacky when they put it in a pedestal in the middle of the room.¡±


    Childish voice: ¡°I¡¯m sorry you feel that way!¡±


    Listel: ¡°Oh so finally deciding to show yourself?¡±


    A small figure with beady yellow slitted eyes peers at us from behind the pillar. The pillar is only 4 foot tall max so the figure staring at us can¡¯t be more then 2 and a half or 3 feet tall¡­


    Childish voice: ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well an apology would be nice, trespassing on my Mistress¡¯s land without permission is a serious crime.¡±


    Childish voice: ¡°Just because Laura¡¯s city became the new capital doesn¡¯t mean she owns everything.¡±


    Listel: ¡°But she has taken the king as her boss monster, so it does.¡±


    Childish voice: ¡°Kingdom borders are human law not ours, we only own what we can cover with our dungeon.¡±


    Listel: ¡°So you have no intention of apologizing for your trespassing.¡±


    Childish voice: ¡°You know as well as I do you are going to do whatever you want and I can¡¯t stop you so either leave me be or kill me.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Very well. Arngrim destroy the crystal.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a minute!¡±


    Listel: ¡°That¡¯s what we came here to do, now do it.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we at least talk this over? There is no reason to kill her.¡±


    Listel: ¡°She disrespects the Mistress, so she must die.¡±


    ¡°You can find someone else to do it then, because I refuse.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Fine.¡±


    Listel draws her sword takes a step forward, but suddenly shoves the sword in my hand and brings it down across the crystal. The crystal shatters into tiny pieces and the pieces fly towards me piercing me. Even though each piece feels like a needle prick they cause no wounds and I can feel a strength and warmth fill me.


    The small lizard/toad like creature falls out from behind the pillar jerking against the floor until the light in her eyes fade.


    ¡°Why did you do that?! I don¡¯t want to be part of this.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Too late, now we better get out of here before the dungeon starts to collapse.¡±


    Seemingly on cue the room starts to shake and rumble as Listel grabs my wrist and starts dragging me back though the dungeon.

 Return to Catalina

    I have spent so many hours scouring the observation screen for any sight of Two-Twelve. I along with the other elders warned Belinda Gowen from her current course, but with its risk it might have been a bit of a help.


    Sending out the message for such a reward to every core one at a time I was able to follow their reaction after checking the message. Using that alone I was able to drop well over half of the dungeon cores off the list of who might have caused Two-Twelve¡¯s disappearance.


    However there were several hundred cores messaged before I heard about it, and still plenty of suspects to go around that are not dungeon cores. I have been so busy I have neglected my duties to my little throne bunnies, so who can blame me when I was doing a bit more investigating with dungeon core 715 and found him grinding it out with his boss monster that I  stuck it out for is duration.


    I have to admit though even though I have found several beastkin women attractive, I would never pound it out with one, but a dragon. I don¡¯t know¡­ I can¡¯t say for sure if I was disgusted or impressed. The event did let me learn that dungeon core 715 ought to be written off the list as well, but I might keep an eye of him for a while for curiosity sake¡­


    After some much needed R&R after that I receive a message.


    Dungeon Core #429 [Gala] has died at the hands of the adventurer Arngrim.


    I quickly look in on the dungeon before I lose the ability to and see one of Laura¡¯s boss monsters Listel along with another pretty boy in the crystal room before the screen fades. I reach over and grab my <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> flipping it to #429¡¯s page looking it over.


    Laura really seems to be trying to push all the cores out of Southern Merretta. Guess it won¡¯t hurt to see if she will tell me what she is up to.


    ¡°You get yourself a new boss monster? Seen that little kitty cat of yours help him take out #429.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Something like that, you know that offer I gave you after you became an elder still stands.¡±


    ¡°You know how it goes, but you know I might be more receptive of the idea if you could do me a favor.¡±


    Laura: ¡°What possible favor could the great Dyson want from a lowly core such as myself?¡±


    ¡°We both know better than that. Anyways, that missing dungeon core #212, if you happen to find him and send him my way, I will let you get the reward from his boss monster, and give you that item you wanted.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Is that child really that special to you?¡±


    ¡°He is a bit naive, probably how he ended up in the mess he is in now, but with the right core showing him the way I think he could be the ally both of us has only dreamed of having.¡±


    Laura: ¡°I will take it into advisement, any leads you can give me? I might just send that new boss monster and Listel out to look for him with them kinds of stakes.¡±


    ¡°All we know for certain is he disappeared not of his own volition from the human city of Catalina.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Very well, we will check it out.¡±


    I hate dealing with that woman, only thing worse than a woman that knows what she wants is one that can¡¯t be seduced, and she is both¡­


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    For it taking three days to reach the crystal room of the dungeon, it sure didn¡¯t take long to make it out of the dungeon. Even being a straight shot without monsters it still feels like the progress we made was exceptionally quick.


    Listel: ¡°How¡¯s it feel to get that first breath of fresh air after becoming a hero?  The dungeon was still tiny, but did you manage to get any skills?¡±


    ¡°How should I know?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Your right, your right. Once we get back home I will have you use that adventurer¡¯s guild doodad and we can find out. I am curious to find out did you at least manage to gain any levels?¡±


    ¡°You know it doesn¡¯t work that way for me¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°What are you talking about Arngrim? Let¡¯s see your ID.¡±


    I can¡¯t say anything else without the pain from the collar so I just pull the ID from my belt pouch.


    Adventurer #183,257 [Arngrim]                                 Base: Uthaira


    Race: Human                                                                  Gender: Male


    Rank: C                                                                             Level: 21


    Class: ------                                                                    Favored Element: N/A


    Commissions Complete: 0                                      Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 1


    Listel: ¡°You were only level 19 right? Excellent you managed to gain two and 20 is a big one.¡±


    ¡°How is that even possible, and what happened to my class?¡±


    Listel: ¡°You gain xp you level just like every dungeon monster. Now as for your class I would assume it means you lost the qualifications for the class you had. Don¡¯t you worry though we will assign you a new class to fit your new fighting style when we return as well.¡±


    ¡°I just want my magic back¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well be a good boy, and we will see what we can do.¡±


    It is already pretty late at night when we exited the dungeon, but I can see clearly with light from the moon. My [Keen Eye] skill must have ranked up as I leveled I wonder what else has changed¡­ I start to head back to the village but Listel stops plopping down next to a tree.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Going to bed.¡±


    ¡°But why the village is 20 minutes away tops.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Your commission is out of Uthaira, so no use going back to Ingress. We rest here and cut through that way.¡± ¨CShe says while pointing. - ¡°And we can shave at least that 20 minutes off the trip back maybe even more.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± ¨CI find a place and lay down.-


    When I wake up the next morning Listel is standing over me.


    Listel: ¡°Alright how about a deal, I will race you back to Arunta, if you can beat me I will unlock some of your magic.¡±


    ¡°Even at that pace we were going at before that was still a two day distance.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Yea but you are a hero now, surely that speed is nothing to you anymore. Come on aren¡¯t you the least bit curious?¡±


    ¡°Even if my speed doubled and I gave it my all I still couldn¡¯t beat you.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Alright, how about this then you just got to make it to Arunta by nightfall. If you did double your speed you should be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°Yea that is if, but my agility wasn¡¯t that low to begin with, so I doubt it changed that much¡±


    Listel: ¡°Becoming a hero and passing level 20 I would be willing to say it might have even tripled for a scraggly mage like you.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Listel takes off jogging and I try to catch up. Every time I start to reach her she speeds up even more and I pick up the pace.  I honestly can¡¯t say how far we have gone, but once I reach the limit I am comfortable with I can say I think it is faster than before and even less tiring at this new speed. We keep the speed up all morning but once the sun reaches its peak Listel starts to slow down.


    ¡°What are you doing I thought you wanted to reach Arunta before nightfall, I still got plenty left.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Then look on ahead there stupid, we are there.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about it¡¯s barely noon.¡±


    Listel: ¡°And yet still. Here we are.¡±


    ¡°There is no way.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I bet if we pushed it we could even make it back home by nightfall.¡±


    ¡°You want to find out?¡±


    Listel¡¯s mouth curls into a smile. She then starts to pick up speed again but takes a wide arc around Arunta. We continue our run, but no how hard I push it I still stay the same distance right behind her. As the sun starts to set though I have to admit I can definitely feel the toll on my body, but I still keep pushing till I can see the lights of the buildings up ahead from Uthaira.


    Listel doesn¡¯t seem to be slowing down though¡­I try to keep up as Uthaira gets closer and closer. We pass by a few farms and I can really get the judge of how fast we are actually going now. By the time Listel finally puts on the brakes I don¡¯t have time to react and I slide and crash into a large pile of straw just outside the city gates.


    I can¡¯t help but to start busting out laughing as Listel walks up to me and starts laughing too. Listel then pounces on me pulling my helmet off my head pressing her lips against mine. This time however she doesn¡¯t seem to stop me as I try to push her back.


    ¡°I told you¡­ Don¡¯t.¡±


    Listel doesn¡¯t get off of me but she flashes a wicked smile as she says. ¡°Well its nightfall and we never did make it to Arunta, so I guess that is that.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I am, but to unlock the spells I am going to have to kiss you again.¡±


    ¡°Fine get it over with¡­¡±


    Listel leans back forward pressing her lips against mine¡­ I have to admit her lips do feel rather nice and even though we were running all day or maybe because we were running all day she smells fantastic¡­ I however am pulled back when a sudden thought Belinda causes a burning pain in my neck and then Listel¡¯s lips part from mine.


    ¡°Alright, its done then? I can use my magic?¡±


    Listel crawls off of me pulling some straw from her disheveled long golden hair, and then helps me to my feet.


    Listel: ¡°Once we get back home I will take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Then what was the kiss for?!¡±


    Listel: ¡°I just wanted one without you fighting it.¡±


    My mind quickly wonders which causes my neck to start burning and I can hear Listel.


    Listel: ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯m sorry don¡¯t blow your top.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I believe that.¡±


    Listel: ¡°What you don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡±


    Listel flashes a toothy smile and then grabs my wrist and pulls me into Uthaira. The first stop we make in Uthaira is the adventurer¡¯s guild. This late in the evening things are pretty packed, so Listel drags up to the third floor where things are much quieter.


    Listel: ¡°We completed a commission!¡± ¨CShe says slapping the parchment up on the counter.-


    Man: ¡°Madam Grand Marshal! This is just a C rank commission though.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well it was noisy downstairs and my pet is a C rank so I thought I would just bring up here.¡±


    Man: ¡°Yes Grand Marshal¡­ How was the dungeon?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Not bad¡­ It had a small earth dragon, but we managed to take care of it, my pet here is a hero now!¡±


    Man: ¡°I see, so you destroyed the dungeon then?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well you heard me, it had a small earth dragon, not what I would call standard monster for a beginner¡¯s dungeon am I right?¡±


    Man: ¡°I understand.¡±


    Listel instructs me to get out my ID so the man can update it, and while he does she says. ¡°Since he became a hero we need to check to see what he managed to get, so we need to use the skill checker doodad.¡±


    The man shakenly hands back the ID and says. ¡°Yes Grand Marshal.¡± He then goes down stairs returning a few minutes later with was looks to be a big oblong rock.


    Listel: ¡°Just put both hands on it and it should spit out the results.¡±


    I take ahold of the rock and it slightly glows as and then a screen appears before me.


    Arngrim                                Level: 21              Class: ------          Hp: Heroic            Mp: Extraordinary Strength: Extraordinary Agility: Extraordinary Endurance: Extraordinary Weapon Usage: Extraordinary Magical Ability: Heroic


    Skills: Uniquely  Gifted, ------, Enchanter, Leader of your Peers, ------, ------, Keen Eye, Hardened Skin, ------, ------, Magician Training, Magic Surplus, Military Mind, Agile Fighter, Light-footed, Elementalist, Tactician Training, Polarizing Change, Heroic.


    Spells: None


    The man is peeking over the screen at it. ¡°That is quite an impressive list of skills, but all that magical talent and no known spells¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well we are going to take care of that, but first is first. Anything there you don¡¯t recognize?¡±


    ¡°Heroic is new, but I think that one is obvious, the only other one I don¡¯t recognize is Polarizing Change.¡±


    Man: ¡°Ah! Lets see.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The man grabs a book from under the counter that is at least four inches thick. He flips though it while mumbling Polarizing Change.


    Man: ¡°Here it is. Polarizing Change is a rare skill that is granted to those who make a life style choice between being a caster and non-caster or vice versa. It says it lowers your non-needed old abilities for your abilities of your new life style.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all it says?¡±


    I can¡¯t believe the adventurers are working with such little information I can see why Belinda was so excited about [Menu] the pain in my neck this time is quite sever enough to wince.


    Man: ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Listel: ¡°He is fine, we had a long trip he is probably just tired.¡±


    Man: ¡°Yes Grand Marshal¡­ I understand.¡±


    I set the stone down on the counter and thank the man.


    Listel: ¡°Now what do you say now that we are back we get a drink?¡±


    ¡°You drink?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Only for special occasions.¡±


    ¡°I think I will pass.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s not every day the Grand Marshal invites you to drink.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t drink except with friends.¡±


    Listel: ¡°That¡¯s cold¡­Alright then fine, you rather go back to your box let¡¯s take you back to your box.¡±


    Listel then grabs me by the wrist dragging me to the castle, this time she doesn¡¯t transfer us instead dragging me though the corridors till we come to a door. Entering it, it appears to be some type of bedroom.


    The bedroom is well furnished and decorated with colorful pinks and white colors. It looks like a young girl¡¯s room.


    ¡°Whose room is this?¡±


    Listel: ¡°My room, but I guess I should say it¡¯s now our room.¡±


    ¡°Your room?¡± ¨CI look at her skeptically.-


    Listel: ¡°What because I am a badass I can¡¯t like pink and white?¡±


    ¡°The fact you complained about the bed at the inn being too soft compared to the dirt, and the fact you referred to yourself as a badass leaves me with doubt.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well in truth I have never used it before, found no reason too, but now that I got you I thought we might as well get comfortable. If you don¡¯t like the d¨¦cor though we can change it up a bit.¡±


    Listel then appears to open [Menu] looking through it. She scraps the soft pink couch replacing it with a wooden bench, a the chairs around the small table with the padded seats are quickly replaced with plain wooden chairs, the pink curtains, rugs, tapestries are all scrapped as well, and the only thing she replaces is the curtains and she puts what looks to be made from leather or hide, and adds a armor rack.


    She walks over to the bed and pushes on it her hand sinking into the softness of it. She begins to look at [Menu] again but hesitates. Looking back at me she presses on the bed again and then seemingly closes [Menu].


    Listel: ¡°Well I can give it one night, just for you.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to say in that bed with you?¡±


    Listel: ¡°You got to sleep somewhere and we are together from now on. Well at least till the Mistress makes up her mind.¡±


    ¡°No thanks, you can send me back to my prison cell.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be that way I thought we were having fun today.¡±


    ¡°There was some parts of today that was enjoyable, but as long as I am your prisoner I am not got to change my mind.¡±


    Listel then uses [Menu] to remove my armor placing it on the rack.


    Listel: ¡°Well we got a long time to get used to one another so we shall see.¡±


    ¡°And what about my magic?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Oh I almost forgot.¡±


    She moves over putting her hand on the leather collar around my neck then when something seems to appear in front of her face she seems to be reading it over become tapping a few times. When she is done she lets go of my neck then smile.


    Listel: ¡°There, as promised.¡±


    I quickly try to cast a [Gate] spell but nothing happens.


    Listel: ¡°If you are still trying to run away I did promise only a few spells, but actually it seems all your spells except your teleport spell fell under the category so good for you.¡±


    ¡°All my other spells are unlocked?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Yes but you are still forbidden to hurt me, so no use trying something like that. Now let¡¯s go to bed, I am not going to try this bed alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It wasn¡¯t a request.¡±


    Listel then quickly pounces on me then drags me into the bed. I try to fight her but even with all my newly acquired strength I am still unable to budge. Luckily she seems content just cuddled up to me, but just lying here causes my neck to burn, so sleep is far from an option.


    Listel¡¯s PoV


    When I woke up this morning I feel rather refreshed rubbing up against Arngrim feels nice, I can get used to this. He has a long way to go though. I cast a powerful sleep spell on him to make sure he is asleep then transfer to go speak with my Mistress.


    Laura: ¡°You made it back quicker than expected.¡±


    ¡°He seemed to get quite a boost once becoming a hero, so we were able to practically run the entire way back. It was rather exhilarating.¡±


    Laura: ¡°You¡¯re going fond of him?¡±


    ¡°Part of his conditioning is making him mine, so allowing myself to bond with him will help in the process.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Just don¡¯t take it too far that you can¡¯t do away with him if need be, but speaking of his conditioning, how is it going?¡±


    ¡°He still has a long way to go, but not a day has passed that his collar goes off less and less. He has even admitted to enjoying himself a bit so given enough time he should be completely mine.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Good.¡±


    Laura then casts a spell speaking directly into my mind. (His boss monster and even Dyson are making great efforts to recover him, so we need to tread carefully.}


    Laura: ¡°Furthermore I received a message from Elder Dyson, regarding the missing 212. Dyson is making the decision to join in on the hunt something I can¡¯t pass up, so for your next orders. Take that new pet of yours to Longolia and try to find any information you can as to the whereabouts of this missing dungeon core.¡±


    Laura must be worried that Dyson is watching us, she also speaks into my mind again. (You are to put up a good show in Longolia, and then we can use the destruction of the other 3 dungeons as a ruse to following the leads. However if Dyson sweetens the pot any more we might just wipe his memory and return him.)


    I can¡¯t help but feel a little troubled that I might already lose my Arngrim¡­ But if that¡¯s what Mistress orders I will gladly obey.


    ¡°Yes Mistress we will set out at once.¡±


    I then transfer back to our room and see Arngrim peacefully sleeping, I then crawl back in bed with him gently kissing him while dispelling the sleep spell.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    I remember I was thinking I would be unable to sleep with Listel being there but after running all day yesterday I must have been so tired I must of fell asleep. As I start to wake up I feel something soft leave my lips and hear a gentle voice in my ear.


    Listel: ¡°Arngrim, time to get up.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I am awake¡­ Now please get off.¡±


    Listel gently whispers into my ear. ¡°As you wish.¡±  She then crawls off of me but runs her tail across my nose as she does tickling it.


    Listel: ¡°I heard from my Mistress, she gave us a task to complete, so we must set out at once.¡±


    I have to admit as I slide to the edge of the bed and sit up, that after all that running and then a restful night sleep I feel more refreshed that I can recall, but that makes me think of home, so the pain increases in my neck.


    ¡°So are we going for another run?¡±


    Listel: ¡°These matters are a bit more pressing for time so we will teleport, but we have several stops to make afterwards that we will have to travel to on foot.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± -I then get up out of bed and move over to the armor rack and begin to put on my armor.-


    Listel: ¡°I will take care of that for you, besides wasn¡¯t it a bit snug before anyway?¡± ¨CShe says as she stores the armor and then equips it on me.-


    ¡°I am actually rather surprised you are capable of doing that, I thought you had to be bound to the dungeon to do something like that?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Of course Arngrim. You¡¯re one of the Mistress¡¯s boss monsters, so of course I can.¡±


    ¡°If whatever you did to me truly made me one of Laura¡¯s boss monsters. Then why the whole thing with the adventurer¡¯s guild last night?¡±


    Listel: ¡°[Menu] is still a little tricky, and we can¡¯t be too careful. For now we will have to stick with the human methods.¡±


    I have never heard of such things, and this whole situation is hard to follow because any time I try to figure it out, or find a way out the pain just gets to be too much¡­ Like now¡­


    Listel then moves over to me taking my wrist and transfers us to the entrance of the castle. We then set out into the city. Once we reach another overly exaggerated stone buildings Listel drags me inside. Like the smithy this building too is guarded by quite a few heavily armed men paired up with steel golems.


    The building itself is rather empty however with the exception of a large archway in the middle of the room. The archway itself is rather bare, but it does appear to be made of marble. There are however small perfectly square holes in the archway every foot or so.


    Listel moves over to the only other thing in the room a large rack with small square blocks each bearing a rune on each facing, and a book on a pedestal. Listel opens the book after looking at several pages she takes one of the blocks from the rack handing it to me.


    Listel: ¡°Go put that in the first slot over there.¡±


    I take the block moving over to the archway sliding it into the bottom hole while Listel keeps looking though the book, she then looks up grabbing another block and says. ¡°No not that one the far side, if we mess this up we could end up in the wrong place or in the wrong number of pieces.¡±


    I quickly move the block before returning to her and she instructs me to place the next block. We continue to place the blocks until the entire archway is full save for one block, all in all it takes well over an hour.


    Handing me the last block Listel says. ¡°Place that one and we should be set.¡±


    Once I put in the final block the area in the archway disappears showing a portal much like I have seen Madam Erin use causing my neck to burn.


    ¡°That was rather time consuming¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well it¡¯s a lot faster than traveling the entire continent on foot, but it has to be simple enough for the humans to use. Once you get as good as the Mistress you can place the blocks without having to look it up.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t ever heard of humans using teleportation like this though.¡±


    Listel: ¡°After forming his kingdom this was one of the first things the king had built after spending time with the Mistress. Well if you placed the blocks correctly it should take us where we want to go.¡±


    I know I placed them like she instructed, but after the mention of appearing in pieces I still feel a little nervous as Listel takes my hand dragging me though. With a pull on my chest we step out on a grassy hill overlooking the view of the ocean, the salty breeze in the brisk autumn air is refreshing but also nostalgic which runs the moment due to the pain in my neck.


    ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Just outside of Catalina of course.¡±


    ¡°Catalina? But why?¡± ¨CI say while grimacing from the pain.-


    Listel: ¡°We are here at the request of another dungeon seeking information about a missing dungeon core.¡±


    I don¡¯t even know where to start with the questions but every time I open my mouth nothing comes out and the pain just keeps steadily building.


    Listel: ¡°Calm down Arngrim, clear your mind, and focus.¡±


    This just doesn¡¯t make any sense! Is it some kind of torture, I just don¡¯t get it. The pain is getting stronger and I feel like I might actually black out. Listel then places a hand on each side of my faces and brings her face close to mine.


    Listel: ¡°Focus Arngrim, you can do this. If it hurts get rid of it, you don¡¯t need painful memories, just listen to the waves and clear your mind.¡±


    Painful memories she says¡­ they are only painful because of this stupid collar! I try to focus on the waves but it just isn¡¯t any use and my vision blurs¡­


    When I come to I am laying on the ground with my head cradled to Listel¡¯s chest, the thoughts running to my mind instantly causing my neck to start to hurt again, but the rhythmic sound of Listel¡¯s heartbeat, gives me something to draw my focus to pushing everything else from my mind.


    Listel: ¡°That¡¯s right Arngrim, focus.¡±


    I manage to sit up and open my eyes. We are still on the grassy hill overlooking the ocean. Listel is sitting on her knees with my helmet on the ground next to her, and has a concerned look on her face. I grab my helmet and place it back on my head while staggering to my feet.


    Listel stands up next to me and says. ¡°Arngrim, are you ok now?¡±


    ¡°No, but I don¡¯t have a choice do it?¡±


    Listel: ¡°If it¡¯s too soon, we can go back.¡±


    If we go back I can block it out and the pain will go away, but maybe just maybe it hasn¡¯t even been a month maybe Belinda is still here somewhere and I can get a message out somehow. The pain picks up again, but I manage to focus on the waves this time with some determination.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯ll be ok.¡±


    Listel and I make our way in to Catalina, but the collar hasn¡¯t eased up at all since we have arrived, the pain is so intense that I am having trouble even functioning. From the word on the street we learn Longolia and Gowen have gone to war against each other, and the word is that Belinda tried to assassinate the king, but I know that is ridiculous.


    Listel: ¡°You¡¯re not looking so hot Arngrim, let¡¯s get you to an inn and I will do a bit more poking around.¡±


    I want to find out as much as I can, but the pain is so bad I can¡¯t even think. I remember that we were making our way towards an inn but the next thing I can remember is waking up again with my head in Listel¡¯s lap.


    Listel is wiping my face with a wet rag, the scenery has changed and we appear to be indoors somewhere, it also looks like it¡¯s after dark.


    ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Listel: ¡°We are at an inn, you blacked out again, and you have been out the rest of the day. While you were asleep I managed to learn there is a group of adventurers in town looking for the same thing as us, so we are supposed to meet up with them this evening, but only if you are up to it.¡±


    ¡°They are looking for me?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Of course not, they are looking for the missing husband of the Gowen princess.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s¡­¡±


    I can¡¯t take this pain¡­


    Listel: ¡°Focus Arngrim, come on you just rest. I will go meet them by myself.¡±


    ¡°No! If they are here looking for¡­ The same thing we are¡­ Then I want to be there.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Alright, we will go meet them in about an hour at the adventurer¡¯s guild, so just rest until then.¡±


    I want to argue, but I just don¡¯t have the strength too. When Listel brushes my face waking me back up the pain has lessened quite a bit, that is until I wake up enough for my brain to start working again.


    I get up and grab my things, but even just walking over to the desk in the room we are in and putting my helmet on is enough to have to lean against something to try to focus on something else.


    Listel: ¡°You don¡¯t have to put yourself though this Arngrim, really I can take care of it for you. You don¡¯t have to deal with this burden.¡± ¨CShe says as she moves over rubbing her hand across my back.-


    ¡°No, I want to find out who they are and what they know.¡±


    Listel leads me though town and luckily it¡¯s a section of town I haven¡¯t been to before so nothing is familiar which gives me something to focus on to lessen the pain. When we reach the adventurer¡¯s guild however that¡¯s when I see her.


    Even with the pain clouding my mind I would know that figure anywhere its Belinda! I start to rush over to the counter to her but right before I reach her she turns around¡­ It¡¯s not her¡­ Of course it isn¡¯t her hair isn¡¯t red enough and it isn¡¯t long, but the woman looks at me concerned until Listel rushes up.


    Listel: ¡°Excuse me, are you Poppy?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Are you the one that asked to meet us here? And is he alright?¡±


    Listel: ¡°We had a long trip.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°I see, the others over here. I¡¯ll introduce you.¡±


    The girl Poppy leads us over to the table where there are two more humans and some kind of beastkin. He looks feline, but his animal-like features are overwhelming¡­ I was hoping it was someone from home, but unfortunately it isn¡¯t.


    Poppy introduces the rest of her group to us.


    Poppy: ¡°This is Iris, Aster, and this here is our slave Lynx.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Lynx¡­ Is he a cat-folk? I have never been to Dailian for obvious reasons, but I have heard about them.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°That¡¯s right, we are all from Dailian. We were passing though Gowen and heard of the big commission from the Gowen princess so we thought we would check it out.¡±


    ¡°Commission from the Gowen princess?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°That¡¯s right she has posted a commission for 250,000 gold to anyone that gives information that leads to someone finding her husband.¡±


    Listel whistles and says. ¡°We haven¡¯t heard that yet, a friend of a friend put us on the trail.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Look you don¡¯t know us, and we don¡¯t know you, but 250,000 gold is more than enough to split between the four of us, what do you say we share some information and see if we can get that reward.¡±


    Listel: ¡°four of us?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Well your man there is obviously your slave, so I thought we just won¡¯t count them.¡±


    Listel: ¡°So you can get 75% of the reward instead of 66% if we split it the 6 ways.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°No¡­ I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s alright, like I said we didn¡¯t know of the commission beforehand just trying to do a favor for a friend, so if we find him will take the 25% and how you guys split the rest is between you. In truth knowing you are after the money makes me trust you a bit more. People with clear intentions are easier to read.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Instead of someone like you? Who has still yet to tell us your name?¡±


    Listel laughs and says. ¡°My apologize, I am used to going places that everyone knows who I am. I am Listel, and this here is my pet Arngrim.¡±


    Listel now urges me to take a seat and likewise sits down with the group finally.


    Poppy: ¡°Listel¡­ Like the hero Listel?¡±


    Listel: ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°So you are friends with the Gowen princess then, that makes more sense.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well we are acquainted, but I don¡¯t know if you would call us friends.¡±


    I have so many questions for the group but every time I open my mouth no words come out and the pain shoots though my neck.


    Poppy: ¡°Then if you are not looking for the princess¡¯s husband for her, then who?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well let¡¯s just say we have some mutual friends.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°I see.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I guess we should get down to business then.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Very well, as we have been here in Catalina for longer we will start. We have been searching high and low for almost two weeks no and still haven¡¯t really found out anything. That in itself is rather suspicious, and I don¡¯t know if they are just putting on a good show, but Catalina is adamant that they don¡¯t have the princess¡¯s husband. They are even trying to use it in their propaganda saying Gowen is only claiming he is missing to fuel the war.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I see what you mean. If they had him they would try to use that as a bargaining chip.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Precisely, I have heard they have even secretly sent out parties to try to find him themselves.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Unfortunately that is about what we have uncovered as well, although I have heard the rumor that the parties sent from Longolia are starting their search in Adra.


    Poppy: ¡°Adra? What would Adra want with the princess¡¯s husband?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Maybe a deal with Longolia that went bad or it could be the rumor that the princess¡¯s husband was the one to come up with the Gowen communication parchment. I heard after Gowen started producing the communication parchment the prince that was to wed an Adra princess was recalled and he has since decided not to pursue the agreement.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°How do you¡­¡±


    Listel smiles devilishly and says. ¡°Being a hero you are capable of hearing quite a bit, but it¡¯s interesting you knew about the prince.¡±


    The other group now looks a bit nervous.


    Listel: ¡°Well it looks like we don¡¯t have any pertinent information to help one another, so I wish you luck.¡±


    Listel then stands which causes the group to quickly stand as well.


    Listel: ¡°Come Arngrim, we are done here.¡±


    Listel looks like she has figured something out, so after taking a last look at the group I follow her from the adventurer¡¯s guild. Listel walks through the streets seemingly happy with herself as I try to catch up.


    ¡°You purposely misled them!¡±


    Listel: ¡°Of course I did.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Other than the obvious reason? I noticed quite a few things odd about that group that didn¡¯t add up.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    Listel: ¡°They said they passed though Gowen and heard about the commission, but they would still be traveling here if that was the case, and not to mention the fact she said they had been searching for two weeks already. They also claimed to be from Dailian, but a group from Dailian would never have a woman as their leader. The cat-folk man almost made me believe it for a minute, that and you were able to keep your collar pretty stable during the conversation with them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s as clear as day, that group was sent by the Gowen Princess.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible I have never even heard of a cat-folk before?¡±


    Listel: ¡°You¡¯re serious¡­? Interesting¡­ The fact the humans were dungeon monsters as well though proves she got help from Dyson, so maybe the cat-folk man was from another dungeon as well. Anyway, our work here is done now. What do you say we blow this town and maybe get you some relief from that pain you are suffering?¡±


    ¡­Those were some of my dungeon monsters¡­? I didn¡¯t know¡­ I sat there like an idiot, because I had never seen them before, if I ever had the chance to get help¡­And I just blew it.

 Dungeon #21

    It¡¯s been a month since Two-Twelve disappeared. I was sure we would have heard something, anything by now but the last credible information we received is maybe Adra has him. The group I sent out looking for him is heading there now. I was going to teleport them to the capital, but I thought if they went by foot they might pick up some information along the way.


    Even if they did find him as soon as they arrived that means I still have to wait a month before seeing my husband again¡­It is so strange that he isn¡¯t here yet his dungeon is thriving so much. Lilah had to add another floor to it just the other day, and now they are working on filling it out.


    I have started to return to work, but without Two-Twelve I am dealing with a lot of the mayor¡¯s work as well. Bell and Scylla are helping a lot, but there are just some things they can¡¯t do.


    With the girls in their own homes now, Lilah, Lylah, and Lila are spending all their time in the dungeon, Kate is still here but she heads straight to the basement when she gets home, and even our newest boss monster Azami has taken to living in the forest just outside of the entrance to the dungeon this huge house just seems so lonely¡­


    After washing my only dish in the sink after breakfast I check the communication parchments before heading to work and see a message from Logan.


    Logan: ¡°Sis, I know you are going through a lot right now, but if you are up to it I really need you to come to the capital for a few hours.¡±


    I message him back and tell him I will be there, and go inform the girls. Casting [Gate] I arrive outside of the place Logan told me to meet and I can already hear Mindy¡¯s raised voice from inside.


    Mindy: ¡°It¡¯s been a month it¡¯s time to face facts he is dead! Belinda can finally be of good use. She can marry the prince and we could end this pointless war!¡±


    I push open the door and enter inside there are several of the political leaders of Gowen along with Logan, Queen, and the other mayor¡¯s from around Gowen who instantly clam up when I enter.


    Logan: ¡°Belinda!¡± ¨CHe says as he quickly jumps up from his chair.-


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ Mindy has always been a bitch.¡±


    There are a few hushed chuckles in the room, but they are quickly silenced as Mindy snaps her head around.


    Mindy: ¡°How dare you? You are not even welcome here!¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s enough Mindy, I asked her here. With her husband gone she is the closest thing Tobes has to a mayor. Belinda come have a seat.¡±


    Logan ushers me to a seat next to him then says. ¡°So does anyone else have a tantrum they would like to throw, or can we start the meeting now?¡±


    A few more hushed chuckles can be heard and Mindy then sits down redfaced.


    Logan: ¡°The first matter of business is this rumor about Doug. I assure you I heard from him by communication parchment just this morning he is indeed in route to Adra, so I don¡¯t know where the rumor started.¡±


    I tug on Logan¡¯s sleeve to get his attention then whisper in his ear.


    ¡°Actually he has been lying to you, and he is hiding out in Tobes. When I found out a few weeks ago I told him to tell you, but I didn¡¯t make sure. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Logan: ¡°No I understand, you are going through a lot right now. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Well apparently the rumors aren¡¯t completely without merit. Belinda just informed me he has been spotted in Tobes. I promise I will look into the matter personally.¡±


    Logan continues. ¡°Now for the next item on the agenda, as you well know we have had talked about New Leona. With Queen¡¯s quick action we have been able to build a garrison there with the help of the beastkin locals and have managed to keep the Longolia troops on their side of the border. With the regiment of troops at the garrison we have decided to declare New Leona its official township with Queen taking the position as mayor. She has worked closely with Mel and the old man to secure the border and in doing such is a position she well deserves.¡±


    Queen then stands and says. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Now for a matter that you might not like to hear. With New Leona consisting of a large majority of beastkin Queen, father, and I talked and thought that since they are putting their lives on the line in helping to protect the border it would only be fair to have one of their representatives as a voice in the council, so let me introduce to you the 10<sup>th</sup> member of the Gowen council Rodan.


    From the side door a young dog beastkin man enters dressed in well-made clothes, he looks pretty nervous. The other council members begin to murmur and Mindy turns her head and scoffs. Logan ushers him in and has him sit in one of the empty seats.


    Logan: ¡°I hope with the continued efforts of New Leona, and council member Rodan we will be able to keep our borders safe, and give the beastkin the voice in Gowen they deserve. Next is the matter Mindy brought forward. We haven¡¯t given up on the mayor of Tobes yet, and have even received some new information, but Tobes rapid growth as it is not having a full time mayor is a bit of a problem so after some deliberation with father we have decided that until Two-Twelve returns Mindy will go to Tobes and see to it that it is taken care of.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Excuse me!?¡±


    ¡°Brother if I may, I don¡¯t think that is a good idea¡­¡±


    Mindy: ¡°I am needed here!¡±


    Logan: ¡°Father feels Tobes with the quickly expanding dungeon, and town Tobes is a valuable asset in which we can¡¯t ignore. It may soon surpass the capital itself in imports and exports. If it wasn¡¯t for the communication parchment that is from Tobes it would have already. Mindy are you saying you are not up to the task?¡±


    Mindy looks positively furious, but she sits down.


    Logan: ¡°Councilman Daggit, I heard you recently moved is that correct?¡±


    Daggit: ¡°¡­Why yes sir¡­ Is that a problem?¡±


    Logan: ¡°You old house, have you found a buyer for it yet.¡±


    Daggit: ¡°Well no sir¡­but¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Very good. If you will take Rodan and show him to it he will buy it at a 10% markup from your asking price.¡±


    Daggit: ¡°Why yes sir¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Thank Queen, she is the one fitting the bill. Now as you can imagine we have some family business to take care of so the meeting is adjourned.¡±


    Logan takes Queen¡¯s hands whispers in her ear and then kisses her cheek then everyone but Logan, Mindy, and myself leave.


    Mindy: ¡°You can¡¯t seriously expect me to become the mayor of Tobes do you?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I was serious in what I said, but if you are not up to it Tanya is willing to take your place.¡±


    Mindy looks like she is milling it over in her head. This is Logan¡¯s trick since we were children. Tanya is always in Mindy¡¯s shadow but always trying to one up her, so when there is something Mindy doesn¡¯t want to do Logan says Tanya will do it and Mindy always ends up folding.


    Mindy: ¡°Fine, but only temporarily.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Of course as soon as Two-Twelve returns home safely then you can return to the capital, but as a word of warning. Father is exceptionally proud with the work Two-Twelve has accomplished, so I would trust the people he currently has working for him on the direction in which Tobes should take.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°I have been dealing with the Capital since I finished school, some small town should be a walk in the park.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Exactly you are used to the way things work here, but that way might not work in Tobes just remember that. Besides if you need help I am sure Belinda could show you what needs to be done.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°I don¡¯t need any help from her!¡±


    Mindy stomps out of the room leaving just me and Logan.


    ¡°Do you really think it¡¯s a good idea for Mindy to come to Tobes?¡±


    Logan: ¡°You got a lot on your plate right now, and you would never hear me say this to her face, but Mindy is the best¡­ That will give you a chance to focus on what is important like finding your husband. Besides since Doug is there I need to pay a visit to Tobes myself, so I will make sure Mindy understands what is expected of her before I leave.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for not doubting Two-Twelve is still out there, it means a lot.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Honestly do have doubts, but I trust my little sis. Now do you think you can give me and Mindy a lift back to Tobes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Good, then while I say my goodbyes to Queen you can tell Mindy she has to be ready to go in fifteen minutes.¡±


    I nod and we exit the room. Queen was waiting for Logan so they stay and talk while I find Mindy. Needless to say she wasn¡¯t happy with the news of only having fifteen minutes, so in a way it was rather fulfilling to ruin it for her.


    Even though Logan and I meet up fifteen minutes later we still have to wait another 30 before Mindy makes her way down the hall with a procession of people carrying her belongings.


    Logan: ¡°Belinda is giving us a lift with teleportation magic, you should only take what you have to have.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°I simply refuse to do with any less then this!¡±


    Logan looks at me a little worried, but I shake my head.


    ¡°Alright let me see it.¡±


    I change the parameters on [Shadow-pocket] to use all my magic but what we need to cast the [Gate] spell and then draw the line in the air and take pleasure in tossing Mindy¡¯s items though.


    Logan: ¡°Amazing, it¡¯s hard to believe you used to have so much trouble with magic¡­¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Be careful with that!¡±


    After loading up all of Mindy¡¯s things I cast the [Gate] spell and Logan and I step though, shortly after Mindy steps though and as soon as she lands she drops to her knees and inelegantly purges her stomach of its contents onto my yard¡­


    ¡°Alright Mindy, I am going to go drop your stuff in the house, I will let you stay here for now, but remember this is my house so as long as you live in it you will follow my rules. Ok?¡±


    Mindy looks at me like to make a snarky comment but then hurls again. I can only hope where ever Two-Twelve is he is fairing far better than I am¡­But in all seriousness Two-Twelve, I hope where ever you are you are at least not in pain.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    ¡°Gah! That hurts!¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s your own fault, I told you not to try to jump that ravine!¡±


    ¡°I almost made it!¡±


    Listel: ¡°Yea and if you weren¡¯t a hero that fall would of killed you, now we got to go all the way around to climb back out.¡±


    ¡°Well do it quick!¡±


    Listel jerks on my leg that is twisted in an impossible direction causing me to scream out in pain. Once it¡¯s finally straight however she casts a healing spell on it and I feel instant relief.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    After leaving Catalina we traveled on foot at incredible speeds north out of Longolia, through Duscae, and are in the process of crossing a mountainous region of Korta, to reach a dungeon I think Listel plans on having me destroy.


    The dungeon we are heading to is supposed to be quite a bit older then the last one we destroyed but even so she assures me it shouldn¡¯t have anything as unreasonable in it like the dragon was. After healing my leg she offers her hand pulling me to my feet.


    ¡°See good as new. Now I will race you to the top!¡± ¨C I say as I quickly jump grabbing a jutting rock and begin to scale the ravine.-


    Listel: ¡°Damnit Arngrim, you¡¯re going to break your neck the next time!¡± ¨CShe says but jumps up and begins to climb with a bright smile on her face.-


    Listel of course manages to beat me up the ravine and we continue on till it gets dark. I take my armor off setting it against a large rock and then slide down. Listel slides down next to me laying her head on my shoulder.


    Listel: ¡°We should be there after a few hours. We could have made it tonight if you didn¡¯t try to take that jump.¡±


    ¡°I told you I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Listel laughs and wraps her arms around my arm, she then looks up at me with her large emerald cat like eyes and then kisses me on the cheek. I get a brief shot of pain though my neck as I say. ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Arngrim. Good night.¡±


    ¡°Night Listel.¡±


    With Listel¡¯s head on my should I reposition myself a bit and wrap my arm around her placing my hand on her shoulder I then rest my head on her soft cat-like ears and go to sleep.


    When I wake up in the morning there is an odd but very pleasant vibration in my lap that is causing me a bit of distress first thing in the morning. I quickly open my eyes and Listel¡¯s head has slid down to my lap. Her face is quite cute sitting there but her purring is what is causing my distress so I gently shake her.


    After she raises her head I quickly jump up and walk it off¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t know you purred.¡±


    She quickly jumps up violently swishing her tail back on forth. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ Do that.¡±


    ¡°You definitely did.¡±


    Her long tail sticks out straight and flairs up and she loudly proclaims. ¡°I do not!¡±


    I laugh and walk past her rubbing my hand over her head and though her long blond hair. ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    Listel: ¡°But I don¡¯t!¡± ¨CShe says as she stomps after me.-


    After traveling a few hours we come to the edge of some ruins and Listel ducks down.


    Listel: ¡°This is it. The dungeon starts as soon as we cross that archway there, but towards the back of the ruins there should a tower up the side of the mountain.¡±


    ¡°What kind of monsters should we expect?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Pretty straight forward really, goblins, skeletons, maybe a few harpies.¡±


    ¡°But no dragons.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I promise, cross my heart. No dragons.¡±


    I pull my sword and we move in. I see a large group of goblins but they are grouped tightly together so I focus my magic and unleash a [Exploding Fireball] into the middle of the group¡­ Or at least it was supposed to be in the middle of the group.


    The spell flies wide but I still manage to take out the group of goblins, and then a horn rings out though the ruins.


    ¡°I guess I am out of practice.¡±


    Listel then pulls her sword as well and moves next to me. With another sound of the horn a group of goblins comes charging our way. These ones are spread further apart so I target a few with a [Dual Wind Cutter] spell then charge in.


    Listel: ¡°Whoever kills the least has to take the next group on their own!¡±


    ¡°I already got 4 with that spell.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Exactly you need the handicap.¡±


    Listel then charges out past me diving right into the thick of things. By the time I catch up she has already taken out six of the little monsters. I cast a quick [Ice Javelin] killing the goblin she was about to strike down while ending another with my sword making us even.


    Listel: ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about it looked like you needed the help.¡±


    I then focus on three goblins charging my way but when I go to swing a large [Dark Blade] sweeps by cutting all three in half.


    Listel: ¡°Opps.¡±


    Before it¡¯s all said and done, and the horn stops blowing I have taken out 46 of the goblins.


    Listel: ¡°Ha, I beat you!¡±


    ¡°How many did you get?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I got 48¡±


    ¡°Then no you didn¡¯t. I got 50¡±


    Listel: ¡°You didn¡¯t get 50!¡±


    ¡°Prove me wrong.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I kept count, besides I think we got them all anyway. Let¡¯s find the tower.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to change the subject because I beat you!¡±


    Listel casts [Dark Blade] whizzing past my ear I quickly turn and three goblins fall.


    Listel: ¡°There happy now? 51.¡±


    ¡°Damnit!¡±


    We continue moving though the ruins until we find the tower that looks to be practically carved right out of the side of the mountain. I can¡¯t tell how many floors it has, but it looks to be quite a few. At several points there are large areas of the tower that are open and you can see harpies swarming the outside. We bust in the front door and quickly dispatch half a dozen hobgoblins in the entryway, making our way through several of the rooms we dispatch at least 2 dozen more, and by the time noon hits we have cleared the floor of all that moves including a rat that Listel said looked at her funny.


    Surprisingly enough when we move up to the next floor the difficulty of the hobgoblins has increased to hobgoblin brutes, but they don¡¯t even slow us down. Now that I have my spells back I am using them quite frequently but I am far from a stand in the back mage anymore.


    By the time the sun sets we have completed the fourth floor which has a nasty group of hobgoblin heroes in it, but Listel took two and I took one. I walk to the edge of a balcony peering out watching the sun set us Listel walks up beside me throwing her arm around me.


    Listel: ¡°Whatca doing?¡±


    ¡°Just watching the sun set¡­¡±


    Listel notices my face contort as the collar around my neck twinges and she grabs my wrist pulling me back inside.


    Listel ¡°I found the perfect room to camp in tonight.¡±


    Listel leads me to a door holding it open. ¡°Tada!¡±


    ¡°Listel¡­ That¡¯s a bathroom.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s small, easily defended, and we can curl up in that big iron bed thing and sleep.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bathtub, but you know it¡¯s not actually that bad of an idea.¡±


    We enter the bathroom and close the door. I start taking my armor off and store it with [Shadow-pocket] meanwhile Listel is playing with the lever on the toilet, but with no water in the basin in the back nothing happens.


    After I store the last of my armor I squeeze past her and pump the small water pump in the corner a few times adding water to the basin and when she pulls the level again it washes down.


    ¡°Have you never seen a toilet before?¡±


    Listel: ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed I try to avoid being around humans, but little doodads like this are pretty clever.¡±


    ¡°Have you never eaten before?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Once or twice.¡±


    ¡°I thought back at Uthaira you said you like to drink.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I know humans like to do that and thought it would help you loosen up so I suggested it, but no I haven¡¯t actually drank any alcohol before.¡±


    ¡°How old are you?¡±


    Listel: ¡°42.¡±


    ¡°And you have only ate once or twice, never drank, never even seen a toilet?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I just go, and do what the Mistress tells me to.¡±


    ¡°Then how about this, the next human town we go to what do you say we grab a few drinks?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡±


    ¡°Well we better get some sleep.¡±


    I crawl in the tub and Listel squeezes in next to me resting her head on my shoulder.


    Listel: ¡°Good night Arngrim.¡±


    ¡°Night Listel.¡±


    It has been a week now fighting alongside Listel in this tower, and according to my ID I have managed to reach level 24. I don¡¯t feel much stronger, but at least my magic is back to its old glory. Listel said after I gain one more level I should see another boost, but that¡¯s not including the power if I destroy the dungeon.


    After dealing with the goblins on the first few floors they gave way to orcs, and orcs gave way to ogres. We even had to deal with a nasty looking troll, but Listel says that was probably one of the dungeon¡¯s boss monsters. We have had a few run-ins with the harpies but they haven¡¯t proven very difficult either.


    If Listel is right, which she usually is we should reach the top of the tower pretty quick, but I am still a little hesitant to destroy the crystal. After clearing a rather hard group of ogres Listel made sure we were completely healed up as she says.


    Listel: ¡°I think the next room should be it.¡±


    I walk over to Listel wrapping my arms around her neck, she starts at me curiously with our faces close to one another, but when she closes her eyes and tries to kiss me I pull back, and let go.


    Listel: ¡°What was that abou¡­¡± ¨CShe notices something around her neck.-


    Rubbing her fingers around it I put a necklace I found in the on the loot caches around her neck. It¡¯s nothing to fancy, but it has a large emerald teardrop shaped stone that hangs down that reminded me of Listel¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s enchanted, but maybe it will give you good luck.¡±


    Listel¡¯s eyes moisten but she quickly tries to hide it by wrapping me in a hug. She starts to try to kiss me but stops turning her face and giving me a kiss on the cheek.


    Listel: ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I smile and nod then pull my sword. ¡°Alright let¡¯s do this!¡±


    We charge through the door and find ourselves on the roof of the tower, with nothing all around¡­


    ¡°Well that was anti-climactic¡­¡±


    Then without warning a loud screech pierces our ears and a figure can be seen swooping down from the air.


    ¡°I thought you said there wasn¡¯t a dragon.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I did, and it¡¯s not, it¡¯s a griffon!¡±


    We both manage to dodge out of the way as the massive creature with the body of a lion and the head of the eagle comes crashing down. The front legs of the creature have great talons on them piercing the stone roof of the tower.


    The creature lets out another piercing screech as it spreads it wings and lunges at me with its razor sharp beak. I manage to dodge the beak but one of its front feet rakes my chest shredding my armor like parchment.


    My armor takes the most of the damage, but now I have nothing to stop another attack. Listel moves in on the back of the griffon aiming for one of its wings. The griffon rolls falling from the tower heading down..down¡­down¡­


    ¡°Did you get it?¡±


    Listel: ¡°No I missed.


    Almost on que the griffon spreads its wings spinning around the tower circling it as it does. Even though the wounds are superficial Listel casts a healing spell on me while she starts preparing for the griffon¡¯s return.


    When the griffon breaks the top of the tower Listel calls out ¡°[Dark Blade Arcana]!¡± This time most of the blades fly off into the sky but one or two find their mark against the griffon. I try casing [Greater Dark Blade] but my spell is just to slow and by the time it reaches where the griffon was the griffon is long gone.


    The griffon makes another pass at us on top of the tower but we manage to dodge it, and instead it grabs a talon full of stone breaking off a chunk of the tower. On its next pass it remains high and tosses the broken piece of the tower at us.


    Listel: ¡°We are sitting ducks up here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry my spells aren¡¯t quick enough.¡±


    Listel: ¡°We just got to find a way to make it land.¡±


    ¡°I have an idea¡­ Get ready to attack.¡±


    I stand ready with the sword as the griffon makes another pass. When it starts to dive I launch a [Ice Javelin] at it, and then another.


    Listel: ¡°Arngrim!¡±


    The griffon dives right into the middle of me, I try to dodge but I am nowhere quick enough and I feel the crushing weight of the griffon as it pins me to the roof with its talons. The pain is quite intense as it grinds me into the roof, but this much pain I have come to expect.


    Listel swings her sword at it again and it rolls right again, but as soon as its weight starts to leave me I cast a [Shadow-ball] spell surrounding the griffon in darkness. I focus all that I can holding the griffon in the ball but the ball is moving and contorting.


    ¡°Listel, I can¡¯t hold it much longer.¡±


    This spell causes quite a bit of darkness damage even though it has a drawback of drawing massive amount of magic, but that is the least of my concerns as it will bust free long before I run out of magic.


    Listel quickly draws a line in the air casting [Shadow-pocket] and pulls out a handful of small jewels. She then quickly begins chanting filling the jewels with magical power. She however is only about to get about three of them filled before the griffon¡¯s head breaks free of the ball.


    ¡°It¡¯s now or never!¡±


    She launches all three of the spells at the griffon the moment it breaks free. Only two of the spells manage to collide, but it causing the griffon to fall to the roof again. I quickly move in with my sword and at the griffon¡¯s neck.


    It¡¯s rather crude and I don¡¯t even make it a clean swipe but I manage to slash deep enough that it kills the griffon covering me in its blood.


    I start to cast a spell and Listel calls out. ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a clean spell¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Griffon blood is a rather sought after aphrodisiac.¡±


    ¡°So what you are waiting for it to soak in to my skin or what?!¡±


    Listel laughs. ¡°No we can sell it. Maybe even the Mistress would like some.¡±


    ¡°Well sorry, you can bleed the griffon dry, but I am casting clean now.¡±


    After a few seconds I am free of the blood, but there might be something to the griffon blood thing, because watching Listel laugh as she rushes forward trying to collect blood with a bucket she pulls from [Shadow-pocket] causes me to do a double take and I have to shake it off before going to go help her.


    It takes us about 30 minutes but we collect just about all the griffon blood that we can with the items we have at our disposal.


    Listel: ¡°To bad we didn¡¯t bring that tub thing we slept in that one night.¡± ¨CShe says while wiping her brow.-


    ¡°Yea, that would have been helpful right about now¡­¡±


    I move forward wiping some of the blood from her face that she just smeared across it, and she looks at me with her large green eyes. I see it coming and even though every fiber of my being is screaming no, when she places her lips against mine I take her cheek and kiss her back.


    After a few seconds I manage to pull myself free after a screaming pain in my neck brings me back to my senses.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t be, I found it rather enjoyable.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not right!¡±


    Listel: ¡°I won¡¯t hold you to it, it had to be because the griffon¡¯s blood.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    We start to pack up our things but I can¡¯t shake the kiss from my mind. Then it dons on me.


    ¡°Wait a minute, what about the dungeon core?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I was wondering the same thing.¡±


    ¡°I would think the griffon was the primary boss monster, but there is clearly nothing up here on the roof.¡±


    Listel looks around then walks to the edge looking over the side, after a few minutes she stop.


    Listel: ¡°I found it!¡±


    I move over and look to where she is pointing. Looking over the side of the tower it¡¯s a long way down¡­ but about 10 feet over the edge is a large griffon motif and in place of the eye is a large emerald growing into the stone.


    ¡°Yoo-hoo dungeon core, come out so we don¡¯t have to try to climb down the side of the tower.¡±


    Listel laughs and hits me on the shoulder.


    ¡°So how are we going to do this?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I guess I will hold a rope and you can crawl down there and give it a good thumping, then I will pull you back up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think the dungeon core is probably waiting for something like that so they can shove us both off the side?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Yoo-hoo dungeon core.¡±


    I laugh.


    ¡°But seriously if you¡¯re holding the rope your hands will be full, so you would be defenseless.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well as long as you break the stone before he can try anything we should be alright.¡±


    Listel uses [Shadow-pocket] and pulls out a rather long length of rope. She wraps on end around her waist tying it off, then reaches around me tying the rope around my waist as well. She then makes enough distance between us that the slack of the rope would just reach the motif.


    Listel: ¡°You know I can hold you so just jump and do it quickly so the dungeon core has less time to act.¡±


    I take a few deep breaths pull on the rope a few times the wrap it a couple times around my arm and jump!


    ¡­


    I reach the crystal quickly smashing it causing it to shatter and enter my body, then Listel pulls me back up the ledge as the tower begins to shake.


    ¡°Really, the dungeon core didn¡¯t try anything?¡±


    Listel: ¡°They all act differently, he could have been too scared to leave his core room, or many of other reasons.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that just seems like a waste, I would put up at least some kind of a fight¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°We better hurry and get off this roof before we take the express way down.¡± ¨CShe says peering off the edge.-


    I pull her back. ¡°Don¡¯t do that with it shaking like this it could give way.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Oh he cares.¡±


    ¡°Come on¡­¡±


    We then make our way back though the tower as quickly as we can.

 Dungeon #95

    Dungeon Core #21 [Greenhawk] has perished at the hands of the Hero Arngrim.


    Laura is at it again¡­ I thought my offer would entice her to look for Two-Twelve, but I guess not. I don¡¯t bother looking in on them but I take out my <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> to at least find out more about dungeon core #21.


    This one was quite a bit older then the last one they took out and in Korta as well. They really are getting around, Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon would be a sitting duck to someone like Listel or this Arngrim, and so I hope they keep their distance¡­ Maybe I should send Laura another message to be sure.


    ¡°Looks like your monsters are still hard at work.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Well you did ask me to look into it.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Laura: ¡°Two-Twelve, the missing core.¡±


    ¡°What does he have to do with Dungeon Core #21?¡±


    Laura: ¡°Apparently nothing, but we had a lead saying he might have been involved, so I was I was just being thorough.¡±


    ¡°So you are taking my offer seriously?¡±


    Laura: ¡°I would be a fool not too.¡±


    ¡°Well if you do hear anything, be sure to let me know.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Understood.¡±


    Well¡­ I don¡¯t know what this 25 year old core could have had to do with Two-Twelve¡¯s disappearance, but maybe I should look into this a bit further.


    Arngrim¡¯s PoV


    After departing the tower ruins Listel asked me.


    Listel: ¡°We have two more dungeon cores to take care of. We will have to do a bit of backtracking no matter which we go to, but the closest is the harder of the two, so what do you say?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving it up to me?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Of course we are partners now right?¡±


    ¡°Partner? I thought I was just your pet.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well if that¡¯s what you want¡­ But I thought you have come far enough to graduate you from the pet thing.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine with partner¡­ But about the next dungeon... First we had the dragon, and then the griffon, if they were the easy dungeons I say even if it takes a bit longer we should work our way up to the hardest.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Alright Arngrim, then northeast it is.¡±


    After the destination is set we set out¡­And that was almost 3 weeks ago¡­ We still haven¡¯t stopped in a human town for drinks yet, but after heading east from the dungeon we entered Merretta, she said we could get in quite a bit of trouble if the king found out agents of Southern Merretta were in Merretta so maybe she isn¡¯t just avoiding it like I originally thought.


    We have continued none stop up until now, but as a large city can be seen in the distance Listel starts to slow down.


    ¡°Is that were the dungeon we are going to is?¡±


    Listel laughs and says. ¡°Oh no¡­ No way, we could handle that one, but my mistress wants us to pay our respects since we are in the neighborhood. Besides it we could celebrate our two months being together and get them drinks we talked about.¡±


    ¡°Wait it¡¯s been two months already?¡±


    Listel: ¡°For a few days now. Time flies when you are having fun.¡±


    ¡°More like time flies while traveling. We have been on the road almost the entire time.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Then what do you say if it¡¯s ok with the Dungeon Core here we will kick up our feet in his city for a few days and have some R&R.¡±


    ¡°I think I would like that¡­¡±


    As we start to get closer to the city though looking at the castle towering over the dilapidated buildings causes a small bit of pain in my neck¡­ I can¡¯t place it but this castle looks familiar, and according to the collar I must. I almost forgot the collar was there it¡¯s been over a week now since the last time it went off.


    ¡°What is this place?¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s Mar.¡±


    ¡°Mar? That sounds familiar.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well it should its home to the strongest dungeon core that has ever lived.¡±


    ¡°Dyson?  Have you met him before? What¡¯s he like?¡±


    I am a little confused as Listel quickly stops walking and turns to me giving me a brief kiss. She then has a bright smile on her face as she says.


    Listel: ¡°He is strong and he knows it, but as long as you don¡¯t anger him he isn¡¯t too bad.¡±


    ¡°What was that for?¡±


    Listel shakes her head saying. ¡°Nothing¡­ It¡¯s just something you said, it made me really happy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­ But now we have even more to celebrate, come on!¡±


    She grabs my wrist and picks up speed again till we reach the city. The city itself looks pretty run down, and even though there are lots of people on the streets they all give us a wide berth. They all look at Listel with quite a bit of scorn, but it seems like they can tell she could easily end them if she wanted so in turn they just avoid her.


    Without any hindrance we make it to the lavishly decorated castle gate and are greeted by a young beautiful woman wearing very little in the terms of clothing. Even when you would consider what Listel wears to not leave not much to the imagination she is still well dressed compared to this young lady.


    Lady: ¡°Welcome Heroes Listel and Arngrim, my master is expecting you. Please follow me.¡±


    The lady then bows which causes my eyes to be drawn to her cleavage, but Listel quickly elbows me and grabs my arm pulling me tight. We then follow the woman into the castle.  After heading though several corridors we come to a large overly decorative door with a ruby the size of a fist in the place of a doorknob.


    The lady leads us in and ushers us to sit down. Even after Listel pulls me down onto a couch barely big enough for the two of us, the lady then attempts to sit in my lap. Listel quickly gets angry and tosses the girl to the floor.


    About the same time the door opens again and the lady instead of getting up just remains on the floor bowing. A large muscular man with slicked back black hair and beady eyes walks in with a crooked smile. I can¡¯t help but feel I know this man but after a brief pain in my neck I shake it off.


    Dyson: ¡°Listel, it¡¯s good to see you again, sorry for the misunderstanding with the young lady there, but I try to make my guests feel welcome.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Yes I very know well what your intentions were, and I will make it clear he is mine.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Oh I see so he is yours then, and not your mistress¡¯s?¡± ¨CHe says as he sits down across from us.-


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t twist my words.¡±


    Dyson¡¯s crooked smile looks to say he found out something useful as he then turns his attention to me. ¡°So this is the new up and coming hero, Arngrim?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, I am Arngrim. I don¡¯t know much about up and coming hero though, most of it has only been by Listel¡¯s help that I have even managed to survive.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not as cocky as most heroes I see, it¡¯s kind of refreshing.¡±


    Even though he says it, he seems to have a bit of a pained expression on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did I do something to offend you?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°No, nothing like that that. You just reminded me of someone that is all.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Anyway, regarding the matter as to why we have come to your lands. Our investigation has led us to a dungeon within the badlands, and as my mistress did not want you to take offense we thought it was only right to pay our respects.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see.¡± ¨CHe looks to be mauling the statement around in his head then says.- ¡°Well there are only three others in the badlands other than myself, and one is barely a year old.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Our current target is #95 [Gruda]¡±


    Dyson looks a little shocked, or at least pretends to be.


    Dyson: ¡°#95 hu¡­¡± ¨CHe says as he strokes his chin.- ¡°Well I don¡¯t see how it can be related to your investigation, but I have no reason to deny you, so happy hunting.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Thank you¡­ I also promised Arngrim a little R&R so if you don¡¯t mind I was hoping we could rest in Mar a few days?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Mar is not very receptive to someone such as yourself, but if you are fine with it I have no objections, but remember if you plan on trying any funny business I will have my eye on you.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I expect nothing less.¡± ¨CListel stands pulling me along with her and then bows.-


    Dyson then waves us on and we walks from the room. Listel seems to breathe a sigh of relief, and then forces a smile on her face as she says. ¡°Well shall we then?¡±


    We then head back though the castle exiting the gates, we then set out into Mar looking for a good inn. We finally find the best inn available, but I would hardly call it a good inn. At first they deny Listel but after a few choice words and almost dragging the man across the counter we acquire a room key. We don¡¯t take any chances by leaving anything in the room, and we decide to store our gear with [Shadow-pocket].


    We then set out to find a place to have a drink, but that is easier said than done. Not that finding a place to buy alcohol is hard to find, it¡¯s more the opposite every building is practically a tavern so which do we choose?


    Eventually we make our choice and head in and sit down. With Listel¡¯s less then warm reception I decide to order us our first round and then take it back to the table. After handing Listel the tall mug she looks in it and sniffs it.


    She makes an odd but cute expression as she turns up her nose and sticks out her tongue. I take a swig and it¡¯s actually a pretty good alcohol. After watching me take a second drink Listel takes a deep breath the throws back the mug chugging the entire thing¡­


    Slamming the mug back on the table she has a ring on her face from the foam and a bit dripping from her chin down into her cleavage. With a growing smile on her face she says. ¡°That¡¯s actually pretty good.¡±


    ¡°There is no rush. You¡¯ll be drunk in seconds like that.¡± ¨CI say while I wipe away the foam from her face.-


    Listel: ¡°You missed some.¡± ¨CShe says while puffing out her chest.-


    ¡°I will let you take care of that bit on your own. Let me go get you another.¡±


    After getting her another drink I manage to get her to take smaller drinks, and we continue for quite a while. I lost count at some point how much we drank and after feeling thoroughly hammered, I know with this being Listel¡¯s first time she has to be further gone then me.


    I decide to pack it up and retire helping to her feet as she has trouble standing. We slowly make our way back to the inn. We no sooner make it into the room before she kicks off her boots and starts to pull off her clothes.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    I try to stop her but as I get closer she just tries to start removing mine as well so I just help her into to bed. After laying her in bed I start to move over to the chair and she grabs my wrist looking at me with her large, beautiful, but sad eyes.


    I sigh and sit back down on the edge of the bed and she quickly jerks me down wrapping her naked body around me. She somehow managed to crawl over the top of me with her long blond hair cascading all around me.


    She then uses one of her sharp nails to shred the front of my shirt, and then jerks it open. Pressing her breasts against my chest she wraps her lips around mine. I place one hand on her cheek kissing her back. I don¡¯t know how long we kissed for but I eventually wrap my arm around her waist and flip both of us over so I am on top of her.


    Kneading my hand on one of her breasts I bury my face in the other, and when I bring my face back up to kiss her I realize¡­ With pink cheeks and a bright smile she has fallen sleep¡­ I let out a deep sigh and scoot her over a bit and lay down.


    Still sound asleep she wraps herself around me placing her head on my shoulder she begins to lightly purr. I lay there for a few minutes calming myself down, and then I feel something¡­ With a look of pure bliss on her sleeping face my leg becomes warm and wet¡­


    ¡°Oh come on!¡±


    After that I quickly cast [Clean] on both of us and after that I have no trouble going to sleep myself.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    Things were pretty bad after Mindy first arrived, and Logan had to stay for a full week even after he squared things away with Doug just so Mindy didn¡¯t try changes things too bad where Two-Twelve can¡¯t fix them when he returns.


    As for Doug, Logan is letting him stay but for some reason he makes Doug and his slave have move in with me. I guess that is what I get for saying it was lonely¡­ Now I have Mindy and Doug here.


    Mindy hates it here, she hates the people, she hates the town, she hates Two-Twelve¡¯s office, and she hates everything, so I am actually enjoying watching he suffer quite a bit. Actually it has been the major source of my drive as we still have not a single clue as to where Two-Twelve is.


    The group out looking for Two-Twelve has finally made it to Adra, but I heard from Dyson that Listel and the other man with her killed a dungeon core in Korta that they were hoping had information about Two-Twelve¡¯s location so I just don¡¯t know anymore¡­


    I know he hasn¡¯t really been gone that long, and we were apart longer when the girls and I went to Calhoun and destroyed that dungeon, but having the third winter solstice of Tobes without him was quite a blow. I know it¡¯s only been a few months and still being bound to the dungeon I literally have forever to find him I still can¡¯t help to fear deep down maybe I never will.


    Lilah, Lylah, and Lila have been able to keep the dungeon up and running so well that we have even managed to make two more groups of sentient monsters to help in the search. It managed for us to unlock a few more human classes to summon and one more type normal beastkin, but without any clues we just sent one group to Korta near where the dungeon Listel destroyed the dungeon, and one to Merretta hoping by just some sheer chance they will come across something.


    After Doug moved in to my house, he and his slave managed to finish the course that Sofia had for them at the old adventurer¡¯s guild building, and have formed up with a group of locals to make daily runs into the elemental rooms of the dungeon.


    I made sure the girls took it easy on him for a few days, but it seems like it wasn¡¯t needed because their group has done very well.


    While working on some things for the guild Scylla enters the guild with a concerned but excited expression and Kline follows in but stays near the door looking terrified.


    Scylla: ¡°Miss Belinda, Miss Belinda!¡±


    ¡°What is it Scylla?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I¡¯m pregnant!¡±


    ¡°Good for you!¡±


    I really meant what I said, and I truly am happy for her, but I can¡¯t help to feel a bit of pain in my chest and I am sure my face is showing a complicated expression.


    Scylla: ¡°Kline and I were worried, and didn¡¯t know how you would react to the news, but we wanted to tell you as soon as we found out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am really happy for you, it just made me think of what Two-Twelve would say about it and¡­¡±


    Scylla wraps her arms around me with tears in her eyes.


    Scylla: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Miss Belinda. You know how Master is, and I am sure he is doing his best to find his way back home to you.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but to break down¡­ I take the rest of the day off to spend it with Scylla trying to get back in a better mindset.


    Arngrim¡¯s PoV


    When I awaken the next morning Listel is still sleeping peacefully. I brush some of her long silky blond hair from in front of her face and kiss her. She then begins to stir. Her tail shoots out from under the covers straight out as she stretches, and as her eyes sleepily open they fall on me and she smiles.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Listel crawls over me and sits up stretching again... ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad, but I got an awful headache this morning.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t so bad? Do you even remember last night?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I remember the drinking, and then we came back here, and in my drunken state you took advantage of me.¡±


    ¡°I did no such thing!¡±


    Listel: ¡°Oh¡­ Not so loud¡­ I was pulling your leg¡­ But you wanted to right?¡±


    ¡°Just get dressed¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Ohh, you¡¯re not denying it.~¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do something like that.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I¡¯m not so sure.¡± ¨Cshe says coyly and lays back over pressing her body against mine and kissing me.-


    I brush her cheek as I kiss her back and run my other hand where the skin meets the fur down her side. Once I reach her butt she starts to smile while kissing me but instead of grabbing it I grab ahold of the base of her tail lifting her off my waist.


    Listel: ¡°Ahh! That hurts, and not fair you jerk.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to get dressed, We have put on enough of a show for Dyson, We should probably continue on our way now.¡±


    Listel: ¡°You don¡¯t think he would be literally watching us do you? I assumed it was just a matter of speaking.¡±


    ¡°Well dungeons can see everything that goes on in their dungeon, and Dyson seems the type, so you never know.¡±


    Listel: ¡°You barely met him, how would you know?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know just the kind of feeling I got from him I guess.


    Listel seems to look a little worried then bends over flicking her tail in my face to draw my attention while she starts to put on her clothes.


    Listel: ¡°Well even if he is watching I wouldn¡¯t mind, if I at least finally got to have you.¡±


    I tell her to quit joking, withdrawal my armor from [Shadow-Pocket], start putting it on, and start to think. Why is it I keep pushing her away? We are both obviously feeling it so what¡¯s this nagging feeling that keeps telling me it¡¯s not right?


    After getting my armor on I shake the thought and we then set out from the inn. The dungeon is supposed to be at least a week journey from here, but for us we have been able to reduce that kind of distance to half a day.


    I think I could even outrun a horse now. Well not really, but I could maintain my speed all day¡­ Being a hero truly is fun¡­ Listel¡¯s headache slows us down however and we don¡¯t push it too hard to we take it slow and don¡¯t reach the dungeon till nightfall.


    Listel: ¡°This dungeon isn¡¯t very big, but it is quite a bit older then even that last one you faced, so the difficulty of the monsters inside should all be pretty high. This dungeon often sends out raiding parties to gather xp, so depending if they are out and about or night the dungeon core may or may not be here.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well we have three options we wait till we see a raiding party leave before hitting it hard and fast just trying to destroy the dungeon before their return, or we wait until all the monsters are inside and try to gain more levels before taking out the dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°And the third option?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Just hit it straight on, if she is there she is there, if not then she isn¡¯t¡±


    ¡°I think we should at least wait till morning. I think the worst thing would be in the middle of the dungeon when they return and causing a panic and we get overwhelmed.¡±


    Listel: ¡°And if we don¡¯t see any signs by morning? ¡°


    ¡°Then we follow option 3.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Alright, it¡¯s your show.¡±


    ¡°We should probably keep a watch tonight as well, I will take the first, and wake you up if anything happens.¡±


    Listel: ¡°But I wanted to pick up where we left things last night.¡±


    I lean over and kiss her.


    ¡°Not tonight.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Tonight, so picking it up is still on the table?¡±


    I smile and shake my head. ¡°Good night Listel.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Yea, yea¡­ Good night Arngrim.¡±


    Listel settles down and I prop myself up with a good vantage point of the entrance to the dungeon and wait¡­ With the most downtime I have had since being with Listel I am left rather board and I can¡¯t help but bring up what I was thinking this morning.


    I continue to rack my brain, but I can¡¯t recall how Listel and I came to be together, and the more I try to think about it the more confused I get. Every time I think I am starting to get close to an answer I get a pain in my neck and then it¡¯s just gone¡­


    No matter how hard I try it just doesn¡¯t come to me, and without realizing the time in which I was supposed to wake Listel is long past. Well it¡¯s close enough to the morning now I guess I should let go ahead and let her sleep.


    However it¡¯s not long and there seems to be some movement near the entrance of the dungeon. I continue to watch and a large group of monsters starts to leave the dungeon. Listel wasn¡¯t joking these monsters really do look a lot tougher.


    They make that small troll boss monster of the last dungeon look like a goblin¡­ The group seems to be led by an exceptionally ugly troll, and I can¡¯t be 100% sure but I think it¡¯s a female. I didn¡¯t think there were female trolls. I wait for them to disappear around a bend and then go to wake Listel.


    Listel¡¯s beautiful cat like eyes are however starring up at me. I guess she heard to commotion and woke up¡­


    ¡°Alright, I guess it¡¯s time.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Are you sure, you haven¡¯t gotten any sleep.¡±


    ¡°If that group is the typical of the dungeon we are going to need every second we can spare.¡±


    Listel: ¡°And you are feeling alright¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ Why?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Well because¡­¡± ¨CShe looks a little worried or more so conflicted. - ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Listel then gets up moving over giving me a quick kiss as we start moving in on the dungeon. Luckily the large trolls don¡¯t seem the typical type of monster from the dungeon as it starts out with goblins like the other.


    By the time the sun rises however we have made it to the third floor and the monsters have already progressed into the large ogres we were dealing with at the top floors of the last dungeon. I don¡¯t know how long the hunting party will be out, but I do know we need to pick up the pace.


    I start using my magic a bit more liberally and it seems to help us speed up and by noon we have progressed to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor. My magic has not been returning near as quick and I am starting to feel the fatigue build up, but this much shouldn¡¯t be anything for a hero so I keep pushing on.


    My strength has grown in leaps and bounds being with Listel, but she is simply amazing I often find myself mesmerized by watching the way she is fighting. It has put me in a tight spot a few times but she has laughed it off.


    When we start to encounter trolls she even starts to struggle, although she is fighting two for every one that I fight. After a particularly tough fight, we are in the process of healing our wounds and recovering when I decide to ask her.


    ¡°How close are we to the end? All the monsters that left in the raiding party had to be named, so they could travel anywhere in the dungeon, so we are going to be in a bad spot if they happen to return while we are resting.¡±


    Listel draws a line in the air pulling a book from her [Shadow-pocket] she then flips it to a page and looks it over.


    Listel: ¡°What floor are we on? I have forgotten¡­¡±


    ¡°I am pretty sure we are on the 16<sup>th</sup> floor.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Well pretty sure¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Then this should be it. The crystal room should be around on this floor somewhere.¡±


    ¡°What about your nifty little skill, can¡¯t you use it?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I have used too much magic already. I need to conserve what I got for healing magic.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s just push on before we run out of time.¡±


    We push through two more rooms before we come up to what looks like the crystal room. The room is rather empty with a pedestal in the middle of the floor with a large ruby growing out of it.  I quickly look around but there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything guarding the crystal.


    Listel: ¡°We might have lucked out hurry and break the crystal just in case.¡±


    I swing my sword causing the crystal to shatter, like the other two the shards fly though the air entering my body. The rush feels wonderful almost like when you first sink into a nice bath¡­But when have I taken a bath? I slept in that bath with Listel in the other dungeon and seemed to know all about it, but how did I know all about it?


    The pain in my neck happens again, and the dungeon has begun to shake, so enough with that right now we got to go¡­


    Listel and I then quickly begin making our way out of the dungeon, and being the fact it was only 16 floors we make it outside very quickly. After making it out I slouch against a large rock completely exhausted¡­ I don¡¯t even realize it but I must have instantly dozed off.


    Listel: ¡°*rng**m¡­ Arngrim!¡±


    I quickly jolt awake from Listel screaming my name. Listel is standing between me and the entire raiding party of trolls.


    ¡°How is this possible we destroyed the crystal?!¡±


    Listel: ¡°They must not be bound to the dungeon, or every single one of them was a boss.¡±


    ¡°Wait the female is gone.¡± ¨CI say as I quickly pull my sword.-


    Listel: ¡°The female?¡±


    ¡°When they left there was a large ugly female troll with them.¡±


    Listel: ¡°That must have been the dungeon core, when she died they returned to find out what happened.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do now? We can¡¯t take them all.¡±


    Listel: ¡°We are going to have to just make a path and make a run for it.¡±


    The trolls have us completely surrounded so they are in no rush to charge in. I move next to Listel with my sword and we prepare for battle. We turn as one several times waiting to see who is going to make the first move, but after Listel seems to finally pick a target she darts across the ground attacking one of the trolls.


    I am not far behind her as we focus on a single troll as the rest of the trolls being moving in. We manage to drop the troll but have to jump back as the tightening of the group of Trolls left us blocked off still. We try twice more but the group just keeps pushing us back and they are getting closer and closer.


    Listel: ¡°Alright I have a plan, I will distract them while you make a run for it and I will catch up.¡±


    ¡°How is that a plan?!¡±


    Listel: ¡°I can easily evade the trolls, but the important part is getting you out. I can¡¯t get away without leaving you behind, but if you can get out first then I can catch up.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you can do this?¡±


    Listel reaches over and kisses me. ¡°Trust me.¡±


    She then bolts forward again attacking one of the trolls, this time while she has it distracted I move past it and start to run. The group splits off and 4 of the remaining 20 or so trolls split off from the group to chase me.


    I try to get away but they are very quick as well right on my heels, after five minutes or so though I slowly start to gain ground on them and events start to replay back in my head¡­


    Listel: ¡°Do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡±


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Listel: ¡°What don¡¯t trust me?


    ¡°Why would I!¡±


    ¡­.Damnit I never have trusted her¡­ The one time she needed me not to trust her I did¡­ I quickly come to a dead stop which startles the trolls who were losing ground on me, and I bolt straight past them heading back towards the dungeon.


    By the time I make it back there are quite a few more dead trolls, but there are at least 5 remaining and they are all within a tight circle¡­ I don¡¯t see Listel anywhere but I charge right into the back of one of them thrusting my sword all the way to its hilt though the creature.


    They quickly begin to panic at my return, and I catch sight of Listel on the ground. She is battered, bruised and tore up pretty good, but she is still moving¡­ I managed to deal a fatal would to the troll that I buried my sword into and I ride him to the ground as he falls forward. I then jerk my sword from its body and leap at another one.


    I quickly cast [Shadow-ball] trying to capture two of the trolls inside while attacking a third with my sword, but I only manage to snag one of them with the spell.


    Holding the [Shadow-ball] and using my sword is a lot more taxing then I thought, so I start to look for options¡­ In a few short seconds the group chasing me will have returned and then there will be no chance, so throw my sword at the troll next to the one held in the [Shadow-ball].


    While he bats the sword away I scoop up Listel in my arms and bolt between him. The [Shadow-ball] collapses but with a clear view in front of me I just keep running as hard as I can¡­ I don¡¯t know how fast I ran or even how far,  I don¡¯t even ever look back to see if the trolls are still there, but I keep running till my legs feel like they are just going to disintegrate and then finally collapse to the ground cradling Listel.


    Listel opens the one of her eyes that isn¡¯t swollen shut, and a stream of tears leaks from it as she weakly lifts her hand to my face.


    Listel: ¡°You¡­Didn¡¯t¡­Run¡­Away¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course not you idiot! Because I love you!¡±


    Listel weakly smiles and shuts her eye. I use the last of my remaining magic to cast a healing spell on her, it doesn¡¯t do much but I continue to cast healing spells every time I build enough magic to do so until her wounds are healed.


    When I finally see her open her beautiful green eyes again I can¡¯t help but smile, then the fatigue takes me and I black out.

 Dungeon #684

    I don¡¯t know why I did it, but in the heat of the moment it just felt right. Everything my Mistress told me didn¡¯t seem to matter anymore because I found a way to at least save him. Even after the trolls beat me within an inch of my life, and arguing over who was going to violate me first. I didn¡¯t regret saving him one bit.


    The Mistress made me the master of both of his collar and cuff, so when I eventually die he should be able to start to recover his memories and find his way home, and then he could be happy again¡­ At least that is a bit of a consolation.


    I know trolls are notorious for this sort of behavior but that isn¡¯t how I want to go out¡­ I decided once I am dead it won¡¯t matter anyway so I will just bite my own tongue at least that way I don¡¯t have to feel the trolls ripping me apart from the inside out¡­


    As I am about to bite my tongue that is when it happens¡­ I hear the loud scream and one of the trolls falls. Its Arngrim¡­He came back. My heart sores even though if I feel tears in my eyes because even though he came back I know he doesn¡¯t stand a chance against all these trolls. If he just stayed away then maybe he could have returned to his old life¡­


    I see him cast a spell and then throw his sword but something grabs me and I lose consciousness. When I come to I can only manage to open one eye and when I do I see Arngrim starring down at me and in his arms and with the look on his face I know somehow we are safe.


    I must all of my strength to bring my hand to his cheek and the only thing I can think of to say is ¡°You didn¡¯t run away.¡± He calls me an idiot, but I guess I can agree. Although the next thing he says fills me with a brief happiness but it quickly changes to regret.


    He said he loved me, but I know it simply isn¡¯t true. Everything I have done to him he only is acting that way because we made him. I¡¯m so sorry we did this to you¡­Two-Twelve¡­ Is all I can think before blacking out.


    When I come too again, I find all my wounds have been healed, I look around and start to panic when I see Two-Twelve unconscious but after I check on him he is just resting. I get up and look around trying to get my bearings but don¡¯t have a clue where we are.


    I guess until Two-Twelve wakes up the only thing I can do is report what has happened back to my Mistress.


    ¡°We have managed to destroy the third dungeon, but we suffered major damage. I nearly lost my life but Two-Twelve saved me. We however have both seemed to have lost our weapons.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Two-Twelve? I told you to use his conditioned name at all times lest you make a mistake and ruin all our efforts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry my Mistress.¡±


    Laura: ¡°The swords are a heavy loss, yours was non-replaceable, but it seems there may be a silver lining. If he saved you from dying the conditioning is near completion?¡±


    I have never lied to my Mistress before, but for some reason I just can¡¯t tell her what he told me¡­ I end up with only replying with. ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Laura: ¡°Good then by the time he claims his fourth dungeon we should be ready to move on to the next phase of the plan.¡±


    ¡°Yes my Mistress¡­¡±


    Laura: ¡°I will send the spare mythril blades to Dyson, and you can pick them up there before making your way back to Livinston.¡±


    ¡°As you order my Mistress.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if I can keep this up, but I can¡¯t go against my Mistress¡¯s orders, so even though I hate myself with nothing more I can do I cuddle up to Two-Twelve¡­ At least I can be there for him. Feeling his heart beating is enough to calm me down.


    Arngrim¡¯s PoV


    When I wake up I find Listel starring up at me with her large green eyes.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    I reach down to kiss her but she turns her head and pulls away.


    ¡°Are you mad at me?¡±


    She has a pained expression on her face as she says. ¡°Of course I am mad at you! I told you to run away!¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t leave the woman I love behind like that.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡±


    ¡°But I mean it.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Please¡­¡± ¨CShe pleads with tears in her eyes.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°It¡­¡± ¨CShe looks like she is going to say something but after a few moments of silence she shakes her head as says.- ¡°I talked to my Mistress, she was mad at us for losing our swords, but she said she would send replacements to Mar, so we can go back there and pick them up before heading on to the final dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well I just ran due south, I don¡¯t know how far we came, but Mar should be¡­ That way.¡±


    I motion with my arms in a V covering and area over 2 points of the map. Listel seems to lighten up a bit and laughs, so it at least seemed to help the mood some.


    After that we set back out towards Mar it takes us a while to figure out where we are, but eventually we get back on track. Even when I try to talk to Listel she for some reason seems to be trying to keep some distance between us, maybe it was wrong of me to tell her I loved her¡­


    By the time we reach Mar it is pretty late at night, or I guess you can say it is early in the morning, so we decide to get a few hours of rest before checking on acquiring our swords at the castle. When we arrive at the castle the next morning we are expecting to meet with Dyson again, but however a young lady just hands us the swords at the front gate and shoos us away.


    We then set our sights on the next dungeon and set out.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    Things have really started to return to normal in Tobes, and I for one hate it¡­ Without Two-Twelve it can¡¯t be normal, but it has started to feel that way. Tormenting Mindy has only taken me so far, and now I hate to admit it but she has been making progress in Tobes that Two-Twelve wouldn¡¯t have been able to accomplish.


    Doug has managed to gain quite a few levels in the dungeon along with his slave and they are even thinking of setting out to try their hands in other dungeons. We have 5 groups of dungeon monsters out searching for Two-Twelve now, and still not a single one has gotten a single lead.


    Scylla¡¯s pregnancy has started to show, her and Kline seem to love every minute of it. Roxy still checks with me often, but unless she is with Zoey at the time I don¡¯t see Zoey at all. Bell of course is working with Mindy, and even though Mindy says she hates her she seems to rely on her quite a bit.


    Sofia is still training new adventurers so I see her when she brings her students to the guild. Katie has been hit on by Doug a few times and she doesn¡¯t get along with Mindy at all so I often don¡¯t even know if she is even home or not.


    We have had a pretty mild winter, it¡¯s no Faron¡¯s blessing, but mild all the same, so the adventurers are coming to Tobes in droves. I think if Two-Twelve walked into Tobes now he would hardly even recognize the place anymore.


    More adventurer¡¯s mean more work for Lilah, Lylah, and Lila, so they have been staying very busy. Two-Twelve never even got to meet Lila, and we will probably have to summon another before he returns by the way things look.


    Every few days when I get exceptionally lonely I will use the [Gate] spell and just travel anywhere and everywhere hoping I just might bump into Two-Twelve there.


    When we celebrated my birthday the other day almost none of the girls came leaving quite a hole in my heart¡­Two-Twelve was the glue that holds this family together and without him I just don¡¯t know how much longer we can go on¡­


    Arngrim¡¯s PoV


    I know now I shouldn¡¯t have told Listel that I loved her not a day goes by now that she doesn¡¯t give me a pained expression, and she has been maintaining her distance from me. This dungeon is supposed to be the hardest one yet, but I don¡¯t think we will be able to fight together like we did before if things don¡¯t improve, so as we are in the town outside the dungeon I decide to fix things.


    ¡°Listel it¡¯s been almost a month, can¡¯t you forgive me?¡±


    Listel: ¡°You did nothing wrong Arngrim, nothing, you shouldn¡¯t be the one apologizing.¡±


    ¡°But I am afraid of what might happen in the dungeon if we keep going like this. We barely made it out of the last one and you said this one is even harder.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if it comes to it I promise I will still protect you with my life.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to protect me with your life! I want my partner back!¡±


    Listel: ¡°I don¡¯t deserve for you as a partner.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I get any say in this at all?¡±


    Listel: ¡°That is the problem you don¡¯t have a say!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ Are you talking about what happened to me before I came to travel with you?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I am sorry Arngrim, the Mistress won¡¯t let me talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Then just listen. I don¡¯t care about the me before I was with you, that was a different person, that isn¡¯t who I am now.¡±


    Listel: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t say that if you knew what was taken from you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! I just know what I am missing now, and I won¡¯t¡­ No I can¡¯t go on with the woman I love being in so much pain!¡±


    Listel: ¡°We did it to you! My Mistress and I we took you from your family and turned you into this. It was never your choice!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s my choice now! And I Choose to be with you!¡±


    Listel¡¯s pained expression only worsens and she turns her face with tears in her eyes. I reach over and take her face brushing the tears from her cheeks.


    ¡°Please, even if you don¡¯t love me, at least let me continue to love you.¡±


    Listel bursts into sobs as she wraps her arms around me.


    Listel: ¡°But I do! I do love you!¡±


    I place my lips against her and kiss her. Her body starts out tense but it seems to melt after a few seconds and she begins to kiss me back. Our lips only part briefly as I raise her shirt over her head, then she starts tugging at mine.


    We spend the next few hours in passion and afterwards she is lying on top of me with her tail twitching purring softly as I whisper into her ear.


    ¡°I told you that you purr.¡±


    She reaches up and bites my lower lip and not long after another long kiss we fall asleep.


    When I wake up the next morning I find myself clean, but I am also alone. I quickly look around and find Listel sitting in a chair with her knees tucked to her chest. Her tail is twitching slowly and she is starring out the window with a sad expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    My voice seems to surprise her a bit, so she must have really been zoned out. She quickly jumps up however paints on a smile and comes over to the bed and kisses me.


    Listel: ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just know what I need to do now.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you are ok?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Never better.¡± ¨CThis time her smile seems genuine. - ¡°Now let¡¯s go, we got a dungeon to take care of.¡±


    We then get up and get dressed setting out from the inn and head into the dungeon beneath the town. The first few levels are an intricate labyrinth of sewers, and even with the map we purchased from the adventurer¡¯s guild we still get lost several times.


    The monsters however have been lizard men and frog men so it has been easy going the hardest thing we have had to face was some non-sentient rat beastkin. After two days though we manage to find a tunnel that seems to lead away from the sewers and further into the dungeon. Even after a week has passed since we entered the dungeon we still have made very little progress.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Listel: ¡°This is the same damn room we were in two days ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I just used my skill and could smell it.¡±


    ¡°I am kind of curious, just how exactly does a room we have been in two days ago smell?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Warm, soft, a bit salty¡­¡± ¨Cas she keeps describing the smell her breath is getting ragged and her cheeks are flush.-


    ¡°Are you ok¡­?¡±


    Listel quickly shakes her head and smiles. ¡°Of course, I just took your scent and followed it.¡±


    ¡°Wait you are following that scent, haven¡¯t we used [Clean] several times especially after going through the sewers, how can you still follow that smell?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Best part of the skill, I can relieve a moment over though the smell, sometimes even several times a day.¡±


    ¡°Hey that¡¯s not fair, I only got to experience it once¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Then you better hurry and find us the right path though the dungeon then.¡±


    It takes another week to make it out of that section of the dungeon, and the worst part is the monsters still were not even worth our effort so all that time was wasted. This next part however is starting to prove more challenging. Even with the labyrinth continuing into this section at least the monsters are not leaving us bored.


    ¡°Three weeks now¡­Three! We have to be close to the end now¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°Actually I believe we are only about half way¡­¡±


    ¡°I officially hate labyrinths¡­¡±


    Dyson¡¯s PoV


    I am starting to wonder just what Laura is up to, said she was training her new boss monster with Dungeon Core #429 [Gala], but then they took out Dungeon Core #21 [Greenhawk]. She could have practically gave any reason, and it would have been alright but she said it was in her attempts to help locate Two-Twelve. Even if there was some random piece of information that led them there their next target was Dungeon Core #95 [Gruda]


    Now personally I didn¡¯t like Gruda, and I would have gotten rid of the eye sore myself, but she had a habit of chasing the humans from the plains to take up residence in the city, so it helped to have her out terrorizing the country side. Laura¡¯s monster claimed Gruda too was part of their investigation¡­ and now I heard they have entered Dungeon Core #684 [Viktor]¡¯s dungeon.


    What exactly is Laura up too¡­? Nothing I have found has come remotely close to information about Two-Twelve so she must be using it as a guise, but why? I don¡¯t care if she has her monsters off a few of the lower level cores, but surely eventually she will draw some ire from someone powerful that way.


    Wait maybe that is it. She is trying to draw someone¡¯s attention. What do these cores all have in common¡­?


    ¡­


    I got it! They all have the same name as the previous core. They must have all been trained by Maric.


    Maric is awfully proud of his record of surviving cores so I can easily see how taking a few of them out would draw his attention. That is also the reason she is using a new monster instead of the hero she already has, a disposable pawn.


    But the question is why¡­ Can I take her at her word that it is to help find Two-Twelve? Does she think Maric knows something? It is possible I am sure he was the one responsible for the old Dungeon Core #2¡¯s death, Two-Twelve really was pivotal in that decision so maybe he done this to Two-Twelve as payback?


    Wait wait, back up¡­Laura¡¯s monsters took out the first core before I put them onto Two-Twelve, so maybe it¡¯s not related. Maybe it¡¯s to get rid of him so if another elder spot opens up she is the only option remaining?


    But then why slack off during it the first time, and I am sure if Maric came for Laura she wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him, maybe it has something to do with the new monster? He had a slave collar and a slave cuff¡­ Generally they just use the collar now the cuff type slave device went out back when I was still human¡­


    Maybe he is that old, it¡¯s not impossible if he is bound to a dungeon, but why add the collar and not removed the outdated cuff? Wait just maybe¡­


    I quickly send a message.


    ¡°Madam Erin, do you still have any old cuff style slave devices from back in the day?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I may¡­¡±


    ¡°Laura is up to something that has piqued my interest and I wanted to test a running theory, but I need one of those old style slave devices on a monster bound to another dungeon.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I have no interest in feeding your curiosities so, unless you make it worth my while.¡±


    ¡°It is concerning that new hero that has been killing off several cores, Arngrim.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Ok¡­ I am listening.¡±


    ¡°He paid me a visit with Laura¡¯s gopher Listel before they destroyed Dungeon Core #95. Listel seemed mighty protective of him, and he had both a cuff style device and the newer collar style. I was wondering if you had the cuff style on a slave and then someone else put a collar style on what would happen?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well surely the collar style would overwrite the cuff.¡±


    ¡°Then why keep them both on him?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Maybe there is no point in it. Maybe it¡¯s a fashion statement.¡±


    ¡°But if you look all the cores they have been killing are dungeon trained by Maric. She seems to be trying to draw the anger of Maric while using this unusual slave to do it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the question I keep asking myself.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright, I will bring the cuff and a sentient monster to the neutral zone, You bring your collar and we will see what happens.¡±


    I quickly move from the throne room transferring down to the slave quarters of Mar. I easily pick up a collar bound to me then teleport to the neutral zone. When I enter the conference room Madam Erin is already there with a strange looking creature with a cuff on its wrist.


    The little creature looks halfway between a frogman and a mud elemental it stares at me with its little black eyes and makes a disgusting gurgling barking noise.


    ¡°You sure that thing is sentient?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It¡¯s a mudkip, on the low end of the sentient side, but sentient none the less.¡±


    ¡°Always the bleeding heart. Alright let¡¯s try this then.¡± -I say while placing the collar on the creature.-


    The creature barks at me again and tries to bite me, but ones the collar is on it stops.


    ¡°Alright, your cuff, and monster my collar. Who is your money on who has control of it?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Dungeon magic trumps the human magic every time so I would say me. Hop on one leg Kippy.¡±


    The little creature raises a leg and hops.


    ¡°Ok bite Madam Erin¡¯s knee.¡±


    The creature barks at me again.


    ¡°Ok one scenario down¡­¡±


    I summon in a monster and Madam Erin retrieves a collar style slave device, but like she said no matter how many test we run. The collar trumps the cuff and the dungeon magic trumps both every time.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What are you thinking now?¡±


    ¡°That I wasted an entire afternoon when I could have been buried in a nice pair of breasts.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well if you want to make up some lost time I could...¡±


    ¡°No thanks¡­ Has that ever worked?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°How do you think I ever got a husband all those years ago?¡±


    ¡°That is something that I will never be able to remove from my head¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°But seriously now what?¡±


    ¡°Well we tried everything and it worked just like you imagined so I don¡¯t see how it could be beneficial in any way to use both. Can I see the cuff for a moment?¡±


    Madam Erin hands it to me and I give it a close examination¡­ Using several of my available skills I give it a thorough exam. Afterwards I do the same with the slave collar.


    ¡°I give up¡­ They are both practically identical, except the equipment slot they take, and a few details in the collar are more refined.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Equipment slot, like necklace and bracelet?¡±


    ¡°Yea, the cuff takes the bracelet slot, but the collar is actually slot free.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Humans can be quite resourceful¡­¡±


    ¡°But none of that is helping us here¡­ Maybe I should just teleport into dungeon #684 and ask them myself.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°They are already working on a fourth?¡±


    ¡°Yea.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°They really are trying to make Meric mad¡­ Well if you manage to find out anything interesting I would look forward to hearing it.¡±


    With nothing else we transfer back to our dungeons, but I still can¡¯t help to think I have to be missing something¡­


    Arngrim¡¯s PoV


    I have lost the exact count on just how long we have been in this dungeon, but I know it is getting close to a month if it hasn¡¯t already passed that. Listel is getting a bit irritable as even though the monsters are quite a bit harder we are fully rested and ready to go again before we encounter the next set so there is still little in the way of a challenge.


    We have seemed to discover the labyrinth has a pattern, but that is not as helpful as it sounds. One day just before noon something happens we didn¡¯t expect.


    After killing a few groups of an advanced type of lizardmen we round the corner and find another group of lizardmen that have been completely obliterated¡­ Even for Listel the carnage is excessive, but we don¡¯t see the cause anywhere in sight.


    ¡°What do you think happened?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Clearly there has to be another group that made it this deep into the dungeon, but why haven¡¯t we ran into them yet and where did they go?¡±


    Voice: ¡°I was actually waiting on you.¡± ¨CSays a voice that seems to come from pure darkness.-


    Listel quickly goes on guard, but I don¡¯t sense any hostility from the voice and it seems almost familiar. Next a creature steps out of the shadows. I say creature because even though it has a humanoid it is covered in armor from the tip of its head to the end of its toes without a single hole not even for the face.


    The armor has a very intricate design, but it is made from a metal so black it seems the shadows get lost in it instead of the other way around. Exiting the shadows directly beside Listel causes her quite a bit of nervousness, but before she even has time to react her sword has been knocked from her hand to the floor.


    Voice: ¡°Now that¡¯s no way to treat a friend now is it?¡± ¨CHe says while removing the helmet revealing a familiar face with beady eyes and slicked back black hair.-


    Listel: ¡°Dyson?! What are you doing here?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you see after your exploits, and your visit I began to wonder just what you were up to, so I figured the best way to find out was to hear it directly from the source.¡±


    ¡°It is just as we told you! Listel said this is all to assist her Mistress to help find the missing dungeon core that you put her up to!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°How na?ve, you really do remind me of him.¡±


    ¡°Listel wouldn¡¯t lie to me!¡± ¨CI say moving between Dyson and Listel while drawing my sword.-


    Dyson: ¡°My boy¡­ If that was really the case why were you on the trail to find the missing core before receiving word about it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about!¡±


    Listel: ¡°Please Arngrim, put down the sword we can¡¯t fight Dyson I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how strong he is, I won¡¯t let him hurt you!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°My boy¡­ If I wanted to hurt you, you would already be dead.¡±


    I don¡¯t see him move so I don¡¯t know how, but my sword appears to have just vanished¡­ I quickly look around but I find it back in its sheath on my hip.


    Dyson: ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind I just want to talk.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Fine, what is it you want from us?¡± ¨CShe says picking her sword from the ground and sheathing it.-


    I move back to Listel to get a bit more distance from Dyson.


    Dyson: ¡°At first I took Laura at her word that she was assisting in trying to find the missing Two-Twelve, but I noticed a pattern in the targets in the dungeons you were destroying. They all were trained by Maric.¡±


    Listel clicks her tongue and says. ¡°Well if you figured that out maybe my Mistress just believes Maric is responsible for the cores disappearance?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°But like I said you destroyed the first core before I even put Laura up to the task, or should I say the boy destroyed the first core. That is the other puzzling thing. Why the triple redundancies of having a dungeon monster wear a slave cuff, and slave collar?¡±


    Listel: ¡°These are questions you should be asking my Mistress, not us.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°But you are less likely to lie, and when you do its easier to see though.¡±


    ¡°There is no reason to lie, as an elder you have no reason to try to stop us from destroying any cores, isn¡¯t that the exact reason you let us destroy the last?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°My boy, you are being used. All the dungeons you have destroyed were trained by the same powerful dungeon core that is proud of his trainees. Who do you think he will come looking for? Laura? Listel? No your name is the one that was sent to him each time one of his trainees died.¡±


    Listel: ¡°It isn¡¯t like that!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see¡­ Then what is it like?¡±


    Listel: ¡°My Mistress just wants to train Arngrim, and if she can make Maric mad at the same time its win win.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If that is the case why the lies about searching for Two-Twelve, and we still have the matters concerning the slave items.¡±


    Listel: ¡°They aren¡¯t lies, it isn¡¯t our primary goal, but we have looked for the missing core, even went to Longolia.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes, and maybe it was you that spread the false rumor accusing Adra?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t false rumors, we just shared the information we learned. Now we are busy, and as an elder you shouldn¡¯t be interfering with us.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then how about this then, you help me and I will help you? You tell me what makes them two slave items different and I will even teleport you directly to the crystal room if that is your wish.¡±


    I quickly look to Listel but she wears a troubled expression.


    Dyson: ¡°See my boy, there is your answer. ¡°


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t Arngrim¡­¡±


    ¡°I might not know all the answers, but if Listel is telling me not to talk to you she has her reasons.¡±


    Dyson:  ¡°Well I am growing bored, but let me leave you with this boy, be careful who you trust, because Laura will stab you in the back the very instant it is more beneficial for her then keeping you around.¡±


    Without another word Dyson disappears. We stay in silence for a few minutes before Listel is the first to speak.


    Listel: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Arngrim. I know I haven¡¯t told you the truth but¡­¡±


    I stop Listel from saying any more.


    ¡°I understand, but don¡¯t say anything more in the dungeon Dyson still could be listening.¡±


    Listel: ¡°This isn¡¯t his dungeon though.¡±


    ¡°But with his observation screen it might as well be he can monitor any dungeon.¡±


    Listel looks a little confused but she nods and we then continue on into the dungeon.


    After our run in with Dyson we traveled on for at least another week in the dungeon, and we finally arrived at what we believed to be the primary boss monster of the dungeon.


    In a massive room with ankle deep water we faced off with a large crab that is easily the size of that griffon or dragon¡­ Every one of these dungeons we have faced seems to have a boss monster that far exceeds what the dungeon should be capable of.


    Maybe that is the reason for the success of Maric¡¯s trainees. He gives them a boss monster to keep them safe. It makes no difference though. After we find out our swords were not effective against the giant crabs shell we starting using dark magic.


    Dark magic bypasses armor, as a matter of fact with most dark magic the thicker the armor it bypasses the more damage it deals. Needless to say after Listel used [Dark Arcana Blade] and I used a few choice dark spells the creature turned out not to be so difficult after all.


    This time Listel doesn¡¯t know if the carcass is of any value like the dragon or griffon blood, so we leave it behind and enter the crystal room.


    Another thing Maric¡¯s trainees seem to share in common is how they display their crystal, two on a pedestal, one on a motif at the top of a tower, and now¡­


    The room is quite large but at its center stands a water fountain standing at least 8 feet tall and having a base no smaller than 20 feet in diameter. With several cascading waterfalls, spouts, and intricate designs, but right in the center giving all the water a blue glow is a sapphire at least the size of the last three combine.


    As we take a step forward a shadow appears in the water and soon a reptilian like creature exits the water. He is rather humanoid in appearance, but with green and tan scales covering his body his eyes as well are yellowish. He doesn¡¯t wear any clothes but I can only assume it is a he because there are no obvious tells even though he is naked.


    Lizard: ¡°I heard as much as your intentions a few days ago with the elder Dyson, and rest assured Master Maric has long been informed about the conversation and its contents.¡± ¨CHe says with a somewhat surprisingly dignified sounding voice.-


    Listel: ¡°Well if you heard the entire conversation, if we mean to cause Maric anger I would assume that you telling him would of only made our task that much easier.¡±


    Lizard: ¡°If your intentions are to destroy my crystal I guess I have no reason to hold back, and be warned I won¡¯t be a pushover like the last three you dealt with.¡±


    At the end of his last word his body is then engulfed in a golden armor covering every inch of him. He swings a large golden spear around in one hand and has a large shield in the other. Listel quickly draws her sword and dives into battle.


    I try to move around him to flank with Listel but he counters me with his tail. He however seemed to forget one critical thing about being a dungeon core¡­ I reach over blasting his crystal with a [Exploding Fireball] causing steam to rise from the fountain and the crystal to shatter.


    The lizard quickly turns. ¡°Well that was rude¡­¡± he then collapses on the floor while the shards of the crystal enter my body. Listel seems to can¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°What? I told you I was sick of his labyrinth¡­ Now we can get out of here.¡±


    With the dungeon beginning to shake we begin our exit. I questioned it before but even when we figured out the pattern the labyrinth was still hard to pass, yet in the exiting of the dungeon we make incredible time¡­ After a dungeon crystal is destroyed there must be something that assists the victor in retreating with their spoils¡­


    Even after we clear the dungeon Listel is still laughing about it and mimicking the lizard. ¡°That was rude¡­¡± and then starts laughing again. After a while she manages to calm down and stop laughing. When she does however her face changes to a troubled but serious expression.


    Listel: ¡°Alright¡­ Now it¡¯s time.¡±


    Dyson¡¯s PoV


    As soon as I teleport home from my encounter with Laura¡¯s pets I open my observation screen, maybe if I raddled the cage enough the will talk or fight with each other about it and I can still learn something, but what I hear is far more interesting.


    Arngrim: ¡°But with his observation screen it might as well be he can monitor any dungeon.¡±


    Just who is this Arngrim to know so many details even about the observation screen¡­? No¡­ That¡¯s impossible¡­

 The Next Task

    Listel hasn¡¯t been the same since we left the dungeon, we retired to the inn, but she has returned to treating me distant like before we entered the dungeon. Even after he mood briefly improved during another passion filled couple of hours her mood quickly returned to sulking.


    ¡°Listel, I wish you would tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will take care of it tomorrow¡­ We will take care of everything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Lying over me, she kisses me, and gives me a painful but genuine smile. ¡°I love you¡­¡±


    By the time I wake in the morning she is already dressed. I quickly get up and get ready as well.


    ¡°We got a long trip ahead of us don¡¯t we?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I am going to release your [Gate] spell, you think you could use that to get us back?¡±


    ¡°Well sure, I don¡¯t remember using it, but I feel like I know how to¡­¡±


    Listel moves over touching my leather collar messing around in front of her I can feel the collar slacken and then she slides it off.


    Listel: ¡°There, now all of your magic is no longer blocked.¡±


    ¡°So back to your Mistress then?¡±


    Listel looks worried but nods.


    I don¡¯t know how I know, but I just do it casting [Gate] and Listel and I step though. Exiting from the portal we arrive inside our room in the dungeon.


    Listel: ¡°Alright¡­ We have to go see Laura now.¡±


    Listel looks genuinely frightened.


    ¡°Are you ok? We did what she wanted right surely she has no reason to be mad.¡±


    Listel kisses me briefly and then transfers us. We arrive in a cold stone room with no windows and little light sitting on a chair across the room is a beautiful young woman.


    Laura: ¡°Aw my pet, I see you returned and so quickly. I would assume that means it is complete and we can continue on to the next stage?¡±


    Listel: ¡°¡­Yes it is done¡­¡±


    Laura: ¡°You seem worried. Do you feel the power was not enough to take care of this task?¡±


    Listel: ¡°No my Mistress that isn¡¯t it.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Then you are afraid the conditioning will not hold up?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I want to ask you not to go through with the next task.¡±


    Laura: ¡°We can¡¯t run the risk of them being able to sway him¡­ Aww I believe I see now¡­ You don¡¯t want to hurt him. You feel for him. I warned you about getting to close.¡±


    Listel: ¡°I know my Mistress, but perhaps there is another way¡­¡±


    Laura: ¡°If you truly care for him you will do it for him. If you don¡¯t you may lose him.¡±


    Listel: ¡°But¡­Yes Mistress.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Very well, start the task at once.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Alright Arngrim, I want you to do something very important but it will probably hurt quite a bit alright?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ but I trust you.¡±


    Listel: ¡°Alright in the mountains next to the city of Tobes, in the Gowen kingdom, there is a dungeon. It is Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon, and inside there should be a room just like this one. I want you to focus on bringing it from the depths of your memories and open us a path with [Gate]¡±


    ¡°I have been there before?¡±


    Listel: ¡°Yes¡­ Now focus¡­¡±


    She is right as I try to picture it in my head I start to get a pain in my neck, but she said it would hurt. I keep trying to focus but the pain gets to be pretty strong then when I think I got it I quickly cast [Gate]


    Listel: ¡°Alright, you are sure the gate leads to the destination I said right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s hard to hold because I feel quite a bit of pain¡­¡±


    Listel: ¡°I am sorry I will try to make it go away as quick as possible.¡±


    Listel grabs me and gives me a quick but deep kiss.


    Listel: ¡°I am sorry I hope you will someday forgive me¡­Two-Twelve I release you from the bounds that shackle you.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Listel! Do you know what you have done?¡±


    Listel: ¡°I am sorry my Mistress, but I can¡¯t go through with it. I can¡¯t hurt him like that.¡±


    Laura: ¡°In 42 years you have never failed me, but this is unforgivable.¡±


    Listel casts a spell hitting me in the chest with a gust of wind. As I am thrown backwards though the portal I can hear her say. ¡°I love you¡­¡±


    Once I hit the floor on the other side of the portal I quickly look around finding three rabbit beastkin staring at me in shock. I am not quite sure what¡¯s going on but just looking at them is causing an extreme pain in my neck. However I don¡¯t have time for that.


    I quickly try to cast [Gate] again but I don¡¯t exactly know where the room I was in was at, and no matter how hard I try I can¡¯t get the spell to work.


    Looking around there are large screens everywhere I can hear the beastkin talking but I ignore them as I quickly try to push the screens out of my way. I don¡¯t know how I know but I find what I am looking for.


    It is hard to focus with the searing pain but I hit the screen where it says [Observation] bringing up a black screen. I begin focusing my magic as hard as I possibly can focusing on Listel until her image is brought to me.


    She is lying on the ground with Laura standing over her with a sword piercing her chest. Listel however has a large smile on her face as she says. ¡°I could disable the cuff and return his appearance, but only my death could break the bond on the collar. Thank you for setting him free.¡± Laura looks furious as she pulls the sword out of Listel, but Listel slowly closes her eyes, and as soon as they do the pain in my neck disappears and I hear a faint click.


    I pound my fists on the screen and begin to scream and sob, and only then do I realize that two of the small rabbits have their arms around me. I collapse to my knees.


    Lylah: ¡°Master what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I turn and look at the rabbit with tears in my eyes. I know I recognize her, but I just can¡¯t place it¡­


    ¡°She is gone¡­ I couldn¡¯t do anything¡­¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Don¡¯t worry master Lila went to get Belinda, once she is here we will figure everything out¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t know who these rabbits are but it brings me a small amount of comfort as they hug me so without another word I just hug them and cry¡­


    I hear someone scream. ¡°Two-Twelve!¡± And am almost tackled by another embrace but this time is much larger and stronger.


    Belinda: ¡°Your home! I was so afraid I would never see you again!¡±


    The scent of the new person starts to put me at ease but then she tries to kiss me.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t kiss me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t understand we have been so worried about you. You have been missing for months!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    ¡°Quit calling me that! My name is Arngrim!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Arngrim¡­?¡±


    The human woman looks to one of the rabbits and says. ¡°Isn¡¯t Arngrim the hero that the others said was with Listel.¡±


    ¡°Listel¡­? She killed her¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just come down¡­ Calm down and tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened we were supposed to be starting the next task, but Listel pushed me though the portal and then her Mistress killed her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Her Mistress? You mean Laura? Laura killed Listel?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ She said something to me and I think it disabled my bracelet¡­Then she told me¡­She¡­¡±


    I start to sob again and the woman hugs me¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Lilah, send a message to Dyson, and Madam Erin, tell them Two-Twelve is back but I need their help.¡±


    I don¡¯t know how much time has passed, woman has kept asking me questions but when she called me Two-Twelve again I got angry and since then she has just held me. Eventually she says.


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to take you down to the house to meet with Dyson and Madam Erin, do you think you can talk to them, so we can figure out what is going on?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­¡±


    The woman transfers us and I am now in a large room with a couple of soft chairs and couches the walls are lined with books and there is several doors one pair of double doors have glass panes in them leading to what looks like outside.


    The woman sits me down on the couch and sends one of the rabbit girls out the door, the woman then sits next to me grasping my hand. A few seconds later someone I do recognize walks in with a beastkin woman that looks more the size of an ogre.


    Dyson: ¡°Belinda¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What happened?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know he has been talking nonsense since he arrived, he said he doesn¡¯t know me, and saying Laura killed Listel, but I haven¡¯t been able to get much out of him.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That armor, so it was true¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Dyson¡­ What do you know?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am not sure how, but I think he has been living as Arngrim this whole time.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am Arngrim.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°No dear¡­ You¡¯re not¡­ You are Dungeon Core #212¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I think they brain washed him or something¡­ I mean when I met Arngrim, he seemed similar to Two-Twelve, but he definitely was a different person.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. See I told you I am Arngrim.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you are kind of both. I think it had something to do with the collar and the cuff like I was talking about.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Will he ever remember me¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Belinda, but I just don¡¯t have an answer¡­ My best guess is to give him some time and see what happens.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°He remembered how to use [Menu] the first thing he did when he arrived is to use that screen the rest of us don¡¯t have to look at Listel, but then he said Laura killed her¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°The [Observation] screen? But how?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but I knew he had it¡­ His is very limited, but it appears he can see the main screen I am looking at when I use it. I haven¡¯t heard of him using it by himself though.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°He has never been able to use it for more than a few seconds before draining all his magic, but this time he had it open for at least 30 seconds¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Hey bunnies¡­ Can you watch Two-Twelve for a minute I think we should speak to Belinda a few minutes alone.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°It¡¯s Lilah!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Lilah then. Watch your master.¡±


    Dyson and the big beastkin woman stand up and the human woman follows them out of the room¡­


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Like I said we really don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what did you want to talk to me about?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well there are a lots of things I am sure happened while he was away, and I don¡¯t know how to say this but he might never be the Two-Twelve we remember.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he doesn¡¯t ever remember, but you said they were similar, I am sure he is still in there somewhere. Even if we can¡¯t get him back to who he was maybe we can at least help him recover and move forward.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Dyson: ¡°I am also worried about him and Listel¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well I can¡¯t be certain, but from my interactions with them I am pretty sure Listel and Arngrim were intimate.¡±


    ¡°Intimate? Intimate how?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am only speculating, but I would guess completely intimate.¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve wouldn¡¯t do that!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is what we are trying to tell you dear.¡±


    Dyson: ¡° He might eventually be the Two-Twelve you know, he may stay Arngrim forever, or he might regain some of his memories and be somewhere in between, so you can¡¯t hold Two-Twelve responsible for anything Arngrim might of done or vice versa.¡±


    ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t go back, and doesn¡¯t want anything to do with me¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is a possibility as well¡­¡±


    ¡°So you are saying that even though my husband is finally home after all this time. I still may never actually get him back?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I think Dyson just wanted you to know the risks before going forward.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I don¡¯t care¡­ As long as he doesn¡¯t physically throw me out I will be there for him at whatever capacity he needs me to be¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just don¡¯t try to force anything on to him too hard, especially right at first.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We are going to have to go now. We are going to have to call a meeting of the elders about what Laura has done. If she is able to brainwash dungeon cores we might have to intervene. ¡°


    Madam Erin: ¡°And if you find out any more information let us know.¡±


    ¡°Ok I will¡­¡±


    I watch Madam Erin and Dyson leave with concerned looks on their faces¡­ Come on Belinda¡­ You can do this you need to be strong for him now¡­ I resolve myself then and there and then return to the living room.


    Arngrim¡¯s Pov


    The woman with the soothing scent returns and she sits down across from me and takes my hands.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know what I am supposed to do, so I am going to start from the beginning. I am Belinda Gowen 3<sup>rd</sup> princess of the Gowen kingdom, and my husband the mayor of Tobes Dungeon Core #212 disappeared the day that Arngrim appeared. I don¡¯t know if you will get his memories back or not, but just know as long as you will have me I am Two-Twelve¡¯s boss monster so I am here for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I am sorry¡­ I don¡¯t remember you.¡±


    The woman Belinda has tears in her eyes as she rubs her thumbs across my hands as she holds them.


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s ok, if we have to start over from scratch then that¡¯s what we will do¡­I will re-introduce everyone to you but there are some things we are going to have to go over alright?¡±


    ¡°What about Listel? Did Dyson say anything about her?¡±


    When I mentioned Listel¡¯s name it seemed to cause Belinda quite a bit of pain but she forces a comforting smile and says.


    Belinda: ¡°Dyson said they are going to have a meeting of elders about what happened to you¡­ Because Listel was Laura¡¯s monster I don¡¯t think they can do anything on that front but because of what happened to you they might take action.¡±


    ¡°You are my boss monster then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You will do whatever I ask?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If it is in my power I will do anything for you.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to start training, because I am going to kill Laura.¡±


    Belinda has tears in her eyes but she holds her smile as she nods and stands up pulling my head to her chest and hugs me tight¡­ Belinda then stands up again with a determined look on her face.


    Belinda: ¡°Ok. Then first thing is first, I will recall all our monsters, I will fill you in on the situation, and get you settled in, and then we will begin training.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Belinda sends me and the one bunny girl that come with us back to where we first started as she goes to collect the rest of the dungeon¡¯s monsters.


    Lylah: ¡°Is master going to be ok?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Nobody knows Lylah, but master has given orders and Lilah won¡¯t let him down.¡±


    Lila: ¡°What¡¯s master want us to do?¡±


    ¡°What is it that you three do?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lylah, Lila, and Lilah control the non-sentient monsters in the dungeon, it is something only our dungeon does it makes our monster the best.¡± ¨CShe says with her chest puffed out.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ And which is which?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is Lilah, That is Lylah, and that is Lila. Master hasn¡¯t actually met Lila yet, she is the newest sister Lilah summoned while master was away.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were Lilah? So where is Lilah?¡±


    Lila: ¡°Master that is Lilah, and that is just how big sister Lilah talks.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Lila: ¡°Lilah¡­ Look at our xp¡­¡±


    Lilah stares at what I assume to be a screen with wide eyes and starts to hop around the room.


    Lilah: ¡°Is this what master brought back?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We assume so we noticed it after you took master to the house. We were about to check to see what else master brought back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I brought back xp?¡±


    Lila: ¡°1,234,831 xp to be exact.¡±


    ¡°I assume by the three of your reactions that is good?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Master we have never had this much xp at one time before.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°In Master¡¯s absence Lylah, Lila, and Lilah have been in the process of increasing the dungeon to keep the stronger adventurers that we have started to enter.¡±


    Lila: ¡°Master¡¯s current xp consumption rate is 102xp/hour and the average intake minus the consumption, damages, and replacement items for treasure chest is 1072xp/day, but that is only based on the last seven days, if you base it off the entire month it is 1074xp/day, and for this year is currently 987xp/day.¡±


    ¡°Did she just figure that all out on the spot?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lylah and Lylah summoned Lila to be very good at maths.¡±


    ¡°Then if the xp has been in a steady incline how much xp do we have saved up?¡±


    Lila: ¡°After what master returned us with 1,247,384xp. No correction 1,247,379xp  I just seen an adventurer sit on one of the chests and break it so we will have to replace it.¡±


    ¡°If you have been steadily building xp then why was there only like 10,000xp on hand before I arrived?¡±


    Lila: ¡°12,548xp¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Every time there was enough xp Belinda will summon another group of monsters to go out and search for master.¡±


    Lila: ¡°There are currently 6 groups with 4 monsters each dispatched that were out searching for master, each consisting of 3 humans and 1 beastkin. Out of the 18 humans there are 10 sword maidens, 4 warriors, 3 monks, and one 1 mage, from the 8 beastkin we received 1 3<sup>rd</sup> tier cat-folk mage, 2  normal rabbit beastkins (1 archer, 1 knight), 2 normal cow beastkin (1 knight, 1 soldier) , 1 feral fox (Lancer), 1 feral cat (Swashbuckler), 1 particularly shifty feral raccoon, and as you can guess she is a thief¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold on¡­ I can¡¯t keep up.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Don¡¯t worry master I have to look at [Menu] to figure out who is who.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah thinks Belinda will unbind them to the dungeon now that master has returned, unless master doesn¡¯t want her too.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the purpose of dungeon monsters to defend the dungeon or go out and acquire xp for the dungeon, so shouldn¡¯t we leave them bound and have them return periodically to give us xp?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes, but Master has never required a sentient monster to remain bound if they didn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ If they are born from the dungeon don¡¯t they want to serve it?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah loves Master so she wants to stay bound, but not all monsters think like Lilah¡±


    Lylah ¡°Belinda has also been unbinding monster that didn¡¯t want to be unbound just in case master died they wouldn¡¯t die as well.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I thought monsters were just born and die for the dungeon¡­ Sentient or not.¡±


    The three bunnies look at me with concern and drooping ears but don¡¯t say anything. I am not so sure I understand what is going on, but if I really was this Two-Twelve I guess I will be staying here until I can get strong enough to get my revenge on Laura.


    I start taking off my armor when the oldest of the rabbits Lilah taps me on the shoulder and says. ¡°Master can store his things with [Menu] if it is easier¡­¡±


    I guess she is right, I store the armor but keep the sword for now and while keeping an eye on the other screens I begin to look though the massive amounts that surround me¡­


    New available this, new available that, monsters, beastkin, items, skills, spells¡­ there is just no end to them eventually I end up just closing all the ones that start out as New Available.  Once I finally clear the view I am actually able to see what the dungeon consists of.


    There are still screens everywhere¡­ It looks like an entire city is within the dungeon¡­ I finally find the ones that pertain to the actual dungeon¡­ and I have to say it I kind of like it¡­


    ¡°What are all these rooms here?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master doesn¡¯t have a favored element so he is able to summon monsters from every element so we have a wing designated for each element, plus the main wing that extends down to where the crystal is.¡±


    ¡°Wait if I am a dungeon core that means if it breaks I am a goner¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Don¡¯t worry master Lylah, Lila, and Lilah would never let that happen.¡±


    ¡°But that is only 5 floors, which is nowhere deep enough!¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Master¡¯s dungeon is protected by the kingdom, so humans won¡¯t try to destroy it carelessly, and like Lilah said Master¡¯s monsters are the strongest.¡±


    ¡°I brought back all that xp let¡¯s take it down at least 10 more floors.¡±


    All three of the rabbits eyes begin to sparkle¡­ but Lilah shakes her head and says.


    Lilah: ¡°Hold on Master¡­ Lilah promises Master¡¯s dungeon is safe. Lylah, Lila, and Lilah will gladly add more to the dungeon, but Master maybe should get to know that dungeon first?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I can¡¯t take your word for it, I have to at least see for myself.¡±


    I quickly use [Menu] to equip my armor.


    ¡°How do I transfer?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Maybe we should get Belinda¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I am your master right? So do as I say.¡±


    The girls look a little upset and Lila looks like she may even cry but they nod.


    Lilah: ¡°Just think of where you want to go and just go¡­¡±


    I look at the screen and see the giant winged kobolds in the bottom floor, I haven¡¯t seen them before but how hard can they be? I think about going there¡­¡±How do I¡­¡± ¡­ and I am there. Looking around the room looks a lot bigger than it did from the screen, so that means the flying kobold things are as well¡­


    I draw my sword and say. ¡°Alright, show me what you got¡­¡±


    I expect the group to swarm down at me but they don¡¯t they remain in the air flying around¡­ Alright fine¡­ I cast [Ice Javelin] at one and hit it square causing it to fall from the sky. Alright not so hard¡­One of the creatures begins to throw a fireball at me but I easily evade and an arrow wizzes by leagues from coming in contact. The other two then draw hand axes and dive for me.


    This is more like it. I grab ones wing as it gets close just tossing it away and bring my sword down again the second cleaving it in two. After dodging another spell and arrow I fire another [Ice Javelin] at the one with a bow killing it as well. The one I tossed is making a return while something catches my eye.


    Instantly I dive out of the way to see a massive creature made of slime engulf the area I was a few seconds ago. I throw a [Exploding Fireball] at the slime causing it to splatter while I take the first attack to the shoulder by the swinging hand axe. The axe grazes against my armor and I quickly take the creature out with my sword.


    As another slime slithers to the top of the platform it quickly stops in its tracks¡­ the other flying kobold thing likewise takes off to the other side of the room and the slime then starts retreating¡­


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s going on?¡±


    A screen appears in front of me with a message from Belinda¡­ ¡°What do you think you are doing?! Get back here this instant!¡±


    ¡­ Man I thought I was supposed to be the master¡­


    I transfer back to the room I was before and Belinda is standing there with her arms crossed and upset the three bunny girl¡¯s ears are all hanging down.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you doing fighting in your own dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I told the bunnies that I wasn¡¯t comfortable with my life being guarded by only 5 small floors and weak monsters. They said the monsters weren¡¯t weak so I was proving them otherwise when you interrupted us.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°This dungeon has protected Two-Twelve without fail, these girls have worked their hearts out for him and if you want to add more to the dungeon is fine, but don¡¯t talk down like that to them again!¡±


    ¡°If a real threat comes to this dungeon it won¡¯t stand a chance, and if the only thing to stop me from being killed is these little bunnies, then they need to drop the full of themselves act.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Listel was the only Hero to ever enter the dungeon! With the protection of the Gowen kingdom no other hero can enter unless we say, and with me at the adventurer¡¯s guild and Two-Twelve as the mayor we could even control the flow of the normal adventurers. Protecting a dungeon is far more than just having the meanest monsters it takes brains too, and apparently you lost yours with your memory!¡±


    ¡°Wait Listel was in the dungeon before?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh I give up! If you want to meet the rest of your girls then come back to the house otherwise go back and play with the dragonkin.¡±


    ¡°Fine I will go meet the others¡­¡±


    I store the armor away with [Menu] again and then follow Belinda transferring back to that room I was in earlier.


    When I arrive the room is full of women¡­ Lots of attractive women at that¡­and they all look very excited to see me¡­ No wonder Dyson liked Two-Twelve he was a total pervert! They all seem familiar to me, but it¡¯s like meeting someone that you know you know, but can¡¯t place from where or how¡­


    ¡°All of these are my girls?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Well I am sorry ladies¡­ I don¡¯t know how Two-Twelve used to do things, but I just have no need for you all anymore¡­¡±


    Shocked and hurt expressions fill the room.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you saying!? We all have been worried sick¡­ I know you lost your memories from being with us, but to just turn them away like this¡­¡±


    The most peculiar of the girls is a lizard looking girl with dark wet looking black skin. She has tears in her eyes when she says. ¡°Belinda explained the details to us, and regardless if we are no longer bound to your dungeon, or you want us here Kline and I have built our life here and we will still be here for you if you change your mind.¡±


    ¡°Kline?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes. That is Scylla she one of the first sentient monsters you summoned, her and her husband are expecting their first child. Just in case something happened to you while you were missing we unbound her from the dungeon just to be on the safe side.¡±


    ¡°She is married? ¡°


    Belinda: ¡°Of course, and the other monster you summoned at the same time Zoey.¡± ¨CShe motions to a beautiful but tomboyish feral dog beastkin with pointed ears and a large bushy tail.- Was unbound as well for the same reason. Zoey¡¯s wife Roxy. ¨Cshe motions to the wolf beastkin next to the dog with long silver hair.-  is one of your other boss monsters.¡±


    She then goes around the room introducing each girl while motioning to them.


    Belinda: ¡°Bell was a gift from another dungeon Queen that is nearby as a truce. Sofia was a gift from Dyson for training one of the new dungeon cores, Katie was a gift from Madam Erin, who you met earlier , for winning a bet against her, Azami was sent by Dyson to help rescue you when we still thought Longolia had you, and of course you met Lilah, Lylah, and Lila who are still up in the core room taking care of the dungeon for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I think there has been a misunderstanding¡­ When you said my girls I thought you meant¡­ My girls¡­¡±


    The tomboyish dog beastkin says. ¡°Boss lost his memory and became a pervert! But I don¡¯t mind sharing Roxy with boss as long as I get to join too!¡± The wolf beastkin Roxy elbows her¡­.


    The cow beastkin Bell has seemed to begin blushing a bright shade of pink and so is the lizard looking Scylla.


    Belinda: ¡°Of course not! I meant your girls like family, you always treated them as family!¡±


    ¡°What about helping with the matter we discussed?¡±


    Bell: ¡°Of course Mayor, we will go to battle for you if that¡¯s what you ask for us.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I don¡¯t care if I am still bound to the dungeon or not I will be happy to help boss get revenge on the one that did this to him.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°With the baby I am unable to fight¡­ But I am sure Kline would be more than willing to help in any way he can.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like I said, these girls are Two-Twelve¡¯s family and will go to the end of the earth for him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you all. Lila said there are several groups of monsters still out in the field?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes¡­ I already messaged them and told them you are home, and they are on their way back, if you wish we can bring them home with [Gate].¡±


    ¡°You have [Gate] spell as well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes Roxy and I both have it. Your unusual dungeon treats its boss monsters basically like the dungeon core itself, so we don¡¯t gain spells and skills as we level but only when you teach them to us like yourself.¡±


    ¡°But only you two?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is correct.¡±


    ¡°Well tomorrow after testing all of your abilities, and making sure the dungeon is more secure, I will then teach you some new spells and skills to help in our task.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I understand Arngrim is a hero a few times over now, and I saw part of the battle you were having against the dragonkin, does that mean you are going to participate in the fighting as well?¡±


    ¡°If I can get the dungeon secured enough that I am comfortable leaving it behind then yes, I will.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I can fight alongside boss? I have never seen boss actually fight.¡±


    ¡°Well I know the spells he had, but I am sure my way of fighting will be far different then what he is capable of.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You¡¯re a hero now so I am sure our strength will be far less then you, but we will do what we can.¡±


    ¡°That is the reason I will test you all tomorrow to see which of you that might be useful.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok girls we don¡¯t want to put too much on him right from the start, so why don¡¯t we all meet back up in the morning to discuss our action plan going forward.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Were not going to have one of Belinda¡¯s home cooked meals for dinner?¡± ¨CHer ears droop.- ¡°With boss home I thought we would celebrate¡­ It¡¯s been so long since we last all gathered together¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I am not in a celebrating mood¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ They are just excited you are home¡­ and we are sorry to hear about what happened to Listel¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But Belinda!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey please!¡± ¨CShe says with tears in her eyes.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I know it must be hard to think you got Two-Twelve home but ended up with me instead¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault¡­ I have faith even if just a little a bit of Two-Twelve will come back¡­¡±


    With mixed reactions the girls then depart from the house. Belinda then explains to me that her sister and brother who don¡¯t know about the dungeon are staying there as well. She tries to fill me in as best she can but it seems pretty hard for her as I don¡¯t recall any of it.


    Belinda: ¡°I already told all my family about your condition. If it was Logan I wouldn¡¯t worry, but with Mindy and Doug I just don¡¯t know how they will take it. As long as you leave out any information about the dungeons though we should, at least be ok.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I may not have the memories of Two-Twelve but Arngrim was from a dungeon as well so I know how to conduct myself around humans.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I see, I¡¯m sorry, I am just having difficult trying to figure out what you know and what you don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand I am sure there is going to be quite a bit of an adjustment period¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am sure there is going to be a long day ahead of us tomorrow, so I guess I will show you to your room.¡±


    Belinda leads me to the top floor of the house opening the door to a large well-furnished bedroom. The bedroom is even nicer then Listel¡¯s in the castle complete with a balcony outside and its own large bathroom.


    ¡°Wait this is your room isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it was our room, but as you are the dungeon core it should be your room. I will take my things to one of the others tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t necessary I can surely take one of the other rooms I have been sleeping outside almost daily for the last few months so one of the other rooms would be more than enough.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I insist, as I hope staying in your old bed you might start to remember some things even if it¡¯s a small chance.¡±


    I want to still turn her down, but the pleading look in her eyes makes me feel bad so I nod.


    Belinda: ¡°I will be in the first door right in the hall if you need anything.¡±


    She looks torn as what to do next for a few seconds then exits the room. After shutting the door though I can hear her quickly make her way from the door as she begins to cry¡­


    I check out the room. Everything is so familiar, but not, its rather disconcerting¡­ The bed is much like the one in Listel¡¯s room as well. Listel¡­ I know you sent me here deliberately because you thought this was where I belonged¡­ But I just wish I was back with you¡­


    Needless to say sleep doesn¡¯t come easy, but with the comforting scent from the bed and fatigue building I eventually drift off.

 Dungeon Building

    I wake up the next morning with the comforting scent filling me. Unfortunately even though the scent is comforting it is also a reminder that Listel is gone¡­ As I starts to get out of bed there is a soft knock at the door.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I invited everyone over for breakfast this morning, I just wanted to see if you wanted to join us.¡±


    I use [Menu] to equip my things¡­ That is one thing I am not going to miss is having to equip my gear by hand. I do however take my helmet off holding it under my arm as I answer the door.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh¡­ I see you have your things ready.¡±


    ¡°I understand you unbound a few of the monsters so I understand their need to eat, so perhaps we can discuss our plan of action?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well my sister already left, but my brother and his slave are downstairs. Maybe you will at least join us for a cup of coffee? Two-Twelve really loved his coffee in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I can appreciate what you are trying to do, but I would really like to focus on the task, maybe I can take the few that aren¡¯t required to eat and get started?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If that is what you order we will do it, but I ask you to please let them finish breakfast first. It has been so long since we have been all together again, and if we are going to go after a dungeon core capable of what Laura is we might not get many more chances.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­ I well then get started on securing the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda looks a little disappointed but she nods and heads back downstairs. I then transfer to the dungeon core room. I decide to look over the dungeon in more detail and I notice there isn¡¯t even a single monster in the dungeon that is not from a rift. At least we don¡¯t have to worry about running out of monsters.


    I might have been a bit hasty in my view of the dungeon. Even though it is quite small there are several non-connected wings that give me an idea. Using the elemental theme they have going on I add one more floor to each elemental wing.


    I add one small room with a rift similar to what they had in the last room but double the amount of creatures in it. I then add a final large room behind that one. In the large room I fill it with the toughest type of creatures from the designated element that is available to summon. I don¡¯t know how well this is going to work so I hold on from using rifts for now.


    While the fire, water, and shadow rooms have one large creature and a group of smaller ones, it¡¯s the earth and wind room where I am able to push to the limit. At 50,000xp a piece I put a small earth dragon in the earth room and a griffon in the wind room. I wasn¡¯t impressed by the giant grab, and at the same price as the dragon and griffon I decide to hold off on it.


    The room is about the same size as the one I fought the small earth dragon in so he should have no problems, but the griffon I am not too sure about with the confines of the room limiting some of his ability.


    I understand that I used to be Two-Twelve but it seems more like I just took his place, he did have some helpful dungeon type skills which I use to make a locking mechanism that requires 5 large orbs matching the color of an element. I then store the orbs on the inventory of the boss like monsters for each elemental wing.


    I then move on to the primary part of the dungeon. From the back of the room where I was fighting the dragonkin and king slimes the day before I add another floor below. I add a decent size room at the base of the stairs and fill the center of the room with a large circular marble slab.


    I use another locking mechanism attaching it to a large arm in the center of the circle. Now it looks like one of them fancy time telling devices that run on magic that I saw in Utharia. I then put a door along the room at what would be each hour interval.


    Now when the arm mechanism is facing one of the doors that door is unlocked while the rest remain locked. The large arm moves automatically every hour, but it can be moved manually as well. If adventurers spend too much time in the side rooms they will be stuck until the arm makes it back around 12 hours later.


    I put a decent sized room at each 1, 5, 7, and 11 o¡¯clock doors, and a hallway attaching a similar room to the hours 2, 4, 8, 10. With 12 o¡¯clock being the stairs that only leaves 3, 6, and 9, and there is only enough space at 3 and 9 for a small room each.


    From 6 o¡¯clock I put a long hallway connecting it to an extra-large room. I then fill the odd number rooms with an orc brute, orc mystic combination of rifts, and fill the even numbered room with rifts of lesser ogres.


    The rifts of orcs at 6 o¡¯clock are also double in size then the rest. The orcs also appear to be the last in the evolutionary chain of goblins that allows the use of standard equipment so I outfit them all in dark steel gear.


    For the ogres I give them large two handed weapons that they wield single-handedly. From the 1 o¡¯clock room I add another small room that I put a rift of 2 normal ogres giving them some of the dark steel weapons as well. From the 2 o¡¯clock room, the room I add is slightly larger, so double up on the ogres to a 4 count rift.


    From a small room attached to 4 o¡¯clock and another from 8 o¡¯clock I spend a massive amount of xp to put a rift of an ogre lord in each. I then mirror what I did off the 1 o¡¯clock and 2 o¡¯clock rooms for 10 o¡¯clock and 11 o¡¯clock


    I have to add another floor because I add a stairwell to both the 3 o¡¯clock room and the 9 o¡¯clock room attaching a long hallway and then coming back up for one more set of rooms at the furthest east and west points.


    I decide to bump up the difficulty of the monsters in those rooms placing a group of 5 trolls, but with their cost I decide to hold off on rifts for now.


    I create one more locking mechanism with three simple keys giving one to each group of trolls and the double sized lesser ogre group at the 6 o¡¯clock room. I add another set of stairs in both the 5 o¡¯clock and 7 o¡¯clock rooms then with a pair of L shaped hallways I join them to a large central room.


    I then add more ogre rifts to the 4 hallways on the bottom floor and in the large central room I add an ogre rift along with an ogre lord. Using the locking mechanism with the three keys I add another room that contains 2 trolls and a troll brute.


    Attaching one last room to the back, and inside I finally add the mechanism that uses the elemental orbs. Once the five orbs are placed it will lead to the next stairwell, but I realized I have already used 1 million xp so I just move the core to be in the small area behind the locking mechanism.


    The keys from the previous mechanism and the elemental orbs are made in a way that they return to their starting location if someone tries to take them from the dungeon. That means any group of adventurers not only has reach the 5<sup>th</sup> sub-level acquire the 3 keys to open the door on the 6<sup>th</sup> sub-level, but they also have to acquire the elemental orbs from the bottom of each elemental wing all without leaving the dungeon, that easily makes this small dungeon seem almost 5 times the size.


    When I finally pull myself from [Menu] I notice I have three sets of eyes on me with a mix of astonishment and worry.


    ¡°Lilah, Lylah, and Lila was it? Well what do you think?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master used over 1 million of the xp¡­¡±


    Lila: ¡°That may be a massive amount of xp master used, but I even have a griffon at the end of my wind wing.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Oh yea?! Lila might have gotten a griffon in her wind room but I got a dragon¡­ A dragon in my earth room!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah always wanted a dragon¡­ Sister trade Lilah the shadow wing for the earth wing!¡±


    Lylah: ¡°No way! Besides Lilah has orcs, ogres, and even trolls in the primary wing now to play with.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But adventurers haven¡¯t even made it through the dragonkin, so it will be forever till Lilah can play with them¡­¡±


    ¡°What do each of you focus on different areas or what?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°I take care of the high traffic fire and earth wings. While Lila takes care of the water and wind wings.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But the main path is the most important so Lilah focuses on it, not many adventurers progress to far there though so she also takes care of the shadow wing. If there is a B-Ranked adventurer group in the main wing, Lylah and Lila will split the shadow room so Lilah can focus extra hard.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So I guess everyone is done with breakfast now, so I better get started in seeing what everyone can do. Also be careful of them boss rooms for the elemental wings as they aren¡¯t rift monsters.¡±


    The girls nod and I transfer back down to the house. I had the plan to go down to at least the 10<sup>th</sup> sub-level, but the xp was consumed way to fast¡­ Now if Two-Twelve¡¯s girls are a disappointment there isn¡¯t much I can do.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh your back, we have been waiting quite a while on you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I got a little wrapped up in it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is ok we haven¡¯t been able to just sit and chat in so long it was nice.¡±


    I follow Belinda into the living room where everyone is sitting around.


    ¡°Good morning everyone, I am sorry about the misunderstanding yesterday evening.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t worry boss, everyone gets that impression the first time they see us all with you. We should have realized after you lost your memory you would think the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Belinda gave me a pretty good rundown on everyone yesterday, but I think I would still like to go around the room to introduce myself to everyone.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, who knows it might help jog your memory.¡±


    I start to my left, which is the long green haired elf Azami.


    Azami: ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Azami. I¡¯m and elf, or at least I used to be, but not any more I became a Divine Elf after joining the dungeon. We haven¡¯t met before, unless you count yesterday evening then we have most definitely have met before.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am also your primary boss monster, of course Belinda is in charge so you might call her the primary boss monster, but my magic is excellent and exceeds Belinda¡¯s so I am the primary boss monster.


    I bring up her status page in [Menu] but her level only says 4¡­ if she is the primary boss monster at level 4 we are in a lot more trouble than I thought¡­ It says she is a hero though so maybe that¡¯s how she got her decent ability scores, but I wonder how she was able to accomplish that and still only be level 4.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, how can you be only level 4 and be my primary boss monster, and a hero at that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, that has to do with the nature of your unique boss monsters, and their abilities even increase even though their number is reduced back to level 1. The same thing happened when you took me and Roxy as dungeon monsters as well. Before she joined the dungeon Azami was level 35.¡±


    ¡°In other words the level isn¡¯t important just focus on the abilities?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure for Azami its going to be quite beneficial, but for Roxy and I we were both pretty low level when we joined the dungeon, so with the exception of the skills we learned though the dungeon we are pretty close to normal people of our level.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s somewhat unfortunate¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well we have never worried about things like level to much before, because the dungeon was always safe because of the Gowen protection order, but with the war, and the fact you want to start a fight with a high level dungeon core¡­¡±


    ¡°Well your inability is why I am able to stand here like I am now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re right, we need to try harder¡­¡±


    ¡°I actually didn¡¯t mean it that way¡­Anyway moving on.¡±


    The next girl is the short dwarf girl, the most bland of the group but still attractive in her own right. I bring up her status as feel somewhat disappointed¡­ She has already achieved level 21 and her only available ability scores are strength, agility, endurance, and blacksmithing¡­ Not even any weapons, and not a single score is over the 200 mark¡­


    She does have an ability that allows the use of her blacksmithing score for her weapon arts, but still under 200 won¡¯t be much help¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re Katie, right? You mainly just make weapons and armor for us then?¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well I have traveled with Belinda when she goes training, but if you really are planning on attacking Laura, it would probably be for the best, if I just help the dungeon by making some weapons and armor for the other monsters¡­¡±


    ¡°Well on that front it appears some of the monsters I summoned today are unable to wear conventional armor, so maybe you would be able to help out with that?¡±


    Katie: ¡°I would love to be able to help anyway I can.¡±


    Next up is the cow beastkin, bringing up her status page is even worse¡­ none of her abilities even pass 130 as she is level 19, her skills will increase in rank after she levels but even looking at them it doesn¡¯t seem like that is going to help much¡­ Apparently I am showing my disappointment or she already knows, but her ears are hanging pretty low.


    ¡°Bell, right?¡±


    Bell: ¡°Yes¡­ I have stuck by the mayor since he took office, so though my combat abilities are lacking I am sure I can more than make up for it by assisting the dungeon in the mayor¡¯s office¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Next up is the only other human other than Belinda, or I guess she is the only human. Her status is not much better than the rest even if she is level 22, but at least her defensive ability manages to break the 200 mark if only by a few points.


    Sofia: ¡°It¡¯s Sofia, and you are being too hard on the girls, we all have trained hard for the dungeon. You may be some fancy hero now, but our abilities are the typical for adventures at our level, and unless we start taking out some dungeons that is not likely to change.¡±


    ¡°You actually sound proud to being so weak¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I am confident in my abilities matched to just about anyone my own level. Dyson summoned me as a gift to Two-Twelve because he saw something special in him, but now you don¡¯t seem more to me than the typical jack-ass dungeon core that Dyson has been trying to put an end too.¡±


    ¡°You definitely speak your mind that is for sure, so what is it you are contributing to the dungeon now?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I am running the adventurer¡¯s training courses downtown.¡±


    ¡°That seems counter-productive to protecting the dungeon doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°The entire town is inside the dungeon, as long as they are sleeping in the town the dungeon is gaining the xp, if I can hold them a few weeks there, it¡¯s far better than them looting the dungeon and running. Besides I am instilling in the new adventurers a respect to the dungeons. Since I started my courses we have seen a noticeable improvement in the vandalism inside the dungeon from the breaking of objects that would cost xp to replace, so yes I am contributing my part to the dungeon.¡±


    Next is the pregnant salamander beastkin. I know she can¡¯t really be of help at the moment, and she is no longer bound to the dungeon so I can¡¯t look at her status page anymore.


    ¡°Scylla, Belinda told me you are helping with the mayor duties and such, so just keep it up.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Thanks master¡­ I know I can¡¯t be much help in combat, but my husband Kline is a seasoned adventurer as well, we told him about the dungeon after your disappearance and he has sort of made peace with it. I am sure if you wanted I could ask him to help¡­¡±


    ¡°That is ok, without being bound to the dungeon he would do more harm than good, but thanks anyway¡­¡±


    Next is the wolf beastkin that is one of the dungeon boss monsters. Looking at her status is somewhat of a relief¡­ it isn¡¯t nothing to great but she is rather well rounded, and being only level 19 with so many skills once she levels they will go up considerably. Belinda said I could use the dungeon¡¯s xp to give the boss monsters skills so I might want to see about getting her as many as possible before she levels again to help that much more.


    ¡°With a few more skills you could become quite promising.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Thanks, I can never thank you enough for what you have done for me, so if I can be any help I would be glad to do it.¡±


    The only one left is the dog beastkin and Belinda, and even though she is no longer bound before I say anything she she quickly stops me.


    Zoey: ¡°Wait boss, before you say anything¡­ Belinda unbound me from the dungeon because she was afraid something might happen to you, but I really want to be able to get back into helping again. Especially if you are going to be fighting with us, so please before you write me off can you see if adding me back to the dungeon will result in me becoming one of your special boss monsters.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know if it will or not?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well not really, nobody has been able to figure out exactly what your special boss monsters are, but you seem to be able to make one by adding a boss monster to your dungeon when a normal dungeon would have the ability to summon a new boss monster. You should at least have one more in you, but since I was summoned by the dungeon I don¡¯t know if it will work or not. Please at least give it a shot. If nothing else it will be a learning experience just to find out, and I will at least be bound to the dungeon again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know all the others are around level 20 so that would be quite expensive to add you back to the dungeon for nothing if it doesn¡¯t work.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Not for nothing boss, I promise, even if I don¡¯t become one of your special boss monsters I promise as long as you will have Roxy and me I¡¯ll do whatever you ask.¡±


    ¡°Well the truth is even if Belinda is as good as Roxy and Azami, we could use the extra special boss monster, so it might be worth the risk. What do you think Belinda?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡±


    ¡°Well I am sure Two-Twelve wouldn¡¯t have married you if he couldn¡¯t confide in you, so you would be the one that would have the best idea what he would have wanted.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s eyes get a little watery as she says. ¡°Thanks¡­ If you want to know what Two-Twelve would have done I would say he would do it. He would do anything for his girls even if it caused him inconvenience, so something that could benefit him as well he wouldn¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    ¡°Alright, as long as you are about the level as the others it should be alright, but I already spent most of the xp this morning so it might be a bit tight¡­¡±


    I open [Menu] to try to see if it will allow me to make Zoey a boss monster, her cost is close to 100,000xp so that does seem in line to her being around level 20, but if this doesn¡¯t work it¡¯s going to take quite a toll on what I can teach the other boss monsters.


    ¡°Well here goes nothing¡­¡±


    Once I accept, Zoey is raised in the air surrounded by light. When the light fades the naked beastkin woman is place gently back on her feet. From what I was told Roxy was a normal beastkin before becoming a Divine Beastkin, and even with quite a bit less fur then a feral beastkin she had most the other traits of a feral beastkin. Given the fact of Zoey¡¯s appearance it must have worked¡­


    Everything about her is just¡­ More¡­ Her once sandy blond hair is now waist long and so golden it looks wheat ready to harvest blowing in a breeze. Her large pointed ears at not double the size but it is definitely a noticeable difference all the fur on her body is the same golden yellow as her hair and her tail is at least twice a bushy.


    I can¡¯t be certain about before but her body seems far more toned and muscular then in appeared before though her clothes. The nails on her hands and feet seem to have elongated further and even her face seems to have elongated some. It just seems everything about her is one step closer canine then it was before.


    She quickly checks herself out seeming quite happy with herself. She runs her hands across her abs, squeezes her own ass and even her breasts.


    Zoey: ¡°They feel great¡­ Roxy feel this! ¨CShe says shoving her breasts toward her.- ¡°You to boss!¡± ¨CShe says turning to shake her bare backside at me.-


    I slowly start to reach forward when I hear Belinda says. ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°I was just going to feel her tail¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss is a pervert! Boss is a pervert!¡±


    I access [Menu] while Zoey keeps doing her best to jiggle in front of me. After I reequip her clothing she stands back up and leans in to Roxy.


    Zoey: ¡°What do you say we let boss join us later to help break in the new body?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey, that¡¯s enough, after everything he has been though the last few days I am sure he doesn¡¯t want to hear your shenanigans, but¡± ¨CShe then leans in whispering in Zoey¡¯s ear. Whatever Zoey heard seems to please her greatly¡­-


    ¡°Roxy, you two really do seem to understand each other perfectly.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong I love Zoey, but as far as books go she is as easy to read as a picture book.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But it definitely doesn¡¯t belong in the kids section!¡±


    ¡°¡­Anyway¡­ I am sure you all have things you need to get back too, so I think if I could borrow Roxy, Zoey, Azami, and Belinda, the rest of you can do your own thing.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Alright master, if you need anything from Kline or myself, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡±


    Bell: ¡°And I hope you are up to taking back over as mayor soon, so Belinda¡¯s sister can go back home.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Speaking of Gowen children, Belinda¡¯s brother is done with his training course, but he asked for my assistance with something today during breakfast, so I better make sure he stays out of trouble.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Later, you know where to fine me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, what¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°Well we don¡¯t have much xp left after the dungeon, and Zoey, but I am going to try to teach us all the skills I possibly can. After seeing were that puts us. Then we can decide our next course of action.¡±


    I go through [Menu] adding skills to everyone, and Zoey of course needs the most, but most of them available that she lacks are also very cheap, and Azami has quite a few available to her as well. I have a few that are quite costly that I can¡¯t afford but I try to at least even everyone out on what we got.


    Zoey: ¡°This is great boss¡­ I feel so much stronger than before.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I may be mistaken, but are such skills really necessary for a mage such as myself? Some of them don¡¯t pertain to magic at all. ¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing as to much. Even as a mage being able to dodge or take a hit is important. I am actually quite surprised. Roxy and Belinda seemed to have most of the available skills already. By the way you were talking I thought Two-Twelve wouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That goes along with the keeping us safe even at his own disadvantage. We don¡¯t gain skills the normal way being the special monsters, so he always seemed to spend most of the xp we brought home from training right back onto us.¡±


    ¡°Well I am glad he did, it seems like it is really going to help.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°So you said we will come up with a plan now right? You don¡¯t plan to go after Laura immediately do you?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately I know all too well that I am currently no match for her, but that¡¯s why I am going to train you all up and then maybe we could have a shot, without the cuff I am sure I have completely returned to being a dungeon core, so I won¡¯t be able to level with you, but the more xp we bring back the larger I can make the dungeon so I can level faster.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just put the cuff back on while we go training boss?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am sure it isn¡¯t as simple as all that Zoey¡­¡±


    ¡°Well true the collar was bound completely to Listel, but the cuff¡­ It was activated by a command¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t hurt to try then would it?¡±


    ¡°Well the collar was what did all the damage while the cuff was just the appearance and abilities, so if I can¡¯t take it back off the worse that could happen is I permanently get stuck with Arngrim¡¯s face.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That depends was he ugly?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey!¡± ¨CShe slaps Zoey¡¯s stomach with the back of her hand, but with Zoey¡¯s new abs she rubs her hand afterwards.-


    I try to find the cuff in the dungeon inventory and then take it out. I then put it on my wrist and try to activate it like Listel did but can¡¯t.


    ¡°Well maybe it¡¯s got to be someone else, Belinda you try it.¡±


    When she repeats the process I did this time the cuff links together, shines, and the seam disappears.


    ¡°Well it looks like it worked that time¡­ My voice didn¡¯t seem to change back, so how do I look?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It didn¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°But it looks like it worked¡­ Maybe it has something to do with the fact Belinda activated it? Lets try to disable it to make sure we can.¡±


    After telling her how Listel disabled it, Belinda repeats the process and the cuff disconnects.


    ¡°Now the question is if it actually worked while connected¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I got an idea!¡± ¨CShe quickly activates the cuff while it¡¯s still on my wrist.-


    My chest quickly begins to feel pain as if feels like it¡¯s being crushed by the armor, but that¡¯s far from the worst from it¡­ Something else seems to disappear as well.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss you make a cute girl!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey! Change him back!¡±


    Zoey pouts then disables the cuff and I become whole again¡­


    ¡°That was¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss can I borrow that thing I want to give something a try!¡±


    This time its Belinda that scolds Zoey as Roxy actually seems to be giving it serious thought¡­


    ¡°Alright then... I got one more idea.¡±


    I reach in my belt patch pulling Arngrim¡¯s ID and it is still blank, I then ask Belinda to activate the cuff again this time watching the ID while she does.


    Adventurer #183,257 [Two-Twelve]                                    Base: Uthaira


    Race: Divine Being                                                                  Gender: Male


    Rank: D                                                                                      Level: 30


    Class: Hexamage                                                                     Favored Element: N/A


    Commissions Complete: 1                                                     Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 4


    It¡¯s not exactly the same¡­ My name and race still haven¡¯t changed like it did last time.


    ¡°Does Two-Twelve have an adventurer¡¯s ID?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You should, but it was probably on you when you were taken so if you don¡¯t still have it, it may be gone till we make another.¡±


    ¡°I was just going to see if it was blank like this one turns when the cuff is deactivated. Well we will put the testing on hold for now till we are ready to go train, but that might prove useful if we can figure it out.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Then if you¡¯re not going to use it right now can I borrow it?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know if it would be safe to put on someone else, I don¡¯t want to risk anything more until we can get a better idea what we are dealing with.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Aww¡­¡±


    ¡°Back to the topic at hand, did Two-Twelve have any enemies that it would be possible for us to take out for our training?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know about taking out¡­ But Madam Erin always allows us to train in her dungeon. Although if we do get the cuff figured out that might be a secret we don¡¯t want her to find out about.¡±


    ¡°Did Two-Twelve really have no enemies¡­?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You were very likeable¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You always had a habit of bringing the best out in people, and after you told me with what happened with Listel I am sure you are still share that trait with Two-Twelve. I would be willing to bet that is why Listel did what she did.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know I am sure she was just alone for so long that anyone was better than nothing.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Two-Twelve was always humble and oblivious to the effect he had on others as well.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t helping our training¡­ What about the war could we fight in it to train?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So far it has been at a stalemate as none of Longolia¡¯s troops have been able to get past the border very far¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What about Lilah¡¯s original dungeon?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But we don¡¯t know anything about it¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She summons monsters to turn them into slaves, and buys slaves to turn them into xp, how much worse could you get?¡±


    ¡°Is she close?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You managed to narrow it down to a small part of Duscae, but we don¡¯t have any idea how strong she is.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Then what about asking Dyson, I am sure he has a list...¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea he was the one that pointed us to the dungeon that I got my hero title from.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will send him a message and see if he will meet with me.¡±

 Dysons Help

    After sending a message to Dyson, to see if he would meet with me, I find him replying almost instantly¡­ He said he is taking care of something, but would be happy to meet with me in a few hours. To be honest to receive such a quick and welcoming reply from him makes me wonder just how close was Two-Twelve to him?


    ¡°Well I have done about all I can for now. Dyson has agreed on meeting with me but will not be ready for a few hours, so I guess until I return everyone is dismissed.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What about the way I look boss? Won¡¯t the humans get suspicious of my sudden change? Maybe I can borrow the cuff till we can come up with something.¡±


    ¡°No, I said it¡¯s too dangerous till we find out how it works exactly.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Besides, your changes were not as bad as Roxy¡¯s and my own, so you should be fine¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°We can just say she took a bath. People would probably buy it if we told them that.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m not dirty!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Only because I cast [Clean] on you at least 3 times a day¡­ I have never seen someone get so dirty when just lying around the house¡­¡±


    Roxy and Zoey continue to bicker with one another as they transfer out, but they are both smiling pretty happily so I can¡¯t be sure how much if any of it they actually mean.


    Azami: ¡°If you excuse me I believe I will return to the forest until you need me again, or if you need me I will return to the forest until you call for me.¡±


    Belinda shakes her head after Azami leaves then says. ¡°What about you? What are you going to do until Dyson¡¯s meeting?¡±


    ¡°Well I believe I have used up all the available xp, the bunny girls have the dungeon under control, so I don¡¯t have a clue.¡±


    Belinda seems excited when she says. ¡°Then how about I re-introduce you to Tobes.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Well I guess I don¡¯t have anything else to do¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°While you store your armor and things away I am going to get ready real quick! I will be five minutes tops!¡±


    She then quickly transfers from the room in a rush. It only takes me about 5 seconds to store my things and after transferring to the house I am left waiting on Belinda¡­


    True to her word it is only about five minutes until she comes walking down the stairs. Winter is already past but I still think it is still a bit brisk for the colorful summer dress she is wearing¡­ It isn¡¯t exceptionally short but enough she has to hold it back as she walks down the stairs.


    She has also seemed to apply some make-up, but it¡¯s not as heavy as it seems to be. Only just enough to bring out the color of her eyes and the lushness of her lips¡­ I have to admit I definitely think Two-Twelve had good taste¡­ I even seem to feel a bit nervous as she walks getting closer.


    Once she finally makes it down the stairs she has a bright smile on her face and wraps her arm around mine. She then drags me from the house into the streets of Tobes. Tobes definitely isn¡¯t Utharia, but it is quite a bit larger then I imagined¡­ And Two-Twelve has managed to cover the entire thing inside his dungeon.


    Given the size of the town it¡¯s rather odd to see just how many people have already seemed to learn of my return and my condition. Belinda¡¯s first stop is the city hall building next to the house. After introducing me to the people at the adventurer¡¯s guild she leads me upstairs. I finally get to meet, or I guess re-meet her sister. Belinda shows me around the mayor¡¯s office in great detail in what seems like in an effort to make her sister mad.


    Mindy: ¡°I have to say your condition is most problematic for me. I was expecting with your return I would then be able to return to the capital where I belong.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure I would even want to retake the position as mayor, so it seems like you will be needed here are for the foreseeable future.¡±


    This however seems to anger her.


    Mindy: ¡°I was assured that my position here was only temporary! Once Two-Twelve returned I would be able to go back home! Now that you have returned like it or not the reason for me to be here is done!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We couldn¡¯t have known something like this would happen. You can¡¯t expect him to just start running the town when he can¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°That isn¡¯t my problem!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I already told father and Logan about Two-Twelve¡¯s condition through communication parchment, so I would advise you get comfortable, because I am sure they won¡¯t recall you with the situation as it is.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Well we will just see about that!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes, yes we will!¡±


    Belinda then leads me from the room and although I thought her and her sister were just having a big fight she almost seems happy about it¡­ She then drags me off back into town.


    After a while she tries to get me to stop for lunch but I refuse which seems to disappoint her a bit but she doesn¡¯t say anything.


    After seemingly covering the entire town she leads me to into a large empty building. There are mats on the floor and several training dummies and weapon racks in the corner, and after leading me through a door in the back we enter what seems to be a classroom.


    Inside is Sofia, while she talks with a young man with short red hair and a handsome face, next to the man is a beastkin with short round ears and a long tail. If I had to guess I would say this was probably Belinda¡¯s brother and his slave.


    Belinda: ¡°Doug, I was re-introducing Two-Twelve to everyone, and I heard from Sofia that you might be here so I thought we would stop in to say hello.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Sis! Oh Two-Twelve I am so glad you are back. I am sorry to hear about what happened, but I am sure with time you will back to your old self. When I snuck out of the capital I was hoping to bring you a gift, but after what happened we have grown quite attached to each other, so please forgive me.¡±


    The young beastkin girl with the collar then bows to me.


    Belinda: ¡°I told you Doug, it was useless I was not about to let you give Two-Twelve a woman as a present!¡±


    Sofia mumbles something about it not being the first time under her breath.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Why would you try to give me a stripper as a gift?¡±


    The girls blushes a bit and Doug rubs the back of his head with a sheepish grin, but Belinda seems to get excited.


    Belinda: ¡°What did you say? I don¡¯t remember saying anything¡­ How did you know she used to be a stripper? Is your memory returning?!¡±


    ¡°Calm down¡­ I don¡¯t know I¡­ I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Aria aside, this is good news, even if it¡¯s something small I know that is something you had to of remembered.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I heard after you lost your memory you became quite the adventurer. Maybe Aria and I can go with you next time?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You two have come a long way with Sofia¡¯s help, but you both are still nowhere near good enough for something like that.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Come on sis! You haven¡¯t even seen us in the dungeon, we could help!¡±


    ¡°She is right, I¡¯m sure it would be far safer for you to stick to the dungeon here.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Being an adventurer isn¡¯t safe. If we are going to become as good as adventurers as Logan or sis we are going to have to go to other dungeons.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I assure you they have indeed come a long way, but Doug remember what I said about traveling to other dungeons.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I know but if sis and Two-Twelve are there.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I am not strong enough to accompany them on their next trip, so you would just get in their way.¡±


    Doug sighs.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Doug really, but maybe after we take care of things then we can take you to New Leona, or The Tower of the Gods.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well come on Aria, maybe we still have time to round up the guys and do a short run today.¡±


    Aria: ¡°I don¡¯t know Master Doug... It is already past noon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I have a little bit left to show Two-Twelve before we head home, so if you do go up to the dungeon just remember to be extra careful.¡±


    Belinda then leads me from the building and we finish our tour of Tobes. As I then start to prepare for the trip to Dyson¡¯s, Belinda asks me.


    Belinda: ¡°You think I can come with you this time¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be a problem, but is it really necessary?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I feel like I don¡¯t want to let you out of my sight again, especially when you will be traveling to another dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t think it will matter much either way, so I guess it¡¯s alright.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thanks!¡± ¨CShe says wrapping her arms around me in a hug, then let¡¯s go quickly straightening her dress.- ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I guess it¡¯s time.¡±


    I then cast [Gate], and then Belinda and I enter it arriving at the gates of Dyson¡¯s castle. After the gate opens and we are led though it by a young woman in little clothing, and after passing through the halls we arrive at a familiar overly decorative door with a ruby handle.


    Belinda: ¡°He goes all out doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°More like just showing off.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well he has earned the right I guess.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear you say that.¡± ¨CHe says as he places his hand on Belinda¡¯s shoulder causing her to jump.- ¡°We should go in and have a seat it would be far more comfortable.¡±


    Belinda nervously nods, and we then head inside. Belinda quickly pulls me onto a small couch next to her.


    Dyson: ¡°You have never brought your princess with you before, or was it her idea?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to let him out of my sight again¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see. Well I was quite interested in asking you some questions, but I thought you would take some time readjusting so I figured I would give you some time. Needless to say I was a bit glad to hear from you.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know how much I can answer for you, I know very little myself, and still haven¡¯t recovered my memories from before.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see. Then perhaps you would allow me to have a look at the collar and cuff Laura had fitted on you? The elders were wondering how she was able to remove you from record with such a thing.¡±


    ¡°I have had little chance to investigate the matters myself. I would be able to release the collar to you, but there are matters about the cuff that are still of concern to me. Furthermore were the elders not able to press Laura for information about the items themselves?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We had some words with her and she seemed rather distraught after losing the items along with one of her boss monsters, but after it was all at her own doing we had little sympathy for her.¡±


    ¡°So the elders are going to ignore everything that happened?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°After finding out that she could not reproduce the results from the cuff the other elders decided the matter then was just between the two of you. With the loss of her items, her assistance in you claiming 4 dungeon core¡¯s power, and even one of her boss monsters. Laura was even going as far to demand compensation from you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is ridiculous! This is all her fault! Two-Twelve had to suffer through all that and even lose his memory and she wants him to compensate her?!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I understand, believe me, but the rest of the elders feel due to the circumstances to just call it even.¡±


    Belinda seems upset but I stop her from saying anything.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°You keep saying the other elders. Does that mean you feel differently?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you are back now, so as long as our agreement still stands that is all that matters to me, but Laura¡¯s actions amounted to a bit of a problem for me as well so letting her go with a slap on the wrist seems a bit minor, but being an elder I am left little in the way of options.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know of the agreement you had with Two-Twelve, but he seemed to be happy with your arrangement, so as long as that remains the same I have no problem with that.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So you don¡¯t see yourself as Two-Twelve anymore?¡±


    ¡°Well I acknowledge the fact that I used to be Two-Twelve, but until his memories return, if they ever do, then I can only act the way I see fit. However if you really feel that way about Laura perhaps I can help.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am listening¡­¡±


    ¡°As I can¡¯t remember being Two-Twelve it¡¯s hard for me to say what Laura took from me in that aspect, but something I can¡¯t overlook is her taking Listel from me. For that reason alone I have come seeking your help. As and elder or as a friend of Two-Twelve if you could point us in the direction of a core causing you problems we wish to build strength, so we can deal with Laura ourselves.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And how do you feel about all this?¡± ¨CHe says looking to Belinda.-


    Belinda: ¡°I still have hope his memories return, but as his boss monster I will do as he asks. If Two-Twelve¡¯s memories do not return then I too have reason to want revenge against Laura, so I would ask you please help us.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If a core is so easy in which you could deal with it, then it wouldn¡¯t even be capable of being a nuisance to me, so I don¡¯t know if I can help you on that front. However if you just wish to get stronger I may have another idea that doesn¡¯t concern destroying other dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Well the dungeon crystal is a quick and easy boost in power, but any assistance would be helpful.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°With your princess¡¯s kingdom currently at war her becoming an envoy to another kingdom seeking aid would make traveling to Exeter a simple task, and if completing this task helps her kingdom as well what could it hurt?¡±


    ¡°What is it exactly that you want us to do?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well the task is simple enough the Queen of Exeter has something I require. I don¡¯t care how you get it, steal, barter, trade, or whatever, but as long as I get the item I would consider it quite a personal favor.¡±


    ¡°I can see why you would ask for our help, but I don¡¯t see how this would help us.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°With the undead of Lodia constantly trying to encroach on Exeter, they have grown accustomed to speaking with power, and I am sure even a princess asking for an audience would have to prove herself in the local adventurer¡¯s guild before she could see the queen, so it¡¯s entirely possible to even be able to claim a dungeon crystal or two in the process.¡±


    ¡°Well it sounds like it¡¯s an option at least, what kind of time frame are we looking at here?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As long as you recover the object I don¡¯t care how long it takes.¡±


    ¡°So what exactly is this object?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Just a simple sword nothing to fancy.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If that is the case then why the audience with the Queen to acquire it?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well it just so happens to currently being used as part of the royal seal of Exeter, but surely a sword should be used and not hung on a wall.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If it is part of the royal seal, how do you expect anything we say or do give us a chance to acquire it?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Like I said the how is of no coincidence of me, and even if you can¡¯t get the sword but take it to your dungeon just long enough that Two-Twelve is able to summon another, I would gladly pay the cost for its replication. In fact even with the sword I will probably ask Two-Twelve to summon me one made of a superior quality.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then even being alone with the sword for a few minutes we could teleport it to the dungeon and back without anyone being the wiser?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°In theory.¡±


    ¡°I see, but if this is so important to you why ask us to do it instead?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°In truth I do have a group of my own monsters trying to do exactly that, but they have seemed to hit a snag in trying to get an audience, but it is still possible they may manage to get ahold of it first. You however may be able to cut down the time by a few years.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if we can help, but we asked and you answered, so I believe our business is done.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Very well, but I will ask again about the cuff at a later date.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect less¡­¡±


    After bidding Dyson goodbye we head out from the castle, after reaching the gate Belinda and I then return to Tobes with [Gate]


    Belinda: ¡°So what do you think? You think we should help him?¡±


    ¡°Well it seems like he will get it eventually one way or another, but at least this way we get some training, and maybe what he said was true. We could also help your father in the process.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well before I can attempt anything on an official capacity I would have to talk to Logan first.¡±


    ¡°Well that isn¡¯t important as it seems like it might even take a few months for us to even get an audience.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You would really be ok being away from the dungeon for that long?¡±


    ¡°Well the dungeon is only a quick [Gate] away.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I guess that is true¡­ So how soon till we leave?¡±


    ¡°Well I am ready now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Right now!?¡±


    ¡°Well if you have matters to address before I guess we can wait till the morning to set off.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s still not a lot of time¡­¡±


    ¡°If we need to leave you behind, you could always catch up later with [Gate].¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No¡­ I will make due, but I better get started right now.¡±


    She seems hesitant on what to do but she then heads from the house. I decide to check on how the changes in the dungeon are working, so I transfer to the core room.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! Your back!¡±


    ¡°How are things going with the additions to the dungeon?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°The adventurers were really excited to see the addition until they got to the boss rooms.¡±


    ¡°So they have already reached the boss rooms?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°The usual groups that hit the dark rooms and wind rooms didn¡¯t enter today, but the rest made it to the boss rooms of all the others.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We actually had a high rate of deaths today as they all tried to attack the boss rooms except the group that found the dragon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Lila: ¡°No master it isn¡¯t. If the difficulty is raised too much then Belinda¡¯s protection order will be harder to maintain.¡±


    ¡°Well a group would have to pass all 5 elemental bosses and clear almost both of the two new floors to get to the core so we should be fine.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What does master mean?¡±


    ¡°Each boss holds an orb that is used as a key at the bottom of the dungeon to get to the crystal, but they have to have all 5 to get past, and if they try to remove them from the dungeon they will automatically return to the boss rooms.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Master wouldn¡¯t have been able to make something like that before¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I used his skill and items that were available. I guess some of it could have been added when I returned, because I saw a lot of items added but I didn¡¯t read through any of it.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lylah, Lila, and Lilah have been looking though it all day when they had a chance but still haven¡¯t made it through it all.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Some of it is hard because we don¡¯t know for sure if it was there before or not.¡±


    ¡°Well if it¡¯s not important items you can probably skip it.¡±


    Lila: ¡°There are exactly 419 new items added to the general items section, if we don¡¯t know what is new we might miss something important.¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t worry about it too much...¡±


    Lylah: ¡°That is not even including the monsters, and equipment type items.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am going to take Belinda, Azami, Roxy, and Zoey with me tomorrow and we are going to begin some training, so I need to three to keep the dungeon protected.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master can count on Lilah! Lilah and her sisters have never let Master down.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°What about the time...¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lylah shhh.¡±


    ¡°¡­ We will be a quick [Gate] away if you encounter any problems.¡±


    Lilah, Lylah, Lila: ¡°Ok!~¡±


    I decide to transfer back down to the house and get to bed a bit early to prepare for the long trip. I send messages to Azami, Roxy, and Zoey as well just in case Belinda didn¡¯t tell them about leaving in the morning and then head to bed.


    I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a memory, a feeling, from her scent on the bed, or exactly what it is, but as I wake up I can practically feel myself in Belinda¡¯s embrace. When I open my eyes I am however still alone with almost a feeling of disappointment¡­


    Since I went to bed so early it is still at least an hour before the sun is to rise, so I decide to make sure I have everything squared away before the trip. Using [Menu] though makes it take no time at all, and I am still left with little to do till the others wake.


    When I leave the room and step into the hall I hear a quiet creak as the next closest door slowly opens.


    ¡°Good morning. I wasn¡¯t expecting anyone would be up yet.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two¡­ Arngrim you¡¯re up already?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I guess there are things we still haven¡¯t talked about. You can call me Arngrim or Two-Twelve, I do know now that we at least are in some way the same person, but I understand if you don¡¯t want to call me by his name.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No that isn¡¯t it! You were just so clear when you first arrived and like you said we haven¡¯t talked about it so I wasn¡¯t sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Well whatever you are comfortable with is alright by me, and I guess I should apologize for my behavior when I first arrived I was rather rude.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, I understand¡­ After hearing what you went though I actually think you are holding up quite well. Even when I knew you were still alive I was still a worthless mess for at least a couple days after you disappeared.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I hear. I heard you whipped everyone into action and tried to lay siege to the Longolia castle looking for me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m going to make a bit of breakfast, would you care to join me? You don¡¯t have to eat or anything, but we could at least talk some more.¡±


    After I nod and we start heading downstairs she continues.


    Belinda: ¡°But yea, my first instinct was to go after you, but when the adrenaline started to wear off, and it started to sink in that you weren¡¯t there anymore and I might lose you. That¡¯s when I fell apart.¡±


    ¡°Well after you managed to collect yourself, it seems you did a pretty good job of getting things back in working order.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I had a lot of help.¡±


    When we enter the kitchen Belinda begins making breakfast and I grab one of the seats at the counter. There is no particular reason I choose this seat, but when Belinda sees me her face lightens up and she wears a warm smile.


    ¡°This is his seat isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t know how to explain it. I don¡¯t remember anything, but there are things I just know that had to be from things he experienced, and although I have no memory of it, it just feels natural¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess there are some things they just couldn¡¯t erase, or I guess it could be if they just completely wiped the slate clean you would have been like a non-sentient monster, or even worse.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, my memories even after I began traveling with Listel seem a little hazy as well. Like I remember the first dungeon we entered, but there are conversations and things that happened even at that time that I can¡¯t recall.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe we should let Dyson take a look at that collar and cuff. It might shine some light on how they erased your memories, so might find a way to recover them as well.¡±


    ¡°About that¡­ When we were talking to Dyson about the sword we are supposed to recover for him he talked about the dungeon copying it for him. I didn¡¯t want to say anything in front of him, but what exactly did he mean?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you dungeon is quite special in a number of ways, and one of them is being able to replicate items that you place in your dungeon inventory, so that¡¯s what he meant.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of what I figured, so if that is the case, in theory I should be able to reproduce that cuff right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you always dealt with most of the dungeon stuff, so I am not 100% sure on how it all works, but depending if it¡¯s an enchantment or something like that you should be able to add it to another item or completely make another.¡±


    I am starting to wish I didn¡¯t just clear all the screens after I had arrived¡­ As Belinda continues making breakfast I start looking though [Menu] to see if I can find a way to replace the cuff, and after a few minutes I find a page that looks promising.


    Available Enchantments:


    [Minor Magic] Item cost x1.5 or 2500xp whichever is less (500xp minimum)


    [Ever-Sharp Edge] Item cost x1.5 or 2500xp whichever is less (500xp minimum)


    [Binding Contract] Item cost x2 or 3,000xp whichever is less (1,000xp minimum)


    [Fire-Resistant] Item cost x3 or 5000xp whichever is less (2000xp minimum)


    [Poison-Resistant] Item cost x3 or 5000xp whichever is less (2000xp minimum)


    [Magic Resistant] Item cost x3 or 5000xp whichever is less (2000xp minimum)


    [Alter Appearance] Item cost x3 or 5000xp whichever is less (2000xp minimum)


    [Elemental Bane] Item cost x3 or 8000xp whichever is less (3,500xp minimum)


    [Fake Identity] Item cost x3 or 100,000xp whichever is less (12,000xp minimum)


    [Peerless Sight] Item cost x3 or 250,000xp whichever is less (15,000xp minimum)


    [Conceal Identity] Item cost x5 or 300,000xp whichever is less (20,000xp minimum)


    [Self-healing] Item cost x8 or 850,000xp whichever is less (35,000xp minimum)


    [Assassin¡¯s Blade] Item cost x10 or 150,000xp whichever is less (50,000xp minimum)


    [Magic Repel] Item cost x10 or 1,500,000xp whichever is less (50,000xp minimum)


    [Agelessness ]                              Cost: 100,000xp


    [Alter Mind] Item cost x10 or 1,000,000xp whichever is less (100,000xp minimum)


    After looking though the list there are a few items that seem promising, I take a sip of my coffee while looking through their descriptions¡­ After a while I determine the collar appears to be a mix of the [Binding Contract] and [Alter Mind], but the cuff it has to be any or all of [Binding Contract], [Alter Appearance], [Fake Identity], and/or [Conceal Identity].


    I take another sip from my coffee and lean back letting the warmth from the coffee fill me while thinking, and then I realize¡­ When did I get coffee? I sit back up and Belinda is leaning against the counter with a smile on her face watching me intently.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Thanks for the coffee¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course. Are you sure I can¡¯t get you anything else?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Thanks. Well maybe a bit more coffee¡­¡±


    Belinda pours it with a bright smile and takes her plate of breakfast sitting down next to me.


    Belinda: ¡°So did you figure anything out?¡±


    ¡°Well yes and no¡­ I mean I see several relevant enchantments available, but is it one, a few, or all of them together that make it effective, or maybe I could bypass a few of them and get the desired results with just one or two of them.¡± ¨CI then take another sip of my coffee.- ¡°You know this stuff is pretty good¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I thought you might like it. It is Two-Twelve¡¯s favorite.¡±


    ¡°I can see why¡­ Anyway¡­ It appears the collar was simple enough, but the cuff looked to have at least a few enchantments on it. [Binding Contract] would to make it where it wasn¡¯t removable or voluntary. Then it¡¯s a mixture of [Alter appearance], [Fake Identity], and [Conceal Identity].  I think the collar and the cuff were just the literal perfect combination.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So you think you can make another one then?¡±


    ¡°Well I would like to try it with just the [Fake Identity] enchantment to see if it gets the desired results, because if it does I might get away with using it without the elders finding out, but it might require the [Conceal Identity] enchantment as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well new item or just using the cuff. I am just glad to have you by my side during training this time. When the girls and I went to train I always felt we were missing something.¡±


    Belinda and I continue to chat while she eats and I finish off a few cups of the coffee. The entire situation makes me a bit envious of Two-Twelve if that even makes sense¡­ After breakfast Zoey quickly enters the dining room and her ears drop.


    Zoey: ¡°I missed it¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Sorry Zoey, we started a bit early this morning, everything is still warm though I can whip you up something real quick.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, she already ate a big helping before we came of here, she was just trying to get twice as much.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So you two got up pretty early this morning as well?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Nope we didn¡¯t get any sleep. We were testing this new body of mine out all night!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But don¡¯t worry¡­ We promise not to slow you down due to fatigue.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s tips of her ears look a bit pink as she says. ¡°Oh¡­ Then I guess we are just need Azami then? We will probably have to call her as she doesn¡¯t like coming to Tobes otherwise.¡±


    ¡°You know I checked all of your status pages, but I never thought to ask. How is the equipment you have?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It¡¯s nothing fancy like the mythril sword you dragged home boss, but it can¡¯t be too much under what your armor is.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You made me a brand new custom suit of dwarven full-plate before our last trip to a dungeon, so I should be good for a while.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I guess put it on and we will then just transfer to Azami, from there we will [Gate] as close as we can then walk the rest of the way.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But boss didn¡¯t you go somewhere without ever being there before when you first got the spell?¡±


    ¡°I did?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well yes, but we were there and able to describe the landscape in detail.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh boss! Speaking of magic, did you know I can use it now? Although Roxy made me clean the house with it this morning¡­¡± ¨CShe says while her ears droop.-


    ¡°Yes, I taught you most of the spells we know at the same time we did the skills yesterday. If we get a good amount of experience during this training I might be able to teach you all every spell and skill we know when we get back, because you are not far off now.¡±


    I then take the cuff from the dungeon inventory, but don¡¯t put it on yet. We then transfer up to the edge of the dungeon up in the mountain were it meets the forest.


    Azami: ¡°I received your message this morning and have been waiting. Either that or I have been waiting because I got your message.¡±


    ¡°Well good I think¡­ So are we all set then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    We then prepare to set out for Exeter.

 Shortcut to Exeter

    After I double check everything and then cast [Gate] we all step through, and everyone begins looking around. We have arrived in a small meadow with a sizeable human town just off in the distance, I can¡¯t help to feel pain looking at it¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°Livinston. It¡¯s the place Listel and I¡­ Where we claimed our last dungeon together¡­ It¡¯s the closest place to Exeter that I know.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Is there somewhere you would like to stop by while we are here?¡±


    ¡°No, the only places we really spent time was at the inn and the dungeon. I think it¡¯s just best to get started.¡±


    After the group nods I then prepare to start running but as soon as I take off I realize I am by myself and the others are where I left them with confusion on their faces¡­ I quickly halt and return.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I guess it¡¯s a force of habit, Listel and I ran everywhere.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you kind of just took off there¡­ I don¡¯t know if we can keep that kind of speed, but if you want to pick up the pace I guess we can try.¡±


    ¡°Well I think Zoey right now has the least amount of stamina, so if she wants to set the pace we can just keep up with her, although with your heavy armor that might slow you down.¡±


    When we finally get moving it feels little more than a brisk walk to me¡­ At this speed it will take us a week maybe even two to reach Exeter¡­ But once we stop around noon Zoey and Belinda both seem to be at their limit.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I pushed you to hard¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I should have just stored my armor with [Shadow-pocket] and we could have made it further.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I would rather you stay in your armor just in case we get attacked on the road. We are not making as near the progress as I thought we would. If I used [Gate] without visiting the location before maybe we should see about trying that again.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well what would happen if it doesn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°Well for [Gate] the worse that could happen is you end up in the wrong location, and then you would have to just [Gate] back, but I heard it is possible for other types of teleportation to go really wrong¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do we know enough about Exeter to actually teleport there though?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I have been to a forest that happens to be in Exeter before.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so sooner? We could of teleported there first thing this morning?¡±


    Azami: ¡°You didn¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°Well [Gate] was still a bit too expensive to teach you at the moment, but you should be able to describe the location enough, and then looking at it on a map we should be able to teleport there.¡±


    Azami: ¡°It looked like a forest¡­¡±


    We wait but Azami doesn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°Well ok a forest, but we need a bit more than that or we could wind up in any forest. Just choose a specific area and describe it as best as you can.¡±


    Azami: ¡°The forest is the forest¡­ Tall trees, green leaves, brown branches.¡±


    ¡°Well it might be useless then¡­ Is there any part of the forest that isn¡¯t just trees?¡±


    Azami starts walking around drawing circles on the ground and then starts drawing a large line across the ground.


    ¡°What are you doing now?¡±


    Azami: ¡°The lake side, it had trees here, here, here, here, here, and all over there, but once the lake starts the trees are gone. There is a large vine rope hanging across from this tree to this one and several large flat rocks here, here, here, and here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually much better, what about the types of trees? The color of the rocks, how clear or murky is the lake?¡±


    Azami: ¡°The trees are Elvish Pine, they are very tall and thick with a deep green pines, and at this time of year they will be budding out with the start of large elongated pine cones. I don¡¯t know much about rocks but they are dull grey. The Lake is crystal clear with little plant and animal life in it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± ¨CI then take out a map stretching it out.- ¡°Now can you point to about where it would be on the map?¡±


    Azami looks at it for a few seconds, tilts her head to one side, and then points at the map. I look at the map but she is pointing nowhere near Exeter¡­


    ¡°You did say the forest was in Exeter right?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Of course. Either that or Exeter surrounds the forest.¡±


    ¡°The point you are pointing at is in Sarnova¡­ That¡¯s on the complete opposite side of the map from Exeter.¡±


    Azami then tilts her head the opposite way then takes the map from me flipping it upside down and pointing at it again¡­ This time is at least in Exeter, but is that really the place...?


    ¡°Are you sure this is it?¡±


    Azami: ¡°It is not a place I can forget.¡±


    ¡­


    Well I guess the worse that can happen is that I wind up in the wrong forest somewhere and I then should be able to return.


    ¡°Alright, let me go first and make sure we arrive at the right location. Once I confirm even if I have to cast another [Gate].¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure this is safe?¡±


    ¡°Worst case scenario is we waste a lot of magic [Gate]ing around.¡±


    I then focus on the description Azami described looking at the area on the map and then cast [Gate]. The portal opens up so it at least leads somewhere.


    ¡°Alright here goes.¡±


    I step though the portal, and with the pull on the back of my chest I am propelled the great distance through the portal. When I arrive though the portal I am met with a feeling of weightlessness, but before I can get my bearings I crash into water with what sounds like several screams.


    With my strength swimming in my armor isn¡¯t hard, but it is still awkward. Once I discern which way is up I quickly break the surface. As I swim towards shore I look around and it does appear I have made it to the right location. What I wasn¡¯t expecting however was what appears to be quite a few pairs of scattered clothing among the vine rope that Azami described and on the flat rocks.


    As I make it to shore I can see several pairs of eyes peeking at me from behind a few of the trees each belonging to short women with pointed ears and varies degrees of green hair. With my [Dungeon Expert] skill I can sense the presence of quite a few more people closing in around me in the trees.


    I call out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to startle anyone. I seemed to make a miscalculation with a teleport spell.¡±


    A thin man appears from behind one of the trees with a sword, and shield both made from what appears to be the same type of metal like wood. The man is only tall enough to come up to my chest, but he has quite the mature face. He has short wavy green hair and points his sword at me and speaks in a whimsical voice.


    He seems to be barking orders, but I can¡¯t understand his language, so I slowly raise my hands a bit and say. ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    A young girl with wet and disheveled clothing, long green hair, and a familiar looking face appears from behind the tree. The man and her have a brief exchange in which the man appears to not be happy with.


    The woman then turns to me with a voice like a bird song and speaks in my language.


    Elf: ¡°Who are you, and how did you find our village?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was using a teleport spell trying to get to Exeter, and this was where I arrived.¡±


    Elf: ¡°There are quite a few protections in place around our village and teleporting in should not be possible.¡±


    ¡°One of my party members Azami, picked the location. She too is an elf, so maybe that is the reason.¡±


    The woman seems surprised to hear Azami¡¯s name and even though the elf man appears confused he too has a reaction to it.


    Elf: ¡°You know Azami? Are you the man that took her from us!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t understand, Azami joined us on her own, but if you allow me to cast my teleport spell again I can bring though the rest of my group Azami included.¡±


    Elf: ¡°Hold on! How do I know you are telling the truth!?¡±


    ¡°I have only just met her recently so I don¡¯t know much about her, but if you just allow me to bring her here we can straighten this all up.¡±


    The elf woman then speaks again with the elf man, he seems to get angry, but she then turns to me and says.


    Elf: ¡°Fine, but be warned if there is any funny business we will bring the entire force of Garamontia down on you.¡±


    I message Belinda and tell her I am about to open another [Gate], and to send Azami though first. I then cast [Gate] which causes the elves to get nervous, but they don¡¯t take any action. Once the portal is formed Azami exits from the portal, and the elf woman I was talking to seems to light up running up to Azami wrapping her arms around her.


    Elf: ¡°Sister! You¡¯re finally home!¡±


    Azami looks less then pleased as the elf woman is wrapped around her. Belinda, Roxy, and Zoey then arrive though the portal with confused looks on their faces while seeing the events taking place.


    ¡°Sister? You mean you¡¯re a normal elf?¡±


    Azami: ¡°That is correct I was born in this village, or I was born in this village so I am a normal elf.¡±


    Elf woman: ¡°I am sorry for earlier, I am Azura. I can¡¯t thank you enough for returning my sister to me!¡± ¨CShe says as she finally releases Azami and addresses me again.-


    Azami: ¡°We are only passing through as this was a location I had been to before it was a location we could teleport to. Either that or we could teleport here so this was the location selected to pass through.¡±


    Azura: ¡°But what about your husband?¡±


    All of us: ¡°Husband?!¡±


    Azami: ¡°That is correct, after claiming the dungeon that threatened the village I was to wed the village chief¡¯s son. Either that or the village chief¡¯s son was to marry me because I claimed the dungeon that threatened the village.¡±


    Azura: ¡°After the mean human with the slick black hair took you away I was sure to act as your surrogate during the wedding right proper. Now that you have returned your husband will be happy to hear he can finally produce the heir in which will become the next village chief.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Azami: ¡°As my surrogate you are to take my place in the event I am unable to return to the village, so you must bear the next chief yourself. Either that your you must bear the next chief as I can no longer remain, and you are my surrogate.¡±


    Azura: ¡°But Miliano couldn¡¯t do that to you! You have always been by his side, and you are home now.¡±


    Azami: ¡°After my new master¡¯s mutual friend and I left the village I became my new master property so it is only natural that I can¡¯t remain and you must now take my place. Either that or it is natural for you to take my place now that I am the property of my new master and can¡¯t remain here.¡±


    Azura¡¯s gaze falls on me and if looks could kill¡­


    ¡°Hold on a minute here¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°Worry not master. Even if I wasn¡¯t bound to you I have learned much with our mutual friend, and could no longer remain oblivious here in the forest.¡±


    Azura: ¡°But what about how Miliano feels!¡±


    Azami: ¡°His feelings on the matter are irrelevant, and he must learn to understand he is insignificant. Either that or he is insignificant in the greater scale of the world which is past the forest.¡±


    Azura: ¡°I can¡¯t believe you would say that sister! You of all people¡­ It must be this man! He did this to you!¡±


    ¡°Wait a second¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°My new master is not relevant to the matter. We do however have a mutual friend that showed me that even something like claiming a single dungeon crystal would not be enough to be called strong. Either that or one can¡¯t be considered strong just because they claimed a single dungeon crystal.¡±


    ¡°I said hold on¡­!¡±


    Azami & Azura: ¡°¡­?¡±


    ¡°I admit we are in quite a hurry, but the trip on foot was expected to take at least a few days, so if there are matters we need to address concerning Azami, we can spare some time if needed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He is right we know very little about Azami, I would like to learn more about before the time she joined up.¡±


    Azami: ¡°If that is what Master wants¡­¡±


    Azura: ¡°Good, I will then lead you to my sister¡¯s house and we can then discuss her release.¡±


    I sigh and cast [Clean] on myself to dry myself off and then Azura leads us through the trees until the trees start to twist and turn. There are not anything you would call a building in the village but there are several shaped trees that are twisted and turned in a way creating supports for large cloth like drapes hanging from them. The tops of the trees even are twisted together to create the roof.


    There are not very many but one thing they all have in common is they are huge, some using dozens if not hundreds of trees to make up each one. When we pass one with what I would assume be the door is draped open you can see they are just massive single room dwellings with tiers of stacked barracks like beds some as much as ten beds high.


    Many of the elves that are in the village stop to stare at us as we walk through, and we can hear their murmurs to one another as we pass by.


    Belinda and Roxy look around quite amazed, and Zoey seems indifferent about our surroundings but seems to find Roxy¡¯s reaction to be much more important. We continue past the large dwellings until we come to the smallest one in the village.


    Using only about 5 trees that turn and twist together it makes up a dwelling about the size of any one room in the house in Tobes. Azura moves up to the opening flap of the dwelling and calls out.


    Azura: ¡°Miliano! Sister has returned!¡±


    The flap quickly flies open reviling a young handsome elf with perfect wavy green hair, shaped face, and chiseled body. His clothing is quite simple but is made far better then what the other elves we have seen are wearing.


    He too quickly hugs Azami when he sees her, but her reaction remains unchanged.


    Azami: ¡°I assure you I have not returned. My new master instructed we take care of this matter, and so I am here. Either that or my new master instructed us to take care of this matter, and that is the only reason we still remain.¡±


    Miliano: ¡°Master? You have become some human¡¯s slave?¡±


    Azami: ¡°That is incorrect on both parts. I am merely serving as a monster in my new master¡¯s dungeon. Either that¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Azami!¡±


    Belinda reacts quicker than I do, but Azura and Miliano seem less shocked at the revelation then they were about Azami being a human¡¯s slave.


    Miliano: ¡°A dungeon core¡­ Why after everything we went through¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°My new master¡¯s mutual friend told me I would receive great benefits from becoming bound to my new master, and as such I have.¡±


    Azura: ¡°It must be an ultimate command then, for no other reason would you choose to leave Miliano behind!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Let¡¯s start over¡­ How exactly do you know so much about dungeons?¡±


    Azami: ¡°That is easy, our entire village is descendants from monsters that dungeon in which I destroyed spawned from. Either that or I destroyed the dungeon in which gave our ancestors their life.¡±


    ¡°Then surely on destroying the dungeon you must have killed many of your own people?¡±


    Miliano: ¡°Including my father, but it was a small price to pay to finally be free¡­ How could you turn around a join another dungeon Azami¡­?¡±


    Azami: ¡°The mutual friend I share with my new master showed me quite a number of dungeons, and although there were quite a few like the one that held us, there were just as many that were different. Either that or it is just simply said no two dungeons are alike.¡±


    Azura: ¡°Even so to join another dungeon willingly¡­¡±


    Miliano: ¡°Well, let us go inside and then we can talk about this further¡­¡±


    We are led into the small dwelling and even though it is much smaller than the rest, it appears to be the only one in the village that is for a single family. We all then gather around sitting at what I could only assume is the dining area of the dwelling.


    Miliano is the first to speak after we sit, and directs it to me. ¡°So I assume then you are the primary boss monster of the dungeon Azami has joined?¡±


    ¡°No, I am dungeon core #212.¡±


    Azura: ¡°The dungeon core himself!?¡±


    Miliano: ¡°I see you are indeed quite different then the dungeon core that created our ancestors¡­¡± ¨CHe then turns his attention to Azami.- ¡°But even still how could you do this to your people Azami¡­ How could you do this to me?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Every human kingdom has those who are equal to my strength, and that isn¡¯t even including the adventurer¡¯s guild heroes. I learned my strength wasn¡¯t enough and after the mutual friend my master and I share told me of the possible gain I could get from joining my new master the result is obvious.¡±


    Azura: ¡°But without the dungeon looming over us you could of easily lived in peace.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Peace is only granted to those whose strength is great enough that nobody dares challenges you, and even the strongest creature on the content has those that wish him harm. In other words peace is merely an illusion of those who don¡¯t know the truth are just dreamers wishing for something they can never have.¡±


    Miliano: ¡°What about us¡­ After everything you just leave?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Azura was here in my stead and she even said she served as my surrogate, so no problems should have arisen.¡±


    Miliano: ¡°But after everything we promised¡­ You even destroyed the dungeon just to prove you were the most powerful woman in the village so no one could contest to our marriage.¡±


    Roxy and Belinda seem to be following the conversation with bated breath, and when I start to say something Belinda shushes me¡­


    Azami: ¡°And after I left you took Azura as my surrogate, so our promise is fulfilled.¡±


    Miliano: ¡°But that¡¯s not the same thing¡­ It is you that I loved!¡±


    Azami: ¡°And I you, but you could not save your people let alone me if need be so how could I remain with someone such as that?¡±


    Azura: ¡°Azami! How can you say that¡­?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am sure you only acted as my surrogate because you love him as well, so shouldn¡¯t this arrangement benefit you?¡±


    Azura turns a deep shade of red as she begins to blush. Meanwhile Belinda and Roxy are still enthralled.


    Azura: ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that, but the law stated that the chief had to marry the strongest women in the village, and in her absence a surrogate had to be chosen. When you killed the dungeon and Miliano¡¯s father died that meant Miliano had to marry. Then you left immediately after, and as your sister I was the obvious choice!¡±


    Azami: ¡°Rules set by the dungeon in which you would only have to follow now if it was something you wanted to do. Regardless the situation is unchanged. I am now bound to a new master and we will soon leave the village again at his order.¡±


    Miliano: ¡°Then please mister dungeon core, bind me to your dungeon as well so I can at least be with the woman I love!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ There are things that have to be considered. Besides aren¡¯t you the village chief? You can¡¯t just take off can you?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Master needs strong warriors to complete his task, and you would only be a hindrance. In other words you are not good enough to be by my side.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Ouch¡­¡±


    Miliano hangs his head while Azura tries to comfort him.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit harsh isn¡¯t it? I mean you don¡¯t feel anything for him?¡±


    Azami: ¡°As I said of course I love him, but matters like that are like peace. They are an illusion.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t really mean that.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Then answer me this master who is it you love?¡±


    ¡°I love Listel!¡± ¨CI quickly said it, but after the words leave my mouth regret washes over me as I see the pain in Belinda¡¯s face.-


    Azami: ¡°Then what of Belinda?¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve loved Belinda, but I am not that person anymore¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°So the object of your love changed with your situation. Does that mean the old you loved Belinda less, or just that the situation changed the object of your love?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is a different matter entirely!¡±


    ¡°I have to agree with Belinda. The love I had for Listel was real. It doesn¡¯t matter if it was orchestrated by her and her mistress, because it doesn¡¯t make the fact that I loved her an illusion. Besides it was that love, that at the risk of me hating her and costing her life, that she wanted me to return to be Two-Twelve again.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    ¡°And that doesn¡¯t make what Two-Twelve and Belinda had was an illusion either. If he is still rooting around up there in my head then I am sure he is still just in love with her then he was before all this happened.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Then fine I still love Miliano, but the fact remains like you and Listel we cannot be together any longer, so he should focus on the one that is next to him that loves him just as much.¡±


    I know that was directed about Miliano, but I can¡¯t help feel it was directed to me as well, and before I can say anything Miliano speaks first as he takes Azami¡¯s hands.


    Miliano: ¡°Very well¡­ If that is really how you feel then I will try, but just know this. Even if Azura and I can be happy together it doesn¡¯t mean I will ever stop loving you or regret what we had.¡±


    Azami then quickly stands and says. ¡°Alright master it appears our matters are now finished, so we can now continue on with our task.¡±


    ¡­


    I instruct Azami to sit back down, and we continue to talk with Miliano and Azura for the next few hours. They tell us about the situation they had with their dungeon and the events leading up to Azami¡¯s departure.


    Apparently the dungeon core made the elven village in the dungeon and then unbound half of the elves over the years as they continued to live they were still forced to obey the dungeon¡¯s rules laid out as the elves that still belonged to the dungeon would be forced to punish their friends and family otherwise.


    The dungeon core would always keep the village chief and the highest level elves as dungeon monsters to keep them all in line, but with the help of the village chief¡¯s son Miliano, Azami who was born with a talent with magic, was able to train in secret until she became strong enough to take out the dungeon core.


    As soon as the dungeon was destroyed though a human with pitch black armor and slicked back black hair arrived and after speaking with Azami they both disappeared. From there it went on to Azami¡¯s account in which she talked about the things she experienced in the 10 plus years she followed Dyson around, but she never refers to him as more than ¡°our mutual friend¡±.


    Belinda said Azami wasn¡¯t bound to Dyson and she couldn¡¯t be tracked back to him when he sent her to help us, so I can¡¯t be for sure if she was ever taken to be one of his monsters, but it is clear she has quite a bit of respect for him.


    ¡°I have to say I am glad we came to be able to learn a bit more about Azami, but we do need to get back on the road.¡±


    Belinda takes out a rolls piece of parchment and hands it to Miliano and says.


    Belinda: ¡°With this if either of you want to hear from Azami, just write what you want to say to her on here. With the matching copy she will be able to keep in contact with you.¡±


    She then demonstrated with the matching parchment as Miliano and Azura stare quite amazed. With a final bit of farewells we then depart making our way out of the forest. According to Miliano the nearest human settlement is about 2 days past the forest.


    Once the sun starts to go down however we still have yet to make it out of the forest.


    Belinda: ¡°Should we set up camp, or use [Gate] and then return to this spot in the morning and progress from there?¡±


    ¡°We might as well head back if it really is at least 2 more days of travel we won¡¯t be in need of the magic, and we can prevent getting attacked that way. We might consider marking one of the trees though just so I have something to focus on for our return.¡±


    Belinda pulls the ribbon from her hair wrapping it around one of the trees. I then cast [Gate]  transferring us all to the edge of the dungeon were we picked up Azami this morning. After bidding her a good evening the rest of us transfer back down to Tobes.


    Roxy and Zoey make their way home and that leaves just me and Belinda left.


    ¡°Well I guess I will see you in the morning.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Actually if you have a minute I would like to talk.¡±


    ¡°Well the sooner we get to bed the sooner we can get back to it, but we already spent most of the day dealing with the situation with Azami, so why not a little while more¡­¡±


    Belinda then leads me into the dining room and before she takes her seat. ¡°Can I get you something?¡±


    ¡°No I¡¯m fine¡­ What is it you wanted to talk about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s what you said to Azami about love earlier.¡±


    ¡°Well what about it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess I just never thought about it like you had, I felt after what Listel did it just wasn¡¯t fair, but after hearing what you said it just got to me is all.¡±


    ¡°Well after everything it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but at that point it just didn¡¯t matter anymore. I¡¯m sorry it hurt you in the process, but without Two-Twelve¡¯s memories I can¡¯t say I am sorry about it either.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can understand that, but I just want to know where we go from here if Two-Twelve¡¯s memories never do return?¡±


    ¡°Honestly I can¡¯t answer that. What Azami said about Listel no longer being here made a lot of sense, but I feel like I would dishonor Two-Twelve by trying to take his place, and I just don¡¯t think I am quite ready to put Listel behind me either.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can respect that, but it doesn¡¯t make it any easier. Just know no matter what even if it¡¯s not on a romantic level I will be here for you as long as you will have me.¡±


    She then gets up moving over to kiss me on the forehead. After tying her hair ribbon around the tree her hair now hangs loose so it brushes against my face as she kisses my forehead and I am filled with that same scent that is all over the bed that fills me with comfort.


    Belinda: ¡°I guess I will see you in the morning then.¡±


    Even after Belinda leaves the room I am remain sitting in the chair a few minutes. I know Two-Twelve must have loved Belinda very much. Even without any of his memories I can still feel it tugging on me every time I catch a whiff of her scent or see her smile.


    It hasn¡¯t even been a week and I am already having trouble trying to recall Listel¡¯s scent. I know she freed me and sacrificed herself for Two-Twelve to be able to return to his own life, but I can¡¯t help feel that if I embrace Two-Twelve¡¯s life I would lose what I had with Listel.


    Doug: ¡°Two-Twelve?¡±


    I was so lost in thought I didn¡¯t even see him enter so when Doug spoke it startled me a bit.


    Doug: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt. I just seen you sitting there in the dark and wanted to make sure you were ok.¡±


    ¡°Yea, it¡¯s just the situation with Two-Twelve¡¯s¡­ My missing memory is all.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if I can help, but if you just need someone to talk to, I would be glad to just sit and listen if you want.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, but I probably should get to bed. We got another long day of traveling again tomorrow.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Oh¡­ Alright then.¡±


    I then get up from the chair and head upstairs. I quickly store my equipment with [Menu] then just collapse on the bed. Even though Belinda¡¯s scent seems to bring my body comfort it also causes me just as much pain as I think of Listel.


    In the end I decide to cast [Clean] on the bed till the scent no longer remains and then I am finally able to drift off to sleep.

 The Second City of Exeter

    Without the comforting scent on the bed I find myself having trouble sleeping¡­ I keep having nightmares about Listel¡¯s last few moments as I stare helpless at the screen. They each start out the same with what actually happened, but they all then twist in which the dead Listel would begin mocking me or blaming me for what happened.


    In the last one after Listel¡¯s face contorts and starts to ridicule me her figure changes to that of Belinda still lying there with glassy eyes and the same wounds as she just simply repeats the words ¡°Why.¡± I then wake in a cold sweat.


    Maybe casting clean on the bed wasn¡¯t such a good idea, it was strange to feel the comfort in Belinda¡¯s scent but at least I was able to sleep. I get out of bed moving over to the mirror and the face looking back at me is not the one I remember, but that of Two-Twelve.


    Just by my appearance you can tell I had a rough night so I start by casting [Clean] on myself. Two-Twelve¡¯s hair is quite shorter and courser then mine was, and it¡¯s a drab brownish-blond. I miss my hair and my chin¡­ I slap my face a few times and then start to comb my hair.


    First I try slicking it back, but that makes me look an awfully lot like Dyson, which makes me wonder if Two-Twelve ever asked Dyson which core he was born too. I run my hands back through my hair messing it back up again, and try several other styles until I just give up and go with the un-combed look.


    I have already spent far too much time on this then I should and the sun can already be seen creeping though the windows so I use [Menu] to equip my things and then head out of the room. I find Belinda, Roxy, Zoey, Doug, and his slave Aria in the dining room eating breakfast.


    Maybe I didn¡¯t do a good job because the first words out of Belinda¡¯s mouth after she sees me are. ¡°You look tired, did you sleep alright?¡±


    ¡°Yea, I¡¯m fine¡­¡± ¨CI say while moving over to Two-Twelve¡¯s spot and sitting down.-


    Belinda starts to get up saying she will get me some coffee, but I tell her its fine. She looks a little upset but doesn¡¯t say anything else as she sits back down eating her breakfast.


    Doug: ¡°Are you not going to have anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not much of a breakfast person.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Or lunch or dinner!¡±


    Roxy slaps Zoey on the shoulder while Zoey smiles with a sheepish grin.


    Doug: ¡°Zoey, Aria wanted to know what you used in your hair? It really brought out its shine.¡±


    Zoey hesitates then says. ¡°Ah, it was something from the adventurer¡¯s shop. Some monster extract or secretion or something like that.¡±


    Belinda face palms while Doug and Aria have pretty uncomfortable expressions. Roxy quickly chimes in.


    Roxy: ¡°She is joking. It¡¯s something we picked up in the capital, but it is tailored to each different hair color, so the one I would use or Aria would use would have to be a different one.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I see¡­ We might have to check that out next time we head back to the capital.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But if you roll around in one of them blue slimes from up in the dungeon, that scent will last for days! That is if someone doesn¡¯t keep casting [Clean] on you every five minutes.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey! If you keep saying things like that they are going to think you aren¡¯t joking.¡±


    Doug and Aria laugh, but I don¡¯t think Zoey actually was joking¡­ Everyone then finishes their breakfast and after Aria helps Belinda clean up Doug and Aria wish us luck and then head into town. We then transfer up to the edge of the dungeon again and after Azami is ready we use [Gate] to return to the forest.


    Belinda¡¯s ribbon is still hanging on the same place on the tree so it looks like we made it back to the same location alright, and we then set out though the forest. It only takes us about an hour to finally clear the forest, and if what the elves said was true we should be looking at two full days of travel from here.


    The further west we travel the rockier the surrounding area gets. Its early spring and most things should be in the beginning stages of blooming, yet everything looks closer to fall. I know Lodia is barren and dead, but to be spreading this far into Exeter I can see why the humans are worried.


    I try to push our pace a bit on the quick side, but still not to the point it was yesterday morning, so by evening we have made good progress but I hope it was enough that we can at least reach the town tomorrow afternoon sometime.


    Belinda notices the look on my face and says. ¡°I know it is nothing traveling back and forth with [Gate] but we have been wasting quite a bit of time in the morning with breakfast and everything so maybe we should set up camp tonight instead of heading back.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I would rather sleep in the trees, but we did seem to get a late start this morning.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Aww, but I like our bed, and if we sleep outside we will have to have a watch and everything like that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You wanted to become a dungeon monster again, and part of it is being on the road and traveling.¡±


    Azami: ¡°If you are concerned about sleep I can take your watch, I require little sleep and my friends and I can keep watch by ourselves. Either that or my friends and I can keep watch by ourselves because we require little sleep, so we can take your watch while you sleep.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yay!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°No, we will do our part.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Really it is not a problem as I will be awake anyway.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well if you are sure.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well Two-Twelve looks like if he goes to sleep he will be out the rest of the night, so we probably should take the first watch, and when it¡¯s time we will wake you Azami.¡±


    Azami: ¡°If that is what you wish.¡±


    ¡°I am not that bad off. I could probably even go a few days without sleep.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It looks like you already have.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¨CI then find a large rock and sit down leaning against it and stretching.-


    I just sit and watch while the others use [Shadow-pocket] to pull varies items out and Belinda even makes a fire and starts preparing a meal.


    ¡°I thought the making of the meals was part of the problem that is causing us to waste time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well we are already stopped for the day, and if we are not having breakfast in the morning we could at least have a good meal tonight.¡±


    ¡°Nobody here is even required to eat.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t enjoy doing it.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Like sex!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey!¡±


    ¡°Well I guess we are done for the day, so it¡¯s not like its hurting anything.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Now that I think about Azami, you haven¡¯t eaten with us the entire time you have been part of the dungeon, is there something you like to eat?¡±


    Azami: ¡°We always ate just to survive, not out of enjoyment, so now that I am part of a dungeon I don¡¯t see the need anymore. Either that or there is no need to eat now that I am part of the dungeon, and I find no enjoyment from it because I only did it in the past to survive.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Then I will take her share! And boss¡¯s too because he doesn¡¯t like to eat either.¡±


    ¡°You know I think I will at least try it.¡±


    Zoey¡¯s ears droop but Belinda eyes light up as she says. ¡°Really?!¡±


    ¡°When I was with Listel we didn¡¯t eat, but we did drink alcohol once and I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed that coffee the other morning. I can¡¯t say just because Two-Twelve disliked food I will to just on them grounds alone.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But boss liked both of them things as well.¡±


    Belinda seems more conflicted about it now.


    Belinda: ¡°So you are only doing it to separate yourself from Two-Twelve?¡±


    ¡°Well if I enjoy it doesn¡¯t that mean we are not as alike as everyone thought, but if I don¡¯t maybe we are?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I never thought I would say that I hope you don¡¯t enjoy my cooking.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean if I do enjoy it we are different people. If his memories return I am sure I will not just disappear, and if they do return maybe this is something I could give him he didn¡¯t have before.¡±


    Belinda regains some of her enthusiasm but still looks a little conflicted. It becomes irrelevant when Belinda finally presents me some of the food. She stares at me enthusiastically while I start to chew on a piece, but my eyes begin to water and I swear this must be was eating a piece of coal would be like.


    I would say she did it on purpose and it is not the way it is supposed to taste, but Zoey seems to be greatly enjoying it and it looks identical to my own.


    Belinda: ¡°So what do you think?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good¡­¡± ¨CI struggle to say while I cough.-


    Belinda seems almost relieved when she says. ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am sure you did your best.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss can I have the rest of yours then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Did you already eat all of that Zoey?!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What I was hungry¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like Two-Twelve said, you don¡¯t get hungry.¡±


    I hand my food to Zoey and she gives me a big toothy grin and begins happily chewing away on it. After dinner Roxy and Zoey then prepare for bed. I have to say I seen Zoey naked just the other day when I made her a boss monster but when Zoey and Roxy both change into pajamas while only turning their backs to me is rather embarrassing. Belinda then moves over and asks me if I would help her out of her armor.


    When I get up and start to help her remove her armor I can¡¯t shake an image of practically peeling a gambeson from her sweaty skin wearing only a simple pair of short shorts and a light top, but that doesn¡¯t make sense because as a dungeon monster the temperature would have to be quite extreme for her to sweat. Besides this dwarven full-plate armor is made in a way that doesn¡¯t even require a gambeson, so her clothes underneath are normal traveling clothes if not a bit on the high quality side.


    It makes it quite hard to concentrate, and as soon as she removes the last piece of armor I quickly clear my throat, shake my head, and sit back down.


    Belinda: ¡°I could help you with yours if you like.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± ¨CI quickly say startling her. - ¡°I mean I¡¯m fine for now. I will leave mine on till our watch is over.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok¡­¡± ¨CShe then sits down next to me and lays her head on my shoulder, but she then quickly sits back up. - ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, but I am sure that pauldron isn¡¯t very comfortable¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea, seeing you in armor is taking quite a bit to get used to, the only time I have ever seen you in armor was just after Thirty-seven died¡­ But I guess you don¡¯t remember that do you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If your memories don¡¯t come back things like that will be the ones the hurt the worst. They are painful memories, but having no memory of Thirty-seven is even sadder.¡±


    ¡°Well then tell me about it, who was Thirty-seven?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess you could say she was the closest thing to a big sister that a dungeon core could have. She was a dungeon core that failed her training due to some trauma she got while the core that was training her was killed by adventurers. Madam Erin took her in and when you were born Thirty-seven was the one that helped you though you¡¯re training. She even was your boss monster during that time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying Madam Erin was the one I was born to? Then what about Dyson was he born to her as well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Dyson? I don¡¯t know. Why would you say that?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I guess it¡¯s nothing then, anyway you were saying?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thirty-seven opened up a lot while you were training, but after you started your own dungeon she regressed back to the way she was before you were born. Madam Erin decided to send her to stay with you for a while so maybe you would be able to help her, and things were really starting to go good¡­ But an overzealous group of adventurer¡¯s confronted you both and during the fight Thirty-seven lost her life.¡±


    ¡°That is quite a sad story¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°At the time it was just you, Lilah, and me. We all took it pretty hard, but Lilah probably took it the worst. That small stuffed cat she takes around with her was something you gave Thirty-seven.¡±


    ¡°I think I seen that in the core room¡­ It reminded me of Listel¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is kind of a habit of yours. You always kept making stuffed animals for the girls that represented the animals their beastkin traits follow. I guess that started with that cat, you made it for Thirty-seven right after Listel first came to the dungeon the first time, so I guess it makes sense that it reminded you of her.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry I guess I am just making things worse aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I am glad to hear about it.¡±


    Belinda then lays her head back down against my pauldron and we continue on with our watch. At some point Belinda must of fell asleep, as our watch comes to an end I debate wanting to wake her up to get Azami up, but that solves itself when wakes up on her own.


    Azami: ¡°Me and my friends got this now, so go ahead and rest.¡± ¨CShe says as she casts [Shadow-pocket] and the 16 muck made monsters surround the outside of the group in a circle.-If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    I am sure with the way they are circling us it would look quite disconcerting from the outside looking in, but even if they are quite grotesque to look at their movement is pretty rhythmic so between watching that and Belinda¡¯s scent as she is lying against me, I find myself drifting off to sleep pretty quickly.


    When I finally open my eyes I am no longer leaning against the rock but lying flat on my back. Above me it is pure black, I look around and it appears I am in the core room of Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon, but the number of screens on the wall are much fewer.


    Over at the desk where I would expect to see one of the bunnies is instead a young squirrel beastkin sleeping with her head on a pile of clothes with a mischievous smile on her face. I try to get out of bed but I notice someone is on top of me.


    It appears to be Belinda but instead her hair is a different shade of red and short, when she opens her eyes and looks up at me they are also green instead of the deep ocean blue color they are now. We are both completely naked and it seems Belinda just noticed the situation we are in as well as she screams and covers herself with the blanket while retreating to the far end of the bed.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    Her scream and voice seems to cause my head to hurt quite a bit and I grab it while saying. ¡°Not so loud¡­ My head.¡±


    I then get out of bed walking over to the desk while Belinda¡¯s eyes are following me the entire way. I grab the clothes from out from underneath the squirrel¡¯s head causing it to thump loudly against the desk.


    Squirrel: ¡°Oye!¡± ¨Csays the squirrel as she starts to look me over. She quickly looks over my nude body and while blushing a smile forms on her face.- ¡°Well isn¡¯t that a sight to wake up too?¡±


    ¡°What are you playing at?¡± ¨CI say while tossing a colorful dress and pair of women¡¯s undergarments at Belinda.-


    Belinda quickly scrambles pulling them under the blankets as she tries to put them on and both girls continue to stare at me with bright red faces. The squirrel continues watching intently as I bend over and begin pulling on my shorts, she goes as far as tilting her head to one side.


    Amy: ¡°Now that¡¯s not what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°What is something the matter?¡±


    The blushing squirrel looks quite pleased with the view as she says with a smile on her face. ¡°No, nothing at all.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Amy!¡±


    I quickly jerk awake, causing Belinda to slide off my shoulder waking her up as well. I am back at our campsite with Azami¡¯s ¡°friends¡± circling around.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Where is Amy?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You remember Amy?¡± ¨CShe says now completely wide awake with an excited expression.-


    ¡°She was always with you right? What happened to her?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She is back at the Gowen capital with Logan, she and Kline switched places so Kline could stay with Scylla and Amy could stay in the capital where she wanted to, remember?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But you remember Amy! That¡¯s wonderful!¡±


    Belinda then jumps up and quickly wakes Roxy and Zoey repeating. ¡°He remembers Amy!¡± They look confused at first. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really that big of a deal, but I guess it is proof that Two-Twelve¡¯s memories are slowly coming back so I guess I can understand her excitement.


    Belinda¡¯s excitement continues all morning and as we are traveling she keeps asking me what I remember. Everything I seem to recall is all about Amy some of it is so disjoined and jumbled it make little to no sense, but with every new thing I mention Belinda becomes even more excited.


    ¡°She was in a fancy dress with her hair tied but looking like she didn¡¯t want to be there, She was standing behind you and I said something and she kicked my chair, but that¡¯s it¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That must have been when you met my father for the first time! You have remembered so much!¡±


    ¡°Not really¡­ I can¡¯t even make sense what is going on just snippets of time that Amy was present.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe Amy is the clue to you getting your memory back!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it works quite like that.¡±


    The one advantage of Belinda¡¯s enthusiasm is that we seem to be maintaining a good pace, and about mid-afternoon we can see the start of farmland. It still takes us close to an hour though before we actually reach the town. I thought it was a village, but it is closer to a city. It is at least the size of Tobes, although it is not near as tightly compact so it looks much larger.


    There is no big wall or anything around it, but there is still a checkpoint on the road leading into the city. Once we approach we see quite a few people flashing a yellow colored booklet that is similar to an adventurer¡¯s ID. When we finally approach the guard stops us.


    Guard: ¡°foreigners? State your business.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am Belinda Gowen third princess of the Gowen kingdom. I am passing through on my way to the capital in hopes to gain an audience with the Queen.¡±


    The guard checks Belinda¡¯s credentials and once he seems satisfied he says. ¡°Well welcome to Exolian second city of Exeter, everything looks in order so you should be able to come and go as you please, but I believe you are in for a rude awakening once you reach Exelka. Being a princess should allow you to get a meeting with a councilman or two, but if Gowen was serious about an audience with the Queen it would have been wiser to send one of Gowen¡¯s military commanders.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well at the moment I am not even here on an official capacity, but I heard that the queen recognizes power over status so we are willing to do what it takes.¡±


    Guard: ¡°It will take more than expensive armor I assure you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I happen to also be a hero, and my husband is one 4 times over.¡±


    The guard actually seems impressed. ¡°I stand corrected then I haven¡¯t heard anything about a 4 time hero from the Gowen kingdom, but if that is true you might be able to prove yourself to the queen yet.¡±


    I take out our map looking for Exolian. ¡°So if we are in Exolian then the capital should be due north?¡±


    Guard: ¡°That is correct, but the undead pouring in from Lodia has been getting thick lately, so be on your guard as you continue your trip.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Guard: ¡°I would also keep an eye on your elf while in town, there used to be a settlement of them to the east. They would raid farms and attack the smaller settlements. They up and disappeared a dozen or so years ago, but there is still a bit of bad blood between elves and the residents.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thanks again.¡±


    He then lets us through and we enter the city.


    ¡°Is that true Azami, did you people used to attack the humans here?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Before I destroyed the dungeon the elves bound to the dungeon would be forced to raid the surrounding areas to bring xp back to the dungeon. The death of the dungeon ended that, and that is why they think they are gone. That and the magic they are using to conceal their location.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry your people had to go through all that.¡±


    Azami: ¡°It didn¡¯t affect me as I wasn¡¯t bound to the dungeon, but my grandfather was killed on one such raid.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Your grandfather? But what about your parents? You didn¡¯t tell us what happened to them¡±


    Azami: ¡°Like Miliano¡¯s father I killed them by destroying the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda seems horrified and still seems to be trying to process the information Azami just gave us so I speak up causing her to shake her head on change the subject.


    ¡°Well what do we do now? Do we continue north to the capital or try to get a better understanding of Exeter first?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The audience with the Queen is just the end objective, but the reason we are here is to train right? I think it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check out the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    After getting directions we make our way to the adventurer¡¯s guild of Exolian. For being a small city Tobes¡¯s adventurer¡¯s guild in the city hall is quite impressive, but the adventurer¡¯s guild in Exolian seems far grander.


    Instead of being a single building there is an entire section of the city walled off with the entry stating adventurer¡¯s only and adventurer¡¯s guild it even has a guard checking IDs as they enter. As we approach the guard eyes Belinda¡¯s ID quite suspiciously.


    Belinda: ¡°Does there seem to be a problem?¡±


    Guard: ¡°Your commission count is quite low, but you are already a hero. I have never even heard of someone without a favored element before though.¡±


    ¡°Well if that is shocking I am sure mine is more so, I have more dungeons destroyed that actual commissions complete, and all 5 of us don¡¯t have a favored element.¡±


    The guard seems to get more suspicious, but he would of discovered it himself when he looked, and I am sure getting ahead of the problem was the correct way to go, but Belinda seems to start getting worried about something.


    Guard: ¡°Let me see all of your IDs.¡±


    The others are beginning to get nervous as well but they had over their IDs, and I do as well.


    Guard: ¡°And the elf?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well she¡­¡± ¨CBelinda quickly stops herself once Azami then pulls an adventurer¡¯s ID handing it to the guard, and Belinda¡¯s nervousness seems to lessen a bit.-


    The guard however looks over all of them seeming more and more suspicious with each one. He finally just says. ¡°I am going to have to ask you all to come with me.¡±


    He tells one of the other guards something quietly and then leads us inside the wall. The adventurer¡¯s guild of Exolian really does seem to be a village all to itself with shops, a few inns, and a very large tiered building right at the center easily larger than all the adventurer¡¯s guilds I know combined.


    We however are led to a building off to the side. It is quite large itself, but there is quite a few nervous young people each holding a form waiting to go up to the counter. The guard proceeds to talk to one of the people behind the counter who in turn waves their arm. We are quickly surrounded by several strong looking guards.


    ¡°There seems to be a misunderstanding¡­ What exactly is going on?¡±


    The young people with the forms quickly step back worried. While the man behind the counter walks over to us.


    Man: ¡°You might be able to skirt by with fake IDs like this in some other country but fake adventurer IDs are a serious crime here in Exeter.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I assure you they are not fake, I am the third princess of the Gowen kingdom, and also run the adventurer¡¯s guild in Tobes.¡± ¨CShe tries to present her credentials but the man ignores them.-


    Man: ¡°Most likely fake as well.¡±


    ¡°If you think they are fake then make me another, if you do it yourself and it comes out the same that should prove the IDs are real right?¡±


    Man: ¡°Oh you think your smart, but you can¡¯t fake the guild¡¯s magic, alright you think you can prove it then let¡¯s do it.¡±


    The man leads me over to the machine to create me another ID after going through the process when my ID is filled out though the guild¡¯s magic the man¡¯s face pales.


    Man: ¡°That can¡¯t be possible¡­¡±


    He looks at the IDs again, and then smirks.


    Man: ¡°That¡¯s why you insisted me check your ID, it¡¯s the only real one! But a B ranked hero with that many commissions there is no way the elf is only level 4¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Azami you are a B-ranked adventurer? I wasn¡¯t even sure you had an adventurer¡¯s ID.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Of course. Our mutual friend had me make one after I left home.¡±


    The man makes Azami make another ID and is shocked again.


    Man: ¡°How¡­¡±


    ¡°Well the ability Azami got when destroying the dungeon also reset her level that¡¯s why she is only level 4 and Zoey has only done in town commissions so far, but she has good skills so I invited her to join us to help her level up. I assure you all of our IDs are legitimate.¡±


    Man: ¡°What about Divine before your race or the lack of a favored element?¡±


    ¡°That is a skill of mine I got when I destroyed one of the dungeons, every few months I can boost someone¡¯s magical ability, it adds the divine to their race, and removes their favored element.¡±


    Man: ¡°That¡¯s not even¡­¡± ¨CHe looks like he is about to pass out.-


    Belinda: ¡°Like I said I am a princess of Gowen, you don¡¯t think I would go adventuring with normal adventurers do you?¡±


    The guard seems to step back up and begins to apologize.


    Guard: ¡°I am sorry princess. Fake IDs have become quite a problem here lately and when all of your IDs looked so outlandish.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    The commotion as seemed to die down now and the other guards stand down and even though we are the talk of the building the young people resume trying to get their IDs.


    Man: ¡°If you will forgive me princess, I will lead you all to the main building and make sure they know that your IDs have been confirmed, so you don¡¯t have to go through something like this again.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I would appreciate it.¡±


    As the man leads us out of the door Belinda whispers to me. ¡°That was quick thinking I thought we were going to be in a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Honestly so did I¡­ At any point if he didn¡¯t buy any of that it would have been hard to refute.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was practically shaking though, but you seemed so calm. I don¡¯t know if the Two-Twelve I know would have been able to handle that so well.¡±


    The man leads us into the large central building heading up to the counter he shows the receptionist our IDs and tells her we are alright. He then hands us back our IDs along with the extra ones of my own and Azami¡¯s


    Man: ¡°Your ranks and levels are all over the board, so I don¡¯t know what kind of commissions you plan to take, but she should be able to at least get you all situated where you need to be. And again I am sorry for the confusion¡­¡±


    After apologizing one more time the guy then leaves quickly heading from the building and the woman behind the counter asks us what she can do for us.


    ¡°Well for one we should probably take it slow till Zoey gets the hang of things, so we should probably start with some C-ranked commissions.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Each rank has its own dedicated floor with the expectation of D-rank it has the non-combat and a combat type commissions on two separate floors. This floor is for the non-combat commissions for D-ranked, so if you plan to take C-ranked commissions that will be two floors up. Given your situation I will take you upstairs to make sure you don¡¯t have any problems up there as well.¡±


    With that we are being led though the building again. Uthaira¡¯s adventurer¡¯s guild seemed to function much in the same way as this one, but were Uthaira¡¯s seemed to get smaller going up this one doesn¡¯t In fact this appears to be at least as many people on it as the first.


    Receptionist: ¡°I will speak with the receptionists at the counter, if you want to find the commissions you would like to take just bring the commission ID number to the counter, and they can then help you after that.¡±


    The receptionist then heads to the counter and points to us while talking to the others. We then head to the commission board to see what is available. It is pretty late in the afternoon so I am assuming the commissions would be pretty thin, but the entire board appears to be covered still.


    You don¡¯t seem to take the commissions down here, as I see another group writing down several numbers from the board then heading towards the counter.


    ¡°Well what do you all think?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°From the commissions it appears there are at least 2 separate dungeons nearby, and that¡¯s not including the undead from Lodia¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I want to take this one!¡± ¨CShe says pointing to a commission.-


    Dungeon Commission #593:


    Requirements: Ability to cure meat.


    Request: 1000 Dire Hogs worth of cured meat.


    Rewards: 1 gold per Dire Hog worth of cured meat, reward given to the first 1000 dire hogs worth of meat provided.


    ¡°Zoey¡­ Dire Hogs are far from what we are looking to train on, besides does anyone even know how to cure meat?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I get the concept, but I don¡¯t personally know how to do it.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Besides Zoey if we took that commission you would eat all the meat before we made it back with it.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I thought we could split it down the middle one for us and one for the commission.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know how large a dire hog is? Just how much can you eat?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I have placed second place in the eating competition during the winter solstice festival 3 years running!¡±


    ¡°Only second?¡±


    Zoey¡¯s ears droop and Roxy puts her hands over them lightly as she says. ¡°It¡¯s kind of a sore spot for her¡­¡±


    Zoey then perks back up. ¡°But this year I am going to win for sure!¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s see if we can find something not with our stomachs but that would help for training a bit more.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about this one?¡± ¨CShe says while pointing.-


    Dungeon Commission #267:


    Requirements:  Combat of level 20 equivalent monsters.


    Request: Eliminate orcs from the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon.


    Rewards: 1 gold per orc eliminated, and must provide both ears as proof. 1 commission point rewarded for every 10 orcs per party member


    ¡°Well orcs might be a bit tough for Zoey at the start, but what else does the ruined colosseum dungeon have?¡±


    Dungeon Commission #281:


    Requirements:  Combat of level 20 equivalent monsters.


    Request: Eliminate harpies from the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon.


    Rewards: 1 gold per Harpy eliminated, and must provide complete right foot as proof. 1 commission point rewarded for every 10 harpies per party member.


    Dungeon Commission #246:


    Requirements:  Combat of level 25 equivalent monsters.


    Request: Eliminate Ogres from the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon.


    Rewards: 2 gold per ogre eliminated, and must provide right hand as proof. 1 commission point rewarded for every 10 ogres per party member.


    Dungeon Commission #234:


    Requirements:  Combat of level 30 equivalent monsters.


    Request: Eliminate trolls from the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon.


    Rewards: 2 gold per troll eliminated, and must provide nose as proof. 1 commission point rewarded for every 10 trolls per party member.


    Dungeon Commission #230:


    Requirements: ability to map dungeon floor.


    Request: Mapping of the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon.


    Rewards: 100 gold per newly discovered floor mapped. 1 commission point rewarded per party member per newly discovered floor. Current deepest floor mapped 32 35 37


    Dungeon Commission #231:


    Requirements: Unknown level of Combat


    Request: Identify new monsters in the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon.


    Rewards: 50 gold for first kill, minimum of 2 gold per each like monster kill after, and must provide some identifiable proof. Each newly discovered monster will result in the 50 gold reward. Additional gold per kill negotiable at Exolian or Exelka adventurer¡¯s guild. 1 commission point reward per party member for first kill additional points rewarded at adventurer¡¯s guild discretion.


    There are also quite a few for weaker monsters in the ruined colosseum dungeon but they are almost worthless, we write their numbers down as well because even without the gold the commission points might be of more value to us at this point.


    We end up with about 15 numbers by the time we return to the receptionist. She looks over our list she then asks for our IDs again and doing something even Belinda seems surprised about she adds the commissions to the bottom of the ID.


    Belinda: ¡°Wait¡­ How did you do that?¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I run the adventurer¡¯s guild in Tobes in the Gowen kingdom, but I have never seen an adventurer¡¯s guild use the guild magic to actually add the taken commissions to the adventurer¡¯s ID.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°It is standard practice in Exeter, it allows the adventurer to look back on their ID if they forget what items they need to acquire or whatever the commission is asking of them.¡±


    Belinda looks a little concerned as we wait for the receptionist to add the commissions to each of our IDs. After she is done we start to make our way out when Belinda says.


    Belinda: ¡°They don¡¯t realize just how close to making the Gowen communication parchment they are¡­ I need to tell Logan.¡±


    First chance she gets she does just that, and then we do a little shopping. We buy a copy of the map of the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon, and a few other items that may be of use. The adventurer shops in Exeter are on a completely different level.


    Even being the second city of Exeter we find several pieces of Mythril and Dwarven equipment for sale but the prices are so astronomical. We decide to spend the rest of the day looking around before choosing one of the nicer inns to rest at.


    Like the one I stayed at once before with Listel this one has various items more tailored to the adventurer like an armor rack, but the quality is by far better. The prices are quite high as well making even Belinda hurt when paying for 5 rooms. Especially when Azami tries to protest afterwards about staying in one.


    Belinda: ¡°I am sorry Azami, this is where we have to stay tonight, I know you might not like it but it¡¯s the only choice we got.¡±


    Azami: ¡°It makes me claustrophobic. Can¡¯t you at least send me back to the forest and retrieve me in the morning?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon we are heading to is only a few hours from the city, and we should be able to cut that time in at least half, if we have to use [Gate] it could put us in a bind later in the day for magic. Besides if we spend several days or weeks in the dungeon I am sure it will be much worse than this inn.¡±


    Azami finally admits defeat and we manage to get her to her room. After Roxy and Zoey retire to their room it leaves just Belinda and me yet again.


    Belinda: ¡°Well, good night¡­¡±


    ¡°Good night Belinda.¡±


    Belinda looks like she wants to say something else but it looks like she decides not to and then retreats into her room. I then retreat into mine storing my equipment in [Shadow-pocket] to be on the safe side and then go to bed.

 Ruined Colosseum Dungeon

    I seemed to be having a somewhat pleasant dream when I am awoken by a light tapping on my door, and I can¡¯t recall what the dream was about. I roll out of bed and start getting dressed when I hear the light tapping on the door again.


    ¡°Alright, give me a second!¡±


    After I say that there is now a scratching at the door. So I walk over and fling the door open and Zoey is standing there surprised.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Morning boss¡­ Belinda wanted me to make sure you got up alright.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m up¡­ Now can I get dressed?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I don¡¯t know Belinda might like that half-dressed look.¡±


    I sigh and say. ¡°I will be ready in a few minutes¡± I then shut the door and finish getting dressed but every few seconds I can hear the scratching at the door¡­


    Once I step into the hall Zoey then hightails it downstairs. If she was going to wait that long she could have waited for me... When I reach the lobby there are quite a few groups that seem to be making their final adjustments before setting out, and I find my girls off to one side.


    Belinda: ¡°Good morning. We are ready when you are.¡±


    ¡°Well I think we got everything we need now so let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    Heading north out of the city towards the dungeon the ground looks in far worse shape than it did before. The few farms that do remain on this side of the city seem to be struggling with withered looking crops, but most of the farms look to be abandoned.


    Belinda: ¡°This is starting to look pretty bad, you said the cause of this in Lodia was dungeon didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon Core #502 I think he goes by Archbishop Hayden or something like that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You do remember?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain it, I mean I don¡¯t remember it, but as you asked the question it just came to mind¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°He is one of our mutual friend¡¯s allies. I don¡¯t like the way he is killing the ground, but he is a very strong dungeon core, so there is not much we can do about it. Then again his strength is probably equal to that of Laura¡¯s so as we are setting our sights on he,r Archbishop Hayden doesn¡¯t seem that far of a stretch.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t want to make Dyson mad¡­ But maybe we can at least talk him into asking Hayden to not spread past Lodia?¡±


    ¡°He seems to try to stay out of others business, but if we can find a way to make it worth his effort then maybe. Especially given the fact Hayden is one of his allies.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But if Hayden keeps spreading like this it will begin to threaten the other dungeons as well.¡±


    ¡°Well like Azami said, we are not really in the position of being able to do anything about it as we are.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Growing up I always thought that being a hero was the peak of power, but now that I am one it¡¯s not all that it is cracked up to be¡­¡±


    ¡°Well there are always those out there that are much stronger then you.¡±


    Belinda seems a bit discouraged now as we continue along the trail. Even though the farms have been abandoned the road still looks to be heavily traversed. Once we start to arrive at the location of the dungeon we find there is the semblance of a small town here, the buildings are shoddy at best, and are barely one step up from a tent. They are all geared to sell goods to adventurers as they come and go from the dungeon.


    The amount of adventurers here is also quite staggering. I am starting to wonder if we will be able to get any training done at all with all of these adventurers about. As we pass by there are several vendors that that try to pull our attention but nothing looks the quality of what it was back at the city and for at least twice the price.


    Even once we enter what I assume to be the first floor of the dungeon I can¡¯t be certain it even is part of the dungeon because there are no signs of monsters but still dozens if not hundreds of people wondering about.


    We don¡¯t even find a single monster as we progress deeper into the dungeon till we reach what I assume to be the 5<sup>th</sup> floor, and even then there are groups fighting over who gets to deal with them. Things start to thin out by the 10<sup>th</sup> floor, but it¡¯s not till the 15<sup>th</sup> that we get to fight our first battle.


    Even then we are interrupted part of the way through by some rude adventurers trying to get in a killing blow.


    Adventurer: ¡°Get lost! This is our floor!¡±


    ¡°These hobgoblins are barely worth our time, but we were here first and your attitude gets on my nerves.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Oh yea! What are you going to do about it? I will have you know I am a hero.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve this isn¡¯t worth our time, let¡¯s just keep going.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Yea listen to your little princess.¡± ¨CHe says in a mocking tone.-


    Belinda: ¡°First of all I am a princess. Belinda Gowen 3<sup>rd</sup> princess of the Gowen kingdom, and second of all, I am a hero myself. Along with Azami there and Two-Twelve is a hero 4 times over, so when I said you were not worth our time I meant it.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Yea sure¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°If he really is a hero like he claims his xp would be quite nice, my friends could easily deal with him so we don¡¯t waste our time.¡± ¨CShe says while drawing a line in the air and casting [Shadow-pocket].-


    ¡°No, Belinda¡¯s right it¡¯s not worth our time.¡± ¨CI say while Azami¡¯s mud monsters start oozing out of the line she drew in the air.-


    The adventurer looks to begin to panic watching the creatures coming from thin air, but he puts on a brave face and scoffs while stomping away.


    ¡°This dungeon is chaos¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It is as busy as The Tower of the Gods during the peak season, but at least there things seemed to be organized.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I would like to get Zoey a few more levels under her belt before we fight things much stronger then hobgoblins, but I guess she is still level 20 despite it saying she is only level 1, so we should be ok I guess.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m not worried, remember the dire wolves and gnolls we have beat.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°And they were tough fights, and we had more people then. Besides that has been practically a full year of you lounging around the house since then.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I haven¡¯t lost my touch!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I¡¯m not saying you have¡­ I just would like to ease back into it is all I am saying.¡±


    ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t look like we have much of a choice so we should move on¡­¡±


    We continue down to about the 17<sup>th</sup> or 18<sup>th</sup> floor fighting a few random stray hobgoblins. It is enough to make Azami and Zoey level up a few times, but as they were such a low level to start with that isn¡¯t saying much.


    By the time we reach the 22<sup>nd</sup> floor the adventurers have started to thin out enough that we are no longer bumping into one another, but with hobgoblin heroes and hobgoblin magi being the monsters roaming about we need to still head deeper.


    Actually having to fight our way down now makes going on quite a bit slower and by the time it starts to get late in the evening we have only progressed to the 24<sup>th</sup> floor.


    ¡°Well we probably shouldn¡¯t sleep in the dungeon, so we should think of using [Gate], but the question is do we go back to the inn or back home?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t change the magic cost no matter the distance, and I think if we stay at that inn much longer we will end up broke¡­ Besides sleeping in our own beds would be nice.¡±


    ¡°We just need to focus on getting back here first thing in the morning then instead of wasting time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t think breakfast is a waste of time¡­ But I promise no breakfast tomorrow.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Aww¡­¡±


    Once I get a good handle on the appearance of the room I cast [Gate] and we then filter though heading back to Tobes. Leaving Azami in the forest we transfer back to the house were we run into Belinda¡¯s brother.


    He seems really curious wanting to know how it is going, but we haven¡¯t really gotten started yet so there isn¡¯t much to tell. Roxy and Zoey quickly bow out heading home, and it seems to upset Belinda a bit when I retreat as well leaving her to deal with her brother.


    [Menu] really is wonderful, as soon as I enter my bedroom I store everything with it and crawl into bed. Just as I start to get comfortable there is a small knock on the door. I sigh and quickly roll out of bed. Finding my things in [Menu] would be a pain, so I grab a robe hanging on the back of one of the chairs in the room and put it on real quick answering the door.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh¡­ Were you heading to bed already? Aria wanted to borrow something but it¡¯s still in your room. I didn¡¯t think you were going straight to bed, I will just tell her I will get it later.¡±


    She has already seemed to store her gear, but is still wearing her traveling outfit.


    ¡°Well I am back up, so I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¨CI then open the door further to let Belinda in.-


    Belinda quickly moves over to the vanity going through several of the drawers but she keeps eyeing me in the robe. After grabbing a handful of make-up she then moves to the armoire looking though several colorful dresses until she picks one.


    ¡°What exactly is your brother and his slave up to?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They are going out tomorrow, and she just wanted to look nice instead of wearing her adventurer¡¯s outfit is all.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think their relationship went that way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t as far as I know, but despite his intentions Doug did save her from what was sure to be a bad situation. He has kept her as a slave, but treats her nice so it¡¯s no surprise she has a least a little bit of feelings for him.¡±


    ¡°Under the circumstances I don¡¯t know if you should encourage that kind of behavior though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you are one to talk!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No¡­ I should be sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to snap at you like that. It¡¯s just frustrating. You finally found your way back home to me, but it¡¯s like you¡¯re still not here. Then you will say or do something exactly the same way Two-Twelve always did and there is the short rush of excitement only for it to come crashing down again. I just miss you so much¡­¡± ¨CShe says as she starts to tear up.-


    I don¡¯t know what to say or do, so I simply walk over and put my hand on her head. When I do she buries her head into my chest and begins to cry while wrapping her arms around me. There is little else I can do so I let her just let it all out.


    After a few minutes she finally lets me go standing back up straight. With the dress and make-up still in her hands she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Look I know it must be hard on you. I know I would give anything just too even be able to just hold Listel again, so I can¡¯t make any promises, but if you just don¡¯t want to be alone. You can stay here tonight.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You really wouldn¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°I did kind of steal this body from your husband, so it seems like the least I can do.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m going to go give this stuff to Aria real quick and I will be right back ok?¡±


    Belinda then quickly makes her way out of the room. I don¡¯t know what I am doing anymore¡­But I couldn¡¯t just leave her with that look on her face. I seem to be getting nervous the longer Belinda is gone.


    If she is going to be sleeping with me, maybe I should at least put on some pants. I quickly scramble to put on some pants and then there is another soft knock on the door. Belinda hasn¡¯t been gone that long, but when I answer the door her hair is now loose and she is out of her traveling clothes and wearing a modest pair of pajamas.


    The most sensual part of the outfit is the fact the last button on the shirt is just above her navel so rest of the shirt is just loose fitting, and the bottoms are even full baggy pants, but I can¡¯t help to grow even more nervous when she walks in the room in them.


    After I close the door Belinda looks over at the bed and back towards me and chuckles saying. ¡°Is it weird that I am kind of nervous right now?¡±


    That doesn¡¯t help my nerves at all¡­ But I try to act like it doesn¡¯t bother me as I say. ¡°Well technically I am still Two-Twelve, I just don¡¯t remember anything, so just think of me as him and it should be alright.¡±


    She begins to blush as she says. ¡°I think that makes it worse¡­¡±


    ¡°You slept with your head on my shoulder the other night, and it wasn¡¯t a big deal. If we think about it too much we are just going to lose sleep over it.¡±


    She nods and then we head to bed. After several awkward apologies later we finally have settled in to bed comfortably with her laying on my arm, with her head on my shoulder, and one leg wrapped around mine.


    I am sure I can¡¯t fake it now as I can feel her heart beating very quickly I am sure she can feel mine doing the same. When I pull the blanket over us my arm brushes against her and I can feel the cold chills pop up on her arm. She lightly giggles which I would say causes my heart to skip a beat but within which the speed its beating it¡¯s more like 4 or 5 beats.


    With her scent filling me with every breath, the heat of her body, and the beating of her heart I can¡¯t say sleep comes easy, but when it finally does it feels more relaxing then I can ever recall. I dream of Belinda, I can¡¯t remember what the dream is about, but I know it was about her.


    When I finally open my eyes Belinda is lying with her chin on my chest just staring up at me with a quaint smile on her face.


    Belinda: ¡°Good morning.~¡±


    I run my hand through her hair it¡¯s not quite as thick as Listel¡¯s hair, but it is at least twice as soft. I then sit up and Belinda crawls out of bed. I don¡¯t know how long she was awake, but she seems to be fully dressed now instead of being in her pajamas. She moves over to the mirror while putting on of her long ribbons in her mouth she stars to work on her hair.


    I recall something like that happening in the past, but the ribbon was a different color, and I don¡¯t think she was wearing clothes at the time. Maybe it was just that dream I had or maybe it¡¯s some of Two-Twelve¡¯s memories, but I can¡¯t help but to just stare.


    It doesn¡¯t seem like it has past her notice either as I have seen her smile get bigger every time she peaks over her shoulder through the mirror back at me. When she starts to make the finishing touches to her hair I slide to the edge of the bed opening [Menu] and after a few moments I am set and ready to go.


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thanks to you, I got the best sleep I have had in quite a while.¡±


    ¡°For as little as it is worth I am glad I was at least able to help a little bit. It looks like I slept in a bit though so we better hurry.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I didn¡¯t want to wake you so I sent a message to the others, they should all be waiting for us with Azami now, so if you are ready we can go collect them and leave right away.¡±


    After Belinda and I transfer to the edge of the forest Belinda is beaming while Zoey has a mischievous smile on her face, but Roxy quickly elbows her. With a quick cast of [Gate] we return to the dungeon.


    Over the course of the next few hours we continue to make our way through the dungeon, and even for being so early in the morning there are quite a few adventurer groups already about as we run in to one about every four or five rooms.


    Most of them seem to be gathering for their commissions in the area they are in so we leave them behind as we progress deeper. Zoey and Azami have managed to gain a few more levels but they are the only ones.


    ¡°I think we will start hitting the orcs soon, so I want to check to see if we can get this cuff to work so I can gain xp.¡±


    We check what my xp is in my status screen and then I have Belinda activate the cuff, and I watch as my status screen becomes blank. I check several other menus and they still work fine, but when I pull out Two-Twelve¡¯s adventurer¡¯s ID it is blank as well. I then pull out Arngrim¡¯s ID and it has his number, home location, and number of completed commissions, but everything else is the same as what Two-Twelve¡¯s was displaying.


    We then continue to work our way through the dungeon traveling through several more groups of the hobgoblin heroes, and hobgoblin magi before I have Belinda disable the cuff and check on the results. Arngrim¡¯s ID has become blank again, while both of Two-Twelve¡¯s display information and my status screen fills out with information again.


    Even without my appearance or name being changed by the cuff it still seems to allow me to gain xp like a normal dungeon monster. Hopefully soon we can start testing out other items with the enchantments to see what works best. As it stands the elders are sure to know I am playing around with it before too long.


    I ask Belinda to reactive the cuff, but this time when she does I feel something tickle my nose. I take my helmet off and rub my face, and I have a rather thick but well-groomed beard and mustache.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was just curious what you would look like with it¡­¡±


    ¡°Please ask first before changing things on my body, but this won¡¯t affect anything so just leave till we are done.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Next time just do the mustache, the beard is too much.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think your right.¡±


    I sigh and put my helmet back on and we then resume our training. It takes us the rest of the day but we finally reach the 26<sup>th</sup> floor and encounter our first group of orcs. By fighting the hobgoblins Zoey and Azami have already reached level 10 again. I was a little worried about Zoey, but even against the group of orcs she doesn¡¯t have any problems although she is having a bit of trouble getting used to using magic but once she does she quickly surpasses Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s not fair¡­ I think I am your weakest boss monster now.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Now you know how I felt.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Belinda once your skills start to rank up you will catch up to the others again.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So should we [Gate] back home now?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to get more orcs killed, but I guess we can start fresh in the morning.¡±


    At the end of the third day we have finally reached the level of the dungeon where we can start our training. After everyone is ready we return home and I have Belinda disable the cuff. When I head to bed I half expected for Belinda to return again tonight, but it doesn¡¯t look like she is going to, and I think I am actually disappointed.


    Belinda¡¯s scent has returned to the bed, but it is not as near as strong as it was before, so it doesn¡¯t affect me much while I drift off to sleep. When I wake up early and prepare I start to think we will finally begin to get our training in, but I receive a message that may derail us quite a bit.


    Dyson: ¡°Madam Erin and I have been talking about you after your number disappeared from the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> yesterday. We would like to meet with you to discuss the progress you have made in understanding the items Laura placed on you.¡±


    ¡°My monsters and I are currently training, and it would be rather inconvenient at this time to drop it to meet with you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°May I remind you about our agreement, and the help I sent you after your disappearance.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And bring the collar and cuff with you. Someone will be along shortly to collect you.¡±


    I thought I had more time, are they really watching me so closely? Well I decide to head downstairs and inform the others. When I reach the entryway of the house they have all their gear prepared.


    ¡°Change of plans. The elders already found out about using the cuff and want to meet with me, so you guys can have some breakfast. Hopefully this won¡¯t take long, and let Azami know what is going on.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yes!¡± ¨CShe says as she makes a dash to towards the dining room.-


    Belinda: ¡°You think they are going to be mad at you for using it?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t really have a reason too, but they might try to take it away, and if they really try there isn¡¯t much I can do.¡±


    About that time there is a knock at the door.


    Belinda: ¡°Please be careful¡­¡±


    I nod and answer the door, I am not quite sure what I expected¡­ But I wasn¡¯t expecting Madam Erin herself, so when I see her I am quite surprised.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Don¡¯t worry princess I will have the pup back before long.¡±


    ¡°Well like I told Dyson I am quite busy at the moment, so if you please can we get on with it?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well you are quite snippier then you used to be.¡±


    ¡°Can you blame me? After everything I went through only for the elders to tell me ¡°too bad¡± and ¡°tough luck¡±, but now that they want something they are knocking at my door again.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well fine then. Let¡¯s get to it then.¡±


    Madam Erin leads me out of the house and to the edge of town back behind the girls¡¯ houses. Drawing some ruins on a tree a portal opens up and Madam Erin shoves me though. She follows me and we arrive in a small stone room with three archways with runes on them.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let Dyson know we are ready now.¡±


    After a few seconds she then erases some runes on one of the archways and fills it out till a portal opens and Dyson steps though.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Welcome to my little abode, why don¡¯t we go somewhere a bit more comfortable and have a chat.¡±


    Madam Erin then leads Dyson and me through a few hallways and opens a plain looking wooden door. On the inside is a small room with a few seats. After we head in and sit down Dyson is the first to speak.


    Dyson: ¡°Still living rather simply I see.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I don¡¯t get as many visitors as the great Dyson, so no need to waste xp on pointless things.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So first matter at hand. How are you holding up? Any of your memories return?¡± ¨CHe says turning his attention to me.-


    ¡°A few random pieces here and there, but they are all jumbled together and I can¡¯t make heads or tails from most of it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What about Laura? Have you heard from her or seen anything suspicious around your dungeon since your return?¡±


    ¡°Not that I know of, I upped the security in my dungeon a bit after returning, but not enough that would stop Laura if she wanted to cause a problem.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes a griffon and an earth dragon quite a feat for someone your age.¡±


    ¡°Well I gathered a bit of xp while under Listel¡¯s care.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It sounds like it. Now on to the other matter, did you bring the collar and cuff?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really have a choice did I?¡± ¨CI say while casting [Shadow-pocket] pulling the items out.-


    Dyson: ¡°I assume you added them to your inventory to see if you could duplicate them?¡±


    ¡°Well I didn¡¯t know about that at first and had stored them already, and I learned to summon quite a few new items when I returned so I haven¡¯t managed to see if I could replicate it or not.¡± ¨CI say while handing both items over to Dyson.-


    Dyson: ¡°I see.¡±


    Dyson takes the items holding them in front of him he then appears to be looking through a screen. He sets the collar down and continues to stare straight ahead. He then sets the cuff down and sighs.


    Dyson: ¡°The collar is normal enough, just the basic slave collar with a mind alter enchantment, but the cuff is a jumbled mess and I can¡¯t make any of it out. Whoever made it definitely knew what they were doing.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So what have you been able to discover about it so far?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much just how to turn it on and off.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Care to demonstrate it for us?¡±


    ¡°Well not on myself, and I am sure you don¡¯t want me to put it on either of you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well Madam Erin it¡¯s your dungeon, do you mind?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°will a mudkip suffice?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not another one of them hideous little creatures. Since we are inconveniencing Two-Twelve why not making it something else he can add to his collection.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I already gave him a dwarf.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I gave him the human and sent that elf to help track him down.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And don¡¯t think I won¡¯t hold that elf against you when the time is right.¡±


    ¡°Well if it matters, the elf became a boss monster so I am still unable to summon elves.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°There you go give him another elf.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Favored element of earth remember, and elves require wind.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Earth is the worst. All of the earth based species are quite bland.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I thought all you cared for were your precious humans anyway.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°All the women Two-Twelve summon are quite interesting I have actually been considering trading him for one of his beastkin.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I never thought I would see the day.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said this wouldn¡¯t take long¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fine you think I can¡¯t summon something that can get your jolly¡¯s off. They don¡¯t call me Madam Erin for nothing.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I¡¯ll take that bet.¡±


    While Madam Erin begins to pound away on a screen I start to wonder if they even remember I am here. When Madam Erin is done the monster she summons causes Dyson to smirk.


    I am not sure exactly what she is but she has got to be the most gorgeous female specimen that has ever roamed the earth. She is quite tall but her proportions are perfect, her hair is so dark it would give Dyson¡¯s armor a run for its money, and long it flows all the way to her heals. Her skin is like caramel and her eyes are a blue as Belinda¡¯s.


    At first I think she may be a beastkin of some kind due to short horns that curve back on top of her head, but her tail is flesh with a tip like a spade, and she has a large pair of bat like wings growing from her back. When Madam Erin clothes her, the outfit, if you want to call it that, would make would make a brothel girl blush.


    Dyson: ¡°A succubus? That¡¯s quite impressive, but not exactly an earth monster is it?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I said I could make one that could even impress you I said nothing about it being an earthen race.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That being said isn¡¯t that a little advanced even for Two-Twelve?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Damn you! I got wrapped up in it I forgot what we were even doing this for.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well regardless it should still at least serve our purpose. Maybe afterwards we could come to an agreement for a trade.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You have your humans. I think I¡¯ll keep her around for a while just to spite you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice and all, but I would really like to get this over with so I can return to my training¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Maybe I could just borrow her then? You are Madam Erin after all.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°This is going to eat you up isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m going to enjoy this.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fine fine pup put your little cuff on her and show us what you got.¡±


    I place the cuff on the girl, and active it, but nothing happens.


    Dyson: ¡°Well what¡¯s supposed to happen?¡±


    ¡°Is she in your monster list?¡±


    Madam Erin seems to be scanning a screen with her eyes, and then says. ¡°I don¡¯t see her anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Well there you go.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Well what did you expect? When I was wearing it and it was active I am removed from <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> and even my adventurer¡¯s ID was different.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What about your appearance?¡±


    I then deactivate the cuff and reactivate it this time trying to change the girl¡¯s appearance. Now the room has two Madam Erin¡¯s in it, but one is wearing the scantly looking clothing.


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you wanted to see what I looked like in that get up all you had to do was ask.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t think that through very well.¡± ¨CI say while disabling the cuff again.-


    Dyson: ¡°So you can control the appearance when you active it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about what I got out of it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s all you got?¡±


    ¡°I only had one day to work with it because you two were in a rush to have a meeting.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Hmm. I honestly thought there would be more to it than that. If that was all it did how did Laura prevent your escape?¡±


    ¡°That was a different collar all together, but Listel removed that one before she sent me back.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Damnit then this was all a waste?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the ones that called the meeting, and didn¡¯t give me any choice in the matter.¡±


    Dyson sighs. ¡°Mind if I keep the items for a while to look into it more?¡±


    ¡°You can keep the collar, but I still want to do more investigating on the cuff myself.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Do I have to remind you of our agreement?¡±


    ¡°You are demanding I hand it over not offering me anything worthwhile in return, so even by the agreement I have no reason to turn it over.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Let him go. You can always just keep an eye on him with [Observation].¡±


    I then remove the cuff from the girl.


    Dyson: ¡°So about the succubus.¡±


    ¡°Fine I am leaving¡­¡±


    Madam Erin and Dyson seem to begin bickering and not even paying attention to me so I use [Gate] to return home. Looks like I managed to hold on to it at least for a bit longer¡­ We really need to see if I can reproduce it.


    When I enter the dining room Belinda seems relieved to see me.


    Belinda: ¡°You made it back alright?¡±


    ¡°Luckily they found something more interesting to bicker about so I was able to duck out. I don¡¯t know how long I am going to be able to hold on to the cuff though, especially if Dyson starts watching our movements he is sure to notice I am going to be leveling too quickly.¡±


    It¡¯s a late start, but we decide to resume our training now, I have Belinda activate the cuff and we return to the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon.

 Training Interruption

    After reentering the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon after my meeting with Dyson and Madam Erin our training really begins. Zoey and Azami are leveling at a breakneck speed, Roxy and Belinda have even managed to gain some, but unfortunately I still have not.


    We have been moving around on the last few floors the last couple of days only encountering one other group of adventurers the entire time, but once the orcs seem to be no longer seemed to be enough to keep the group leveling we move deeper.


    At the 30<sup>th</sup> floor the orcs and orc magi give way to orc brutes and orc mystics but there are still no ogres in sight. Even after a full week of training and reaching as deep as the 34<sup>th</sup> floor we are making far less progress then I would have hoped.


    Azami and Zoey both reached level 20 and that maxed out a quite a number of their skills, so leveling them up further without teaching them more might actually do more harm than good as it has with Belinda and Roxy.


    Once we progress to the 35<sup>th</sup> floor the ogres begin to appear, and after only 1 day of working on the ogres we are interrupted.


    Female voice: ¡°Two-Twelve! What is it you are playing at?¡±


    Needless to say the voice startles all of us, we quickly turn and find several well-armed beastkin men and one small girl in-between them. I call her a girl because of her height, but in truth her face is quite and voice are both quite mature. She appears to be either some kind of beastkin or maybe even a succubus, like the one Madam Erin summoned, but I am just basing that on the bat-like wings, and don¡¯t see any horns or tail.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry do I know you?¡±


    Woman: ¡°Is that how you want to do this? You look to have made quite the progress since we last met, but you are still ages away from my ability.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait, there seems to be a misunderstanding.¡±


    Woman: ¡°And who are you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Belinda Gowen, and Two-Twelve¡¯s wife.¡±


    Woman: ¡°Wife she says¡­ Dungeon cores live much too long to be trapped in something as mundane as human marriage.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Dungeon core¡­ Then you are?¡±


    Woman: ¡°That¡¯s right, this is my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°My apologies I didn¡¯t realize that Two-Twelve had some kind of agreement with this dungeon.¡±


    Woman: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ What are you talking about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well if you are one of the dungeon cores then you heard about Two-Twelve¡¯s disappearance.¡±


    Woman: ¡°Of course. That was you wasn¡¯t it the one sending the message to all the other dungeon cores?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes¡­ Well it turns out Laura was the one that took him, and among other things he lost most of his memory.¡±


    Woman: ¡°What is she babbling about Two-Twelve?¡±


    ¡°What she is saying is true¡­ So if we have met or had an agreement, I don¡¯t remember it. I did think Belinda knew of all of Two-Twelve¡¯s agreements though.¡±


    Woman: ¡°Interesting¡­ You don¡¯t recall the elder selection process at all then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Elder selection¡­ Then you were one of the other judges? Then you were the one that was dead set against Dyson. Bless was it?¡±


    Bless: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry. We didn¡¯t know this was your dungeon.¡±


    Bless: ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact you entered my home and destroyed my monsters. What are you going to do about that?¡±


    ¡°Well as far as damages go we haven¡¯t seemed to kill any monsters that were not rift monsters so there hasn¡¯t been any, but if we have broken an agreement you held with me. As long as it¡¯s reasonable we can talk about compensation.¡±


    Bless: ¡°No, I don¡¯t like you, but you are a straight arrow so I won¡¯t lie. We had no agreement, but perhaps you can so something for me for the headache you¡¯re bumbling around in my dungeon caused.¡±


    ¡°If we have no agreement, I don¡¯t see a problem.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We could at least hear her out. You wouldn¡¯t ask for less if someone else entered our dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Bless: ¡°Don¡¯t act like you are doing me any favors. You may be Dyson¡¯s little pet, but being in my dungeon means even he couldn¡¯t kick up a fuss if I decided to end you here.¡±


    ¡°But doing you a favor is exactly what you asked of us.¡±


    Bless: ¡°Fine then.¡± ¨CShe raises her hand and the beastkin draw their weapons.-


    Belinda: ¡°Wait! Just tell us¡­ What is it you want?¡±


    Bless: ¡°There that¡¯s better.¡± ¨CShe says while lowering her arm and the beastkin sheath their weapons again. - ¡°All I want is some information. Dyson has been an elder two years already yet he still hasn¡¯t made any power grabs. I was sure by now he would have done something, so since you are his pet and all maybe you can tell me his plan.¡±


    ¡°Again, I have lost my memory, so even if I did know what his plan was I don¡¯t any longer. Besides he doesn¡¯t seem the type to have a hidden agenda. He seems to me to be the type that would tell you exactly what he plans to do, then does it.¡±


    Bless: ¡°Fine then, if you can¡¯t be of use to me get out of my dungeon.¡±


    I cast [Gate] and we retreat returning to Exolian.


    ¡°Well that didn¡¯t go well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She let us leave, so that is something.¡±


    ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t look like we will be able to train there any longer, so I guess we should turn in the commissions we have and then make our way to the capital, we didn¡¯t achieve anything worthwhile enough for the queen to take notice of, but with Zoey and Azami¡¯s level gains I feel we are better suited to do something that would get her attention.¡±


    We head to the adventurer¡¯s guild and turn in our commissions. It is still a bit early but we decide to call it a day anyway and head back to Tobes and get a fresh start tomorrow.


    Belinda: ¡°How about we invite everyone over and have a big dinner? I could even see if Logan and Amy are free, and swing by the capital to bring them by. After all Amy seems to be the biggest thing you have remembered, so maybe seeing her again could help jog some more of your memories.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Belinda¡¯s cooking? I¡¯m all for it!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Are you saying my cooking isn¡¯t good enough?¡±


    Zoey:  ¡°Good enough? Yes. As good as Belinda¡¯s? I love you but no.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well we will just see what you get tonight then¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡±


    Azami: ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me. I will pass, and return to the forest.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Come on Azami¡­ You haven¡¯t even had dinner with everyone not even once.¡±


    Azami: ¡°If you order me to stay I must, but I ask you to please respect my wishes.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course¡­ I just thought we were finally getting to know you better, and it would be nice for you to be part of the family too.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I killed my actual family for my own gain, and joined you for the same. Would you really want someone such as that as family?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Your circumstances were not good. Nobody blamed you for what happened. Your sister and Milano even tried to get you to stay.¡±


    Azami: ¡°The initial shock of my return hadn¡¯t worn off. Once it did they would then begin to resent me for what I did.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is that why you told Milano to move on?


    Azami: ¡°I did what must be done, but the results are I would always be feared after that. I still however have no regrets. Either that or I have no regrets because even though I will be feared by them now I know I did what must be done.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Azami¡­.¡± ¨CShe says while pulling Azami¡¯s head into her chest hugging her.-


    Azami looks at me with an odd expression while her face is contorted between Belinda¡¯s hands and breastplate of her armor. ¡°May I return to the forest now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Belinda, let her go.¡±


    Belinda appears to want to argue but eventually nods releasing Azami. Azami straightens her clothes and simple says. ¡°Thank you.¡± Then she transfers from the house.


    Belinda: ¡°You think it¡¯s alright for her to be alone right now? She thinks she is a horrible person¡­¡±


    ¡°The truth is she has thought that way for the last dozen or so years, so one conversation won¡¯t help. If you really want to help her though don¡¯t give up on her and eventually she may come around.¡±


    Belinda then pulls my head into her chest and I realize Azami¡¯s expression¡­ This is actually quite uncomfortable.


    Zoey: ¡°If boss wants to be alone we could always head home.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± ¨CI say pulling myself from Belinda.- ¡°It¡¯s alright if Belinda is going to prepare a meal, then I will go check to see how the bunnies are coming along in the core room.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯ll eat with us this time won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well on the off chance that the stuff I tried before was just not to my liking I can¡¯t say I am that much like Two-Twelve unless I try more of your cooking can I?¡±


    This seems to make Belinda happy as she says. ¡°Alright, I will pull out all the stops and make my very best dishes.¡± She then disappears through into the dining room.


    Roxy: ¡°It seems even without your memories you can always find the right thing to say to her to cheer her up.¡±


    ¡°Well it is likely to only be temporary, as I assume she will be disappointed when I don¡¯t like the food.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Who¡¯s to say? Belinda is a curious individual¡­ Well in any case I better go help her, or at least make sure she takes her armor off before getting started.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°And she will need someone to taste test!¡±


    They then both disappear into the dining room as well. I guess Two-Twelve could have done worse. Their hearts seem to be in the right place at least. I then transfer up to the core room.


    Lilah: ¡°Master is back early.¡±


    ¡°We ran into a bit of a problem with the dungeon core. Apparently I knew her and she didn¡¯t take kindly to our visit.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Everyone returned ok though right?¡±


    ¡°Yes we didn¡¯t have to fight her, but it looks like we might have to train somewhere else, so how is it going with the dungeon?¡±


    Lila: ¡°We have had to replace 3 skeleton heroes, 2 Lizardman Chieftains, and 1 of the medium flame elementals, but when the xp we have acquired from the adventurers it hasn¡¯t been a problem. One group made an attempt at the dragon but we gathered their xp and gear. None yet have made an attempt on the griffon although quite a few have made it to the room.¡±


    ¡°What about the main section of the dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Nobody has made it past the dragonkin still.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°With master adding the dark steel gear to the lizard men and skeletons more adventurers enter everyday trying to get a set. Replacing them is getting quite costly.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°You said they killed some of the small creatures in the boss room, but have they come anywhere close to taking out the bosses?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°No master.¡±


    ¡°Alright let¡¯s see if we can tempt some adventurers then.¡±


    I open [Menu] Mythril swords were a big deal in Exeter and Uthaira, so I see about summoning some. Most screens in [Menu] seem natural even the [Observation] screen that is unique to Dyson and myself, so it seems even though I don¡¯t remember it I still seem to just know Two-Twelve¡¯s [Menu]. When I start to summon one of the swords, I want the swords to look flashier to draw the adventurer¡¯s eyes, so when I start to focus on changing the details of the items I notice something that doesn¡¯t seem familiar at all.


    Due to the effects of Advanced Summoning skill: Critical Success chance during summoning 1% Critical Success will result in [Devastating Mythril Longsword.] Non-Critical Success will result in [Keen Mythril Blade]


    ¡°You girls can use my skills that affect the dungeon right?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course Master.¡±


    ¡°When I tried to change the details of an item I summoned it showed me the chances of a critical success and even the standard item has and enchantment on it.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Master is the one that always giving things fancy designs, and we aren¡¯t good at it so we have just been summoning them without changing the details.¡±


    ¡°I guess I should have paid closer to Two-Twelve¡¯s skills. If I used this when I added to the dungeon before it could have made some of the things I summoned much better.¡±


    I summon 5 mythril swords, with no critical successes, resulting in 2 [Keen Mythril Blade]s, and 3 [Ever-Sharp Edge Mythril Sword]s. This adds the [Keen Edge] enchantment as a new enchantment available to add to items.


    I then add a weight activator to a wall mount in each of the boss rooms placing the swords as the counter weight. I add heavy metal doors to the activator so now if adventurer¡¯s try to get the swords they will be trapped in the boss rooms.


    Lilah: ¡°Master used a lot of xp again¡­¡±


    ¡°If the adventurers are making it to the boss rooms, but not tempted into trying to fight the bosses.  Then maybe the swords will be enough to at least bring them in, and after they take them off the wall either xp is ours.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What if they make it through the room?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s your three jobs that see to it that they don¡¯t, but if this brings in even stronger adventurer¡¯s and they manage to get ahold of one we might add more rooms.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We will do our best Master!¡±


    ¡°Also, Belinda is making dinner for tonight, and she seemed pretty excited.¡±


    Bunnies: ¡°Yay! ~¡±


    Using the rest of the xp we have been bringing home this past week I summon a handful of rings, testing out different combinations of the enchantments that I assume are on the cuff. With advanced summoning and dungeon jewelcrafting skills even the most mundane ring comes out looking like a masterpiece, and I end up with a bunch of unintended side effects.


    [Hearty Slave Ring] Ring binding another as a slave giving them excellent stamina. If one places the ring on another¡¯s hand it binds them with a [Binding Contract]. Through exceptional craftsmanship the ring also grants +25 Endurance.


    [Band of Disguise] A ring that allows to wearer to change their appearance once a day, but the effects last as long as the ring is worn. Through exceptional craftsmanship the ring also grants the wearer minor traits of those in which their appearance is taken.


    [Ring of Second Life] A ring that grants the wearer a single altered identity for as long as the ring is worn. Through exceptional craftsmanship the ring grants and additional benefit. If killed while wearing the ring, the ring will break leaving the corpse of the altered identity behind while causing the wearer to [Blink] to safety with ? max hp.


    [Ring of the Faceless] While wearing the ring the wearer can prevent others from being able to discern your identity. Through exceptional craftsmanship it grants the wearer the ability of [Suggestion] to another that looks at the wearer. The effect only lasts as long as the affected has visual contact with the wearer.


    [Band of Another] A ring that allows the wearing to truly become another, and on first use the wearer chooses their characteristics. Once chosen the effects cannot be changed and the wearers status will match the chosen characteristics. As long as the ring is warn the only abilities usable are that of the created identity. Through exceptional craftsmanship the ring can be broken down by the wearer destroying the created identity, but allowing the wearer to acquire a portion of the created identity¡¯s abilities.


    [Accursed Band] A ring that holds its own soul, when placed on the hand of another the ring takes over becoming a being only to serve the one in which placed the ring. The ring cannot be removed and if destroyed both the ring and the host will die.


    New Enchantments Available:


    [Hearty] Item cost x3 or 5000xp whichever is less (2000xp minimum) [Sentience] Item cost x5 or 50,000xp whichever is less (40,000xp minimum)* [Preservation] Item cost x10 or 150,000xp whichever is less (50,000xp minimum)


    *Creating an item with sentience gives it a will of its own. Depending on the item at which the enchantment is placed determines the intellect and abilities of said sentient item.


    The first ring was just a test but the [Hearty] enchantment is nice. The [Band of Disguise] is just appearance so that probably isn¡¯t what we need, and the [Band of Another] is going too far, but interesting all the same. If any of these are going to work my bet is on the [Ring of Second Life] or the [Ring of the Faceless].


    Even though the [Accursed Band] added the ability to make sentient items, the ring itself is quite troublesome. I almost break it back down on the spot, but I might actually have an idea in which it may be useful. For now I just restrict access so nobody else can remove it from the dungeon inventory just to be on the safe side, and then store it.


    I then store all the other rings but the [Ring of Second Life] and the [Ring of the Faceless]. I only have one chance with the ring of second life so I start off with the [Ring of the Faceless]. Taking out one of Two-Twelve¡¯s IDs, Arngrim¡¯s ID, and flipping open <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> to Two-Twelve¡¯s page I then place the ring on my finger.


    Nothing seems to change, Arngrim¡¯s ID is still blank, Two-Twelve¡¯s ID, Two-Twelve¡¯s  <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> page are still filled, and I can¡¯t tell any difference in wearing the ring either. One of the bunnies has apparently noticed though causing her to jump.


    Lylah: ¡°Master?!¡±


    The other two turn at Lylah¡¯s reaction and they jump as well but after I tell them it¡¯s me they relax.


    ¡°So what do I look like?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master looks normal now, but before Master didn¡¯t look different, but Lilah seemed to not be able to recognize Master as Master.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if this one will work for my purposes or not. I guess I will just have to wait till we start training again and see.¡±


    Lilah then returns to paying attention to the dungeon then quickly sigh.


    Lilah: ¡°Master used up the rest of the extra xp¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if this works it will be worth it.¡±


    The [Ring of Second Life] says it only can make one identity so I just put that in my [Shadow-pocket] and play around with the [Ring of the Faceless] a little bit. I decide to try to play a prank on Belinda but end up with some burns, a knot on my head, and a good scolding after I try to sneak up on her and she hits me with a cooking pan.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I had to start the sauce over again because of that stunt, and I have to start over. If it¡¯s not ready by the time Logan arrives you will be!


    -While rubbing the knot on my head.- ¡°Does that mean Roxy and Zoey went to go get him?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes and they should be back shortly so go change.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with what I got on?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Other than the fact it has sauce all over it now?¡±


    I cast [Clean] on myself. ¡°All better. See?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Come on Two-Twelve. Please go put on something nice¡­¡±


    I sigh and retreat to my bedroom. I go through the clothing and I don¡¯t really know which to choose, but eventually I select something and change. Before I make it back to the kitchen I can hear several voices so it appears Roxy and Zoey have returned.


    When I enter the dining room and bump into someone. She is about the height of Lilah but with olive colored hair and a large puffy squirrel tail.


    ¡°Sorry Amy¡­¡±


    Amy: ¡°I thought you lost your memory.¡±


    ¡°We were expecting you for one, so how wouldn¡¯t I know who the mean looking squirrel in my house. Besides for some reason I have recalled quite a few memories about you. Although they are still don¡¯t make much sense.¡±


    She scowls at me and says. ¡°You¡¯re not just faking this to cover the fact you cheated on your wife are you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cheat on my wife¡­ Well I guess I kind of did¡­ It¡¯s complicated.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Complicated or not I can tell this is eating Belinda up inside. I told her it was a mistake to trust some monster. If you don¡¯t make this right I will make you regret it!¡±


    ¡°You do know I am a hero 4 times over now don¡¯t you?¡±


    Amy: ¡°So? You still have to sleep sometime.¡±


    ¡°Well I have no intention of hurting Belinda, but without my memories faking it would be worse, and I can¡¯t change what has already happened. I will do what I can though.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Just remember what I said¡­¡±


    She looks like she is about to say something else but is interrupted by another voice.


    Logan: ¡°Hey! There he is¡­ Glad to see you made it home.¡±


    ¡°You must be Logan. I would say it¡¯s nice to meet you, but you know¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°You seem to look alright, and be in good spirits so that is the important part. We were really worried about you for a while there.¡±


    Amy quietly disappears back into the kitchen while Logan coaxes me into one of the chairs in the large dining room.


    Logan: ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine what it would be like. Of course there are a few youthful indiscretions I wish I could forget.¡± ¨CHe says and laughs.-


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the odd feeling almost as if I am two people in one body. I know I am Two-Twelve, but I sometimes even have trouble admitting it to myself.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Enough about the bad stuff. I heard you came back a hero. Several times over at that!¡±


    ¡°From what I understand the quick rise in strength was supposed to help with the conditioning. Honestly if it wasn¡¯t for what Listel did there at the end I would still be there now.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I met her once¡­ Just before she came to the dungeon here in Tobes the first time¡­¡±


    ¡°She was definitely something¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Oh I also heard you brought home a fancy mythril sword! First Queen with her swords and armor, then my sister¡¯s armor, now even you¡­ I¡¯m really getting left behind.¡±


    I know he is just trying to steer the conversation into the positive.


    ¡°Would you like to see it?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Oh man, would I¡­? Queen doesn¡¯t let me touch hers anymore after I accidently cut one of her chairs in two.¡±


    I cast [Shadow-pocket] reaching past the line pulling out the sword, and hand it to Logan. Logan then stands up swinging it around a bit.


    Logan: ¡°I guess with all the gold we have made from the communication parchment I could probably afford one now, but I guess I¡¯ll just have to leave the adventuring to you and my sister.¡±


    ¡°How are things going with the war?¡±


    Logan: ¡°With you back the tension has gone down a lot. If there was any chance Longolia was responsible for your disappearance, then father wouldn¡¯t make any deals. Although finding out Southern Merretta was behind it is somewhat more troubling. King Aaron has been so passive since he took control of Southern Merretta.¡±


    Logan seems to wear a troubled expression while setting my sword down on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why they wanted me, but I don¡¯t think they will try to do anything else to Gowen.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I hope your right. Although I am sure Queen would enjoy it. She seems almost disappointed that the hostility with Longolia has slowed down.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what else to say, so things get a little awkward for a few minutes, but luckily Belinda walks in the room.


    Belinda: ¡°Why is there a sword on the table?¡±


    Logan jumps up apologizing while I store away the sword.


    Logan: ¡°It¡¯s my fault sis he was just showing me his mythril sword.¡±


    Belinda then sets a plater she is carrying on the table and then disappears back into the kitchen. Gathering everyone for dinner is kind of nice. The only one that doesn¡¯t seem to be enjoying themselves is Belinda¡¯s sister.


    Belinda looks on hopeful while I eat, and I am not sure if she is relieved or disappointed when I don¡¯t really find anything to my liking. After dinner when everyone slowly begins to depart Logan stops Kline as he and Scylla begin to depart.


    Logan: ¡°Miss Scylla, do you mind if I borrow Kline for a few hours? After all there is cause for celebration.¡±


    Scylla smiles sweetly and say. ¡°Just don¡¯t keep him out to late he gets grumpy when he doesn¡¯t get his sleep.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that.¡±


    They both laugh and then Logan continues.


    Logan: ¡°So what do you say Doug? Two-Twelve? Why don¡¯t the four of us hit the town and catch up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we are going to be doing quite a bit of traveling tomorrow, so I better head to bed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like you said it¡¯s just traveling, so why don¡¯t you go?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Yea, come on!¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ But just for a little bit.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s the ticket.¡±


    Logan grabs Kline and me dragging us out the door while Doug follows happily along. Scylla and Belinda look on with smiles on their faces. People really seemed to respect Two-Twelve but I didn¡¯t realize how much until passing through town with the first prince of the kingdom. They bow to him out of respect but even he seems to take a backseat while they ask how I am recovering showing genuine concern.


    Once we arrive at the tavern Logan quickly orders us all rounds.


    ¡°You know we have a bar at the house, we could have just stayed in and done this.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Even without your memories you haven¡¯t changed you used to say the same thing all the time, but it¡¯s good to be out surrounded with your people.¡±


    ¡°You mean your people. I¡¯m not even mayor anymore.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well father and I are hoping you will take back up the mantle soon. After all once the problem with Longolia is resolved, I would never admit it to her face, but we will need Mindy back at the capital to help get us back on the post war recovery.¡±


    Logan then takes and finishes his drink ordering us all another while changing the subject.


    Logan: ¡°But enough about boring stuff like that. Kline! I thought you were going to die a grumpy old man all alone, but now married with a kid on the way. How¡¯s it feel to be a daddy?¡±


    Kline: ¡°It is still a ways off, and I don¡¯t think it has even dawned on me yet. Seeing how excited it makes Scylla though makes it all the worth it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°And what about you Doug? I heard from a little bird that you and that girl of yours are growing quite close?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Aria? She is very nice, and no offense to Kline, but she is just a beastkin though.¡±


    Logan: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? And don¡¯t try to use the slave card either because look at Two-Twelve, father welcomed him with open arms. Have I ever told you how Kline¡¯s family came to serve ours?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Young Master!¡±


    Logan: ¡°We are all among family! Besides if it happened this day and age I could proudly call you cousin instead of a servant.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Right after Gowen¡¯s founding our great great grandfather fell in love with a young beastkin woman. Of course that was before it was considered acceptable and with the kingdom just founding he had to take another to be his wife. He never did stop loving her though, and so their children and grandchildren wouldn¡¯t be abandoned they joined the family the only way they could, by a servant¡¯s pact.¡±


    Doug: ¡°So Kline and Amy¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s right, they are blood relatives albeit a few times removed. That is the reason father placed Amy with Belinda, not because of Mindy and Tanya¡¯s whining, but because she was the only one that would treat her with respect.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Then Belinda knows?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I highly doubt it, I don¡¯t think even Mindy knows.¡±


    Doug: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Aria doesn¡¯t feel that way, besides I made a promise to you and father. After two more years I will have to marry someone father chooses.¡±


    Logan: ¡°There is nothing to say you can¡¯t convince father to choose who you want.¡±


    After that we continue drinking for a while, Logan keeps asking Kline what Scylla and him are going to name the baby, and such. Logan and Kline get pretty drunk but Doug ends up passing out with his head lying on the table. Even I have had a few more then I care to admit.


    Once I receive the start of day message I decide it¡¯s time we should start making our way back. We are drunk enough even between the three of us we can¡¯t manage Doug, so I send Belinda a message to give us a hand.


    When she arrives to help she has a stern look on her face, and Logan tries to crawl away. Eventually we make it to the house where Scylla takes Kline home, we get Doug into bed, and Logan retires as well. Belinda then assists me to getting to bed.


    As she leans over my while fixing my pillow her scent fills my nose and I reach up pulling her to me. She seems initially shocked and tense but when I place my lips against hers she loosens up. Our lips only part long enough for me to raise her shirt off of her.


    She then crawls over the top of me and begins unbuttoning my shirt. Soon her bra and pants join her shirt on the floor next to the bed and she starts to unfasten my pants but she stops. I reach up placing my hand on her cheek and notice she has tears in her eyes.


    She lies forward on my giving me a brief kiss before saying. ¡°I want you Two-Twelve, but not like this¡­ If you still want me in the morning then I¡¯m all yours.¡± She then gives me another brief kiss and that¡¯s the last thing I remember before falling asleep.

 Exeters Queen

    When I wake up I find Belinda lying on top of me wearing nothing but a sexy pair of panties. My shirt is gone, my pants are still on, but they are on loosely as they have been untied. I couldn¡¯t of¡­ But when I think about it I then recall being in the thralls of passion with Belinda, and it was quite invigorating.


    When I start to move she opens her eyes she looks up with a bright smile and I am lost in the deep ocean blue of her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Shhhh, don¡¯t be. Nothing happened, but even if it did it would have been alright.¡±


    ¡°But I vividly remember¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then that¡¯s even better than if we actually did, because if you are remembering it I promise you it wasn¡¯t last night.¡±


    Belinda then starts to get out of bed and I catch myself staring so I quickly turn my head. Even just the sound of her sliding on her clothes is enough to make my heart race.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°its ok I promise I can wait as long as you need me to, but after what we went through the first time I want you to know. As soon as you are ready, I promise so am I.¡±


    She then quickly changes the subject.


    Belinda: ¡°Well I better not make Logan and Amy wait to long, and better send them home while you get ready. We got a long day ahead after all.¡±


    Belinda then leaves the room leaving me to my thoughts. If we didn¡¯t have sex last night what is it I am remembering¡­? The more I think about it the more I remember of it, and I realize it isn¡¯t even just one instance.


    What Two-Twelve and Belinda shared was quite intense¡­ It¡¯s enough that it makes what I shared with Listel seem paltry in comparison. The more I try to push it to the side the more it fills my mind. I am forced to so something by what Listel once said I have never done before, and release the tension myself.


    It doesn¡¯t stop me from thinking about it, but it¡¯s enough that I can at least focus. I then finish getting dressed and then head downstairs. I make it downstairs just in time to see Logan and Amy off while Logan looks to Aria standing next to Doug and winks to him patting him on the shoulder.


    Logan: ¡°Two-Twelve take care of yourself, and if it¡¯s not too much trouble take care of my baby sis while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    Belinda hits him on the shoulder and they then depart though [Gate]. After Belinda returns we then go get Azami and then return to the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon.  It is a little out of the way from Exelka, but it¡¯s still closer then traveling from Exolian to Exelka. We try to steer clear from the dungeon as much as possible as we make our way northeast.


    Continuing on our way we get awfully close to the Exeter/Lodia border, enough so that we encounter a few wondering groups of undead. They don¡¯t prove to be of any difficulty but it allows me to try out the [Ring of the Faceless].


    Unfortunately I find that the ring won¡¯t work the way I wanted it to. My only other option is the [Ring of Second Life] but I am not sure how I want to use it. I think if I change too much it will be obvious to the elders, but if I change to little it might not work at all.


    The [Ring of Second Life] was far from the most expensive of the rings so if I have to summon another it shouldn¡¯t be too big of a deal, so when I set the altered Identity I don¡¯t change anything. I message the bunnies and unfortunately not only are all of my adventurer IDs blank but also my <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> page is blank as well.


    When we encounter another group of undead I find this ring at least allows me to acquire xp, but with my <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> page blank it won¡¯t be much difference then using the cuff except that the elders will find out I was able to replicate it. I at least now know the [Fake Identity] enchantment is the one I need to work with further.


    Having to keep an eye out for the undead and dealing with them slows us down quite a bit and even though we haven¡¯t managed to gather much in the ways of xp it has taken us two weeks of travel and I am still unsure how much further Exelka is.


    We have however had a bit of a spike in xp being obtained in the dungeon as the new mythril swords really seem to be doing their jobs. Even after a warning was placed at the Tobes adventurer¡¯s guild about no groups going after the swords have returned, but there is still at least one group a day that tries.


    The bunnies told me one group tried to replace the mythril sword with one of their own but luckily the weight was off enough it didn¡¯t reset the trap, but just yesterday one single adventurer from a group of 7 made it out after they put the mythril sword back on the holder.


    Now that the secret of how the trap works is out, they will be thinking up ways to bypass it before entering the dungeon. While in panic mode you don¡¯t think clearly but now it might not be long till they figure out a way.


    The groups are still avoiding the dragon and the griffon only going after the swords in the other rooms, and they have killed enough of the smaller monsters in the room to be a bit of a problem so I instructed the bunnies to replace the smaller monsters with rifts while leaving the larger ones without for now.


    With spring in full swing we finally reach Exelka, although you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell from the way it looks. At least in Tobes the flowers are blooming quite nicely.


    Exelka looks much like Exolian, but on just a grander scale, that and of course the large well-fortified castle at the crown of the city.  With how close the Exeter adventurer¡¯s guild is to figuring out how to make Gowen Communication Parchment, Logan told Belinda if she could get Exeter as a Gowen ally that she could share the secret with them.


    That allowed Belinda to get a meeting with one of the Queen¡¯s council, but not with the Queen herself. We are hoping at least meeting with the councilman, and he could tell us something we can do to allow us to meet with the Queen.


    Councilman: ¡°Greetings, you must Belinda Gowen, and this is your husband correct?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is correct. He was the one that uncovered the secret of the Gowen Communication Parchment, and we have been granted the permission to share it with your kingdom if you would join an alliance with us.¡±


    Councilman: ¡°You couldn¡¯t understand how happy it made us to do just that, but I assume that means you would want our assistance with your current conflict with Longolia?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Even a small amount of assistance would be appreciated, but just knowing that you are our allies would create quite the advantage, as Exeter is known for its strength in battle.¡±


    Councilman: ¡°We have our hands currently quite full with the undead encroaching on our borders, and Dailian never ceases in trying to find weaknesses in our northern border.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If your troops are tied up, I can understand, but as I said just to count you as an ally might be enough to help sway Longolia.¡±


    The councilman looks a little troubled.


    Councilman: ¡°Our biggest concern is you already have quite a few allies as it is, and none of them were offered quite a deal as you have placed on us. If it were just the military strength Adra or Merretta would be a far better choice to make this offer to then our small kingdom.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I assure you that is all we ask, although if meeting with the queen was possible I would like to speak with her.¡±


    Councilman: ¡°The Queen meets with very few, leaving the matters of state up to us, but we will take it under advisement and get back with you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then before we go is there something we could do that may sway the Queen into allowing us an audience?¡±


    Councilman: ¡°Unfortunately I believe even if your proposal is accepted meeting with the Queen would be quite difficult, you see she only speaks to those of great strength.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°My husband and I are both heroes though. My husband has destroyed 4 dungeons is that not enough?¡±


    Councilman: ¡°It is a good start, but I am unsure even that would be enough.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I understand¡­ Thank you for your time.¡±


    After being escorted out of the castle Belinda apologizes.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry I feel I didn¡¯t do a good enough job, because we are no closer to the sword.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious. He seemed quite excited about the prospect of gaining the Gowen communication parchment, but after hearing the terms he seemed troubled.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s my fault as well¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have offed it in the beginning working up to the communication parchment. We basically asked for nothing but offered so much now he is asking himself why¡­ I should have asked for troops. If we offered this kind of deal to Adra or Merretta I could have easily asked for enough troops to crush Longolia, but when he said how thin they were stretched I didn¡¯t want a small village somewhere to be lost because the troops guarding it were dispatched to Gowen.¡±


    ¡°Well regardless we at least got our foot in the door now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After what happened in Longolia, Logan shouldn¡¯t have trusted me with something like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Quit beating yourself up over it, because like you said Exeter is close to figuring it out on their own, so worst case is they say no and eventually figure it out themselves.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well that is far from worst case¡­ but let¡¯s go with that.¡±


    They said they would contact us when they had an answer so we have to stick around for a while. Knowing politics it could take hours or days, so we find a nice inn. After getting that squared away we meet back up with the others and decide to hit the adventurer¡¯s guild district.


    In Exolian it there were a small handful of Mythril swords, but here it¡¯s not uncommon for a shop to have at least 1 mythril weapon on display. There is even a suit of armor made from a material that looks like a cross of dwarven and that copper stuff our dwarf Katie likes to use.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Shop owner: ¡°I see you have a good eye. That is orichalcum.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡±


    Shop owner: ¡°it¡¯s a premium dwarven metal I would say it is the dwarven equivalent to mythril but it is much harder to come by.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If it¡¯s so rare how do you have an entire suit of armor made from it?¡±


    Shop owner: ¡°That is where it shines really, and making it into a weapon would waste its potential. You don¡¯t see much armor made from mythril because they can make a handful of weapons and make far more money, but where a mythril sword would be sharper orichalcum armor would be far harder. That¡¯s what makes it so rare you have to have enough to make a large heavy armor for it to be worth it.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of adamantium?¡±


    Shop owner: ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about the Exeter seal? As far as I have ever heard that is the only item ever forged from it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about the hero Dyson¡¯s armor?¡±


    Shop owner: ¡°Mere legend I am sure. The amount of adamantium to make a sword was a onetime thing, so I am sure the armor described in Dyson¡¯s legends couldn¡¯t possibly exist.¡±


    After looking around a bit more we leave.


    ¡°I guess that explains why Dyson wants the sword now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If that sword really is one of a kind like that shop owner said, I don¡¯t know if the queen will ever even let us get near it¡­¡±


    I then continue to looking around for the rest of the day, before retiring to the inn. Even by morning we still haven¡¯t heard from the castle.


    ¡°What should we do today? I would hate to just sit here in town for days or weeks for them to make up their minds.¡±


    But almost as if it was a response to my comment we are approached, and told that we are wanted back at the castle. Belinda seems to be getting a bit nervous as we make our way back to the castle.


    ¡°What is there to worry about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is what we said last time we went to the castle of a foreign kingdom, and look how that turned out.¡±


    ¡°Surely our luck couldn¡¯t be that bad twice in a row.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I hope your right¡­¡±


    Once we arrive at the castle we are greeted by the same councilman as before and he now looks extremely tired, and uneasy.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Councilman: ¡°Yes, yes. I wish I had a better answer to give you but unfortunately we still haven¡¯t reached a response to your request.¡±


    ¡°Then why call us all the way back?¡±


    Councilman: ¡°After the Queen heard you wanted to meet with her, and that you have destroyed 4 dungeons she decided to grant your other request¡­ She would like to meet with you.¡± ¨CThis seems to make the councilman even more uneasy.-


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s wonderful!¡±


    Councilman: ¡°¡­Well if your offer is still on the table after your meeting with the queen I promise we will give it further consideration.¡±


    The councilman then bows and leaves the room. We are left to wait for a while and Belinda is starting to grow more and more uncomfortable.


    Belinda: ¡°If they try to separate us this time I say we [Gate] straight home! I don¡¯t like the way the councilman was acting.¡±


    ¡°I would say you are worrying to much, but I guess after last time you have the right to be¡­¡±


    Eventually a guard enters the room causing Belinda to jump.


    Guard: ¡°Follow me, the Queen will see you now.¡±


    Passing though the hallways the amount of guards slowly increases causing even more tension in Belinda, so I lightly grasp her hand. We then come to a large door that takes two guards to open it. The door is reinforced with quite a few latches and catches. I think if my small earth dragon hit that door as hard as it could it would barely react.


    The room inside is quite large, but it is also quite bare. At the far end of the room is a simple throne with a woman in a large bellowing peach colored dress. Behind the throne is a large decretive display, and in the center of it is a sword. The look of the sword matches Dyson¡¯s armor to a tee so it has to be what he is after.


    After entering the door is closed and several guards quickly begin to latch the door causing Belinda to start to panic.


    Once making it in front of the throne, we quickly bow and show respect and I am able to get a better look at the Queen. The woman in front of us makes it hard for me to believe her warrior queen title. She is the very image of what you would think of in a Queen.


    She is a mature beauty with long blond hair that has been excessively curled, She sits on the throne in her puffy peach colored dress what a displeasured look on her face. She leans back in her chair and I assume she crosses her legs but with how puffy the dress is it is quite hard to tell.


    The Queen: ¡°This is the 4 time dungeon killer? They couldn¡¯t have been very large dungeons.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t meet your expectations.¡±


    The Queen: ¡°And a kiss ass at that¡­ I heard you both arrived looking for an alliance with Exeter?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡±


    Belinda however is quickly silenced by the queen raising her hand.


    The Queen: ¡°Fine you might be a disappointment, but it may be entertaining none the less. How about this? I will personally hear your argument for joining an alliance with the kingdom of Gowen, but your audience will only last as long as you can hold your own against me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    The Queen: ¡°Fight me.¡±


    I look around the room at all the guards.


    The Queen: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. It will just be you and me. If you can convince me to join in an alliance with Gowen before you can no longer fight I will join, if not I won¡¯t even ask for the secret of the communication parchment, and you can just go on your way.¡±


    I look back at Belinda slightly confused.


    The Queen: ¡°Looking to your woman for permission, never a good sign.¡±


    ¡°What are the rules?¡±


    The Queen: ¡°No rules, you won¡¯t be able to beat me so I guess your win would be convincing me to join an alliance, and I get to have a bit of fun so I win either way.¡±


    The queen then stands and several attendants move forward. One takes the crown from her head and along with it the long blond curls her actual hair is sandy blond much like my own and barely an inch in length.


    A few more attendants start to unzip her dress and she steps out of it. Out from the dress she is wearing simple leather armor, not even black leather but just run of the mill leather and it¡¯s very little at that. Instead of the Queen like appearance she just stepped out of she now looks like a barbarian warrior with strong muscles and lots of exposed skin.


    The Queen: ¡°So what is your preferred weapon of choice, or are you a mage? Perhaps a staff?¡±


    ¡°Just a sword would be fine.¡±


    The queen motions and one of the guards pulls his sword tossing it to the queen she looks it over and tosses it to me. It isn¡¯t anything fancy but it is at least made from dark steel.


    The Queen: ¡°Whenever you are ready to try to convince me we will start.¡±


    I swing the sword a few times to get used to its weight. ¡°Alright then¡­¡±


    Before I can say another word she lunges forward, before I have a change she has my wrist in one hand and my neck in the other as she tosses me across the room and I slide a few feet. The speed in which she moves is still slow enough for me to follow, but not enough for me to do much else.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve!¡±


    The Queen: ¡°You haven¡¯t even said more than two words, is that all you have?¡±


    While still on the ground I focus my magic and bring up a wall made of solid stone between us. ¡°The proposition¡­¡± Is the most that comes from my mouth before the stone shatters and I feel myself grappled and tossed again.


    If stone won¡¯t work what about fire. Focusing my magic again a wall of flames appears between us. ¡°Is quite simple¡­¡± But that to fails as her speed alone snuffs the flames and I crash into the floor some 30 feet away sliding along the floor again.


    So far she isn¡¯t even hurting me. The impact hurts a little, but with my hp it¡¯s not even noticeable. Is she just toying with me? After a few more spells that she manages to bypass and several more tosses, the most I have gotten out about the joining in an alliance is.


    ¡±The proposition is quite simple, Join with Gowen and you get the communication parchment in return we don¡¯t have to worry about you turning up on the other side.¡±


    The Queen: ¡°That seems like quite the nice deal for us, so that has left the entire council racking their brains all night just what secret plan you are cooking up.¡±


    ¡°Honestly that is all there¡­¡± ¨CThrough the air I go again.-


    This is actually giving me an idea. I might be able to kill two birds with one stone¡­ I quickly check my surrounding and then side step a few times.


    ¡°Is too it¡­.¡± ¨CThis time when I am tossed I land next to the throne and I us it to pull myself back up.-


    The Queen: ¡°No hidden agenda? No secret plan? And for what is no more than a promise of no hostility we get the secret of the Gowen communication parchment?¡±


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s your answer?¡± ¨CThis time I make an effort to dodge and swing the sword.-


    It worked about how I expected, and this time when I am thrown I drop the sword and stop sliding when I crash into the wall. I pull myself to my feet while sending Belinda a message. She looks on confused for a second and then nods.


    When I see she is ready I reach behind me pulling the sword from the wall. All the guards quickly start to draw their swords but the queen raises her hand and they stop.


    The Queen: ¡°I did say no rules. It looked like you were up to something, but do you really think the sword will really make all that much of a difference? You haven¡¯t even come close to hitting me with one yet.¡±


    I start to charge forward and right as I start to see The Queen take action I use the [Blink] spell and at the same time Belinda casts [Gate]. I hit the ground tumbling across the dungeon core room. As the bunnies quickly call out I quickly store the sword.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    I have been watching for five minutes now while the queen tosses Two-Twelve like a ragdoll. She has not even made any attempts to hurt him, but tossing him around a bit. The first time it seems the impact actually hurt Two-Twelve a bit was when he went sliding into the wall.


    As he pulls himself to his feet I receive a message. ¡°Prepare a [Gate] spell to the dungeon core room, as soon as I start running cast it directly in front of you, the instant I am through it dispel it. Whatever you do, don¡¯t follow me though.¡± What is it he is planning on doing? As he stands however I notice, he is directly in front of the sword. I quickly start to prepare [Gate].


    After pulling the sword from the wall and The Queen¡¯s comment Two-Twelve begins to run. I release the spell and in an instant Two-Twelve covers the entire room sliding into the portal, and I instantly close it. I hope he knows what he is doing because every guard in the room quickly draws their weapons.


    The Queen: ¡°Nobody move!¡±


    Guard: ¡°But my queen, he fled with the sword of Exeter!¡±


    The Queen: ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t the princess step through as well if the sword was truly their goal¡­?¡±


    The Queen shows the first bit of worry and she looks around the room carefully.


    The Queen: ¡°What is it he is planning¡­¡±


    The longer that time passes and there is no sign of Two-Twelve the more nervous everyone gets including myself¡­ Thankfully a portal opens on the far side of the room, but instead of Two-Twelve a massive boulder comes though it crashing onto the floor and as quick as it appears the portal closes again.


    Queen: ¡°Everyone to against the walls now!¡±


    Every guard rushes to the wall, and even I run to the nearest one. The Queen however stands in the middle of the room looking around with sweat on her brow and a huge smile plastered on her face.


    The next time a portal appears a tornado rips though the room and the queen quickly jumps over grabbing a few guards tossing them to safety, and like it appeared the portal and tornado disappear.


    It happens several times but each time is a different effect. First the boulder, then the tornado, next was a massive amount of snow, then lava pours out from the last obliterating the throne and causing the rocks and tiles to crack and break.


    Two-Twelve must be using a massive amount of magic¡­ Is he going to be able to keep this up? The next portal that opens just stays there with nothing happening¡­ Once that portal closes several of the guards begin to panic.


    I then receive a message. (Where is she right now?) And I quickly reply.


    (Directly in the center of the room.)


    This time a portal opens directly above the queen¡¯s head and before she can react Two-Twelve comes flying through it swinging the sword while fully equipped in his armor. Unable to dodge the queen tries to block but the pitch black sword slices clean though it like it isn¡¯t even there.


    She spins kicking Two-Twelve in the chest and he crashes to the floor and the guards quickly begin to move. She quickly pulls her belt wrapping it around the bleeding stub just below her elbow.


    The Queen: ¡°I said nobody move!¡±


    Guard: ¡°My queen¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve pulls himself back to his feet tossing the pitch black sword at the queen, and then drawing his own mythril sword. The queen catches the sword with her remaining hand.


    The Queen: ¡°Alright then I guess I should take you seriously after all.¡±


    I have never seen Two-Twelve fight with such voracity¡­ It¡¯s almost scary. The queen takes a defensive stance while Two-Twelve jumps, dodges, and [Blink]s around each time she manages to block the blow of his sword.


    Eventually he makes a mistake and the queen takes advantage of it knocking Two-Twelve¡¯s sword from his hand holding hers up to his neck.


    The Queen: ¡°I win¡­¡± ¨CShe breaths out between deep breaths her face pale.-


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I submit.¡± ¨CHe says then bends down picking up his sword and sheathing it.- ¡°Belinda, come quick and heal her arm. I am just about out of magic¡­¡±


    I quickly rush over and begin casting the strongest healing magic I know.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s Pov


    As I stand back watching Belinda heal the queen¡¯s wound, watching the bone and muscle reform on the queen¡¯s arm looks rather painful¡­ I hope I didn¡¯t go too far.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your throne room, and your arm.¡±


    The Queen: ¡°Nonsense, I was the one that said no rules. I should be thanking you for letting me live.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? You won.¡±


    The Queen: ¡°You could have easily taken my head instead of my arm, then you gave me the sword of Exeter keeping the other for yourself, and I am not all that confident you didn¡¯t make that mistake on purpose to let me win.¡±


    ¡°You give me too much credit¡­ I really did my best.¡±


    The Queen: ¡°Well I guess even an old gal like me can still learn a thing or two. You really had me going when you took the sword and ran. I figured you wouldn¡¯t leave your princess behind, but I really started to think you took the sword and ran. That was all part of the plan wasn¡¯t it? You left her behind to be your eyes, and took the sword so I would be focused on it instead of her.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s to say, so about the alliance with Exeter and Gowen¡­¡±


    The queen laughs as she twists her wrist around now that Belinda has finished with healing her. ¡°Forgot about that part way though didn¡¯t you? Well if you really were trying to do something underhanded then you could have just taken my life and kingdom, so I will take you at your word and accept the proposal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There is a catch to the communication parchment however.¡±


    The Queen: ¡°There always is.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What I mean to say is we wish to keep it as secret as possible, and we are willing to tell you and only you how. The only exception would be a royal attendant under pact.¡±


    The Queen: ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    The throne room is quite the mess to the queen leads us to another room to talk, and we work out the finer details.


    The Queen: ¡°Something like the Gowen communication parchment being something so simple. I do see why you were willing to trade the information to us so easily though. With the unique way we do commissions we were practically making it already.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to push for too much or after you learned about it you might have backed out of the deal completely.¡±


    The Queen: ¡°Well even without our assistance, if you two put your minds to it all I can say is Faron help whoever stands in your way.¡±


    After talking to the queen for a bit longer Belinda and I then are excused and we head back to the others before retreating back home. I didn¡¯t look earlier as I was in too much of a hurry but I look up the sword in [Menu]


    Adamantium Sword*                Cost: 75,000xp


    * Items must be of at least master quality. Base price does not include quality cost.


    That means bare minimum the sword costs 600,000xp if Dyson wants it as legendary quality like his armor that would be 3,750,000xp. For a single sword, that¡¯s far too rich for our blood. I decide to send Dyson a message.


    ¡°Guess what I can summon now.¡±

 Long Day

    In a matter of minutes since my first message to Dyson, there was a quick exchange of messages, and even though it is already started to get late in the evening he is here, knocking at my door.


    Dyson: ¡°And the xp cost you are sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes just the standard sword costs 600,000xp¡±


    Dyson: ¡°For one to equal the quality of my armor though. Even for me close to 4 million xp is astronomical.¡±


    ¡°That shows the difference in us. Just the fact saying ? of a million is close to a million is in a completely different league them me.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Surely you broke the million mark when you returned from Laura¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I did, but I was shocked with how little I was able to accomplish with it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Summoning things like dragons and griffons will do that.¡±


    I nervously chuckle.


    Dyson: ¡°Back to the topic at hand. I have prepared a xp jewel so you can summon the sword, but be mindful I also am monitoring your xp total, so if this sword costs far less to summon then you are letting on I will know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but what about my end of the deal? I believe per the agreement you are supposed to supply me with something for helping? Not only am I making the sword for you but though great risk to me and my monsters acquired the ability to summon the sword for you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Name it.¡±


    ¡°The only reason we went to Exeter was to train to ready us for when we take out Laura¡¯s dungeon. I fear it will take years and years of training before I am strong enough to stand against her. You however can change that.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As an elder¡­¡±


    I cut him off. ¡°If you want the sword, that is my condition, I want Laura¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Dyson looks conflicted and somewhat angry.


    Dyson: ¡°Something like that is a complicated matter. Lucille and Laura always seem to be at each other¡¯s throats, but I am sure if something happened to Laura, Lucille wouldn¡¯t take it well. Asking something like that for just a sword is too much.¡±


    ¡°If my understanding of our agreement is correct the reward is to equal the request. The standard sword at 600,000xp is copying a one of a kind item, but you are asking me to take a one of a kind item and make it over 6 times as valuable, and all I ask for in return is merely an object that is 1 of 799.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I never thought I would see the day Two-Twelve would ask for such a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Some of Two-Twelve¡¯s memories have returned, but I assure you I am far from the same person as I was before.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Very well¡­ I will have to give this matter more thought.¡±


    ¡°When you decide, you know where to find me.¡±


    Dyson then starts to leave but before shutting the door he turns back to me saying. ¡°But remember this. You are a valuable assist to have around, but once your demands get higher than your worth then you just become a liability.¡±


    He then slams the door, raddling the house, cracking the doorframe. I watch him though [Menu] till he teleports away. I let out a deep sigh, and Belinda then arrives from upstairs with a concerned look on her face after hearing the racket. ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°I may have made Dyson mad.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After everything we risked for him he wasn¡¯t happy with the sword?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t make him one.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But why not?¡±


    ¡°I asked for Laura¡¯s crystal in exchange.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve you didn¡¯t¡­?¡± ¨CShe says as she reaches the base of the stairs.-


    ¡°I may never be the Two-Twelve you remember, but I owe at least that much to Listel. As long as Laura is still around the Arngrim part of me will never be able to rest.¡±


    Belinda moves over wrapping me in a hug while saying. ¡°Two-Twelve, or Arngrim, I don¡¯t care. I see the man I love inside both, and I don¡¯t want to lose you. Listel gave her life so you could live free, if you throw away that life on revenge she died for nothing.¡±


    I get angry snapping at Belinda. ¡°How could you know anything about Listel wanted?!¡±


    Belinda hugs me tighter as she says. ¡°Because we both love you enough to be willing to sacrifice our lives for you! I would have done the same thing in her position without question, but if I knew after sacrificing my life for you, that you would throw it away out of revenge instead of living on. Then I would think my life meant so little to you that you threw away the thing I gave my life to save!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that at all¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then prove it! Live the life she wanted for you! If you still feel that Laura must die, I will stick with you to the end, but don¡¯t live only for the revenge. If that is your only purpose you are just as enslaved to Laura as you were before Listel died to free you!¡±


    I don¡¯t know what else to do, but pet her head, as she starts to cry with her head buried in my chest. It¡¯s not for a long time before she quits and she still doesn¡¯t let me go until the front door starts to open, but it crashes to the ground off the hinges when it does.


    Doug and Aria are standing there with shocked and confused looks on their faces.


    Doug: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with sis? What happened?!¡±


    As Belinda stands up straight wiping her cheeks and eyes I say. ¡°Nothing, I think everyone is going to be alright now.¡± I then take Belinda¡¯s cheek in one hand, as she closes her eyes and leans into it I lean forward and kiss her.


    After a few seconds she pulls herself away, takes a deep breath, and then opening her eyes saying.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s been a long day. I am going to go start working on dinner.¡±


    ¡°I guess Doug and I will fix the door¡­¡±


    Before anything else is said Belinda grabs Aria¡¯s wrist and pulls her into the dining room, but as they disappear I notice something.


    ¡°Well I said that, but how does one fix a door in this kind of shape?¡±


    Doug: -still wearing a confused look on his face. - ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should go find Katie? She could probably take care of it.¡±


    Doug and I then set out heading towards the blacksmith¡¯s building with Doug still wearing a confused expression. Halfway there Doug finally pulls himself together enough to ask.


    Doug: ¡°So what did happen?¡±


    ¡°I made someone mad.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Your front door is 3 inches thick with steel hinges¡­ Who could you make mad enough to cause that much damage to it¡­?¡±


    ¡°Dyson.¡±


    Doug: ¡°As in the legendary hero¡¯s descendant Dyson?¡±


    ¡°You know him¡­?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Of course, he was at your wedding¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? He doesn¡¯t seem the type.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well you are both good friends, or at least I thought you were¡­ What did you do to make him that mad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not important¡­ But what about you?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Hu?¡±


    ¡°Aria, I noticed there at the house she wasn¡¯t wearing her collar anymore. Was it what your brother said when he was here a while back?¡±


    Doug blushes brightly stuttering as he says. ¡°Of course not¡­ She was meant to be a gift, but now that it isn¡¯t needed I just thought it was time¡­¡±


    ¡°But you took off the collar and she is still here. Doesn¡¯t that say something?¡±


    Doug is blushing enough now that even his ears are changing color. ¡°Do you mind if I ask an extremely personal question¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well we are practically brothers right?¡±


    Doug: ¡°That is actually what makes the question a bit harder.¡±


    ¡°Well what is it?¡±


    Doug: ¡°When you were gone, and with the hero Listel, you guys¡­ I mean you did right? I don¡¯t mean I blame you for cheating on my sister under the circumstances, but you did right?¡±


    ¡°You mean sex? Well yes a few times.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Was it weird? I mean because she was a beastkin was there anything about it that was weird¡­?¡±


    ¡°I can only partially remember things from before, so¡­¡± -I start thinking about the mismatched memories that returned of Belinda and I quickly shake my head.- ¡°Anyway it¡¯s kind of hazy, but don¡¯t think it was any different.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I mean they don¡¯t have extra parts or anything like that?¡±


    ¡°Extra¡­ What are you talking about?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well a cat has like six nipples or something like that right? Do beastkin women¡­¡± ¨CIt looks like if he blushes any harder he will pass out form the blood rushing to his head.-


    ¡°What? No¡­ Have you never seen a naked woman before?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Of course I have during your bachelor¡¯s party! But there is a lot from that night I don¡¯t remember¡­¡±


    ¡°Well other than the obvious things, tail, ears, in Listel¡¯s case she was a feral beastkin so she also had the claws and bits of fur. I think the most different thing about it was the claws¡­ That was intense¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°Aria isn¡¯t a feral beastkin so she doesn¡¯t have the claws¡­ Just the ears and tail.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know about all beastkin but Listel liked it when I squeezed and pulled on her tail, I had to find the right amount of pressure but once I got it, it seemed to do wonders for her¡­ Her ears seemed pretty sensitive as well, but from what I can remember of Belinda she is the same way, just not as much.¡±


    Doug: -mumbling to himself.- Tail¡­ Pressure¡­ Ears...¡±


    ¡°Are you alright...?¡±


    Doug starts to panic. ¡°What do I do Two-Twelve?! I¡¯m going to screw up and she is going to hate me!¡±


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t help you there¡­ But I doubt even if you mess it up she¡¯s not going to hate you¡­ As long as you don¡¯t force her to do anything¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°But they cry the first time right? I heard they cry¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Aria was a slave, a dancing girl no less. You really think it will be her first time?¡±


    Doug: ¡°But she barely started. She said she was only a few days old when she was bought by the club, she said they manhandled her a bit, but said they could get a lot of money off of her that way, and she was pretty expensive¡­¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°A few days¡­ Nothing about that seemed odd to you?¡±


    Doug: ¡°She said she was born in a dungeon¡­ Is that not normal for beastkin?¡±


    I quickly look around then drag Doug into a nearby area off the main path.


    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±


    Doug: ¡°I was surprised when she said it, but it was so matter of factly I thought it was normal¡­ isn¡¯t that why people are so hateful towards beastkin?¡±


    ¡°It may be true that most of beastkin¡¯s ancestors came from dungeons not even most beastkin know that¡­ Belinda and I are going to have to sit down and have a chat with you and Aria about this.¡±


    I can always message Katie about the door, but this needs to be taken care of quickly so I grab Doug¡¯s shoulder and transfer to the small dining room attached to the kitchen. Belinda and Aria are in the kitchen, Aria has a terrified look on her face while blushing brighter then Belinda¡¯s hair, while Belinda is holding a cucumber in one hand.


    They both are startled when we arrive and Belinda quickly sets down the cucumber. I get a flash of a memory of Roxy and Zoey using a cucumber, and I have to say that is one memory I probably could have been better off without remembering¡­


    Belinda: ¡°What are you two doing back so quick?! Did you just teleport?¡±


    ¡°Aria is from a dungeon¡­¡±


    Belinda looks like she is about to say something but her eyes quickly land on Doug, so she hesitates. At the same time it seems Aria¡¯s blushing is going away but her terrified look does not.


    ¡°She told Doug about it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Aria¡­¡±


    Aria: ¡°You knew...?¡±


    Belinda wears a complicated expression as she nods.


    ¡°Wait you did?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Sofia told me soon after I returned home.¡±


    ¡°What about Doug¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why did you tell Doug? Is there no ultimate command in place?¡±


    ¡°Doug, why don¡¯t you wait in the other room for a minute while Belinda and I talk to Aria?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Ultimate¡­ What are you guys talking about¡­? No I¡¯m not going anywhere till you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Aria: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t lie to him.


    Belinda: ¡°Doug, we need to talk to Aria for a minute.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about being a child or an adult.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Doug promise me no matter what you hear it never leaves this house. You tell no one! Not Mindy, Logan, or even father!¡±


    ¡°Belinda!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He has come this far.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I promise¡­¡±


    ¡°We are serious Doug, No one can know.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I get it¡­ I promise.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Aria, where are you from?¡±


    Aria: ¡°New Leona.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°New Leona¡­ Why would Queen sell you as a slave?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Queen? Logan¡¯s Queen?¡±


    Aria: ¡°She said that I had to wait there and my prince would come for me, and he did!¡± ¨CShe says blushing and looking at Doug.¡±


    ¡°Are you still bound to the dungeon?¡±


    Aria: ¡°Of course.¡±


    Doug: ¡°What do you mean bound to the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Doug if you want to stay, be quiet.¡±


    ¡°I have an agreement with Queen don¡¯t I?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well yes, but I don¡¯t think she has broken any of it.¡±


    ¡°What about sending a monster into Tobes?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Aria isn¡¯t a monster!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He doesn¡¯t mean it that way Doug, I promise.  As long as she didn¡¯t hurt any of us or you I think she is still within the agreement.¡±


    ¡°They were training in the dungeon though!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They were all rift monsters though¡­¡±


    ¡°We need to have a talk with Queen, and find out what she is planning.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Will someone please tell me what¡¯s going on!?¡±


    Aria: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Doug once they talk to Queen everything will be straightened out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything about Queen, Belinda can you set it up?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She says she is busy, but as long as it doesn¡¯t take long she will speak with us.¡±


    Doug: ¡°How do you know that? You didn¡¯t even use a communication parchment.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Aria, why don¡¯t you take Doug and go have something to eat at the restaurant, and after we get things squared away with Queen. Then we can finish our conversation ok?¡±


    ¡°You sure that¡¯s wise?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can tell, Aria wouldn¡¯t ever hurt Doug.¡±


    Aria moves over taking ahold of Doug¡¯s hand, but quickly says. ¡°Hold on nobody has still told me anything! What is going on?¡±


    Aria: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Doug I will tell you.¡±


    ¡°Only what he needs to know, and remember Doug you promised.¡±


    After they leave the room Belinda says ¡°I guess I will go get Queen I will be right back.¡±


    ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s got to be just a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Please be careful.¡±


    Belinda smiles a sweet smile saying. ¡°Ok I will.¡±


    Belinda then casts [Gate] and disappears though the portal.


    I walk back into the entryway looking at the door still lying on the floor¡­ This day just keeps getting worse and worse¡­ I look out the front door and make sure there is no one looking and when I am confident I scrap the current door with [Menu] and then replace it.


    I then equip my gear and wait for Belinda to return. I thought Queen was a young dungeon core, but when Belinda arrives with her she is wearing a mythril sword and each hip and a medium armor of mythril.


    Belinda: ¡°Queen, tell him it¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Good to see you again Two-Twelve, but I guess for you it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Why did you send one of your monsters into my dungeon?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Well even though she was still bound to my dungeon, she couldn¡¯t argue with the one that owned her collar, so where she ended up is not my fault.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to believe it was just an accident Doug ended up with one of your monsters?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I didn¡¯t say that them being together wasn¡¯t an accident just that they ended up here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait your saying to set Doug up with Aria intentionally?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Of course, who do you think was the one that suggested to Doug where to take Two-Twelve during his bachelor party? She was meant to catch his eye then, but it seems she caught someone else¡¯s instead. Of course I was able to get things back on track by suggesting he buy her for Two-Twelve so that Two-Twelve would like him. I knew he would have to take care of her months until your return so it worked out in the end.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then Aria doesn¡¯t really like Doug¡­?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I just put them together everything else was their own doing.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Well Logan is likely to never see the throne. Even if he does it won¡¯t be for long.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re after the throne?¡±


    Queen: ¡°You¡¯re one to talk you married into the family before I did.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But I married Two-Twelve because he loves me! It has nothing to do with wanting the throne. I thought you really cared for my brother.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Who says it can¡¯t be both? If I do marry Logan I can¡¯t give him an heir, so to keep his kingdom happy and healthy, why not use one of my monsters to produce a solution?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But why not just make him one of your boss monsters so he doesn¡¯t grow old.¡±


    Queen: ¡°A hero that lives a few hundred years is acceptable, but once the royalty tries that, well just look at what happened in Leona.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But Logan is a good man, they wouldn¡¯t revolt against him.¡±


    Queen: ¡°He is a good man, but many find him weak. Once you are on the throne everyone forgets the good and looks only at the bad, a few dozen years and that nitpicking will turn into loathing. After sitting on the throne a few years though and choosing one of Doug¡¯s children to succeed him then we can sit back and watch the kingdom without worry.¡±


    ¡°All while the new king or queen is one of your monsters as well still leaving you in control?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You promise you are doing it because you care for Logan as well and not just for the throne?¡±


    ¡°She just said she was after the throne.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She also said she really cared. She didn¡¯t force Doug and Aria together, just let them find each other. I don¡¯t care if she controls the kingdom, as long as my family is happy.¡±


    ¡°If she takes over the kingdom where does that leave us? We are in the kingdom, she could order the army to take us out once she has control.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Then how about we amend out agreement, to include both of us required to come to the protection of the Gowen royal family?¡±


    ¡°You plan on taking over the kingdom, how would that help us?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Being married to me still doesn¡¯t make you a Gowen, but father made you his son¡­ He made you part of the Gowen royal family, so by the change in the agreement she would have to protect you as well and if something happened to your dungeon that means she has to protect it as well¡­.¡±


    ¡°You would go that far?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I said from the very beginning I wanted to be your ally.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking over the agreement in [Menu] I would also like to increase the penalty.¡±


    Queen: ¡°fine to 200,000xp? 250,000xp?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking more in the lines of 10 million.¡±


    Queen: ¡°10 million?! Are you insane?¡±


    ¡°In 20 or 30 years, a couple hundred thousand xp would not be that hard to come by and one might think about breaking the contract, but as I recently learned even for elders that sum would be considered a steep price, so I think it would offer piece of mind for years to come, or is it you don¡¯t actually intend to hold up on your end of the bargain?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Fine¡­ Draw it up and I will sign.¡±


    Using [Menu] summon a contract like in which the first was made and then begin filling it out. Making sure to cover what we spoke and not leaving a loop hole I spend quite a bit of time drawing it up causing Queen to begin getting nervous, she has taken to leaning against the wall, with her arms crossed, and tapping her foot on the floor.


    I am not sure how I know, but when it¡¯s done I manage to make it look very detailed and well worded. Maybe it is because Two-Twelve¡¯s experience as mayor of Tobes. In any case I sign it and then slide it across the table.


    ¡°Alright, your turn.¡±


    Queen makes her way over to the table reading it over carefully¡­ She takes quite a long time¡­


    Queen: ¡°Can I see your copy of the original?¡±


    I pull our original agreement from the dungeon inventory stretching it across the table. Queen then reads it over and then the new one again¡­ I think she spends more time reading over them then I did writing it¡­


    She eventually reaches forward hesitating for a bit then signs the contract. With light filling the words the page splits into two complete copies, and she takes the first rolling it up.


    I look over the pages real quick then roll both of mine up and then store them.


    ¡°Now good luck with Logan¡­ If something happened between you it would be quite unfortunate, for you¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Both of us are required to go to the aid of the Gowen royal family, that includes me and my dungeon, but until you officially become a Gowen I am only bound to original contract sans the new penalty.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I have faith in Logan, and after the help I have provided at the border during this war. That should be enough for Logan to ask for my hand.¡±


    ¡°And if he can¡¯t accept a dungeon as a wife?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I have been dropping subtle hints to him for a while now, and so far it hasn¡¯t seemed to worry him.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Queen, just promise me to take care of my brother¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°As Two-Twelve pointed out I am sworn to protect him now.¡±


    ¡°Also be more careful of your monsters, Belinda and I have a lot of damage control to do with Doug because of Aria¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°Well I best be off now, Belinda if you please?¡±


    Belinda nods and casts [Gate], and after Queen walks though Belinda closes it.


    ¡°First the Exeter queen, then Dyson, then Queen¡­ And we still have to straighten things out with Doug¡­ Can I just go to bed now¡­?


    Belinda: ¡°Being a dungeon monster didn¡¯t seem to matter to Doug, and saying anything about the dungeons would cause harm to me and possibly Logan, so I think we are safe there, but he might be mad at us for a while.¡±


    ¡°Well after today he can get in line¡­¡±


    Belinda moves over lifting my helmet from my head setting it down on the table.  She then gives me a kiss. I sit on the corner of the table sliding back a bit then pick her up siding her into my lap. She lays her head down on one of my pauldrons just staring up at me.


    I kiss Belinda¡¯s cheek then move down to her neck, and then from the other room I hear.


    Doug: ¡°Hey the doors fixed!¡±


    I sigh and Belinda giggles then hops up out of my lap. She then grabs my wrists pulling me to my feet and dragging me back to the entryway.


    Doug: ¡°How did you fix the door so quick? Did you use your dungeon voodoo?¡±


    Belinda and I quickly look towards Aria.


    Aria: ¡°You told me to just tell him what he needed to know, I thought he needed to know everything¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Doug, then you know why you have to keep this all a secret right?¡±


    Doug: ¡°I could care less about Mindy, but I can¡¯t lie to father or Logan, especially with how close Logan is to Queen.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Did you tell him about the contract we have with Queen?¡±


    Aria: ¡°Well I didn¡¯t have time to tell him about everything.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well we made a contract with Queen and just updated it tonight. Queen is required by force of magical contract to protect the Gowen family, the punishment is very severe. She can¡¯t hurt him so give her time to tell Logan himself.¡±


    Doug: ¡°What about father?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Let¡¯s get this war over with first¡­ He doesn¡¯t need to have to worry about all this too.¡±


    Doug: ¡°¡­Hey Two-Twelve. Aria said you have a room that shows everything that goes on in the dungeon, can I see it?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon core room? It¡¯s for dungeon monsters only, sorry.¡±


    Doug looks a little disappointed so I say. ¡°But if you like, when I get some time sometime, I might be able to give you a tour of the dungeon itself, of course all you would see would have to be kept quiet.¡±


    Doug: ¡°But won¡¯t the monsters be a problem?¡±


    ¡°Well they are mine, so they won¡¯t attack if I tell them not too.¡±


    Doug: ¡°But adventurers die all the time in the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you told him everything?¡±


    Aria: ¡°Well mostly¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that would have been one of the most important parts?¡±


    Aria: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Every dungeon is different, but for ones like Two-Twelve, they don¡¯t actively send monster out to attack people. Adventurers know what they are getting into when they enter a dungeon, so for the hope of acquiring wealth, power, and fame they attack the dungeon. Monsters, items, and just staying alive cost xp for the dungeon, and the adventurers that fall in the dungeon provide that to the dungeon.¡±


    Doug: ¡°But you sent me into the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Most parts of the dungeon we don¡¯t mind adventurers running around in, because as adventurer¡¯s level up we get more xp from them, and we also acquire xp just for them being in the dungeon. That is a much smaller amount, so if the adventurer just keeps in the safe area continuing to level up it is sometimes more beneficial than a low level adventurer pushing too far and dying inside.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s all about keeping a balance.¡±


    Doug: ¡°But wait your both heroes¡­ that means you have killed your own kind?¡±


    ¡°Not to sound cynical, but don¡¯t humans kill each other all the time. I mean isn¡¯t Gowen currently at war with humans killing other humans?¡±


    Doug: ¡°What about¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Doug¡­ it¡¯s been a long day. Aria can tell you a lot more.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Aria: ¡°Let¡¯s go up to your bedroom and I will tell you all about it.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Alright!¡±


    I sigh as they head up the stairs. ¡°Well I doubt he is going to learn any more about dungeons¡­ At least tonight.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am going to go upstairs and take a long hot bath¡­ You could join me if you want.¡±


    After a vivid memory flashes though my head of sharing a bath with Belinda I quickly say¡­ ¡°Not sure I am quite ready for that¡­¡±


    Belinda smiles and says. ¡°You remembered something didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to bed¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Can I at least use our bath?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    We then head upstairs and Belinda goes in the bathroom. I store my things and crawl into bed. I would think with everything that happened today I would of went straight to sleep, but instead all I can do is lie there with vivid images of Belinda filling my head.


    I finally roll over stuffing a pillow over my head like that is going to stop it¡­ It keeps going till I hear the door click and creep open and everything crashes to a halt¡­ I just start thinking to myself¡­ Please go to the other room. Please go to the other room. Please go to the other room over and over again in my head. With her soft footfalls on the floor sounding like drum beats.


    I then feel the covers move and feel her sliding into bed. When she comes up to rest against me all I can feel is flesh. I then feel her soft lips against my neck, while one of her arms wraps around me entering my shirt moving up till she starts twirling her finger on my chest in a circular motion.


    I set the pillow over my head aside and say. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    She reaches up whispering in my ear ¡°Tell me to stop.¡± Then she starts nibbling my ear. I grab her hand that¡¯s in my shirt and slowly pull it out, she lets go of my ear and starts to scoot back. She has seemed to giving it a rest, but I don¡¯t think I really wanted her to.


    When I feel her start to roll over I quickly roll over and place my hand on her shoulder. Staring directly into her eyes there is no longer any doubt in my mind¡­ I love this woman. I then roll over the top of her and she quickly begins tugging on my shirt.


    As long as the day was, and as tired as I felt, just doesn¡¯t seem to matter anymore as it stretches on for a couple more hours before sleep finally gets the best of us and we pass out in each other¡¯s arms.

 Amassing the Troops

    I woke up feeling a little guilty this morning with Belinda in my arms. I know Listel freed me so I could come back to Belinda, but I still can¡¯t help feel this is wrong, and not only because of Listel, but also Two-Twelve and Belinda¡­


    Just one look at her sleeping face and the guilt vanishes. I try to slide out from underneath her without waking her, but she wraps her arms around one of mine.


    Belinda: ¡°Please, not yet¡­¡±


    I run my hand through her hair and kiss her forehead. ¡°Our training was cut short, and Dyson¡¯s task ended up as a dud, so we need to start looking into what we should do next.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That can wait at least a few more hours.¡± ¨CShe says as she crawls back over the top of me and kisses me.-


    Needless to say I don¡¯t argue, and it¡¯s well into morning before we finally leave bed. Once we finally do head downstairs we find Roxy and Zoey waiting.


    Roxy: ¡°We didn¡¯t know if you had anything planned for today so we thought we should wait and find out.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, you could have sent a message.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°No you¡¯re not. Sorry that is, or at least I wouldn¡¯t be, but if we knew it was going to take hours we could have at least ate some breakfast while we waited.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I whip something up real quick¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her, we are fine. What are our plans moving forward though?¡±


    ¡°Honestly I am not sure. With Belinda¡¯s brother finding out about the dungeon I am a little worried.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Wait Doug found out about the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story, but yea he found out because of Aria. I don¡¯t think we have to worry about any danger from him, but I am still a little worried he might tell Logan or Belinda¡¯s father.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well nothing seemed out of the ordinary when they left earlier. They left out not long after we arrived this morning.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really nothing?¡± ¨CShe says seeming a little disappointed.-


    Roxy: ¡°They both appeared a little tired still, but no, other than that they said good morning and then left.¡±


    ¡°I still think we need to train everyone more, but I am also a little worried about you gaining too many more levels before we have some skills available to teach you all.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The first group we sent out, to look for you while you were missing, should be arriving any day now, maybe they have learned new skills and will make them available when they return? Although they have been searching for you, and not training, so they might not have gained much in the ways of levels.¡±


    ¡°I guess you could use [Gate] to recall them, but even if they bring back skills I am sure they will all be low level skills and that will only slightly help our progress.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°My progress alone is proof enough we are much stronger than those typical of our levels, so shouldn¡¯t we just start focusing on raising our levels?¡±


    ¡°You and Belinda are the exact reason I feel we should hold off till we get more skills. You said you were one of my weakest sentient monsters, but now you have easily passed Belinda¡¯s strength. If we keep leveling all without more skills in the future we will have the same problem we are having with Belinda.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But even if we get new skills we still have to have enough xp to purchase them.¡±


    ¡°That is true as well, maybe we should summon quite a few more groups of monsters to send out to gather xp and hopefully bring back skills and xp.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But forcing a sentient monster out to fight and possibly die like that doesn¡¯t seem right.¡±


    ¡°Well that is what monsters are summoned to do¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know, but I already feel bad enough about the groups we summoned. Not giving them a choice¡­ It makes me feel like a slave owner¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It¡¯s not that bad¡­ Like Boss said we are summoned for that reason to begin with. That¡¯s like you saying it¡¯s not right that you are a princess. Look at me I even begged Boss to re-bind me after you let me go.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I have mixed feelings about that as well. I became an adventurer to try to escape that fact, but surely not every monster we summon is going to feel the same way.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Most people especially slaves aspire to be adventurers, so I think as long as you treat them right I don¡¯t think there should be a problem.¡±


    ¡°If there are any that don¡¯t like it once they make up their cost in xp then we could release them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then would you like me to use [Gate] to collect the dispatched groups?¡±


    ¡°We might as well. There are 6 groups out right? That¡¯s quite a bit of magic, but I don¡¯t think we should be using it for much else today. With Azami¡¯s near endless supply of magic we could teach her [Gate] but its xp cost is really high and I am afraid with her personality she might not be able to cast it accurately¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What about me boss? I can help!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you land on your face the first time you used transfer¡­?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You didn¡¯t have to remember that memory¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides between Roxy, Belinda, and myself that is only two trips each, so it shouldn¡¯t be too bad.¡±


    We then divide the teams up and send messages out to get their locations and the descriptions of the area they are at. The leader of the first group I am going to retrieve, Is a name I know, Poppy. Poppy does a good job describing their location and their position. They seemed to be the farthest group out so they are still within Adra.


    After casting [Gate] I step through arriving at the place she described, which is an arid plain. A familiar group of four quickly gets to their feet when they see me. The area is so barren that I don¡¯t think I would have been able to use [Gate] without being able to focus on the group as well.


    Poppy: ¡°Master¡­ It¡¯s so good to finally meet you.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know how much Belinda has told you, but we have met before when you were in Catalina.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Yes¡­ Mistress Belinda told us. You were so close and yet we failed you and Mistress Belinda¡­¡±


    ¡°Listel did a good job on keeping my identity secret. My memory of that time is still a bit fuzzy but if I can recall I didn¡¯t say more than a few words to you all then, so I am sure I am just as much to blame.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Well I promise on behalf of all of us we won¡¯t fail you again¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I found my way back in any case. Why don¡¯t we head back now, it¡¯s so hot here even I might start to sweat¡­¡±


    We then use [Gate] to return to the ballroom of the house. I receive 3 new messages about monsters returning, and can see two more groups already have returned. None of the messages are very impressive, but I don¡¯t see Roxy or Belinda so they must be going after their last group already.


    I then look over the map we have stretched on the table and then reread the message I received from the second group I am supposed to go after. They seem to be just outside of Gowen in Calhoun.  They are even on the northern edge of the forest, so it¡¯s not hard for me to reach their location.


    My arrival is greeted with a quick scoff from a woman with black, grey, and white fur. She has little pointed ears and a large bushy tail that is got black rings around the grey and white tail. The only parts of her body that consist of skin are her face, bosom, stomach, and parts of her arms, and legs. Her clothing if you want to call it that doesn¡¯t cover much as it appears to be more of a series of straps and belts then actual clothing, I can¡¯t even tell if the object wrapped around her hips is a skirt or just a thick belt¡­


    Raccoon: ¡°This is what Mistress Belinda was having such a fuss about? Don¡¯t get me wrong, thanks for your dungeon giving me life, but if I was the mistress I would have left you lost and found a better looking man.¡±


    A young man with a mage robe with bags under his eyes and an exhausted expression quickly says. ¡°Bandy! That¡¯s no way to speak about master! I¡¯m sorry master, I am Chase. Please forgive Bandy she is a bit blunt at times¡­¡±


    The other two human women in the group briefly and respectfully greet me then quickly go silent again. It appears this kind of exchange is something they have gotten accustomed too.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, in fact I find my appearance rather bland after wearing the appearance of Arngrim for a few months...¡±


    Chase: ¡°Don¡¯t say that Master, I am sure Mistress Belinda loves you for your personality not your looks.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that was a compliment or just made it worse¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Yea and I am sure it¡¯s a huge personality at that. It has got to be at least twice the size of Chase¡¯s.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Bandy!¡± ¨CHe says while blushing profusely.-


    Bandy: ¡°You didn¡¯t seem shy about it at the time. You couldn¡¯t get that robe off fast enough.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should just return to the dungeon¡­?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Beats walking.¡± ¨CShe says as she disappears though the portal.-


    Chase: ¡°Please forgive her master¡­¡± ¨CHe says as he passes me and enters the portal himself.-


    The other two human girls thank me and then walk through the portal as well. I then follow them back to the house. The ballroom is plenty big enough but even with the 30 people inside they are all staying in pretty close nit groups.


    The raccoon Bandy appears to be the only one exploring the room while the rest of the group follows her, and Chase quietly begs her to behave. Belinda, Roxy, and Zoey are talking with one group, but once they see me they part and move over to me.


    Belinda: ¡°This is everyone I think.¡±


    I clear a few messages about the return of monsters again, this time it seems there are quite a few items added to the list, and the xp is quite a bit larger as well. There seems to be a few added skills but nothing really notable¡­


    ¡°Alright everyone!¡±


    Everyone quits their chatter and looks at me.


    ¡°First of all I want to thank all of you for your efforts in trying to track me down. I know it must not have been easy on you all. From my understanding Belinda promised you all, that if you went out to look for me, on your return she would unbind you so you could do what you like. If any of you would like to be unbound just get with Belinda and she will see to it along with getting you enough provisions and supplies to get you by for a while.¡±


    I then wait for a little bit but only a handful step forward heading over to where Belinda stands. 5 of which appear to be sword maidens, 2 of the warriors, and 1 monk. It appears none of the beastkin are the ones to have stepped forward. This surprised me, as I thought with the conversation with Bandy she would have been the first to step forward.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°The rest of you, I will now let you know your tasks going forward. Some of your groups have been broken up a bit, so we will rearrange you all in groups between 4 and 6 then let you go back out. We are going to send you to different areas to gather xp, and once every month or so we will use [Gate] to bring you back to provide the dungeon with xp. As long as you continue as adventurers gaining xp for the dungeon you will be free to act on your own as a group. The items you acquire will be yours to keep, but if it¡¯s an item unavailable to the dungeon we will add it to the summon-able list then return it to you. At any time you wish to be unbound from the dungeon if your group has at least provided enough xp to cover your original summoning cost then you will be allowed to be unbound from the dungeon taking any items you have acquired along with you. Are there any questions?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°What do we get in return?¡±


    ¡°You get to gain levels, and get to be an adventurer, but I guess if you acquire a useful item, spells, skills, or an above average amount of xp I am sure we can find some measure of compensation for that.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Even if it is to summon another person to our specifications?¡±


    ¡°Well summoning monsters is quite expensive, but if what you bring back is good enough I am sure that can be arranged. I won¡¯t summon a sentient monster to be a slave however, so they will be bound by the same set of rules.¡±


    One of the others chimes in as well. ¡°What if we want to become a hero?¡±


    ¡°Well you are acting on your own accord as adventurers, so I guess it¡¯s a possibility, but I would ask you check with us first to make sure the dungeon isn¡¯t an ally, or that we have some form of agreement with them.¡±


    We then go over a few more items and once everyone seems to be satisfied Belinda has finished with the ones that are leaving.


    ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s see who and what we got left.¡±


    We still have all 8 beastkin, 5 human sword maidens, 2 warriors (1 male, 1 female), and 2 male monks, and Chase the human mage.


    ¡°Alright that should leave us with three groups, each with 6 members.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°The four of us would like to stay together, but we would be happy to take on 2 more.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Me, I want to group up with the big guy.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Then I am going too¡­¡±


    ¡°Chase you and Lynx are our only mages, I would like to have at least 2 groups with mages.¡±


    Sword Maiden: ¡°All of us can use basic spells, nowhere near as specialized as a mage, but we are considered caster classes.¡±


    ¡°Their group would also be one of the groups with the extra sword maiden as well.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Come on Chase, don¡¯t get hung up on the one time¡­ Look that girl is quite the fox, literally, or you could have some fun milking that cow girl there. You could take turns jerking on each other swords with that warrior girl, and not to mention the plethora of sword maidens you could turn into sword hussies.¡±


    Poppy now seems to look less pleased with the raccoon that was so eager to join their group¡­


    Lynx: ¡°If that is where your decision rests miss raccoon, then I believe you are about to make a mistake. Not only is my species not compatible with beastkin or humans, but I also prefer males.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°¡­ Really?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Terrible shame¡­ So who wants to join the group with the only other mage, and that is sure to receive the best rewards from our master!?¡±


    Nobody steps forward but the male cat feral beastkin with the thin blade on his hip.


    Swashbuckler: ¡°I assure you I would not interest you in the slightest, but I am willing to give your group a shot if you are indeed trying to be the group that pleases our master the most.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°See not even the cat is a pussy, come on just 3 more!¡±


    The two cow beastkin then step forward.


    Bandy: ¡°There we go, just one more now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to force anyone¡­ But it should be one of you 3¡­¡± ¨CI say to the group of sword maidens that are grouped together.-


    They quickly look to each other in a panic and the smallest of the group a young blond girl gets volunteered when the other 2 step back leaving her by herself. She quickly looks back and panics but then says. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ Do my best¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Don¡¯t worry blondie we will take good care of you.¡±


    After that the male warrior, both rabbits, and the other monk join the two remaining sword maidens, leaving the female warrior and feral fox beastkin man to join Poppy¡¯s group.


    ¡°Is everyone good to go, or do you need to rest some before setting back out?¡±


    After a quick nod between Poppy and her group she speaks up. ¡°We are all set Master.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°If they are ready, then so are we!¡±


    Chase: ¡°But miss Bandy¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Shut it Chase you had your chance now deal with it.¡±


    The third group then nods as well.


    ¡°Alright, Belinda, you take that group north to Calhoun. Madam Erin has an agreement with us to allow us to train monsters there right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s not an agreement per say, but she has said it¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°You take that group there and get them started, and I will take care of the other two groups.¡±


    Belinda nods and moves over to the group, makes sure they are ready, and then the 7 of them disappear through a portal Belinda summons.


    ¡°You twelve with me.¡±


    I cast [Gate] and step through. Off in the distance is a city of dilapidated buildings and a large pristine castle at its head. The two groups quickly arrive behind me and look around.


    ¡°That city there is Mar, the beastkin will have quite a bit of trouble there. With Adra to the north, Merretta to the south, Sarnova to the south east, and the Adra/Merretta border to the west there is an abundance of dungeons within a short distance of here, so I will leave it up to your two groups which direction you go. With the exception of Mar here, the rest of the dungeons are fair game as far as I know.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°I think we have spent more time then I want to in the arid plains of Adra. We never entered Merretta last time following along the Duscae and Livinston border heading north so I think we will head down into Merretta this time.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Since master won¡¯t let us show elder Dyson what¡¯s what, I guess we will head west, because I don¡¯t want to dig the sand out of my cracks and crevices in Sarnova.¡±


    ¡°Alright, now be careful. I would rather you make it back alive with small amounts of xp then throwing your lives away.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°You don¡¯t got to worry about us. We will show you that we have 4 of your best monsters in our group.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Miss Bandy there is 6 of us¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Damn, getting cocky aren¡¯t we Chase? I was at least going to give the other groups the credit for 2, but now you got to work twice as hard to prove your bold statement.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Take care of Mistress Belinda¡­ She looks so much happier now that you have returned.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ And I mean it Bandy, be careful!¡±


    After bidding them all farewell I step back though the portal heading back to the house.


    ¡°Man that was quite tiring¡­ Is Belinda not back yet?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Adventuring in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon takes a bit of planning so I am sure she is going to take a little while with them to make sure they got everything handled before returning.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I wonder if I should summon one more group of monsters, it looks like we have enough xp for it. After all we just went from 6 groups down to 3¡­ I would like to put a group way up north in Clement or Dailian, but Exeter is too hard for a low level adventurer group to travel through alone and I haven¡¯t been very far north into Livinston.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Even if it takes them a while to get there once they are there you should be able to teleport to them then right? So for that reason alone wouldn¡¯t it be worth it?¡±


    ¡°You may just have a decent point. If Belinda returns before I come back tell her I am consorting with the bunnies.¡±


    I then transfer to the core room.


    Lylah: ¡°Hey Master, it looks like you had a house full.¡±


    ¡°Yea we recalled all the groups that were out and about. A few more then I expected decided to be unbound from the dungeon, so I wanted to check with you if the xp was enough that they brought back to summon another group of 6 without putting us in a bind.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t know Master¡­ The Lizardman Lord in the water wing was killed today, that is going to cost master a lot of xp to replace.¡±


    ¡°One of the bosses was killed? What about the sword?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°That is what the group used to kill the Lizardman Lord with, they lost a few members and placed the sword back so they could escape the remaining Lizardman Chieftains, but we were still dealt a major blow¡­¡±


    ¡°Did the orb return to the boss room like it was supposed to when they fled the dungeon?¡±


    Lila: ¡°Yes shortly after they left the dungeon the orb found its way back. I don¡¯t think they knew its purpose, and just thought it was just a valuable gem. One of them shoved it in their pack and I doubt they even realized it was missing till they made it back to Tobes.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like pure luck they didn¡¯t make it off with the sword as well¡­ So how much xp are we going to have left after we replace what was lost?¡±


    Lila: ¡°Due to the fact we started replacing the Lizardman Chieftains with rifts the only cost is the Lizardman Lord. Even still after replacing it we will only have 10,318xp remaining at the end of day if no other expenses occur.¡±


    ¡°And we need over 20,000xp for another group don¡¯t we?¡±


    Lila: ¡°21,000xp if they are all basic beastkin, but if you are talking humans in the manner in which Belinda was summoning them it would be 26,250xp for 6.¡±


    ¡°Well in case they do end up in Dailian they should at least be mostly humans¡­ I guess that group will just have to wait, but I am more concerned that the adventurers will soon take the mythril blades¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master should we remove them till we are able to increase the protection of them?¡±


    ¡°Their disappearance now would cause quite a commotion I am sure, so no worst case scenario we lose the swords, but I still think it will take a lot more than that for them to get through the main path of the dungeon.¡±


    The bunnies and I then discuss a few plans to follow in the immediate future, and then I return to the house.


    Belinda: ¡°I was just about to go check on you, Roxy said you were going to summon another group?¡±


    ¡°It appears we are too strapped on xp for the moment to do that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon should be safe at least, but we might suffer heavy losses soon. The amount of xp acquired by the dungeon is quite limited isn¡¯t it? We need to find a way to really boost the amount.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You already covered the entire town¡­ I don¡¯t see how you could possibly get more people than that.¡±


    ¡°There was a large influx of adventurers and mages when the elemental rooms were added because the value of the components right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You added them while we were out training, but yes that seemed to be the result. Mindy is even in talks with the mage guild in having a branch built in either Tobes or the capital.¡±


    ¡°Mage guild?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s a branch of the adventurer¡¯s guild but it deals strictly with mages, having a branch in Gowen would be the highest honor, I don¡¯t even think Exeter has one.¡±


    ¡°So we have about tapped out the adventurers and mages, what about other groups? We could add some mining tunnels to the dungeon with ore, or something along those lines.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I discussed that with you one time before you lost your memory not long after we acquired Katie. You told me at the time that dungeon walls are unbreakable, so for a mining dungeon you need to have the available type of interior. I think it is supposed to be normal for dungeon¡¯s but you never have been a normal dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°What else is there we could add?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Inari, that¡¯s one of the cores you trained. She told me after the villagers moved into her dungeon she added mines and even farmable land inside her dungeon to produce food for the villagers.¡±


    ¡°Farm land would take massive rooms¡­ The xp cost alone. You said this was a dungeon I trained?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She is like our daughter¡­ She went to the island nation of Shima and due to her circumstances it¡¯s hard for her to leave her dungeon, but she is able to gain massive amounts of xp quite easily.¡±


    ¡°Well if we get ahead on xp that might be something to consider, but for the moment I don¡¯t think we would be able to try any undertaking like that. I guess the only option we have is to go out and gather the xp ourselves then¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After the entire day, we have just come around full circle then ending back up right were we started¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes it seems that way¡­ What if we decided to take a more active role in the war?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You mean kill other humans¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well the dungeon does that every day already¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But adventurers know what they are getting into¡­¡±


    ¡°And you are saying soldiers don¡¯t?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But to actually kill them with our own hands¡­¡±


    ¡°You have never killed a human?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have never sought to kill one¡­ I have killed a few after being attacked but that is just self-preservation at that point.¡±


    ¡°Would fighting in the war really be that much different?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well it¡¯s true it is either you or them, but making the choice to enter a battle instead of it being forced on you is where the difference lies¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess since you were born human it¡¯s different for you. I honestly don¡¯t see it being any different then entering another dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong it¡¯s not just humans, I feel the same way toward sentient dungeon monsters. It was only after much debate and finding out that the dungeon core was going to try to spread a plague that I became a hero, and I still felt terrible afterwards.¡±


    ¡°And Two-Twelve¡­ I mean I used to feel the same?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you kind of worked into it. At first you felt the same way as you do now, and we have even had this same conversation in the past. I think after becoming mayor though I think the humans started to grow on you.¡±


    ¡°Well none of that changes the fact we need to find another way to gather xp.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I know you wanted to gather more skills before training further but that is the only other way I can see us gaining xp quickly.¡±


    ¡°You may be right, and I think no matter what there will always be new skills that we will learn that I will have wished we learned sooner¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Where should we go then? Back to Exeter, there are a few more dungeons there and I am sure we could even press into Lodia and gather xp from the undead. It would also prove more good will with the queen.¡±


    ¡°Well traveling would be a pain, so I think that would be a sound idea. I guess we should inform the others and set out tomorrow.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You really don¡¯t like to relax do you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well the point of all this is we need a quick source of xp if we waited days before leaving it wouldn¡¯t be very quick¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I jest, but I was hoping to get to spend some more time together just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°We do have the rest of the afternoon all to ourselves.¡±


    After a brief time informing the others of our plans Belinda and I retire for the rest of the evening and even giving the early start it¡¯s still not till long after I receive the new day notice in [Menu] that Belinda eventually go to sleep.


    When I wake in the morning I am still quite tired after so much exertion, but somehow Belinda is already wide awake, fully dressed, and presenting me a cup of coffee with kiss, and bright smile on her face.


    Belinda: ¡°Roxy and Zoey are finishing up breakfast downstairs, and we can be ready as soon as you are.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be in a great mood this morning.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know there is still a lot you don¡¯t remember, but even if the rest of your memories never return. I know without a doubt my husband is back.¡±


    ¡°You mean to say marathon sessions like that for us are common¡­?¡±


    Belinda laughs. ¡°That¡¯s not it at all. In fact I can say all that extra endurance you got from becoming a hero really was a pleasant surprise¡­ But you said us not Two-Twelve and I. Not only are you saying it but I could see it in your eyes as well, you aren¡¯t fighting to keep the old you and the new you as separate people.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just trying to do what I thought was best. I felt that keeping the old me and the new me separate was the best way to make sure I didn¡¯t disrespect the man I was before.¡±


    Belinda takes the coffee from my hands setting it on the table next to the bed then crawls into my lap and kisses me. ¡°Don¡¯t be. That kind of attitude is part of what makes me know that even without all your memories you are still my husband.¡±


    ¡°Well your husband seems like a dubious character.¡±


    Belinda laughs and says. ¡°Maybe a little, but if it¡¯s important he always knows just what to do.¡±


    I then jokingly say. ¡°Now you are making me wonder if we aren¡¯t two completely different people!¡±


    She laughs and kisses me again, this time practically melting in my arms, but she quickly tenses up and pulls herself from the bed.


    Belinda: ¡°Well we better get downstairs now, or I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t make it at all.¡±


    ¡°Is that a problem¡­?¡±


    Belinda then lets out a short ragged breath, shakes her head, and says. ¡°Maybe too much endurance¡­¡± She then throws a pair of clothes at me that she had draped over one of the chairs. ¡°Now hurry and dressed.¡±


    I then quickly get dressed and finish off my coffee before we head down stairs to meet with the others.

 Our Continued Struggle

    After Belinda and I made our preparations for heading back to Exeter we then head to the forest¡¯s edge to get Azami, but she has a surprise in store for Zoey.


    Azami presents Zoey a bow much better than anything then the dungeon can create. The design is quite simple but also pure in its elegance. From my understanding Katie tried to make a bow using dwarven materials once, but she could never quite get it right, but Azami¡¯s creation seems to be perfect.


    Azami: ¡°I have been working on it in our down time as I noticed you bow was very lacking. I am sorry it is not of mythril, but it is the best I can accomplish with my skills.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What are you talking about¡­ This is amazing!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Bows are not really that common inside a confined dungeon so the bows we could summon have always been quite lacking. I am glad you finally have felt comfortable enough with us to craft something.¡±


    Azami: ¡°It is not that big of a deal, I am a crafter after all. Either that or I am a crafter so something like this is not that big of a deal.¡±


    ¡°Well in any case thanks.¡±


    Azami: ¡°For the power I have been granted by being one of your boss monsters it seems it is the least I can do. Now that Zoey¡¯s bow is complete I will now begin working on the items I promised the dwarf girl for the dungeon in my spare time.¡±


    It¡¯s quite hard to get the bow from Zoey long enough to add it to the dungeon inventory, but she eventually lets me allowing the dungeon to create more. I then find the [Master Quality Elvish Bow] and return it to the anxious Zoey.


    We then return to Exeter. Over the course of the next few weeks we train in Exeter trying not to cause too many waves we jump around quite a bit. We happen to arrive at a small village just in time to fend off an undead horde that nets us a decent amount of xp and grants us another audience with the Queen. Luckily this time we don¡¯t have to fight her and she just thanks us.


    We have gained enough xp for everyone including myself to gain a level, but it hasn¡¯t helped much as the bunnies are starting to struggle with the elemental rooms in the dungeon. After losing our first mythril sword we decide to spend the xp we were gathering, and the xp from the first month¡¯s progress of the other groups to add to the elemental rooms leaving us right back where we started a month ago...


    I add another room to the back of each of the boss rooms with stairs heading down and then attach another same size room on the lower level. I then add another boss style room attached to each of them. We leave the Water, Fire, and Shadow boss room alone only moving the swords down to the new boss rooms.


    I then move the small earth dragon and the griffon down to the new boss rooms while filling their old rooms with the similar setup like the other three. We don¡¯t have enough xp to make any rifts for now so I just throw in more relevant elemental monsters for now to fill the rooms till we are running low on xp.


    Of course we don¡¯t have enough to replace the missing mythril sword that was taken from the fire room. Honestly all I did was making it further to the swords and not even really any harder, but I hope we can replace the monsters in the new rooms soon with rifts and perhaps harder monsters.


    ¡°Girls that is the best we can do for now, as soon as we have the xp replace them with rifts. Poppy¡¯s group and Bandy¡¯s group really seem to be taking off, and the other group is doing decently as well. Next month we might actually start to make good amounts of xp from them. Hopefully by then we can add another group.¡±


    Without much choice the boss monsters and I return to Exeter to acquire more xp. We finally start to make progress when I receive the first message I have gotten from Dyson since I angered him about the sword.


    Dyson: (I see you are quite busy, so I thought I would give you a little extra time to get ready. I need you to come to my dungeon tomorrow first thing in the morning. If you don¡¯t know the reason I am sure your boss monster can tell you, and you might want to bring her along as I have a surprise for you both.)


    ¡°Hold on¡­ I just received a strange message from Dyson. He wants me to go to his dungeon tomorrow, but as for the reason he just said you should know¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ No! It¡¯s not that time again already is it¡­? After everything, can¡¯t he give you at least 1 year of a break?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s the time they start picking who will train the new dungeon cores this year, but you have had to participate every year since you were born. First with the elder selection, then Inari, and then the twins, and they didn¡¯t even let you off the hook for your own wedding.¡±


    ¡°Is it because my special dungeon that they keep picking me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You changed everything with the way you trained Inari, but after last year they should be able to do it just as well as you could¡­¡±


    ¡°He also said something about a surprise and to bring you along.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Good then if I am there I am going to tell him flat out N.O. you have done enough for his gain he can let us be for a change¡­¡±


    After that Belinda is pretty angry for the rest of the day so we call it early and return back to the house with [Gate]. After relaxing in a hot bath Belinda has finally calmed down.


    ¡°You feeling better now?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I got to thinking¡­ Maybe we can use this.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well we can train his new dungeon core like he wants but in exchange we ask for compensation.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it works that way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°2 out of your 3 years you have trained cores and the other year you had to pick the new elder. Out of 799 dungeon cores none other has had that kind of responsibility especially when that was your first 3 years¡­¡±


    ¡°He is already mad about the sword, I would really hate to make the strongest dungeon core, hell probably the strongest being alive, any madder then I already have¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then tell him you have a new plan for training cores that is even better than before but it will require more xp.¡±


    ¡°He would be able to find us out with his [Observation] screen, but he has seemed to be pretty generous with us in the past so it might not hurt to at least mention it.¡±


    Belinda sighs and then hugs me. ¡°Sometimes your honest nature is quite the burden¡­¡±


    ¡°He did also say he had a surprise for us, so maybe things will work out in the end¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Knowing him it¡¯s another woman he is trying to pawn off onto you¡­¡±


    ¡°With Dyson¡¯s personality I wouldn¡¯t be surprised, but I guess we are going to have to just wait and see.¡±


    Belinda tries and succeeds in changing the subject by dropping the towel she had wrapped around her, and we go to bed early¡­


    The next morning we don¡¯t know what Dyson has planned, and we could be meeting cores we haven¡¯t before so I decide to be cautious while also showing off a little by Belinda and I setting off to Dyson¡¯s in our full armor.


    The woman that greets us at the gates of Dyson¡¯s castle is actually dressed pretty conservative for Dyson¡¯s standards. She doesn¡¯t say much except asking us to follow her and we travel along the corridors till we reach a familiar ruby handled door.


    Once escorted inside we are met with only one other person and surprisingly it too is someone we know. A very excited but nervous dungeon core that we recently renewed our agreement with¡­


    Queen: ¡°He called you again as well¡­? I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, but you think he is really going to trust me to train one of the new dungeon cores¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You have done quite well for yourself, so it¡¯s not that far of a reach.¡±


    Queen: ¡°But it is still years away from the time he said he would trust me¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it as such a great thing¡­ We had our training interrupted for this¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°But Dyson is the strongest core there is for him to trust us this much is the greatest of honors!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Can we just change the subject till he at least arrives, all this talk about Dyson is making me queasy¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am sorry you feel that way. After I went through all the trouble of bringing you a surprise visitor.¡± ¨CHe says while entering the room with another dungeon core.-


    The dungeon core is quite the attractive young woman with snow white ears, tail, and hair. She has on quite an elaborate robe consisting of no less than 5 or 6 visible layers. Everywhere from the finest looking silk to one layer made in what looks like very tightly packed chainmail. The outer most layer is adorned with large decorative red plates that appear to be a type of armor as well.


    She has a tight laced choker that has several empty rings dangling from it, but right in the center hanging from the ring is a fox carved from diamond. On a large red sash holding all of the layers together are two brilliantly decorated thin blades in different sizes, on her back is also a detailed staff with sharpened blades at each end.


    Belinda¡¯s sour expression quickly lights up as she rushes past Dyson nearly shoving him out of the way as she wraps her arms around the other dungeon core.


    Belinda: ¡°Inari! You look so wonderful! It looks like you really are doing well.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Thank you Mommy¡­ It has been tough but I think the worst of it is behind us now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How is Takeshi?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Still as stubborn as always¡­¡±


    Belinda drags Inari over to me. I heard enough from Belinda to know who this dungeon core is, but unfortunately I can¡¯t remember her.


    Inari: ¡°Hello Daddy¡­¡±


    ¡°You are Inari? I am sure you heard what happened from Belinda. I am sorry that I can¡¯t remember you¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°You are alive, and that is the important part. I am just so glad to see you both again.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It takes at least 6 hours to prepare for her return trip, so you will have plenty of time to talk after our meeting, so can we get started?¡±


    Belinda couldn¡¯t look any happier as she pulls Inari and me to a small couch. It is clearly only big enough for two of us but she manages to squeeze all three of us on it with Inari practically sitting in our laps.


    Dyson: ¡°As you have gathered we are here to discuss this year¡¯s training of the new dungeon cores.  Next year we might have a bit extra cores to train due to someone¡¯s destruction of multiple cores, but this year we will only have 4. Two-Twelve was also reasonable for the death of Dungeon Core #135, so I will leave you to train that new core. I will take Dungeon Core #371, Inari will take dungeon Core #618, and Queen will take Dungeon Core #745.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And let me guess #135, and #371 are the only two that are female?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I resent that notion¡­ #745 is female as well, only #618 will be male.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t care about what you do, but wouldn¡¯t it at least make sense for Two-Twelve to train #618, and Inari train #135 then? You just want Two-Twelve to train a female in hopes it will be Divine Being.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°For your information your daughter was the one that asked for the male dungeon core, besides after the events that have transpired I am sure Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon core is almost guaranteed to be a cat beastkin this year.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Exactly, so I hold no illusions in getting a Divine Being from him this year.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is even more reason for Two-Twelve to train #618 then!¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am sorry mommy¡­ I understand what you are saying, but taking on a female dungeon core right now would be quite problematic for me and my dungeon¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Inari¡­ I didn¡¯t even think to ask why you chose the male¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Good, now that the matter is settled we can move on.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a minute. I am also opposed to training a core at all this year. My first year I had to deal with the elder selection, and every year since I have had to train a new core. This year I don¡¯t even fully understand my own dungeon because of my memory loss, and you are saying I should train another?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes I debated that fact quite a bit myself, but I thought maybe in the efforts of helping you regain your memory something like training another core would help.¡±


    ¡°Well my dungeon is going through a critical time right now, and I just don¡¯t think with my memory loss, and dangers my dungeon currently are facing, it would be wise, or even fair to the new core that they be placed in my charge at this time.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I believe it is the dungeon cores in your generation that are going to be the future of our kind. That is why I trust the three of you to train new cores when as little as 4 years ago a 15 year old core was controversial, but now none of you are even 5 years old yet.¡±


    ¡°Then if you won¡¯t back down I feel it¡¯s only fair for you to provide an extra amount of xp so we young dungeon cores can have a chance to secure our dungeons, so we can focus on the training of the new cores instead of having to worry about the safety of our dungeon during the training.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You have no one to blame but yourself for providing access to mythril weapons to adventurers when your dungeon is so small, so of course adventurers are going to flock to try to acquire them. I have seen your dungeon quite thoroughly and can safely say where you might lose the rest of those mythril swords the odds of even the current heroes reaching your dungeon crystal is pretty slim. However if it ends the conversation now were we can continue forward then fine, I will provide double the amount of xp for the core¡¯s training.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Good. Now Inari, I hear Shima is in still quite a state even after what happened. Madam Erin has asked me that while speaking with Two-Twelve and his boss monster you keep your word.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t feel the need to conceal it from Daddy and Mommy, and I am sure they could even be of great assistance in the matter. They do however seem to be having enough troubles at the moment without having to worry about mine, so I will agree, for now at least.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And Queen, I am going out on quite a limb, trusting you with this task. If you fail this task you will not get another chance, but remember what I taught you. You do not have to do it alone. With your recent extended agreement with Two-Twelve, close proximity, and contact I am sure if you have any questions you can ask him or his boss monster.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I understand Elder Dyson, and I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    Dyson then continues on explaining the process of how to train the new dungeon cores. It seems to be the way I developed in training Inari and the further refined with Madam Erin and Dyson last year. It seems simple enough but it could just seem that way because as he explains it I seem to be able to recall how to do it even if I don¡¯t remember actually implementing it.


    I do get an idea for something new to try, but I am not sure if it will be wise to try it. As the meeting wears on I really do see the bond Belinda and Inari share. It is the closest thing to a family relationship a dungeon core can have, and I have to admit it hurts quite a bit that no matter how I try I can¡¯t recall anything about her¡­


    After the meeting is over Dyson pulls Inari to the side to talk to her while Queen joins Belinda and me.


    Queen: ¡°I know the agreement doesn¡¯t cover anything like this, and you seem to be having quite a bit of troubles on your own, but I can¡¯t afford to fail here. Even if I have to add a clause to our agreement I will do whatever you ask for your help in this matter.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary. You are practically family, and we would be happy to help.¡±


    ¡°The meeting seemed to cover it quite thoroughly from what I can recall, but if you have any questions about parts of it I do remember I don¡¯t see a problem with helping.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Well I need to return to my dungeon now¡­ I will be glad when I become strong enough to use teleportation magic myself. Dyson¡¯s speed demon makes you feel if as if you are being ripped apart¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re talking about Speedy¡­? I have never experienced it, but Two-Twelve always seemed quite distressed after being dragged across the continent by her¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°Do yourself a favor Two-Twelve, and don¡¯t remember those memories¡­ Trust me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If it is really that bad, I am sure Two-Twelve or I could open a portal with [Gate].¡±


    Queen: ¡°If you do I will be sure to tell your brother that you are the best sister a man could ever have!¡±


    Belinda laughs and then seems to look at me for permission. After I nod she casts [Gate], and after Queen thanks Belinda yet again and disappears beyond the portal. Inari then appears to finish her talk with Dyson and returns to us with a bright smile.


    Inari: ¡°Elder Dyson said that since it will take hours for him to be able to take me back home, so that if I wanted to, I could return to Tobes with you to catch up until he is ready.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is wonderful! I am sure the girls would love to see you again as well.¡±


    Inari: ¡°And by what you said I have quite a few new aunts to meet as well. Daddy is starting to get quite the collection by what I heard from the messages you sent.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°When he first returned without his memories even he had the impression that he was a shady character.¡±


    ¡°You can try to put on me as much as you want, but Lilah told me that you are responsible for most of them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Mere conjecture.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Daddy. We still love you either way.¡±


    They say a dungeon core¡¯s desires can be easily seen by the results of a core they have trained, so I guess it just proves even more how much I care for Belinda, because Inari and her personalities seem to almost sync¡­ Although with Inari¡¯s appearance I still can¡¯t be 100% sure that the rumors of my past self aren¡¯t completely unfounded¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Why don¡¯t we go home and prepare a big lunch and we can invite everyone, and we can all catch up.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I can show you some of the dishes I learned in Shima, although I can¡¯t promise their taste.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well if they don¡¯t turn out we can just make your father and Aunt Zoey eat it because neither of them could tell the difference.¡±


    The two of them laugh and then we use [Gate] to head back to the house. Belinda and I quickly store our equipment, but Inari says it¡¯s rather difficult to remove hers so she leaves it on. Then Belinda and Inari begin working on a large meal and the girls quickly begin to arrive, of course first though the door is Zoey with a wagging tail.


    Inari: ¡°Aunt Zoey, Aunt Roxy!¡± ¨CShe gives them each a brief hug while Zoey and Inari size each other up.- ¡°Don¡¯t worry Aunt Zoey we are making sure to have an extra-large portion ready just for you.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You look like you have done quite well for yourself.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You look quite stronger as well. I heard daddy made you one of his special boss monsters?¡±


    Zoey puffs out her chest. ¡°That¡¯s right and now I am 10 times stronger then I was before!¡±


    Inari: ¡°Good for you¡­ I can see Aunt Roxy still has her work cut out for her though.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She is even more incorrigible now that she has gotten stronger then me again, but she is far easier to live with that way. It also has a few added benefits as well so I can¡¯t complain too much. Speaking of that what about you and your little Takeshi?¡±


    Inari seems to get a frustrated expression. ¡°Unfortunately he is just the same as always¡­ It¡¯s been almost two years and I haven¡¯t even gotten something as little as a kiss from him, and Mommy thought Daddy was bad¡­¡±


    ¡°You know I am still standing right here¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Then it¡¯s your own fault for listening in on our girl talk.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°And the funniest part is there is now another two guys around with Scylla¡¯s husband and Belinda¡¯s youngest brother, but they are worse than he is!¡±


    ¡°Kline can¡¯t be that bad, Scylla is pregnant after all. Doug on the other hand¡­ I guess I can¡¯t argue with you there¡­ He even wanted me to explain it to him.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I haven¡¯t met uncle Doug yet, but how can someone like that, Aunt Scylla, and even one of my monsters that is just like Aunt Scylla all getting it yet I still can¡¯t!?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°No offense darling, but maybe you should start betting on a different horse¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I know you are right¡­ But he is just such a thoroughbred you don¡¯t want to lose it because I am browsing the low-stock.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You can¡¯t truly know if he is a thoroughbred thought until you take him for a ride.¡±


    ¡°I am left thinking that if I still had my memories this would still be the most awkward conversation I have ever listened to...¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t worry boss if you still had your memories then you would know it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°On that note I am going to go see what is taking the others so long¡­¡±


    The three girls laugh and I don¡¯t even make it out the door before I hear them start back up¡­ I don¡¯t know what I was thinking when Inari was born but her personality seems to sync with every woman in the house¡­I meet with Scylla and Kline in the entryway and grab Kline¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go grab a drink while the girls have their conversations¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°But Master I wanted to introduce Kline to Miss Inari.¡±


    ¡°There will still be plenty of time, and trust me when I say it¡¯s a conversation best left between the girls.¡±


    Scylla¡¯s ears turn a little pink and seems to understand perfectly as she lets go of Kline¡¯s other arm. ¡°Just don¡¯t drink too much.¡±


    ¡°And if you see Doug enter send him our way before the rest give him too much trouble.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Leave it to me master.¡±


    It seems a shame Scylla isn¡¯t still bound to the dungeon, she seems like the most reliable one of the bunch¡­ Kline and I then enter the ball room and I pour us a few drinks. I quickly throw mine back and refill it before sitting down.


    ¡°How did I function in a house of women before I lost my memories?¡±


    Kline: ¡°It never seemed to bother you before. The young master always joked that you must of the will power of a god¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if that¡¯s true, I hope it returns soon¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°I try not to ask Scylla many questions regarding the dungeons as it seems wrong somehow after being an adventurer for so many years, but the young lady that arrived today is another like you and Miss Queen correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is one that was born in my dungeon. In fact I believe it was right over there somewhere.¡± ¨CI say while pointing to the center of the room.- ¡°Every year new dungeons are born inside another and they train for a month before setting out on their own. We can¡¯t have actual children, but I guess you could say this is the closest we get.¡±


    Kline: ¡°It makes since now that was why Scylla referred to her as your daughter.¡±


    ¡°From my understanding even for dungeon cores Inari seemed to be quite a bit more attached to us than the normal core.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you? How are you holding out? Scylla should be pretty close now right?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Yes¡­ It¡¯s really starting to sink in now, and I am not sure that I am ready¡­¡±


    ¡°Scylla is very reliable I am sure you will both do fine. Have you thought of names yet?¡±


    Kline: It all depends¡­ I mean not only could it be a boy or a girl, but it could also either be a squirrel beastkin or a salamander feral beastkin. I am sure Scylla would be honored if you were to choose a name for it when it is born.¡±


    ¡°That I am sure is a terrible idea¡­ After all I hear that I am Two-Twelve because I couldn¡¯t even pick one for myself¡­ I think Belinda or Logan would be a much better choice.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Yes, maybe we should ask Belinda¡­¡±


    By the time I finish my second drink and Kline his first Doug enters the room red-faced.


    ¡°You got to meet Inari I guess?¡±


    He silently nods his head.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t escape quick enough though did you?¡±


    He quickly shakes his head. I can¡¯t help but chuckle a little and then pour him a drink. In a much similar fashion he quickly downs his first glass but he chokes and coughs a bit, and I just refill his glass.


    ¡°We are a pretty sorry sight you know that¡­? Strong men like us, I¡¯m a dungeon for crying out loud with the title of hero 4 times over, and we are scared of a bunch of cackling females.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I have quickly found the best way to deal with women that have grouped together is either quickly agree with them, and if you can¡¯t do that make sure you have found a good place to hide¡­¡±


    We sit for a while, chatting, and drinking. Poor Doug unfortunately can¡¯t hold his liquor so he is already showing signs of drunkenness when we are summoned to the dining room for the meal. Entering the dining room Kline, Doug, and myself are quickly outnumbered.


    Even without the bunnies or Azami there is still almost a 3 to 1 ratio¡­ Kline and I seem to have a difficult time with the meal, but Doug apparently was the smart one as in his drunkenness he starts having a good time as well.


    The topics of conversation are varied and mostly at our expense. None of it is out of ill intent though so we just smile on with sheepish grins¡­After the meal the first to depart is Kline and Scylla as Scylla says she needs to head home to rest because of the baby. Doug and Aria seem to disappear as well, and Zoey and Roxy disappear shortly after. Bell has to get back to Mindy at city hall and Sofia has to return to her training of the adventurers so they both depart. Leave just Katie, Belinda, Inari, and myself.


    Katie seems really interested in the armor sections of Inari¡¯s outfit.


    Katie: ¡°It¡¯s truly wonderful¡­ Would it be too much to ask to allow your father to store it, so we could perhaps replicate it?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Not at all, the material is quite good, but I have no special attachment to it. The chainmail was made for me as a gift, but the rest of it is just items I recovered from some traveling I did.¡±


    Katie¡¯s eyes seem to sparkle at Inari¡¯s words.


    Inari:  ¡°I wish I could have brought everyone so Daddy could learn to make all of their gear as well. I have plenty of xp, but acquiring goods is quite difficult in Shima. If we can start to have more actual contact I would love to be able to trade with him.¡±


    Inari then starts to remove her gear placing it on the table while Katie examines it closely. It takes her quite a while to remove no less than 4 layers from her robe, but with at least 3 remaining she apparently has removed all the items that are considered equipment.


    She then runs over and gives me a tight hug and says. ¡°I hope this helps daddy!¡± I can¡¯t help to blush a bit because even though her robe has at least three layers remaining they are made of very fine and soft material. I am sure before I lost my memories I have probably seen her naked at her birth, but I hope that memory doesn¡¯t come back to me or it could be quite problematic as I am supposed to think of this girl as my daughter.


    Inari seems hesitant to let me go, but eventually does giving me the chance to store her equipment and then return it to her.


    New Items Available


    Mage¡¯s Dark Steel Chainmail                     Cost: 2500xp


    Light Hihi¡¯irokane Plate-mail*                     Cost:  25,000xp


    Hihi¡¯irokane Katana*                                   Cost: 10,000xp


    Hihi¡¯irokane Wakizashi*                             Cost: 8,000xp


    *Items made from Hihi¡¯irokane are required to be summoned under the Shima region restriction.


    New Enchantment Available


    [Greater Magic] Item cost x3 or 5000xp whichever is less (2000xp minimum)


    [Wind-Resistant] Item cost x3 or 5000xp whichever is less (2000xp minimum)


    [Power] Item cost x3 or 5000xp whichever is less (2000xp minimum)


    [Magic Touched] Item cost x3 or 100,000xp whichever is less (12,000xp minimum)


    [Blood Thief] Item cost x10 or 150,000xp whichever is less (50,000xp minimum)


    [Magic Sealing] Item cost x10 or 150,000xp whichever is less (50,000xp minimum)


    ¡°That equipment is quite something¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Thank you. All of my sentient monsters have similar quality of gear.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing at only 2 years old.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You taught me well. In all seriousness it is mostly luck, if I didn¡¯t put my dungeon at the exact point I did I would have never made it, and the gear we have acquired is all from a single location. I wish I could tell you more, but I gave me word to Elder Dyson and Madam Erin. Maybe at least letting you learn how to make the items is enough to make up for not being able to tell you about it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We understand, but if you ever need our help I don¡¯t care what the elders say you let us know!¡±


    Inari: ¡°I really do believe the worst of it is behind me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve, can you make Inari a ring like the one you made for yourself?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. Besides I want to try making more to see if I can refine it better, but at the moment we don¡¯t have enough xp to even make another without putting us in danger.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you will see Inari again when the training of the new cores is complete right? Promise me you will have one ready for her by then. I would feel much safer with our daughter out there in the world if she could get the use out of one of the rings.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Mommy really its ok¡­ I am doing ok right now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°This ring will change everything, but you got to be real careful how you use it and promise me you won¡¯t tell the elders about it. After all I just want the best for my little girl.¡±


    ¡°The elders will find out for sure if we give one to Inari as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Fine, let them find out, but I want you to promise me you will make her one!¡±


    ¡°As long as you promise me she is the only one¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There is Dawn and Twilight as well, and we don¡¯t know what the future will bring¡­¡±


    I sigh¡­ ¡°Alright I promise I will make one for Inari but only Inari for now¡­¡±


    Belinda quickly hugs and kisses me. ¡°Thank you! I love you!¡±


    Inari: ¡°I will see if I can sneak in some more equipment when I return so you can learn to make more things.¡±


    ¡°Right now more than equipment we need more skills.¡±


    Inari: ¡°They are only entry level skills, but there are quite a few Shima classes that have unique skills that function just like the ones from here, but the ones that have become available at my dungeon I have been able to learn in addition to the mainland versions. If I can find a way to get some monsters to you I will send as many as I can.¡±


    ¡°That would be a big help.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well we are starting to run out of time, and you still haven¡¯t seen Lilah, Lylah, Lila, and Azami yet.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I can¡¯t believe Daddy allowed for that rabbit multiply¡­ I am alright with meeting the elf, but I think I will pass on the rabbits.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But Lilah will be so disappointed that she didn¡¯t get to see you again.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I seriously doubt that.¡±


    ¡°Well we are not going to force you, so I guess I will just take you to meet Azami then.¡±


    I then transfer us to the edge of the forest where we usually meet with Azami. Once we arrive I see her working on some type of armor. I have never seen the process in which she crafts and I have to say it¡¯s quite interesting.


    Using no equipment she just seems to be pouring magical energy into the item causing it to mold and take shape. Even with no physical labor like working a forge the way Katie does it Azami seems to be sweating.


    Once she spots us the object floats to the ground and she wipes her brow. ¡°You have brought another dungeon core? Are you planning on trading me off?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course not! You are part of our family! This is Inari, she is one of the dungeon cores Two-Twelve trained and she is our daughter.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Those statements do not coincide with one another¡­ But giving your personality I believe I understand your meaning. Does that mean you treat all dungeon cores born under Two-Twelve as your children?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I would like to think that they think of us as their parents, but I don¡¯t try to force it on them. Inari called us her parents on her own. Dawn and Twilight did as well, but as they finished their training they moved on to their own dungeons and I have only talked to the two of them a few times since.¡±


    Azami: ¡°So instead of trading me off, you are instead showing me off to your so-called offspring?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy¡­ Do you make it a requirement for all your monsters to be different?¡±


    ¡°I had no say in Azami, as she was recruited in my absence but, I have wondered that point about my past self as well¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I just thought it would be nice to introduce you two. We consider both of you as family so is it wrong for you to meet with one another?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Wrong, is not necessarily a term I would use, but as I have said. To consider me part of your family is unwise, so such interactions are rather pointless.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I told you I don¡¯t care what happened before. Being one of our monsters you are family, and as long as you are part of the dungeon that is not going to change.¡±


    Inari changes the subject by looking at the item Azami was making. ¡°It¡¯s very beautiful, is it mythril?¡±


    Azami looks to me, I nod, and then she says. ¡°No, making items from mythril requires a special skill that I do not possess but this is as close to it as I can get. Either that or this is the close as I can get, because I do not possess the required skill to make items from mythril.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I see, you are making a lot of items for Daddy then?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I have only begun to produce items for the dungeon, the first of which was a bow for the boss monster Zoey, the second was a piece of armor requested by the dwarf Katie, and this too once finished will be turned over to Katie for her to ruin with her dwarven metal.¡±


    ¡°Ruined is a harsh word, the quality of the armor is likely to degrade a bit, but she hasn¡¯t finished with that first armor yet and it is coming along quite well. The combined mobility of elven armor with the protection of a dwarven one it is sure to be quite the armor.¡±


    Azami: ¡°The result will be not much different than an item made from the human¡¯s enhanced dark steel like the armor you wear.¡±


    ¡°The look will be quite unique though, and besides even if it doesn¡¯t turn out in the end, the original armor you made and the complete version when Kate is done with it are both added to the available items to summon in the dungeon, so it is worth it.¡±


    Azami: ¡°For that reason alone is why I agreed to cooperating with the dwarf. Either that or I agreed to cooperate with the dwarf for only that reason.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Katie seemed so excited¡­ I was hoping both of you were enjoying working together¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I should really get back to Elder Dyson¡¯s dungeon now¡­¡±


    Belinda gives Inari a big hug and says. ¡°Be careful¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I will Mommy, thanks¡­ And keep Daddy out of trouble.¡±


    Belinda hugs Inari again and then I cast [Gate] returning to Dyson¡¯s castle with Inari.


    Inari: ¡°In the end you none of your memories of me returned?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Even though it might be strange for a dungeon core I really do think of you and mommy as my parents, so please take care of each other so I don¡¯t have to worry alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    Inari then gives me a hug as well then disappears into the gates of Dyson¡¯s castle.

 Dungeon Core #135

    The dungeon boss monsters and I continue training up until the point in which the new dungeon core will be born, and all of the girl¡¯s levels have seems to even out, and all are at different stages of level 25. Even with all of them gaining levels I have only gained one more due to the use of the ring.


    The xp we acquired should have been quite nice, but it seems things are going pretty poorly in the dungeon and even though we have started to replace some of the monsters in the elemental wings with rifts we are taking too much damage.


    We even lost two more of the mythril swords leaving only the ones in the griffon and dragon rooms. I fear now that they are the only two left. Several groups are going to band together to take out the griffon and dragon to get to them¡­


    The adventurers have also discovered that there is one of the elemental orbs at the end of each wing and have already figured out they cannot be removed from the dungeon. Several groups have begun pressing on the main dungeon trying to find out the use for the orbs.


    They have even finally passed the dragonkin and have entered the floor with the large dial. Luckily the group that progressed to that floor got trapped behind a door when they spent too much time inside and ended up losing their lives, so the floor remains undiscovered.


    Madam Erin has discovered the group of my monsters training in her dungeon and like Belinda said she didn¡¯t seem to have a problem with it. They haven¡¯t been making very much progress with the rules and popularity of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, but Bandy¡¯s group, and Poppy¡¯s group have even provided a few new useful skills for the dungeon.


    I woke up this morning quite tired, as I spent most of the night fiddling around making a couple more [Ring of Second Life]s after Dyson delivered the xp for the new dungeon core and the bonus I asked for, yesterday evening.


    I even snuck off to test them out. One turned out exactly like the one I have so I didn¡¯t mess with it as it will be the one I will give Inari to make Belinda happy. Another one turned out as [Ring of Fake Life]. That said it had an extra effect but it didn¡¯t appear until after I tested it.


    [Ring of Fake Life] A ring that grants the wearer a single fake identity for as long as the ring is worn. Through exceptional craftsmanship the ring grants an added effect. The fake identity created by the ring is that of Mayor Two-Twelve Gowen of the city of Tobes and grants the wearer some of his talents as a hero. Wearer receives the skill Heroic (Rank 4) as long as they wear the ring.


    Needless to say the ring doesn¡¯t help me a bit, but if I ever need a doppelganger it might come in handy so I ended up storing it and set a restriction that only I can remove it just in case one of the girls has any strange ideas¡­ Mainly Zoey¡­


    A third ring resulted in [Ring of Many Faces] and it allows the user to change the identity every time the ring is put on but for some reason it doesn¡¯t work in granting me any xp when I killed something. It had an added effect granting +25 agility to the wearer as well which makes the enchantment [Agile] available to the dungeon.


    I am not sure how it works I used the same enchantment for the [Ring of Second Life] as the [Ring of Many Faces] so I am unclear why one would work while the other won¡¯t. Maybe because you can change the identity every time you put on the ring the enchantment is somehow weaker?


    You can mold a monster or item¡¯s appearance and even a monster¡¯s personality by focusing hard enough when you summon it so I tried one final ring while focusing on my reflection in a mirror and on what I wanted the ring to do.


    The results said it will be a [Ring of Second Identity] but when I accepted, with only a 5% chance I ended up with a critical success, which made it a [Ring of Second Soul] instead.


    [Ring of Second Soul] A ring that contains a human soul. Although non-sentient or capable of action on its own, once equipped the soul will meld with the wearer of the ring and the wearer can choose to take on any or all traits of the soul that resides in the ring. Through exceptional craftsmanship the ring has the added effect of allowing the wear to temporarily free the soul from within the ring to act independently filling in its missing traits with that of the wearer. Although the freed soul is non-sentient it can act under complex orders and even speak. If the soul returns to the ring before the duration expires the wearer will be granted the experiences of the soul while it was freed. To free the soul the wearer must focus their magic granting the freed soul 1 minute duration for every 100 magic expelled. If the freed soul is dealt a fatal blow it will lose form and return to the ring, but if the wearer is dealt a fatal blow the wearer can switch places with the freed soul. The wearer will then permanently take on the form of the freed soul.


    That was the ring that kept me up most of the night testing and playing with it. I even accidently expended to much magic leaving me to have to wait for it to recover before I could return home. Depending on what traits from the ring I take when equipping it determines if it works the way I want it to or not.


    The soul stored in the ring isn¡¯t very strong and it isn¡¯t very appealing either, but by just taking its race as a human is enough for me to acquire xp. It also has the added effect of not changing my <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> page, but once Inari starts to use the ring I am supposed to give her the elders will find out anyway.


    Belinda: ¡°You came to bed awfully late last night¡­ You¡¯re not running around on me are you?¡± ¨CShe says jokingly.-


    ¡°After getting the xp from Dyson I was experimenting with rings, so I could give one to Inari like you made me promise.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well did you have any luck?¡±


    ¡°I think so, I made one that was just like the one I was using, Inari should be able to use it like I was doing it, but I also made one that I think will work better for us as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well good¡­It¡¯s getting pretty late already, you might want to get dressed unless you want to welcome the new core into our home looking like that.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s only fair. She isn¡¯t going to have any clothes on when she is born either.¡±


    Belinda throws my clothes at me. ¡°None of the girls want to see you flapping around like that!¡±


    ¡°I was actually under the impression that a few of them might¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s bad enough a few of them spying on us with [Menu] before you blocked it. That is as much of a peep show they are going to get!¡±


    I continue to tease Belinda while getting ready and actually get her to blush, but we really do start to run out of time so we hurry downstairs for the arrival of the new dungeon core. I don¡¯t know what it is normally like to welcome in a new core, but for us apparently it¡¯s a family affair as almost everyone except Azami and 1 of the bunnies is present. Even through the objection of Scylla and Aria, Kline and Doug are here as well.


    ¡°Lilah, where is Lylah?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Someone had to stay behind to keep a close eye on the dungeon, and Lylah drew the short straw, so Lila and Lilah get to watch the new core be born!¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t leave her by herself for too long. It¡¯s a busy part of the day for only one of you bunnies to be trying to keep track of everything¡­¡±


    Lilah & Lila: ¡°Yes master!~¡±


    ¡°Doug, Kline¡­ You sure you two want to be here for this?¡±


    Kline: ¡°After Scylla explained it to me I really became interested in watching the birth of a new dungeon.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Same here.¡±


    Zoey quickly makes her way over and says. ¡°Did they tell you she will be born to Two-Twelve¡¯s deepest desires? You want to make a bet on what the results will be?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Is that really true? But wouldn¡¯t that mean Miss Inari we met a few weeks ago was¡­¡±


    For some reason he looks to Aria and is a little worried.


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly accurate¡­ Their appearance and personality is molded by the dungeon they are born in, but to say they take the shape of their deepest desires is pushing it. I have quite a few beastkin in my dungeon so it stands to reason Inari was born a beastkin.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°So it¡¯s a coincidence that Belinda made you stop hanging around with a certain fox beastkin at the brothel and then the first dungeon core you trained just happened to be a fox beastkin?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair, I can¡¯t even remember something from that time to defend myself.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t really think Inari was a fox beastkin because of Cassandra¡­ Over a year past between when he was visiting with her and Inari¡¯s birth¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°10 gold on a cat beastkin! Any takers?¡±


    Roxy hits Zoey on the shoulder. ¡°Zoey! That was uncalled for¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Roxy¡­ I have made peace with it. I can¡¯t just throw away the feelings I had for Listel even if they were artificial, but even for what little I have remembered I now know what I share with Belinda is by far greater than anything I had with Listel.¡±


    Belinda has tears in her eyes as she takes my hand. ¡°Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    ¡°That being said¡­ All this talk about Listel and bringing everything back up again¡­ I hope it¡¯s not a cat¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°20 gold! 20 gold on it being a cat beastkin!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe the new core will look like me and prove you all wrong!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°No offense Belinda¡­ But he has you so it doesn¡¯t need to be a hidden desire. A deep or hidden desire is going to be something he doesn¡¯t or can¡¯t have.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about Dawn and Twilight? You are saying that he secretly wants something like that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing about it is exact. There are plenty of cores that have new cores born to them that are of things they loath for the same reason. Just like when you focus when summoning a monster it¡¯s the same for a new core but instead of your active thoughts it¡¯s more like your subconscious what gives it its form instead.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Maybe he just wanted to eat some chicken when they were born then¡­¡±


    I sigh and prepare for the birth of the new core¡­ The more I hope it¡¯s not a cat beastkin for Belinda¡¯s sake the more I know it¡¯s fresh in my mind so I try to just clear my head. Every time I think I about have my head clear something pops into my head and I am quickly fighting to clear it again.


    Trying to think of nothing isn¡¯t working so instead I just try to think of as many women as I possibly can¡­ Maybe if I just flood my mind with all kinds of different women it will better my chances¡­ It actually seem to be working, but when I think that of course it draws me back to the thing I am trying not to think about, and unfortunately at that exact moment is when the light fills the room and a figure appears on the stone bench¡­This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I catch my heart in my throat and swallow it back down breathing a sigh of relief¡­ Even though she is still a blank stone she has human like ears not animal ears¡­ The stone starts to break, and crumble away. Kline and Doug quickly begin to blush and turn their heads.


    I am just so relieved she isn¡¯t a beastkin I am just standing there like an idiot while she sits up on the bench. She is quite tall, probably even taller than Belinda but has very petite breasts and pale skin. Her hair is quite short and a soft maple brown color.


    Belinda grabs the robe I was holding and covers the girl with it she then stands to secure it looking around the room. When she stands I notice she is indeed taller than Belinda even equal or a bit taller than I am. She does have one trait the instantly reminds me of Listel¡­ A pair of beautiful emerald green eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m Two-Twelve, and I will be training you for the next month.¡±


    Dungeon Core #135: ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Here¡­ Why don¡¯t we go get you some proper clothes on and then pick up from there alright?¡±


    After Belinda leads her from the room I notice the look on Zoey¡¯s face¡­ Her mouth is agape as she looks like someone just stabbed her in the gut.


    ¡°You ok Zoey?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Now I know for sure¡­ Boss you are broken. Not only was she human but she has little breasts¡­ I¡¯m disappointed in you¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Doug, Kline¡­ Was it what you were expecting?¡±


    Kline: ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what I was expecting, but that definitely was not it.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Are they always naked like that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well you weren¡¯t born with clothes on, right?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Of course not¡­ But does that mean all the kobolds and stuff in your dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°No that is different. I guess their base clothing is part of their summoning process. You can even summon them with armor and equipment already on as well. I don¡¯t know why you would want to, but you probably could make them be naked when you summoned them though.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°She was quite attractive¡­¡±


    Scylla¡¯s comment seemed to be a que for Kline, but he apparently failed because when he starts to blush again she seems to puff her cheeks.


    Aria: ¡°Doug you were staring too much!¡±


    Doug: ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it I haven¡¯t seen anything like her before.¡±


    I am by no means an expert, but even I know that was a poor choice of words to use, and watching Aria¡¯s face scrunch up I was right.


    Roxy: ¡°Don¡¯t take it out on them to hard.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Yea there wasn¡¯t even anything to see¡­ Boss is slipping¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You know you can be in the dog house as well if you want to keep it up.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°No thanks! So whatcha going to name her boss?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even think of that¡­ I guess it doesn¡¯t matter she can change it when her training is over.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Inari, Dawn, and Twilight all kept their names though, so maybe you should let Belinda choose again?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°What are you talking about? Belinda will have her named and have her calling Two-Twelve daddy before they return.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what is worse the insinuation of it or the fact everyone else seems to agree¡­ She isn¡¯t far off however because when Belinda and Dungeon Core #135 return she says.


    Dungeon Core #135: ¡°Papa, what do you think?¡± ¨CShe says spinning in a circle. While the rest of the room snickers and giggles¡­-


    The outfit Belinda put her is quite nice it looks like a really short frilly dress but she is wearing tight pair of pants along with it, the neck of the outfit is wide and it has no sleeves drawing your attention to her shoulders and collarbone. Even the colors are quite bright making is prefect for a stroll through town to draw the eyes of the local men, but not really the kind of thing that is going to help with her training.


    ¡°It looks lovely¡­ I guess we should come up with a name for you.¡±


    Dungeon Core #135: ¡°If it¡¯s ok with you Mama wants to call me Maeve.¡±


    ¡°Maeve it is then.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Mama said you would get me some gear so we can begin my training, but we should probably go get me an adventurers ID first, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Alright, Lilah and Lila you better get back to work, before Lylah gets to backed up, we have lost enough non-rift monsters lately.¡±


    Both bunnies run up each grabbing on of Maeve¡¯s hands.


    Both: ¡°We will see you soon!~¡±


    They then transfer from the room. After introducing themselves to Maeve everyone else begins to clear out as well, Belinda, Maeve and I then head next door to the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    Receptionist: ¡°Even after losing your memories, you are still helping those in need? You really are quite special.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°Well I hope you are well enough soon to take back over as mayor. No offense Belinda, your sister is very good at what she does, but her attitude leaves much to be desired. She made Bell run down here 3 times the other day having us completely remake a form because she didn¡¯t like our handwriting.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Even if Two-Twelve is unable to retake his position Mindy is only temporary so it shouldn¡¯t be much longer now.¡±


    Receptionist: ¡°That¡¯s what we have been telling ourselves for months now¡­¡±


    While the receptionist was busy talking about Mindy, Belinda quickly set up an adventurer¡¯s ID for Maeve.


    Receptionist: ¡°Oh I¡¯m so sorry, here I was too busy complaining to do my job¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s alright, it has been a while since I made an ID I wouldn¡¯t want to forget how now, would I?¡±


    I take Maeve to the commission board taking a few of the simple commissions while Maeve shows me her ID.


    Adventurer #105,135 [Maeve]                                      Base: Tobes


    Race: Divine Being                                                      Gender: Female


    Rank: D                                                                          Level: 1


    Class: Blademancer                                                     Favored Element: Wind


    Commissions Complete: 0


    Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 0


    ¡°What are the odds, you got your dungeon core number in your adventurer ID number¡­ Although your race is going to be quite problematic¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I don¡¯t understand it¡¯s the same as yours Papa¡­¡±


    ¡°Elder Dyson has been waiting for 3 years for one of the female dungeon cores to be born as a Divine Being, so if I was you I would really try hard in keeping it from him as long as possible.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°If it would please one of the Elders shouldn¡¯t I use it to my advantage?¡±


    ¡°Well in Dyson¡¯s case it¡¯s not the type of pleasing you would want to do¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I see¡­ You¡¯re right that isn¡¯t ideal, but if he makes it worth it then maybe an agreement can be made.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let Belinda hear you talk that way¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I take that to mean she is serious about the whole Papa and Mama thing?¡±


    ¡°The first core I trained apparently started that and I guess its Belinda¡¯s way in dealing with it.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well ¡°Papa¡¯s¡± dungeon is quite unique, so again it might benefit me to keep it up for her sake.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to force yourself¡­ I would rather you be yourself so I know if I can trust you or not.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    We then have Maeve accept a few of the commissions and Belinda finishes her conversation with the receptionist and we return to the house.


    ¡°Alright, next is your equipment. I assume blademancer would be pretty much any time of bladed weapon?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I would prefer a long to extra-long thin blade if it isn¡¯t too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°Right now I can make you pretty much any standard thin, blade but if you want something special Azami my elven crafter would probably be a good choice, she could probably have something ready for you by the end of your training.¡±


    I start with a rapier, dwarven wouldn¡¯t really work well with a rapier, the best I can make it from then is dark steel. I will have Azami begin working on a really good one, so I don¡¯t put too much effort into it focusing on just making it longer than usual.


    No use raising the quality either so the result is a [Ever-sharp Dark Steel Rapier] the swords length is easily that of a great-sword, but with its thickness it should be able to be wielded one handed albeit a little awkwardly.


    ¡°Will this work?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Excellent, if you do ask your elf to make one by hand I would ask for it a bit longer though.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­? I was worried it was to long as it was.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Elven material would make it lighter so I could easily still use it proficiently.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, I will let her know. What about armor?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Anything with good mobility.¡±


    ¡°My dwarf and elf are collaborating on something that might be just what you are looking for if it turns out I will let you have it, until then let¡¯s start with the elven armor that served as its base.¡±


    Azami makes the items purely out of magic so there isn¡¯t even any material cost, but I quickly find that summoning them from the dungeon is quite expensive. It doesn¡¯t look near as good as the one I gave Katie to work with that Azami made, but if the one Katie is altering works out it won¡¯t matter.


    The armor is halfway between a chainmail and the scale-mail I wear but where mine has the scales it has chainmail, and where mine has plates it has the scale like pieces. Even with the low quality of it because I my skill it still results with the agile enchantment, which should help a little.


    ¡°The one Katie is now working with started as a better quality of this armor, but she is going to mix in some of her skill to give it a bit more protection. I will check to see how her progress is coming with it this evening.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I am a little skeptical that adding a dwarven touch to armor like this would do more harm than good.¡±


    ¡°Well both of the girls are excellent crafters, so I am sure it will work out. Now we will start your dungeon so you can equip your gear and learn all the skills available to you.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I was under the impression that new cores didn¡¯t train that way anymore¡­ I thought it was you were the one to change it.¡±


    ¡°With my monsters I have noticed the problems of raising the rank of low level skills at higher levels is quite the pain, and I have a bit of a solution to that problem as well.¡±


    I connect a training dungeon to the bottom floor of the dungeon. Even if she could fight the trolls at the bottom there she would still have to return to the top and go through the elemental wings before reaching my crystal so I am not worried. I then hand her the training crystal and transfer us into her training dungeon.


    She places her crystal and then appears to be going through several screens, and at the same time a screen appears to me


    Dungeon Core #135 [Maeve]¡¯s crystal has been placed. 10,000xp will be supplied for the dungeon core¡¯s training.


    It looks like I can change the amount before accepting so I say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about monsters or anything right now. To learn all available skills and spells currently available to you how much xp would it cost?¡±


    Maeve spends the next few minutes going through her [Menu] then says. ¡°It looks like the total would be 185,500xp¡­¡±


    I upgrade the amount supplied to her to 200,000xp and then accept. That was actually a bit more then I was expecting she must have a wide verity available to her, this is going to cut into how high of a level we can get her to though.


    ¡°Buy them all.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But that is almost all of the xp we get for my training¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it looks like I still have the room set up from last year, and the rifts are still there so we should be able to piggyback off the xp spent last year for their training.¡±


    Maeve looks a little hesitant but she closes her eyes at taps in front of her.


    ¡°Now hold on to the rest of the xp, and we can now begin your training.¡±


    I wait for her to use [Menu] to equip her armor and then I transfer us to the training room that was set up last year. I pull the cuff I got from my time with Listel from inventory and hand it to Maeve.


    ¡°Put that on, I will activate it, and we will see if that lets you train as a normal adventurer.¡±


    She looks at it curiously but does as she is asked. I activate it without changing her appearance. She then draws her sword and I have the slimes from the rift in the other room begin to pour through the door. Staring at her adventurer ID I find it is blank, but when I check Arngrim¡¯s ID it shows level 1 and in less than a minute she gains her first level. I then know this is going to work out fine.


    I sit back and then just watch while she swiftly deals with the slimes. Maeve is very light on her feet, and even though she just started out her speed is easily as quick as any of my boss monsters except Zoey. She doesn¡¯t use many spells, but she uses quite a few weapon abilities, and even some hand to hand abilities.


    Being by herself is making her progress quite slow however and even after reaching midafternoon there is still a massive amount of rift monsters available in the next room. The advantage of her not using much magic is she doesn¡¯t tire and practically battles non-stop all day long.


    The few times she does stop to rest are short and far in-between. What I find odd is this is only the second year all dungeon cores are trained this way, yet the knowledge Maeve was born with she seems to be like this is the natural way of it¡­


    By the time we start winding down Maeve hasn¡¯t made as much progress as I had hoped, but after throwing a few random other monsters her way other than the slimes she has reached level 10 by the time I decide to call it for the evening.


    Maeve: ¡°If you give me a few more minutes I can keep going at least a few more hours.¡±


    ¡°That is alright, if we don¡¯t head back soon Belinda will gripe at me.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But my training is important!¡±


    ¡°With the monsters available and the xp remaining you will reach a limit in which you can gain far before you training ends.¡±


    I then disable the cuff and it appears quite a few screens appear before her.


    ¡°Any new skills?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°A few, should I take them as well?¡±


    ¡°If you have enough xp left go head¡­ I didn¡¯t think to ask what kind of monsters you had available.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Just the typical for a wind dungeon core, the non-elemental monsters, and low to medium tier wind monsters.¡±


    ¡°Maybe to increase you training speed we should have you summon your boss monster in the morning. You should unlock the ability to summon a second one shortly after all.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°As of right now I will probably end up with some kind of Fae-folk as a boss monster, which may hinder me down the line a bit depending if it¡¯s on the fairy side or the pixie side of the evolutionary line.¡±


    ¡°Is there really that much difference between the two?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Is there much difference between a giant lizard and a dragon? If it follows the fairy evolutionary line it will end as an Oberon or Titania depending if it¡¯s male or female. But if it follows the pixie line I will eventually be able to unlock elves.¡±


    ¡°You got far more knowledge about it then I do¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well wind is my specialty.¡±


    ¡°Well apparently I don¡¯t have a specialty. I think I learned more about dungeons after I lost my memories then I knew before¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Power is only as strong if you have the knowledge to wield it. I guess that is your trade off, you got more power than any other dungeon core, but the lack of knowledge was the price. You can always learn knowledge pretty easily though, but power is far harder to come by so I still think you are better off than the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I wonder¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Not only that but your lack of traditional dungeon core knowledge is what led to the developments of our current training system, and not only that but you have seemed to take the one drawback of it and throw that out the window as well with that cuff of yours.¡±


    ¡°And yet someone barely 12 hours old is already lecturing me¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°In any case the strongest monster I can summon currently is a fairy, so let¡¯s at least wait till the next tier unlocks before I summon my boss monster for a better chance to get a pixie.¡±


    ¡°I might just have an idea then.¡±


    After finishing up with the things in the dungeon I then transfer us back to the house in Tobes.

 Maeves Training

    When Maeve and I make it back to the house after her first day of training Belinda quickly ropes us into a large family dinner. Things end up a bit on the awkward side as even Belinda¡¯s sister Mindy appears to be in attendance.


    Mindy appears to be lecturing Belinda about me bring in stray women but she puts her foot down and tells her to keep her mouth shut.


    Mindy: ¡°Fine but don¡¯t come crawling to me when he trades you off for some other woman.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve isn¡¯t like that!¡±


    Mindy: ¡°He has already done it once. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t hear about his little tryst with that beastkin tramp.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that! His memory was gone!¡±


    Mindy: ¡°So he says.¡±


    Doug: ¡°You really don¡¯t have a single decent bone in your entire body do you¡­?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Decent? You are one to talk. Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t hear that beastkin slave girl of yours squealing your name in the middle of the night.¡±


    Aria begins to blush and Doug gets angry.


    Doug: ¡°Aria is not a slave any longer, and we love each other! You have no right to tell me what is right or wrong. At least I am not like you spending time in the brothel with a man that resembles your sister¡¯s husband!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait¡­ What?!¡±


    Doug: ¡°That man. The one that works for Denova that resembles Two-Twelve, I have seen Mindy pay him plenty of ¡°visits¡±.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°You spying little shit!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I want to hear more about these visits¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough! Is this really a way to act around guests!?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I don¡¯t know I find this quite entertaining.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­Two-Twelve is right, this isn¡¯t the time to be discussing this, but don¡¯t think this is over Mindy!¡±


    Needless to say moods are far from improved during the rest of dinner and afterwards I pull Doug and Aria aside.


    Doug: ¡°I knew you would be curious!¡±


    ¡°What¡­? No¡­ I wanted to ask you if you and Aria wanted to assist with Maeve¡¯s training.¡±


    Aria: ¡°But what could we do?¡±


    ¡°Well I am basically training her like an adventurer. It just is an extremely heavy flow of combat. Right now she has the strength but if she had a few more numbers she might be able to gain xp a bit faster.¡±


    Aria looks a little hesitant but Doug quickly says.


    Doug: ¡°We would love to help!¡±


    ¡°This will be very demanding¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°Just being able to be any help at all we would gladly do it!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ We will head to the dungeon first thing in the morning, so get plenty of sleep and eat early.¡±


    Doug: ¡°In that case we will go to bed right now!¡±


    Aria looks a little worried as she says ¡°But Master Doug¡­¡± but Doug has a bright smile on his face as they head up the stairs.


    I don¡¯t know if they will really be much help Maeve might have already passed their skill level, but it can¡¯t hurt to at least try. I decide to recruit one more so I make my way to one of the girl¡¯s houses and knock on the door.


    Scylla: ¡°Master! What are you doing here¡­? Please come in!¡±


    When I enter Scylla¡¯s and Kline¡¯s house it appears they were just sitting down to dinner. Their house is quite small and quaint. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are all a single area with only a few doors leading off the main one.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Nonsense you are welcome any time.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Grab a chair and you can join us if you like.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ok we just finished dinner, but I wanted to ask if Kline would do me a favor.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Really¡­?¡±


    ¡°I am training the new dungeon core, but even though she has the strength, what she needs is a bit more numbers. I asked Doug and Aria to help because they are not connected to the dungeon as well, so they could form a group with Maeve for her training, but I don¡¯t know how long they would be able to keep up with her. We could really use the help of an adventurer with a bit more experience.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Isn¡¯t this wonderful Kline!?¡±


    Kline: ¡°What about the baby¡­?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We are still in the dungeon, so even if I go into labor Two-Twelve could transfer you down instantly. Isn¡¯t that right Master?¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, are you really that close though?¡±


    Scylla smiles a sweet smile as she says. ¡°It should be any time now.¡±


    ¡°I promise if you go into labor I will send him right back home, I will ask Belinda or one of the others to sit with you so they can let us know.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Alright, I would be happy to help then.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will let you have your dinner then. We will be ready first thing in the morning.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I promise I will have him bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, before the sun is up.¡±


    Scylla seems oddly excited that I invited Kline for some reason, but I quickly excuse myself and return home.


    Belinda: ¡°I was wondering where you disappeared too¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I asked for Doug and Aria to help me with Maeve¡¯s training, but they are still pretty green, so I thought I would bring Kline along as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That must have made Scylla¡¯s day!¡±


    ¡°It seemed to, but I am not sure I understand why¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She has been a bit down because with her pregnancy she hasn¡¯t been able to be of any help, and after trading Amy for Kline she was worried that they just weren¡¯t doing enough for us. I tried to tell her they were fine, but Scylla is very dedicated¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, do you mind sitting with Scylla or having one of the others sit with her? I promised I would send Kline home if she went into labor, so if someone would sit with her it would help.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I would be happy to, and when she does go into labor you better come along as well!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She is family of course it would mean the world if we were all there for her!¡±


    ¡°Well Maeve¡¯s training is important, but I guess if her training is going well enough we can make the time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I already showed Maeve to her room, so why don¡¯t we go to bed early as well so you can make the most of it tomorrow?¡± ¨CShe says as she moves up to me wrapping her arms around me and giving me a deep kiss.-


    Sure enough the next morning by the time I head downstairs Aria, Doug, and Kline are all decked out in their gear in the entryway.


    Doug: ¡°This couldn¡¯t get any better! I get to be of help to Two-Twelve and get to train alongside Kline!¡±


    Aria: ¡°Please Master Doug take this seriously. This is going to be a dungeon cores training¡­ We have never trained anything near what the intensity this is going to be.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry if I see you struggling I will let you bow out for a while and adjust accordingly.¡±


    Aria: ¡°We don¡¯t want to be a burden¡­¡±


    ¡°Well at the moment it is just Maeve, so even one extra battle would mean a little more xp.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I promise Two-Twelve we won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    ¡°Let me make sure Maeve is ready real quick, and then we will get started.¡±


    I head back upstairs and knock on the door of the room Belinda told me Maeve was saying in. Maeve quickly answers the door with damp disheveled hair, and only wrapped in a towel. With her height the towel leaves much to be desired in coverage as well.


    Maeve: ¡°I¡¯m sorry papa, I will be ready in just a minute. I didn¡¯t realize a bath was so enjoyable and I lost track of time.¡±


    She then quickly tosses the towel on to the bed and start putting on a pair of panties.


    ¡°You know a little modesty never hurt anyone¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Do I have to worry about my dear papa ravaging me like the mean old aunt Mindy said¡­?¡± ¨CShe says in a joking tone while pulling on a bra.-


    ¡°Of course not¡­ And I said you don¡¯t have to put on that charade.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Actually I have decided it¡¯s quite fun. I think I won¡¯t mind calling you papa, or do you not want me to call you papa, because there is a grain of truth in Mindy¡¯s word? After all after talking about modesty you haven¡¯t stopped lingering in my doorway while I get dressed.¡±


    ¡°We will be waiting downstairs when you are ready¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Oh now you leave after I am ? of the way dressed and called you out on it.¡±


    I then shut the door and head back downstairs. A few short minutes later Maeve hurries down the stairs while ruffling her hair with the towel she threw on her bed. I take the towel from her, and cast clean on her drying her hair.


    ¡°There¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well that works I guess.¡±


    ¡°We ready then?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    We gather up and I transfer us first to Maeve¡¯s dungeon so she can equip her gear, and then to the training room. Doug and Kline look around.


    Doug: ¡°What¡¯s through that huge door there¡­?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the monsters will be coming from. They can¡¯t be summoned in the same room as a visitor of the dungeon so they will have to show up in there any then head this way.¡±


    Doug: ¡°They are strong enough monsters to roam rooms on their own?!¡±


    ¡°Most monsters can roam between rooms just not floors, it¡¯s just easier to summon monsters for each individual room instead of having them roam.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Well get ready, we are about to start.¡±


    Once training begins things start moving a lot smoother then yesterday. The slimes and a few of the lower grade monsters are no difficulty at all for the group now, but they are still xp so I have Aria and Doug focus on them while moving some of the tougher monsters after Kline and Maeve.


    Kline is quite a bit stronger than I thought, but even though his level is triple that of Maeve there power level isn¡¯t near as far off. When Kline is forced to take a short break I slow down the monsters while Maeve continues.


    Kline: -While breathing heavily.- ¡°Dungeon cores are amazing¡­ Only training for a day and she has gotten this strong.¡±


    ¡°It is actually quite strong even for a dungeon core. The original way a dungeon core was trained would have left her weak her entire training, only recently have they gained levels like adventurers during their training. Not only that but I took it a step forward having Maeve us that cuff which allows her to train as an adventurer while still being a dungeon core, so she has a massive amount of skills she took at level 1 so when they ranked up her strength grew in massive leaps and bounds.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I can see why dungeons are so formidable now¡­¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°It goes for you two as well, if both of you get tired just take a break and I will hold off the monsters till you recover a bit.¡±


    Doug seems to take that as a que to quickly jump back and then drop to his butt. I quickly have the slimes back off while Aria joins him.


    Doug: ¡°Even just being slimes this is a hell of a workout. I don¡¯t see how Maeve is still going fighting them much harder foes¡­¡±


    ¡°With her skills she probably has she can go for hours longer.¡±


    Doug: ¡°If I even had half of Maeve¡¯s stamina¡­ a 4 time hero at that, no wonder my sister loves you so much Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    Aria: ¡°I would die¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°I don¡¯t think it works that way Young Master Doug¡­ I can¡¯t say from personal experience because I have been this level since I married Scylla, but I still aspire to last as long as the stories I heard from Young Master Logan, even back when we were just starting out.¡±


    Doug: ¡°You didn¡¯t honestly believe those stories did you Kline¡­?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Why would the Young Master lie¡­?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Oh Kline¡­ And I thought I didn¡¯t know anything¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know I find it quite troubling at times¡­ Having to forgo at least 5 hours of sleep can be quite troubling several days in a row¡­¡±


    Everyone seems shocked at my comment. Even Maeve misses a dodge getting slammed hard by a small rock golem so I have to pull it back.


    Aria: -In a shaky voice. - ¡°5 hours¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Papa do you mind?! I am trying to take my training serious over here, but that is the last thing I want on my mind while fighting slimy and ugly monsters¡­¡± ¨CShe says as she jumps up rubbing her stomach where the golem slammed into her.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°But 5 hours¡­ You were joking right¡­?¡±


    ¡°I mean it¡¯s not exact or anything¡­¡±


    Aria: ¡°Poor Miss Belinda¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°So is that a dungeon core thing, or a hero thing¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°It definitely isn¡¯t a dungeon core thing.¡±


    Aria: ¡°That¡¯s it, Doug you are never becoming a hero!¡±


    Kline: ¡°Maybe we really should focus on getting back to training now¡­¡±


    Everyone remains flustered for a while before they finally get back into the groove of training again. We continue on for the rest of the day. Everyone manages to gain quite a few levels, and even Kline managed to gain one as well. Maeve ends the day at level 16, so leveling will likely slow to a crawl now, but I think it was pretty good for her second day.


    When we arrive at the house Belinda is sitting in the dining room after fixing some dinner. Aria approaches Belinda with a sincere look on her face as she gives her a brief hug and says. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± She then sits down.


    Doug quickly laughs it off while Belinda wears a confused expression. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it sis¡­¡± He says while he sits down and quickly begins digging into the food.


    Kline: ¡°Miss Belinda do you mind?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Go right ahead, I am sure you all worked up quite an appetite today, but Doug please at least go wash up first and take off your armor.¡±


    Doug: ¡°But that will take forever¡­¡±


    Dinner goes quite well compared to the previous night, and we plan to meet up again first thing in the morning and then split up for the evening. The next few days progress much the same way. Maeve has quickly surpassed Kline in power even though her level has barely reached 20.


    Doug and Aria are not really much help against the monsters Maeve is fighting so we leave them against the weaker rifts of monsters because every little bit of xp helps. Not long after Doug dances around the room after reaching level 20 we receive a message from Belinda.


    Belinda: (It¡¯s time! Scylla has gone into labor!)


    We quickly put a hold on the training and head back to Tobes. Everyone is quite frantic about the situation and Kline seems like he is about to pass out. We even have to help him with his armor because he almost forgets to remove it and he then joins his wife, Belinda, and one of Tobe¡¯s midwives.


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°We just wait.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­? Is it going to take a long time?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°It depends¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What did you expect, that someone was going to reach all up in there and pull it out or what?¡±


    ¡°Well no, but I am pretty sure I didn¡¯t have any experience with child birth before losing my memories and I surely know I don¡¯t have a clue afterwards. I just wasn¡¯t sure what to expect.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well can¡¯t really blame you. It isn¡¯t really something dungeon cores deal with very often. Monsters are quite different then sentient monsters when giving birth so even for dungeon cores that breed monsters this isn¡¯t the norm.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of dungeon cores that rely on sentient monsters though so surely it isn¡¯t that big of a deal.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Surely not, but most dungeon cores that deal with sentient monsters don¡¯t have close bonds with them, so they aren¡¯t present like this for it.¡±


    We sit there without saying much else waiting for word, and after a few hours Belinda quickly comes running from the house with a large smile on her face.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s a girl! It¡¯s a girl!¡±


    She rushes over to us unable to calm down till she gives us all the details. Apparently there was a bit of a complication, but with the help of Belinda¡¯s healing magic, Scylla and the baby both pulled through all right.


    She says it will still be a while longer till we can see them, but according to Belinda it¡¯s the cutest little squirrel beastkin she has ever seen¡­ I don¡¯t know how many baby squirrel beastkins she has seen, but she is excited so I let it slide.


    Roxy: ¡°What did they name her?¡±


    Belinda then wears a bit of a complicated expression then says. ¡°I know nothing about the situation was normal, but if it is ok with you Two-Twelve, they would like to name her Listel¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but is that really what they want?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Regardless of what happened Listel did care enough to send you back to us, giving her life in the process. We may never agree with what she did, but we have to at least thank her for that, so Scylla thought that would be a way to thank her for sending you back to us.¡±


    We never get back around to finishing up Maeve¡¯s training that day, but we are far enough ahead that it shouldn¡¯t make much difference.


    I don¡¯t know much as far as babies go, but the joy on Scylla¡¯s and Kline¡¯s faces it doesn¡¯t seem to matter, because it feels you with warmth. Belinda seems overjoyed as well, but I catch her at times making a pained expression.


    That evening when we are heading to bed Belinda is still quite happy, and I move over to her and just hug her tightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m happy for them! I really am!¡± ¨CShe says wraps her arms around me, as tears start to stream her face, and she buries it into my chest.- ¡°After all I knew this from the very beginning!¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ But that doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t still hurt.¡±


    I can¡¯t do anything else but hold her as she cries, and it doesn¡¯t stop till she cries herself to sleep. I don¡¯t manage to get much sleep that night if any at all because I can¡¯t help to feel how it¡¯s all my fault that Belinda won¡¯t get to have the same joy that Scylla and Kline have right now¡­


    Even though I am quite tired the next morning Belinda has seemed to recover returning to her normal self. It may slow down Maeve¡¯s training a bit, but I told Kline to spend the next few days with his family while Maeve continues her training with just Aria and Doug.


    While stopping off in Maeve¡¯s dungeon to pick up her gear I say. ¡°With Kline being out, it might be a good time to think about summoning one of your boss monsters now.¡±


    Maeve looks through her [Menu] then says. ¡°I am still not 100% sure about this, but I at least have two chances now. Besides my boss monsters could use the training before we are sent out on our own, so even if they both end up on the fairy side of the evolution path they will at least have a better chance of survival down the road.¡±


    After a few more taps on her [Menu] the room is filled with light and what is left behind when the light fades is a rather aggressive looking fairy that would easily pass for one of them on the lowest levels of the wind wing of my dungeon.


    Even being such a strong evolution of a fairy Maeve still looks a little displeased, and taps away at her [Menu] again till the room is filled with light again. This time when the light fades the creature that is left behind is quite larger.


    It looks to me like some kind of wood elemental or something, and its appearance seems to please Maeve.


    Maeve: ¡°This is even better than I had hoped, to skip the pixie line completely and to start out with a nymph. I might even be able to finish my training with the ability to summon elves.¡±


    The nymph¡¯s wooden face molds into what appears to be a smile while letting out an eerie giggle that causes Doug discomfort.


    ¡°The ends of a fairy line are capable of being sentient right? What about the nymph?¡±


    The nymph lets out another eerie giggle and floats over to me like being carried on a nonexistent breeze, she then quickly circles me several times while giggling.


    Maeve: ¡°No, they aren¡¯t sentient, but they can handle complicated instructions. I do think she likes you though.¡±


    ¡°Great that¡¯s all I need¡­¡± ¨CI say while the nymph continues to circle me while giggling.-


    Doug: ¡°Two-Twelve don¡¯t look it in the eyes! It will bewitch you!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You think I would let her hurt my dear papa? I am a little offended.¡±


    Maeve then calls the nymph and it stops its circling to arrive at her side.


    Doug: ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Old adventurer habits die hard is it? Well I guess if they will be training with us I should give them names.¡±


    The fairy ends up simply named Windy, while the nymph is named Syrinx. Once the training resumes Windy is equally as strong as Doug and Aria while only being level 1, and Syrinx is even stronger. They quickly gain levels, but it appears it doesn¡¯t really affect their strength much, if at all.


    After a short time Maeve has Syrinx bow out of the battle and it floats around in the corner of the room for the rest of the day. I don¡¯t understand her reasoning that is until that evening when go back to Maeve¡¯s dungeon to return her gear, and Windy is covered in light only to have emerged even stronger.


    ¡°She evolved¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Of course, now I can focus on Syrinx for a few days. I plan on letting them alternate as my primary boss monster until Windy becomes a Titania, and then I will focus completely on Syrinx. She won¡¯t become an elf of course, but it might unlock the ability for me to summon one just the same.¡±


    Sure enough the after the next few days of training without Windy then Syrinx evolves as well, giving away some of her elemental look making her appear more like a woman. By the end of Maeve¡¯s second week of training Kline finally returns to help, Windy has evolved twice more, and Syrinx has evolved again to a form that looks not only to have humanoid form but even some soft flesh.


    After a ¡°Yes papa¡­¡± and a chuckle I also get Maeve to give Syrinx some clothing now, as not only was is causing discomfort for me, but Kline and Doug appeared distracted as well. Maeve¡¯s level gain has really slowed down as well, back when she reached level 20 we expended the rest of the xp for her training for her to learn some new skills that become available to her, but unfortunately it wasn¡¯t all of them.


    Maeve: ¡°We aren¡¯t progressing very far, and are all out of xp for my training now Papa¡­ What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°You still have a week and a half left to go, you could slowly just keep gathering xp from the rifts, or maybe we could do something a bit more fun¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°How about we give one of the elders a hard time? Madam Erin doesn¡¯t know you, and I am curious about how well this ring of mine will work so what do you say we go to her dungeon for a few days to see what kind of trouble we can get into?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Are you sure it is wise to anger an elder¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well the truth is she doesn¡¯t mind allowing my monsters to train in her dungeon, there is even one of my groups there right now training. This would be the same thing we are just going to try to see if she can spot us in the crowds of normal adventurers.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°What does Mama has to say about this?¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t too happy about it... But she knows how important your training is so I got her to agree.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Let me guess it just took 5 hours of persuasion?¡±


    ¡°If only I could get off that easy¡­¡±


    Maeve laughs then says. ¡°If you really think it won¡¯t anger the elder to much¡­ Why not, besides it will let me see just how capable my papa really is.¡±


    I thank the others for their help for the last few weeks and then after preparing a bit I use [Gate] to transport Maeve and I outside the town surrounding Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. Maeve is wearing the gear that she has been all month, but I try to conceal the cuff on her wrist so Madam Erin doesn¡¯t recognize it.


    Madam Erin also definitely knows what my armor looks like so I decided to wear a different set. I also use my ring to not only adapt the soul held within¡¯s race, but also his appearance.


    Maeve: ¡°Do you have to be that ugly¡­? I don¡¯t want to be associated with you looking like that.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help the appearance¡­ It doesn¡¯t really look that bad though does it?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t know how much control Madam Erin has over the town surrounding her dungeon, but we won¡¯t be able to enter the dungeon without at least getting a bit of help from the group currently at the dungeon so I try to have them hand me off a commission allowing us to enter as secretly as I can.


    ¡°Madam Erin surely isn¡¯t watching their every move¡­But even if she is I think we might have been able to pass that without drawing suspicion.¡±


    Harvest season is in mid-swing now, so the dungeon is not as busy as it is during the middle of spring and summer, but it is still noon before we get anywhere in the dungeon.


    Maeve: ¡°This floor is quite peculiar¡­¡±


    ¡°From my understanding it¡¯s just a staging floor. From here on out the monsters get harder quite quickly and there will be very few other adventurers from here on out.¡±


    We then continue on into the dungeon and we only make it through a few more floors before the sun starts to set. I pull out a Gowen Communication Parchment that Belinda sent with me so I didn¡¯t have to use [Menu] to keep in contact with her.


    I let her know how we are doing without any information that might give away our identities, and then Maeve and I prepare a small meal to at least give the appearance of normal adventurers. After pressing deeper into the dungeon another 2 days the monsters have really begun to prove quite difficult.


    Madam Erin¡¯s page in <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> says that adventurers have reached as far as the 56<sup>th</sup> floor, but we are struggling with only the 22<sup>nd</sup>. It doesn¡¯t say how long ago that was though so maybe the floors are a lot different than they used to be.


    It¡¯s not like we are trying to beat the record or anything just trying to train a bit, so we spend go back down one floor and spend the next few days just gathering xp there. Before even the week is over though I see a familiar figure enters through the door.


    Madam Erin looks quite angry and says. ¡°Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my dungeon!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean your dungeon?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Don¡¯t give me that! I know you are both dungeon cores. What I don¡¯t understand is how do I not know you?¡±


    Madam Erin looks like she is about to rip us to shreds so I decide it¡¯s time to fess up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¨CI say while removing the ring.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°Two-Twelve?!¡± ¨CShe quickly says while some of the tension in her disappears.-


    She however quickly covers the entire room and socks me in the jaw. Not only does it hurt like hell but knocks me flat on my back before I even realize what just happened.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Damnit pup, don¡¯t you know that¡¯s a quick way to get yourself killed.¡±


    I think she punched me hard enough that she actually broke my jaw¡­ So after casting a healing spell on myself I then get back to my feet.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I checked your dungeon core page several times though, and it didn¡¯t appear that you were using the cuff, so how did you manage to keep your identity from me?¡±


    ¡°I was working with some of the base enchantments on the cuff and was able to come up with this ring. It isn¡¯t quite like the cuff but it works.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I don¡¯t understand though, what makes the cuff so valuable to be able to replicate.¡±


    ¡°You will hear about it at the end of the month I am sure, so no use hiding it. Not only does the cuff remove the wearer from the <u>Dungeon Core Information </u>and changes their appearance, but also treats them like adventurers.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°How so¡­?¡±


    ¡°Our training helped the new cores a lot, but there was still one unfortunate side effect. Leveling as adventurers in the beginning meant they missed out on a bunch of skills as low level. Using the cuff I had Maeve here form her training dungeon on her first day, take every skill available to her, and then she has used the cuff to train since reaching level 22 now.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You mean it completely unbinds them from their dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Not completely, they are still treated like a dungeon monster, I think even subject to the dungeon¡¯s xp consumption, but they are able to gain xp like an adventurer yet still bring it home for their dungeon as well.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That doesn¡¯t help old dungeons like mine as we don¡¯t do travel out much anymore, but for dungeons just starting out that is even more groundbreaking then the new training method¡­¡±


    ¡°I have far from perfected it, only two objects I have made work the way I want them too. One is a single separate identity that also will removes the wearer from the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> like the cuff does, but the ring I am using now just alters the information, so if it isn¡¯t something covered by <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> nothing appears to change.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Can you replicate them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. This ring was a critical success in the summoning process, but the other one I have made a copy of but it wasn¡¯t exactly intentional.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Not counting the cuff of course that is still 3 out of how many tries?¡±


    ¡°About 10¡­ at between 12,000xp to 50,000xp per try.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Not exactly cheap, but it could be much worse. We need to speak with Dyson. Lilith come!¡±


    Out of nowhere a figure appears from the shadow. It¡¯s the beautiful succubus that Madam Erin summoned when Dyson and Madam Erin was arguing during my last visit. She is wearing more clothing this time, but it is still quite revealing.


    Lilith: ¡°Him, her, or better yet both?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Sorry it is still not the time. I need you to put on your other outfit and bring me Dyson.¡±


    Lilith: ¡°Another you forbid me to explore¡­ Standing between a starving beast and meat is sure to eventually get you bit.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you think you are strong enough, just try it.¡±


    Lilith: ¡°I will return shortly¡­¡± ¨CShe then fades back into the shadow.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°She is quite fun to dangle in front of Dyson, but wrangling a new demon is far more trouble than I remember it to be¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why keep her around?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Being able to keep Dyson on a leash is quite worth a bit of the headache she has caused. Besides she reminds me a bit of myself in my promiscuous days.¡±


    ¡°I am sure the world is thankful them days are behind you¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I will remember that¡­ Now why don¡¯t we go somewhere a bit more comfortable and wait on Dyson?¡±


    The change of subject is welcome so I agree and Madam Erin transfers us to another area of her dungeon.

 Two-Twelves New Training

    After Madam Erin transfers us to another area of her dungeon we sit down in a basic waiting room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°So this is the core you are training this year?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t properly introduce you. Madam Erin this is Dungeon Core #135 Maeve.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you pup. I do have to say you don¡¯t quite fit the style we have grown used to concerning the dungeon cores Two-Twelve usually puts out.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Yes, as I keep hearing.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So what were you doing in my dungeon to begin with?¡±


    ¡°Well Maeve learning all the skills available to her was quite costly. Even with the rifts that were apparently set up last year we still ran out of xp pretty quickly.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So you figured you would come mooch off of my dungeon?¡±


    ¡°You have never had a problem with it before, we just didn¡¯t want to bother you, and I also wanted to test the effectiveness of the ring.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You kept yourself hidden pretty well, if you were with a larger group you might have gotten away with it, but a pair of adventurers making it that far into my dungeon doesn¡¯t happen very often. Then when I started poking around I noticed you were both dungeon cores. Of course I know what every dungeon core looks like so when I didn¡¯t know you, I decided to confront you myself.¡±


    ¡°Well there was no ill intention involved, I just thought I could kill two birds with one stone.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And instead almost got two pups.¡±


    Out from the shadows walks the Lilith. This time she is wearing the not clothing that Madam Erin summoned for her last time I was here.


    Madam Erin: ¡°That was quick.¡±


    Lilith: ¡°Of course Mistress, making men come is my specialty.¡±


    Dyson quickly arrives just behind her. ¡°Then I have to say I beg to differ¡­ So what is this all about?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It appears Two-Twelve has managed to do it again.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Now what¡­¡±


    Maeve quickly jumps to her feet introducing herself to Dyson.


    Maeve: ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Elder Dyson. I am the Divine Being Dungeon Core #135. You can call me Maeve if you wish.¡±


    I sigh while Madam Erin has a shocked expression, Dyson¡¯s face changes from one of displeasure to shock, and then quickly to a smirk.


    Dyson: ¡°Color me surprised. He finally managed it?¡±


    Maeve then sits back down but this time instead of in the chair she was in she sits on an empty couch closer to where Dyson is standing...


    Madam Erin: ¡°That actually that is news to me as well¡­ That isn¡¯t why I initially called you.¡±


    Maeve seems a little disappointed when Dyson takes a seat in a chair on the other side of Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°No the reason I called you was that Two-Twelve appointed Maeve her training dungeon on her first day.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He did what!?¡±


    ¡°After she used most of the xp for her training to learn skills I then placed that cuff I received from Laura on her, and since then she has reached level 22 while still completely ranking out the skills. She even took a few more when they became available, but we ran out of xp before she could learn them all.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see, I noticed the sharp increase in your level when you returned, I thought it might have been due to claiming the dungeons, but it was the cuff all along? That is quite interesting, but without being able to reproduce the cuff, that still doesn¡¯t help us much.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Oh but he has managed that as well, or at least for the most part.¡±


    ¡°Like I was telling Madam Erin it¡¯s not 100% reliable, but I have made several different rings that allow me to continue to gain xp as if I was a dungeon monster instead of the dungeon core.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And how did this come to your attention?¡± ¨CHe says to Madam Erin.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°I caught them sneaking around my dungeon trying to gather more xp.¡±


    ¡°I told you we weren¡¯t sneaking¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So not only do we finally get a Divine Being Dungeon Core, but Two-Twelve managed to further progress the training for new dungeon cores. I stand corrected this may have been worth my time after all. It may be a bit late in the game, but a week is a week, so we need 3 more of those rings.¡±


    ¡°I told you it¡¯s not 100% reliable¡­ There is also the xp cost.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Dyson and I will cover the xp cost, but I not only ask for rings for this year¡¯s Dungeon Cores, but at least a dozen. I think even Dungeon Cores several years old will benefit quite nicely from it. I don¡¯t say we should give one to every core, but your Inari, Dyson¡¯s Queen, My Var, Your Dawn & Twilight, plus this year¡¯s dungeon cores. I think all of them could benefit quite nicely.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have no objections with the cores mentioned, but I think we need to keep this under wraps as best we can. Even some of the other Elders might not take kindly to this.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then we will only keep this between the dungeon cores you and I can both agree on then.¡± ¨CShe says to Dyson.-


    ¡°I promised Belinda I would give one to Inari, and I will try to make one for Maeve, but I am not sure about making so many of them them¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You will make them as per our agreement.¡±


    ¡°Our agreement says you have to give me something in return. Only about 1 in 3 of the rings seems to work if you say a dozen of them that is close to half a million xp.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fine, Dyson and I will each supply you with half a million xp, but in exchange I want the failed copies as well, just to prove you are not pulling one over on us. I have to say I can¡¯t say I trust you as much as I once did.¡±


    ¡°Some of the failed rings resulted in enchantments that could compromise my dungeon. If any turn out like that I will keep them and I will refund you the xp cost of the rings I kept.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We are giving you more than double the cost of each ring, so any ring you keep you return double the amount then and we have a deal.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am still not sure I agree with this, but if this goes sideways, I know how Madam Erin can make it up to me.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Honey, all you had to do is ask. I would gladly share your bed even without the deal.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not you, you mangy old mutt, the succubus.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°See Maeve this is why you never trust a man. I brought both of these two into this world and they both treat me this way.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Your ¡°Training¡± also caused me to fail!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Are you saying you regret your time among the humans then? Isn¡¯t that what made you the strongest dungeon core that has ever lived?¡±


    ¡°Do we have to stick around for this¡­? We have much more important things to do.¡±


    Madam Erin taps away on her [Menu] then presents me with a small xp bead, but before I take it she pulls back.


    Madam Erin: ¡°And just to be sure. Lilith you will return with Two-Twelve to his dungeon to make sure he completes the rings in a timely fashion. I will make sure his princess knows you are coming as well to help speed up the process. When Lilith returns with the rings we will then send Dyson¡¯s share of the xp.¡±


    She then places the bead into my hand. Maeve gets to her feet quickly approaching Dyson.


    Maeve: ¡°It was an honor to meet you Elder Dyson, if there is anything I can do for you just ask.¡±


    Dyson smirks, I sigh, Madam Erin beings griping at Dyson again, and I then cast [Gate] pulling Maeve along and the succubus quickly follows as well.


    I heard the living room is the least used room in the house, so maybe I can quickly make the rings and send the succubus on her way before Belinda even sees her. As if the situation wasn¡¯t bad enough as it is when we step though the portal I don¡¯t find an empty room like I expected, but instead find Scylla is there breastfeeding her baby, while Belinda sits talking to her. Scylla quickly blushes trying to maintain modesty without disturbing the baby.


    Belinda: ¡°Why did you come here? We never use the living room!¡± ¨CShe quickly rushes to take a blanket to Scylla, but stops dead in her tracks once Lilith exits the portal.- ¡°No¡­I mean it this time Two-Twelve! No!¡±


    Belinda then appears to get a message as she is briefly distracted and appears to be reading it.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know what you promised Madam Erin, but you better get it done, now!¡±


    ¡°¡­Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡± ¨CI then quickly flee the room.-


    Lilith tries to follow me from the door but Belinda grabs her arm and says ¡°You can stay right here until he is done.¡±


    I shut the door and sigh¡­ I should have chosen the ballroom¡­ Even one of the bedrooms would have been better, but if we somehow got caught there it would have been much much worse I guess. I kind of just ditched Maeve, but she is one of the girls, so maybe it will be alright.


    I don¡¯t want to panic the bunnies by adding this amount of xp to the dungeon without them knowing so I transfer to the dungeon core room.


    All three of them seem to be in quite the panic. Once they see me the oldest quickly says.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! What is going on!?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°[Menu] let out a loud intruders have entered the dungeon message and by the warning you would think a dragon was attacking Tobes or something.¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin sent one of her monsters back with us when I returned, but I have never heard of anything like that before. We have the ability to summon a dragon or a griffon, and Dyson said this monster was still too advanced for me so maybe she really is that strong. Dyson or Madam Erin never effected [Menu] this way before though right?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°No Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it seems to line up with when she arrived so I think it has to be her, so calm down a little bit and just double check to make sure. I have to summon some rings for Madam Erin and Dyson, so our xp is going to change greatly until I am done.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Leave it to us Master!¡±


    While the quickly begin to scourer the screens I add the bead to the dungeon and begin to work¡­ The [Ring of Second Life] is the only one that I have successfully made more than one of so I start off by trying to make a hand full of them.


    [Ring of Second Life], [Ring of Second Identity], [Ring of Another], [Ring of Second Life], critical success [Ring of Separate Lives], and the last results in a third [Ring of Second Life] all three of the rings of second life will work just fine, I don¡¯t know if they will count the ring of another as a success or not, but I then check the ring of second identity and ring of separate lives.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    [Ring of Second Identity] A ring that grants the wearer a single altered identity for as long as the ring is worn. Through exceptional craftsmanship the ring grants and additional benefit. If the race of the chosen identity is different than the wearer, the wearer will be granted knowledge of the second identity¡¯s race including mannerisms and even language.


    [Ring of Separate Lives] A ring that grants the wearer a single altered identity for as long as the ring is worn. Through exceptional craftsmanship the ring grants and additional benefit. At any time the wearer can focus their magic into the ring causing it to break. From then on the wearer will permanently assume the altered identity.


    I can¡¯t be for certain but I believe both of them rings will work as well. I am actually doing quite well so far out of 6 we have 3 that will work for sure, 2 that will probably work, and 1 that¡¯s a maybe. The deal is for a total of 36 rings, so I better keep going¡­


    This proves to be quite a bit more difficult then I first imagined and takes a bit more time as well¡­ By the time I hit the 36<sup>th</sup> ring I am worn out¡­ the [Ring of Second Life] easily was the most common ring summoned and I got 14 of them so that should at least meet the quota.


    The second most common ring I acquired was the [Ring of Many Faces] but I know from firsthand experience that one doesn¡¯t work so those 10 rings were a waste, at least it¡¯s not my xp..


    The 3rd most common ring was the [Ring of Another] in which I got 6 of. I thought it was the same as the one as I summoned when I was experimenting on my own but I realized that was a band of another not ring of another.


    After looking into the ring of another it looks to be quite similar but not near as good. Not only does the assumed shape not grant 100% of the altered shapes abilities it also lacks the ability to break the ring down to acquire the ring identity¡¯s abilities. Most do however have some kind of added enchantment as well.


    Out of the 4 remaining rings I got one more of each of the [Ring of Second Identity] and [Ring of Separate Lives]. One more turned into a [Ring of Fake Life] which is just like the one I summoned before so I am going to be forced to buy that one as I don¡¯t want Madam Erin or Dyson able to copy me¡­


    I made the quota for acceptable rings and then some, so I decided I will hold on the last remain ring as well switching it out for the [Ring of Many Faces] that I summoned previously. It was another critical success that resulted in [Royal¡¯s Ring]. Its ability doesn¡¯t sound like it will work for what the elders want, but it might be a bit of fun to play with so what it could really hurt?


    [Royal¡¯s Ring] When the ring is placed on the wearer¡¯s finger they choose an altered appearance that remains until the ring is removed or 24 hours has passed. After the 24 hours the wearer can choose another altered appearance. Through exceptional craftsmanship the rings grants an additional ability. Through the power of [Suggestion] anyone that looks at the wearer of this ring will recognize them as royalty, and treat them accordingly.


    The closest I can get to the 24,000xp that is double the cost of the ring of fake life that I am keeping is a 2 10,000xp bead and a 5,000xp bead, so I summon them and add it to a back with the other 35 rings I am sending back with Lilith and then return to the house.


    It was still pretty early when I went to the dungeon core room, but now it is already dark¡­ Belinda is sure to be mad at me for this one for sure. I quickly make my way to the living room. Belinda is sitting across the room from Lilith.


    While Belinda is sitting straight backed, with an angry face, and her arms crossed. Lilith on the other hand is lounging on the sofa. They appear to be the only two in the room.


    Belinda: ¡°What took you so long!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I had to summon 36 rings¡­¡±


    Lilith: ¡°You managed to get them all then? ¨CShe says while jumping off the sofa making her way towards me.-


    Belinda quickly jumps up standing between us, and I hold the bag out at full arm¡¯s length.


    ¡°35 of them at least one of them would be trouble for me, so I also have a few xp beads to make up its cost like promised. I also included a note with instructions on how to get them to work the desired way.¡±


    Lilith: ¡°Very well.¡± ¨CShe takes the bag from my outstretched arm and peers inside before pulling it tight- ¡°I will give these to my Mistress then.¡±


    Lilith then walks into a shadow in the corner completely disappearing. I then sigh and collapse on the sofa rubbing my neck.


    ¡°Everyone else leave already?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course they did, I wasn¡¯t going to leave Scylla and her baby in the house with a demon!¡±


    ¡°I guess a succubus is a type of demon, but she is just a monster like any other, isn¡¯t that judging her a bit harshly?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You plan on defending the nearly naked demon woman you brought into our house instead of your wife?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just shut up now¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s what I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Did Maeve head to bed already?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°When we figured you wouldn¡¯t be able to get any more training in today, she did.¡±


    ¡°Well after sleeping on the hard floor of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon the last few nights, and the day I have had today. My bed will be a welcome sight¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is if I let you come to bed tonight.¡±


    ¡°How is any of this my fault? I got cornered by Madam Erin, and forced to make all them rings for her sending a powerful monster like Lilith to keep an eye on me to make sure I do it¡­ I am the victim here¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time you have seen her is it?¡±


    ¡°I told about it when Madam Erin summoned her¡­ When Madam Erin and Dyson were arguing about the cuff and I left.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You said she summoned that monster in front of you! You mean to tell me you seen that thing naked!?¡±


    ¡°With the way she is dressed it isn¡¯t much of a difference¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s it you can stay on the couch!¡±


    ¡°How is any of this my fault!?¡±


    Lilith: ¡°Sorry to intrude but I returned with the xp bead that my mistress promised you.¡± ¨CShe says stepping out of the shadow, and then sticking out her tongue with the bead sitting on top of it.-


    Belinda: ¡°Tell her she can keep it!¡±


    ¡°No! that is half of a million xp! Just set it on the table there and thank Madam Erin for me¡­¡±


    Lilith: ¡°My mistress also said it was getting quite late, so if you wanted me to I could remain here for the night.¡± ¨CShe says while placing the bead on the table and then giving me a wink.-


    Belinda: ¡°No absolutely not! And you can tell your mistress that!¡±


    Lilith: ¡°Shame¡­ See you later Two-Twelve.¡± ¨CShe says disappearing into the shadow again.-


    I cast [Clean] on the bead before picking it up and storing it in the dungeon inventory.


    Belinda: ¡°Fine! I can¡¯t risk that she might sneak back here later¡­ You can come to bed, but only so I can keep an eye on you.¡±


    I can¡¯t say I rested any better that night, then in the floor of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon as I had to fight just for Belinda to allow me to remove my armor¡­ Even when I wake up the next morning I am still quite worn out and Belinda is holding on to me with a death grip¡­


    I kiss her and say. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    She smiles and loosens her grip on me kissing me back, but once she wakes up a bit more her face quickly contorts¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Nice try, but I am still mad at you.¡±


    ¡°I honestly had no control of any part of that entire situation¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yet you still ended the day with over half a million extra xp.¡±


    It takes me 30 minutes but I explain every detail to her on how everything happened.


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t think this lets you off the hook¡­¡±


    Before I get out of bed I give her a deep kiss which she reciprocates to, so I am sure she is just giving me a hard time now¡­ I think¡­


    Belinda: ¡°What are you planning to do for Maeve now? She doesn¡¯t have much more time left of training?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of giving her the remaining xp I got extra from Dyson to train the her so she can learn as many skills as possible and then just let her train on the rifts the till she runs out of time. Meanwhile I am going to use the xp I got yesterday to re-secure the elemental wings of the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You think she will be satisfied with that?¡±


    ¡°At this point the extra skills will be worth more to her then a few extra levels, so I think she will understand. Besides this way she can train up her boss monsters a bit more as well. She couldn¡¯t do that in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Will she be able to keep them after her training? I thought you had to summon new ones afterwards.¡±


    ¡°From what I understand it was never required you give up the boss monster you had during training. It is just most of them are way weaker then you can summon after you start your dungeon so it gives you a chance to get a much better one.¡±


    I then join Maeve and tell her the plan. She doesn¡¯t seem displeased with it at least so I guess it will work out. After she learns her skills and begins training again I sit back and take a hard look into how to improve the elemental wings.


    I add another room to the back of each room on the elemental wings with stairs going down. I want to start branching off but adding more rooms without them bumping into one another is quite hard. With the next floor of each elemental wing I end up with a total of 8 rooms.


    The stairs room, another the same size, the next is a large room that is rectangle that functions like a hallway, from there I split off two separate rooms, One room has another room behind it but ends in a dead end, while the other has a second room off of it, and then a third larger boss like room at the end of it.


    All the extra rooms only amounted to just over 12,000xp, but now comes the expensive part adding monsters. Even using all the dungeon skills I use up almost all of the xp just on the old floor by adding rifts¡­


    These elemental monsters cost an extreme amount of xp¡­ I don¡¯t want to leave a bunch of empty rooms so I only utilize the first room of each of the newly added floor. It¡¯s kind of a tight squeeze for the dragon and the griffon for now but I don¡¯t really have much of a choice.


    I have unlocked a higher tier of each elemental creature but with their costs I still can¡¯t use but 1 for the shadow room and one for the fire room. I can¡¯t even replace the mythril swords yet. Using the last bit of xp I add one of the giant crabs Listel and I fought.


    We didn¡¯t have much trouble with it, but that was only because its armor was so thick that shadow magic devastated it. Our Mythril swords were not even very effective so unless someone with strong shadow magic enters the depths of the water wing it should be alright.


    I can¡¯t believe we are in a way that 500,000xp doesn¡¯t amount to anything¡­ I send a message to the bunnies telling them what I did. I also tell them as we start to gain xp start opening up more of the elemental rooms adding the new tiers of elemental creatures while moving back the 3 boss type monsters.


    By the end of Maeve¡¯s training she manages to reach far down the fairy evolution line with Windy, and she has become a fairy almost human sized. I guess because her training dungeon was connected to mine it has unlocked all the tiers of fairies for me as well including the stage Windy is currently on. Its cost is as much as the dragon, griffon, or the crab though.


    Her other boss monster went from Nymph, to Greater Nymph, and then to Dryad, but unfortunately she still hasn¡¯t unlocked elves yet. Maybe once she finally does unlock one I can trade with her so I can unlock them as well.


    Maeve herself pushing herself to the very limits to drain every rift in the training room and then even moving on to some rooms in the normal dungeon she managed to barely hit level 25 on her last day. Even at that level though with the number of skills she has I think in a fight without magic I would stand no chance of winning against her.


    We gather for a large dinner on her final evening before her evaluation so everyone can wish her luck.


    Maeve: ¡°Thank you all for your help.¡±


    Doug: ¡°We actually should be thanking you. Getting the chance to train with you under Two-Twelve¡¯s guidance was more than I could of ever hoped for.¡±


    ¡°You exaggerate¡­ I am not that great of a teacher¡­ All I did was send the monsters at you all.¡±


    Kline: ¡°But to learn the way a dungeon core trains, and I even managed to gain 2 levels inside a month. When I was traveling with Young Master Logan it took me over a year to gain my last level¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Once I get my dungeon off the ground¡­ Maybe I will invite you to have a go at it. That is of course if you promise to leave my crystal alone.¡±


    Aria: ¡®We would be honored.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of your dungeon, have you decided where you want to place it?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Actually I did a bit of fiddling around with [Menu] last night and I think I have a plan. It may not work, and it isn¡¯t anything anyone has done before, so I would like for it to be a surprise.¡±


    ¡°I will look forward to it.¡±


    We then finish our meal, and I call Azami who was not attending the meal to the house for her to present her with the sword she was working on for Maeve.


    Azami arrives with a long slender blade that is longer then she is tall. It looks more like a lance or spear then a rapier, and hands it over to Maeve.


    Maeve: ¡°This is beautiful¡­ You even got it to the length I wanted it.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Being a thin blade of that length took quite a bit of work. I had to study a Shima blade to learn their techniques of blade folding to make the blade where it wouldn¡¯t just fold in half due to the strain. I don¡¯t think it will make a good sword but it is my finest work, so if you can wield it, it will not let you down.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Thank you again.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Master, you should have let me go first, the armor turned out well, but I don¡¯t know if it is quite that good¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am quite interested to see the finished product myself.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Yea no pressure¡­¡±


    I take the armor from the dungeon inventory with [Menu] setting it down on the table in front of Katie.


    Katie: ¡°I really tried my best not to mess up the beautiful armor that Azami made, but I still have a ways to go before I reach her talent.¡±


    Katie and I help Maeve equip the armor, and although it is no longer master quality like it was before Katie worked on it the protection is quite a bit higher. The [Master Quality Elven-mail] is now [Expert Quality Hybrid Scale-mail]


    The look of the armor I have to say is quite unique It looks rather similar to my armor, but the beauty of the elven-mail made from small scales and chainmail, and a highly polished dwarven metal pauldrons and plates. You can tell Katie went the extra mile trying to add to the beauty of Azami¡¯s work instead of just slapping dwarven metal to it.


    When I looked at its cost in xp after Katie first finished I was quite taken aback. If I made one with the dungeon of equal quality to my armor it might be a little better than my armor, but the cost would be practically double. The advantage though if Azami and Katie make it the cost is as cheap as dark steel armor.


    Maeve: ¡°I had to admit when I heard you were adding dwarven plates to elven armor I was skeptical, but it looks like you really tried not to hinder the things that make elven armor so great while still adding protection where you could.¡±


    Katie: ¡°A normal dwarven smith would call it an abomination, but I know Azami is the better crafter, so I didn¡¯t want her hard work go to waste.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Two-Twelve told me using the dungeon to replicate this armor is too costly, so it appears we will have to continue to make them together. Don¡¯t take this as an acceptance to your work however. You still have a long way to go before I would consider it acceptable.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I promise I will do my best.¡±


    Katie looks really encouraged that Azami is still willing to work with her after seeing it, and she looks to be really fired up now.


    After Maeve thanks Azami, Katie, and myself she then says her goodbyes, and everyone except Belinda, Maeve, and myself either head back home or to bed.


    Belinda: ¡°I know you kept up the mama and papa thing for my sake, but I hope that even if you don¡¯t treat Two-Twelve and me as your parents that you still at least think of us as family. Please keep in touch I would really like to hear from you from time to time.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I guess for everything you and Papa have done for me you at least deserve that much, and Papa you take care of Mama alright?¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    Belinda has tears in her eyes as she hugs Maeve, and pulls me into it as well. Belinda then says her final farewell and gives Maeve a communication parchment just in case something like what happened with Inari happens again.


    After Maeve goes off to bed, and Belinda and I prepare for bed hugs me and says.


    Belinda: ¡°You know I don¡¯t think I mind you training new dungeon cores anymore. I thought it was just a burden, but since we can¡¯t have children of our own this will be the closest we will ever get. I know some of them might not think that way, but it gives me a little comfort to know that the dungeon cores you trained are out there somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Being a dungeon core is quite dangerous though, so eventually we will lose some that is if I don¡¯t go out first.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The circumstances are different, but humans never know how long they got either, so it¡¯s not like it is something new. That is also why you have to do your best while training our children, so they can fend for themselves.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know you will. I love you Two-Twelve.¡±

 Two-Twelves Daughters

    I wake up early the next morning, and after getting ready, Maeve and I make our way to Dyson¡¯s castle with the use of [Gate]. It isn¡¯t one of Dyson¡¯s monsters that greets us at the gate however, but the succubus Lilith.


    ¡°He finally talked Madam Erin into a trade did he?¡±


    Lilith: ¡°No, I still belong to my Mistress. The location of the meeting has changed, but we had no idea how early you would arrive so I was sent to wait on you to take you to the new location.¡±


    Lilith then wraps both arms and wings around Maeve and me pulling us into her chest. Maeve smirks and says.


    Maeve: ¡°I¡¯m going to tell Mama.¡±


    The world then seems to disappear into shadow and when light starts to clear away the shadow Lilith releases us, and I quickly stand up straight. Looking around I am in a familiar corridor.


    Lilith: ¡°I was told you will know where to go from here. My Mistress, Elder Dyson, and the others will be waiting in the council chambers.¡±


    Lilith then disappears into shadow again leaving Maeve and me in the corridor.


    Maeve: ¡°So what did you think?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Her breasts of course, when I let Mama know about it, it would help to have your impression of them.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°This way.¡± I then lead her to the council room.


    When we enter Dyson sits alone at the head of the room with all the other elder¡¯s chairs empty. The other two female cores along with Queen are all sitting in chairs in front of him.


    Dyson: ¡°You made it. Madam Erin went to retrieve the last two, and should arrive shortly, so make yourselves comfortable.¡±


    I move over to the group and introduce Maeve to the three ladies sitting in the middle of the room.


    Maeve: ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I am Dungeon Core #307, you can call me Queen. This is Dungeon Core #745 Dame¡±


    Dame is a beastkin woman with long slender horns, long ears, and golden brown hair. I can¡¯t see her tail so it must be rather short. With the shape of her horns I would say she is maybe some kind of an antelope or gazelle. She is wearing an armored dress much like Queen¡¯s but where Queen¡¯s is mythril. Dame¡¯s armor is only made from standard steel.


    The other female in the group introduces herself. She is the core Dyson trained so saying she is beautiful is a given. I don¡¯t think I ever thought Queen and Sofia appeared to look much alike, but if you were to put this young woman between them you then could easily then believe all three were sisters.


    Woman: ¡°I am Dungeon Core #371 Elder Dyson gave me the name Jeanne.¡±


    She too wears a dress much like Queen¡¯s and Dame¡¯s, but where Dyson didn¡¯t go all out like he did with Queen¡¯s it is still made of dark steel similar to the one my Roxy wears. Although Roxy¡¯s may offer the same amount of protection it is quite a bit more appealing then Jeanne¡¯s.


    ¡°It seems everywhere I go I am outnumbered.¡±


    The door then opens and another gentleman enters the room, but Madam Erin and Inari follow him in so it doesn¡¯t help the status quo much. Inari directs the man our direction following behind him while Madam Erin moves up to sit beside Dyson.


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again Daddy. Where is the dungeon core you trained?¡±


    I introduce Inari to Maeve.


    Inari: ¡°This is your training core¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I am glad I am confident in my looks, because every time he says that everyone has the same reaction.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. It is just daddy is quite unique.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°That is always their next comment as well.¡±


    Inari then introduces us to the dungeon core she trained.


    He looks quite familiar but I can¡¯t put my finger as to why. He is quite muscular wearing Shima styled clothing but the front of it is pulled open leaving most of his muscular chest exposed. He has wavy red hair, and brown eyes. He is wearing a light armor that consists of several of the red plates like the outermost layer of Inari¡¯s gear. Like Inari he too has several different sized swords sheathed on his waist.


    Man: ¡°I am Dungeon Core #618 Kenta¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If everyone will be seated we will begin.¡±


    After we all sit down Madam Erin is the next to speak.


    Madam Erin: ¡°You all did very well this year. Dyson has decided that all of the training cores will be allowed to start their own dungeons.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We would also like to remind you that the rings that I or Madam Erin gave you a few days ago are yours to use, but they are to remain a closely guarded secret. Nobody but the others you see in this room are to know of their existence.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That includes the other elders. If for some reason another dungeon core does learn of your ring you are to notify Elder Dyson or myself immediately. This goes for the new cores and the training cores alike.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Does everyone agree to these rules?¡±


    Everyone: ¡°Yes!¡±


    Madam Erin says ¡°Good.¡± She then stands moving away from the podium and unrolls a large map on the table that begins to grow till it fills the entire table leaving a detailed 3 dimensional map complete with flowing water, and even the appearance of clouds floating over the top.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Whenever you are ready come point to the location in which you will place your dungeon.¡±


    Dame and Jeanne quickly jump up. Dame quickly thanks Queen, and Jeanne thanks Dyson before they make their way to the map. Kenta and Maeve however seem reluctant. While Dame and Jeanne quickly scan the map, point, and then disappear, Kenta says.


    Kenta: ¡°Mistress are you sure I cannot place my dungeon in Shima.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I won¡¯t tell you not to, but I also believe even with the strength you have acquired this month it would be far from enough to protect you from the Oni.¡±


    Kenta: ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    Kenta then stands slowly making his way to the map. He looks a little discouraged but points to an area on the map then disappears.


    ¡°Well Maeve¡­ Are you going?¡±


    She nods, closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and then stands making her way to the map. She looks over it for quite a while even squatting down looking at it from the side. When she finally makes a move she raises her finger but stops quite a ways above it.


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s a big area pup, where at¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°No, right there.¡± ¨Cshe then turns her hand while still pointing at the same point in the air.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Papa said to think outside the box, and if the box is the ground I guess that leaves the clouds.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°My dungeon stretches into the clouds, and I assure you they are like a gas or a fog not something you can stand on.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I have made my decision.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fine, foolish pup. You will crash to the ground and die, but if that¡¯s the way you want it.¡±


    Maeve then disappears. Madam Erin then seems to be waiting on something¡­ After over a minute passes she looks confused and then quickly approaches Dyson whispering to him.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy, where did she go?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I asked her if she had a plan, but she didn¡¯t tell me more than that.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Surely if she would of fell from that height she would have died, but we haven¡¯t got the notification in [Menu]¡±


    Inari: ¡°I think that is what Elder Madam Erin and Elder Dyson are discussing now¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Two-Twelve! Where did Maeve go?¡±


    ¡°You know as much as I do¡­¡±


    Dyson and Madam Erin speak again for a second and then Dyson quickly gets to his feet and the teleports from the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°You really don¡¯t know what she has planned?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    We wait in silence for a few more minutes before Dyson returns.


    Dyson: ¡°Somehow she has done it¡­ I checked the <u>Dungeon Core Information </u>and the observation screen and she is working on building her dungeon in the clouds¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°How is that even possible?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Two-Twelve, is this a trait of the Divine Being dungeon core?¡±


    ¡°Not that I am aware of¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I may not be a Divine Being, but I am a Divine Beastkin, and I don¡¯t have any options to build rooms in the air¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Forgive me Inari, but we must get to the bottom of this. Will it be ok if your return home is delayed a bit?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am good for at least a few days, that is as long as Daddy is alright with me staying with him.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Surely it won¡¯t take that long, but I appreciate it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Two-Twelve can I ask you to send Queen home?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    I cast [Gate], say my farewells to Queen and right before she disappears though the portal and whispers. ¡°Let me know what happens!¡± She then steps though the portal and disappears.


    ¡°I guess we will go as well¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°No, I want you to stay until we figure this out.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about me?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You can stay as well I guess, or if Two-Twelve wants he can send you back to his dungeon.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I want to know what¡¯s going on so I think I will stick around.¡±


    While Dyson and Madam Erin are quickly whispering back and forth I do the one thing that just seems like commonsense.


    (Maeve you have the elders panicking here¡­ What are you doing?)


    Maeve:  (Papa it worked! I wasn¡¯t sure it would work for the entire dungeon but it did!)


    (What did?)


    Maeve: (I thought about how dungeon rooms work. Their walls are indestructible, but they also don¡¯t seem to follow normal rules. You can place one underground without clearing the dirt and rock, and towers like Madam Erin¡¯s would never be able to stand under their own weight if built by humans so I thought what would happen if you placed it way up in the air.)Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    (And I guess that means your dungeon is the answer to that question?)


    Maeve: (Yes! It¡¯s amazing I am standing at the front of my dungeon right now and I can see the ground sitting way down there. It is pretty expensive though¡­[Menu] says my xp consumption will be several times more to sustain it in the air, and even the rooms cost a little bit more.)


    (If it is really so expensive how do you plan to gather xp for your dungeon? Humans definitely won¡¯t be able to reach it like it is.)


    Maeve: (Papa¡­ My favorite element is wind. Of course there are plenty of flying monsters I can summon to take me to the ground.)


    ¡°Alright, I just talked to Maeve.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I figured it would be the quickest, and easiest solution¡­ Just ask her¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And what did she say?¡±


    ¡°That she placed her dungeon in the sky.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We can see that, but how?!¡±


    ¡°She said she didn¡¯t know if it would work, but when she tried it [Menu] let her. She did say the cost of it is a bit higher than a normal dungeon though.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I think we should speak to her ourselves. Send her another message and tell her to expect guests.¡±


    (The elders want to speak with you¡­)


    Maeve: (Tell them I am busy setting it up! Give me at least a few days.)


    ¡°Everyone here has [Menu] why am I relaying messages! Talk to each other!¡± ¨CI say and send to Maeve.-


    Madam Erin and Dyson quickly begin tapping away in front of them, and I let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m already tired¡­ Why don¡¯t we go back to my dungeon and you can visit with Belinda.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright, I got a surprise for you as well.¡±


    I start to cast [Gate] but Madam Erin speaks up.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°Now what¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We have agreed to give Maeve a few hours to set up before paying her a visit, but I also wanted to talk to you about the rings.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I will head back to my dungeon and monitor Maeve though [Observation] till then.¡±


    Dyson then teleports from the room and Madam Erin joins me and Inari.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Of course it was too hard to give Inari and her training core the rings till we picked them up this morning, but I thought you might want to give Dawn and Twilight their rings as well so I held off.¡±


    ¡°They are the other two cores I trained right? I don¡¯t remember them so I don¡¯t see why it would matter.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I would like to meet my sisters. Daddy before we go to the dungeon can we please pay them a visit?¡±


    ¡°I guess it won¡¯t hurt¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Good they should be expecting us.¡± ¨CShe then grabs my shoulder and drags me from the room.-


    We stop at the archways while Madam Erin changes several of the ruins until the portal opens up. Inari quickly enters the portal, Madam Erin then pushes me in before stepping though herself. With a pull on the back of my chest I am transported across great distance to arrive in a lightly forested area. Inari is looking around, and Madam Erin steps forward.


    ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°At your daughters¡¯ dungeon or is it dungeons¡­ First a dungeon protected by a god, then dual dungeons, now a flying one your daughters are all as strange as you¡­¡±


    ¡°Dual Dungeons?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I have heard about Dawn and Twilight, but I haven¡¯t spoken with them since I lost my memory, but even so I don¡¯t think I heard anything about dual dungeons.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I guess you were busy getting hitched at the time and then disappeared shortly after so it¡¯s no surprise I guess. When Dawn and Twilight chose a location for their dungeon they both chose the same location. From the outside you wouldn¡¯t even know it was two dungeons, because sometimes the dungeon switches from one to the other just by passing through a door between rooms¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually pretty smart.¡±


    Inari: ¡°We get it from Mama.¡± ¨CShe says jokingly.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind being tied to someone for an eternity. It does have the added perk that Dawn sends her monsters to Twilight¡¯s side and vice versa, so they can sustain each other no matter how much they grow.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Let¡¯s go I want to meet them!¡±


    Madam Erin points the way and we follow Inari. Once we clear the trees we see a small tower that is starting to be carved out of the side of the mountain, much like the dungeon where I fought the griffon but no ruins surrounding it and on a much smaller scale.


    As we make our way up to the tower I notice the shadows to late and before I can react two objects crash into me from either side. It doesn¡¯t hurt and when my brain finally catches up I realize I am sandwiched between two pairs of large feathery breasts, one set with ocean blue like feathers and the other with fiery red ones.


    Dawn & Twilight: ¡°Papa!¡±


    I start to wiggle and notice my feet are not even touching the ground, but as quickly as they swooped in the let me go, dropping me to my feet, and backing off.


    Dawn: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Papa. Mama and Madam Erin told us what happened but we were just so happy to see you again.¡±


    Now that they have backed off I can get a better look at them. I have seen Roc around Tobes a few times since I returned, but not close enough to realize just how big these beastkin are. They both easily stand just as tall as Madam Erin, and to say they are beastkin is a bit hard to believe. They look more like human shaped birds then humans with bird like features.


    Twilight: ¡°Who is this other woman?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I was just a bit surprised. I am Dungeon Core #245 your older sister Inari.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Mama told us about you!¡±


    Inari is quickly given the same treatment I was, and is lifted from the ground sandwiched between both birds. When she is set back down her hair is a bit ruffled and one of her ears is bent in a weird way.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Yes, well I told you I would bring him and that he had a present for each of you.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Yay presents!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°You¡¯re a bit late with the birthday present papa, but I will forgive you.¡±


    I don¡¯t know when but at some point Madam Erin slipped 4 rings into the palm of my hand. When I look at them they appear to be two of the [Ring of Second Life]s and the two [Ring of Many Faces]. I look at Madam Erin questionably and she pushes me forward.


    ¡°Here I guess there are two for each of you.¡± ¨CI say handing both of them one of each of the rings.-


    Dawn: ¡°What are they for?¡±


    I then point to each ring and explain to them what they are and what I have been using mine for.


    Dawn: ¡°That is great Papa! We gain quite a bit of xp from each other, but to be able to gain levels faster will really help!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We also heard you had a bit of trouble in the local town because of your appearances, so you can use the other two to appear human, normal beastkin, or whatever to enter the village.¡±


    I quickly get sandwiched again.


    Dawn & Twilight: ¡°Thanks Papa!¡±


    Dawn & Twilight then take us into the dungeon showing us around. I wouldn¡¯t think another core would willingly do that but they seem comfortable enough around Madam Erin, Inari, and I that they hold nothing back while showing us their dungeons.


    They really do have an interesting setup. Madam Erin wasn¡¯t kidding when she said you can¡¯t tell where one starts at the other ends. They are so intermingled that at one point you can be standing in Twilight¡¯s dungeon walk through a door and be in Dawn¡¯s. Then walk through the door on the other side and be right back in Twilight¡¯s.


    They even show us their crystal room which is split right down the middle between both dungeons and their crystals are sandwiched together. If it wasn¡¯t for one being fiery red ruby and the other a brilliant blue sapphire you would think it was just a single crystal.


    Inari: ¡°It really shows how much trust you have for daddy, to even show us your crystal room.¡±


    Dawn & Twilight: ¡°Of course.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Inari: ¡°My dungeon is so far away and hard to get to I never even thought about it, but I guess I would.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that after you training was over you didn¡¯t think of Belinda and myself as your parents anymore¡­ Belinda said you would barely talk to her.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°We didn¡¯t get to spend much time with Mama during our training¡­¡±


    Twilight: ¡°And then with what happened to you, we just didn¡¯t know what to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it was something she worried about quite a bit, so I am sure no matter what you say she would be happy just to hear from you both more often.¡±


    Dawn & Twilight: ¡°Yes Papa¡­¡± ¨CThey say in voices like scolded children.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well girls we have quite a bit more to do, your newest sister caused a bit of a ruckus already, but I promised I would bring your father by.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°We have another sister now?!¡±


    ¡°Dungeon Core #135 her name is Maeve¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I will be sure to send her a welcome to the family message later!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°You said she already caused a ruckus on her first day no less?¡±


    Inari: ¡°She placed her dungeon in the sky.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°In the sky! How did she do that?! Does that mean she is an Avian as well?¡±


    ¡°We are not sure that¡¯s why it is causing a ruckus, but no she isn¡¯t an Avian, she is like me, but her favored element is wind.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I wish we would have thought of putting our dungeon in the sky¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well we really must be going¡­¡±


    Dawn & Twilight: ¡°OK~¡± ¨CAfter that they sandwich Inari and me again each with another hug.- ¡°Be careful Papa!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright, it would be easier for you to use your teleport spell to head back to your dungeon real quick.¡±


    I nod then cast [Gate] and the three of us arrive back at the house in Tobes.


    ¡°Those two were really cores I summoned¡­? What was I thinking?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t know, they seemed perfectly normal, normal for Daddy at least.¡±


    Belinda comes down the stairs and says. ¡°Is that Inari¡¯s voice I hear!?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yes Mommy I am here!¡±


    Belinda quickly hurries down the stairs and gives Inari a big hug.


    ¡°You just saw each other not too long ago¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That was months ago! Besides it¡¯s so hard to get to see Inari I want to spend all the time I can with her every chance I can get.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Me too Mommy!¡± ¨CThey hug each other again.-


    Belinda: ¡°So how did things go with Maeve?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Just like Daddy she is already making the elders pull their hair out.¡±


    We then explain to Belinda what happened.


    Belinda: ¡°Good for her!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think it is quite a problem?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Putting her dungeon where humans can¡¯t get to it? Of course not, all she has to do is breed some monsters till she can sustain herself like Elder Fredrick, and then she can live her life anyway that she pleases¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite think that is what she is going for though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Either way, she is free to choose that life for herself if she wanted it.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy took me to meet Dawn & Twilight as well, so we could give them both a ring like he made for me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s great! I thought you said you weren¡¯t going to make them rings?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°They were actually part of the set I made him make, but I thought they would have liked receiving them from him instead of me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And how are they doing?¡±


    ¡°Good I guess, their dungeons are intertwined together, and they are really helping each other out. I also talked to them about not sending you messages and they said they just didn¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Those girls¡­¡±


    ¡°I told them it didn¡¯t matter that you would like to hear from them no matter what they talk about, so they promised to send more messages.¡±


    Belinda quickly gives me a hug and says. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I am not needed here anymore, I will contact you when we are ready to check on Maeve in a few hours.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Madam Erin then leaves the house. Belinda and Inari then sit down and start chatting away. They manage to catch up on everything since Inari was here last time, and we even go visit Scylla so Inari can meet baby Listel.


    While Scylla is letting Inari hold the baby I get a message from Madam Erin that Dyson and her are ready.


    ¡°Alright Inari its time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So soon?¡±


    ¡°We are just going to check on Maeve, they haven¡¯t even started prepping to return her so we will still have time to visit.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s ok Daddy, you can go ahead and go without me this time, I want to stay here for a little bit.¡± ¨CShe says while rocking the baby.-


    ¡°Alright then I will be back I guess¡­¡±


    They all seem to be having a good time so I guess that¡¯s the important part. Madam Erin told me to meet at her dungeon so I use [Gate] to arrive at the area she tells me and then Dyson teleports us.


    After Dyson teleports we are hit by quite a cool breeze.  Looking around we are standing on a small grassy knoll that looks like a small town park. Looking behind us there are a few thick puffy clouds. I am sure if you step into them it would be a long ride to the ground¡­


    Looking back at what lies in front of us is a few rock pathways that lead into a small ruined village. It isn¡¯t very big maybe a dozen or so buildings but they all are missing walls and roofs appearing to be centuries old.


    Nestled to the side of the village we see a small cave opening, and as we approach it Maeve meets us at the mouth of it.


    Maeve: ¡°What do you think so far?¡±


    ¡°You have made it quite large with just the starting xp.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well most of it is empty ground and the ruins are dirt cheap, believe it or not the grass, and water were the most expensive things up here.¡±


    ¡°What about the dungeon itself?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I am sure I don¡¯t have to worry about adventurers so, I am not really too worried about it. I set up a few rifts of some really light wind monsters, and I got Windy and Syrinx guarding the crystal.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°This is simply astounding¡­ [Menu] really allowed you to just place your dungeon in the clouds¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Like it was always meant to be.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°With Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon the way it is, the situation in Shima with Inari, and now this¡­ I am really starting to get curious just what is behind [Menu].¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And it always seems to come back to Two-Twelve, or at least dungeons he has trained.¡±


    ¡°I never asked for any of this¡­ I am just trying to survive.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not to mention the elder selection, the elimination of the last Dungeon Core #135, and even the situation with Laura he came back rewriting the rule books¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Damn Papa, it sounds like you have a couple fans¡­¡±


    Dyson and Madam Erin look at each other and look to be talking back and forth with messages. Whatever they are talking about it seems Dyson is the one pressing and Madam Erin is a little reluctant. Madam Erin finally sighs, shrugs her shoulders, and says.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fine do whatever you like, but I will hold you reasonable for it if it goes bad.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Madam Erin and I have been talking for quite a while about something¡­ These events that keep revolving around you like Maeve¡¯s dungeon here just solidify something we have been debating for a while.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°How would you feel about a position with the Elders? Of course all the elder slots are filled, but we can call it Elder¡¯s helper, squire, or something like that.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°What about the other Elders? What is their take on all this?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Most of them haven¡¯t liked you from the beginning, but now they seem to be burrowing in and just hoping the changes will pass and the world will go back to what they were used to. If Dyson and I both back you there isn¡¯t much they can say.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Hey it¡¯s my dungeon! Don¡¯t I get something for my contribution to this?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°With your father joining up with us, maybe some of the benefits will trickle down to all his daughters.¡±


    Maeve looks at me rather hopeful, but I say.


    ¡°For one I wouldn¡¯t want to make any decisions without talking it over with my boss monsters, and secondly what would be in it for me?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We would trust you with information that normal dungeon cores wouldn¡¯t be privy to, not only that, but we would also be willing to offer items, monsters, or xp. Think of it as an extension to Dyson and your current agreement.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It would also mean you would be granted the protection and prioritization second only to the elders themselves.¡±


    ¡°That would mean I would have to give up on retaliation on Laura.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That matter was already addressed as a matter between you and her, so we would be willing to turn the other way. You might be able to use resources you obtain from joining us, but that also means we won¡¯t help with the matter either.¡±


    ¡°Like I said I would have to talk it over with my boss monsters¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Think it over. You can let us know as soon as you make your decision.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that¡­¡±


    Maeve bats her eyelashes at me ¡°Papa¡­ If you decide to join with the elders I promise to be a good daughter, and help Papa with anything he needs!¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Well if that¡¯s all I am going to go check on Inari, and instead of sucking up to me Maeve dropping a message to Belinda every so often would go a lot further in making me happy then puppy dog eyes.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Understood!¡±


    I can¡¯t help but think Madam Erin and Dyson just threw a heap load of more trouble my way, but we really could use more xp, monsters, or items. I decide to slowly walk back to the grassy hill enjoying the cold breeze on my face. The air feels different up here for some reason, it¡¯s quite relaxing¡­


    Once I reach my destination I cast [Gate] then think¡­ How am I going to explain this to Belinda¡­?

 Two-Twelves Decision

    Once I arrive home from Maeve¡¯s dungeon I get a sudden flood of messages about new items available to the dungeon, so many weapons and armor it is quite hard to keep up with. One thing they have in common is almost all of them have the notation about being made of that metal that can only be summoned with Shima¡¯s style. There is also a plethora of new enchantments available as well.


    I then hear. ¡°He¡¯s back!¡± and am quickly wrapped in a hug.


    Inari: ¡°Surprise!¡±


    After Inari¡¯s sudden hug and comment Belinda and Scylla join us from the living room. There is also a young man with them but I don¡¯t think I know him. He has silver fox like ears and tail with short coal black hair. He too wears the Shima style of clothing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I really wanted to bring Takeshi with me this time, but Madam Erin said I could only bring one, so I come up with a plan to help Daddy! Yuji has a spell that lets him store things with magic so I loaded him up with all my best gear, brought him along, and let Daddy learn how to make it! I know you wanted skills, but this was the best I could do.¡±


    Yuji: ¡°It is quite the honor to meet the Mistress¡¯s parents. Thank you for allowing me in your home.¡± ¨CHe says while bowing.-


    ¡°No¡­ Thank you I really appreciate it, but the cost of these items and the quantity. How could you acquire so much at your age?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Daddy I can¡¯t say because I promised, but like my equipment I got it all in the same place.¡±


    ¡°That must be quite the place¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I just wish I had this ring you gave me back then it would have really come in handy. Maybe then I would have caught up with Daddy!¡±


    Inari then seems to be checking a message and then says.


    Inari: ¡°Madam Erin said since it was getting so late that she will start on working to get me home in the morning, so I get to stay the night here! Although that means I won¡¯t have Takeshi to warm my bed tonight¡­¡± ¨CShe puts an emphasis on that last part like it is really important, and by Belinda¡¯s reaction she seems to agree.-


    Belinda: ¡°Inari! You didn¡¯t make him do something he didn¡¯t want to, did you?¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about your poor daughter? Takeshi almost broke me the first time! And I didn¡¯t force anything on him, but I did make him have to make a choice.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    Yuji: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I understand and assure you although Takeshi doesn¡¯t still agree with some of the Mistress¡¯s habits, he is quite happy with his position at her side.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯ll say¡­ But I think he is happier when he is in the position on top of me.¡±


    Scylla¡¯s ears turn a bit red and Belinda and I both sigh in unison¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Well if you get to stay the night, we should start making some dinner.¡±


    ¡°Yes and can you make sure everyone is there we need to talk about something, and I want everyone¡¯s opinion on it.¡±


    Belinda looks a little concerned but she then nods leading the group towards the kitchen so they continue to talk while preparing dinner. Inari¡¯s monster Yuji however stays in the entryway with me.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be with your Mistress?¡±


    Yuji: ¡°No I don¡¯t think so¡­Unless of course you don¡¯t trust me, and then I understand and will return to her side.¡±


    ¡°No actually I would like to talk to you for a few minutes.¡±


    Yuji: ¡°To me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know how much Inari told you about me, but I recently lost my memory. I can tell it bothers Belinda and Inari both that I can¡¯t remember Inari, so even if I can¡¯t remember maybe you could help me at least fill in some of the blanks.¡±


    Yuji: ¡°I live to serve my Mistress, so if it would make her happy of course I will do what I can. I don¡¯t believe she would keep secrets from you, but understand there are some things without her explicit permission I can¡¯t speak of however.¡±


    ¡°No, I understand. Just tell me what you can.¡±


    I then lead Yuji into the ballroom and we have a few drinks while waiting on dinner. I manage to learn quite a bit about Inari but the crowd quickly grows as Kline, and Doug join us. Yuji seems to be a lightweight like Doug and they are both pretty drunk by the time dinner is complete.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy! Alcohol is hard to come by at home. He has only drank it twice before!¡±


    ¡°How was I to know¡­?¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­ I am glad you were able to get along with my boss monster, but please ask me before you do anything else like that!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I will¡­¡±


    After dinner I then ask them to stay so we can talk.


    Inari: ¡°This seems important, do you wish Yuji and I leave now?¡±


    ¡°No it is ok. I would actually like to hear your opinion as well as Maeve already gave hers¡­¡±


    I then explain to them the conversation I have with Madam Erin and Dyson at Maeve¡¯s dungeon, and ask them what they think about it.


    Inari: ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, Daddy is quite special indeed. I have been wary of Madam Erin like you taught me, but she has helped out a few times. To be part of the elder¡¯s even as something of that level would be next level stuff¡­ There is also the fact if Daddy joins the elders they would tell him how they travel to my dungeon so maybe Mommy and Daddy could come visit me some time!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know you have been worried about the amount of xp we have been bringing in isn¡¯t as sustainable as it once was, and this could help us quite a bit, but the tasks they have set us on in the past have always been quite difficult.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Kline and I might not be with the dungeon, but we are here for you whatever you decide in any way we can be.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Roxy and I are both with you, boss!¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I course would say that the chance to work closer with Dyson would be nice¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°Madam Erin is the one that summoned me, so I know I might be biased on it, but I think master should consider it. We could learn to make a lot of new gear if we helped out the elders.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I can¡¯t help much anymore except at the mayor¡¯s office, so I will leave it to you.¡±


    The only ones not present are the bunnies and Azami, but there is another pair that hasn¡¯t said anything as well.


    ¡°Doug?¡±


    Doug: ¡°You¡¯re asking me¡­? I barely know anything about dungeons, so this is all over my head¡­¡±


    Aria: ¡°I know my Mistress would jump at the chance like something like this, but Dyson was also the one that trained her.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it Daddy. You are very smart I think whatever you decide it will be the right choice.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Inari¡¯s right, you haven¡¯t ever let us down, and the truth is most of what they will ask of you they will still ask anyway even if you refuse. This way at least if you say yes we will be guaranteed better benefits from it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you all...¡±


    We then break up for the night, Belinda shows Yuji and Inari to rooms for them to go to sleep while I decide to ask the few remaining members just to be sure. I just message Azami, and she worked with Dyson for quite a few years so her opinion would be quite valuable, but she simply says if it will grant us more power than do it.


    The bunnies seemed to agree with it as well, but the just seem to think it will lead to more monsters like the griffon and the dragon. Although there is the possibility they may not be wrong¡­ I thank them as well then meet with Belinda for bed.


    ¡°Now that is just us¡­ How do you really feel about it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m worried¡­ When dealing with the elders we have had a lot of close calls¡­ But even though some of the things they do I don¡¯t agree with they have done quite a bit for us as well. There is also the fact I would like to get to visit Inari as well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we could use [Gate] because surely if it was that easy Dyson¡¯s teleport magic should work as well, but it doesn¡¯t seem to work either, but if we learn how Madam Erin does it then maybe it would be possible.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°I wish I knew what the old me would say¡­¡±


    Belinda moves over to me rubbing my chest.


    Belinda: ¡°I think you already do.¡±


    The next morning we get the message from Madam Erin that she is prepping for Inari¡¯s return, so in a few hours it will be time for them to go home. We spend the morning with Inari in Tobes, she doesn¡¯t look much younger than us but the feeling is quite strange, and I really do start to get the feeling of Inari being my daughter.


    None of the memories of her training return, but from seeing the way she acts, and hearing the stories I can almost picture it. When it is finally time for her to leave I decide to go with her to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon to give Madam Erin my answer.


    Madam Erin: ¡°You¡¯re here as well?¡±


    ¡°I thought I would take the opportunity to let you know that after talking it over with everyone I had decided to accept the elder¡¯s proposal.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I can¡¯t say I am entirely surprised, I will say I have some reservations about Dyson¡¯s proposal, but I guess on your end it must look like a pretty good deal.¡±


    ¡°I know if I am going to do this you said I could learn information. I know Belinda would really like to see Inari more often, so maybe you can tell me the process you use for going to Shima?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well it isn¡¯t much different than the manor I usually use, and I use the same portals. The big difference is the amount of magic it takes. Not only that but the runes are completely different as well using the adventurer¡¯s guild magic as opposed to a dungeon¡¯s magic.¡±


    ¡°I saw a large portal in Uthaira that even the humans could use. Could we set something like that up where we could travel back and forth to Shima?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am by no means a mage dungeon core, but I have built up a hefty supply of magic over the years, and I am here to tell you that even for me I have to supplement in some magic crystals.¡±


    ¡°How much magic are we talking about?¡±


    Madam Erin sighs. ¡°About 50,000 mp worth.¡±


    ¡°That is quite a bit¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And I only have about half that so the other half I have to use magic crystals. Do you know how much xp 25,000 mp worth of magic crystals costs?¡±


    ¡°About 10xp per mp¡­so 250,000 xp¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s right so for a round trip within the same day try tripling that because I can only use my own magic the once.¡±


    ¡°But why is it so hard to teleport to Shima to begin with? No matter the distance I travel with [Gate] it still costs 500 mp, so how is Shima different?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It has something to do with the ocean. The ocean is shallow between the mainland and Belgore, not to mention all the ice we can reach about halfway into Belgore because of Elder Fredrick. The waters between the mainland and Shima are very deep so that is what makes it so difficult.¡±


    ¡°But if the adventurer¡¯s guild magic is so weak compared to a dungeon then how can it reach across the ocean and not ours?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I guess you can think of it as a rope. You stretch a single strand a great distance and it will break, but if you have a dozen or two dozen strands wrapped together it becomes stronger. Even if our rope is better material it is still only one strand.¡±


    ¡°So if there were more dungeons in Shima it would work?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It did in the past, I think if we could get at least 2 more there it would be enough, but the Oni problem in Shima prevents that.¡±


    ¡°About that you can tell me what is going on now right?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fine pup, but can we send Inari on her way first like I said this portal isn¡¯t easy to set up.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Take care Daddy, maybe helping out the elders means it won¡¯t take so long before we can see each other again.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    She gives me a hug and Madam Erin prepares the portal.


    ¡°And Inari¡­ Tell Takeshi that if he doesn¡¯t take good care of my daughter I will be coming for him¡±


    Inari hugs me again and laughs. ¡°Oh Daddy.¡±


    ¡°You take care of your Mistress Yuji¡±


    Yuji: ¡°I promise.¡±


    Inari and Yuji disappear though the portal and then it closes. Madam Erin is sweating and panting, which is not something I would say is very appealing¡­


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well¡­ Pup¡­ Time to call the Elders together and make this official.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You have somewhere better to be?¡±


    ¡°Well no, but I didn¡¯t think you could just call the elders together that quick like that¡­¡±


    It turns out I was right. We traveled to the place where the elders always meet, and Dyson arrived quickly, but it took the rest of the Elders the rest of the afternoon to arrive. They don¡¯t seem too pleased about being called to a meeting either.


    I sit in a single chair in front of them while they all sit on the podium arguing back and forth. Finally things settle down and Draco addresses me.


    Draco: ¡°It seems you know what we are doing here more than we do. What is it exactly Madam Erin and Dyson promised you?¡±


    ¡°They did say it would have its perks, but they didn¡¯t promise me anything¡­ I have helped with a few tasks here and there for them since my birth, and they asked if I would be willing to make it something more official.¡±


    Faron: ¡°I knew you would be trouble the moment Madam Erin suggested a mere core of 1 year of age to help in the selection of a dungeon core, but what possibly could you even offer us?¡±


    ¡°I believe I have already contributed quite a bit. I can¡¯t guarantee anything but they came to me, so I am not sure why I have to defend myself here.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Contributed headaches. Every time there is mention of Dungeon Core # 212 it is follows by some unbelievable story that not only is true but causes us trouble.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°I am actually quite interested in Dyson¡¯s theory myself, but with that I don¡¯t care if it is Dungeon Core #212, or what dungeon core it is. I do feel that if we do this it will be like a slap in the fact to Maric and Laura who were turned down as elders, and now saying this young core deserves more recognition as well.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Grow a backbone Fredrick. We are the elders, this is our decision and the other cores including Laura and Maric should just accept that.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Easy for you to say you have only been one of us for a short time.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I quite agree as well, but Dyson has seen the change that is coming. You may all bury your heads in the sand but it is clear. [Menu] for whatever reason is changing, if we don¡¯t have someone like Dungeon Core #212 with us then in a few short years we will become irrelevant. Dyson himself is testament to that. He surpassed us all in under 100 years, and now with the training methods that have been established any one or even all of these new cores could easily be the next Dyson.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Then we should go back to the old ways.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact the humans are progressing as well. If the answer to you staying in power is to make those who follow you weaker then you are closer to death then I thought.


    Faron: ¡°There are only a few A ranked adventurers less then there have ever been before, and there hasn¡¯t been a single S ranked adventurer since Dyson was allowed to return to being a dungeon, and you say humans are progressing¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°How many imitation crystals have you lost in the past 2 years?¡±


    Faron: ¡°That is different. It is a religious attack against me by followers of the old gods.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And appointing Dungeon Core #212 could be the answer, he would be the one you send to deal with such a thing!¡±


    Faron: ¡°Very well, I too will agree with this if he can solve this problem of mine, and that is of course if your theory of [Menu] is correct. If it does work we can then see about appointing a select few such as Maric or Laura as well.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There is also the matter about Dungeon Core #212 and Laura. We gave assurances that the matter between them two will remain as such, so even if you do extend the invitation further their matter is still their own.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Yes yes¡­ We know¡­ But that pet of yours would be wise to drop his foolish plan or his position will be short lived. Laura wasn¡¯t being considered for as an Elder for nothing.¡±


    Draco: ¡°If Dungeon Core #212 is to look into the matter concerning the destruction of Faron¡¯s churches and imitation crystals. He could investigate the recent increase in destruction of my imitation crystals as well.


    I already see this is going to become quite the headache¡­ I wonder if it is too soon to back out¡­


    Dyson: ¡°Then we are all in agreeance?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    Faron: ¡°If my condition is met.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Don¡¯t let me down pup!¡±


    The Dungeon Core Elders wish to bestow you with the title of Archjusticar do you accept?


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Dungeon Core #212 has acquired the skill [Archjusticar] (Rank 1) Dungeon Core #212 has acquired the skill [The Elder¡¯s Chosen] (Rank 1)


    The title Archjusticar is appointed to a single dungeon core to act to maintain the integrity of [Menu]. Preforming tasks relevant to the Archjusticar title will result in an increase to the rank of the skill [Archjusticar]. Preforming actions lowering the integrity of [Menu] will decrease the rank of the skill [Archjusticar]. [Archjusticar] can be reduced to (Rank 0) however if an action is preformed to decrease the integrity of [Menu] while at (Rank 0) the skill and title will be removed.


    Dungeon Core #212 [Mayor ------ Gowen] has been appointed as Archjusticar to the elders.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I¡¯ll be damned it worked¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I told you that [Menu] would accept it, especially if it was Two-Twelve.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Indeed it does appear to be so. Very well then, Archjusticar your first task is to find and put a stop to the attacks that have befallen Elder Faron and myself, do you understand?¡±


    I receive a message from Lilah that seems pretty panicked but I quickly say. ¡°Yes, please excuse me for just a moment.¡± And then try to find out what is going on.


    Lilah: (Master what is going on!? [Menu] made all kinds of racket and changed, and now looks different.)


    (Different? Different how?)


    Lilah: ([Menu] acted really strange and now there is something called the [Archjusticar Menu] showing up on it. It just showed up everything flashed, made a bunch of noise. It scared us all to death¡­)


    (I think it has to do with helping the elders, I will check it out when I return.)


    Lucille: ¡°We are quite busy you know¡­ Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°I apologize. The changes to [Menu] scared the monsters I have looking after my dungeon, so I had to calm them down.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Changes to [Menu]?¡±


    ¡°Yes a new item has been added to it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°So far all I know it added was the [Archjusticar Menu].¡±


    Draco: ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Of course not. We didn¡¯t even know if this would work or not. Nothing like this has been done before.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What does it do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Well open it up and find out!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t asking about ones [Menu] against the rules?¡±


    Faron: ¡°You are to be part of us yes? We know about the options available to each other for example Elder Dyson¡¯s [Observation] is unique to him, but we all have similar items.¡±


    ¡°Then in the interest of sharing information I will let you know what I have after you fill me in on yourselves. After all trust goes both ways.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am curious, so I will tell you, but if they choose not to we can keep your secret together. As I explained to you earlier I am by no means a mage dungeon core, but I have a knack for Runes. In truth it is a Rosetta Stone if you will, allowing me to decipher them as well as spoken words, and I am the best at creating them as well. It gives me quite a gift for portals, and things like that map the new cores use when they select the location for their dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Mine of course is [Observation] but you know all about that already.¡±


    Faron: ¡°Unlike Dyson or Madam Erin I am not so quick in trusting you. Perhaps you complete the tasks we set you on and we will see.¡±


    The other Elders don¡¯t say anything as well so I take it as refusal.


    ¡°Well Dyson didn¡¯t really tell me anything, but it¡¯s not really his fault. I¡¯ll want to take a good look at it and I will then get back to Madam Erin and Dyson.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I can live with that. Now about your tasks, Faron uses imitations crystals to spread his dungeon, he conceals them inside statues and relics of his church. Meaning the major churches of Faron are all secondary dungeons of Faron¡¯s. As you heard earlier he has had a bit of a problem with someone burning his churches and destroying his imitation crystals. He believes that the attacks are just religious fanatics of the old gods, but I believe there may be a dungeon core behind it, so your task is to find out what or who is behind the attacks and put a stop to them.¡±


    Draco: ¡°You second task is concerning my dungeon. I have lost imitation crystals in the past, but recently more and more are getting broken. As many secondary dungeons I have it is hard to keep track all of them at once. Unlike an actual crystal there is no way to know who destroyed it without actually seeing it, and so far I have been unable to find the culprit or culprits involved. You are to investigate to determine if the attacks are more than just a string of coincidences. If it is being done deliberately you are to put a stop to the ones behind the attacks.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you are unable to get there with your [Gate] spell I will assist you get to Draco¡¯s mountain and to several of Faron¡¯s churches, but then you are on your own. We can understand there may be an adjustment period so we will give you a bit of time to get started, but we can¡¯t wait forever for results.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Dyson and Madam Erin are the ones that pushed for this so you will report directly to them, but of course Faron and Draco will be interested in your progress so you might keep them informed as well.¡±


    Faron: ¡°Now I am very busy, and since Dyson and Madam Erin seem so keen on holding your hand I will leave the rest to them.¡±


    The other Elders leave only leaving Dyson and Madam Erin behind.


    Madam Erin: ¡°So pup was it all you expected?¡±


    ¡°Well it definitely sounds like a headache, but if it can give me the peace of mind of not getting wiped out by a dungeon much stronger then me then I guess it is worth it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well as for your tasks Draco¡¯s should be rather easier to deal with, and should take far less traveling, but he is far more patient then Faron. It may be in your best interest to deal with Faron¡¯s problem first.¡±


    ¡°He said it is religious fanatics but you believe there may be a dungeon core involved? What is that about?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you can imagine there are dungeon cores out there that are not happy with the elders. Even being the strongest dungeon core there is, before becoming an elder I knew I didn¡¯t have a chance to take them on myself. Most cores that have a grudge are going to find small ways to discreetly damage an elder, and with the way the attacks on the churches have taken place my gut tells me it¡¯s a dungeon core.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That and because if you wanted to cause Faron to squirm that is exactly how you would go about it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not behind it are you?¡±


    Dyson laughs. ¡°Not this time. I thought about it, but their fear has led them to hunker down and given me pretty free rein so as long as they continue like this I don¡¯t see them being a problem to me.¡±


    ¡°You would admit that right in front of another elder?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If I counted the times he directly threatened the elders I would spend my entire day counting. I think half of the elders that agreed to him becoming an Elder, was only due to the fact they would think it will mean they no longer have to worry about him attacking at any moment. Besides I am starting to think his crazy ideas might have some merit.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well this one panned out didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Speaking of which. What exactly is that [Archjusticar Menu]?¡±


    ¡°I would really like time to figure that out before I say too much¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°At least tell us what is listed under it.¡±


    I sigh and then open [Menu]. I was expecting with the distance from my dungeon for everything to be unavailable, but it looks like for some reason in this place the entirety of it is open. I select the new [Archjusticar Menu] and it lists several more options.


    [Map] [Dungeon Core Information] [Bestow Penalty] ¨C [Remove Penalty] [Bestow Boon] ¨C [Remove Boon] [Bind Crystal] ¨C [Remove Crystal Binding] [Appoint Justicar] ¨C [Dismiss Justicar] (Remaining 5) [Justicar Management]


    After looking over the list I read them off to Madam Erin and Dyson. I select [Map] and a screen appears showing a map very similar to the one Madam Erin uses for the new dungeon cores but instead of being on parchment it is on a screen.


    ¡°[Map] looks like a [Menu] version of the map Madam Erin used for the new dungeons.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That took me 100 years to perfect¡­¡±


    Next I select [Dungeon Core Information] and it asks for a dungeon core number so I just put my own in. It opens several screens, one of which is similar to my entry in the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> but has pages and pages of information breaking my dungeon down to every xp point earned or spent, and every possible statistic you can think of¡­


    Another screen shows in a small portion of the [Map] but directly in the center of it is glowing dot marking my location and elevation which currently says -100 feet, and the third screen shows a view of me from overhead. It functions like an [Observation] screen.


    I don¡¯t know if I should tell Madam Erin and Dyson about all that so I just say it shows the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> entry.


    Dyson: ¡°Your map and Faron¡¯s book¡­ What about the other items?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure I want to mess with the [Bestow Penalty] so let¡¯s check [Bestow Boon] it sounds like they should be the opposite of one another.¡±


    After selecting [Bestow Boon] it brings up a screen asking for a dungeon core #/Adventurer ID# + Base location. For sake of ease I try to use my own dungeon core # in but it says.


    Boon cannot be placed on yourself.


    ¡°I have to select someone to place it on but it won¡¯t let it place it on myself, can I test it out on one of you two?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Bestowing a boon doesn¡¯t sound like it could be a bad thing so go ahead.¡±


    After using Dungeon Core #400, it then lists targets for the boon. I can select the dungeon core alone, any monster in his dungeon, or any combination of dungeon core and monsters. For now I just select Dyson.


    Apply justicar points to grant boon. Currently available justicar points 10.


    ¡°It says I have to spend something called justicar points to grant a boon, I currently have 10 and don¡¯t want to waste them but we need to know how this works so I am just going to start with a single point.¡±


    Apply 1 justicar point boon to Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson]?


    ¡°Here goes nothing¡­ Yes.¡±


    Dyson appears to be reading a message at the same time a message appears to me.


    Archjusticar has bestowed Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson] a boon. Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson] receives 10% xp reduction from everything summoned in [Menu] for 365 days.


    Dyson: ¡°Damn. You said that was from a single point?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know how hard these points are to acquire, for all I know I only get the 10¡­¡±


    We then explain to Madam Erin what the boon did.


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is quite the boon¡­ I would suggest you really think hard before spending them at least until you discover how you acquire more. Did you select the boon or was that just all it did?¡±


    ¡°I just automatically granted it. It will even let me target the dungeons monsters or I can even do it to adventurers, so surely that isn¡¯t the only one.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I would really like to know more about this, but I agree about holding on to the points¡­ I would guess the penalty will function the same way?¡±


    I go through the same process for the penalty till I receive the message about applying the penalty and everything looks the same. It also says justicar points available 9. I then cancel it out returning back to [Archjusticar Menu]


    ¡°It seems that way. It even uses the same points.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°The next thing on the list was [Bind Crystal], what does that do?¡±


    This screen is like the other but it no longer mentions adventurers after putting Madam Erin¡¯s number in it says.


    Insufficient Justicar points. Binding of a dungeon¡¯s crystal requires 10 justicar points, currently available justicar points 9.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell it says I have to have 10 justicar points to use it¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If one point granted me that much, with [Bind Crystal] costing 10 points I am afraid it might do exactly how it sounds.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is troubling all onto itself. It might have been a mistake giving this title to Two-Twelve.¡±


    ¡°Well for all we know is that it ties a pretty bow around a crystal, so there is no use just guessing. I don¡¯t even have enough points to use it now, so until I find out how to get more there isn¡¯t much we can do.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°[Appoint Justicar] sounds pretty straight forward. If you are the Archjusticar, I guess justicars would be your subordinates. We don¡¯t know what kind of options it would give them so I highly suggest you don¡¯t use that, but out of curiosity do you grant it to another dungeon core, or is it like the boons and penalties?¡±


    I don¡¯t even trust myself with this kind of responsibility, so I have to agree with Dyson. I decide to check it anyway however only mentions dungeon cores, so I tell Dyson. I meanwhile check [Justicar Management] but the resulting screen is blank. I guess I have to appoint one first.


    ¡°The other screen is blank so I believe that is it¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I think that is enough¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well it is already getting quite late, after having to wait on the others so long. Maybe we should pick this back up in the morning, and you can take Two-Twelve around so he can begin his tasks.¡±


    He is right it is already well after dark, so we agree on when to meet up and I then start to use [Gate] but curiosity hits me and I open [Map] I select the area of my dungeon hoping maybe it would work like Madam Erin¡¯s map, but nothing happens so I close it, cast [Gate], and then return home.


    Sliding down in a chair in my bedroom I let out a deep sigh. Belinda then sits up in bed.


    Belinda: ¡°You made it back, by the way Lilah talked you already spoke to the Elders?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is why it took so long¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So how did it go?¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know yet¡­ They already put two troublesome tasks on to me, but it might work out in the end, but I got to start first thing in the morning.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Training a dungeon core and then straight into something else? Aren¡¯t they ever going to cut you a break?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    I¡¯m so worn out now I just use [Menu] to remove my things and then crawl into bed. At least with Belinda in my arms it¡¯s enough for me to become relaxed and I then drift off to sleep.

 Guided Tour

    The next morning is quite busy as not only am I supposed to meet with Madam Erin and Dyson, but it was also the day we are supposed to recall the monsters that are out gathering xp. We push it to the limit to get the three groups back, caught up, and then sent back out all before breakfast.


    The group in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon haven¡¯t been making very good progress, and even asked if they could try somewhere else. I know there is supposed to be another dungeon somewhere in Calhoun so I told them if they could locate it they could try training there instead.


    Poppy¡¯s group progress has been hit and miss one month they will give us a decent amount and the next month will be low, and unfortunately this is one of the low months as they seemed to be on the move for most of it.


    Bandy¡¯s group is the one that takes the most time. I am not sure how they manage it but they always have a large sum of items for the dungeon to learn how to copy. Her personality leaves much to be desired, but for supplying the dungeon, they are easily the best of the three groups.


    As I am preparing to leave to meet with Madam Erin and Dyson Belinda stops me.


    Belinda: ¡°Do you mind if I tag along this time? You are going to visit quite a few places right? It might be a good idea for me to learn of the locations as well.¡±


    ¡°If you want to be my side you don¡¯t need to make excuses¡­ If the Elders don¡¯t like it they can handle their own problems.¡±


    Belinda quickly gives me a kiss and then quickly gets prepared as well. It makes arriving a bit late but Madam Erin and Dyson don¡¯t seem too complain about it.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I assume we can skip the Gowen cathedral, so what other churches of Faron have you visited?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You mean the cathedral Two-Twelve and I got married in?! Not only did Faron¡¯s followers destroy all that beautiful art, but he made it a dungeon as well?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Yes it was quite nice during your wedding. That was actually his newest acquisition. Your communication parchment put Gowen on the map in a big way. He likes to have one of his dungeons in all the capitals of the kingdoms, or if there is already a dungeon present then at least nearby.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess I should take that as a compliment, but I still don¡¯t like it¡­ He won¡¯t try to take over the city will he?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I don¡¯t think you have too much to worry about that, but if you hear about a rise in fires, or plagues of rats spreading out near the cathedral. Pretty much anything that would cause the humans to exit the area at least temporary. It may very well be him trying to spread more into the city.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s horrible! Even if he wanted to spread further into the city to gather xp why not just do it the way Two-Twelve did?¡±


    Madam Erin has a sly smile creep across her face. ¡°That seems like pretty common way to go about it. I wondered how Two-Twelve managed to cover his town. Maybe you can fill me in?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Don¡¯t we have more important things to worry about right now?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Aren¡¯t you the least bit curious?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°For the price of the compensation for such information I am good thanks.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I wasn¡¯t¡­Fine maybe some other time. So what other capitals can you arrive at with your [Gate]?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Other than Gowen, I have been to Catalina in Longolia, Calhoun¡¯s Capital, Duscae¡¯s capital Duramond, but I was just a kid then I don¡¯t know if I could use it as a reference for [Gate], Exelka in Exeter, Mar when we visited Dyson, and that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Belinda has been to more capitals then I have, or at least that I remember. The only one I have been in that she hasn¡¯t mentioned was Uthaira.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you have your work cut out for you today¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You know this would be easier with your teleportation instead of mine.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are the one that said you would get them there, but let me borrow that succubus of yours and I will reconsider.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fine!¡± ¨CDyson seems to get excited when Madam Erin pauses, but after a sly smile she then says. - ¡°I will take them around, but this is going to take all day, so you can thank Dyson for that.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Fine, be that way¡­Two-Twelve, have you had any new monsters recently? I have been thinking on branching out a bit, and yours always seem so aesthetically pleasing. I will make it worth it to you. Just nothing like the twins I don¡¯t think I am ready to go that far out on a limb.¡±


    I am sure Maeve would appreciate getting to make a deal with Dyson, but after seeing the way Inari feels about me some reason it just doesn¡¯t feel right mentioning it. Not to mention Belinda is standing here with a horrified face so there is also that¡­


    ¡°Nothing like that¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You can only handle the same 50 women so many times before becoming bored out of your mind. I guess I can always summon a new one but they always turn out the same. You sure I can¡¯t convince you to summon something special for me for 100,000xp?¡±


    I feel a bit weak in the knees¡­ 100,000xp would really be helpful right now, but I am quickly hit by Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°You were considering it!  I wouldn¡¯t even put that fate on to my sis¡­ter.¡±


    ¡°Now who is considering it¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°No thanks, I have seen your sister, remember?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She is not that bad!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Can we please get back on task? I don¡¯t want to be writing runes until midnight.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well if you change your mind you know where to find me.¡±


    Dyson leaves and then we get to work. It really does take the entire day. Madam Erin makes a portal, we go somewhere and make sure we get a good location in our mind, and we then move on to the next. It really helps our ability to travel as we have at least 1 location now in every kingdom to [Gate] to, and most of them are in the capital.


    Some capitals have dungeons covering them like Merretta, but 3 other cities in Merretta had secondary dungeons of Faron active, and a fourth that was one of them that were destroyed. All in all we got at least 2 dozen new locations all around the content that now within our reach.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Faron has so many secondary dungeons, and so far apart¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well Draco has two to three times as many, but every single one of them are on that mountain range of his. We will be going there next.¡±


    Draco¡¯s dungeon is a little trickier they all maybe be close by but, Madam Erin still takes us to 5 separate locations scattered up and down the mountain range. There are so many dungeons up and down the mountains that there are adventurer camps, villages, and the like almost all stone¡¯s throw away from each other.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Including the ones not belonging to Draco there are over 100 dungeons within these mountains alone, so when you go poking around make sure you know whose dungeon you are poking your head into.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now I am sure you have had enough portals for one day, but if you will indulge me one more I would like to take you one more place.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    This time after stepping through her portal we are underground. [Map] seems to work no matter how far I am from the dungeon, in fact everything in the [Archjusticar Menu] seems to work, so I have kept [Map] open for the teleport locations. By the tick on the map it shows we are not only underground but way underground.


    A bunch of short creatures quickly begin making their way towards us, and they would almost appear to be children if it wasn¡¯t for some having long beards, especially as they start hugging Madam Erin around the legs, and the tallest ones at best only reach her waist.


    There are quite a few dwarves among then, but also some slimy brown creatures that look halfway between a toad and one of Azami¡¯s elementals, there are also small thin creatures with long noses, beady eyes, and wide mouths if I had to guess they would be some kind of lesser demon or imp, and several other small species all mixed in together trying to hug Madam Erin¡¯s legs.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright everyone, back to the village I got someone for you all to meet.¡±


    They all start running, waddling, or otherwise moving back the direction they came from. Madam Erin picks one up that actually does appear to be a small child, which could fit in the palms of her massive hands. She then places it on her shoulder.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Come on pup.¡± ¨CShe says leading us in the direction the hordes of creatures went.-


    Belinda: ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That man of yours is using that [Map] of his to keep tabs on our locations, so ask him.¡±


    ¡°It says we are in Calhoun, but we are deep enough underground it¡¯s easier to count the number of digits then read the number¡­¡±


    Madam Erin laughs. ¡°I like that¡­ Deepest part of the world, or at least far as I know, and one of my secondary dungeons.¡±


    ¡°But why did you bring us here?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°The way things have been going lately, first with the loss of Leland, and everything that has happened since. Now two other elders are having attacks against them. You know I am not a young pup anymore, and who knows what tomorrow brings, so I wanted to ask you to keep an eye on things for me here if the worst should happen.¡±


    ¡°But if this is your dungeon¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°They do everything themselves I only claim a room after they have dug it out, so if I die the worst that will happen is a few buildings collapse.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then all of them aren¡¯t your monsters?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There are a few that still are, but for the most part they are so far removed from my dungeon some aren¡¯t even the same species their ancestor was that was bound to my dungeon.¡±


    Once we reach a village we see a few women that are normal height, they like Lilith are all succubi as well. The word beautiful doesn¡¯t even begin to describe how physically attractive they are, but unlike Lilith they also seem to have a mature or even motherly presence.


    One of the succubi makes her way through the crowd as Madam Erin approaches, and all the shorter creatures part the way. The succubus is wearing a dark earth toned dress complete with an apron hanging from her neck.


    Even though she is dressed in the most conservative way possible any man would have difficulty in her presence. Even the one currently standing next to his wife¡­ Her hair is much like Lilith¡¯s but instead of flowing to her ankles it only hangs to her calves, and although it¡¯s hard to tell it seems to be the deepest shade of red possible instead of pure black.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Her eyes though¡­ The normally white sections of her eyes are black, but her irises are so golden it seems they will devour you. Once she approaches Madam Erin she quickly hugs her with both arms and her wings, but Madam Erin is so wide that even her wings don¡¯t touch behind Madam Erin.


    Succubus: ¡°Mother! It is so wonderful to see you.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Elexia, don¡¯t call me that in front of visitors.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°But Mother, you have never brought visitors here before.¡±


    Elexia then picks up the child imp like creature off of Madam Erin¡¯s shoulder setting it on the ground. She pats it on the butt and it scampers off into the crowd who all seem to be hanging on Madam Erin¡¯s every word.


    Madam Erin sighs and says. ¡°This is one of my boss monsters, Elexia, she takes care of the village, among several others scattered though the caves.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet friends of mother¡¯s. She doesn¡¯t let me get out much anymore.¡± ¨CShe says while flashing a sincere smile that would trap a man¡¯s soul. When she smiles you can see her canine teeth are elongated into short fangs.-


    Belinda seems to be having a bit of difficulty with Elexia¡¯s appearance as well, but she at least manages to greet her. I on the other hand can¡¯t seem to find my voice¡­


    Madam Erin: ¡°Things have become increasingly dangerous lately, not only for dungeons but even the Elders, so I wanted to have a plan should the worst happen, so if you find your connection to the dungeon broken I want you to seek out Two-Twelve here.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Mother, I thought you said you would never trust another man again, but I see that you lied.¡± ¨Cshe seems pained as she says it, and she then addresses Belinda.- ¡°I can tell that he is yours however, I can tell the faint smell of another, but he is most definitely yours, so I want to ask for a favor.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What kind of favor?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°To follow mother¡¯s instruction I need to get a better whiff of him, but I will have to touch him, but that could cause some complications. I assure you no matter how his body may react he heart isn¡¯t as easily swayed.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Don¡¯t I get a say in this?¡±


    Madam Erin places her hand on Belinda¡¯s shoulder and with a complicated expression Belinda nods. Elexia then grabs both of my shoulders with her hands causing my entire body to react. She then leans forward bringing her nose to the center of my chest her wings twitch as she takes a few deep breaths as she lifts her head till her nose grazes my neck.


    With willpower that even manages to impress me, I am able to withstand the urges in my body, but when Elexia then quickly licks my neck I lose control of my body my knees jerk and I make a fool of myself. After the lick Elexia jumps back really quickly and apologizes to Belinda at the same time.


    Elexia: ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ Please don¡¯t take it out on him¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Come on pup your embarrassing yourself.¡±


    Belinda quickly helps me back to my feet and looks quite upset but she looks more worried then mad.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now that Elexia has bonded with you. If something were to happen to me she would be able to find you anywhere. I hope if it comes to that I can count on you at least seeing to the villages making sure everyone is alright.¡±


    As I stand I try to discreetly cast [Clean] on myself.


    Madam Erin: ¡°In truth, don¡¯t take it so hard pup, you actually held up like a champ. Most men would have given out at the touch, but you made it till the very end. I don¡¯t think even Dyson could have managed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is saying much. I think Dyson would welcome it.¡±


    Madam Erin laughs. ¡°You might be right. I do really appreciate your help with this, and Belinda you have handled this situation better than anyone could hope for, so I promise I will make it up to you somehow.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I really am sorry, and I promise it wasn¡¯t him at all, my race just has that kind of effect on people.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why you would trust me with something like this. Wouldn¡¯t Dyson make a better choice?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And what he would do with my girls, you see how he reacts to Lilith.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Speaking of little Lilith, how is she working out for you Mother?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°She is going through that stage.¡±


    Elexia ¡°I know I managed to outgrow the urges, but not all of us can. Maybe it would be better to just let her indulge just a bit.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If I could find her someone like the pup here it wouldn¡¯t be so bad, but at the moment it just isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Just turn her lose in a human town. You¡¯re getting soft mother. What ever happened the Mistress of Emeraldline who once enthralled every man in town and even half the women with just her powerful presence and a handful of my sisters?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That was a long time ago. I was much younger and fool headed. Besides you¡¯re going to give these pups the wrong impression of me.¡±


    ¡°Actually that sounds about right¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°See what you did.¡±


    Madam Erin then shows us around, but it was starting to get pretty late even before we arrived.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really mind helping with something like this, but do you really think it is necessary?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now that we no longer have to keep things from you I am sure you will begin understanding in time. For now I will just say if you have seen the changes that have gone on since your birth, or maybe it has even been in motion since Dyson being allowed to return as a dungeon core. You would want to err on the side of caution as well. Your birth however seems to have caused the changes really to start spiraling out of control.¡±


    ¡°If you think it is me why trust me with all this?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I don¡¯t particularly blame you for the changes. If anyone it might even place the blame squarely on myself for suggesting to the Elders to allow Dyson to become a dungeon core again, and with it bringing all that human knowledge back for the future generations. Having a pup that I can trust with this much, that is on the ground floor of the changes, does however give me a little peace of mind.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Don¡¯t worry mother you managed through the worst of times. You survived the purge, so I am sure you will weather this as well.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I hope your right¡­ Anyway, I of course ask you to keep this all to yourself. Dyson is the only other one that knows about this place, but even he doesn¡¯t know where or what is here. Well you have a lot of work ahead of you Mister Archjusticar, so I will let you return to your own problems, and look forward to you might learn.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he just be able to use [Observation]?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is how he knows what he does about it, but without knowing its location he can¡¯t see inside of it even with [Observation].¡±


    Belinda and I then say our farewells and return home with [Gate]. We then store our gear and then begin preparing for bed.


    ¡°I can say that was quite surprising. I didn¡¯t think Madam Erin was the type to be sentimental like that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She has done some dubious things to us over the years, but I have seen the fondness she shares for you as well, so it isn¡¯t as shocking as you may think. I am more worried that if something does happen to Madam Erin I will have to worry about you and all those succubi¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You yes¡­ But as Elexia made clear if she wanted you then you would have been powerless to stop her.¡±


    ¡°I would like to think I am more than just my urges though¡­ I am sure if I had to, I could have fought her off.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. She seemed to have you exactly where she wanted you. If she didn¡¯t show the restraint that she did¡­¡±


    ¡°Well maybe I can make it up to you.¡± ¨CI say walking up to her caressing her face.-


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure you are able to after all that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can manage.¡± ¨CI say while lifting her up and she wraps her legs around me as we head to bed.-


    The next morning we have to decide what to do next. There are not only the Faron churches that have already been destroyed that we can investigate for clues, but there are also the ones that are still there, that maybe the next targets.


    I wanted to summon a few more groups of monsters, but this isn¡¯t quite what I had in mind for them when I did. These groups will not really be fighting for now so I summon them in pairs. After they are done with this we can have them join each other and would get a few more groups of monsters training.


    We don¡¯t have near enough xp to cover all of Faron¡¯s churches, but we are able to cover quite a few. I send Zoey and Roxy to one of the churches that was destroyed to investigate while Belinda and I take another. For the moment I have Azami on standby. She will probably be more use making items for the dungeon right now.


    Before it¡¯s all said and done it is noon before Belinda and I are ready to start our own investigation.


    Belinda: ¡°I wondered about how it would turn out after you lost your memory, but it does still seem that you still end up with monsters that are unique.  At least you summoned half of them as males this time.¡±


    ¡°The ones you summon don¡¯t seem much better, what about that raccoon Bandy, or that cat-folk Lynx?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is 2 out of how many? Besides isn¡¯t Bandy¡¯s group the one that is helping the most? Not to mention that Lynx allowed you to start summoning cat-folk.¡±


    ¡°Well in any case I think we have burned enough daylight already, what do you say we get to work?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s what I thought... Changing the subject.¡±


    We then begin our investigation of the burned down church. We are unable to find any information at the church itself, but after asking some of the locals the rumors are far and wide.


    Villager: ¡°I heard a priest tripped on a candle.¡±


    Villager 2: ¡°I heard it was bandits trying to steal the holy relics.¡±


    Villager 3: ¡°No it was monsters, they fear Faron¡¯s strength.¡±


    Villager 4: ¡°No monsters made it this far into the city¡­Besides it happened at night and everyone knows if it happens at night, then it the rabbits from the moon are responsible!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Aside from the last one, the rest do seem like a possibility, but none mention the group of followers of the old gods that Faron and Dyson mentioned.


    Belinda: ¡°What about the rumors of followers of the old gods?¡±


    Villager: ¡°Those guys gave up months ago. The Faron priests showed them to the edge of town right quick.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone know where they went?¡±


    Villager 2: ¡°Probably in a ditch somewhere¡­ They were the laziest bunch. Never put a lick of work in, slept on the streets, and I don¡¯t know how they were able to afford to keep from starving.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Faron church usually take care of people like that?¡±


    Villager: ¡°That was the odd part they just had to accept Faron, but they flat out refused. That is why the priests eventually ran them out of town after a scuffle was had with a few of the members and a few of the priests.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do you at least know what direction they went?¡±


    Villager 3: ¡°Towards the capital, but there is no way they made it. They had no food, and not even any weapons to fend of monsters or hunt.¡±


    ¡°What were their races?¡±


    Villager: ¡°The worst kind, beastkin.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°All of them?¡±


    Villager: ¡°Most of them, there might a of been a few humans among them, but for the most part they were all beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± ¨CAfter they leave I then say. - ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the humans I would say it sounds likely that they were dungeon monsters.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You and Dyson might be the only ones able to summon humans, but that doesn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t have joined the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I have never heard of a dungeon worshipping the old gods before though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You mean other than our daughter? Maybe they just really hate Faron and the old gods were the excuse.¡±


    ¡°But if they wanted to cause damage, pretending to be on Faron¡¯s side would give them access to the church, and they could of caused damage from within. I don¡¯t know if they are with a dungeon or not, but it seems pivotal for some reason that they are followers of the old gods.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe if they accepted Faron they would then be taken in the church and then Faron would have found out about them?¡±


    ¡°Well in any case they appear to have made way for the capital. There isn¡¯t a Faron church there that serves as a secondary dungeon, so that must mean the capital is inside another dungeon core¡¯s dungeon. Should we make our way there?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe we should focus on one of the others, it would be quite a trek to get to the capital, and this was the first one attacked, so odds are if it¡¯s the same group they are long gone from the capital now.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right. We have Roxy and Zoey looking into the one at Sarnova, so should we hit the Merretta one, or the Adra one?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There are still 3 active churches in Merretta, but only 2 left in Adra, not to mention that Adra was the last one attacked. We can have Zoey and Roxy check out the one in Merretta when they are done with the one they are working on and we can take Adra.¡±


    We message Roxy and Zoey and inform them of the plan. They have about finished with Sarnova as well. It seems the stories are about the same, but there is no way to know if it was the same group or not.  We message the monster pairs we have investigating the non-destroyed churches, and tell them what to keep an eye out for.


    We then make our way to Adra. Adra has a Faron church at the capital, but the one that was hit was on the border with Clement. It takes us the rest of the day but we manage to discover about the same kind of information.


    A group of poorly equipped worshipers of the old gods, consisting of mainly beastkin, entered town, make a ruckus, got kicked out, and then about a month later the church went up in flames. This church was next to quite a few buildings and the fire spread causing quite a bit of damage not to mention hurting and killing lots of people.


    The group apparently left town in the direction of the capital here as well, but if they caused the fire they would have had to come back. Our only other lead is the Adra capital however so after making sure we covered everything we return home.


    Roxy: ¡°It looked pretty bad, not only was the church burned to the ground, but there was an even lot of damage to the surrounding area at the church in Merretta.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It was the same in Adra. The group always seems to make a big scene in town to get kicked out before hand, I wonder if that is the cause for the fires or an excuse to say it wasn¡¯t them because they were kicked out a month before.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Merretta was pretty heavily guarded so I don¡¯t see how they would have been able to return to set the fire. Is it really possible to set something up that would take a month to activate?¡±


    ¡°I am sure with magic it is possible, but for it not to even be discovered in that time is something else entirely.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°They always seem to head to the kingdom they are in¡¯s capital after being kicked out as well. Even when there isn¡¯t a Faron church that functions as a secondary dungeon at the capital, or even if there is a town closer, that does have one of Faron¡¯s secondary dungeons.


    ¡°Maybe it has something to do with how they are getting around, but Clemet¡¯s capital would have been far closer than Adra¡¯s at the last one we stopped at. In fact it would have probably taken weeks up to a month and a half to reach Adra¡¯s capital in where Clemet¡¯s capital was only two weeks out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know there is just a lot we still don¡¯t know about it. Since the last attack was in Adra, I say we head to Adra¡¯s capital of Toran and check with the Faron¡¯s church there. If they really did head there after the attack it was recent enough they might still be in Toran somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Toran has a large dungeon there as well in addition to one of Faron¡¯s secondary dungeons, so it might be wise that we all go together just to be one the safe side.¡±


    We then decide to call it a day to start out fresh in the morning. The next morning after a quick breakfast we collect Azami and then head for the Adra capital of Toran.


    Toran is a vast city far greater than that of the Gowen capital. Even Uthaira seems small in comparison. Maybe for that reason alone Faron was able to place a secondary dungeon here, while another dungeon controls the castle and higher end side of the city.


    The races and population of Toran are vast, not only are humans and beastkin alike very common but it isn¡¯t even strange to see elves or dwarves on the street. It still seems humans still get better treatment though, and even the elves and dwarves seem to get better treatment then the much more common beastkin, but even still it isn¡¯t as good as the humans.


    After getting a good lay of the land we then set out for the Faron church.

 Starting Our Investigations in Toran

    Faron¡¯s church is a very welcoming place, even followers of the old gods are not excessively shunned unless they cause trouble like the ones we are looking for, so getting in and asking around is very simple. However after a bit of time we are asking some peculiar questions, so one of the priests asks to speak with us privately.


    Faron himself sent us so we have little to worry about with one of his priest. Then again we can¡¯t exactly say that so we still have to be careful with our answers.


    Priest: ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have any ill attentions, but with the type of gear you are wearing and the types of questions you are asking we have to ask. Just what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I am sure you heard about the fire in Lindlore? But what if I told you that wasn¡¯t an isolated incident and more churches of Faron have suffered the same fate. We received the request to get to the bottom of what is started to look like deliberate attacks against the churches of Faron.¡±


    Priest: ¡°A request?¡±


    ¡°Yes the person is high within the church, but with the deliberate attacks against the church they might become a target as well if it is known they are investigating, so they wish to remain unnamed.¡±


    Priest: ¡°You have been asking about a group of beastkin beggars? Do you believe they might be the culprits?¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t actually begged at all. They have had the appearance of beggars, but that may just be a way for them to move around without anyone being the wiser as they have seemed to have no problems traveling to several different kingdoms.¡±


    Priest: ¡°That is rather unfortunate¡­ After the capture and execution of a highly dramatic beastkin thief, relations between beastkin and humans have been pretty strained as it is. If words gets out beastkin beggars are attacking the church it might be the grain that tips the scale.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There are humans among them as well, but the majority of them do seem to be beastkin.¡±


    ¡°More than their race, the thing that tends to make them stand out is they worship the old gods.¡±


    Priest: ¡°There are plenty of old shrines and the like to the old gods. Many people still have objects related to the old gods in their homes, but they are little more than keepsakes. I haven¡¯t heard of any person actually worship any of the old gods in the last century at least.¡±


    ¡°This group seems to be, or at least are using that excuse to cause a commotion in the towns they are in. It usually gets them kicked out of town, and then about a month later the church burns.¡±


    Priest: ¡°We haven¡¯t received anyone at the church like that, but with the size of the city there is no way to know if they are somewhere in Toran.¡±


    ¡°By the way it sounds if they stick to the smaller outlining churches, and if they were here I think they would head here and cause problems.¡±


    Priest: ¡°The church of Faron has recently acquired a means for the smaller churches to communicate. We can only contact the churches of Faron within Adra however, or directly to the Grand Cathedral at Faron¡¯s Lake.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are talking about a Gowen Communication Parchment?¡±


    Priest: ¡°So you have heard of it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Something like that¡­¡±


    ¡°You might try contacting the others to keep an eye out, but other than this church the only one that looks to be a target in Adra would be the church in Bohiem. If one of the others is attacked it might just mean we are looking at this all wrong.¡±


    Priest: ¡°Bohiem?! The church in Bohiem is little more than a small shrine in the Bohiem Fortress. What makes you think that they would attack Bohiem? If they truly wanted to cause problems I am sure many of the other churches, temples, or cathedrals of Adra would be higher on their list of targets.¡±


    ¡°We have our reasons, but as I said they might be incorrect so it wouldn¡¯t hurt contacting the others just in case. It may also prove beneficial to send a message back to grand cathedral as well, but I think that will be our next stop. If all the churches of Faron have Gowen Communication Parchments it may be better to have a direct line of communication.¡±


    Priest: ¡°If we find that one of the Adra churches has become a target how are we to reach you if you leave for the Grand Cathedral?¡±


    ¡°You can just inform the Grand Cathedral, and I will give them a means to contact us.¡±


    Priest: ¡°The person that sent you must really be powerful in the church if you are capable of so much¡­ But what if one of the churches of Adra becomes a target before you reach the Grand Cathedral?¡±


    ¡°Well like I said that will be our next stop, we have means of teleportation, so it won¡¯t take any time at all.¡±


    The priest seems greatly impressed, and after a bit more about we have learned about the group we then part from the church.


    Belinda: ¡°You really think it would be that easy to get the Grand Cathedral of Faron to just give us information like that?¡±


    ¡°Well I can talk to Faron himself... Surely he has a way to speak to his followers to get us in the door.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know he is a dungeon core, but after all these years growing up as Faron as a god, it just seems odd that you can just talk to him¡­¡±


    ¡°You told me the Elders once called you after I disappeared right? So in turn you have spoken with ¡°god¡± as well haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I never even thought of that¡­ Which one was he? They made me so mad at the time I never even stopped to think about it. Faron isn¡¯t the dragon man is it?¡±


    ¡°No that is Draco, he is the other one that we have to help. If they were sitting on their chairs in the neutral zone though he should have been the one between Draco and Madam Erin though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That was the ¡°god¡± Faron¡­ That¡¯s not really how I would have pictured him¡­ I guess though he is just a dungeon core and not a god after all.¡±


    ¡°Well with the Elder¡¯s strength compared to our own he might as well be¡­ I guess I should send him a message and let him know what is going on.¡±


    (We have begun our investigation into the destruction of your secondary dungeons. There seems to be a common pattern to the attacks, but without knowing which is next, catching the culprits or finding out their motives will be quite difficult. If we could speak with the one responsible for keeping track of things with the Gowen Communication Parchments at the Grand Cathedral it would make things much easier.)


    Faron: (Not only is this your task but it is also a test, why is it I should assist you at all?)


    (For one, your churches wouldn¡¯t even have the Gowen Communication Parchments if it wasn¡¯t for me, and unless you plan to supply me with xp enough to put some eyes in every one of your churches including the ones that are not your secondary dungeons then the only chance I would have to completing this task is hoping by dumb luck I am at the right one at the right time.)


    Faron: (Well you might be surprised to know, but I have very little to do with my actual followers. I only use what they have built to continue to flourish, so for me to get you an audience with a high ranking church official would be quite hard.)


    (You are saying you have no control over your own religion¡­?)


    Faron: (If I did, do you think I would allow them to take care of the starving and weak? If anything it¡¯s those with power that benefit me the most, the rest of them are a waste of space.)


    (Then what if they do things in your name that you don¡¯t agree with?)


    Faron: (You really think what I care what humans do?)


    (You will if it means they start destroying all your secondary dungeons!)


    Faron: (Fair enough. I might have a way. I used to get bored many years ago and would send messages onto a mirror in the Grand Cathedral. Of course it¡¯s been many years since I last bothered and it is considered one of the greatest of holy relics, so I don¡¯t know what kind of reception you will receive if I do send another message.)


    (At least try not to make us sound like some kind of divine followers or something. Say that a few of your churches have come under attack and a group of normal adventurers have caught wind of the pattern and to ask the priests to assist us in catching the culprits or something.)


    Faron: (I will do what I can.)


    I let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe the Elders¡­.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is the problem, will he not let you meet with the priests?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡±


    I then explain to her the conversation I ha with Faron.


    Belinda: ¡°That is absurd! I was disappointed to find out that the god Faron wasn¡¯t more than a powerful dungeon, but even then I still thought he at least played the role. Are you saying he does absolutely nothing for his own religion?¡±


    ¡°That is the way it sounds¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I feel like attacking a few of his churches myself now! But I guess even without him they have still managed to do quite a bit of good.¡±


    ¡°Well I am sure it will take a while for his message to get across, and then have to give it time to spread. What do you say we have a leisurely look around Toran while we wait?¡±


    Azami: ¡°If I am not needed I would rather return to the forest. Either that or I rather return to the forest as I am no longer needed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know you don¡¯t like humans much, but there are even elves here wouldn¡¯t you at least like to associate with a few of them?¡±


    Azami: ¡°If it is an order¡­¡±


    ¡°You know I think it is. Don¡¯t do anything crazy, but I order you to at least if not friends at least make some acquaintances around town. You need the social interactions. Now get out there and we will meet back up here, say 2 hours before dark.¡±


    Azami doesn¡¯t look pleased but she just says. ¡°Very well.¡± And then she sets off into the city. Roxy and Zoey seem excited as well.


    Zoey: ¡°I am sure Adra has lots of food I can try that I never have had before!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Is that all you think about is your stomach? What about doing something romantic for a change? We haven¡¯t even had a date in over a year that I didn¡¯t feel like a third wheel to your plate of food.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well I can¡¯t eat you in public, so I have to settle with the food!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Oh you¡¯re impossible! But you know I heard in Adra that have interesting¡­¡± ¨CThe rest she whispers into Zoey¡¯s ears which cause them to twitch as Zoey grows quite excited.-


    Zoey: ¡°Yea yea! Let¡¯s find some of that!¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Roxy: ¡°Well I guess we are off to, we will see you soon.¡± ¨CZoey then drags Roxy off.-


    ¡°What do you think she was talking about¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Knowing Roxy and Zoey there is no telling, but are you sure you would even want to know?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right¡­ So Mrs. Two-Twelve Gowen, what would you like to spend the day doing?¡±


    Belinda smiles a bright smile, kisses me on the cheek, wraps her arm in mine, and we set off into town.


    We have been so busy since I returned without my memories I don¡¯t often get to spend time alone with Belinda outside of the house. We spend most of the day just window shopping, but Belinda does buy a few varies items from several shops.


    We don¡¯t really manage to accomplish anything, but even still I can¡¯t bring myself to say that even a single second of it was a waste. The old me must have had countless experiences like this with Belinda, and if I never get all of my memories back it will be ones like these that I will regret the most.


    It is a bit reassuring when I have a few flashes here and there when Belinda makes a certain move, or shows off certain items she has picked out, but it is nothing like the memories of Amy that returned or even like the ones of Belinda and my intimate moments.


    It is more like split seconds of time that I feel that I have done this before more than actually seeing it. For instance one time it happens when she holds a dress up to herself I not only can describe the dress she is holding but the one she did the time in my locked away memories, but to say I actually remember the event isn¡¯t quite right¡­


    When we return to the meeting place that evening it appears Zoey and Roxy beat us back, and while Zoey is eating away on some kind of roast meat Roxy is holding close a few small bags.


    Roxy: ¡°We were worried we were late, but Zoey wouldn¡¯t leave the line till she got her food.¡±


    ¡°Well you still beat us, so I guess it worked out. Have you seen Azami yet?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°We seen her once while we were traveling around, but it could have been another elf. They all look the same to me.¡± ¨CShe says while scarfing down on the piece of meat she is holding.-


    Roxy: ¡°No I am pretty sure it was her, but that was hours ago.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t think something happened to her do you?¡±


    ¡°I would feel worse for the person trying to do something to her¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But she isn¡¯t around humans much, maybe she got turned around or lost?¡±


    ¡°She said she was with Dyson for over a decade, but nobody knows about it and she never became one of his monsters, so surely she has had experience in human towns even if she doesn¡¯t like them.¡±


    I have to admit I am a little worried that is until we finally see her turn the corner heading our way. When she arrives she is hiding something behind her back however that is a bit cause of concern.


    Belinda: ¡°Azami¡­ Who is that?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I did as you ordered. After determining the elves around here have become to accustom to humans I decided this was the only way to follow orders. I have given him the name Moss.¡± ¨CShe says bring out an elf boy from behind her.-


    Elves are pretty short. Azami is taller than most and is still only reaches the base of my chest, but this elven boy is even smaller only reaching my waist. His hair is short and a greenish brown that makes it seem that was Azami¡¯s muse for choosing his name as that is what his hair reminds me of. Other than the ragged clothes he is wearing the only other thing on him is a small steel collar around his neck.


    Belinda: ¡°Please tell me Azami you didn¡¯t buy a slave¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°It seemed the practical thing to do. For companionship Zoey as well bought a slave. Either that or to copy Zoey¡¯s example I too bought a slave.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But he looks young.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Well I do not plan to mate with him like Zoey did, but he was the only elf slave that met my criteria for an acceptable companion.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly was that criteria¡­?¡±


    Azami: ¡°He had to still be elf, not whatever you want to call the things around town were, he has to have at least have the ability to use basic magic, and most importantly he had to be bound to a dungeon so that once we take possession of him Two-Twelve will gain the ability to summon elves.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait he is a dungeon monster? Just how many dungeon cores deal in slaves¡­?¡±


    ¡°With the way most dungeon cores think, it actually is quite a profitable why to acquire xp or monsters that they cannot summon themselves.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well dungeon monster or not, I am not going to have anyone forced into becoming part of our dungeon. Azami, give me his key.¡±


    Azami hands over a small key to Belinda. When she steps forward to remove the boy¡¯s collar he hides behind Azami¡¯s back.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­ I¡¯m just going to remove that collar alright?¡±


    The boy looks up at Azami.


    Azami: ¡°It is what Belinda has ordered.¡±


    The boy then allows Belinda to remove his collar but he never turns loose of Azami.


    Belinda: ¡°Now, being a dungeon monster I am sure you have nowhere else to go, but if you want to, you may leave. If you want to stay with Azami for now till you at least make up your mind that is alright as well.¡±


    The boy without saying a word wraps his arms around Azami burying his face into her chest. Because of the boy we don¡¯t really have much choice but to return home for a least a little bit, so once we [Gate] to the area we usually pick Azami up from I receive a message.


    Monster Moss has changed ownership from Dungeon Core #112 [Keegan] to Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen]. Would you like to change Moss¡¯s name?


    The elf boy hasn¡¯t spoken or turned loose of Azami since we met him, but I crouch down to his level and ask him.


    ¡°Azami gave you the name Moss right? Do you like that name or would you like to pick another?¡±


    He looks up to Azami then buries his face back into her chest. I sigh and then accept the name Moss. After closing the screen about being able to now summon elves I then stand back up.


    ¡°Well this has cost us a bit of time, and we can¡¯t spare any more to get him situated. We are just going to the church, so I guess I will have you stay here with him to get him acclimated, alright?¡±


    Azami: ¡°If that is what you wish.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You will take care of him right? We don¡¯t have to worry about you doing something to him?¡±


    Azami: ¡°All of Two-Twelve¡¯s monsters are family so I shall follow orders and treat him as such. Either that or I will treat him as family to follow the orders that all of Two-Twelve¡¯s monsters are to be treated in that manner.¡±


    ¡°I guess if Roxy and Zoey want to go home as well they can, if something does go wrong at the church we might need someone that can still use teleport to help us.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Can we try that stuff you bought!?¡±


    Roxy:  ¡°I will think about it, why don¡¯t you go home and get things ready. I would like to ask Two-Twelve something.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Right!¡± ¨CShe has already begun to pull off her clothes as she transfers away.-


    Roxy: ¡°I know you are pressed for time, but can I ask you a private favor real quick?¡±


    I look to Azami and Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Belinda is alright, but could we go back to the house?¡±


    I nod and transfer us to the living room of the house.


    Roxy:  ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are aware or not now that you have lost your memories, but Zoey and I were borrowing a non-sentient beastkin for our¡­ Nightly activities.¡±


    I am trying to piece together what I just heard and I can only determine that to mean one thing and I shake my head.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware, but I mean if it was ok with the old me then¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°It¡¯s not that, it¡¯s more¡­ Well it¡¯s just not normal to have a naked, brainless, man stored away in your bedroom closet until you need him. I mean I love Zoey, and I think I would even be ok without Bo now, but I thought with all the progress you have made with those rings. That well maybe you wouldn¡¯t need that cuff anymore, and we could use that as a replacement for Bo.¡±


    ¡°There are still things about the cuff I am worried about. I don¡¯t know if that is a good idea¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about the ring you were going to give Inari? Madam Erin gave her one right, so you still have the one you were going to give Inari?¡±


    ¡°But to use it for something like this¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey jokes a lot, but they don¡¯t ever ask for anything from us, please Two-Twelve, if not for them do it for me?¡±


    I take the ring from the dungeon inventory and hand it to Roxy. I explain to her to make sure she knows that once the form is set it can¡¯t be changed so make sure if they do plan to use it make sure it is something they can be happy with. Roxy then hugs Belinda and me thanking us both and then thanks us again before transferring from the house.


    ¡°What did I just do¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You made two of your girls very happy, which in turn makes me happy, so just don¡¯t think about it and say you did a good job. Now¡­ It¡¯s getting quite late. We should go to church.¡±


    ¡°Yea, sounds like we have a lot to ask forgiveness for after today.¡±


    Belinda hits me in the shoulder and we then cast [Gate] heading to Elder Faron¡¯s primary dungeon, or at least on top of it, The Grand Faron Cathedral.


    Faron¡¯s dungeon runs underground deep under the Cathedral, there is an entrance to it that adventurers use to explore but from my understanding the church highly regulates its usage as they think the dungeon is a place that Faron seals dangerous creatures so they won¡¯t be turned loose on the world. Well he does control the monsters within so I guess they are partly right.


    The cathedral over the top of the dungeon is in the middle of a lake. There is large city surrounding the lake, but from my understanding Faron hasn¡¯t bothered to add it to his dungeon. The only access to the cathedral is a long bridge the spans the lake, but only those authorized are allowed to enter.


    To make up for the city folk unable to enter the grand cathedral there are at least a dozen smaller churches or cathedrals within the city itself. We have no use for them so we head straight for the bridge spanning the lake.


    Grand Cathedral Guard:  ¡°Only high priests are allowed beyond this point. If you wish to pay your respects there are a number of places within the city to do just that.¡±


    ¡°We were actually wanted to speak with one of the high priests. It is in regards to the destruction of several of Faron¡¯s churches around the continent.¡±


    The Grand Cathedral Guard quickly grows nervous and says. ¡°You are the Archjusticar of Faron¡­? Your gear is quite good, but I¡­ I apologize, right this way!¡±


    Archjusticar¡­ Ah what is Faron even doing¡­ Belinda seems to get a bit nervous as well as she grabs my arm holding me tight as we follow the guard across the bridge. As we cross the long bridge I send a message to Faron.


    (What are you planning? To even call me your Archjusticar¡­?)


    Faron: (You serve as the Archjusticar to the elders, so indeed you are my Archjusticar. Your job is to make the elder¡¯s jobs easier. You were the one that convinced me maybe I should have someone in the church, and since you seem to care for humans so much it seemed like a perfect fit.)


    (I have my own dungeon to worry about on top of this new title, I don¡¯t have time to also be a in between you and your church.)


    Faron: (I just told them my churches are being destroyed and I am sending my Archjusticar to take care of it. What you or they do with that information is up to you.)


    (What if using your name I decide to tell them that dungeon under the cathedral has become dangerous and needs to be purged?)


    Faron: (Then I will simply wipe the entire city off the map, it would be a bit of a shame, but I could always then decide to expand my secondary dungeons to make up for the loss of xp, isn¡¯t there one close to your dungeon¡­?)


    I did threaten him first, so I can¡¯t really be mad about that, but being tied to the Faron church like this¡­? This wasn¡¯t part of the headache I signed on for. We are lead into the grand cathedral and into a very well furnished room.


    The guard then says he will go inform them of my arrival and quickly bows and exits the room. I sigh and drop into one of the chairs.


    ¡°Faron got me good¡­I can¡¯t deny being the Archjusticar or we might not then be able to complete the task. If I do say I am the Archjusticar though what does that mean for our peace from now on? Not only will we have the Elders sending us on tasks but the Church will do the same.¡±


    Belinda doesn¡¯t even have a chance to say anything because the door quickly bursts open and an overweight man in robes runs into the room. He is sweating quite badly and quickly says.


    Overweight Priest: ¡°Please forgive me, but I will need to ask for proof of your identities. The Holy Mirror of Faron said even a simple look at the adventurer¡¯s IDs that you carry would be enough to prove your divinity.¡±


    My race as a divine being¡­ He really did get us good. At this point we don¡¯t really have a choice so I show him my adventurer¡¯s ID while more sweating priests quickly begin to enter the room. After looking it over the overweight priest quickly hits the floor bowing. The other priests just entered but after seeing the reaction of the overweight priest they quickly hit their knees as well.


    Overweight Priest: ¡°Oh please Archjusticar forgive us for our failures.¡±


    ¡°Wait just a minute¡­ What do you all think is going on here?¡±


    Overweight Priest: ¡°The Holy Mirror of Faron spoke and told of the arrival of the Archjusticar of Faron who was coming to cleanse that in which damages the name of Faron.¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand the situation. I am just an adventurer, I am not even a follower of Faron, but after finding a pattern to the destruction of several Faron churches, of course I couldn¡¯t just turn a blind eye. That¡¯s when my adventurer¡¯s ID changed. I am not some destined hero or anything like that just a man that wouldn¡¯t sit by while watching people get hurt when these churches were destroyed.¡±


    Overweight Priest: ¡°That is impossible, the Holy Mirror of Faron said¡­¡±


    ¡°What exactly did the Holy Mirror of Faron say?¡±


    Overweight Priest: ¡°It said that Faron¡¯s chosen Archjusticar was coming and that he would put an end to those who cause damage to his holy name, so we are to follow your instructions.¡±


    ¡°What is an Archjusticar? Because I don¡¯t know, I have never even spoken to a god, so to say I am some holy figure it just too much. I promise I will do what I can to end the destruction of the churches of Faron. As to putting an end to those who damage his holy name, maybe it is just as I said. Put an end to those who are destroying his churches, and that is it.¡±


    The priests seem to calm down a bit after that, but they are still seem rather worried. I think more than stopping the destruction of the churches they thought I was coming to clean house or something, so they are worried I might just be evaluating them or some such nonsense.


    Overweight Priest: ¡°We were told by Faron himself to follow your instructions, so what is it you want us to do?¡±


    ¡°I just need to speak to the priest that is in charge of your Gowen Communication Parchments.¡±


    High Priest: ¡°How do you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if you take a little bit closer at that ID there it might give you an idea why.¡±


    Overweight Priest: ¡°Wait Gowen. Like the Gowen kingdom Gowen¡¯s?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes I am the third princess of Gowen Belinda, and this is my husband.¡±


    High Priest: ¡°Not only chosen by god, but royalty as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, none of that is important right now. Your people may be in danger if we don¡¯t talk to the priest in charge of the communication parchments.¡±


    One of the priests in the room steps forward.


    High Priest 2: ¡°How can I assist Archjusticar?¡±


    I then explain to him about sending the messages out to all the churches and what to look out for. I then tell them if anything that matches the descriptions I gave the cathedral at the Gowen capital could contact the Gowen Castle, and then they could contact us.


    That means we are going to have to pay a visit to the Gowen castle, but that can wait for the morning as I am beat¡­ I don¡¯t know how the priests really feel about me, but I don¡¯t think there will be any problems at least not yet, so after graciously declining their invitations to staying at the grand cathedral we finally are able to retreat back home.


    ¡°This is so much more then I bargained for¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What was Faron trying to pull with that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. We will need to inform your brother about the need to contact us, but after that we should begin working on the other task at Draco¡¯s dungeon until we get some kind of information from the Faron churches.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After all that you are still going to go through with all this?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t really have a choice at this point. I just hope we are able to get the church to let us be after we get this matter taken care of.¡±


    Belinda sends a quick message to Logan telling him to let us know if the Faron church is looking for us, but that we will explain more in the morning. We then head to bed.

 Sidetracked in the Capital

    We wake in the morning with several confused messages from Logan trying to figure out what is going on, we just tell him we will explain when we arrive, and make plans to meet. I send Roxy and Zoey a message telling them we will meet with Logan before continuing our investigations today, so they can take it easy for a while.


    I then decide we better check on Azami and Moss, to make sure Azami is taking care of him properly. When I arrive at the usual location I suddenly think I should have messaged first because they are both completely naked. With Moss¡¯s back to me Azami is on her knees in front of him.


    ¡°Azami! What are you doing?!¡±


    My sudden shout startles Moss and he quickly hides behind Azami, who then stands while holding a wet and soapy rag.


    Azami: ¡°I am following your orders, and taking care of Moss.¡±


    Azami is quite short and thin compared to the others, but as she is stands up naked with her glistening, wet, caramel colored skin, petite but well-proportioned body, I can¡¯t help but have a bit of difficulty as I clear my throat and quickly turn my back to her before speaking.


    ¡°Were you bathing? I would think someone with your magical ability and disposition would just use [Clean] instead of going through all that.¡±


    Azami: ¡°It is indeed much easier. However I thought to form a closer bond with Moss bathing together would help.¡±


    ¡°I admit he is quite young, but I feel the age in which that would be appropriate has already passed, as he seemed to be enjoying it a bit more then he should have been.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Yes, that was indeed a bit of a problem I instructed him to take care of it, but we were unable to complete our bath before the urge returned. If you had not interrupted however I believe we would have been able to complete without issue. Now we will have to start again.¡±


    I can¡¯t help feel a little jealous of the little guy, but I am sure that had to be more awkward then fun¡­ ¡°There is so much wrong with what you just said¡­ Please just use [Clean], and put your clothes back on.¡±


    Azami: ¡°As you wish.¡±


    I peek over a shoulder making sure they are dressed and then turn back around. If Moss didn¡¯t like me before I am sure he doesn¡¯t now, and I can¡¯t really blame him as he hides behind Azami with a disappointed look on his face.


    ¡°Alright¡­ Belinda and I are going to go to the capital, and we shouldn¡¯t be gone for more than a few hours. Have you decided what you plan to do with Moss while we go back to our investigations?¡±


    Azami: ¡®He is a dungeon monster so he requires nothing. He is weak but the forest has no monsters in it, so he should be fine here.¡±


    ¡°Well get him situated until Belinda and I return, and I will have the bunnies add a bit more area of the forest into the dungeon so they can keep an eye on him while we are away.¡±


    Azami: ¡°As you wish.¡±


    I then transfer to core room, tell the bunnies what to do, and then head back to Belinda. Out of self-preservation I leave out the part about Azami giving Moss a bath, and we then use [Gate] to head to the Gowen Capital meeting up with her brother. After reaching a small caf¨¦ in the Gowen Capital, Logan joins us.


    Logan: ¡°So what is all this about the Faron church looking for you?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s really simple really they asked us to do them a favor, but they seem to have a bit of a misunderstanding of our position on the matter. Anyway they are supposed to contact us when they receive any further information about the matter.


    Belinda: ¡°We will not be in Tobes for most of the day while we take care of something else, so contacting us though the church in Tobes would be difficult. If you could help us it would be a great.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Really it¡¯s not that big of a deal. I was just curious is all. Would it not of been easier to give them a communication parchment to directly contact you?¡±


    ¡°We want to keep a bit of distance from them due to the misunderstanding.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And with the war and everything we wouldn¡¯t want to be a bother.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I believe we have that about worked out. Longolia has started to call Queen the Leona¡¯s Red Queen. Leaving the army in the fort she has proceeding into Longolia taking out the military units as they approach the border with little more than some of her beastkin townsfolk. After a while of that Longolia has suffered enough damage that they are talking of forfeiture of some of their land just to have it stop.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They weren¡¯t the ones that took Two-Twelve but they still tried to cause me harm when I was there, so even though I hate to see the loss of life I still say it serves them right.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Regardless if it was their doing or not Two-Twelve was kidnapped within their castle walls, and with the attack on you, father isn¡¯t letting Longolia down easy this time. I don¡¯t think he will settle less for extending the Gowen border to at least include that dungeon on their west coast that Longolia is so proud of.¡±


    ¡°Is the dungeon really that much of an advantage?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Out of all people you should know that. They bring adventurers and with adventurers there is revenue. In truth that is the only thing holding up the negotiations as Longolia isn¡¯t quite ready to turn loose of control of the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I actually wanted to ask you something as well¡­ If you have time after this can you join me to meet with father?¡±


    ¡°Meet with the king? I can¡¯t really refuse an invitation like that can I?¡±


    Logan laughs and says. ¡°Well you are his son, so it is not that big of a deal. He has said he wanted to speak with you however.¡±


    ¡°Well we are rather busy, so how about we get too it then?¡±


    We then head to the castle with Logan, and the time Logan is supposed to meet with his father was still a little ways off so we continued our conversation about the church there, but it doesn¡¯t amount to much. We are finally called in to meet with the king.


    King Rondsom: ¡°I see you have brought a few guests to our meeting today.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I know you wanted to have a word with Two-Twelve since his return.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Very well, but that can wait. First thing is first. How is the situation at the border?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Queen has said they have all pulled back. She hasn¡¯t seen any of Longolia¡¯s forces making for the border in a week.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°So they are holding up on their deal then. If this keeps up we might have no choice in accepting their deal or we will come out looking as the aggressors to our allies.¡±


    Logan: ¡°As you say father¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Daughter, what is your opinion? Should I accept the deal with Longolia increasing our kingdoms size by 25% while only gaining the open plains in space, or should I continue to press for less land on the western coast that contains the dungeon?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You want my opinion¡­?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I said?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, but I would hate to see more lives put at risk just for a little better deal, and even with gaining Exeter as an ally I would hate to lose any others because they think we acted unjustly¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°And what does my 5<sup>th</sup> son have to say?¡±


    5<sup>th</sup> son¡­ I thought Doug was the youngest and was only the 4<sup>th</sup>. I quickly scan the room but we are the only ones here and then I realize that he is referring to me¡­


    While talking with Logan before the meeting I was able to use [Archjusticar Menu], and I was able to determine what dungeon he was talking about while learning some information on it. It seems to be a dungeon in a coastal cave that deals in mainly water monsters.


    The thing that really concerns me is most of its xp expenditures goes towards items that will benefit Longolia, like eatable creatures, ores, and even gems. That means it looks to have at least some sort of deal with the kingdom, or at least the city residing nearby.


    ¡°I agree the dungeon would be an asset to the kingdom, but dungeons are highly unpredictable. Even if it brings good revenue to Longolia that doesn¡¯t mean it will continue to do so after Gowen takes control.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I take it you are in the group that believes the dungeons are living things, with minds of their own?¡±


    ¡°With the way the dungeons seem to react to the adventurer¡¯s presence and the growth of nearby areas I think it would be unwise to think anything less.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Then you are saying if it was your choice you would go against my opinion on the matter, and take the empty plains passing on the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°No disrespect, but I think without being able to investigate the dungeon more closely, yes, I would pass on the dungeon.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I will take that under advisement. I am glad to have children that would speak their minds. Now on to the next matter, with the war coming to an end now we need to start thinking on the matters regarding Mindy¡¯s return and the Mayor of Tobes.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I have searched for a replacement, but none can hold up to what Mayor Gowen, or Mindy has been able to accomplish, and with the construction of a mage¡¯s guild now about to begin in Tobes I really feel it crucial that we have the right person on it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You mean they really are going to place a Mage Guild in Tobes?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yes and that is why it is pivotal that we place the right person in charge of Tobes. If we place the wrong person in charge it might not be long before we see Tobes seek control over the Gowen kingdom.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°And that is why we must have Mindy return soon, or she as well might get the same idea doing it herself.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know Mindy is a jerk, but you really think she would lead a coup against her own family?¡±


    Logan: ¡°We have already determined she has looked into the prospects of building a castle there at Tobes. That is why we were really hoping we could get brother to retake the position.¡±


    ¡°If you are referring to me I am sorry, with everything that has happened since my memory loss I don¡¯t even know if I would be capable.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am sorry to hear that¡­ After the progress in New Leona I have even tried to talk Queen into it, but she has refused as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about Scylla?¡±


    ¡°Scylla?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes she has been with us for a long time now, and she trained right beside you the entire time. She is quite busy with the baby, but with a few extra hands I am sure she would do a fine job at it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You are talking about Kline¡¯s wife?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Interesting¡­ You are sure she can be trusted?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have put my life in her hands more than a few times while adventuring with her, and she would never do anything to hurt Two-Twelve.¡±


    Logan: ¡°She does seem the reliable sort and not to mention Kline is bound by pact. Do you think you would be able to get her to take the position?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If Two-Twelve asked her she would never refuse.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I will leave the matters to you then. You had a large setback in Longolia, but more than made up for it in Exeter, so don¡¯t let me down with this my daughter.¡±


    Belinda looks a little worried but firmly states. ¡°I promise!¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Good, maybe I should have more of my children attend these meetings more often. Now for the final matter with the beastkin councilman.¡±


    Logan: ¡°He has had quite the struggle with the human members of council, and has held his ground up to now, but I don¡¯t know how much he can fight the uphill battle alone.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    King Rondsom: ¡°Are you suggesting we invite another beastkin from New Leona to the council.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am sure the council would disapprove, but New Leona isn¡¯t the only option. Asking Miss Scylla to become mayor of Tobes is proof of that.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Yes with Tobes growth it would be only natural that a new councilman would join from there, and if it just so happened to be a beastkin all the better¡­¡±


    Why do I get the impression this is a meeting that has gone on over and over with no clear resolution until today¡­


    Logan: ¡°What about it brother, any other beastkin gems in Tobes you think would be adequate?¡±


    ¡°Scylla would be the only one I would think¡­ Bell has been there the entire time as well, but her personality is too subservient I think for something like that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think I know just the one.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    Belinda gives me a look telling me to just agree with her eyes. ¡°Yea¡­ I didn¡¯t think of her for mayor, because she works much better in a group setting.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­Her¡­¡±


    I hope Belinda knows what she is doing, because I don¡¯t have a clue who she is talking about.


    Logan: ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course, she may be a little green, but she will at least be as good as the one from New Leona.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°We will have Logan meet with her at once then and see.¡±


    Belinda looks a little nervous as she says. ¡°Yea, no problem!¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Very well, I believe that concludes our meeting for today.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I thought you wanted to speak with Two-Twelve?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°While I did want to check his wellbeing I can see he is quite back to normal. I think my daughter is still in good hands.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best not to let you down.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°See that you do.¡±


    We bit our farewells to the king and we leave the room along with Logan.


    ¡°It feels you were waiting on our meeting with the king for far more reasons than you originally let on.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well it all worked out in the end that is what counts. I know you said you were busy today so when would you like me to meet this new councilmember you were so sure about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Uh¡­ Of course we haven¡¯t talked to her about anything like this so give us at least a bit to work her into it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I look forward to hearing from you then sis. Well I won¡¯t hold you up any more, and I promise as soon as I get word from the church I will send the message.¡±


    ¡°Thanks again¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°After that meeting, I thank you.¡±


    Belinda and I then leave Logan, and once we are out of the castle I ask her.


    ¡°Who exactly are you talking about for the councilwoman?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You haven¡¯t summoned her yet¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you expect me to meet all those criteria on a fresh summoning?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Queen did it, so I have faith in you.¡±


    ¡°You were quick to mention a woman, and here you kept blaming me for all the females.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh shut it¡­ I panicked, and it was the first thing that came to my mind.¡±


    ¡°Well in any case we better get going back to town. I think Draco¡¯s task is going to have to wait to another day if we have to convince Scylla to become mayor and then summon another monster for a council position.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No we were just going to work on Draco¡¯s task as we had nothing else to do while we waited on word from the church. Although I am sure the bunnies are not going to be happy about me spending xp on this after using so much on summoning people to help with the task.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about those ones you sent out? Are you going to recall them now and have them begin to gather xp?¡±


    ¡°For now I think I will leave them investigating the churches just in case.¡±


    Belinda and I then use [Gate] to return to the house. I am going to have to have to really focus for the new summon, so we decide to start with Scylla. We head over to Scylla¡¯s and Kline¡¯s house knocking on the door.


    Scylla: ¡°Miss Belinda and Master¡­ What are you doing here today?¡±


    ¡°Well you mind if we come in for a bit?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course not, come in.¡±


    Scylla moves back into the dining area and checks on the baby who looks to be sleeping.


    Scylla: ¡°Can I get you anything?¡±


    ¡°No thanks, we are alright.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Where is Kline this morning?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°He went to do a bit of shopping, I told him I am tired of being cooped up in the house, but he insists in doing it all, and tells me to just relax. I just don¡¯t think I can take any more of this sitting around the house all day though.¡±


    ¡°Well we might have a solution to that for you, but we should probably wait for Kline to return, as it concerns all of you.¡±


    Scylla looks a little confused but nods. Belinda then quickly changes the subject asking about the baby, and they are able to talk for a while. We finally hear Kline as he enters the house, while opening the door with a large bag in his hand he quickly says.


    Kline: ¡°Hey I¡¯m home my sexy salamander. I got something special for you...¡±


    Scylla¡¯s ears turn a little pink as she quickly cuts him off. ¡°Honey! We have guests!¡±


    Kline quickly panics almost dropping the bag and after a minute or two of quick apologize we are finally sitting around the dining table.


    ¡°We talked to Logan this morning and he told us that the war looks to be on its last leg.¡±


    Scylla and Kline: ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t think Queen will be too happy about it. She seemed to be having quite a bit of fun with the Longolia soldiers.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°That sounds about right.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well the bad news, well I guess it is only bad news depending on how you look at it, but with the war ending Mindy will be needed back at the capital.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am sure Bell will be happy to hear about that. Does that mean Master is ready to take over as Mayor again?¡±


    ¡°Well about that¡­ Somebody else¡¯s name was the one that came up.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Are they sending someone new from the capital?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After what Two-Twelve and Mindy have accomplished here they didn¡¯t think anyone from the capital was right for the job.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Surely you are not talking about Denova¡­ I am sure she could handle it, but I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°No actually it was a certain salamander beastkin we happen to know¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°But I¡¯m¡­ Wait¡­ What?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you trained right alongside Bell and Two-Twelve. You know it just as well as either of them.¡±


    Kline: ¡°What about the baby¡­ I mean I can watch her without problem, but there are just some things I can¡¯t do like feeding her.¡±


    ¡°Well we will make sure you have some extra hands. There is plenty of room for a couple more offices in the city hall.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°But out of everyone, why me¡­?¡±


    ¡°We need someone we can trust to take over for Mindy, and even with you no longer bound to the dungeon we know we can trust you with this. I trust you, and know you can do this.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I can¡¯t say no to Belinda because of the pact, and even though she can I know Scylla won¡¯t tell you no either¡­ Just promise me if Scylla does this, she doesn¡¯t have to spend too much time away from baby Listel.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like Two-Twelve said, we will get plenty of extra help there, and you and the baby can even be there with her as well. You have done enough paperwork with the Gowen Communication Parchment that you would make a fine extra pair of hands.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°If you are really putting your trust into me¡­ I promise I will do my best.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Scylla, and if you need for anything you just have to let us know. I am sure Belinda would even love to baby sit for a few hours if you just need some time to yourself.¡±


    Due to giving up on heading to Draco¡¯s dungeon for the day we are no longer in a rush so we sit for a while and chat with Scylla and Kline, but after a while I say.


    ¡°Belinda you can stay if you like, but I really need to start working on the other promise you made to your family¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ But I know you can do it!¡±


    I sigh and then after excusing myself I transfer to the core room.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! What are you doing back here? Lilah thought you would come get the others and then leave right after.¡±


    ¡°Well there has been a change of plans¡­ I need to spend some xp.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Master!¡±


    ¡°I know, but Belinda promised.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°What does master need to summon?¡±


    ¡°Well so far as long as it is a beastkin woman the rest doesn¡¯t matter. She just has to serve as a council member at the capital, so she has to be sharp witted. You two seemed to do really well with making Lila the way you wanted so maybe you can give me a hand?¡±


    The three bunnies seem to be thinking for a minute then nod. Lylah and Lilah then explain to me what they focused on and how they managed Lila like they did. Honestly it is a lot more complex then I would expect.


    ¡°I can try, but I don¡¯t think I would be able to do it in the first shot, and we can¡¯t afford several attempts. Can I leave it to you?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master just needs a really smart beastkin woman to serve as a councilmember right?¡±


    ¡°Belinda promised she would at least be better than the council member Queen summoned, so you have your work cut out for you.¡±


    The three bunnies then look at each other and seem to come to the same conclusion. All three have a smile form on their faces and they nod.


    Lylah: ¡°Leave it to us master! We won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    They then begin a huddle whispering back and forth. While they work on that I have a look over the dungeon. They have really made running the dungeon into an art form. I don¡¯t see how the three of them can manage everything like they do.


    I count no less than 10 groups of adventurers making their way through the dungeon, and when I think maybe I am distracting the bunnies to much one will quickly break from the huddle just long enough to issue more orders to the monsters and then rejoin.


    They practically don¡¯t even leave the core room anymore, so maybe we should do something special for them to make it up to them. Although with the exception of things like when Maeve was born they usually don¡¯t want to leave the core room.


    I don¡¯t really know what they would like then, so maybe I should ask Belinda to come up with something. I then look over at the amount of xp we currently have. We are sitting at around 50,000xp, it¡¯s hard to believe, but that is considered bad shape now.


    I wait for a few more minutes and they finally break the huddle.


    Lylah: ¡°Master, we have the perfect idea, just watch and see!¡±


    I don¡¯t know how but they all three seem to be working on the summoning together, and when the light fills the room the smallest of the three, Lila, quickly covers my eyes. When she finally uncovers my eyes I see their result.


    I am not sure what I was expecting, but I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. In front of me are now 4 rabbits, but the new one is tall. Even if you don¡¯t count her ears that stick up at least another foot above her head she is easily as tall as me.


    She is wearing an outfit that is quite conservative, but the buttons of her shirt are strained against breasts that easily equal to that of Bell¡¯s. The rest of her appearance is easily what you would expect from an adult version of Lilah as she is a feral rabbit rather than a normal beastkin like the other two.


    I am now sure that the girls summoned her as their ideal adult appearance, and I am sure none of them will become that tall or have breasts near that large, but even without them two facts I have to say looking at this beastkin does show they are all surely to be very attractive women in a few years.


    I did say her appearance didn¡¯t matter much, but I am a little worried that she may be attractive enough to cause a bit of problem among the council. Then again I guess she can use that to her advantage as well, as I think all the other council members are all men. Now the most important part, is she smart enough to serve in the council?


    ¡°We summoned you with a specific task in mind, so if you don¡¯t mind I would like to ask you a few questions.¡±


    Adult Bunny: ¡°Of course master. With the knowledge I was summoned with I have an understanding of what I believe you ask of me. You wish me to serve among human politicians in effort to maintain the Gowen Kingdom¡¯s continued success?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes actually¡­¡±


    Adult Bunny: ¡°I assure you my big sisters made sure to give me all the knowledge I may need to not only do that job, but do that job well.¡±


    ¡°I am a little surprised they knew the knowledge you would need.¡±


    Adult Bunny: ¡°Well as their summoning of big sister Lila, they didn¡¯t have to know everything about math to summon her to be highly proficient in it. My only disadvantage is the stores of information available to me are limited to what a dungeon truly knows about human politics.¡±


    ¡°Well without even asking a question, you already have me convinced. What about a name?¡±


    Adult Bunny: ¡°My big sisters wish to preserve Leila for the next sister they will summon to help them here in the dungeon, so they wish to name me Delilah.¡±


    ¡°They really have thought of everything¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah promised not to let Master down!¡±


    ¡°I have thought of one problem though.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°But we thought of everything!¡±


    ¡°I need one of you to explain to Belinda I wasn¡¯t the one that summoned her¡­¡±


    Lila: ¡°I told you the breasts were too much.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Master hasn¡¯t quit staring at them though, so it proves our point!¡±


    Delilah: ¡°I am sorry master but without a direct order that supersedes big sister Lilah¡¯s I cannot show them to you.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been¡­¡± ¨CI sigh. - ¡°That¡¯s the exact reason I said I need one of you to explain it.¡±


    I end up taking Lila with me, and we take Delilah to meet Belinda. Scylla and Belinda both still seem a little skeptical about it, but after talking with her a while they seem to accept the fact I had no part in it. I then let Lila return to the dungeon core room.


    ¡°They really have been doing a hell of a job up at the dungeon. I was thinking maybe we should do something special for them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You aren¡¯t just saying that because the way Delilah¡¯s appearance turned out are you?¡±


    Delilah: ¡°As big sister Lila said I assure you Two-Twelve had no part of my appearance.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am still not convinced they didn¡¯t do it because they thought it was what he would want.¡±


    Delilah: ¡°Now as to that I can¡¯t argue, my appearance is what they wish for themselves, and they are particularly fond of Master so it stands to reason that may be a factor.¡±


    ¡°I think I sent Lila back too soon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No I think we are about to get to the truth of the matter, now Delilah you understand them pretty well, what kind of gift would they like from their master?¡±


    Delilah: ¡°I believe answering that question would be counter to my task of the prosperity of the dungeon and the Gowen Kingdom.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡±


    ¡°What about allowing them to summon another one? From Delilah¡¯s summoning they have already have another name picked out, so they have at least thought of it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So your answer is to add to the problem?¡±


    ¡°Things are quite busy in the dungeon, and sooner or later we will have to do something about it anyway.¡±


    Delilah: ¡°I believe the dungeon core room is quite full with the three of them already, but upgrading the dungeon core room from a basic to an advanced dungeon core room would sure please them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what is an advanced dungeon core room?¡±


    Delilah: ¡°Obviously as your dungeon increases in size there are only so many [Menu] screens you can have open at once without them overlapping. Among other things an advanced dungeon core room is much larger and [Menu] has added features that prioritize things.¡±


    I open [Menu] and look up the advanced dungeon core room. There are quite a few requirements required to upgrade the dungeon core room, but it looks like we meet most of them. The main problem is the xp cost 1,000,000xp.


    ¡°1 million xp¡­ That will take a while.¡±


    Delilah: ¡°The main benefits of the advanced dungeon core room are the effects it has on the monsters, but I don¡¯t know if it will really help our dungeon much because of our unique way of doing things.¡±


    ¡°Is that why none of the other monsters have ever mentioned it to me before?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Most dungeon cores are 100 years old or better before it is even thought about, and for its cost I never found the reason to mention it.¡±


    Delilah: ¡°It would benefit the dungeon at least as much as summoning another one of my sisters, but I can understand if the cost of an additional sister is much less. The current dungeon core room will only hold so many sisters however.¡±


    ¡°Well it is something to think about eventually, but for now¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I guess, but you better not be building a bunny filled harem.¡±


    After talking with Scylla, Delilah, and Belinda for a while we set Delilah up with one of the rooms at the house and decide to give the news to Mindy that she can begin her perpetrations to return to the capital.


    Mindy: ¡°Can¡¯t you see that I am busy? Don¡¯t you have something better to occupy your time with then interrupt my work?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I thought you would want to know I had a talk with Father and Logan this morning.¡±


    Mindy seems interested but she is doing her best to ignore Belinda.


    ¡°I am not taking back over as mayor, but we have found a replacement, so you can now return back to the capital.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°After everything I have done making this place what it is now you decide to push me out?¡±


    Belinda looks to hate every word out of her mouth as she says. ¡°You have done great work here, but we always knew it would be temporary. With the war about to end they need you back at the capital.¡±


    Mindy wears a complicated expression as she thinks on what Belinda just said.


    Mindy: ¡°Did Logan and Father say that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know they would never say it out loud, but they said they have been working really hard on trying to find a replacement for Tobes so you could return to the capital.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°So who is this replacement of mine supposed to be?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Kline¡¯s wife, she is smart, but with Kline bound by pact to the family she makes a good choice.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°A beastkin¡­If this cow you have around here wasn¡¯t bad enough you want to make the actual Mayor a beastkin as well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°These are father¡¯s orders.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Very well, but I will see to it she answers directly to me, to make sure she doesn¡¯t screw up everything I have worked so hard to build.¡±


    Belinda looks like she wants to punch her right in the mouth, but she instead forces a smile. Mindy makes a few more snarky remarks before Belinda can¡¯t take anymore so we excuse ourselves. I then have to listen to Belinda let out her deep hatred for her sister for the next thirty minutes.


    We didn¡¯t make it to Draco¡¯s dungeon, or hear from the church, but it does at least seem we have managed to accomplish quite a bit today, even if it isn¡¯t want we had intended. We decide to head to bed a bit early and if we don¡¯t hear from the church by morning we will then begin working on Draco¡¯s task.

 Elder Dracos Task

    We never did hear from Roxy or Zoey yesterday after we changed our plans, and even after letting Azami know she wasn¡¯t very interested. Mindy was ready by the next morning to leave out, so we quickly got ahold of Logan to meet with Delilah, so they could all return to the capital together.


    While Belinda uses [Gate] to pick up Logan I meet with Mindy as she has gathered all of her belongings. There is one item among them that kind of stands out. A young man with a collar around his neck, and after hearing all the rumors I guess his appearance does resemble my own quite a bit.


    ¡°What is this about?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°You are one to talk! A slave married to a princess, and then Doug and his little beastkin whore. Why shouldn¡¯t I be able to do as I like as well.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t exactly what I meant. Did you buy him from the brothel?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°So what if I did?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I start storing Mindy¡¯s things in my [Shadow Pocket] without another word waiting for Belinda to return.


    Logan: ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so popular Two-Twelve, I heard a rumor, but this is quite more than even I expected.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Oh shut your mouth, they don¡¯t look anything alike.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You keep telling yourself that, I wonder how Father will feel about this.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°After Belinda dragging home Two-Twelve, and now Doug with his beastkin, how he can he say anything? I at least married the man he wanted me to.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well regardless of Mindy¡¯s questionable tastes, how about you introduce me to our new councilwoman.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°The new councilwoman?¡±


    Logan: ¡°What you haven¡¯t introduced them?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do you really blame me?¡±


    Logan: ¡°She is going to have to learn to deal with her sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get her.¡±


    I then head upstairs to where Delilah is waiting. Telling her it¡¯s time, and we then we return downstairs.


    Mindy: ¡°Who the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°I want you to meet Delilah.¡±


    Logan: ¡°After talking to Queen about it she told me you would surely surprise me and she wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    Delilah bows to Logan and Mindy.


    Delilah: ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you all, I assure you I will not let you down.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°We will see about that.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You mind if I speak with you before we return?¡±


    Delilah: ¡°Well refusing the prince this early in my career wouldn¡¯t be very smart now would it?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Sis you mind if I borrow your living room.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course.¡±


    Logan and Delilah then disappear into the living room. We finish loading up Mindy¡¯s things, and it isn¡¯t even a few minutes before Delilah and Logan return with Logan laughing.


    Logan: ¡°Sis, how do you find these girls¡­? I think she is going to work out just fine.¡±


    With a [Gate] spell we then head to the capital, I open [Shadow Pocket] dumping Mindy¡¯s belongs, and her slave quickly starts to gather them for her. Logan then wishes us well taking Delilah showing her around. Belinda and I then waste no time leaving Mindy¡¯s things scattered while she is doubled over. She isn¡¯t throwing up this time but it looks like it is taking everything she has to prevent it.


    After returning home I tell Belinda ¡°I will let you make sure Scylla is settling in her new office, while I make sure the others are ready to go.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea, I need to make sure Bell and the receptionists at the adventurer¡¯s guild know to give her a few days to get in the swing of things before throwing her into the deep end.¡±


    I then head over to Roxy and Zoey¡¯s house. After knocking I have to wait a while before Roxy answers the door with disheveled clothing. She then quickly looks back in the house and says.


    Roxy: ¡°I told you it¡¯s Two-Twelve!¡±


    I can hear Zoey scrambling inside and with little more than her underclothing on she quickly gives me a hug, but although she looks the same something about the bulge in her panties is just wrong on so many levels. ¡°You¡¯re the best boss!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey!¡±


    Zoey quickly lets go of me. ¡°Sorry boss, but this thing is great!¡± ¨CShe says while flashing the ring on her finger.-


    ¡°Please put some clothes on, and take off the ring for now¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Ah boss do I have to? I don¡¯t see how you don¡¯t ever leave the house I could play with this thing all day!¡±


    ¡°I guess I will check on Azami real quick and then come back¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°No! It would just give her another excuse¡­ Zoey, do as Two-Twelve said and take the ring off and get dressed!¡±


    Zoey pouts as she pulls the ring from her finger. It doesn¡¯t help the fact she is almost naked, but it does remove the bulge. I still don¡¯t think I will ever be able to look at Zoey the same way again though.


    ¡°That was really the only changes on the form of the ring?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well I don¡¯t have anything against Zoey¡¯s appearance. In fact getting to play with her breasts and her¡­ Oh sorry¡­ It just works out.¡±


    ¡°I gave it to you two nights ago, has she had it on this whole time.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°We haven¡¯t left bed the whole time¡­ It took her a few hours to quit playing with it long enough to let me join in, but after that¡­ I might weigh that ring higher on the greatest gift list,mn4 even more then when Zoey freed me from being a slave.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess all I can say is¡­ I¡¯m glad you like it.¡±


    There are a few things I am actually curious about regarding the ring, but I think some things are just better left not knowing¡­


    Roxy then invites me in the house while Zoey finishes getting dressed, and then Roxy fixes her own clothes as well. She said they never left bed but she quickly starts casting [Clean] all over the house making me even worried where to stand.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss, are you ready to begin the investigation again then?¡±


    ¡°Well we still haven¡¯t heard back from the church so we might as well look into Draco¡¯s dungeon while we wait. Belinda is just making sure Scylla is getting situated in her new office before we head out.¡±


    Roxy moves back over looking at a chair questionably for a few seconds then casting [Clean] on it anyway before sitting down and saying. ¡°Scylla¡¯s new office?¡±


    ¡°Did you two not even read the messages we sent¡­? Belinda¡¯s father and brother Logan decided to recall Mindy back to the capital and Scylla took her place as Mayor of Tobes.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You made Scylla the mayor of Tobes?!¡± ¨CShe looks offended for a second before staring at the ring clasped in her hand.- ¡°Well never mind I guess that works.¡±


    ¡°If you missed that message, then you probably also missed the one about us summoning a new monster to serve on the council at the capital as well.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Not only the mayor but a council member as well. Our little dungeon is really moving up in the world.¡±


    ¡°Well I am already considered the king¡¯s son, so I don¡¯t know about that, but at least this evens out the pull between Queen and I have at the capital a bit. We have our agreement, but you never know. Well if you two are ready we will go grab Azami and then head out.¡±


    After putting on her boots Zoey then uses [Menu] to equip her gear, I don¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t do that from the start with her clothes as well¡­ I then send a message to Belinda to meet us at Azami¡¯s, and just to refrain from any more surprises I send a message to Azami as well telling her we are on our way.


    When we transfer to the area we usually meet Azami in she is sitting there talking to Moss, and Moss doesn¡¯t seem to like the conversation.


    ¡°Everything alright?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Yes, Moss does not wish to be left behind, but I explained to him if he comes with us he will die.¡±


    For the first time since Azami first brought him around I hear him speak. It isn¡¯t in a language I understand but he seems to be objecting to being left behind. Maybe that is why he has been silent the entire time he can¡¯t understand the human language.


    ¡°Azami, does Moss know the human language?¡±


    Azami: ¡°He is a dungeon monster, so of course he knows all of the languages. Either that or he knows all the languages because he is a dungeon monster.¡±


    Well there goes that idea¡­ I decide to get down on Moss¡¯s level and I then say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will take good care of Azami while we are gone, and unless something serious comes up we will be back by this evening.¡±


    Moss: ¡°You may be my master now, but I am warning you to keep your human hands off of Miss Azami!¡±


    ¡°Well I am not exactly human, but you don¡¯t have to worry about that. She just helps the dungeon with fighting and crafting.¡±


    Moss: ¡°Yesterday during our bath, you had the same eyes as those humans that bought me and the others, and I saw what happened to them!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh boss got caught¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey you aren¡¯t helping!¡±


    ¡°Well I apologize. Azami is very attractive, and I was a little taken aback at first, but I promise you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am the one that bought Moss, why are you apologizing to him as if I belonged to him? I already told you I have no intention of mating with him. Or is it that is your intention to allowing him to stay?¡±


    For the first time Moss¡¯s hostility towards me fades with a little look of hope on his young face.


    ¡°No I won¡¯t force that on any of my monsters. Besides we have already made it abundantly clear he is still a bit young for such things, and I was just trying to reassure him I wouldn¡¯t do anything to you either.¡±


    Now Moss is back to looking at me with hostility¡­


    Azami: ¡°As Two-Twelve is the dungeon¡¯s core if he ordered it of me I would not be able to tell him no, but if it sets your mind at ease. Two-Twelve is pair-bonded to one of his other boss monsters, and I don¡¯t believe he would break that bond.¡±


    ¡°You could just say Belinda and I are married, I know you elves get married as well.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Elves don¡¯t recognize a human¡¯s pair-bond as marriage as it lacks the commitment of that of an elven marriage.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Is it really that different?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Had Two-Twelve and Belinda been married in the elven way, when he shared Listel¡¯s bed it would have resulted in both of their deaths by a magical curse.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is really fair, as I didn¡¯t remember anything from before I was with Listel¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°As I said human marriage lacks commitment.¡±


    ¡°Well like I said regardless of it lacking commitment in your eyes, I wouldn¡¯t do anything like that especially to those that are bound to the dungeon.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Belinda: ¡°Then you are saying if they aren¡¯t part of the dungeon it¡¯s a possibility?¡± ¨CShe says sneaking up from behind me.-


    ¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant¡­With creatures such as Madam Erin¡¯s boss monster, and events like that happened with Listel saying it is impossible is irresponsible, but save the chances of something beyond my control happening I would never intentionally do such a thing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I understand what you are saying, but that isn¡¯t very comforting¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what else to say¡­ But we are all here now, so we should get a move on to Draco¡¯s dungeon now.¡±


    Moss doesn¡¯t seem happy about it, but he lets Azami go long enough for us to [Gate] away, and Belinda still seems to be conflicted about my response as well as we begin our investigations at Draco¡¯s dungeon.


    We spend the next few days exploring the area around several of Draco¡¯s secondary dungeons, but even though they are so close together I think this is going to be much harder to solve then Faron¡¯s case because there are so many villages, farms, and camps around we could spend months looking.


    As to Faron¡¯s task we have received word from Faron¡¯s church, but nobody has had any sightings on the group we are looking for. With the patterns we gave them Faron¡¯s church has however added 12 more destroyed churches to the list of targets of this group. That means Faron¡¯s secondary dungeons aren¡¯t the only targets, so we might have been off base about it being a dungeon core behind this after all.


    We can¡¯t do anything else but wait till we do receive word, so we continue to work on finding out what is happening in Draco¡¯s secondary dungeons. I finally have to give a report to Dyson and Madam Erin, but there isn¡¯t really much to tell. I do tell them about what I did learn about the attacks not being limited to just the churches that are Faron¡¯s secondary dungeons.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t really getting us anywhere, and what¡¯s worse is we aren¡¯t even gaining any xp just walking around like this.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We have the churches keeping an eye out for Faron¡¯s task, maybe we should recall the monsters at the churches and have them begin helping for Draco¡¯s task instead.¡±


    ¡°That probably is a good idea.¡±


    We then finish our investigation for the day a bit early and return home. After contacting the others we spend the rest of the day using [Gate] to collect them from the churches scattered about. We end up with the ballroom full of my monsters.


    We didn¡¯t focus on anything but one male and one female in each group when we sent them out so now we sort them. With 12 humans, 6 of which are male, 6 female, and 12 beastkin with the same 50% split.


    Their classes are all pretty mixed, we are starting to get enough classes available that the most we have are a few doubles, but the only one with three and that is 2 of the human females and one of the beastkin females are sword maidens.


    ¡°Alright now I want to combine you all into 4 groups, you will probably split up quite a bit during this task, but after this task is over this will be the group you will then set out to gather xp for the dungeon with.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course if something comes up and the group just isn¡¯t working out we can do a little shuffling if we need to, but if all goes well that is the plan.¡±


    ¡°Now it doesn¡¯t matter to me who goes where, but I would like at least one group to consist of only humans, so that we may use that group to travel into Dalian, because even if it is just for show I wouldn¡¯t like any of the beastkin to be treated as slaves.¡±


    We then give them a bit of time to introduce themselves to each other, and talk amongst themselves. Most of the monsters remain in their pairs in which they were summoned. There is one group of the humans and one group of the beastkin that seemed to not get along with their partner so they went their separate ways trying to find a group alone.


    With most of the pairs saying together the 4 groups end up balanced between males and females the only difference is that the two pairs that split up seemed to switch partners.


    That leaves group 1 with an all human group consisting of 3 males, and 3 females. Group 2 consists of a group of only beastkin with 3 males, and 3 females. Group 3 is made of 2 human males, 1 human female, 1 beastkin male, and 2 beastkin females. That leaves group 4 with 2 beastkin males, 1 beastkin female, 1 human male, 2 human females.


    Even their classes work out pretty well. The only group that doesn¡¯t have a person that can cast good healing spells has 2 members that can cast decent ones. My only concern is the all beastkin group has 2 mages and an archer, but they also have the member with the heaviest armor and shield so maybe it will work out.


    After everyone is situated it is already getting quite late though so we decide to let them camp in the ballroom tonight. It¡¯s not exactly comfortable, but I let them help themselves to the bar, and it is at least not camping outside.


    The next morning we take each group to a different part of Draco¡¯s mountain telling them to find information about people destroying the local dungeons. With a group at 4 of the 5 points Madam Erin took us to at Draco¡¯s dungeon my boss monsters and I take the 5th location looking around some more.


    After a few days investigating like that, the all beastkin group manages to hear a rumor of a bandit group that took out one of the local dungeons. We decide to meet up with them to see if there is anything to the story.


    Local: ¡°They just showed up a little over a year ago, they took out one of the dungeons using the ruins of it as a base while, attacking villages, and even adventurers while they are in other dungeons.¡±


    ¡°What about other dungeons have they taken out any more, or was it just the one?¡±


    Local: ¡°The dungeon they are based out of was a pretty small dungeon, so I doubt they gained much from it, but the leader of the group can even command monsters, so maybe he learned that skill while destroying another dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Wait he can command monsters?¡±


    Local: ¡°He always raids the towns, villages, and camps with monsters. He does have a strong group of human bandits as well, because when they attack the adventurers he uses the bandits instead.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s the same person?¡±


    Local: ¡°We could never forget him¡­ It¡¯s a shame really that he turned into something he hated so much¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Local: ¡°We had seen him several times before he became a bandit. He always came into town with a girl he said was his sister, but she was a rabbit beastkin and he was some kind of a dog beastkin. They were quite young, and both very attractive, so we always thought maybe they ran away from somewhere together, and were just taking care of one another. One day he came stumbling into town with his sister in his arms. They were both looked like they went through hell. He wanted us to help his sister but she was already gone. I have seen quite a few adventurers die, and the like, but the brutality of that one really did a number on me. He said bandits attacked him and his sister up in the mountains, and we tried to help but we never found them.¡±


    ¡°How did he become a bandit himself then?¡±


    Local: ¡°We don¡¯t really know, after a few days of crying his eyes out, and us still unable to find the bandits he disappeared. A few months later we heard about the dungeon being destroyed, and that¡¯s when the attacks started coming. The monsters always grab villagers dragging them back to their base, and one of them escaped and that¡¯s how we found out was him.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Local: ¡°When he destroyed the dungeon maybe it corrupted him somehow, because I heard when you destroy a dungeon crystal it enters your body, and that can¡¯t be good for you. Either that or maybe he blames us for what happened to his sister. He could have just lost his mind after his sister died. I have seen some people really change after losing someone they care about deeply.¡±


    ¡°Where is this base of his located?¡±


    Local: ¡°It is actually a few days down the mountain.¡±


    I take out a map and the man shows me the location on it.


    Local: ¡°I would really suggest avoiding that place though¡­ Not only the bandits, but the monsters as well it would take nothing less than an army to even get near him.¡±


    I thank the man and we then part ways. Once we are alone I open [Map] looking at the area the man mentioned.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°The local man said the boy destroyed the dungeon, but [Map] still shows it to be an active dungeon. Dungeon Core #594 [Alex]¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait¡­ Alex the one that is the same age as you Alex?¡±


    I open up the information on Alex¡¯s dungeon¡­


    ¡°Yes¡­ It looks that way. Do I know him?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You used to talk to him every so often, but oh no¡­ That means his sister¡­ I remember her because she and Amy had the same name. Amy was another dungeon core, they trained together but she chose to give up her place as a dungeon core to be Alex¡¯s boss monster.¡±


    ¡°Since humans killed her, do you think Alex has started to take it out on all of them then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know much about Alex, but from what you told me I wouldn¡¯t think he would do something like this, but loosing Amy it is a possibility.¡±


    ¡°We need to find out if he has had anything to do with Draco¡¯s dungeons, so I guess we need to go have a chat with him.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What will happen to him if he did?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, that is up to Draco.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am sure he didn¡¯t. I mean there is no point in destroying an imitation crystal right?¡±


    Azami: ¡°It is true you do not gain as much from an imitation crystal, but you also don¡¯t have the risk of your name displaying to every dungeon core what you just did. With the amount of imitation dungeon¡¯s Draco has lost that would sure net a decent amount of xp and maybe even skills.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t hurt him¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You heard he raids the towns and villages. He is a killer of adventurers and normal humans alike. I thought you would want to put a stop to that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe you can talk some sense into him! After what he lost we can¡¯t just give up on him¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, like I said if he is the one responsible for Draco¡¯s imitation dungeons, the decision rests on Draco.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    Just in case Alex isn¡¯t involved we have the other monsters continue their investigation while we make our way towards Alex¡¯s dungeon. The villager said it would take a couple days, but even though its slow going down the mountain you can see the plains below so using [Gate] to move off the mountain it will only take us a short while to actually reach the dungeon.


    Our trip slows down quite a bit when we start running into monsters however. I don¡¯t know if they are Alex¡¯s or not, but if they are his then he has to be getting a lot of xp from somewhere because they are a lot stronger then monsters you would expect from a dungeon of his age. I guess I don¡¯t have much room to talk though.


    After killing quite a few I can see from the [Archjusticar Menu] that they do indeed belong to him, and to avoid any more loss of xp I send him a message.


    (Alex, I am about to arrive at your dungeon, but I don¡¯t want to waste any of your xp by killing your monsters, so can you back them off so we can speak?)


    Alex: (Two-Twelve¡­? What are you doing way out here in Adra?)


    (Well it¡¯s a long story, you think you can call your monsters off so we can talk about it?)


    Alex: (You work for the elder¡¯s now don¡¯t you¡­? I received a message a week or two ago saying something about you being appointed the something or another of the elders.)


    (Does that matter?)


    Alex: (I¡¯m sorry Two-Twelve, I really appreciate all the help you gave me when I was first starting out, but I have to protect myself.)


    (If you tell me what is going on I might be able to help¡­)


    Alex: (My dungeon may have taken a while to get started, but I have gathered a lot of xp in the last year, so I am confident in my abilities, if you still want to talk you are going to have to get to me first.)


    (I was really trying to help you preserve your xp¡­ But so be it.)


    ¡°He isn¡¯t going to back off. It is looking more and more like he is the one responsible for Draco¡¯s imitation dungeons. I¡¯m sorry Belinda.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Me too¡­¡±


    The intensity of the monsters picks up after that, but they are still not enough that the girls and I can¡¯t handle. By the time we reach the entrance to the dungeon it is starting to get dark, and there is a group of men gathered around outside the opening of the cave.


    Bandit: ¡°That has to be the one the boss warned us about.¡±


    ¡°We are just here to speak with Alex.¡±


    Bandit: ¡°Is that so, if you want to talk with the boss you got to go through us first!¡±


    ¡°There is no reason to throw away anyone¡¯s life. We just want to speak with him.¡±


    Bandit: ¡°Ohhh. One of those holier-then-thou types, I will take great pleasure taking that mythril sword from your corpse.¡±


    Bandit 2: ¡°You can have the sword I will take one of the women.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the way it has to be¡­Belinda?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but I guess we have no choice¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright Azami, your up.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Understood!¡±


    Azami quickly uses her [Shadow Pocket] and her ¡°friends¡± quickly start oozing out of it. I must be getting used to their appearance, because for some reason they don¡¯t look as disturbing as they used to. The bandits are shocked at first, but even with Azami¡¯s ¡°friends¡± the bandits still out number us by at least 2 to 1, so they begin their attack.


    The bandit¡¯s courage is short lived however after they quickly start to fall. I use [Blink] to close the distance cleaving one of the bandits in two at the same time a rain of arrows fall on a few bandits huddled together as Zoey unleashes her bow technique.


    Belinda hesitates at first, but once one of the bandits swings an axe at my face, she begins casting spell causing a huge boulder to crush one bandit underneath it, and it then rolls across the ground causing several more bandits to scatter.


    I of course [Blink] behind the bandit with the axe and slice him down before he realized what even happened. Roxy then joins in casting a few spells as well while holding a defensive line between Zoey and Azami.


    These men are murders and thieves so I fill little remorse even as some try to escape, but are blocked off by Azami¡¯s ¡°friends¡± and are sucked into the mud which the elementals are made of. By the time the battle is over the elementals holding the captive bandits release their corpses, and it doesn¡¯t look like death came easy to them as they are bloated as mud pours from their bodies¡­


    I was thinking Azami¡¯s friends didn¡¯t look as nearly as disturbing as they did in the past, but that definitely is.


    ¡°Alright Alex, I am sure you are watching¡­ Are you really going to make us go through your entire dungeon killing your monsters along the way? I really did mean what I said when I said I just want to talk!¡±


    A dog beastkin with black hair appears in front of the mouth of the cave. When I see him I get a flash of an image in my head, but the two look nothing alike. If the flash was a memory of Alex then this is either not him, or he has really changed since I last saw him.


    ¡°Alex¡­?¡±


    Alex: ¡°You wanted to talk, so talk.¡±


    ¡°Why did you do it Alex?¡±


    Alex: ¡°They deserved every bit of it! After what they did to Amy I just returned the favor!¡±


    ¡°But you had the bandits working for you, why attack the villagers.¡±


    Alex: ¡°Is that what you heard? Bandits did that to Amy¡­ No it wasn¡¯t bandits! It was a group of boys from the village! They beat us! They held me down and made me watch while they raped and violated Amy! Then they cut off her ears and tail, and they just laughed¡­ She died! And they just laughed!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Alex: ¡°I thought the humans in the village weren¡¯t all that bad, but after the villagers found out it was some of their own, then Amy and I became just stray beastkin to them. So yes used the bandits, I let them play to their hearts content. I made them human¡¯s daughters, sisters, and lovers have to experience what Amy had to!¡±


    ¡°Why attack and elder¡¯s secondary dungeons though?¡±


    Alex: ¡°I couldn¡¯t get strong enough¡­ I needed more xp. It was the only way to get xp fast enough to help me avenge Amy¡­¡±


    ¡°What were you going to do when Draco eventually figured it out?¡±


    Alex: ¡°I didn¡¯t care at first. I just wanted to make the village pay, but after I did it just wasn¡¯t enough. Then there was the next village, and the next. There are humans everywhere, and I won¡¯t find rest until all of them pay¡­¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask for help?¡±


    Alex: ¡°I¡¯m not the great Two-Twelve! The Elder¡¯s favorite, getting showered in praise and gifts. I couldn¡¯t even get Draco to reply to my messages. Lucille she just said man up, so I did. I did what I had to do to get my revenge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I really am¡­¡±


    Alex: ¡°Draco wouldn¡¯t even give me the time of day, but he is paying attention now¡­ So what happens next?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Alex: ¡°I know better¡­ Just do it already, so I can be with Amy again¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you I just came here to talk! I¡¯m not going to kill you. I can do something about Draco, but you can¡¯t attack another one of his dungeons, and you have to quit attacking the humans.¡±


    Alex: ¡°I can¡¯t do that¡­ Not until the last human draws its breath or I do, I won¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¡°And where do you draw the line? Every human on the mountain? Every human in the kingdom? Every human in the world? What about the races that live with humans like beastkin, elves, dwarves? What about dungeon cores whose race is human do they count as well?¡±


    Alex: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have to stop you then.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve you can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°I have to¡­ I can¡¯t risk what we are trying to do, by having a dungeon core out to exterminate all humans.¡±


    Alex: ¡°Just do it!¡±


    Belinda reaches for my shoulder but I [Blink] to Alex driving my sword into his chest. A sudden shocked expression quickly gives way to a faint smile as his body goes limp. With a rumble from the dungeon behind him tiny shards fly through the opening of the cave piercing my body filling me with warmth.


    Several screens quickly appear in front of me.


    Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen] has passed judgement against Dungeon Core #594 [Alex] ending his life.


    Justicar points increased to 10 for completing task set by Elder Draco Justicar points increased to 11 for passing judgement against a Dungeon Core that was decreasing the integrity of [Menu] Justicar points increased to 12 for ending Dungeon Core #594 [Alex]¡¯s suffering in a merciful manor


    Skill Heroic (Rank 4) has increased to Heroic (Rank 5) Skill Archjusticar (Rank 1) has increased to Archjusticar (Rank 2)


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­¡±


    I then quickly receive messages from Dyson, Madam Erin, and even Draco asking me what is going on. I simply reply that the matter concerning Draco¡¯s dungeons has been dealt with and leave it at that.


    ¡°I am sorry Belinda, but there just wasn¡¯t another way¡­¡±

 Duramond

    It has been a few days since the death of Dungeon Core #594 [Alex]. I have giving a more detailed report to Dyson and Madam Erin concerning the matter, but didn¡¯t tell them my justicar points increased by 3. Belinda is still having a bit of a hard time with the entire situation.


    On our return the dungeon received a fair amount of xp, but the bunnies quickly used it to fill rifts in dungeon. Since Draco¡¯s task was complete we recalled the monsters again, this time sending them out to the four corners of the map so they can finally start gathering some xp.


    The group with only humans we sent to Dalian as planned, the group of only beastkin we actually sent to Longolia to check out that dungeon the king was talking about, one of the others went back to Adra but instructed them to steer clear of Draco¡¯s dungeons, and the last was sent just north of the Southern Merretta border in Merretta as I didn¡¯t want to risk Laura finding out about them and causing them harm.


    I am not sure if it is because of what happened with Alex, but I think Belinda has been avoiding me by spending the last few days helping Scylla as she is starting to get the hang of running Tobes. There are still a lot of things about Belinda I can¡¯t remember, so I decide to ask someone else that knows her a bit better.


    Logan: ¡°Two-Twelve, this is a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Well we still haven¡¯t heard from the church of Faron, and I managed to screw things up with Belinda pretty good. There is still a lot I don¡¯t remember so I was hoping you could give me some advice.¡±


    Logan: ¡°If there is one thing I know about my little sis, any advice I give you will probably make matters worse, so why don¡¯t we get an expert opinion?¡±


    With that he then sends for Amy.


    Amy: ¡°I thought you said I could have the day off? Two-Twelve?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I thought for your day off you would like to go meet your new baby niece.¡±


    Amy: ¡°Long as you don¡¯t plan on leaving me there.¡±


    Logan: ¡°What do you say Two-Twelve will you give us a lift?¡± ¨CHe says with a wink.-


    I use [Gate] taking us back to Tobes, he then sends Amy to the mayor¡¯s office to Belinda and Scylla.


    ¡°I thought you wanted to ask her how to help¡­?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well you can¡¯t just ask Amy. She will go meet the baby, and then she will talk with Belinda. Belinda will tell her what is wrong, because that¡¯s what they do. Amy will then return and yell at you. Only then will you know just how bad you screwed up and what to do to fix it.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a roundabout way to do it¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Trust me, but for the sake of curiosity what exactly did you do?¡±


    I tell Logan what happened with Alex, leaving out the part about dungeons of course.


    Logan: ¡°It didn¡¯t sound like you had much choice.¡±


    ¡°Well Belinda seems to think we did.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Nobody was born wanting to be a murder and a thief. I have found most of them have long sob stories, but if you get too hung up on them it is only going to lead to more suffering. They made the choice, and they have to pay the price for that choice.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing we are leaving this to Amy then?¡±


    Logan laughs. ¡°You¡¯re probably right¡­¡±


    ¡°So how are things going with you and Queen?¡±


    Logan: ¡°You remember Queen?¡±


    ¡°Well just what you have told me when you talked about her several times and Belinda filled in the blanks.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I see¡­ I don¡¯t know really. When we are together, which is few and far in-between, things are great, but there is always something that she wants to say, but she never does. In fact I thought you might know more about it, because our conversations always end up back on you and my sister, or her brother.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am sure she will tell you when she thinks you are ready.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I see¡­ So you do know. Well if you and my sister know and aren¡¯t saying anything. I at least have the peace of mind of not having to worry about it being anything malicious. Father is pressuring me in to asking her to marry me, especially after all the help she has been with the war, but that no knowing is holding me back.¡±


    ¡°All I can say is keep an open mind¡­ Don¡¯t make any snap decisions, and let her tell you everything before making up your mind on the matter.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I got to get her to talk to me first¡­ With the war coming to an end, all the new things Mindy has thrown on the table since she returned I can¡¯t get away from the capital to see her, and with the effects the war has had on New Leona she can¡¯t rightly leave to come to the capital either.¡±


    ¡°I know we have been pretty busy lately, but I am sure all you would have to do is ask Belinda, and she would take you to see each other for at least a few hours.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t really want to be a bother, and it is only a few days out from the capital to New Leona. Besides we have our communication parchment to keep in touch¡­¡±


    ¡°With our teleportation magic it¡¯s only a few seconds, and there are just some things that have to be said face to face.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe after some of the things I have heard her say, maybe I am just afraid to know the truth.¡±


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t really help you there¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Enough about me¡­ How are things going with Doug and his little beastkin girl?¡±


    ¡°Well referring to her as his little beastkin I think is where most of their problems lie. He stood up to Mindy several times when she was here proclaiming his love for Aria, but I am not completely sure what Aria feels for Doug is love, or just admiration. As long as Doug doesn¡¯t change his mind however I think it will work itself out.¡±


    Logan: ¡°After being alongside Kline all those years, I should be the last one to speak about her like that. I guess no matter how well we say the relations between humans and beastkins have gotten, there is always the notion in the back of our heads saying they are different then us.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of beastkins, how is Delilah working out on the council?¡±


    Logan: ¡°If any beastkin is going to change the way we perceive them it will be Delilah. She isn¡¯t afraid of anything. Mindy came back with a lot of changes she wanted to make, but Delilah turned most of them down flat while the others cowered in the corner. Then after turning Mindy down she was able to rally the others to agree with her. I don¡¯t know how you managed it, but she was exactly what we needed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad she is working out.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Even after standing up to Mindy, she can¡¯t bring herself to hate Delilah, because on the items Mindy that brought to the table that Delilah didn¡¯t shoot down, Delilah managed to improve them enough that even Mindy was impressed. I never thought I would see the day that even Mindy would look at a beastkin without total disdain.¡±


    ¡°Well we have probably giving the girls enough time to talk, and you didn¡¯t get the chance to meet Kline¡¯s baby last time you were here, so maybe we should go check on them now.¡±


    After he agrees we head next door to the city hall building. Kline has seemed to be kicked out of the office as he is wondering around the adventurer¡¯s guild when we arrive. After talking with him a bit the three of us then go to the mayor¡¯s office.


    Everyone seems to have a good time after that even Belinda, so I don¡¯t know if I managed to fix anything, but at least it was enough to take her mind off of it for a while. When I take Amy and Logan back home that evening Amy stops me and says.


    Amy: ¡°I know what you were trying to do, but I can¡¯t help you. Not because I figured it out, but because I happen to agree with you this time.¡± ¨CShe looks to Logan then chooses her next words carefully. - ¡°I do she why she is acting like she is however, so all I can say is it will take time. You two have been though a lot the last few months, so just don¡¯t give up on her.¡±


    Logan: ¡°See maybe my advice wasn¡¯t so bad after all!¡±


    I sigh, thank them both, and then return them home. When Belinda and I start getting ready for bed Belinda walks up behind me and wraps her arms around me giving me a hug.


    Belinda: ¡°I know it was just a distraction, but thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°That really wasn¡¯t my intention.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well, whatever your intentions were, thank you.¡±


    She lets me go then goes to bed without another word, but things slowly start to turn around the next couple of days, and that¡¯s when we finally get word from the church of Faron.


    Logan: (The church said the group you are looking for was just seen at the church in Duramond of Duscae.)


    (Thanks Logan, you have been a big help.)


    Logan: (It might not be much help, but Mother and Ben are there in the castle. They may not want to, but they should be able to help you if you need it.)


    Belinda is looking over my shoulder as I write to Logan on the communication parchment.


    Belinda: ¡°Duramond¡­ I haven¡¯t been there since I was a little girl.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t one of Faron¡¯s secondary dungeons, but it sounds like the same group just the same, so we should at least check it out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Can I stay behind for this one¡­?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about...?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe we won¡¯t have to deal with Mother or her family¡­¡±


    ¡°Your mother is one of the Duscae princesses isn¡¯t that right? I never thought about it but that makes Ben and his wife cousins doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°According to every written document and royal law yes, but they actually aren¡¯t blood related. Mother¡¯s father was the king, but her real mother was actually one of the king¡¯s mistresses, and her brother was not actually the king¡¯s child but a result of the Queen and one of her own side interests.¡±


    ¡°That sounds rather complicated¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The entire kingdom is just like Mother, Mindy, and Ben¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember your Mother or Ben, but they like me even less then Mindy don¡¯t they?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Fine¡­ I will go, but let¡¯s at least try to get this done before they even know we went to Duscae.¡±


    We don¡¯t waste any time, and after collecting Roxy, Zoey, and Azami the five of us head to Duscae, it takes Belinda three castings of [Gate] to find a location she remembers well enough for the spell to work however.


    We end up much closer to the Duramond castle then Belinda cares to be, but we try to avoid it as we head though the city towards the church of Faron. We send out Roxy, Zoey, and Azami to try to learn some information in the city while Belinda and I head to the church. When we reach the church we quickly start asking questions about the beastkin, which draws the attention of the head priest.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    When the head priest approaches us he drops all the way to the ground bowing as he says. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it when I heard the Archjusticar himself was coming to our lowly church. Anything you need! Don¡¯t hesitate, ask and you will receive!¡±


    As I was afraid of¡­ the high priest at the grand cathedral didn¡¯t listen to a word I said. You would think if they really believed I was some holy person they would listen to my every word, except when you try to explain to them that you aren¡¯t¡­


    ¡°Please get up, I don¡¯t want anyone to bow to me.¡±


    The priest quickly returns to his feet. ¡°I am sorry Archjusticar, but someone of your position has never been seen before, so I didn¡¯t know the proper way to greet you.¡±


    ¡°I am nothing special, I was given a task by Faron because I was at the right place at the right time that is all, I am not even one of his followers, but the task I was appointed to was one worth doing, so I will at least see it though.¡±


    The priest wears a complicated expression, but it seems he understands. That is until it seems like he found some hidden meaning in what I said and he quickly says. ¡°I understand Archjusticar! Anything you need, you just have to ask.¡±


    I let out a deep sigh that seems to trouble the priest, I then say.


    ¡°Well for starters we heard the group that the grand cathedral sent the warning about was spotted here, so can you tell me what happened?¡±


    Priest: ¡°Yes Duscae doesn¡¯t allow for beggars or homeless in the kingdom, but that doesn¡¯t mean the poor no longer exist. It makes our job of providing for such people rather difficult. One of the priests found the group you are looking for in one of the usual hiding spots for the poor. He tried to help them, but then they started to cause a commotion that ended with the city guards getting involved.¡±


    ¡°But what exactly did they do?¡±


    Priest: ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly repeat what they said in front of the Archjusticar¡­¡±


    ¡°I need to know, to find out more about these people.¡±


    The priest looks hesitant then quickly calls a young priest and tells him. ¡°You were the one that found the group the Archjusticar is looking for. He wants you to tell him exactly what they said after you approached them.¡±


    The priest looks relieved after passing the buck, but the young priest he dragged in has seemed to lose all color in his face.


    I sigh again and say. ¡°I just need to know what they said¡­¡±


    Young priest: ¡°They said terrible and horrible blasphemous things about Faron. I tried to calm them down, but they kept getting louder and louder till the town guard arrived.¡±


    ¡°But what exactly did they say? It may be important.¡±


    The young priest grows really anxious and hesitant, but finally says. ¡°They called Faron a fake god, pretender, false, and every variation of that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­?¡±


    Priest: ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough?!¡±


    ¡°Well anyone worshiping a different god would try to discredit the other in the same fashion, so none of that stands out¡­ You are sure that is all they said?¡±


    Young priest: ¡°They also said Faron was monster bad enough to be from a dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°They said it like that? Exactly like that?¡±


    The young priest gets nervous again.


    Young priest: ¡°Their exact words were, Faron doesn¡¯t deserve to be called a god for he belongs in the depths of a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Where is this group now?¡±


    Priest: ¡°After the guards rounded them up, they tossed most of them from the city, but they took a few of them to set an example about breaking the laws, and they plan to execute them.¡±


    ¡°I need to speak with them, where are the guards holding them?¡±


    Young priest: ¡°At the guard tower I suppose, but the city guard doesn¡¯t like us already because we help those in need¡­¡±


    ¡°Where is the guard tower at?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just outside the castle gates¡­¡±


    Priest: ¡°She is right Archjusticar¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Belinda, I know you wanted to keep as far away as possible, but it looks like we are going to have to go to the guard tower.¡± ¨CI then look back to the priests and say.¡±  ¡°Thank you for your help.¡±


    Belinda sighs. ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    We then set out from the church making our way towards the castle, Belinda growing more and more nervous the closer we get.


    ¡°They can¡¯t really be that bad can they?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I would rather face off against a dragon with a stick, than be stuck in a room full of Mother¡¯s family¡­¡±


    Once we reach the guard tower they of course won¡¯t let us in.


    Guard: ¡°What is you business here?¡±


    ¡°There was a few people taken in that caused a commotion with a priest of Faron. I need to talk to them. It¡¯s about an attack they are planning in the city.¡±


    Guard: ¡°Other than the ones we are to execute the others have been removed from the city, there is no way for them to attack the city if they can¡¯t get in it.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t their first time. The attack always comes after they are long gone, it might be some kind of magic, and it might already be set, so we also need to find out how they do it as well.¡±


    Guard: ¡°We haven¡¯t heard of any such attacks, now get lost before I throw you in along with them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am the 3<sup>rd</sup> princess of the Gowen kingdom, Belinda Gowen, and I promise he is telling the truth.¡±


    Guard: ¡°If you were the princess we would know about you arriving in Duscae.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If you know my mother, then you know why I might not want her to know I am here¡­¡±


    Guard: ¡°Even if it was true I am sure it¡¯s the other way around. Now get lost before I really do throw you in a cell.¡±


    ¡°Come on Belinda, we will have to think of another way to go about this¡­¡±


    After leaving the guard tower Belinda hangs her head and says.


    Belinda: ¡°We are going to have to speak with Mother aren¡¯t we¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just don¡¯t see any other way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Can¡¯t we just let this church burn, and try again at the next one¡­?¡±


    ¡°Belinda¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know¡­ I know¡­¡±


    We head up to the castle gates and Belinda announces her arrival. We are then forced to wait for 3 hours before receiving a response, and Belinda grows more and more anxious with every passing minute.


    The one to arrive at the gate to greet us looks a lot like Belinda, but she looks a few years older and wears quite the sour expression.


    Tanya: ¡°What are you doing here¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Trust me, I don¡¯t want to be here either, but the truth is there is going to be an attack on one of the buildings in the city. The guards have a few of the culprits locked up, but we need to find out how they carry out the attacks and why before the guards execute them.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°If the guards execute them, there won¡¯t be a problem now will there.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I said they had a few as in not all of them. Right now this is the first chance we have to find out how and why they are doing these attacks.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°If we execute their friends, they will then know not to mess with us, and they can go mess with someone else, but as long as they are out of here I could care less.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re not listening! The attack is probably already set. It¡¯s some type of magic or something it will not go off for weeks giving the others plenty of time to be long gone. Then it will be too late to find out where they went.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I know you were always stupid when it came to magic, but that is ridiculous. Even if there was a magic that would take weeks to go off it would take a massive amount of magic to be in standby till it went off. There would be no way for something like that to be in the city without being detected.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They have done this in dozens of places already, I don¡¯t know how they are doing it exactly but they are doing it.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°And what building is it they plan to attack?¡±


    Belinda hangs her head and says. ¡°The Faron church¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°The Faron church? Maybe we should go talk to these people, so I can issue them a pardon. The church brings nothing but beggars and thieves into the city, if it wasn¡¯t for the clout the church of Faron has throughout all the kingdoms we wouldn¡¯t even allow the church to stay standing as it is, but if someone else is going to get rid of it for us. Then more power to them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It isn¡¯t just the churches the attacks are getting worse, the last few the fire spread to the surrounding areas and killed a lot of people.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I still don¡¯t see why this is my problem, much less your problem.¡±


    ¡°Look, the church of Faron hired us to look into this for them. We have been working on it for weeks and this is the closest we have come to the culprits. You want the church gone, than help us out, and I might be able to persuade them to move their interests at least outside of the capital.¡±


    Tanya squints her eyes at me and mulls it around for a few seconds then says. ¡°I will have to talk to Mother about this.¡± She then disappears back beyond the gates and we are left standing there again.


    Belinda: ¡°You really think you can talk the Faron church into leaving Duramond?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t one of Faron¡¯s secondary dungeons, so he has no ties to this church, and with the whole Archjusticar thing, and the threat of an attack, I don¡¯t really think it will be all too hard.¡±


    While we continue to wait Roxy, Zoey, and Azami then meet back up with us.


    ¡°Did you learn anything?¡±


    Azami: ¡°The humans here are a prime example of why I hate humans.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t feel as strongly as her, but I think we would have had better luck talking to the people of Dalian then these people¡­ At least being treated as a slave they notice you exist, these people didn¡¯t even do that.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I don¡¯t know that guy really noticed me when I flashed him.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°And you almost got us all locked up for that¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey, you didn¡¯t¡­?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You heard Roxy they pretended we didn¡¯t exist, so I got their attention.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°And if the man¡¯s wife wasn¡¯t so embarrassed that her husband got caught ogling a beastkin then things would of went way differently.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It¡¯s not like the guards would have been strong enough to do anything, besides we could just use your [Gate] to run away if we had to.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°That¡¯s not the point¡­ I don¡¯t really have room to talk after what I used to do for a living but that doesn¡¯t mean I am happy about my wife showing herself off to others.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It¡¯s not like I would have let him touch them, I would have broken his fingers off before it came to that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know that¡¯s not what she meant, just promise you won¡¯t do something like that again.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Alright! I promise nobody but Roxy can see me naked from now on, oh and boss, but Roxy already said he was ok.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well you did!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why is everyone after my husband¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°I have to admit as well, while Two-Twelve watched me bathe I found the experience rather arousing as well, although Moss¡¯s presence ruined the experience. Either that or were it not for Moss I would have found Two-Twelve watching me bathe to be arousing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Watch you bathe? When did this happen?!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t watching you bathe! I thought you were molesting Moss, and I told you to get dressed.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Regardless, that doesn¡¯t answer Miss Belinda¡¯s question. I believe the attraction to Two-Twelve is due to his charismatic nature, but his race also may prove to be a factor as well as I have found all of those who bare the ¡°Divine¡± prefix to their race to have a unique magical pull to them.¡±


    ¡°Magical pull? You mean like the effect a Succubus has?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Not near as powerful or obvious as that, but yes I believe that would be a comparable way to describe it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But we are all immune to charm effects.¡±


    Azami: ¡°To call it a charm effect would be incorrect. It is less of a charm then just raw attraction just on a magical scale.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t charm or attraction be the same thing?¡±


    Azami: ¡°One does not need a charm spell or magic at all for someone to find them inherently attractive. Either that or you can find one inherently attractive regardless if they possess magical ability.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I told you boss was laying it on us with his magical mojo.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Quiet Zoey¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think I understand what she is saying, but that doesn¡¯t mean I am happy about it.¡±


    ¡°Well if it has to do with my race I can wear my ring for gathering xp and remove it right?¡±


    Azami: ¡°That is technically correct, but that is saying we should disfigure ourselves because others might find us physically attractive.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°What hell are you all talking about, but if you want to carve up your face I will lend you a knife. Might be fun to watch.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Tanya¡­ Haven¡¯t you ever heard it was rude to butt in to someone else¡¯s conversation?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Mother wants to see you two, but your pets will have to remain out there.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is uncalled for!¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Well are you coming or not?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you three return home for now, and once we find something out we will call for you?¡±


    I see Roxy use [Gate] as Belinda and I then head into the castle.


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s your problem anyway? You are starting to sound worse than Mindy¡± ¨CShe says to Tanya.-


    Tanya: ¡°After you went and made Exeter an ally of Gowen, Mother couldn¡¯t stand for Duscae losing its power in Gowen, and Mindy is to old and damaged now, so I am to marry the prince of Exeter.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I didn¡¯t even know the Queen had a son. What is it about him you don¡¯t like?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°He is part elf! Mother is making me marry an elf!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The Queen was older, but still she didn¡¯t look old enough to have half-elf child old enough to be of marrying age.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°You¡¯re and idiot! The Queen of Exeter is a half-elf, so her son is only ?¡±


    ¡°Really she seemed like the exact opposite of an elf to me¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Well her son looks the part he has the green hair and everything¡­ I can¡¯t believe mother agreed to this¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel the prince of Exeter is the one that got the bad end of the deal here¡­¡±


    Belinda laughs, and Tanya shoots me a hateful look. She doesn¡¯t say anything else till we arrive at our destination. We enter a room with quite a few other people in it. Most of the women look like Belinda and Tanya with the red hair and similar facial features. The only difference is their ages range quite a bit.


    I know one of them must be Belinda¡¯s mother, but I am not sure which. The only male in the room looks a lot like a stocker version of Logan, so that must be Belinda¡¯s brother Ben. Belinda seems rather shocked we are among so many people.


    Middle-age woman: ¡°What is this about Belinda? Tanya said you might be able to get the eye sore of a church out of the city?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve said we might be able to convince them to leave, but to do that we have to speak with several prisoners being held for execution at the guard tower.¡±


    Ben: ¡°And what makes the great Two-Twelve think he can get the church to leave the city?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Faron himself appointed Two-Twelve as his Archjusticar, so if anyone can talk them into leave he can.¡±


    Middle-age woman: ¡°Do you take us as fools? No god is going to appoint some slave boy any special powers.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Need I remind you Two-Twelve is the 5<sup>th</sup> prince of Gowen, and a hero now 5 times over. What would father say if he learned that Gowen¡¯s ally, the kingdom of Duscae, was not only treating one of Gowen¡¯s heroes but one of the princes in such a manor? That doesn¡¯t even include if the Faron Grand Cathedral hears about you treating their Archjusticar like this.¡±


    The room gets a bit uneasy now.


    Ben: ¡°A mere technicality! I will never acknowledge that husband of yours as my brother!¡±


    Middle-age woman: ¡°Quiet Ben¡­ So what is it you want from us?¡±


    ¡°Like we said, we just need to talk with the prisoners being held at the guard tower, but to get them to talk we might have to make a deal with them, so we need you to turn them over into our custody if need be.¡±


    The middle aged woman looks over at Tanya and she then whispers in her ear.


    Middle-age Woman: ¡°They were convicted of the crimes of begging and homelessness, and are to be put to death for their crimes, but if it means they will never return to be a stain on our city, we will release them to you. However the church of Faron must be gone by the end of the month as well without facing the ire of the Faron Grand Cathedral.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­¡±


    The middle-aged woman draws up a statement, stamps it, hands it to Tanya, and Tanya brings it to me.


    Middle-age woman: ¡°We have met with you without prior notice, and even granted your request, so remember that.¡±


    Belinda doesn¡¯t look pleased but she follows suit after a lightly bow and say. ¡°Thank you.¡± We then quickly leave the castle. Once outside Belinda quickly grabs hold of me putting her weight into me.


    ¡°You alright¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After not only seeing Ben¡¯s wife, but even several of Mother¡¯s sisters and my cousins there I was worried how things were going to go, but in the end it managed to help because Mother had to act as a Duscae princess instead of the Gowen queen or my mother.¡±


    ¡°You did really well back there, I am sure Logan would be impressed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was scared to death¡­ Sorry about throwing the Archjusticar thing at them, I know you don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like using your title as princess either, but have done it on my behalf lots of times already, so I guess it¡¯s only fair.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well we better hurry and get this done before they execute the prisoners before we arrive.¡±


    I nod and we then head for the guard tower.

 Farons Task

    We enter the Duramond guard tower again this time with a written letter from Belinda¡¯s mother, so the guard gives us no problem on seeing the prisoners.


    The guard leads us underground to the cells and there are three humans dressed in rags sitting in one of the cells.


    ¡°They are all humans.¡±


    Guard: ¡°We thought so as well, that is why we choose them to make an example of. Nobody would have blinked an eye about us executing a couple beastkin, but they would take notice when they were human. As it turns out though they are beastkin as well, but they have had their ears removed and their tails. That female there I think used to be a rabbit, that male a cat, and I am not sure about that other female.¡±


    ¡°Now if you will excuse us, we would like to speak to them privately.¡±


    Guard: ¡°The princess said they are your problem now, so do what you like.¡± ¨CHe then walks back upstairs.-


    After the guard is gone the male stands up moving over to the bars and smiles as he looks at me.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Male: ¡°Who we are isn¡¯t important Dungeon Core #212 Archjusticar Gowen.¡±


    ¡°How do you know me? Which dungeon are you from.¡±


    Male: ¡°Oh but I¡¯m not from a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you know about the dungeon cores?¡±


    Male: ¡°The gods told me of course, the real ones that is.¡±


    ¡°You have spoken to the old gods?¡±


    Male: ¡°There is nothing old about them, they are the only gods.¡±


    ¡°I could understand why they might have a grudge against Faron, but why the churches not related to him and the cost of human life?¡±


    Male: ¡°It got your attention did it not? You could even say it was the very cause that allowed you to become the Archjusticar of the dungeon core elders.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying the old gods wanted me to become the Archjusticar?¡±


    Male: ¡°Who¡¯s to say¡­?¡±


    ¡°How are you starting the fires in the churches?¡±


    Male: ¡°Who knows...?¡±


    ¡°How do I stop it?¡±


    Male: ¡°Maybe you should try praying.¡±


    ¡°If the old gods know so much about me, then they would know if they wanted something from me that killing humans isn¡¯t the way to get me to do what they want.¡±


    Male: ¡°Who says they want something from you? It sounds to me like you want something from them.¡±


    ¡°I thought the old gods were the gods of the humans, so massacring humans just doesn¡¯t make any sense to me. If they have a problem with Faron they should take it to Faron, and before they try to put the blame on the fact they stopped worshipping the old gods and started worshipping Faron. I will remind you that the old gods disappeared. Regardless of his intentions Faron was there, so you can¡¯t fault the humans for it.¡±


    Male: ¡°The purge, the adventurer¡¯s guild, and everything down to your friend Alex¡¯s predicament all caused by humans, but yet you still say they deserve to live?¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of dungeon cores out there just as corrupt, but I don¡¯t want to be lumped up with them either, so it is unfair to judge all humans on the actions of a percentage. You make it sound like the old gods want the humans dead more than the elders do.¡±


    Male: ¡°Maybe humans were a mistake that needs correcting, or maybe the dungeon cores were the mistake, and maybe neither were a mistake and the gods just wish to shake things up a bit to see what happens.¡±


    ¡°Well whatever their intention I can¡¯t look the other way while they kill humans for no reason, and being appointed as the Archjusticar if they continue to cause problems to the elders I will do what is necessary.¡±


    Male: ¡°And if the elders order you to execute humans?¡±


    ¡°I have already angered the elder¡¯s once by choosing to protect human lives over the elder¡¯s wishes.¡±


    Male: ¡°You speak of the previous Dungeon Core #135 and her poison, but it was an elder that asked you to complete that task as well.¡±


    ¡°Dyson knows the importance of humans, and I think even Madam Erin is seeing it as well. The only ones that would order such a thing are the other four, but I don¡¯t think Dyson or Madam Erin would stand for it.¡±


    Male: ¡°But you would kill other dungeon cores at their order?¡±


    ¡°I killed Alex didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Male: ¡°You were prepared to let Alex live, and even tell the elders it was the bandits that destroyed Draco¡¯s imitation dungeons, but he would have never stopped attacking the humans indiscriminately and that was the reason you ended his life, not because it was the elder¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°If you know that much then is there even a reason for you to ask me these questions?¡±


    Male: ¡°Knowing what you are going to say and listening to you say it are different things. Besides it¡¯s the things that can¡¯t be seen that are the most interesting.¡±


    ¡°And what is it that can¡¯t be seen?¡±


    Male: ¡°Who¡¯s to say¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well now that the old gods have my attention are Faron¡¯s churches still in danger?¡±


    Male: ¡°Who knows¡­?¡±


    ¡°What about the church here? If I have them leave will it still burn?¡±


    Male: ¡°Who knows¡­?¡±


    ¡°You said if I want it to stop I should pray, but pray to whom?¡±


    Male: ¡°To the true gods of course.¡±


    ¡°If I pray to them then the burning of Faron¡¯s churches will end?¡±


    Male: ¡°Who¡¯s to say¡­?¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Is there any answer you can give me that makes sense?¡±


    Male: ¡°It will become clear when the time is right.¡±


    ¡°When the time is right, what is that supposed to mean?¡±


    Male: ¡°It¡¯s too bad¡­ I would have liked to see how it would play out.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    One of the females casts a spell engulfing the male in flames. We quickly try to get the guards but before we can do anything the two females turn on each other engulfing each other in flames as well. By the time we get the fires put out there is little remaining but charred lumps.


    Guard: ¡°Prisoners preforming their own execution¡­ Can¡¯t say you see that one every day¡­¡±


    ¡°None of this makes any sense¡­¡±


    I sigh¡­ ¡°We better go talk to the church now.¡±


    Belinda and I then start making our way back to the church of Faron.


    Belinda: ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­ Inari told me the god Inari helps her and the people in Shima, so why all this?¡±


    ¡°They knew a lot that is for sure, but I am still not convinced they are not from a dungeon. They were posing as humans, but in truth all of the group could be beastkin then if the other human looking members of the group were like these three. If they were gods then they could have just used actual humans.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know they seemed to know things that even the elders didn¡¯t know about. Dyson was the only one to know about dungeon core #135, and you didn¡¯t tell the elder¡¯s everything about Alex, yet they even knew what you were had planned, and you didn¡¯t even tell me that¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not supposed to have [Observation] but I do, so it isn¡¯t out of the realm of possibility that another dungeon may have it as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But they knew what you were thinking.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t explain that one either, but with magic anything is possible, so maybe they read my mind or something¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What are we going to do now?¡±


    ¡°Well we promised your mother so we will talk to the church. We will then keep an eye out for another appearance of the group. Other than that I don¡¯t know what else to do.¡±


    Once we arrive at the church I talk with the head priest.


    Priest: ¡°Archjusticar, where you able to find what you were looking for?¡±


    ¡°Sort of¡­ But we need you to leave Duramond.¡±


    Priest: ¡°Leave Duramond? But there are people in the city that count on us.¡±


    ¡°Then take them with you, but I don¡¯t think it will be safe to remain here any longer.¡±


    Priest: ¡°Where would we go?¡±


    ¡°To another church or something, I don¡¯t know but I do know it isn¡¯t safe to remain in Duramond. Also send a message to the Grand Cathedral that the group is still out there so keep an eye out for them and let us know if they resurface.¡±


    It takes a while but I eventually am able to convince the priests to leave Duramond, the only question now is that going to be enough?


    I then spend the next few hours trying to explain to Madam Erin and Dyson what just happened. They seem even less convinced then I do that this is the work of some gods, but if not then what? Faron isn¡¯t happy with the wait and see mentality, but there isn¡¯t much else we can do if we can¡¯t find the group of beastkin.


    The next few weeks pass and Scylla really has her work cut out for her, while trying to take care of her newborn she is also, overseeing the construction of the mage¡¯s guild which will easily become two to three times larger than any current building in Tobes, and she has begun planning for the winter solstice festival.


    With my disappearance and no active mayor I heard last year¡¯s solstice festival was rather depressing, and to make up for it Scylla is trying to go all out especially because it will also be her first as the mayor. We promised Scylla some extra hands, but we were unsure if it would be wise to summon in more people to run the town, so instead Belinda hired in the help instead.


    Belinda has still been spending all her extra time at the Mayor¡¯s office, but she is now just doing it because she wants to, and not just to avoid me. There is still something between us that hasn¡¯t quite mended completely, but we even managed to spend a romantic evening out together, so maybe it will just take time.


    When we woke up this morning there was a light snow falling, and Belinda prepared breakfast for the girls for helping out Scylla while she is so busy.  After we sit down to eat there is a surprise knock on the door.


    Maeve: ¡°Morning Papa¡­ Can I come in?¡± ¨CShe says standing at the door with a bit of snow collected on top of the pauldrons of her armor.-


    ¡°Yes, come on in¡­¡± ¨CAfter she enters the house and brushes some snow from her I ask.- ¡°What are you doing here this morning?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I just came to see my Papa, is that alright?¡±


    ¡°Well its fine, but your dungeon isn¡¯t anywhere near here, so what are you doing so far away from such a new dungeon?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Maeve: ¡°Well it¡¯s not like anyone can get to it, but actually it is just over head.¡± ¨CShe says while pointing to a large cloud that looks quite darker then the grey ones that fill the sky.-


    ¡°It not only flies, but it moves?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Of course, I have a little control over it, but it¡¯s like a ship in the water I have to have wind to carry me in the direction I want to go.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Who was at the door?¡± ¨CBelinda says exiting the dining room, but she squeals when she sees Maeve and quickly gives her a hug.-


    Maeve: ¡°It¡¯s good to see you to¡­ I was in the neighborhood so I thought I would check to see how everyone is doing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s great to get to see you! We just finished breakfast, but if you like I can make something for you real quick.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°No that¡¯s ok.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well is there anything I can get you?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well actually, while I was in town¡­ I was wondering if I could spend a few hours in Papa¡¯s dungeon to gather a bit of xp.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course! That should be fine right Two-Twelve?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I trained you well enough that you would cause quite a bit of problems for the normal adventurers that work in the dungeon.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°The training room has rifts, and is not connected to the outside right? I could just gather there for a few hours, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to get out into your dungeon to cause problems either.¡±


    ¡°I guess if it is just there it shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Thank you papa!¡± ¨CShe says giving me a hug.- ¡°I would ask the others if they would like to join me, but if they did I wouldn¡¯t be able to take any xp home.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure they would love to, but they have been really busy lately, Scylla has taken over as the Mayor so we are all pitching in to help her out.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well good for Scylla, so papa are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Well, sure but is there such a rush?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I can only hold my dungeon in one place for so long, so I would like to gather as much xp as I can while I can.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ But you owe me one.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Thanks papa!¡±


    I think Maeve has grown even taller as after she hugs me again she almost has to lean down to give me a kiss on the cheek.


    ¡°You mind if I watch?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°To make sure I don¡¯t try any funny business?¡±


    ¡°Like you said you would be locked in that room with no exit, there isn¡¯t much you could do, but I am curious how far you have come the month and a half.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Alright papa¡­ I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Belinda then gives me a quick hug and a kiss then says. ¡°Take good care of her.¡±


    I nod then transfer Maeve and myself to the training room of the dungeon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see your sword. Did it prove to be too long after all?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°No I simply love it, but carrying it around when I am not using it was a pain so I got this.¡± ¨CShe says motioning to a second ring on her finger, the amber stone glows and she then has the spear like rapier in her hand.-


    ¡°That is quite nice.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Alright, I am ready when you are papa!¡±


    Maeve then takes a stance, she wields her blade with one hand, but uses her other to guide the blade on the smooth back side of the sword. I start to have the rift monsters come through the door and Maeve quickly starts to eliminate them.


    Aria¡¯s class is a dancer and when she fights it almost looks like she dances with her opponent, and Maeve¡¯s fighting style is quite similar, but instead of dancing with her opponent, Maeve almost seems to be dancing with her sword, and the enemies are just in the way getting destroyed in the process.


    I don¡¯t know if she has managed to gain any levels in this last month and a half, but I can¡¯t help feel a little nervous watching her destroy my monsters. I have confidence in my magical ability, but I realize I really need to start training again, because if Maeve fought against me in a serious manor I don¡¯t know who would win.


    As Maeve fights my monsters she doesn¡¯t even seem to be exerting herself, so I decide ask her how she has been doing.


    ¡°I know it has only been a month and a half, but how are things going for you?¡±


    Maeve swings her sword around cleaving half a dozen of the slimes along with one of the golems as she says. ¡°So far so good. My xp consumption is quite a pain, but you helping me out today should put me in a good spot for a few days at least.¡±


    ¡°You have only been at it for 30 minutes and have probably gathered enough xp to cover my xp consumption for a 24 hour period, is your xp consumption really that high?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Summoning monsters doesn¡¯t seem to change the consumption more than normal but any rooms added to the dungeon increase my consumption by the hour.¡±


    ¡°That sounds quite steep¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t added much to the dungeon yet.¡±


    ¡°How are things going with Dyson? Have you managed to make a deal with him yet?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Aww is papa worried about his little girl¡¯s chastity? I have talked to him a few times, but so far he seems too preoccupied with that succubus of Elder Madam Erin¡¯s to even worry about the new Divine Being dungeon core anymore. In truth I am a little disappointed, by the way you talked papa, I thought I would have been able to make a deal with him quickly.¡±


    ¡°It may not be my place, but I really do wish you would reconsider¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You really are worried about it¡­?¡±


    ¡°After spending time with Inari, and then got to meet with Dawn and Twilight¡­ I don¡¯t know maybe I really do think of the four of you as my daughters¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Alright papa¡­ I promise I won¡¯t go out of my way to make the deal, but if Dyson come to me and makes the deal good enough. I¡¯m sorry I am going to have to take it. It might help though if I can swing by here every so often to gather xp like this.¡±


    ¡°Well as long as it¡¯s in here, and I am not training another dungeon, then I guess it would be alright.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± ¨CShe quickly runs over giving me a quick hug, she then returns to fighting monsters.-


    She was draining the monster rifts pretty quick before, but now even without the help of the others by noon the rifts are empty.


    Maeve: ¡°That really does help out a lot papa. Maybe I can find a way to pay you back sometime.¡±


    I open [Archjusticar Menu] and say. ¡°I am not sure what this will do, because I have only done it once, but I am curious and it is sure to help at least a little.¡± I then enter Maeve¡¯s dungeon core number, selecting 1 justicar point, and confirming a boon to Maeve¡¯s entire dungeon.


    Archjusticar has bestowed Dungeon Core #135 [Maeve]¡¯s dungeon a boon. Dungeon Core #135 [Maeve], her dungeon, and all monsters associated to it receives 10% xp bonus when gathering xp for the dungeon for 365 days. Xp bonus does not affect level gain, and only the amount of xp provided to the dungeon. With the exception if the gained xp is consumed by the dungeon core causing level gain.


    Maeve read the screen that appeared to her and quickly thanks me. I don¡¯t know if that is better then what Dyson got or not, but it¡¯s something at least. That puts me back to 11 justicar points, but now I am starting to get a bit more understanding of the [Archjusticar Menu] so it was worth it.


    Maeve: ¡°That was amazing papa, is that what becoming an Archjusticar did for you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very limited, and I can¡¯t use it on myself, but I can use it on others. I am still figuring it all out. I can also give a penalty as well but I haven¡¯t tried that one out yet. If there is a dungeon core causing my little girl some trouble though you let me know and we will figure it out.¡± ¨CI say jokingly.-


    Maeve: ¡°Papa, you really are something else¡­¡±


    We then transfer back down to the house, Maeve then says bye to everyone and then sets off. I guess something like that isn¡¯t so bad every so often. It at least seemed to make Belinda happy. We then get back to work taking care of the things needed for winter solstice festival.


    After shoveling snow the last three days I ask Belinda.


    ¡°Why is the only town festival during the winter solstice? Having it during the summer solstice would have been far easier¡­¡±


    Belinda laughs: ¡°The original mayor of Tobes retired at the end of the year he started the festival to be his last gift to the town, so I wouldn¡¯t want to put a stop to it, but we might have Scylla start planning a few more festivals though the year. We could spread it out a bit then and wouldn¡¯t have to do everything at once.¡±


    ¡°It takes long enough to plan for one, I am sure that is more than enough¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you¡¯re not the mayor anymore are you? So it¡¯s not up to you anymore is it?¡± ¨CShe says while smiling and wrapping her arms around me.-


    ¡°At least let Scylla get settled in first before throwing that much work at her¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We didn¡¯t get to celebrate anyone¡¯s birthday last year though, even yours, we just had a dinner with everyone and our poor ballroom is just sitting there gathering dust.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Kline, Doug, and I use it to hide in all the time when we get to outnumbered.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s not hiding if we know exactly where you are, besides that¡¯s just the bar.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know about all the time, but if you want to throw something together every now and then when we aren¡¯t busy I guess it would be alright.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Really?! You mean it?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then how about we throw a party at the end of the winter solstice festival at the house, to thank everyone for their help?!¡±


    I sigh. ¡°As long as nothing comes up by then¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh thank you Two-Twelve! I got to start planning right away! I love you!¡± ¨CShe gives me a deep kiss then lets me go running off back towards the city hall building¡­-


    Things should be pretty slow in the dungeon during the festival, but we still can¡¯t leave it unattended, so I decide it is finally time to add our 4<sup>th</sup> bunny to the mix so they can alternate two at a time.


    ¡°So what do you girls think?¡±


    Bunnies: ¡°Of course!~¡±


    ¡°I heard you had the name picked out already from when we summoned Delilah, so I knew you were already thinking about it. Delilah made another suggestion that could help, but our xp is too strained at the moment for that.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master is really going to let Lilah summon another sister?¡±


    ¡°You are all living here now because the number of adventurers entering the dungeon, so it might start getting a bit cramped, but a fourth sister might also give you all a chance to take a break once in a while as well.¡±


    Just like that we end up with a fourth bunny girl named Leila. They seemed to decide to go back to feral rabbit beastkin this time, so now Lilah and Leila are both feral beastkin while Lylah and Lila are normal ones. Maybe after seeing what an adult Lilah would look like with Delilah was their reasoning for it, but I can¡¯t be for certain.


    Leila doesn¡¯t seem as outspoken as Lilah and Lylah, but by looking at her I get a few flashes of what I think are back when Lilah joined the dungeon. Leila really is a splitting image of Lilah at that time. Lilah has really grown up a lot. I think Lilah¡¯s appearance is closer to that of Delilah now than that of Leila.


    They seem to enjoy taking care of the dungeon, but maybe I should start to consider some alternatives, because I am sure there are things Lilah has missed out on because of the dungeon. She is a dungeon monster though so once her appearance reaches that of Delilah I guess she will stay that way from then on so maybe I am just over thinking it.


    ¡°Thank you girls¡­ You really are irreplaceable to the dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Is Master ok¡­Master is talking funny¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, get Leila settled in, and once the festival starts, then the four of you can take turns coming down and joining in.¡±


    Bunnies: ¡°Ok!~¡±


    The first two days of the winter solstice festival go off without a hitch, and everyone greatly enjoys themselves. Scylla seems to really be worn out, but she doesn¡¯t look like she could be any happier as Kline spins her around dancing while Belinda watches the baby.


    Everyone else seems to have a good time as well. After Scylla sits down to rest Belinda drags me out to dance as well. I am sure we have done it before but I am rather nervous. My body seems to remember at least and I manage without making a total fool of myself, and it really makes Belinda happy so it was worth it.


    After the end of the third day and things start to wind down Belinda invites quite a few people to the house. Most of them are people I have seen around, but haven¡¯t really dealt with since I returned without my memories.


    Most of the businesses in town are either owned by Belinda, or one other woman. She seems nice enough as she wrangles a young girl that has just started walking, but I heard Belinda and her used to not get along.


    The woman Denova, leaves the child with a young lady she arrived with and brings a man that she arrived with over to introduce us.


    Denova: ¡°Good evening. When you get a chance I would like to thank your sister for her purchase. It was enough to allow me to buy quite a bit new stock. Aw, but where are my manners let me introduce you to Roland.¡±


    The young man is quite handsome and well dressed, but after introducing himself to us he bows and you can see the collar around his neck. He doesn¡¯t seem displeased with his situation however as after he bows he quickly returns to Denova¡¯s side rejoining his arm with hers.


    Belinda: ¡°So is he part of the new stock you purchased?¡±


    A sly smile creeps across Denova¡¯s face. ¡°Why are you interested?¡±


    Belinda tightly grips my arm as she says. ¡°Of course not, but I invited you because things have been civil between us for a while now, but I still don¡¯t want you advertising your brothel in my house!¡±


    Denova: ¡°Yes he was one of my new purchases, but he isn¡¯t for the brothel, I have decided to keep him for myself, so he is only here as my date tonight.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can¡¯t say I agree with your style of dating, how would you feel if your daughter did the same?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Have a man that will never mistreat her, disobey her, and treat her like a queen? Yes I would just be heartbroken if something like that happened¡­¡± ¨CShe says sarcastically.-


    Belinda: ¡°What about having someone that actually loves you?¡±


    Denova: ¡°Love is overrated. Besides it seemed to work for Scar and the girl of yours didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know their names, now you are just trying to irritate me¡­¡±


    Denova: ¡°But it¡¯s so fun. Now if you will excuse us I am sure you have others to meet with as well.¡±


    After Denova leaves Belinda stomps her foot. ¡°Oh, she makes me so mad¡­ I thought we were just starting to get along, and then she pulls that!¡±


    The party isn¡¯t what I would call fun, but other than the bit with Denova, Belinda seems to have a good time, and I get to get reacquainted with several of the people from around Tobes. When meeting some of the people I get a few flashes of memories but nothing that really seems important.


    That is until Belinda reintroduces me to the baker. Belinda and her are happily chatting away, then she looks at me and says.


    Susan: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    Susan: ¡°You¡¯re crying¡­¡±


    Belinda looks at me with concern and I rub my face, and sure enough there are tears running down my face¡­ The only time I ever recall crying is when Listel died, so it doesn¡¯t make sense to me why tears are flowing now.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡±


    I quickly leave the ballroom heading upstairs, I can¡¯t get the tears to stop and I then start having flashes of memories of an attractive young woman with chestnut colored hair holding a small stuffed cat upside down tightly held to her chest.


    I think I have seen that cat before, but I don¡¯t know why these memories are so painful¡­ Maybe it is because the cat reminds me of Listel? No wait¡­ Thirty-seven¡­


    Belinda quickly enters the room shortly after I do but I am already quite a mess before she arrives.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ What wrong?¡±


    ¡°Thirty-seven is gone¡­¡±


    Belinda quickly moves over wrapping her arms around me hugging me tightly as tears start to fall from her eyes as well¡­ Memories of Thirty-seven fill my head. Even when the memories of Thirty-seven¡¯s death appear in my head I can¡¯t recall ever crying, but I do now¡­


    Belinda and I never make it back down to the party, and eventually Belinda sends word down to the others telling them to wrap it up. Belinda and I just sit crying huddled in each other¡¯s arms as we talk about my memories of Thirty-seven.


    By the time morning rolls around Belinda is looking at herself in the mirror as she says.


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s no fair you know? You never cried like that before, now look at the mess I am in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Belinda moves over to the bed and gives me a kiss.


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t be, everything was so hard after Thirty-seven died, but you were so stoic about it. I think that made it worse, but watching you last night¡­ I felt relief, that might be a horrible thing to say, but the only other time I have ever seen you cry was when you first returned after what happened with Listel. Everything going on was crazy then but it still bothered me I think.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad my emotional breakdown was able to help then¡­¡± ¨CI say jokingly.-


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean¡­ You showed emotion before losing your memory but you never got to emotional¡­ I think that is what has been bothering me since your return. Don¡¯t get me wrong I love that you are expressing yourself more now, but it is also what has left me a little apprehensive. That is what got me the most about what happened with Alex, you didn¡¯t act on the facts, you acted on your emotion. Everyone has told me you did the right thing, and I can¡¯t say they are wrong, but I can¡¯t help but feel the old Two-Twelve wouldn¡¯t have made the same choice, and that scared me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can go back to being the old Two-Twelve, I don¡¯t know if I would want to go back to being the old Two-Twelve. What I do know is I love you and the others as well. I don¡¯t think the old me would have been capable of feeling as strongly as I do for you all now. I have noticed it might get me in a bit of trouble at times, but I think it is worth it.¡±


    Belinda then crawls into my lap as I sit on the bed and wraps her arms around me.


    Belinda: ¡°Just don¡¯t go changing again, I am just getting used to this one.¡± ¨CShe says then bites my ear.-


    I then pull her onto the bed and we share a moment a few weeks past overdue, and don¡¯t make it out of bed till that afternoon.

 The Missing Prince

    Things between Belinda and I have really been on the mend, enough that even Zoey has told us we need to go outside and get some fresh air. The New Year came with a small gathering at the house, and just in time for the New Year we receive word from Logan about the treaty between Longolia and Gown has been finalized so the war is officially over.


    With the extra work load of the winter solstice festival over Scylla has really begun to shine as Mayor. Although the construction of the mage¡¯s guild seems to be quite a strain at least she just has to deal with only the city side of it and the guild itself is dealing with the construction.


    The mage¡¯s guild has started to take shape and the building itself is very impressive. A lot of magic has gone into its construction and it has filled my dungeon with a lot of new items to summon that will come in handy with the dungeon.


    With the addition of Leila the bunnies¡¯ moods have really seemed to improve and we are seeing more of them without having to go to the dungeon core room. They have also done good work in the dungeon managing to add a few more rifts and opening up some of the rooms I had added before.


    One day when I head to the dungeon core room I surprise them and find a little more then I bargain for. Three of the bunnies are surrounding a man standing in the middle of the dungeon core room wearing nothing but a colorful pair of one of the girl¡¯s panties. The bunnies and the man quickly begin to panic when I arrive, and then I notice the man¡­ It¡¯s me!


    ¡°What is going on here!?¡±


    The nearly naked me quickly pulls off a ring and turns into a much shorter but no less naked Lila, she then quickly pulls on her dress that was draped on the bed.


    Lilah: ¡°Master¡­ Lilah can explain¡­¡±


    I take the ring away from Lila and notice two more rings sitting on the desk, and as I pick them up as well I say. ¡°You better.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lila found some strange rings in the dungeon inventory but couldn¡¯t remove them. Lilah has complete dungeon privileges, so she took out the rings to see what they do.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°And we were just finding out when master arrived.¡±


    ¡°Wait you mean this is the¡­¡± ¨CI check the rings and they are both of the [Ring of Fake Life]¡¯s and the [Accursed Band]. - ¡°There was a reason they were restricted, only the dungeon core should have been able to remove them.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Complete access means Lilah has dungeon core access¡­¡±


    ¡°You should have asked! One of the rings would have killed you if you put it on!¡±


    Bunnies: ¡°Sorry¡­¡± ¨CThey all say with drooping ears.-


    I can¡¯t really afford to cut Lilah¡¯s access, but I can¡¯t take another risk like that either, so instead of putting the rings back into the dungeon inventory I store them in my [Shadow Pocket].


    ¡°Sorry doesn¡¯t quite cut it¡­¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We read the description before putting on the ring, so we would have known not to put on the dangerous ring.¡±


    ¡°So you knew what the ring did? That means you intentionally had Lila remove her clothes and change her appearance to mine?¡±


    The bunnies all hang their heads with guilty expressions.


    Leila: ¡°Biggest sister Lilah said it wasn¡¯t really Master, so it would be ok to touch!¡±


    The only three bunnies panic and quickly try to cover the littlest bunny¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°My appearance aside, that would have still been Lila with the ring on, and that wouldn¡¯t have been good.¡±


    Lila: ¡°Lylah promised to wear the ring next so I could touch to, so I said it was ok.¡±


    I sigh¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do with you four¡­ Don¡¯t let Belinda ever find out about this, and I don¡¯t care if it just appearance, don¡¯t do anything like that again¡­¡±


    Bunnies: ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t even remember why I came to the core room now¡­ After scolding them a bit more and making sure they get the message I return to the house. I spend the next few days sporadically transferring to the core room, but I never catch the bunnies doing anything like that again.


    After breakfast one morning I receive a semi-panicked message from Queen.


    Queen: (Have you heard from Logan?! After everything with the war was finalized he was going to come pay me a visit, he was supposed to arrive last night, but he still hasn¡¯t shown up. I have tried using the communication parchment several times but I haven¡¯t gotten a reply.)


    (Maybe something just came up or delayed him, but I will look into it.)


    I get with Belinda and she tries to write him several messages as well, she too has started to get worried, so she heads to the capital to find out if she can learn anything. After a few hours pass I receive word from Queen.


    Queen: (A group of Gowen soldiers has just arrived. They are some replacements for the fort here in New Leona. They said Logan was with them up to last night, but he just disappeared. They searched from him for hours then decided the best course of action was to make for New Leona for help.)


    (We will come at once.)


    I quickly message Belinda and tell her what is going on. I have no memory of New Leona, so I have to wait for her to come pick me up before we [Gate] there.


    Queen: ¡°I¡¯m so glad you are here¡­ Nobody has any idea what could have happened to him¡­¡±


    We meet up with the soldiers as they are preparing to go back out to search for Logan with half of the fort.


    ¡°Tell me exactly what happened.¡±


    Soldier: ¡°We were running a bit behind schedule because some of the new recruits couldn¡¯t keep up, so as it started to get dark we decided to set up camp. After Prince Logan¡¯s tent was finished he headed inside to inform everyone what was going on. We didn¡¯t see him after that, and when we checked his tent the next morning it was empty.¡±


    ¡°That was it? Nothing out of the ordinary happened? You had guards posted all night right?¡±


    Soldier: ¡°Of course¡­Nothing was out of the ordinary¡­¡±


    ¡°I would like to speak to the soldiers that were on duty last night.¡±


    Soldier: ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    They quickly gather the soldiers that took watch. It isn¡¯t a small number, even if there were three separate watches that night there would have still been at least 10 to 12 guards per watch.


    ¡°Out of all of you not a single one of you saw or heard anything out of the ordinary at all? Even if it didn¡¯t seem important at the time, it might be something¡­¡±


    One of the soldiers starts to say something but another stops him.


    ¡°Did you see or hear anything?¡±


    The soldier that stopped him speaks up.


    Soldier: ¡°Forgive him sir, he is just a recruit, it was his first watch and just got scared of the dark.¡±


    ¡°No offense, but if nothing happened maybe you¡¯re right, but Prince Logan is missing, so I want to hear it even if it is a new recruits over active imagination.¡±


    Soldier: ¡°¡­Yes sir¡­¡±


    Young Soldier: ¡°It was the wind sir¡­ It sounded funny like a child laughing¡­ It really freaked me out sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Nobody else heard this sound?¡±


    None of the other soldier makes a movement.


    ¡°Where were you standing watch at?¡±


    Young soldier: ¡°On the east side of camp sir, just to the back of the Prince¡¯s tent.¡±


    ¡°Nobody else bothered to check this out?¡±


    Soldier: ¡°There were two other guards not 5 feet away, and they didn¡¯t hear anything.¡±


    Young soldier: ¡°After I heard the noise I called out to the other two, but they were zoned out and, it took me 3 tries to even get their attention!¡±


    Another soldier says. ¡°Listen here brat! I wasn¡¯t zoned out!¡±


    ¡°Stop it, that isn¡¯t helping¡­ We need to get back to the location and see if we can pick up anything there.¡±


    We then quickly set out from New Leona making for the area they set up camp. It is already starting to get late before we arrive, but they left Logan¡¯s tent and things behind so it was easy to find the exact location.


    Belinda, Queen, and I then search Logan¡¯s tent. His armor, sword, shield, everything is still in the tent. Even his other belongings, his pack, all his communication parchments, everything has been left behind.


    Queen: ¡°You don¡¯t think it was Longolia, because they were mad about the way the war ended do you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a harsh conclusion to jump to, especially the last time a Gowen disappeared they were blamed as well and look how that turned out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We were in their castle though, so there was more than a little evidence to say they had something to do with it¡­¡±


    ¡°And with the ink still fresh on the treaty, we don¡¯t want to falsely accuse them with no evidence.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°He took out his communication parchments, so it looks like he was about to write, but got interrupted.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is out of place though, like he just walked out of the tent.¡±


    We decide to check around outside the tent were the guard said he heard a noise. The ground is pretty hard but there are footprints, they are everywhere so there is no way to tell if any of them don¡¯t belong. Although with skills like [Keen Eye] something does stand out.


    I put my foot next to one really light footprint and it is half the size of my own. It really does look like a child¡¯s footprint¡­We check to make sure but none of the soldiers have unusually small feet. Half of the reason for setting up camp there was the softer ground, so as we follow the footprints away from camp the ground becomes too hard and they disappear, but not before seeing another pair of prints with them and these look like an adult¡¯s feet.


    ¡°What is off in that direction?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°West? Nothing¡­ I mean there is nothing but open plains. Tobes is a week or so north west, but other than that Gowen is empty plains all the way to Lancaster.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Wait¡­ Did you say Lancaster?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yea straight west is Lancaster, but that has to be two, or even three weeks out.¡±


    Queen: ¡°That little bitch!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Queen looks around then says. ¡°Dungeon Core #514, she is the one that took Logan. It all makes sense now¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Queen: ¡°She almost flat out said she would try something like this, and the child like feet were the dead giveaway, but that was almost 2 years ago, so I didn¡¯t put it together.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can use [Gate] to take us to Lancaster, but we need to be sure.¡±


    Queen: ¡°That won¡¯t work we have to go after them on foot! You know what she is capable of. I can¡¯t have her take Logan away from me!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Marion has some kind of charm ability or something.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Queen: ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it is, when Logan, Kline, and I went to investigate her dungeon right after she placed it she told me, that if I didn¡¯t make Logan mine she would steal him away. She uses that power to have the town do whatever she wants. If she takes Logan away from me I will kill her!¡±


    ¡°If it is her she has a full day on us, I am confident in my speed, but we don¡¯t know if they are walking either, and it¡¯s getting to late to try to pursue them tonight.¡±


    Queen: ¡°But she could have her creepy hands all over him already!¡±


    I open [Archjusticar Menu] using the [Dungeon Core Information] option I put in Dungeon Core #514 and then open her location on the [Map]. She is between Lancaster and our current location, but hallway between.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how she is moving so fast, but she is already halfway back to Lancaster.¡±


    Queen: ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t track Logan, but I can track her.¡±


    Queen: ¡°The Archjusticar has its benefits I guess.¡±


    Going back to the [Dungeon Core Information] screen I open the window that actually shows her. I see a small carriage made from bone and cloth being pulled by skeletal horses. Inside the carriage is Logan siting there with a blank look on his face and no clothing with a large doll looking girl sitting in Logan¡¯s lap.  Marion indeed looks very doll like, but with what she is doing to Logan means she is most definitely a woman.


    I quickly close the screen¡­ I don¡¯t think I should tell Queen about this¡­ Using the screen and [Gate] I could probably teleport straight to them, but I don¡¯t know if I could stop the carriage, and I don¡¯t really want Queen to see Logan like that.


    Queen: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°If she already has made that kind of distance, I think it is best to use our teleport spell to head directly to Lancaster and wait for them to arrive.¡±


    Queen: ¡°What if she does something to him before then?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much we can do about that¡­¡±


    We then tell the soldiers we have a lead on Logan, and to pack up his tent and belongings taking it back to New Leona in the morning. We take Logan¡¯s gear packing it away and then use [Gate] to head to Tobes.


    Queen: ¡°I thought we were going to Lancaster?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what the situation there is like. if Marion really can control the residents it might be bad to try to sleep there. You can rest here tonight then we will all go to Lancaster first thing in the morning.¡±


    Queen doesn¡¯t look happy about it but we finally get her to agree, once Belinda and I start to head to bed she says.


    Belinda: ¡°Something is wrong isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Well she isn¡¯t hurting him at least, so that is something.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    To be on the safe side the next morning we grab Roxy, Zoey, and Azami, and with Belinda, Queen, and myself we use [Gate] to reach Lancaster. I check Marion¡¯s location with [Map], and it looks like they are getting close. The town is most likely not going to be their first stop, so we decide to head to the old Lancaster mansion.


    From Marion¡¯s stats in [Dungeon Core Information] it doesn¡¯t look like her dungeon will prove very difficult, right now the main concern is Logan¡¯s safety. She seems to want Logan, but if she can control him she might use him as a shield as well.


    I keep a close eye on her location in [Map] her skeletal horses can not only seem to continue without rest, they are very fast as well. We take up positions out of sight I which we think they will arrive and wait for them. We don¡¯t have to wait very long either as the carriage with skeletal horses pulls right up in front of the mansion.


    For Queen¡¯s sake I am glad they are fully clothed when Marion steps out of the carriage and then instructs Logan to follow. We had a plan to wait for them to get a bit closer but Queen apparently can¡¯t hold back any longer as she steps out startling Marion.


    Queen¡¯s PoV


    ¡°Give him back!¡±


    Marion: ¡°How did you not only find out, but even beat us back?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I might have had a little to do with that.¡± ¨CHe says as he steps out as well.-


    Marion: ¡°I see, yes being married to the princess I can see why her brother might be important to you, but Queen has staked a claim on Logan. I saw the message about you becoming the Archjusticar of the Elders! That means since this is a matter strictly between Queen and I and you can¡¯t interfere.¡±


    ¡°Just release him now and I won¡¯t kill you.¡±


    Marion: ¡°I can see why you want him back so bad he is quite the man, but you had your chance and now his kingdom will be mine.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Marion: ¡°Oh but I did!¡±


    I will not forgive her for laying her creepy hands on Logan, so I quickly draw both of my swords.


    Marion: ¡°Aw aw aw, not so fast.¡± ¨CShe says while Logan takes out a dagger holding it to his own throat.-


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t do it, you need him!¡±


    Marion: ¡°I don¡¯t need him alive¡­ I could make him last at least a year after death without raising suspicion and by then Gowen will belong to me.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that.¡±


    Marion: ¡°But there is nothing an Elder¡¯s pet like you can do about it!¡±


    As she says that the front doors of the mansion slam open and all manner of undead begin to pour out of it. Most of which are simple skeletons, but others are quite grotesque made from sewn flesh. One however is a young woman, she has two different colors to her hair, two different colored eyes, and even though all her skin is deathly pale some are different shades then the other. She seems to be made of patchwork pieces like some of the other monsters, but it looks like great care was used in her creation. Meanwhile Logan is still holding the blade to his throat so I can¡¯t act rashly.


    Marion: ¡°That¡¯s right, everyone come welcome me home along with my soon to be husband.¡±


    ¡°Over my dead body!¡±


    Marion: ¡°Oh so you wish to join my family as well? That can easily be arranged.¡±


    The young patchwork woman approaches Marion.


    Marion: ¡°There, there my daughter I want you to meet you to meet your new daddy. Why don¡¯t you take daddy inside and show him around while I deal with our guests.¡±


    Patchwork woman: ¡°Yes mother.¡±


    As the patchwork woman takes hold of one of Logan¡¯s hands, Two-Twelve disappears and reappears right next to  her grabbing her other hand. Logan¡¯s blade presses harder against his neck, enough that a line of blood becomes visible on the blade.


    Marion: ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Logan¡­¡±


    Marion: ¡°Get back or I will spill all his blood.¡±


    I see Two-Twelve quickly say something quietly, and he then releases the patchwork woman. He then slowly backs away.


    Marion: ¡°He might be your brother-in-law, but with Queen staking her claim on him you are interfering with something you should not. Now quickly child, take your new daddy inside!¡±


    The patchwork woman begins walking again heading to the mansion leading Logan by the hand. Two-Twelve is focusing close attention to them as he says.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I think you are mistaken. I may be the Archjusticar of the elders, but that doesn¡¯t prevent me from honoring an agreement I made with Queen.¡±


    Marion: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Simple, I am to insure the safety of all of the Gowen family.¡±


    Marion: ¡°If that is true then you really can¡¯t interfere, because if you did it will mean the end of his life!¡±


    Once the patchwork woman and Logan enter the mansion they quickly disappear. Belinda and Two-Twelve¡¯s other two boss monsters then step out from their hiding spots as well making Marion nervous. I don¡¯t know what he is thinking but Two-Twelve smiles when he sees Logan and the patchwork woman disappear and he then says.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°That is simple, now just how far away do they have to be for you to control Logan to hurt himself?¡±


    Marion: ¡°I may not be able to order him to hurt himself now, but my boss monster is still with him and she can take care of it just as easy.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°We will see about that.¡±


    Two-Twelve then sends me a message. (Logan is safe now, on my signal you deal with Marion.)


    What does he mean safe¡­ How can that be?


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I will give you one last chance to do the right thing Marion. I the Archjusticar of the elders order you Dungeon Core #514 [Ferox Marionette] to release Logan Gowen or face the consequences.¡±


    Marion quickly looks confused as she accesses her [Menu] and quickly orders the undead to attack. Two-Twelve quickly says. ¡°Queen, Now!¡± He then starts attacking the undead alongside Belinda and his other boss monsters.


    Marion looks confused as I start to rush towards her with my blades. She casts a spell causing two zombies to spring from the ground. I have no trouble slashing them down, but it gives her time to get a bit more space between us and throw a shadow attack spell at me.


    Being made of mythril my armor is only considered light armor, so the shadow spell is rather weak against me, but that doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t still hurt like hell. No matter how hard I try to get closer to her she always summons more zombies allowing her to maintain her distance from me.


    I don¡¯t have much in the way of spells, but since she seems to be a shadow dungeon core it is actually to my advantage as I sheath one of my blades and cast [Bullet of Light]. I don¡¯t use magic very often so it wasn¡¯t a very solid hit, but even still it seems to really do a number to Marion.


    Marion: ¡°I don¡¯t know how you did it, but I will get you for this!¡±


    Marion then uses her magic to summon more zombies this time there are 6 of them. They are not difficult to fight, but fighting them while Marion is casting attack spells makes it much more difficult. It isn¡¯t long until the small amounts of damage she is doing to me begins to stack up.


    I have to close the distance and turn this into a melee fight or she is going to win¡­ After dropping the last zombie she begins casting the spell to summon more, but this time I charge right through the middle of them as they start to attack me.


    Marion quickly tries to cast another spell to summon even more, but it¡¯s too late I am already close enough to bring my blade down slicing her across the chest.


    Marion pulls herself along the ground say. ¡°It isn¡¯t fair¡­ The elders shouldn¡¯t have interfered¡­¡±


    As I raise my blade to strike her down a hand grabs the pummel of my sword.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Hold on.¡±


    He then stands before Marion.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Dungeon Core #514 [Ferox Marionette] you have lost. Will you admit defeat and release Logan Gowen to us, and pay Dungeon Core #307 [Queen] damages your attack against her has caused?¡±


    Marion: ¡°Go to hell you cheating bastard!¡±


    Two-Twelve then nods and releases my blade. I then bring my sword down ending Marion¡¯s life. The door of the mansion busts open and shards of Marion¡¯s crystal pierce my body and it feels me with warmth. I then receive the message.


    Dungeon Core #514 [Ferox Marionette] has perished at the hands of Dungeon Core #307 [Queen]


    Dungeon Core #307 [Queen] has received the skill [Heroic] (Rank 1) Dungeon Core #307 [Queen] has received the skill [Puppet Master] (Rank 1)


    ¡°What about Logan? Where is he?¡±


    Two-Twelve smiles as he points to the door of the mansion and the patchwork woman is leading Logan from the mansion. Logan has a severally confused expression on his face.


    ¡°But how¡­? Is that an Archjusticar ability as well to steal other¡¯s monsters?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Not exactly, that was a one-time thing¡­ Logan are you alright?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Two-Twelve, and Queen as well? What¡¯s going on? I had a weird dream about some creepy doll.¡± ¨CHe shutters and then continues.- ¡°This is Lancaster mansion though isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s my fault. If I just told you this might not have happened.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Queen, are you sure you should tell him?¡±


    ¡°If not now, then when?¡±


    Logan: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dream, that doll was a dungeon core.¡±


    Logan: ¡°A dungeon monster?!¡±


    ¡°No not a dungeon monster, the creature behind the dungeon, and in the same since the dungeon¡¯s crystal would be its heart.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You¡¯re saying the dungeon was intelligent? How do you know all this?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­¡± ¨CI take a deep breath.- ¡°New Leona¡¯s crystal is my heart.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That¡¯s impossible. None of this makes sense, you are human and one of the great hero Dyson¡¯s descendants, I met your brother and he is a splitting image of Dyson.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not one of Dyson¡¯s descendants, he just trained me.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That makes even less sense why would the great hero train a dungeon?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Because the man you met, that was not one of Dyson¡¯s descendants either, but the actual Dyson himself, and he too is a dungeon core.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You knew about all this? And Belinda you were part of it as well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Calm down¡­ It¡¯s a lot to take in a first, but it¡¯s not as bad as it sounds I promise.¡±


    ¡°Please just let me explain, and I will tell you everything¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°How can you say that, first you tell me my girlfriend is a monster, and next you tell me to be ok with it?! How can I?!¡±


    Belinda moves over to Two-Twelve wrapping her arms around him from behind. ¡°They may be monsters, but they aren¡¯t monsters.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­ Of course¡­ The elemental stronghold¡­ It all makes sense now¡­¡±


    ¡°If you will just calm down, we will tell you everything¡­¡±


    Logan is still holding the dagger that he had against his neck when he was under Marion¡¯s control, and he now raises it up holding it in front of him.


    Logan: ¡°This has to be some kind of trick¡­ I don¡¯t even know how I got here, so you are not really here either!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a trick Logan¡­¡± ¨CI try to take a step forward but Logan doesn¡¯t back down.-


    Belinda: ¡°What about Kline, or Doug? Will you calm down if they explain it to you?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Not only Belinda, but you have taken Kline and Doug as well?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I haven¡¯t taken anyone¡­ Kline and Doug are doing what they want to do, and Belinda is the one that asked to join me, not the other way around.¡±


    Logan: ¡°How is this possible¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just come back to Tobes with us, we will get Kline and Doug, and we will work though this together.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I¡­¡± ¨CHe slowly starts lower the dagger.-


    ¡°Please, I promise I will tell you everything¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Remember what I said when you asked my advice? Don¡¯t make a decision till you heard her out completely.¡±


    Logan looks defeated as he drops the dagger.


    Belinda: ¡°Thank you, I promise it will be ok.¡±


    Belinda casts the [Gate] spell and leads Logan though and Two-Twelve¡¯s other two boss monsters follow.


    Patchwork woman: ¡°What about me master?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Well I don¡¯t know¡­ What do you want to do?¡±


    Patchwork woman: ¡°I am glad you gave me a body, and I don¡¯t mind that it is a female, but something about it feels weird¡­ Regardless though you gave me a body so I will serve you till it is no more.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Well I am sorry about the body¡­ I had planned to put the ring on a non-sentient monster, but this was the only way I could think to protect Logan at the time. What about Marion¡¯s boss monster, is she still in there somewhere as well?¡±


    Patchwork woman: ¡°No, as soon as I took over the body she was gone¡­ Why did you say sorry about the body? What is wrong with it?¡±


    Two-Twelve awkwardly scratches his head then says. ¡°Well let¡¯s get things taken care of with Logan first, and we will deal with it afterwards.¡±


    Patchwork woman: ¡°But what¡¯s wrong with it¡­?¡± ¨CShe says as she follows Two-Twelve though the [Gate] I quickly hurry following behind them as well.-


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    Even after a lengthy conversation between Belinda, Doug, Kline, Logan, Queen, and myself Logan seems a little hesitant to accept what is going on. He also doesn¡¯t seem to be able to look Queen in the eye anymore as well, but he has at least calmed down now.


    Logan: ¡°I just don¡¯t see how you can be ok with this Kline, after everything we have seen and everyone we have lost in dungeons.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Young Master¡­ We have lost many friends to bandits or others during war as well. Should we hate all humans as well?¡±


    Logan: ¡°We have lost soldiers, and adventurer¡¯s alike in New Leona dungeon, and not to mention how many adventurers have lost their lives in the elemental stronghold. Mindy¡¯s husband lost his life in the elemental stronghold!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You can¡¯t tell me Korvasta didn¡¯t get what he deserved. Besides when entering a dungeon everyone knows the risks. Two-Twelve and Queen don¡¯t send monsters out of their dungeon to attack innocent people they only defend their dungeon.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But how can you look at him after knowing maybe even at this very second, people, our people, could be dying in his dungeon?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Young Master, you have fought plenty of battles, and know when the battle is over and the treaty is signed, or the area conquered you then must put down your sword and lift up and help those very people you were just fighting against.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But that is when the fighting is over, this is different.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are talking about it from the human side, but what about Two-Twelve¡¯s side? Look at all he has done for Tobes and for Gowen all the while our people enter his dungeon with the intent of causing him harm, but never once do you see him complain.¡±


    Logan: ¡°And Doug you are all fine with this as well?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Everything I have learned about being an adventurer I learned from Two-Twelve and others from his dungeon. Not to mention that Aria is from Queen¡¯s dungeon and she was the one to put Aria in my path, so I am definitely fine with it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You mean Aria is a monster as well¡­?¡±


    Doug: ¡°Aria isn¡¯t a monster! I don¡¯t care if she was born from a dungeon or not I won¡¯t let you call her that!¡±


    Logan: ¡°We have to tell father¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Logan, you can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°No, you are the one that said Two-Twelve being a dungeon was not a bad thing, if you really believe that then prove it. If you can convince father then and only then will I be convinced.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve!?¡±


    ¡°It has already been a few years, how many more do you think it will be before he doesn¡¯t notice something himself? It is best we tell him our way.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I would like to go too¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Even Queen?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Two-Twelve and I both care for the future of the Gowen kingdom. If doing this convinces Logan, of course I will not hesitate.¡±


    ¡°Then it is settled, we will return to the capital and speak to the king.¡±

 The Kings Response

    After our talk with Logan we make our way to the capital. Of course meeting with the king isn¡¯t as simple as just dropping in even for Logan a meeting must be set. Logan does stress the importance of the meeting so we are able to have it later that evening, but Logan seems to avoid us leaving a few hours to think on what we have agreed to.


    Queen has grown exceedingly nervous the closer the time to meet with the king gets.


    Queen: ¡°What are we going to do if he orders our dungeon¡¯s destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Through our agreement we can fight soldiers off, but if Logan or any of the other Gowen¡¯s attempt it there is nothing we I can do.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Of course you¡¯re not worried, your dungeon is safe.¡±


    ¡°Belinda is my boss monster so even if I die she will still live, and sure I am a prince of Gowen as well, but the king could disown me as easy as he claimed me, so I am not any safer then you.¡±


    Queen: ¡°But I have been so focused on helping Logan and the war I haven¡¯t spent any xp on securing my dungeon, I have relied heavily on the protection of the Gowen kingdom. If I lose that even a novice adventurer group will be able to end me¡­¡±


    ¡°Well my dungeon is quite secure, but even still it won¡¯t hold up to an army.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure Logan will come around¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°He can¡¯t even look me in the eyes anymore, and when he does look at me he doesn¡¯t see the woman he was dating but some kind of a monster.¡±


    ¡°After being kidnapped and having his mind broken by a dungeon core you can¡¯t blame him for being a little wary but once the shock wears off he will realize it doesn¡¯t change the fact you are still the woman he cared for.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°My brother may be stubborn but he does deeply care for you, every time I talked to him he was always talking about you. About how great and wonderful you are. Two-Twelve is right, and you just need to give him a bit of time.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I hope you are right, I may have a secondary agenda for wanting Logan, but that doesn¡¯t mean I do not care for him.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You know I probably wouldn¡¯t mention that to father if I was you¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°I am just so nervous¡­ What if I mess this up?¡±


    ¡°You are the last person I would expect to act this way¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°I have put all 3 years of my life into this, and it could be over in an instant.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know how the king will react, but is seriously doubt he will have us killed. As even he knows how important dungeons are to the prosperity of his kingdom.¡±


    After a waiting a while longer Logan arrives with a sour expression which is very unlike his normal chipper self.


    Logan: ¡°Father is ready to meet with you all now.¡±


    Logan leads us to the area to meet the king and inside the room we not only find the king but quite a few well-armed men.


    Belinda: ¡°Logan! All of the Gowen generals?! Is this really necessary?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Yes, my boy. What is the emergency meeting about, I thought there was a declaration of war with the way you called the meeting, but instead you bring your sister, brother, and girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Sir, we would like to speak with you, but with all these people¡­ It would be rather problematic.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Everyone here is loyal to Gowen, if you can¡¯t speak in front of them you don¡¯t speak at all.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Really my boy, what has gotten into you? Generals, sorry for the interruption, you are dismissed.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But father!¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I know not of the situation, but you are clearly handing this situation far too emotionally, so you are dismissed as well.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I am sorry, but I ask please allow Logan to stay¡­ It¡¯s rather important.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Well then, Logan you should thank your young lady friend.¡±


    Logan however doesn¡¯t say anything as he takes his seat, and the Gowen generals bow and exit the room.


    King Rondsom: ¡°Now what is all this commotion about?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Father I ask you keep an open mind, and allow them to finish.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I was interrupted from important matters by this spontaneous meeting, but still here I am, so I can¡¯t get any more open minded then that. Someone better start explaining what this is all about.¡±


    I start to speak but Queen stops me.


    Queen: ¡°Please¡­ Let me, I need to do this.¡±


    I nod and Queen continues.


    Queen: ¡°King Rondsom Gowen the 2<sup>nd</sup> of the Gowen kingdom, I Dungeon Core #307 [Queen] wish to use my one favor from the kingdom as a hero to enter into an agreement as an ally of the Gowen kingdom in exchange for the continued protection of the New Leona dungeon I will in turn offer my blades to the bidding of the king.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I see, so you have become a hero have you?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Yes in efforts to save Logan who was kidnapped by the dungeon in Lancaster I destroyed the dungeon and became a hero¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I see and that is what you wish to use your favor on?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But father! You heard her she is a monster!¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°That is a horrible thing to say about the woman you asked not a mere week ago for my blessing, to ask her permission to become your wife.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But that was before!¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°What, did becoming a hero cause her to sprout wing, scales, or fangs? I see the same woman as I always have.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But New Leona¡¯s dungeon is hers, she is the one behind it. The monsters inside answer to her, and she controls the dungeon itself.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°She has served Leona far better than its last tenet. He did nothing, yet since she arrived she has built a small thriving community there, and defended the border in our hour of need. In fact I feel it a waste she wishes to use her one favor on something already granted to her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You knew about Simon?!¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°That was the one that controlled Leona before Miss Queen? I knew of him, my father told me he came to him not long after my grandfather¡¯s death asking to make a deal with the Gowen kingdom, but father refused as he betrayed the Leona kingdom, so what would make Gowen any different?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Then you knew of Queen as well?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I had my suspicions, but no I wasn¡¯t certain, or I would of told you no when you asked for my blessing in asking her hand.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You would have let me marry her thinking she might be a master of a dungeon?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I allowed Belinda to marry, did I not?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait, you knew about Two-Twelve?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Well my dear there were far too many signs in the case of Gowen¡¯s 5<sup>th</sup> prince.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but if you allowed Belinda and I to marry and even took me as a son, why would you refuse Queen?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°The longevity of one who forms a pact with a dungeon is something any father would wish for his child, but one cannot sit on the throne forever, and marrying Queen would prevent the possibility of a future heir to the Gowen throne without passing the responsibility onto Ben, and I wish to prevent that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You even knew all that¡­?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Of course, one does not become king of an entire kingdom without learning a thing or two.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Then please I wish to reconsider my favor from the kingdom. That is if I can convince him to still have me, I wish to use my favor to be allowed to marry Logan.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I thought you might. As the heir, blessing or no he may marry who he chooses, so the choice is his. If you wish to use the favor to get my blessing however, that I can accept, but I would require some less than ideal conditions, but such matters should be dealt with in private once the matter is at hand.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But father!¡±


    Queen: ¡°Please Logan, I will give you all the time that you wish, but don¡¯t just write me off because of who I am. At least let me prove I am the same woman you thought I was a week ago. I can¡¯t promise anything near as grand as what Two-Twelve managed with your sister, but there are advantages if you would have me as your wife.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t know if I will ever be able to look at you the same again.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer now. She said take all the time you need, just think about it Logan¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Now if that is all, I must return to my duties, and if you decide to use you favor Queen, do let me know so we can work out the finer details.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    King Rondsom then leaves the room¡­


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m not sure what just happened.¡±


    ¡°Well leave it to your father, he knew all along, and we were wasting our time worrying about it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I can¡¯t believe he never told me any of this¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it to hard Logan, I am sure there are plenty of things he doesn¡¯t wish to burden you with until it is necessary.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°With you wanting to talk to father about it, we were cut short on telling you everything, now that you have fathers answer, if you want, we will tell you the rest.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I can¡¯t believe father already knew¡­ He even said it was obvious when it came to Two-Twelve. In hindsight he is right, but I just didn¡¯t see it¡­ Maybe I¡¯m not fit to be king.¡±


    ¡°There is more to being king then having all the answers, it is what you do with the answers you get.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Alright fine¡­ Tell me about dungeons¡­¡±


    After dealing with Marion, and then waiting on Belinda¡¯s father so long it has already gotten quite late, but that doesn¡¯t stop us from spending most of the night telling Logan everything he wants to know.


    Logan: ¡°So is there is one of these Dungeon Cores behind every dungeon?¡±


    Queen: ¡°For the most part, some of the dungeons are capable of having more than one if they become strong enough.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Do either of you have a second dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t call it a second dungeon per say, but I have a second dungeon crystal within Tobes, so I can collect xp from the adventurers and villagers, and don¡¯t have to take the lives of them to receive xp from them.¡±


    Queen: ¡°So you did place it in Tobes¡­ I knew you got one when I was done with my training, but I wasn¡¯t sure if you built a second dungeon or used it as a lifeline¡­ It makes since why you asked me to have Logan stay longer in Tobes now.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Wait you have taken my xp before?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way. The xp you gather when you level, assume that is how much your xp value is. At midnight when you are inside of a dungeon it will acquire 1/100<sup>th</sup> of that value. They only receive 1/10<sup>th</sup> of that value when an adventurer dies in the dungeon so if you can gain the xp like Two-Twelve does it means leveling the adventurers up and keeping them alive is more beneficial than them dying.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Then why kill the adventurers at all?¡±


    ¡°You know the power one receives when an adventurer kills a dungeon core becoming a hero. Do you think they would stop if the dungeons didn¡¯t stop them?¡±


    Logan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Dungeon cores aren¡¯t any different than the rest of it, think of the dungeon being a kingdom. Their life is in the hands of their kingdom, and invaders are always trying to bring their kingdom down. Deals can be made, and alliances forged, but at the end of the day there are still those trying to ruin your kingdom.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I think I understand. What did father mean about wishing longevity on his children or not being able to produce an heir with Queen?¡±


    We then explain to him the way dungeon cores are born and how being bound to a dungeon prevents one from aging. He was quite shocked to find out the woman he was dating was only born a month before they met. We continue on the rest of the night and it isn¡¯t till the first signs of morning appear that we finish.


    Belinda: ¡°I promise Logan none of that changes anything. You are still welcome in our house any time.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I think I understand better now. I still can¡¯t say I am comfortable with this, but thanks for at least not holding back.¡±


    Queen: ¡°That goes for me as well, take all the time you need, and when you have your answer I will be in New Leona waiting for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh I almost forgot.¡±


    I we then return Logan¡¯s gear to him.


    Queen: ¡°The soldiers in New Leona have the rest. With you back at the capital the soldiers that were supposed to be relieved will now be able to return, so I will send the rest of you belongings back with them.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That is alright. I have almost two weeks before I need to return to my duties. This is by no means an answer, but if you don¡¯t mind I would like to return to New Leona with you, and learn more. If I am ever to trust you again, I would like you to show me your dungeon and your monsters.¡±


    Queen: ¡°I would welcome the chance to introduce everyone to you properly this time.¡±


    Belinda casts [Gate] and we take Logan and Queen back to New Leona, and after making sure they are going to be alright, we then use [Gate] one more time to return home. We arrive at the house as the sun has just started to rise, and the patchwork woman is sitting on one of the benches in the entryway.


    She quickly stands at our arrival and with a very troubled expression she says¡­


    Patchwork woman: ¡°Master¡­ I think I am dead.¡±


    I was so looking forward to heading to bed, but I guess this can¡¯t wait. With a sigh Belinda nods her head and says.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯ll go start some coffee.¡± ¨CShe then gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and disappears into the dining room.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I told you I would explain things when I was done talking to Logan, but it looks to have taken quite a bit more time then we were expecting.¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Master, am I dead?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ The body you took belonged to an undead, but with the ring, I don¡¯t know if that means you are alive now, or just a different undead.¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°I don¡¯t feel undead¡­ I¡¯m cold, but if I was really undead I shouldn¡¯t be able to feel cold right? Not only the cold, but I feel everything. I haven¡¯t tasted anything but, I can obviously see, hear, and I can smell as well. I don¡¯t think undead are supposed to be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°What about pain?¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°I haven¡¯t stomped on my own foot or anything, but I can feel, so wouldn¡¯t that include pain as well?¡±


    I take a small dagger from the dungeon inventory.


    ¡°Let me see your hand¡­¡±


    The patchwork woman looks nervous. ¡°You¡¯re not going to jab that thing into it are you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not going to jab you¡­ I¡¯m just going to prick your finger.¡±


    The patchwork woman holds her hand out to me and quickly grits her teeth, closes her eyes, and turns her head. I take her hand and it really is cold, but also quite clammy to the touch¡­ I take the dagger and lightly poke one of her fingers.


    Patchwork woman: ¡°Ouch!... Oh¡­ That didn¡¯t hurt as bad as I thought it would.¡±


    She starts to put her pricked finger into her mouth but she stops to stare at it. She then starts squeezing on it. With an upset face she quickly shoves the finger in my face.


    Patchwork woman: ¡°Master! I¡¯m not bleeding!¡±


    I take her hand and examine it. I can see the small little hole in the tip of her finger but that is it, nothing else¡­ This might not be good. I am a little hesitant but I decide to use the weakest healing spell I have to mend her finger.


    Patchwork woman: ¡°Ahhhhh! Master stop! It burns!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    I quickly check her hand and not only is the hole still there but now there are burn marks on her hand as well. Belinda quickly enters the room with a worried expression.


    ¡°This might be bad¡­We can¡¯t take the ring off and put it on something else either can we?¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°No Master¡­ You can¡¯t just yank my soul from my body, and put it somewhere else¡­ Once the ring is on that¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°I can summon a few undead, but I am no means an expert¡­ Before we run into too much trouble I think we need to ask for help.¡± ¨CI rub my neck.- ¡°But first I am going to need some coffee¡­¡±


    Belinda returns to the kitchen, I follow her, and the patchwork woman follows me. I sit down in my usual spot as Belinda pours me a cup of coffee. The patchwork woman looks on with a curious expression and licks her lips.


    ¡°Would you like to try some?¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Are you sure it would be alright?¡±


    ¡°Not a clue¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe we should wait till we find out more about her¡­?¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Maybe just a little taste¡­?¡±


    Belinda sighs and gets another cup she pours barely enough for a swallow in to the cup. The patchwork woman picks up the cup and sniffs it with her eyes closed.


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Oh it smells so good¡­¡±


    She then drinks the coffee, after the coffee enters her mouth she seems pleased and happy, but the moment she swallows her face quickly changes to that of horror. She quickly jumps up, dropping the cup, and begins panicking.


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Aww. Get it out! Get it out! It feels horrible!¡± ¨CShe quickly starts scratching at her throat, then chest.-


    ¡°Stop, you¡¯re going to hurt yourself.¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°But it feels so disgusting!¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know what to do about it, but if you keep that up you¡¯re really going to be in trouble.¡±


    The patchwork woman keeps squeezing her neck and pressing on her chest with a dissatisfied look on her face. I sigh and send a message to Madam Erin.


    (What do you know about undead?)


    Madam Erin: (It¡¯s awfully early¡­ What do you mean what do I know about undead?)


    (You seen what happened with Dungeon Core #514. Well it¡¯s a long and complicated story, but I sort of inherited her boss monster¡­ Well its body at least.)


    Madam Erin: (I guess 514 did have a thing for the undead. Yea if the body is still intact it should be able to be reanimated, but is it really worth the trouble?)


    (Well it¡¯s already animated. I sort of trapped different soul in the undead¡¯s body.)


    Madam Erin: (Anybody I know?)


    (No nothing like that, it was a cursed ring from when I was experimenting with the cuff.)


    Madam Erin: (Most undead are not sentient, so ones with a soul or are sentient are pretty rare. I could probably spend all day telling you things about undead but still not be able to help you, so you might check with Dyson. He has a few shady friends that might be more adept to helping you then I would.)


    (Sorry for bothering you so early in the morning, I will check with him, thanks¡­)


    I close the screen for Madam Erin and start to open one for Dyson and notice something strange on a screen¡­ I double check and then check my [Monsters] screen, but the patchwork woman is not on it¡­ Not only is she not showing up as one of my monsters but in [Menu] it also shows her to be an intruder.


    I guess she serves me because of the enchantment on the ring, but I guess that doesn¡¯t mean she belongs to me. At least as far as [Menu] is concerned. I don¡¯t know what level she is, but I might be able to add her to the dungeon and everything will work itself out.


    I guess I should find out what I am dealing with first so I decide to err on the side of caution and contact Dyson first.


    (If it is not too much trouble I need you to point me the direction of an undead expert.)


    Dyson: (Undead? Who died?)


    (Nobody¡­ Even I know if someone died turning them into an undead would not be the same.)


    Dyson: (Not saying I have done it before, but it will let you get a few more romps with them before they start falling apart.)


    (That is disgusting¡­ No I inherited 514¡¯s boss monster, and I need to find out some more information.)


    Dyson: (You were with Queen then? I guess that explains it. I tried to see what was going on after I seen 514 was killed but Queen was gone, not at her dungeon, and I couldn¡¯t find her.)


    (It¡¯s a rather long story, but do you think you can help me out?)


    Dyson: (If it¡¯s just the basics I could help you out, but if you really want an expert Dungeon Core #502 [Archbishop Hayden] or Dungeon Core #521 [Tom] would be your best bet. Hayden would be much more difficult to work with, but Tom was the one that trained #514, so it¡¯s sort of a toss-up.)


    (I put a cursed ring that contains a soul on the finger of 514¡¯s undead boss monster. The soul took over the boss monster¡¯s body and now she is only sort of undead.)


    Dyson: (You did what¡­? You know just bring her to my dungeon and we will sort this out.)


    ¡°Dyson wants to have a look at her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why am I not surprised¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I would hope even he would draw the line somewhere short of there, but after his comment I can¡¯t be so sure. He said he is going to help me sort this out, so why don¡¯t you go ahead and get some sleep.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I put that soul in that body, so I need to make sure I didn¡¯t give her a death sentence before I can rest easy¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright, but be careful and don¡¯t do anything reckless¡­¡±


    Belinda then gives me a brief hug and a kiss before heading off to bed.


    ¡°So¡­ What are we going to call you?¡±


    Patchwork woman: ¡°My name isn¡¯t important as long as I can serve you.¡±


    ¡°Patches¡­? No that¡¯s not any good. Stitches¡­? That¡¯s even worse¡­ Maybe we should have asked Belinda¡¯s opinion before she went to bed.¡±


    I let out a deep sigh, finish off my coffee, and then cast [Gate] heading to Dyson¡¯s dungeon. It isn¡¯t long before we are standing in the room with the fancy ruby handled door, and Dyson is looking over the patchwork woman. Maybe even a little too closely¡­


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Master, he is making me anxious¡­¡±


    Dyson has a confused look on his face as he checks for a pulse, squeezes her arm a few times, and the grabs her breast.


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Really is that necessary?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I was curious¡­ I have never seen anything like this before. Don¡¯t get me wrong the body is a very well-crafted undead, but that¡¯s not what is unusual. You said the soul came from a ring?¡±


    ¡°Yes if the ring is destroyed, or you take it off of her she will die.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I guess that means we can¡¯t do that¡­ This really is beyond my expertise¡­ Tom is your best bet. I can get you there, but you are on you own after that. I can¡¯t handle his dungeon¡­ I would also avoid mentioning that the undead came from 514.¡±


    ¡°Would it really be safe?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You¡¯re the Archjusticar, you should be fine!¡±


    After another deep sigh Dyson grabs the patchwork girl¡¯s shoulder and then my own. We are then transported across a great distance arriving in front of a large, square, peculiar building¡­ Dyson quickly looks around nervously.


    Dyson: ¡°Alright... Good luck.¡± ¨CHe then quickly disappears again.-


    Patchwork woman: ¡°Master, are we going to be alright¡­?¡±


    Marion was the same age as Inari, so they must have trained at the same time. That means I must have met her training core before, but as hard as I try I can¡¯t bring any memories out of Tom. He is hard enough to deal with even Dyson was nervous, and his dungeon is quite strange¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±

 The Patchwork Woman

    After arriving at the strange building that is supposed to be the dungeon that belongs to Dungeon Core Tom. I along with the patchwork woman move over to the door in front of us opening it up and say. ¡°Hello¡­?¡±


    The patchwork woman and I are quickly swarmed, but not by monsters¡­They are children¡­ An older woman in a robe makes her way down the hall to us.


    Robed woman: ¡°Alright children, that¡¯s enough, back to your rooms now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Are we in the right place?¡±


    The robed woman laughs. ¡°Don¡¯t worry dears, they just get excited when we have guest. Please come in and I will take you to the director.¡±


    I look at the patchwork woman and she has as much of a confused expression on her face as I do as she shrugs her shoulders and we follow the robed woman. As we are led through the halls we discover this building is full of children, every room is like a barracks with rows of beds.


    We are lead through several corridors till the robed woman opens a door and ushers us inside. The room looks to be a small office with a desk, several stacks of paperwork, and the back wall is lined with cabinets.


    Robed woman: ¡°Have a seat and the director will be with you momentarily.¡±


    The woman walks out of the room closing the door behind her.


    Patchwork woman: ¡°Master, do you have any idea what is going on?¡±


    ¡°Not a clue¡­¡±


    Patchwork woman: ¡°We are in the right place right?¡±


    ¡°Well this is where Dyson brought us¡­¡±


    As we are looking around the room the door opens again and a portly balding man enters closing the door behind him.


    Man: ¡°Please have seat, have a seat! We usually get older couples, but it¡¯s nice to see a younger couple thinking about adopting.¡±


    ¡°Adopt¡­As in a child? I think there has been a misunderstanding¡­ We are here to see Tom?¡±


    The man stops where he stands, his eye twitches, his body jerks a few times, and he then just hunches over where he stands.


    ¡°Are you alright¡­?¡±


    A young boy in shorts crawls out from behind the desk, he jumps on top of it and sits on its edge.


    Boy: ¡°Don¡¯t mind the dummy, what could I possibly do for the Archjusticar of the Elders?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Tom?¡±


    Tom: ¡°So that memory thing was no joke? Yes, I am Tom, now why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I had some questions about my friend here¡­¡±


    Tom jumps off the desk walking over to the patchwork woman circling her a few times looking her over. With his young appearance his ogling of her is even creepier then that of Dyson¡­


    Tom: ¡°Not a bad build, I could have done far better, but not bad.¡±


    The patchwork woman looks nervous as Tom takes her hand but she quickly panics and jerks away when he licks her from the top of her hand almost all the way to her elbow before she can pull away.


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Tom becomes angry. ¡°This is my Ferox Marionette¡¯s creation!¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Master, he is scaring me¡­¡±


    Tom: ¡°Master? What of your real master? Have you no loyalty!¡± ¨CHe says as he grabs her wrist.-


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Master he is hurting me!¡±


    ¡°Tom that¡¯s enough let her go.¡±


    Tom has a horrified look on his confused face as he releases her.


    Tom: ¡°What do you mean hurts? Undead cannot feel pain.¡±


    ¡°After Marion¡¯s death, I acquired the body of her boss monster, but by using a cursed ring what is inside of it is no longer Marion¡¯s. That is why we needed an expert on undead to find out what is going on.¡±


    Tom: ¡°So it is just a sentient item then?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure how sentient items works but the ring held a soul, and now it¡¯s in that body, and if the ring is removed or destroyed she will die.¡±


    Tom: ¡°This is an interesting case indeed¡­ I will even forgive you for stealing Ferox Marionette¡¯s creation if you trade her to me. I will give you 10, no, make that 20 of the children in exchange.¡±


    ¡°I am not trading her¡­ Especially for human children¡­¡±


    Tom: ¡°They are actually quite profitable, and if their neediness is too much you could always trade them to a human slaver. They will give you plenty of old slaves that are worth a decent amount of xp in exchange for a single fresh human child. You could also use them for spare parts.¡±


    ¡°That is horrible¡­¡±


    Tom: ¡°What is 10 to 20 kids among the hundreds here? If it wasn¡¯t for me every single one would end up a slave, and we both know how cruel humans are. With me more than half make it to adulthood, and those are far better odds then if they were slaves.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I am not going to trade her off. I just need to know how to take care of her.¡±


    Tom: ¡°Necromancy spells, replacing her damaged parts with new ones, or just use xp and restore her with you dungeon. Of course none of this is 100% because her unique nature might prove to make the task a bit harder. If you would let me take her apart I would be able to give you a better answer.¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°Please Master, don¡¯t let him take me apart¡­¡±


    Tom: ¡°I¡¯ll put you back together afterwards. Hell I will even do a better job of it when I do.¡±


    ¡°With the ring we don¡¯t even know if that is possible. Using the dungeon¡¯s xp to repair her would be a bit of a problem, replacing her with spare parts is a no go especially if it has to do with the hand the ring is on, and I don¡¯t have any necromancy spells.¡±


    Tom: ¡°Well trading you a necromancer would be simple, that is if you have anything worth trading.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t even be sure that will work or not, if a necromancer really is that simple, then if you bring one to repair the damage she already has on her hand, then we can talk.¡±


    Tom: ¡°Hey fatty!¡± ¨CHe says as the hunched over balding man stands up straight again.- ¡°Go get me number 23¡­ No better make it number 25.¡±


    Without a word the balding man turns walking out the door.


    Tom: ¡°Now, while he does that we might as well start talking about what you have that I may want.¡±


    ¡°Well I surely won¡¯t trade any sentient monsters to you, and I am even not too keen on trading non-sentient ones either¡­¡±


    Tom: ¡°What you don¡¯t use monsters in your dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, but I don¡¯t take them apart¡­¡±


    Tom: ¡°You still send them to die without a second thought.¡±


    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t feel right¡­¡±


    Tom: ¡°Well do you want a necromancer or not?¡±


    I look over to the patchwork woman who has a worried look on her face, and I let out a deep sigh. ¡°Fine, what might I have that would interest you?¡±


    Tom: ¡°Actually what I want from you isn¡¯t a monster at all. I heard an odd rumor about your dungeon. Is it true you are capable of reproducing rare or one of a kind items?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about all that, but I have been known to acquire some hard to find items a time or two.¡±


    Tom: ¡°Well even Elder Dyson was only able to find me one in a set of this particular item.¡±


    ¡°Many of the items I have acquired were for Dyson.¡±


    Tom accesses his [Menu] and says. ¡°If you can acquire another one of these for me I will be willing to give you a dozen necromancers.¡± He then holds out his hand and in it is a large eyeball that fills his entire childlike hand.


    The Patchwork Woman looks disgusted. ¡°Master, that¡¯s an eyeball¡­¡±


    Tom: ¡°Not just any eyeball, but legend has it comes from one of the old gods.¡±


    ¡°You are saying that eye belongs to a god?¡±


    Tom: ¡°If you believe such tales. Legend says it was a lecherous god that peeked into somewhere he shouldn¡¯t have and another god plucked his eyes from his skull. Legend or not, the eye possesses a great power, and if I put the pair into one of my creations it would be truly spectacular.¡±


    ¡°I would have no way of knowing if I could get another, and even if I could I would have to take the eye back to my dungeon briefly to be able to find out if I could use it to find the other.¡±


    Tom: ¡°The eye is far from worthless, but unless I get the other I have no use for it on its own, but I will hold on to our little friend here until you return just in case you decide to skip out on me.¡±


    I sigh and take the eye from Tom¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before the portal even closes.¡± I then cast [Gate] heading back to the dungeon. When I add the eye to the dungeon I receive a message.


    New Items Available


    Left Eye of Belphegor                               Cost: 1,500,000xp*


    *Item must be created with Godly Quality. Item cost does not include quality.


    Godly Quality items can now be created at the items base cost x100, and must be made from legendary materials


    It clearly says it¡¯s the left eye, so even if the cost wasn¡¯t the most expensive item I have ever seen summoning another would surely not produce the results Tom wants¡­ I am a little worried about someone like Tom having something that powerful though.


    I find the eye in my dungeon¡¯s inventory.


    Left Eye of Belphegor: Plucked from Belphegor, his left eye on its own possesses a great power. If used as an alchemy ingredient or in the creation of an item it will however only grant a small portion of its immense power. If both of Belphegor¡¯s eyes are used together the resulting item will receive all of the pair¡¯s combined strength and immense power. However using the left eye alone or along with the right eye will cause a great curse to befall any who try to harness power meant only for gods.


    Well even Dyson can¡¯t find the second eye and the item is highly cursed so it does seem rather useless for its cost. I take the item and return back to Tom¡¯s dungeon through the still open portal.


    Tom: ¡°You really did return before the closure of the portal.¡±


    I return the eye to Tom and say. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the ability to acquire the other eye is beyond me, and even if I could, no amount of necromancers would cover its cost.¡±


    Tom clicks his tongue. ¡°It was worth a shot. What about a beastkin? I heard you can summon them isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°I can summon several types of beastkin, but I already said I will not trade a sentient monster.¡±


    Tom: ¡°A non-sentient beastkin would be fine. I don¡¯t often have the ability to get ahold of beastkin parts here in Dalian. The cost of non-sentient beastkin would be a drop in the bucket, so say 100 of them of various subspecies should work.¡±


    ¡°100?!¡±


    Tom: ¡°At level 1 that would just be the cost of a single sentient one, so you are by far getting the better end of this deal.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how much a pain that would be? Giving them all names, ultimate commands, and transporting them?¡±


    Tom: ¡°Open your portal, summon one, give it a number 1-100, they are non-sentient so they can¡¯t give any information about your dungeon so an ultimate command is not necessary, and just send them through. I am sure it would take minimal time, and depending on the number of subspecies available to you, you could even do 5 or 10 at a time.¡±


    I look over at the patchwork woman and sigh. ¡°Fine, but not till we make sure this works.¡±


    We wait for a few more minutes before the door opens again the balding man walks in the room leading in a small girl. The small girl can¡¯t be no more than 6 years old and she is very cute in her little flower dress that even the patchwork woman says. ¡°How adorable!¡±


    After closing the door the balding man returns to the corner and twitches a few times before hunching back over. The little girl walks up to us, curtsies, blushes, and in a sweet voice says.


    Little girl: ¡°Greetings Master, you called for me?¡±


    Tom: ¡°I need you to fix her hand if you can.¡±


    Little girl: ¡°Did the zombie-wombie get a booboo?¡±


    ¡°This is your necromancer?¡±


    Tom: ¡°This is how you make a perfect undead. Flawless seams from one part to the next that would almost be impossible to tell her from a living human just by sight.¡±


    The little girl grabs her cheeks and blushes. ¡°Thank you master.¡±


    The patchwork woman kneels down petting the girls head with a concerned expression on her face. ¡°She is undead?¡±


    While the patchwork woman pets the little girl¡¯s head the girl takes her hand that was damaged by the healing spell. Her hair starts to flutter as a dark circle appears around her as she casts a spell. It startles the patchwork woman causing her to fall back onto her butt, but by the time she does her hand has been completely repaired.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Little girl: ¡°I did it master!~ Some dummy-head also let the zombie-wombie drink something, so I took care of that as well. She should be all better now, but she seems weird.¡±


    ¡°How do you mean?¡±


    Little girl: ¡°She is clearly a zombie-wombie, but even though her insides have been removed and the skin preserved, for some reason I still detect life in her.¡±


    ¡°So she isn¡¯t an undead?¡±


    Little girl: ¡°She is not, not undead, but maybe re-dead? No that¡¯s not right either¡­ Maybe re-alive, or un-undead. It¡¯s very confusing¡­¡±


    ¡°But the necromancy spells will work to heal her?¡±


    Little girl: ¡°Yes, she not as good as master made me, but if you take good care of her with spells, and clean her after she munchy-wanchys on humans then she should last at least 20 years before you have to start changing out her party-wartys.¡±


    It is kind of disturbing for this cute little girl to be talking about eating a human with a bright smile and cutesy voice¡­


    Little girl: ¡°Master, number 25 was a good girl right? Can number 25 have her present?¡±


    Tom kisses her forehead and pats her head and the little girl looks positively elated.


    Tom: ¡°Now go back to your room and make sure to take the dummy along with you.¡±


    Little girl: ¡°Thank you master! ~ It was nice meeting you all.¡± ¨CShe then curtseys again and after the balding man in the corner stands back up they walk out of the room together.-


    The patchwork woman has a bright smile on her face as she waves at the little girl as she leaves. I am not sure if she just doesn¡¯t it get it or what, but if that little girl was a undead made from parts that means she could be any number of small children that Tom chopped up, so I find the little girl more than a bit unsettling¡­


    Tom: ¡°So, now that it is confirmed that it will work, what do you say we get down to the trade?¡±


    ¡°Very well, but I am not really sure I want to summon this many monsters at my dungeon, but I have an idea if you don¡¯t mind a bit of a trip.¡±


    I don¡¯t want Belinda or the others seeing me summon all these monsters to give to someone like Tom even if they are non-sentient¡­ I have left there with [Gate] plenty of times but never arrived there that way. I did learn about its location after becoming the Archjusticar so it should work. After I get Tom to agree I use [Gate] and we arrive at the neutral zone.


    Tom: ¡°I understand, this should work fine, I guess you really are the elder¡¯s little pet now.¡±


    I send a message to the bunnies letting them know I am going to use a bit of xp and then say. ¡°So you said various subspecies of beastkin, any other preferences?¡±


    Tom: ¡°I like soft, fresh skin so don¡¯t make any of them over 10 years old in appearance, other than that it should be fine.¡±


    I summon them in batches of 10 a piece choosing random subspecies and their ages between 5 and 10 other then that I let [Menu] do the rest of the work sending them through the portal back to Tom¡¯s dungeon. With 50 beastkin and 50 feral beastkin I unlock quite a few more subspecies of beastkin.


    I feel quite deplorable after sending the last of the 100 small naked beastkin children to Tom¡¯s dungeon. I know they aren¡¯t sentient but that doesn¡¯t make me feel any less vile¡­


    ¡°Now if you please I will take a monster that can use necromancy spells, and our trade will be complete.¡±


    Tom: ¡°Let¡¯s see for with what you paid I got¡­ A hag necromancer, just your plan old skeletal necromancer, or¡­ Oh it cost a little bit more but the parts you provided looked well worth it, how about a puppeteer spider?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to ask, what is a puppeteer spider?¡±


    Tom: ¡°Just a simple spider monster, it uses its web and necromancy spells to attack. Further down their evolutionary line they can get quite powerful, but less you want to give me a couple hundred more beastkin I think we will just stick with this one.¡±


    ¡°As tempting as that sounds¡­ I better just stick to a plain old skeletal necromancer.¡±


    Tom shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Your loss.¡±


    After summoning a robed skeleton Tom says. ¡°That should work for you, and if you get tired of that monster there, I will gladly take her off your hands.¡±


    Tom then disappears into the portal. I then summon one last [Gate] to take the three of us back home.


    Skeleton Bob has changed ownership from Dungeon Core #521 [Tom] to Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen]. Would you like to change Skeleton Bob¡¯s name?


    Skeleton Bob¡­? Oh well it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°No¡±


    New Monsters Available


    Skeleton Necromancer                 Cost: 2700xp*


    *Elemental type monsters are granted a discount of 1/4 due to [Uniquely Gifted] skill.


    New Spells Available


    Animate Skeleton                         Cost: 500xp Necromantic Touch                      Cost: 500xp Necromantic Healing                   Cost: 500xp


    It¡¯s only an entry level spell, but as cheap as it is I should be able to teach it to all of the boss monsters to help the patchwork woman¡­ We still need to come up with a name for her. For now I just store Skeleton Bob in the dungeon¡¯s crystal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you sleep or anything, but I am going on two days and want to grab a few hours if nothing else. I will take you to your room for now and we can figure everything else out afterwards.¡±


    Patchwork Woman: ¡°I understand Master¡­¡±


    I lead her to one of the spare bedrooms and then head up to my room. The sun was already starting to rise when Belinda went to sleep, but it is only around noon yet she isn¡¯t in bed. I quickly find her however soaking in the bath.


    Belinda: ¡°You made it back. You get everything worked out?¡±


    ¡°For the most part I think. Have you gotten any sleep?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I got a bit, but I was a little worried with you gone. I know you are probably tired, but think how good that bed will feel after a nice warm bath.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t have to tell me twice. I remember getting in the bath¡­ But the next thing I remember is waking up with Belinda in my arms and it¡¯s the middle of the night. She is sleeping soundly and I don¡¯t want to disturb her so after going through [Menu] and teaching myself and my boss monsters the [Necromantic Healing] spell I just continue to lay there till I manage to drift back off to sleep.


    The next few days pass easy enough. Leave it to Belinda to quickly name the patchwork woman Vetala. Vetala is as we find rather clumsy, but it could be the fact she was just a ring so now she has to get used to having a body, but I am not sure.


    [Necromantic Healing] takes care of most problems with Vetala, but [Clean] also has to be used when we catch her trying to eat or drink something.


    Vetala: ¡°But it tastes so good!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a stomach! What are you going to do if something rots inside of you?¡±


    Vetala: ¡°I¡¯m sorry master¡­¡± ¨CShe says while pouting.-


    Vetala is really quite unusual, I have done a little looking research into undead and it¡¯s almost like she is completely alive on the outside but she doesn¡¯t even have any internal organs. I guess that is sort of a like a dungeon core except we have internal organs but they only work if in use.


    Same with pain, she feels the pain if you prick her skin, but then there is nothing. You could stab her with a sword and she would feel the initial stab but as long as you don¡¯t tear the wound more she would not feel any additional pain.


    She does seem to have some sort of sensation of what is happening inside her as well to some degree, but how much we can¡¯t really tell. It is mainly apparent when we catch her eating or drinking something she says it just feel icky¡­


    After the initial shock of an undead in the house Doug and Aria have seem to become quick friends and if they are not working on commissions they visit with her quite often. We have also started to train Vetala to work at the mayor¡¯s office to help out Scylla.


    She seems like a bit of an oddity to the townspeople, with her multi-colored hair and eyes, but with her disposition they quickly accept her without even realizing she is an undead. She does try to avoid direct contact with people though as he skin is rather cool and clammy to the touch.


    Things in the dungeon have seemed to finally start to settle down. We have managed to finally add enough rifts that we are finally getting back on track. We can¡¯t rest yet though because they are still killing everything in the elemental wings except the three boss like monsters.


    We did however almost loose the griffon one day before we were able to put him back in one of the larger rooms as he didn¡¯t have much room to move around in, but afterwards we moved him back and he should be in better shape in the future.


    The construction of the mage¡¯s guild has been going at lighting speed, but even still with its massive size it is estimated to take another two months before it is completed.


    After Logan¡¯s time was up he returned back to the capital, it seems like Logan and Queen are dating again, but they completely started their relationship back over from the beginning. Only took them dating for 3 years to get to the point that Logan was going to propose to Queen, so maybe they will get back to that point before he turns 40¡­


    Leila is only a month or two old, but Belinda has a small birthday party for all 4 of the bunnies together. I find it a little redundant, but it seems to make Belinda happy so I keep my mouth shut, and the day after their birthday party I get a message from Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: (Pup if you got some time on your hands I could use your help, and you might want to bring your boss monsters along.)


    ¡°That¡¯s rather strange. Madam Erin just asked for help.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That isn¡¯t strange they are asking you to do things for them all the time.¡±


    ¡°No she actually asked for my help.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You think she is in trouble?¡±


    ¡°She did say to bring you and the girls and well, but if it was something she couldn¡¯t handle the five of us aren¡¯t going to make a difference.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°Well as the Archjusticar if an elder asks I think I am supposed to help, but she did actually ask for once. Although that is making me all that much more curious¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright let¡¯s get the girls ready.¡±


    I send a message back to Madam Erin telling her we are on our way, and Belinda and I then go to pick up Zoey and Roxy.


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey went out real quick, she usually goofs off all day when I sent her to pick something up, so you might want to message her to tell her to hurry back.¡±


    ¡°It will probably be quicker to just go get her, I will leave you and Belinda here to get your stuff together and will make sure she hurries.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    I quickly find Zoey at the Denova¡¯s general store buying a mound of food items.


    ¡°Is that really necessary?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh boss! Perfect timing you can help me carry all this home.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get anything that spoils did you? Madam Erin asked for us to give her a hand, and who knows how long that will take.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°If you would teach me [Shadow Pocket] I could store it all in there and not have to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°You are always with Roxy, and the spell was one of the more expensive ones to teach, so I didn¡¯t think it was all that necessary, but if it¡¯s something you want we can see about getting it for you. If we are able to make a bit of xp of this task for Madam Erin¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You¡¯re the best! So¡­ Will you help me carry this stuff back home?¡±


    I sigh. ¡°I guess but hurry up, we still have to go get Azami as well.¡±


    As we are heading back to the house Zoey askes me.


    Zoey: ¡°You really helped Roxy and me out with that ring boss, but it leaves me with a question I was curious about.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I like where this is going¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well have you ever had Belinda wear one of the rings?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh¡­ Not even one of them you use?¡±


    ¡°Then she would look like me.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I know! I had Roxy try on the ring you gave us, and it was weirdly satisfying.¡±


    This girl¡­ I pick up the pace back to Roxy and Zoey¡¯s house. Once we drop off the things Zoey bought I send a message to Azami to make sure it safe before we transfer up to the forest.


    Azami seems to be working on her crafting while Moss patiently watches. When we arrive the item she is crafting floats to the ground. Moss quickly grabs it up and dusts it off setting it on a cloth and folds it up.


    ¡°Sorry to bother you when you are busy, but we might have some work to do for Madam Erin.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am not busy, crafting is work I do when I have nothing else.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we will be gone, so are you sure you have everything you need?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I just need to make sure Moss understands what he must do while I am gone.¡±


    Moss: ¡°I know¡­ Keep practicing until I am out of magic, and once it returns practice some more.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re having him practice magic?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Of course, I told you one of my requirements for purchasing him was his magical ability, I have started teaching him the ways of elven crafting.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess it can¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Azami: ¡°In fact I had him make an item especially for you.¡±


    She takes out a small piece of wood shaped like a dagger.


    Azami: ¡°He is only in the starting stages, so he can only make things from wood and cloth.¡±


    I take the dagger and get down on Moss¡¯s level.


    ¡°Thank you I will take good care of it.¡±


    Moss: ¡°I hope you get a splinter.¡±


    ¡°Well alright then¡­ We all ready? ¡°


    I tuck the wooden dagger into my belt and then we set off from Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Oh good you have arrived, no time to lose I don¡¯t know how long she can hold her position. Oh just one more thing.¡±


    Madam Erin accesses her [Menu] and an xp bead appears in her hand.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright now we are ready.¡±


    She then finishes a rune on a portal she has set up and ushers us through quickly.


    A salty ocean breeze quickly hits my face as I notice we are standing next to a familiar ruined building. With clouds all around I realize we are on Maeve¡¯s dungeon.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Good we made it¡­ hitting a moving target with a rune portal is by no means an easy task.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maeve!¡± ¨CShe quickly shouts running over to Maeve, who is leaning against the wall apparently waiting on us, and gives her a hug.-


    Maeve: ¡°Hey mom¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting you and papa.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Yes sorry about that, it was a last minute addition. Is your dungeon ok here?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Yea the breeze is pretty stable here, I could probably hold for a few more hours.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If we don¡¯t make it back before you have to move let us know, and then try to circle back around.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I got it. You got what you promised?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Of course.¡± ¨CShe says dropping the xp bead into Maeve¡¯s hand.-


    Maeve whistles holding the xp bead between her fingers and kisses it. ¡°You keep these coming and I will go anywhere you want me to.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, so I will explain when we arrive. Come on one more jump.¡±


    Madam Erin then quickly starts drawing runes on the stone wall faster than I have ever recall seeings her do before. When she gets to the end she hesitates for a second looking back over it then finishes the last line.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright hurry.¡± ¨CShe says shoving us back through before even giving a chance to say bye to Maeve.-


    Maeve however is still leaning against the wall and waves as we disappear. Once I hit the ground I hear a loud screech and a giant red goblin comes charging right at me. I quickly draw my sword and fend it off, but it isn¡¯t a few seconds later, that more giant red goblins come pouring from the trees.


    We quickly start attacking the goblins in turn and once Madam Erin arrives she starts to smash them as well. They just keep coming but we are able to deal with them relatively easy, and with Madam Erin smashing two or three at a time we start making progress.


    ¡°What is going on?!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Welcome to Shima pup!¡±


    ¡°Shima?!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just behind you through the trees there should be some steps, they will lead up to Inari¡¯s dungeon, start working your way in that direction.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t take all these things to Inari¡¯s dungeon! She has a village in it doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°They can¡¯t get in, and besides they are waiting on us.¡±


    We keep fighting off the giant red goblins as we retreat back. Once we find the stairs we quickly start making our way up them. The giant red goblins are right on top of us all the way until we see a large group of various fox beastkin all armed with shiny crimson armor and weapons like that of which Inari brought to the dungeon so we could recreate.


    They don¡¯t move until we pass them and as a muscular fox punches on of the giant red goblins hard enough it flings him back 10 feet into a tree he says. ¡°The Mistress is waiting for you just inside. We will hold them off until you make it into the dungeon.¡±


    The giant red goblins continue to chase us completely ignoring the foxes, but that gives the foxes plenty of chances to bring them down.


    Once we pass the last step onto the large square are the large red goblins quickly turn heading after Madam Erin as she screeches to a halt.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just as I thought. Alright pups I leave it to you!¡±


    Without another word Madam quickly dashes back down the stairs using several of the giant red goblins as spring boards.


    Belinda: ¡°Inari!¡±


    Inari looks around and says. ¡°Alright, come downstairs and I will explain everything.¡±


    As we are quickly ushered away by Inari I watch the fox beastkin step up from the stairs and the giant red goblins seem to lose interest wandering off. There is another large muscular man with Inari, he looks identical to the dungeon core she trained with the expectation of the large fox ears on top of his head and bushy tail.


    After passing several flights of stairs and passing some very interesting rooms we pass through to large wooden gates that the other foxes behind us close. Inari then slows down and lets out a sigh of relief. She then quickly turns, giving Belinda a hug and then me as well.


    Inari: ¡°I am so glad this worked¡­ Come have a seat inside and I will tell you what is going on.¡±


    Inari is far less rushed as we then enter the house. She sits down at a small table on the floor and the large muscular fox sits next to her. The others then gather around the table as well sitting down. Belinda sits down to the other side of Inari so I sit next to her.


    After scoping out the room Zoey flops down next to a fox beastkin with the largest breasts and then Roxy squeezes in between them. Azami doesn¡¯t sit at the table taking a spot back against the wall.


    Inari: ¡°Thank you all for coming¡­ Madam Erin didn¡¯t tell me you were coming until about an hour ago, so I apologize if everything is a bit hectic.¡±


    ¡°She kind of just sprung it on us as well. We don¡¯t even know why we are here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Not that we are not happy to get to see you!¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright I will explain, but it¡¯s going to take a bit of a long story.¡±


    She then takes a deep breath and starts.


    Inari: ¡°I guess a little over a year ago when Daddy first disappeared I begged Madam Erin to take me to the mainland to help me search. She of course refused, but told me if I did her a favor that she would put more resources into finding him. Of course we know how that all turned out with Daddy popping up all on his own¡­¡±


    Inari sighs then continues.


    Inari: ¡°Anyway¡­ Madam Erin wanted us to investigate what she heard were rumors of the source of the Oni. The Oni are those monsters you were fighting that look like giant red goblins. It took us quite a bit of effort but we finally found the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Dungeon, but I thought you were the only dungeon in Shima?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy please¡­ Anyway the dungeon like you said wasn¡¯t one of the 799 known to the elders and there were quite a few strange things about it. Monsters spawning from rifts that could leave the dungeon, Item rifts that never quit spawning, and not to mention the fact that they were even outside what we later determined to be edge of the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Item rifts? I have a few questions, but most importantly how is this all possible?¡±


    Inari: ¡°When we finally reached the dungeon crystal it was already dead. There was some kind of plant wrapped around the broken crystal holding it together causing it to do all these strange things. When the plant activated the crystal it didn¡¯t seem to be bound by the usual rules of a dungeon and even resulted in monsters that where not complete to be summoned.¡±


    Yuji the silver eared fox with black hair that Inari brought with her during her last visit says. ¡°It was quite disgusting.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yes, anyway once I managed to hit the crystal it broke the proper way and I absorbed it power granting me the [Heroic] skill. The plant then shriveled up but not before two vines that looked to be coming into the dungeon from elsewhere retreated into the wall.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That was what happened to you that you couldn¡¯t tell us?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yes, and after all that the Oni in the forest didn¡¯t even miss a beat, so there has to be more dungeons like that in Shima. I heavily rely on the Oni so if things stayed that way I would have been fine leaving well enough alone, but that¡¯s what led us to what is happening now.¡±

 Helping Inari

    Only with a short message from Madam Erin asking for help, Belinda, Roxy, Zoey, Azami, and I find ourselves being dragged along on a trip all the way to Shima. Madam Erin quickly abandoned us in Inari¡¯s dungeon saying she would explain and then took off. After arriving in Inari¡¯s home we finally had a chance to catch our breath enough for Inari to explain the situation.


    The Oni, as the locals call them, are on a rise over the entire island of Shima. When they grew in numbers like that in this forest, that is when they took out the town, so if that is the case other villages might soon be in danger. Inari and Madam Erin have however seemed to come up with a plan.


    Inari: ¡°And that is all there is too it. When we are done we are to contact Madam Erin and she will either come get you in the same fashion you arrived, or if little sis can¡¯t get back in position Madam Erin will have to come get you in the fashion she used to travel to Shima, but if we can avoid that it would really help.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am surprised Madam Erin is willing to do all this just to help you out like this.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I think her motives behind it are that if we succeed here, then maybe we can start having new dungeon cores in Shima again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, if you are the only one that can do it then how will that help a new dungeon core?¡±


    Inari: ¡°By the wording of the skill it sounds like even though I have to spend the xp the area doesn¡¯t technically count as my dungeon, I would have to place an imitation crystal to start it, but we could then expand the area large enough for a new dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That still sounds like a lot of ¡°if it works¡± and ¡°maybes¡±.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Worst case scenario I lose an imitation dungeon, but if everything does work then I would be like an empress.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit optimistic isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Inari: ¡°What else would you call it? The new dungeons would have to protect my imitation crystal to protect their dungeon as well, and in turn have to protect my primary dungeon for the same reason. I could issue a call to arms, or even punish them by limiting their growth if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°And Madam Erin was ok with all this?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I just mentioned placing a secondary dungeon. She was the one that came up with the rest. I think Madam Erin and Dyson are starting to plan for a future without the other elders in it, and if the new cores in Shima have to listen to me, then Madam Erin and Dyson will only have to get me on board for whatever they are planning, and the rest of the Shima cores would have to follow.¡±


    ¡°You are ok with Dyson and Madam Erin using you like that?¡±


    Inari: ¡°They might be using me, but I would be the one that holds the power. Kenta and you seemed to have no problem entering my dungeon, but Madam Erin and Dyson can¡¯t, and I am not too sure that doesn¡¯t include their monsters as well. Meaning if they want me to do something I don¡¯t want to, I just have to tell them no and there isn¡¯t much they can do about it, but to prevent that I am sure they will make it well worth my while. For starters Madam Erin even mentioned gifting me additional imitation crystals. Now I don¡¯t have any problem with xp, but at 1 million xp for the first and the price increasing by 1 million for every imitation crystal afterwards that is a hell of a deal.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am worried for you though¡­ Putting that much trust in Madam Erin and Dyson¡­¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the trust in that god of yours¡­ We have had a little run in with a group claiming to serve the old gods and I am not too sure I would want to put my trust in any of them.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Inari has done nothing but help me, and doing this will also benefit the humans as well by making safe havens from the Oni, and that seems to be the thing that Inari cares the most about.¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t attacked any humans with your dungeon yet. If humans are what Inari cares about then what happens when you or one of the new cores do?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I believe that this is the reason I am here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If this is truly what you want to do, then your father and I are behind you all the way.¡±


    ¡°Well, have you made up your mind where you are going to place it?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I want to stake a claim on that cave where we destroyed that corrupt dungeon, but if the Oni really are on the rise around the entire island I think we need to find another poorly defended village. I thought about the capital but they have large stone walls, so even if the Oni did like they did here the capital should be able to hold out far better.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you have this well-handled, so I am still a little confused why we are here.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I think Madam Erin wants to know if this is all going to work the way she hopes, and if she can¡¯t enter [Inari¡¯s Providence] I think she was hoping you could, so you could report back to her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just message her and tell her?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I think she is a little worried I might hold something back.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Does she think your father or I will be more honest?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well with Daddy being the Archjusticar now it would be part of his job. It¡¯s alright though, because I have no intention of hiding anything and it gives me the chance to see you all again. If it works once a few more dungeon cores are born then maybe we could see each other whenever we want as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That would be great!¡±


    ¡°When do you want to set out?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I know it was pretty early when you all left home, but it already starting to get pretty late here, so just relax, my home is your home, and we can set out first thing in the morning.¡±


    The muscular fox next to Inari then speaks to me. ¡°Master, if it would be alright I would like to speak with you privately.¡±


    ¡°Master? Well I guess it¡¯s alright.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright while the guys have their little talk, why don¡¯t the rest of us go take a bath? I would love to know what you think about it Mommy.¡±


    Belinda agrees and Zoey gets looks around the room getting rather excited, but Roxy shuts her down.


    Roxy: ¡°Thank you Inari, but for obvious reasons I think your Aunt Zoey and I will have to pass for now.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s really quite alright, we are all family here. I wouldn¡¯t even mind if we all could enjoy the bath together, but Takeshi is stubborn and still won¡¯t join the others. I do understand though if you¡¯re not comfortable with it.¡±


    Belinda looks a little nervous looking at Satoshi, Akihito, and Yuji. ¡°Maybe I will just wait.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright¡­ Fine just the ladies only then.¡±


    Zoey seems to get excited again and Roxy sighs.


    Roxy: ¡°Fine, I guess it¡¯s alright, but hand over the ring!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She said ladies so hand it over!¡±


    Zoey¡¯s ears droop as she takes the ring off of her finger and puts it in Roxy¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Wait, why were you even wearing it? Never mind, I don¡¯t want to know¡­¡±


    Inari then leads all the women towards the back of the house, all except one that is.


    ¡°Azami, you¡¯re one of the ladies, why don¡¯t you go as well?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Must I¡­?¡±


    ¡°As you said, it would be a good bonding experience.¡±


    Azami doesn¡¯t look happy about it but she stands following the rest of the women.


    ¡°Now Takeshi, was it? What can I do for you?¡±


    He looks over at the other men and they seem to get the idea and they clear out as well.


    Takeshi then quickly kneels pulling a small Shima style blade from his waist that is the size of a large dagger. He then presents the blade to me and says.


    Takeshi: ¡°I have protected your daughter as promised, but I also broke my other promise, so I offer you my life.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ What are you talking about?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I have done myself a great dishonor by taking your daughter into my bed, and I can offer no excuses for my actions, so I offer my life to ask your forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still lost¡­I was under the impression that Inari and you are lovers¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°And in doing so I broke my vow to you that I would never lay my hands on your daughter. I understand if you do not forgive me, but my life is the most I can offer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still missing something here¡­ Do you care for Inari?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Of course, I love you daughter very much, but that is no excuse for breaking my vow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what this vow you are talking about, but if you care for Inari, and she obviously cares for you by the way she was gushing about you when she was telling Belinda all about it, I don¡¯t see the problem.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°But I am just a mere servant summoned by you to be her shield.¡±


    ¡°Under that logic, anyone that is part of the dungeon would be a servant as well, and if Inari couldn¡¯t make her lover part of her dungeon she would then have to suffer them growing old and dying on her over and over again. Are you saying that is what I would want for her?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I was just to be her shield, but if you summoned for her a lover then it would sure to be alright.¡±


    ¡°Then why not you?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°If you will be Inari¡¯s shield protecting her with your very life, I couldn¡¯t ask more than someone like that to be my daughter¡¯s lover. If you are saying you want my permission then you have it. If you make each other happy, then it makes me happy and I know Belinda would feel the same.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°You honor me Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Now stand up. Belinda and I may treat Inari as our daughter, but we are both still dungeon cores, so as Inari¡¯s lover you calling me Master, or bowing your head to me, I would think would be a dishonor to her.¡±


    Takeshi stands sheathing the small dagger and lightly bows.


    Takeshi: ¡°Then if not master then please allow me to call you father.¡±


    Takeshi looks to be my age or even a little older, and is definitely far more muscular, him calling me father seems odd somehow, but if it puts this strange conversation behind us¡­


    ¡°I believe that is between you and Inari, but unless she has an objection to is I guess it will be alright. Now where did the other men go off too? We should all get together and have a drink, because I could definitely use one right about now¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I could call them, but alcohol is rather scarce here. I do believe Yuji has a bottle stashed away, and although I do not drink I will gather them if that is you like father.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Inari, Maeve, Dawn, and Twilight when they called me daddy or papa it seemed kind of nice, but this muscular man calling me father definitely is going to take some getting used to¡­


    ¡°Yes I remember now Inari telling me about that when she and Yuji were at the house. I would hate to get into Yuji¡¯s private stash, but I did share mine with him so it wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask at least.¡±


    With that me and the four fox beastkin are sitting around the table diving into a bottle of Shima style alcohol. It¡¯s quite different then what I am used to, quite a bit stronger as well. Even with the one bottle we all manage to get pleasantly drunk.


    I even manage to take Takeshi into participating, and by the time the bottle is empty the women have returned from their bath. Inari is standing there with her hands on her hips and her cheeks puffed out as she says.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy! What did I tell you about getting my monsters drunk?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not mine!¡±


    Yuji: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mistress. He let me drink his while I was there so I wanted to return the favor.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You even got Takeshi drunk!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I am sorry Inari, father made a compelling argument, and I felt it wrong to refuse him.¡±


    Belinda pats Inari on the back with a smile and Inari looks shocked at first but then her face forms a mischievous smile.


    Inari: ¡°There is nothing that can be done about it now¡­ But we have a long day tomorrow so we should get to bed early.¡± ¨CShe says grabbing Takeshi¡¯s arm.-


    Takeshi: ¡°Please be gentle¡­¡±


    The rest of us retire as well. Belinda and I were going to stay in the main house, but after we learned of the paper thin walls leaving much to be desired for the sake of reducing noise we decided to sleep in the building where Yuji, Satoshi, and Akihito are set up in.


    The next morning when we gather together Inari looks rather tired as she yawns and says.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy, I made up my mind. This has to work, if for no other reason than that I can trade with you for some alcohol.¡±


    Inari then tries to gain some composure as she addresses the room.


    Inari: ¡°Alright, there has been a small change of plans. Yuji, I will ask you to remain here with Chika and the others and I will take Takeshi along with me this time instead. That means with Akane and Takeshi with us, you are in charge, I can count on you right Yuji?¡±


    Yuji: ¡°Yes Mistress! I promise I will not let you down!¡±


    Inari: ¡°Good, now I am sure the villagers are going to be quite curious about our guests, but remember they aren¡¯t to know Mommy and Daddy are among them or it could lead to some questions we aren¡¯t quite ready to answer. Depending on how much the Oni slow us down we are only expecting to be gone a week at most, but if the set up for the secondary dungeon leads to any kind of problems it may take us longer.¡±


    Akane: ¡°Mistress¡­ If Yuji is staying behind can I speak to him privately for a few minutes?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Just don¡¯t take too long.¡± ¨CShe says with a smirk-


    Akane nods and grabs Yuji dragging him from the room.


    Inari: ¡°Alright, while they have their talk I guess I will go to my room and make sure I have everything I need.¡±


    Inari tries to leave but Takeshi grabs her arm and shakes his head.


    Inari: ¡°But...!¡± ¨CShe sighs. - ¡°Fine, but you owe me.¡±


    Inari then sits back down crossing her arms while we discuss our plan of action. When Akane and Yuji finally return their tails are intertwined and they are holding hands, but as they let go of each other Akane has a bitter-sweet expression on her face.


    I didn¡¯t realize they were lovers as well, and by the expression on Akane¡¯s face they must really be close, because even though we are only expected to be gone a week the look on her face almost looks like they are not just saying bye for now but goodbye.


    I guess it makes sense that Inari will have monsters to watch this new dungeon of hers, but I was under the impression she was going to summon new ones not have any of her current ones stay behind. Besides she surely could transfer between dungeons, and wouldn¡¯t break them up like that intentionally.


    ¡°Inari, are you sure we shouldn¡¯t take Yuji along as well?¡±


    I was trying to help, but somehow my comment seemed to make matters worse though because Akane¡¯s face looks even more pained.


    Inari: ¡°With this ring now I need to catch up in levels, and with Takeshi officially joining my dungeon this morning!¡± ¨CShe says with a bright smile and puffing out her chest.- ¡°He needs to catch up to the rest as well.¡±


    Inari¡¯s comment seemed to improve the mood because Akane then smiles and says.


    Akane: ¡°Congratulations Mistress I am happy for you.¡±


    Yuji: ¡°About time Takeshi, that¡¯s why you made the change to who is going. Don¡¯t think I am going to slack off though, I will make sure I train extra hard to make sure I stay the Mistress¡¯s primary boss monster!¡±


    Inari: ¡°Good, I will hold you to that then! If you drop from being the primary boss monster be prepared to face the punishment.¡±


    Yuji now looks a little nervous but he says. ¡°Understood!¡±


    We then set off out of the house, after passing through the gate and up the stairs a muscular human about Logan¡¯s age seems to have been waiting to ambush us. I can¡¯t understand what he and Inari are talking about, but they seem to be on good terms although Inari seems to be trying to rush him along.


    Inari then seems to send a message with [Menu] and Chika quickly makes her way up the stairs with a bright smile on her face. She seems to work herself into the conversation then manages to get the man¡¯s attention long enough for us to slip away.


    Inari: ¡°That was pretty close. I knew they would be curious but I didn¡¯t expect him to ambush us like that.¡±


    We make our way to the surface and to the edge of the square temple grounds.


    Inari: ¡°This is going to probably be intense from the moment we step off of here, and if the new dungeon doesn¡¯t work it might stay that way the entire time until we return. Is everyone ready?¡±


    Inari¡¯s Monsters: ¡°Yes Mistress!¡±


    We then set out.


    Inari wasn¡¯t joking¡­ We have been taking it slow and steady. It took us two days to make it out of the forest, and two more across the plains and I don¡¯t think a single moment of it at least one of us are fighting one of the Oni creatures.


    They are not much trouble to deal with, but if they hit your dungeon like this non-stop I can see why all of the Shima dungeons eventually fell. Sleeping has been rather difficult with the constant battle, but Azami and her ¡°friends¡± are a big help.


    I know I am not mistaking it now, but her ¡°friends¡± really are starting to look less grotesque, and there is now even a semblance of a humanoid shape too them. I can¡¯t be for certain but maybe Moss being with Azami wasn¡¯t such a bad idea after all. I just hope the poor little guy survives it.


    We have reached the half-way point, and we have arrived at the small village that Inari decided to place her imitation crystal, but there seems to be one major problem¡­


    Inari: ¡°We are too late¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°There was no way to know the Oni would attack the village like this it was months after the Oni Generals arrived back at the forest before they went through the fence, we were not even sure it wasn¡¯t the fact that we had gone in and out of the village that they attacked it to begin with.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact the village is gone! 70 families, that is what Tatsuo said this village should have had in it¡­ That is about the same amount Kabemura lost in the attack. If the Oni really have gotten this much more aggressive then how many more villages around Shima are suffering the same fate?¡±


    ¡°The truth is we can¡¯t do anything about that. We don¡¯t know why there has been the sudden increase of these Oni creatures, but we can only do what we can.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Of course we know. It¡¯s their answer to us destroying one of their dungeons. 30 years they never got worse. We destroyed one of the dungeons and then this happens.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Your father is right, there isn¡¯t any way to know for sure if that was the cause or not, and even if it was it still isn¡¯t your fault. You couldn¡¯t just leave it there to continue spewing out Oni.¡±


    Akane: ¡°I would say we should find somewhere a bit safer to discuss this but there really isn¡¯t such a place. Are you going to place the imitation crystal and then try to rebuild the village, or should we move on?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am sorry Daddy, but this may take longer than we expected¡­ Will you please still help us till we find another location?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course we will.¡±


    Inari and her monsters, and me and mine have been taking turns dealing with the Oni, so that both of our dungeons are capable of gathering xp, and after a week of traveling in this manner we have each gained a lot.


    Inari: ¡°That¡¯s another one¡­ That makes three villages, and that¡¯s just the ones we know of. Maybe it¡¯s all of them¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that Inari¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Why did Inari even give me this ability to save more lives if everyone is already gone!¡±


    Saki: ¡°You can¡¯t think like that Mistress. Maybe Inari saw what was coming and gave you that power so you can save the ones that are left.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But every village we have come too has been destroyed already.¡±


    ¡°Maybe instead of focusing on the small villages then we should head for one of the larger ones. Each one of these villages should have been 50 to 100 families. Maybe we should look towards ones that are larger than that?¡±


    Akane: ¡°There should be one about two days north east of here, maybe three with the way the Oni have been bothering us.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Two days north east is almost to the capital. I wanted to try to protect one of the more remote villages.¡±


    Akane: ¡°The only other one I have heard about in the size we are looking for would be five days due east on the coast.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What do you think Daddy?¡±


    ¡°With the crazy way the dungeon magic works in Shima we can¡¯t be for certain if you can transfer from one dungeon to the other like a normal core, but if you can, having the capital close at hand would be quite useful. That being said if a new dungeon core is placed in Shima having a new core right on the coast might better connect Shima to the mainland.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy that doesn¡¯t help¡­¡±


    ¡°What does your gut tell you?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Would you be willing to stick it out with us for 5 more days?¡±


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    Truth be told, the amount of xp we have been gathering here with Inari has been more than enough of a reason to spend a month here. Sure you would eventually get tired of looking over your shoulder twenty-four hours a day, but if we can establish a connection to Shima I am very tempted in spending a lot more time here just to train the girls and gather more xp.


    Then again after another week passes, and we can begin to smell the salt in the air from the ocean I have had about all of these red goblins then I can take¡­


    Just to be on the safe side we left communication parchment in Inari¡¯s dungeon, but so far she has been able to keep in touch with them with messages, and we have keep Madam Erin informed as well.


    We did have a little scare when we received word about a fire in one of Faron¡¯s churches but as it turns out it had nothing to do with the group of beastkin, and the fire wasn¡¯t even severe enough that the damage couldn¡¯t be repaired.


    Before we see the actual village we are heading to we hear the sounds of the coast and even can make out a few boats coming in and out of port so it appears at least for now the village is still safe. Once we arrive they do seem to have met with quite the damage.


    Makeshift walls made from scrapped boats and overturned carts, branches with fish bones tied to them for makeshift spears drove into the ground, and bodies¡­ The sea birds are having a feast on mounds of Oni corpses.


    It seems they have been dumping the bodies into the ocean, but they are just stacking up faster than they can remove them. When one of the sentries sees us approach there are several calls, horns, and whistles blown before the entire town comes under alert.


    The Oni have still not stopped attacking us so it does appear we are dragging Oni towards the village I guess. Everyone holds a defensive line while Inari and I approach the town. A man exits from between some of the makeshift walls and starts talking in the Shima language.


    He does seem very happy to see us though I do think I hear him say something about Inari though. After Inari says something back he apologizes with a heavy accent.


    Man: ¡°I sorry.¡±


    Inari: ¡°He said he was starting to think they were the only ones left alive in Shima. He said he doesn¡¯t speak much of the language from the mainland.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, this is your show, and I am just along for the ride.¡±


    Inari starts to talk to the man again in the Shima language. I guess Inari has started to tell him what we are doing here, Inari had it all worked out, but still if a stranger comes up to you telling you they were sent by god to possibly save their town you would have the same look that this man has on his face.


    After they speak back and forth for a while Inari then says.


    Inari: ¡°He thinks I am crazy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I really blame him.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I know we expected this, I was kind of hoping they had some kind of shrine or something of Inari, but most of the people here are travelers so it would be easier to expect followers of Faron.¡±


    ¡°So what now?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Phase two, make them believers.¡±


    Inari turns back to the man says a few words then lightly bows to him before turning away from him.


    Inari: ¡°Alright Daddy, go help the others and leave the rest to me. This may take me a little while.¡±


    I return to the others and we give Inari plenty of space, the men on guard of the town look rather confused as does the man Inari spoke to. Inari then takes the staff spinning it around several times in a theatrical manor, and when she points it to the ground two foxes appear from thin air.


    The foxes are covered mostly in snow white fur from the tips of their ears down to the tips of their tails in which case each has two of. The only parts of their bodies not covered in snow white furs are red streaks though their furs that form unique patterns.


    The foxes then stay close by her side as she draws out a large square in the dirt, roughly the size of a standard sized room. She then begins casting a spell and from the line sprouts a large stone box sealing Inari and the two foxes inside.


    She really is milking this for all it¡¯s worth it seems¡­ I then turn my focus to the battle ahead of me.


    Inari¡¯s PoV


    I can¡¯t help to feel greatly relieved that I managed to pull that off without a hitch. After we returned home after destroying that corrupted dungeon I quickly learned the [Stone Wall] spell as it would have made my life so much easier.


    I haven¡¯t really used it since learning it, but I tried to copy Madam Erin¡¯s example when I formed this box. This particular stone wall isn¡¯t very thick, but Daddy and the rest will keep the Oni off of me I just need it so the humans can¡¯t see what I am doing.


    Midori and Aoi have grown quite a bit fiercer since the dungeon excursion and after my skill ranked up they even both grew another tail. I pet them lightly on the head thanking them for their part of the show and decide it¡¯s time to get to work.


    I take out the small pebble from my pocket that is the unused imitation crystal and set it down on the ground.


    Imitation crystal has been placed. Placing an imitation crystal in the current location will result in the creation of a secondary dungeon, and the decision cannot be undone. Do you wish to proceed?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I am really going to knock the socks off the locals by having a full shrine standing here by the time the [Stone Wall] comes down, but for now I need to make sure they don¡¯t find out it¡¯s a dungeon.


    I add a floor down accepting the notice about it being a dungeon with only sub-levels, and then create a basement. From the basement I add a trap door adding another floor down starting the dungeon. For now I just place a single room and move the imitation crystal down to it.


    I then begin working on the temple of Inari, It is nothing to fancy but it covers the entire area I have blocked off by the [Stone Wall] I then throw in a shrine and several fox statues for good measure. Now comes the moment of truth.


    Do you wish to place [Inari¡¯s Providence]? This decision cannot be undone, and will remain as long as Inari wills it.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    I watch my xp plummet as I increase the size of [Inari¡¯s Providence] stretching it to cover the entire town raises its cost to a staggering 1.5 million xp, but even though that cost does hurt it was within my prediction¡­


    With the cost of the imitation crystal at 1 million xp, the 1.5 million for [Inari¡¯s Providence], then the small temple, shrine, a basement, and a single dungeon room underneath my total xp expenditure is 2.6 million xp¡­


    2.6 million xp is a massive amount for a single dungeon room, but that isn¡¯t the important part. Right now this should keep the town safe from the Oni and maybe bring more followers to Inari¡­ I guess it¡¯s safe to say I really am a devoted follower of Inari now.


    ¡°Oh Inari I beg you please let this work¡­¡±


    I take a deep breath, pet Aoi and Midori on the head and hit the finalize button as I release the [Stone Wall].

 Inaris Task

    We have come all the way to Shima at Madam Erin¡¯s request, helped Inari reach a destination to place an imitation crystal, and are now fighting off the Oni as she sets up her secondary dungeon. That¡¯s when it happens all at once.


    As the [Stone Wall], in which she was using as a way to keep the humans from seeing her set up her imitation crystal, falls several of the Oni closest to us begin to howl and scream as they spontaneously catch fire hitting the ground wriggling around.


    The other Oni that are further away drop what they were doing and begin wandering off. We can then see a temple standing were the [Stone Wall] was moments before, and stepping out from the inside is Inari and she smirks and gives a thumbs up.


    The humans standing at the walls behind the building all have total looks of confusion on their face but none dare step from their posts. We sheath our weapons and move forward to meet up with Inari.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit overkill isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Inari: ¡°It had to be big enough to make them believers.¡±


    ¡°The Oni not bothering them anymore should have been proof of that, but summoning an entire building before their eyes¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well some of them might have started to doubt it was really Inari that caused the Oni to back off if there wasn¡¯t something physical for them to see. Besides he said the town didn¡¯t have a temple to Inari, so that had to be corrected.¡±


    ¡°So how big did you end up making the dungeon?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Is that something the Archjusticar of the elders should be asking little old me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m only joking Daddy!¡± ¨CShe says while laughing and hitting me on the shoulder.- ¡°I didn¡¯t make but a single room, I wanted to be sure the [Inari¡¯s Providence] worked out before spending all of my xp.¡±


    ¡°So, is it all you hoped for?¡±


    Inari: ¡°So far so good, I even got to see what happens when something that shouldn¡¯t be allowed in [Inari¡¯s Providence] is put inside of it, so I got to learn quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Well you better go talk to the townspeople, so they can quit holding their breaths.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Should make them wait till their faces turn blue after calling me crazy.¡±


    I ruffle her hair and kiss her forehead. ¡°Darling¡­ You are crazy.¡±


    Belinda grabs my arm laying her head on my shoulder with a smile.


    Belinda: ¡°Now go Inari, convince them how great you and your god really is.¡±


    Inari quickly gives Belinda and me a hug and after patting the two foxes on the head they follow her as she starts walking back towards the town.


    Belinda: ¡°they grow up so fast¡­¡±


    ¡°She was fully grown when she was born¡­¡±


    Belinda hits me on the shoulder. ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t the rest of you go join your Mistress, she did a great thing today.¡±


    It takes a few hours for the townsfolk to even acknowledge what just happened, and some of the older Shima natives waste no time visiting the shrine of Inari that just appeared from thin air. It isn¡¯t like things will change overnight, but it looks to be a step in the right direction.


    After Inari talks to what amounts to the entire population of this bustling little portside town, she joins Belinda and me as we sit next to the steps of the new temple as the sun sets over the forest.


    Inari lets out a long deep sigh. ¡°Man I am tired¡­¡±


    ¡°So how did it go?¡±


    Inari: ¡°As best as can be expected, some think I am The Inari, others are wary, some took my words as truth, and some still can¡¯t make up their minds, but the one thing that is certain is none will have to worry about Oni attacks tonight so the rest will come with time.¡±


    ¡°Have you told Madam Erin yet that it was a success?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I got to leave something for the big and great Archjusticar to do.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried transferring back to your primary dungeon yet to see if that works?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yea, I already sent Takeshi home to start warming our bed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You didn¡¯t really, did you¡­?¡±


    Inari stretches. ¡°I wish¡­¡± -she says as she stretches- ¡°I did send him home to take care of some things, but I doubt I will get to make it home to rest tonight¡­¡±


    Akane approaches us with a conflicted expression.


    Akane: ¡°Mistress, I would like to ask you for a favor.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Of course, you can go back to Yuji now.¡±


    Akane: ¡°No, that¡¯s not it at all. I would like to stay here to take care of your secondary dungeon.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well transfer works, so it isn¡¯t like we need anyone to baby sit it, and I was planning on summoning one or two more to help with just that.¡±


    Akane: ¡°I would really like to stay here though and do this for you, as I don¡¯t have any need to return back to your primary dungeon.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about Yuji?¡±


    Akane wears a troubled expression she is trying to fight it but in the setting sun the tears glisten in her eyes. ¡°Just after we left he took Kaori as his own.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Damnit I knew that Kaori was trouble, I know I will send her out here and then you can have Yuji to yourself again.¡±


    Akane: ¡°No, I knew this would happen as soon as you made the decision for him to stay behind. In truth I have been waiting on it. I am however glad he chose Kaori, because she was my first choice.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t understand I thought you loved each other, and you even gave up Akihito for him.¡±


    Akane: ¡°I do love Yuji, but not in the way I think you mean. I gave up Akihito because I just couldn¡¯t stand to see him with Yuzuki, but Kaori is sure to be able to make him far happier then I could.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But what about what makes you happy¡­?¡±


    Akane: ¡°Well I would like to have Akihito back, but Yuzuki was sure to see to it if she couldn¡¯t have my Yuji then she would have Akihito. I can¡¯t blame Akihito either for the way I broke things off, but Yuji being with Kaori and the Mistress trusting me to take care of things here for her would be what makes me happy.¡±


    Akane then laughs and brushes the tears from her eyes and says.


    Akane: ¡°But if Mistress saw fit to summon me a couple of studs I by no means would turn it down.¡±


    Inari: ¡°If that¡¯s what you really want¡­Wait a minute¡­ Are you saying that Takeshi made me miss the last time you and Yuji were together, and I missed Yuji¡¯s first time with Kaori?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Inari!¡±


    Inari: ¡°What? Tell me mother that you have never peeked in on any of Daddy¡¯s monsters when they were getting down and dirty.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡­¡± ¨CBelinda doesn¡¯t say anything else and only blushes.-


    Inari: ¡°See!¡±


    Akane laughs and says. ¡°Yuji and I really did have a good time putting on a show for you sometimes, but maybe this is a sign, that now that you have Takeshi it¡¯s time for you to put that behind you.¡±


    Inari looks mortified at the possibility and says. ¡°But if it wasn¡¯t for watching I would have never learned that technique where¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! I have already learned far too much about the sexual habits of my daughter, her monsters, and even revelations about my own wife¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are making me sound like a pervert! It was only once, I was curious how Zoey and Roxy managed it, and it isn¡¯t like I was hiding it. I told you about it and that¡¯s when we made it where nobody else could access the screens from inside the house.¡±


    I wonder if she realizes the bunnies have full access to all the screens¡­ Maybe that¡¯s a secret my old self wanted to take to the grave, so maybe I should just let it die with the memory of it¡­


    ¡°Speaking of those two, where did they make off too?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think Roxy said something about a bar down in the town and something about all the fish you can eat and Zoey wasn¡¯t about to pass that up.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That¡¯s Aunt Zoey for you. What about you Aunt Azami? Or are you just going to hide over there in the shadow of the building?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I was speaking to Moss through [Communication]. Moss wanted me to let Two-Twelve know that he made him a new present with [Elven Crafting]. He said it was a noose in which he hoped Two-Twelve would use to hang himself.¡±


    ¡°He does realize he is one of my monsters now right?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I thought it was a nice gesture for him to let you know he was thinking about you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°She kind of does have a point Daddy, I got [Elven Crafting] as well and it takes a lot of concentration, he must really be trying his best.¡±


    ¡°I am not really sure that is something he should be trying his best at though¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°You have the [Elven Crafting] skill?¡± ¨CShe says skeptically.-


    Inari: ¡°I am by no means good at it. I can barely craft items from ironwood.¡±


    Azami has a taken aback expression on her face, like if her life is a lie¡­


    Azami: ¡°Dungeon Cores truly are monsters¡­¡±


    We laugh and continue to talk for a little bit but once the sun completely disappears from the sky Roxy and Zoey can be spotted making their way back. Roxy had her arm looped in Zoey¡¯s but Zoey had her hands on her stomach with a satisfied expression.


    Inari then transfers us back to her house while she continues to watch her new dungeon. Before going to bed Belinda makes me try out Inari¡¯s hot spring.


    Belinda: ¡°You need to learn to summon one of these, I want one of these.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, its kind of open for my tastes.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re probably right, if we had one of these there would be all kinds of prying eyes.¡±


    ¡°You mean like the pair we have right now?¡±


    Belinda quickly covers her chest while saying. ¡°What?!¡±


    Azami: ¡°I was not prying, I was just seeing if the bath was unattended.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like things like this.¡±


    Azami: ¡°It was far too loud last time, but the actual bath was pleasant. Either that or the bath would have been pleasant were it not for all the noise.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s just Belinda and me now, why don¡¯t you join us?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it isn¡¯t anything I haven¡¯t seen, the bath more than large enough, and it¡¯s not like you can see much once you are in the water.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She has already admitted being attracted to you. I don¡¯t think having her join us in the bath is the best of ideas.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am attracted to his magic, not his body so naked or not it is the same to me.¡±


    As Azami says that she slides into the water only a few short feet away¡­ I thought with her personally she would have went to the complete other side of the water¡­ Now even I am having second thoughts about this.


    To try to fight off the embarrassment of the situation I try to hold a normal conversation.


    ¡°I have noticed the number of times you repeat yourself when you talk has decreased quite a bit, is there a reason for that?¡±


    Azami: ¡°It is a habit I have formed to keep away those who annoy me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then that means you no longer find us annoying?¡±


    Azami: ¡°There are a few times I have found our group to be advantageous. Either that or the advantages of our group sometimes outweigh the annoyance.¡±


    ¡°You did that on purpose didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I do not know what you mean. Either that or your meaning was not clear to me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I get it I will change the subject¡­ What about your ¡°friends¡±? I have noticed their appearance has started to change.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Belinda: ¡°I noticed that too! I just thought it was my imagination.¡±


    Azami: ¡°My friends are a manifestation of my magic, wood, and mud. Their appearance is not within my control.¡±


    ¡°Then what would cause their shape to change?¡±


    Azami: ¡°The increase or decrease in my magical ability, the current properties of mud and wood they contain, or outside forces such as an attack or object touching them.¡±


    ¡°Has any of that changed recently?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I have continued to increase in power as we have continued to battle, the mud and wood here in Shima appears to be a darker shade, and they are often attacked.¡±


    ¡°But when I first saw them they were little more then what looked like a swamp monster, now they actually seem to start to resemble a humanoid shape.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Perhaps there is an outside force in play that we are not aware.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ So how are things going with you and Moss? Do you two have everything you need in the forest, I often wondered if you would like a house or something build for you there.¡±


    Azami: ¡°We are fine¡­ My complaint about bathing with the others was all the talking, yet you have been asking questions from the moment I have arrived.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware you were comfortable enough around us to sit this close, to be honest I was just trying to hold conversation to hide my nervousness, because I didn¡¯t want to offend you when you finally started to open up to us.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I see, so that is the cause for your erection? If you wish to continue our social bonding I can wait for you to take care of it, I am curious about your sexual habits with Belinda, so that would be alright as well, or if ordered I would take care of it for you.¡±


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯m done!¡± ¨CI quickly say fleeing the bath.-


    As Belinda and I are preparing for bed she says. ¡°I don¡¯t see how you thought that would have been a good idea¡­¡±


    ¡°To be honest, aside for the embarrassment and awkwardness, I actually think it was. I never would have thought Azami would be comfortable enough around us to just sit like that and talk.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You may be right, but that still leaves me a little conflicted about something.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The old you could of bathed with every female in the house and never even acknowledged a single one, but now you are far more¡­ I guess the word would be aware? And I don¡¯t know which one is worse. I used to pull my hair out about just how unaware you were about it, but now I can¡¯t help to get jealous¡­¡±


    ¡°For that all I can do is apologize¡­ I think that is one bottle I don¡¯t think I could put a cork back in. If it makes you feel better though you are the only woman I love.¡± ¨CI say wrapping my arms around her.-


    Belinda: ¡°It doesn¡¯t, but it helps.¡± ¨CShe says then gives me a deep kiss.-


    I then pick her up and she wraps her legs around me I carry her over to the bed. After laying her down and kissing her a few times I work my way down to her neck while she giggles then she quickly stops me.


    Belinda: ¡°Wait! Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t think Inari is watching do you¡­?¡±


    ¡°At this point does it matter¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve!¡±


    I whimper and groan as I roll over. Belinda giggles as she wraps her arms around me from behind kissing the back of my neck, but that doesn¡¯t help much¡­


    By the next morning I realize I never did remember to send Madam Erin the message about Inari¡¯s plan working. After sending the message Belinda and I then get ready, we find Takeshi who takes us back to the secondary dungeon to meet with Inari.


    We find Inari in the temple looking quite exhausted, but she does manage to light up a bit when she sees Takeshi. She quickly makes her way to him burying her face into his chest.


    Takeshi: ¡°Inari¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°its fine everyone is gone or asleep, I need a recharge!¡±


    ¡°Everything go alright last night then?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I think so, but we need to talk.¡±


    There are a few people in the temple so Inari leads us outside making sure nobody is around then she says.


    Inari: ¡°Have you heard back from Madam Erin yet?¡±


    ¡°Honestly I forgot, but I sent her a message this morning.¡±


    Inari: I was hoping we would find out if we could teleport more easily to and from Shima now¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I can only summon beastkin, but even with the port the boats still only run to Dalian, so a new trying to summon new monsters to help protect this place would be quite difficult, and there is already a rumor of a group looking to attack the temple to try to steal the ¡°Holy Relic¡± that allowed for the temples creation.¡±


    ¡°Well you display that much power and people tend to want it for themselves.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Of course there is no such relic but if they try to burn down the temple, or destroy the shrine it might cause [Inari¡¯s Providence] to fail. That¡¯s if their snooping around doesn¡¯t lead them straight to the imitation crystal.¡±


    ¡°What about just having some of your current monsters keep an eye on it for a while till things settle down?¡±


    Inari: ¡°There is still the part of them just appearing. A few humans showing up that nobody recognized won¡¯t draw near as much suspicion, because of boats coming in and out all the time, but a bunch of fox beastkin would definitely raise a few flags.¡±


    ¡°I see your point.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Satoshi and Saki are doing their best, the humans already saw Takeshi so he should be ok, they seen Akane as well, but any more than that¡­¡±


    (Maeve, where is your dungeon?)


    Maeve: (Good morning to you too papa.)


    (I¡¯m sorry¡­ Good morning Maeve¡­)


    Maeve: (It was just a joke. Madam Erin told me you were almost in position a few days ago, so I started turning this thing around, but it will still be another day or so before I make it back where Madam Erin can get to you.)


    (I see. How are things going with your dungeon?)


    Maeve: (It¡¯s really ok papa¡­)


    (I mean it¡­Madam Erin gave you that xp bead but I didn¡¯t know how much it was for, so I was hoping it was enough to help you out.)


    Maeve: (It was 150,000xp, apparently for her to get to and from Shima is way more than that, and hell 150,000xp is 150,000xp so damn right I wasn¡¯t about to turn that down.)


    (After we get all this taken care of you might consider flying over this way for a while and paying your sister a visit. These Oni monsters they got here are unrelenting, but you can earn great amounts of xp from them.)


    Maeve: (Thanks papa¡­ I will give it some thought.)


    ¡°Well Maeve still looks to be at least a day out. What if I use [Gate] where the townsfolk can see me and bring some more of your monsters that way?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t want to spook the townsfolk with too many fox beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Your village has normal adventurers that you can at least partly trust right? How about hire a few of them and I could bring them here.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re a genius.¡±


    ¡°And you said you get it from your mother.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Hey now!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you weren¡¯t smart¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy just give it up, you¡¯re going to lose that one¡­ Takeshi, you think you can go back with Daddy and gather about 8 of the good adventurers from the village and have Daddy [Gate] them here.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Of course¡­ Are you ready, Father?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I will wait here with Inari.¡±


    I nod and then Takeshi transfers us back to Inari¡¯s primary dungeon. Takeshi talks to the same man we did before we left, and then gathers a group of well managed adventurers¡­ I am glad we don¡¯t have a lot of groups like that in Gowen or I might be in some serious trouble.


    I of course can¡¯t understand what anyone is saying so I just leave it all to Takeshi. Once he gives me the go ahead I cross my fingers and cast [Gate]. The ten of us arrive at Inari¡¯s secondary dungeon. We manage to startle a few of the residents but now that they know we have access to teleportation magic things might go a little better.


    As tough as the group of adventurers are apparently teleportation is still a completely different thing, because the ones don¡¯t completely throw up, are either weak in the knees, or at least look nauseated. It makes me feel a bit better, but I still wouldn¡¯t want them to attack my dungeon.


    Watching how much teleportation throws off these tough and seasoned adventurers though does give me quite the idea for my dungeon though.


    After Inari talks to the adventurers they quickly set up a perimeter around the temple. The sheer respect they gave Inari while she was talking to them I think they would have walked straight into the mouth of a volcano if she asked them¡­


    ¡°They seem to really respect you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well Takeshi picked out the best, some of the new adventurers in town and such would have been different, but these 8 have been with us since Kabemura fell. Takeshi and I have even trained with them a few times.¡±


    ¡°The people of Tobes seem to respect me quite a bit, but the way your people respect you is on a completely different level altogether.¡±


    Inari: ¡°When half of them think you are a living god and the ones that don¡¯t think you are at least a god¡¯s messenger that tends to happen.¡±


    ¡°Faron left a message on a supposed holy relic of his church about my Archjusticar status, but claiming me as his Archjusticar. Watching you with those adventurers I was starting to wonder if I should use that fact. I guess you follow an actual god, and they already seem upset with Faron as it is, so maybe it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to exploit it after all.¡±


    Inari: ¡°If you are truly helping people I don¡¯t think the gods would mind, but using the term exploit does kind of give away a bit of your intentions.¡±


    ¡°Well if the people I talked to actually do serve the old gods, it sounds like your god is in a minority because they had no problem slaughtering people to meet their agenda.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well I haven¡¯t ever actually talked to Inari myself. I can just go by my actions causing the increase in ranks of my skills to be the only clue I have to determine how Inari actually feels. It does always seem to rank up when I am helping people though, like yesterday when I added [Inari¡¯s Providence] over this town the skill ranked up again.¡±


    ¡°That could just be the fact you are spreading Inari¡¯s influence as well, but I guess after the group I dealt with I could just be a bit cynical.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well you are very smart Daddy, and I am sure you will do what is best, and if the old gods don¡¯t like it I say to hell with them, and Inari can do with that comment as it wills.¡±


    ¡°You count on your god. I wouldn¡¯t say something like that to make Inari mad¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am saying I am not worried, because I know you will do the right thing, and that I am sure Inari would approve.¡±


    ¡°Well if you do talk to Inari maybe you can tell it to tell its buddies to get off my back¡­¡±


    Inari laughs and I finally receive a reply from Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: (That is great news, I am having a Dungeon Core that Inari and you are familiar with return with me to place an imitation crystal there to see if this is going to work the way we hope. If all goes well between Inari¡¯s primary dungeon, her secondary dungeon, and this other dungeon core¡¯s secondary dungeon it might be enough to connect Shima back to the dungeon core network. I gave Maeve another small xp bead so she kicked her dungeon up a notch and we should arrive this evening.)


    ¡°Leave it to Maeve¡­¡±


    I tell Inari about Madam Erin¡¯s message.


    Inari: ¡°A dungeon core we are both familiar with? The only dungeon cores I know are you, the elders, and my sisters.¡±


    ¡°What about the core you trained?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Kenta? But she said a dungeon core we were both familiar with.¡±


    ¡°Well there are quite a few dungeon cores I know but to actually say I am familiar with them¡­ There is the Elders, Queen, you girls, and that¡¯s it¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s Queen? She was the one that trained another core with us this past year right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if she would have interest in Shima though, but if Dyson or Madam Erin offered her a free Imitation crystal I doubt she would turn it down no matter where they wanted her to put it¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I guess we can only wait and see.¡±


    Inari continues to take care of things concerning the temple for the rest of the day. She looks dead on her feet with her ears and tail drooping. Belinda helps her the best that she can, and Takeshi stays by her side seeming to hold her shoulders several times just to keep her from falling to the floor.


    After we get a message from Madam Erin about their arrival we have to go meet with them a ways into the forested area. Once we reach them however Madam Erin puts up a large and thick [Stone Wall] to keep Oni from bothering us.


    The dungeon core alongside Madam Erin is indeed the dungeon core that Inari trained, Kenta. He seems rather distressed at Inari¡¯s tired appearance.


    Kenta: ¡°Mistress, you look truly exhausted.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s not every day you build a complete temple from scratch, save a town, and convince that town in the existence in a god they long given up hope on.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Kenta and I had a look around before we told you of our arrival and the [Inari¡¯s Providence] thing around the town seems just like the one over your primary dungeon, and like that one, Kenta could enter but I cannot.¡±


    Kenta: ¡°Worry not Mistress, now that Elder Madam Erin has giving me an imitation crystal I will place it next to your temple and help guard it with my life.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well I appreciate the sentiment, but I would rather you put it on the far side of town, so we could both grow our secondary dungeons without having to worry about bumping into one another.¡±


    Kenta: ¡°I understand Mistress! But if you are in need of any assistance you just have to ask.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well if we need to continue to grow the [Inari¡¯s Providence] my imitation crystal will need to remain intact, so that¡¯s the plan.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I can¡¯t join you, but I can hold my location here for days if I need to. I do have other things to do though, so if you could get started I would appreciate it.¡±


    Kenta: ¡°Understood Madam Erin, and thank you again for giving me this opportunity!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well you looked rather pitiful after not being able to place your dungeon in Shima. A Dalian core would have been closer, but I think it was important that it was one of the new cores that we trust to do this. Besides with the location of your dungeon on the Gowen Coast you could almost trace a straight line though the water from Gowen to here. Might be a bit longer but couldn¡¯t be any straighter.¡±


    Kenta: ¡°I highly debated placing my dungeon in Dalian to be as close to my Mistress as I possibly could, but I thought placing it on the Gowen coast it was as close as I could be while still being close enough to my Mistress¡¯s father that if they were to be able to find a way to travel back and forth then they could assist me as well.¡±


    ¡°You sound more like one of Inari¡¯s monsters then a dungeon core.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Doesn¡¯t that work out perfect? We wouldn¡¯t have to worry about him trying to harm Inari¡¯s secondary dungeon for whatever reason.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know most dungeon cores are just at least a bit condescending, so it¡¯s an odd feeling.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You do realize you are talking about yourself as well right Daddy¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware. There are times I have felt like puffing out my chest and strutting.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°In any case, hurry it up, or you can take a boat back to the mainland.¡±


    ¡°If this works like you want I should be able to use [Gate] right?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fine then if you don¡¯t need me anymore I will just go back home.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s make sure it works first!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then get too it.¡±


    Madam Erin drops the [Stone Wall] long enough for us to make our way back to town, we have to fight quite a few Oni along the way but we don¡¯t have any difficulty returning. When Takeshi sees Kenta he looks rather conflicted.


    Inari: ¡°Come on Takeshi, why such the long face? I thought you would be happy to see your half-brother.¡±


    Kenta: ¡°Mistress?¡±


    Inari: ¡°There is no denying you both look the same, and it is possible for a human and a beastkin to have two children one of which looking human while the other with beastkin traits. The town has already seen Takeshi, so it will be a perfect way to explain why you both look the same.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°But Inari¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°You have nothing to worry about now that I got you 100%, in fact¡­ Akane! Why don¡¯t you take Kenta around town and help him find hole for him to plant his crystal.¡±


    Akane smirks as she wraps one arm around Kenta placing the other on his bare chest. ¡°I would love to help him find a hole he can feel at home in.¡±


    As they walk off Takeshi says. ¡°Are you sure they will be alright, he is a dungeon core after all, and we don¡¯t know how much training he has done since he left. Using that ring like you have now he might have gotten quite stronger.¡±


    ¡°Takeshi, at this point I would be more worried for Kenta then about him¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy are you saying my Akane would do something to poor little Kenta?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying like Mistress, like monster.¡±


    Inari smirks and shrugs her shoulders. ¡°In any case, we should know if this is going to work or not pretty soon. Unless they get preoccupied¡­¡±


    We don¡¯t have to wait long however, because Inari receives word that they found an old abandoned building that Kenta used to start his secondary dungeon. With no surprise Akane is going to stay with Kenta while he finishes setting up his secondary dungeon. She says it¡¯s so she can keep Inari informed, but Kenta doesn¡¯t seem like the type to hide anything from Inari so we know better.


    After saying our farewells to Inari¡¯s group we have to hunt down Zoey who we find stuffing her face with fish, and we then return to Madam Erin in the forest.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well pup, [Communication] seems to be working, but now the moment of truth.¡±


    Madam Erin then starts drawing ruins on a large boulder that is inside her [Stone Wall], but it is at least 50% larger then she is and I know for a fact that boulder wasn¡¯t there earlier¡­ She might have used magic, but it wouldn¡¯t be hard for me to imagine her grabbing a rock like that with her bare hands hauling it around either¡­


    She seems to let out a sigh of relief when she draws out the last rune and a portal opens up.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Unless someone is brave enough to give it a test run, anyone got anything we can toss through to make sure it makes it in one piece?¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of twigs or stones around won¡¯t that work?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It would be better with something organic.¡±


    Roxy casts [Shadow Pocket] pulling out a large cooked fish. ¡°Will this work.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But Roxy, that¡¯s mine!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You made me shove over a dozen into my [Shadow Pocket] when nobody was looking, so one isn¡¯t going to kill you!¡±


    Madam Erin takes the fish. ¡°It would be better if it was not cooked, but it should do. Don¡¯t worry pup, as long as this works you can have it back with no harm done.¡±


    Madam Erin tosses the fish though the portal¡­


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright Lilith said it made it though, so let¡¯s go.¡±


    We make our way through the portal arriving in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon to find Lilith with the fish shoved in her mouth head first, with only half of it hanging out.


    Zoey: ¡°My fish!¡± ¨CShe says her ears and tail quickly drooping.-


    The demon woman then kicks her head back swallowing the entire fish whole, after licking her fingers she says. ¡°Oh, was it yours? I thought the Mistress was giving me a snack. If it¡¯s ok with the Mistress I am sure there is some way to make it up to you.¡±


    Zoey quickly smiles, her ears, and tail perk up again as she looks to Roxy.


    Roxy: ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡±


    ¡°Are your portals any stronger then my [Gate] spell or should it work now as well?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Maeve is still part way between Dalian and Shima, so that may be a factor, but I think as long as both of Inari¡¯s dungeons and Kenta¡¯s secondary dungeon are in Shima we should be good, and it should only get stronger as their dungeons grow.¡±


    ¡°I guess we will test it out a bit on our on first then, but I guess that settles it and we should head home now.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What not going to even ask for you compensation for helping me?¡±


    ¡°We got to see Inari again, and managed to gain quite a bit of xp in the process, and if we can [Gate] back and forth we have access to quite a bit more, so we are good. Now if you are offering I won¡¯t turn it down either.¡±


    Madam Erin tosses me a small xp bead and a book. ¡°I went through a lot of work to get this for you, and you don¡¯t even seem appreciative.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much. If you find yourself in the need of the Archjusticar again, you know how to find me.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Yea, yea get out of here pup¡­¡±


    I then sincerely thank Madam Erin for the gift and taking us to Shima, and then me and the girls return home.

 The Mages Guild of Tobes

    Just over 1,250,000xp is what we received from our trip to Shima that includes the 150,000xp bead that Madam Erin gave me, but that is still a quite the haul for only half a month. Not only that but I also received 2 more justicar points for completing a task for Madam Erin, and for increasing the integrity of [Menu] whatever that means.


    When I started to check out the book Madam Erin gave me Belinda quickly slammed it shut telling me to store it in the inventory first.


    Apparently when we got the [Gate] spell we received it in the same fashion and without knowing it I opened up the book and in the process of consuming the book it taught me the [Gate] spell. It unlocked it for the dungeon, but I could only teach it to the boss monsters then if I could copy the book though I could teach it to anyone.


    Belinda¡¯s hunch paid off because after learning how to summon more copies of [Tome of Runic Magic] I took the book back out and opened it all the way. Like she said the words lit up and the book crumbled to dust teaching me the [Runic Writing], [Runic Reading], and [Runic Activation] spells.


    It¡¯s still far cheaper to teach the others the spells with [Menu] because each of the three spells only cost 5000xp to learn, but the book itself is 50,000xp. I can however use the books to teach the spells to anyone instead of just the boss monsters, so if the spells are helpful in the dungeon I might have to buy at least one book for one of the bunnies.


    After a much needed night spent in my own bed I then joined the bunnies to see what we could do with the xp. Unfortunately it only took us a few minutes to completely drain the xp. We however finally managed to fill out the bottom floor of each elemental wing with rifts and finally replaced the lost mythril swords.


    We managed to unlock the next tier of monsters for the elemental rooms and it seemed to be a major difference. They aren¡¯t much more expensive, but instead of just increasing in size and such they are just harder for example the huge fire elemental gave way to a molten elemental and the huge earth golem to a sand golem.


    Because of Maeve¡¯s training we didn¡¯t unlock anything in wind, but with the addition of the skeleton necromancers added to the shadow rooms they have gotten considerably harder. They have even had a few evolutions unlocked leading to my new most powerful undead a lesser lich.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry girls, I wanted to do more, but every time we gather xp we basically have to add everything times five to fill every elemental room.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°It¡¯s ok Master.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We are doing alright for now, I even got to go have a cake the other day all by myself at the diner!¡±


    The others start griping at Lylah because they didn¡¯t get cake and I just decide to not stick my nose into that one, and just thank them for their hard work and head back to the house.


    In the time we were gone the construction on the Mage¡¯s guild has really picked up, and some powerful mage types have already started to arrive in town.


    With Shima now in reach Belinda will often go visit Inari for a few hours. Maeve, Dawn, and Twilight often send her messages as well so Belinda has been in really good spirits lately, and she doesn¡¯t seem pained anymore after she spends time with Scylla and the baby.


    I can¡¯t be for sure if Maeve is being sincere in her messages or not, but I still have to thank all the girls for making my life a bit easier by keeping Belinda happy.


    When it is time to recall our monsters that are out and about I wanted to send a group to Shima, but Poppy¡¯s group and Bandy¡¯s group both wanted to go. I had to do quite a bit of rearranging but it could only benefit us so I sent one to Inari¡¯s primary dungeon and one to her secondary dungeon to gather xp from the Oni.


    Inari was a little hesitant at first, but I had Poppy¡¯s group take a barrel of alcohol to Inari. It was thank her for her help in the matter, and she then welcomed them in with open arms, even if her villagers were a little more hesitant especially with Lynx.


    I told Bandy absolutely no stealing within [Inari¡¯s Providence] and she didn¡¯t like that idea, but I settled the matter about telling her about the item spawns Inari encountered with the corrupt dungeon, and her eyes began to sparkle. I just hope they don¡¯t bite off more than they can chew¡­


    Moss still doesn¡¯t seem to like us much, but Azami has even came to the house a few times asking for things, and I even caught her smiling one day while helping Moss practice his magic, so it looks like it just might work out.


    As for Maeve, she seems to be doing quite well for herself. I don¡¯t know how big the actual dungeon itself is, but I heard talk at the adventurer¡¯s guild one day about rumors of a floating island. People have been laughing it off so far, but if she keeps it up the humans are going to find out about it sooner or later.


    I doubt many humans would be able to reach it, but the ones that could, would be really powerful so Maeve better start being careful. Speaking of powerful mages just when the mage¡¯s guild is about to be completed we receive a visitor at the house.


    Vetala was the one to answer the door, but she quickly calls out to us.


    Vetala: ¡°Master! Help some creepy old man is ogling me!¡±


    When I enter the entranceway an old man is circling Vetala with a curious and happy expression. Every inch of his appearance just screams mage, complete with long robes and a tall weird pointed hat.


    ¡°Excuse me, I would ask you leave Miss Vetala be. Is there something I can do for you?¡±


    Vetala quickly flees from the man taking up a position behind me.


    Old Mage: ¡°My apologize sir. Your undead servant there is quite the gem. Not only can it speak, but even seems to have a personality, so I was quite intrigued with it. The rumors of you being the most powerful mage in town seem to hold some merit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the most powerful part, and I don¡¯t think I like the way you keep referring to Miss Vetala as ¡°it¡±. Now is there something I can do for you, or did you just come to insult my family?¡±


    Old Mage: ¡°Yes, yes. I apologize again sir. I am Elder Kleed, and along with Elder Zedross, and Elder Madelaine, we will be the council of elders of the mage¡¯s guild here in Tobes. When placing a new mage¡¯s guild it always helps to bring a few of the local talent into the fold to help with the transition.¡±


    ¡°No thank you, I am not interested¡­¡±


    Kleed: ¡°You don¡¯t just turn down this kind of invitation from the mage¡¯s guild!¡± ¨CHe says in a raised voice.-


    ¡°So not only do you come to my house insulting my family, but now you stand in my home and threaten me as well?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Sir I apologize again¡­ I did not mean it in such a manner. It is only that I believe you don¡¯t understand quite the honor it is.¡±


    ¡°I am saying I am not interested. My wife is the 3<sup>rd</sup> princess of Gowen, and we don¡¯t have time for such things.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Yes, we know. We would also like to extend the invitation to her as well. We heard she is also a powerful mage.¡±


    ¡°I am trying to tell you we don¡¯t have time for such things.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°I ask you to at least meet with us so we can discuss the matter in more detail.¡±


    ¡°If it will get you to leave me alone then fine¡­ When is this meeting?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Is right now too soon?¡±


    ¡°Belinda is out of town and won¡¯t be home till this evening.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°That is fine, you can fill in the details in what it is we expect from you when she returns.¡±


    ¡°I told you we are not interested¡­¡±


    Kleed: ¡°We will see.¡±


    I sigh and then follow the old man out the door. For an old man he moves around pretty good, and in no time we reach the mage¡¯s guild. The building is still not complete but well over 95% of it is done and with the speed its construction has gone that should be done within the next few days.


    The building itself is almost complete, but as the old man leads me through it, I can see that there is only minimal furniture and lots of empty rooms.


    ¡°I thought with guild being almost complete there would be more here.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°When a new mage¡¯s guild is built it is not supplied. We believe that gives the mages the opportunity to focus on the items they want to work on instead of being limited to provided equipment.¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t have access to the equipment to the start of it, I don¡¯t see that being very helpful.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Any mage can request equipment, and then they just need to complete the required number of commissions for it to be supplied to them.¡±


    ¡°So you deal in commissions?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°We are part of the adventurer¡¯s guild, or more accurately the adventurer¡¯s guild is a part of us.¡±


    ¡°I thought there were only a small handful of mage¡¯s guilds though?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Out of the 21 recognized territories, 18 are ruled by a single central figure. Are you to saying because there is countless number of humans, elves, dwarves, beastkin, and demi-humans they are more important than those 18 rulers?¡±


    ¡°In other words just because there are far fewer mage¡¯s guilds doesn¡¯t mean they are any less important than the adventurer¡¯s guild?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Precisely, where is it you think the adventurer¡¯s guild branches receive their equipment to make adventurer IDs and the like?¡±


    ¡°You are saying all of them are made by the mage¡¯s guild.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°One of them as a matter of fact, the mage¡¯s guild in Livinston produces every device the adventurer¡¯s guild uses. The main topic of their research is all concerning the advancements of the adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    ¡°Then what of the others?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°The Dalian mage¡¯s guild deals in advancement in spells and military applications of magic. Adra mage¡¯s guild deals with investigations into the understanding of dungeons. Merretta focuses on the advancement of spells as well but their scope is much wider focusing on all applications of magic not just its combative uses. Then of course Tobes is yet to be determined.¡±


    ¡°There are only 5 mage¡¯s guilds total?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°There was one more in Lodia but it is no more. Their focus of study was monsters in general, but after the undead scourge began to appear they shifted all their efforts into the study of undead until they were forced to abandon the guild.¡±


    The old man then stops at a door.


    Kleed: ¡°Now, if you will wait inside someone will see to you once we are ready for you.¡±


    I enter the room and find myself not alone.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss! They came knocking on your door as well?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°They said they wanted the best mages, so to be honest it is of no surprise.¡±


    ¡°So they wanted you two as well? They came to the house wanting Belinda and I to join as well.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What should we do? I was going to turn them down flat¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But the woman that came to us had a low cut dress with ample amounts of cleavage showing so Zoey just nodded and followed with drool hanging from her mouth.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss! You should have seen these things! They even put Bell¡¯s to shame.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a waste¡­ And painful.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I would help hold them up for her!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey! She was old enough to be your mother.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°So, you think that means it would be alright if I asked to nurse?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°That¡¯s enough¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Fine¡­ But really boss, you should have seen these things¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What about Belinda, did she not come as well?¡±


    ¡°She went to visit Inari this morning and I didn¡¯t want to bother her.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She has been happier since she has started to visit with Inari every few days.¡±


    ¡°I am just worried she might be causing a problem for Inari.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I am sure if she was being a bother, Inari would let you know.¡±


    ¡°I hope your right¡­¡±


    When the door opens again Zoey quickly hits my shoulder and says. ¡°See!¡±


    The woman that enters the room looks to have been quite an attractive woman in her younger years. She still doesn¡¯t look much older than Logan, and she has aged pretty gracefully. Her dark hair is pulled together in a bun, so I can¡¯t be for certain just how long it is, and she has quite the hourglass like figure with wide hips, narrow waist, and Zoey wasn¡¯t joking about her breasts.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    She wears a dress the barely seems to be able to contain them but they must be what is holding the dress on as there are no sleeves or straps holding up. It flows all the way to the ground widening as it goes. The dress is sleek and nothing about it is puffy, but where it meets the ground it is quite wide enough to drag behind her as she walks.


    Woman: ¡°Greetings I am Elder Madelaine, and we are ready to see you now.¡±


    Roxy quickly grabs Zoey¡¯s arm reining her in as we follow the woman out the door. We just move across the hall entering another room. The room it looks very much like the council room in the neutral zone, but instead of six chairs on the podium there are only three, and two of which are occupied.


    Another difference is there is also a lower area to the podium that has several more empty chairs in. Madelaine joins the other two at the top of the podium and sits in the last unoccupied chair. One of the other chairs has Kleed and the other also has another older gentlemen. The other man, who I assume is Zedross, is dressed in much of the same manner as Kleed.


    Zedross: ¡°Two beastkin and two humans, yes that should balance things out quite well, because from my understanding the beastkin are treated rather fairly in the Gowen Kingdom.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°And with the princess and her husband on board that should put people¡¯s minds at ease.¡±


    Madelaine: ¡°Yes we are very fortunate.¡±


    ¡°As I already explained Belinda and I are busy. In fact Roxy and Zoey serve us as well and none of us have times for things like this. I appreciate the gesture, but we just don¡¯t have the time.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°In most cases the city locals serve with us just as figureheads so the locals don¡¯t think the mage¡¯s guild is out trying to overthrow the kingdom or some such nonsense. We would like you to be present as much as possible but we understand if there are meetings you just can¡¯t attend.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°You are the one they call Two-Twelve, is that correct?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°I heard you were the one that invented the Gowen Communication Parchment, you are a hero several times over, with just a number for a name you managed to not only convince a king to allow you to marry his daughter, but to even accept you as his son. You have been known to surround yourself in unusual and powerful people, and there are even rumors that Faron himself has blessed you.¡±


    ¡°You make me sound far more grandiose then I am¡­¡±


    Zedross: ¡°The mage guild can be quite the intimidating place. Even the Royal Army of Merretta has had several close calls with the guild in Merretta. With the influence you have in the kingdom of Gowen your support would go a long way to keeping the peace as it were.¡±


    ¡°I understand where you are coming from, and I have no objections to the mage¡¯s guilds¡¯ presence here in Tobes and will be willing to state that for anyone willing to listen, but all those things you said I have done. I didn¡¯t do them sitting on a council.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°The resources made available to you here in the guild would be second to none.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that, but that isn¡¯t the issue here. I could point you to those in which might be able to help you, but I am just not the type of person that you are looking for.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Then how about a proxy?¡±


    ¡°Proxy?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Or adviser if you will, someone to sit in your place, we can say you are on board, and the adviser can answer to you or not it¡¯s up to you.¡±


    ¡°It would have to apply for all of us, because as I said Roxy, Zoey, and my wife are all members of my party.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°I believe that would be acceptable, I would ask you at least have one actual member attend every once in a while, so no rumors spread about cutting you out of the decisions.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises, but I think it would be possible.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Very well, who would you like to act as your proxy?¡±


    ¡°How about Vetala? We were training her to help at the mayor¡¯s office, but her clumsiness is just a bit too much of a burden to Mayor Scylla, but something as simple as relaying information should be possible for her.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°The undead under your service?¡±


    ¡°I wish you would quit referring to her as that. Her name is Vetala, and most of the locals don¡¯t even know she is an undead, and unless it becomes a problem I wish it to remain that way.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°To serve as a proxy that should be sufficient, now once we have everything finalized you will receive the official notice. Until then welcome to the mage¡¯s guild.¡±


    We are then excused, but I am quite curious just what it is they are after. The mage¡¯s guild was built on land inside the dungeon, so I quickly transfer to the dungeon core room opening up a screen to see what they have to say with us out of the room.


    Madelaine: ¡°He is quite unusual like we heard.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Kings have begged to be allowed to sit on the council of the mage¡¯s guild, and yet he clearly treated it as a hindrance¡­¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Maybe the rumors of his powers as a mage are exaggerated, and he doesn¡¯t wish to be found out?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°I don¡¯t know. You haven¡¯t seen that undead servant of his. Him speaking about the locals not realizing she is undead is no exaggeration¡­If it wasn¡¯t for my skill I would have never noticed it as well.¡±


    Madelaine: ¡°We still don¡¯t know how dungeons work but we do know they tend to grow quickly and stronger in response to the local adventurers. The Elemental Stronghold¡¯s unique and massive growth may be a response to his presence.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°You are speaking of someone that would have to be the caliber of the legendary hero Dyson.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°He didn¡¯t even blink when we spoke of the rumor of being blessed by Faron, so is it really that hard to believe?¡±


    Madelaine: ¡°That is even more reason to treat him with caution.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°But if we could tap that resource, then we could easily make the Tobes mage¡¯s guild the most prominent mage¡¯s guild!¡±


    Zedross: ¡°We have to be careful it doesn¡¯t blow up in our faces though, we already have great potential with the Elemental Stronghold, and angering one of the royal family would be unwise.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°We will just have to see to it he can count us as his allies.¡±


    Their conversation then changes about the final bit of the construction and in recruitment for general members. It doesn¡¯t seem they have any ill intentions, but it sounds like another headache has just fallen on me again¡­


    That evening when Belinda returns home I tell her about it.


    Belinda: ¡°I understand what you are trying to say, but it really is a great honor. If Mindy knew that after it was built they would choose us as the local representatives it would really ruin her day¡­ In fact I am going to message Logan right now so he can tell her!¡±


    Belinda looks quite happy about it as she sends the letter to Logan, but I can¡¯t be certain if it is due to the being a representative of the mage¡¯s guild, or just because she can rub it in her sister¡¯s face.


    True to their word, a few days after the construction of the mage¡¯s guild is complete we receive a large official looking pair of letters one addressed to me and the other Belinda. The letters contain information about being accepted as the local representatives of the mage¡¯s guild, and asking for us to attend a recruitment gathering they are holding all day at the new mage¡¯s guild.


    I wanted to send Vetala but Belinda grabbed my arm and said. ¡°We are not doing anything right now, and it might be pretty fun. Don¡¯t you want to see what the mage¡¯s guild looks for when recruiting members?¡±


    I sigh and we make our way to the mage¡¯s guild. The guild is packed with far more mages than Tobes usually has in any type of adventurer, let alone strictly mages. Some have seemed to travel great distances to be here today.


    ¡°Just look at them all¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you expect? Being accepted just as a member of the mage¡¯s guild is a big deal. Recruitment is very strict and being a new guild there will be a lot of new people being recruited, so of course mages will have come from far and wide for the chance.¡±


    We make our way through the crowd we find the three elders from the mage¡¯s guild.


    Kleed: ¡°You made it! Excellent and you must be the 3<sup>rd</sup> princess Belinda Gowen? It¡¯s a pleasure to finally get to meet with you in person. I¡¯m Elder Kleed¡±


    Belinda: ¡°To be accepted as a representative of the mage¡¯s guild I assure you the pleasure is mine.¡± ¨CShe says as she greets Kleed.-


    Kleed: ¡°We are getting things set up now, and should begin the process of recruitment started shortly.¡±


    After a few more moments Zedross addresses the crowd.


    Zedross: ¡°I thank you all for coming. I understand many of you have come a great distance for this opportunity, but I promise everyone will be tested, so I ask everyone to remain orderly while we get started.¡±


    Madelaine: ¡°We ask you to all separate into 3 groups. The first group being the general population, which will test under Elder Kleed, the second group will be nobles and royalty that will test under me, Elder Madelaine, and lastly will be the adventurers who will begin testing under Elder Zedross, and once Elder Kleed and I finish with our groups we will begin assisting.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°We do wish to also state, that although the test differs slightly between the three groups, being from one group or another will not increase your chances in the slightest, so I ask you to join the group that is most relevant to you.¡±


    We then watch as the large group of people begin moving around forming three separate groups. It takes a while for everyone to gather under their group, but once they do I am rather surprised. I assumed most of the people looking to join the mage¡¯s guild would be adventurers, and the largest group is indeed the adventurers, but there is also a very large amount of people gathered under the general population group. Madeline¡¯s group of nobility is easily the smallest group with a handful of people.


    At this point Roxy and Zoey have appeared to arrive and join us. Kleed looks pleased at their arrival and quickly has them join him as he leads the first member of his group into a separate room. Belinda and I are then separated with Belinda helping Madelaine with the nobles, and I am asked to help Zedross with the adventurers.


    Picking a young man from his group Zedross and I then enter another one of the side rooms in which is completely empty with the exception to a small desk, a couple of chairs on either side, and a large rock on the table.


    Zedross then has me sit to his side behind the desk while the young man nervously sits across from us.


    Zedross: ¡°As you can understand we are pressed for time, but we still want to be sure to recruit the right sort for the guild, so I ask you what is it you wish to offer the guild?¡± ¨CHe says to the young man.-


    Young man looks really nervous and stumbles though his words before says. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I am a decent mage, and thought the mage¡¯s guild would help me become a better one.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°So you are saying you have nothing to offer and just wish to take?¡±


    The young man begins sweating as he stumbles though his words again. ¡°I can do commissions! To learn to be a better mage I would gladly help with commissions for gathering supplies from the dungeon, or anywhere.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°We do indeed need those to preform menial tasks such as gathering supplies, but researchers are required to gather most of that for themselves. If your only intention is to become a better mage, you could surly continue with the adventurer¡¯s guild commissions, and would gain what you seek in that manner alone.¡±


    The young man hangs his head. ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    Zedross: ¡°That being said maybe you have some talent that we might find useful, so take the stone from the table and tell me what it is you see.¡±


    The young man begins to get hopeful again as he nervously picks the stone up from the table. Like the one I used in Uthaira runes along the stone glow and a screen appears before the young man. He quickly looks over the screen and his shoulders droop.


    Zedross: ¡°And?¡±


    Young Man: ¡°Everything is either below average or average¡­¡±


    Zedross: ¡°And what of your skills?¡±


    Young Man: ¡°It says Magician Training, and Combat Mage.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Not necessarily a glowing recommendation. As I said before you may be best suited for performing commissions for the adventurer¡¯s guild. That doesn¡¯t mean you are without talent either, once you gain a few more levels check back with the mage¡¯s guild, and you may someday be ready. I will have you know I was turned down 5 times before being accepted by the guild, so don¡¯t be discouraged.¡±


    Young Man: ¡°Thank you Elder¡­¡±


    Zedross then escorts the young man out of the room and brings in another. Things continue like that for at least a dozen people before one man says he wishes to become a summoner.


    Zedross: ¡°A summoner you say?¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Yes that was my purpose for coming to Tobes in the first place to study the different types of elemental creatures of the elemental stronghold. Summoning skeletons is a rather simple shadow spell, but I wish to learn to summon different elemental creatures.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°And what conclusion has your investigations led you to?¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°That shadow magic is by far the easiest type of summoning magic, but it also quickly turns into necromancy if you aren¡¯t too careful. I have developed the ability to summon a small water sprite but it is not near strong enough to be useful.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Interesting indeed, have you had yourself evaluated at any of the capital branches of the adventurer¡¯s guilds?¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°It was before arriving in Tobes, and I have come quite a ways since then.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Then take up the stone and tell me what it is you see.¡±


    After picking up the stone the adventurer says. ¡°My strength, agility, and endurance are all average or below, but my magical ability has increased from average to above average. I also have the skills Magical Training, Combat Mage, Spell Forge, and Magical Research.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°In that order?¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°It might take some time before you achieve your goals, but I think the mage¡¯s guild will benefit from you reaching it. I am willing to give you the chance to do just that, so you can take up your things and find a spot anywhere in the building you would like to conduct your research. That is of course as long as someone hasn¡¯t already claimed it.¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Thank you Elder Zedross, I won¡¯t let you down.¡±


    The adventurer jumps up and shakes Zedross¡¯s hand and Zedross goes over a few details about a meeting to take place later for all new recruits and then escorts the man out, but instead of collecting another adventurer he closes the door and returns to the desk.


    Zedross: ¡°And what was your opinion of the gentleman?¡±-He says to me.-


    ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t have one¡­ I don¡¯t know exactly what you are seeking.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°He was quite impressive. He had 3 major things going for him. One he had a goal, most of the adventurers we have seen thus far has lacked any goal other than just gaining power. Two was the skill Spell Forge, which that alone would have granted him entry in Dalian¡¯s or Merretta¡¯s guild. Three was the skill Magical Research, any of the mage¡¯s guilds would take him with that skill. A mage with the Magical Research skill is easily worth their weight in gold.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°At any time, if any of these recruits are of interest to you, do feel free to speak your mind. You are the local representative, so your opinion is valid.¡±


    ¡°Alright, before we get started again can you tell me more about the stone you use to evaluate the adventurers?¡±


    Zedross: ¡°It is a standard tool developed at the Livinston mage¡¯s guild. Have you never used one before?¡±


    ¡°I have once, but I recently have taken and interest in magical runes, and was wondering if I could look at it more closely.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Well we have many others to see, but after we are done. I don¡¯t see the harm in letting you have a closer look. I am quite interested what it might say about you as well.¡±


    We then return to the process of seeing adventurers. We see a lot of adventurers¡­ I learn of quite a few skills I don¡¯t know, and would like to learn at the dungeon, but of course that means those adventurers would have to either join my dungeon or die in it¡­


    Out of all the adventurers Zedross speaks with, only a small handful are chosen. Even a few that seemed to be rather strong mages are turned down for how they answer his questions. He really does seem to put the mindset of it above the person¡¯s actual ability, but they do at least have to show at least the promise of being able to gain more ability.


    Zedross: ¡°You have still remained rather quiet.¡±


    ¡°Well I haven¡¯t seen any reason to say anything.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°What about that gentleman I turned down with the powerful fire magic?¡±


    ¡°His attitude left much to be desired, I figured that was your reason for denying him.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Yes his attitude was less than desirable, but that was not the reason for denying him.¡±


    ¡°Then why?¡±


    Zedross: ¡°He was focused solely on fire magic, and as we have yet to set a general study here for the mage¡¯s guild in Tobes we need those that are a bit more flexible. At least until a topic of study is decided.¡±


    ¡°Then you did have your reasons, so why ask me?¡±


    Zedross: ¡°You are indeed quite the oddity¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°It is common for the local mages to request over half of the mages to help solidify their position, yet you did not even care for the position and now haven¡¯t even mentioned a single recruit.¡±


    ¡°Well for one, everyone I travel with but one, you selected as the local representatives, and everyone else I know that can use magic, have other things they are busy with.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°You truly do not have any desire for the power from the mage¡¯s guild¡­?¡±


    ¡°I told you as much when you asked me to join¡­ I do understand the benefits of having the mage¡¯s guild in Tobes, and it will really benefit the Gowen kingdom, but personally I have no need for a direct connection to it.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°You really are a curious creature¡­ Well we have plenty more to interview I suggest we get back to it.¡±


    Even after the other two finished with their groups, and began assessing the adventurers as well. It is still after sunset before we work through the entire group of hopeful prospects. When we are done the group left behind seems much less then there is room for.


    ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t judge them too harshly? It looks to be there are still plenty of rooms available.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Yes, and they will remain empty till we choose a main topic of study. Only then will we fill the remaining rooms with experts in that particular field.¡±


    The mage¡¯s guild elders then gather all of the newly recruited members and then go over the expected expectations and the rules of the mage¡¯s guild. They also speak how the commission process works in the mage¡¯s guild.


    Instead of granting the typical reward of gold, they are granted points in which they can trade for research material and items from the mage¡¯s guild. It would seem like it would just be far easier to pay them in gold and let them buy their own things, but point system is actually very reasonable.


    A quest that would net a normal adventurer a couple of gold is worth about the same in points, but to trade the points in for items from the mage¡¯s guild seems to be far under the gold cost of such an item. Not to mention the fact some of the items might not even be possible to acquire if not for the mage¡¯s guild contacts.


    After everything is done Zedross presents me the large stone used to determine an adventurer¡¯s strength and skills.


    Zedross: ¡°As promised. I owe you this much for you helping us out, but if something happens to it you will be responsible for replacing it.¡±


    He looks rather excited when I take it, but seems to calm down after I don¡¯t active it.


    ¡°Thanks, I will take care of it.¡±


    The others and I then head home, it isn¡¯t till after I receive the message about the start of day before we finally make it home and start preparing for bed. I then add the stone to the dungeon inventory to see what happens.


    New Enchantment Available


    Lesser Status Cost: 2,500xp


    Like the Agelessness enchantment this one is only a flat cost to add to an object. It looks to only be runes that cause its effect however so maybe after investigating this a bit further I can learn new enchantments on my own by using the spells Madam Erin gave me.


    That can be a problem for another day however, as it has been a long busy day. After closing all of the screens I then head to bed.

 Orders from the Old Gods

    After spending an entire day for the recruitment of new members of the mage¡¯s guild of Tobes I expected to rest for a few days while looking over the stone Zedross gave me that is used to check adventurer¡¯s strength.


    Unfortunately the next morning as I am preparing to head to the dungeon core room Belinda receives word from Logan about a sighting from the beastkin group at one of the churches of Faron. This church is not one in which we have visited.


    It is one that is only a few days away from a location I can [Gate] to, and I can cover that ground on foot rather quickly, so I spend my morning running across the rocky region of Livinston. Once I reach the town I quickly cast [Gate] again, and have Belinda, Zoey, Roxy, and Azami join me.


    Belinda: ¡°I can¡¯t believe you ran that far in just a few hours¡­¡±


    ¡°Being a hero does have a few advantages.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°But even a horse would be exhausted after covering that distance that fast.¡±


    ¡°Well I am nowhere near as fast as a horse, but with my endurance I could probably keep up that speed all day no problem. We better hurry to the church to see what has happened.¡±


    We then head to the local church of Faron, and this one is very small. With only a small shrine and single priest there isn¡¯t even an independent building to use as a church. The priest looks really worried when we approach but is greatly relieved when he finds out who we are.


    Priest: ¡°I am so happy you were able to arrive on such short notice!¡±


    ¡°Well this group we are tracking seem pretty dangerous. Are you sure it is the group that the grand cathedral warned about?¡±


    Priest: ¡°I am not sure, they arrived in town a day or two ago, but I haven¡¯t had any dealings with them.¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t tried to make contact at all?¡±


    Priest: ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°They usually start trouble right from the start.¡±


    Priest: ¡°There was only four or five of them, so perhaps they are waiting on the others to arrive?¡±


    ¡°Four or five? That doesn¡¯t sound much like them either. Maybe we should just meet with them. This could just be a misunderstanding.¡±


    The priest then begins to worry.


    Priest: ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t waste the time of the Archjusticar¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s quite alright, I rather be safe than sorry, so don¡¯t worry about it at all.¡±


    We get the information on the group that has arrived in town and quickly find them behind an on rundown building. I don¡¯t want to start things off on the wrong foot just in case this is a coincidence, so I start of by saying.


    ¡°I¡¯m with the church of Faron, are you five alright?¡±


    Dog Beastkin: ¡°I see, so the Archjusticar of the elders is acting as a member of Faron¡¯s church now.¡±


    ¡°Just because a group of beastkin that looked to be down on their luck showed up in town, I didn¡¯t want to jump to conclusions, so that is why I said I was a member of the church.¡±


    Female Cat Beastkin: ¡°So you don¡¯t claim to be a follower of Faron¡¯s then?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything to hurt anyone, so I am willing to just walk away from here. That is if you promise not to hurt anyone and that includes the priest of Faron.¡±


    Dog Beastkin: ¡°You are the one we are here to see, so that all depends on you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Mouse Beastkin: ¡°You have been appointed the position of Archjusticar just as has been planned, and now it is time for you to use your ability for the old gods.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what the old gods want, if it really is them behind this, but threatening lives is not a way to get me to do what they want.¡±


    Dog Beastkin: ¡°This task is simple, you just have to use 3 of your justicar points and give a boon to dungeon core #1 Maric.¡±


    ¡°How do you know of that?¡±


    Female Cat Beastkin: ¡°We know that in which the old gods have instructed us to know.¡±


    ¡°Why Maric? Is he the one that summoned you all?¡±


    Dog Beastkin: ¡°No. He is about to perform a task in which coincides with the wishes of the old gods. Three justicar points is enough to change the task from a failure to a success.¡±


    ¡°And what task is that?¡±


    Female Cat Beastkin: ¡°Have faith in the old gods, and prove to them you are no pawn of the dungeon core elders.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t put any faith into those who kill people for no reason.¡±


    Mouse Beastkin: ¡°There is always a reason. Just because you don¡¯t know of it does not mean it does not exist.¡±


    ¡°I am not doing anything unless I know the reason why.¡±


    Dog Beastkin: ¡°You have two days to grant Dungeon Core #1 Maric a boon before it becomes too late. If he fails it will serve as your answer.¡±


    ¡°You can have my answer now. I will not grant Maric a boon without an explanation.¡±


    Mouse Beastkin: ¡°You have two days. Perhaps Dungeon Core #1 Maric will tell you what his plan is.¡±


    Female Cat Beastkin: ¡°Then again he does not like you, so perhaps not.¡±


    The beastkin who are all lounging around now stand and start to gather together.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Dog Beastkin: ¡°Remember two days.¡±


    The two beastkin that haven¡¯t talked yet now cast spells causing the entire group to burst into flames.


    ¡°No!¡±


    I quickly cast a water spell trying to put out the flames, but by the time the flames are put out only one of the beastkin is still alive, but only long enough for her to reach for us with an expression of terror on her face.


    Belinda and I both quickly try to cast a healing spell, but she is already too far gone and the last of the beastkin then dies.


    Belinda: ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense! Why are they doing this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ We need to talk to Dyson and Madam Erin.¡±


    I send a message to both of them telling them it is important that we meet about Faron¡¯s task and within 30 minutes we have arrived at the neutral zone.


    Madam Erin: ¡°What is it pup. Even if you are the Archjusticar to the Elders we are not at our beck and call.¡±


    ¡°There has been a development on Faron¡¯s task. I met with another group of beastkin that claim to serve the old gods, they killed themselves again when they were finished talking, but what they said was quite troubling.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And what was that?¡±


    ¡°First, did you two tell anyone about the options available to my [Archjusticar Menu]?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Well they knew about it, and said in an indirect way there will be trouble if I don¡¯t give Maric a boon worth 3 justicar points within 2 days.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°None of that makes any sense, are you saying Maric is behind this?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t really give you any clear answers when they talk to you¡­ They just said Maric is about to do something in two days and a boon worth 3 justicar points would be enough to turn it from a failure to a success. They said they were not summoned by Maric, but whatever it is Maric is doing supposedly falls in line with what the old gods want.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I think the quickest way to get to the bottom of this is to call in Maric, so that he might be able to straighten this out.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I say to hell with them. We don¡¯t do anything and Maric fails at whatever he is trying to do, and the ones causing harm to Faron don¡¯t get what they want. I say it¡¯s a win win situation.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You¡¯re not the least bit curious about what Maric is up to?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have my [Observation].¡±


    ¡°There is also the chance they told us about whatever Maric is doing, just to draw our attention to it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well it sounds to me like a problem for the Archjusticar. We didn¡¯t have you join us to cause us more problems. We had you join us to take care of them for us.¡±


    Something seems to catch Madam Erin¡¯s eye, and after what appears to be her reading a screen she say. ¡°Fine, we will leave it up to the Archjusticar then. If you do decide to call a meeting with Maric you are free to use the neutral zone.¡±


    ¡°You are going to just leave it all up to me¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Your task was to stop the attacks on Faron¡¯s secondary dungeons, and whatever this is going on with Maric is your problem.¡±


    Dyson then seems pleased as he nods.


    ¡°You are saying you don¡¯t care if the group of beastkin claiming to serve the old gods does something horrible, or that Maric is planning something just as bad?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It does us no good to coddle you, this is the reason we appointed you the Archjusticar in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I was told I would do tasks for the elders. I didn¡¯t agree to face off against the old gods¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°By the way you described it to us, it was you they wanted to begin with, and it has nothing to do with the elders at all.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you do speak to Maric remember you are to act as a representative of the elders, so behave as such. Don¡¯t forget to keep us informed as well.¡±


    Dyson nods again and then places his hand on Madam Erin¡¯s shoulder and he teleports them both from the room.


    Belinda: ¡°After everything they are just going to abandon you like this now¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was Dyson that sent her a message or what, but Madam Erin¡¯s attitude about it changed quickly after reading that message she received.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t think that they already know what is going on do you?¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but one thing is for sure we won¡¯t know what is going on till we at least contact Maric¡­¡±


    I decide to send Maric a message


    Dungeon Core #1 [Maric], you are requested to attend a meeting with Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen], and if you refuse no actions will be taken against you, but no assistance will be provided by the Archjusticar. No response by end of day will be taken as a refusal to attend.


    Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen]


    I don¡¯t know how Maric will react to the message but I don¡¯t have to wait long before I receive a response.


    Maric: (Who do you think you are demanding someone such as myself to drop everything I am doing to meet with you?)


    (I am the Archjusticar of the Elders, so I need a response. I will add that refusal would not be in your best interest if you have any wish to succeed with the plan you are working on.)


    I then open [Archjusticar Menu] and go to Maric¡¯s information and look in on the screen that shows what it is he is doing. He is sitting in a chair in a rundown building dressed in clothing not fitting to a dungeon core of his age and strength. His appearance is more fitting on one of the beastkins that claim to follow the old gods, and he seems to be agitated as he reads my response.


    Maric¡¯s dungeon is in Sarnova Outland, but based on his location on the visible map he is way down south on the Merretta/Southern Merretta border. He seems to be thinking hard before he sends me a response.


    Maric: ¡°Where it is you wish to meet?¡±


    I haven¡¯t tried it before since acquiring the [Archjusticar Menu] but between the map and the visual on the screen I should be able to use [Gate] to get to his exact location. I cast [Gate] which startles Maric as I see it appear a few feet from him, I then send him a message to step through.


    Once Maric steps though the portal the first thing he says is. ¡°How did you¡­¡± He then realizes where he has arrived. ¡°What are we doing here?¡±


    ¡°First of all I might not be an Elder, but being the Archjusticar of the Elders does have its perks. Now as to the reason you are here. I have it on information that you are planning something big. I am also told that your chance of success or not solely rests in my hands.¡±


    Maric: ¡°That is impossible, how is it someone like you capable of helping me?!¡±


    ¡°How or why is not important, but what is important if you wish to succeed I need to know exactly what it is you are planning.¡±


    Maric: ¡°After everything you have done to me, why would I have any reason to trust you?¡±


    ¡°I am sure by now you heard what happened to me, so you should also know if it is the destruction of the dungeon cores you trained that you are referring to then Laura was the one to blame, and not me.¡±


    Maric: ¡°And yet you are the one that benefited from it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He lost all his memories! How can you call that a benefit!?¡±


    Maric: ¡°And yet here he is ordering around a dungeon core a hundred times his age and experience.¡±


    ¡°The truth is you have no reason to trust me the same way I have no reason to trust you. I don¡¯t even trust the information that I got saying I am capable of helping you, but by your reaction to me knowing about whatever it is you have planned, they were at least right about that much. Do you really want to risk the chance of them being right about you failing without my help?¡±


    Maric: ¡°Then you don¡¯t even have a clue what it is I am trying to do?¡±


    ¡°You are right I don¡¯t, but you can be sure that now that Dyson knows something is going on he is going to be watching.¡±


    Maric: ¡°So what is it you think you can do to help me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly, but there is an option available to me as the Archjusticar to assist you, but I don¡¯t even know if I am willing to help you unless you tell me what it is you plan on doing. Like I said I don¡¯t trust the ones that gave me this information about you either.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Just who is it you are getting your information from then?¡±


    ¡°They claim to be servants of the old gods, and say whatever it is you are planning is a means to help the old gods.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Old gods¡­ And you believe such nonsense?¡±


    ¡°I have seen too much to not believe in at least the existence of the old gods, and the group I spoke to has got to be getting their information from somewhere, and if not the old gods, then at least someone that has more information than even the Elders possess.¡±


    Maric seems to be thinking about it.


    ¡°You seemed bothered I found out about it before you executed your plan, but it didn¡¯t seem to bother you that Dyson would be watching.¡±


    Maric: ¡°I was surprised you were able to find out about it that is all¡­ This isn¡¯t a matter of concern to the elders, so of course I am not worried about Dyson. Draco might not like it, but I doubt he would even kick up a fuss.¡±


    ¡°If it really is of no concern of the elders why are you so hesitant to tell me?¡±


    Maric: ¡°Fine, I plan on subjugating a demi-human race in the area. If I can at least get enough of them to breed I will be able to summon them myself.¡±


    ¡°Why would the old gods be interested in that?¡±


    Maric: ¡°I don¡¯t even believe your ¡°old gods¡± even exist, so your guess would be as good as mine.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t like the sound of you subjugating a race, I am guessing if you can make them join your dungeon that means they must be sentient.¡±


    Maric: ¡°You have never heard of the dragonkin of south Merretta?¡±


    ¡°Dragonkin¡­ If that is what you are after I can summon dragonkin.¡±


    Maric: ¡°I have heard of your dragonkin, and yes maybe someday their evolutionary line might reach that of the dragonkin of south Merretta, but you are centuries away from reaching that level.¡±


    ¡°Well if they are sentient creatures, I will not help you subjugate them, but if you want to try to convince some of them to join your dungeon of their own wills I might be willing to assist you.¡±


    Maric: -laughs.- ¡°Convince a dragonkin¡­? After they eat you then what? You really are clueless. I don¡¯t see how the elders ever thought you were a good idea¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of the dragonkin of Merretta, but do you mean the dragons of Merretta?¡±


    Maric: ¡°Ignorant human. Only a human would call a dragonkin a dragon.¡±


    ¡°If humans can confuse these dragonkin as dragons, they really must be different then what I can summon¡­ If they really are that strong what is your plan for subjugating them?¡±


    Maric: ¡°I am not wearing this filth because it¡¯s comfortable. Their nest has never been discovered, but they have been known to swoop in and carry off human slaves and other unprepared humans, so I was planning on making myself the perfect target.¡±


    ¡°And after they take you, then what? You plan then to beat the entire lot of them into submission?¡±


    Maric: ¡°They are quite strong, but let¡¯s face it they are nowhere near my level.¡±


    ¡°Well I have no desire to help you subjugate a race or help the followers of the old gods, so I will return you to where I picked you up at.¡±


    Maric: ¡°What about them telling you to help me succeed?¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t believe in the old gods?¡±


    Maric: ¡°I don¡¯t, but even if the chances are next to nil, if there is something you really can do to help me. Well then I am not about let a chance like that pass me by.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t help you subjugate a sentient race, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Maric: ¡°After pulling me in for a meeting with no prior warning, holding me here while you interrogate me for no reason, and now you say you are going to send me on my way like it is no big deal? You owe me for at least taking up my time.¡±


    ¡°As the Archjusticar my priorities are different than that of the elders, and I am just doing what I was set out to do. I don¡¯t mind owing you a small favor if that is your concern, but if you plan on threatening me I can hinder your goal just as easily as helping it.¡±


    Maric: ¡°If these ¡°Old Gods¡± of yours would have had to of known how you would react, so if it is possible for you to help, perhaps it will be in a way that would no longer require me to have to subjugate the dragonkin.¡±


    ¡°For sounding so confident before, you seem to be back peddling a lot now. Besides they are not my old gods, they already have done things that seem counterproductive to getting me to assist them. In truth I agree with what Dyson told me, and that was to so forget about it, but after what Laura did I felt I owed it to you to at least hear you out.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Then how about we just make a deal then. If your assistance helps me complete my goal, then when I am able to summon the dragonkin perhaps I can give you one. I know enough about you to know that would allow you to summon them as well correct?¡±


    ¡°If you will give me time to think about it.¡±


    Maric: ¡°The dragonkin could find me at anytime, so you have until then to make up your mind.¡±


    I then cast [Gate] returning Maric to where I found him.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you going to do it?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to talk it over with all of you first.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I hate to agree with anything Dyson says, but he may have been right. We don¡¯t owe Maric or the followers of the old gods anything¡­ If anything we shouldn¡¯t do it just on the principle of it.¡±


    ¡°I tend to agree, but we just don¡¯t know how big of a threat the followers of the old gods really pose.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We can¡¯t just give into their threats either.¡±


    Azami: ¡°There is merit to accepting the deal as well. A dragonkin of that strength would add quite a bit of power to the dungeon, not to mention it would allow you to summon them as well.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t base our decision solely on the fact it will benefit us, because that is a slippery path to start going down.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about getting a dungeon that can already summon them to give Maric a few, surely that has to be easier than doing it this way.¡±


    ¡°Maric will have to spend ten times their xp cost to make the dragonkin part of his dungeon so once they breed he can begin summoning them. Trading would be a far easier, and cheaper, so I think if he could have done it he would have.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know how long dragonkin live, but the legends of the dragons of Merretta go back hundreds of years, so maybe they already belong to the dungeon, that would mean it wouldn¡¯t cost him anything to transfer ownership right?¡±


    ¡°If that was the case he would have to have the consent of the dungeon they belong to before he could claim them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You never met Moss¡¯s or Lilah¡¯s dungeon core, so how did you manage it.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I believe that is due to selling them as slaves. Even if they remain bound to the dungeon for a time, selling them as slaves shows an intention of giving up ownership.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about Aria? Queen sold her as a slave but it never happened with her.¡±


    ¡°I think that has to do with intention as well. Queen only sold Aria to put her in the path of Doug to begin with. She had no intention of getting rid of her just using her status as a slave as a means to an end. I think we are starting to stray from the topic though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I see¡­ Well I still think the followers of the old gods said that Maric will fail without our help so I think on the moral ground of keeping the dragonkin from being enslaved we shouldn¡¯t help him.¡±


    ¡°They said Maric would fail, but they didn¡¯t say what that might mean. It could be he can¡¯t get any of them to join him, so he has to kill them all. I don¡¯t think Maric is worried at all about his safety or he wouldn¡¯t be doing this alone, so I am worried that Maric failing might be even worse for the dragonkin.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t really think he would kill them all do you?¡±


    ¡°If no other dungeon core can summon dragonkin like that, and they will not accept Maric as a master, I can easily see him making sure nobody else can either.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then what do we do¡­? The followers of the old gods obviously care very little for the cost of life, even killing themselves after speaking to us each time, so I hate to see them get their way, but¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Any way you want to do it boss, I am right there with you.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well I think we should help Maric. We have no shortage of people that don¡¯t like us as it is, and not helping Maric will only increase that number. Helping Maric on the other hand we have the chance to mending things with Maric, keeping the followers of the old gods off our backs, at least for a while, and we can gain the benefit of eventually getting a powerful monster from Maric to protect the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What do you say Belinda? After what happened with Alex, I don¡¯t want to do this unless you are on board as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Roxy makes a good point¡­ But can we at least get Maric to not kill all of the dragonkin?¡±


    ¡°Maric said the dragonkin were not much for conversation, but we can at least try.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then I trust you to do what you think is best.¡±


    I hate to have to call Maric back so soon again, but this time when I message him he doesn¡¯t seem as angry about it and tells me to set up the portal.


    After he arrives back at the neutral zone he says. ¡°Deciding to not help me would be as simple as sending a message, but I assume calling me back here you have agreed to help?¡±


    ¡°There are concerns, so I would like to make some conditions. For one, I don¡¯t want any unnecessary loss of life.¡±


    Maric: ¡°You must be awfully confident in this ability of yours, either that or you are truly clueless on just how strong these dragonkin are. They are not going to join me willingly, but if it is possible I will do as you ask.¡±


    ¡°Also, from now till the time you can summon them on your own could be years away, so I would like an agreement to be established to make sure you don¡¯t back out of the deal.¡±


    Maric: ¡°A typical magical contract should be no problem.¡±


    ¡°Lastly there are the concerns about the old gods. I don¡¯t know why they want you to have the ability to summon dragonkin, or what their goal is, but as part of the agreement, if the old gods, or their followers contact you in any way I want you to inform me about it.¡±


    Maric: ¡°I have no use for the old gods.¡±


    ¡°Then informing me if they make contact with you shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Fine, but this all comes back to just how useful this ability of yours truly is.¡±


    I then use [Menu] to make a contract and after Maric agrees, and signs I do as well causing the parchment to light up then split into two copies. I then access [Archjusticar Menu] and apply a 3 point boon to Maric.


    Archjusticar has granted Dungeon Core #1 [Maric] a boon. Dungeon Core #1 [Maric] has been granted the skill Demi-human Confidant (Rank 3) permanently unless boon is revoked by the Archjusticar.


    I then look up the skill on Maric¡¯s information page, and finding it amongst the hundreds of skills he possesses it truly shows the difference between us.


    Demi-human Confidant (Rank 3): Any sentient humanoid race finds you inherently trustworthy. At rank 1 it prevents attack solely based on race. At rank 2 while still being treated as an outsider any sentient humanoid race in which you can communicate will attempt dialogue. At rank 3 sentient humanoid races will find you as a curiosity and may forgive minor disagreements.


    After Maric seems to read the effects of the skill he says. ¡°It really does seem you are trying to do this without hostility.¡±


    ¡°I have no control over what is granted, but this should work to give you want you want.¡±


    Maric: ¡°The disagreements between the dragonkin and others are hardly minor, but we shall see. I guess this means your assistance can easily be determined by if I am able to acquire my dragonkin without fighting.¡±


    ¡°If a fight breaks out it would get harder to tell if the skill had any effect, but it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s impossible either. As long as you do acquire your pair of dragonkin I think the matter is still up to discussion.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Well we shall see.¡±


    After sending Maric back to where he was for a second time the girls and I then head back to the house. As soon as I arrive I receive a message.


    New Skill Available


    Demi-human Confidant                      Cost: 25,000xp


    If granting skills with the [Archjusticar Menu] makes them available this might become quite helpful in the future.


    We then let the others return home while Belinda rests her head on my chest.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure we did the right thing?¡±


    ¡°I think we did the best we could.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know, but I just don¡¯t know if it was enough.¡±


    ¡°Until we gain more power that is all we can do.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So now do we just have to wait and see what happens next?¡±


    ¡°It seems that way. We did what the old gods asked so they should back off, and unless they lied to us Maric should run into the dragonkin in two days. I think till then waiting is all we can do.¡±


    Belinda doesn¡¯t seem too keen on turning me loose, and the only other plan I had was to check on that stone that the mage¡¯s guild left me, so I decide not to fight it and spend the rest of the day relaxing with Belinda.

 Fortifying the Dungeon

    After dealing with the situation with the old gods and Maric, it was nice to spend the remainder of the day lazily with Belinda. By the next morning I feel quite refreshed and decide to begin taking a closer look at that stone the mage¡¯s guild lent to me.


    The runes on the stone gave me the Lesser Status enchantment when I added to the inventory, if the adventurer¡¯s guild magic is lesser status, I would guess [Menu] screens are the normal version and my [Archjusticar Menu] status screen would be a greater status.


    Maybe if I use the spells I learned from that book Madam Erin gave me I might be able to learn a little more. I cast [Runic Reading] and even though the runes themselves don¡¯t change, it seems like I am able to find more meaning in the symbols now, and understand what they do. There are still a few I look at with confusion, but for the most part I get the basics of the runes.


    There is a series of runes that act as the enchantment itself, a series that defines the parameters in which the screen that appears to the user is displayed, and lastly a series on each side that act as the [Runic Activation] spell that I learned from the book as well.


    I want to play around a bit with it, but I can¡¯t risk breaking it, so I decide to head to the dungeon core room to talk with the bunnies about making another.


    Bunnies ¡°Morning!~¡±


    ¡°How are things going in the dungeon this morning?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We have been really busy since the completion of the mage¡¯s guild. Instead of buying their supplies from the general store in Tobes it seems they have had the new members of the mage¡¯s guild begin collecting supplies to fill their stock. We have even had to add a few more rifts to the weak areas of the elemental rooms just to meet the demand of people entering the dungeon.¡±


    Lila: ¡°216% increase in the amount of adventurers entering the elemental wings to be exact.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Since all the mages appeared in town though the dungeon has gotten an extra 15,000xp a day just from them being in the dungeon though.¡±


    Lila: ¡°The average daily income has increased by 16,142xp per day.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you girls are really working hard¡­ Now that Logan knows about us though I really want to show him we want to help, so I would like you to start putting aside some xp so we can expand an area of the dungeon strictly for training Gowen soldiers.¡±


    Lila: ¡°Unless the factors change again, in 4 days, we should achieve a balance from the additional humans entering the dungeon and the number of rifts we have added.¡±


    ¡°How about the mythril swords, are they still safe?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Adding the lesser lich to the shadow rooms has kept the adventurers at bay, the dragon, griffon, and crab are all holding their own as well. The fire wing is the only one that has posed a problem we have lost the mythril sword there again, but with the extra xp we have enough to replace it, but we wanted to ask you first.¡±


    ¡°I have heard several times about item rifts, but I have never seen them in my own [Menu] would they help?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Unlike monster rifts, item rifts work more like [Auto-Renew] traps, that is to say it doesn¡¯t cost less it just automatically summons more when it is removed from the dungeon. Kind of like if Master has equipment sets on monsters from a rift and the humans take the armor.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We like to change up the rewards for the adventurers in the dungeon, so we agreed early on that until the dungeon gets much larger we will continue without them, so we have the option to change the items.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well the swords cost almost the exact same amount as one of those boss style monsters, so we should really focus on a boss for the fire room before too long. I wanted to work on something else, but I think this is a matter I need to address first.¡±


    The only powerful dungeon cores I know that favor the fire element are all elders. Dyson¡¯s favored element if fire, but I think he focuses more on the humans then monsters. Draco and Lucille are both fire as well, but I don¡¯t know if either of them would be more receptive of a trade.


    I hate to keep relying on Madam Erin and Dyson so much, but I decide to send Dyson a message.


    (Good morning, I am in need of a more powerful fire based monster, and although Draco and Lucille both favor the fire element, I was hoping due to our agreement you would be receptive of a trade.)


    Dyson: (Well isn¡¯t this unusual. I am of course quite busy, but I believe I would be willing to trade that is if you are willing to make it worth my time.)


    I am a little apprehensive but after confirming an amount the bunnies will allow me to use I set up a meeting with Dyson at the neutral zone.


    Dyson: ¡°I have to say I was quite surprised to hear you ask to initiate a trade.¡±


    ¡°I have asked for your help in the past on several occasions.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You have asked for direction in the past, and offered help in exchange for things that benefit you, but to actually ask for a formal trade I have to say is probably a first.¡±


    ¡°Well as you know my limits I can¡¯t offer much, but I can at least offer an equal exchange for something at the value of what it is I am requesting.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well what exactly is it you are looking to acquire.¡±


    ¡°You have seen my dungeon so you have seen my elemental wings. I have a creature to serve as a boss for each one save the shadow wing and fire wing. Now with the necromancer I got from Tom I have been able to unlock a lesser lich that has proved to keep the shadow wing relatively safe now, but the fire wing is still my weakness.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So you are looking at something around the power level of your griffon or small earth dragon?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well my favored element is Fire, but I am by no means an expert on fire monsters. However something of that level should easily be doable. Now as for a trade I doubt there is anything at that amount of xp I could receive from you that would even be worth my time. There is the matter with the sword of Exeter that still remains unsolved between us.¡±


    ¡°Even with your xp going into the cost of summoning the item, summoning another adamantium sword I think still holds more value than a monster such as this.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We have already established that I cannot help you with the matter concerning Laura, but in addition to the xp required to summon the sword I am willing to offer an additional 1,000,000xp. I will even throw in the fire monster you want, and a shadow monster of the same caliber on top of it.¡±


    ¡°To be clear, you are offering me a 1,000,000xp bead, a fire monster worth between 50,000xp to 75,000xp, and a shadow monster worth 50,000xp to 75,000xp. In exchange I just have to summon a legendary quality adamantium sword using xp you will provide as well?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It¡¯s not Laura¡¯s life, but what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Xp doesn¡¯t go near as far as it once did, and now there are other things I need that are of higher value then just raw xp. I will accept, if you add the skill that allows the crafting of mythril items, as you must have access to it because I heard you made Queen¡¯s weapons and armor yourself. A book that provides the skill or a monster that has it doesn¡¯t matter, but that is my final offer.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have no monsters capable of crafting with mythril, and only can craft them myself, but if we can come to a deal right now, I will give you everything else you asked for and I guarantee I can provide someone that, won¡¯t join your dungeon, but they could teach the elf Azami how to craft mythril items. It will however take her up to a year to acquire the skill depending on how much time she focuses on learning it.¡±


    ¡°Azami is part of the group I use for my work as the Archjusticar. If we get busy it may take her longer than that to learn the skill, if that is acceptable we have a deal.¡±


    Dyson quickly pulls a small xp bead from his pocket that he has seemed to have carried with him ever since he first learned of me acquiring the ability to summon the sword. He then accesses his [Menu] and summons another xp bead.


    Maybe I under estimated just how badly he wants this sword¡­ Perhaps I should have asked for more.


    Dyson: ¡°Alright I will give you these now, and once I have the sword we can summon the two monsters. You can imagine their size will be quite great, so it will be easier to leave it to the end.¡±


    ¡°Well the monsters are by far the cheapest part of this exchange, so I am sure I can hold you at your word.¡±


    Not to panic the bunnies I send them the message about Dyson giving me the xp to make something for him, but I don¡¯t tell them the terms of the deal, because they only knew about the fire monster so want the rest of it to be a surprise.


    I then use the 3.75 million xp bead. I then access the weapons screen and select an adamantium sword. Taking the quality to legendary I watch the cost of the item quickly climb. The displayed results are a [Adamantium Sword of Darkness] but surprisingly the critical chance is quite high compared to items I usually summon.


    When I accept the summoning of the item it does result in a critical success and I receive several messages along with a [Legendary Void Sword]


    New Enchantments Available


    [Darkness Attack] Item cost x10 or 1,000,000xp whichever is less (100,000xp minimum) [Void Attack] Item cost x100 or 10,000,000xp whichever is less (1,000,000xp minimum)


    [Legendary Void Sword] The sword of Exeter, used in Exeter¡¯s Royal seal is said to be made by the finest dwarven crafter that has ever lived. Not to be out done a legendary hero begged a powerful monster to create an even finer sword. The result was the [Legendary Void Sword] it is said the blade is so sharp it can cut any substance including the very air itself.


    [Darkness Attack] weapons are coated with pure shadow magic, any attack made from the weapon is completely unaffected by armor acting as under the effects of a shadow based spell.


    [Void Attack] weapons must first bare the [Darkness Attack] enchantment. Focusing magic on an attack not targeting a physical object but the very air itself the weapon will create a void pulling objects with great force towards it. Objects consumed by the void are impossible to recover, and it is even possible that the very existence of the object to be consumed. The void remains as long as the user of the weapon focuses.


    The sword sounds extremely dangerous, but Dyson can kill me a hundred times over even without the sword, and I have little choice but present it to him. I have never seen Dyson as happy as he is now while he holds the sword unsheathing it from its elaborate scabbard.


    Dyson: ¡°I hardly begged¡­ I sometimes wonder how [Menu] comes up with such descriptions, after all I am a ¡°powerful monster¡± as well.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you are disappointed?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have waited for this moment for over 100 years, and even then didn¡¯t expect a unique item such as this, so no, I am far from disappointed.¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering, as that smile on your face is hard to judge, as it is quite creepy.¡±


    Dyson sheaths the sword back in its scabbard, closing his eyes listening to the sound as he does. He then quickly removes the sword from his waist replacing it with the new sword then drops the old sword into my hands.


    Dyson: ¡°I have no use for this anymore, and it has to be better than the one you use, so I will throw that in as well, and now as for your monsters.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Dyson turns his attention to his [Menu] looking at it with deep concentration and focus while running his hand across the sword hanging from his hip. After a while he looks around the room looking as he is judging its size.


    Dyson: ¡°Alright, I think I have an idea as to what to summon.¡±


    ¡°How big of a monster are you planning on summoning? I can only make [Gate] so large¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well they aren¡¯t too large, but there are two of them. Actually three as I could not make up my mind, but even though it¡¯s favored element is fire it is still not a fire monster, so I am going to add a third.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary, and not part of the deal.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Neither were the enchantments, but here we are.¡±


    ¡°That is just an effect of my skills, it didn¡¯t cost any extra.¡±


    I am not sure if Dyson was just, that pleased with the sword, or if he has an ulterior motive. This overly excited Dyson is far from what I am used to.


    Dyson: ¡°Don¡¯t worry I still count us even.¡±


    ¡°Then I accept¡­¡± ¨CI say a little hesitantly.-


    The first monster Dyson summons looks to be built like Madam Erin, and just as bull headed. Except this monster¡¯s head is literally that of a bull. I don¡¯t know how much extra it cost but he is also wielding a large double headed axe just as tall as he is, made from enhanced dark steel.


    The next monster Dyson summons is a bird, with brilliant purple and red feathers that look like they could catch fire at any moment, and it is easily the size of the minotaur, with claws the size of my fingers. The third monster Dyson summons is a dog, but with coarse black fur it is larger than a bear and has glowing red eyes and fire dripping from its mouth like drool.


    ¡°That is a minotaur, and I am assuming the bird is a type of phoenix, but what the hell is that?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You¡¯re half right, it¡¯s a hell hound. Despite the fire, I assure it is a shadow based monster. Actually it is classified as a type of demon.¡±


    ¡°And you are saying all three of them are within the agreed amount?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The minotaur definitely no problem, and the phoenix is one of the weaker varieties, and not even sentient, so it is on the upper end of the agreed amount. I have to pay a bit extra for shadow monsters because it¡¯s not my favored element, then there is the 10% discount due to the boon you granted me, so add the amount I saved on the other two back to it, and well I only went over a bit on the hell hound.¡±


    ¡°The three monsters, the sword, and you will send someone to teach Azami the mythril crafting skill. All that and we are still even right?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I may have exaggerated a bit on how easy it would be to get the one to teach Azami the skill. I have confidence once he sees this sword, he will want to meet you, and I will give him the condition of teaching Azami the skill in return for the meeting.¡±


    ¡°He will do it through, right?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Especially for another elf, I am sure he will. I will contact him shortly and will message you when you can expect him to arrive.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ I guess I will get these three squared away¡­ Thanks for the trade.¡±


    Monster Minotaur has changed ownership from Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson] to Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen]. Would you like to change Minotaur¡¯s name?


    Monster Phoenix has changed ownership from Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson] to Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen]. Would you like to change Phoenix¡¯s name?


    Monster Hellhound has changed ownership from Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson] to Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen]. Would you like to change Hellhound¡¯s name?


    Dyson just gave them names of what they are, so I guess that will work. After decided to not change their names I receive a message.


    New Monsters Available


    Minotaur                                             Cost: 50,000xp Lesser Phoenix                                 Cost: 75,000xp* Hellhound                                          Cost: 100,000xp*


    *Elemental Type monster are granted a discount of ? due to [Uniquely Gifted] skill.


    New Skills Available


    Brute Strength                                  Cost: 10,000xp Superior Endurance                        Cost: 10,000xp Immolate                                            Cost: 10,000xp Rebirth                                                 Cost: 25,000xp Hellfire                                                                Cost: 25,000xp Hounds of Hell                                 Cost: 25,000xp


    New Item Available


    Double Axe (Enhanced Dark Steel)    Cost: 5,000xp


    After confirming the transfer of ownership of the monsters Dyson teleports from the room while petting his new sword¡­ I can¡¯t exactly transfer these three directly to the core room so I [Gate] to one of the large rooms on the bottom floor of the dungeon that adventurers haven¡¯t yet arrived to yet.


    I then transfer to the core room and am quickly met with 4 very excited little rabbits.


    Lilah: ¡°Master brought back more than just a fire monster!¡±


    ¡°Well the lich has worked pretty well you said, but it still isn¡¯t exactly a boss, so he helped us out with that as well, and the minotaur can be added to one of the rooms in the primary section of the dungeon. That isn¡¯t all though I got one more surprise.¡±


    With the addition of the mages entering the dungeon the summoning of the 4<sup>th</sup> bunny has already become mandatory, so I decide to use the 1 million xp bead to expand the dungeon core room into an advanced dungeon core room.


    Once I select the advanced dungeon core room and finalize it I receive a message at the same time the dungeon core room increases in size. The only way to tell the room gained size however is that the screens that make up the wall launch backwards spreading apart.


    Advanced dungeon core rooms grant the use of [Advanced Dungeon Menu] however unlike normal [Menu] it can only be used within the dungeon core room. [Advanced Dungeon Menu] adds additional settings allowing for greater control of a dungeon.


    Monsters summoned in a dungeon with an Advanced Dungeon Core room are inherently more intelligent and stronger with settings that can be changed within the [Advanced Dungeon Menu]. Monster rifts, item rifts, and auto-renew traps have improved settings that can be adjusted in [Advanced Dungeon Menu].


    Lilah: ¡°What did Master do!?¡±


    ¡°I upgraded the dungeon core room to an advanced one, so you four have a bit more room to work with.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°But Master the cost of it was so much¡­¡±


    Lila: ¡°A more cost effective measure would have been to summon another sister.¡±


    Leila: ¡°I like it¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you Leila, as least someone appreciates it¡­ You four where getting cramped as it was I don¡¯t know how many more of you we could of summoned before it became a problem.¡±


    Lila: ¡°There was effectivity room for 2 more sisters, before additional space would have been required.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it would have been room for 2 more comfortably¡­ Besides I had the xp now, so I used it, I didn¡¯t even spend the xp we agreed on for getting the new monster, so we are fine.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Does that mean Master wants us to replace the missing mythril sword now?¡±


    ¡°With the phoenix to guard it now it should be harder for them to take it. Hopefully by the time they start making it though the bosses Azami will have learned to be able to make mythril weapons.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Does Master have a plan to teach Azami how to make mythril items?¡±


    ¡°That was the final part of the deal I made with Dyson, he is supposed to send someone that can teach her the skill, but it may take a while for her to learn it.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Minotaur, phoenix, hellhound, 1 million xp, and mythril crafting skill¡­ What did Master trade Dyson?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah belongs to Master, so Dyson can¡¯t have her!¡± ¨CShe says while covering herself with her arms.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to begin to understand what you mean by that¡­ But I finally made the sword Dyson wanted.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Master¡­ What about Laura?¡±


    ¡°After all this time he still didn¡¯t change his mind about it, so I doubt it would of ever worked, so I figured it was time. We will just have to find another way to get Laura.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Can we add our own beds here now?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Leila: ¡°I can have my own bed?¡±


    ¡°Each of you can, the core room looks big enough now you can each have your own area to yourselves. I don¡¯t know how much you can do, but as long as you continue to take care of the dungeon like you have you can do what you like here.¡±


    They all then begin setting up sections for themselves. Lilah was on her own for a while, but the rest of them have sort of been a package deal, so getting to see how they do each of their areas slightly different I can finally see a bit more of their individuality.


    Lilah¡¯s ¡°room¡± is as mundane as they come with everything from standard bed, chair, desk, and set of drawers for her clothes. The only thing that stands out is the armor rack holding her armor, a curled up whip that doesn¡¯t look to have been used in a while, and a single stuffed cat on the center of the bed.


    Lylah¡¯s ¡°room¡± is far more colorful, the bed appears far fluffier and there are at least three or four stuffed animals. I get sudden flashes of memories from when Lylah was first summoned about Lilah having her wear fluffy dresses that Belinda couldn¡¯t get Lilah to wear.


    Lila¡¯s ¡°room¡± isn¡¯t exactly mundane as it has several creature comforts, but it is also very practical and uniform.


    Leila is the youngest and her ¡°room¡± shows it, she has over a dozen stuffed animals and even though they are just now summoning these items, they are already scattered in disarray around her area. Like Lylah¡¯s area all of Leila¡¯s things are bright colors and full of fluff and ruffles.


    I decide to leave them to finish up while I go back to what I started doing this morning. I can¡¯t summon just a normal looking rock, so I summon a small gem placing the [Lesser Status] enchantment on it.


    The effects of [Runic Reading] are long gone so it is rather strange to look at the runes carved in the small gem knowing that I knew what they meant earlier, but can¡¯t make them out now. After casting [Runic Reading] again I then cast [Runic Writing] trying to change the effects on the stone.


    The bunnies start to gripe at each other saying someone spent too much xp on their room, so I have to step in, and tell them it was me after completely destroying 3 of the gems before getting any kind of results.


    My total expenditure was 10,000xp, but I managed to change the parameters on the 4<sup>th</sup> gem to show a numerical display when showing the person¡¯s status with the gem. I test it out on the bunnies and where the mage¡¯s guild stone shows below average, average, or above-average, the gem I made shows like the [Menu] displaying the girl¡¯s actual score.


    It still doesn¡¯t display my skills that are dungeon related, but I am quite happy with the result.


    Lylah: ¡°Master why spend that much xp on something like that when we can use [Menu]?¡±


    ¡°The stones the adventurer¡¯s guild use just bothered me, and I was just testing the use of the spells I learned from Madam Erin. It may take a while, but if I keep working at it maybe I can learn new enchantments, or make things like Madam Erin does with her runes.¡±


    The bunnies however are not convinced that what I accomplished amounts to much, so I decide to take my gem and head back to the house.


    Belinda: ¡°They just don¡¯t understand because they have always had [Menu]. I was floored when I saw my full status page in [Menu] for the first time, so even though it¡¯s a small step I am sure that gem will really turn some heads at the mage¡¯s guild.¡±


    ¡°You think I should show it to them?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you made it?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really think about it, I just didn¡¯t like the old stone worked. It might help a bit without causing any harm, so I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt I guess.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well why don¡¯t we go show it to them.¡±


    ¡°Right now?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why not? I don¡¯t think the elders of the mage¡¯s guild believed the stories about you, I would like to rub it in their faces just how smart you really are.¡±


    Belinda then grabs my arm and practically drags me out the door towards the mage¡¯s guild. When we arrive at the mage¡¯s guild we are blown off by Madelaine and Kleed when we run into them, both say they are too busy.


    Zedross: ¡°I understand you are the local representatives, but we are just getting off the ground so you have to understand there are quite a few things that need our attention.¡±


    ¡°Well that is quite the attitude switch from when you begged me to join the guild. I wanted to return the stone you let me borrow because I was done with it.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°I thank you for returning it, but it wasn¡¯t really necessary to meet with us just to return it.¡±


    ¡°I made an improvement, and thought you might like to see it.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°That is impossible, it has taken years to perfect it and you haven¡¯t even spent more than a few days on it.¡±


    ¡°Actually I was busy yesterday, and this morning, so it was just this afternoon.¡±


    Zedross quickly activates the stone I handed him and scoffs. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything different.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to damage the one you lent me so I made another.¡± ¨CI then hand him the small gem which seems to now begin to draw his attention.-


    Zedross: ¡°You are saying you replicated the runes on the stone in just a single afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, as I said I improved it.¡±


    Zedross looks over the small gem curiously. ¡°How did you manage to add the runes to a gem like this?¡±


    ¡°I have the spell [Runic Writing]¡±


    Zedross: ¡°That is an exceptionally advanced spell. I thought you said you just started to take an interest in runes.¡±


    ¡°Acquiring the spell is why I took an interest in it. I guess you could say it was one of my hidden talents I received while being a hero, so this was my first attempt in using the spell.¡±


    Zedross looks rather skeptical but he then activates the gem, when the screen appears in front of him there is a mix of shock and confusion on his face.


    Zedross: ¡°You really managed to get it to work¡­ But what are these numbers?¡±


    ¡°The stones the adventurer¡¯s guild use I felt was to broad, I mean average, above-average, what is that all about? I thought a numerical value would show the difference in ability in much more detail.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Then this can¡¯t be very effective. My magical ability says it is 415 and my strength is 18. I don¡¯t know the scale, but my strength shows to be average on a normal stone, and if 18 is normal with my magical ability is exceptional the difference the number displays seems far too great.¡±


    ¡°Wait 415¡­?¡± ¨CIt was at that moment I realized my mistake.-


    When I was in Uthaira and was tested everything was extraordinary or heroic and the man at the adventurer¡¯s guild didn¡¯t blink an eye because I was a hero, but with a number value, I have over 4 times the magical ability of this man who is supposed to be the pinnacle of a human¡¯s magical ability. Our difference will become far clearer with this gem I made¡­


    Zedross: ¡°That is what I am saying the number can¡¯t be accurate, what did yours show?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I must have made a mistake somewhere¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you mean? It sounds right to me¡­¡±


    I quickly and lightly squeeze Belinda¡¯s hand and shake my head.


    Zedross: ¡°Well you may have made a mistake somewhere, but it shows great promise, you mind if I work with it a while.¡±


    ¡°Actually I think I would like to work on it myself.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°A bit of a shame¡­ But if you get it figured out, I would be happy to look at it again.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for bothering you¡­¡±


    When Zedross drops the gem into my hand it activates. Unlike [Menu] these screens can be seen by anyone, so I quickly try to close it before Zedross can see. Zedross has a confused look on his face and has a nervous chuckle as the color drains from his face.


    ¡°Yep must be broken¡­¡± ¨CI say with my own nervous chuckle.-


    I then quickly drag Belinda from the guild.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    ¡°I was shocked how low his magical ability was¡­ The stones might not display a number for good reason¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You could have proven you were not some country mage, but a hero like advertised though.¡±


    ¡°My magical ability shows as Heroic, which is fine because I am a hero, but Zedross is an elder of the mage¡¯s guild with only 415 spell power. That is to say if the others are around the same level my spell power is easily higher than the three of them combined, how do you think they would take that if they could see the actual number difference?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think I see what you mean.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid he saw some of the numbers though, I hope he really bought it when I said the gem must not be working correctly¡­ I might need to keep an eye on them with [Menu] for a few days.¡±


    With nothing else to do we return home and I store the gem for now.

 The Summoning of Divine Monsters

    The next morning after adding the advanced dungeon core room, and making my mistake at the mage¡¯s guild, the bunnies start working with the options of the [Advanced Menu]. They have grown really excited, but there are so many new options on summoning things, it leaves me scratching my head.


    [Menu] said it makes the monsters stronger and more intelligent, but to prevent the adventurers from noticing a sudden jump in strength the bunnies use options in [Advanced Menu] to weaken some of the entry level rift monsters as to not panic the adventurers.


    Several of the options available in the [Advanced Menu] will really help. There are now options to make rifts with more than one type of monster. The rift costs the price of the most expensive monster, but on rifts like the kobolds and kobold mages that still saves xp when you summon them together instead of two separate rifts.


    After a few days, even with the noticeable increase in strength in some of the elemental monsters on the deeper levels, the adventurers and mage¡¯s guild members discover the new boss type monsters. With the increase in strength and the new boss monsters most adventurers have all but given up on trying to acquire the mythril swords.


    We have however seen an increased amount of adventurers beginning to return to the main wing of the dungeon leaving the elemental wings to the mages. With the dungeon getting harder the amount of xp we receive got a small boost as well.


    I told the bunnies I wanted to start working on some rooms to train the Gowen troops, but after several groups have made it down to the floor in the main wing that has the clock like mechanism in it, I then told them to split half the xp into replacing some of the monsters on that floor, that don¡¯t have rifts, and the other half for the rooms for the Gowen troops.


    While working with the bunnies for a few days I also keep an eye on the mage¡¯s guild. Zedross told the others about my gem in great detail, but if he seen my abilities he doesn¡¯t mention it to the others. Maybe he didn¡¯t see the numbers after all. Either that or he just doesn¡¯t believe them.


    Splitting the xp between the rooms for the Gowen soldiers and the main dungeon it takes a bit longer then we wanted to begin working on it, so I call back the groups that are abroad a few days early. The groups on the mainland are slowly gaining in strength, but other than their xp that is about all we received from them.


    Poppy and Bandy¡¯s groups however are growing quickly in Shima. They brought in close to 500,000xp between the two groups and all members¡¯ levels are reaching the mid-20¡¯s mark. Belinda takes Poppy¡¯s group back to Shima, so she can spend the rest of the day visiting with Inari, while Bandy stops me.


    Bandy: ¡°We brought in a lot of xp right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think Shima is going to be very helpful to us.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°We haven¡¯t found any more of those fake dungeons like your daughter encountered, but that monster of hers, Akane. She told us that your daughter let you learn how to copy the gear they received from the one they went to.¡±


    ¡°Yes there was quite a bit of it.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Since we brought back and large amount of xp, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time you reward us?¡±


    ¡°That gear Inari taught us how to make is equal to that of mythril, so even if I spend all the xp you brought back on gear for your group it still wouldn¡¯t outfit you all in gear of that quality.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°What about weapons for everyone at least? If we had weapons of that quality we could hunt faster and bring more xp back next month.¡±


    ¡°I guess that is the one drawback of Shima. You are gaining far much more xp there, but every Oni still carries the same weapon, so you are not bringing back near as many items. Alright, I wanted to use that xp for something else, but you make a point, this will only benefit us in the long run. What kind of weapons does your group use?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I use a short sword and switch between a small shield and second short sword, but with the Oni¡¯s fighting style I haven¡¯t used my shield almost all month. Chase uses a plain old mage staff, but I keep telling him he needs to learn to get his hands dirty, so maybe one of those staves like you made for your daughter. Kit fancies himself a thin blade, Braford is a monk so he is good, but Corrie uses a large axe, but she doesn¡¯t like it when you call her a minotaur, and Suzie uses a sword of course.¡±


    ¡°Well a sword is easy enough if you don¡¯t want a Shima styled weapon as I can summon it as a mythril blade, but the best thin blade I can make would be from elven steel, a great axe is also a problem because I the best I can do for it would be an enhanced dark steel. For a short sword though if you want it to be equal to mythril you will have to take it in the Shima style.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°If that¡¯s the best you can do, then that¡¯s what we will take.¡±


    I focus on making them unique, but since I can¡¯t really afford to raise the quality of the items none result in critical successes. Because of my skills they are all enchanted, but none of the enchantments are new to me.


    I finish up with the group and send them back to Shima. With Poppy¡¯s group in Shima as well I better do the same for them, so I send Belinda a message asking her what kind of equipment Poppy¡¯s group uses. Poppy¡¯s entire group uses blades except the cat-folk mage, so their weapons actually turn out better then Bandy¡¯s group.


    After summoning the weapons I then take them to them in Shima, deliver them to Poppy¡¯s group, and then visit Inari with Belinda.


    ¡°None of my monsters are giving you any trouble I hope?¡±


    Inari: ¡°We have had a few incidents with that Raccoon at my secondary dungeon, but it worked itself out.¡±


    ¡°I told her to behave herself.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s really alright, there are all types coming into the harbor there, and most ships are from Dalian so a beastkin leading a group of adventurers is bound to rub them the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°If any of my monsters become a problem for you, just let me know alright?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Daddy, besides Mommy comes and visits me quite often now, so she has kept them in line.¡±


    ¡°As long as they aren¡¯t becoming a problem.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Not at all, now Mommy has been bringing me some things from time to time that are hard to get in Shima, but I did say if you could visit I would trade you a few monsters so you could learn some Shima skills.¡±


    ¡°We really could use the skills, but what would you like to trade?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Have you tried summoning any more divine beastkin yet? Both of my boss monsters turned out as divine beastkin, but they are both of the standard beastkin verity. I was hoping maybe you could trade me a feral divine beastkin now that you made Aunt Zoey one of your special boss monsters.¡±


    ¡°Their cost was so high, I have never had the xp to spare, but even if I could, it could only be a dog feral beastkin.¡±


    Inari: ¡°If you are interested I would like to try. Now, I think 40 level 1 beastkin would be a bit much even for Daddy, but if we summoned you another group to gather xp for your dungeon at level 15 that should be a fair trade. We can even try to give each one different Shima classes to increase the amount of skills you will receive.¡±


    ¡°We could definitely use the skills, and the new group. What do you think Belinda?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s not going to put us in a bad way with xp right?¡±


    ¡°No, even after buying the gear for Bandy¡¯s group and Poppy¡¯s group it would still be within the xp I received from them, and not even touch what the bunnies have been gathering.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then I say we help our daughter!¡±


    ¡°You know along those lines I did it for Maeve and 3 points on Maric, who we don¡¯t even like, so¡­¡± ¨CI access [Archjusticar Menu] selecting Inari and grant her a boon.-


    The Archjusticar has granted a boon to Dungeon Core #245 [Inari]. Resource items supplied in Dungeon Core #245 [Inari]¡¯s dungeon are increased by 10% for the next 365 days.


    Inari: ¡°What is this? I am sure it will help the village quite a bit though.¡±


    ¡°It is an ability I got as the Archjusticar, but the others were increased gathering xp or lowering the cost of items in [Menu] stuff like that, so I am sorry this one didn¡¯t turn out as good.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Xp is the least of my problems, I actually think this will help me much more.¡±


    ¡°I am still trying to get a handle on just what my ability does, so it helps me as well, but I am glad I could help. Now, as do you have any preferences for the divine feral beastkin?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I want a male, I have a few girls that still haven¡¯t landed themselves a man, so maybe I can get lucky and eventually learn to summon them myself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to force them or anything, are you?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well if either of my girls don¡¯t like him, I can keep summoning more until he hits it off with one. With Mommy teleporting back and forth I could probably get away with a few extra beastkin now.¡±


    ¡°As long as you promise me not to force anything on a sentient monster.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I promise.¡±


    I then use [Gate] to return home, let the bunnies know what I am going to do, and then try to summon a feral divine beastkin. The bunnies are excited to watch me summon a monster that cost so much xp, so they watch closely.


    Requirements for summoning of Feral Divine Beastkin (Dog) not met.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What¡¯s wrong Master?¡±


    ¡°It says I don¡¯t meet the requirements, but if it¡¯s in my list I should be able to summon it right?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°There are rare monsters that take special items to summon them, but [Menu] should tell you what is required.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t say, it just says requirements not met. I better tell Inari before she summons the other beastkin!¡± ¨CI quickly send a message to Inari telling her to wait.-


    Inari: (What¡¯s wrong Daddy? I already have 4 ready.)


    ([Menu] isn¡¯t letting me summon one. It says I don¡¯t meet the requirements.)


    Inari: (What about a normal one then? I have Yuji and Chika, but being able to summon them would be nice.)


    Requirements for summoning of Divine Beastkin (Wolf) not met.


    (Same thing.)


    Inari: (None of the divine monsters?)


    Requirements for summoning of Divine Elf not met.


    Requirements for summoning of Divine Being not met.


    (No, none of them.)This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Inari: (What are the requirements to summon them?)


    (It doesn¡¯t say. The bunnies said it should tell me, but it just says the requirements are not met.)


    Inari: (Alright, let me summon your other two, and we can then figure something out.)


    (But I might not have anything to trade you.)


    Inari: (That¡¯s alright Daddy, if we can¡¯t figure something out, like I said it probably wouldn¡¯t hurt for me to have another group.)


    ¡°Girls, can you see if you can find out any information of what might be required to summon a divine beastkin?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah will do her best Master.¡±


    After looking through [Menu] and even using the search and coming up with no results I decide to [Gate] back to Inari¡¯s dungeon, and when I return there are 6 new faces in the room with Belinda and Inari, all belonging to fox beastkin wearing Shima clothing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t able to hold up my end of the deal, I never tried to summon one before now.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s ok Daddy, I am far from hurting on xp, so it isn¡¯t that big of a deal, but I would of liked to of had one.¡±


    ¡°The bunnies are looking into it, to see if they can find anything in [Menu] to tell them what the requirements are for the summoning.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I hope it¡¯s alright, but Mommy and I gave all of your new monsters Shima names.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t even have anything to trade now.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s alright, Mommy and I came to an agreement. If it is alright with you I will let you take them home and bind them to your dungeon. They can then return here, gather xp from the Oni, and return to your dungeon once a month, but in the mean time they can help protect my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well they are your monsters, so you are basically just offering me the xp they collect without anything in exchange, so I don¡¯t really have a reason to turn it down.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You helped me a lot with that boon, so we can call it even. You got to promise me though when you figure out how to summon the divine feral beastkin you will trade with me then.¡±


    After I agree, I take the 6 beastkin to my dungeon binding them to it, and then return back to Inari¡¯s dungeon with them. I have used [Gate] quite a few times so I try to hurry and didn¡¯t pay close attention the skills I learned, but glancing at it before I left, it looked pretty big.


    Inari then sets the beastkin up in some of the rooms at her house and even gives them equipment to use. She tells them she will introduce them to the village tomorrow, and spends the rest of the day visiting with Belinda and me.


    By the time we make it home it is already pretty late, and Belinda is in a very good mood, so we head straight to bed. The next morning Belinda is lying on my arm while making a cute face so I don¡¯t want to wake her, so I then go through the list of skills we got from the Shima group.


    They are all entry level skills but there are quite a few and they are also cheap. Once they rank up it will be quite the increase in strength for our group, so I teach them to myself and all the boss monsters while still not dipping into the xp the bunnies were collecting.


    After looking at the amount of xp we have I decide it may be time to start the area for the Gowen troops. The options for the rifts are much better in the dungeon core room because of [Advanced Menu] but I stretch the rooms to the limit starting at the old prison on the first sub-level and stretching down 5 floors for a total of 11 massive empty rooms.


    I don¡¯t connect them to the old prison yet, as I want to speak with Logan first, but before filling them with monsters it only takes just over 13,000xp. Of course it is the monsters and everything else that is going to cost the most.


    The mountain is starting to get quite full with my dungeon. I don¡¯t think I could fit a single room in any of the first few floors without either running into another room or out the side of the mountain. That makes me understand more what Maeve was saying about dungeons. If humans tried to carve that much rock and dirt out of the mountain it would have collapsed a long time ago.


    Belinda is starting to wake now, so I close [Menu] a gently kiss her. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    After we get out of bed I tell Belinda about what I added to the dungeon, and then we send a message to Logan to set up a time to meet. He used to answer Belinda very quickly after writing him, but after finding out about the dungeon he seems far more hesitant to talk to even his own sister.


    He started dating Queen again, so I thought it would be alright, but maybe it is just something that will have to take some time. When he finally replies he says he can¡¯t get away till that afternoon so we just have to wait.


    The bunnies knew we were going to add the rooms for the soldier¡¯s training, but I have nothing much else to do so I head to the dungeon core room and tell them about it. I also decide to ask if they found out any information about the divine monsters.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah can¡¯t find anything Master.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We did find some really strong undead monsters that require to be summoned exactly at midnight, and some elemental monsters require certain seasons of the year or types of weather. Maybe Master should set [Menu] to warn him if the requirements have been met.¡±


    ¡°How did you find all that out?¡±


    Lila: ¡°<u>Rare Monster Summoning Guide</u> it¡¯s a manual for the dungeon core room, it cost 10,000xp though.¡±


    ¡°That is a lot of xp for a book, but I think I seen some as high as 1 million on there, and I did ask you to find out the information. How do I set [Menu] up with the warning?¡±


    The bunnies walk me though the process, of setting it up and just in case each one has different conditions I set up all of them to warn me if the conditions are met.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if we will just happen to stumble onto the right conditions, but at least it is better than nothing. I want you to set aside enough xp to summon a divine monster just in case one of them becomes available. If for some reason you have to use the xp, let me know, so I know not to use it if it becomes available.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah is already setting aside all that xp for the soldier training, and for emergencies. She doesn¡¯t have much to work on the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were at the point again where we were starting to gain more xp then we are spending.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We are Master, Lilah is just impatient.¡±


    ¡°Well once we talk with Logan and start to get the soldier training rooms filled up with monsters and set up, that might be a lot more xp coming in. We also have three groups gathering xp for us in Shima so they might even break the 750,000 mark next month.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master made too many rooms for the soldiers though. There will not be enough xp to fill them all.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t put doors in between them yet, so we can just fill each one at a time as we need to. I am hoping I can count on Logan to tell us exactly what they need for the rooms, so we can plan accordingly.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Is Master sure it is going to be safe to have a lot of soldiers in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Well the protection from the king is still in effect, and he still plans to treat me as his son even knowing I am a dungeon core, so I am sure the soldiers will be on their best behavior.¡±


    The bunnies and I talk for a little bit more before I return down to the house.


    Vetala: ¡°Master, the mage¡¯s guild sent a letter about a meeting this afternoon asking you to attend.¡±


    ¡°I have to meet with Logan later, but that is why we made it where you can go in our place.¡±


    Vetala: ¡°But what if I make a mistake?¡±


    ¡°You are just going to relay the information. They said it wasn¡¯t a big deal if we attended all the meetings anyway, I will see if Roxy or Zoey will go with you this time though to make sure you do alright.¡±


    Vetala: ¡°Thank you Master.¡±


    I then send the message to them both asking if they received the letter as well. After finding out they did, I ask one of them to give Vetala a hand with it. Zoey complains about it, but after Roxy says she will take care of it, it seems they are both going to go to give Vetala a hand.


    Belinda is at the Mayor¡¯s office with Scylla, so I decide to head over there until it¡¯s time to head to the capital to meet with Logan. I find Belinda holding Scylla¡¯s baby when I arrive, and it¡¯s hard to believe just how fast she seems to be growing.


    Scylla has a full staff in the office now with, Kline, Bell, and three other people Belinda hired so even though she is quite busy. They are able to take a break to visit with us for a while before its time for Belinda and I to make our way to the capital.


    We finally arrive at the capital to meet with Logan, and Logan seems almost a little hesitant to speak with us alone.


    Belinda: ¡°Logan, it¡¯s me! I wish you would quit making a big deal out of this. When I heard you and Queen agreed to date again I thought you put this behind you.¡±


    Logan: ¡°In truth I don¡¯t know what to think anymore.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe we can help you out some then. My dungeon is finally in a way we can start support some of the Gowen troops to come train in the dungeon.¡±


    Logan: ¡°So you can gather their xp?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you and say that doesn¡¯t help us, because it does, but that isn¡¯t the reason we are doing this. Belinda and I want to see Gowen succeed as well you know. The truth is when you thought the dungeon was unpredictable and uncontrollable you still wanted to send troops in to train there, so this way is even better.¡±


    Logan: ¡°So what is it you want from me?¡±


    ¡°We would like to know how to set up the rooms to best benefit the training of the troops. I have quite a few large rooms set up, but I wanted to see how you wanted to go about filling them, so the soldiers get the most out of the training.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am not sure.¡±


    ¡°We could flood the rooms with weak monsters, slowly increasing their strength to help the soldiers level faster, or if you want experience we could set up smaller but more focused groups of monsters, they won¡¯t level as fast, but they will the hang of combat more.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You could really control it to that degree?¡±


    ¡°Of course, the biggest thing however is doing it in a way that it isn¡¯t obvious that the sole points of these rooms are to train soldiers. We also need to talk about the inevitable. At some point there will be a soldier that over extends themselves or makes a mistake that will cause them to die, we can try our best to prevent it, but it is bound to happen at some point.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If there isn¡¯t a sense of danger, the troops are not going to learn anything.¡±


    ¡°We also need to speak about any soldiers that break the rules. Belinda is going to set some ground rules at the adventurer¡¯s guild, and Scylla will as Tobes¡¯s mayor, but as loyal as the Gowen soldiers are there is a chance that some may break the rules, and we need to discuss what we do with them when they do.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You really have thought this through quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Of course we have.¡±


    Logan: ¡°As far as soldiers dying in the dungeon, if we can prevent it as much as possible it would be great, but I understand that even when training with other humans there is always that chance a mistake is made. As far as soldiers breaking rank that should be a military matter.¡±


    ¡°I am fine with leaving their discipline up to their commander, but I need an assurance it will be dealt with, because it is literally my life on the line here.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Insubordination is not taking lightly.¡±


    ¡°We also need to establish a way of being able to inform the commander if any rules are broken that the soldiers are able to cover up.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There is always a dungeon expert when training in dungeons. Maybe we could use one of our monsters for that purpose.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I think having a monster do something like that would be a dead giveaway that Gowen is working with the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I meant a beastkin or a human that we summon. Doug still doesn¡¯t like it when we use that term when talking about Aria, but it has become natural when talking about those summoned from the dungeon.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am still having a hard time grasping the fact that summoning a beastkin or a human is even possible.¡±


    ¡°It really seemed to help Doug and Kline, when they could see it for themselves, so maybe it would help you as well?¡±


    Logan: ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem right to do something like that with a living being just for something like this.¡±


    ¡°Well like Belinda said, it might help to summon in a few with the groups of soldiers. I am sure the Gowen military could always use a few more hands.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But forcing them to become soldiers?¡±


    ¡°The bunnies have gotten pretty good in summoning those that want to do, what it is we want them to. Look at Delilah.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Of course Delilah is one of yours. I didn¡¯t even think about it. I am sure that means Rodan is one of Queen¡¯s as well?¡±


    ¡°I assumed she told you, but yes I believe he is.¡±


    Logan: ¡°First my sister, then the council, and now you even want to place those you summon into the military. You are systematically replacing the leaders of Gowen with those you summon in the dungeon and now don¡¯t you see why I am worried?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It isn¡¯t like that! We just wanted to help. We told you about Queen and Two-Twelve¡¯s agreement so you should know we all want what is best for Gowen.¡±


    ¡°How about we just show you? We can go back to Tobes, I can show the rooms we have prepared, and then we can show you the summoning process. You can then make up your mind if you want them to join the military, and if you want to use the training rooms or not.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I will go with you, but I make no promises¡­¡±


    We then [Gate] back to Tobes, Belinda decides to return to help Scylla, and to be on the safe side instead of transferring Logan and I also use [Gate] to enter the rooms I have prepared for the soldiers training.


    Logan: ¡°This is huge¡­Wait there isn¡¯t any doors!¡±


    ¡°I did that because I didn¡¯t know how you wanted to set it up. This is the most I can get out of the cost of a single room. One is a bit more of a rectangle instead of square but all but one of the rooms are this size. We can put up walls anywhere you like or just leave the room bare and fill it with monsters. It is really just up to how you want to do it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°How would the soldiers get in and out?¡±


    ¡°The long hallway on the first sub-level of the dungeon is just beyond that wall there.¡± ¨CI say pointing at one of the walls.- ¡°Once we set it up the way you want we can add a door there connecting it to the dungeon.¡±


    Logan still seems a bit uneasy, but he says. ¡°So, if I say I wanted to section this off into 4 different areas you could do that?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s it what you want then yes.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well a room like this would be alright for large combat, but for starters I would want them to have to deal with smaller fights.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I can¡¯t add to the rooms with you present in them but if you let me know what you want I can add it and we can then walk it to make sure that is what you want.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Four equal sized rooms will work, but as to what kind of monsters to put in them, I can¡¯t be certain. Your kobolds were quite fierce, but there are so many monsters in your dungeon now that I haven¡¯t seen.¡±


    ¡°If you want to go with kobolds, goblins, or something of that nature I will ask that the troops leave the equipment the monsters drop when they die behind, because that would be where it gets quite costly. I could summon in a few sample monsters and we could go from there if you like.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Would it be safe?¡±


    ¡°As long as I am here there will be no problems, but again we would have to leave the room¡­ You know, if we are going to do this, it would be far easier if you were considered an ally of the dungeon. I could no longer acquire xp from you, but I think it would be more beneficial that way.¡±


    Logan: ¡°What do you mean, I thought we were allies?¡±


    ¡°The magic that I use in the dungeon still considers you an invader, but if I set you as an ally, I could add walls, doors, and monsters to the room with you in it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°What would I need to do?¡±


    ¡°There should be a way to do it manually, but my dungeon is a little different, so I am not certain how to. I do know that if I take you to the room Lilah and the others work from it will automatically set you as an ally.¡±


    After getting Logan to agree I transfer us to the dungeon core room.


    Lilah: ¡°Master brought Lilah a prince into her bedroom!¡±


    ¡°Logan is unsure of this as it is right now, so please take it easy on him.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes Master.¡±


    Logan: ¡°It¡¯s awfully dark in here¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea I guess it would be to you. The screens that appear when you use the adventurer¡¯s guild magic, for us this room is completely packed with them, so to us it is quite bright. Now that should be enough to have made you an ally of the dungeon, so I will take us back for now.¡±


    I then tell the bunnies I will be using the xp we set aside for the training of the troops, and then Logan and I return to the first room of the training section of the dungeon.


    ¡°Alright, are you ready to get started?¡±

 Logan, Dungeon Core for a Day

    I stand with Logan in the dungeon. We are in the first room of what will soon be the training area for soldiers of the Gowen military. Taking Logan to the dungeon core room made him an ally, so I can now alter the room or add monsters in his presence. If anything is going to convince him we are trying to help it is going to be this.


    ¡°Alright, if we have to change things over and over it will get quite costly, and we won¡¯t be able to make as many rooms, so you are sure you want to separate this room into 4 equal sizes? For the magic of the dungeon it will still count as one room, so if there are any troops in any of the rooms it means the monsters won¡¯t be able to spawn in the others.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yes, I think that will be alright.¡±


    I then open [Menu] and divide the room in four with walls. The walls just appear causing the area we are standing in to shrink considerably causing Logan to jump and begin to get nervous.


    ¡°Alright, right behind us is where the door will be to go back into the dungeon, so how would you like to connect the other rooms? One door a piece or a door that connects them to each adjacent room?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t think it would matter, guess what ever is easier.¡±


    I then put in four doors, so the soldiers could go either direction.


    ¡°Alright then, now we got four smaller rooms, you want to leave them empty, or do you want any kind of d¨¦cor, or such? We can put in some crates for the monsters and soldiers to hide behind for cover, or anything like that.¡±


    Logan: ¡°For now leaving these empty should be alright.¡±


    ¡°Ok, now for monsters. I am sure for starting out you will want something relatively weak to start the troops off, but just to make it to this room they have to go through the crimson kobold, so I think we should start at that strength.¡±


    For now I summon in a hefty wolf, crimson kobold, a hobgoblin brute, a red slime, a tiny flame elemental, ill lizardman, tiny earth golem, weak fairy, and an old skeleton lining them all up for Logan to look over.


    ¡°Alright, what do you think?¡±


    Logan looks quite nervous as he looks at the monsters as they just stand there. ¡°This is as disturbing as that first time we entered your dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Yea I heard about that. I am told Lilah knew she couldn¡¯t hurt you, so she did that in a bit of fun.¡±


    Logan: ¡°These ones aren¡¯t suddenly going to attack are they?¡±


    ¡°No, with you being a dungeon ally the monsters won¡¯t attack you unless directed.¡±


    Logan: ¡°So we can put any of these monsters in the rooms?¡±


    ¡°I have weaker, and stronger monsters, but all of these are about the same strength. We could even use a combination of any of them if you like.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well the wolves might be alright, because that may be something a soldier will encounter, but the things like the slime, elemental, fairy, or golem would be pretty pointless. The skeleton, lizardman, kobold, and goblins are all humanoid so it should be the closest thing to what they will actually experience in the field.¡±


    ¡°How large of a group do you want them to encounter?¡±


    Logan: ¡°It will only make since to set up some kind of garrison here in Tobes once we get set up, but even to separate them into smaller groups we would have at least 10 people per group.¡±


    ¡°That would fill these rooms quite a bit. Summoning more monsters of any particular line allows me to summon stronger ones of the same type. Now Kobolds I have quite a lot of, and the elemental creatures I have in the elemental wings, so what do you say we start out with 2 wolves to keep it interesting and 8 hobgoblins per room?¡±


    Logan: ¡°That should work at least for the start.¡±


    ¡°Now each group will have to clear all four rooms and move on before more monsters will be able to fill these rooms, so more soldiers can come in, I don¡¯t know how many of the large rooms we will be able to fill. It all depends on how many separate groups you plan to send in per day.¡±


    Logan: ¡°To start out even a single unit would be 40 soldiers, if we split them up in groups of 10 we would have to have at least 4 sets.¡±


    ¡°Alright, for now let¡¯s return to the room with the bunnies, as I can set up the monsters cheaper from there.¡±


    I then transfer us to the dungeon core room, and [Advanced Menu] is really helpful, instead of multiple rifts I can set up a single one for the wolves, hobgoblins, and even set different gear sets to each hobgoblin. We have a ton of low level gear now stored away in the dungeon¡¯s inventory, so I the hobgoblins with several different types of gear and finalize the first rift.


    Without using [Advanced Menu] like I did, I would have made a rift for each hobgoblin and then one for the two wolves, so this one large rift is almost 1/10<sup>th</sup> of the price it would have been before the making the advanced dungeon core room. Maybe it will be far more worth it in the end then we thought.


    It still totals 138,000xp to fill each of the four small rooms in the first training room, but we still have quite a bit of xp remaining set aside. Before I close [Menu] I store the group I manually summoned into my crystal.


    ¡°Alright, I will take you back and we will do the final walkthrough of the first area.¡±


    When Logan and I return to the first room he looks even more nervous than before with the two wolves snarling and the 8 armed goblins. I show him all four set up the same, and then add a door between this room and the next.


    Logan: ¡°Another huge room.¡±


    ¡°We have this room and one more on this floor, but if you want another room just like the last, that is all I will be able to do for now. That will leave enough monsters for your 4 groups to make 2 passes on each of the 8 rooms though.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That is a start. I think we will do another one just like the last, and when you can make the third room the same. You said there are more floors right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, limited space makes that a single smaller room, but the floor after that goes back to a single larger room, and the floor after that has 2 more large rooms. There are some more after that but that is going to take a while before we get that far.¡±


    Logan: ¡°This was actually quite fun setting this up with you.¡± ¨CHe says with a smile that is almost back to his old self.-


    ¡°Well if you hurry up and marry Queen maybe she will let you help her work on her dungeon as well.¡±


    Logan drops his smile, but the comment doesn¡¯t seem to upset him. He just seems to be thinking awfully hard. He then changes the subject. ¡°So when can I start sending troops?¡±


    ¡°Well adventurers have been pushing the main branch of the dungeon quite a lot lately, so unless any stay overnight in an area deeper then we currently are. Then I can set the door between these rooms and the dungeon itself tonight. After that we just have to wait for it to be discovered, which shouldn¡¯t take a day or two with the adventurers we have been having in here lately. After that Belinda will start the process at the adventurer¡¯s guild of setting that section aside for the use of the Gowen military.¡±


    Logan: ¡°So three or four days, then at least a week for the soldiers to travel to Tobes.¡±


    ¡°Once Belinda starts setting it up we will have all the adventurers migrate to Denova¡¯s inn, and reserve Belinda¡¯s until other accommodations for the troops can be established.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That isn¡¯t going to put Belinda in a bind is it?¡±


    ¡°No, the inn that Denova built is much larger and nicer than the one Belinda had constructed by new adventurers, but the rooms are cheaper than Denova¡¯s inn so that is the only reason it has managed to keep people in them.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well it looks like we have a plan at least.¡±


    Logan and I then return to the dungeon core room, and I set up the second room exactly like the first. I then tell the bunnies to add a door connecting them to the dungeon when they are able to. I then transfer Logan and myself down to the house.


    ¡°Alright, I guess all that is left is summoning you a few extra soldiers, that is if you want them to join up that is.¡±


    Logan: ¡°These will be like real people right?¡±


    ¡°As real as you or me.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Does it work just like when you summoned the monsters.¡±


    ¡°Well sort of¡­¡± ¨CI say while I summon a few robes setting them down.- ¡°Any preferences on their appearance, race, or temperament? I may not be as good as the bunnies are, but I will try.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t know. It may be mean to say, but it seems more believable to be able to summon a beastkin then humans, so let¡¯s start with a human.¡±


    We have quite a few human classes available now, but Logan didn¡¯t have a preference so to try to possibly unlock more I set everything to random. That makes it easier so I can focus just on a personality that wishes to serve in the Gowen military.


    ¡°Alright, take this.¡± ¨CI say while handing Logan one of the robes.-


    Logan: ¡°You mean they will be naked?¡±


    ¡°Were you born in clothes?¡±


    Logan: ¡°But the monsters¡­¡±


    ¡°That is a little different. This will be a sentient person.¡±


    Logan takes the robe and then nods his head with a serious expression. ¡°I think I am ready.¡±


    I then hit finalize on the screen while focusing on making a loyal soldier.


    When the light fades there stands a young woman in her early 20s by appearance, she has short charcoal colored hair, brown eyes, and a quite feminine but muscular body, with tanned skin. She quickly looks around then stands up straight, salutes, and says ¡°Your orders Master?¡±


    Logan is staring at her quite hard, is face is quite serious. He then seems to snap out of it shaking his head and holding the robe out.


    Woman: ¡°Thank you Prince Logan Sir!¡± ¨CShe says taking the robe, putting it on. She doesn¡¯t salute again, but she does go back to standing straight.-


    Logan: ¡°Wait, how does she know who I am?¡±


    Woman: ¡°Master summoned me to serve as a soldier in the Gowen military. As such I was born with the knowledge relevant to that pursuit, although Master¡¯s knowledge seems rather lacking in Gowen military procedure. I do have confidence however that with the general military knowledge I possess I will make a fine recruit and will learn quickly!¡±


    Logan: ¡°Just by wanting you to join the Gowen military you have information about it?¡±


    Woman: ¡°There is very limited information available to dungeons about the Gowen military, but the information known to them I was indeed born with, and since the information was rather limited there is still a vast amount that is known about other generalized military information, so I also possess that knowledge.¡±


    ¡°So what do you think?¡±


    Logan: ¡°She definitely has the soldier part down, but what about just the normal human part?¡±


    ¡°Well I may have been focusing too hard on the soldier part, what would you tell a soldier at a time like this?¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Logan: ¡°At ease soldier.¡±


    The woman looks to me for permission and after I nod she finally relaxes.


    Logan: ¡°That is much better. This is all new to me, but what can you tell me about yourself?¡±


    Woman: ¡°There isn¡¯t much to tell sir. I was just born after all.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well then let¡¯s start with the general recruitment for a soldier. Why is it you wish to be a soldier of the Gowen Military?¡±


    Woman: ¡°That was the purpose in which I was summoned for!¡± ¨CShe says while straightening back up.-


    Logan: ¡°Just relax, I don¡¯t mean the reason you were summoned is becoming a soldier what you want to do?¡±


    The woman relaxes again and says. ¡°The answer is the same. The purpose in which I was summoned was to become a soldier of the Gowen Military, so of course that is what I wish to do.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well maybe we can come back to that one then. The next question is, what you could offer the Gowen military, but if you are indeed born with a lot of military knowledge that is far more than most of the new recruits. The next question would be where do you see yourself in 10 years?¡±


    Woman: ¡°Serving the Gowen Kingdom in the Gowen Military Sir!¡±


    Logan sighs. ¡°What about other than the military?  If you are a soldier all the time, you will quickly burn yourself out.¡±


    Woman: ¡°You wish to know what I would do with my free time?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±


    Woman: ¡°I would say I would return to serve my Master, but I understand that in his wish for me to join the Gowen Military will mean unbinding me from his dungeon. I know not what a soldier usually does in their down time.¡±


    Logan: ¡°What do you mean unbind you from his dungeon?¡±


    The woman looks to me again and I nod.


    Woman: ¡°Master wishes me to train with the other soldiers here in his dungeon, and to do so I will be required to no longer be one of his monsters.¡±


    Logan: ¡°So you would no longer have to follow his orders?¡±


    Woman: ¡°That is correct. I will be free to act only on my own will.¡±


    Logan: ¡°And in the free will, what is it you would like to do.¡±


    Woman: ¡°To serve in the Gowen Military of course!¡±


    Logan sighs. ¡°I would hate to turn down a promising recruit like this, but she seems almost too eager to be a soldier.¡±


    ¡°I assure you she has a will of her own. It just may take time for her personality to become clear. For the next one I won¡¯t focus so hard on making them want to be a soldier.¡±


    Logan: ¡°How many do you plan on summoning?¡±


    ¡°Well as you heard I will have to unbind them, but just having one in each of the groups that has the knowledge of the dungeon then maybe they can keep them out of trouble.¡±


    Logan: ¡°How do you know they won¡¯t talk about the dungeon then?¡±


    ¡°Before I unbind a monster from my dungeon I issue an order that keeps them from telling the secrets of my dungeon, and it stays in effect even after I unbind them. Other than that they are free to make their own choices.¡±


    Logan: ¡°If they can act on their own, then how do you know they will even help you after they are unbound?¡±


    ¡°I could order them to as part of that final order, but I won¡¯t do that to them. In truth I don¡¯t know if they will help afterwards, but we can see everything that goes on in the dungeon. Having one of our own in each of the groups will allow us to tell them if we see something out of place, and they can report it to their commander. So far all of the monsters I have summoned would do at least that much for us, even after they have been unbound.¡±


    Logan: ¡°If you are going to summon three more what are you going to summon next?¡±


    ¡°Well I want to make sure you are willing to take them as soldiers first.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well I am still a bit unsure, but I think we will take it one at a time.¡±


    ¡°Well I can summon lots of different kinds of beastkin feral and normal, human, dwarves, and elves. ¡°


    Logan: ¡°Even dwarves and elves? I am sure the old man would like to see another elf join the Gowen Military, maybe we should make one of them an elf.¡±


    ¡°Elves are pretty rare in these parts though right? If we do summon an elf I think we should stick to humans or beastkin for the other two to be safe.¡±


    Logan: ¡°But if we could get a dwarf that could work on the soldier¡¯s armor in their down time that would be really helpful as well.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t any less rare.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I know, it is quite the hard decision.¡±


    ¡°Well I will summon one more human and a beastkin while you make up your mind on the final one.¡± ¨CI then summon a pair of clothes handing them to the woman.- ¡°Here, if you go up the stairs there should be a door to your left, you can change in to these there.¡±


    After the woman leaves I begin to summon the second human. This time the result is a male, with light blond hair, green eyes. I hand him one of the robes and he quickly puts it on.


    Man: ¡°I understand your wish for me Master, and I am fine with becoming a soldier for the Gowen Military, but is it really necessary to unbind me from the dungeon? I would very much rather stay bound.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I was expecting a reaction like that.¡±


    Man: ¡°My existence as a human is quite fragile, at least being bound to the dungeon it at least makes it bearable.¡±


    ¡°Well I won¡¯t force anything on the sentient monsters of my dungeon, so if you really feel that you do not wish to be unbound I won¡¯t force it on you, but I don¡¯t see how you will be able to join the Gowen military that way.¡±


    Man: ¡°I may not be able to serve the way you intended me to, but there are plenty of other uses I could have to the Gowen military. If that doesn¡¯t work I could always join the local guard. They aren¡¯t the military, but they serve some of the same needs.¡±


    I summon the man some clothes. ¡°Take these and get dressed, I will speak to Logan further about it.¡±


    After telling the man where he could go to change I let out a sigh.


    Logan: ¡°I know being bound to a dungeon is different than a royal attendant, but he reminds me a lot of Kline.¡±


    ¡°I took it into consideration that I would not be successful in summoning all four to serve the task we wanted, but I can say this was still a surprise. A few of the girls wished to remain bound for different reasons, but I don¡¯t think I have heard of a monster wishing to stay bound for reasons like that though.¡±


    Logan: ¡°If you can handle the fact of becoming a slave to the dungeon, I don¡¯t find it a stretch at all.  Especially from what you and Queen told me about the perks of it, and with you not forcing anyone to do anything.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess we can deal with him afterwards, I will try a beastkin now, any preferences for it?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I am assuming all of these people that are rumored to be escaped slaves that you have helped are in fact all ones you have summoned, so I am interested in one of those bird like people, like the one that works at the brothel here in town, or the two that attended your wedding, but I guess that isn¡¯t any better than the dwarf or the elf.¡±


    ¡°Along with the third tier bird beastkin, I also have a third tier cat beastkin, but from my understanding they have at least been heard of before, but they are exclusive to the Dalian military as slaves.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t know what a second tier beastkin is, but if those birds were a third tier bird beastkin now I want to see what the cat one looks like.¡±


    ¡°The one I have is currently training and gathering xp for the dungeon in Shima, but I will introduce you some time.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You have monsters as far as Shima?¡±


    ¡°Well Shima is kind of a new thing, but with my [Gate] spell I have access to almost anywhere. I currently have three groups in Shima because it is very beneficial, but I also have a group in Longolia checking out that dungeon they are so proud of, one in Calhoun, Dalian, Merretta, and one in Adra.¡±


    ¡°You are able to keep track of all of them?¡±


    ¡°Well in truth I don¡¯t even know most of their names, but Lila, that is the second to youngest rabbit beastkin up in the dungeon, she has a good handle on it all.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Sounds like you are starting your own adventurer¡¯s guild.¡±


    ¡°Well groups out gathering xp like that are what make us able to do things like making these training rooms for the Gowen soldiers, and speaking of soldiers, so you want me to just keep it random then?¡±


    Logan: ¡°That would probably be for the best.¡±


    When I summon the beastkin, maybe it was the talks about the avians or just luck, but even after summoning all those beastkin for Tom this is still my first bird beastkin. Of course as a normal beastkin she actually just looks like a normal human with wings. She has long blond hair, light colored skin, and blue eyes.


    When you pair that up with the white feathered wings she could almost pass as an angel rather than a beastkin. The robe would be quite difficult for her to put on due to the wings so I use [Menu] to equip it on her.


    Beastkin: ¡°Thank you Master. I am sorry I am not quite what you expected, but I promise I can still live up to your expectations as a soldier of the Gowen military.¡±


    ¡°Well I think the only problem is, that Logan was wishing for a dwarf or an elf, but with you I think the fourth we summon should be either another beastkin or human.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°I am sorry Prince Logan.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Don¡¯t be, it¡¯s not your fault. Besides I wanted to see something special and unique and I believe I just have.¡±


    The beastkin girl blushes and says. ¡°You honor me Prince Logan.¡±


    Logan: ¡°No offense, but is she really a beastkin?¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Yes sir, my subspecies is swan, if Master summoned me as a feral beastkin I might look more the part, but as a normal beastkin I just have the wings.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Then the avian beastkin I met must have been feral beastkin¡­ You really look like an angel.¡±


    The beastkin blushes. ¡°I promise Prince Logan there isn¡¯t anything angelic about me¡­¡± After realizing what she said she blushes even more.


    I clear my throat and say. ¡°In any case. I think it would be a good idea for you to put some clothes on now.¡± I then summon a pair of clothes. I thought it might be hard for her to put them on with her wings, but I guess since I summoned them with her in mind, they have the buttons in the back of the shirt leaving space for her wings.


    I hand her the clothes, and instruct her to go upstairs and change. ¡°Sorry about that, I guess we should stick to something normal for the last?¡±


    Logan: ¡°We could use more beastkin I guess, but maybe we should stick to something like a bear or ox,¡±


    ¡°By the sound of it you would like it to be male as well?¡±


    Logan: ¡°The two females you summoned seem like a sure thing, and the human guy we don¡¯t know about, so I think it would be best don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    I then select a bear beastkin setting the gender to male. With one final summoning the result is a stout young man with brown eyes, short brown hair, and stubby little ears and tail. I hand him the robe to put on.


    Bear: ¡°I understand what you wish for me, so if you don¡¯t mind I would prefer to call you Sir, rather than Master.¡±


    ¡°That is quite alright, I have actually never asked for anyone to call me master it just sort of happens I guess.¡±


    Bear: ¡°Prince Logan Sir, I formally wish to join the military forces of Gowen if you would have me.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That is the plan, but let¡¯s see how things go for now. Once you get dressed, we will then speak with all of you.¡±


    Bear: ¡°Yes Prince Logan Sir!¡±


    I then summon the bear some clothes so he can go get dressed. From all four of them the only ones that have granted me any new skills was the bird beastkin, but [Aerial Combat] skill won¡¯t benefit the rest of us very much.


    After everyone is dressed we have them return to the living room.


    ¡°Belinda is much better at this then I, but regardless if you join the Gowen military or not, you will all require names. Do any of you have any preferences for you own names?¡±


    Human woman: ¡°Sir! If it pleases Prince Logan, and Master I would like the name Tess.¡±


    Logan: ¡°How about Tessa, to gives it a bit more feminine charm?¡±


    Tessa: ¡°Yes Sir!¡±


    Bear beastkin: ¡°Sir I would like to be called Theodore.¡±


    Logan: ¡°A bear beastkin named Theodore¡­? You do know you realize you will forever be stuck with the nickname teddy bear right?¡±


    Teddy Bear: ¡°What woman doesn¡¯t like to snuggle up with a teddy bear? Sir!¡±


    Logan: ¡°I like him. Sounds good to me.¡±


    ¡°Either of you two have a preference?¡±


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°Nothing specific, but I would like Prince Logan to choose my name if that is alright with Master.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡± ¨CLogan seems to look her over thinking hard. It causes her to begin blushing again, but she stands up straight.- ¡°How about Sigrun?¡±


    Sigrun: ¡°I would be honored Prince Logan.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± ¨CI say to the male human.-


    Male Human: ¡°No preference Master.¡±


    Logan: ¡°How about Liam? You remind me of a friend of mine, and when he was born his parents debated between Liam and Kline, they went with the later.¡±


    Liam: ¡°That is fine with me, if it is alright with my Master.¡±


    I accept all the names in [Menu], that is all except one. It seems [Menu] even accepted Theodore¡¯s nickname as Teddy Bear more than the name he wanted, so I had to change it to Theodore.


    ¡°Alright the humans will already have their class chosen for them from the point they were summoned, but the beastkin we will have to select.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You get to choose their class? How does that work?¡±


    ¡°There is a list that is available to them and I select one. It usually adds to their strengths a bit more and gives them another skill. I will start with Theodore.¡±


    I explain it to Logan while looking up Theodore¡¯s available classes. Logan seems pretty confused, but I then take out the gem I made for the mage¡¯s guild and show it to him.


    Logan: ¡°This is amazing! We should market this like the communication parchment.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind you using it, but I think it gives a bit too much information for me to be comfortable with making more of them.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That is really a shame¡­¡±


    Theodore¡¯s available classes are all pretty basic, and after describing the bonuses and such with Theodore and Logan we all decide to give him the one class under the advanced category that was available to him, the Knight class.


    Sigrun proves to be far more difficult to choose from, she has several of the basic classes, but some I haven¡¯t seen before. We end up choosing the most fitting of the classes which gives her the Spear-Maiden class.


    I then open Liam and Tessa¡¯s status screens telling Logan what skills and abilities they have. After all that is figured out we decide to have a talk with Liam about joining the military while staying a dungeon monster, after a while it doesn¡¯t seem like we make any progress though.


    Liam: ¡°I am sorry Master, I just would really rather stay bound to the dungeon.¡±


    I let out a deep sigh.


    Tessa: ¡°Master may I make a suggestion?¡±


    ¡°By all means.¡±


    Tessa: ¡°It doesn¡¯t help with Liam¡¯s situation, but if you just wish to have eyes on the troops in the dungeon, of course having one of us on each team would be best, but what about Prince Doug?¡±


    Logan: ¡°What about Doug?¡±


    Tessa: ¡°He was trained in the basics of the military before going off to school, and he is in Tobes anyway. As a prince of Gowen you could put him in charge of the troops training in Tobes.¡±


    Logan: ¡°He has made no ambitions to serving the military though.¡±


    Tessa: ¡°He knows of the dungeon though, and even if you put a military commander in charge, he could act as the dungeon expert, and still use his pull as the prince to help.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That seems like a big step for Doug.¡±


    ¡°He has made a lot of progress in the dungeon, his level is quite high. It might not be a bad idea.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t disagree¡­ I guess all we can do is ask him.¡±


    When Doug and Aria are not making trips to the dungeon they tend to hang around Sofia¡¯s adventurers training building, so I message her to see if she has seen them.  After Sofia tells me they are there I ask her to send them our way.


    Doug: ¡°Logan, what are you doing here? And what is with all these people? Is that an angel¡­?¡±


    We explain the situation to Doug and he gets rather excited.


    Doug: ¡°You would let me do that? I mean Aria and I have been helping train the new adventurers with Sofia, but to work with training the Gowen Soldiers?!¡±


    ¡°The soldiers would probably listen to you far better than the adventurers, so it would probably be easier.¡±


    Doug: ¡°And you are really going to trust me with this Logan¡­?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Two-Twelve tells me you are up to it, so I am willing to give it a shot.¡±


    Doug: ¡°This is great.¡± ¨CHe quickly grabs Aria up twirling her around.-


    Logan: ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited, for now it will be only one company of troops, but if you do good, and this works out, you may be able to earn some major points with father, you only have a year to go after all.¡±


    Doug sets down Aria and then holds a serious face. He then salutes Logan which causes Tessa to quickly salute as well. ¡°I promise I will do my best brother!¡±


    Logan: ¡°I guess that is all settled we can now all go have a drink to celebrate!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you are fine celebrating with all of these monsters.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t see any monsters here, just family!¡±


    And just like that we are all dragged out of the house towards the tavern, Sigrun gets several odd glances but between Doug, Logan, and myself with her nobody says anything. We celebrate long into the night, and unfortunately now that Logan is a dungeon ally we don¡¯t gain any xp from him at midnight, as he crashes there at the house that night.

 The Warning

    After celebrating with Logan, the next morning I unbound Tessa, Theodore, and Sigrun from my dungeon and they, along with Liam, returned to the capital with Logan. Over the course of the next few days things in the dungeon went just about how we predicted.


    After the bunnies put the door adding the two new rooms to the dungeon, it was discovered, and after a special dungeon commission it was explored the next day. Belinda then sent the official notice about the area being reserved for Gowen military use, but continued to allow the adventurer¡¯s enter the area until the troops arrival.


    All four of the monsters I summoned managed to join the Gowen military just fine, and all but Liam are on their way back with the rest of the troops. Liam was able to get posted in New Leona, so to be on the safe side I told Queen about him as not to cause trouble.


    Doug was beside himself with excitement up till the point the troops set out from the capital heading for Tobes, and since then he has been a nervous wreck wondering if he is going to be able to handle the troops.


    I have been so busy trying to make sure everything is prepared for their arrival I haven¡¯t had a chance to worry about the fact that [Menu] hasn¡¯t informed me about any of the divine type monsters meeting their requirements for summoning. The bunnies said some monsters even require a certain season, so it could take up to a year, unless the requirements are something else entirely.


    Lilah griped at me a bit, but I dipped into some of the xp for the main section of the dungeon to be able to finish the third room on the troops training area on the day they are set to arrive, now that will be twelve small rooms that the four groups can train on.


    I had to do the last room a bit different, because of the way the stairs are set up. Instead of running the walls though the center of the room they are running from corner to corner. There are still four equally sized rooms but they are triangle shaped instead of square.


    When the troops finally did arrive they appeared to be far greener then I thought they would be, and it took quite a bit of effort to even get them to the training area for the first few days. Their commanding officer seems to know Doug, so things have gone pretty smoothly on that end. Although after a week they still haven¡¯t cleared the rooms even once.


    Maric finally messaged me to let me know his plan succeeded, although it may be years before I see any results because apparently the dragonkin he received are a young couple and it takes a long time for dragonkin to reproduce.


    Maric also said due to the skill I granted him he was able to obtain the dragonkin with only the death of a single dragonkin. From his telling of the events it was a romantic story about two lovers separated by a clan rule that states the strongest male can pick its own mate.


    Maric said he filled in for the weaker male in a battle to the death with the stronger male and in winning the fight he got to choose the fate of the female, taking both the smaller male and the female as monsters to his dungeon. I don¡¯t know if that is really how it happened, but Maric can definitely tell a grand tale.


    Things seem to be going quite well, until I receive a strange visitor at the house. Vetala was the one to answer the door, but she quickly called for me when the visitor asked to speak with Dungeon Core #212. I quickly look in [Menu] to see if it is another dungeon core, but instead the woman doesn¡¯t even seem to appear at all.


    She is completely covered in a cloak from head to toe, and with the current sunny day that is suspect enough. In fact the only reason we know that it is a she, is because Vetala said her voice was soft and feminine.


    I can clearly see here standing in the entranceway waiting for me through the screens, but on the screen that displays a map showing the intruders in the dungeon as little red dots she isn¡¯t there. She doesn¡¯t appear as an ally either, and it is just blank where she stands. I quickly call the others back to the house and after equipping our gear I have them wait in the living room while I step into the entryway.


    Woman: ¡°I don¡¯t mind the extra precautions due to the circumstances, but I must say my time is quite precious, so I ask that you do not waste it, Archjusticar of the Elders.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, am I supposed to know who you are?¡±


    Woman: ¡°Who I am, isn¡¯t important, but you did something you really shouldn¡¯t have, and in doing so put your children at risk.¡±


    ¡°If you know who I am, then you know that I don¡¯t have children.¡±


    The woman then lowers her cloak revealing quite the beautiful face, with long flowing pink colored hair, and eyes that shine golden. She has quaint little smile on her face as she says. ¡°Ok, as you say. Regardless you should not have assisted in the Dungeon Core Maric¡¯s acquisition of the dragonkin. Their race¡¯s extinction would have only been temporary, but now he is one step closer to his goal.¡±


    ¡°He who, are you talking about Maric¡¯s goal?¡±


    Woman: ¡°No, Maric would have received his prize with or without your help. I speak about the one that says he speaks for many, but is only furthering his own objective. He wanted the dragonkin race to survive outside of the control of the dungeons.¡±


    ¡°You are talking about the beastkin that say the serve the old gods? You are saying they don¡¯t serve the old gods but just a single one?¡±


    Woman: ¡°Well it depends on your definition of serving him, but yes that is of who I speak.¡±


    ¡°Then do you serve one of the other old gods? You aren¡¯t going to burst into flames when we are done talking are you?¡±


    Woman: ¡°And ruin this beautiful hair? I would think not, but yes I guess you can say I serve in the interests of another of the gods, but old is such an ugly word when speaking about a lady.¡±


    ¡°If you serve only one of the gods as well, then how am I to know your god is any better? You spoke of wiping out the entire dragonkin race like it is nothing, so how is that different.¡±


    Woman: ¡°For one, I was truthful about only serving the interests of only one of the gods. I do believe there are others that would agree however. Including the one in which that dungeon core you trained has been serving.¡±


    ¡°I am not saying I believe any of this, but what is it you want from me?¡±


    Woman: ¡°The time in which to fix your mistake has passed, and the future is unclear, but I believe in at least warning you of the incoming danger it might be just enough. I will say the other one will surely try to use you again, I suggest in taking great precaution when dealing with him.¡±


    ¡°So you are telling me to just deal with it on my own.¡±


    Woman: ¡°You allow the ones you create to make their own choices, isn¡¯t only fair the gods to do the same?¡±


    ¡°I at least offer them the tools to help them succeed.¡±


    Woman: ¡°One does not use lamp oil to put out a flame.¡±


    ¡°Then you could at least give me some water.¡±


    Woman: ¡°But you are the water, or at least a way to produce it, we hope. I can¡¯t be certain how long it will take, but when you wake up one morning maybe the answer will just come to you.


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    Woman: ¡°Well now if you will excuse me, I must be getting on my way now. As I said I am quite busy.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    But it is already too late the woman just disappears from right in front of me. I let out a deep sigh and then return to the others in the living room.


    ¡°I am sure you were all listening in right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°So, what are your thoughts?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She seemed to be more up front then when we spoke with the beastkin.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She also didn¡¯t say not to have any more dealings with the other god or gods, just to take precautions.¡±


    ¡°It seemed to just be a warning.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She said the girls are in danger, so maybe we should let them all know to be careful as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes we should at least send messages to them to tell them to be careful. She did say it would take a while, so I guess other than warning the girls that is all we can do.¡±


    Belinda [Gate]s to Shima to tell Inari about our visitor while I send a message to Maeve.


    Maeve: (Is papa worried about his little girl again?)


    (I am serious Maeve, we don¡¯t have any idea what to expect from this group or these groups.)


    Maeve: (With helping Madam Erin to get you and mom to Shima, it put me in a pretty good spot. I think Dalian spotted me, and know I am up here, so I have been steering clear of them. Other than that it has been quiet.)


    (I have heard talk in the adventurer¡¯s guild about a floating island as well, so just be careful please.)


    Maeve: (Yes papa¡­)


    It has been a while since our visitor left, and Azami looks rather anxious sitting around the house, so I let the others return to their homes as well before messaging Dawn and Twilight.


    Twilight: (It is actually good to hear from you. Maybe you can talk some sense into her.)


    (What do you mean?)


    Twilight: (Dawn! We have been making regular visits to the nearby village now that we have those rings you gave us, but Dawn has become infatuated with a beastkin.)


    (Well it¡¯s good for her to make some friends.)


    Twilight: (But she has been neglecting her dungeon to spend time with him, and what is going to happen when he finds out about her? She has already begun to talk about telling him the truth! I don¡¯t want to see anything happen to her, but more importantly she is putting me at risk as well.)


    (I think that is why Madam Erin said a dungeon like yours would be so dangerous. I will talk to her though.)


    I then switch over to messaging Dawn.


    (Dawn, what is going on between you and your sister?)


    Dawn: (No fair! I told her it was between us. Twilight shouldn¡¯t have told you!)


    (I messaged her about an unrelated matter, but she said she was concerned.)


    Dawn: (I am fine Papa! I met a boy, but I am done with my training so I can make my own decisions.)


    (You are right, I am glad for you.)


    Dawn: (Really¡­?)


    (I am, and it¡¯s good to see my daughters happy, but when you choose to put your dungeon alongside Twilight¡¯s you made matters like this important to both of you. You can make the decision to risk yourself, but it isn¡¯t fair to make that decision for Twilight as well, and that is what you are doing.)If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Dawn: (But she just doesn¡¯t like him! He is a good guy and I don¡¯t want to keep lying to him.)


    (If he is as good as a guy as you say he will understand there are some things you just can¡¯t tell him right now.)


    Dawn: (But what if Twilight never lets me tell him?)


    (Madam Erin was married to a human, from my understanding for years, and yet when he found out all of it was gone in an instant, and that was even with the fact she wasn¡¯t altering her appearance. I am not saying the man you are talking to is the same way, I am just saying there is some basis for Twilight¡¯s concern.)


    Dawn: (It worked for you and Mama though!)


    (All I am saying is, be careful. I got a warning today that there might be those out to hurt you and your sisters, so right now isn¡¯t the time to be at odds with Twilight.)


    Dawn: (Really? What is going on?)


    (It seems the old gods, or at least people that claim to serve them are at odds with one another, and when I helped one out it made others mad.)


    Dawn: (You¡¯re going to be ok aren¡¯t you Papa¡­?)


    (Well the warning was that my children were in danger. Of course you girls are the closest thing I have to children, so I am more worried about you all, and you might want to think of that young man of yours as well. Not only does not knowing about the dungeons protect you, it also protects him.)


    Dawn: (Fine papa, I won¡¯t tell Gregory anything for now, but I am not going to wait forever! Before he gets old I will make him one of my boss monsters!)


    (Well you and your sister be safe, and if anything strange happens let us know.)


    Dawn: (Yes Papa¡­)


    I then message Twilight back about Dawn saying she will give it more thought and tell her the same thing about letting us know if anything happens.


    That took a bit longer than I thought, but Belinda still hasn¡¯t returned from Inari¡¯s so I decide to check on the bunnies, and to see how the soldiers are doing in the dungeon.


    Leila: ¡°Big sister Lilah is leaving the soldiers all to me! They have finally made it to the third room, but only to the first of the four smaller rooms inside of it.¡±


    ¡°Well they are getting further and further each day, we need to start thinking of what to do with the empty rooms beyond the first floor pretty quick.¡±


    Leila: ¡°With 10 people per group their leveling up has been really slow, they haven¡¯t been providing much in the way of xp themselves, but we are still getting all the xp from the mages, normal adventurers, and the villagers.¡±


    ¡°Well in every room we are using only rift monsters, so the longer they spend time here the more it will help, eventually they will move on to deeper floors and by then maybe some newer troops will be taking care of these floors. Hopefully by then we start turning a nice profit off of them, but even if we don¡¯t these soldiers may one day be the thing that stands between us and someone wanting to take us out.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Is Master going to put one of his own monsters in every group?¡±


    ¡°Well Doug is doing quite well, and I think as long as we have some in the strongest groups we should be alright. Although I am up for helping Logan out again with just providing more monsters to add to the military if we start gathering xp off of these guys.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°If we do that, we should do like Dalian does, and have entire units of the military consist of dungeon monsters still bound to the dungeon, so they can bring the xp back after training or battle.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how Logan would feel about that, but maybe someday.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°What about just sending out more groups of monsters? We pulled two groups to go to Shima, they are making far more there then they were on the mainland, but I still think we could have a lot more out there.¡±


    ¡°Most of the Shima groups xp is going back into them for bettering their gear, but I think once we do that, we should use the xp they are bringing in to summon another group, we could potentially send out a new group each month that way. We have been lucky so far not to lose any members of these groups, but the danger is there, so we need to hold xp back for that as well.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If Master keeps dividing up the xp brought to the dungeon, then nothing will get done.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­ Xp from the dungeon we will quarter it, one quarter of it for the main wing of the dungeon, one for the elemental wings, one for the troop training, and one for backup and everything else. Xp from the traveling groups will be split into quarters as well, one for the dungeon, one for bettering the groups gear and their rewards, one for new groups, and one for emergencies. You think that will work?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah gets it, but she still thinks Master is spreading the xp to thin.¡±


    ¡°It may be small now, but I think one we start getting more troops in the dungeon, and more groups in the field it will really start picking up.¡±


    I sit with the bunnies for a few hours discussing future plans for the dungeon while watching not only the soldiers, but the mages and adventurers as they run through the different rooms of the dungeon.  The gem for the mage¡¯s guild, was a bust, but while I watch the dungeon with the bunnies I try working with my rune spells again.


    I manage to mimic some low level spells, but the mp cost of [Runic Activation] is far higher than the spells I am able to mimic, although given some time maybe I can start putting this to use. Maybe I can ask Madam Erin to teach me how to make portals.


    The cheap gems I summoned to practice with now all are capable of using entry level spells as long as you use [Runic Activation] spell, to test out how long they will last I set a few of the gems that shine with the [Light] spell on the desk, and ask the bunnies to let me know when the light fades.


    When Belinda returns home from Inari¡¯s dungeon it is already starting to get pretty late, so we then head to bed.


    Within a few days we haven¡¯t exactly forgotten about our strange visitor, but things have started to return to normal around the house. I also unsurprisingly have not woken up with any revelations on ways to keep the old gods off our backs.


    I was surprised to find out the gems with the [Light] spell activated through runes on them are still shining brightly, I don¡¯t know if they will eventually go off on their own or not, but there duration has already far exceeded what the [Runic Activation] spell¡¯s mp cost was.


    I work on refining them a bit more, but even though with [Runic Reading] and [Runic Writing] I can mimic the rune on the status gem that act as the [Runic Activation] spell, I still can¡¯t seem to get the new gems to work in the same fashion.


    I can only make new gems that mimic entry level spells, so maybe not only the spells, but some kind of skill is required as well.


    Vetala has been taking our place during the meetings at the mage¡¯s guild, and after the first one she started to be able to handle it on her own. They don¡¯t really ask much of her, but have asked her to relay some information a time or two.


    This morning however there is a knock on the door from Kleed. After Vetala told us of his arrival I check to see what he wants.


    ¡°Is there some sort of problem?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Problem? No nothing like that Vetala has been very helpful, there is a meeting today however that we would like for you and the princess to attend in person if at all possible.¡±


    ¡°It is awfully short notice.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°The meeting should be of little surprise, we have one, twice a week, this one however covers a topic in which we would like to have the local representatives take on.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises, but I will speak with my wife, and we shall see.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°I appreciate it.¡± ¨CHe then bows to me and takes his leave.-


    ¡°Well, should we go?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Did you have anything else planned for today?¡±


    ¡°Well not particularly, but I didn¡¯t want them to think they could call us to a meeting whenever they wanted, I still don¡¯t like having to go to these things at all.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You have been working on those runes the last few days, and maybe they could help you through the part you are stuck at.¡±


    ¡°Well they think I made that other gem from scratch, so if I suddenly start asking how to do things that the other gem already could do, wouldn¡¯t that be bad?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess you are right. I kind of like the little [Light] gems though, if you can get them working we could use them instead of lamps and candles.¡±


    ¡°I guess I need to take a look at more things made with runes and see if I can figure it out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Now you are changing the subject, so you don¡¯t have to go to the meeting aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It depends, is it working?¡±


    Belinda gives me a quick kiss and wraps her arms in mine. ¡°We still have a few hours until the meeting, how about we spend the time together in town until then.¡±


    We then spend the morning wondering though Tobes. We really don¡¯t just take time to relax like this enough. Even though we don¡¯t buy anything it¡¯s fun to just get out and wander around for a while. It is enough that I completely forget about the meeting at the Mage¡¯s guild until Belinda says its time.


    We have been leaving the meetings up to Vetala, and the mages have been pretty busy without end in the dungeon, so when we arrive and see most of the Mage¡¯s guild members there it is a bit of a shock. We make our way to the Mage¡¯s guild elders to find out what is going on.


    Kleed: ¡°Good you two made it, and the other two?¡±


    ¡°You just said us, so I haven¡¯t talked to them today.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°I stopped by to tell them about the meeting as well, I thought with how close you are you might of all came together, but it makes no difference. Maybe they will show up in a bit.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°How is that gem of yours coming along? Have you managed to work out the kinks in it?¡±


    ¡°No sadly, when I made it I just copied the one you let me borrow and changed it around a bit, but I really didn¡¯t understand what it was I was getting myself into. I told you I was just starting out, so I decided to start back at the beginning and learn the basics before tackling something like that again.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°That¡¯s a shame, but I am glad to see you not giving up on it. If you need any magic stones we have been getting a good supply from the dungeon. No use having the local representatives having to deal with minor commissions like that.¡±


    ¡°Magic stones?¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Of course, to channel the magic into to activate the runes. Are you saying you didn¡¯t use a magic stone in the gem you showed me? I wondered how you got a magic stone into a gem, but I thought maybe the gem itself was a magic stone.¡±


    ¡°No, of course¡­ I used that gem that was a magic stone because I thought it might help, but I didn¡¯t realize it was required. I guess I really do need to start back at the beginning.¡±


    It makes perfect sense now. [Runic Activation] acts as the means to channel magic into the gem, but even with the rune to act as [Runic Activation] it still needs something like a magic stone to act as a supply of magic.


    When I made the status gem I just added the enchantment to the gem, and that must have made the gem a magic stone, or at least made it act as one.


    Now maybe I can begin making progress on the gems I was working on. I don¡¯t know if I managed to hide my excitement from Zedross, but apparently I didn¡¯t manage to hide it from Belinda, because she squeezes my hand and smiles.


    Zedross: ¡°Well then it was a magnificent failure, because even if it didn¡¯t work as intended that gem you made was quite interesting.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I don¡¯t know if I will be able to fix that gem for a while, but at least maybe I can begin making progress again.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Well that is why we are here, to help.¡±


    We then see Roxy drag in Zoey who already seems rather bored as she yawns a great yawn. After making their way too us we visit for a few minutes until the meeting starts.


    Madeline: ¡°Thank you all for coming, the first matter we wish to discuss is the reason why we called everyone to attend today. As I am sure you have noticed there are quite a few soldiers around Tobes now that we have gotten off the ground.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, you misunderstand! My brother has been trying to talk me into allowing the troops to train inside of the dungeon for years. With the discovery of the new addition to the dungeon it finally provided a means for them to actually do it without harming the dungeon.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°It is quite alright princess. We understand the tensions that can be caused by our presence. As such if the soldiers wish to come take a look, our doors are always open to them.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°That also goes for all of the members of the mage¡¯s guild. Some of us might not originally be from Gowen, but they are allowing us to do our work here, so treat the soldiers with respect. If a problem does arise with the soldiers and the guild, bring it to our attention immediately, and we will address it swiftly in a manner that respects both parties.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°The next matter on the agenda is the rumor of the floating island that has been spotted over the last few months. We have received word from the mage¡¯s guild branch in Dalian that it is in fact not a rumor but is very real.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Adra¡¯s Mage¡¯s guild believes the appearance of such an island is not a coincidence. They believe it may be a new and never seen before type of dungeon and Adra is has a group working on it. Since we here in Tobes have yet to choose a singular focus of study, they wish for us to assist, especially due to the fact that quite a few the sightings of this floating island are in Gowen alone.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Our local representatives have a means to teleport, so I am hoping with their cooperation we might be able to provide some answers about this island. The island really does seem to get around, as it has been spotted up and down the entire west coast, so if you hear of any sightings of this island let us know immediately.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but our teleport spell only works to reach spots in which we have been to before.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°That is quite unfortunate. Discovering a new dungeon like this would help the Tobe¡¯s mage guild in a big way. Perhaps we can start focusing our members capable of wind magic on a means for us to reach the island.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The island moves around, often outside of Gowen, so I can¡¯t exactly speak officially, but I think if this is indeed a new type of dungeon we should really focus our efforts on making sure it isn¡¯t destroyed as well.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°You make an excellent point, kingdoms often issue protection orders on dungeons like the elemental stronghold that benefit the kingdom, isn¡¯t that correct?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes, currently the two dungeons in Gowen, The Elemental Stronghold, and the Ruins of Leona, both are under protection by Gowen.¡±


    Of course we know that apparently Kenta¡¯s primary dungeon is in Gowen as well, but we still have not heard anything about it being discovered.


    Madeline: ¡°It may be a bit pretentious of us, and we can¡¯t control what the kingdoms may do, but I think it is worth issuing an order through the adventurer¡¯s guild that until a time the mage¡¯s guild is able to thoroughly investigate this floating island. That if any adventurers are somehow able to make it to this floating island, and it does indeed prove to be a dungeon it is under protection of the mage¡¯s guild.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°There is the factor that when a dungeon is destroyed it collapses as well, if it is a dungeon and it is destroyed while over a village, or a city, it could come crashing down on top of it.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°So it is agreed, we shall issue an order of protection, and begin working on a way in which to reach the floating island. Anyone that wishes to work on research in a way to reach the floating island will be granted additional resources. Of course it is only if the mage¡¯s guild elders deem the research feasible.¡±


    The rest of the meeting is mages coming up with idea for reaching Maeve¡¯s dungeon, but each one is more outlandish then the next. Belinda and I eventually excuse ourselves just before nightfall, as the mage¡¯s guild seems to show no signs of ending their meeting any time soon.


    Belinda: ¡°Do you think that this was what the woman warned you about?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how. The warning seemed to stem from the idea that we saved the dragonkin, unless they talk the dragonkin into taking them to Maeve¡¯s dungeon, but from what we heard about them that seems even less likely than some of the ideas the mages were throwing around.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We should warn Maeve just in case.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but they are not going to get anywhere tonight and it is already getting quite late, so maybe we should wait till first thing in the morning.¡±


    Belinda and I then decide to head home to bed.

 Kaelmathis

    After a night¡¯s rest, I then send Maeve a message telling her about what the mage¡¯s guild has planned. She doesn¡¯t seem too worried about it, but asks if I would be willing to meet with her just the same. After I agree, she even says I can bring Belinda along, which makes Belinda happy.


    Using [Archjusticar Menu] I find Maeve¡¯s location and using the screen that shows me her I am able to use [Gate] to her dungeon.


    Maeve: ¡°I know I invited you to my dungeon, but being able to teleport to any dungeon in such a way is rather scary to think about.¡±


    ¡°Well there are lots of dungeon cores out there that are stronger then I am. Madam Erin¡¯s teleporting can¡¯t be within a dungeon, but Dyson¡¯s can. I can only teleport to a dungeon core, but I think Dyson can teleport anywhere, so with his strength if he had a mind to he could take out anyone.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But that is why there are so many rules for the Elders.¡±


    ¡°Who enforces those rules though? With his teleportation and [Observation] he could take out all the other elders before they realize what is going on.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°So don¡¯t do anything to make Elder Dyson mad. Got it.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Dyson, you haven¡¯t heard from him, have you?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°No papa¡­ Your little girl is still being a good girl.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Your daddy is just trying to look out for you.¡±


    ¡°Wait now that I think about, we were so rushed when going to Inari¡¯s dungeon, I didn¡¯t notice, but how did Madam Erin use her teleport to reach your dungeon?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°When Madam Erin told me what she wanted me to do, I removed one of the ruined buildings from my dungeon. They don¡¯t cost much and a ruined building breaking down doesn¡¯t really change things much, but with a wall large enough to hold a portal, not connected to my dungeon, Madam Erin was able to use it.¡±


    ¡°And that really worked?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You made it in one piece didn¡¯t you?


    ¡°I guess so, but your dungeons ground floor seems to work quite differently than mine does.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well Papa is quite special. Anyway, the reason I asked to meet was I wanted to know if you could help the adventurers get to my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Wait you want them to reach your dungeon?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You said they issued a protection order for my dungeon right?¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t guarantee anything. If it is xp you need, I think gathering some near your sister¡¯s dungeon would be far easier to do then having to worry about your dungeon being under attack.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Oh I have, and I even had a nice long talk with big sis, but I didn¡¯t build my dungeon like this to hide.¡±


    ¡°Then what was your intention?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well I don¡¯t know about going as far as big sis did, but don¡¯t you think this above ground area would make such a quaint little retreat for strong and high level adventurers that want to take a break from it all?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You want to turn your dungeon into a tourist destination?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Why not? If humans are enjoying their time here, they are far less likely to try to take my dungeon out.¡±


    ¡°But you could avoid the humans all together, why take the risk at all?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°What do you think our purpose as dungeon cores is supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, build a dungeon that humans can¡¯t destroy in order to stay alive?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I guess, but why did the old gods, or whoever is responsible for putting us here, and make us this way?¡±


    ¡°Well if the followers of the old gods I have met are any indication, I would say it was because some twisted sense of enjoyment out of it.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I like to think our purpose is to further advance the humans. Just look how far the humans have come since dungeons were first discovered. Before dungeons, the humans could barely use magic, their living conditions were poor, and even their intelligence was far less then now.  The challenge of facing dungeons has made humans what they are today.¡±


    ¡°Advancement of a species is only natural, I think you are giving dungeons to much credit.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°How many advances has the adventurer¡¯s guild itself made for the lives of humans? The adventurer¡¯s guild wouldn¡¯t even exist were it not for the dungeons.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I mean, she has a point, even if not directly the dungeons have helped humans grow. Just look what your dungeon has done for Tobes, and that is only one dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I understand all that, but there are still those who will try to take out your dungeon even if you help the humans, so are you sure you are ready to have adventurers roaming your dungeon?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I will have you know I have been hard at work preparing my dungeon, and I am sure even with Papa helping the humans they still won¡¯t reach my dungeon overnight.¡±


    ¡°I just want you to be safe.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Aww, thanks Papa, but if you would really like to help maybe you can let me borrow some of your monsters like you are doing for big sis?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean borrowing some of my monsters?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Big sis told me, she has a group of your monsters helping to protect her dungeon while they are gathering xp for you.¡±


    ¡°Well that isn¡¯t exactly how it went. She summoned them and allowed me to bind them to my dungeon. She is basically just giving me xp from her monsters.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°That¡¯s not how she told it¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I mean I am summoning new groups all the time, and I don¡¯t mind one giving you a hand, but I don¡¯t see how that would really help any of us at the moment.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well I really expected to be able to summon elves by now, but even though I have met all the requirements, for some reason they haven¡¯t unlocked yet. I was hoping maybe you could help me out with a few of them.¡±


    ¡°If you are talking about a trade, I can probably help you out.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But what could I possibly have that papa doesn¡¯t already?¡±


    ¡°Well you are a wind dungeon core, and as far as wind monsters go I am pretty limited. I have the fairy and pixie lines, a harpy, and a griffon, but that is pretty much it.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Because of my boss monsters I have a lot unlocked for the pixie and fairy line, but other than that they are rather low on their own evolutionary lines. I should be able to scrounge up enough different types of monsters to make up for a dozen sentient elves, but I am going to have to take a trip back to sis¡¯s dungeon to gather some more xp before I can trade.¡±


    ¡°A dozen?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Yes, I won¡¯t be able to summon humans, but I should unlock elves at any time, so I was planning on starting a little elven village up here. If you can trade me a dozen elves until I figure out what I am missing, they could at least get started in building the village.¡±


    ¡°I do have rules, if I am to trade you any sentient monsters.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Given papa¡¯s personality, I am sure you do, but you don¡¯t have to worry I will take good care of them.¡±


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t have any objections to a trade then, but are you sure about wanting me to help the mage¡¯s guild?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Yes, I am sure.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, you can let me know when you are ready to trade.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Are you in a hurry? I thought with bringing Mama you would like to talk a bit more.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to impose, but I would love to hear how you have been doing lately.¡±


    Maeve takes us around the surface area of her dungeon showing us what she has plans for the little village she plans on building, and we basically make a day out of just talking with Maeve. I wasn¡¯t sure if Maeve really thought of us are her parents, and I still don¡¯t, but I do think even if she doesn¡¯t, she still at least thinks of us a bit like family.


    Days like that aren¡¯t that bad once in a while, and the good mood it puts Belinda in was well worth it once we returned home that evening, as we wasted no time retreating to bed.


    The next morning I receive quite a shock when I am awoken by a warning in [Menu]. The bunnies handle most things regarding the dungeon, so the alarm was quite the shock. It was enough of a shock that I came bolting out of bed, waking Belinda in the process.


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡±


    I quickly scan the message that appeared before me.


    Divine Being available to summon. 4 days, 18 hours, 57 minutes remaining before Divine Being no longer meets requirements.


    ¡°It¡¯s the divine being. I have met the requirements for it to summon, it says I have just less than 5 days to summon one.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s great! You have the xp set aside for it right?¡±


    ¡°We do, but since we have that long, I think I will check with the bunnies to make sure it is alright before I do, because they aren¡¯t exactly cheap and we aren¡¯t quite sure what to expect from it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°In that case, it is still a while before the sun comes up, so why don¡¯t we celebrate a bit?¡± ¨CShe says flashing me from beneath the blankets.-


    Now with only 4 days and 15 hours remaining to summon a divine being, I head to the dungeon core room to speak to the bunnies.


    ¡°I have good news girls. The divine being is currently available to summon, but I only have a few days before it becomes unavailable again.¡±


    Lila: ¡°There is 53,525xp available for emergencies, 12,310xp available for the main wing of the dungeon, 159,294xp available for the elemental wings, 100,000xp set aside for that specific purpose, so the summoning of a divine being should be no problem.¡±


    ¡°We have such a limited window, that I might summon a second one for Inari, because we did promise her one, but let¡¯s see how the first one turns out first.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants to see what a 100,000xp monster looks like!¡±


    ¡°Well Belinda and I are both divine beings and the others have the divine before their race as well. It doesn¡¯t say anything about sentient, but humans can only be summoned as sentient as well. The cost is quite high, but I would assume it will look like a human like I do.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°What¡¯s Master waiting for!?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to make sure we were ok on xp, Belinda wanted to see me summon it as well, so I will go get her real quick.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Hurry Master!¡±


    ¡°There is still plenty of time¡­¡± ¨CI say while transferring back to the house.-


    ¡°They seem really excited, so we better go do this.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Here, put this on.¡± ¨CShe says handing me some clothes.-


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s the first divine being you have ever summoned from scratch, so I thought it would be nice to dress up a bit like we do for the new dungeons.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I store the outfit in the dungeon inventory and then equip it. ¡°There, I am sure if we don¡¯t hurry up the bunnies will summon it without us.¡±


    Belinda laughs and grabs my arm. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    We then transfer back to the dungeon core room, and the bunnies quickly stop messing with a screen in front of Lilah.


    ¡°Are you all using the same screen? I didn¡¯t think that was possible.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°It is an option available in the [Advanced Menu], so it is of course limited to the dungeon core room.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We can use it to help summon monsters together, to make sure they come out just right.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t going to try to summon the divine being without us were you?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course not Master!¡± ¨CShe says while nervously chuckling and quickly closing the screen in front of them.-


    Leila: ¡°It¡¯s ok Master, it still showed unavailable to us when we tried!¡± ¨CThe other bunnies quickly try to cover the littlest bunny¡¯s mouth.-


    Belinda: ¡°Girls! You know better than that!¡±


    The bunnies hang their heads, and then Lilah speaks. ¡°But Master said he was going to summon 2 anyway, so we thought it wouldn¡¯t hurt for Lilah and her sisters to summon at least one of them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if or when the divine beastkin is going to become available, and the window to summon one is quite limited, so I thought I did promise Inari a divine monster for the group she gave me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She said not to worry about it, but I am glad you thought of Inari like that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just see how the first one goes, and then we can check with Inari if she wants one.¡±


    To get the most out of this monster I open up [Advanced Menu], but when I select the divine being all the options are showing as unavailable. I can¡¯t even set the age or sex of the monster.


    ¡°It won¡¯t let me change any settings, so I guess to summon a divine being everything has to be random. Well, here goes nothing.¡±


    I then press the button¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°¡­¡±


    Bunnies: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master must of done something wrong, try it again.¡±


    I press the button again, and instead a message pops up.


    Requirements for the summoning of a Divine Being not met.


    ¡°It says I don¡¯t meet the requirements again!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Did you wait too long?¡±


    ¡°We should have had days¡­¡±


    Lila: ¡°But Master, the xp is gone!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean gone?¡±


    Lila: ¡°100,000xp is gone from the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°So the summoning failed, and still cost the xp? Have you ever heard of such a thing?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°No Master, if you spent the xp the monster should have been summoned.¡±


    I scan the list of monsters in the dungeon, but no monster appears. To be on the safe side we spend quite a while scouring all of the screens for the dungeon, but nothing turns up.


    Lylah: ¡°Should we go through the screens for Tobes as well?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not showing up in monsters, so I think it would just be a waste of more time¡­ I hate to rely on the elders every time a problem pops up, but I think I should really ask them about this.¡±


    I then send a message to Madam Erin.


    (Have you ever heard of a monster failing to summon in [Menu]?)


    Madam Erin: (What do you mean failing to summon?)


    (I tried to summon a monster and nothing happened. The monster had a special requirement that said I met, but when I tried to summon it the xp was removed from my dungeon, but no monster. I tried it again, but it said I no longer met the requirements.)


    Madam Erin: (What kind of monster are we talking about here?)


    (The divine being, I finally have enough xp that I thought I would summon one, but then it had a requirement that it wouldn¡¯t display, and after [Menu] said I met the requirements I tried to summon it, and nothing happened except the deduction of the xp.)


    Madam Erin: (The divine beings are unique to you so I have no idea what their requirements would be, but if you said you met the requirements and used the xp, then you should have the monster.)


    (I don¡¯t¡­ It doesn¡¯t appear under the list of monsters, and we even manually looked though the screens to find it, and we were unable to.)


    Madam Erin: (I don¡¯t know what to tell you then, but I would suggest not trying to summon any more until you figure it out.)


    (That goes without saying¡­ Thanks for your help.)


    Madam Erin: (Any time you are willing to give information about your unique dungeon I am here.)


    (Other than the fact you now know I can¡¯t summon divine beings like we thought, I don¡¯t see how that is any helpful information.)


    Madam Erin: (If you say so pup.)


    Now what has she figured out¡­?


    ¡°Well Madam Erin hasn¡¯t heard of anything like this before either. So I don¡¯t know what is going on.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What about the xp?¡±


    ¡°Well at least it wasn¡¯t as much as we lost on the mythril swords that we placed the first time, but I guess it is just a loss as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So we aren¡¯t summoning another monster?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is disappointed¡­¡±


    ¡°I am going to leave [Menu] to warn me if it becomes available to summon again, along with all the other divine type monsters, so maybe we can figure out what the requirements are, but we need to figure this out before we try again.¡±


    Bunnies: ¡°Yes Master¡­¡±


    The xp for the divine being was set aside for it, but not getting a monster after using the xp made it seem like such a heavy blow. Even when I was in a rush to use the mythril swords in the dungeon and ended up losing them, I still didn¡¯t feel like it was such a pointless expense as this was.


    I dwell on it pretty heavily for a few days until I receive a well-dressed elf knocking on my door.


    Elf: ¡°I am Kaelmathis. I believe we share a mutual friend? He said you would be expecting me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, are you the one to teach my servant how to craft mythril items?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I believe that is what our mutual friend wishes of me, but I just had to meet the man that was able to not only reproduce, but even surpass the great dwarf Gardock¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°I am not exactly sure what he told you, but please come in.¡±


    Kaelmathis looks a little hesitant as he looks at the house. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I am a little paranoid when it comes to dungeons. Not that I am saying there is anything wrong with dungeons, but your house isn¡¯t part of yours is it?¡±


    ¡°You know of the dungeons?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I was originally a boss monster of one myself, but our mutual friend killed my master. It wasn¡¯t personal, but I was forced to work for him for a while after that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to hold a grudge to him though, and what is with elves always referring to Dyson as our mutual friend?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Our mutual friend had a proclivity of targeting other dungeons that made use of elves, so his name has become sort of a sore spot for our race. I do have to admit though, even though he is a murderer of many of my people, his reason for doing so was not his own, and in the end he wasn¡¯t the one that caused my peoples suffering, but our masters that saw to that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t hold Dyson responsible at all?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I would not trust my daughter to him, or even an enemy¡¯s daughter for that matter, but I do have a respect for him that I acquired while serving him. He may not be the most noble or best his kind has to offer, but he will stay true to his word, even if that word is not the one you want to hear.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I hate to tell you this, but you stepped into my dungeon when you entered town, so inside or outside of the house is of little difference.¡±


    Kaelmathis seems to become highly nervous, but he calms himself to say. ¡°Then I ask of you, please refrain from using your ability to transfer on me, as I find its usage rather unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°I can live with that, please come in. We wouldn¡¯t want the villagers to hear our conversation especially if it remains on the topic of the dungeons.¡±


    Kaelmathis nods and I lead him inside to the living room.


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Not exactly the most modest of houses, but for others of your kind it is rather diminutive when it comes to having dwellings among humans.¡±


    ¡°Well my wife is the kingdom¡¯s princess, and she had it built. I would say its usage is to keep the humans unaware of who I am, but in truth I think I prefer it a great deal over living in the actual dungeon itself.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°You really are quite the unique member of the dungeon cores. Our mutual friend informed me he couldn¡¯t tell me how you were able to summon a sword of greater quality then the late Gardock, but he did say it was though your use of [Menu] is that correct?¡±


    ¡°My dungeon is rather unique, and it allows me to do such stuff from time to time, so I produced the sword to Dyson in exchange for a trade.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°And part of that trade was for me to train your elf in a way to craft items of mythril?¡±


    ¡°Well something to that effect.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I can¡¯t promise I will be able to, but if she is a gifted elven crafter I may be able to help. Although I do wish to reserve the right to not teach her if I find her undeserving.¡±


    ¡°Well if you taught Dyson, I doubt Azami has anything to worry about.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°So this is where Azami made off to, I am starting to understand a bit more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, do you know Azami?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I have met her a time or two in passing while working for our mutual friend, but to say I know her is a bit of a stretch. I do think her personality might serve as a bit of a hindrance, but I do think she is a capable enough of a crafter.¡±


    ¡°Her attitude has seemed to improve a great deal lately, but I can see where you are coming from.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°It must have. I would of never believed that the Azami I had known about to be taken in as a monster by another dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I learned about what happened to her from her sister, and ex-fianc¨¦, but if after hearing you not holding grudges against Dyson, I am not starting to wonder if she is being too hard on herself about what she had done.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Even those of us that are not bound to a dungeon live long lives compared to that of a human, and we are known to hold grudges for centuries, and although I have no hostility towards our mutual friend, I do loathe him, so her feelings may be justified.¡±


    ¡°Well I would ask you not let her hear you say that, as she has only just now begun to come around.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°And how about her spriggans? Do they still remain without form?¡±


    ¡°If you are referring to the elemental like creatures she commands, they do appear to have started to take a humanoid shape. I asked her about it once, and she made it sound like that was the form they were supposed to have.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°An elven summoner like Azami uses spriggans as a weapon and shield, but their appearance is molded by their master¡¯s personality. Most have a humanoid shape, but legend says there was a summoner who was so pure in intentions, that her spriggans appeared no different than their master.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Azami will ever make it that far, but if she keeps improving like she has I don¡¯t see why they couldn¡¯t at least take a solid shape.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°You really are something else¡­ If I am to be teaching Azami in the art of crafting mythril, I do suppose we should go pay her a visit.¡±


    ¡°She is staying in the forest, and I could call her to the house, or if you prefer I can take you to her.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare refuse a stretch of the legs in the woods.¡±


    ¡°Well if you don¡¯t wish to be transferred, it will be a bit of a walk, but I will show you the way.¡±


    I then escort Kaelmathis up the side of the mountain heading towards the small lake. I don¡¯t recall ever taking this path, but before the placement of the secondary dungeon I must have, and it seems at least my body knows the way.


    It¡¯s not like we could have gotten lost, there is the trail the adventurers use, but still I feel that I know the path as we walk along it seeing familiarity in objects I have no memory of.


    Once we make it to the lake we head into the forest to the location in which Azami resides with Moss. I haven¡¯t been to where Azami lives in a while, because she has come down to the house, but where they were seemingly camping outside there is now a few trees twisted together resembling a dwelling like that I saw back in the village she was from.


    She has been asking for a few items lately, so it is not a surprise, but the feeling of her making this place her home seems to make me feel quite good. When we arrive Azami and Moss are both working on crafting items, and although Moss seems to be trying to copy Azami, hers is a brilliant silver and emerald colored armor, and Moss¡¯s is made of wood.


    When Azami spots me she slowly lowers the item she is working on, but when she spots the other elf, the armor quickly drops to the ground and she rushes to Moss pulling him behind her.


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I see that you remember me¡­ I see you are doing quite well.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I have respect enough to give Two-Twelve the benefit of the doubt, but what is he doing here?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Our mutual friend thought it would be nice for me to teach you the art of mythril crafting.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I do seek to wish to craft items from mythril for the aid of Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon, and for obtaining more power. I however must decline if the one that is to teach me is you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I must be missing something here.¡±


    Azami: ¡°This man traded the lives of all of his people to simply preserve his own when he asked our mutual friend to help destroy his master.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°That is harsh coming from you.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I had the courage to take that burden on myself, and even expected it to cost me my life, but you did the opposite, you traded their lives so you wouldn¡¯t have to fight.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°The end result was the same, was it not?¡±


    ¡°Azami, I understand that you don¡¯t like him, but I made a deal with Dyson that allowed him to come teach you how to craft mythril items. I will respect your decision if you cannot work with him, but I ask if you can put that aside at least while he teaches you.¡±


    Azami: ¡°If you made a deal, that means there was a cost.¡±


    ¡°Well nothing I would risk you for, so if you can¡¯t do it I understand. I can keep him away from you and maybe summon another for him to teach.¡±


    Azami: ¡°No¡­ I made a deal with myself I would do what I have to if it meant I would gain more power, and if Two-Twelve went out of his way to grant me this power I must accept this responsibility. ¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to force anything on you.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I do wish to ask for some stipulations however. He cannot stay here in the forest, if I am to learn mythril crafting from him I will come to the village and learn it there, if it does not involve the crafting of mythril he doesn¡¯t speak to me otherwise, and he must keep far away from Moss.¡±


    Moss: ¡°I want to learn to craft mythril too!¡±


    Azami: ¡°You are still a long way from that, and once I learn how, and you become ready, I can then teach you.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I can accept those terms as long as you don¡¯t mind me speaking in general, if you choose to speak back however is up to you.¡±


    Azami nods her head.


    ¡°Are you sure you are ok with this Azami?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Location is not important when we craft, so is it acceptable for me to train in the house in which you and Belinda reside?¡±


    ¡°Well I guess, if you want to use the ballroom, or the living room that would be alright. I was told this could take up to a year though, so are you sure you are ok with this?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I guarantee I will acquire the skill in as little as a few months.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush it ok¡­?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Rushing is not the issue, I am just confident in my abilities, and speaking of which, there is no time like the present, so we shall begin now.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten him set up in town yet.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°That is quite alright, If Azami wishes to start now, I will gladly begin the lesson.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Well no time to waste then.¡± ¨CShe says then transfers away.-


    Kaelmathis: ¡°She knows I don¡¯t like to be transferred¡­ Alright, Two-Twelve go ahead and transfer us back, but I would suggest outside as I may throw up¡­¡±


    ¡°We could just walk back, and she can wait.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°No, this was a challenge, and as her teacher I can¡¯t back down.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± ¨CI then take Kaelmathis¡¯s shoulder and right before I transfer back to the house I hear Moss speak.-


    Moss: ¡°Don¡¯t mind me! I will just go play with my wood...¡±


    When we arrive back at the house Kaelmathis really does begin to throw up. After Kaelmathis quits throwing up I ask him. ¡°How was it you were a boss monster of a dungeon and can¡¯t handle transferring?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°It was after my master died, I took a blow to the head that blew out one of my ears. It was just after I was no longer bound to a dungeon, so I didn¡¯t realize the damage would become permanent, and my equilibrium has been off ever since. Sudden spontaneous moving like transfer or teleporting will cause me to get sick every time.¡±


    ¡°That does sound quite unfortunate, but are you sure you are ok with all of this and Azami?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Azami hates me for the same reason she hates herself, I can¡¯t fault her for it anymore then I can fault myself. You have seemed to make great progress with her. I learned to move on after what happened, and maybe in turn I can help Azami a little as well.¡±


    ¡°Well I am sure Belinda would welcome the help as well, but I will say, Azami is a valuable ally to me, so treat her as such.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I understand.¡±


    I then lead Kaelmathis into the house. I watch Azami and Kaelmathis begin, but everything is far beyond me. Azami doesn¡¯t seem to like Kaelmathis at all, but she doesn¡¯t seem to let that affect her either. It is more like she uses that as a reason to try harder. After I can no longer follow what they are even speaking about any more I excuse myself and hear another knock on the door.


    Vetala starts making her way to the door, but since I am already here I wave her off, and answer it myself. When I open the door it is the older priest that runs the Faron church in town, and he looks rather distraught.


    Faron priest: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­ They are here!¡±

 Followers of the Old Gods

    After dealing with the arrival of Kaelmathis, the elf that is going to teach Azami how to craft item from mythril, the local Faron priest arrived at the house in quite a state. After finally managing to calm him down, I learn that a group of beastkin matching the description of the ones that follow the old gods have arrived just outside of town.


    Faron Priest: ¡°You don¡¯t think they have come for our church, do you?¡±


    ¡°I think if they came for anything, it is me. Since I spoke with them, they haven¡¯t burned down any more churches, so it should be ok.¡±


    Faron Priest: ¡°You are the Archjusticar now. You can¡¯t simply deal with matters like this by yourself.¡±


    ¡°This was the reason I was made the Archjusticar, and you have known me for a while, so you should know I won¡¯t stand for someone threatening Tobes.¡±


    Faron Priest: ¡°I understand, but please be careful.¡±


    After finding out just where the group is supposed to be I call Belinda, Roxy, and Zoey. Azami has just started on her lesson for crafting mythril, and these groups have never tried to attack before, so the others are just a precaution anyway, so I leave Azami to her lesson.


    Besides, I did what the old god or old gods asked. I am actually more worried about the beastkin. They always kill themselves after we speak, but the look on the face of that woman we tried to save last time, was horrible.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t like this¡­ Coming to our town?¡±


    ¡°They said everything else they did was to ensure I became the Archjusticar, and to get my attention, so it would only make sense now that they have, they would just cut to the chase.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What are we going to do if they want you to perform another task for them?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the task.¡±


    They didn¡¯t seem to care about entering another dungeon before, as they have been on the ground floors of several dungeons already, but for some reason they have chosen to remain just outside of my secondary dungeon outside of town.


    When we arrive one of the beastkin greets us. ¡°Archjusticar, I see you got our message.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but to have to meet way out here, you make me think you are up to something.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°We felt that entering your dungeon area could be seen as a hostile action, so we decided it was in our best interest to meet out here.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°First of all the gods would like to thank you for your assistance with the matter with dungeon core #1. It seems you completed what was asked in a timely manner, even against the suggestions of the dungeon core Elders.¡±


    ¡°They did suggest I shouldn¡¯t complete it, but ultimately left the decision up to me, so I just weighted the risk vs the reward. That is the only reason I agreed to do as your master asked.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Regardless, the old gods were quite pleased, and think you will be quite a valuable asset in the future.¡±


    ¡°Before you say anything else, we did the task your master asked of us, and I will not take any more threats. If your master wants me to do anything else for him, he can either make it worth our time, or find someone else.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°What a coincidence, this time we are here to give you a reward for following instructions. Although it is curious that you speak of those we serve as a he.¡±


    ¡°That is another thing, if your master wishes for me to have any more dealings with him, I would be far more receptive if I got the truth, and will refuse to meet a single group of his followers from here on out, if he is just going to have you kill yourself after speaking with me.¡±


    The beastkin looks at me with a concerned expression then turns to speak with one of the others in whispers. Before they finish speaking amongst themselves, the entire group is huddled together whispering to one another.


    The beastkin that was talking to us returns and says. ¡°It seems we have not been your only visitors. The ones in which we serve are curious to know, just who it is you have been speaking with?¡±


    ¡°I know just as much of her master as I do of yours, but she issued no threats, or commands, so I am more trusting of her master then of yours.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°If another is involved already, this changes things quite a bit. Your reward will have to wait, while a plan of action is established. Destruction of these vessels is no longer in the best interest of those in which we serve, so they are yours to do with as you see fit.¡±


    The blank faces of the beastkin then soften and they quickly begin to look around and start to panic. The one that was speaking with us looks at me with a terrified look.


    Beastkin: ¡°Who are you, and where am I¡­?¡±


    The other beastkin begin asking similar questions.


    ¡°I think the big question is who are you?¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°I asked you first!¡±


    ¡°I am called Two-Twelve, and you are just outside the town of Tobes.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Tobes¡­ Where the hell is Tobes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the Gowen Kingdom.¡±


    The beastkin and the others begin to grow even more nervous.


    Beastkin: ¡°But how did I get here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know. Are you saying you don¡¯t remember coming here?¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Of course not! I was planting seed in the field, and next thing I know I am standing here in these rags! I don¡¯t owe any debts, so you can¡¯t do this to me!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, we will figure this out. What about the rest of you?¡±


    They all seem to have similar stories, each just minding their own business and then suddenly they were here. All of them that is but one, he seems to remain rather tight lipped about the situation.


    Beastkin: ¡°How did we get here¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know, but the best I can guess is some kind of mind control magic or something similar.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Wait¡­ How long have I been gone then?


    Another beastkin then begins to panic again. ¡°You¡¯re right! It¡¯s much too hot for this time of year even for being in Gowen!¡±


    A third then speaks up. ¡°But it¡¯s always hot in the summer.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°What do you mean summer?! It is spring.¡±


    Beastkin 2: ¡°That¡¯s impossible, the last thing I remember it was winter!¡±


    ¡°Everyone calm down¡­ We will try to get this figured out, and then get you home.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°How can you tell us to calm down?! If it is summer then what about my family? If the crops weren¡¯t planted, and I disappeared, what happened to them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if you can calm down enough to tell us where you are from, we can at least see about maybe getting you home to find out.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°It will take months for me to get home from Gowen!¡±


    ¡°I have a means to teleport, and I should be able to get you at least in a relatively close distance to your home.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Adra! My farm is just a few days south from Toran, the capital of Adra.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we will see about getting you home. What about the rest of you?¡±


    There is the one from Adra, one from Merretta, one from Sarnova, and even one from Dalian, but still the one squirrel beastkin remains rather silent, so I decide to ask him directly. ¡°What about you? Where are you from?¡±


    The beastkin grows nervous and doesn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I can¡¯t get you home if you don¡¯t say where you are from, but I understand if you don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    Silent Beastkin: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just have never heard of Tobes, or the Gowen kingdom before¡­ I know of a Duke Gowen, but not a Gowen kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Well where is this Duke Gowen from?¡±


    Silent Beastkin: ¡°He is one of the dukes of Leona of course.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t mean Duke Logan Gowen¡­ Do you¡­?¡±


    Silent Beastkin: ¡°That¡¯s right! So you can get me back to my master?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean Duke Logan?¡±


    Belinda quickly grabs me and whispers. ¡°That was the first king of Gowen, my great-great-grandfather. Logan was named after him.¡±


    ¡°That makes him over 150 years old, are you saying he hasn¡¯t aged or anything the entire time he has been serving the old gods?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if he is that old, then maybe the others have been missing far longer than they thought as well¡­¡±


    We were trying to keep it quiet, but one of the other beastkin speaks up. ¡°Wait a minute, I might not know much about the Gowen kingdom, but Leona was the name of the kingdom before it was Gowen wasn¡¯t it? That was over 100 years ago.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°That is impossible, he would be dead if he was that old! There is no way he is over 100 years old!¡±


    The beastkin begin to panic again.


    Silent Beastkin: ¡°What do you mean 100 years ago¡­ Where is my master?!¡±


    ¡°Everyone just calm down until we figure this out! I guess we don¡¯t need to only ask where you are all from, but apparently when as well.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are trying to pull, it is impossible to be that old, and everyone knows it¡¯s the year 1420.¡±


    Beastkin 2: ¡°Last thing I remember was the winter of 1439¡­¡±


    Panic ensues again as they begin to argue the year, so I try to calm them down again. It seems the silent beastkin has returned to silence however.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone, but it is indeed the 7<sup>th</sup> month of year 1440¡­¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°I don¡¯t look any different, how can 20 years have passed, and I not aged a single day? I got it! This has to be some kind of a joke. My brother-in-law put you up to all this didn¡¯t he? Knocking me out and changing my clothes is going too far for a joke, but I won¡¯t say another word about it if you tell the truth now.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say, but this isn¡¯t a joke¡­¡±


    The beastkin man collapses to the ground. ¡°But it has to be¡­¡±


    The other beastkin don¡¯t seem to be fairing much better themselves.


    ¡°I know it isn¡¯t much of a consolation but if there is anywhere you want to go, I will still try to get you there.¡±


    Silent Beastkin: ¡°If what you said was really true, I may have been missing for over 100 years, but you said the Gowen family has become the rulers of the kingdom? If my master¡¯s family is still around I should return to them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You served the Gowen family?¡±


    Silent Beastkin: ¡°Indeed, we may be servants, but the Duke treated my family better than the king even treated most of the citizens.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t a Torres are you?¡±


    Silent Beastkin: ¡°How could you possibly know that? If what you are saying is true, how could a simple servant¡¯s name be known all these years later?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You really are a Torres? Then your daughter was the one¡­¡±


    Silent Beastkin: ¡°My wife was pregnant with our first child. Are you saying it was a girl? You said she was the one, the one what? Please tell me what you know about my daughter?¡± ¨CHe says with tears in his eyes.-


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how you would feel about it, but your descendants still serve the Gowen family to this day.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°Good, he has descendants. My wife and son might still be at home taking care of the farm! What about the rest of us?¡±


    ¡°I told you we will do what we can¡­ We can take you as far as the capital of Adra, but it has been 20 years, are you sure you are up for it.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°I have to know.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­ Roxy, can you take him to Toran, and make sure he has enough gold to get by for a little bit.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it. Come I will take you to Toran.¡± ¨CShe says to the man, and then casts [Gate]-


    The [Gate] spell surprises several of the beastkin, but Roxy finally talks the beastkin into following her, and the beastkin, Roxy, and Zoey disappear into the portal before it disappears again.


    Beastkin 2: ¡°I have only been gone a few months, but I have no real reason to return. I always wanted out of that town, so maybe I should just start out fresh.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There are always new jobs opening in Tobes, I could probably help you find one if you want, or if you want to head to New Leona, the town that is quickly growing there consists of mostly beastkin, if that makes you more comfortable.¡±


    Ancient Torres: ¡°There are actual beastkin towns?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We have come a long way in the last 100 or so years, Gowen even has several beastkin on the council.¡±


    Ancient Torres: ¡°That is amazing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We can tell you all about it, but let¡¯s see to it we get the others taken care of first, alright.¡±


    Ancient Torres: ¡°I understand.¡±


    Beastkin 2: ¡°Well I don¡¯t really have any gold, so I guess I should get a job here at least until I can decide what I want to do.¡±


    Belinda hands the beastkin man a few gold coins. ¡°This should be enough to get you a decent pair of clothes and after you can head to city hall, and I will make sure someone will help you get situated.¡±


    Beastkin 2: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    There is a female beastkin that has been missing for 7 years, but she doesn¡¯t seem eager to return to where she is from either, but she said she was the one from Dalian, so it is easily understandable why a beastkin wouldn¡¯t want to return there.


    Another female beastkin has been missing for 2 years and she has me return her to the capital of Merretta, I give her a few coins after we arrive there, and she goes about her way. I hope she manages alright¡­


    When I return Amy and Kline¡¯s ancestor is bowing to Belinda while she quickly says. ¡°It¡¯s ok really. Your descendants are practically family. I can introduce you to them if you like.¡±


    Ancient Torres: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to impose on the princess.¡±


    ¡°Belinda, can I talk to you for a minute?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course¡­ Excuse me.¡± ¨CShe then moves closer and I then speak to her quietly.-


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we should be all too trusting in him just yet.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But he is Amy and Kline¡¯s ancestor.¡±


    ¡°So he says, but what are the odds of something like that happening? If it was intentional, then it leaves a whole bunch more questions like as to why?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then you don¡¯t want me to introduce him to Kline?¡±


    ¡°No, I think introducing him to Kline would be a way for us to keep an eye on him, but I think we should tell Kline to be careful, and keep an eye on him ourselves as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess you are right, I got a little caught up in it, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I am not saying he is up to something, but we don¡¯t know how they came to be under the old gods control or anything else. If he was put under the old gods control once, we have to assume it could happen again as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I understand.¡± ¨CShe then goes back to the beastkin.- ¡°Well we can¡¯t have you meeting your descendant dressed like that. Why don¡¯t I take you to get some clothes, and Two-Twelve can let them know we are coming, because I am sure it will be quite a shock.¡±


    Ancient Torres: ¡°But Princess, I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If you are loyal to my family, you shouldn¡¯t argue with the princess, am I right?¡±


    Ancient Torres: ¡°I am sorry princess, it is as you say¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Good, now let¡¯s go.¡±


    Belinda then takes the beastkin into town, while I go to let Scylla and Kline know what¡¯s going on. I also asked one of the bunnies to keep an eye on Belinda to make sure she stays safe, as she leads the beastkin around town. Scylla and Kline stare at me in quiet disbelief as I tell them what happened.


    Kline: ¡°So you think this really could be one of my ancestors from way back?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he seemed genuine about it, but there is no way to be certain. I would just be cautious for a while till we are able to figure out just what is going on.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Why don¡¯t you take baby Listel home for today Scylla, and I will meet with him first. If he really is one of my ancestors he will understand I can¡¯t just trust him right from the get go, especially with such a story.¡±


    Scylla picks up the baby and gives Kline a kiss. ¡°Be careful ok?¡±


    Kline: ¡°And miss coming home to the two most beautiful women in the world, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Scylla smiles as he ears turn a bit pink and she kisses Kline again before excusing herself.


    ¡°What do you say we go wait for them at the adventurer¡¯s guild, I am sure you could use a drink after hearing you are about to meet your great-great-great-great-grandpa.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    We then head downstairs, and although I do get a drink Kline doesn¡¯t. Regardless of what I said he seems rather nervous.


    ¡°Are you sure you are alright meeting with him?¡±


    Kline: ¡°I was still quite young when my father died in the service of the Gowen military, and my mother didn¡¯t live much longer than that. I was never lacking due to serving the young master, but I don¡¯t know, how should I react?¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t exactly have parents, much less ancestors, so I am the last one you should be asking, for that kind of advice.¡±


    When Belinda and Kline¡¯s ancestor enters the adventurer¡¯s guild Kline quickly stands, then sits back down, and as they are walking up to the table he stands quickly again.


    Kline: ¡°I¡¯m Kline Torres, but I guess the princess told you that. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m Kline¡­¡±


    Ancient Torres: ¡°My god boy, you are a spitting image of my father. I¡¯m sorry, my manners. I¡¯m Samuel.¡±


    Kline: ¡°My grand-father¡¯s name was Samuel, but I guess that means he was named after you.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°The shock of hearing I was gone for so long has far from worn off, but I also started to wonder what my family must have thought of me for just disappearing like I did¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I never heard how grand-father got his name, or of you, but I am sure if they named my grand-father after you there couldn¡¯t of been any hard feelings.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°It¡¯s alright, I am just glad my family name is still around after all these years.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Yes, we have kept the Torres name through the generations due to the servant¡¯s pact, which I guess it was your daughter, took with the king of Gowen.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°I am glad my family is still serving the Gowen family, but a servant pact¡­? I should have been there¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°The Gowen family treats us very well, in truth, the pact was formed to ensure that remained the case, because from my understanding times were quite different for beastkin in your day.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°I cared for Duke Logan very much and would have died for him, but I was a free man, that wasn¡¯t something a lot of beastkin could say. I don¡¯t understand how my poor child thought it would have been necessary to enter such a pact.¡±


    ¡°For love.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°Love?¡±


    ¡°Your daughter fell in love with who I assume was Duke Logan¡¯s son, and of course the kingdom was young and relations between humans and beastkin were as you say. It was the only way their children could remain part of the family with how things were at the time.¡±


    Kline: ¡°That¡¯s the short of it.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°My daughter was not only in love with Duke Logan¡¯s son, but the king at the time as well?¡±


    Kline: ¡°Of course the times required him to take a human wife as well, and that is where the nobility of Gowen come from, but from my understanding it was just because it was required. Your daughter and Belinda¡¯s great-grandfather cared for each other very much.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Relations between beastkin and humans have improved quite a lot, but it is still in such a way I had to hear all this from my husband, instead of Logan or my father himself¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on them. They also did it for Amy and my sake as well. What do you think your sisters would have done if they knew that a beastkin could hold a legitimate stake at the throne?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess, but they could have still told me¡­¡±


    Samuel: ¡°It seems no matter the times, a princess is still a princess¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just a little bitter about it still. I was raised with Amy being treated as my attendant all my life, and to find out we are related I missed out in so much with her.¡±


    ¡°Well attendant or not, the way you treated her was your own choice.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright! I was wrong! Ok?!¡±


    Kline: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Amy has no hard feelings about it. She knows her place, and I think she is quite happy with the way things have turned out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I still can¡¯t help to feel that I am at least part of the reason she rather be in the capital then here.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I am sure her reasons have nothing to do with you. She has always been quite fond of the going-ons of the capital.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°Will I be able to meet Amy as well?¡±


    Kline: ¡°No offense, but everything about this is quite strange, so I would like to get to know you a bit more before I have you meet my sister.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°I understand, but what am I to do now?¡±


    Kline: ¡°I am sure we can find something for you to do here in town. I am sure there is going to be a lot to get used to.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°But how will I get to know you?¡±


    Kline: ¡°If there is one thing that hasn¡¯t changed, if you wish to eat, you have to work. After you are done, I am at the city hall on most days, so we can speak after our work is complete.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°You sound like my father as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Kline¡¯s wife is the mayor of Tobes, so I am sure he can find you a decent place to work, and Belinda and I live here in Tobes as well, so if you need anything we may be able to help. We will try to make this transition as easy as possible, but you have to understand the situation is quite strange indeed.¡±


    Samuel: ¡°How do you think I feel? As far as I remember, my wife was pregnant, and everything was going great, and now you are saying my wife, even my child, and grand children have died already. My life had been completely upended and you want me to just move on!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I really am, but I can¡¯t undo what has happened to you, so we are just doing the best we can. Belinda and I need to discuss what happened in which resulted in bringing you here, so Kline will take care of the rest.¡±


    Kline: ¡°As you wish.¡±


    After making sure the others that are staying in Tobes for now have been taken care of as well, Belinda and I then make sure Kline is going to be ok, and then we head back to the house.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize his followers were under mind control, and he released them this time instead of killing them off, like we asked, but I am not sure if it was any less cruel. I am just wondering now what exactly is this old god planning now. When the beastkin were still under his control they seemed rather worried about another of the old gods poking their nose into it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And if Samuel really is Kline and Amy¡¯s ancestor, then how is it none of them aged, and why is it always beastkin?¡±


    ¡°Maybe beastkin are more susceptible to his methods, or maybe even the gods are limited in what they can do. All I know is even though the threat from him seems to be placed elsewhere. I don¡¯t feel any more comfortable about the situation however.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There are three of these beastkin in town now as well, should we keep an eye on all of them just in case?¡±


    ¡°I think that would be for the best.¡°


    Belinda: ¡°What do you think the old god is going to want from us now that he knows about the other one watching?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure, the beastkin huddled and talked together while under the old gods control like they were discussing matters, but I am not sure how any of that works. They did seem rather agitated that the other old gods have gotten involved as well. I just hope it was a good idea letting them know about it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It seemed to help the decision of letting go the ones he held captive, so I can¡¯t think it was a bad thing. I am sure they are happy to be free from the control of the old gods, but so much can change in a few years, but over 100 years. You might have been right about death being easier for some of them.¡±


    ¡°They are alive, that is the important part, if they want to stay that way at least it is their choice. I am still worried though that this god is using the beastkin in this manner though I said if he stopped them from killing themselves it would be alright, but now I am not sure that is enough.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We still don¡¯t even know who or which one of the old gods is causing this, so there is no way we can stop him. I don¡¯t know anything of the old gods, do you know which one this might be?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, I mean like you said these gods were all supposed to be the gods of humans, so to do something like this seems strange. That may be the reason he uses only beastkin if he deems them less then human, but even still that doesn¡¯t help to determine which he is supposed to be.¡±


    ¡°Just how many old gods can there be?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Who know how many of them are real, but back in the time of the old gods there were gods for everything. That is why it is so hard to determine which is which. Even between kingdoms the names of gods that seemed to be the exact same god could be different or worshiped a different way.¡±


    ¡°So there is no way to know which the other one is either then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Not really. There is a good reason that people all came to worship Faron, because he was the same everywhere, and it made it easy for his religion to spread.¡±


    ¡°I guess we need to start reading up more of the old gods, maybe if we can at least determine which god is which it might give us some insight on just what it is they want.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s the disadvantage of everything in Tobes being brand new, there is no history. Maybe we should pay a visit to the library in the capital and try to see if we can find anything out.¡±


    ¡°Well we can do that tomorrow. For now I¡¯ll probably see how Azami is doing, and make sure she hasn¡¯t killed Kaelmathis yet.¡±


    I then head to the living room to check on them. On the small table in front of them there are quite a few small objects that look no more than small stones, except they are made from metal.


    ¡°How are things going?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Azami truly is quite gifted when it comes to crafting she was able to make all of these without even rest.¡±


    Azami: ¡°My magical supply allows me to craft all day without rest. Crafting objects I already know is as simple as focusing my magic into it.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°The amount of time you can put into it is much higher, but the speed in which your object takes shape doesn¡¯t seem to be out of the norm. We might be able to speed up your lessons a bit, but it may still take a few months before you are capable of working with mythril.¡±


    ¡°Well you are free to use the living room as you wish, but things might get busy here pretty soon, so we might need Azami¡¯s help again.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I understand.¡±


    They go back to work, and I leave them to it.

 The Investigation into the Old Gods

    After a night¡¯s rest, I find Azami and Kaelmathis still at it in the living room working on Azami¡¯s crafting.


    ¡°Are you two still at it? Have you not rested at all yet?¡±


    Azami: ¡°We elves require far less sleep, we took care of it already and returned to work.¡±


    ¡°What about Moss, is he ok?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like you being around me at all, so I was just wondering how he felt with you spending all this time with another elf.¡±


    Azami: ¡°As I have said on many of occasions I do not belong to Moss, so what he wants is of little relevance.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°You have nothing to worry about in that regard, as I am married.¡±


    Azami: ¡°You are married? What elf would marry a traitor like you?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I will have you know she is a very nice half-elf woman I met due to our mutual friend, and she understands what I did, what you and I both have done, was the best we could due to our situations.¡±


    Azami scoffs. ¡°A half-elf? That explains it, and just so you know, I am nothing like you.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°You are the stronger elf, that I admit, but our situations are quite similar. I wish I had the ability to handle my situation the way you did. You can hate me all you want, but that is no reason for you to take it out on yourself as well.¡±


    Azami scoffs again. ¡°So are we crafting or not?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Waiting on you, remember to focus on the composition of the mythril.¡±


    ¡°Well I just wanted to make sure you two were getting your rest¡­ I will leave you too it then.¡±


    I retreat back to the dining room where Belinda has a cup of coffee waiting on me.


    Belinda: ¡°If there is one thing that can be said about Azami, she is driven¡­¡±


    ¡°I know she said elves don¡¯t have to sleep as much, but I hope they are getting plenty of rest¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Crafting seems to take a lot out of Azami, her magic is second to none, but even with all her reserves when she is crafting she gets tired, so I don¡¯t think she would push it too far.¡±


    ¡°I hope you are right.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We could make her take a break, by going with us to the capital to hunt for books about the old gods.¡±


    ¡°I will give them a few days, if she still doesn¡¯t seem to be slowing down a bit we might do something, but for now she looks to be doing alright at least.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe Roxy and Zoey might enjoy a trip to the capital.¡±


    ¡°You are starting to make it sound like you don¡¯t want to do this. Besides I don¡¯t think a library is quite Zoey¡¯s forte¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There are a lot of books in the library at the capital.¡±


    ¡°We only need to focus on the ones related to the old gods, so how many can their really be?¡±


    After I finish my coffee we head to the library in the Gowen capital, and I find out just want Belinda meant. Books aren¡¯t exactly easy to come by, but even the impressive amount we have at the house in Tobes is miniscule in comparison to just a single row of books at the capital.


    Belinda: ¡°I tried to warn you.¡±


    ¡°But how many of these could really be related to the old gods?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I told you that the old gods were said to have their hands in everything. Something as simple as catching a thief in the city would be attributed to an old god, to the prosperity of the entire kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Then how are we supposed to find out what is true, and what wasn¡¯t just someone¡¯s overactive imagination?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Look at all that has been contributed to Faron, and now we know he had nothing to do with almost any of it, if anything at all.¡±


    ¡°Well it won¡¯t do us any good talking about it. We better just get to work¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t know how long we were in the library, or how many books we went through but even with the sun going down, we haven¡¯t even made a dent in the number of books that reference the old gods.


    Belinda: ¡°I know you don¡¯t care for eating, but after all that, and with the fact we are in the capital, can¡¯t we have a nice dinner somewhere at least?¡±


    ¡°After not accomplishing anything, it feels wrong to celebrate, but just not having to look at another book for a few hours makes me want to celebrate.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You mean we are going to keep at it?¡±


    ¡°Well we haven¡¯t learned anything yet, besides I thought all this was your idea to start with.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know...¡±


    Belinda and I have a nice little dinner at a restaurant at the capital before returning home. I didn¡¯t care for it, but what I did enjoy was watching Belinda enjoy it, so it turned out in the end. Over the course of the next few days we spend in the library, we manage to learn a heap of nothing.


    We have learned about dozens and dozens of the old gods, but to say any one of them is either of the two we have been dealing with is impossible to say. I can¡¯t even be sure if half of what they were worshiping wasn¡¯t just all in their head to begin with.


    ¡°Faron might not have done much, but if there is one thing you can say. Even if he isn¡¯t a god at least he is real. Some of these gods humans worshiped are crazy.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It was a different time, and humans have come a long way.¡±


    ¡°Honestly with all of these stories, we could sort through them for months, and I don¡¯t think we will be able to learn anything else.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Gowen¡¯s library is pretty small. Maybe we should try Merretta or Adra¡¯s libraries?¡±


    ¡°This is small?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They should be far more organized as well. Gowen made the library just to protect the books, but Adra and Merretta¡¯s libraries should see more use, so they should have a staff.¡±


    ¡°I guess it won¡¯t hurt to check them out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am tried, so maybe we can start first thing in the morning?¡±


    After I agree we head home, and the next morning we head for Adra. When Belinda said the library here would be larger it was no exaggeration, it really is two if not three times larger than the one in Gowen. Luckily here they have a full staff manning the building so we are able to get a bit of assistance in finding what we are looking for.


    I was thinking that if this worked out like Gowen we wouldn¡¯t worry about spending days going through these books, but even the quality of the material here is far more credible. There are still stories of the old gods that seem outlandish, but many books seem plausible.


    All in all, we spent two more weeks between Adra and Merretta, and even though we have been able to narrow our list of potential old gods down to a dozen or so, that is far more than we had before. That is, if they are gods from the books we have gone though, if not we are back at square one.


    After a good night¡¯s rest, knowing that we won¡¯t have to scour though more books, I decide sleep in a bit the next morning. Belinda however wakes early and seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.


    ¡°Everything alright?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes¡­ We have just been busy for the last few weeks, so I wanted to make sure everything is still running smoothly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right, I should check on the bunnies, and see how the training of the troops is coming along. Not to mention check to see how much progress Azami has made.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright¡­ I will see you later then.¡± ¨CBelinda then quickly leaves the room.-


    Belinda seemed to be acting a bit strange, but after spending the last few weeks staring at books, maybe she was in a hurry to get back to her normal routine. After I get dressed, I head downstairs, and it doesn¡¯t appear Belinda even stopped for breakfast, and is already gone from the house.


    I decide to check on Kaelmathis and Azami, and find them working away in the living room. There are far more chunks of metal around the room, but still no gear.


    ¡°It looks like you two are getting quite full in here, maybe we should clear some of it out?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Oh, we have been, this is just from today.¡±


    ¡°All of this is today?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Well, it is about time for us to rest, so I should say it is a full days¡¯ worth, but yes. Azami¡¯s magic reserves are quite astounding.¡±


    Azami: ¡°If my magic is so great, why can I not create mythril!¡±


    ¡°It requires the skill, so until the skill unlocks you¡¯ll have to keep studying.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°That¡¯s quite right, you have the potential no problem, it is just going to have to take more practice. Now, that should be a good stopping point, we should pick it up after a few hours of rest.¡±


    Azami opens [Menu] clearing the room of the metal chucks until none remain. ¡°I still think if we just push through I would get it faster, all this stopping to rest, is causing me to lose progress.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it works quite like that.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°He is right, you have made tremendous progress, and what should take a normal elf at best a full year of study, you are sure to master in a matter of months, so you should in no way feel discouraged.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I don¡¯t seem to have made any progress at all this week. Maybe your teaching methods are wrong.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I never claimed to be an expert teacher, but I was able to teach our mutual friend inside of 10 months how to craft mythril items, so you will eventually get there as well.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°What about your family Kaelmathis, you said you were married right? You have been at this for weeks, so if you need to take a day or so I could teleport you home so you could spend time with them.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°That is quite alright, the longer we are apart the sweeter it is when we are reunited.¡±


    ¡°It really wouldn¡¯t be any trouble¡­¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Well I must really get some rest now, I will return at noon and we can start again.¡± ¨CKaelmathis then heads out of the room.-


    ¡°Is that an elf thing? If I was apart from Belinda, and had a chance to return to her, even for a short time, I would jump at the chance.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Their situation may be more complicated as he lets on, or his wife might not be able to tolerate him, and in that aspect I could agree with her.¡±


    ¡°Well you better get some rest as well, if you are going to resume your practice in a few hours.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Indeed.¡± ¨CShe then transfers from the room.-


    I then transfer to the dungeon core room, to find the bunnies hard at work like usual.


    Lilah: ¡°Master is finally done being a book worm?¡±


    ¡°Well for now at least, we didn¡¯t find out as much as we hoped, but I was able to learn a few things I guess.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Then Master still doesn¡¯t know who keeps bothering him?¡±


    ¡°We went from no clue, to a dozen or so candidates, but that is just if our information is correct, or even if it is one of the recorded gods, so who knows.¡±


    Lila: ¡°What is Master going to do now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I thought I would check on things here and see how it is going.¡±


    Leila: ¡°Doug has kept the soldiers in check, but they are starting to get restless after completing the rooms twice a day now.¡±


    ¡°They have made enough progress to hit all the rooms twice already?¡±


    Leila: ¡°After they started completing the entire thing, the second run-through took them no time at all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should call Logan in and have him start planning the next rooms with me. How are we on xp for those rooms?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°The soldiers are still not bringing in a lot, but when we spilt the entire dungeon¡¯s xp the way you wanted we have, we have managed to save a lot of xp¡±


    Lila: The average daily income is 70,500xp, Lilah has used the xp for the main dungeon as soon as she gets enough to add another rift leaving her with only 21,349xp, however there is 426,248xp for use in the elemental rooms, 414,381xp for use of emergencies, and 382,125xp for use in the training rooms.¡±


    ¡°That should be enough to get us started for at least 2 more rooms for the soldiers training. What about the elemental rooms, how are they fairing?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°No problems in the elemental rooms. Very few normal adventurers hit those rooms now leaving them strictly to the mages, and the mages are more worried about gathering the resources the monsters drop, so they have been avoiding the boss rooms.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°The mages have grown quite comfortable with the setup of the rooms, so none even die anymore.¡±


    ¡°Well they are slowly leveling up with each pass they make through the elemental wings, so we are still gaining their xp from Tobes, so it should be alright, I give you permission to add a few more rooms to the elemental wings when we have enough xp to make sure all 5 wings increase by the same amount.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes Master!¡±


    ¡°How close are you to filling all of the rooms in the main wing with rifts?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Another week or two and every monster in the dungeon will be a rift monster except the boss like monsters.¡±


    ¡°I have an idea for the next floor, so once the rifts are complete start building up a bit of xp for the next floor. How far have the adventurers been progressing into that floor?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°One group a week usually makes it that far, but with the group currently in there now that makes the second time this week.¡±


    ¡°How about the gear the monsters wear? It is quite expensive, so have they taken a lot of it?¡±


    Lila: ¡°It has been factored into the cost of the xp big sister Lilah uses.¡±


    ¡°I know Azami has been busy learning to make mythril items, but what about Katie?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Katie can only craft so fast, and she has been spending more time fulfilling orders from Denova¡¯s store.¡±


    ¡°We need to start making more items ourselves with less xp cost, I am going to talk to Katie, and use some of the xp we have set aside for emergencies.¡±


    I then write a letter to Katie making it look quite official, and after telling the bunnies to keep up the good work, I head back to the house, and into town towards the blacksmith shop. I was told the blacksmith shop used to be a pretty humble little building, but now that they have a contract with Denova¡¯s store they no longer have a sales floor and have three forges filling the small building.


    With an older human man, Katie, and a younger human man they man the forges from dawn until dusk making items to fulfill the orders in Denova¡¯s store. I can see why Katie hasn¡¯t had much time to work on things for the dungeon like this, so I call out to her.


    ¡°Katie, sorry to bother you at work, but I have a letter for you from back home.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Back home¡­?¡± ¨CShe says with a confused expression.-


    I had Katie the letter and she reads it over. A smile quickly forms on her soot covered face. ¡°I got to take care of this real quick. Will one of you keep an eye on my forge for a bit.¡±


    Older Blacksmith: ¡°Of course miss Katie.¡±


    Katie and I then step outside of the blacksmith.


    Katie: ¡°I see what you did there, but it might have looked a bit better if the letter was in dwarven.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know dwarven.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well that makes no difference now. They seemed to buy it at least. Are you really going to summon more dwarves?¡± ¨CShe says quite excitedly.-


    ¡°I wanted to get your opinion on it. You have been so busy in town that we have to summon everything we lose in the dungeon with xp.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that, I know I promised.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you are meeting the need in town, and we can use your presence to make it seem natural for more dwarves to show up.¡±


    Katie: ¡°We claimed I was a slave, so how are you going to swing it that I have a home town now?¡±


    ¡°Well people are sold as slaves for all kinds of reasons. What have you told everyone?¡±


    Katie: ¡°Just that I was a slave for a long time till you gave me a hand, and I decided to stay here to repay that debt to you and the princess.¡±


    ¡°Well you didn¡¯t say you were born a slave so that helps. How many dwarves do you think we could summon without it being to suspicious?¡±


    Katie: ¡°We can say the ore dried up, or the tunnels collapsed, and after hearing about the ample opportunities here, they decided to migrate this way, so you could summon an entire village worth if you wanted.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about summoning that many¡­ But that is helpful. Is there anything I should focus on when summoning them to make sure they fit in alright?¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well they only thing dwarves love more than crafting is drinking. You want them to craft, so as long as you provide the alcohol I don¡¯t think there will be any objections one way or another.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you get back to work then.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Hey, if it¡¯s not too much trouble, make a few of them good looking men so I can have my pick.¡±


    ¡°I thought you and that young blacksmith had a thing going?¡±


    Katie: ¡°Evan?¡± ¨CShe laughs. - ¡°We have fooled around a bit, but we are just good friends. I couldn¡¯t possibly be in a relationship with someone whose crafting is that far behind mine¡­¡±


    ¡°Does he know that¡­?¡±


    Katie: ¡°He knows, he might get a bit jealous if I find me a man, but he will just have to get over it.¡±


    ¡°All of the dwarves I will summon will be level 1, so I think Evan¡¯s crafting skill will be better than theirs.¡±


    Katie: ¡°After they get settled in you can send them to Inari for a week or two, and they will level up and be in top form in no time.¡±


    ¡°I already have three groups training in Shima, I would hate to put Inari out any more then I already am.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Then alternate the groups. It would benefit everyone if you didn¡¯t just leave the same groups there the entire time. After we have a few more dwarves in town to help me keep an eye on the blacksmith, even I wouldn¡¯t mind heading there with Sofia and Bell, to knock in a few of those Oni¡¯s skulls. After all I have hit a bit of a dead spot with my crafting, and if I don¡¯t level up some more I will never catch up to Azami.¡±


    ¡°Well I will give it some thought, and if you want to start spreading the rumor about dwarves from the village you were born at heading this way, we can introduce the dwarves I summon in a few weeks.¡±


    Katie nods, then heads back into the blacksmith while I return home¡­ She is right though, I just wanted to pull in as much xp as I could from the groups, but if I alternate the groups of my monsters in Shima then when they travel back on the main land they will have a far easier time, and might even earn more xp then just having a few groups stay in Shima all the time.


    I am going to have the dwarves crafting armor and weapons for the dungeon, but they can¡¯t exactly all be walking in and out of our house every day, so from Katie¡¯s room in the basement I set up a tunnel, rooms for individual living quarters, and a dozen more forges for more dwarves.


    I then connect an exit to the tunnel just inside the forest, and the exit ends up being just on the other side of the houses we had built for the girls, so it should work out just fine. Now when we introduce the dwarves to the town they can then build their houses there and use that tunnel to access the forges to make items for the dungeon.


    Now that I got everything squared away I begin the task of summoning a few dwarves. I plan on summoning 10 to start off with to see how that works, so after I get some clothes ready I summon a group of 5 dwarven males.


    I just focus on wanting them to craft items for the dungeon, and the results are 5 dwarves that are every bit the clich¨¦d dwarf in appearance. I use [Menu] to equip clothes on them all to save time then ask them.


    ¡°Alright, I need to give you all names, but I am not quite sure what a typical dwarf name is, so I will leave your names up to you.¡±


    Letting them name themselves we end up with the dwarves Dwom, Varm, Duri, Arak, and Nok. Maybe their names mean something special in Dwarven, but it¡¯s the names they want so I accept them.


    I then tell the dwarves what I expect from them, which pretty much amounts to, they make equipment for the dungeon and I supply them with the materials and alcohol. I tell them they are free to do what they like with their free time once we introduce them to the town, but they seemed more interested in getting started on the forges right away.


    That worked better then I hoped, now for the females. I repeat the process for the women ending up with Elk, Nor, Gruk, Thas, and Yoli. They seem a little more interested in the town then the men, but they too quickly hit the forges.


    Maybe I focused too hard on wanting them to craft items for the dungeon. I feel like I just made a bunch of slave labor¡­ I will put Katie in charge of them, and that way I don¡¯t over work them, and she will make sure they have what they need.


    Now that we have that taken care of I guess I need to ask Logan about the training of the troops. I head to the City Hall building to ask Belinda for Logan¡¯s communication parchment, but I find Scylla and Belinda are both gone.


    Kline: ¡°I don¡¯t know where they went, Belinda seemed extremely worried about something and asked to talk to Scylla privately and then they left.¡±


    ¡°Belinda did seem to be acting a bit odd this morning. I thought it was because of being stuck in the library for several weeks.¡±


    I excuse myself from City Hall and return home. Belinda usually keeps the communication parchment to speak with Logan with her, so I send a message to Belinda.


    (I looked for you at City Hall, but Kline said you and Scylla were out, I wanted to contact Logan about what he wants to do with the next few rooms, for training the troops.)


    Belinda: (I¡¯m sorry. I had something important to talk about with Scylla. I will send Logan a message real quick and let him know you are on your way.)


    I could have just asked him with the parchment¡­ I guess the capital is only a simple [Gate] away, so if Logan can¡¯t see me today it won¡¯t be that big of a deal, so I head to the capital. When I reach the capital, I have to wait a bit but Logan finally arrives.


    Logan: ¡°This is quite a surprise, what is so important?¡±


    ¡°Nothing honestly, but Belinda has been acting a bit weird today. I just wanted to ask you about how you wanted to fill out the next few rooms for training the troops, but when I talked to Belinda she said she would send you a message, and here I am¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°The way she left the message I was quite worried as well.¡±


    ¡°Well we have had our nose stuffed in books for the last few weeks, so maybe that has something to do with it. Anyway, it seems the troops have started to get a bit bored with the monsters in the training area now, so I wanted to see what you wanted to do going forward.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You said the next floor was a single room the same size of the last, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and the floor after that has two more rooms the same size.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well they have managed to gain a bit of small combat experience, let¡¯s throw a large battle scenario at them. Can you put a small empty staging area in the room, and then fill it the larger section with all four groups of monsters?¡±


    ¡°That would mean all four groups would probably have to gather to take them out.¡±


    Logan: ¡°is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°Well 10 member groups already reduce the amount of xp they acquire, but 40¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well gathering levels isn¡¯t the only important part, they need to gain battle experience as well.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I just wanted to make sure you understood that¡­ What about the rooms after that? We should have enough xp to do at least one of the rooms on the next floor as well.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I guess do it like the other three, but scale up the difficulty a bit. They would still be humanoid right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can just make them a higher evolution of the goblins. Do you still want to use the wolves?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Can you make stronger wolves as well?  If they were a bit larger maybe the goblins could mount them, and we could have the groups see what it is like to face off again cavalry units.¡±


    ¡°I have never had a monster try to ride another one before, so I don¡¯t know if they could. Besides if we split the room into quarters again, there wouldn¡¯t be much room for mounted combat.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I guess you are right, but let¡¯s keep the wolves in for now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will get it taken care of. No offense, but you seem as distracted as Belinda was today.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Sorry, Queen came to pay me a visit, and after receiving the message from Belinda I thought it was an emergency so I kind of left Queen in the middle of lunch.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I will send a message to Queen and tell her it was my fault. I think I got what I need, so I won¡¯t hold you up anymore.¡±


    Logan: ¡°You are doing this for the kingdom, so I am sorry about being distracted¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I using the communication parchment would have been enough, I guess I need to find out what is bothering Belinda.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well it looks like you have your work cut out for you more than I do.¡±


    I confirm everything with Logan one more time before we part ways. I send a message to Queen apologizing for interrupting them, and then return to the dungeon core room to set the rooms up like I discussed with Logan.


    Even after I am done I still haven¡¯t heard from Belinda, so I decide I should sit down with her to find out what is going on. I look through several of the screen trying to find her, but even after going though quite a few I still can¡¯t find her or Scylla anywhere, as a matter of fact I can¡¯t find Roxy or Zoey either.


    (Belinda, is everything alright¡­?)


    Belinda: (I am sorry. I just need someone to talk to, and I will tell you about it when I get home.)


    I guess they could have gone to Inari¡¯s to talk, but she usually doesn¡¯t take Scylla with her when she goes, much less Roxy or Zoey. I wait for a while but they still haven¡¯t returned. I am starting to get rather worried, but when I send Belinda a message she is quick to answer back reassuring me that is alright, and I should just go ahead and go to bed.

 Belindas Secret

    I went to bed last night and everything was different. Two-Twelve and I had just finished, after spending the last few weeks trying to determine just who these people who claim to be the old gods really are. We were not able to find out much information, but Two-Twelve has always managed so far, so I am not too worried about it.


    I have been the boss monster to Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon for a few years and other then finding a man I love more than anything else in this world, there are other advantages to being a dungeon boss. I no longer age, which is a great bonus, but I don¡¯t have to worry about growing hungry, or getting hot or cold, unless the temperature is quite extreme.


    There are also minor bonuses as well, as a woman there are some things that can¡¯t be avoided, but being a boss monster to a dungeon it has been so negligible there are months I didn¡¯t even notice it. That¡¯s why when I missed it this time I never gave it another thought.


    This morning however for the second day in a row I was quite queasy. Yesterday we were still messing with all of those old books, and who knows how long it has been since some of them have been opened. Even if they did contain something that would make you sick as a dungeon monster it would be over very quickly.


    That¡¯s why after a few hours when I felt fine I put the thought out of my head, but this morning when I got up I had to rush to the bathroom, and I actually threw up. Now the thought running though my head is impossible, but if I didn¡¯t know any better I would think I was pregnant.


    I know that is impossible however. Not that anything prevents me from becoming pregnant, but it is Two-Twelve that is the one that is incapable. We have talked about it in great detail in the past, and although I always wanted children I knew from the moment I chose him it just would never be.


    I remember one time getting so angry with him, because he once made the suggestion in summoning a monster for me to get me pregnant. Of course that was before he lost his memory, and he didn¡¯t understand why that wasn¡¯t acceptable since he couldn¡¯t have children himself.


    We finally came to an agreement that when we were ready I would just summon a child and treat it as our own, I mean there are those out there that adopt and live perfectly happy lives, so this, in a sense would have at least been part of us because we summoned it.


    I don¡¯t know how it happened, but when Inari was first born in the dungeon and she called me Mommy I kind of lost it for a little bit. Two-Twelve got quite angry with me and even after Inari finished her training I thought that might be the closest to a child Two-Twelve and I would have.


    Inari does think of us as her parents, and Dawn and Twilight seem to be warming up to it as well, but even I know Maeve is just going through the motions. I guess she is like that defiant daughter, so even if she doesn¡¯t think of us as her parents I still think of her as a daughter.


    I think when Scylla gave birth to her daughter though is when it really hit me the hardest. I love Two-Twelve and all the girls, but just giving birth to another being from your own body, which was something I would never get to experience.


    That is why even after even throwing up this morning no matter how much I wished it to be true I knew that couldn¡¯t possibly be the explanation. If I did manage to get sick from one of the books at the Merretta library, and it was bad enough that even being a dungeon monster didn¡¯t make it go away. I should check to see what it is, so I can warn the library about it.


    After cleaning myself up I open [Menu] and after opening my abilities screen, staring right at me is a word under status that leaves me breathless [Pregnant]. I want to start jumping up and down and screaming, but how can this really be possible?!


    This has to be some kind of cruel trick or mistake. I then quickly think back about the time when I asked Thirty-seven if Two-Twelve could have children, and remember her saying that she had never heard of it before. She didn¡¯t say it was impossible, but that she never heard of it before.


    My heart starts to race, but then I realize all the other times when we have talked about it with the girls and such they all said it was impossible as well. My brain is trying to wrap around what it is I am seeing, and trying to make sense of something I know is impossible.


    I try to calm myself down to think about this logically¡­ Now it is impossible for Two-Twelve to have children, so there is no way I can possibly be pregnant right? I mean Two-Twelve always has been a unique dungeon core, so maybe that is why?


    Then why would it have taken so long, because it isn¡¯t like it was something we were trying to avoid, so surely if he was capable it would have happened long before now. I guess there is always the possibility of magic, but that is just horrifying to think about, and why would someone do something like that to us?


    I think the biggest question, if this really is real, then what am I going to tell Two-Twelve? He knows it¡¯s impossible as well, so if I just tell him I am pregnant what would his reaction be? I would never cheat on him, but I have no way to defend myself to the contrary, especially if I really am pregnant.


    The only thing I can think of is talking to Scylla, she was born from the dungeon so she knows as much about it as anyone, and she has had a baby as well. There is also the fact she is no longer bound to the dungeon, so she can¡¯t be compelled to tell Two-Twelve about it.


    I quickly use [Menu] to get dressed and try to sneak out of the room to talk to her, but Two-Twelve looks at me from the bed with a concerned expression and says. ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    I panic and say the first thing that comes to mind. ¡°Yes¡­ We have just been busy for the last few weeks, so I wanted to make sure everything is still running smoothly.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°You¡¯re probably right, I should check on the bunnies, and see how the training of the troops is coming along. Not to mention check to see how much progress Azami has made.¡±


    I hate lying to Two-Twelve, but what can I possibly say? So I just try to get out of there as quickly as possible. ¡°Alright¡­ I will see you later then.¡±


    As soon as I am out of the bedroom I don¡¯t stop till I reach City Hall. It is still quite early so I catch Scylla just as she, Kline, and the baby arrive.


    Scylla: ¡°You¡¯re out awfully early this morning.¡±


    ¡°Kline, do you think I could borrow your wife? There is something I really would like to discuss with her in private.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Of course, I couldn¡¯t refuse you even if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean Kline.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I¡¯m sure we can manage, is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just girl stuff.¡±


    Kline then takes Listel from Scylla. ¡°Don¡¯t worry we got this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Kline.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Don¡¯t forget, I just fed her before we left, but if she starts fussing give her some of the mashed up fruit I made up for her.¡±


    Kline gives Scylla a brief kiss, and then enters City Hall while Scylla looks at me with a confused expression. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Two-Twelve said he was going to go to the dungeon core room so I can¡¯t be too careful¡­ ¡°Shhh, not here.¡±


    This only seems to cause more confusion in Scylla. I then quickly cast [Gate] and Scylla arrive at the capital.


    Scylla: ¡°What are we doing here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just didn¡¯t know where else to go.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You¡¯re starting to worry me¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant¡­¡±


    Scylla seems to have the same whirlwind of emotions I had when I first read the words on my status screen. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Are you sure it is impossible for Two-Twelve to have children?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Master has always been quite different than other dungeon cores, but don¡¯t you think if it was possible, it would have already happened by now?¡±


    ¡°I said the same thing¡­ But I don¡¯t know how else to explain it!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You haven¡¯t¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! I would never!


    Scylla: ¡°Are you sure you are pregnant?¡±


    ¡°It shows in my status and everything in [Menu].¡±


    Scylla looks around. ¡°Let¡¯s find somewhere we can sit and talk about this¡­¡±


    After I agree we find a small outdoor caf¨¦ that has little foot traffic this time of day and sit far away from everyone.


    Scylla: ¡°If we rule out the traditional way, then what else is there?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was thinking with magic anything is possible, but why would someone do this?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well you have wanted a child, so it isn¡¯t like it was necessarily done to hurt you. What of the old gods, a god surely would be capable of something like this, right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°When we talked to the beastkin they did say something about a reward, and that it would have to wait, but I want Two-Twelve¡¯s child! Not something like this! Will it even be human?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°By what you told me that god didn¡¯t seem the type for something like this, what about the other one?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She did tell Two-Twelve that he would wake up one morning and the answer to helping them would just come to him. You don¡¯t think this is what she meant do you?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°What do I do¡­?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe we should bring the others in on this.¡±


    ¡°What if they tell Two-Twelve?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well you are going to have to tell him something, and it has been so long since I traveled with you all, I am sure they would be far more insight then I do.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about adventuring though.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I haven¡¯t had near the contact with Master since his return as the rest of you, and so much has happened since then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to bring the others into this, because it not only puts me in a bad way, but it puts them in one as well. With them being bound to Two-Twelve I don¡¯t want them to have to lie to Two-Twelve.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Then all I can say is talk to Two-Twelve about it¡­ Maybe he might have some idea how this happened.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I am sure he would have an idea, but I want to have something I can take to him as a possible other explanation¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°If you can¡¯t go to Two-Twelve, then the only ones I can see able to help us are the others.¡±


    I sigh, and after finally agreeing I leave Scylla at the caf¨¦ and quickly [Gate] back to Tobes. I knock on Roxy and Zoey¡¯s door.


    Roxy: ¡°Miss Belinda, what¡¯s the matter? You seem troubled.¡±


    ¡°I want to ask you to do something that as a boss monster of Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon that may be quite hard. I want you to keep a secret from him.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh! I want to know a secret to be kept from Boss!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t know what is going on, but I can see this is important¡­ I promise.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You can¡¯t tell Roxy without telling me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have bothered you two¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°No, Belinda wait!¡± ¨CRoxy whispers in one of Zoey¡¯s ears which cause them to perk up quite a bit.-


    Zoey: ¡°I promise Belinda under punishment of death to keep your secret!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to put you two in a bad way with Two-Twelve, but I don¡¯t know who else to talk to.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°If it is something that Two-Twelve uses an ultimate command on us we would be unable to keep it from him, but I promise as long as it doesn¡¯t come to that he won¡¯t hear it from Zoey or I.¡±


    ¡°Well alright, but not here. Scylla is waiting for us.¡± ¨CI then use [Gate] to return to Scylla at the capital with Roxy and Zoey.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so secretive with you all, but I just don¡¯t know what else to do.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I promise if it is something we can help you do we will.¡±


    ¡°I found out this morning that I am pregnant¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Isn¡¯t that great news?!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh! Belinda cheated on boss!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey!¡±


    ¡°No, I promise, I wouldn¡¯t do that to Two-Twelve, but she is right. Two-Twelve is not capable of having children, so anyone would think that.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Well this is not only good news for you, but good news for us to right?!¡±


    ¡°How do you figure?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°If it is possible for Two-Twelve to wear the ring and get you pregnant, then that means maybe Zoey and I could have children as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I never thought of the ring¡­! But I don¡¯t think he has ever worn the ring to bed before.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°If you say you didn¡¯t cheat on Two-Twelve I believe you, but I don¡¯t see how else it would be possible. It only takes once, so are you sure he didn¡¯t forget one night and just leave the ring on without thinking about it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ But it is by far better than anything I can come up with.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Well what did you think had happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Divine intervention?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Divine¡­ I know you meant the old gods, but there is the missing divine being that Two-Twelve summoned right? If you think about it, doesn¡¯t that line up when you would have had to have gotten pregnant?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s just as bad as the old gods doing something! You are saying I could be pregnant with a monster?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I resent that!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You and Two-Twelve are both divine beings, [Menu] didn¡¯t let Two-Twelve select any options when summoning a divine being, and as for the unknown requirement, I am sure you can guess¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But he set [Menu] to warn him weeks ago, if what you are saying was true wouldn¡¯t it have warned him the very next time we had sex?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I don¡¯t know if I agree with Roxy¡¯s reasoning, but it takes more than just that to have a baby¡­ If that was the case I would have had several babies by now. ¨CShe says her ears glowing a shade of pink.-


    Zoey: ¡°Several¡­ You and Kline have been married how long now¡­?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Not everyone is like you Zoey!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I see what you are saying, but that seems like a lot of what-ifs.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°After reading that book that Lilah bought in the dungeon, by what she told me it wouldn¡¯t be the most difficult set of instructions for the summoning certain types of monster.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°If you take out the fact it is the dungeon core himself, and one of his boss monsters, it isn¡¯t even an uncommon summoning requirement.  I have never heard of it in monsters that carry their young, but I have heard of similar requirements for monsters that lay eggs.¡±


    ¡°I think the ring thing make far more sense. I don¡¯t remember him ever keeping the ring on, but maybe he forgot to take it off when we got home one time.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well you wanted options and there are two. They only other thing I could think of would be to talk to an elder, or another dungeon core, but if you really are having Two-Twelve¡¯s baby. That might not be something you want anyone else to know about.¡±


    ¡°Having the opinion of another dungeon core would be quite helpful. What about Inari?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I know you trust Inari, but I think the next person you tell should be Two-Twelve. This does concern him as well, and you shouldn¡¯t tell another dungeon core before your own.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I may be a bit of an outsider, because I wasn¡¯t born in the dungeon, but I have seen the way Inari looks at Two-Twelve and you. I don¡¯t think she would do anything to ever hurt either of you, but what Scylla says makes a lot of sense. Not even considering the dungeon part, but just as a man, the longer you don¡¯t tell Two-Twelve about it, the more it¡¯s going to look like you are guilty of something.¡±


    ¡°Even though I didn¡¯t do anything, that doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t the possibility I am carrying a child that isn¡¯t his, so I am not sure I am prepared to tell him that¡­ Will you all go with me to Inari¡¯s?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I won¡¯t do anything to hurt Two-Twelve. I know what you are doing is to try to prevent that, but talking to another dungeon core instead of him, you are walking on a fine line, and if it gets to the point where I think otherwise I will tell him myself.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    Roxy and Zoey agree to go as well, so after sending a message to Inari asking if it would be ok to pay her a visit, I use [Gate] to take us to Inari¡¯s dungeon, and Inari gives everyone a hug.


    Inari:  ¡°Not only Aunt Zoey, and Aunt Roxy, but Aunt Scylla too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we were having a bit of a girl talk, and I wanted to get your opinion on it as a dungeon core.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Is Daddy doing something bone-headed again?¡±


    ¡°Actually it isn¡¯t him this time but me¡­ Can I trust you to keep this just between us no matter what?¡±


    Inari: ¡°It doesn¡¯t involve any secrets about Daddy¡¯s dungeon that me might not want known does it?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°There is a possibly that it might be the case.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am sorry Mommy, I would do anything for you and Daddy, but also means I won¡¯t do something like that to Daddy either. I can see this is really bothering you though, so I don¡¯t mind just being here for you, but I don¡¯t want you to say anything that Daddy might not want me to know.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Don¡¯t thank me¡­ It looks like that isn¡¯t want Mommy wanted to hear.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­ I just¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy loves you and there isn¡¯t anything thing he wouldn¡¯t do for you, so I don¡¯t know what could be making you this upset, but have a little faith in Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Can I just stay here for a while, till I can bring myself to do what I need to?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Of course!¡±


    The girls and I continue to visit with Inari for a few hours, and I almost start to feel a bit of the burden has been lifted, but then Two-Twelve sends me a message about speaking to Logan. I really thought I would be more excited about having a baby, but there are just so many questions I can¡¯t seem to think of it as a happy occasion as I thought it would be.


    Scylla has her own baby to take care of so I eventually send her, Roxy, and Zoey back home, but I stay with Inari for a while longer.


    Inari: ¡°Was that Daddy? By the way you have been talking, he doesn¡¯t have a clue what is going on, so you sure he is ok?¡± ¨CShe says when I send a message to Two-Twelve after he asks if everything is alright.-


    ¡°For now, but once I tell him that¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Mommy¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m just scared!¡±


    I don¡¯t know what else to do but cry. Inari looks confused but she just hugs me without saying a word letting my cry on her shoulder. I don¡¯t know when I feel asleep, but I must have at some point because when I wake up my head is resting on a pillow on the floor of a room in Inari¡¯s house.


    Inari: ¡°You¡¯re finally awake? Are you feeling any better?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Excuse me!¡± ¨CI quickly run to the bathroom.-


    Inari knocks on the bathroom door asking me if I am alright. When I answer the door she has a concerned look of her face.


    Inari: ¡°Are you sure you are ok? I should message Daddy.¡±


    ¡°No, please¡­ I will be fine in a little bit.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But as Daddy¡¯s boss monster you shouldn¡¯t get sick.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯m not sick¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°But I heard you¡­ Wait then¡­?¡± ¨CThe confused face on Inari then quickly changes to one of shock.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to tell him¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°But I thought¡­ How could you do that to Daddy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t tell him! I didn¡¯t do anything! Everyone just assumes it was me, but I am not the one that broke our wedding vows! Nobody cares what it did to me after he was with another woman, but the moment they think I cheated on him they act like this!¡± ¨CI say forcefully with tears in my eyes.-


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ But then how¡­?¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to know?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I know Daddy is different, but if it was as simple as all that you wouldn¡¯t be acting this way¡­¡±


    ¡°We just don¡¯t know¡­ With the old gods poking around in Two-Twelve¡¯s business, the rings like the one he gave you changing the rules for dungeon cores, or related to his dungeon, we just don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t even be certain that it is a normal baby!¡±


    Inari: ¡°You have to tell Daddy!¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?! Everyone keeps telling me that, and of course I have to tell him, but how do you tell the love of your life that you are pregnant from who knows what from who knows where?¡±


    Inari: ¡°If you didn¡¯t do anything Daddy won¡¯t hold you responsible, just like you can¡¯t hold him responsible what happened after his memories are gone.¡±


    ¡°If I could believe that I wouldn¡¯t have a problem, but I do hold him responsible for what happened! I know his memories were gone, but I still can¡¯t help how I feel¡­ Is love really as flimsy as a couple of memories? I can¡¯t help to feel if he truly loved me, even without his memories he would still love me¡­ Yet he wasn¡¯t even gone a few months and he just moved on¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I thought you and Daddy worked through all that already, and was happy again.¡±


    ¡°I thought so too, but when everyone kept accusing me of breaking my vows with Two-Twelve everything just came back¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I have seen the way Daddy looks at you, and even after his memories of you were taken from him he still found you, and fell in love with you all over again, doesn¡¯t that count for something?¡±


    ¡°I understand, believe me. I do¡­ But there is just that feeling deep down that every time it comes to the surface I have to feel that pain again¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Then tell Daddy, about the baby, and about everything. If you don¡¯t tell him, then he can¡¯t help you work through it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Inari gives me a big hug, but then I have to rush back into the bathroom. This time when I come back out she is smiling.


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mommy, but I sent Daddy a message and told him you have something really important to talk about. It may be hard, but I know Daddy can handle it, he puts up with all of us after all, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°I guess I put it off long enough¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mommy, even if the baby comes out green and furry, I don¡¯t think Daddy would love you any less.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not helping¡­ But thanks for putting up with me.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Of course Mommy.¡±


    I give Inari one last hug and then use [Gate] to return home. I find Azami and Kaelmathis in the living room, but I don¡¯t find Two-Twelve till I enter our bedroom. He is sitting on a small bench at the foot of the bed pulling on his boots.


    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep in Shima, so it¡¯s still quite early, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Are you alright? You had me a little worried by the way you were acting yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I love you, you know that right.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I would hope so¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I love you too.¡±


    I quickly make my way across the room lightly hitting his shoulders as I say. ¡°Then why did you do that with Listel?!¡±


    Two-Twelve quickly wraps his arms around me confused as I start to cry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Kline said it was ok, I didn¡¯t really think it was something you would get upset about though¡­¡±


    ¡°Not Scylla¡¯s Listel, why did you break your vows to me with Laura¡¯s Listel?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°Why did you cheat on me!?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°You know what happened, it¡¯s not like it was something I had planned on doing.¡±


    ¡°If you really loved me it shouldn¡¯t have happened!¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Where is this coming from? I can¡¯t help I lost my memories, and no matter how much I love you it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I didn¡¯t remember it.¡±


    ¡°It also doesn¡¯t change the fact it hurt me!¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to say except I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°I know this doesn¡¯t make any sense¡­ I just can¡¯t help that it still hurts.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°No, I made light of what happened¡­ I didn¡¯t understand when I first returned, and by the time we worked though it I even joked about it, but I never stopped to think just how hard it must have to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Even after all that you know I still love you right?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I know I am not exactly the same as I was before, but even when I didn¡¯t remember anything when you held me or I could smell your scent in the bed, or when I saw you I just knew it would be alright in the end. I know that doesn¡¯t make up for what I did without my memories, but that feeling was what brought me back, so no matter what pit of darkness I wind up in, I know that I will love you no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Then there is something I need to tell you¡­¡± ¨CI say pulling my face from his shoulder and meeting his eyes with my own.- ¡°I¡¯m pregnant.¡±


    The emotions the wash over his face are many, and although I can tell he had to think the same thing as everyone else, he never voices it.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. When Scylla had her baby it was so hard on you, I am glad you will finally get to experience that as well.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not sure I can, because I don¡¯t know how it happened. I know after what I said it must of sounded like an excuse for making up for something I did, but it wasn¡¯t I promise. I just wanted you to know that hurt me so much, and I would never bring that hurt to you.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain it. That ring you use to gain xp, have you ever worn it to bed?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I never thought of that, but no I always take it off with the rest of my equipment.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t the ring, then maybe it is something the old gods did? The one woman that gave us the warning spoke of your children, but when she spoke of Inari, she said the dungeon core you trained. She also said the answer to the problem was something you might wake up one morning with the answer to. Maybe this was what she was talking about.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°If that is true, how can we even be sure what it is?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but that wasn¡¯t the only other conclusion we came to either. Roxy thinks it might be the Divine Being that you tried to summon.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°That would explain, what happened to the xp, but do you think that is really possible?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I was hoping it was the ring that caused it. I don¡¯t know what to do if it is some kind of monster or something the old gods placed in me¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°What do we do now¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Do we just let it grow in you then?¡±


    ¡°Do we have a choice?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°What if it puts you in danger?¡±


    ¡°There are spells that can be used to remove it, at least for a normal pregnancy, but if somehow it really is our child¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Then you want to wait?¡±


    ¡°I do¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Then that¡¯s what we will do.¡±


    Two-Twelve then kisses me.


    ¡°Two-Twelve¡­?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I love you¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I love you too.¡±

 Two-Twelves Juggling Act

    It¡¯s been a few days since Belinda¡¯s surprise announcement, and I still have to say I am not sure how to react to it. With the circumstances surrounding it, I find it hard to understand how I should be feeling about it.


    I have been a bit worried about her condition when she wakes up in the morning, but she assures me that is normal for everyone. Just to make sure she is safe, I have been sticking pretty closely to her, while working with the runic spells.


    Once I started to supplant the gems for magic stones things really seemed to progress quite nicely. I can now make magic stones that can use spells without casting [Runic Activation] the magic stones seem to need to be one grade higher than the spell, but I figure that is due to having to add the rune for [Runic Activation] they also don¡¯t last near as long.


    The gems I made that I used the [Runic Activation] spell on are still shining brightly in the dungeon core room, but magic stones are depleted within hours, they can however be recharged by focusing your magic back into the stone.


    The only advantage of using the runes instead of just storing the spell in the stone manually is that you don¡¯t have to know the spell that is stored in the stone to recharge it and use it again. Even non-magic classes have some mp, so even they could use simple stones over and over again.


    Making stones with healing spells stored in them will really change the game for mages that use shadow magic, or parties that don¡¯t have a mage. Even using a magic stone to store a simple [Clean] spell will change everything.


    Belinda wants to replace the lamps and candles in the house with magic stones with [Light] in them, but I am hesitant for humans to find out about this just yet, and even though it isn¡¯t common we do have the occasional visitor in the house.


    As for our newest dungeon occupants, the dwarves, I am not sure putting Katie in charge of them was such a good idea. We have gone through three times the amount of alcohol then I anticipated, but even at level one they can make several items from steel each day or even items from dwarven steel every two days.


    Dwarven steel is not quite as good as normal dwarven metal, but if I level them up like Katie suggested, it might not be long  before we no longer worry about the adventurers stealing equipment from the dungeon.


    I am a little worried about them working themselves to hard, but when I have checked on them they don¡¯t look like they could possibly be any happier, although they could just be drunk¡­ We haven¡¯t introduced them into Tobes yet, but there are rumors circulating in town about dwarves on their way to Tobes from far away.


    Maybe once Azami learns how to craft mythril items I will summon a large group of elves to do the same thing. Although dwarves seem to live to drink and craft, were only small amounts of elves are crafters. Speaking of Azami, she seems rather discouraged. She hasn¡¯t made much progress even though Kaelmathis keeps ensuring her that things are going faster than predicted.


    Moss doesn¡¯t seem too happy with Azami spending all of her time at the house, I tried to speak to him one day about it, but he told me something in elven that I am sure was not very friendly. Maybe I should summon a few more elves just so Azami and Moss aren¡¯t alone in the woods.


    The soldiers really had a hard time with the new room. They were not ready for the large scale combat, and even lost a soldier. It wasn¡¯t one of the ones I summoned, but it was a hard message to have to send to Logan.


    He did seem quite upset about it, but it didn¡¯t seem to be at the dungeon. Doug and the commander of the troops seemed to have rather sullen expressions afterwards, so I think Logan chewed them out.


    A small garrison has been commissioned to be built in Tobes now that can hold as many as 500 troops, it is at the far end of the town heading out of the forest, so I had to quickly expand my secondary dungeon by quite a bit to cover the area it will be on, but it also gives it plenty of room for expansion.


    No more troops have left from the capital yet, but if the soldiers we currently have keep progressing like they are Logan plans to send another batch of recruits by the end of the month.


    The soldiers were not here because of the mage¡¯s guild, but the mages have still been pretty nervous about their presence, but no issues have arisen. The worst thing that has come about is mages swarming Sigrun to maybe gain insight on flight¡­


    The Mage¡¯s Guild is still trying to find a way to get to Maeve¡¯s dungeon, and although she asked me to help them, I have been caught up with the situation with Belinda, and haven¡¯t even giving it any thought. That is until one morning I receive a message from Maeve.


    Maeve: (Papa! I got your monsters ready for you! Do you have my elves ready for me?!)


    (You have summoned them already?)


    Maeve: (I know it took me a bit longer then I said, but the wind was quite a pain, and I had trouble getting to a spot in Shima, where my dungeon wouldn¡¯t leave me behind.)


    (I haven¡¯t summoned the elves yet, because I don¡¯t know what you want for specifications.)


    Maeve: (Just make it random, maybe half male and half female, but other than that it doesn¡¯t matter, because I still expect to be able to summon them myself very soon.)


    (Alright, give me some time to summon them and I will bring them to you.)


    ¡°Belinda¡­ Maeve is ready to complete our trade, would you like to go, or do you want to stay here with Scylla?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I would like to go, and can we tell her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I am still not sure how I feel about Inari knowing, but Maeve is even a bit more¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    Belinda and I then return to the house, I inform the bunnies of what I am going to do, and start going through the process of summoning a dozen elves. I know I talked about summoning a group for Tobes, but summoning these for Maeve makes me want to all the more.


    Belinda goes around equipping clothes on the elves after I summon them, and gives them names. Even though we do it in a bit of a rush, I think they all turned out rather well. I then find Maeve¡¯s location with my [Archjusticar Menu] and we use [Gate] to reach her dungeon.


    Maeve: ¡°I am sorry Papa, I had to summon several tiers of several monsters to have enough to make it an equal trade, it might save you from having to spend the xp to learn to summon them all while still skipping the lower evolutions of them if you want.¡± ¨CShe says while surrounded in monsters.-


    All my elemental creatures are pretty much down a single evolutionary line, so to see all these wind monsters is quite the sight.


    There are several different sizes of plain wind elementals, several different kinds of low tier monstrous birds, a pair of normal looking goblins with the addition of wings growing from their backs, a few animals that normally don¡¯t have wings that have wings growing from their backs like a dog, a large cat, and even a small monkey.


    Not all wind creatures can fly of course, so there are there a few little creatures that look to be a cross between a dwarf and an elf. Elves and dwarves are already pretty short so these things barely come up to Maeve¡¯s waist.


    Even though there are quite a few creatures their evolution tiers must all be pretty low, so although I am fine trading the elves just to get the ability to summon these creatures, but Maeve seems to be getting quite the deal¡­


    ¡°I thought you said you said you would have enough monsters to trade me to equal the amount of the cost of the elves.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I have the xp, I really do! But you are right. I can summon more of what I got to make up the difference, but with Papa¡¯s dungeon like it is, you don¡¯t have to breed them, so you only need one of each, so I thought I would leave it up for you to decide.¡±


    ¡°Just being able to summon all these new types of monsters would be quite helpful, but you should have told me before hand.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I just really needed at least 12 elves to get started, and I was afraid you would say no if I didn¡¯t have enough monsters to cover their cost.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maeve¡­¡±


    ¡°I will make a deal with you then. I will take what you got, and give you the elves, and you can owe me.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°That would be fine!¡±


    ¡°And just to make sure, we will bind it with contract.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t take your daughter¡¯s word for it¡­?¡±


    ¡°If you would have told me beforehand I might of.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Even when I unlock more monsters they will be mostly higher tiers of these here, so it may take me a long time to unlock something completely new.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we are family and keep in touch then.¡±


    Maeve has a nervous chuckle. ¡°Alright Papa¡­ I will sign.¡±


    After I make the contract and Maeve gives me a bit of a strange look when she reads that I put a stipulation in the way in which she treats the sentient elves. She doesn¡¯t say anything however and still signs the contract.


    Maeve: ¡°Alright, I am you new master. I plan on treating you quite well, but there is still going to be some hard work to do. As you can see we are still too small to have our own forest up here, so we will have to make due for now. I ask you to stay out of the underground for now, but anywhere else you can go freely.¡±


    The trees on Maeve¡¯s dungeon are quite small, few, and far in-between, but the elves seem to collectively each try to pick out their own trees. I don¡¯t know what they will be able to do with a single small tree like that, but they each seem quite proud of their selections.


    We visit with Maeve for a while before returning home, but it seems having to sign the contract seemed to rub her the wrong way.  She doesn¡¯t outright say anything, but it seems she is a bit more distant then she was in the past.


    The contract wasn¡¯t really worth loosing what we had with Maeve, so I hope she doesn¡¯t hold it against us for too long. Once we make it home I receive a message about the newly available monsters.


    The wind elementals seem to be all the tiers right up to the one that costs the amount of one of the sentient elves. The two winged goblins seem to equal the tier of a Hobgoblin Hero, and a Hobgoblin Magi but their wings make their cost double, leaving roughly the cost of another sentient elf.


    Most of the other creatures are pretty negligible leading up to maybe the cost of a third elf. The elf/dwarf miniature creatures turn out to be a type of gnome. I know they are one of the intelligent demi-human races that have dealt with humans in some places, so even though these ones are quite cheap they should eventually unlock a sentient variety. Even if their cost is low I still value them at least as much as a fourth elf.


    That still means Maeve shorted me for 8 elves. I keep telling myself these are new creatures so it is worth it, and we do have the contract, but it still leave a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. She was willing to summon multiple monsters to make up the difference in xp, but still.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Belinda: ¡°How bad is it¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well I think we made her mad with the contract, but after what she did I think I am glad I did make it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I thought we raised her better than that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, that is the disadvantage of our children being grown when they are born, we only get a month¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe we can do it the right way with this one.¡± ¨CShe says rubbing her stomach.-


    It pains me a bit to see her talk about the baby that way already, if something is off with it I am afraid what it is going to do to her. ¡°Yea, maybe¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t make that look, I know¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I promise I am not getting too attached yet, it is just a coping strategy.¡±


    ¡°I was going to fill in the bunnies on what we got, and check to see how things are going. Do you want to come with me, or you going to head back to Scylla?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t visit with the girls enough, so why not.¡±


    After storing the monsters in the crystal I transfer Belinda and myself to the dungeon core room. Lilah comes running up with one of the gems I was testing out with a sad look on her face.


    Lilah: ¡°Master it died¡­¡±


    ¡°It has been quite a while, so for the mp I put into the gem that was quite a long time.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Can Master fix it? Lilah was calling him Lilaight¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Him¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well surely I can use [Runic Activation] and it would work for the same length of time.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Please Master fix him!¡±


    I cast the spell and the gem lights up, Lilah looks thrilled as she hugs the gem and returns to the chairs with the others.


    Belinda: ¡°I think they have been spending far too much time in the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Every time we summon another one, the dungeon just gets busier¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What if we get ahead of it then and summon two this time?¡±


    Four pairs of eyes quickly snap to Belinda from the chairs on the other side of the room and each of them sparkling.


    ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°We still need Laila, Layla, Laylah, Leelah, Lyla, Lailah, and Leilah!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of bunnies¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Your names are close enough as it is, how are we going to keep you apart once they start to be pronounced the same as well?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Even when Master goofs we always know which one he is talking to!¡±


    ¡°What if we at least change it up a bit with Lele and Lala?¡±


    Bunnies in unison: OK!~


    Just like that our bunny headcount increased to a total of 6 and that doesn¡¯t even include the full grown Delilah at the capital. The two new bunnies look identical, but that isn¡¯t saying much when it comes to the bunnies, except for one having more fur then the other as one is a normal beastkin and the other is a feral.


    ¡°So which is which?¡±


    The feral beastkin says. ¡°I¡¯m Lele, Master!¡±


    The normal beastkin says. ¡°I¡¯m Lala, Master!¡±


    And then both together. ¡°And we are the twins!¡±


    ¡°Alright, while you two get situated, what is going on in the dungeon?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We no longer have to summon a single steel weapon or armor set anymore, the amount of adventurers taking them went down quite a bit, but with the new dwarves pushing out so many new items, we are starting to have an abundance.¡±


    ¡°I tell Katie to have them spend more time to make the dwarven steel items then until we level them up.


    Lila: ¡°The elemental rooms are progressing. We have obtained enough xp to increase the each wing by one room. We moved the boss monsters to the next room while adding rifts of the newest tier of elemental based monsters to the old boss rooms.¡±


    ¡°I just finished my trade with Maeve, so there are a few new wind type monsters unlocked. They are all pretty low evolutions, and I hate to do it to a single element only, but start mixing some in to the wind rooms until we get higher tiers of them unlocked. If any of them start dropping items that the adventurers take a liking to, we might add that particular creature in with rifts.¡±


    Bunnies: ¡°OK!~¡±


    ¡°What about the soldiers?¡±


    Leila: ¡°After they lost the one soldier in the large room they have been acting far more cautious. They are now tackling the large room every day, but they haven¡¯t progressed into the higher tier monsters of the next two rooms.¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t step it up, then when the new soldiers arrive at the end of the month things might get a bit backed up¡­ What about the main wing of the dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°There are groups reaching the clock room twice a week now, but Lilah has finished with rifts on that floor so she is now saving for the next floor.¡±


    ¡°Keep up the good work girls, and with Lele and Lala, we expect to see you all to take turns taking some breaks from the dungeon, you hear me?¡±


    The Bunnies: ¡°OK!~¡±


    Before Belinda and I head back to the house I check to see how Lele, and Lala set up their spaces. Even though there is enough room for each to have their own it seems they decided to share a space and everything they have is in a mirror image to the other side of their space¡­


    After returning to the house I collapse into one of the chairs and say. ¡°You sure two more was a good idea?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are summoning new monsters all the time now, and we really do count on the girls up in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right, it¡¯s just the bunnies feel more personal than the others like the dwarves. I mean I don¡¯t even interact with them every day, and I can¡¯t even recall half of their names¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well you don¡¯t expect Father to know everyone in the kingdom do you?¡±


    ¡°Well that is quite a bit different, and he didn¡¯t personally bring every citizen of Gowen into existence¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thank goodness for that, I have enough siblings¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you could use a few more like Doug and Logan.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know 3 out of 7 isn¡¯t exactly a good record.¡±


    ¡°Well your dad doesn¡¯t seem that old, maybe he has one or two more good ones left in him.¡±


    Belinda laughs: ¡°Fat chance of that happening after mother went on her power trip in Duscae, and no matter how bad things are with mother, father is to loyal and proud to find a mistress that would actually care about him.¡±


    ¡°It seems being a king would be very lonely¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about dungeon cores? Aren¡¯t there far more dungeon cores that never leave their dungeons then there are kings and queens?¡±


    ¡°I guess I never have been that kind of dungeon core, so I have never thought about it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There was a few months in the beginning you were full-on hermit. If I didn¡¯t drag you from the dungeon you might still be that way.¡±


    ¡°So you are the cause of all my suffering.¡± ¨CI say jokingly.-


    Belinda then places her arms on my shoulders bringing her face close to mine with a scowl on her face. ¡°But it was worth it wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Every minute.¡± ¨C I then kiss her while transferring us to the bedroom. She giggles and we head to bed even though it is still long before nightfall.-


    The next morning when I wake up Belinda is laying over me drawing circles on my chest with her fingers.  She then kisses me, after a few seconds her face contorts then she rushes to the bathroom¡­ By the time she exits the bathroom I have already gotten dressed.


    Belinda: ¡®Aww, you are already dressed, I was going to see if you wanted to take a bath.¡±


    ¡°Today is the day that I need to collect the groups that are away and send them back out.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They can wait a few hours!¡±


    ¡°The bunnies are working hard in the dungeon, and the groups are working hard out in the field to collect xp for us, I should be working hard as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know, you seemed to be putting in a lot of hard work last night.¡±


    ¡°I doubt the others would agree that was work.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am sure you could at least get Roxy and Zoey on board to agree that it was hard work.¡±


    ¡°If I am only working hard to Zoey¡¯s standards, then I really do need to try harder.¡±


    Belinda laughs. ¡°Do you want me to get dressed and help you with the groups?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and enjoy your bath, I can take care of it.¡±


    I head downstairs to get to work, but not before wrapping my arms around Belinda and giving her a deep kiss. Pulling myself away from her was probably the hardest work I will do all day.


    I decided to heed Katie¡¯s advice, so I start with the groups in Shima. Poppy¡¯s group will be no problem so I start with them. After sending them a message, and Inari just so she knows I will be popping in and out I head to Shima and collect Poppy¡¯s group.


    Not quite as good as last month but they still pulled in close to 250,000xp just for their group alone.


    ¡°How is everyone doing?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Well the monsters don¡¯t change in Shima so there is little to surprise you. It gets pretty monotonous at times, but the xp we gather there is great.¡±


    ¡°You should be a dungeon core¡­ It never stops then. I might have something that will break up the monotony of it, but you might not like it.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You saw how quickly you all gained levels in Shima, and although you are still bringing in a lot of xp, your levels have reached a point where they aren¡¯t climbing near as fast. With your levels now, you should be able to do much more here on the mainland, so I decided to alternate the groups I send to Shima.


    Poppy: ¡°Did we disappoint you somehow¡­?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not, I am going to be summoning far more groups, and if I don¡¯t give them the equal chance to level up as your group has. Then I will be losing out in a lot of potential xp that I could be gathering from all the groups instead of just the same two groups in Shima.


    Poppy: ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    ¡°From what I have seen of the adventurer¡¯s in Shima, even spending a few months there you should be on par with the toughest groups here on the mainland, so I am quite confident that your group could go pretty much anywhere and gain fair amounts of xp now.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Where would you like us to go then?¡±


    ¡°If you want to take a bit of a break there are plenty of places that would be more laid back, but if you want to continue to push yourselves, I think Exeter would make a fine choice. If you do decide on Exeter though, I would avoid the Ruined Colosseum Dungeon. As I made the dungeon core there quite mad already.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°What if we want to push into Lodia from Exeter?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t stop you, but I would really take caution if I was you. From my understanding a single dungeon core has the entire kingdom of Lodia in his grasp, and his strength is in the same range as Maric and Laura.¡±


    After the group talks it over they do indeed decide to head to Exeter, so I take them to Exelka. From there I use [Gate], heading straight back to Shima to collect Bandy¡¯s group, and then take them back to Tobes.


    Bandy was the one that pushed for the better equipment claiming it would help them gather even more xp, and she didn¡¯t appear to be wrong. Even though Poppy¡¯s group even gathered a bit less than they did before receiving the weapons. Bandy¡¯s group on the other hand increased their amount by 50% bringing in 375,000xp just on their own.


    Bandy: ¡°I told you.¡±


    ¡°That was indeed quite the haul, and after I give you a bit of armor to go with those weapons I am sure you guys will do quite well back on the mainland.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°You are taking us out of Shima?! That¡¯s bullshit!¡±


    Chase: ¡°Bandy! You can¡¯t speak to Master that way!¡±


    Bandy: ¡°After everything we done for him he wants to pull us out just when we find a lead on another of those corrupt dungeons! If you want to take our group out of Shima, then I believe we brought in enough xp that I wish to be unbound from your dungeon.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Bandy, you don¡¯t mean it!¡±


    ¡°I would hate you lose you, but if that is what you really want I won¡¯t stop you. Tell me about this other corrupt dungeon though.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°No, if I am going to be unbound, I will explore it myself.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Please Master don¡¯t let her go! Just give us one more month, maybe two in Shima, and I promise we will then return back to the mainland!¡±


    ¡°Well that is up to Bandy.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°If you leave us in Shima, then I am fine with remaining with your dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I will give you one more month to investigate this lead you were talking about, but if it doesn¡¯t pan out you return to the mainland next month. Agreed?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Fine, and you can keep that armor. When we do find that corrupt dungeon we can¡¯t have a bunch of armor weighing us down.¡±


    ¡°If it is a corrupt dungeon like the one Inari faced, and then you will need the armor just to deal with the types of monsters inside. You have all gained quite a few levels, but not near enough to meet the challenges of one of those dungeons.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°It¡¯s your xp to throw away, if we quickly find better stuff inside.¡±


    ¡°From my understanding they got pretty far in before the gear got better then what they had, so as long as the armor keeps you safe till then I don¡¯t think it will be a waste. As long as you promise before selling any of what you gather we are at least able to make sure the dungeon is able to reproduce it first.¡±


    Using the Shima style Hihi¡¯irokane material I make them each some armor. I know I told the bunnies I would split the xp the groups back into quarters, but the armor I summoned for them is enough that us used up all the xp they brought back.


    If they really did find another one of the corrupt dungeons the xp they will be gaining should shoot up even more. Although I am worried what some of my boss monsters might say, as Bandy¡¯s group now has better armor then they do.


    I then return Bandy¡¯s group to Inari¡¯s secondary dungeon. When I do I find Inari waiting along with the group of fox beastkin of hers she had me bind to my dungeon.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to see them off. I will bring them straight back.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Do I need a reason to want to see my Daddy? Besides you flew in and out so fast with Poppy¡¯s group I didn¡¯t get the chance to talk to you. I wanted to see how Mommy is holding up.¡±


    ¡°Well you know how easy she gets attached, and I can¡¯t really blame her this time, but I am worried if something bad happens because of this.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You two have been through enough, and she deserves this, so I hope it works out¡­ That¡¯s not the only reason I wanted to speak with you though. I wanted to ask to borrow your group here.¡±


    ¡°Well they are your monsters. You are just letting me gain their xp.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But when they became bound to your dungeon they are technically your monsters, so I wanted to make sure it was ok.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine with me, but out of curiosity what are you going to do with them?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well I want to prepare another secondary dungeon in preparation for new dungeon cores this year, just in case one of them would like to make Shima their home.¡±


    ¡°A second imitation crystal already¡­ I think you already surpassed me.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Xp has always been the least of my problems, and even if I pass you in power. I will never be able to do some of the special things you can do.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will take these ones back real quick and return them. I had Poppy¡¯s group remain on the mainland to switch in some fresh faces, so let me know if they cause any problems alright?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright, tell Mommy I will be out of my dungeon for a while, but I am thinking about her ok?¡±


    I then cast another [Gate], I have the fox beastkin return to my dungeon just long enough for me to receive the message about the monsters returning from battle, and then ship them back through the portal.


    I spend the rest of the morning collecting and shipping back out my monsters. When it¡¯s all said and done, even after summoning a new group of strictly humans, so I could switch out the other human group in Dalian to replace Poppy¡¯s group in Shima, I still have close to 500,000xp from the groups remaining.


    I already gave them their rewards, and summoned another group, so I split the xp in two giving half to the bunnies for the dungeon, and put the other in reserve to assist the groups working outside of the dungeon. 250,000xp for a month isn¡¯t much, but each month it should slowly start to increase now.


    Bandy¡¯s group made me realize something though, if we don¡¯t get out and start gaining some xp soon my monsters are going to leave me behind. I make a decision though, even if Belinda has to hide in the back, the Oni will focus on me because I am a dungeon core, so even if it is only a few hours a week I decide. My boss monsters and I will head to Shima to gain xp as well.

 The Mages Guild Chooses a Goal

    As summer draws to a close, we finally have managed to get in a rhythm. All areas of the dungeon are slowly progressing as the bunnies do their best, Inari set up a second-secondary dungeon, so I now am able to send another group of monsters to Shima.


    When Bandy¡¯s group¡¯s lead on one of the corrupt dungeons fell though they were quite disappointed, but it left a bad enough taste in their mouths that they had no problem returning to the mainland afterwards.


    We try to spend at least two to three evenings a week in Shima ourselves to gain some xp, and we often take some of the other girls with us, or some of the dwarves to help them level as well. The dwarves of course grew in levels quickly, but the few short hours we have been putting into it isn¡¯t doing the rest of us much good, but some of the lower leveled girls have managed to gain a few levels.


    We are up to 11 groups gathering xp for the dungeon, and even not counting the fox beastkin group that Inari gave us or the other 3 currently in Shima, that still leaves 7 more to be spread out throughout the other kingdoms.


    As for Tobes the garrison being built for the troops is almost complete, and with the steady growth of not only the troops, but the troop training section of the dungeon, we have over 100 soldiers entering the dungeon every day.


    As for the Mage¡¯s guild they have really been putting in a lot of thought as to reaching Maeve¡¯s dungeon, but they are still a long ways off. I have been progressing with my runes and could probably help quite a bit, and Maeve did ask me to give them a hand, but I still have my worries.


    Now I am focusing on trying to make a portal like Madam Erin, but even with the [Gate] spell I still have to set a single location. I also don¡¯t have a powerful enough magic stone to activate it, but with [Runic Activation] it works just fine.


    I have also determined that the duration of the spells activated through runes with the [Runic Activation] spell is based on my spell power, but the ones made with magic stones are based off of the stone itself.


    You can increase the potency of the spell by using a bigger magic stone, but it will never be as effective as it is when I cast [Runic Activation]. That also means it should be alright to show the mage¡¯s guild some of the low quality spells, but if they can reverse engineer them it might still prove to be a problem.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure you are ready to show it to them?¡±


    ¡°I am not going to show them everything, just the basic ones. I am hoping even though this is sure to be game changing for them I am hoping like the communication parchment we can still maintain a bit of control over it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But the communication parchment is everywhere now. When I was visiting with Inari I heard that it has even made it there.¡±


    ¡°Exeter has been producing them in far greater quantities then Logan¡¯s team does, but it was only a matter of time before they figured it out anyway. Even with just the two locations producing them though I am still surprised just how far it has spread.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think these stones of yours are going to spread far faster. That means the demand for magic stones is going to increase exponentially as well. That could either be good, or bad for the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well there is only one way to find out¡­¡±


    Belinda and I then step into the Mage¡¯s guild with my pocket full of small rune covered magic stones. It takes a while to be able to sit down with one of the Mage¡¯s Guild Elders, but when Zedross heard it was concerning my rune research he seemed to drop what he was doing quite quickly to meet with us.


    Zedross: ¡°It has been a few months since I heard any progress, I was afraid after not being able to produce results like the adventurer¡¯s guild stones, you might of lost interest.¡±


    ¡°These are by no means that grand, in fact if the Mage¡¯s Guild was able to make the status stones, I am surprised they haven¡¯t made these already.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Well let me see what you got.¡±


    I take one of the small magic stones from my pocket, putting my thumb and forefinger on either side I activate the [Runic Activation] rune by focusing my magic into it causing the stone to begin to grow brightly.


    Zedross: ¡°I don¡¯t understand. It is a [Light] spell stored in the magic stone?¡±


    ¡°For the most part you are correct, but because of the runes it is repeatable.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°All you have to do is store another [Light] spell in it and it is repeatable without the runes.¡±


    ¡°But this way you don¡¯t even have to know the [Light] spell. Here, what is your favored element?¡±


    Zedross: ¡°It¡¯s fire¡­¡±


    ¡°Perfect, then I bet not being able to use the [Clean] spell has been quite a pain for you.¡± ¨CI say while taking another magic stone from a different pocket and handing it to him.-


    Zedross then activates the stone and although Zedross is far from dirty, you can tell a difference as a few stains are removed from his robes.


    ¡°I am sure you have used [Clean] in a similar fashion before, but then you would have to get someone either cast the spell for you or store another one in the magic stone again, right? Well now just focus your magic into the stone like when you active the adventurer¡¯s guild stone and try to use it again.¡±


    Zedross does so, and when the stone activates for a second time using the [Clean] spell once again he is quite amazed and his eyes open wide.


    Zedross: ¡°How many times can I do that?¡±


    ¡°As long as you feed your magic into the stone you can keep casting it over and over. It essentially has the same magic cost as the spell, but you don¡¯t have to actually know the spell for it to work.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°I have to get Madeline¡­ Please excuse me for a moment.¡±


    After setting the stone back on the table he rushes out of the room as fast as his aging body can carry him. When he returns he seems rather excited while Madeline seems rather confused. He picks up the stone off the table again. ¡°See! See!?¡±


    Madeline: ¡°Sorry for this, Zedross is usually pretty calm, but when he gets excited he is like a child.¡± ¨CShe says as she takes the stone from Zedross¡¯s hands and examines it.-


    Madeline then casts a spell and looks over the runes on the stone wearing a confused expression after looking at a few.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    Madeline: ¡°You have truly only been working with runes for a few months? Some of these are quite complex, and a few even I don¡¯t recognize. Zedross said you were able to do this with a [Light] spell as well?¡±


    ¡°Well for now I can pretty much make one for any basic spell, the ones that use [Light] are good for taking the place of a lamp or candle, but I think Belinda¡¯s favorite is ones with [Heat], she really enjoys dropping a few of them into the bath.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°Replace a candle or a lamp¡­? How long is their duration?¡±


    ¡°Only a few hours.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°Hours¡­ And anyone can use these?¡±


    ¡°Well like the stone the adventurer¡¯s guild uses, they each have the rune that mimics the spell [Runic Activation], so if they can use that stone they can use these. For stronger spells it won¡¯t be much help to normal people, but even a normal person should be able to use one like the [Clean] magic stone without tiring themselves out too much.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°Do you mind if I look at the [Light] and [Heat] ones as well?¡±


    I take them out, setting them on the desk In front of me, and tell her which is which. She takes them up inspecting them quite closely still maintaining a confused expression.


    Madeline: ¡°This rune.¡± ¨CShe says pointing to one.- ¡°I¡¯m not sure which rune it is and it seems to be on all three stone.¡±


    I cast [Runic Reading] and look to see which rune she is talking about¡­ It seems to be the basic one that makes them work, essentially it¡¯s the ¡°use¡± and the rune that follows it is the spell that is used. If they can¡¯t get the basics of that, then how did they make the stone for the adventurer¡¯s guild?


    ¡°It should be the same for the rune on the status stone used to check the adventurer¡¯s abilities¡­¡±


    Madeline looks at me rather confused then, snaps her head to Zedross, and he begins rummaging in the desk till he pulls one of the status stones from the desk and hands it to her. After looking over it she concludes. ¡°I don¡¯t see which one you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°Let me see¡­¡± ¨CI take one of my stones and the status stone looking at them both.- ¡°See.¡± -I say pointing to the two-


    Madeline: ¡°Those two runes look nothing alike¡­¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t?¡± ¨CI say while looking at them from different angles, and they are so similar, but I guess I could see how she says they are different.- ¡°Well I guess they do look a little different.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°A little¡­?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it is the difference in mimicking a spell over what it is the status stone mimics.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°These truly are quite something, How long does it take you to make one of these?¡±


    I had a few blank magic stones in one of my pockets just in case they wanted to see a spell I didn¡¯t already copy, so I take one out casting [Runic Writing] and the entire process takes less than a minute.


    Madeline: ¡°You were able to make it just like that? What does that one do?¡±


    ¡°It is a little stronger spell, so its duration will only be a few seconds.¡±


    I then activate it while setting it on the desk causing ice to engulf the stone and it starts to spread across the desk as well. Both of the Mage¡¯s Guild Elders jump back, but before even ? of the desk has a layer of ice over it, the ice starts to crack and melt without growing further.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured out how to get attack spells to¡­Well, attack, I mean there is no problem getting an attack spell to do what you want when the spell is just stored in the magic stone, so I don¡¯t know why using the runes makes it different.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°Well a spell stored in a magic stone, is essentially a spell already cast awaiting a target, but what you are doing¡­¡±


    ¡°Target!¡± ¨CI exclaim while prying the frozen stone from the desk.-


    I quickly cast [Runic Writing] again adding a rune for target, but target what¡­? For now I add the rune for forward after target. I then activate the stone again, and this time a puff of frozen mist launches from the stone, but the spell is spent in an instant.


    ¡°Of course the magic stone is too weak to work properly, but that is actually quite helpful.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°You managed to work that out instantly like that?¡±


    ¡°Once you understand what you are missing isn¡¯t that how you always make progress?¡±


    Madeline: ¡°But you didn¡¯t have to even have to look up what the rune you were looking for was.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Target was the word I was looking for, so when I realized that, then the rest was just using [Runic Writing] to add the rune for it to the magic stone.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°But knowing the word doesn¡¯t mean you know what the rune is¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I guess it just came to me. I must have seen it somewhere in my research and just didn¡¯t think of it.¡±


    I knew these stones would be new to them, but it sounds like my [Runic Reading] spell functions differently than the one she used before investigating the magic stones, so I should probably keep that to myself.


    Madeline: ¡°But to be able to recall it that easily¡­ That is really quite a gift.¡±


    ¡°I have been spending quite a bit of time studying runes lately, it must be rubbing off on me a bit.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°Even with the most basic of spells this is quite an amazing discovery, if we could reproduce these¡­ I mean with your permission of course. This could put the Gowen Mage¡¯s Guild on the map.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how easy it would be for others to reproduce this, but I haven¡¯t seen anyone other than the adventurer¡¯s guild with the status stones, so if we can keep them in-house, we might be able to control the flow. I am not saying we should just horde them for ourselves, but this could really change the way of life for humans.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Something this groundbreaking can¡¯t just be kept under wraps.¡±


    ¡°The Elemental Stronghold produces a lot of magic stones every day, but let¡¯s face it, if these get out there would be no way to keep up with demand for them. Cities like Tobes depend on their dungeons, and if you have people trying to get their hands on magic stones, they could cause irreparable damage to dungeons that these cities depend on.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°Then what is it you are suggesting?¡±


    ¡°Setting regulations on them, If the Mage¡¯s Guild are the only ones that can produce them, then we could perhaps only use magic stones acquired by Mage¡¯s guild members, to reduce the risk of an overzealous adventurer group gathering large amounts of magic stones from a dungeon, then destroying the dungeon to make what they have worth more. That would also keep the cost of magic stones down for normal mages that already rely on them as it is.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°You seem to have put quite a bit of thought into this¡­¡±


    ¡°Well the Gowen Communication Parchment was far easier because we were the only ones that knew how to manufacture it, but even though mages with the ability to work with runes is rare, it is not impossible for them to see this as an opportunity. The Mage¡¯s Guild power isn¡¯t limited to a single kingdom however, so they would be the only ones that would have the means to regulate something like this.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°And that is why you brought it to us instead of taking it to the king¡­?¡±


    ¡°This would greatly improve lives, and should be shared, but Gowen just doesn¡¯t have the resources to regulate it in such a manner.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°This very well may become the Mage¡¯s Guild of Tobe¡¯s primary focus of study, but I for one think it is definitely an avenue worth pursuing.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°I will contact the Mage¡¯s Guild of Calhoun to see if they have any mages that focus in Runic Magic to fill some of our empty rooms.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°We should bring Kleed in on this and make sure it is unanimous before going forward.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°He would be stupid not to agree.¡±


    Zedross: ¡°He does fancy wanting to reach that floating island more than anything.¡±


    ¡°I have seen a massive portal in Uthaira that uses runes to teleport great distances, if these stones are a start we could perhaps one day be able to mimic spells like my means of teleportation and reach that island someday.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°You have personally seen the Uthairan royal gateway¡­?¡±


    I have grown so used to Madam Erin¡¯s portals that the one in Uthaira only seemed shocking because of its size. Now that I think about it though, it is the only portal that I know of, that humans know about.


    ¡°Well I have seen a great deal in my traveling.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°The Mage¡¯s Guild has been trying to get researchers in there for years to study it, but King Aaron has forbidden it. You didn¡¯t perhaps learn of how it functions did you?¡±


    ¡°I know it uses runes, but as to how it operates I don¡¯t know. I might be able to one day be able to produce something similar using the teleportation spell I can use, but I am still a ways off from that.¡±


    Of course that is not true, at the moment if I had a large enough magic stone I could make one right now, but I don¡¯t want to let that much information out just yet.


    Zedross: ¡°We can pitch it to Kleed like that and he should bite.¡±


    Zedross leaves the room returning with Kleed. Kleed seems rather excited about the stones until there is mention of making them the focus of research for the Mage¡¯s Guild of Tobes. Even after explaining everything to him and mentioning how it might lead to advancement to help reach the floating island, he is still a hard sell.


    Eventually they come to an agreement and while the primary focus of the Mage¡¯s Guild will be on the magic stones, including in using them to reach the floating Island. Kleed will continue with a group searching for other avenues to reach the island as well.


    A meeting is then set for the following day to announce the guild¡¯s decision, and they ask me as the one that made them, and as the local representative to present it to the normal members of the Mage¡¯s Guild.


    My first instinct is to refuse, but they bring in the mention of it being a discovery of the Gowen prince, so it should be presented as such. It means that even though the Mage¡¯s Guild might regulate the manufacturing and distribution of these magic stones, it will still give the Gowen Kingdom the credit for its discovery.


    After everything is agreed on, I part from the Mage¡¯s Guild while receiving a message.


    1 Justicar point awarded for contributing to maintaining the integrity of [Menu].


    If I never said word about it to the humans, nothing would have changed with the dungeons. It is only my mention of it that put dungeons in danger to begin with, and even with the regulations it is not like it is going to stop all those who will try to harm dungeons over these stones.


    I don¡¯t see how this has anything to do with maintaining the integrity of [Menu] unless there is some truth to Maeve¡¯s words about the purpose of dungeons is for the betterment of humanity.


    Belinda: ¡°If they still had any doubts about you, I am sure they don¡¯t now.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know how the Dungeon Core Elders will feel about this, but who or whatever is behind [Menu] seems to think I did a good job¡­¡± ¨CI then explain to her the increase in justicar points after I see her confused expression.-


    Belinda: ¡°What about Maeve? You did say you would help the humans reach her dungeon, and although we talked about using the magic stones to do that, you don¡¯t actually plan to do it that way do you?¡±


    ¡°Well there is a possibly in using powerful wind spells in the magic stones my lead to a solution, but there was some truth to that portal idea as well. I could probably even set a permanent portal between two points if I had a powerful enough magic stone, but that still wouldn¡¯t help Maeve due to her dungeon being on the move.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess we should let Logan, and Father know what we are doing as well. We are sort of doing it in the Gowen name after all.¡±


    ¡°I think the only thing they might be able to complain about is the fact Gowen isn¡¯t receiving gold for these stones, but that could easily be remedied with a tax on them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That would raise the cost of these stones even higher, and I thought we were making them so that are accessible to everyone.¡±


    ¡°I am sure the price is going to be quite high in the beginning, because of supply and demand, but once more and more start making their way into people hands the price will slowly decrease.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe we should make it where those with less gold can bring stones in themselves trading them for a greatly reduced cost¡­¡±


    ¡°That would defeat the purpose of having it regulated. I understand what you are saying, but with anything new it is going to go to the ones that have gold at first.¡±


    Belinda and I then head home. When Belinda sends the message to Logan he doesn¡¯t seem surprised as I showed him the status gem I had made. He seems a little disappointed that the gold won¡¯t be rolling in from the magic stones, but I think he had enough of the mercantile lifestyle while dealing the communication parchment, that he doesn¡¯t say anything else.


    He does seem to greatly enjoy the fact the Gowen name will be credited for the discovery once again. I can¡¯t be entirely sure but I think half of the excitement he and Belinda both share is due to the fact of being able to rub it in Mindy¡¯s face though.


    The meeting the next day at the Mage¡¯s Guild turns out to be quite the celebration. My speech is far from what I would call grandiose, but it seems to get the message across. Some mages don¡¯t seem pleased about the topic in which the guild decided to focus on, but none speak out about it, as they are afraid of losing their spots in the guild.


    Since it does turn into a celebration Belinda is enjoying herself, and when large amounts of food are brought out Zoey starts to as well. I don¡¯t care much for the celebration but seeing my girls happy is enough for me.


    I have had to make quite a few different magic stones throughout the day, and though Madeline has seemed to be able to reproduce some it takes her quite a bit of time and she has to be looking at one of the stones to copy it.


    As much as they struggle with these simple stones I may have been worried about nothing when it comes to the stones becoming out of hand. I am a little worried now that they might not be able to manufacture them at all.


    As the building full of mages takes turns just wasting their magic while playing with the stones something catches my eye at the far end of the crowd. Among all the drab robed mages there is a figure that stands out that doesn¡¯t quite belong


    A young attractive woman with bright pink hair goes about her business among the mages like she belongs. We have a little advantage over the crowd as we sit above them, and it seems I am not the only one that has noticed the woman as Kleed quickly grabs the attention of the other two Mage¡¯s Guild Elders and they quickly jump to their feet.


    The reaction of the Mage¡¯s Guild Elders doesn¡¯t go unnoticed by the young woman, and she smiles a bright smile at them, waves, and starts making her way through the crowd. The Mage¡¯s Guild Elders quickly being to panic.


    ¡°You three know who she is¡­?¡±


    Madeline: ¡°Of course, that is the Grand High Mage. She is the leader of all of the Mage¡¯s Guilds. I don¡¯t know how she found out about us choosing our area of focus so fast, but to warrant a visit no less!¡±


    ¡°She leads the Mage¡¯s Guild?¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Don¡¯t let her appearance fool you. Her age¡­¡± ¨CHe greatly hesitates before saying another word.- ¡°Well one doesn¡¯t speak of a woman¡¯s age, but I will say since I was a boy and dreamed of joining the Mage¡¯s Guild she has been in charge.¡±


    ¡°I thought the Mage¡¯s Guilds acted independently or by a council.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°They do, but even the council knows you don¡¯t disagree with the Grand High Mage.¡±


    ¡°In other words she doesn¡¯t actually lead the Mage¡¯s Guild, but just does as she wants.¡±


    Madeline: ¡°Please say no more, she may have even been able to hear that.¡± ¨CShe says in a worried expression.-


    ¡°You are all afraid of her¡­?¡±


    Zedross: ¡°Of course, and so should you be!¡±


    ¡°When I spoke to her before, she seemed far from one that would cause someone to fear her.¡±


    The Mage¡¯s Guild Elders seem surprised that I have spoken to the pink haired girl, but before they can say anything, and even though she has only managed to make her way half-way through the crowd, my comment she moves across the rest of the room in an instant with a spell similar to [Blink].


    Pink Haired Girl: ¡°Thank you Two-Twelve! I always tell these silly mages if you fear those stronger then you, you will remain weak forever.¡±


    The Mage¡¯s Guild Elder¡¯s look rather nervous.


    Pink Haired Girl: ¡°Please, don¡¯t mind me. Have a seat and celebrate, I hear Two-Twelve here managed to help you choose your area of focus.¡±


    The Mage¡¯s Guild Elder¡¯s quickly sit in unison and stumble though words before nodding. The youngest of the Elders is Madeline, but even she is still older then Logan, so watching them cower like scolded children to this woman that is barely an adult is a sight to be seen.


    The Pink Haired Girl picks up one of the magic stones that uses [Clean] and looks it over. ¡°These are quite handy indeed. I am glad we picked you. Do you mind if I keep this one.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Please Grand High Mage, it would be an honor!¡±


    Pink Haired Girl: ¡°That was quite a mouth full, Ceres is fine.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well I don¡¯t want to hear Grand High Mage this, and Grand High Mage that. I am sure because of Two-Twelve we will be seeing more of each other, so if not Ceres then expect to get ignored.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean because of me?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°After our little talk last time, you did well, so I decided I want to keep a closer eye on you.¡±


    ¡°And how does the one you serve feel about that?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh, I almost forgot! I hear congratulations are in order for you two as well? You took my advice and slept on it did you?¡± ¨CShe says with a wink.-


    ¡°So it was you that did this?¡± ¨CI say while the Mage¡¯s Guild Elders look on confused.-


    Ceres: ¡°Me¡­?¡± ¨CShe says opening the front of her dark drab robe revealing a pleasant figure in a simple set of clothing that any village maiden might wear, but of a quality that makes even Belinda¡¯s finest clothes seem like rags.- ¡°As you can see I lack the equipment for such a thing.¡± ¨CShe says with a short chuckle letting go of the robe so it engulfs her figure once again.-


    ¡°If not you or the one you serve, then how?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Really¡­? You don¡¯t know how? Well¡­ When a mommy and a daddy really love each other they¡­ -She starts to say while bringing to fingers together.-


    ¡°Not that! You know my situation prevents such a thing.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well the rules are different now, and speaking of which you can stop waiting for the others, unless of course you want to go for the harem route, if you know what I mean.¡± ¨CShe says with a wink.-


    ¡°Can we speak privately?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh, the conversation reaches harems, and he wants to get me alone, I see why you cause your wife so much worry.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I have questions as well.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh a threesome? Don¡¯t wait up for us boys and girls!~¡±


    She then doesn¡¯t even reach forward and touch us, but suddenly Ceres, Belinda, and myself are all back at the house. I didn¡¯t even feel the pull behind my chest that is usually felt by teleportation.


    Ceres: ¡°There! That¡¯s better isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°How did you¡­¡± ¨CI shake my head.- ¡°What do you mean the rules are different now? Does that mean this baby really is Belinda and mine?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°All 8 pounds 9 ounces and 21 inches, of course that will be when she is born. Opps! Maybe you wanted it to all be a surprise?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then you mean she really is ours?!¡± ¨CShe says with tears in her eyes.-


    Ceres: ¡°Well you two were the ones to do the deed! Although I have to say the addition to an xp cost is quite the cheat to prevent an accident.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how strong you are or who you serve, but if you are lying about this¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You could always test it out with one of your other ladies. I can promise you the scarred one would give you a hell of a son, but maybe the time in which he would have been born is already past. Your daughter might have a bit rougher go of it, but I believe this was the happier outcome in the end.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are telling us you know exactly what is going to happen?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Like I just said, it¡¯s not set in stone. You may have zigged instead of zagged, and stepped forward instead of back, but results are you are here next to him now instead of the one called Roxy. You are actually quite fortunate. This outcome was quite hard to get to. Besides I think the two puppies make a cuter couple.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then even if it¡¯s just a possibility, what happens next?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Your daughter I can guarantee, but anything else and the odds of it happening then drop considerably. Would you really risk the knowing, if it could cause more suffering?¡±


    ¡°The one you serve, is she the one that tells you all of this? Can you at least tell us who she is and who the other one is?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Your little trips to the library didn¡¯t turn out as planned did it? I¡¯m sorry for that, but you do have a far more effective method of learning what you wanted to know, then going through each and every one of the books yourself.¡±


    ¡°You mean summoning monsters to do it for us?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Opps, maybe I said to much already, Tell little Gowen boy I am sorry about the toe¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well you will figure it out, and don¡¯t worry about me, I will be around.¡± ¨CShe says then just disappears from the room.-


    Belinda wraps her arms around me and starts crying on my shoulder. ¡°Can it really be true¡­? Can I at least believe for tonight¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t what to get our hopes up, but I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t stop this feeling either¡­¡± ¨CI feel warmth in my chest as I hug Belinda, and kiss the top of her head.-

 That Time of the Year

    I don¡¯t know what she meant before she disappeared, but Doug did stub his toe the next morning while getting out of bed. I don¡¯t see how that can be related to the information Ceres gave us, or maybe it was just her way of trying to prove she could at least somewhat predict future events.


    Either way it has been a few weeks since Cere¡¯s appearance at the Mage¡¯s Guild, and Belinda and I have found it impossible to no longer think of the child growing inside of her as anything other than our own.


    The Mage¡¯s Guild hasn¡¯t come public with the magic stones yet, because they are trying to establish a supply first. However it¡¯s the worst kept secret in Tobes, as they are the talk of the town. There are even a few people that have somehow managed to get a hold of a few, including a certain Tobes merchant selling a [Clean] magic stone for no less than 100 gold.


    I don¡¯t know if she expects anyone to buy it at that price, because surely once the Mage¡¯s Guild starts to sell them they will only be a fraction of that cost. It has done wonders for the head count in her store as people are flocking just to catch a glimpse of the stone.


    The other talk of the town is the group of Dwarves as they came wandering into town. We put it off far longer then I planned but it made their story of traveling a great distance more believable. They quickly began building houses, but it has been hard to keep them motivated to build their houses when they rather stay in the dungeon making items and drinking alcohol.


    Katie has been telling them to take it seriously, but as their few trips with us to Shima have raised their levels quickly. Their crafting is getting close to being on par with Katie¡¯s, so it¡¯s hard for me to scold them when they are making items like that for the dungeon at break neck speeds.


    Kline and Amy¡¯s ancestor, Samuel, has started to fit in at City Hall. Kline still watches him like a hawk, but has since introduced him to Scylla, baby Listel, and even Amy.


    Samuel used to help Duke Logan Gowen with matters, so after learning about what has changed in the last 150 years Samuel has been a big help at City Hall. I think they have begun to trust Samuel, but are just worried that he might again be taken over by the old god.


    Amy however is quite skeptical only meeting with him once. After returning to the capital she began to research their family history I think in hopes to prove he is lying, but with the sensitive matter about Samuel¡¯s daughter and the king, things like records about such events are not easy to find, if they haven¡¯t all been destroyed already.


    Belinda has been able to keep her stomach hidden for the most part, but I don¡¯t know how much longer it is going to work with Doug and Aria in the house. She wants to tell her family, but if we do Queen will find out and that might open a whole new problem.


    We also learned that Belinda isn¡¯t the only one pregnant. Apparently the rings are a viable option, as we got a big surprise when we found out Roxy too has become pregnant. If all my boss monsters get pregnant I am not going to have anyone to train with¡­


    I guess at least don¡¯t have to worry about Zoey getting pregnant as she is the one that got Roxy pregnant, but she has said that she has Roxy wear the ring as well sometimes. They only have the one ring so the appearance when either of them wears the ring is just a Zoey with a penis, I guess if Roxy is pregnant though it must include the whole package, but that leaves me to wonder. If Roxy gets Zoey pregnant while wearing the ring would it be Roxy and Zoey¡¯s baby, or Zoey and Zoey¡¯s baby¡­


    Then there is Azami. I am sure I don¡¯t have to worry about her either, because she has been training so hard to learn to craft mythril. Hard enough that even though she is in the house more than ever before, we see her even less.


    Moss seems rather pitiful on his own, I have offered to take him training with us a few times when we go, just to raise his level, but he has refused quite adamantly. He still doesn¡¯t like me, and after bringing Kaelmathis which is taking so much of Azami¡¯s time I don¡¯t see his attitude improving any.


    I wish I could just find a way to at least make peace with him. He is one of my monsters, so I feel like should be doing more for him, but I don¡¯t want to force anything on him either.


    The garrison in Tobes is now complete, and that opened Belinda¡¯s inn back up, but we haven¡¯t decided yet if we want to let customers back in, or take the opportunity while it is empty to do something else with the property.


    Inari has continued to flourish in Shima, now with a total of 3 dungeons she has been pretty busy, but is already talking about saving for a fourth dungeon to make sure the capital of Shima remains safe. The amount of xp required to cover the entire capital in [Inari¡¯s Providence] would exceed 10 million xp by her estimates though, so it is going to take her a while.


    Even thinking of spending over 10 million xp on something is mind numbing to me, we have been doing quite well lately, but as soon as each section of the dungeon gets a couple hundred thousand it is gone again.


    Even though I am sure we break the 1 million mark at least a few times a month, since we split it up between the different areas I still can¡¯t think of us being a dungeon that has that much xp.


    Inari is still our only daughter that knows about Belinda¡¯s pregnancy, but Belinda has still been talking to the rest pretty often. Dawn and Twilight have seemed to reach an agreement with Dawn¡¯s beastkin friend, and they seem to be doing quite well for themselves now.


    Then there is Maeve. I don¡¯t know how it is possible, but somehow Maeve learned of Sigrun, and she sent me a message begging me to summon her some swan beastkin. I told her she still owes me for the elves, which seems to have caused a renewed determination in her. At least she doesn¡¯t seem to still be holding a grudge because of the contract.


    I haven¡¯t heard or seen anything from the old gods, or had to deal with anything regarding my position as the Archjusticar of the Elders, so things have been rather quiet. I have been attending more meetings at the Mage¡¯s Guild to press the Mage¡¯s Guild Elders for information about Ceres, if I could at least find out which old god she worships then maybe I could at least know if we could trust her more.


    I have taken Ceres suggestion and summoned a human man to go through the libraries for us. I focused on making him want to be knowledgeable scholar, and he seems to have enjoyed the idea of searching though the books, but as much as I hated doing it though, I didn¡¯t feel right summoning more than one.


    Focusing on those traits, leaving everything else random, that ended up making him sort of an old man, I feel kind of bad about that, but as long as he remains bound to the dungeon he won¡¯t age any further so maybe it will be alright.


    With fall starting I am surprised that I haven¡¯t heard from Dyson about the training of the new dungeon cores. He said there was sure to be quite a few cores born this year, so he might be having a hard time selecting who he wants to train them.


    In fact Madam Erin and Dyson have both been rather silent. I usually hear from them at least once every week or so about matters as the Archjusticar, but I haven¡¯t heard a word. That is until a few more days pass, and I receive a message from Dyson.


    Dyson: (You know what time of year it is, bring yourself to my dungeon by noon today, and we will go over the details.)


    Belinda and I expected as much so when I tell her about the message she just gives me a kiss and says. ¡°At least try to get a male this time. We have 4 dungeon core daughters and will have a daughter of our own before too long, so it might be nice to have at least 1 son.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    I then use [Gate] to reach Dyson¡¯s dungeon, but instead of a monster I am greeted by Dyson and Madam Erin.


    ¡°Well this is quite unusual, I didn¡¯t think you liked meeting in your dungeon when Madam Erin is concerned?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We need to talk¡­¡±


    Both Dyson and Madam Erin look rather nervous as we enter Dyson¡¯s castle. Once we enter the room with the ruby handle they both cast a few spells.


    ¡°What is going on¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It may be my dungeon, but you can¡¯t be too careful. Now everyone thinks you are here for the selection of the new dungeon cores, right?¡±


    ¡°Well I guess, is that not why I am here?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There has been a development, which Dyson and I would like to keep the other elders in the dark about as long as possible.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I just say we take the others out, and we won¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We don¡¯t know if this is fixable, so we might need every dungeon we have. That is still always an option down the line, so let¡¯s at least agree to only make it a last resort.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about¡­? What is going on?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°There may have been an unintended consequence to your training methods for the new dungeon cores.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The time in which [Menu] gives me the information about the new dungeon cores to be born has long past, and I have yet to receive a message. Madam Erin and I have come to the conclusion that as we haven¡¯t been training the dungeon cores the proper way, that maybe [Menu] is going to stop producing more.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there is just not going to be any new cores this year?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We have never had a year without at least 2 dungeon cores being born, and we have lost quite a few without replacing their numbers recently so there are plenty of numbers available.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think it is the training method that has caused this?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What else could it be? We quit treating Dungeons Cores as Dungeon Cores, and now [Menu] has stopped producing them.¡±


    ¡°What about the old gods? First there was Inari, there were the beastkin claiming to serve the old gods causing problems for Faron, and now this other one¡­ I am not sure, but to me that sounds like a more plausible explanation.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What do you mean other one?¡±


    ¡°I have had another arrive at my dungeon claiming to serve a different one of the old gods. This god seems quite different than the one controlling the beastkin, and after a few of the things her servant has known, I am more inclined to believe her as well.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I humored your old gods talk, and even felt there may be a small since of wonder in Inari¡¯s dungeon, but this? You can¡¯t tell me after all these years the old gods are just showing back up and what trying to wipe out the dungeon cores?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Dyson: ¡°It does seem to be a bit of a stretch.¡±


    ¡°Even if it was because of the training methods, what was the purpose of calling me here?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Your method is the cause of it, so you must find a way to fix it. Madam Erin and I are far too visual, and if the other Elders learn of this there might be one hell of a problem. We might be able to keep the secret up until the point in which the new cores would finish their training, but after that they are bound to notice that no new cores have formed a dungeon.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Besides with your unique dungeon, if there is a way to fix this, your dungeon may be better equip to dealing with it then most.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to start¡­ If something really did happen with [Menu] how am I supposed to correct it?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You have manipulated [Menu] to suit your needs in the past. Figure it out, or maybe these old gods of yours can help you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And it goes without saying but you are to speak not a word of this to anyone.¡±


    ¡°My dungeon isn¡¯t the only one that is different. I may need to help of the dungeons that I trained.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If it gets this matter taken care of then fine, but just remember, Dyson¡¯s [Observation] isn¡¯t the only way to peer inside of a dungeon. If another Elder finds out about this, and I don¡¯t care how, but if they do then I will hold you solely responsible for this.¡±


    ¡°I will do what I can, but remember both have always forced these matters onto me. I have always just dealt with these situations the best I know how, and if that is not good enough, it is on you. When this proves not to be due to the change in the manner the new dungeon cores are trained, and I figure it out anyway, then I expect you to compensate me accordingly.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are the Archjusticar of the Elders, it is your job to do our bidding.¡±


    ¡°And when I took this position it was promised I would be compensated for my work. All I am saying is, that you have never let me down before, so don¡¯t start now.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Very well, but that is only if you are able to fix this matter without the other Elders learning or it, or are able to prove it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the new training methods.¡±


    ¡°Alright, first thing is first, the more I know the more I might be able to get to the bottom of this. Now how are you informed about the new dungeon cores?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°A screen appears and tells me which numbers are being born that year and their gender. I then just have to make sure there are the summoning tables available in enough dungeons.¡±


    ¡°You are able to pick which dungeon summons which core, so how do you do that?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°On the day of summoning another screen appears telling me which summoning tables are available and I assign which dungeon core goes where.¡±


    ¡°Even if you set them all up in your dungeon, I would make sure you have plenty ready this year, just in case the first screen¡¯s lack of appearance is just a fluke. Now are there any other messages or screens that appear related to the new dungeon cores?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is it.¡±


    ¡°I need to know more about the elders then.  You said I changed the way [Menu] works, but I assume that before Dyson was set at the dungeon core trainer, that the message was sent to all the elders or at least a different one?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°They were sent to all of us, but when [Menu] told us to select another elder it told us that the new one would be responsible for matters regarding the training of new dungeons.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t really choose anything? It was all [Menu] that did it?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It has been that way ever since the purge when [Menu] made the others and me, Elders.¡±


    ¡°So there does seem to be some kind of intelligence behind [Menu]?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Does it matter, if there is or isn¡¯t something intelligent behind [Menu]?¡±


    ¡°If there is, then it can be reasoned with, or at least maybe it can at least tell us why no new cores have been set to be born.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It has never answered our requests before, so why would it now?¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t it though? I mean the search function is basically just that.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You want us to use the search function to ask why no new dungeon cores are going to be born?¡±


    ¡°Well, have you tried it yet?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Fine¡­¡± ¨CHe says then starts messing around with a screen in front of him, and after a few minutes his face contorts.- ¡°What does it mean other means¡­?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I asked it to provide the numbers and sexes of the cores to be born this year it said N/A. I then asked it why there would be no cores and it said [Menu] will no longer provide them. Of course I asked why for that as well, and it said new dungeon cores must now be produced by other means.¡±


    I wondered from the moment Ceres said that the baby Belinda carries would be my child, but does this confirm that she will be a dungeon core as well? If that is the case this may still be my fault for another reason, but I still don¡¯t know if I am ready to tell the elders about it yet.


    Madam Erin: ¡°It says it won¡¯t provide them, but it doesn¡¯t say there will be no more new cores, so that is at least something. We need to know what this other means of producing dungeon cores is though. I am still not ready to take this to the other elders, so that gives Two-Twelve a chance to try to find out this other means.¡±


    ¡°You are still going to leave it up to me? Did you ask what the other means is?¡±


    Dyson then returns to his screen¡­ ¡°What does that mean¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just spit it out!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It says restricted.¡±


    ¡°It says the other means is restricted, or the information about it is restricted?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I guess the information about it is restricted, but I have never heard of [Menu] restricting information especially to an elder.¡±


    ¡°I heard when Inari first learned of the protection around her dungeon, information about it was restricted until she ranked her skill up high enough to use it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Information about her barrier still doesn¡¯t appear to me, so if I am inclined to believe if [Menu] says an item is restricted, then perhaps it requires a skill to access?¡±


    ¡°I think off of only one instance that it has happened before, we can¡¯t just say it was due to Inari¡¯s skill. That information was about something related to the old gods. If the intelligence behind [Menu] is one or more of the old gods it would make sense.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That still doesn¡¯t help us learn how to make more dungeon cores.¡±


    ¡°Well the birth of the new dungeon cores has always been a bit different, but they are still summoned beings. As dungeon cores we summon monsters all the time, so maybe the answer is there somewhere.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You mean gaining the ability to summon a dungeon core like a normal monster?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not a normal monster, but I heard there were very strong monsters that have quite the unique requirements to be summoned. A new dungeon core might be something like that.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Even if that was true you would still need to unlock the ability to summon them, and how would you learn how to summon a dungeon core¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin gives me and odd look and something seems to occur to her and she says. ¡°You have already figured it out, haven¡¯t you?! That has why you were so sure about the training method not being the cause. You know how to summon a new dungeon core!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure¡­ I mean to say I am still not sure that she will be a dungeon core, but¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°The missing Divine Being you asked me about?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°A while back Two-Twelve told me he tried to summon a Divine Being for the first time. All the Divine type creatures we know of are either Two-Twelve¡¯s boss monsters or cores he summoned. I thought maybe some of the humans he was sending out from his dungeon might have been Divine Beings as well, but after he told me it failed I learned that wasn¡¯t the case. He said the summoning of the Divine Being failed, but it didn¡¯t fail did it?¡±


    ¡°I honestly thought it did¡­ It wasn¡¯t till later that we learned Belinda had become pregnant. Even then we didn¡¯t realize it was the missing Divine Being until the servant of the old god told us. Like I said, I still don¡¯t know if she will be a dungeon core, but Belinda is pregnant with my child¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°A dungeon core fathering a child? That is impossible.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Even if what you said was true, and the child is indeed a dungeon core, that doesn¡¯t help us at all. You are the only one capable of summoning Divine Beings, or are you trying to say you are going to father every dungeon core from now on?¡±


    ¡°By no means do I want that responsibility¡­ There has to be another way. I don¡¯t think [Menu] would stop making dungeon cores if I was the only one capable of doing it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You said you don¡¯t even know if your child is going to be a dungeon core, so we need to look at this a different way then.¡±


    ¡°If not summoning, then maybe we can make a dungeon core?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What do you mean make?¡±


    ¡°We give a training core a training dungeon crystal, but what if we gave one to just a monster, or a human?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You have to assign a training crystal to a dungeon core to summon it, so if there is no training core you can¡¯t summon one.¡±


    ¡°You assign it to a dungeon core number. If we assign it to one of the available numbers what would happen?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Nothing stopping us from at least trying it.¡± ¨CHe says while opening a screen tapping away. After a few moments though he says.- ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°You can summon a monster with a task in mind, so what if you summon them while focusing on them being a dungeon core?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That will cost quite a deal more xp if it fails, but I think it is at least worth a try as well.¡±


    Dyson returns to his screen and when the light fills the room a beautiful woman is left standing in front of him when it fades. There are a few subtle differences but she resembles Sofia quite a bit, he inspects her quite closely but seems a bit disappointed, returning to his screen.


    The woman is left standing in front of us naked until Dyson says. ¡°Still no go¡­¡±


    Woman: ¡°I am sorry I am less then you wished master¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well it was worth a shot.¡±


    Woman: ¡°What would you have me do now?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You can join the others in the throne room, or do whatever it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±


    The woman then crawls into his lap. ¡°Perhaps I could make it up to you?¡±


    Dyson then dumps her in the floor. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell I am busy!?¡±


    Woman: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master! I will wait with the others¡­¡± ¨CShe says pulling herself to her feet then fleeing the room with tears in her eyes.


    Madam Erin: ¡°You never change. When are you going to give it up? You should know by now no matter how close she resembles her it will never be her.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I gave it up after summoning that woman for Two-Twelve, but even if they have different colored hair or eyes, they still always end up looking like that. It has become more of a curse.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I am in no way trying to tell you what to do with your monsters, but it wasn¡¯t her fault, so you could at least given her clothes before chasing her out of the room.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You know none of the men are allowed in my castle, so it makes no difference.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Attitude like that, and then you wonder why you can only summon bandits, thieves, and whores.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are one to talk Madam Erin.¡±


    ¡°I quite agree with Madam Erin about your treatment of your sentient monsters, but can we at least return to the problem at hand?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We can¡¯t summon them, we can¡¯t make them, what else is there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, we will just have to keep working on it. We at least know it is possible now, so we just have to find the way. It isn¡¯t like we will have a shortage of dungeon cores overnight, so we have a bit of time to figure this out.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°He is right. We can all three work on it in our own dungeons faster, than leaving it all up to you here in yours. We do need to figure this out though, and before the others catch wind of it.¡±


    ¡°We know it isn¡¯t because of the training method now, so maybe bringing in the other elders would give more insight?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We don¡¯t know that it wasn¡¯t because of the new training, all we do know is [Menu] isn¡¯t producing any more dungeon cores, and telling us to just figure it out ourselves. Besides are you ready to tell the other Elders that your boss monster is pregnant with your child?¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right.¡±


    After we say our farewells we then return to our own dungeons. We have been trying to keep Belinda¡¯s pregnancy as secret as possible, so she has been staying at the house a lot more now that she is starting to show.


    I find her in the living room reading a book, after our trips to the library I don¡¯t even want to see another book, but maybe it just depends on the content of the book. I sit down on the couch next to her laying my head down on her stomach.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s alright, all our girls are good girls, so I am not too worried about having another one. I just thought it would be nice to have a son as well.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not training a female dungeon core either¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    I then explain everything too her including the fact that I told Madam Erin and Dyson about our baby.


    ¡°I know I was the one that said we should keep it secret and I was the first one to talk¡­¡± ¨CI say and then apologize again. ¨C


    Belinda: ¡°Under the circumstances I understand, but do you really think our baby is going to be a dungeon core? I mean monsters grow until they reach maturity, but dungeon cores remain the same forever don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°The rules are quite different now, but I don¡¯t know. I just don¡¯t know how else to explain the other means in which a dungeon core is to be born.¡±


    Belinda: ¡®Well Roxy got pregnant while using one of those rings, so maybe that is the way?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that would work for dungeon cores, but even if it did, the reason it would work is because the ring makes it like they are not dungeon cores, so I don¡¯t see how a baby born that way would be a dungeon core.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess you are right¡­ Maybe we should tell the girls to be careful with their rings just in case.  I wouldn¡¯t want to become a grandma at the same time I become a mom.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure I would want to ask the old god controlling the beastkins, but if we see Ceres again we might ask her.¡±


    For the next few days I try several things, but I am no closer to finding a way to make more dungeon cores. I also haven¡¯t seen Ceres, even after attending two more meeting at the Mage¡¯s Guild. I don¡¯t know what else to do but wait, so I start focusing back on my dungeon and Tobes.


    I haven¡¯t heard from Madam Erin or Dyson since our meeting, but haven¡¯t really been worried about it till I receive a message one afternoon that I am sure is going to make my life very difficult for a while¡­


    Dungeon Core #18 [Elder Faron] had perished at the hand of Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson].

 Death of an Elder

    After receiving the notice about Faron I quickly try to wrap my head around what I just read. The first thing I can think of to do is open [Archjusticar Menu] and look up Dyson. On the screen that shows him to me he looks rather confused while sitting naked on the edge of his bed.


    He is looking at the message while several of the women in him bed paw at him telling him to come back to bed. He quickly pushes them away, and equips his clothes with his [Menu] he then checks several messages he has received.


    Due to the [Archjusticar Menu] I can see what the messages are that he is reading.


    Madam Erin: (What the hell were you thinking?! You better have a damn good explanation for this!)


    Draco: (I believed the matter we discussed was quite clear, to violate that agreement now? Just what is it you are planning?)


    Lucille: (I told them all you would do something like this, and now look what you have done! I will see to it you get what you deserve!)


    I don¡¯t know what is more confusing the fact we just received a message that Dyson killed Faron, or the fact that Dyson looks more confused about it then I do¡­ I don¡¯t know what is going to happen next, but what I do know is it isn¡¯t going to be good.


    I quickly call everyone back to the house while keeping an eye on what Dyson does.


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s the big emergency?¡±


    ¡°Faron is dead.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Faron?! But how?!¡±


    ¡°The message I received said Dyson did it, but I quickly looked in on him and he looked more confused about the message then I did. I have also been keeping an eye on him since, he has started to lock down his dungeon and increase the security, but if he did or didn¡¯t kill Faron I could see why he would do so either way.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°What do you want us to do?¡±


    ¡°Well every dungeon core just received the message about Faron, and the other elders have already been pressing Dyson asking what he did. I don¡¯t know what is going to happen next, but with our agreement with Dyson I don¡¯t want another dungeon core to make us a target because our association with Dyson.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t think another dungeon core will attack us do you?¡±


    ¡°The truth is I don¡¯t know, and until I do, I want everyone to be safe. I am going to make sure the bunnies know to keep a very close eye on the groups that enter the dungeon to make sure none of them seem out of place. Our dungeon isn¡¯t the strongest by far, but it is built in a way that even Dyson would have trouble destroying the crystal without us knowing about it, but our biggest weakness right now is us.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t worry boss, we won¡¯t go kicking the bucket without your permission.¡±


    ¡°I am confident that we could all hold our ground against any adventurer group I have ever seen, but there are dungeon cores out there that are far stronger.¡±


    I then receive a message.


    Due to the death of Elder Faron your presence is requested as the Archjusticar of the Elders at a meeting to be held in 1 hour at the neutral zone. I am sure you can understand the importance of such a meeting so I have no doubt that you will do your best to arrive in a timely manner.


    Dungeon Core #36 Madam Erin


    ¡°I just got a message from Madam Erin about a meeting. I can¡¯t say I am surprised, but I want everyone to be on their guard while I am gone, understood?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t worry we will take care of things here, but you be careful as well.¡±


    I give Belinda a kiss and then head to the dungeon core room to tell the bunnies what to look out for. After filling the bunnies in I use [Gate] to reach the neutral zone. When I arrive it appears I am the last to arrive, well that is all of the elder¡¯s except Dyson are here, but even though I have been keeping an eye on him with [Archjusticar Menu] he went through so many messages I wasn¡¯t able to see them all, and don¡¯t know if they called him to this meeting or not.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Good you have arrived.¡±


    Draco: ¡°I know he has been appointed the title of Archjusticar, but since the details of what exactly that means, is still kept from us, I hope you know what you are doing.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Two-Twelve I have to ask, do you have at least 10 points?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°10 points of what?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is not important. Now, do you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do...¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Good, if things go south I might ask you to use that 10 point option of yours on Dyson.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that would really help on a dungeon core like Dyson, besides we aren¡¯t exactly sure what it does.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You may be right, but I would still like to keep it as an option.¡±


    ¡°I also have to say, I don¡¯t think Dyson killed Faron¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°What are you talking about? We all saw the message.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and one of the abilities I have as the Archjusticar is a very limited version of Dyson¡¯s [Observation], and as soon as I saw the message about Faron, I have been watching Dyson¡¯s movements since. I think he seemed far more surprised by the message about Faron¡¯s death then I was.¡±


    Draco: ¡°This disturbing information aside, I have to ask. What has Dyson been doing since the message then?¡±


    ¡°For the most part he has received a bunch of messages, but he is also fortifying his dungeon.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°That is more than enough proof there, Dyson killed Faron and now is using the xp he gathered from him to prevent us from retaliating!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It seems I am late to my own party.¡± ¨CHe says while stepping into the room clad from the top of his head to the tips of his toes in his pitch black armor.-


    Draco: ¡°What is the meaning of this?! You know the rules!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°One cannot be too careful, especially when there are those out there that think I killed Faron.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You will try to deny it instead of telling us what really happened?!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Of course I deny it. Do you think I would be stupid enough to kill Faron myself?


    Draco: ¡°Then how do you explain the message about his death?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you. I¡¯ll have you know this situation is putting a damper in my big plans for today, but I promise you they involved nubile virgins, and not dusty old dungeon cores.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand the serious situation you are in right now.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Situation I am in? What do I have to worry about?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°The repercussions of killing Faron!¡±


    Dyson laughs. ¡°I told you I didn¡¯t do it, but if you want to have a go at me go right ahead. Just remember I was the strongest dungeon core even before I was made an Elder, and now I know all of your weaknesses.¡±


    Draco: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I don¡¯t have any plans for it, no, I promised Madam Erin after all. That doesn¡¯t mean I will sit by if one of you decides to attack me either.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then what are you going to do?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Unless I can talk you into trading me that succubus girl of yours, I was thinking of salvaging what is left of my day. Those nubile virgins aren¡¯t going to deflower themselves, although someone else might beat me to it if I don¡¯t hurry. The big question is. What are you going to do? As you are all the ones with the problem, not me.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°I don¡¯t follow¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Someone is using my name, and no, I don¡¯t know how they managed to even fake it in [Menu], but if they went through that much trouble, and was strong enough to take out Faron, who is next?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You really didn¡¯t do this?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Would I have reason to deny it if I did?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I am not buying any of this. He can¡¯t just kill an Elder, shrug his shoulders, deny it, and go about his business.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well we all have plenty of enemies, and I guess Faron just found one that bested him. Maybe it was even one of those gods Two-Twelve is always going on about, they didn¡¯t seem to like him either, and they have more than enough reasons to hold a grudge if he stole their followers.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°I didn¡¯t think you believed in such nonsense.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I don¡¯t, but do you have a better explanation?¡±


    ¡°Laura¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see where you are going with this, that cuff she slapped on your wrist. That¡¯s right you killed several cores and it never showed dungeon core 212, but the name her boss monster gave you.¡±


    Draco: ¡°We instructed you to have that cuff destroyed, and Laura assured us no more could be produced.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We had no reason to not believe her, but now?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°That is ridiculous.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°No more ridiculous then another Elder killing Faron because I was what? Bored?¡±


    Draco: ¡°Laura does seem a bit of a stretch. Even if she did attack Faron do you think she could have taken him? Perhaps his crystal, but he surely had an imitation crystal in place of his real one, so there would have been plenty of warning of an attack that way.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And that marks the end of the time the fresh slaves are sold¡­ Well if we do find out who is responsible for slapping my name on their handy work, they better hope one of you finds them instead of me or there will be hell to pay now.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°An Elder is dead, and all you can think about is collecting some human trash? ¡°


    Dyson: ¡°You know how hard it is to come across a fresh slave? It takes months to gather the amount for them to hold a sale of strictly fresh slaves. It¡¯s one of my favorite days of the year.¡±


    Draco: ¡°No accounting for taste, but I am starting to believe that perhaps we need to look at this, another way.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I don¡¯t know who could be capable of manipulating [Menu] like this, but if it really wasn¡¯t Dyson we need to decide what to do going forward. We are short an Elder now after all.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Draco: ¡°If this proves anything, it is that at least part of what Dyson has been saying is correct. If we keep sitting on the sidelines any longer we are going to be left behind.  I don¡¯t believe we are going to see eye to eye on any part of this situation, but I think it would be in all of our best interests to find the one responsible as quickly as possible.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°What about the new dungeon cores? They will be born in a matter of weeks, are you sure you want Dyson to be the one that is watching over their training?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Like it or not [Menu] was what told us to put him in charge of training the new cores, do you really think it would be wise to go against it?¡±


    Draco: ¡°You are saying we should trust [Menu] because that is what it wants, but not to trust [Menu] when it has to do with the death of Faron?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am saying it has never let us down and we depend on it to survive. That doesn¡¯t mean it is not able to be manipulated on a small degree.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It¡¯s fine. If they want to train the new dungeon cores this year let them!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We can¡¯t do that!¡±


    Lucille: ¡°And why not?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Because there won¡¯t be any.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Dyson we agreed!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What do we have to worry about now? With Faron, Draco, and Lucille it might have been trouble, but even Draco is seeing that the times are changing now.¡±


    Draco: ¡°What do you mean there won¡¯t be any?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Just like I said [Menu] has decided we need to find a new way to make dungeon cores, and that it will no longer produce them for us.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Your method of training dungeon cores was a problem then!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I think on the contrary, the new way of training dungeon cores was enough to prove to [Menu] it no longer had to carry the weight of summoning the new dungeon cores itself.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Then how is it we make dungeon cores now?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We are still fuzzy on that¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°And this is why you killed Faron?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am telling you I didn¡¯t kill Faron.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I find it a little convenient you are dropping this on us now, just after Faron¡¯s death.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We wanted to be able to present it with the solution to producing more dungeon cores before telling the other Elders.¡±


    Draco: ¡°You knew about this as well, and were going to keep lying to us?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Madam Erin and I have been working on the solution, and even have the Archjusticar on it, but we were going to give it till the end of the training time of the dungeon cores to come up with the answer.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°This sort of thing should have been brought to the attention of all of the Elders immediately.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What would you have done with the information?¡±


    Draco: ¡°If this is true, then Faron¡¯s loss is more dire then we thought. If we can¡¯t even produce any more dungeon cores, until this is sorted out every dungeon is vital to our survival.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You don¡¯t think we know that? We have been working on it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We do have a credible lead on how to produce more dungeon cores, but even if it proves true, that in itself proves to be more problematic.¡±


    Draco: ¡°How so?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We can¡¯t say to protect the dungeon core involved.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°What has Two-Twelve done now¡­?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think it is me?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Well am I wrong then?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Unfortunately you are not.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Then what is this lead?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°As I said the matter is quite sensitive, so it is best to be sure before we say anything else.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is as good time as any to tell them.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°With Faron dead, if this does prove a way to produce more dungeon cores, that might be a solid reason to protect us, and I don¡¯t want them to think I was hiding it from them.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Well spit it out youngling.¡±


    ¡°My wife/boss monster is pregnant. Now I have no basis to say my child will be a dungeon core, but it stands to reason if we are told to find a new way to produce dungeon cores and my wife becomes pregnant that our child will be a dungeon core as well.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°More likely she stepped out on you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I would be inclined to agree as well, but I don¡¯t think his boss monster is the type. Besides that isn¡¯t the only reason we believe it to be the case.¡±


    I think mentioning the old gods will only make it harder for them to believe it, so I decide to leave that part out.


    ¡°I tried to summon one of the Divine Beings my dungeon has been known to produce and the requirements for summoning Divine Being were hidden. After setting [Menu] to warn me when the requirements have been met, I received the message, and tried to summon the monster. The summoning of the monster seemed to of failed. That is to say the xp was removed from my dungeon but no monster was produced. A few weeks later when Belinda began to show the signs of being pregnant is when we came to the realization of what had happened.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°That is absurd.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now the Divine Beings are limited to Two-Twelve, but surely if [Menu] expects us to produce dungeon cores ourselves, there has to be a way for us to do so as well.¡±


    Draco: ¡°You expect us to believe we are to produce offspring like some animal or human?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°The thought of having a child myself is not appealing to me either, but if we are indeed expected to start producing new dungeon cores ourselves. It only makes sense that we reproduce in the same fashion as every other creature.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°We produce monsters from our dungeons with [Menu] in the same fashion we were born!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And they can still reproduce as well, if anything we are more like rift monsters as they can only produce a limited amount during a set duration and are the only other creatures that can¡¯t reproduce on their own.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Rift monsters can¡¯t be summoned as sentient though.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I didn¡¯t say that we are rift monsters, I am just saying up until now we had more in common with them then normal monsters. Who or whatever is behind [Menu] must think it is time to start moving on.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there might be something to that¡­ If we look at dungeon cores as a type of rift monster, then that would explain why there can only be a certain number of us. That also explains why new dungeon cores are always produced at the same time and day.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Draco already said rift monsters can¡¯t be sentient, and if it was true then every year we would have enough dungeon cores born to total the 799 count, not just a handful a year.¡±


    ¡°The rules might not be the exact same, but if we look at it that way then perhaps it might help. I had to pay the xp cost for a new Divine Being for my wife to become pregnant. Now, all of you have the race of human except for Draco, is that correct?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Technically that is correct, but I am by no means a human.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Whatever helps you sleep at night.¡±


    Draco: ¡°I don¡¯t see how this helps.¡±


    ¡°Dyson is the only one that can summon humans, so I don¡¯t know if anyone else can try it except maybe you, but I am not sure about your personal preferences, so I know Dyson will be the easiest to experiment with. Dyson, can you set [Menu] to warn you if a human becomes available to summon that costs higher than the normal rate?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even know a way to go about that... Wait¡­ Never mind, I tried using the search option to summon a human at higher then base cost, and it just showed a long list of xp costs for summoning humans at higher levels.¡±


    ¡°Can you narrow it down by the ones that are still level 1?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That leaves two options¡­ Both cost about 10x the amount of a base human. One says available for 45 minutes, and the other says 3 days, and 2 hours. I guess I can try one of them.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That actually sounds quite promising, but if it worked like it did for me, are you sure you are ready for one of your monsters to become pregnant?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well which one would it be?¡±


    ¡°Well it sounds like you have two options, but other than that I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What if it is one of the 3s¡­?¡± ¨CHe says while sounding quite worried.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°Who cares about your stupid scale for women, as an elder you need to do this just to see if it works.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Wait a minute here, if this works like Two-Twelve is suggesting. Then that means I will become a father, I can¡¯t just have a child with just anyone¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If it results in a new dungeon core, does it really matter?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have strict standards for the women I take to my bed, but to say having one of them bare my child? I am not sure any of them qualify!¡±


    Draco: ¡°It¡¯s done. The option was available to me as well. The time in which a dragonkin reproduces is a bit longer then a human, but we should know within a few months of it at least worked.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Wait, then you¡­?¡±


    Draco: ¡°I said I was tired of sitting on the sidelines, and if my child results in a dungeon core in likes to the ones being produced in that last few years, then it could easily be quite advantageous for me to have a dungeon like that under my control.¡±


    ¡°You plan on having a child just to increase you influence of power¡­?¡±


    Draco: ¡°How is that different then the dungeon cores Dyson has gathered? This dungeon core will at least be my own.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°What about the rest of us?! I can¡¯t summon humans, how am I supposed to make more dungeon cores?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t be monsters for you to control, they will be your children! We haven¡¯t even determined if this is the way to produce new dungeon cores and you are already just thinking of them as means of gaining more power¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Humans are no different. They often have children to marry them off to increase their own standings.¡±


    ¡°Even you Madam Erin¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I just see where they are coming from. I have no desire to carry a child, even if it is possible.¡±


    Dyson is remaining silent. You can¡¯t see the look on his face due to his armor, but even with his armor on you can tell he is deep in thought¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you are all thinking of using your children in this way, and what about Faron¡¯s death?¡±


    Draco: ¡°We of course will have to take more precautions until the culprit is identified, but especially with Faron¡¯s death, finding a way to produce more dungeon cores is vital.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°It still leaves us at a disadvantage. If this does prove to be the way to produce more dungeon cores there will be many of us unable to reproduce.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are just mad because you haven¡¯t figured out how to do it yourself yet. That being said we do need to set some ground rules so that this doesn¡¯t become a problem. We should keep this just between us for now, and every elder should be restricted to only one child for now until we figure this all out.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Quite strange for you to be the voice of reason in this, but I agree.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Dragonkin often produce more than 1 egg, it is possible even 3 could be born at once.¡±


    ¡°I am sure if you only spent the xp once then it will only be one, but also remember these will be children, so you will have to raise them.¡±


    Draco: ¡°I have breed monsters before, I understand the concept.¡±


    ¡°But these will be your children, and we don¡¯t even know what it will entail. Dungeon cores are ageless, so we don¡¯t have any idea how long it will take them to mature, if they will be required to eat, or anything like that.¡±


    Draco: ¡°We shall see.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now if you please, I think the matter concerning Faron¡¯s death is far more pressing right now¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I am not entirely convinced that Dyson isn¡¯t the culprit.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you know where my dungeon is, so any time you want to have a go at it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Enough you two¡­ It goes without saying that we need to be more careful going forward, but if anyone finds any information regarding the death of Faron we all need to know about it immediately.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°It has been Dyson and yourself that have been keeping secrets from the other Elders, so perhaps you should heed your own advice.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There is also the matter regarding Faron¡¯s unique ability. Leland¡¯s ability was something we could live without, and proof enough of that was it was replaced with Dyson¡¯s [Observation], but without Faron¡¯s ability I don¡¯t know how will manage.¡±


    Draco: ¡°As well as we did before becoming elders I am sure.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are just saying that because you don¡¯t summon sentient monsters that require outside knowledge. For dungeon cores like Two-Twelve and myself this will be quite problematic indeed.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You should have thought of that before you¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what exactly was Faron¡¯s ability?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°He was the keeper of the knowledge. Any monster you might of summoned before that learned information that you yourself didn¡¯t know, well that was due to Faron¡¯s ability. Without it the monsters you summon going forward will only be able to know the things your dungeon knows.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not to mention <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> and any other books in [Menu] that tapped into that knowledge will no longer update.¡±


    I open [Archjusticar Menu] to check to see if I can still see information about other dungeons in it. It however seems to be working fine, so does that mean I am the only one that has this information now¡­?


    ¡°You mean to say if I summon a sentient monster now, it won¡¯t have the knowledge I require?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If it isn¡¯t something your dungeon knows, then no it won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That is quite a drawback¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I suggest if you have any monster that has information you don¡¯t want to lose, make sure the information they know is recorded and stored in you dungeon, or you might not be able to summon another monster like them.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°As you said, it is the younger cores that will suffer from it the most, and like Draco said we managed before, so we will just have to do it again.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well if that is all I do believe I will now attempt to salvage the rest of day.¡±


    Draco: ¡°There is nothing else for us to do, but to be on guard.¡±


    Dyson then teleports from the room leaving the rest of us.


    Lucille: ¡°Now that he is gone, we can discuss how to deal with this problem.¡±


    Draco: ¡°I do believe what Two-Twelve said, I don¡¯t think Dyson was the one responsible.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I to believe if Dyson did it, he would of come out and admitted to it.¡±


    Fredrick: ¡°I agree with you Lucille¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°A lot of good that does us.¡±


    Draco: ¡°The thing that concerns me is Dyson going back to his dungeon and making dozens, if not hundreds, of new dungeon cores.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°As Two-Twelve said, we can¡¯t guarantee this is the way to produce more dungeon cores.¡±


    Draco: ¡°If Two-Twelve can use his ability as the Archjusticar to keep an eye on Dyson, I think it would be in all of our best interests if he continues to do so. Now I must return to my dungeon and explain to one of my boss monsters that she may now be pregnant.¡±


    With that Draco gets up and walks from the room as well. Lucille just scoffs, leaving the room as well, and Fredrick follows shortly after.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just you and me now pup. Now do you truly believe what you said to the others about not believing Dyson is responsible?¡±


    ¡°I do¡­ He genuinely looked confused when he was reading the messages.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well be careful pup, there were many dungeon cores loyal to Faron and they might not be as easily convinced, and if they decide to weaken Dyson by taking out the cores loyal to him, you may become a target.¡±


    ¡°There is only so much I can do, but I assure you what I can do, I am doing it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We didn¡¯t mention the rings to the others, but we have giving out a few already. I still don¡¯t think any of those cores would be strong enough to kill Faron, but to be on the safe side, you might want to keep an eye on them, as well as Laura.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    I then part ways with Madam Erin and return home. Everyone is still at the house, and looks rather worried.


    Belinda: ¡°I am glad to see you made it back ok!¡±


    ¡°Did anything happen while I was away?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We received a visit from the church of Faron. They didn¡¯t say what it was about, but they requested the aid of the Archjusticar of Faron at the Grand Cathedral.¡±


    ¡°With Faron¡¯s death I am sure several of the statues that housed his imitation crystals broke down after his death, and I don¡¯t know how much of the Grand Cathedral was part of his dungeon, so who knows what kind of damage was sustained there.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is what we figured as well.¡±


    ¡°We are still not sure who or what killed Faron, so we need to make sure we are safe first.¡±


    Then without realizing it the headcount in the room increased by one, and the pink haired Ceres pokes her head between Roxy and Zoey with her arms around their shoulders.


    Ceres: ¡°Man, do you seem busy!¡±

 The Fall of Faron

    After the loss of Elder Faron I had a meeting with the elders to discuss the next course of action and after returning to catch up the girls I hear about the church of Faron wanting to speak with me. It didn¡¯t really come as a surprise but what did surprise us was a visit from the pink haired Ceres.


    Zoey and Roxy quickly panic as Ceres has her arms around them, but even with their strength they can¡¯t seem to shake Ceres¡­


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I thought I would help!¡±


    ¡°With what?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well you can¡¯t really blame the humans for forgetting about the gods after their, well let¡¯s say time away, but I thought, or the one I serve I should say. She thinks this is the perfect opportunity to make up a bit of lost momentum.¡±


    ¡°You are talking about Faron¡¯s churches?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°He isn¡¯t going to need them anymore, and wasn¡¯t really doing anything with them as it was, so why not?¡±


    ¡°So you want me to convince them their god is dead and to worship the one you serve instead¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°No, nothing like that. With their object of worship dead the one I serve just thought we would move on in.¡±


    ¡°They would still worship Faron though.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The name isn¡¯t really what is important, just the actions they take. There are a few problems with some of the churches, but for the most part they would do well serving the one I do.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it you expect of me?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Just don¡¯t let them give up on their god just yet. The biggest problem with Faron was he was male. We can slowly change that perception with time however, so although she is not happy about it, it is something we can work with.¡±


    ¡°What is in this for us?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I would consider it a big personal favor!¡±


    ¡°Well I think the humans thinking that Faron is dead would cause more harm than good, but I am still not all too sure in letting the one you serve just step in and pick up the pieces either.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Then you can keep an eye on things as the Archjusticar of Faron, can you not?¡± ¨CShe says with a wink.-


    ¡°So you want me to serve the same one you do as well?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You have several times already. Now she isn¡¯t going to ask you to worship her or anything, but I don¡¯t see why if our goals don¡¯t align it can¡¯t benefit both of us. You could even put the blame of the damages to Faron¡¯s churches on the other one, he did already cause harm to quite a few of Faron¡¯s churches after all.¡±


    ¡°I am starting to think you might be the one that caused Faron¡¯s demise just so you could put the blame on this other god.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh no. Faron¡¯s death was 100% dungeon core related, and it was just a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°So neither the one you serve nor any of the others were responsible for Faron¡¯s death then?¡±


    Ceres winks and says. ¡°I see what you did there, I guess I as much as said it already, so I guess the damage is done already, but no gods were responsible for Faron¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is too much to ask which dungeon core it was then that was responsible for the death of Faron?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You can ask all you want, but if there is an answer is another story. If you do that personal favor for me, I won¡¯t point you to the one responsible, but can point you to another dungeon core that might help you find the answer.¡±


    ¡°I would be far more receptive to helping you if you would turn loose of my girls¡­¡±


    Ceres then finally lets go of Zoey and Roxy, squeezing past them to stand in front of me. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. I am actually quite fond of those two.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I will talk with the priests at the Grand Cathedral and tell them not to give up on Faron, but the rest is on you and the one you serve.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Excellent, now about that old man you got in Merretta¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought that was your idea.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That¡¯s not quite what I had in mind when I said you had a better way, but if you want to continue like that I guess he will eventually come to the right answer, but by then it might be too late.¡±


    ¡°Well what did you mean then?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I am sure you will figure it out, especially after hearing about Faron¡¯s ability.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I already said too much, it¡¯s always the poor Gowen boy¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, I want to ask about Samuel as well!¡± ¨CI say but it¡¯s too late because Ceres is already gone.-


    I then ask Zoey and Roxy if they are alright.


    Zoey: ¡°Were fine, at least I think so, but Boss¡­ She was super strong¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She was strong enough to be able to hold us without moving a single inch, yet still not hard enough to hurt us. It was like trying to move a bolder that was wrapped around me¡­¡±


    ¡°Well Zoey¡¯s strength is higher than mine, so if she couldn¡¯t cause her to budge an inch then maybe the Mage¡¯s Guild was right, and we should fear Ceres.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know. I get the impression the reason she acts so friendly with us is because we don¡¯t fear her.¡±


    Azami: ¡°That sounds no better than a pet you keep because it is too stupid to be afraid of you. Now I assume this means you will now go to the Grand Cathedral? Do you need my assistance, or can I return to my studying now?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the vote of confidence, but yes, I guess you can go back to your studying, but if something comes up while we are away I would like you to help the bunnies keep an eye on things.¡±


    Azami nods then heads into the living room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can get in much trouble at the Grand Cathedral, so I would like you two to stay behind and keep an eye on things here as well.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us boss, we will take care of things here.¡±


    ¡°Well hopefully there is nothing to worry about, but I rather be safe then sorry.¡±


    I then cast [Gate] and hold my hand out to Belinda. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    After taking my hand Belinda and I then step through the gate arriving in the city surrounding the lake in which Faron¡¯s Grand Cathedral sits. [Gate]ing to the city appears to have been a good idea because the large Grand Cathedral in the center of the lake is slowly crumbling and sinking into the lake itself.


    The spectacle has gathered the entire city as it watches speechless from the shoreline of the lake watching Faron¡¯s Grand Cathedral slowly collapse one block at a time¡­ Belinda and I try to find one of the Faron Priests, or just even one of the Grand Cathedral guards to find where the priests have relocated to.


    Guard: ¡°They are still inside, and refuse to leave¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re joking¡­?¡±


    Guard: ¡°They were afraid this was some sort of test from Faron, and didn¡¯t want to abandon Faron¡¯s holy relics.¡±


    I make Belinda wait behind as I quickly make my way across the bridge that in which as begun to start crumbling as well. If the speed remains constant the whole cathedral will probably take a full day before it falls, but I don¡¯t want to risk something falling and hitting Belinda and the baby either.


    The cathedral is by no means a small building, but I rely on a hunch and it proves to be a good one as I find all the priests praying on their knees at the large central alter, even as the alter has fallen and the building continues to shake.


    ¡°What are you all still doing here?!¡±


    One of the priests looks up and says. ¡°Archjusticar! You have come to save the cathedral?!¡±


    The priests all then look up and then look at me quite hopeful.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry there is nothing that can be done about the cathedral now, but that doesn¡¯t mean it should cost your lives.¡±


    Priest: ¡°There are so many of Faron¡¯s relics that are just falling to pieces when touched and the Grand Cathedral itself is coming down block by block. This has to be some kind of test for us to prove our worth.¡±


    ¡°The Grand Cathedral and the Relics are not what you should be concerned about. Maybe the test is that you have to prove you worship Faron and not just this building or material items.¡±


    That seems to convince the priests, and then after a bit more convincing we all make our way from the building. I have destroyed several dungeons before, but I never just stuck around afterwards to watch it collapse, I have to say it¡¯s a rather odd sight.


    We keep in contact with Roxy and Zoey, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything going on back home so Belinda and I stick around to watch the Grand Cathedral sink beneath the lake. Many of the townsfolk are quite worried about the Grand Cathedral sinking, but the priests have opened the doors to all the other churches in the city.


    Belinda: ¡°I was in such a hurry when we destroyed the crystal in Calhoun, and it was just a cave, but this is taking a long time.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t stick around for the dungeons I destroyed either, this is rather strange to see it fall so slowly.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then again if you were all the way at the bottom of the dungeon I am sure it must seem like a short time as you try to rush back though the dungeon before your exit gets blocked off.¡±


    ¡°I am sure it is possible, but I noticed especially in one dungeon that was a massive labyrinth, but after the dungeon is destroyed you seem to exit the dungeon at a much quicker pace. Even knowing the pattern for the labyrinth, and the monsters proving to not be difficult it still took weeks to get though that dungeon yet Listel and I made it out in what seemed like a straight shot.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The dungeon I destroyed was just a large deep cave, so I couldn¡¯t even tell which floor we were on just by sight, but on the way back out it did seem to have taken us a fraction of the time it should have.¡±


    ¡°Well that aside, I think I convinced the priests at the grand cathedral not to give up on Faron pretty easily, but we better check in and make sure they haven¡¯t changed their minds before returning home.¡±


    Belinda nods and we head to what is now the biggest church in the city.


    Priest: ¡°Archjusticar! The priests from the grand cathedral said this was some kind of test. Are you sure Faron hasn¡¯t abandoned us?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Well I have never claimed to speak for Faron, but even if this was not a test but an attack from one of the old gods like the one attacking his smaller churches, I think with only the loss of the Grand Cathedral and a few alters at some of the other churches, that Faron must have been the victor.¡±


    Priest: ¡°But without the Grand Cathedral and all the Relics of Faron, what are we to do now?¡±


    ¡°I think times like this, is when your faith is really tested, it doesn¡¯t look like anyone was hurt, so that is far better than when some of the smaller churches fell. That in itself must have been quite difficult.¡±


    Priest: ¡°We are hearing rumors from some of the local adventurers that the Grand Cathedral fell like a dungeon that has been destroyed, and even the Crystal Caverns has become sealed as well.¡±


    ¡°Just like I don¡¯t claim to speak for Faron, I don¡¯t have all the answers either. The Crystal Caverns were said to be where Faron sealed off powerful monsters to keep them from harming humans. Perhaps he used a dungeon to do just that, or because of the Grand Cathedral falling he sealed the Crystal Caverns off as well so nothing got loose.¡±


    Priest: ¡°Many naysayers have claimed for years that Faron was just a dungeon, and I think with the way the Grand Cathedral fell many of Faron¡¯s followers might start to believe them as well.¡±


    ¡°Look at all the good the churches of Faron have done, do you really think that is the work of a dungeon?¡±


    Priest: ¡°Of course not, but there are those that might be swayed.¡±


    ¡°A tragedy like this always works people up, just give it time and see what happens. After all if Faron was just a dungeon then that means its dead now. If there are no more signs of Faron then they may be right, but if there are signs that Faron is still around it will only prove them wrong.¡±


    Priest: ¡°What do we do until then¡­?¡±


    ¡°Just do as you have always done, help as many people as you can, and don¡¯t give up.¡±


    Priest: ¡°Thank you Archjusticar.¡±


    I check with several of the other priests and have similar conversations with them as well. Some of them seem easier to convince then others, and some of them might have lost all faith in Faron, but I guess that is up to Ceres and the one she serves now.


    Watching the Grand Cathedral fall for so long, and then talking with the priests is has gotten quite late so Belinda and I decide to head home for the night. Early the next morning Vetala answers the door to a nervous Kleed who is holding a message for me.


    Kleed: ¡°The Grand High Mage asked me to bring this to you this morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± ¨CI say while taking the small piece of parchment that seems to relieve a great burden on Kleed.-


    Kleed: ¡°I must be getting back now.¡± ¨CHe says with a bow then leaves.-


    The message looks to have just been written on a scrap piece of parchment and isn¡¯t even folded, so anything Ceres must have written must not be very important.


    Well I will give you a solid 3 out of 10 for execution, but the task I asked you complete is done none the less. As for my promise, you might want to check and see how the agreement that you have with #1 is going.


    That is all it says¡­ I head into the dining room, and find Doug sitting at the table with quite the black eye, while Aria is explaining to Belinda what happened. I still don¡¯t see how it¡¯s related to Ceres, but like she said Doug always seems to come to harm after Ceres talks to us.


    Doug: ¡°Sis, can you please fix it up, I don¡¯t want the soldiers to see me like this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, here use this.¡± ¨CI say pulling a magic stone that I was working on out of my [Shadow Pocket]-


    Doug: ¡°Is this one of the magic stones everyone is talking about around town?¡±


    ¡°Kind of, Aria and you have been working with the soldiers a lot lately and not been going with groups into the dungeon, so I thought something like this will help since neither one of you are mages. I don¡¯t know how many times you would be able to use it per day, but something as simple as that eye of yours shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Doug looks at the stone curiously then activates it healing his black eye. His eyes then open wide.


    Doug: ¡°This is amazing! I haven¡¯t heard of any of the stones you made having healing magic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a really weak spell, it won¡¯t do much for bad wounds but scrapes, scratches, or bruises shouldn¡¯t be a problem for it.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly keep it though, the simple magic stone with the [Clean] spell is going for 100 gold I don¡¯t know how much this one would be worth.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t make them to cost so much, once the Mage¡¯s Guild builds enough of a supply that they can sell them I am sure their price will come down considerably. Besides it didn¡¯t really cost me anything to make it.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°Once I get some larger magic stones I can make one with a real healing spell, but I ask you keep that information to yourself.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which I think it¡¯s time Belinda and I told you something.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It is?¡±


    ¡°Well the other elders know about it now, so if Queen finds out it¡¯s no big deal now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You told the other elders as well?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t keep it from them from them forever, and with Faron¡¯s death the training of the new dungeon cores was brought up so I thought it was as good of a time as any.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Wait¡­ Faron is dead?!¡±


    ¡°The dungeon core Faron is dead, and the Grand Cathedral fell, a few of the smaller churches lost their alters that Faron was concealing imitation crystals in, but I think someone else is going to step into his churches to keep the religion alive.¡±


    Doug: ¡°But they would just be worshiping a dead god.¡±


    ¡°Well Faron never was a god, just a strong dungeon core, but one of the ¡°real¡± gods I think is going to take his absence to replace him.¡±


    Doug: ¡°You never cease to amaze me. Talking about gods like they are just like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Well in truth I don¡¯t know what they are, or even if they truly are gods, but they claim to be. That¡¯s not what we were going to tell you though.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Doug you are going to be an uncle!¡±


    Doug: ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am pregnant!¡±


    Aria: ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Not really, there was nothing stopping Belinda from getting pregnant, just me. The rules have seemed to change now that the old gods are getting involved with the dungeons now though, so surprise¡­¡±


    Aria: ¡°You¡¯re not joking are you¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know we were trying to hide it, but I still feel a little upset that nobody has noticed by now¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°You haven¡¯t been leaving the house as much lately so I thought maybe the weight you have been putting on was just because of that¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you saying I am fat!?¡±


    Aria: ¡°Doug! You don¡¯t talk like that to your sister!¡±


    Doug: ¡°I didn¡¯t say that! If she is pregnant it makes sense.¡±


    Belinda looks hurt so I move over to hug her. ¡°I think you look more beautiful than ever.¡±


    Aria: ¡°Wait, if Two-Twelve could get you pregnant then perhaps my Mistress can have Logan¡¯s child as well?¡±


    ¡°Well we are still not 100% on the how, but with a human it seems to be far more difficult, but perhaps one day.¡±


    Aria: ¡°If my mistress can have Logan¡¯s baby though, she won¡¯t need me to be with Doug anymore, and she might make me leave him¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I doubt Queen would do that, besides I think that would violate our agreement because of what it would do to Doug.¡±


    Aria: ¡°You really think so?¡±


    ¡°I do, now speaking of Doug¡¯s black eye, that makes me think about what Ceres said about the scholar I summoned.¡±


    Doug: ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with my black eye?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know honestly, but every time she tells us something she isn¡¯t supposed to you end up getting hurt like that. Last time it was when you stubbed your toe, and now your eye. It hasn¡¯t been anything dangerous, but I hope it doesn¡¯t escalate, because I wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen to you because of it.¡±


    Doug still looks rather confused, but I don¡¯t know of a better way to explain it. Belinda tries to help out but I don¡¯t know if it helps any either, she then says. ¡°So, what about the scholar?¡±


    ¡°She said that wasn¡¯t what she had in mind the first time, and that knowing about Faron¡¯s ability should give me an idea, but I am still not sure.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well what was Faron¡¯s ability?¡±


    ¡°He made the things like the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u>, and was the one that let you summon monsters with knowledge that you didn¡¯t know as long as one of the dungeons out there did know it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You summoned him with the knowledge the dungeons know though right?¡±


    ¡°Yea because that was before Faron¡¯s death, so I don¡¯t know how that will help us now. Wait, what about what Dyson said. He said to retain the knowledge I have to make sure either I or the dungeon knows the information now, so I should summon multiple monsters with the same knowledge to make sure I don¡¯t lose any, either that or have them write it down and store it in the dungeon inventory. Do you think if we summoned another scholar after storing the books in the library it would have the knowledge of all those books?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ But how would you even go about it? I am sure with enough time you could store the books from Gowen¡¯s library, but there is no way Merretta or Adra will let you take a single book from their library, much less all of them.¡±


    ¡°Ceres wouldn¡¯t have mentioned it unless there was a way. The library in Merretta should be inside Lucille¡¯s dungeon, and I don¡¯t know the dungeon core in Adra, but the one there might be in his dungeon as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They can¡¯t copy items just because they are in their dungeon like you though.¡±


    ¡°But using them we might be able to get into the libraries at night and borrow the books for a few hours.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be like the sword of Exeter, and you would just need them for a few seconds?¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if I could just have them available to summon, or if they would actually have to be in my dungeon inventory. If it¡¯s the later, the cost of books can get quite high especially if they are one of a kind which I am sure most of them are.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Even still all the books in the library in one night would still be quite a chore.¡±


    ¡°If the libraries are within the dungeons it might be a lot easier to have the dungeons store the books in their own inventories, summon a monster with the knowledge of the books, and then return the books. I could then trade for the monster with the knowledge.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You think that will work?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the dungeon core in Adra, but as the Archjusticar I probably could swing it, but my main concern is Lucille, I don¡¯t think she likes me much.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about the issue about Faron¡¯s death, didn¡¯t Ceres promise to help with that as well?¡±


    ¡°Actually Kleed delivered a message from her just before I walked in here, and the message told me to check on Maric. Ceres did say she couldn¡¯t point me to the one responsible but someone that could help, so maybe Maric at least knows who or how to find out who killed Faron.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°When it is concerning the old gods it always comes back to Maric, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Well due to the other god¡¯s interference, Maric and I seem to be on good terms, so I am glad it is him more than someone like Laura.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I guess, but what if Ceres is doing the same thing the other one did?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a choice at the moment if we want to find out what happened to Faron, but that is why we are still trying to find out who these gods are as well.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Well, it seems you two are quite busy, and Aria and I better get started, the troops will be entering the dungeon soon, so we should make sure they stay out of trouble.¡± ¨CHe then moves over to Belinda and gives her a big hug. - ¡°And congratulations, I know how much this must mean to you. I won¡¯t tell father or Logan about it, but don¡¯t wait too much longer, ok?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thanks¡­¡± ¨CAfter Doug and Aria depart, Belinda then says.- ¡°So what should we do now?¡±


    ¡°I am going to start with Maric as that is the more pressing matter.¡± ¨CI say while opening [Communication] and send him a message.-


    Due to the death of Elder Faron I am sending messages to several of the experienced dungeon cores to speak with them concerning matters relevant to the Dungeon Core Elders. I wish to speak with you at your earliest convenience.


    Dungeon Core #212 Archjusticar Gowen


    ¡°Maric seems the type that his curiosity will get the best of him and he will at least speak with me, so I guess now all we have to do is wait.¡±


    After I finish my coffee I make my usual rounds checking on Azami and Kaelmathis, the bunnies, and the dungeon. After that I start to mess around with the magic stones, but I then receive a message from Maric.


    Maric: (I told the elders they would regret making Dyson an Elder. I am sure with Faron¡¯s death and Dyson¡¯s betrayal they would be quick to want to replace them, but I am not quite sure I am interested anymore. I will however at least hear you out, but I am quite busy for the next few days. Your assistance with my acquisition of the dragonkin has led me to pursue a few more items on my wish list. I will send another message when I have returned to my dungeon and am capable of meeting with you. Just don¡¯t make any decisions till we have time to speak.)


    He seems to be under the impression I am recruiting for the Elders, but that gets my foot in the door at least. I will have to make sure to correct that early on when we meet, but for now this helps.


    (I understand, and please inform me when you are ready to meet.)


    I set down the magic stone I am working on, and decide if it is going to take Maric a few days to meet with me. Then maybe I should start working on gathering information about the old gods. I next send a message to Lucille.


    (I have a lead regarding the death of Faron, but I am not sure how well it will go. I do need to gather some more information however, and the human library within your dungeon might be able to assist me. If you could summon a monster with the information from the books held within it might greatly help with matters for my Archjusticar position, and I am willing to offer fair trade in exchange.)


    Lucille: (I don¡¯t see how useless human information would be of any help, and it would be quite a hassle to gather all of those books.)


    (I don¡¯t know if I have anything to trade with you that would make it worth your effort, but if you do this for me I would do what I can.)


    Lucille: (I will trade you for a means in which to produce a dungeon core.)


    (I don¡¯t know what you expect me to do, I already told you all I know about how my wife became pregnant.)


    Lucille: (Then you shall produce a dungeon core for me, as I have no means of summoning any compatible species to produce one myself.)


    (You are asking me to give you a child¡­?)


    Lucille: (Not me personally, don¡¯t be absurd. You can create one with one of your own monsters and then trade her to me.)


    (Even if I could, I wouldn¡¯t trade off one of my own children for something like this.)


    Lucille: (Suit yourself, if you want the books then you know my offer.)


    I close the [Communication] screen and let out a deep sigh. Belinda is sitting nearby reading a book and asks me what is wrong, so I explain my conversation with Lucille.


    Belinda: ¡°She didn¡¯t actually expect you to agree did she¡­?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The elders are as disassociated with humans as possible, and I don¡¯t think they see having children as anything different then summoning a new monster.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°We will have to try something else for Merretta, but I guess for now I will try Adra as well.¡±


    I have been to Toran a few times now but have never spoken to the dungeon core that has his dungeon there, so I decide it would be best to sit down with him face to face. One more time I open [Communication], but this time I open [Archjusticar Menu] as well to find information on the dungeon core in Toran.


    After finding the right dungeon core I then send him a message. I am not quite sure what to say to him in a message so I pretty much repeat the message I sent to Maric, using that as an excuse to meet with him as well.


    Dungeon Core #715: (I have to say, you have my curiosity. Fine, I will be willing to meet with you, under a few conditions. I wish to meet at a neutral location, and must be allowed to bring my boss monster as she goes with me everywhere.)


    This actually went better than I thought. I can meet with him at the neutral zone which will prevent any attacks, so I agree to his terms and set a time in which to set our meeting. He is even fine with meeting later that day so Belinda use [Gate] to arrive at the neutral zone and prepare for Dungeon Core #715¡¯s visit.

 Dungeon Core #715 [Irthos]

    After trying to meet with Maric, and being told it would be a couple of days, and then striking out with trying to get Lucille¡¯s help in acquiring knowledge from the Merretta library, we then contacted Dungeon Core #715 he is the dungeon core whose dungeon runs through the Adra capital of Toran.


    Belinda and I have prepared to receive him and his boss monster at the neutral zone, in hopes to be able to get him to agree to help us gain the knowledge from the books in the Adra library. I don¡¯t know anything about Dungeon Core #715 other then his name which is Irthos. He did sound quite enthusiastic about meeting with me when I sent him a message however.


    He seemed quite worried when I mentioned sending a [Gate] to him to arrive at the place of our meeting, but when he learned it was at the place the Elders meet with other dungeon cores he seemed quite relieved.


    I do have to open [Archjusticar Menu] to get his location and the why it looks, but when I look in on Dungeon Core #715 the sight I see is quite hard to take¡­ I mean he did say he would only come if he could bring his boss monster, but this isn¡¯t quite what I expected.


    Irthos is kind of like Draco in appearance, but he has far less dragon like qualities. I wouldn¡¯t call him a dragonkin because his appearance is quite human, but maybe what a dragon beastkin or perhaps a feral dragon beastkin would look like if that is even possible.


    His boss monster however is a dragon¡­ I don¡¯t mean like my small earth dragon that amounts to a giant armored lizard, but an actual dragon. They can¡¯t hurt me here at the neutral zone, but I don¡¯t know if I can make a [Gate] large enough for a real dragon to pass through.


    While Irthos and his boss monster stand patiently waiting for my portal to arrive he is gently petting the dragon¡¯s head as it rubs up against him. I don¡¯t want to message him back and say I made a mistake, but I have never tried to enlarge a [Gate] spell like that before.


    I don¡¯t even know if this room will hold the large dragon, but he seemed to know where we were going so surely he knows the size of it, and if the dragon would fit here or not. I have never tried it before but I use my Empowered Magic skill to increase the size of the [Gate] spell.


    The resulting spell is twice the size of my normal portal, but even then it would be a tight squeeze for the dragon to pass through. Still watching Irthos on my screen he acknowledges the portal that arrived and steps forward.


    The dragon tucks its wings up tight against its body and scrunches itself up making it a small as possible as it attempts to follow Irthos though the portal. Arriving in the neutral zone Irthos quickly greets me then quickly turns back around coaxing the dragon to squeeze though the portal.


    Irthos speaks in a language that I can¡¯t understand and it seems to cause the dragon to try harder, and it manages to squeeze though the portal. It doesn¡¯t leave much room in the room for the rest of us but after Irthos sits down on a couch the dragon curls around it placing its massive head at his feet.


    Irthos: ¡°I really appreciate you allowing me to bring my Teku along with me, I am just not the same without her.¡±


    ¡°I have to say I was quite surprised to find out your boss monster was an actual dragon, and I wasn¡¯t sure I was going to be able to make a [Gate] large enough for it to fit though.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°We have fit though many of tight spots over the years, so this was simple, she has grown a bit since then, but I just had to promise her something extra special when we return home, and that was enough to convince her she could make it. Isn¡¯t that right Darling?¡± ¨CHe says leaning over to kiss the dragon on the top of the head.-


    I am not sure if dragons can smile, but if it was possible I think this one just did, as it rubbed its head against Irthos¡¯s legs¡­ I am not even entirely sure if dragons are sentient, I know dragonkin can be sentient, but actual dragons?


    Belinda: ¡°You two seem very close.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Of course, you seem to be quite close to your master as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well yes, but Two-Twelve is also my husband¡­¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Teku is my mate as well.¡±


    Belinda doesn¡¯t seem to know how to respond to that, and even I don¡¯t know how to follow up that statement.


    Irthos: ¡°The answer is very carefully. I have been with Teku since she was smaller than I was, but I have to admit it has been quite tough the last few hundred years.¡±


    I shake my head and then say. ¡°To the reason we called you here. I understand you have quite a large section of Toran within your dungeon?¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Yes I have been very fortunate, when I placed my dungeon in Toran it was just a small settlement.¡±


    ¡°Is the large human library within your dungeon?¡±


    Irthos: ¡°You know I am not entirely sure, I tend to avoid humans because they don¡¯t like Teku, I gather their xp but I don¡¯t pay attention to what it is they are doing. If it is within the eastern side of Toran it should be within my dungeon however.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It is pretty close to the close to the center of the city.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°That¡¯s a tough one then, if you tell me which building it is, I can look into it and see if it is indeed within my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°It would be the large building with all the books¡­¡±


    Irthos: ¡°I have no use for human¡¯s books, so I don¡¯t pay them any attention. Teku can¡¯t read you see, and she is quite the delicate little flower. I wouldn¡¯t want to scare her will all those human stories about destroying dungeons and slaying dragons. Isn¡¯t that right sweetie?¡±


    After he says that he says something else in the language I don¡¯t understand and the dragon lifts its head long enough and makes a short quiet sound almost like the coo of a dove, before rubbing its head against his leg again, and laying its head back on the floor.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s a large drab grey stone building, its taller than all the others in the area, and is probably a few hundred years old, it sits almost right in the middle of the city¡­¡±


    Irthos: ¡°What color is its roof? Teku likes to go on flights over the city when it is dark and the humans can¡¯t see us. She likes the dancing lights of the city below.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I didn¡¯t pay much attention to the roof.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°I can use [Menu] here so let me look though the screens and see if I can find a building filled with books.¡±


    Irthos spends quite a bit of time going through screens, and I keep an eye on the one watching him so I can see the screens he is looking at, because I am not too sure he would even know it if he seen it. I also determine his boss monster must at least have some sentience, because he often will say something after looking at a particular screen.


    Even though the dragons presence it quite intimidating its eyes always look to Irthos with a sense of yearning that shows as much care for him as he seems to have for it. I can¡¯t say it makes the situation any less creepy, but they both seem extremely happy so I guess if it makes them happy who are we to judge¡­?


    When he finally comes across a screen displaying the library he almost moves past It, and I am about call out to stop him there, but he then seems to realize it as well.


    Irthos: ¡°I think I found the building you are looking for.¡±


    ¡°That is great, that means it is within your dungeon then.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°What is it the Elders want with a bunch of old human books anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well I am looking into some information regarding Faron¡¯s death, and they might prove useful.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Well I would be glad to help the Elders in any way I can.¡±


    The screen of him that I am watching shows him messing with the screen displaying the library, and before I can say another word all the books in the library disappear, and the humans displayed on the screen seem to begin to panic.


    ¡°Wait! What are you doing?!¡±


    Irthos: ¡°I thought you needed the books? ¨Che says rather confused looking over his shoulder as if to see if someone is looking over his shoulder, and Teku raises her head to see what is going on.-


    Belinda too seems a little surprised at my sudden outburst.


    ¡°If you take all the books out of the library like that the humans will begin to panic.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Well they are in my dungeon, so they will have to get over it, or they could come play with Teku and me.¡±


    ¡°Well the damage is done now¡­ I will try to return them quickly, but I might as well use them first. I will cast another [Gate] spell and if you will just drop the books through the portal it would be a big help.¡±


    Irthos nods and pets Teku¡¯s head¡­ I cast [Gate] making the portal flat against the ground while having the other end of the portal open up in the one of the huge rooms on the bottom floor of my dungeon. Humans haven¡¯t still made it that far so they should be ok there until I can send them back to Adra¡­


    Irthos then starts dumping books though the portal. I start to wonder if even this huge room in my dungeon will be enough to hold them all, moving the minotaur and other monsters from the room just so they don¡¯t get crushed.


    Not being stored neatly on the shelves the books look to be in a far greater quantity then they did while stored away in the library. Finally the number of books dropping through the portal slows and then ceases all together and Irthos looks quite satisfied.


    ¡°Well that is not exactly how I planned for this meeting to go, but it works none the less. Is there something I can do to compensate you for your help with the matter?¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Oh no, as long as I have Teku I am just fine. I am just glad I was able to help the Elders in any way that I can. I have spoken to Elder Faron quite a few times over the years since he placed his imitation crystal in the city, so I am glad I can help nail Dyson to the wall.¡±


    ¡°We are not exactly sure if Dyson was responsible for Faron¡¯s death, but I hope maybe some of these books might be able to help.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Well [Menu] said it was Dyson, so I don¡¯t know how much clearer it could be, and I doubt musty old human books would bring any insight to the matter.¡±


    ¡°Well thank you again, and we will return the books as soon as we are done with them.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Oh you can keep them if you like.¡±


    ¡°I think they have better means to store them in the library, so we will return them, but if you do need something in the future and it is within my power just say the word alright?¡±


    Teku coos again and Irthos slams a fist into his hand like he just had a brilliant idea¡­


    Irthos: ¡°You are so smart my lovely! Teku said she heard a rumor that you can summon dragonkin and even a small earth dragon. Is that true?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Well I learned the dragonkin I can summon are very low on the evolutionary line, but yes I can summon a few, and I can the small earth dragon as well.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Teku and I love collecting dragons, so do you think you could pay us back with a pair of each?¡±


    ¡°The dragonkin would be of no problem, but the small earth dragon would have a really high xp cost.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Teku kept telling me to talk Gala into trading me a few of them before that human killed her, but I couldn¡¯t convince Gala to give one up. Maybe we can come to another arrangement for the earth dragons soon, and just have a few dragonkin then?¡±


    I don¡¯t want to say that I was the one that killed Gala, and that is the very reason I can summon the earth dragons¡­ Irthos seems rather strange, but it might be beneficial to us in the future if he does have more types of dragons other than just Teku, so it might be a good idea to come to an agreement.


    ¡°I am fine with giving you a couple of dragonkin for the help you gave us today, and if you really are interested in a couple of earth dragons I might be inclined to help for further trade.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Did you hear that Teku! We might still be able to add the earth dragons to our collection!¡± ¨CTeku seems to be smiling again, if you can call it that, while cooing again.-


    ¡°You said you have a collection of dragons? What other types of dragons can you summon?¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Unfortunately most of the other dungeon cores will only trade us one, so I haven¡¯t learned to summon very many, but I have managed to learn to summon a feathered serpent and a low tier water dragon!¡±


    ¡°How long tier are we talking about here?¡±


    Irthos: ¡°Oh they are barely 45,000xp, well that is for the water dragon, but the feathered serpent is 75,000xp. That is only because wind is a hard element for me to summon.¡±


    ¡°If you are interested, I would have to check to see if I have the available xp, but if I do I will summon you a pair of earth dragons for one of each of the feathered serpents and the water dragon. I would also be interested in future trades.¡±


    Irthos quickly jumps up, and then jumps around the room a few times flapping his wings while even Teku¡¯s head seems to follow him bobbing happily.


    I don¡¯t want to disappoint him now¡­ I am sure we have enough xp, but just to be sure I send a message to the bunnies, and tell them I wish to summon two earth dragons in exchange for two new types of dragons.


    Their reaction I would imagine is something along the lines of what Irthos is doing right now. Needless to say they told me they would work it into their figures. The next part is the actual summoning of the monsters. With Teku taking up most of the room it is quite difficult, but having them pass though [Gate] is far easier than it was for Teku so we manage to get the exchange complete.


    Both of the dragons Irthos summoned for me are serpent like dragons. The feathered serpent looks mainly like a giant bird like snake, without any feet to and only a large pair of feathered wings, its head however is more dragon like in appearance then that of a snake.


    The water dragon is much more snake like with long scaled hide and even with the dragon like head it could easily be mistaken for just a giant snake. I had to cast another [Gate] spell just to transport them to my dungeon as the room full of books wouldn¡¯t hold the two massive serpent like dragons as well.


    Summoning a male and female dragonkin was simple enough, but the earth dragons where a bit more difficult, but we managed to get them transported to Irthos¡¯s dungeon as well. I can¡¯t say this is anything near how I expected this day to go, but I am not going to complain.


    After the second earth dragon passes through the portal into Irthos¡¯s dungeon he kisses Teku on the lips and she then runs her tongue across his entire face¡­


    Irthos: ¡°This is a great day indeed! Teku told me to tell you thanks, you can¡¯t even begin to understand how excited she is to increasing our collection!¡±


    ¡°Well not only the books, but the feathered serpent and the water dragon will be a big help to us as well, I should thank you.¡±


    Irthos: ¡°If the Elders need anything else from Teku or I don¡¯t hesitate to ask, especially if you manage to come across any new species of dragons!¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    I then empower one more [Gate] spell and after Teku squeezes though the portal Irthos offers one more thanks before disappearing into the portal as well.


    ¡°Well they were a unique bunch¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He looked part dragon himself, but even still a humanoid and a dragon¡­ They looked really happy together, so I guess that is the important part.¡±


    ¡°She seemed sentient to a degree, but I don¡¯t know just how sentient she is, she did seem to look at him with quite fondness if that¡¯s what you want to call it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We better get back and take care of these books, before Toran gets in a proper uproar.¡±


    I nod, and we return to our own dungeon.


    New Monsters Available


    Feathered Serpent                                         Cost: 50,000xp* Weak Water Dragon                                      Cost: 50,000xp*


    Irthos¡¯s costs were different than mine, but I guess that is due to me not having a favored element. They both seem to be equal to the small earth dragon so it seems like a fair trade indeed. Now for taking care of the books.


    I store the massive amount of books in the dungeon inventory and receive a huge list of new items available. I briefly scan through the list and most of the books range from a few xp to a few thousand. It really does seem to be a good that we don¡¯t have to summon copies for each one, because with the massive list it would take well over a million xp even though the vast majority of the books are only a 5 to 10 xp apiece.


    I prepare some clothes and then summon another human scholar like person wanting them to have the complete knowledge of the books stored within my dungeon inventory. I left everything random again, except the age as I didn¡¯t want to end up with another older man or woman.


    The human woman that appears is still older, but she is still somewhere between the age of Madeline and Belinda¡¯s father. Belinda quickly helps her get dressed before we speak with her.


    Woman: ¡°Greetings Master, I understand your wanting of me to be knowledgeable, but do you think it was necessary for me to have the knowledge of every book stored in your dungeon inventory. Some of them are quite strange¡­¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know which books would be relevant, and we need to return the books quickly, so I thought this would be the best course of action.¡±


    Woman: ¡°Well I understand I guess, but what am I going to do with knowledge about demi-human mating rituals, or seducing barmaids? That doesn¡¯t even mention the countless books that seem to have no point to them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should have just focused on the books related to the old gods, but nothing to be done about that now. I would like to speak to you more about what of the old gods you know, but for now let¡¯s try to find a way to get these books back to Toran.¡±


    Woman: ¡°Understood Master.¡±


    I don¡¯t have a way to return the books other than the [Gate] spell but I want to do it a bit more orderly then just dumping them in the center of the library like Irthos did. It takes several castings of [Gate] but I send though the books in several large stacks, a few fall from the stacks when they hit the floor in Toran, and it will take months for them to reorganize them again, but it is by far the best we can do.


    I don¡¯t know how the Toran residents are going to react to the books suddenly disappearing and then reappearing in a heap in the library. If we find the time we might have to send someone to check it out to make sure nothing gets out of hand.


    Irthos took the books in a matter of seconds, and I moved them from the dungeon floor to the dungeon inventory in the same amount of time, but returning them took far longer, and a few hours have already passed before the last book is returned.


    ¡°That took far longer than I anticipated, and I am almost completely out of magic¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I could have sent some of the books back myself.¡±


    ¡°I managed to get them all sent back, so that is the important part. I just feel sorry for the work that the library staff will have to do now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am wonder how they are going to try to make sense of what happened.¡±


    ¡°Although I do feel partly responsible, it was really Irthos that did it, and it is inside his dungeon, so it is his problem I guess.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t think he really cares¡­¡±


    ¡°I tend to agree, but we also have our own problems to deal with as well.¡±


    Woman: ¡°Master, what is it you would like me to do?¡±


    ¡°We will find something for you to do, but in the mean time we have some questions about what you might now about the old gods.¡±


    Woman: ¡°If it was written in the books in Toran then I can recite it for you, but that is about it.¡±


    ¡°We are having some people bother us that claim to serve several of the old gods and we were hoping you could help us at least figure out which ones it is, or if it even is one of the old gods.¡±


    Woman: ¡°I can try.¡±


    Belinda gives the woman the name Melody and we move from the dungeon back to the house. Kaelmathis and Azami have the living room tied up so we head to the dining room, and while we talk Belinda prepares us all something to drink.


    I am not sure what exactly Belinda made for them to drink but I can smell the sweetness from across the table, but they seem to enjoy it so that¡¯s what counts. I fill in Melody about the information we have on the old gods and then she seems to mull it over a bit.


    Melody: ¡°Well that isn¡¯t a lot to go on¡­ Now Ceres is a name that has popped up a few times within several of the books, but often she was the object of worship herself not serving another. Her appearance however sounds quite different then what you described.¡±


    ¡°The Mage¡¯s Guild spoke of Ceres being around for quite a while, but to say older then the dungeon core elders even? Maybe it is just a name taken by the one that serves that particular god, like a title of sorts?¡±


    Melody: ¡°It is a possibility, there are also books that state for a god to appear among humans they need a body to enter or a being in which they can use the form of while here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then you are saying that it is possible that Ceres is a god or goddess herself?¡±


    Melody: ¡°In a manner of speaking, but all of this knowledge is from a simpler time however, so we can¡¯t even be certain how truthful it is.¡±


    ¡°Well on the off chance that it is true, in the mentions of Ceres was she one that humans feared or helped humans?¡±


    Melody: ¡°She always seems to appear in time of great turmoil, but always seems to appear on the side of humans. It never states that she outright helps the humans either, it has even been mentioned that she might be the cause of the turmoil only appearing on the side of humans to see how things play out. Those accounts however are rather small, and most humans have seemed to show favor towards her.¡±


    ¡°Well that is more information than we had, but I can¡¯t be sure if it helps us at all. You can¡¯t find anything that might link the other one we mentioned to one of the old gods?¡±


    Melody: ¡°These accounts are all older then dungeons themselves, so beastkins were not even around then, so there is no way to link that to any one god. The dragonkin might be a clue, but the old humans worshiped a lot of the old dragons as gods themselves, so there is no telling if any of them were actual gods or not. If you just go by the list of gods that disregard human life the list is longer then the dragons that were worshipped.¡±


    ¡°Ceres did mention that Blaise who is going through the library in Merretta might find the answer eventually, so maybe the answer lies in Merretta instead of Adra.¡±


    Melody: ¡°I am sorry I didn¡¯t have the answer you seek.¡±


    ¡°No, you can only know what is written in Adra, so it isn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    Melody: ¡°If there is nothing else you wish me to do I wouldn¡¯t mind assisting in Merretta if you like?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to force it on you, but if you want to, I am sure we can arrange it.¡±


    Melody: ¡°I think I would, I would also like to compare notes with what this, Blaise, has uncovered as well.¡±


    We make the preparations and then take Melody to Merretta and introduce him to our other scholar. They don¡¯t seem to meet eye to eye on very much, but the debate between them seems to have them both enthusiastic, and before Belinda and I return home they are already diving into more books.


    Belinda: ¡°I think I made up my mind on what I want to do with the inn now that the soldiers have moved in to the garrison.¡±


    ¡°Turn it into a library¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We could put a library in it, but no. I was thinking a school.¡±


    ¡°Well Tobes already has a school, it isn¡¯t very big, but it gets the job done I think.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, I am speaking of a scholar¡¯s school, or advanced learning. The school here and even the ones in the capital just teach children the basics. Look at my siblings. They all had to go to Adra to receive a higher education.¡±


    ¡°What brought that on?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was thinking about the way Melody learned about everything in the books in Adra¡¯s library. We could summon teachers to cover different subjects summoning them with as much information about that particular subject as possible. It would be a great benefit to the lives of the people of Gowen.¡±


    ¡°If it is something you feel strongly about I am sure we can manage something, but right now we have so much on our plates as it is.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There is no rush, but I really regret not getting the same schooling as Mindy and the others, I wouldn¡¯t want our daughter to have to miss that kind of opportunity as well.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure how fast our child will even age, but that should still take years before she would be ready for something like that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I know, but I keep thinking of things I want for our daughter, and if I want it for my daughter I am sure others feel the same. If we have the means I think we should do what we can to the betterment of Gowen.¡±


    ¡°We would have to gather lots of information about each particular subject, so I guess in our free time we can do that, and once this matter with the old gods and Faron¡¯s death is over we can see about making your school.¡±


    Belinda gives me a kiss and says. ¡°Thanks. I know it seems out of the blue, but I really do think it would be a great idea.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to limit to mundane subjects as well, we could fold Sofia¡¯s lessons into it as well as see if the Mage¡¯s Guild wanted to get involved, and it could have a little something for everyone. If the teachers are our monsters we could also use it for further help the dungeon like we do with Sofia¡¯s lessons teaching them to respect the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t quite think the inn would be quite large enough for all that¡­¡±


    ¡°Tobes is constantly growing, but there is still room all over, and we don¡¯t have to use your old inn, we could build a new building maybe by the Mage¡¯s Guild, or over by the Garrison. The hardest part is removing the trees, but the same trees also work for building material, so it isn¡¯t even much of a problem.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was just thinking of something simple, but you make it sound like it should rival Adra¡¯s collage.¡±


    ¡°If we are going to build it I don¡¯t see any reason in just making it just passable. If we do it, I think we should do it to the best of our abilities.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We need to tell Logan and Father about the baby soon, maybe we can bring up the plan for building it to them and see what they think.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get our meeting with Maric over with first and then we can worry about that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am starting to think you might be scared to tell Logan and Father about me getting pregnant¡­¡±


    ¡°They both know I am a dungeon core, and that it should be impossible for me to have children, so yes, maybe I am a little worried about how they will react to the news.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If anything they will be mad at me, and not you.¡±


    ¡°Everyone else¡¯s reaction seemed to bother you quite a bit, and I just didn¡¯t what you to have to go through that again, especially with Logan and your father.¡±


    Belinda wraps her arms around me and gives me a deep kiss. ¡°We will have to tell them eventually, and once we clear up the misunderstanding it will be fine.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­ But I still think we should wait till after our meeting with Maric.¡±


    Belinda laughs and gives me another kiss.  ¡°Alright, we can wait a few more days.¡±  She then drags me off to bed.

 Calm Before the Storm?

    I have one more day before the day in which I am meeting with Maric, and there is a meeting with the Mage¡¯s Guild today. I start the morning much like most ever other morning with a cup of coffee with Belinda.


    It won¡¯t be too long now that our entire situation is going to be quite different. I am sure there are dungeon cores out there that know how to deal with children. I even think I have managed to do ok while being around baby Listel, but soon I will have my very own baby. This is a situation no other dungeon core has experienced before, and I am not too sure if I am ready for it.


    With the death of Faron, the baby on the way, and the old gods poking around days like today are going to be few and far in-between so I should enjoy it as best as I can. After breakfast, or at least after my coffee, I head to the dungeon core room to check on the bunnies and the dungeon.


    The bunnies have been holding the dungeon rather well, but every day the adventurers only get stronger. The clockwork floor has already been half explored already and there are 3 groups in particular that explore that floor each week, and each time they make it a bit further.


    Lilah has built up quite a bit of xp for the next floor, so I decide we can begin working on it. From the small area behind the elemental orb locked door I make steps down to the new level of the dungeon. From the stairs I make a long corridor 50ft wide and 100ft long.


    The main difference I make to this room is a very high ceiling making this room cost double, but that is still only 2000xp so I am far from worried. The adventurers that make it this deep in the dungeon are no joking matter so I am no longer going to pull any punches.


    The floor itself has a steep slope, so even though the ceiling is at least 60ft above you after stepping off the stairs, it is only 30ft above you at the far end of the room. That will make the adventurers have to fight a literal uphill battle all the way through the room.


    That also means every monster starting at the other end will have the high ground. I also place platforms running the entire length of the room halfway up the walls to place mages and archers to rain down on the adventurers as they push their way forward.


    I even provide a half-wall along the platforms making it very difficult for the adventurers to return fire at the mages and archers. They can either hug the walls where only one side of the monsters have a clear shot or just try to push though as quick as possible. Monsters coming down the slope however will give the archers and mages more time to deal damage.


    I will have Lilah add rifts as she builds the xp back up, but for now I am just adding monsters without them in hopes to acquire stronger evolutions, and to just give Lilah the idea of what I want. After all our elemental monsters evolutions have far exceeded that of my normal type monsters. Even my strongest non-elemental type monster, a Troll-Brute, is only as expensive as the monsters we have rifts of in the deepest part of each elemental wing, and that doesn¡¯t even include the boss type monsters.


    Adventurers will have to pass the minotaur to get this far, so a handful of Troll-Brutes wouldn¡¯t be that hard on level ground, but with the current set up I think they will work for now. Trolls aren¡¯t exactly sharpshooters, so I can¡¯t use them for the raised platforms, but the monsters up there will be provided with a fair deal of cover, so I use the strongest form of orcs and orc mystics to line the platforms.


    I then start working on the next room, and I make it massively large. I have quite a few rooms that are 100ft by 100ft, but they always have low ceilings, this room cost 5 times the amount because I give it a 50ft ceiling.


    At least it is 50ft tall at the center of the room, as this room has uneven flooring as well. This time the entire things slope to the center of the room creating a valley of sorts, and along the walls I again add platforms for archers and mages.


    This is a good place to utilize the feathered serpent so I throw it in the room and line the platforms along the walls with more orcs and orc mystics. The feathered serpent has the flight advantage, but is still the same cost as the minotaur, so I add a few more troll brutes for good measure.


    The next room is quite a bit smaller, but not any less in height. This floor slopes to the center as well, but instead of putting the platforms along the wall they extended across the entire room from corner to corner.


    This will give the archers a bit more mobility and won¡¯t give the adventurers any place to hide, but it will also make them a bit easier to hit as well. Loading up the platform unlocks the orc hero and orc elder, but they only cost as much as ogres, so unless I unlock an even higher tier later I instruct Lilah to hold of rifts for a while.


    I then grit my teeth as I summon in two minotaurs to guard the floor. That is 100,000xp, before my discount due to my Uniquely Gifted skill, just for the two of them, but if the adventurers made it this far, I don¡¯t even know if that is enough to be honest. From this room I add a door on either side adding a small hallway with a couple more troll brutes in each one.


    I then add two rooms to each of the two hallways. For those 4 rooms the floor is raised to the corner opposite of the door giving a handful of troll brutes I put in each room the high ground again.


    Back in the room with the minotaurs I add one more door opposite of the entrance to continue on. This door leads to a hallway with three more doors, and when I add a handful of trolls to this hallway I finally unlock a higher tier of troll.


    These merciless trolls are stronger than any trolls I have faced, but their cost is still less than the minotaur, earth dragon, or griffon, so I am not quite sure just how strong they are.


    From the three doors I added to this hallway I put three more rooms. The two on either side are roughly the same size as the room with the two minotaurs, but the one between this is far more narrow. When I place doors from these rooms they are right next to the wall where the rooms come together so on the other side the doors would be practically side by side. These rooms as well all slope upwards to the point where the doors exiting the room are at the highest point and the entrance at the lowest.


    Trolls are quite ugly by default, but these new merciless trolls are exceptionally foul looking as I add a few of them to each of the three rooms. We are running out of xp quite quickly now, so I need to start wrapping this floor up.


    From the three doors exiting the last rooms I add a Y shaped hallway leaving a small area for the center door which I leave empty for now, and focus on the Y shaped hallway. The floor slopes upwards at a far higher grade then any of the other rooms where the adventurers will trouble climbing it if it was slippery.


    To do just that I make a raised platform where the Y connects and fill a few buckets of oil that the mages and archers on the platform can use to slow down the adventurers. The oil is of course a flammable liquid so if all else fails the mages can light it up and the only place the adventurers have to go is back into the other rooms.


    I am just about out of xp now so from the end of the Y shaped hallway I put a single room that has a steep slope to the center. I line the walls with more orcs, and that uses the last of the xp put aside for the new floor.


    As for my crystal, I am not as worried about adventurers now as I am other dungeon cores, so using some of the xp to use in an emergency I put a very small room off of the back of this last room. I make the room small enough that it is only big enough to hold my crystal so you can¡¯t teleport into the room and destroy it.


    As for the door, it is locked by three pressure switches on each of the raised platforms. I first tried to put a single switch outside in the small room at the head of the Y shaped hallway, but [Menu] would not allow that, so this will have to work for now.


    This will at least prevent any one person from being able to reach my crystal by themselves. Even Dyson would be unable to reach the crystal alone now.


    Lilah: ¡°Master spent all of Lilah¡¯s xp¡­¡±


    ¡°You have a bunch more monsters to play with now, and once you build up some more xp we will then discuss how to handle the rift situation on that floor. I do however agree that it was indeed a lot of xp¡­¡±


    I visit with the bunnies for a bit and make sure they know what I expect out of the new floor, I then decide to work on my magic stones a bit more.


    I make a few more stones that use spells that I know, but the main thing holding me back now is lack of magic stones large enough to use for more powerful spells. Even the strongest monsters in my elemental wing only drop magic stones large enough for me to make rune stones for spells that cost 50mp, and that is only 1/10<sup>th</sup> of the magic in which the [Gate] spell uses.


    I do try something new with the [Shadow Pocket] I am not quite sure how it will work while using runes, will it slowly drain the magic and then dump everything once the spell expires, will the items disappear, or how exactly will it work?


    Making after etching the last rune on the magic stone I however receive a message.


    New Enchantment Available


    Magical Storage Cost: 1000xp*


    *Magical Storage enchantment creates a single cubic foot of useable space, the enchantment can be enlarged by an additional cubic foot for each additional 1000xp added at the time of adding the enchantment.


    Well that is interesting. If this magic stone now has the Magical Storage enchantment then the question is how large is the space? I squeeze the stone on the sides activating the [Runic Activation] rune and a small line forms in front of the stone like when I cast [Shadow Pocket].


    I don¡¯t know if I can make the opening larger, because as it stands it wouldn¡¯t be able to fit much though the opening, but first I need to find out how large the storage space is. I pull out a few worthless items from the dungeon inventory and push them through the line.


    One by one they disappear though the line. I end up having to grab more items and begin shoving more and more through¡­ Just how big is this thing? I finally reach a point when I can¡¯t push anything else through.


    I then start pulling the items out stacking it all together to see just how big the space actually is. Once everything is back out of the magic stone I have a small pile in front of me. The magic stone storage isn¡¯t terribly large, but for only costing the price of the magic stone and the magic it took me for [Runic Writing] it is worth at least 3000xp worth of the Magical Storage enchantment.


    The other runic magic stones power is based on the size of the stone, maybe if I use a larger stone the space will be larger? This stone was already a pretty big one, so I will test it out on a smaller stone and see how much it shrinks.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    I make another one with a smaller stone and this time it holds about 2 cubic feet worth of items, I try an even smaller stone and predictably I can store only 1 cubic foot. I try an even smaller stone just to see what happens but it doesn¡¯t seem to work.


    I now at least know the smallest stone I can use for Magical Storage and how much it increases per increase in magic stone size. Runic magic stones that don¡¯t use the [Runic Activation] rune on them have seemed to used my magical power to gauge its strength instead of the size of the stone, so I decide to give that a try as well.


    When I cast the [Runic Activation] spell on the stone without the rune for it the opening still remains the same size. I might be able to fit a sword though it, but something like armor or a shield would be quite difficult.


    I then start filling the stone with items¡­ I eventually give up removing at least 5 cubic feet worth of items back out storing back in the dungeon¡¯s inventory and try a different approach. I transfer out to the lake just outside the mouth of the dungeon, looking around to make sure nobody is watching then hold the stone under the water.


    The lake is rather small, it is more like a large pond, but even still to see the water level start to reduce as it enters the stone is quite frightening. I don¡¯t know how much water entered the stone, but the level of the lake dropped by at least a quarter of an inch before it quit taking in any more water.


    I don¡¯t know how much water that is, but I am sure it is quite a lot, but how do I judge just how much? Well if anyone can figure it out it would be Lila, so I transfer back to the dungeon core room to ask her.


    Lila: ¡°With the exact measurements of the lake I could give you an accurate number, but I can¡¯t guarantee anything more than a rough estimate without it.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be exact. A rough estimate should be fine¡­¡±


    Lila: ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ The lake is pretty circular, and at any giving point it is roughly 300ft across¡­ If you said a ? of an inch that would be¡­ 1473 cubic feet, but that again is just a very rough estimate.¡±


    ¡°1400!?¡±


    Lila: ¡°1473¡­¡±


    ¡°That would make the value of this runic stone almost 1.5 million xp! Even teaching everyone the [Runic Activation] spell would make these stones far outweigh their cost.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°But what happens when the duration runs out?¡±


    ¡°When I used the spell to activate one of the [Light] stones it lasts over a month, and [Shadow Pocket] works quite differently than a normal spell, so I don¡¯t even know if it will run out. There is a problem with the size of the opening though, if I can¡¯t make the opening any larger I guess it doesn¡¯t matter how big the storage area is.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°With most stones Master makes, the spell¡¯s duration is based on Master¡¯s magic power, but if Master¡¯s magic power determines the size of the [Shadow Pocket] stone, what determines how long it will work?¡±


    ¡°I think they would both be based of my magic power, a normal runic stone using the [Runic Activation] spell increases in not only duration but strength when I use them in that way, but even if I have to recast the [Runic Activation] spell once a day for the stone to continue to function it is still easier than using the [Shadow Pocket] spell by itself.¡±


    Lila: ¡°If Master can make the opening larger¡­¡±


    ¡°Even using a couple thousand xp to make an item that just has the enchantment I learned, will keep [Shadow Pocket] from lowering our max mp, so if I can¡¯t make the runic stone any better, that is still a viable option.¡±


    If the duration does expire, and the items stored disappear, it is best to find out now instead of when an important items is stored inside, so I decide to do like I did with the [Light] stone and leave it in the dungeon core room for a while till we find out.


    As soon as I turn loose of the stone by setting it down on the desk, it launches across the room as the opening of the [Shadow Pocket] on the stone opens wide and begins spraying water all over the dungeon core room. The twins start running though the jet of water while calling out happily, while the older bunnies try to keep an eye on the adventurers in the dungeon while getting drenched.


    The water stops when there is only a few inches standing in the dungeon core room, but the worst part is the stone was flying all around the dungeon core room being propelled by the expelling water, so we and everything in the dungeon core room is completely soaked.


    ¡°Well that was unexpected¡­¡±


    Twins: ¡°Again!~¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master, Please don¡¯t¡­¡± ¨CShe says while water drips from the tip of her nose.-


    The twins are happily splashing around in the water standing on the floor, and even Leila has joined them now as well.


    Cleaning the standing water in the dungeon core room is as simple as a few clicks in [Menu], but it still takes quite a while afterwards as I have cast [Clean] on everything. I give a few of the bunnies some of the [Clean] rune stones to help me out and we eventually get the dungeon core room back to the way it was before.


    Lele: ¡°Aww. Moss is right.¡±


    Lala: ¡°Master is no fun!¡±


    ¡°Well the dungeon core room is not exactly the best place to play in the water. Besides when have you been talking to Moss?¡±


    Lele: ¡°Lala and I visit him when we don¡¯t have to watch the dungeon!¡±


    Lala: ¡°He is really nice!¡±


    They both quickly run to their room and come back wearing wooden armor. Other than the fact that the armor is made from wood the design is actually marvelous¡­ Artistically it is even better than the armor Azami produces.


    ¡°Did he make that for you?¡±


    Twins: ¡°Yep!~¡±


    ¡°Well I was worried about him being alone all the time, so I am glad you two are at least talking with him. That armor is something else¡­ I have been trying to talk him into going to train with us when we go to Shima, maybe you girls can talk him into it so he can start making real armor and weapons?¡±


    Lala: ¡°But Moss doesn¡¯t like Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Well maybe you can talk him into it if is all three of you coming along. You 6 bunnies are always up here in the dungeon core room, but you need to gain more levels as well. Being in the dungeon core room so much you might even gain skills that would help with your work.¡±


    Lele: ¡°He will do it if I ask him!¡±


    Lala: ¡°He would do it for me before he would for you!¡±


    Lela: ¡°He likes me better!¡±


    Lala: ¡°No he doesn¡¯t, he likes me better!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Should I be worried?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Moss does seem to like them quite a bit, but I don¡¯t think you have to worry about Moss. He treats them quite fondly, but I don¡¯t think he has eyes for anyone other than Azami.¡±


    ¡°Well I think he is wasting his time there, because Azami has made it quite clear, but I guess if it keeps him occupied for the next few years it would be for the best. He is still a bit more mature then Lala and Lele, so can I ask you to keep an eye on them for me?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Yes Master.¡±


    The twins continue to bicker back and forth about Moss until they form some sort of agreement and then shake on it.


    With Lala and Lele visiting with Moss that at least alleviates one of my worries, but it might end up becoming an even bigger one down the road. As all the bunnies go back to work taking care of the dungeon I return to working on the [Shadow Pocket] stone.


    Now we know the spell only lasts as long as you hold onto the stone, and when the duration runs out it just dumps the items stored. The condition of holding the stone is quite a pain, but at least we know items won¡¯t disappear.


    For now I want to compare an item with the Magical Storage enchantment, and one of my runic stones, so I summon a small gem stone studded ring adding the Magical Storage enchantment to it. Using a jewelry item instead of any other kind of item reduces the xp cost of the enchantment by 50% due to my Dungeon Jewelcrafting skill, so even with the cost of the ring it is barely over 500xp.


    Unfortunately the ring doesn¡¯t bear any runes, so I can¡¯t compare them, but when I activate the ring it functions just like the [Shadow Pocket] spell, so I can make the opening as large as I want. Using the runes is starting to look at a less viable option, but at least using the runes is what taught me the enchantment.


    If I keep playing with runic stones I might learn quite a few more things, but I am still not quite satisfied with giving up on the [Shadow Pocket] stones just yet. I decide to work on it for a while longer, but I can¡¯t seem to get the desired results, if I can get the stone to work at all.


    When I finally decide to give up on it for the day I receive a message.


    Dungeon Core #115 [Elder Fredrick] has perished at the hands of Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson]


    Fredrick as well? I quickly open [Archjusticar Menu] to display Dyson just in time to see him slam his fists into a stone wall. He quickly opens his [Menu] equipping his armor and teleports.


    He arrives in snow covered room that is shaking which I can only assume to be inside Fredrick¡¯s dungeon. He quickly looks around and another figure then appears in the room as well.


    Lucille: ¡°I knew it was you! You can¡¯t deny it now, I caught you red handed!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, I am here for the same reason you are, I missed the initial message on Faron¡¯s death so I wanted to catch my impersonator before they left out, but it appears I was too late.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You still plan to deny it!?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If you want to have a go at me then be my guest, I already told you as much. Now if you are not going to do something useful get out of my way.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You think just because you ae the strongest dungeon core I will cower to you, but there are ways to make you squirm!¡±


    Instantly Dyson closes the distance between the two of them grabbing Lucille by the neck lifting her from the ground. Dyson is wearing his complete set of armor including the helmet so you can¡¯t see his face, but he brings it quite close to Lucille¡¯s face, and her cocky attitude quickly disappears as her face shows pure fear.


    Dyson: ¡°I could easily do away with you right now, but even you have your uses.¡± ¨CHe then tosses her to the ground.-


    Lucille stands back up rubbing her neck. ¡°I promise you will get what is coming to you!¡± she says resuming her cocky attitude before disappearing from the room.


    Dyson then looks over the room and sighs. He teleports to a few different places within Fredrick¡¯s dungeon as he seems to be trying to find any clue to who it was that killed Fredrick. After coming up with nothing he then heads back to his own dungeon, and he then starts going through several messages sent by other dungeon cores.


    Most of the messages are similar to the ones he received after Faron¡¯s death, and Madam Erin just simply asked him if it was him that did it this time. After denying it again, he then just closes the rest of the messages and opens [Observation].


    I continue to watch him as he looks in on several dungeons including the other elders, Laura, Maric, and even several I don¡¯t recognize, but nothing he sees seems to interest him. While keeping an eye on Dyson, I return to the house to let Belinda and the others know about what has happened.


    Belinda: ¡°I am starting to get really worried, that is already two of the elders, and what if whoever is doing this decides to come for you?¡±


    ¡°That is why I need to speak with Maric. Ceres said he might be able to help us find the answer.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We don¡¯t even know if we can trust Ceres, she could be the one doing all this.¡±


    ¡°Fredrick was the weakest of the elders and we wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance even against him, so if they could not only take out Fredrick, but also Faron, what chance would we have? All we can do it hope what Ceres told us is correct, and then find out who did this so, the Elders can take care of it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What if it is Maric, and Ceres is just sending you right into a trap?¡±


    ¡°Maric seems under the impression that my meeting with him tomorrow is in regards to the Elders now being shorthanded, and he seemed pretty excited about it. If he killed Faron to become an elder, then I seriously doubt he would attack me, and why would he attack Fredrick now?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just be careful, ok? I don¡¯t know what I would do if something happened to you again¡­¡±


    ¡°I think right now being near the elders would be far more dangerous than visiting Maric. I know the old me didn¡¯t trust Maric at all, but at the moment he benefits more from helping us then harming us.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Still please be careful.¡±


    I pull Belinda¡¯s head to my chest and kiss the top of her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry I promise.¡±


    There is still quite a bit of daylight left, and it is a day of the week we usually do some training in Shima, but after Fredrick¡¯s death I am not sure it is a good idea. We finally decide getting stronger is the only way we are going to continue to survive, so Belinda and I gather Sofia, Bell, and for the first time we take along Lilah and Lylah.


    Lilah has her armor and whip, but we have pull some items from the dungeon inventory for Lylah. Her armor is quite drab compared to Lilah¡¯s but she doesn¡¯t seem to mind as she is happy to get to go along with us.


    I don¡¯t remember ever seeing Lilah in her armor, or using her whip, but I do remember the fight when Thirty-seven died, so I only have a rough guess at her fighting capabilities. Like always however the Oni focus on me as the dungeon core, so even with their low levels and lack of battle experience, their armor serves more as decoration then actually a requirement.


    Lylah uses a thin blade, while Lilah uses her whip, and although they don¡¯t deal much damage with the help of Bell, Sofia, Belinda, and Myself we manage to raise their levels by quite a bit before the sun disappears.


    That makes it really late by the time return home, but after scanning though the battle results I look over to see how much Lilah and Lylah¡¯s status pages have changed. They each learned a new skill when they hit level 5, but neither of the skills are new to the dungeon.


    They have still only reached level 8, but out of a single afternoon of training that is quite an accomplishment. We will just have to continue to work on it along with the other bunnies as well. Bell and Sofia didn¡¯t manage to gain any more levels, and although Bell is a bit lower in level she still would hold her own among the groups in Tobes.


    Maybe not the groups that reach the clockwork floor of the dungeon, but at least the average adventurer that enters. Sofia would fare a little better, but she too would struggle against the toughest adventurers.


    Belinda is quite worn out after our training though, and I don¡¯t quite know how many more sessions like this she will be able to do before having to wait till after the baby is born. If it wasn¡¯t for the Oni focusing only on me I wouldn¡¯t of even let her continue this long.


    There is also the chance if the baby is indeed a dungeon core, at some point the Oni might decide to target the baby, so maybe we should make this Belinda¡¯s last session until the baby is born. She doesn¡¯t seem too fond of the idea of having to sit the battles out, but doesn¡¯t argue with my reasoning behind it, and after the others go home or back to the dungeon core room, Vetala fills us in on the meeting at the Mage¡¯s Guild, and then Belinda and I head to bed.

 Meeting with Maric

    After the death of not only Elder Faron, but also Elder Fredrick there is a lot riding on this meeting with Maric, in which Ceres said would led me to the one responsible. If it doesn¡¯t pan out things might become quite difficult in the future.


    After the death of Fredrick I wanted to make sure Maric was still willing to meet with me, so I sent him a message first thing this morning, and although he didn¡¯t seem quite as enthusiastic as he did the last time I spoke with him he was at least still willing to meet.


    After taking care of the preparations for the meeting I thought the safest place to meet would be the neutral zone, so after arriving there myself by way of the [Gate] spell I also sent one for Maric to join me.


    Maric: ¡°I can¡¯t say I am surprised we are meeting here, but I do have to admit I am quite jealous someone as young as you is allowed so much power from the elders. Perhaps this meeting however will prove to alleviate my jealousy.¡±


    ¡°You sound awfully confident.¡±


    Maric: ¡°I am only not sitting as an Elder now because you managed to weasel Dyson into the position instead, and look where that got you, and now here you are calling me. With three positions now open even if I wasn¡¯t your first choice I am sure there is no doubt I deserve a spot in the Elders now.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like the decision is up to me?¡±


    Maric: ¡°You seemed to have chosen the last one.¡±


    ¡°Well first of all, there are only two positions within the Elders that are empty, and second of all that isn¡¯t why I called for a meeting with you. When and if the selection for new Elders is presented if you manage to help me it might definitely work in your favor however.¡±


    Maric: ¡°They are allowing Dyson to remain an Elder?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they could remove him from the position even if they wanted to, but that is actually the reason I have called you here. Dyson was not the one responsible for the deaths of the other Elders, and I have it on good authority that even though you are not the culprit either, you will be the one that leads me to them.¡±


    Maric: ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°You know enough about what happened to me, to know that [Menu] is able to be manipulated to give the wrong name when a dungeon core dies.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Then you believe it is Laura that is responsible?¡±


    ¡°If it was, it would make my life a lot easier, but the truth is we don¡¯t know who it is, and like I knew I would be able to help you with the matter of acquiring your dragonkin, I know that you somehow should be able to help me find the one responsible.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Even if this is all true, if I am not here about becoming an Elder, then what is in this for me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it will take before [Menu] decides to refill the Elder roles, but by not helping me, you only prove that you are not the kind of team player then Elders need, especially at a trying time such as this when they already lost two Elders back to back.¡±


    Maric: ¡°I make no promises to help, but you did prove helpful with the dragonkin, so I will at least hear you out before making any further decisions.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then first of all who do you think would be capable of something like this?¡±


    Maric: ¡°Any number of dungeon cores could hold a grudge against the elders, that Dungeon Core Bless, in which you managed to sway during the last elder selection, she should be proof of that. Most of them would be capable to killing Fredrick, but Faron? That narrows the list by quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°How narrow?¡±


    Maric: ¡°25 or 30, not including the other elders, myself, and I am not so sure about you either. You are young, but some of the abilities you have are quite worrisome.¡±


    ¡°That is narrow?¡±


    Maric: ¡°Out of 799, yes I believe so.¡±


    ¡°Well who would your money be on?¡±


    Maric: ¡°If you insist it wasn¡¯t Dyson, then Laura for the obvious reason she has manipulated [Menu] in the same fashion before. The others that are capable, I don¡¯t know if they would bother taking out the Elders. Ithros might just be about crazy enough to do it. Between Tom or Archbishop Hayden either one of them probably could do something like this. Bella probably could if she had a reason to. Arnovok has been quiet for quite a few years now, so it¡¯s possible he could have done it. Chansey, Arenbow, and Llywelyn are also good candidates, but if it was Llywelyn I think he would have taken out Lucille rather than Faron.¡±


    ¡°I just recently met with Ithros actually and he didn¡¯t seem the type.  Tom, Archbishop Hayden, and Bella I have heard of before, but I have never heard of Arnovok, Chansey, Arenbow, or Llywelyn¡±


    Maric: ¡°If you talked to Ithros you can rule him out, he is crazy enough to of told you to your face if he did do it. Arnovok is the type that even gives dungeon cores a bad name, he only pushes for xp for a year or two out of every hundred, but he causes enough damage in that time to provide xp for himself to last another hundred years. Chansey is the sweetest and nicest woman you could ever meet, but she would do anything for the right amount of xp, and I mean anything¡­ Arenbow usually keeps to his little islands, but if he had the mind to it he is definitely capable of sneaking up on an Elder to take them out without alerting them of his presence. Llywelyn was once Laura¡¯s lover I haven¡¯t heard what he has been up to since Laura took to the human king but he always blamed Lucille for all of their problems.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s at least a few people to look into¡­¡±


    Maric: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t rule out the other Elders as well, especially Lucille. Fredrick would be an easy mark for sure, but to take out Faron first seems to of been a statement that they could get to the Elders. Pinning it on Dyson would get the strongest of dungeon cores out of the way.¡±


    ¡°Why Lucille?¡±


    Maric: ¡°Dyson would be the hardest to do away with, and pitting him against all the other elders would be safest bet in hopes Dyson will take out Madam Erin, Draco, or both in the fallout. Fredrick could be killed by practically anyone, but why target Faron? Not taking out Draco or Madam Erin shows that perhaps they don¡¯t have to strength to deal with either of them but even though Lucille may be weaker than Faron she would have been a far flashier target, so to choose Faron over Lucille is quite peculiar.¡±


    ¡°Lucille seems genuinely convinced that Dyson is the ones behind the attacks, so I don¡¯t think it is her.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Faron might have been a god to the humans, but Lucille holds far more fans among the dungeon cores, so any number of cores that idolize her could also be the culprit then and Laura would be at the top of that list.¡±


    ¡°Any of the other candidates that you mentioned fall within that group?¡±


    Maric: ¡°If Chansey or Arenbow did it, then I would say someone else would have to be the one that put them up to it, and like I said Llywelyn would of most definitely targeted Lucille rather than Faron. Arnovok would have probably gone for Draco or Madam Erin, and wouldn¡¯t even bother with Fredrick.¡±


    ¡°Laura is starting to look more and more like a solid candidate and that doesn¡¯t even mention the fact that we know she has been up to something for years now. Even my kidnapping was in part due to that plan coming closer to fruition.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Well good luck proving that, especially to Lucille.¡±


    ¡°Proof is now what I will have to get, but even if I want it to be Laura, I am not going to stop looking into the others as well.¡±


    Maric: ¡°You asked for my help and I provided it, so I expect when mention of a new elder does come up you will aim for my consideration.¡±


    ¡°With our deal still on the table, and you answering the questions I asked, I don¡¯t any reason not to recommend you. Speaking of our deal, how is it going with the dragonkin?¡±


    Maric: ¡°I have confidence the dragonkin will produce an egg soon, and it will still take 2 years for the egg to hatch, but after that time I should be able to fulfill my end of our deal.¡±


    ¡°I am still at a point where 2 years is a great deal of time, but there is nothing that can be done about it, and you did warn me from the start it would take a while.¡±


    Maric: ¡°If you wish for our deal to conclude faster, once an egg is produced I could give you the male to fulfill out agreement. I would also have to state if something happened to the egg before it hatches that I be allowed to borrow the male again until another egg is produced.¡±


    ¡°After what they went through to be together, I would hate to separate them just because we got what we wanted from them. They are sentient beings after all. No, I will just have to wait it out till the end.¡±


    Maric: ¡°As you wish. They are quite headstrong and ones I summon will be far more obedient, so I planned on disposing of them once I can reproduce the dragonkin. Since you seem care for their wellbeing so much, you could take one or even all of them if you like to fulfill our deal.¡±


    ¡°Either way I will be able to reproduce them as well, so if you are planning on just abandoning them because you got what you wanted out of them. I will accept them as a filament of our deal just so they will remain safe.¡±


    Maric: ¡°I think that would benefit us both greatly. Now is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°You are sure about the candidates that you mentioned that would be possible of taking out Faron and Fredrick?¡±


    Maric: ¡°I could give you the list of 20-30 cores that are strong enough to do something like this, but yes I believe the ones I mentioned are your best bet. If it does end up being Chansey or Arenbow I could give you the list of a couple hundred that could be the ones that put them up it, but I think if you offer them xp they would tell you exactly who hired them and make it far easier.¡±


    ¡°It would be far easier for me to find them by their dungeon core numbers, if you can give me Chansey, Arenbow, Llwelyn, and Arnovok¡¯s dungeon core numbers I will begin looking into them, and you can then message me the list of the other 20 to 30 dungeon cores when you get the chance, just to be on the safe side.¡±


    Maric: ¡°Dungeon Core #222 Arnovok, Dungeon Core #288 Chansey, Dungeon Core #575 Arenbow, and Dungeon Core #654 Llywelyn.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I then cast [Gate] opening a portal for Maric to return to his dungeon. After he is gone I sit back down and begin looking into the dungeon cores he mentions. Not even a few minutes later I receive a message.


    I immediately think. ¡°Well that was quick.¡± But the message wasn¡¯t the list of the other cores from Maric instead it is¡­


    Dungeon Core #1 [Maric] has perished at the hands of Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson].


    I quickly jump to my feet in disbelief. I just sent him back home, where they waiting on him to return? Did I really just send Maric to his death? I don¡¯t know why at this point, but I quickly open [Archjusticar Menu] to display Dyson.


    This time Dyson doesn¡¯t seem to get as upset and even has a little chuckle at the message. It doesn¡¯t stop him from receiving a slew of messages from other dungeons however. With Maric just meeting with me I want to make sure Belinda and the others are safe, but I am actually quite scarred about returning home right now¡­If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The safety of my girls is far more important to me however, so after sending them all a message to meet me in the Dungeon Core Room I [Gate] straight there.


    Belinda can easily tell how nervous I am the instant her eyes fall on me.


    Belinda: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Maric is dead.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maric?! But how?! Weren¡¯t you meeting with Maric?¡±


    ¡°I had just sent him back home, and was starting to look into the dungeon cores he mentioned, and that¡¯s when I received the message about his death. I quite literally sent Maric home straight to his death¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault, you couldn¡¯t have known!¡±


    ¡°I understand the elders, but why Maric as well?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Perhaps whoever is causing this also knew about your meeting with him. Maybe they wanted to put a stop to any information he could of giving you.¡±


    ¡°Then they would of attacked him before the meeting, he was going to give me a list of more dungeon cores that could be responsible, but the one that attacked him had no way of knowing he would go back to his dungeon before relaying the information, so surely they would of attacked him before the meeting if that was what they were worried about.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If they think he already gave you the information they might come after you as well. Two-Twelve, I don¡¯t like this!¡±


    ¡°I think the safest place for us right now is the dungeon core room, but we can¡¯t hide in here forever.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Why not¡­? We don¡¯t need anything from outside the dungeon. Many dungeon cores stay in their dungeon core rooms most of their lives.¡±


    ¡°We have never been that way¡­ Besides we aren¡¯t the only ones that matter, what about Scylla, Doug, Logan, or anyone else we care about, if they come after us and can¡¯t get to us, they could go after the ones we care about.¡±


    I then receive a message from Madam Erin. (We need to talk.)


    (You¡¯re right we do, but first I need to make sure me and my dungeon is safe.)


    Madam Erin: (I heard you were to have a meeting with Maric today and now he is dead. What happened?)


    While I talk with Madam Erin I tell Belinda to message Inari, Dawn, Twilight, and Maeve to tell them to be extra careful.


    (I was discussing who might be behind the attacks against the Elders, and as soon as I returned him to his dungeon after the meeting was over I received the message about his death.)


    Madam Erin: {I assume you ruled Dyson out?)


    (He seemed to actually welcome the message this time, but yes, I still do not believe it is him.)


    Madam Erin: (What did Maric have to tell you?)


    (He gave me a few names to check out, but it doesn¡¯t seem like they are any names I couldn¡¯t have gotten from you or Dyson either. He was going to give me a list of about 30 dungeon cores that were at least capable of doing it, but he was going to message me the list and I received the message about his death before the list.)


    Madam Erin: (That¡¯s good news.)


    (How is that good news?!)


    Madam Erin: (Faron, Fredrick, and now even Maric are dead. Having someone your age looking into these matters was irresponsible on our part, and I am worried about you. If the one responsible killed Maric to prevent you from getting that list, and they know you didn¡¯t get it, then perhaps you are safe. Now you can leave this matter to Draco, Dyson, Lucille, and myself, because you have far more important matters to be worrying about right now.)


    (I would be lying to say that Maric¡¯s death didn¡¯t shake me up a bit, but even if it is for that reason alone I can¡¯t let this go. If something were to happen to you or Dyson at the moment I think all of the dungeon cores will be in serious trouble.)


    Madam Erin: (Just let it go pup, and let us handle it now¡­)


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this one bit¡­ Madam Erin is trying to push me out of looking into the death of the Elders now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well good! Look at the state it has us in already, let them deal with it.¡±


    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t sit well with me. Madam Erin was pressing me for what Maric had told me, and when she found out about me not receiving the list of names she even sounded relieved.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She is worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ Or maybe she knows more then she is letting on.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are not thinking Madam Erin would do something like this do you?¡±


    ¡°Dyson and Madam Erin made no secret that if the other elders got in the way they would just get rid of them, but no I don¡¯t think it is her. I do think she knows more then she is letting on however. Maybe she even already knows who the one that is responsible is.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If she knows who it is, and is telling you to leave it alone, then you should listen to her.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if the baby is going to be a dungeon core or not, and if it isn¡¯t we have no way of knowing how to make dungeon cores now. If this person using Dyson¡¯s name keeps killing more dungeon cores then we could end up in some serious trouble, especially if they kill all of the strong dungeon cores.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it is our problem! We have each other, and the baby. We have to protect your crystal to survive, but at the moment the only threat to the crystal is other dungeon cores, so let them kill the strong ones, and we can be left in peace!¡±


    ¡°After the strong dungeon cores are dead that could defend us from this person, who is to say that they won¡¯t start targeting younger and weaker dungeon cores as well. At that point we wouldn¡¯t have a way to stop them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But the dungeon cores they are killing are way stronger then you are! If they can¡¯t defend themselves from this person how can you expect to do anything against them?¡±


    ¡°If we can just find out who it is then Dyson can take care of it, and if not him we could rally several dungeon cores if need be, but we can¡¯t just let them kill off all the strong dungeon cores.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master, Vetala is trying to get Master¡¯s attention back at the house. She is jumping up and down waving her arms like she is trying to say something.¡±


    I open [Menu] to display the house and see Vetala right something down then holding the parchment she begins to jump up and down waving it back and forth. The way she is moving I can¡¯t see what it says¡­


    ¡°Can you see what she wrote?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Something, something, visitor.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we give her a communication parchment to get ahold of us if we weren¡¯t in the house?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe she just isn¡¯t thinking about it, because she knows where we are at.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to happen to her either, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good time right now to be receiving a visitor.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Kaelmathis is still in the living room, if something happens to him I will never learn how to craft mythril, and I feel I am getting quite close!¡±


    ¡°It is probably just someone from the Mage¡¯s Guild, and they can come back some other time.¡±


    I open a screen to display outside the front door of the house and instead of an old mage there is a man in pure black suit of armor¡­


    ¡°Dyson¡­?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Oh yea, I guess that¡¯s what her message says! I thought it was a B, but byson didn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why he is in all his armor to come visit me, but I guess I can¡¯t blame him for taking precautions as well.¡± ¨CI decide to send a message to him directly.-


    (What are you doing here?)


    Dyson: (Say nothing more by use of [Menu], we need to speak.)


    ¡°He is acting just as dodgy as Madam Erin. Just what is going on?!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We know it is not Dyson right? Maybe you should speak to him.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss I will go. You can send messages to me and talk to him that way.¡±


    ¡°What about Roxy and your baby¡­? No Belinda is right, we need to trust someone, and the person attacking everyone is trying to throw the blame on Dyson, so he is probably our safest bet. Just promise me you will all stay here until I return.¡±


    After I get everyone to agree I transfer down to the house and answer the door. Dyson quickly hold his finger in front of his helmeted face telling me not to speak. He quickly pushes past me into the house and looks around for a second.


    He then pushes into the dining room and does the same. He continues to do this until we are in the small room off the kitchen with the furnace and were we keep the extra food. He quickly starts casting spells and even casts a spell to lock the door.


    ¡°Is there a reason we are locked in the pantry¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t expect to be having a conversation in here now would you?¡± ¨CHe says while taking off his helmet holding it under his arm.-


    ¡°Just what is going on?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Do you still want your revenge on Laura?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I mean I am not going to lose sleep over the fact she is still alive, but given the opportunity, yes, I would like to make her pay for what she did. Does this mean you found proof it is her that is attacking the others?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I can¡¯t be certain if it is just her, but after Maric died I began to think, after a few choice questions to the right people I believe she is at least involved.¡±


    ¡°Maric said she was the strongest candidate as well just before he died.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What do you mean? You spoke to Maric before he died?¡±


    I tell Dyson about the meeting I had with Maric, and how he died minutes after sending him back.


    Dyson: ¡°And you told Madam Erin all about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ She seemed to want me to drop my investigation after that, and was acting dodgy, but I guess that is going around.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Surely Madam Erin isn¡¯t involved as well¡­¡± ¨CHe seems to be mulling the idea over like he is trying to convince himself of his own statement.- ¡°In any case, then perhaps it¡¯s a good thing I came to you instead of her.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want from me?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Several things¡­First I need a pair of those rings you made for the new dungeon cores.¡±


    ¡°A pair?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes I need to go somewhere undetected, and well I can¡¯t just disappear, so I need someone to fill my shoes, which leads to the next thing I need. I need you to summon me someone to take my place temporarily.¡±


    ¡°I can understand the rings, but why not summon someone yourself?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That¡¯s the third thing. I can¡¯t spend any xp, so I have no way to compensate you for this right now. On the bright side your monster will have my sword and armor as collateral if something were to happen to me¡­¡±


    ¡°You are asking an awful lot of me¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That isn¡¯t all, of course I won¡¯t have my sword or armor, so I will need another set, but it can¡¯t just be any set, it has to be at least of mythril quality¡­¡±


    ¡°Even I don¡¯t have mythril armor. A sword would be doable, but unless it is of Shima make, the best armor I can make is a set like my own.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Reginal preferences don¡¯t matter, so Shima armor will be fine as long as it is at least the quality of mythril.¡±


    ¡°When this is all over you better make it up to me¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If you do this for me and this all blows over I will see to it you are made and Elder!¡±


    ¡°I have enough on my plate with just being the Archjusticar.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well then you name it and it¡¯s yours, and with that kind of open ended promise you know how important this is.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Dyson starts to remove his armor, and when I open [Menu] he places his hand on my arm stopping me.


    Dyson: ¡°For the guy you summon ¡­ Can you make sure he has as much stamina as possible? He is going to have to be the complete Dyson package, and I can¡¯t have someone tarnishing my good name with my entourage¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do¡­¡±


    Everything else is quite straight forward except the person to fill Dyson¡¯s spot, and the rings. So I leave them for last. Dyson¡¯s new armor turns out as a heavy Shima styled armor covered in the crimson plates. The enchantment on the armor is nothing to scoff at as well.


    The enchantment is [Impenetrable], which isn¡¯t new to me because it must have been one on of the armors that Inari let me learn to copy, but it is perfect for a heavy armor. Not only does it improve the standard defensive capability of the armor, but it also reduces the risk of damaging or going through the armor, reducing the damage from piercing weapons and even spells.


    Dyson: ¡°Is this really the heaviest armor you have?¡±


    ¡°Unless you will settle for a dwarven full-plate, then yes.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I guess this will have to work¡­¡±


    The sword is pretty straight forward even its enchantment is rather bland matching the mythril swords that are in the elemental wings in my dungeon.


    Dyson: ¡°I have come to expect a higher quality from your work¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the stuff I always summon for you is new, and higher quality, when I have to spend my own xp this is about the best I can do.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well when this is over we have got to fix this.¡±


    The rings I can¡¯t guarantee to get the desired result every time, so it might take a few tries, but luckily I only have to summon 3 rings total to get 2 that will work. Now I just have to summon a human to fill in for Dyson.


    I don¡¯t know if this would be seen as a perk or a punishment to have to act as Dyson, but I muster up all the knowledge I have of Dyson when I summon the human man. I give him the name Byson because of Lilah¡¯s remark earlier it was the only thing that come to mind.


    His appearance is nothing like Dyson¡¯s but that will easily be remedied with the ring, so after we get him dressed we have him put on the ring while attempting to copy Dyson¡¯s appearance and name.


    Dyson: ¡°Well he is missing a few of the scars, but they don¡¯t seem to be the important ones, and I think he looks a little¡­Off. It should be enough as long as he has he plays the part.¡±


    Byson: ¡°When you make it back you will have to summon yourself a whole new entourage of women, because they won¡¯t want to go back to you after they have had this!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The point is that they don¡¯t notice a difference, but I would have probably said something similar, so it at least looks promising. All you have to do is sit on the throne and take care of the day to day things. If anyone shows up you just need to send them away saying you don¡¯t want to be disturbed, and if an emergency arises you call Two-Twelve and see to it he takes care of it.¡±


    Byson: ¡°What if someone tries to off me while I am acting like you?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If they are strong and dumb enough to try to attack me, you will probably die before you even know what happened, but they will instantly know it wasn¡¯t the real me. Hopefully before something like that happens though I will at least be close to completing my objective.¡±


    Byson: ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very fun¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I guess it¡¯s my turn now¡­¡± ¨CHe looks at the ring and slides it on his finger.-


    Dyson¡¯s hair greys and his muscles and scars fade behind a thick layer of fat, and he barely even looks like he fits in the armor now, I don¡¯t know if I would call him straight out ugly, but he definitely is not going to turn any heads, unless perhaps it¡¯s an orc.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s going to work?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Most people get around just fine, so with my abilities it shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you see other people¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Most human men I deal with look similar to this, is there an issue?¡±


    ¡°Maybe pompous nobles or the like, but not among normal people, and definitely not adventurers.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, now if for some reason you speak to me again before this is all said and done, it goes without say, but act like you have never seen me before. Do you have a spare one of those communication parchments lying around? If I need to contact you for some reason it would be far safer than using [Communication].¡±


    ¡°Is that all¡­?¡± ¨CI say pulling a communication parchment from the dungeon inventory.-


    Dyson: ¡°I also need you to use your [Gate] spell to send me to Southern Merretta, you can send me right into the heart of Uthaira.¡±


    ¡°Your method of teleportation would be far less obvious then mine, if Laura sees it she could think you are one of my monsters or something.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I¡¯m counting on it.¡±


    ¡°What if she sends someone after me because of it?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Fine, outside the city will have to do.¡±


    ¡°If you take out Laura, do you expect it to be over then?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Hopefully I can get her to talk first, and I can take out the lot of them in one fell swoop, but we will just have to see.¡±


    ¡°How many dungeon cores are you planning to kill¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As many as it takes.¡±


    ¡°We still aren¡¯t sure if we have a means of making more dungeon cores, are you sure this is wise?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I rather have 7 of the right dungeon cores, then 700 of the ones that will hold us back.¡±


    I sigh and cast [Gate]. Before Dyson steps through it he looks at Byson¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t do anything I wouldn¡¯t do.¡± He then disappears though the portal.

 Dysons Trip

    I have only been in Uthaira for thirty minutes and I do believe Two-Twelve was right. I don¡¯t know how long I am going to be able to maintain this form with women giving me looks of pure disgust. That Bryson of Two-Twelve¡¯s is probably enjoying my entourage right now, and I can¡¯t even get a single one of these women to acknowledge my existence.


    I guess that means I need to just get this done and over with as quickly as possible. Gaining attention in the adventurer¡¯s guild is out of the question because even if my name is different, when my level appears on an adventurer¡¯s ID it will give away too much information.


    Perhaps I would have better luck with the army. I could quickly beat down a few of the trainers and maybe that will get my foot in the castle doors. I could just bust right though, but I don¡¯t want to alert Laura any sooner than I have to.


    That is when I see it¡­ This should work much better. Is that technique really even passible here in Uthaira? Well she looks awfully proud of herself, now she just has to lead me back to the lot of them and I might be able to get the information I require on the first day.


    This girl really is oblivious, I am not even masking my presence and she doesn¡¯t realize I am following her. After a couple of alleyways we arrive at her destination. She finally stops to check her spoils, pulling the string on my coin pouch.


    ¡°I think you got something that belongs to me.¡±


    The girl quickly panics dropping the coin purse scattering gold coins and several gems all over the ground. She doesn¡¯t look like she knows what to do next, to grab for the coins or just run, but she is kind of cute.


    Far too young for my entourage but I always have to be on the lookout for upcoming talent. A few human years is nothing in the life of a dungeon core, so she isn¡¯t the youngest that I have seen promise in and scooped up to hold onto for future use.


    If this pans out and I don¡¯t have to waste too much time chasing down Laura, and the others. I might just come back for this little rose bud.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, it isn¡¯t going to pick itself up off the ground, and every coin better be there when you give it back.¡±


    The girl looks quite terrified now and quickly starts scooping up the coins and gems putting them back in the coin pouch¡­ Now what does this idiot think he is doing? You¡¯re no knight in shining armor saving the young damsel, she stole from me you know?


    I don¡¯t know what he is trying to do, but I have taken shorter naps then the time it is taking him to swing that thing at the back of my head¡­ Finally! I grab the stick being swung at my head and try to flip the boy over, but he doesn¡¯t even have enough of a grip on the stick to do that and I end up just yanking it from his hands.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t very smart, now was it?¡±


    I quickly turn swinging the stick breaking it and the boys leg in a single swing. The boy screams out in excruciating pain while the girl freezes again and calls out. ¡°Markus!?¡±


    She then drops the coin pouch and everything else as she runs up to the boy. Holding a position between me and him with tears in her eyes and arms stretched out¡­ It¡¯s that kind of situation is it? Street kids taking care of one another while the older ones look after the younger ones?


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to break his other leg, you better return all the gold you stole from me.¡±


    Girl: ¡°You leave him alone! What did he ever do to you?!¡±


    ¡°Well you seen what that stick did to his leg, it sure as hell wouldn¡¯t of done my head a whole lot a good now would it?¡±


    Markus: ¡°Nina, just run!¡±


    ¡°Oh what a clich¨¦, I have seen this to many times it isn¡¯t even fun anymore. How many of you brats are there?¡± ¨CI say while casting a spell gathering all my scattered items back into my coin pouch and the coin pouch returns to my waistband.-


    Nina: ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us! Now you got your stuff back, just leave us alone!¡±


    ¡°So the other one trying to sneak up behind me isn¡¯t with you, so you wouldn¡¯t mind if I snap his neck instead of his leg?¡±


    Nina: ¡°Corey no!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for a bunch of snot nose kids, now is this all of you?¡± ¨CI say while casting [Blink] appearing behind the boy who was trying to sneak up behind me picking him off the ground with my hand around his neck.¡±


    Nina: ¡°Yes it is just us three! Please! Don¡¯t hurt Corey!¡±


    The boy in my grasp flails about but he is even smaller than the girl is. I then toss the boy to the ground in front of the other two.


    ¡°I was hoping for a bit more, no mentor or parental figure at all? No wonder you are so bad at stealing. You better get that leg of his taken care of, or he won¡¯t last a few days.¡±


    Nina: ¡°You have magic! Can¡¯t you fix it?!¡±


    ¡°He attacked me. No reason for me to help him then is there? Now if it is a trade you are talking about, how about his life for yours?¡±


    Markus: ¡°No!¡±


    Nina: ¡°Corey and I can¡¯t make it without you, mister will you really fix his leg if I accept?¡±


    ¡°I will even give the boy enough gold to cover what a contract on a girl like you would cost.¡±


    Markus: ¡°Nina you can¡¯t!¡±


    Nina: ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it¡­ Just fix his leg!¡±


    I cast a quick healing spell on the boy mending the broken leg. I then take out a handful of coins tossing them on the ground in front of them.


    ¡°Now I am quite busy, so I will give you some time to say your goodbyes, but when I am ready for you I will find you. You can try to run or hide, but I will find you when I am done. Just don¡¯t go doing anything stupid until I come for you or I will break both of their necks.¡±


    I cast a spell marking the girl¡¯s shoulder with an invisible rune, and then walk from the alleyway back onto the main street. That was a bit of a bust, and it will take a few years before that investment pays off, but it is sure to be a pretty good one. Now, I have to find another way¡­


    After walking the streets for another half hour I still don¡¯t like the way women are looking at me¡­ Even back in the old days a suit of mythril armor meant something, you could look like the ass of a dog and the women would still hang off of you if you are wearing mythril armor.


    Maybe this Shima stuff just is too uncommon and the peasants don¡¯t know what quality looks like. I can¡¯t stand the looks any longer so I decide to grab a drink retiring to a tavern. Even when sliding the bar maid 3 extra gold coins she still gave me the stink eye and left in quite a hurry.


    That Byson guy better be enjoying himself, he has to be on round two by now. I know I am the one that said he would have to be me in all aspects while I was gone, but the thought of another man taking my women while I am here drinking this swill is making me want to just march into the castle and kill Laura right then and there.


    The more I think about it the more I drink, the more I drink the more I think of what would go good with this alcohol, and that only restarts the cycle over again. One disadvantage about my level and skills is I have not been properly drunk in ages, and today is no different even after drinking enough alcohol to drown a dwarf.


    The bar maid finally cuts me off but not due to being drunk, but because she says they need to save some alcohol for the rest of the customers. After relieving myself for the, I don¡¯t know how manyith of times, I prepare to set out of the bar only to see a pair of young boys hastily enter the tavern.


    They are about to be thrown out but they see me, start pointing at me, and ranting. The bar maid then asks me if I know these boys.


    Markus: ¡°Mister you have to help! They took Nina!¡±


    ¡°What makes you think I would help you?¡±


    Markus: ¡°Well¡­ You said Nina is yours now right? Doesn¡¯t that mean you will try to get her back?¡±


    ¡°She is proving to be far more trouble than she is worth, but there is a point to be made if someone tries to steal my property. Tell me, who took her?¡±


    The two boys look at each other questionably and a little worried as if they don¡¯t know how to answer.


    ¡°You attempted to use the money I paid to purchase her to run away?¡±


    Corey: ¡°They took our money, and Nina, but they then tossed us out of the wagon and rode off!¡±


    ¡°I did say you could try to run and hide, so I can¡¯t blame you there, but I also said if she did something stupid I would break both of your necks. A few street urchins hiring smugglers isn¡¯t what I would call smart. If my property is damaged you can guarantee I will hold true to my promise.¡±


    The two boys look exceedingly worried, while I cast a spell to locate my property. The mark I placed on her will lead me to her where ever she goes, so it isn¡¯t hard to find out where she is.  I can¡¯t say I know Uthaira like the back of my hand, but I do know its general layout, and if I had to guess she is currently not moving within the slave trade district.


    Not how I planned to spend my evening, but I won¡¯t stand for someone taking something that is mine, so I set out after the girl. For some reason the two boys are following me. They don¡¯t seem to realize I am going to take this sister of theirs just like the smugglers did.


    Maybe because I told them to say their goodbyes and walked off that they didn¡¯t believe I would actually come back for her, but their whole basis of getting me to recover her is on the fact I now own her, so I can¡¯t understand their way of thinking.


    Once I reach the slave trader I find quite a few more promising prospects along with my property all chained together on display.


    Markus: ¡°Nina!¡± ¨CHe screams running for the girl, but a man hits him with wooden rod knocking him to the floor.-


    Slaver: ¡°Get lost boy!¡±


    Markus: ¡°You can¡¯t take her!¡±


    Slaver: ¡°She is a thief, and thieves naturally end up in chains.¡±


    ¡°I take that to mean you don¡¯t mind me putting you in chains as well?¡±


    Slaver: ¡°And who are you supposed to be?!¡±


    ¡°The one that you stole her from.¡±


    Slaver: ¡°She had no collar, and had far more gold then some street kid could possibly get without stealing, so she was fair game!¡±


    ¡°The gold she had, was the gold I used to purchase her from her siblings, and I have no need for a collar, as I have her marked.¡± ¨CI say casting a spell causing a bright emblem to glow on the girl¡¯s shoulder.-Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Slaver: ¡°I don¡¯t know where you are from, but something like that is no proof of ownership, now you show me her contract and she is yours.¡±


    ¡°I have no need for such things as whatever I want becomes mine, and those who try to argue that fact, will only question me once.¡±


    The slaver whistles calling a few brutish looking men. ¡°Now, if you want the girl I will sell her to you, but if you cause any more problems I will have you tossed out by your ears!¡±


    I can¡¯t go too overboard as to not arouse suspicion giving away who I am, so I try to hold back as much as possible to deal with this thief. I draw my blade from my sheath and simply state. ¡°You have been warned.¡±


    Slaver: ¡°You! Go call the guards, and the rest of you deal with this fool, but leave enough of him left for the guards to deal with.¡±


    One of the brutish looking men stomps off, while four more of them surround me. These guys might be as ugly as a couple of orcs, but their strength is not even that of the weakest of orcs. One swings a club at me and I simple grab the end of it stopping the man in his tracks.


    I do the same motion I did with the boy earlier jerking on the end of the club, but this man has a far better grip as I swing him around tossing him into another of the ugly men. The two remaining men try to flank me hitting me from either side.


    Even while refraining from using any skills or techniques I still slice both men¡¯s hands off at the wrists before they even come close to hitting me, and they both hit the ground screaming. It¡¯s at this point the man that went for the guards returns.


    If there is one thing Uthaira has going for it, it is its military force. Two guards appear following the man wearing heavy armor complete with helmets made from enhanced dark steel, and behind them are two steel golems the size of an ogre.


    Slaver: ¡°You really stepped in it now! Guards! That is the man! He is trying to steal slaves!¡±


    Guard: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Duke Emerret, we will take care of this! You there stand down, and face the consequences or by the order of King Aaron your life is forfeit!¡±


    ¡°A duke? Now this changes things.¡± ¨CI say while sheathing my sword.- ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a duke, maybe we can reach an agreement then? You return my girl to me, and I will buy those three as well.¡± ¨CI say motioning to 3 other slaves as well.-


    Duke Emerret: ¡°You think you can threaten me like that and just brush it off?! The guards can deal with you.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°I wanted to avoid drawing to much attention to myself.¡± ¨CI say drawing my sword again.- ¡°If we must¡­¡±


    The guards send the two golems forward as they draw their own swords. The mythril sword as we good call, anything less than that would have been unable to cause much damage to these golems before breaking, but I still try to hold back by only taking out one of the golems by slicing it clean in two.


    Guard: ¡°One swing?! Who is this guy?¡±


    ¡°I told you I don¡¯t want any trouble, I just ask the Duke there to return my property to me.¡±


    The guards don¡¯t back down, but they are not stupid either. ¡°Duke Emerret, is it possible this is just a misunderstanding?¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°Are you saying you will take his word over mine?!¡±


    Guard: ¡°He offered to buy 3 of the other slaves as well, surely you can return the girl to him and sell him the other 3 and still make a hefty profit.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°And what of the damage to my men?!¡±


    ¡°Call it occupational hazard.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°The law states if you challenge a Duke then your property is forfeit, so even if the girl was his the moment he drew his blade his possessions became mine!¡±


    Guard: ¡°That is only if the Duke himself is within the law.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°I am the law!¡±


    Guard: ¡°This is a grey area, and we would need to consult the guard captain¡­¡±


    ¡°It seems they are the smarter ones and do not wish to die. Now normally I would not forgive those who cause me to have to draw my blade, but the situation dictates you could still prove beneficial for me. My offer however has changed, now you return my property, give me one more of the women for my troubles, and I will buy the remaining 2.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me! Where are you two going! ¨CHe calls out as the guards start to leave.-


    Guard: ¡°We told you we will have to take this up with the guard captain.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°You can¡¯t just leave me with him!¡± ¨CHe says as the guards disappear from sight.-


    ¡°Looks like it is just us now.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°Fine you can have the girl, take her and get out of here!¡±


    ¡°It is far from that simple any more. The truth is I am a little busy at the moment, but perhaps you are just the help I need. What exactly is it you do Duke Emerret?¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°I manage the slave trading in Southern Merretta¡­¡± ¨CHe says nervously.-


    ¡°All of the slave trading?¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°I have my own business, but yes I oversee all the registered slave traders as well.¡±


    I know once the guards left they were sure to get reinforcements, and the duke is now stalling in hopes the guards return, but it makes no difference.


    ¡°What of the castle, do you deal with slaves to or from the castle itself?¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°The castle?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I wish to offer my services to the king personally, but being new to town makes knowing the right person pivotal in that step.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°King Aaron is very particular, and even I must speak though several representatives when buying or selling directly to the castle.¡±


    ¡°Then you can at least place me in connect with one of them yes?¡±


    Markus: ¡°What about our sister?!¡±


    ¡°Well I am sure the duke will take good care of her until I am ready to collect her isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Duke Emerret nervously chuckles and bobs his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you expect me to do, even if I could get you a meeting with one of the castle representatives, I couldn¡¯t guarantee what would come from it.¡±


    Markus: ¡°What about us?!¡±


    ¡°You are the ones that pissed away the chance to say your goodbyes by trying to run away instead.¡± ¨CI say to the boy and then I look back to the duke.- ¡°Of course, I will take care of the rest from there, and you will take care of the girl until my business in Uthaira is done, and I will even compensate you accordingly.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°I can¡¯t just send anyone to the castle.¡±


    I open my coin pouch and dump a handful of gold coins into his hands. ¡°Now that should be plenty for the three girls I mentioned and for you to care for all four until I am done, and I will give the same amount for your assistance in introducing me to your castle representative.¡±


    The Duke¡¯s eyes dart to the sword on my waist, but he steels himself and says. ¡°Double it and you have a deal¡­¡±


    ¡°See that wasn¡¯t so hard was it?¡± ¨CI say dumping enough coins into his hands that they start to pour out of his hands landing on the ground as well.-


    The Duke quickly shoves the coins in his own coin pouch and pulls a slave over to pick the coins that hit the floor. The guards have now returned with at least half a dozen more men and likewise more golems.


    The Duke seems to eye my sword again while looking at the guards. He seems to be weighing his options of accepting the deal we just made or hoping the guards can take me so he can take it all.


    ¡°I assure you that is still nowhere enough men to cause me any problems.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°Stand down! We came to an arrangement!¡±


    Guard: ¡°Duke are you sure¡­?¡±


    After eyeing the sword again he says loudly. ¡°Yes I am sure.¡±


    ¡°Good choice, after all, if these slaves of yours are any indication of your normal stock, this arrangement could prove most beneficial for you in the future as well.¡±


    The guards hang around for a while to ensure the Duke is alright, while we workout the finer details. The two boys have really seemed to give up hope now, begging me to not let the duke take their sister. The older one might be a bit of a problem but Tom cares for all the young slaves I take in until I am ready for them. Perhaps he would be interested in at least the younger boy as well.


    ¡°Fine, if you wish to stay with your sister, I will at least allow it until my business is concluded. After that we will just have to see how it goes.¡± ¨CAfter looking to the Duke I say.- ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem should it?¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°They will be dealt with in the same manner as the others.¡±


    ¡°That will be fine. Now, I will take the other two older women for this evening, and then return them in the morning when we are to meet with your representative. Once my business is concluded at the castle I will take all of them off your hands and pay you the remaining amount I owe you.¡±


    Markus: ¡°Wait! This wasn¡¯t the agreement!¡± ¨CHe says while him and the other boy both have collars slapped on their necks by a few of the dukes guards.-


    ¡°Do you wish to stay with her or not?¡±


    Nina: ¡°Markus just go!¡±


    Corey: ¡°We are not leaving you here!¡±


    Markus: ¡°You promise we will be safe?¡±


    ¡°At least for now.¡±


    Markus: ¡°And we can stay with Nina?¡±


    ¡°For a while at least.¡±


    Nina: ¡°It¡¯s not worth it!¡±


    Corey: ¡°We don¡¯t have any other choice¡­¡±


    I give the Duke a bit of extra gold for dealing with the boys as well, and take older two females that I purchased from him and make for the inn. I am to meet with his representative at the castle tomorrow, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t keep myself occupied till then.


    The women are not as enthusiastic as most of the women that join my entourage but until I can be done with this ring it is at least something. One of the two even turned out to be a fresh slave, and the other wasn¡¯t even properly broken in so they turned out far better than I had hoped.


    They also don¡¯t try to slit my throat in the middle of the night, so even if with this ring on, I don¡¯t have the looks, but at least I still have the touch. Either that or after the third or fourth hour they just no longer had the energy to attempt it.


    I am feeling quite refreshed come morning and even manage to get one more session in with them both before having to meet the duke, and by the time we have to leave they are already begging to stay.


    ¡°There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, now I must get to work.¡±


    After returning to the Duke¡¯s place of business and returning the girls, I have to promise the girls I will return for them when my business is done, and the Duke looks at me quite impressed as we make our way towards the castle.


    Duke Emerret: ¡°How did you manage to get them so enamored to you in a single night¡­?¡±


    ¡°There are those that have the touch, and those who do not, and I just so happen to be very good at what I do.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°You used magic to mark that slave, and that armor of yours is quite peculiar, you used some kind of foreign magic didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I have never, and will I never use magic to make a woman mine, and I find that insinuation to be the greatest of insults. You could even say under the circumstances in spite of magic I still managed to enthrall them without fail.¡±


    Afraid to insult me further the duke doesn¡¯t say anything else, but he seems quite skeptical as we continue on our way. Once we reach the castle there is a young woman the approaches the Duke. She is only a 1 so I have little use for her with her feline like ears and tail. It is quite a shame really without them she could easily be a 3.


    Beastkin woman: ¡°Duke Emerret! This is quite the surprise we were not expecting you for another week, and it seems you brought quite an unusual guest this time.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°As promised, I brought you this far.¡± ¨CHe says to me.-


    I take a small bag of gold I had prepared for the duke and hand it over to him. ¡°Very well, and I will return for my property when I am done.¡±


    The duke takes the gold and bows to the beastkin woman before leaving. I find it rather strange a duke would be bowing to a servant in the castle, but Laura made that beastkin of hers someone important in the kingdom, so maybe this beastkin outranks the duke as well.


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°If Duke Emerret thinks he can just bring his customers here because they pay him he has another thing coming, and I don¡¯t have time to suit his customer¡¯s curiosities.¡±


    ¡°I assure you I wish to join in the service of the king, and Duke Emerret was just helping me get my foot in the door.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°King Aaron thinks rather highly of beastkin, and even made me grand marshal after the last fell in battle, and I can tell just by the way you look at me you would not fit in around here.¡±


    ¡°I heard about poor Listel, a terrible tragedy that, and no I might not think highly about taking a beastkin to my bed chamber, but that is hardly my objective here. As a race I do not think them inferior to humans, only in the bedroom.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°You sound worse than Duke Emerret.¡±


    ¡°I assure you I can offer the king much if he allows me to join in his services.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°To get Duke Emerret¡¯s attention you must either have a great deal of wealth or a great deal of power, so I don¡¯t know about service of the king, but we might be able to find a use for you.¡±


    ¡°If it leads me to be of service to King Aaron, then I would gladly accept.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°You haven¡¯t even heard of what I would wish of you.¡±


    ¡°In the matters of wealth or power I have both, so I am confident in my abilities.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°Very well then¡­¡± ¨CShe seems to be hesitating now, but I know it is because she seems to be sending a message with [Menu]- ¡° If you wish to be service to King Aaron, then we ask of you to head to Merretta and deal with his brother.¡±


    ¡°That would be near impossible for about anyone, and besides what happened to King Aaron¡¯s passive king stance? Besides I seriously doubt you would request something like that to some random stranger even if it was the King¡¯s wish.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°You might not be as entirely dumb as you seem. Very well, what about a local dungeon that has been causing problems for the kingdom as of late. Deal with it yourself or pay to have it taken care of it matters not, but it needs to be eliminated.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like something for the adventurer¡¯s guild, but if it helps me get one step further in the door I will consider it if you tell exactly which dungeon it is you wish to have eliminated.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°The dungeon is just outside of Southern Merretta in Merretta, but the damage being caused is in Southern Merretta. Of course with the situation with King Aaron and his father sending his own agents would be quite difficult, but someone acting on their own could manage it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t happen to mean the dungeon in the Water Wells of Kerinog would you¡­?¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°For someone presenting themselves as a foreigner you seem to know a great deal.¡±


    ¡°I came all this way because I believe in what King Aaron is doing, so of course I learned as much about him, his kingdom, and of course that left me with quite a bit of information about his father¡¯s kingdom as well. I will do what you ask, but I must say in dealing with a dungeon such as the Water Wells of Kerinog this best get me an audience with King Aaron himself.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°You are hardly in the position give demands, but as the destruction of this dungeon is high in the list of King Aaron¡¯s priorities, I believe he would be willing to meet the one that destroys it, face to face to thank them personally.¡±


    ¡°I bet he would¡­¡± ¨CThe beastkin woman then eyes me suspiciously so I continue by saying. ¡°That is to say to deal with a dungeon that is causing the king so much stress without having to deal with the ramifications of causing harm to a dungeon in another kingdom. I could see why he could be grateful indeed.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°If you wish to be of service to the King then that is how you can do it, if you are unable to complete the task don¡¯t bother trying to contact me again.¡±


    I am not one for bowing, especially to a beastkin, but the situation dictates it would be beneficial at the moment, so before the beastkin woman parts I bow to her. Now that the beastkin woman retreats back into the castle I am left with my thoughts.


    After all this time why go after Llewelyn now¡­? I could see why the king might want to do away with his competition for Laura¡¯s affection, but I see no reason for Laura to wish for Llewelyn¡¯s death. Even if this is just the king¡¯s idea and not Laura¡¯s, it should at least get me closer to the king and in turn Laura, so it shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem.


    Now the big question is, should I take care of Llewelyn or not¡­?

 A Storm Brewing

    It has been one odd event after the next since Maric¡¯s death, first with Madam Erin¡¯s odd behavior and then Dyson¡¯s. Dyson told me he was going to go after Laura, and to give him a hand, and although I would like to wrap my hands around her throat myself I know the ability to do so is far beyond my power.


    Helping Dyson however is the next best thing, so after spending ? of a million xp to give him a hand I send him off to Uthaira. Now I just have to explain this to Belinda and send Byson here off to Dyson¡¯s dungeon¡­


    ¡°Are you ready to fill in for Dyson?¡±


    Byson: ¡°As long as someone doesn¡¯t try to off him while I am filling in for him it should be quite fun.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I would use the word fun¡­¡±


    Byson: ¡°Master, you have plenty of women nearby, have you never thought of taking them all as your own?¡±


    ¡°Not even for a minute¡­¡±


    Byson: ¡°That seems like such a waste¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you will take Dyson¡¯s place just fine...¡± ¨CI try to open the pantry door only to find it still locked.-


    I let out a sigh and after trying for over a full minute I decide to just transfer us from the room. Dyson seemed pretty worried about someone listening to our conversations so I will try to keep his cover.


    ¡°I need to let Belinda know I am going to head to your dungeon for a bit, just wait here for a minute.¡±


    Byson: ¡°Understood.¡±


    I then transfer to the dungeon core room with all the others.


    Belinda: ¡°Thank goodness! We were watching you and Dyson but after entering the pantry and Dyson¡¯s casting of a spell we could no longer seen what was going on! Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°I will fill you all in as soon as I can, but I need to go to Dyson¡¯s dungeon for a bit, it shouldn¡¯t take long, but I promise I will return as quickly as possible.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Are you sure that is a good idea? After all wasn¡¯t it you that said we should have as little to do with the elders as possible for a while?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master also used a lot of xp while talking with Dyson¡­¡±


    ¡°I promise I will fill everyone in when I can, but for now you are just going to have to trust me.¡±


    Belinda grabs me and wraps her arms around me giving me a hug.


    Belinda: ¡°Of course we trust you, but we are just trying to make sure you are going to be alright.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure what is going to happen next, but I promise I will do my best. I think at least for now you should continue to hold up here in the dungeon core room, as we don¡¯t know if anyone is going to come after us or not.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just promise me you will come back safe.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    Belinda finally turns me loose and I then return to Bryson.


    ¡°Alright lets go.¡±


    I cast [Gate] arriving at Dyson¡¯s dungeon and I can¡¯t help feel quite nervous with what is going to happen while Byson and I enter. Byson is in Dyson¡¯s armor so those who see us while passing though the courtyard treat Byson as Dyson.


    The big question is how it is going to hold up once they start talking to him. I have seen his throne room several times though screens, but I don¡¯t recall if I have ever been here in person before. It is far from what I call tasteful as the throne itself is made from golden statues of contorted naked women.


    The thralls of nearly naked to completely naked women that surround the throne eye me quite questionably as Byson walks past me sitting down in the throne, but It doesn¡¯t stop them from beginning to paw at him the moment he sits down.


    Byson takes Dyson¡¯s helmet off dropping it to the floor, but one of the woman dives for it catching it in their arms, and moves over hanging it on an armor rack that she pulls from what was either a very masterful use of [Menu] or [Shadow Pocket].


    As the women begin to crawl over Byson he says. ¡°That is all Two-Twelve, I will contact you if there are any more matters that need your attention.¡±


    For a second even I forgot this wasn¡¯t actually Dyson, but I shake my head and say. ¡°Are you sure everything will be alright here?¡±


    Byson: ¡°I am the strongest being there is, and a dungeon core elder, what would dare disturb me in my own home.¡±


    ¡°You said to avoid using [Communication] so perhaps if you do need anything from me you should contact me with this?¡± ¨CI say taking out a communication parchment.-


    Byson: ¡°Not a bad idea.¡± ¨CHe says then has one of the women come take it from me.-


    ¡°I know there was an agreement made¡­But just don¡¯t overdo it alright?¡±


    Byson; ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, worry about your own dungeon.¡± ¨CHe says while the women have already managed to strip him of half of his armor.-


    ¡°Well, best of luck to you¡­¡± ¨CI say then cast [Gate] returning home.-


    Once I arrive at the house another person appears directly in front of me.


    Ceres: ¡°I would say perfect timing, but we both know that not to be the case.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°After all the help I provided, that is how you greet me?¡±


    ¡°What help? You said Maric would point me to the one that was responsible, but after giving me the information I could have received from any of the elders he was killed!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I said I would point you in the direction of a dungeon core that would help you find the answer. I never said Maric himself would personally point the way.¡±


    ¡°I learned a few names, but nothing I couldn¡¯t have heard from anyone. How was anything I learned supposed to help find the one responsible?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Maric¡¯s death caused the Dungeon Core Elders to begin to move did it not?¡±


    ¡°You are saying Maric¡¯s death is what set them in motion, but if that has to do with me. Are you saying Maric wouldn¡¯t have died if he didn¡¯t meet with me?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Answering that wouldn¡¯t be healthy for you to dwell on, besides you didn¡¯t kill him so it is not your fault.¡±


    ¡°But if meeting with him caused his death, I hold some responsibility for it!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That¡¯s nonsense, you had no way of knowing, if you wish to blame someone for it however, I will bear that burden for you. Just another thing I am happy to do for my favorite dungeon core!¡±


    ¡°You used me?!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°No, I did as you asked¡­ Now as for the matter I am here. I seem to be in need of a favor from you again.¡±


    ¡°After all that you want me to do something else for you?!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I won¡¯t tell you it doesn¡¯t serve my need, but just because it does that doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t help you as well.¡±


    ¡°Your need, or the one you serve? Or is that same thing?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Yes the woman you summoned with Adra¡¯s knowledge was quite helpful, but you still only have her and the man going through the library books in Merretta.¡±


    ¡°Merretta¡¯s library proved to be more difficult than Adra¡¯s, but you still didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°In any case, I think between the two of them they should come to the right conclusion with time to spare. As for me, does it really matter? If I am a god, or I serve one, just like the followers of Faron it doesn¡¯t matter who the humans pray to as long as the results are the same.¡±


    ¡°The name didn¡¯t seem to bother you, but you still wanted to change their perception that Faron was a male, so it does seem to matter to you at least somewhat.¡±


    Ceres laughs. ¡°Fair enough, but speaking of Faron¡¯s followers that is the favor I would like to request of you. I need a beastkin.¡±


    ¡°A beastkin?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Beastkin will play an important role in the future alongside of humans, so if we are going to take over Faron¡¯s churches we believe it is time for a beastkin to join in the ranks of the high priests of Faron.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well you are the Archjusticar of Faron, so if you tell them to accept the beastkin you introduce to them as a high priest I am sure they will listen.¡±


    ¡°I have enough to worry about right now without having to deal with Faron¡¯s churches right now. Besides I did my part with that, and I said the rest was on you.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You still have days before anyone tries to retaliate against you because of the messages about Dyson, so you can take a few minutes to summon me a beastkin.¡±


    ¡°You are saying there are dungeon cores that are going to be coming for me?!¡±


    Ceres face contorts to a sly smile. ¡°Faron, Fredrick, and now Maric, you don¡¯t think they would leave Dyson alone forever did you? Weakening him by taking out a few allies only makes sense.¡±


    ¡°If that is true then I definitely don¡¯t have time to be messing with Faron¡¯s churches I need to make sure my dungeon is secure!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If you did me the favor of summoning me a beastkin and introducing him or her to the high priests of Faron, then it is only fair I help you with the little matter of your dungeon now, am I right?¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t interfere.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Who says I would interfere? Cause and effect is all I am saying. I see several possible outcomes and all but one prove to be more beneficial for your dungeon if you summon a beastkin to serve the church of Faron.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t force anything on a sentient monster that I summon.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°But we both know you have a knack for summoning them with the desire to do what you want them to.¡±


    ¡°If there is even a chance it might help my dungeon, the cost of summoning a sentient beastkin is worth the risk. Other than wanting them to serve the church of Faron is there any other requests?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Without noticing it Ceres has two identical large books held within her hands, clearly large enough that she has to have used some kind of magic for them to appear, but there was no indication of it, like they were not there one second and just like they were always there the next.


    Ceres: ¡°I would ask you to have it hold the knowledge within these two books. One is the teachings of Faron, and the other is the same thing, with slightly, let¡¯s say revisions of the text for bringing Faron¡¯s religion forward.¡±


    ¡°What kind of revisions?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Nothing to worry about, but many places within Faron¡¯s teachings it talks about humans this and that, because when it was written other races weren¡¯t commonplace. Many human purists use that wording to hold another other races back. Then there are several mentions of Faron¡¯s physical characteristics that we will slowly alter with time.¡±


    ¡°You are sure summoning this beastkin will assist my dungeon against the ones that are going to attack?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°In all instances but one, and I will also have to ask you unbind the beastkin from you dungeon. Loyalty to you for giving them life is one thing, but the obedience of an ultimate command is something that needs to be avoided. Not that any of that has ever been an issue for you and of course using one to protect your dungeon¡¯s information is alright.¡±


    ¡°Any physical characteristics or preferences for a sub species of beastkin you want me to summon?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°This is the most important part, and it is entirely up to you, but this result is what is going to determine how much it will benefit you. As such I can¡¯t help with it at all.¡±


    ¡°So no pressure¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well the odds are greatly in your favor that it at least won¡¯t hinder your dungeon.¡±


    Alright, I could go with a random beastkin, but that seems to be taking the easy way out. Leaving it completely up to fate could just be the right answer though. I decide to look through the list of available beastkin just to see if anything jumps out at me.


    The first thing to catch my eye is the turtle sub-species. Reptile, amphibian, and avian beastkin are all highly rare, so it would stand out quite a bit, but I don¡¯t know if it would be in a good way or a bad way. The next to catch my eye is a common fox beastkin.


    Fox beastkin works for Inari really well, so maybe that is why it stands out, I decide to try one more time and come up with a badger. Now the fox and badger could be either regular or feral beastkin, but the turtle is only available as feral.


    Normal beastkin can easily blend in with humans just by covering their ears and/or tails, so I think we want something with a little bit bigger impact, but I am afraid the turtle might just be too much of a change.


    The badger is also an advanced beastkin, so it would cost a small amount more, but should be able to taking magic based classes. We are not going for an adventurer though, so would magic really be important?


    I don¡¯t want to copy Inari, so I think the fox is a definite pass, now it just leaves the turtle or the badger. Ceres hands me the two large books which prove to be quite heavier than I thought, but I store them in the dungeon inventory while she crosses her arms and just stares at me.


    ¡°You can¡¯t provide me with at least a bit of a hint?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If I did that, it would put the entire thing at risk.¡±


    I let out a deep sigh. Well I guess I will either go with the turtle or the badger, but I need to decide on the other characteristics as well. All of the Faron priests I have met have all been male, I don¡¯t think it is a requirement, but being a beastkin is going to rock the boat as it is, so I think I should keep it as male to be on the safe side.


    As for his general appearance, I will just focus on the current high priests and that should have him fit in. now all that is left is the sub-species. The turtle is by far the most unusual, and I have been struggling to summon one since I learned how to after summoning the beastkin for Tom, but I never felt it the right time.


    I think to be on the safe side I should continue to wait, I finally decide on the badger, and after storing the two books in the dungeon inventory and receiving the message about new items available to summon I then focus on the high priests I know, the two books I just stored, and couldn¡¯t hurt to have them know as much about the other religions as is available to my dungeon.


    Focusing on all the current high priests might have been a bad idea, as the priests seem to fit into one of two cookie cutter like figures. Some are short and heavyset while the others are tall and lanky. Focusing on them all left the man standing before me almost average.


    There are quite a few more of the short and round priests so although he is taller than most of the other high priests, he is still has quite a few extra pounds on him. His age is also a bit older then I would have liked with his course black hair having several white streaks through it and already leaving a bald spot on top of his head.


    The course hair covering his shoulders, back, and tail is grey in color, but the hair covering most of his arms and legs is black, so the color of the hair on his head could just be due to his race and not his age, but the bald spot is most definitely due to age¡­


    Even though he has quite a few extra pounds, he is also quite stout as well. He makes me think of an old burly barkeep rather than that of a priest, but what¡¯s done is done. I summon him in some priestly like robes and equip them on him.


    They seem to help the priestly image quite a bit, and it is quite hard to believe it is the same man that was standing there just a second ago.


    Ceres seems to let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Thank goodness it wasn¡¯t the turtle¡­ The badger wasn¡¯t the best of choices, but as long as it wasn¡¯t the turtle you should be ok. That doesn¡¯t mean you can take it easy though. This is still by far not the best case scenario.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have at least said not the turtle? I almost picked it you know¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If I did that you would of thrown that choice out, and then might of considered something that wasn¡¯t even within prediction before and made matters ten times worse, and it worked out.¡±


    ¡°Out of curiosity, what would have been the best choice?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If you start wondering what might have been, you will never move forward, best just take what you got and run with it. Now, he should have the Mystic class available, and that should serve his purpose quite well. After selecting his class, give him any ultimate command you need to, a name, and then unbind him.¡±


    I open the [Menu] to select his class, and priest is available, but mystic is an advanced class that looks to receive the same bonuses but they are a bit better, so maybe that is the reason she wants me to select mystic rather than priest.


    When I select the mystic class for him I receive a message.


    New Skill Available


    Divine Focus                                                      Cost: 5000xp


    It seems like a rather basic skill, but I guess for all the mages, scholars, and healers I have summoned this is the first that is actually priest like monster.  I bring up his status page which at level 1 is very limited but I check out the skill.


    Divine Focus (Rank 1): An advanced form of the Divine Magic skill, which allows the holder of the skill to cast healing magic with great efficiency. Divine Focus also allows the holder of the skill to learn elemental based defensive spells as light spells rather than their elemental counterpart.


    I guess that could be useful if you want to learn a defensive spell from your opposing element, but with me and my boss monsters we don¡¯t really have the problem, so it won¡¯t be much use to us.


    ¡°Do you have any preferences for a name?¡±


    Badger: ¡°Anything Master wishes, is fine with me.¡±


    ¡°What about you Ceres? I did summon him at your request.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I already told you a name is of no importance it is the actions one takes.¡±


    ¡°Then how does Martin sound?¡±


    Martin: ¡°If that is what you wish.¡±


    After confirming his name and giving him the basic ultimate command I unbind him from my dungeon.


    Ceres: ¡°Now you just have to deliver him to the other high priests, and convince them he is a priest of Faron, and I will take care of the rest.¡± ¨CShe says then quickly then appears next to Martin and whispers in his ear.-


    Martin: ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The only difference between a real god and a false one is that when the dust settles the real god will still be around. Two-Twelve went above and beyond on your summoning, so you know that Faron was indeed a false god, but you also know that the one I serve is not. She wishes to take Faron¡¯s place and in turn that means you will be her priest. She doesn¡¯t ask for your loyalty unconditionally, but in doing this task it should be enough to prove she is at least no less of a god then Faron.¡±


    Martin: ¡°Well if it is as you say I will have no doubts.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You know of the teachings of Faron along with the changes made by the one I serve, so as long as you hold to those values the name you put to it doesn¡¯t matter. Besides the changes that have been made should only serve to benefit you.¡±


    Martin: ¡°Very well, Archjusticar, I am ready when you are.¡±


    ¡°I told my wife I wouldn¡¯t be long in heading to Dyson¡¯s dungeon, so I need to at least check in with her before I take you, besides I have a few more questions for Ceres.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well perhaps if you live though the end of next week I will come check on you and answer a few of your questions, but until then, good luck.¡± ¨CBefore anything else can be said Ceres is just gone¡­-


    ¡°Well it is already getting quite late in the day, and I don¡¯t know how hard it will be to convince the high priests that you are a priest of Faron, so I will speak with Belinda and we will take you to the priests in the morning.¡±


    Martin: ¡°If what Ceres claimed really is true, it must be tonight.¡±


    ¡°I must at least tell Belinda what is going on then...¡±


    Martin: ¡°Very well, I will wait.¡± ¨CHe says while sitting down on one of the benches in the entryway.-


    For being a monster I summoned Martin is already pretty disassociated with me, and even already is referring to me as Archjusticar instead of Master. Not that I have made any of my monsters call me that, it just seems strange is all I guess.


    I then transfer back to the dungeon core room where the girls are waiting on me. When I arrive Belinda quickly gives me a hug.


    Lilah: ¡°Master used more xp, and everyone was worried something might have gone wrong.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, I returned as quickly as possible, but Ceres was waiting on me and asked another favor of me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is everything going to be alright? What did she want this time?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t be for sure, but she gave me another warning saying we would be attacked because what is going on with Dyson, but she said if I helped her we would make it through alright. The cost was negligible so I thought it worth the risk. I just now have to deliver the beastkin I summoned for her to the high priests of Faron.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If we are going to be attacked should we really be running around the country side for her?¡±


    ¡°I already learned a new skill because of it so far, and even though the skill doesn¡¯t seem like it will be much use to us, everything with Ceres is complicated, and interconnected, so it might help us in a way we aren¡¯t even able to see.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But can we trust her?¡±


    ¡°The bunnies are able to take care of the dungeon far more than I am able to, and she did warn us about the attack, so if there is a chance this can help at all I think I need to see it though, so my being here is of little importance.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about the rest of us? Do we stay here in the dungeon core room?¡±


    ¡°I think for now that would be for the best. If the attack really is coming in a few short days¡¯ time, then at least until it is over I would feel far more comfortable with everyone here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You will be back tonight though right?¡±


    ¡°I have to convince the high priests of Faron that the beastkin I summoned is a priest of Faron, and I don¡¯t know how long that will take, but after talking to Ceres himself he said it had to be tonight, so I think it should work out.¡±


    After another hug and a kiss from Belinda I return back to the house, and Martin then stands.


    Martin: ¡°Are you ready now Archjusticar?¡±


    ¡°This better work¡­¡±


    I summon a portal with [Gate] taking Martin and myself to the city surrounding the lake that once housed Faron¡¯s grand cathedral. We make for the largest of the churches within the city and since it is quite late there is little activity.


    Being the home of the Faron faith however there is a priest at the church at all times, so when he sees me he greets us.


    Priest: ¡°Archjusticar! What are you doing here so late in the evening?¡±


    ¡°I need to speak with the high priests.¡±


    Priest: ¡°They have all retired for the night, they have been quite busy. We have lost 3 of the high priests since the cathedral¡¯s collapse. Two departed by taking their own lives and the third¡­ Well, he just departed.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry to hear that, but I might be able to help a little bit. You see this man right here is a priest of Faron and he should be of great assistance to the high priests.¡±


    Priest: ¡°But he is¡­Beastkin.¡±


    Martin: ¡°The teachings of Faron do not discriminate against beastkin, the words in Faron¡¯s teachings say humans but in many instances such as the elf, Algirea, she too is referred to as a human. It can be said the word human is used to classify humans because there were no other examples. The word humans in Faron¡¯s teachings can easily be interpreted as sentient beings as we know today.¡±


    Priest: ¡°I do understand what you are saying, but many still believe that humans is simply humans, and that Algirea was referred to as human due to her adopted mother, and the fact she kept her heritage secret.¡±


    Martin: ¡°I would be happy to continue this debate with you all night, but the Archjusticar has quite a busy schedule, and we really need to speak with the high priests.¡±


    Priest: ¡°Forgive me Archjusticar I will wake them at once.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The priest then disappears deeper into the church. When the high priests arrive they look quite worn, and far from what they looked like the last time I seen them. It could just be the fact they were woken from sleep, but they look quite worse for wear.


    High Priest: ¡°Archjusticar¡­ What is of such importance to bring you to us at this hour?¡±


    ¡°I heard of your struggles due to the loss of the grand cathedral, so when I found a priest of Faron that looked quite capable I was sure to bring him to you at once.¡±


    The tired high priests look at the badger beastkin with quite skepticism, but they don¡¯t voice their grievances. Instead they are looking over him quite fiercely.


    High Priest: ¡°There is nothing against a beastkin being a priest of Faron, but to warrant bringing him all the way here?¡±


    Martian: ¡°The answers will all become clear soon, but we must get to work now to ensure we are ready for Faron¡¯s glory.¡±


    High Priest: ¡°We have been giving everything we have, and under the circumstances have done very well, but it is the middle of the night, and we are in need of our rest¡­¡±


    Martian: ¡°I will be fine now Archjusticar, you have your own matters to address.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Martian: ¡°Yes, they will understand shortly.¡±


    ¡°Alright then¡­ Best of luck to you.¡±


    Martian: ¡°You as well.¡±


    I am not sure the reason for me to bring him here other than the fact to prove I was indeed the one that brought him, but if what Ceres said is true there is a lot I have to prepare for, so if he says he will be alright I will have to just take his word for it.


    I use [Gate] to return to the dungeon core room, and although several of the girls are already asleep, Belinda is waiting for me on the edge of one of the bunny¡¯s beds.


    Belinda: ¡°Lylah is going to let us borrow her bed till we get this all straightened out¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to wait up for me, I am sure with the baby you were quite tired.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I was more worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know what is to come, but we can only do so much.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It is too late to start anything tonight, and it has been a long day. You will be able to think far more clearly with a bit of rest, so come to bed and we can deal with it in the morning.¡±


    I crawl in bed with Belinda, and after a good laugh when Lylah moves over to where Roxy and Zoey are sleeping and hits Roxy in the face with a pillow when Roxy begins to snore quite loudly, Belinda and I then fall asleep in each other¡¯s arms.

 The Storm Approaches

    I can¡¯t believe normal people travel in such a manner, I have been riding this blasted animal for 3 days now, and they said it was the fastest horse in Uthaira, but I could quite literally crawl faster than this thing.


    If I could just use my teleport spell, I could have been at Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon days ago, but I just don¡¯t know if I can trust anything that relies on [Menu] and that includes my skills or spells. I don¡¯t know if Draco¡¯s ability includes spells and skills, but just in case that it does I don¡¯t want to risk it.


    I should have brought the two older slaves that I bought with me, instead of having Two-Twelve pick them up, but I guess that would have only slowed me down further. I should be approaching on Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon soon, so maybe I can return to the comforts of my dungeon in just a few more days¡­


    After arriving in the city that is close to Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon I flash gold around hiring as many adventurers as possible to go through the dungeon. With a group this size Llewelyn should know we mean business, but it will be harder to gauge my strength with everyone else attacking as well.


    Llewelyn¡¯s power is almost that of Laura¡¯s so I don¡¯t think any of these adventurers will return, but maybe we can get lucky enough and I can take Llewelyn out before he can tell anyone else about my strength, because if he tells the elders about me, I don¡¯t think it will take them long to find out who I really am.


    After only a few days in the dungeon I have grown exceedingly bored, but there are just enough female adventurers that I have managed to keep myself from completely losing my mind. Although I have bought slaves for far less then what it has taken for me to keep them satisfied. This ring really is a sucker punch in my pride as a man¡­


    The horde of adventurers has also dwindled down till it is now just a large group, but these experienced adventurers seem too able to handle themselves quite well. Most of the attractive women are now gone so I have been trying to speed things up a bit when I can, but I still refrain from using any spells or skills.


    Adventurer: ¡°We had no way of knowing the dungeon would be this deep¡­¡± ¨CThe last adventurer says in his dying breath.-


    I click my tongue, well it looks like it is just me now, and there is still far too much dungeon for me to handle alone without raising suspicion so I only have two choices. One I can quickly teleport to Llewelyn and hopefully pass it off without being detected, or two I can continue forward though the dungeon by myself and before I make it to Llewelyn they are sure to know something is up.¡±


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    The next morning after taking Martin to the church of Faron I received a message from the church begging me to return, but I am far too busy with the perpetrations for the attack against my dungeon to worry about what is going on at the church now.


    Besides I told Ceres I would summon Martin and take him there, but that is it. Everything else is up to them. A few hours later however I receive a message a bit harder to ignore.


    Madam Erin: (Are you involved with the matter of what is going on with Faron¡¯s dungeon?)


    (I am not sure what you mean. Faron is dead so his dungeon is gone. I am doing like you asked I am keeping my head down and focusing on protecting my dungeon just in case someone wants to retaliate against me for what they think Dyson has done, or what happened with Maric.)


    Madam Erin: (That is just it, his dungeon isn¡¯t gone! This morning it reappeared like nothing ever happened, even his secondary dungeon that human cathedral is completely returned. We don¡¯t have <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> anymore to know if it means Faron has returned, but that in itself should prove that he hasn¡¯t. I know Faron roped you into acting as an agent of the humans that worshiped Faron, so I thought you might know something.)


    (All I know is that woman that claims to serve one of the old gods told me she had plans of taking over Faron¡¯s religion for the one she serves. If they managed to do something like that though it might just be proof that the one she serves really could possibly be a god.)


    Madam Erin: (I know things are strained right now, but as the Archjusticar of the Elders and the connection you have with the church I need to go find out what is going on. If his dungeon is restored what does that mean for his crystal and what about him?)


    (My dungeon is a far higher priority right now. If you are curious check it out yourself.)


    Madam Erin: (As the Archjusticar this is your responsibility and your dungeon is offered the protection of the Elders!)


    (And two Elders are currently dead. Forgive me if I don¡¯t put a lot of trust in those words at the moment. If you do go yourself or send someone, there is a Faron priest by the name of Martin, he was once a dungeon monster so he might be more open to speak with you then the others.)


    Madam Erin: (This could be the start of what happened in Shima, so we have to get to the bottom of this before it gets out of hand.)


    (Well, good luck.)


    I don¡¯t receive another message from Madam Erin, but Lilah tells me someone sent me a message on the communication parchment on the desk. It is from Dyson he asked me to send a [Gate] to the same place I did when I sent him.


    I didn¡¯t receive a message about Laura¡¯s death, and he hasn¡¯t even been gone 24 hours yet so what does he need the [Gate] for now¡­? After I head back to the house and set it up I quickly regret my decision when several women and children come walking through the gate.


    The children look quite scarred, but the woman look more in awe. One of the women steps forward and hands me a note.


    Sorry, no time, and I am on the move, if you send the children to Tom and tell them they are from me he will know what to do, and if you could put the other two up in your little town for now until I return I haven¡¯t gotten a chance to break them in completely, so I don¡¯t want my stand-in to get ahold of them.


    ¡°What is this all about¡­?¡±


    Woman: ¡°Master said you would take care of us until he returns.¡±


    ¡°I am not his errand boy¡­¡±


    Woman: ¡°He said he promised to make it up to you once he returns.¡±


    ¡°Are all of you slaves?¡±


    Woman: ¡°Yes, but we are very fortunate our master bought us, he even provided us gold to take care of us until he returns.¡±


    ¡°What about the children? That doesn¡¯t seem his style, and I am definitely sure I am not comfortable sending them to Tom¡­¡±


    Markus: ¡°You¡¯ll help us right mister?! That ugly man was going to kill me unless my sister would become his slave, and after she was kidnapped by another man he forced us to be his slaves as well just so we didn¡¯t lose our sister!¡±


    ¡°With the slave collars there isn¡¯t much I can do, but I can promise you I will at least get to the bottom of this before sending you off to someone like Tom. Can the two of you take care of the children until I hear back from Dyson, or at worse case until he returns?¡±


    Woman: ¡°That is not what master wanted.¡±


    ¡°I am the one that has to send them off, and I refuse that is my choice. I guess my question is to you then will you take care of your master¡¯s other slaves for him or abandon them?¡±


    Woman: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want Master mad at me¡­¡±


    The other older woman then chimes in. ¡°I will do it! I will take care of master¡¯s children!¡±


    ¡°I know there are many reasons for people to becomes slaves, but I don¡¯t agree with it in any way for children, so even though there isn¡¯t much I can do, I promise if you stay with them for now I will at least do what I can. Your master seems like quite the jerk, but he is a reasonable man, maybe I can do something¡­¡±


    I send Vetala out with the slaves to get them set up at the inn. If I didn¡¯t have enough headaches right now, this is the last thing that I need...I return to the dungeon core room and Lilah informs me of another communication parchment that received a message.


    ¡°Now what¡­?¡±


    Byson: (Master! Quick, the Elders are demanding we meet. Something about Elder Faron reappearing or something! I tried to refuse, but they wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer!)


    (How did they contact you? You can¡¯t possibly be receiving Dyson¡¯s messages in [Communication] can you?)


    Byson: (I guess because he is wearing the ring acting as someone else, and I am acting as him [Menu] can¡¯t tell I am not Dyson¡­)


    (If you are receiving Dyson¡¯s messages then maybe it was a good idea that we are avoiding the use [Communication]¡­ Just put Dyson¡¯s armor on and I will meet you as soon as I can.)


    Belinda: ¡°You are not really going are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°If they find out one of my monsters is posing as Dyson while he is out doing gods know only what. How do you think they will take that? Especially with Lucille already out for Dyson¡¯s blood as it is.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But all of this is just too much to be put on your shoulders, what about the attack that is coming?¡±


    ¡°This has something to do with what Ceres is doing I think, so in her roundabout way of doing things this might be how it helps us survive.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t know that though¡­¡±


    ¡°You are right, but I can only do the best I know how.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am just worried about you¡­¡±


    ¡°That makes two of us¡­ I know we already warned the girls, but I think it might be a good idea for you to speak with each of them personally to tell them to be careful, I don¡¯t know how much we can trust [Communication] right now. It might be time to warn you brother and father as well, no matter what happens I don¡¯t want to see Gowen dragged into this as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Do you think it is safe¡­?¡±


    ¡°At the moment I don¡¯t know much that is safe, the bunnies have matters here addressed far better than even I could do, so take the others with you and just be careful. It might not hurt to grab a handful of communication parchments when you go to see your brother, we are starting to run low and I think it is best to use them to speak with everyone for a while instead of [Communication].¡±


    After hugging and kissing Belinda I head to Dyson¡¯s dungeon. We then head to the neutral zone together and even with his armor and helmet on you can tell Byson is quite nervous.


    ¡°You are going to have to project Dyson¡¯s cockiness or we are both going to be in deep trouble.¡±


    Byson: ¡°But any one of the Elders could snap me like a twig even with Dyson¡¯s armor.¡±


    ¡°Anyone wanting to harm Dyson could do so, you were summoned to think like Dyson, so I know you can do it. Just remember if you die you don¡¯t get to return to his entourage.¡±


    Although I can¡¯t see his face, that seemed to do the trick in convincing him. We then head into the meeting with the other Elders. Byson takes Dyson¡¯s place next to Lucille and Madam Erin looks at me suspiciously.


    Madam Erin: ¡°What are you doing here? I thought you were not interested.¡±


    ¡°Dyson convinced me it was in my best interest to show up.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°After having to fight to get him to show up as well?¡±


    Byson: ¡°I just received a few new girls in and I was quite busy breaking them in, so can we get this over with?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Is that all you ever think about?!¡±


    Byson: ¡°What else is there?¡±


    Draco: ¡°Enough! We have enough to worry about with Faron and Fredrick¡¯s death, and being at each other¡¯s throats is not going to help. Now, Madam Erin, what do you mean Faron¡¯s dungeon has returned?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Everything has returned, just as if Faron didn¡¯t die. His dungeon, all of his secondary dungeons, everything is back. Faron always had his crystals hidden so I can¡¯t be certain his crystals have returned as well, but at least the statues they were hidden in and such have returned.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°To take over his dungeon by placing your own imitation crystal would be one thing, but to replace everything over night? That would take more xp then we all have combined.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°As much as we hate to entertain this notion of Two-Twelve¡¯s about the return of the old gods¡­ I just don¡¯t see any other way for this to be possible.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Even if it was true, after all this time. Why now?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°It always comes back to Two-Twelve. I say we do away with him and maybe things will return to the way they were.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You know as well as I do the changes have been coming for a long time now, and we choose to ignore them up till now. Two-Twelve just has a unique way of making us aware of them. If anything we need him alive more than ever.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Draco: ¡°You are awfully quiet Dyson, you are usually the first to jump in to defend Two-Twelve.¡±


    Byson: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just thinking of a tall slender woman with grade A breasts, dark hair, and piercing eyes¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Crude as ever I see, but you have a point.¡±


    Byson: ¡°I do¡­?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°The only thing holding Hecete back from starting her own dungeon was she didn¡¯t want to leave Maric¡¯s dungeon. After he died though I was sure she would have asked to be allowed to form her own dungeon.¡±


    Byson: ¡°Yes, that was what I meant¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°For all we know she died protecting Maric, and even if she didn¡¯t they were together a long time, it may take her a while to get over the loss.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Dyson was required to wait for Dungeon Core #400 to become available as well. She could be planning to go after Dungeon Core #15. With the creation of new dungeon cores up in the air, maybe we should get in contact with her and offer her Maric¡¯s number to prevent any unnecessary loss of dungeon cores.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You don¡¯t even know if that would be possible to give her a different number then the one she was originally assigned, and even if it was we have no way of knowing if it would be possible now that [Menu] has stopped producing new cores.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°We can worry about that later, I think Dyson was just trying to change the subject.¡±


    Byson: ¡°We just kind of took over after the old gods disappeared, and now that they are claiming to have returned, right now we might need Two-Twelve as he is the only one that has managed to speak with them.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Two-Twelve already refused to give us a hand in the matter.¡±


    ¡°I think for now our more pressing matter is the person attacking the dungeons while posing as Dyson.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Someone capable of completely reestablishing Faron¡¯s dungeon overnight, if these gods do exist is it not possible they are the ones behind this?¡±


    ¡°The ones I have talked to I far from trust, but even though one of them has not told me quite a bit I don¡¯t think she has outright lied to me, and she said the matter was completely between dungeon cores.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I find this rather hard to believe, but what I can¡¯t refute is the return of Faron¡¯s dungeon, so in the interest of covering all our bases. You have tried to get them to tell you who was responsible?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is that simple, I think there are rules they even have to follow, but yes I have tried.¡±


    Draco: ¡°What of your meeting with Maric, I heard you were to meet with him regarding a lead in the attacks?¡±


    ¡°Maric just gave me names of dungeon cores that you have surely thought of yourself.¡±


    Draco: ¡°So you learned nothing from him?¡±


    ¡°Maric was going to give me a more comprehensive list after returning to his dungeon, but it was immediately after his return that he was killed. I have already explained this all to Madam Erin¡­¡±


    I was hoping that would get a reaction from Madam Erin, that maybe the reason Madam Erin was acting so strange after Maric¡¯s death was because it wasn¡¯t her sending me the messages, but instead she says.


    Madam Erin: ¡°It is possible there was some small detail you might have left out, so it doesn¡¯t hurt to go over it again.¡±


    ¡°That is all there was¡­¡±


    Draco: ¡°What of the cores Maric mentioned?¡±


    I tell them of the dungeon cores that Maric mentioned.


    Lucille: ¡°We have already determined Laura is not the culprit. No matter how much you want her to be.¡±


    ¡°If you have more information I would be glad to hear it, but so far we only have her manipulating [Menu] in the same fashion in the past, and you completely denying that it can be her.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°What about you?! You were the one that actually killed dungeon cores under a different name.¡±


    Byson: ¡°We all know Two-Twelve is far too weak to be able to do something like this even if he wanted to. Besides if he could I am sure Laura would have been on the top of his list.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°That still leaves you.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°This is the same argument we had last time, and it gets us nowhere.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You claimed that Two-Twelve had some sort of ability that would restrict Dyson, if he really is not responsible for the deaths why don¡¯t we just use it on him and we can all sleep better afterwards.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple, and we need all the strength we can get if this person is capable of killing dungeon cores like Faron and Maric without any indication of what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And now we have come full circle and are back at square one. As things stand I don¡¯t think we are going to get any further information on this matter like this. As for Faron¡¯s dungeon I have sent one of my monsters to keep an eye on things, so if anything comes from it I will let the rest of you know.¡±


    ¡°If you already sent a monster there, you could of led the meeting with that information, and if you went that far already, was this meeting really necessary?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I think the other Elders can agree that some things should just be handled face to face, and we managed to take a step forward with the existence of these old gods, so perhaps it wasn¡¯t a complete waste.¡±


    Madam Erin then speaks with Draco and Lucille quietly for a few minutes before they both depart leaving just Madam Erin, Byson, and myself in the room. I am waiting on her to leave so I can return Byson to Dyson¡¯s dungeon but she doesn¡¯t appear to be in any hurry.


    Madam Erin: ¡°What is the matter Dyson? I thought you were in quite a hurry to break-in those new acquisitions of yours?¡±


    Byson: ¡°I have a bit of business to take care of with Two-Twelve.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Interesting, I would like to hear of this business.¡±


    Byson: ¡°It contains some sensitive information.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We were under agreement that there would be no secrets between us, especially with matters that concerned Two-Twelve.¡± ¨CShe says eying us both rather suspiciously.-


    Byson: ¡°It is no matter to concern yourself with¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If it involved Two-Twelve, I believe it does.¡±


    ¡°With the matters we have been dealing with lately, do you really think this is the best place to speaking of such matters?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Fair enough, shall we head to my dungeon then, and discuss this further?¡±


    ¡°I am under quite the time constraint, so I guess we will have to put the matter off till after you have a chance to speak with Madam Erin about it, if it is such a big deal.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°No, I insist.¡±  -She says placing one of her massive hands on my shoulder holding me in place.-


    Madam Erin then seems to send a message with [Menu].


    Byson: ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¨CHe says after scanning the message.-


    This seems to shock Madam Erin a great deal. ¡°What are you two playing at¡­? What is going on here?¡±


    ¡°Are you alright¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin looks around and then says in a lower voice. ¡°Now we really do need to talk¡­¡±


    Madam Erin then drags me into the hallway in a not to gentle manner, and Byson, unsure what to do just follows along. When she completes the rune on her portal and the portal appears she attempts to push me though but I quickly cast [Blink] and appear behind her.


    ¡°I am not going anywhere¡­ You have been acting very strange ever since we received word about Maric¡¯s death.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You said this is not a good place to talk, and perhaps you¡¯re right, but you both have a great deal of explaining to do, and unless you think you can take me, I suggest you step though the portal.¡±


    Byson: ¡°You really think you could stand a chance against me?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°While you are trying to protect Two-Twelve from harm? I think I could manage.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t even fight here, what are you going on about¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I want to know where Dyson is at.¡±


    Byson: ¡°What are you going on about I am right here!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Are you sure you want to do this here?¡±


    I am sure Madam Erin has found us out now, but I can¡¯t be for sure with the way she has been acting lately if she is even the real Madam Erin¡­


    ¡°Fine, but not your primary dungeons either, give us a few minutes and then meet us at your daughter¡¯s place.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°My daughter¡­?¡± -She eyes Byson suspiciously.- ¡°Fine, but if you try to skip out on me, I know how to get to you.¡± ¨CShe then steps through her own portal and it then disappears.-


    Byson: ¡°Do you know what you are doing¡­?¡±


    ¡°Not a clue, but I am sure our cover is blown, and with the way Madam Erin has been acting this was the best I could come up with.¡±


    Byson: ¡°Are you going to tell her then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have much of a choice.¡±


    I then cast [Gate] heading to Madam Erin¡¯s secondary dungeon. I have only been there once, but she said Belinda and I are the only ones to have ever seen it other than her and her monsters, so if this really wasn¡¯t Madam Erin, she wouldn¡¯t know where we were at.


    When we arrive though the portal Byson quickly is snatched up by a massive hand and slammed against the wall at least two feet from touching the ground. I have only seen Madam Erin attack once, and that was just a simple punch, but it was enough to break my jaw, and with the strength she slammed Byson to the wall even with Dyson¡¯s armor I am sure he sustained several broken bones.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now you will tell me what the hell is going on, and who the hell this is!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure we can speak here?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You know as well as I do nobody knows about this place, so of course!¡±


    ¡°Then put him down and we can try to explain!¡±


    With Dyson¡¯s armor on I can¡¯t even tell if Byson is ok, and when Madam Erin lets go of him, he crumples to the ground in a heap. I quickly cast a healing spell on him and seems to regain consciousness.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now start talking!¡±


    ¡°After Maric¡¯s death we didn¡¯t know who to trust, even you sounded quite shady though the messages, so when Dyson came to me and told me to keep quiet about it I did.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Keep quiet about what?¡±


    ¡°He went after the ones responsible for killing the other elders and Maric.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°He knows who it is?¡±


    ¡°There is a good chance several dungeon cores are involved, but he has a good idea where to start looking.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You are not really in a position to keep it from me.¡±


    ¡°The Madam Erin I know trusts me and Dyson at least to some degree, if you are willing to threaten me to get the information the only explanation for it is you are somehow involved.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Then you at least know far more then you are letting on.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I meant what I said, I am just trying to protect you pup.¡±


    ¡°I may not be a very strong dungeon core, but I have managed to scrap by so far. If you didn¡¯t try lying to me then maybe we would have told you what was going on.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°After what Laura did to you, I didn¡¯t want you to go chasing after her and getting yourself killed just because she might have a hand in this.¡±


    ¡°I know I am no match for Laura, but that is even more reason for me to do whatever I can do if she indeed is the one doing this.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then Dyson is going after Laura?¡±


    ¡°He is going after the ones responsible, and if it happens to be that Laura is involved then yes.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Dyson is a very ¡°ends justifies the means¡± kind of guy, so how many are going to have to pay the price in the process?¡±


    ¡°My only response to that is, who were the ones that made him that way? All I do know is he is our best shot right now, and with two different gods messing around in my life, the death of the elders, Belinda being pregnant, and everything else I will take what I can get.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just promise me pup that you won¡¯t lie to me again.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, if you didn¡¯t lie to me, then maybe I wouldn¡¯t have had to. I will promise I will continue to do what I think is best, and as long as I can trust you are doing the same I won¡¯t lie to you.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So what is with the Dyson wannabe here?¡±


    ¡°He is one of my monsters filling in for Dyson while he takes care of things, so those responsible don¡¯t know what is going on.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You really had me going when I sent the message to Dyson and he acted like he received it. How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°I guess it is just an effect of the rings, he is receiving Dyson¡¯s messages.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I thought the rings would be a big help to the new dungeon cores starting out, but the more effects that seem to be creeping in are starting to get rather worrisome.¡±


    ¡°At first that was how we thought Belinda might have got pregnant, but I have never worn one to bed.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well surely that would be beyond what the ring could do¡­¡±


    ¡°It worked for Zoey and Roxy¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Your boss monsters? You got them pregnant?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Zoey wore the ring and got Roxy pregnant.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then have you tried using the ring?¡±


    ¡°Belinda is already pregnant, so there isn¡¯t really a way for me to¡­¡± ¨CMadam Erin seems to be deep in thought for a seconds so I continue.- ¡°Anyway, how did you know Dyson was a fake?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I was the dungeon core to train him, and have keep an eye on him all these years, so of course I noticed.¡±


    ¡°You mean the one that failed to train him? I thought we did a really good job though, and even if the appearance isn¡¯t quite 100% I thought him being in the full armor would of made up for it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So he looks like Dyson as well?¡±


    After I nod Byson removes the helmet, shakes his head, and gives a cheesy grin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I think I would have been easier fooled if you at least kept the helmet off, he sure has Dyson¡¯s facial expressions down¡­¡±


    ¡°But seriously what tipped you off? We need to make sure the others don¡¯t find out. That is as long as you don¡¯t tell them about it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°He was far too passive, but even then he could have been having an off day, or just bored. The main reason was when you have learned as much about someone as I have about Dyson over the years there are small things you do unconsciously, and he just didn¡¯t do them.¡±


    ¡°Like what.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Like when Dyson sits in a chair if there is nothing in front of him he leans back on his right hip, but like at the neutral zone he always leans forward on his elbows. Just stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even pick up on small stuff like that on Belinda¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You would be surprised, I am sure you have and just don¡¯t realize it, but if she stopped doing it you would notice. Besides after Dyson really started growing in power while among the humans I have kept a close eye on him, so that is 100 years of watching his little mannerisms.¡±


    ¡°Not even Dyson¡¯s girls have noticed anything though¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is because he never keeps one of those girls for more than a year, but you mean he is actually staying in Dyson¡¯s dungeon as well?¡±


    ¡°We have no way of knowing how much of [Menu] we can trust, after all the ring was enough to fool it into sending Dyson¡¯s messages to Byson so what else could have been compromised.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Someone using his name must have bothered him far more then I imagined if he would even think about another man touching his women while filling in for him.


    ¡°Maybe he is thinking of replacing them once he returns, after all he has already started sending slaves he purchased while he was away like he is on some shopping trip or something.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That sounds more like Dyson, but even the girls he retires he is really picky about who gets them when he is done with them.¡±


    ¡°Byson is essentially a copy of Dyson, so maybe he just figured that was enough. You don¡¯t think we will have any problems with Byson moving forward though do you?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I imagine you stuck around at the neutral zone waiting for me to leave, because he doesn¡¯t haven Dyson¡¯s skills or spells am I right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then in general conversation I think you will be alright, but if he has to ever prove he is Dyson, I am sure it will fall apart instantly.¡±


    ¡°That means you will keep it a secret then?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°For now, but if Dyson starts killing dungeon cores left and right I will tell the others what I know.¡±


    ¡°Now, I really do need to return to my dungeon. The one that serves the old god that is taking over Faron¡¯s churches told me one of the dungeon cores is going to attack me because of what is happening with the death of Faron, Fredrick, and Maric, so I need to prepare as much as possible.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Even with the protection from the Elders?¡±


    ¡°I have yet to see this so called protection, and as I said earlier, so far she hasn¡¯t lied to me yet.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Are you going to be alright?¡±


    ¡°Well again according to the old gods I will somehow manage.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Wait here for a second¡­¡± ¨CMadam Erin then trundles off though the tunnel.-


    Byson and I wait in silence until she returns with several dwarves, a handful of imps, a few creatures that look like a cross between an imp and a goblin, but even if they only are knee high they have a maliciousness to them that makes them seem far stronger than even the toughest hobgoblin.


    Following up behind Madam Erin is also three of the very beautiful succubus women one of which is the one that calls Madam Erin her mother, the very motherly looking succubus named Elexia. I should be immune to charm effects, and although I find them quite beautiful for some reason Elexia still makes my heart race in her presence.


    Elexia: ¡°I am sorry mother, it has just been to many years since anyone has seen combat, so this was all we could muster.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Listen up everyone. I am going to send you to give Two-Twelve here a hand. I expect you to follow his orders as if they are my own. If he really is about to face an attack from another dungeon core there is a great chance many of you will not return. I won¡¯t force anyone, but if you are willing I ask you to do me this favor.¡±


    A few of the dwarves hit chest with one fist and nod while speaking in the dwarven language, and the imps and other little creatures just snarl, growl, and some even howl. The other two succubus move forward and nod their heads.


    Succubus: ¡°Don¡¯t worry mistress you can count on us.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°This is the best I can do pup, all of these monsters are willing to risk their lives to help you, but they won¡¯t be bound to your dungeon, so treat them with respect, and they will give you their all.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am sure I might catch it from your wife for letting you take home a pair of succubus, but if a dungeon core is really going to come for you then you are going to need all the help you can get.¡±


    Byson: ¡°Can I¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin cuts him off. ¡°No, you or the real Dyson cannot borrow the succubi. I know you were going for him to fill in for Dyson, but did you really have to give him his flaws as well?¡±


    ¡°It just sort of happened.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Take care of my daughters, and I promise they will take care of you.¡±


    ¡°That is what I am afraid of¡­¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Don¡¯t worry we have had a long time to get control over our urges, so I promise they won¡¯t try anything like that.¡±


    Succubi: ¡°Unless you want us to!~¡± ¨Cthey say in unison and giggle.-


    Elexia: ¡°Girls!¡±


    Succubi: ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    This is going to be the hardest part, but what Madam Erin said was true, we can¡¯t afford to turn down any help at the moment, I thank Madam Erin, and we discuss details on what to do with the survivors after the attack.


    I then send Byson back to Dyson¡¯s dungeon and after shipping the monsters to the depths of my dungeon I bid Madam Erin and Elexia bye, and head home myself.

 The Storms Arrival

    It has been a few days since the meeting with the Elders and things have started to calm down. At least I should say matters outside of the dungeon have calmed down. We are all on edge, waiting for the attack to come, and yet we have seen no signs yet.


    Belinda wasn¡¯t too happy about the arrival of the succubi, but after a hormonal driven few minutes, she realized she was being ridiculous, and we need all the help we can get. She still doesn¡¯t seem fond of the idea about me being around them, so I agreed to let the bunnies or one of the other girls be the ones that speak with them.


    Everyone is starting to go stir crazy from being cooped up in the dungeon core room the last few days. As their trip to warn the others to be careful didn¡¯t seem to help much. It also seems the cat is out of the bag regarding Belinda¡¯s pregnancy and her family, but she didn¡¯t tell them much only that she would have to explain later.


    With little much else to do I taught my boss monsters the runic spells, and even bought two books for Lilah and Lylah to learn them as well, and after getting the basics down we have been trying to add some of the runes into the dungeon to use as traps and the like, but having them act like traps has been rather hard to set up.


    We have used all our xp now except a small emergency fund that is quite smaller then we have grown use to keeping on hand. At this point we are hoping the attack would just hurry up and happen so we could quit walking on eggshells.


    One morning while I walk Belinda through the process of the newest trap I figured out using the runes Lilah quickly calls my attention.


    Lilah: ¡°Master, Lilah doesn¡¯t know if this is it or not but she thinks she knows that woman! She doesn¡¯t recognize the other ones with her, but she is sure it is her!¡±


    ¡°How can you tell anything with that cloak?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°It was a different group with her then, but she is probably the strongest adventurer to enter the dungeon other than Listel. She casts spells, but the only time she ever attacked in the dungeon she used a thin blade and killed a kobold before the kobold even had time to acknowledge that she drew the blade.¡±


    ¡°We have come a long way since the time where kobolds made up the bulk of our defense, how can you even be sure just by the cloak that is even the same person?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°There are some adventurers Lilah just doesn¡¯t forget, like when she approached Master¡¯s crystal she acted very strange touching, and even pressing her cheek against the crystal before leaving. They also cleared us out of most of the gear we had by use of the [Shadow Pocket] spell and left Master¡¯s dungeon in a bad way.¡±


    ¡°[Shadow Pocket] is a pretty hard spell, but it¡¯s too soon to tell if she means us harm. Keep an eye on the group, and let me know if anything changes.¡±


    After a few minutes it is clear that even if they do mean to cause us harm the group didn¡¯t even bother to check with the local adventurer¡¯s guild because they avoid the elemental wing and proceed straight though the main wing of the dungeon.


    That gives us quite the extra time, because even if they are strong enough to go through the entire dungeon once they reach the locked elemental orb door they will have to return to the ground floor and start making their way through the elemental wings as well.


    The cloaked woman acts just like Lilah said, standing in the back of the group and doing absolutely nothing, while the group she is with takes care of all the monsters. As for the group she is with they are at least on par with the toughest groups that enter the dungeon, but with a bit of luck that means they won¡¯t be enough to make it through the entire dungeon.


    Equipment is no longer an issue, but even still Lilah is quite relieved that they don¡¯t bother with the equipment this time as they just push though the kobolds without even slowing down. Once they reach the floor with the golems however they briefly stop to catch their breaths.


    ¡°We usually don¡¯t force the adventurers too much, but if this group is the one that means to kill us I don¡¯t want you to hold back at all, I want you to throw everything we have at them.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes Master.¡±


    ¡°Also let Lala and Lele deal with the mages, and the other groups, while Leila deals with the soldiers. I want Lilah, Lylah, and Lila to focus all of your attention to this group.¡±


    Bunnies: ¡°Yes Master!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah will have everyone focus on the mage, if we can get rid of her first then the rest should be simple enough.¡±


    ¡°No. If she is another dungeon core, or sent by a dungeon core there is a chance she is far stronger than us. Our main advantage is the group she has with her is far under her strength. The crystal is protected in a way it will take several people to access the crystal, so even if she was as strong as Dyson, she couldn¡¯t access the crystal by herself.¡±


    The group then begins to move forward though the golems. We made quite a few rune traps that we will only use against those that are actively trying to destroy the dungeon and not the normal adventurers so we add the magic stones to them to activate them.


    The first room is pretty straight forward and as hard as the golems try they can¡¯t force any of the adventurers from the ledge, and they are just no match for their strength. Once entering the second room we set off the runic traps setting the platforms on fire keeping the golems on the stone pillars.


    That is still far from enough and even after the golems are dealt with and they are cut off from the other platforms they are far from worried as they are able to jump the distance between them heading into the next room.


    They haven¡¯t taken a single side path since entering the dungeon, I don¡¯t know if it is by magic or what but even though they clearly did not speak to the adventurers guild they seem to know the path that leads to the crystal.


    That again might benefit us later, as once they start reaching the locked doors they will have to back track even more.


    Even though the groups that frequent the clockwork room have no trouble on this floor, and these adventurers seem to be stronger than those ones, it just shows how ruthless the bunnies can be when they put their minds to it, because the group finally loses its first member when several of the silver slimes tag team him knocking him from the platform.


    To all of our surprise his death didn¡¯t come instantly once falling the great distance down into the pit, but enough damage was done the silver slimes managed to finish the job. That still seems to be their only loss as they finish passing though the floor and make their way down to the dragonkin floor.


    Due to the flying goblins we received from Maeve and their usage in the wind wing, we have managed to unlock some higher tier versions, and to beef up the security of the dungeon for this group we have added quite a few of them among the dragonkin on this floor.


    This is really the point when the group will be put to the test as my Enchanter skill allows me to embed magic stones into weapons and even monsters to give them spell like effects. It functions much like my runic stones, but has a limited usage, and to my surprise Lilah said this wasn¡¯t the first time I have used it, but we haven¡¯t done it since she joined the dungeon, and as to why it wasn¡¯t implemented throughout the dungeon this entire time she only said the old me was afraid it was too dangerous for the adventurers.


    I guess I do see her point, but if this group really does intend to kill us, it is us or them, so I have filled the dungeon with such weapons. For some reason it won¡¯t allow me to use the runes on rift monsters, but they carry the weapons with magic stones embedded in them, and the non-rift flying goblins have runes carved into their bodies mimicking several spell effects and even skills.


    The group has kept pretty tight lips since entering the dungeon, but with the hordes of flying creatures darting around them with explosions of fire, ice, gusts of wind, filling the room as more and more begin to fall the cloaked woman finally draws a long thin blade.


    Cloaked Woman: ¡°I have heard about this dungeon, and this is not normal. I don¡¯t know how, but they know why we are here. Everyone close ranks and group up together, the battle has just begun!¡±


    The woman¡¯s blade is not made from any type of metal I have seen before, and although it is clearly not mythril I would be hard pressed to say it isn¡¯t even of higher quality. I am sure it can¡¯t be on par with Dyson¡¯s sword, but I wouldn¡¯t bet my life on it.


    The group by no means was small to begin with, but by the rate in which they are falling to the horde of flying creatures, I can¡¯t help but to start to feel a bit optimistic. That is until I hear the woman say something I haven¡¯t heard in a while¡­


    Cloaked Woman: ¡°[Dark Arcana Blade]!¡±


    The room fills with flying blades of darkness and the scariest part is there is at least twice the number of blades then in which Listel cast the spell, and this woman¡¯s blades almost seem to seek out their targets instead of randomly bouncing around. Not a single blade stops moving without finding a mark and it completely devastates the monsters in the room. After that the group manages to gain the advantage and eventually clears the room.


    Listel could only use that attack a few times a day, and never in quick succession, so even with the fact of taking a single path, they still have to pass through 7 more rooms just like this one and one more twice the size.


    The cloaked woman pulls the group together and does a quick head count, she then angrily pulls on her cloak, pulling it off, tossing it to the ground, and stomping on it. The woman under the cloak is what I would think a female Dyson would look like.


    Not to say she is ugly, maybe I should say what Dyson would want to look like as a woman. She has long sleek black hair, piercing eyes, but an expression on her face that as Dyson would say would lower her from a 4 to a 2.


    ¡°I think I know who this is¡­ I believe this is Maric¡¯s boss monster, or I should say the failed dungeon core that was acting as his boss monster.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°That is the worst possible outcome¡­ Hecate was Maric¡¯s primary boss monster, so she must be close or even stronger then Maric was himself!¡±


    ¡°That also means she probably thinks we are responsible for Maric¡¯s death, so we should be able to reason with her.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Go ahead Master, but please unbind Lilah beforehand¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What if you get Byson, maybe that would be enough to scare her to where you can at least talk to her.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how much she knows about what is going on, for all we know if she thinks Dyson killed Maric and we assisted. If she seen who she thinks is Dyson she might attack and Byson wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then what do we do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ She lost a lot of adventurers in this room, so I doubt she is going to make it all the way with any left, and no matter how strong she is she won¡¯t be able to reach the dungeon crystal alone.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Master, they are moving on to the next room now!¡±


    Once the group enters the next room they waste no time and much to my dismay the woman uses [Dark Arcana Blade] as soon as they enter. The room proves to be much easier for them this time, but they still lose a few members of their group, so it won¡¯t be to many more rooms and she will be alone even if she can keep using [Dark Arcana Blade].Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The third room marks a choice of going two different directions, but both lead to the stairs so, after clearing the room and another casting of [Dark Arcana Blade], the woman and the two remaining members of the group take the right path.


    Again with [Dark Arcana Blade] right from the start¡­ Just how many times can she cast that spell? She has to pick up all the slack now though as she loses the last two members of the group. Her movements far surpass my own, and although I can follow her movements there is no way even between all of us that we could keep up.


    ¡°Now with our newest addition to the dungeon, no matter how long it takes her to get through she still won¡¯t be able to reach the crystal at least.¡±


    I however opened my mouth too soon as she then casts another familiar spell. I mean it isn¡¯t surprising that we are the only ones able to cast it, as I hear I learned the spell from a book Dyson gave us, but when she casts [Gate], and is joined by at least 15 more adventurers, I audibly curse.


    ¡°Even with a bunch more adventurers there is still a lot of dungeon to go, and with the rate they are dying she would go though over a 100 normal adventurers, surely she can¡¯t have that many waiting in backup¡­ Adventurers that strong are not the norm after all.¡±


    It takes only two hours, several more castings of [Gate], and numerous castings of [Dark Arcana Blade], but the finally manage to clear a pathway to the stairs and proceed to the clockwork room. This floor is mainly side rooms, so if they really are using magic to follow the shortest route they will bypass most of this entire floor.


    There is the advantage though that once they discover they need the keys, to enter the elemental orb room, and then the elemental orbs to continue to the next floor we can thoroughly pull all the monsters from the rooms causing far more damage to her groups.


    We are also getting in excess of 10,000xp from each fallen adventurer so we have already recouped from our miniscule emergency fund back to over a million xp.


    Belinda: ¡°I know they are trying to kill us, but so many adventurers have died already¡­ I feel kind of sorry for all of them.¡±


    ¡°They show signs of sentience, and as most are human they have to be, but not a single one has questioned her, or even showed fear of death. Normal humans wouldn¡¯t act that way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She could be controlling them with magic then!¡±


    ¡°Mind control magic makes you sluggish and unresponsive, this seems like something else. Maybe some kind of morale boosting magic, or something, but in that case these adventurers have to have known what they are getting themselves into from the start.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know, but it just seems like such a waste of life¡­¡±


    The large clockwork room has always been free of monsters to allow the adventurers time to figure out how this floor works, but again we aren¡¯t taking any chances here and it as well has orcs with armor made by my dwarven production line.


    Doubling down on the alcohol the dwarves have been working non-stop and with the trips to Shima before we knew of the attack, they are all able to craft items from dwarven metal, but the quality of the work differs slightly between them, and now that is the only advantage Katie still has over them.


    The woman avoids using [Dark Arcana Blade] this time but I don¡¯t know if it is because she has finally exhausted its usage or not, and although the adventurers give it their all she is the only one left standing in the room after everything is over.


    For once she finally stops and takes a short break examining one of the weapons that I embedded a magic stone into. She swings it around a few times and then uses [Shadow Pocket] to store it. It isn¡¯t even the finest quality weapon in the room, so I believe she is not taking it because of its value, but to learn how it works.


    She then examines the large clockwork dial on the floor and the doors surrounding the room spending enough time on it the dial clicks over to the next room locking the door it is no longer pointing at and unlocking the next door.


    It is currently sitting at the 2 O¡¯clock mark as it is now after 2 in the afternoon and after examining the dial again she then slides it over to the 5 O¡¯clock mark. The doors lock and unlock as she slides it across and once she confirms the 5 O¡¯clock door is open she hesitates.


    Now I know she must be using some kind of magic to get though my dungeon because out of the 11 doors only 5 and 7 lead deeper into the dungeon, so to pick that door at random would be rather difficult.


    The keys for the door in the next floor lie on the other side of the doors at 3, 6, and 9, so even moving forward she is going to soon get her first rude awakening.


    She is still alone and hasn¡¯t made an attempt to cast another [Gate] spell so perhaps she is finally out of adventurers. That is until she flings open the door at 5 O¡¯clock and then quickly casts [Gate]. This time the portal is massive at least three times the side of the door itself and instead of more adventurers charging though the portal a large earth dragon comes stomping though.


    It is only slightly larger than the verity I am capable of summoning, but this one at least has wings and even though the one I can summon can deflect most attacks from anything weaker then mythril this ones scales even look harder.


    Even though the orcs in the room are double the number of what are usually in there, only equipped with dark steel weapons and armor they don¡¯t stand a fighting chance against the dragon. The magic stones embedded in their weapons managed to let them do some damage that way, but even after the room is cleared the dragon is far from being in danger.


    Woman: ¡°I am sorry for having to call you, but the humans were weaker than I expected. I am afraid the rooms are all too small to give you much room to move around in, but we should be able to manage.¡±


    The dragon then hisses and its voice crackles as what can only imagine as some form of speech.


    Lilah: ¡°Master! That dragon is sentient!¡±


    ¡°I gathered as much, what did it say?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°It¡¯s strange¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I thought being born in the dungeons you should all be able to understand any language.¡±


    Lila: ¡°I know it is draconic, but I can¡¯t seem to remember what those words mean. Perhaps they are using some form of magic to prevent us from understanding it?¡±


    ¡°It is a possibility. Well the dragon can¡¯t fit down the stairs, so she is either going to have to spend a massive amount of magic to move it from one room to the next, or just leave it behind.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If she just leaves it behind and it ends up stuck there, can you imagine the amount of xp we would get from it every day?¡±


    ¡°Even if it was too large to move between rooms I wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable with a monster we have no control over in the dungeon, besides since it is sentient I seriously doubt she would just leave it behind.¡±


    After the woman makes her way down the staircase she investigates the hallway from the stairwell before her before returning to the dragon.


    Woman: ¡°It looks like a hallway, will you be alright here for now, or do you want me to send you back?¡±


    The dragon again speaks with crackling hisses and rumbling growls.


    Woman: ¡°Alright I will try to hurry.¡± ¨CShe says before heading back down the stairwell.-


    The dragon look around the room at the corpses of the orcs scattered about and after jumping on top of one of the orcs several times with all the weight of the front half of its body. the cracking and horrid noises coming from the orcs corpse leave its remains not even discernable from what it was originally, as the dragon laps up the carnage that is oozing out of the flattened armor.


    While the dragon continues to feast on his orc pate, the woman has begun fighting the large ogres in the hallway. Through expert feats of craftsmanship, the dwarves have managed to make armor equipable by the ogres, so the massive ogres are barreling down on the woman covered in massive dwarven plates and wielding massive double axes, and mauls in each hand.


    The hallway is small enough that the ogres have to fight single file leaving them at quite the disadvantage, but even though she is capable of blocking the massive blows from the ogres the sheer recoil of the blows manages to cause her damage for the first time since entering the dungeon.


    She switches over to evading the attacks completely which causes her to slow down in dispatching the ogres, but even she still manages to clear the hallway inside of 15 minutes. The damage she sustained is so minor that she casts a very low tier spell healing herself before moving on.


    After peeking through the next door she slams it wide opening casting another [Gate] spell. The portal opens next to the dragon and it quickly sucks the remains of one of the orcs from one of the suits of armor then crashes through the portal.


    Almost a dozen of the massive ogres begin bludgeoning and smashing their weapons against the dragon¡¯s thick hide, while an even larger pair of ogre lords manage to grapple the beast. The woman quickly moves in to assist and half of the normal ogres break away from the dragon to keep her at bay.


    The ogre lords manage to turn the dragon over exposing his softer underside and the normal ogres don¡¯t let up their attack.


    The dragon screeches and scorching lightning fills the room but with the runes carved into the plates of armor worn by the ogres the wounds they sustain are far from fatal. The dragon is still screeching out in an attempt to speak.


    Woman: ¡°Hold on!¡± ¨CShe says while fighting off some of the normal ogres, but her focus on the damage building up on the dragon causes her to fail her dodge attempt and one of the ogres catches her with its massive maul.-


    She flails though the air crashing into the wall, but before falling to the ground she [Blink]s through the room appearing on top of the dragon¡¯s stomach calling out. ¡°[Dark Arcana Blade]!¡±


    The blades of darkness rip through the air passing though the ogres armor causing quite a few to fall, but her spell is far from focused as it was earlier and one or two of the blades even find their marks against her companion.


    One of the ogre lords releases the dragon and swings a massive axe with the head of the axe equal to the size of the woman down at her. With only the options of trying to block the blow, or dodging and allowing the axe to be buried into the dragon¡¯s midsection she quickly calls out. ¡°[Unyielding Barrier]¡±


    It seems to cause her a great deal of strain but the massive axe stops short colliding with an unseen obstacle a mere inch from the woman¡¯s outstretched hands. The ogre lord was by far the largest threat but he wasn¡¯t the only one as another maul catches the woman from behind.


    This time she manages to [Blink] before colliding with the wall, but not before the ogre lord¡¯s massive axe finds the dragon¡¯s midsection. The woman manages to sever the ogre lord¡¯s head from his shoulders and the dragon manages to break free from the other ogre lord, but is in serious trouble now.


    The woman quickly begins casting a healing spell on the dragon, but the remaining ogres are not going to give them much time to recover. Even after taking massive pounding from a maul twice the woman seems far from hurt, and she even takes another blow without resistance just trying to maintain the healing spell on the dragon.


    The force of the impact alone causes her to be pushed back enough to lose the spell and she quickly [Blink]s back into the fray. The ogres choose to completely ignore the woman now focusing their attack on the badly wounded dragon and even after removing one of the ogre¡¯s arms, and the remaining ogre lord¡¯s leg, they don¡¯t let up.


    The dragon speaks in his language one last time, and musters the last of his energy to fill the room again with the arcing lightning, and even though he seems to have killed the ogre lord and the normal ogre that was missing its arm, the dragon loses its struggle.


    Woman: ¡°Chiavru! Damn you! [Crimson Helix]!¡±


    A massive pillar of fire fills the room melting the thick dwarven plates worn by the ogres and charring them to the bone in an instant. The dragon was surely dead before her attack, but even its corpse is not free of the wrath of the fiery pillar leaving an entire section of its body missing in its wake.


    With no ogres remaining in the room the woman approaches the dragon¡¯s corpse with tears in her eyes as she pulls the gloves from her hands rubbing her hands cross the dragons face.


    Woman: ¡°I am so sorry Chiavru¡­ But don¡¯t you worry I will avenge you and Master Maric just you wait and see.¡±


    ¡°I know we had little choice, but I think if we had any chance of reasoning with her, it is gone now¡­¡±


    New Monster Available


    Elder Earth Dragon* Cost: 250,000xp**


    *Elder Earth Dragons are capable of being summoned as sentient at 4x the base xp cost. Elder Earth Dragons that are summoned as non-sentient are able to follow complex instruction.


    ** Elemental type monsters are granted a discount of 1/4 due to [Uniquely Gifted] skill.


    After speaking about Maric I am sure it is clear now that this woman is indeed Maric¡¯s primary boss monster the failed Dungeon Core #15 [Hecate]. After a few minutes of talking to the dead dragon she casts [Shadow Pocket] drawing a line the length of the dragon¡¯s body next to it. She then rolls the dragon into the opening causing it to disappear inside.


    With all the spells she has used to have a [Shadow Pocket] large enough to hold an entire dragon, or at least ? of one, she must truly possess a massive amount of magic¡­


    Once the dragon has been completely consumed by the [Shadow Pocket] Hecate takes the thin blade at her waist and removes it sheath and all dropping it into the [Shadow Pocket] as well. She then reaches in and pulls out a pair of odd looking barbed swords made from the same type of metal as the thin blade, but each one appears at least twice the width.


    Next she removes a set of armor, it looks to be made of the same type of metal as well, and even though it looks to be medium armor the metal seems pliable enough that through the design of it there are no weaknesses at the bends and joints.


    After spending 15 minutes getting resituated she casts [Gate] again. This time from the portal emerges a group with a mixture of races. They range in size from dwarf and elf, to a troll, and each are armed to the teeth in heavy armor made from shining mythril.


    Among the creatures I can see a few beastkin, a werewolf, an elf, one human, and several demi-human like races that I can¡¯t be quite positive what exactly they are with all the armor.


    Hecate: ¡°Since you were called you know it is not going as easily as we predicted. Dungeon Core Two-Twelve has not only far exceeded the expectations of a dungeon core his age, but one amongst even the top hundred. The equipment his monsters use is exceptional, and they fight as monsters ten times their strength, but he is still a young dungeon core, so he can¡¯t possibly have much more in store for us.¡±


    A large dragon-like humanoid approaches Hecate. Where Draco looks like a dragon with a humanoid form, and Ithros looked far more human-like this creature looks somewhere in between. He might be some higher form of dragonkin, but my dragonkin look closer to kobolds then humans.


    Dragonman: ¡°Does that mean Master Chiavru has perished?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I am sorry, but it does¡­¡±


    Dragonman: ¡°Then say no more we will not fail you!¡±


    All the creatures then sound off, some with growls, some with different forms of speech, and one winged creature even makes an ear piercing bird like screech. They then quickly group up and Hecate then steps forward and tries to open the door.


    After examining the door, searching the room, and even trying to blast it off the hinges with a few spells she determines they have to find the keys.


    Hecate: ¡°Damnit, it is too late in the game to be changing the rules now! We will have to find the keys. It looks like there are three of them so we will split into three groups and each look for one.¡±


    The group splits in half with Hecate making up the third group by herself and they then start backtracking though the dungeon.

 The Storm Rages On

    After the attack on our dungeon is determined to be by the primary boss monster of Maric¡¯s old dungeon, she has pushed through the dungeon all the way down reaching the locked door just before the elemental orb door.


    Using the [Gate] spell she brought forth a mix match of humanoid and demi-human creatures armed with mythril equipment. After finding out the door required three keys they split up in search for the keys.


    One group took the path Hecate used when arriving only having to face off against 4 of the ogres, while Hecate and the other group went though the other path. Hecate was able to handle the ogres on the other side on her own, so with the assistance of the group backing her up they make short work of the hallway.


    After heading upstairs and dealing with the orcs in the room above their path is blocked off by the locked door of the clockwork room. An hour has already passed since she moved the dial so it returned to the proper position of 3 O¡¯clock, leaving the other group blocked off as well.


    After another bit of time being wasted, they regroup and she uses [Gate] to return them all to the clockwork room. They then start at 1 O¡¯clock and each group takes a pathway, even if they get blocked off Hecate will be able to [Gate] back and free them, so starts their true hunt for the keys.


    After I found out that this might just be a big misunderstanding I sent a few communication parchments to several of the monsters. If I would have sent them earlier it might have worked because the adventurers did loot some of the monsters, but this new group doesn¡¯t bother so they pass right over the communication parchments.


    I don¡¯t want to risk the danger of sending a sentient monster, but if worst comes to worst, once they reach Madam Erin¡¯s monsters maybe they will be able to reason with her.


    Hecate is by far stronger then the groups perhaps stronger then both groups combined, but they are no slouches either. Even with every room possessing double what we have for the normal adventurers, and most of which using the gear we have been embedding the magic stones in, they are still no match for the mythril clad groups.


    They are not making it though the rooms unscathed, but after a bit of healing magic they keep pressing forward. Hecate took the 3 O¡¯clock door, so she pushes forward until she reaches the monsters that hold the first key.


    The two weapons Hecate exchanged for the thin blade seem to be some type of whips, she wields one in each hand with even more fluidity and grace then Lilah can manage with the simple barbed leather whip.


    I am not sure how they work, but she can also use them as swords so they seem to interlock in some fashion to form a blade and then either by magic or design they elongate forming into dangerous whips. They both also seem very heavily enchanted and are bathed in flames when she uses them.


    The keys are guarded by monsters that are even stronger than the ones that killed the dragon with close to a dozen trolls filling the room Hecate seems surprised, but doesn¡¯t hesitate as she dives into the middle of the group whipping her whip/sword weapons around.


    Lilah: ¡°Master, acquiring one of her weapons must be a priority! Lilah wants one!¡±


    ¡°I would think your Master getting though this alive should be your #1 priority¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course! But that doesn¡¯t mean Lilah can¡¯t get a whippy bladey thing as well!¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We have already got well over one million xp in return and the ability to summon a sentient dragon, so if we can manage to survive this attack we might come out of it that much stronger.¡±


    ¡°The new items and monsters might help, but we spend close to if not over 3 million xp to prepare for this attack.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Most of the xp was spent on magic stones, items, and dungeon upgrades, so those things will remain and can be reused again. The only thing we will be out is the extra non rift monsters that we summoned.¡±


    ¡°That also includes the bosses in each elemental wing, and the entire bottom floor.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Master wanted to upgrade them anyway.¡±


    ¡°Yea, but we need the monsters to upgrade them with first.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Maybe she will get bored with us when she finds out she has to collect the elemental orbs as well.¡±


    ¡°I doubt we can get that lucky, she seems far too determined for that¡­¡±


    Fighting without the dragon seems to benefit Hecate more than hinder her, and even though these trolls are stronger then the ogre lords which they were struggling with just two of, she manages to take all 10 of these trolls all out before her hour is even up.


    That isn¡¯t to say she didn¡¯t take quite a beating, but with the armor she is now wearing it only took her a couple additional minutes after the battle was over to fully heal herself back up with healing spells.


    ¡°Now she has the first key¡­ It won¡¯t be long until they have them all at this speed, I think it¡¯s time that we warn Doug and have the soldiers move out. We don¡¯t want to risk this group bumping into them as they head back to the surface to hit the elemental wings.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There are still a lot of mages left in the elemental wings, what about them?¡±


    ¡°It is late enough in the day that some of them have already moved out, but there is a chance there will be some left when Hecate gets that far, but there isn¡¯t much we can do about that.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°There is the xp gathered from the adventurers that died, should the orcs and ogres be replaced?¡±


    ¡°Right now that is just slowing them down, I don¡¯t want to throw any more xp at them that is just going to slow them down, we need to save the xp we have gathered to find a way to stop them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Slowing them down right now might be enough for more of the mages to finish for the day.¡±


    ¡°The sad truth is even if Hecate¡¯s group kills a few of the mage groups that will provide us with xp we desperately need right now, so throwing xp away to save them at this point would be counterproductive.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We could summon as many of the toughest monsters we possibly can and surely they can¡¯t take 1 million xp worth of monsters at once, and it might save the mages.¡±


    ¡°The problem with the toughest variations of the monsters we have right now is that they are all huge in size. You couldn¡¯t possibly fit that many together. They are not looting anymore so they are not finding the communication parchments, so I think our best bet is now that we know it is Maric¡¯s boss monster we need to contact the elders, and maybe they can reason with her, but after the death of the dragon I don¡¯t know if it will matter anymore.¡±


    While Hecate and her groups tear through my monsters at a quickened pace I try to contact not only Madam Erin, but even try Lucille and Draco as well. By the time Hecate and her groups have managed to acquire all three keys I still have yet to hear from a single Elder, and I have even tried to leave a communication parchment on a door or two to get Hecate¡¯s attention, but she doesn¡¯t seem interested in hearing what I have to say.


    After regrouping back in the room with the locked door, Hecate uses all three keys and says. ¡°We should be getting close the trolls guarding the keys were already quite stronger then something someone of his age should have had, and this door must have been the last ditch effort to protect the crystal.¡±


    I have never been to fond of traps as they seem far to ineffective and unpredictable when you weigh them against their cost, but using the runes makes them only cost the effort it takes to write the runes and the magic stone.


    Even still the runic traps I have set up so far though the dungeon haven¡¯t even seemed to slow Hecate¡¯s advance. The runic traps are helpful because I can remove the magic stone from them and adventurers will never know they are there, but in the process of making the runic traps I have also unlocked quite a few new varieties of traps I can summon with xp.


    One such example is the trap Hecate just activated. I couldn¡¯t get the trap to work the way I wanted with the runes, but once I set it up I unlocked the ability to use xp to make it and it worked that way, so with little choice I used the most expensive trap in my new arsenal.


    Hecate seems rather calm giving the situation, but the members of her group are starting to panic as the entire room quickly fills water. Hecate quickly casts [Shadow Pocket] causing much of the water to rush inside, but with a dragon already held within she must have reached her limit as the water remains waist deep and nothing else passes through her spell.


    The group also realizes they are no longer alone as something pulls one of the group members under the water thrashing about. They mindlessly start jabbing at the water in their immediate vicinity. The water prevents the enchantments on Hecate¡¯s whips to work, and she is forced to use them as blades as the water limits the capabilities of the whip like movements as well.


    That doesn¡¯t stop her from calling to the group to calm down, even after a second member of the group disappears into the water. Hecate quickly uses [Blink] to reach the other side of the room and through brute force manages to open one of the doors on the far side of the room causing the water to rush into one of the hallways lowering the water further.


    The hallways are long but also narrow, so it doesn¡¯t lower the water by a whole lot, but it is enough the fins can be seen circling the room. It also allows them to see the massive head of the water dragon as it snags a third member of the group in its jaws.


    After Hecate reaches the second hallway door and opens it as well the water is low enough that the entire water dragon can be seen, although it still makes trudging through the water slows Hecate¡¯s group down.


    The water dragon¡¯s scales are nowhere near as thick as the earth dragon¡¯s, and the water was its main advantage it manages to take a total of 6 of Hecate¡¯s group down, but Hecate and the other 8 remaining members manage to fell the serpent.


    Hecate: ¡°The dragon was quite a surprise, but that must have been his boss monster, that means his crystal is sure to be in that other room now.¡± ¨CShe says as she trudges though the shin deep water heading into the elemental orb room.-


    After pushing against the door in the elemental orb room she says. ¡°What the hell is this?! Another locked door? I don¡¯t see any key holes this time, search for a way to get it open.¡±


    Moving though the water made it difficult to see the mechanism in the floor, so they didn¡¯t immediately see it, but it doesn¡¯t take them a few seconds after they begin to search the room to notice it now.


    Group Member: ¡°There seems to be several semi-circular recesses in the floor, have you seen anything that might fit in them?¡±


    Hecate looks them over counting them. ¡°1, 2, 3, 4, Shit¡­ This dungeon has separate wings for gathering elemental regents, but I thought was just to help the humans and I avoided them to push straight though. If there is one thing Two-Twelve has going for him he knows how to get the most out of his tiny dungeon.¡±


    It is getting pretty late in the day, most of the mages, adventurers, and all of the soldiers have already left after Belinda contacting Doug, but there is still 3 groups of mages in the elemental wings that we can¡¯t do anything about.


    Hecate: ¡°We have no choice, we are going to have to return to the beginning of the dungeon, and push through every room just to make sure there are no more surprises.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Group Member: ¡°That might take us all night.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Then so be it.¡± ¨CShe says while casting [Gate] to return to the beginning of the dungeon sealing the fate of all those left in the dungeon.-


    The first floor is nothing to them, and even while thoroughly checking the sides rooms it takes them very little time to reach the elemental wings, and they bump into the first group of mages as they leave for the day.


    Looking at Hecate¡¯s monstrous group in mythril armor the mages quickly begin to panic.


    Hecate: ¡°If you wish to live, run and don¡¯t look back.¡±


    The mages don¡¯t need a second warning, and quickly flee past the group heading from the dungeon. I am surprised she let them live, but on the other hand, it would just been proving xp to me, so that may be the reason she let them leave.


    Hecate: ¡°These rooms are for helping the local mage¡¯s guild so there should be nothing to powerful though here, so everyone split into pairs and we will hit all five at once.¡±


    Dragon-like Demi-human: ¡°Are you sure it is wise to underestimate him again?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I am sure he has already gathered a lot of xp from those that have already fallen, but if we are still here at midnight, who knows what he could throw at us afterwards.¡±


    Dragon-like Demi-human: ¡°You are letting this dungeon core get to you to much. There are plenty of other dungeons we could hit to cause trouble to Dyson.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°But Two-Twelve was the one that distracted Master Maric with promises of becoming an Elder only to give Dyson the opportunity to strike him down. I don¡¯t care how many more it takes I will take Two-Twelve down.¡±


    Dragon-like Demi-human: ¡°I owe Master Maric everything, but I don¡¯t owe you, so as much as I want to help you bring a hurt to the one that killed Master Maric, I will not risk any more of my men just to satisfy your blood-lust.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°You can¡¯t seriously be afraid of a five year old.¡±


    Dragon-like Demi-human: ¡°You have seen how the monsters fight in his dungeon, he has at least an advanced dungeon core room, and maybe even an expert one. Then there are the types of monster he is using. Dyson must be supplying him with a massive amount of xp for someone his age to be this strong.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°No amount of xp Dyson has given him could put him at my level.¡±


    Dragon-like Demi-human: ¡°The rest of us don¡¯t have 500 years¡¯ worth of training.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Fine all of you go together for all I care, but once midnight hits and he gathers all that extra xp don¡¯t you dare run away.¡±


    Dragon-like Demi-human: ¡°You heard her! You four take that path, and the rest of us will take the next. I am sure you plan to take one on your own?¡±


    Hecate doesn¡¯t say anything but storms off through the door entering the wind wing, while the other two groups take the fire and water wings.


    There is still a group of mages in the shadow wing, and one deeper in the water wing so there isn¡¯t much I can do there, but for the others I add in the monsters I had set aside for the attack. Many of which are just an excess amount of the strongest type of elemental monsters I can reasonably summon.


    Hecate taking the wind wing really proved helpful as that and the shadow wing are the ones we have the most variety of monsters in. Hecate¡¯s entire group has weapons of mythril and even if some of them are of higher quality none seem enchanted so to be on the safe side I remove the mythril swords from the boss rooms as well.


    As they work their way through the elemental wings I am surprised I still haven¡¯t heard back from the Elders. So much for the protection of the Elders¡­ I thought with Madam Erin providing the monsters, which she even views as an extended family I thought I would at least hear from her.


    Even taking the possibility of [Communication] being blocked I even used the communication parchment I provided to Madam Erin, but still after three messages on it as well I have yet to hear a response.


    The group of mages in the shadow wing manages to get lucky and leaves out never knowing the danger they were in, but the group in the water wing are far less fortunate. The group tackling the water wing moved though it faster because I couldn¡¯t add extra monsters, so they quickly met up with the group of mages.


    Being how that group consists of only demi-human like races the panicking mages attack the group. With many of these mages entering the dungeon on a daily basis and not dying within they have gained quite a few levels.


    But with levels that are probably even close to my own boss monster¡¯s levels, they are still no match for the demi-humans clad in mythril. High level mages losing their lives in the dungeon is not a common even so I manage to learn a few new skills for the dungeon, but that is hardly important right now.


    In fact with the adventurers that died earlier and these mages here there are quite a few new skills available to the dungeon, but although some would help us, they won¡¯t make the difference in a fight against Hecate if we were to battle her ourselves, so no use using the xp for them till we make it through this alive.


    With the current position of the boss like monsters in the elemental wings I made sure to give all of them more than enough room to move around in, and as I couldn¡¯t use the water creatures above I also add the extras I had summoned to fight alongside the crab.


    Hecate is taking far less damage then the group in the fire wing, but the sheer number of extra monsters she has to deal with still leaves the group in the water wing far ahead the rest. Once they reach the boss room they are quite shocked with what awaits them.


    Preparing these rooms for attack led to unlocking higher tier monsters so, along with the giant crab are a handful of massive lizardmen with sapphire like scales each wearing equipment that might not be as good as mythril, but quite frightening none the less.


    Dragon-like Demi-human: ¡°Damnit! She was wrong again. Everyone fall back, there is no use trying to handle this ourselves!¡±


    Group Member: ¡°It¡¯s too late boss, the door is sealed shut¡­¡±


    The water dragon was the same cost as the crab, and it managed 6 of Hecate¡¯s group members before dying. Although most of its success was due to the surprise factor, but with the assistance of the glacial lizardmen, and lack of shadow type attack magic the four demi-humans fall in the water wing.


    The group in the fire wing had to deal with much tougher monsters all the way through so they were far more cautious pressing on and they managed to scope out the boss room before getting trapped inside, and decided to fall back to the first floor.


    The griffon has had the worst end of the deal for the boss like monsters, the size of the rooms has always left him taking far more damage than necessary. He has always managed to pull through for us though, and now he has plenty of room to move in for a change, but Hecate is just far beyond our scope of power and he can barely put up a fight against her.


    Hecate acquires the wind orb then returns to the first floor arriving about the same time as the group from the fire wing.


    Hecate: ¡°You managed to get your orb as well?¡±


    Group member: ¡°Are you kidding?! There was a damn phoenix in the bottom of that wing!¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I was surprised by the griffon I had to face as well, but surely you were not scared off by a little bird?¡±


    Group member: ¡°Maybe if boss was with us we could have taken it, but he told us not to take the risk, he might be facing something just as tough right now, maybe we should go assist him?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Fine you go help him and I will go take care of your little bird.¡±


    The group then heads into the water wing while Hecate makes her way into the fire wing. I of course couldn¡¯t fit all of the monsters I summoned for the water wing in with the crab, so to slow this group even further I add the frost lizardmen, and the last few glacial lizardmen as well.


    Even if the normal mage groups didn¡¯t already gather in the fire wing, I doubt the rift monsters would even slow Hecate down, so she has a clear shot straight down to the phoenix. Like the griffon the phoenix poses her no real threat and she manages to return to the first room before the other group even manages to reach the boss room in the water wing.


    Hecate doesn¡¯t wait on the others, and moves on to the earth wing. Constant combat has left the group quite fatigued and we are even able to manage to drop the werewolf before they reach the boss room of the water wing, leaving only three remaining members of Hecate¡¯s demi-human group remaining.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else she has in store for us, but we might just make it through this¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Unless she has many more monsters waiting for her to call them.¡±


    ¡°The great big monsters are effective against the group, but against Hecate herself, many smaller monsters seem to be able to stack up more damage, but if she get surrounded by to many she uses [Dark Arcana Blade] which tears though them quick. I don¡¯t know what her level is, but eventually she has to run out of magic if she doesn¡¯t rest.¡±


    The three remaining demi-humans are shocked to find their boss didn¡¯t make it, and they quickly retreat back to the first floor yet again. Hecate meanwhile is shredding the earth wing, and once she reaches the small earth dragon she curses.


    Hecate: ¡°I will kill you twice I think¡­¡±


    The dragon doesn¡¯t pose any more problems for her then the griffon or the phoenix and it isn¡¯t long till she places her hands on the earth orb and returns to the first floor.


    Hecate: ¡°Just the three of you? And what of the orb?¡±


    Group member: ¡°We are all that is left, and boss was gone before we made it to him. If boss couldn¡¯t take the beast we sure were not going to try with just the three of us.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°You are all useless, but I can¡¯t afford to send you back now, just wait here and I will go take care of it.¡±


    Group member: ¡°It¡¯s a giant crab! If that helps¡­¡±


    Hecate doesn¡¯t say anything and enters the water wing. After a short time she now has 4 of the orbs and only the shadow wing remains. The wind wing might have a bit more variety of monsters, but the unique abilities of the shadow monsters, make the shadow wing far more difficult.


    So much so, that only the strongest of the mages even attempt to gather regents there, and with the added security of knowing about the attack coming even Hecate should have some difficulty here. She can¡¯t even use [Dark Arcana Blade] effectively against these monsters.


    I have no delusions of being able to take her out here, but with each of the demi-humans providing as much as 50,000xp per death, and none of them even holding a candle to Hecate, there is no telling how much xp she will provide at midnight. Even she seemed worried about that prospect when she was discussing it earlier.


    Midnight is still quite a ways off, and she will surely be done with this wing long before then, but then there is only the bottom floor of the dungeon left. I think I came up with a plan to protect my crystal that even Dyson would have quite a difficult time dealing with, so all we can do is wait and see.


    I seem to have been right about the shadow wing being Hecate¡¯s weakness, so this might be a bit helpful information if we do have to make a stand against her. Not they she is suffering much in the way of damage, but with all the different types of monsters to deal with she having difficulty dealing with them single handedly.


    She hasn¡¯t used much in the way of magic other than [Shadow Pocket], [Blink], and [Gate]. I am not sure about [Dark Arcana Blade], [Crimson Helix], and [Unyielding Barrier], but I believe when Listel used [Dark Arcana Blade] it was not necessarily a spell she knew but more like a magical version of a weapon technique.


    Then again I guess there isn¡¯t much of a difference between the two, but in additional to the magic cost of the ability it seems to have a limited number of uses as well. I don¡¯t know if Hecate¡¯s [Dark Arcana Blade] is the same because she has used it quite a bit, but other than the one use trying to save the dragon and then avenging its death she hasn¡¯t used either of them abilities since.


    The shadow wing is no exception, as her [Crimson Helix] would make her movement though the shadow wing so much easier, but instead she sticks to whipping her pair of blade whip like weapons around. Regardless of her level she is no longer bound to a dungeon now that Maric is dead so I can see fatigue beginning to build in her, and she has not even attempted to eat or drink anything since arriving.


    Even though she has slowed down considerably and is having great difficulty clearing the rooms the death knights and liches are still unable to cause her much damage. Hecate then reaches the boss room.


    The hellhound is the strongest of the boss monsters at double the cost, and although there is no worry on her face, she does seem surprised. Hecate¡¯s slowed movement is enough to allow the hellhound to grab her up in its mouth.


    The grinding and screeching noise of the hellhound¡¯s teeth against her armor is intense. The hellhound drools fire, so not only is there the teeth, but the flames as well lick Hecate¡¯s body. She doesn¡¯t take getting eaten lightly however and lashes her whip like weapons around tearing hide from the hellhounds face.


    With all the force of the hellhound¡¯s teeth it still can¡¯t seem to penetrate her armor and the damage it is sustaining is building up quickly so it shakes its head a few times and releases Hecate. Flying through the air Hecate uses [Blink] to return to her feet on the ground.


    Although her armor is scorched and even melted in places with fire dripping off of her like liquid she just brushes the flames off of her and begins her own attack. She launches herself across the floor reaching the hellhounds front paw.


    The hellhound swipes at her with the paw but she has disappeared by use of [Blink] reaching the back of the creature. The hellhound is classified as a demon type monster and even its fur is like razor sharp needles, so as she is straddling the hellhound like a giant mount she can¡¯t be completely without injury.


    Whipping both her blade like whips around the ends wrap around each other across the hellhounds neck like a razor sharp garrote, and she begins pulling each one at a time in an attempt to saw the creatures head off. The hellhound isn¡¯t just going to let Hecate saw its head off though either.


    It trashes about and slams itself against the walls and even rolls over several times in which the sheer weight of the monster along with the piercing fur would have been enough to kill me several times over, but Hecate just rolls with the damage leaning forward continuing to pull on the hilts of her blade like whips.


    Even the blood of the hellhound is like fire, as it begins to pour from its neck, I can¡¯t even tell if Hecate¡¯s blades even have an edge anymore, but my sheer strength the hellhound finally collapses to the floor. It is quite impossible that Hecate didn¡¯t suffer major wounds, but even though she is covered in her own blood she doesn¡¯t seem fazed.


    Trying to pull the whips apart proves no longer possible as the hellhounds blood burned so hot it welded them together, so she just drops them to the floor. She can¡¯t heal herself, at least not completely because the hellhound¡¯s spine like fur is jabbed in her all over her body like a porcupine.


    Some of the spines are as thick as a finger as she yanks and pulls them out of herself. That process alone takes over thirty minutes, and by the time she heals herself up what she is wearing can¡¯t even be called armor anymore as it is bent, melted, and riddled with holes.


    The armor then joins the whips on the floor and she casts [Shadow Pocket] again. She retrieves the thin blade again, and another set of armor. The armor this time is more of an elven chainmail like design but like all of her other equipment so far, it is made from same unfamiliar metal.


    The armor and whips are hardly workable now, and I doubt I would be able to learn to make those items if she left them behind, but the sample of the metal might be enough for my crafters to get to work with it, but before closing [Shadow Pocket] she throws the hunks of metal inside.


    She then gathers the last of the elemental orbs and returns to the three demi-humans waiting for her on the first floor.

 The Eye of the Storm

    The attack against my dungeon is in full swing now. Maric¡¯s old boss monster the failed Dungeon Core #15 [Hecate] has proceed to fly though my dungeon. I can¡¯t say without breaking a sweat, but all the damage I have managed to cause her seems to leave her indifferent in the matter.


    I knew from the beginning that if another dungeon core attacked me just how it would turn out, but I am putting most of my hope in my final defense. I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of putting all my hopes on a single defense though so I did fill my dungeon with as many monsters and traps as possible.


    It worked quite well against the ones she brought with her, but it is going to take much more than that to stop Hecate¡¯s advancement. Hecate has now acquired all the elemental orbs so now she just has to return them to the locked door, to enter the deepest part of my dungeon, but much to my surprise she doesn¡¯t use [Gate] to return.


    In an effort to be sure they don¡¯t miss any other key like objects they slowly progress through the entire dungeon floor by floor causing midnight to creep up on them in a hurry. Now in just a few minutes time I will acquire the xp from her, and maybe I can gauge just how strong she actually is with certainty.


    After all this time has passed I am quite surprised that I have not heard from any of the Elders still, even Madam Erin. In a last ditch effort I sent a message to Dyson with the communication parchment as well as Madam Erin, but they haven¡¯t responded with them either.


    In fact even though we were able to warn Doug to pull out the soldiers earlier, no other messages seem to be going through to anyone. Is it possible that not only [Communication] has been blocked but somehow the communication parchments as well?


    Hecate: ¡°We can¡¯t afford Two-Twelve to acquire the daily income from me, so I need to leave the dungeon. These orbs are sure to either return to their starting location or to a random location in the dungeon if someone attempts to remove them, so I need to leave them here with you three.¡±


    Group Member: ¡°You are just going to leave us here?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°We haven¡¯t encountered anything near the strength of the other monsters in hours, so you should be far safer by yourselves for a few minutes, then you would be if he acquired the xp income from me.¡±


    The demi-humans don¡¯t sound very convinced, but they take the orbs from her and she uses [Gate] disappearing from the dungeon just before midnight. Not that it is going to help much, but in the hopes of slowing them down even further I summon a few trolls in an effort to get rid of the demi-humans while Hecate is away.


    They panic at the sight of the trolls, but as soon as midnight passes Hecate quickly returns and disposes of the trolls before I am able to cause any harm to the demi-humans.


    Group Member: ¡°I told you that was a bad idea!¡±


    Hecate: ¡°What do you have to gripe about, I protected you didn¡¯t I? Besides now we have 24 more hours to wipe this dungeon out. That also means he is keeping a close eye on us. You could make this a lot easier on all of us if you would just come down here and finish this now!¡±


    Group Member: ¡°You didn¡¯t honestly expect that to work did you?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°No, but stranger things have happened.¡±


    They now continue on through the dungeon, Hecate finally appears to eat something as they reach the clockwork room again. Being how midnight has passed all the new rift monsters are available, but summoning any additional monsters in would be quite a waste.


    They hit all of these rooms in search of the keys the first time, so I don¡¯t know if they will attempt to hit them again. Of course after they left the room in the next floor down I quickly locked it back, so they will at least have to hit the 3, 6, and 9 O¡¯clock rooms for the keys again.


    They could bypass it with the [Gate] spell I guess, but they don¡¯t seem to be going to as they start at 1 O¡¯clock working their way though. Even after eating Hecate is still not at 100% and it isn¡¯t till just after 3 am that they make it back to the elemental orb mechanism.


    I removed the remaining water in the rooms, and reset the trap as well, but when Hecate opened the door that requires the keys, this time she was able to disable the trap before it went off. I guess that is another drawback of using an actual trap instead of the runes.


    Hecate: ¡°Now, the only thing that can open this door are these orbs, and the only possible thing that can attack us from behind is Two-Twelve himself, his boss monsters, or rift monsters for this floor. I want you three to keep an eye out while I catch a few hours of sleep.¡±


    Group Member: ¡°What if one of his boss monsters or he attacks while you sleep?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°They might be able to kill me in my sleep, but that is the only way. As long as you call out before they kill you I should be fine.¡±


    Group Member: ¡°We would all still be dead!¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Then you better pay very close attention and call out before they kill you then.¡±


    She has been really avoided using anything that requires magic for a few hours now, and she must be running critically low. I really wish I could keep her from going to sleep, but they already killed all the rift monsters on this floor, and like she said unless I send in one of the girls or go myself there is nothing I can do¡­


    I could use the monsters Madam Erin sent, but they are all sentient, so I really don¡¯t want to use them at all if I can avoid it. That is when I get an idea¡­ Some of the really early risers might be getting up by now, but for the most part Tobes should be sound asleep.


    If someone sees any of these monsters there might be even more hell to pay, but humans are far from my concern right now. Shadow monsters are what Hecate was struggling with the most, so quickly summon 6 more liches, 3 more greater death knights, and 2 more hellhounds.


    If it wasn¡¯t for my [Uniquely Gifted] skill that would be half of a million xp, but 375,000xp is still no walk in the park. I summon them at the edge of town in my secondary dungeon, and give them 1-11 for names and have them rush as quickly as possible for the dungeon up the mountain.


    The liches or deathknights I could probably pass off if someone saw them in the dark, but there is no mistaking the two giant hellhounds, so I hope nobody saw them¡­ I don¡¯t hear any bells or warnings from Tobes, so at least we seemed to accomplish that.


    After climbing the mountain, and then moving though the dungeon as quickly as possible, it still takes them 30 minutes to reach Hecate and her group, mainly due to the hellhounds having to squeeze down the stairwells and through the doorways, but that still hasn¡¯t given Hecate barely any time to sleep at all.


    The liches have a wide variety of spells including [Silence], and just to be sure, I have all six quickly cast the spell on the three demi-humans before everyone moves in. The demi-humans quickly panic and try to call out but can¡¯t find their voice.


    Their lives are on the line, so their quick thinking causes them to start bashing their weapons against the walls and ground while one of them is snagged up by one of the hellhounds. I don¡¯t know if it shows how tough Hecate¡¯s armor was compared to mythril, or her body itself, but the demi-human clad in mythril is ended in a single chomp of the hellhound¡¯s teeth.


    Hecate quickly jumps up and enters battle, but even she looks worried for the first time against the two hellhounds and all the undead. She quickly abandons the demi-humans and returns to place the elemental orbs into their slots, pushing through the door, and entering the stairwell to the final floor.


    Much to my surprise however as soon as she has a look around at the first room on the last floor, she casts [Gate] and flees from the dungeon.


    That actually was not a bad plan¡­ Now I can reset the entire dungeon, and she still could bypass all the defenses with further use of the [Gate] spell. I think I made a way to prevent those from teleporting into my dungeon to destroy the crystal, but to completely prevent them from using it to progress though is another thing.


    I am sure Hecate has far from given up, but she will surely return completely refreshed, and possibly with far stronger allies next time.


    Lilah: ¡°Master¡­What now?¡±


    ¡°Everyone else has gotten at least a little bit of sleep, but you have been working the hardest the entire time. I don¡¯t know how long Hecate will be gone, but she is sure to at least get the sleep she needs, so you should do so as well.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master has been working this whole time as well!¡±


    ¡°I am going to do a little more work to the dungeon, and once some of the others wake up, I will get some rest as well.¡±


    It takes a little more convincing but I manage to talk Lilah into getting some sleep. Lele, Lala, and Leila all went to sleep early as they only had to deal with the mages and normal adventurers. Roxy and Zoey went to sleep not much after that. Once Hecate started moving on her own it was just me and Lilah as I sent Lylah and Lila to bed.


    Belinda tried to stay awake, but she fell asleep as well and is currently sleeping with her head in my lap, and although Azami went to sleep shortly after midnight, I am sure she will be awake shortly due to her not have to get as much sleep as the rest of us.


    Running my hand though Belinda¡¯s hair, I then use the other to begin working on the dungeon¡­


    Dyson¡¯s PoV


    I don¡¯t know what Two-Twelve and that monster of his is doing, but I am sure it is by far a lot more fun then what I have going on. I have always been one to rise early, after all there is no better start to the day then in the arms of a couple dozen women, but in this case I haven¡¯t just awoken.


    I have had to stay awake ever since the last of the adventurers died, and I decide it is now or never. I could go at least a week without sleep, but by then Llewelyn is sure to know something is up with me. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he hasn¡¯t already jumped to some conclusion about me, but I haven¡¯t heard any word about problems concerning Two-Twelve¡¯s monster, so he at least shouldn¡¯t know it is me yet.


    Like I said however it is still real early in the morning, and I am barely even half way though Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon, so I am sure he is sleeping soundly right now, so it is the best chance I am going to get. I just hope [Menu] isn¡¯t as compromised as we feared.


    I quickly and expertly open [Menu] then [Observation] and to no surprise I find Llewelyn sleeping in bed. I don¡¯t know who the woman is sleeping next to him, but apart from his time with Laura he might have good tastes after all.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    She looks human, so if she is bound to his dungeon it is surely as a boss monster, so after I take care of Llewelyn I might take her as a consolation prize¡­ I knew I should have brought at least one of those slaves with me. I spent way too much time staring, and if anyone is monitoring me, they are sure to know I was looking in on Llewelyn now.


    I quickly close [Menu] and after drawing my sword I teleport directly in to the room I was just looking in on. Maybe I was more hard up then I thought, because now that I am next to the bed I can see the girl has soft fuzzy ears, and a tail.


    Quite the shame really, she has a tremendous figure. I am sure she won¡¯t take to kindly taking her master¡¯s life anyway. I realize I spent far too long again observing the situation, as now I am being stared at by a pair of large pleading blue eyes from the beastkin woman next to Llewelyn.


    I can¡¯t give her a chance to alert him, so I quickly jump into the middle of the bed running my sword through the sleeping Llewelyn. I am more partial to a fair fight, or not necessarily fair as it is against me, but at least a fight face to face, but can¡¯t risk giving myself away, so sorry about your bad luck bud¡­


    I can fill shards of the crystal entering my back from behind, and the warmth that comes with it, but I didn¡¯t receive a message about Llewelyn¡¯s death. The dungeon begins to shake further confirming he is dead, and the beastkin woman screams and jumps from the bed huddling in the corner.


    It really is a shame she is a beastkin. I can tell by the scream she would make quite a pleasant sound in bed.


    ¡°This dungeon will collapse now, if you don¡¯t want to die you better get out of here while you can.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill me¡­?¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t planned on it, I was just after him.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°Please you have to take me with you!¡±


    ¡°That was quite the jump¡­¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°I don¡¯t know how I got here, I was talking with that man one night at the tavern, and he was actually quite sweet at first, but after I went home for the evening the next thing I knew I was here, and I have been here ever since.¡±


    ¡°My use for women doesn¡¯t differ much then Llewelyn¡¯s there, but I draw the line at beastkin women. I wouldn¡¯t mind keeping you around if you were a decent fighter, but you don¡¯t look like one of them either.¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°Please I am begging you! At least show me the way out of here!¡±


    ¡°Before long this whole mess will be in our laps, so I am heading that way anyway, so as long as you don¡¯t fall behind you can follow me out.¡±


    She crawls forward and grabs the front of my armor. All the talks about giving one of Two-Twelve¡¯s beastkin a try must be getting to me, because for a moment I was seriously entertaining the idea of adding this beastkin woman to my entourage¡­


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t look to be much left of your clothes, but put them on and let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Maybe there are side effects to these rings of Two-Twelve¡¯s because even after the beastkin woman puts her tattered clothes on I can¡¯t help but stare at the torn sections of her clothing with sweaty palms. I haven¡¯t desired a woman as much as I desire this beastkin right now, in decades¡­


    The torn clothing even seems to have a greater effect then when she was completely naked, I know I should be refraining from using magic, but I quickly use [Elven Crafting] skill while focusing a small amount of my magic to repair her torn clothing.


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°Trust me, it was only for my own benefit ¡­¡±


    After a dungeon is destroyed they break down in a very unpredictable manner. Almost if they collapse into themselves from the center and entire floors can disappear as you are trying to make your way through.


    And although if you hang around too long it is possible to get trapped inside, but as the dungeon collapses it seems to prioritize providing the quickest possible exit for those left alive within the dungeon.


    Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon isn¡¯t new to me, as I have seen it though [Observation] plenty of times before and I can tell you our first stairwell alone causes us to skip at least 20 floors. That is just another one of [Menu]¡¯s many mysteries I guess.


    Even with entire floors disappearing Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon is quite large, and I don¡¯t know how it happened but by the time we finally exit the dungeon stepping into the fresh air, I am cradling the beastkin woman in my arms¡­


    I quickly set her down, practically dropping her, and she brushes off her clothing. ¡°Thank you so much¡­ When I twisted my ankle back there I thought I was a goner for sure.¡±


    Something about this beastkin woman is definitely wrong¡­ I don¡¯t know what it is, but I have slept with plenty of assassins hell bent on killing me, so even if that is the case I am not about to let this urge that is stronger than I have had in a century pass me by.


    Beastkin woman or not I grab the woman pulling her into me. She quickly gasps and turns her head away from me with a sad face.


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°You saved my life, and did warn me from the start how you felt about woman, so I have no right to complain, but please I ask just be gentle.¡±


    It¡¯s gone¡­? Just like that the urge is gone? I haven¡¯t felt that strong of an urge as far back as I can remember, and this, a beastkin woman at that, and it is just gone!? I quickly turn loose of the woman and stagger backwards a few feet.


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°Are you ok¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    I am far from fine¡­ I don¡¯t know what this woman is, but even Madam Erin¡¯s succubus didn¡¯t have this much power over me, and that is what succubi live for. With all of my skills, being able to control me by the ways of magic should be impossible, perhaps using this ring is starting to limit my skills as well.


    ¡°Well, you are free, now go before I change my mind¡­¡±


    Beastkin Woman: ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± ¨CI scream out startling the woman, and she quickly begins to run off.-


    Watching the beastkin woman run away I have a strong urge to call out to her, but this isn¡¯t normal. I reach for the ring on my finger about to pull it off, but stop¡­ Llewelyn is dead, and I am that much closer to Laura, I can¡¯t afford to stop this now, just because I have had a bit of a dry spell.


    The town is only a few hours away in the direction the girl ran, I am sure that was where she was heading so I could probably catch up to her. No¡­ I have to return to Uthaira. Once there I will grab the first whore or slave I can and get rid of this urge once and for all, and I can finish what I started.


    Even if my teleport spell is not being monitored, if I reappeared in Uthaira immediately after Llewelyn¡¯s death, it would draw suspicion. I have been inside Llyewelyn¡¯s dungeon for days, and I sold the horse in the nearby town while collecting all the adventurers, so unless I return to the village I must continue on foot.


    Even as my mind is telling me that is all the more reason in to follow the woman, I know I am faster than that horse was, so I could travel back to Uthaira on foot. Regardless if it is caused by the ring, or some other factor, but I decide once I return I will have to trade Two-Twelve for a beastkin woman whatever it takes, just so I can be sure¡­


    Even as I start making my way back to Uthaira I still can¡¯t help but think about the beastkin woman from Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon¡­


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    Dungeon Core #654 [Llewelyn] has perished at the hands of Duke Dingleberry.


    As I am working on the dungeon in preparation for Hecate¡¯s return the message that suddenly popped up startled me a bit, causing Belinda who is still asleep with her head in my lap to begin to wake.


    I don¡¯t know if Dyson thought that was an acceptable name, or he did it deliberately as a spit in the face to the ones responsible for the elder¡¯s death, but I am surprised to see he killed Llewelyn. I thought we ruled him out for being responsible for the deaths of the elders, and he was after Laura, so I wonder why he switched targets.


    I send him a message with the communication parchment asking just that, but he has still not replied to the other messages regarding Hecate, so I don¡¯t know if he will answer or not.


    Belinda starts to wake up enough that she has realized she fell asleep, she quickly looks around and looks at the screens around the room.


    Belinda: ¡°What happened? Where is Hecate? Did we make it¡­?¡±


    I fill Belinda in on what she missed. ¡°But at least that gives us a chance to make some adjustments.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So it isn¡¯t over yet¡­?¡±


    ¡°Afraid not, and once she returns if it is just her again, we don¡¯t know how she is going to react when she finds out she can¡¯t reach the crystal on her own either. The larger concern is not only does [Communication] not seem to be working, but the communication parchments as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I have tried contacting Madam Erin and even Dyson, but just to make sure they were not just ignoring me, I even tried several of the girls, and even Logan.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We spoke to Doug yesterday evening.¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t answered this morning, but it is still early. I was able to contact Scylla with one however, but it seems like any contact with anyone beyond Tobes has been blocked¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t think Hecate would be capable of something like that do you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe if it was just [Communication], but the communication parchments feed off of the adventurer¡¯s guild magic not [Menu] so I don¡¯t know any dungeon core that could.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then Ceres?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I don¡¯t see why she would. I was under the impression she wants us to make it through this attack, so why put a stop to the one thing that could put an end to it quickly?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then maybe it is the other one?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t heard from him since Samuel¡¯s arrival, and although he seemed shook up about Ceres getting involved, he still didn¡¯t seem to want to cause us harm.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We did practically hand Faron¡¯s churches over to the one Ceres serves.¡±


    ¡°[Gate] is one of the safest forms of teleportation, and I was thinking of giving that a try to reach the elders, but if they are capable of blocking [Communication] and the communication parchments, I am worried what might happen.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about Madam Erin¡¯s monsters? Couldn¡¯t they reach her if they need to?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think any of them are actually bound to her, but that one succubus of Madam Erin¡¯s could teleport through shadows, maybe one of the two we have here now could do the same to relay a message to Madam Erin?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess, but I don¡¯t want them using their abilities on you, so I should go.¡±


    ¡°But that would be putting you and the baby at risk.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Next to the dungeon core room, that part of the dungeon is the safest place I can be. Besides you spent xp to give me this baby, so there is no telling what would happen to it if something were to happen to you.¡±


    I don¡¯t like it, but she does have a point, so after I agree Belinda then transfers down to the deepest part of the dungeon. I watch her speak to the two succubi, but it appears they don¡¯t have the ability. Elexia, the succubus they call mother, and Lilith both seem to be higher evolutionary forms of succubi, which gives them more abilities then these two have.


    With that out of the question Belinda returns to the dungeon core room, and we decide we will have to try something else. With no other ideas we try using the [Gate] spell, not wanting something bad to happen we planned to not pass though ourselves but send a note through or something, but [Gate] fizzles as well and the portal won¡¯t form.


    ¡°No doubt about it now, something definitely is preventing us from letting anyone know what is going on. No matter what we do I seriously doubt we can stop Hecate, and even if she can¡¯t immediately reach our crystal, given enough time with us being completely cut off from everyone else, eventually she will figure out a way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So what do we do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet¡­ If Hecate didn¡¯t know we would be unable to contact anyone, then she would have hidden her identity as much as possible. After all if she thinks I distracted Maric long enough for Dyson to kill him, then when she was attacking my dungeon she would assume I would just contact Dyson to help me. Somehow she must know we are cut off.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She however isn¡¯t, because she has had no problem using [Gate].¡±


    ¡°We have to find a way to get information out. We don¡¯t know how much time we have, but we have to do something. I say one option is giving one of the girls Madam Erin¡¯s communication parchment, and have her head for Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. She can keep trying to send messages while constantly moving close to Madam Erin.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It would take at least a week for whoever we send to reach Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon if they can¡¯t get through. Do you really think we can hold out that long?¡±


    ¡°Maybe with a normal monster, but you have seen the kind of ground I can cover. After giving you all the skills available, I am sure Zoey wouldn¡¯t be far behind.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is putting a lot onto Zoey¡­ What if, whatever is trying to keep us from getting information out attacks her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if anything less than a sentient monster would be able to handle it, but we could summon a new monster to run the message, but they would be just as slow.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If they went around the forest¡­¡±


    ¡°Well maybe an elf could traverse the forest in 4 or 5 days, but that still isn¡¯t quick enough.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about the avians or summoning another beastkin like Sigrun?¡±


    ¡°But if they got attacked they would stand no chance at all.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey, you¡¯re awake!?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I heard my name. I owe boss everything, and I don¡¯t like sitting here in the dungeon core room just hiding. I can at least do this to help boss for everything he has done for me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about Roxy, and your baby?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Just because we are becoming parents we can¡¯t use that as a crutch, and I can¡¯t call myself one of boss¡¯s boss monsters if I don¡¯t do this much. Besides I want to do this for boss.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°After everything Two-Twelve and you have done for Zoey and I, I would go as well baby or no baby, but I think I would just slow Zoey down. Azami going through the forest might be the slowest, but with the cover from the trees it would be the safest if Zoey, or the flying monsters don¡¯t make it, so I think you should consider doing all three.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you want to do this then I will let you Zoey, but I won¡¯t force anybody to do anything. Azami, you have been awake for a while now, what do you think?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I don¡¯t think you have enough faith in me to think I couldn¡¯t pass through the forest faster than Zoey having to run all the way around it.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯ll take that bet! You want to race!?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just getting there first¡­ Once you are there you are still going to have to get Madam Erin¡¯s attention. It took Maeve and I several days in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon before she noticed us.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We can still contact Tobes, I don¡¯t know if it is because Tobes is within the dungeon or just a limited distance away, but even if the block remains in effect as they approach we can only hope that once they step inside the dungeon they can contact Madam Erin.¡±


    ¡°We will continue working on putting an end to the attack here as well, but it can¡¯t hurt to have as many options available as possible.¡±


    Without any further objections we then begin preparing to send out Zoey, Azami, and to summon a new monster to fly over the forest.

 Back into the Storm

    After making her way into the deepest level of my dungeon Hecate fled in what I assume is a chance to rest up and recuperate her losses. I meanwhile am not letting the extra time go to waste trying to come up with ways to stop Hecate from killing us.


    It is also clear to us that any type of long distance teleportation or communication has been blocked, and we won¡¯t be able to receive any outside help without leaving the dungeon ourselves. Zoey then volunteered to do just that, and we decided to come up with a plan.


    While we try to hold Hecate off here at the dungeon, we are going to send several groups out to try to get in contact with Madam Erin that way. Their safety however is a big concern, so I am more than a little worried especially when two of my boss monsters are going to be ones that are going.


    ¡°Zoey, I know you have your own personal armor, but the demi-humans that Hecate brought with her left behind quite a few mythril armors, and I would feel a lot more comfortable if you wore one of them. Is that alright?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Mythril?! Damn right it is alright! I love the armor you made for me boss, but let¡¯s face it, it¡¯s not mythril!¡±


    ¡°That bow that Azami made you is still your best bet, but you can take two of the mythril swords for back up as well. What about you Azami, I wouldn¡¯t want to hinder you passing through the forest, but I would feel far more comfortable if you had a bit more protection.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Mythril is the peak of Elven crafting, and although I am not much for armor myself, if you insist I wear armor I will accept under those conditions only. However if you wish that I continue to wear armor from now on I must insist that once I am capable of making mythril myself, that I be allowed to make my own to my own specifications.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Awe, that¡¯s not fair, if everyone gets mythril armor, then it¡¯s not as special that I have some¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I am sorry Zoey, but several of the groups out gathering xp, have been using mythril, and that red metal that is equal quality to mythril from Shima for a while now¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What?! But you promised me I would get to be the first one of your monsters to wear mythril!¡±


    ¡°That was a long time ago, and you know I lost most of my memories¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But you knew you did make the promise and that it was a long time ago, so you do remember!¡±


    ¡°Every minute counts right now, so if you don¡¯t want it¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡±


    I let Zoey use [Menu] to equip one of the armors we gathered from the fallen demi-humans, and we separate the communication parchment to Madam Erin into three pieces and hand one of them to Zoey. After she gives Roxy a kiss she then has a sly smile on her face.


    Zoey: ¡°I get a head start!¡± ¨CWithout another word she transfers from the dungeon core room to the edge of the trail on the outskirts of the dungeon and disappears down one of the hunter trails.-


    Roxy: ¡°I don¡¯t know what I am going to do with her¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright Azami, pick yourself out one of the armors as well, and you can get to it as well.¡±


    With the exception of the werewolf, the dragon-like demi human, and one or two others, the armors will fit anyone once equipped with [Menu], but out of all the available armors she chooses the one that the single elf from Hecate¡¯s group wore.


    It doesn¡¯t look much different to me, but maybe there is something to the design that is more pleasing to an elf, but in any case it was the one she wanted so it is fine with me. After giving her another section of the communication parchment she to transfers, and disappears into the forest.


    Now all we have left is the monster to send over the mountain and forest. I am not sure how well the swan beastkin can fly, I have seen Sigrun demonstrating for the Mage¡¯s Guild a few times, but I don¡¯t know how long they can fly.


    I know Roc is a far more capable flier, but out of the armors we acquired an avian might only be able to wear the one the dragon-like demi-human wore, and that is still a toss-up. It will only be a level 1 monster so regardless if it is wearing mythril armor or not, if it is attacked it probably won¡¯t make it.


    If it does have to enter Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon though, a swan beastkin would probably be able to accomplish it far easier then one of the more demi-human looking Avians. In the end I am just wasting time thinking so hard about it, so I decide to go with the swan beastkin.


    I summon a young male swan beastkin. I leave his appearance up to chance, and even as a male he has long white hair reaching to the point in which is wings protrude from his back. He is also quite muscular, but I was focusing on him to be able to maintain flight for extended periods, so could be the reason.


    I remember Logan thinking Sigrun was some sort of angel, and this beastkin would definitely fit the bill as well. I summon and equip him in some clothing, but I am still unsure if I should give him armor. Even when he asks me what I wish of him, his voice is strong yet very melodious, just adding to the angel like vibe. Maybe that is the way all swan beastkin are.


    After speaking with him for a minute the question regarding the armor answers itself. He could wear the armor if need be, but maintain flight for any extended period of time would be out of the question with his current strength.


    Belinda gives him the name Sorin, and after we give him the last section of the communication parchment for Madam Erin, and are sure he knows what we need him to do we transfer him outside, and watch him take flight.


    Roxy: ¡°Lilah is going to be disappointed she slept through his summoning, beautiful isn¡¯t exactly a word you often use when describing a man, but if there ever was a beautiful man...¡±


    ¡°Now that we have that taken care of, we should focus on what we can do to stop Hecate.¡±


    When Hecate returns she is likely to not return to the higher floors, so there isn¡¯t much reason to try to restrict the mages and normal adventurers from entering. I think the more we can keep the people of Tobes oblivious to what is going on right now the better. So it isn¡¯t long until the first set of mages enters the dungeon and the twins quickly jolt out of bed.


    They got the most sleep from anyone yet they still look rather dissatisfied while moving over to their positions to keep an eye on the mages. I continue to work on the dungeon, and shortly after a second group enters Leila joins them as well.


    After a while Lilah is the only one still asleep, but Hecate hasn¡¯t returned and I have about done all I can in the dungeon for now, so I decide to rest a little as well.


    I don¡¯t know how long I was asleep, but it doesn¡¯t feel like it was near long enough when I am awoken by Lilah. I was tired, but far from exhausted when I went to sleep, but after being woke up it feels like it did more harm than good.


    Lilah: ¡°Master, she is back!¡±


    Belinda is lying next to me in the bed, and it looks like she went back to sleep, so I try to crawl out of bed without waking her and return to monitoring the dungeon.


    The way most of the rooms on this floor might work well against most adventurers, but Hecate¡¯s ability to use [Blink] gives her quite the edge. Avoiding the uneven floor she is moving along one of the raised platforms easily eradicating the orcs as she passes.


    At least she appears to still be alone, so maybe the demi-humans were the last bit of help she had. If that is the case even if she does fly through this floor maybe we can hold her off at the last 2 rooms until Zoey or the others are able to get help.


    Avoiding the majority of the monsters on the ground when Hecate reaches the end of the platform she quickly retreats though the door entering the next room. If we do make it through this encounter alive, it will provide great insight on changes to make.


    Instead of rectangular with the raised platforms running the entire length of the room, this room is a far larger square room with smaller platforms only on part of the wall on each side. Even if it wasn¡¯t for that, skipping this room would be far harder for Hecate to accomplish, because this is the room the feathered serpent is in.


    Not only it, but in the room Hecate lost her dragon friend, was the room I originally placed the minotaur, but as I doubled down on the ogres I thought the minotaur would be best used elsewhere, so here he is blocking the door at the far end of the room along with the feathered serpent that is circling overhead.


    Hecate looks far from surprised this time and quickly draws a line in the air casting [Shadow Pocket], and pulling out a bow. When facing off against the phoenix and the griffon, she simply waited for the creature to move in to attack, and counterattacked in turn, but now she preemptively fires arrows at the feathered serpent.


    The feathered serpent is quite quick, and is not an easy target to hit, but Hecate fires the arrows one after another so quickly, it is impossible for the feathered serpent to dodge them all. The feathered serpent is completely on the defensive unable to take a chance to attack, but the orcs and minotaur in the room aren¡¯t just going to wait around for her to drop the feathered serpent.


    I always knew the orcs on this floor is a bit of a waste, but after the orcs evolutions was the ogres and trolls, and neither of them can use bows or magic, so they were the best I had.  Without Hecate stepping further into the room for the orcs to reach her with magic or bows is truly at their limits, so from the time they attack and the arrows or spells reach her, she can easily dodge.


    The minotaur isn¡¯t much better, because as the room is like a bowl, so without Hecate moving further into the room, as the minotaur approaches her she has the high ground. Hecate doesn¡¯t quit firing arrows at the feathered serpent until the minotaur is right up on her, and she just drops the bow pulling her thin blade and begins attacking the minotaur.


    Just with a simple bow, Hecate was able to deal quite a bit of damage to the feathered serpent, but now that the arrows are no longer keeping it busy it can move in as well. Hecate doesn¡¯t seem to care that she had high ground over the minotaur as it swings it huge axe at her she dodges past it heading toward the center of the room.


    The minotaur turns and begins to barrel down after her, and the feathered serpent closes in from straight above, and even the orcs now have a better advantage now, but Hecate finally uses [Dark Arcana Blade]Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    The orcs are able to take cover behind the half wall on their platforms, but minotaur and feathered serpent are not near as lucky. The attack doesn¡¯t drop either of them, but feathered serpent is now just barely hanging on and the minotaur is already in bad shape.


    I would like to say they put up a good fight after that, but I would have to lie through my teeth. Even between both creatures that cost 50,000xp they didn¡¯t even serve as a decent distraction for Hecate. After they both fall she doesn¡¯t even bother with the orcs as they continue to their attacks until she picks the bow back off the floor storing it away with [Shadow Pocket], and exiting the room.


    I can¡¯t say she will have any more trouble with the next room as well. Not only does she seem to be taking less damage then before her rest, but she seems far more determined now as well. At this point all I can do is throw the large monsters at her in hopes it will slow her down long enough for help to arrive.


    The next room is a lot smaller, and has two minotaurs in it, but the snipers roost is pretty much pointless against Hecate. The snipers roost provides several pillars for the minotuars to use as a bit of cover, so they actually fair quite a bit better than the other minotaur and the feathered serpent, but not by much.


    She seems heavily debating about going through any of the side doors or pushing straight forward. In the end I don¡¯t know if it is out of curiosity or just hopes of not missing any key like items she heads though one of the side doors.


    It just leads to more trolls and more doorways, but she systematically checks them all. Between the hallway on either side and the two additional rooms on each side it takes her close to an hour before she clears out all 6 areas.


    All the other floors of the dungeon have had treasure chests and the like around the floor, and back when the she was getting help from the adventurers they raided them, but other than the single magic stone enhanced weapon she took, she has only taken a handful of magic stones.


    As adventurers haven¡¯t gotten near this floor as of yet we haven¡¯t bothered with any chests on this floor, and although she never took much from them Hecate always checked every one in what I assumed was just searching for key like items.


    Now that there isn¡¯t any chests however she almost seems aggravated at that the rooms hold nothing but monsters. After clearing the side rooms of trolls, she continues forward into the next hallway with several more trolls.


    After disposing of the trolls she looks at the three available doors and chooses the center one. I guess she is still making sure no key like items remain as this is the only path that doesn¡¯t lead forward. After another narrow room with the tougher merciless trolls inside she enters the very small triangle shaped room.


    This however seems to baffle her, and she spends an exceedingly long amount of time checking every nook and cranny of this tiny room looking for something hidden. I did try to place the switch to the door that had access to the crystal in the room when I first built the floor, but [Menu] wouldn¡¯t let me place the switch outside of the room.


    It never let me set the switch so even if some sort of magic led her here it couldn¡¯t possibly because of the switch could it? It is rather strange this tiny triangle shaped room with nothing in it is holding her back far more than any monster has¡­


    After cursing everything from the room, to me, and well everything in existence she finally decides to backtrack to check the other rooms. After a handful more of the tougher trolls she then enters the Y shaped hallway.


    Again the main feature of the Y hallway is limiting the movement of the adventurers, with a very steep grade into the floor leading up. The orcs above dump the oil and the orc magi lights it on fire. This doesn¡¯t faze Hecate, because she just uses [Blink] to reach the platform and kills the orcs.


    She then looks back at the Y shaped hallway and has seemed to come to a realization, and at the same time I am starting to see just how the magic leading her though the dungeon operates. The small triangle room fits right into the top of the Y, and making them both separate rooms was pointless because together they didn¡¯t even use the max amount of space for a single room.


    When I built it I made a single room and then just added walls. However Hecate¡¯s magic that is leading her through the dungeon must have been directing her through the wall in the triangle room instead of it being a dead end.


    If there are others out there that use this same ability we are going to have to use more setups like this in the future to throw them off. That is only of course if we make it out of this situation alive, but if I am right, she is surely going to have more hell with the final room then I thought.


    When I built this floor the next room was the end of the line, but with the switches not working the way I wanted them too I added more when we learned of the incoming attack. There are no large monsters in this room, and only the orcs on platforms that don¡¯t even serve as a nuisance to Hecate.


    However the one thing this room does have plenty of is traps. Entering the room there is a very steep grade with everything leading to the center of the room.  The grade is as slick as I can possibly make it, and there are spike traps and the like for the unexpecting adventurer to crash into as they slide down the grade.


    Even Hecate isn¡¯t immune to the slick surface, but she handles it without losing her balance, avoiding the traps as she slides down to the center of the room. The entire time the orcs are flinging arrows and spells at her, but she avoids them as easily as the traps.


    An obvious place for a trap is right in the center of the room where everything meets, but it doesn¡¯t seem to bother her as she heads straight for it.


    I have wondered since she has entered the dungeon. I don¡¯t use many traps and in the upper floors of the dungeon the adventurer¡¯s guild has those ones all mapped out, so when they avoided them I didn¡¯t think much of it.


    The runic traps however are all new, and Hecate¡¯s group has set off quite a few of them. That isn¡¯t to say they have avoided all of the normal [Menu] placed traps either, like the one that filled the room with water, it seemed to catch her off guard as well.


    But that leaves another question, I learned how to make that trap because of the runic tinkering, so maybe the traps I learn that way and the runic traps are not detectable by trap finding skills. In any case the moment she hits the center of the room, she seems quite surprised when she is propelled into the air by a massive gust of wind.


    Normally that would give the orcs plenty of chances to take free shots at the adventurers trapped within, but once the initial shock of getting tossed in the air passes Hecate, she quickly and calmly uses [Blink] to reach one of the platforms.


    She then quickly ends the orc¡¯s lives and finds the switches for the doors. I was right to not rely on this first attempt, because it doesn¡¯t take her 5 minutes to pile orc corpses on the three switches opening the door for her to continue on.


    When Hecate enters the room, she has the same look of confusion on her face that Lilah did when I first made it. Massive doesn¡¯t even begin to describe the size of this room, but that isn¡¯t what Hecate sees, because although I made a room that cost the price of 50 rooms, I made a massive labyrinth of passages, tunnels, and stairs throughout the entire thing.


    Lilah made the argument, I could have made 50 smaller rooms, because as it stands even in the farthest reaches of the room rift monsters will be unable to spawn just because Hecate is standing at the entrance.


    With over 100 smaller hallways and rooms through the labyrinth, and even extending over two levels in height she has a point, but not only do I have an answer to that, I also have a reason for making it only a single room.


    What lies directly in front of Hecate is a huge thick door held closed by 10 metal bars running through a large metal disc at the center preventing the door from opening unless every bar is removed. Each bar of course is only removed while a switch has been pressed, and as the switches have to be in the same room as the mechanism, that was the reason for the massive singular room.


    I was going to place far more, but 10 seemed to be the limit, it didn¡¯t stop me from placing close to 200 switches throughout the labyrinth however, and as for the limits to the monsters? Like the dungeon core training rooms there are 20 smaller rooms in which monsters and rifts can be placed that can enter the labyrinth.


    In all dungeons rift monsters can pass between rooms as long as it is on the same floor, but to do so they have to be directed to do so. Most dungeons don¡¯t even direct their monsters at all, so they only put the rifts in each room, but our dungeon doesn¡¯t have that problem.


    Now even out of the 200 switches, if Hecate manages to find the correct 10, she still has to find a way to have them all pressed simultaneously while accessing the door, and the corpse thing won¡¯t work this time, because even if the rifts are exhausted I just have to summon another monster in one of the side rooms and direct it to the switch and remove the corpse from it.


    That means the weakest possible group that can reach my crystal will have to contain at least 11 members that are each strong enough to battle with the strongest of my monsters all on their own while holding the switch.


    As for Hecate, if the magic telling her how to get through my dungeon works like I think it does, it should be telling her to go through the door straight in front of her, and gives her no hints on how to tackle the labyrinth. That does seem to be the case, because after examining the door, and even trying to break the bars holding the door closed she looks confused in which path to take.


    I don¡¯t have the option in my dungeon to make things breakable like a normal dungeon. Now items that are summoned can be broken, and a few traps and switches that say they can break, but even the most flimsy of wooden doors cannot be broken within my dungeon.


    I don¡¯t know if that can be changed, but at least it seems to be beyond Hecate¡¯s ability, so unless she can find all 10 switches and press them all at the same time, my crystal is sure to be safe from her.


    She battles though several trolls and finds the first switch quite proud of herself, and after confirming it isn¡¯t a trap she presses it and returns to the main room to check the door. That of course was not one of the switches for the bar, but to throw her off further when she returns one of my other monsters had removed the corpse from the switch.


    Now there is no way for Hecate alone to determine if that switch even was a fake or not. She seems to realize this as well as she passes by the switch on her way to continue on into the labyrinth. She quickly looks around to see who moved the corpse.


    After no monsters show themselves she curses out loud, and then says. ¡°Alright you little bastard, if that is the way you want to do it.¡± ¨CAfter casting [Gate] she disappears from the dungeon.-


    Lilah: ¡°Where does Master think she went?¡±


    ¡°I am sure she went to get more help.¡±


    Lilah and I then wait for her return, after a while we start to wonder if she is going to come back¡­


    Lilah: ¡°It¡¯s been 30 minutes. Maybe she gave up.¡±


    ¡°I highly doubt it, but she might not have anyone to bring. Remember, she was Maric¡¯s boss monster, so it is possible most of the creatures she knows were Maric¡¯s monsters so they are now gone. With the amount of adventurers she went through yesterday there can¡¯t be many more like them around either.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Maybe she won¡¯t be able to find any and then she will give up and leave us alone.¡±


    ¡°We could only hope¡­¡±


    Even if Hecate does return with a great deal more people, if they aren¡¯t between that dragon and Hecate¡¯s own strength, then I still think we will be able to hold her off, so there is nothing else for us to do but wait.


    And we wait¡­


    Lilah: ¡°Master, she is coming back right?¡±


    ¡°She surely didn¡¯t give up that easily.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Maybe Zoey got through to Madam Erin, and she stopped her?¡±


    ¡°Unless whatever is blocking our communication is limited to just our surrounding area I doubt it, because Zoey can¡¯t even be out of Gowen Kingdom yet.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if you would consider it lucky or unlucky, but it isn¡¯t till just after noon till we see the gate appear inside the labyrinth like room. This time the portal size is huge, and along with Hecate at least 20 others exit the portal behind her.


    When Hecate used the adventurers they were all of common races like humans and beastkin, and when she used the demi-humans the most normal thing among them was an elf, but now? Everything about the ones she brought along this time is quite strange.


    I don¡¯t know if it is just a grab bag of whatever she could find or what, but even though there are plenty of humans, and beastkin among the group there are also demi-humans and straight up monsters among them one of which is a giant horse like bird similar to a griffon.


    Not only does the equipment that the humanoids differ by a huge degree, their attitude in being here seems to differ quite a bit as well.


    Human Woman: ¡°This doesn¡¯t look so bad, by the way you described it, I would have thought we would have been attacked by a dragon as soon as we arrived.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°The hallways are quite a bit smaller here, but I still don¡¯t know what he has in store. I have killed a number of merciless trolls already, so I wouldn¡¯t expect anything less than that.¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°I thought Maric trained you far better than to be scarred of a few little trolls.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I already explained to you! It isn¡¯t the combat that is an issue, it¡¯s this damn door, I can¡¯t get though it alone and now that Maric is dead my pickings are rather slim when it comes to those I can get to assist me.¡±


    Demi-human man: ¡°I am just glad I can return to favor to you and Master Maric, and after this is done, if you need a place to stay¡­¡±


    Human Man: ¡°She isn¡¯t going to sleep with your scaly ass, so just give it up already. What happened to Maric sucks, but you better make this worth my time, like you promised.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°As long as you do as I say I promise you can keep whatever you find. Now you know as well as I do if this door is held by switches they all have to be in a single room, so let¡¯s get to it, and we can have you back home by nightfall.¡±


    All the sentient appearing members of the group then start to fan out into the labyrinth, but the monsters seem to be awaiting orders. Taking the monsters with her, Hecate proceeds into the labyrinth as well.


    I don¡¯t know where Hecate scrounged up these people and monsters, but it looks like now the labyrinth will really be put to the test.

 The Unending Storm

    On the second day in her attempt to destroy my dungeon Hecate already has reached my final defense, a gigantic labyrinthine room filled with traps, trolls, switches, among a few extra surprises as well. Even though she has the strength to destroy any monster that I could possibly summon, she still needed numbers to pass the final hurtle to reach my crystal.


    She was forced to leave for almost half a day while recruiting a rag-tag bunch of humanoids and monsters. Most of which don¡¯t seem to thrilled with the idea of following Hecate¡¯s orders, or just orders in general as they make their way through the labyrinth corridors.


    There are few paths to take at the start of the labyrinth so many continue down the same paths until they branch off each taking their own way, and they have managed to find quite a few of the fake switches one of which resulting in a rather nasty fire trap that singed all the hair off of one of a dog like beastkin¡¯s head.


    It isn¡¯t till they find the first actual switch that things really start to come together, and Hecate orders one of the non-sentient monsters to remain behind to guard the switch. It isn¡¯t a monster I am familiar with but it seems to be some kind of mix between a goblin and a troll.


    Once they spread out quite a bit more I will test its strength, but for now I let them continue on. Before any of the members separate from the group Hecate hands them a sheet of parchment that appears to be a communication parchment.


    They at least bare the writing that Exeter¡¯s communications parchments all contain, but still it does hurt a bit to see them being used against me in this fashion. There is one dwarf looking man relaxing in front of the locked door, and he seems to be the one watching to find if they hit a correct switch or not.


    I don¡¯t know how long it will take them like this, but unless I can slow them down Hecate might have been right about ending my life before the day ends.


    The merciless trolls don¡¯t stand a chance against Hecate¡¯s group while all together, but the more that break off the group the more of a pattern I start to see. Only a small handful, handles most of the combat while the others stick towards the back.


    Hecate talked about the trolls, so I am sure she wouldn¡¯t bring them if they couldn¡¯t at least handle them, but then again maybe she thinks once the trolls have been cleared they won¡¯t have to worry about monsters after that.


    The spawning rooms are made with one way doors that can¡¯t be seen from the outside, so I couldn¡¯t have the crystal hidden in one, but summoning monsters in one isn¡¯t an issue. After the group has split off enough from one another and gotten far enough away from the monster on the first switch I decide it is time to test its strength.


    I just want to gauge its strength, so I only send in a single troll, it isn¡¯t exactly a fair fight, and Hecate¡¯s monster manages to kill the troll without moving from his spot, but I did learn that even against two trolls this other monster might start having difficulty, if I threw something like a minotaur at it I am sure it would go down.


    I don¡¯t want to do that yet though, because the dwarf would warn Hecate about the switch being released, and they would know that monsters can get in behind them, so for now I let the monster have its victory as it starts to chew on the trolls toes.


    They have split far enough apart now that with the trolls they run into I can see what most of their power levels are, and it looks like it is going to be a close call. The 4 non-sentient monsters and maybe 2 of the humanoids I would have no trouble with taking out.


    3 of the members of the group are a real problem and I think they are far too strong for me as well, that makes 4 of them that I don¡¯t think I can kill, that leaves 11 of them up in the air, I would like to be able to do away with them as well to be on the safe side, but I have to drop at least half of them.


    The human man that seemed into Hecate was one of the 2 humanoids I am pretty sure I can kill, and he is coming up on one of the real switches. He is far enough from the others I decide to have one of the hellhounds I summoned the night before try to prevent him from reaching the switch.


    The hellhound doesn¡¯t have much room to move around in, and I think the human man could cause him quite a bit of damage, but the man decides he is going to run for it instead, trying to scribble on the communication parchment as he goes.


    The hellhound manages to snatch him up in its jaws before he makes more than a long squiggly line on the parchment, and after a few crunching sounds that is all there was too it. Some of the humanoids and demi-humans instantly stop dead in their tracks, and their hesitation makes me nervous for a different reason, as I too receive a message.


    Dungeon Core #211 [Colt] perished to the fangs of the hellhound #2


    I am shocked that the man I just killed was a dungeon core, but was is even more shocking is the fact half of the members of Hecate¡¯s group seemed to stop in their tracks, so they must of received the message, so that must mean they are dungeon cores as well.


    I have killed 5 dungeon cores in the past, but 4 were when I didn¡¯t have access to [Menu], but this is still the first time I have killed a dungeon core inside my own dungeon. I received close to 80,000xp from his death, but he couldn¡¯t possibly been that high of level. I also received messages about new monsters, items, traps, and even a few new skills as well.


    I can¡¯t say I will make a habit of killing dungeon cores because of this, but if they are in my dungeon I seem to gain quite the boost from it. I unfortunately didn¡¯t rank up with my hero skill, but I did receive a new skill.


    Dungeon Defender (Rank 1): Defending your dungeon against other dungeon cores is no small feat, and you gain +50 to all abilities per rank. Also once per rank you can cause a forced evolution to one of your monsters giving them all applicable benefits of such an evolution. Dungeon Defender does not gain rank by levels but by loss of life from other dungeon cores within your dungeon.


    The benefits from the skill are relatively the same as the Heroic skill, but this forced evolution thing sounds interesting. That elder earth dragon of Hecate¡¯s that died in my dungeon has become the most expensive monster I can currently summon, but to summon one of them and make it evolve seems like a waste of a one-time use thing.


    I don¡¯t think even that would be enough to stop Hecate however, so I might as well hold on to it for now.


    The other dungeon cores in my dungeon quickly send messages with the communication parchment about the death of Colt. This causes Hecate to regroup with several of them and they look try to find the hellhound.


    As soon as Colt died I had it retreat back into one of the spawn rooms with Colt¡¯s body, so they can¡¯t even be certain where he fell. Things continue on for the next few hours while they attempt to find all the switches, and only two so far have even made it to the second floor.


    They have managed to find the switch Colt was close too as well as one more, so far Hecate has had the non-sentient monsters man the switches but other than the hippogriff they are all on switches now.


    I have used the time in an attempt to find out which dungeon cores are within my dungeon, but going through the [Archjusticar Menu] one at a time is proving time consuming. If I could just find out who they are I might be able to reason with them.


    If all else fails I can use my justicar points to weaken them, I might be able to do the same to Hecate, but as she is no longer part of a dungeon, and I don¡¯t know if she is an adventurer or not I have no way of choosing her as a target.


    The first dungeon core I am able to find that is currently in my dungeon is Dungeon Core #301 [Daggit] and he is the dog beastkin that had his hair singed off by one of the traps. He is also one of the weaker members of the group, so even if I manage to convince him, if he can¡¯t convince the others I am not sure what good it will do.


    (Dungeon Core #301 [Daggit] attacking the Archjusticar of the Elders will result in negative consequences. Not only from the Elders, but as the Archjusticar myself I can use my ability to not only hinder you but your dungeon as well. This attack is entirely based off of the misunderstanding that I and/or Dyson was responsible for Dungeon Core #1 [Maric]¡¯s death, and if you would be open to speak with me we can perhaps clear this situation up, and you can perhaps be compensated for your assistance in this matter.)


    After sending the message however, it doesn¡¯t seem he even acknowledges that he received one, so perhaps the block on my communication isn¡¯t limited to distance, but who and what kind of messages that can be sent.


    If that is the case I am going to have to remove a few more players off the board in hopes to keep them at bay long enough for Zoey, or the others to reach Madam Erin.


    I send a few more messages to Daggit, but he still does not seem to be receiving them, I don¡¯t want to just outright kill another dungeon core if it can be avoided, but I can¡¯t risk transferring to him to speak with him myself.


    Instead I use one of the dwarves that Madam Erin sent along with one of the hellhounds to back him up. When Daggit rounds the next corner he is met with the large hellhound staring down at him. Daggit quickly begins to panic, but the dwarf steps out from between the hellhounds legs.


    Dwarf: ¡°Wait! Dungeon Core #212 just wants to talk.¡±


    Daggit: ¡°Like he promised Maric right before he died?!¡±


    Dwarf: ¡°I am not only here on Two-Twelve¡¯s orders, but under the orders of Elder Madam Erin, and I assure you this is a misunderstanding.¡±


    Daggit: ¡°How can it be a misunderstanding, he met with Two-Twelve, and Dyson killed him before he even returned to his dungeon!¡±


    Dwarf: ¡°Someone has manipulated [Menu] into using Dyson¡¯s name while killing dungeon cores. Don¡¯t you think the Elders would of have taken action against Dyson by now especially after losing not only Maric, but two of the Dungeon Core Elders as well?¡±


    Daggit: ¡°They are just afraid of him that is why if we weaken his power base, and then maybe we can put an end to his takeover!¡±


    Dwarf: ¡°Two-Twelve really does not wish to harm other dungeon cores if at all possible, and that is why he sent me to speak with you now. Even you should know that among those Hecate has gathered, if Two-Twelve wished to weaken the group you would be among the list, so why else would he send me to speak with you instead of just eliminate you?¡±


    Daggit: ¡°What is it you are asking of me, to abandon Hecate a join Two-Twelve?¡±


    Dwarf: ¡°Just speak to Hecate, tell her if she would just take a moment to speak to the other elders this entire situation could clear itself up.¡±


    Daggit: ¡°Two-Twelve is only trying to buy himself more time.¡±


    Dwarf: ¡°Don¡¯t you think by now if Two-Twelve and Dyson really were responsible for Maric¡¯s death, that Two-Twelve wouldn¡¯t have just called for Dyson to put a stop to all of this from the very beginning?¡±


    Daggit: ¡°Hecate told us she was able to secure a way that prevents Two-Twelve from contacting Dyson, so that won¡¯t work!¡±


    Dwarf: ¡°All we ask is you just speak to Hecate, or even speak to the Elders yourself.¡±


    Daggit: ¡°You are just trying to get me to use [Communication], Hecate warned us it would be dangerous for us to use it here.¡±


    Dwarf: ¡°Then use the communication parchment and just tell Hecate what I told you, Two-Twelve really does which to end this peacefully.¡±


    Daggit: ¡°Tell that to Colt!¡± ¨CHe says while readying a large maul to attack.-


    The dwarf looks up and says. ¡°Sorry Two-Twelve, I did what I could.¡± ¨CThe dwarf then retreats between the hellhounds legs heading back towards the safety of one of the spawning room.-


    Daggit then charges the hellhound swinging his large maul. The hellhound takes quite a bit of damage, but it grabs the end of the maul in its jaws jerking it from the hands of Daggit. Daggit begins to panic, but the hellhound drops the maul at Daggits feet and then sits down.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Daggit looks confused, hesitant to pick up the maul again in fear it might be a trap. Instead he takes a few steps back and begins casting a spell. The hallway doesn¡¯t give much room for the hellhound to dodge, but it returns to its feet and just quickly flees leaving Daggit alone in the hallway.


    Daggit maintains his confused expression, maintaining his guard. After a few minutes he pulls out his communication parchment.


    Daggit: (Hecate, we need to speak, I learned something that you might need to hear. I just spoke to a dwarf that said this entire situation is a misunderstanding.)


    Hecate: (You spoke to a sentient monster from the dungeon?)


    Daggit: (It said it wasn¡¯t from Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon but Madam Erin¡¯s.)


    One of the female dungeon cores quickly begins moving though the labyrinth while sending a message on the parchment herself.


    Woman: (Be careful! It is sure to be a trap!)


    The woman dungeon core is the closest to Daggit, so by the time he replies with (I don¡¯t think it is.) the woman dungeon core is just around the corner. It happens so fast it takes me a second to process what happened,


    As the woman dungeon core rounds the corner to reach Daggit her body contorts and she becomes a hulking troll, that catches Daggit off guard and he is quickly pummeled to death.


    Dungeon Core #301 [Daggit] perished at the hands of a merciless troll.


    I receive another rank in my Dungeon Defender skill among unlocking more monsters, items, skills, and close to 200,000xp, and the woman then quickly removes something from her finger returning to her former appearance. She quickly takes up her parchment and scribbles the words.


    Woman: (I¡¯m sorry, I was too late, I tried to get to him, but I didn¡¯t make it in time¡­)


    Hecate: (There you have it everyone, don¡¯t let your guard down. Let¡¯s show Two-Twelve that we won¡¯t fall for his tricks anymore!)


    This complicates matters quite a bit. Now not only do we have to worry about Hecate, and these dungeon cores ending our lives, but also their own ulterior motives. I decide I need to continue to try to discover who the remaining dungeon cores are, especially this traitor that is among them.


    Even changing ones shape to a troll won¡¯t change the death message in [Menu] that takes more than just shape changing, so this traitor must be working with the ones attacking the elders, or is the culprit themselves.


    I don¡¯t think I will be able to change Hecate¡¯s mind with this traitor among them, but exposing the traitor might be just what I need right now as well. First however I need to find out who it is.


    Over the next hour I find two more of the dungeon cores in my [Archjusticar Menu] but neither one of them are the traitor, one is Dungeon Core #312 [Echo] and Dungeon Core #385 [Emery]. That leaves only two more dungeon cores for me to identify including the traitor.


    The dungeon core Emery also managed to find another one of the switches, but he was on the far other side of the Labyrinth compared to Hecate, so he is manning the switch himself. It is also unfortunate he is one of the stronger of the members of Hecate¡¯s group, so I don¡¯t think I will be able to remove him from his spot.


    Even if the remaining humanoids and demi-humans in Hecate¡¯s group are not dungeon cores, they still could be bound to a dungeon that owed either Hecate or Maric a favor as well, so I pay close attention to them as well to maybe find some clues into their identities as well.


    With a little under an hour of daylight remaining I finally discover the identity of the traitor dungeon core. She is Dungeon Core #634 [Rosalinda], and looking at her information she is by far stronger than I am. In fact she is strong enough that I can easily see her being the one responsible for the death of the Elders.


    I don¡¯t know how she would stack against Hecate, but even looking at her information it doesn¡¯t seem to help me find a way to be able to expose her. She does have over 20 ranks in the Heroic skill, so she definitely isn¡¯t a stranger to killing other dungeon cores.


    I think now my best bet is my monsters I sent out to get help. I don¡¯t know how long it will take my swan beastkin to fly over the forest, but with a bit of luck at least Zoey should be reaching Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon here shortly, so maybe I only have to hold on for a bit longer.


    I still have one more dungeon core to identify, so while the group gets ever closer to clearing the labyrinth, and continue to find something/anything that can help me though this alive.


    Dyson¡¯s PoV


    I can¡¯t say I feel better, I pushed myself way to hard trying to reach Uthaira, I was just trying to get as far away from that beastkin woman as possible, but even after reaching Uthaira and taking several women to an inn I still woke up this morning quite dissatisfied.


    I at least discovered it had no relation to the fact she was a beastkin, because when I was selecting my bed companions none of the beastkin women seemed appealing. That only leaves me with even more questions however, as if I still don¡¯t find beastkin women attractive, then what made that woman from Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon so special?


    I don¡¯t have time to worry about that however because I have to present myself to King Aaron now, in hopes to get close enough to Laura to have a few choice words with her. If there is one advantage of the beastkin woman being on my mind, is the normally difficult task of leaving my bed, is quite simple, and I don¡¯t even look back as I exit the room.


    I arrive at the castle and inform a guard that I am to report to the grand marshal in a matter she asked me to accomplish, and after being forced to wait for an unreasonable amount of time, the beastkin grand marshal approaches me.


    Female beastkin: ¡°I see you made good time on your return trip. I heard the dungeon in question collapsed only two days ago.¡±


    ¡°I was eager to be of further serve to the king, and Southern Merretta¡¯s steeds are quite capable.¡±


    Female beastkin: ¡°I did a bit of digging on you Duke Dingleberry, is it¡­? I have to say it is quite an unusual name, and other then your name and title I have been unable to uncover any more information about you.¡±


    Laura was intended to be my first target, so the name I choose to associate with this ring was something I meant to be a slap in her face, but I guess choosing a duke was a bit over doing it. Of course the only way they could of known the name I choose was due to the notice of Llewelyn¡¯s death, so that still leaves me to wonder why I failed to receive such a message.


    ¡°Aw, but there seems to be a misunderstanding, as that is not a title, but my name, my name is Duke, but I don¡¯t recall giving it out to anyone, so how was it you managed to learn of my name?¡±


    Beastkin woman: ¡°We have our ways. Now where do you hail from Mister Dingleberry?¡±


    ¡°Duke is fine, and I come from the island kingdom of Senyen. Strange that you were able to acquire my name, and yet didn¡¯t even know from where I came.¡±


    Beastkin woman: ¡°Senyen¡­? That would explain why there was no further information about you, but you don¡¯t look like a pirate.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t look like the demi-human man eater, that you hear others say when referring to the grand marshal of Southern Merretta.¡±


    The beastkin woman looks visually upset, but maintains her composure while adding. ¡°Yes, well my predecessor had quite the domineering personality, and it seems since we not only share race but subspecies, it has been a hard image to break.¡±


    I can tell this woman is far under what Listel¡¯s level was and with the strength to take out Llewelyn she is regarding me quite cautiously, but in making her uncomfortable, she will proceed to make this conversation as short as possible, and it seems to have worked because she then says.


    Beastkin woman: ¡°But you do seem to be who you claim, and it was confirmed that you had claimed the crystal in the water wells of Kerinog, I must warn you though if your goal is to harm King Aaron you will find the water wells of Kerinog don¡¯t even hold a candle to the king¡¯s strength.¡±


    ¡°I assure you I only wish to serve.¡±


    Beastkin woman: ¡°Well the king is quite the busy man, and although he does wish to congratulate you on your assistance in the matter of the dungeon I am afraid the meeting must be quite short and he will be unable to have time to converse with you. If you do wish to continue to be in service of the king after he congratulates you I am sure we can find something else you can do to be of service.¡±


    ¡°I understand, just to be in the room with him for a brief moment, is enough to be considered the greatest of honors.¡±


    Beastkin woman: ¡°Of course I will ask to hold your sword for you until the meeting is concluded.¡± ¨CAfter I remove my sword from its scabbard she seems on the nervous side, but I present the blade to her and she then continues.- ¡°Very well, follow me.¡± ¨CShe then heads back into the castle.-


    As far as castles go it is nothing compared to mine, and you can tell it is made from shoddy human construction, I guess that means after I do away with Laura, King Aaron at least will still have his castle, that is if there is anything left of King Aaron.


    The beastkin woman leads me to a room off to the side what appears to be the throne room, and asks me to take a seat. After another grueling couple of hours a human man approaches me this time to inform me they are ready for me.


    Exiting the room we enter the throne room where not only dozens of guards but twice as many of the large steel golems hold positions in the room as well. I have to say instead of metal and men I find filling a throne room with women is a far better choice.


    I was expecting while meeting with the king I might have to threaten him a bit to gain Laura¡¯s attention, but it seems that won¡¯t be necessary, because next to King Aaron sits Laura with a face of pure resentment, and curiosity.


    After taking a knee as instructed King Aaron stands.


    King Aaron: ¡°Duke Dingleberry of Seyen, you have done a great service to our kingdom, through your efforts¡­blah¡­blah¡­¡±


    Alright I am bored. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    The human man that led me in the room seems quite nervous and tries to motion for me to be silent. King Aaron looks quite furious. Between heartbeats I cross the room locking one of my arms under Laura¡¯s left armpit and around her neck, and with my other arm I twist her free arm around her back.


    Everyone begins to panic including the king, and before Laura has a chance to flee from my grasp I quickly use one of my magic techniques.


    ¡°[Translocation Anchor]!¡±


    All the guards and even the king seem unsure what to do, all of which have weapons drawn but don¡¯t know what to do with them now. Laura tries to thrash about while trying to use her left arm to grab at me, but in the position she is in she just can¡¯t reach.


    ¡°Now, it seems to be time we have a bit of a chat.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?! Release me at once, you don¡¯t know who it is you are messing with.¡±


    ¡°Oh I am quite sure I know exactly who I am messing with Dungeon Core #105 [Laura].¡±


    Laura: ¡°Impossible, just who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°No you see that isn¡¯t how this works. I am the one that asks the questions, and you are the one that answers them.¡± ¨CI say while putting enough pressure on her wrist bent behind her to hear the sound of the crack is loud enough that several of the guards flinch.-


    The thing about reaching high levels is that although it gets much harder to become injured, an injury such as a broken bone or loss of limb might not put your life any danger, but the pain is still quite the same as it is for a being of a lower level.


    Laura however looks far more angry then hurt, but it at least keeps her mouth shut long enough for me to begin my questioning.


    ¡°Now as far as dungeon cores go you are quite strong, but to be able to take out a dungeon core like Maric without even raising suspicion is quite a leap, and that doesn¡¯t even include killing two of the Dungeon Core Elders right under their noses, so who else is involved in your little conspiracy?¡±


    I try leading with Maric¡¯s death to give her the wrong impression, and it seems to work as she says.


    Laura: ¡°You are here to avenge Maric, is that it? If I was able to kill Maric do you seriously think one of his little thralls would stand a chance?¡±


    ¡°Well I seem to have you right where I want you don¡¯t I?¡± ¨CI say while moving my arm up breaking her elbow next.-


    She never calls out, which is quite disappointing, but she grits her teeth and makes eye contact with King Aaron. For being born a normal human he has seemed to master the use of using [Menu] discreetly, but I have been using those techniques for a century, so he might as well just spoke it out loud.


    I choose to feign ignorance in hopes he will call one of Laura¡¯s allies, but instead several beastkin, enter the room ready for war. The helmet on the grand marshal¡¯s head covers her ears so it actually improves the quality of her face to the point it is going to be quite a shame to kill her.


    ¡°Adding a couple more people on top to a room full of those unable to act is really quite pointless, have you even thought this through.¡±


    King Aaron: ¡°If you hurt her, you will never make it out of here alive!¡±


    ¡°Honestly¡­ You really think if I could end Laura I would be worried about her little boy toy? Now Laura, you still have yet to answer my question, and I am growing quite impatient.¡±


    Laura: ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but it¡¯s no secret that Maric and I didn¡¯t see eye to eye, but to accuse me of his death is ludicrous. If you know about me and Maric, you are sure to know Dyson is the one that killed Maric, and the elders.¡±


    ¡°But I have it on good authority, that you have come up with a way to feed misinformation though [Menu], and going as far as kidnapping another dungeon core to test it on.¡±


    Laura: ¡°And he made off with the item, so if you want to accuse someone of manipulating [Menu] then maybe you should start with him!¡±


    ¡°And you expect me to believe a dungeon core under the age of 10 was able to kill Maric?¡±


    Laura: ¡°He is the one that lured Maric to some secret meeting, and then Maric died, so what do you think?!¡±


    ¡°If you expect me to believe a flimsy story like that you are mistaken, now you made the item once, and even if it was luck then it is possible for you to make another.¡±


    Laura: ¡°I didn¡¯t make the damn thing!¡±


    ¡°Do tell, because that is not the impression the Elders have over the matter.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Of course I told them I made it, as long as they always wondered in the back of their mind if I could make another, they would have to treat me with respect!¡±


    ¡°And how is that working out for you¡­So where did you get it?¡±


    Laura: ¡°It came off of a beastkin slave that I purchased, the stupid human that sold me the slave didn¡¯t even know what he had.¡±


    ¡°Then what was the point of kidnapping the young dungeon core, and this big plan you have been plotting for years?¡±


    Laura: ¡°Gowen kingdom is quickly growing to be a problem for Aaron, and with the continued help of Two-Twelve it will only get worse! If I could have gained control of his dungeon then I could have had Gowen in my pocket as well.¡±


    ¡°That is just human politics! What is it you are trying to accomplish?¡±


    Laura: ¡°Faron my have been a god to the humans, but once Aaron becomes the king and we rule all of the humans even the elders would have to acknowledge my accomplishments!¡±


    ¡°You seriously expect me to believe you have been plotting in secret all these years to what become the queen of the human world¡­?¡±


    Laura: ¡°I Will become queen!¡±


    I am taken aback¡­This is what Laura¡¯s big secret has been all these years? It can¡¯t be possible. Can everything I thought of Laura been false. ¡°You think the Elders truly care about humans? Why the secrecy all this time?¡±


    Laura: ¡°The Elders vastly underestimate the growth potential in the humanoid races, and the longer they stay ignorant the better. Besides do you think they would take me seriously? Even Faron¡¯s endless potential as their god, he just squandered it by ignoring them.¡±


    ¡°That sounds no different than Dyson¡¯s beliefs.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Dyson sees the potential in humans, but he too grossly underestimates what he could accomplish using the humans instead of leaving them to their own devices. That is why Dungeon Core #212 is so dangerous, he lacks the strength, but has taken a backwater human kingdom, and made it a rival to even Southern Merretta.¡±


    ¡°You said you received that item to manipulate [Menu] off of a slave you bought, does that mean it came from Duke Emerret?¡±


    Laura: ¡°That¡¯s right, all the castle slaves are purchased through him.¡±


    ¡°Well I never thought I would believe that Dungeon Core #105 [Laura] was nothing more than a human lover. Well it looks like I will have to issue one hell of an apology later, but it seems you get to live another day.¡± ¨CI say while releasing Laura.-


    Laura quickly gains some distance while casting a spell to heal her arm and wrist while saying. ¡°You think we would just let you go after all you have done?!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t even worth my time.¡± ¨CI quickly cross the room grabbing my sword from the grand marshal, and then teleport from the room.-

 Losing Hope

    I can¡¯t say that it is any relief, but after finding out the identity of the last of the dungeon core that has entered my dungeon along with Hecate, I am still no closer in finding a way to put a stop to the attack. Dungeon Core #729 [Laramie] seems no different than the rest of the group Hecate has brought along.


    Between Hecate, Dungeon Core #312 Echo, Dungeon Core #385 Emery, and Dungeon Core #634 Rosalinda not a single one of them I feel my dungeon could be able to take out, and even a few of the other sentient humanoids that remain appear to be out of my league as well.


    I can at least say that even though quite a few of them are way beyond my levels I have at least held them off for the remainder of the day, now with only half of the switches located I am sure they will be unable to locate the other 5 before midnight. In fact that seems to be the exact matter they are debating about over their communication parchment.


    The debate is enough that it slows them down even further, and by the way they are talking it looks like they are worried they are running out of time. That means if I can just hold them back a while longer something is sure to give.


    They finally elect to leave the weakest ones behind and only the few that are of substantial levels depart for midnight. I could push to kill the weaker members and try to change the locations of the switches, but I really doubt I would have time to do all that in the short time they will be absent.


    With only an hour remaining till midnight I think with how worried they are about me gaining their xp, taking out the weaker members now would be my best bet, so at least 1 of the stronger members will have to remain.


    On that note I hold nothing back sending hellhounds, liches, and death knights after the non-sentient monsters. The dwarf watching the door doesn¡¯t have time to warn Hecate and the others about the switches, because he too comes under attack.


    By the time the wave of attacks end there is only 15 minutes remaining to midnight, and I managed to rid the dungeon of half of the attackers, I wasn¡¯t able to take out any more of the dungeon cores, but a few of the sentient members of the group that were not dungeon cores, and all of the non-sentient monsters have been eliminated.


    I avoided the members I knew I could not defeat, but the few that I was unsure of that managed to survive were able to warn the others what had happened, one of which was the dwarf watching the door, and he informs them that only 2 switches remain pressed.


    They begin to argue then about just who will remain, and almost run out of time, but all the non-dungeon cores, and Echo remain, but Hecate and the other dungeon cores depart. That still leaves quite a few remaining one of which is a dungeon core.


    The additional xp they provide above the norm is equal to what the demi-humans were providing when they died, so that means even the weak members of Hecate¡¯s group are 10x the strength of the demi-humans from the day before.


    I don¡¯t know if I will be able to kill any of the remaining members of Hecate¡¯s group if that is the case. They still have more than 10 people though, so I can only hope a few of them are weaker and the others were strong enough to offset the amount of xp acquired.


    I haven¡¯t been taking any chances with the dungeon cores leaving their screens open with the [Archjusticar Menu], so while they are gone I get a bit of good news. They all seemed to teleport to the same outdoor location, and have begun to argue.


    Apparently Dungeon Core #385 [Emery], and Dungeon Core #729 [Laramie] are not to keen on returning to my dungeon.


    Emery: ¡°I told you I would only help you under the condition you made it worth my while, and so far I have been sitting on a switch all day long acquiring nothing in return.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°This dungeon core killed Maric, don¡¯t you at least want revenge?¡±


    Emery: ¡°Dyson was the one to kill Maric, and I only was willing to tangle with Two-Twelve because I had your assurance Dyson would not learn of my involvement, but you are just about out of time, and I am not about to tangle with Dyson.¡±


    Laramie: ¡°I want to avenge Maric as much as you Hecate, but Emery is right, you just don¡¯t have any time left¡­¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°It¡¯s too late, you are in it now, if you don¡¯t help us finish this before Dyson arrives, do you think he will care you bowed out of the attack early? We must kill Two-Twelve.¡±


    Emery: ¡°What¡¯s in this for you anyway?  I was under the impression you could care less about Maric?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! As you said we don¡¯t have the time to fight over this, and we need to return before any of the others fall.¡±


    Emery: ¡°Then you can do it without me.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°You will regret this!¡±


    Emery: ¡°I really doubt that¡­¡± ¨CHe says and then teleports in a similar fashion then what Dyson does.-


    Through his screen it appears he returns to his dungeon, and he sends a message to Dyson about the attack on my dungeon. Unfortunately Byson will receive that message rather than Dyson, but maybe after Byson can¡¯t reach me he will be able to contact Madam Erin if Zoey, Azami, or Sorin don¡¯t make it.


    I really wish I could use my [Archjusticar Menu] to contact the Elders, because it seems to be something they either didn¡¯t anticipate, or have no way of blocking. I could spent a few justicar points on someone in hopes the elders will try to find out what is going on, but I need to save what I have just in case I have to use them against the group attacking me.


    Laramie as well apologizes to Hecate again and then teleports with the [Gate] spell. He as well returns to his dungeon, but he instead seems to go straight to bed.


    Hecate: ¡°Damnit we can¡¯t afford to lose anyone else now.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°If worse comes to worse I can summon some monsters from my dungeon.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Not to sound like Emery, but what is in this for you? You have already done a great deal and will to do this much more?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°Let¡¯s just say I owe Dyson one, and Two-Twelve is by far the best dungeon core to use to hurt him.¡±


    The next few hours go by pretty quickly as they try to recuperate what they lost. All the switches the non-sentient monsters were on Hecate had been to herself, so she was able to gate to them placing one of the others in my dungeon on them.


    They only had a general idea of the location of the switch in which Emery was on, so it takes them a bit of effort to find it again, and by the time the sun is starting to rise outside they have only managed to recuperate all that they lost during the night.


    They have kept mentioning the time over and over again, so I am hoping that means soon the restriction on [Communication] and the communication parchments is soon to be lifted. I might not be able to get ahold of Dyson once it does, but maybe Madam Erin would be enough to convince Hecate, and deal with Rosalinda.


    I can¡¯t leave it up to chance however so I need to come up with another way just in case. I have the xp I gathered at midnight, and from the two dungeon cores that died, so I decide to add to the dungeon just in case they do make it past the labyrinth.


    I add another floor to the dungeon at door just past the labyrinth. From the bottom of the staircase I make another 100 by 100 room, but when I try to make the floor lower than the doorway it only allows me to go down 50 feet.


    I don¡¯t know if this will work, but I add another floor starting with a room connecting to the one above with the same 100 by 100 size, I then edit the first room to see if it allows me to remove the floor. This time it works.


    The 8<sup>th</sup> sub-level is pretty much the standard distance below the labyrinth, but on the 9<sup>th</sup> sublevel I used the technique I used on the upper floors making the stairs as long as possible. That makes the room in the 8<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup> sublevel a grand total of 200 feet tall.


    A single misstep off of the stairs and that is a long drop. I give the room no lighting at all to add to the danger of it. I had to place a stairwell from the 8<sup>th</sup> to 9<sup>th</sup> sub-level for me to be allowed to add the floor, but [Menu] doesn¡¯t seem to have a problem with me blocking that stairwell off preventing entry, now that the rooms are connected.


    I don¡¯t know how much damage a 200 foot fall would cause, but one of the adventurers that was with Hecate that got knocked off above, survived the 100 foot drop, so not to take any chances I line the bottom of the floor with spikes.


    For the price of the room, the two floors, and the spikes I am already sitting at 30,000xp and I haven¡¯t even added any monsters yet. I decide to search though my monsters by ones that can see in total darkness and that can fly.


    The results are pretty limited, with the dragonkin that are low on the evolutionary line it wouldn¡¯t be any use at all, the feathered serpent, the most expensive of my monsters the elder earth dragon, and then all variations of the liches.


    Only the liches would be able to maintain flying indefinitely, so I add five of them to the room totaling another 175,000xp. Then about halfway up the wall on the 9<sup>th</sup> sub-level I add two small rooms off to either side using the one-way entries like I did for the labyrinth and add 2 dozen of the dragonkin.


    I don¡¯t think they would be able to do any damage, but the swarm of them flying about could at least serve as a decent distraction, or a means to block attacks, allowing the liches to do more damage. I am still rather surprised after all the dragonkin I have summoned I haven¡¯t unlocked a higher tier yet.


    Maybe there is a requirement that I don¡¯t possess to unlock them, or maybe the specific type I can summon just end their evolutionary line at this point. I could use the forced evolution thing from that skill I required, but that seems even more of a waste to use it on the dragonkin then it did on the elder earth dragon.


    Back at the top of the room across from the stairs I add a door. Now to cross the room they will most certainly have to be able to fly or float. For an added measure I give each of the dragonkin a key to the door on the other side of the room, but none of which actually open the door, or I wouldn¡¯t be able to have the dragonkin wait in the rooms off to the side.


    Instead the actual key to the door lies at the bottom of the room among the spikes. Falling on the spikes would sure to be fatal, but even if you did make it down to the spikes somehow traversing the spikes to find the key would be no easy task.


    I would say the next room I create is another massive labyrinth but even looking at the map view it might appear to be the roughly the same size in reality it is a lot smaller. Most of the space is taken up by 5 large rooms that span both the 8<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup> sub-levels, while the labyrinth itself is only a single floor.


    This time the labyrinth is broken down into 4 smaller rooms each with its own set of switches blocking access to the large rooms or the path forward. They are set up in such a way however that you may have to enter the room from one side to access some of the switches, but the door the switches control is through a entrance from the other side of the labyrinth.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    That means to enter each other large empty rooms it will take at least 11 people, each to man a switch and one to enter the room. Once in the room however they will have to deal with a monster equal to the strongest elemental monsters I have.


    These huge boss like rooms are like the pit room however connected all the way down into sub-level 9, but the real trick to it is instead of going with the elemental orbs again I placed two switches in each of these boss like rooms.


    When making the rooms on sub-level 9 before I connected them to the rooms to sub-level 8 I made them as a single room, but blocked off with walls from one another. That means they will have to pass through the labyrinth on sub-level 8 to enter each boss like room, and then leave 2 people behind to man the switches there.


    That means it will take at least 10 people to enter the room, but 12 to man both switches in the first room. Leaving the two extra behind and moving on to the next one. That means before it is all said and done it will take no less than 20 people to activate all the switches, and even then that is at only 2 people being able to attack the boss like monsters at a time.


    Once they finally make it that far and manage all 10 of the switches on sub-level 9 it will open the path to a single tiny room containing my crystal. I can¡¯t really afford to add many monsters to the labyrinth right now, so I just throw in a bunch of the dragonkin as cannon fodder in hopes that it will unlock the higher tier.


    Still no luck however, and after placing the boss like monsters in each of the rooms I am running quite low on xp yet again.


    Lilah: ¡°Master barely added any monsters there, how is Master planning to stop them with that?¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t think we have any monsters strong enough to stop them out right, we have to find a way to out think them. This new set up should double the amount of people they have to have, and even then they have to be strong enough to take the likes of a griffon or the phoenix in groups of 2.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Rosalinda is a dungeon core, she can return home and summon as many monsters as they need now.¡±


    ¡°But the question is can she summon monsters strong enough to take the phoenix, griffon, or others in that quantity? I am also banking quite a bit about their worry about running out of time. Not only that but Zoey and the others should be reaching Madam Erin¡¯s soon, and Byson should be working on trying to contact Madam Erin as well.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°What about Madam Erin¡¯s monsters? Should we send them in to slow Hecate¡¯s group down?¡±


    ¡°I really want to not risk sentient monsters like that, if worse comes to worse we will use them on the new floor.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master said that about the Labyrinth¡­¡±


    ¡°They still have quite a bit of the labyrinth to go, why don¡¯t you get some rest.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master barely got any sleep at all yesterday, so Master should get some sleep!¡±


    ¡°As long as they are in the dungeon I don¡¯t think I can get any sleep¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Then Lilah will stay up with Master!¡±


    After I finally agree we continue to watch as Hecate¡¯s group makes their way thought he labyrinth, in just the time it took me to set up the new area of the dungeon they have managed to find a total of 8 switches now.


    I guess the new floors was a good call, I was expecting a single dungeon core to attack us, but not several, so we are at one hell of a disadvantage. We keep throwing what he have at them, but it isn¡¯t doing any good.


    By midmorning there is a loud thud as the large circular disk hits the floor after the final switch is located. The dwarf quickly informs Hecate, and Hecate along with Rosalinda quickly arrive back at the large door.


    Hecate: ¡°Is it the crystal?!¡±


    Dwarf: ¡°It appears to be a set of stairs.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Impossible, his dungeon should in no way be this big!¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°There is the xp he has been gaining from you the last two days, it shouldn¡¯t be surprised he is putting it all into making the dungeon larger.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I have dealt with enough monsters to easily cost him more xp then he is receiving!¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°That is to say if he replaced them, he is smart enough to know the monsters can¡¯t stop us, so he is just trying to bid his time now in hopes help will come.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Well standing around isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere, come let¡¯s check it out, we can then use [Gate] to gather everyone back up.¡±


    Hecate, the dwarf, and Rosalinda move forward down the stairs, once reaching the end of the stairs the door at the end of the stairs is intentionally hard to open, so when the dwarf slams against the door it swings wide leaving him nowhere to go but down.


    Hecate tries to grab him as he goes, but the lack of light and the surprise of it makes her unable to grab him, and she doesn¡¯t dare try to [Blink] into the darkness. Rosalinda seems unaffected, and doesn¡¯t even budge.


    The sounds of the dwarf¡¯s scream is ended by the scrapping as he finally hits the bottom impaled on the spikes below.


    Rosalinda: ¡°That distance¡­ He had to have connected this room to several levels.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Like you said he is just trying to slow us down. There isn¡¯t room here to recall the others. I can see well in the dark, but not the pitch black, can you see what is in there?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°Only enough to see movement. Here, close your eyes. [Solar!]¡±


    The room is then filled with a blinding light as it appears like a mini sun forms in the center of the room. It is enough that the 5 liches just evaporate into the air without a chance. That was a far greater waste of xp then I anticipated¡­


    Hecate even after closing her eyes tight also uses her arms to shield her eyes from the blinding light. After the initial burst of light the giant ball still remains, but the light is only blinding if you look directly at it. It seems to remain in the air just spinning in place.


    Hecate: ¡°I don¡¯t see any other doors down there, or the crystal. Did we miss something?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°The spikes are pretty thick, the crystal could be hidden under them somewhere, but that doesn¡¯t seem like Two-Twelve¡¯s style.¡±


    Rosalinda then casts a spell stepping forward into the air without falling. She is slowly descending, but slow enough it would probably take a few minutes to descend enough to not to be able to reach the door again.


    She begins walking around the room in the air, till she passes to the side of the mini sun and sees the door on the other side.


    Rosalinda: ¡°There is a door on the other side, but it can¡¯t be that simple¡­¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I could probably find a way across, but I can¡¯t fly. Maybe that was what he was counting on?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°In any case¡­¡± ¨CShe walks over to the door trying to open it.- ¡°As I figured it is locked.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°If the key was somewhere back in the labyrinth somewhere, we might never find it.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°No, I can tell this room is new, perhaps even newer then a few hours old. I don¡¯t think he could have hidden the key in the labyrinth. I think it has to be here somewhere.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Down we go then I guess?¡± ¨CShe says casting [Shadow Pocket].-


    Hecate begins to pull out a rope, but there isn¡¯t really any place to tie it to, but that doesn¡¯t seem to bother her, because with one end still within the [Shadow Pocket] she just grabs ahold of the rope and jumps¡­


    She quickly falls though the room as the rope pulls out of the [Shadow Pocket] but by the time she is about 20 feet above the spikes she twists her wrist and the [Shadow Pocket] closes tight against the rope, causing her to jerk about, but even though the rope stretches it doesn¡¯t appear to be enough that it still would have ripped my arm off if I tried to do something like that, but Hecate seems unaffected.


    Meanwhile Rosalinda just points her feet downwards and begins to descend at a much faster pace now. The wall now opens up and the dragonkin then begin to pour out into the room. One quickly slashes Hecate¡¯s rope.


    At this distance it will far from kill her, it might not even hurt her, but it¡¯s enough that she lands awkwardly, and has a bit of trouble moving. Rosalinda quickly swings her hand around and balls of fire quickly launch from the small sun causing it to shrink in size each time.


    The rain of corpses start to fall on the spikes as Hecate tries to right herself, coming across a dragonkin corpse that lands right next to her she uses its body to give herself something to stand on, and she finds the key around its neck.


    Hecate: ¡°I found the key! It was around this dragonkin¡¯s neck!¡± ¨CShe then looks over at another corpse not a few feet away and curses.- ¡°Damnit, never mind! There is a key around that one¡¯s neck as well, and I am sure not all the keys fit the lock, so don¡¯t burn them to bad where we can¡¯t get the right key!¡±


    Rosalinda disposes of the dragonkin while Hecate proceeds across the spikes from body to body trying to recover all the keys, and by the time they are done the small sun is the size of a large ball. Even at that size it still emits enough light that there is no difficulty seeing around the entire room. Rosalinda then begins to help Hecate recover the last of the keys.


    Hecate: ¡°They all look relatively the same, do you see any of them that stand out?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°Not so far, we will just have to try them all and see.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Alright, I think that is all of them, now we just have to get back up to the door.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°I am sure you didn¡¯t come all the way down here without a way to get back up?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I didn¡¯t plan on the rope getting cut, I was going to use my magic to move the [Shadow Pocket] to the other side, I could always use a few castings of [Blink] to reach the door, but I have no way to hold myself there.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you brought me along then isn¡¯t it? Here put this on, and think of a winged creature. ¨CShe says while tossing her a small ring.- ¡°Just be sure the creature has hands and is small enough to fit though the door after we get it open.¡±


    Rosalinda then puts on a second ring, and her shape quickly changes to that of a creature that if I didn¡¯t know any better, I would say it was an Avian, but somehow it looks more, feral? When Hecate puts on the ring her shape doesn¡¯t change much but she sprouts large butterfly like wings, and resembles more of a top tier human sized fairy.


    <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> doesn¡¯t work anymore so I can¡¯t tell if Rosalinda¡¯s name disappeared from it, but if it is the same kind of ring she used to turn into a merciless troll, I must assume it is the same as the rings I can make. If that is the case just now many of these rings does she have?


    Rosalinda reaches the door first but has trouble staying in one spot with her massive bird like wings, and it takes her close to 10 minutes to go through her small handful of keys. Next up is Hecate, and her wings seem to serve her quite a bit better then Rosalinda¡¯s were, and even though she has at least three times as many keys it only takes her the same amount of time.


    Hecate: ¡°None of them fit¡­ We must have missed one.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°What are the odds we happened to miss just the right key? No we should have thought it before, those dragonkin where hidden behind a wall, that means they couldn¡¯t of had the right key. He got us good with that one¡­¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Then where is the right key?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°I think our first assumption had to been right, it has to be among the spikes somewhere.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Damnit! We don¡¯t have time for this!¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°This room is brand new, and he has to be scrapping the bottom of the barrel on xp, so we should still be able to make it.¡± ¨CShe then swoops back down towards the spikes looking for the key.-


    Hecate heads down and begins looking as well. They continue to search until they finally manage to find the key, but it is now getting close to noon. If they were worried about time this morning, they should surely be in quite the hurry now. With a soft click the door releases and they are able to proceed into the next room.


    Hecate: ¡°Son of a bitch, another damn labyrinth, and you can be sure he is going to be using the same damn switches.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°No more messing around, you return to gather the others on the floor above, and I will go get us a few more hands to take care of this.¡±


    They then both teleport from the room, Hecate arrives back at the floor above where the others have all now gathered at the door that has relocked itself, but with the portal of [Gate] still open they return to the 8<sup>th</sup> sub-floor.


    A few more hands is an understatement¡­ I watch though the [Archjusticar Menu] as Rosalinda returns to what I assume is her dungeon and she then opens a pathway back to my dungeon and begins summoning monsters. One after another the creatures pour from her dungeon into mine.


    They all seem to be types of werewolves, but then again werewolf implies that they ware wolves. Maybe a better way to say it is werecreature, because they are limited to wolves as much as a beastkin is limited to a single species.


    The one thing that seems universal is they are all types of predator animals, wolves, cats, bears, even a few birds of prey that make me understand the creature she took the shape of with the ring. The worst part is they just don¡¯t seem to stop, as one after another just pour into my dungeon.


    They don¡¯t even stop once they pass though the portal and immediately trudge off into the labyrinth. By the time there are at least 100 of the werecreatures in my dungeon Rosalinda finally steps through the portal herself and it closes behind her.


    Hecate: ¡°Good god, do you think that is enough? The cost of so many monsters¡­¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°You think we would have been able to make it through another labyrinth otherwise?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°You may be right, but are you sure?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°To late to be asking that now isn¡¯t it?¡±


    With the werecreatures tearing though my dungeon as quick as they can even with Belinda, Roxy, and all the bunnies¡¯ assistance we can¡¯t keep track of them all. There isn¡¯t even much in the way of monsters to slow them down.


    I was thinking we would be able to delay them till nightfall, but I will be lucky to be able to hold on for another hour at this rate!


    They don¡¯t even check to see if a switch is the correct one now as every switch that is found now holds a werecreature. A dozen or so of the creatures pour into the first of the boss rooms and even though the griffon is able to take out 3 of them, they finally manage to pin it to the ground and literally begin to eat it alive.


    That of course unlocked the summoning of said werecreatures, but right now I am far too busy to pay attention to such things quickly closing the screen to get it out of my view.


    First was the griffon, then the crab, next was the phoenix, and then the small earth dragon. They have managed to take out quite a few, but there is just so many of these werecreatures that it doesn¡¯t look like there are any less then when they started, the last room holds both of the hellhounds I summoned, but I don¡¯t know how much better they are going to hold out.


    Like Hecate the werecreatures seem to have a weakness against the hellhounds, but even as they keep falling, I know it is only a matter of time before they eventually manage to take them out. Even if they can¡¯t then the labyrinth is complete and Hecate and Rosalinda will have no trouble at all.


    When it looks like we no longer have any hope remaining someone appears in the dungeon core room startling us all.


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m Back!¡±

 The Storms Conclusion

    We are minutes away from complete annihilation at the hands of Hecate and Dungeon Core #634 [Rosalinda], with Rosalinda¡¯s werecreatures fighting the two hellhounds at what is essentially my dungeon crystal room, even if they manage to hold them off there is no stopping Hecate or Rosalinda now.


    At the end of this horrible storm there might be a small silver lining as Zoey appears to us in the dungeon core room.


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m Back!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Zoey?!¡± ¨CShe quickly runs giving her a tight hug.-


    ¡°What about Madam Erin?! Were you able to get through to her?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What no welcome back¡­?¡±


    ¡°Zoey they are in the crystal room there is no time!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh shit! Yes, she is waiting for you at the house.¡±


    ¡°Lilah, hold out as long as you can, I don¡¯t care if you have to spend every point of xp to buy us some time.¡± ¨CI say then quickly transfer down to the house.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well, don¡¯t you look horrid.¡±


    ¡°Will you help me?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Slow down, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon Core #634 [Rosalinda], and failed Dungeon Core #15 [Hecate] are minutes away from destroying my crystal!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Hecate? Well this is serious, it¡¯s a good thing I stopped by, but I should be able to set things right, although I can¡¯t promise you will be as in good shape as before she entered.¡±


    ¡°Hecate is the least of my concern! Rosalinda is at least working with those who killed the elders, she already killed a dungeon core to try to prevent this attack from ending. She has close to 100 werecreatures in my dungeon and my last defense is about to fall!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What do you mean killed a dungeon core? I have heard of no dungeon core deaths.¡±


    ¡°It could be due to the restrictions on the communication! We don¡¯t really have time for this back and forth!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then lead the way, we should have a word with these two.¡±


    ¡°The chance of me surviving an encounter with them would be impossible, if anything I would get in your way, I can send you there however if you are willing to allow me to transfer you.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I said I would protect you and I will, but I am not going to solve your problems for you, if you want them out of your dungeon, you have to put your neck on the line as well.¡±


    ¡°Rosalinda could have been the one to kill Faron, Fredrick, and Maric¡­ Do you really think you can protect me from someone like that and Hecate as well?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If it was Rosalinda she had to use the mother of all sneak attacks, but face to face, I am sure I can handle that.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess it¡¯s either my crystal or me, so if I am going down I should at least put of some kind of a fight¡­¡± ¨CI quickly use [Menu] to equip my gear.- ¡°I hope you know what you are doing¡­¡± ¨CI say while taking Madam Erin¡¯s massive hand and transfer us to room in which the hellhounds were fighting the werecreatures.-


    I was gone barely a few minutes, and although the hellhounds seemed to be holding their own, one is now dead and the other looks to be seconds away from death. Not only the hellhounds and werecreature¡¯s corpses litter the floor however, quite a few of the monsters that Madam Erin sent are dead as well while the remaining ones attack as well.


    The sight of members of Madam Erin¡¯s ¡°family¡± dead on the floor doesn¡¯t sit well with her, and without a word she grabs the nearest werecreature ripping in clean in two¡­ I don¡¯t even know if I am strong enough to fight these werecreatures alone, but I can¡¯t remain motionless after seeing the sentient monsters of Madam Erin¡¯s dead.


    I don¡¯t know if it is helping or not, but with my Combat Medic skill I can cast healing magic without any effort as long as I spend the mp cost, so I begin healing all those nearby that I can while I try battling with one of the werecreatures.


    I am spending way too much of my magic on healing spells, but I don¡¯t let it up. I am managing to hold my own against the werecreatures one on one, but when another tries to join in I might be in a bit of trouble.


    The werecreatures are practically raining down on us as the door to enter this room is on the 8<sup>th</sup> sub-level yet the floor is on the bottom of the 9<sup>th</sup>, much like the pit room at the beginning of this floor, so Madam Erin says. ¡°What made you think this was a good idea?!¡±


    ¡°Not a single one of them hit the ground uninjured, so I think it is actually serving me pretty well. I am more surprised after a 200ft fall they are only mildly injured.¡±


    I remember breaking both of my legs after only falling not even half that distance when I was with Listel, so I couldn¡¯t even imagine jumping that far willingly. The impact of the landing seems to hurt them, but not even enough to slow them down as they charge into battle.


    An arrow wizzes past my head piercing the eye of one of the werecreatures that was about to attack me as I hear a voice. ¡°You really screwed up now, Belinda is right mad at you for going and joining the battle all on your own like this.¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t much I could do about it, and besides if they opened the door they could of destroyed my crystal without me putting up a fight, so I would at least rather get my hands dirty myself.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Oh I agree, but tell that to your pregnant wife!¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get through this alive first, and then she can yell at me all she wants.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Less yapping and more fighting!¡±


    I can¡¯t say Zoey and I had much of an impact on the battle, but by the time the werecreatures quit pouring into the room Madam Erin alone dealt with 5 times as many as everyone else in the room combined.


    We finally have time to catch our breath, but that only means Hecate and Rosalinda will be here shortly¡­


    Madam Erin: ¡°Minutes seemed a bit of a stretch, now do you want to explain to me just what is going on here?¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you then they would have already accessed my crystal, so yes, minutes¡­ I don¡¯t know how far Hecate and Rosalinda are behind them, but I will tell you what I can.¡±


    I don¡¯t know how much time we have so as I tell Madam Erin what is going on I try to stick to the important parts, and after giving the rough overview I start to go into a bit more detail on several of the events, but I then hear a voice.


    Hecate: ¡°It¡¯s Madam Erin!¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°That is impossible, he had no way to contact her, he must be mimicking her appearance to throw us off!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Oh, so you do decide to show yourselves. You have a lot of nerve attacking a dungeon core under the protection of the Elders.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Two-Twelve hardly deserves the protection of the elders after he assisted in Master Maric¡¯s death!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I hate to break it to you, but you are under the wrong impression of just what happened, and if you come down here I will explain it all to you instead of yelling at each other across the room.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°It has to be a trap, there is no way Two-Twelve could have contacted Madam Erin before the time limit was exceeded. We were sure to block any type of teleporting magic or magical communication.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then why don¡¯t you come find out!¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°[Meteor Fall]!¡±


    After Rosalinda calls out a giant flaming bolder appears in the air hurling towards Madam Erin and I. Madam Erin instantly covers the distance between us pulling me and Zoey far closer to her body then I care to be while holding out her hand, and calling out. ¡°[Unyielding Barrier]!¡± The flaming bolder then crashes into the air inches above Madam Erin¡¯s palm, causing it to break up and disappear.


    Rosalinda: ¡°Impossible! Two-Twelve should not have access to such a powerful technique!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you liked that one, then you will love this one. [Shifting Sand]!¡±


    The ground beneath Hecate and Rosalinda¡¯s feet quickly gives way, on level ground it might have caused them to sink into the stone, but being at the edge of the room it causes them to tumble in. Rosalinda quickly casts a spell stopping her decent, while Hecate casts [Blink] twice reaching the floor in one piece.


    Hecate: ¡°Madam Erin, is it really you¡­?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°You know Two-Twelve isn¡¯t above these kinds of traps! It must be a powerful monster of Dyson¡¯s that he gave to Two-Twelve to pose as her! [Arc Lightning]!¡±


    The room fills with lightning similar to the earth dragon¡¯s breath attack, but much more powerful, and Madam Erin shoves me behind her while several of the bolts hit her. Hecate looks less then convinced but she doesn¡¯t have time to question it as she is forced to dodge the bolts of lightning herself.


    Rosalinda: ¡°I will keep Dyson¡¯s monster busy, you take care of Two-Twelve!¡± ¨CShe says while sliding a ring on her finger changing her shape to that of the giant werebird that she was earlier and swoops down at Madam Erin.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°Calling me one of Dyson¡¯s monsters is an insult I won¡¯t let you get away with.¡± ¨CShe says while leaping into the air after Rosalinda.-


    This causes the line of sight between Hecate and me to open up and although Hecate seems quite confused once her eyes latch onto me she at least seems to make up her mind, and I know I have no way to fight Hecate.


    Just before she has a chance to act the large bird that is Rosalinda crashes to the ground between us and Madam Erin lands back in front of me.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Looks like you were almost in trouble, don¡¯t go pissing yourself pup.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, we have to get rid of Two-Twelve!¡± ¨CShe squawks as she scrambles back to her feet.- ¡°[Solar]!¡±


    The small sun explodes into the middle of the room causing Madam Erin to shield her eyes, and when she does Rosalinda dives into her chest then takes back off into the air. She circles the sun while flying around the room directing small balls of flame to break off of the sun launching themselves towards Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin knocks the balls of flame away with her bare hands and says. ¡°Alright pup, it¡¯s starting to get a bit too hot in here for you take the others and I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡±


    Gathering the remaining bit of Madam Erin¡¯s monsters and Zoey I transfer us out of the room. Zoey and I then transfer to the dungeon core room.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Belinda: ¡°What were you thinking!?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice, but it¡¯s still not over, Madam Erin seems to be having far more trouble than even she anticipated.¡±


    I then watch the battle happen though the screens. Hecate still seems quite unsure, but she has drawn her blade against Madam Erin now, and while the sun in the room has almost completely vanished, only Madam Erin¡¯s hands and arms seemed to have taken any damage.


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you plan to use that blade against an Elder, you better be prepared to face the consequences of your actions.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Rosalinda, are you sure this isn¡¯t really Madam Erin¡­?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°Do you really think a real elder would be having this much trouble against just me?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am quite curious how you managed to gain so much strength so quickly, but I am sure the answer lies in that ring you got there, am I right?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°[Solar Flare]!¡±


    This time instead of a small sun it is just a large arcing flame that fills the room. Hecate manages to [Blink] to the other side of it, but as Madam Erin tries to leap out of the way it quickly arcs changing direction bathing her in its flames. The damage done to Madam Erin looks to be quite severe, and she quickly falls to one knee.


    Hecate then [Blink]s towards Madam Erin slashing at her with her small blade. Madam Erin however catches her arm standing back to her feet and tosses Hecate across the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright if that is the way you want to play it. So be it! [Mother Earth]!¡±


    Madam Erin¡¯s body is massive as it is with grotesque rippling muscles and such, but after calling out her body and muscles only grow in size before it is all said and done, instead of Madam Erin standing there is looks like a wolf beastkin shaped massive golem.


    Madam Erin then brings her massive stone like fists around crushing into Rosalinda, but before colliding with the wall Rosalinda disappears and reappears behind Madam Erin using her own momentum to hit Madam Erin in the back of the head with a large maul that appeared in Rosalinda¡¯s hands just seconds before the impact.


    Hecate quickly casts [Shadow Pocket] pulling out large two-handed mace made of the same metal of all the other weapons she uses, and she then uses [Blink] to reach Madam Erin again hitting her in the knee with it.


    Madam Erin¡¯s new even greater size makes her movements quite a bit slower and before she can bring her fists down against Hecate, Hecate manages to dodge backwards. The battle continues for quite a while, and although Hecate looks quite worse for wear, she looks nothing in the shape of the Madam Erin golem.


    Rosalinda on the other hand barely looks to have taken any damage at all even with Madam Erin focusing the vast majority of her attacks against her, and more than a few of them seemed to hit her dead center.


    I thought Madam Erin was only second to Dyson¡­ Could this other dungeon core and Hecate really be this strong? I was banking on Madam Erin quickly arriving and solving this, but it seems even she is not going to win this battle.


    With one last swing of the giant maul Rosalinda cracks it against the Madam Erin golem and it causes the golem to shatter. I quickly begin to panic, but I then see Madam Erin on her hands and knees on the ground breathing heavily.


    She isn¡¯t out yet, but there is nothing I can do to stop it¡­ I quickly open up [Archjusticar Menu] navigating to the bind crystal option and quickly select Rosalinda¡¯s dungeon. I quickly accept the cost of 10 justicar points but then get a message.


    Binding crystal must be performed within 15 feet of dungeon crystal or dungeon core.


    Well this isn¡¯t good¡­ Once Madam Erin falls though I won¡¯t stand a chance anyway so I quickly transfer back to the room.


    Rosalinda: ¡°Oh look who finally decided to rejoin us.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What the hell are you doing here pup?!¡±


    I quickly hit the acceptance again¡­ This time transparent chains quickly bind around Rosalinda and she calls out in excruciating pain. Hecate launches herself at me, but I manage to use [Blink] to avoid the attack.


    Rosalinda: ¡°What the hell did you do?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Madam Erin, but that is all I can do¡­¡±


    Madam Erin drags herself to her feet. ¡°Good enough pup. Now get out of here and I will take care of the rest.¡±


    Hecate tries to make another pass at me, but I transfer from the room again heading back to the dungeon core room. Madam Erin then grabs Rosalinda, while Hecate tries to attack Madam Erin, but Madam Erin just backhands Hecate knocking her to the ground.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now stay there, or next time you won¡¯t get back up.¡± ¨CShe then turns her attention to Rosalinda.- ¡°Now you have quite a bit of explaining to do, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°What the hell did you do to me?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Me? This is what happens when you piss off the Archjusticar of the Elders. Now tell me is wearing one of those rings while you killed the Elders and Maric how you got so strong?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Dyson was the one that killed Maric!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°No that is just what Rosalinda wanted you to think, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°I didn¡¯t kill Maric or the Elders, and when he finds out what has happened to me, your little Archjusticar won¡¯t be able to save you.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Is that so, then tell me who this he is, and maybe I will save him the trouble and tell him what happened to you myself.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°Oh he knows, you think the return of the gods is your biggest worry, think again.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Who else is involved in this little doom on you cult you got going on here?¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°You will find out soon enough.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You don¡¯t look like you will be able to go anywhere anytime soon, so I am sure we have a lot to talk about.¡±


    Rosalinda: ¡°That what you think.¡±


    After that Rosalinda collapses, goes limp, and we receive a message.


    Dungeon Core #634 [Rosalinda] died at the hands of ******


    Madam Erin: ¡°Her crystal¡­But why?


    The remaining werecreatures in my dungeon then collapse and all die at once. Madam Erin then turns to Hecate. ¡°We might not have been able to get anything out of Rosalinda, but you can tell us what you know.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°You really are Madam Erin¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I will let what you did to me go due to the misunderstanding and Rosalinda¡¯s obvious ulterior motives, but you better start answering questions.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ After Master Maric¡¯s death I didn¡¯t know what to do and that was when Rosalinda came to me asking me if I wanted to avenge Master Maric.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then she was the one that put you up to the attack against Two-Twelve?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°She told me of the meeting held between Master Maric and Two-Twelve. She also told me taking out Two-Twelve would be a massive blow to Dyson.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then she manipulated you from the start, there was indeed a meeting, but Maric was trying to help Two-Twelve get to the bottom of what happened to the Elders.¡±


    I decide it should be safe enough to transfer down to ask Hecate some questions of my own, so I do just that. She doesn¡¯t seem pleased to see me, but she doesn¡¯t attempt to attack me either.


    ¡°What about the block to [Gate], [Communication], and even the communication parchments, how did you manage to do that?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°It was an item, using it made a screen appear similar to [Menu] and entering Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon core number I was able to block him like that, but apparently it missed something¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And where is this item now?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°As soon as I activated it, it broke down.¡±


    ¡°Did you receive it from Rosalinda as well?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°She said it would help me get my revenge¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What about this ¡°he¡± Rosalinda spoke about, do you know anything about him?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°No, in truth I hadn¡¯t spoken with Rosalinda since Master Maric completed her training all those years ago, and at first I was quite surprised she was willing to help me get revenge for Master Maric.¡±


    ¡°What about the others did Rosalinda ask you to bring them here as well?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°No, after I ran out of manpower, I just started hitting up anyone that might of owed Master Maric a favor, a few of the dungeon cores came themselves, but most just sent one of their monsters along.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We will speak in far greater detail about this, but for now I suggest we gather the others and leave Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon in peace. Mind you, once we have a chance to talk your fate rests in Two-Twelve¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°What about the block on my dungeon, how do we remove it?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can remove it, but it was only to last till midnight tonight, so after that it should return to normal. 3 days seemed rather short, but I didn¡¯t think a dungeon core your age would take more than a couple of hours, much less 3 days¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it still wasn¡¯t good enough¡­¡±


    Madam Erin gather¡¯s up the others and takes them all to the neutral zone, and there is quite a bit more I would like to know, but for now I should re-secure my dungeon, so I just tell Madam Erin to keep me informed.


    However as soon as I return to the dungeon core room, the relief finally washes over me that we managed to make it through this alive. I don¡¯t know what is coming in the future because now there seems to be another something out there that wants me dead, but that is tomorrow¡¯s problem.


    I close a screen displaying a reward of 5 justicar points, 2 for protecting the integrity of [Menu] and 3 for putting a stop to a dungeon core in which was decreasing the integrity of [Menu]. That is at least half the points I spent I got back, but I am still short a few if I am in need of the crystal binding again. Without any energy left I collapse on the bed.


    It wasn¡¯t long after noon when I fell asleep, but when I awoke it was already close to daybreak of the next day¡­ Even though the immediate danger should be passed everyone is still sleeping in the dungeon core room.


    That is everyone but Azami who is messing with her [Elven Crafting] in the corner. I get out of bed and walk over to her.


    ¡°You managed to make it back as well?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Apparently nobody bothered to inform me the matter had been taken care of, so when Madam Erin found me wandering around in her dungeon she sent me home¡­¡±


    ¡°What about Sorin, have we had any word from him?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Wandering the skies for all I know¡­¡±


    ¡°Well the block in the [Communication] should have ended if Hecate was telling the truth, so I guess I can try messaging him to check.¡±


    I try sending Sorin a message, and I can¡¯t help to find myself holding my breath waiting for a reply, but after a few seconds I receive a message back.


    Sorin: (Master, you managed to restore [Communication], I am sure the others have beaten me to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon by now, I apologize, it was quite a bit harder to cross over the mountain and forest then I imagined.)


    (Everything should be back to working order now, if you can tell me where you are at, I will use [Gate] so you can return.)


    Sorin: (I managed to make it to Emeraldline, but without and adventurer¡¯s id they wouldn¡¯t let me in the dungeon, they were also pretty rude to me because of my wings.)


    It takes a few minutes but I manage to find out Sorin¡¯s exact location in the city surrounding Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, and I send a portal with [Gate] to retrieve him. The sight of him walking through the portal is a great relief in more ways than one.


    ¡°Well I guess now that that is taken care of I should see what kind of mess the dungeon has become¡­¡±


    Everything on the clockwork floor and above has returned to normal, but everything below that is completely empty, not to mention the boss rooms of the elemental wings are missing the said bosses from them.


    Our xp is just our normal daily intake, and what we managed to recover from the werecreatures, so it will be a while before we are able to do anything else, but at least for the normal adventurers and mages the dungeon won¡¯t seem any different. If we have another serious attack however we might be in quite a bit of trouble.


    We can¡¯t really do anything else there so I decide to go through he lists of items, skills, monsters, and such we received during the attack. The lists of new skills and monsters is the most promising however. Everything that died in my dungeon is pretty much available to me now, and even a load of new fire and water monsters that became available due to Colt and Daggit¡¯s deaths.


    The skills as well will provide a nice boost to me and my girls, but at the moment we just don¡¯t have the xp to learn them right now, but after we are safe again I am sure to teach everyone every one of them.


    Also due to the death of most of the monsters Madam Erin sent I learned to summon quite a few of them as well, and all of them can be summoned as sentient. The best of which is the succubi at 125,000xp, but I don¡¯t think it would be a good idea to summon any of them.


    That doesn¡¯t even mention the countless different types of werecreatures at 20,000xp a piece, and they can even be summoned as sentient for 100,000xp. They however are not considered elemental creatures so I don¡¯t receive a discount on them.


    I can¡¯t really do much else with the dungeon, and although it is still quite early I send a message to Inari, Maeve, the twins, and let them know I at least made it through alive. I guess Belinda and I should show our face in Tobes later today as well, as it has been almost two weeks now since the last time.


    There is also the matter with Belinda¡¯s pregnancy and talking with her brother and father, I am definitely not ready for that talk.


    I also decide to send messages to the monsters we have out and about. When we learned of the attack coming we told them to just keep at it because we might need there xp, so I need to let them know we made it through as well.


    I guess if I didn¡¯t make it they would of died as well, but at least they now know they don¡¯t have to worry about suddenly killing over, so that should be at least somewhat of a relief.


    ¡°Alright Azami, I guess waiting in here isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere, if you wish to resume your training with Kaelmathis, it should be alright now.¡±


    Azami doesn¡¯t say a word and just quickly transfers from the room. I never bothered learning [Elven Crafting] because I didn¡¯t see much use for it myself, but when where trying to up the security of the dungeon I really wish I had a few ranks then, so that is another skill I plan on teaching to the others when we get the xp for it.


    Just as the sun starts to break the horizon I receive a message from Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: (I managed to have a good long talk with Hecate, and although she seemed to be acting under the misunderstanding that you were involved in the death of Maric, it is still left to you what you want to do with her now.)


    (Have you tried to see if [Menu] will allow her to become a dungeon core using a different number?)


    Madam Erin: (I didn¡¯t really see the need if you wanted us to have her killed.)


    (She caused quite a bit of damage to my dungeon, but I think as a dungeon core she could make up for it far better than just taking her life.)


    Madam Erin: (Very well we can discuss it with the other elders, as we need to fill them in on the information we have learned, and we can try to do it then. I can make an excuse for Dyson, so that monster of yours doesn¡¯t make a mistake, but have you informed the real Dyson about what we have learned yet?)


    (My means of communication has been blocked up to now, so of course not, but he killed Llewelyn the other day, so he might be on to something as well.)


    Madam Erin: (Wait you mean that Duke whatever this name was is Dyson?)


    (That¡¯s right, last I heard he was going after Laura though, Llewelyn was close to Laura in the past, and he was part of Maric¡¯s list so it is entirely possible that Llewelyn was involved as well.)


    Madam Erin: (Make sure you tell him about Rosalinda, and find out just what happened with Llewelyn. I will have the meeting to take place at noon so be sure to arrive at the neutral zone before then.)


    So much for my idea of hitting Tobes with Belinda, but just the fact of being able to leave the dungeon core room again will be a big help, so I guess there is no hurry. I take out the communication parchment for Dyson and begin writing¡­

 Dysons Progress

    After leaving Laura behind I seek out that slave trader of a duke, and he is quite easy to find. Although he doesn¡¯t look all too happy to see me, he puts on his best business smile on and greets my arrival.


    Duke Emerret: ¡°Aw Master¡­ I¡¯m sorry I never did catch your name.¡±


    ¡°That is because I never gave it. You can just call me Duke.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°Duke?! What did you at the castle?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my name not my position. Now, I heard you are the one to talk to about a beastkin sold to the castle that had a quite peculiar old style slave cuff rather than a collar?¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°Not this again!¡± ¨CHe says with his face losing its color.- ¡°I already told the last grand high marshal everything I knew about it!¡±


    ¡°Then you can at least tell me what you told them.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°I was doing my inspections of the foreign slave merchants and came across the beastkin with the cuff, she seemed like just the kind of slave the castle pays a high price for, so after inspecting the traders paperwork I told him it wasn¡¯t in order. He then began to panic and that¡¯s when I told him I would forgive the discrepancy if he parted with that particular slave. He wasn¡¯t happy about it, but between 20 lashes or a single slave he chose to part with the slave.¡±


    ¡°Well who was this merchant?¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°You said you checked his paperwork. Let me guess you never even looked at it.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t look at it, any merchant that is coming to the walls seeking entry is going to have the proper paperwork, and smugglers are going to try to find another way in, so it is just a formality.¡±


    ¡°And yet you still cheated him out of the slave, and now we don¡¯t even know who he is.¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°I know at least where he is from! He kept saying he was some bigshot slave trader out of Duscae.¡±


    ¡°You call narrowing it down to a single kingdom a credible lead?¡±


    Duke Emerret instantly winces at the remembrance of the pain as he said. ¡°The last Grand Marshal said the same thing¡­¡±


    ¡°That is even if he is as much of a bigshot as he claims, how would one know if it¡¯s the right slave trader?¡±


    Duke Emerret: ¡°He dealt exclusively with beastkin! At the time it was a pretty big deal, because they were not common off towards Duscae, but Gowen kingdom seems like a breeding ground for them the last few years¡­¡±


    ¡°You better hope he is as much of a bigshot as he claimed or well let¡¯s just say I know how to find you.¡± ¨CI say then immediately teleport to Duscae.-


    It has been quite a few years since I was last in Duscae, the dungeon cores that are all here now are rather pathetic, but there is one that trades her own beastkin for older more experienced slaves to gather xp, so maybe she knows of this slave trader I speak. I believe one of Two-Twelve¡¯s beastkins even comes from her dungeon.


    The royalty in Duscae is somehow related to the royalty of Gowen kingdom as well, so perhaps I should get Two-Twelve¡¯s take on this as well. I take out the communication parchment from him and find he has left a message¡­


    All forms of communication have been cut off from me for the last few days, so if you sent anything in that time frame I likely did not receive it. That also means the ones that killed the Elders and Maric are able to manipulate the communication parchment as well as [Communication], so talking through here might no longer be safe as well.


    The ones behind the attack of the Elders and Maric convinced Maric¡¯s old boss monster Hecate to attack me, so I had to fend them off. Madam Erin managed to prevent my death, but I don¡¯t know what will happen if they make another attempt.


    Dungeon Core #634 [Rosalinda] was at least partly involved with the attacks and by use of rings similar to the ones I am able to make she managed to somehow gather enough strength to put Madam Erin in quite a state.


    Was it not for my Archjusticar ability to seal dungeon crystals I fear Madam Erin and I both would no longer be here. I don¡¯t know how you are faring on your end, but if Rosalinda was able to cause that much damage to Madam Erin, you might be cautious as well moving forward.


    A meeting will be held today at noon to discuss what it is we have learned including a mysterious party that Rosalinda just referred to just as him. Whoever he is, he seems to be the one leading these dungeon cores, so I hope that helps.


    #634¡­. How does she play into this, and strong enough to nearly kill Madam Erin? I leave and everything goes to shit. I don¡¯t know if there is any point in keeping up this fa?ade any longer, but if keeps me out of those pointless Elder meetings for a bit longer I guess I will leave well enough alone.


    I didn¡¯t receive a message about #634¡¯s death, but I never received one about Llewelyn¡¯s death either, maybe I should ask if Two-Twelve knows anything about that as well. I clear the communication parchment and return a message to Two-Twelve.


    (Unfortunately Southern Merretta turned out as a bust, I know you wanted it to be Laura, but it just doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. I have followed a lead, but if the communication parchment is compromised as well I am not sure if I should say anything further. I did not receive notice about the death of any dungeon core, so what is #634¡¯s status?)


    I then receive another message from Two-Twelve filling me in on all that happened within his dungeon, he says he is off to the meeting with the Elders now, and asks me if Southern Merretta was a bust, then why was Llewelyn killed.


    He had one job¡­ And he still told Madam Erin about our plan. It seems she isn¡¯t compromised like we feared, so maybe it is fine that she knows, although that makes me having to explain for my actions a bit tougher, especially with the matter with Llewelyn since it really did not seem to help at all.


    Damnit now I am thinking of that damn beastkin woman again, I just finally got her out of my head and now this talk of Llewelyn brought it all back¡­ I reply with a message just saying Llewelyn¡¯s death led to the lead I acquired.


    In a roundabout way it is true, but Llewelyn had to pay quite a hefty price for just paltry information. It won¡¯t do Two-Twelve or Madam Erin any good to sweat the details, so I will just leave it at that for now.


    Since I could not ask Two-Twelve about the Duscae royalty due to the fact the communication parchment might be compromised I might as well just start with Dungeon Core #47 [Bianca]. I pack up the communication parchment and then teleport one more time reaching an area not far from #47¡¯s dungeon.


    I know Bianca deals in slaves, but only beastkin, and that only amounts to enough xp to keep her alive, so she is of really no interest to me, so I haven¡¯t even checked in on her before. That being said I am kind of walking into this situation blind right now, but a dungeon core like her should be far from a problem even if things do turn bad.


    As I approach the dungeon there are quite a few large barn like buildings and a single small house. The bars on the windows and solid walls show that the livestock kept inside are not mere beasts. As I pass through a gate I seem to have entered the dungeon, because a beastkin woman exits the house quickly making her way to me.


    Beastkin: ¡°Excuse me sir, are you lost?¡±


    ¡°I had a few questions about Bianca¡¯s slave trading business.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°I am sure I don¡¯t know what you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°I am here to do business with Bianca.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°I don¡¯t know where you heard it from but there is nobody here, by that name¡­¡±


    ¡°Dungeon Core #47 [Bianca], I am telling you I know exactly where I am.¡±


    The beastkin now makes and effort to send a message though [Menu], and after a few seconds she says. ¡°You are obviously not a dungeon core yourself, who sent you?¡±


    There are quite a few dungeon cores that operate this way, so I choose one at random. ¡°Dungeon Core #112 [Keegan], he thinks trading a few slaves with one another might prove to be beneficial to both parties.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if Bianca and Keegan have even spoke before, but even if they don¡¯t believe me, they should still be looking to find out what I am truly after, and will indulge me in hopes they can find out more about me.


    Beastkin: ¡°The mistress doesn¡¯t usually operate in this manner, but she is willing to speak with you, so please follow me.¡± ¨CThe beastkin woman then leads me to the small house having me take a seat outside on an extended porch.-


    The beastkin woman makes no effort to hide the fact she is sending messages in front of her as she asks me. ¡°What is it you are called?¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Duke.¡±


    ¡°Well Duke¡­¡± ¨CComes a voice from behind me, and when I turn around a tall lanky weasel beastkin woman stands there.- ¡°I have heard of Keegan and my own similar interests, but our distance from one another makes trading cost more than it is worth. Although I heard Keegan traded in elves, and you do not appear to be an elf.¡±


    ¡°Bianca, it¡¯s a pleasure. Of course, I am sure you have your own couriers out and about selling your slaves and buying up others.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°So what is this deal that would get Keegan to send someone halfway across the continent to propose?¡±


    ¡°As you know brothels deal with quite a number of slaves, especially when the brothel in question has 6 separate branches in 3 cities all over Adra. Keegan managed to procure an agreement with the baron of the establishment, but you can only trade so many elves. Keegan¡¯s hope was to be able to send you a few elves that would serve you while you gather xp from them, while he receives a supply of beastkin to keep his agreement.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°Surely there is a dungeon core closer to Keegan that he could make a deal with that would make this grand distance a waste. Even Elder Dyson with his ability to summon humans, is far closer to my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°The deal isn¡¯t exclusive to just you, but having options is always a good thing.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides as I hear your couriers even make it as far as Southern Merretta, so meeting somewhere in Adra doesn¡¯t seem to far-fetched.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°Southern Merretta? I don¡¯t know where you heard that.¡±


    ¡°I heard of a slave trader that deals only in beastkin that comes from Duscae, he is supposed to be quite famous, and I figured he had to be one of yours.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°Now I see, I thought Keegan seemed a bit of a stretch, but this is about that slave Edward sold in Southern Merretta a few years back isn¡¯t it? I already told Laura¡¯s little pet, and everyone else that has come poking around that it was not one of mine.¡±


    ¡°Fine, we can cut to the chase then, and you can tell me where I can find this Edward, I would like to have a word with him.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°Where else would you find a slave trader but out selling his wears. Where he is I don¡¯t really care as long as he brings me back higher level slaves to exchange for the new ones.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know of this slave that he sold in Southern Merretta, even though it is not one of yours, so what can you tell me about it?¡±


    Bianca: ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡±


    ¡°Beastkin are not my style, so I can¡¯t say a trade, but perhaps I can make it simple and just say I will let you live.¡±


    Bianca laughs. ¡°What makes you think I would be afraid of some fat human man that can barely fit into his armor?¡±


    ¡°Well you can just call me Duke Dingleberry.¡±


    Bianca laughs again. ¡°What the hell kind of name is dingle¡­ Wait Llewelyn¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, now what can you tell me about this slave?¡±


    Bianca: ¡°As I told everyone else, Edward claims to won her on a bet in Korta, but she was better quality then the ones he receives from me without special order, so he was holding on to her for the right price. She must not have been a dungeon monster though, because I hear after that other slave trader stole her from Edward she up and died as soon as Laura got ahold of her.¡±


    ¡°Where in Korta?¡±


    Bianca: ¡°For that you will have to ask Edward himself. Now, I don¡¯t know what dungeon you belong to, but if you really did kill Llewelyn, there isn¡¯t much I could do in the way to stop you, so either do it, or leave me be.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too shaken up at me killing you where you stand.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°I am sure you wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill me for any number of reasons, but if you are strong enough to kill Llewelyn then you should also know killing me would be rather pointless, and if you made a habit out of killing dungeon cores just for the fun of it I am sure I would of heard your name far more times than just the once.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with you there, besides even if I don¡¯t care much for beastkin it is always good to have a dungeon core that can supply them for certain situations.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°Don¡¯t think I will do you any favors for not killing me, but if your master is interested in a fair trade then I am willing to listen, but if not killing me outright is better than causing me too slowly to starve to death by forcing me into unfair trades.¡±


    I have to admit I kind of like Bianca, she is missing out on a lot of potential, but perhaps once I return to my own dungeon I can point her in the right direction, and turn her into a decent dungeon core someday.


    Without knowing where in Korta this Edward received the slave with the cuff, it would be looking for a needle in a haystack, and when he travels as far as Southern Merretta trying to locate him might be just as hard.


    Spending all this time as this fat bastard, and I am still no closer to discovering who is behind these attacks. Two-Twelve sitting in his dungeon managed to gather more information than I have acquired. Maybe it is time for me to return to my dungeon.


    ¡°Next time you plan to meet with the Edward guy, if you contact Dungeon Core 212, he will pass along the message, and I will compensate you in an amount at least equal to the profit you make off of 5 of those beastkin of yours.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°The Archjusticar of the Elders?¡±


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    Bianca: ¡°On the contrary. Humans have never been squeamish about buying other humans, but for beastkin it is a little different. Free beastkin are quite worried about buying a human slave, but when the slave is another beastkin that fear seems to fade away, so In all actuality Dungeon Core #212¡¯s work in Gowen giving beastkin more power, has been quite good for my business.¡±


    ¡°Good, then I will be on my way.¡± ¨CWithout another word I teleport back to Mar.-


    Stepping into my own throne room I remove the ring on my finger, and see Two-Twelve¡¯s monster wasting his grand opportunity as he is passed out asleep in my throne. Several members of my entourage however quickly become confused their heads snapping back and forth between me and the sleeping doppelganger.


    They quickly begin to tray to awaken him and he lets out a gruff grunt and pulls one of the women into his lap.


    ¡°That is all wrong!¡±


    This startles him causing him to jump to his feet causing the woman to drop to the floor. ¡±Who are you?!¡±


    ¡°The man whose throne you have been keeping warm while he was away!¡±


    Two-Twelve¡¯s monster quickly appears to be checking [Menu] while he says. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told Two-Twelve of my return, in fact I wanted to see this with my own eyes to make sure you were doing the job of being me convincingly enough. However to be sleeping in the middle of the day, and fully clothed no less is a disgrace!¡±


    Byson: ¡°Dyson¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well how many of me do you think there are?!¡±


    Byson: ¡°There is the real you, and the one posing as you to kill the elders, so at least three¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if I was the fake you already gave yourself away.¡±


    Byson: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, I will be taking my place back now, but before you let Two-Twelve know of my return perhaps we should have a bit of fun.¡±


    Byson: ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°I can say I am quite fond of the idea of having someone do the things for me that I really don¡¯t want to mess with, so perhaps we should just see how long we can keep this going?¡±


    Byson: ¡°Well then what do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite simple, everything I don¡¯t want to. As for the perks of it, I will need a whole new entourage of course, and those women there didn¡¯t seem to have any complaints while I was away, so you can have them.¡±


    My entourage seems quite confused, but they know better than to question me as well, so they remain silent. It can be their punishment for being unable to tell us apart, because I am rather disappointed that they didn¡¯t notice that level 1 monster wasn¡¯t me, even if his appearance was close there had to be a difference.


    Byson: ¡°I think I would like that.¡±


    ¡°Of course you would, for now however take that ring off, because Two-Twelve explained to me several of my [Menu] items become available to you. That in itself is quite troubling, but now that we know about it we shall also use it as a chance to investigate it further.¡±


    Once Two-Twelve¡¯s monster removes his ring my entourage or I guess I should say his entourage quickly recoils.


    ¡°And there you have it ladies, for the last few weeks you have been treating that man as me. Even though he did it as a favor to me the fact you were unable to tell your master from a fake is quite disturbing to me. As such for your punishment it will be as I said, you will continue to serve that man as you have the last few weeks.¡±


    Many of the women don¡¯t know how to react, but again none dare question me. I open [Menu] and browse a few of the screens making sure everything is in working order, and it feels as good as the first time I regained access to [Menu] after regaining my place as a dungeon core.


    This monster of Two-Twelve¡¯s might be of good use to me in the future, so I decide to not only allow him to remain here, but I add a couple rooms to the castle to suit his needs. I then dismiss him along with his ladies and after transferring most of the items from the throne room to a room I prepared for him I replace the items with new ones.


    In fact I essentially give him all my items and replace them with all new ones. The only thing I can¡¯t afford to turn over is my armor and sword. I sit on my new throne and the room feels quite empty¡­ I could summon a new entourage, but honestly the women I summon are becoming quite a bore.


    There are the two women Two-Twelve is holding for me, but if I send for them he will know I have returned. The only other option is to buy some at the slave market, but even my old entourage would be better than those over used women.


    I can¡¯t even wear my armor until it has been thoroughly cleaned, but I just sent everyone away that is capable of casting the spell¡­ I don¡¯t think I have ever felt quite this way before Is this the feeling of loneliness?


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    I have reached the neutral zone and begun my meeting with the Elders. Madam Erin and I told them of the things we learned about the ones using Dyson¡¯s name, but for all the power they have between them, they seem so useless¡­


    Draco: ¡°What of Dyson, why has he not arrived?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°After learning of #634¡¯s treachery I asked him to look into something for me and have already filled him in with what we know.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Still playing favorites, and consorting with Dyson before the rest of us.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I thought the matter should be addressed swiftly, and you are the one that wanted to postpone the meeting till noon. So yes I told him what we learned and sent him on ahead, but if there is someone you wish to blame for it maybe you should look in the mirror.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°These are trying times, and to pick up and leave your dungeon without any sort of preparations is quite foolhardy, so forgive me if I value my own life quite highly.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Enough! If these Dungeon Cores that have betrayed the Elders have gained enough strength to put Madam Erin in a bind, we really need to stick together, and what of Hecate? As the wronged party has Two-Twelve decided her fate?¡±


    ¡°I admit before I lost my memory I hear I didn¡¯t think very highly of Maric, but I like to think in the last few months we managed to build a rapport. After what Rosalinda had told Hecate, and even with the manipulation of [Menu] you can¡¯t really blame Hecate from coming to the conclusion she did. That being said there was quite a bit of damage done to my dungeon, so if [Menu] will allow us to grant her Maric¡¯s dungeon core number I say we let her take her place as a dungeon core. That is as long as she is willing to make an agreement with me to take care of the damages I sustained in her attack. After all we have lost quite a few more dungeons and until we are able to find a means to reproduce more in an efficient manner we could use all the dungeon cores we can get.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Madam Erin, you are currently holding Hecate is that correct? Have you spoken to her about this yet?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I grilled her for any information I could about Rosalinda and the ones she is working with, but other than that I thought it was best to leave anything else up to Two-Twelve.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Very well, if you will bring her here we can have Two-Twelve inform her then.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There is one more thing I would like to add¡­ We are quite short right now after Faron and Fredrick¡¯s deaths, and with Dyson chasing down those responsible that just leaves the three of us. Two-Twelve may not be an Elder, but as the Archjusticar of the Elders I think at least until [Menu] allows us to replace our missing members we should allow Two-Twelve to serve as an interim Elder. It may be temporary and not mean much to the rest of you or even Two-Twelve, but I owe him my life, and for that it would mean a great deal to me¡­¡±


    Draco: ¡°I have no objection, as long as it is only temporary. He already can come and go as he pleases so where he sits is of little importance to me.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I don¡¯t like it. First we allowed Dyson to become an Elder giving Madam Erin another voice within the Elders, and then we allowed Two-Twelve to become the Archjusticar to serve us, and now you want to place him among us as well giving Madam Erin the majority ruling!?¡±


    Draco: ¡°Very well, we are short two members, so if it is that big of a deal to you how about we allow you to choose a dungeon core to serve on a temporary basis to maintain the status quo?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Alright, I will have Laura join us!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°With the problems between Two-Twelve and Laura I think that is unwise!¡±


    ¡°I will be the first to admit I do not like Laura, and I wouldn¡¯t be saddened one bit to hear she died a slow and painful death, but the truth is at least if she is nearby I have a way to keep an eye on her especially at times like these. As long as it is just temporary I say go ahead.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Now that we got the approval of the great and wonderful Two-Twelve, then I don¡¯t see any problem.¡± ¨CShe says sarcastically.-


    Draco: ¡°You can inform Laura later, for now I think Madam Erin should bring Hecate in.¡±


    Once it has been decided I then receive a message.


    Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen] will be presented as a provisional elder until such a time a new elder is placed. Accepting binds Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen] to those responsibilities, do you accept?


    It does say provisional, so I doubt it will be much different than being the Archjusticar, so I accept. Nothing else happens so it seems as a provisional elder there are no grand perks¡­


    Before Madam Erin leaves the room she has me take a position next her at the top of the podium. Faron and Fredrick sat to either side of her, so both spots are open, but I think sitting next to Draco would be better than next to Lucille so I choose Faron¡¯s old spot.


    Madam Erin isn¡¯t gone but a few minutes, and when she returns she leads Hecate into the room. Hecate seems quite confused about what is going on, but even more so with me sitting among the Elders. Madam Erin directs her to take a seat in front of us and then she returns to her own.


    Draco: ¡°After the matter of Maric¡¯s death we discussed what to do with you, and since the only thing holding you back from starting your own dungeon was the want to remain with Maric, and the availability of your dungeon core number we had decided to see if [Menu] would allow you to take Maric¡¯s number instead, but then you went forth and attacked a dungeon under the protection of the elders.¡±


    Hecate looks rather worried as she sits below us and has her head hanging low. After a few seconds of silence Madam Erin elbows me and motions for me to speak.


    ¡°Even with the misunderstanding in place with what happened to Maric you still made an attempt on my life. So after discussing it with the others they left it to me to decide your fate.¡±


    Madam Erin nods and then starts speaking. ¡°Through Rosalinda¡¯s actions you seen a great deal of what kind of situation we are currently in. Not only with the death of the elders, but dungeon cores like Maric and Llewelyn matters like the rules between dungeon cores are of vital importance.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Not being a full-fledged dungeon core under normal circumstances would make this a non-issue, but you are in a unique position at a time when we need strong dungeon cores.¡±


    Draco: ¡°And so with Two-Twelve¡¯s ok we have decided if you wish to become a dungeon core and [Menu] will allow it we will grant you Maric¡¯s number and start your own dungeon, but there is still the matter about the damage caused to Two-Twelve.¡±


    ¡°You put me and Madam Erin in quite a state, but the ones truly to blame for it is Rosalinda, and the others she was working with. I only lost easily replaceable monsters, but you and Madam Erin lost those who could be counted as friends or family, so as long as you are willing to agree to a magical contract to cover the damages I am willing to leave it at that.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I however am not quite as generous, and will require more than just xp to make up for the damages you caused to me. I will not call for blood, but you can expect if you are allowed to become a dungeon core I will come calling and expect you to answer.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I have been with Maric long enough to know that to be let off with something like this means that either with the death of the elders and dungeon cores like Master Maric, things are much more dire then you are letting on, or I really do owe Two-Twelve a great deal. If I am able to take on Master Maric¡¯s number I promise to not let Master Maric down.¡±


    Draco then seems to be accessing his [Menu] and afterwards a message appears before me, and Madam Erin and Lucille appear to receive the same message.


    Training Dungeon Core #15 [Hecate] will be granted a second chance as a dungeon core under the title of Dungeon Core #1. 4 of 6 Elders are required for approval. [Current vote 3 for/ 0 against]


    Once I hit the accept button it Hecate receives a message. After a moment I receive another message.


    Dungeon Core #1 [Hecate Maric] has joined the ranks of the Dungeon Cores 50,000xp has been granted and Dungeon Core #1 [Hecate Maric] can now start her own dungeon.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Second time through is a little different, and there is still the matter between you, me, and Two-Twelve, so we will let the others return to their own business and then we can finish ours before you start you own dungeon.¡±


    Hecate nods and the other elders then say their farewells and then depart leaving only Madam Erin, Hecate, and myself behind.


    Hecate: ¡°I thank you both, I know this decision couldn¡¯t have been easy.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I see you didn¡¯t waste any time to add Maric¡¯s name to your own.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I didn¡¯t want to take away the name he gave me, but I knew he would like to see Dungeon Core #1 keep his name, so I thought this would be the best compromise.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me what you call yourself, but what does matter is what you owe Two-Twelve and myself. Like I said, it will take far more then xp for me to call us even, but I think 10 million xp should be a fair price to make up for the damage caused to Two-Twelve.¡±


    Me and Hecate: ¡°10 million!?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Your level might be high, but your dungeon will still start from scratch. It may take years for you to reimburse Two-Twelve so I think interest included 10 million is a fair shake.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I even already prepared the contract that says 10% of all the xp your dungeon acquires will go to Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon until the debt is paid. Of course if you wish to pay an additional amount it will only remove your debt faster. I also made a stipulation that as long as the debt remains you will provide Two-Twelve any assistance he requires, and if he does need your assistance it will reduce your debt accordingly.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°10% seems reasonable¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°As for what you owe me I only ask 2 things. You will not attack any dungeon without getting permission from me, unless of course they are attacking your dungeon. The second thing is a simple I.O.U. but when I call to collect no matter what it is I ask of you, you will do without question, do you understand?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°What if you ask for my life?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then you got to live from now till then which is more then I believe you deserve. Your attack cost me 27 dear friends, and one of which was my boss monster¡¯s daughter who was also like my own.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I guess you aren¡¯t leaving me much of a choice in the matter.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now you are getting it. I am guessing you will want to take over what¡¯s left of Maric¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Hecate: ¡°Yes I think he would have wanted that¡­¡±


    Madam Erin then pulls out both contracts for Hecate to sign and after she does she hands me the copy for the one pertaining to my dungeon, and then says. ¡°Anything else you would like to add before I send her on her way?¡±


    ¡°I think that covers it¡­¡±


    Madam Erin then pulls out the large map stretching it across the table, and Hecate selects a location and disappears before the map has even completely taken shape. Madam Erin rolls the map back up and stores it away.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look to happy with the way it turned out, if you were not ok with this you should have said something¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°The monsters I sent where acting as yours, so the decision was yours to make, and given the circumstances it might have been the right choice, but that still doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it. What about you and Laura, are you sure you are fine with that? What about her being part of Rosalinda¡¯s group?¡±


    ¡°Well unfortunately Dyson sent word just before I arrived that Laura doesn¡¯t seem to be involved, they might have been using her just as much as Hecate, so he is going to start looking elsewhere.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What about your memories?¡±


    ¡°I think it has worked out in the end, I don¡¯t think I would still be standing here today if it wasn¡¯t for what I learned while traveling with Listel¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And what about Listel¡¯s death?¡±


    ¡°Like you said, given the circumstances it might be the right choice, but that still doesn¡¯t mean I like it¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well I am sure there is still a mess back home you have to still clean up, so I will leave you to it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for coming to help me when you did¡­ You almost lost your life trying to protect mine.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°But it didn¡¯t come to that, what about your Archjusticar ability, using that must be leaving you in quite a bind.¡±


    ¡°The only waste of it was we were not able to learn exactly what it did to Rosalinda before she died, I would have liked to learn what it stopped and what it didn¡¯t.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well hopefully we won¡¯t need it again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, by the way Rosalinda talked matters are only going to get worse.¡±


    The conversation trails off a bit after that, and we finally decide to part ways, and I use [Gate] to return home, but just when I think I finally begin to relax, I hear.


    Ceres: ¡°Well look who came though smelling like a rose!¡±

 Moving Forward

    I am not sure how I wound up here I remember sitting in my throne room surrounded¡­ Well surrounded in nothing in the first time in over 100 years, and now I am sitting at a small adventurer¡¯s guild in the village near what used to be Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon.


    The woman that I have been unable to take my mind off of is currently working as a barmaid at this adventurer¡¯s guild. I came as myself, so she of course doesn¡¯t recognize me and I sit at a table and order a drink.


    After sitting here for a while I seem somewhat dissatisfied, maybe the desire I felt for her was due to the ring I was wearing. After all if it was able to allow Two-Twelve¡¯s monster to begin to have access to my [Menu] who knows what the one I was wearing was doing to me.


    For a beastkin woman I still find her to be attractive, but the strong desire I had for her before is all but gone. After a while the beastkin woman sets down her tray and makes her way to my table.


    Beastkin: ¡°Look mister, I don¡¯t mine a little ogling as it comes with the job, but you have been at it for two hours.¡±


    ¡°I admit you have quite the nice figure, but I tend to draw the line at beastkin women.¡±


    She seems a bit taken aback and her face forms a complicated expression. A pair of adventurers quickly makes their way to the table.


    Adventurer: ¡°Sandra, is this guy bothering you?¡±


    ¡°So, your name is Sandra?¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°Listen here buddy¡­¡±


    Sandra: ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. He just surprised me is all. I am sorry to have bothered you sir, I will give you a drink on the house as an apology.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite alright, I think I found out what I wanted to know, what I wanted wasn¡¯t here.¡± ¨CI set a few gold coins on the table and walk out of the adventurer¡¯s guild.-


    If it wasn¡¯t the woman but the ring, that makes me feel a bit better, but even without the ring I came back here¡­I could just bed her to be sure, but here I am talking about bedding a beastkin woman again. I still can¡¯t get her out of my mind, but when I was looking straight at her there was still no desire¡­


    Sandra: ¡°Wait! Mister!¡± ¨CShe says exiting the adventurer¡¯s guild chasing after me.-


    ¡°What is it?¡± ¨CI say without stopping.-


    Sandra: ¡°Can you just wait a minute!¡± ¨CShe says running in front of me stretching her arms out.-


    ¡°Chasing some guy you don¡¯t know out of the bar that by your own admission has been ogling you for hours is a good way to get kidnapped again.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°Again¡­ So you do know me!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°You are him aren¡¯t you¡­? I don¡¯t know how, or why, but you¡¯re the man that saved me from the dungeon aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I have heard quite a few lines in my time, but this one is new to me.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°You look completely different, but the way you were looking at me in the guild, and the way you carry yourself. Even the way you talk, I just know you are him, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Even if I was this mystery guy that saved you, what would that change?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I was scared, and so much was going on at the time. I just want to thank him properly¡­¡±


    ¡°And if he asked of you the same thing the dungeon wanted from you?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°Then it was my choice, besides ever since I returned people have either been looking at me with pity, or like a dirty old rag.¡±


    This is quite the dangerous game she is playing, and if this is some sort of trap I at least going to have fun with it first. I grab her and pull her close.


    Sandra: ¡°You are him.¡±


    For the first time ever I kiss a beastkin woman. If this is a trap it might be a bit stupid on my part, but I teleport us back to my castle bedroom. Sandra quickly looks around.


    Sandra: ¡°What happened! Where are we?!¡±


    ¡°You wanted to properly thank me, so this is my bedroom.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°This looks just like the room I was in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I beg to differ I have far better tastes then Llewelyn did.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°You are like he was!¡±


    ¡°Does that matter?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°Are you going to let me leave afterwards?¡±


    ¡°And if I say no?¡±


    Sandra looks troubled turning her head to one side, and changes the subject. ¡°I think this look suits you far better¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any complaints with it. Now are you going to thank me or not?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°You want me to do it?!¡±


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    She shyly reaches forward and starts tugging on my shirt. ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything like this before.¡±


    ¡°What about Llewelyn?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°He wasn¡¯t much for asking about anything¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your show now, show me how thankful you are.¡±


    I¡¯m torn¡­ She truly didn¡¯t seem very good at it. I can¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t enjoyable, but after the desire I felt for her before I don¡¯t know if I should be relieved that it was mediocre, or disappointed. In any case the beastkin aspect of it didn¡¯t seem to bother me near as much as I thought it would, and in truth there was one thing she did with her tail that was probably the best part of the entire experience.


    I can¡¯t say I will make a habit out of adding beastkin to my entourage in the future, but I do think the idea of turning them away just because they are beastkin might be a matter that I will need to revisit. Now the question is what do I do with this one?


    Sandra looks rather ashamed with herself as she is holding my sheets against her body. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I am not what you wanted...¡±


    ¡°For being the first beastkin to ever grace my bedchambers I can say I found it more enjoyable then I expected.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°But you kept calling me Sofia¡­¡±


    ¡°That is impossible!¡± ¨CI say forcefully enough that it causes Sandra to become frightened.- ¡°In all my years I have never made that mistake even with women that were as close to her appearance as I could make them, and you share no traits similar to her!¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to upset you¡­¡±


    That¡¯s impossible¡­ but did I? How could she know the name if I didn¡¯t say it? Everything about this beastkin woman doesn¡¯t make since to me.


    Sandra: ¡°Maybe I should just go¡­?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± ¨CI say forcefully again scaring her again.-


    Sandra: ¡°You¡¯re not going to let me leave?¡±


    ¡°Not until I get answers, something has been off about you since the moment I met you, and until I find out what you¡¯re not going anywhere. Why were you in Llewelyn¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°That man kidnapped me, you rescued me, don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    ¡°I have seen plenty of attractive beastkin, but none I truly desired until I met you, so what did you do to me?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear the name Sofia.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want me to say!¡± ¨CShe says in tears.-


    ¡°I want the truth!¡± ¨CI say grasping the bedpost snapping it in my hand.-


    Sandra: ¡°I told you the truth!¡± ¨CShe cries fleeing from the bed cowering in the corner.-


    ¡°This was a brand new bed¡­¡± ¨CI say looking at the broken bedpost in my hand.- ¡°First time it has been used in fact¡­ Maybe you should go, I sorry Sofi¡­a¡­¡±


    ¡­Why¡­? After all these years, why now, why this beastkin woman that looks nothing like her? It doesn¡¯t make any sense.  I feel a soft hand on my back and then a voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you loved her didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry, but it sounds like you must have really loved her if just the mention of her name was enough to hurt you so much¡­¡±


    ¡°I have bought, sold, traded, and even summoned women to fill my bed, Sofia was just one of many. She was just taken from me and people don¡¯t take what is mine.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t truly believe that do you? You said yourself that others you have been with you have tried to make them look like her. If you don¡¯t mind me asking what happened to her?¡±


    I don¡¯t know why I told her, but I tell Sandra about Sofia, about the marriage, the 2 months we were together, and the 2 years I was gone before returning only to find she was long gone. Those I summon know what happened, but to say I actually told someone about it, I think this is the first time.


    Sandra: ¡°I am by no means an expert, but the fate you saved me from wasn¡¯t all too dissimilar to the fate Sofia had to endure. I admit I didn¡¯t nearly have it that bad, but in saving me maybe the part of you that wanted to save Sofia has been fulfilled, and that¡¯s why I remind you of her. Not because of looks, but because of the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying you are nothing special, and it wasn¡¯t even you I was attracted to, but the thought of saving Sofia?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°It hurts a little when you say it like that¡­¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like I can go back and save Sofia now, and I have already learned after all these years trying to replace her that this is impossible as well, so what do I do now?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°Who says you have to? I know it¡¯s not quite the same, but when my mother died I would have done anything to bring her back, but of course that is impossible, so you just have to accept it and move forward. When my father remarried it¡¯s not like she was a replacement for my mother, but that doesn¡¯t mean she isn¡¯t my mother as well. You don¡¯t need to try to save or replace Sofia anymore, just find someone or something that makes you happy now.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you are right¡­You know what would make me happy now?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°¡­A repeat of that tail thing you did!¡±


    Sandra: ¡°Eh!!¡± ¨CShe says as I push her back onto the bed and crawl over her.-The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Sandra by far is not the best women I have taken to bed, hell probably in the not top 100, but she is a quick learner, and it was easily double the pleasure the next time around. That seemed to be all she could handle however as she is now sleeping peacefully on my bed.


    Maybe Sandra was right, I don¡¯t have to forget about Sofia, but it¡¯s time to let her go.  I take a small brooch from my dungeon inventory and look at it. It has been over thirty years since I last even laid eyes on it, but I couldn¡¯t let it go. After a few taps on [Menu] I receive a message.


    Breaking down [Decorative Brooch] will result in 1xp, do you wish to continue?


    Everything I have left of her only amounts to a single point of xp¡­ I hit the accept button and the brooch breaks down and disappears from my hand, and I watch my xp counter increase by 1 point. I can¡¯t spend every single point of xp I have just to make the point, but if I leave it like this I think I will always be holding on to 1 point of xp the same way as I was the brooch, so after looking through [Menu] I summon a simple golden necklace.


    A brooch for a necklace doesn¡¯t really seem to change much really, but this time I don¡¯t intent to keep it. I slide the necklace around Sandra¡¯s neck, and that causes her to wake up, and she quickly notices the necklace.


    Sandra: ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¨CShe says sleepily.-


    ¡°Me moving on¡­ You have family waiting for you, isn''t that right? I''d best return you before they think you have been kidnapped again.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°But didn¡¯t you though?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, who was it that was pinning who to the bed?¡± ¨CWhen I say that Sandra quickly begins to blush covering her face with the sheet.-


    Sandra pulls the sheet back down and say. ¡°But if you send me back will I ever see you again?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°Would you be mad if I said no¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ouch¡­¡±


    Sandra: ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong I will forever be grateful for what you did, and I am glad you came back, but I think with all this.¡± ¨CShe says motioning to the room. - ¡°I think the less I know the better. I do think I will try to remember you looking like this though, and not whatever that was you looked like before.¡±


    ¡°So you will what, just go back to being a barmaid?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°No, I think after I have a talk with my parents I am going to start over. Who knows maybe I will become an adventurer myself and one day save you from a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°If you are serious about becoming an adventurer I would suggest making for the city of Tobes in the Gowen kingdom. They have a school to train adventurers there and a pretty decent dungeon.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I couldn¡¯t afford to travel that kind of distance.¡±


    I access the dungeon inventory pulling several items including a high quality steel rapier, one of the signature battle dresses all my women wear, and a small bag of gold handing it to Sandra. ¡°That should get you started, and if you show up in that armor there they will know who sent you and take good care of you. If you decide not to become an adventurer, just sell the sword and armor, and you should be set for quite a while.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°This is all too much, I don¡¯t even know your name¡­¡±


    I quickly cast a spell wrapping her, the items I gave her, and with her clothes in the sheet from the bed and then teleport her back to her village. I didn¡¯t teleport her into the middle of the street, but if someone happens to be in the restroom of the adventurer¡¯s guild it might become somewhat of an embarrassing situation.


    I use [Menu] to replace my already broken brand new bed, and then decide what I need to do next.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    After the meeting with the Elders in which they made me a temporary Elder, I finally made it back home and thought maybe, just maybe, I could finally relax a bit with Belinda, but of course the moment I arrived I am greeted by Ceres.


    ¡°My dungeon is in shambles, I am now going to have to do more work until they replace the missing Elders, and there are still people out there trying to kill me, so do tell me, after all that how did I come out of this smelling like a rose?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The attack gave you so many skills, monsters, and items that you won¡¯t even be able to use them all for months, the dungeon core that attacked you now has to pay back over double the amount of xp you lost in the attack, and with her having to protect you as long as the debt is owed she is sure to try to pay it in the quickest possible method, and you get to sit in the big boy¡¯s chair, doesn¡¯t that make you happy?¡±


    ¡°Not one bit¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°So grumpy, maybe you should take a vacation.¡±


    ¡°If people weren¡¯t trying to kill me, or do favors for them, or if I didn¡¯t just have to fight to survive, then yes I would love to take a vacation, but last time I tried that I got kidnapped.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I got these two tickets here.¡± ¨CShe says producing them from thin air.- ¡°you and the missus could take them and stay at the Sky Gardens for a week.¡± ¨CShe then scrunches up her face shakes her hands and the tickets disappear.- ¡°Oh but I guess those won¡¯t become valid for a couple more years now will they¡­?¡±


    ¡°What is it you want this time¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I told you if you managed to make it through that rat race I would let you ask me a few questions, so lay it on me!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well, if you have any questions then¡­¡±


    ¡°No wait! How do we produce new dungeon cores?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I thought you were smart, you already have silly.¡±


    ¡°So my child is going to be a dungeon core as well? That still leaves a problem, there are lots of dungeon cores out there that are classified as humans, and if they can¡¯t summon humans they can¡¯t make new cores.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯m sure it will work itself out eventually.¡±


    ¡°So much for answering my questions¡­ I guess it would be pointless to ask who it is you serve, or who the other god is?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out when you are supposed to, and not a moment before.¡±


    ¡°What about Samuel Torres? Is he really Kline¡¯s ancestor, and do we have to worry about him being taken over by the other god again?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Yes, and yes, but that goes for all monsters not just him.¡±


    ¡°Samuel isn¡¯t a monster though.¡±


    Ceres: ¡±The gods didn¡¯t create beastkin, just like the elves, dwarves, and all those species of demi-humans that was all on the dungeons.¡±


    ¡°He can control it even if they are generations removed from the dungeon? Then what can¡¯t he control?¡±


    Ceres:¡± Now that is a good question, lets see, humans, dragons, most demons and angels, oh and all the normal animals as well like bears, deer, and that sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°But dungeons can summon most of those things.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Last time I checked your dungeon can summon all of those things, but just because a dungeon can summon it doesn¡¯t mean it originated in dungeons.¡±


    ¡°So with the exception of humans he can control pretty much anyone?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°As long as they are not already bound to a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°So then he isn¡¯t controlling the dungeon cores that attacked the Elders or my dungeon.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I told you it was a matter strictly between dungeon cores.¡±


    ¡°The abilities they used seemed to be far more then what a dungeon core should be able to do, and Rosalinda said that instead of worrying about the return of the gods I should be worried about the one she worked for. I don¡¯t know about you, but that sounds like another god to me¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well that looks like about all the time we have for questions today! Really though you and the missus should take a break it isn¡¯t good for the baby for her to be so stressed all the time.¡± ¨CWithout another word Ceres is gone.-


    ¡°Yea¡­¡±


    I let out a deep sigh, I really would like to take a break, but now we have to worry about the fact if we are away when we are getting attacked and they use another one of those things that blocked communication we might not be able to return to even protect the dungeon.


    I told the others before leaving for the meeting that they could return home and their normal routine, but I think if Belinda was in the house she would have heard Ceres and I talking by now. Maybe she went to check on Scylla since she hasn¡¯t seen them in a while.


    After letting the bunnies know I have returned and indeed confirming that Belinda is indeed next door at the city hall I head there to check on her.


    When I reach the adventurers guild I find there are quite a few rumors circulating around about the dungeon. The mage group that Hecate chased out of the dungeon quickly returned to Tobes and told about the woman with the mythril clad monsters in the dungeon so everyone was quite worried.


    The mages guild was worried that if the dungeon was destroyed they would lose all their regents so they apparently attempted to contact us through Vetala but she just kept assuring the mages guild that we were handling the situation.


    It didn¡¯t help with the fact Zoey was showing off her new fancy mythril armor earlier and one of the mages put two and two together. The consensus on the matter is rather split it seems either our group went in the dungeon and ambushed the monsters to defend the dungeon, or the dungeon took care of the intruders and we collected the spoils.


    Either way they now it is split between those who have a greater fear of the dungeon for taking out such a monstrous group all clad in mythril, and those who are starting to wonder just how much they should fear our group if we took them out and returned without even a scratch.


    I make my way upstairs to the mayor¡¯s offices and Belinda catches sight of me and her eyes light up. It¡¯s the little things like that for instance that make my day. Belinda finishes up what she is doing with Scylla and then joins me.


    Belinda: ¡°I am glad you made it back. It¡¯s already a bit late, but do you still want to take a stroll around town?¡±


    ¡°I bumped into Ceres right when I returned from the meeting, so that slowed me down a bit, but sure I could use some fresh air after being in the dungeon core room all this time.¡±


    Fall is already starting to take shape, and we normally would have been training new dungeon cores at this time. That means while being cooped up in the dungeon core room my birthday passed without having to kick up a fuss about it, so it wasn¡¯t all bad.


    That does mean it is starting to get darker a bit earlier, and a bit cooler, but not enough that as part of the dungeon we have to worry about. The feeling of the breeze on my face as we take our stroll is actually quite refreshing.


    I fill Belinda in on the events that happened at the meeting with the Elders, and then with Ceres.


    ¡°She kept mentioning we should take a break, and then mentioned something that made me think we should check on Maeve, so if nothing else we should probably visit the girls.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And you have got to talk to father.¡±


    I let out a deep sigh.


    Belinda: ¡°What are you sighing for? Father likes you more than half of his actual children!¡±


    ¡°He knows enough about dungeon cores that there are going to be a lot of questions that I don¡¯t know if he is going to like the answer to. I can¡¯t say for certainty any of it is true, because we can only take Ceres¡¯s word for it, and we still don¡¯t know what her end game is.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s why you need to speak with him about it, so he knows exactly where we stand.¡±


    ¡°What about the mages and adventurers? They seemed to be in quite an uproar of Hecate¡¯s group not returning from the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°With the werewolf, dragon-like demi-human, and some of the others that were part of Hecate¡¯s group that the mages seen. They seem to acknowledge they were up to no good, so I am sure we don¡¯t have anything to worry about there.¡±


    ¡°They still seem quite fearful of the fact the dungeon itself or our group was able to deal with them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The protection from Gowen is still in effect, and the mage¡¯s guild needs the elemental wings, so I think if anything they will just be more cautious in the future. That only means they will try to gain more levels and in the end supply better xp back to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should start adding more to the dungeon to benefit Tobes, and that might help ease some of their concerns.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Well creating big empty rooms with a supply of water should be easy enough, but I don¡¯t have the means to create the artificial lighting that Inari uses to make farms viable, but we have access to plenty of livestock.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are talking about supplying meat to Tobes? That is one of the largest imports into Tobes because most of it has to be brought in from outside the forest, but meat isn¡¯t like regents or magic crystals. I am sure the animals would be rift monsters, so they would have to be processed inside the dungeon, and that is something I just don¡¯t think the typical adventurer would be able to do.¡±


    ¡°We could make a small village of demi-humans now that we have quite a variety to choose from. If we make them small, non-intimidating, and on the lower end of sentience then maybe the humans would be willing to trade with them.


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ You hear about villages that will sometimes trade with demi-humans, but actual dungeon monsters? How could you be sure the adventurer¡¯s would trade with them instead of just kill them?¡±


    ¡°Right now the part of the dungeon with the most room to spare is in the soldiers training area. Normal adventurers can¡¯t enter there because it is for military use, so if we put it there maybe we could have the soldiers iron out the deal with the help of Doug and Aria. They could even put an outpost in the dungeon to keep an eye on these monsters as it were, creating an opportunity for more soldiers in Tobes.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t even know if humans would eat meat that came from a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like we have the xp at the moment to implement it, but it¡¯s an idea at least. Maybe when we are visiting Inari we can have her give us some ideas on other things that we can do.


    Belinda and I continue our outing late into the evening and then finally retire into a much needed night in our own bed. We still have a lot to do and a lot to worry about, but without a known threat of an attack it makes it a bit easier to at least take a deep breath here and there.


    During Hecate and Rosalinda¡¯s final push with all of the werecreatures that was enough xp to keep us out of immediate danger, and so far the xp Hecate supplied last night also exceeds 20,000xp. If she keeps this speed up she will have that debt paid off in no time¡­


    If over 20,000xp is only 10% of what she is brings in daily that in itself is scary to think about for a dungeon core that has only had her dungeon a matter of hours. Her level is way beyond mine anyway, so she is probably gathering it herself and not with her dungeon.


    Meeting with Belinda¡¯s father should be something to handle sooner rather than later so we made preparations to meet with him and Logan. It goes a lot smoother than I expected, but with the possibility of Logan being able to produce and heir with Queen seems to put them in high spirits. I don¡¯t have the heart to tell them we have still been unable to find a way to produce them between human dungeon cores though.


    We also learn that they have received the official notice of the time and place in which Belinda¡¯s sister Tanya is set to marry the prince of Exeter, so that is just one more thing added to the list of things we have to deal with.


    While having her father¡¯s ear Belinda speaks further about her idea of making an institute of higher learning in Tobes, and nothing seems to make Belinda happier then when her father says if anyone can accomplish something like that it would be her.


    The library in Gowen is as we know quite the mess, but its only purpose was to preserve the books, so Belinda¡¯s father agreed as long as we are willing to continue to do so we could take some of or even all of them if was of any help.


    There may be some historical accounts that may prove useful, and a few other books, but I think as a whole we will need a lot more books then Gowen¡¯s library has to offer. That is still a project we are only in the idea stage for anyway, so there isn¡¯t any rush.


    After visiting with Belinda¡¯s father and brother we decide to check on the girls. Sorin didn¡¯t have much to do after the attack was over, and Maeve was keen on getting her hands on a few of the swan beastkin, so for our visit we take him along.


    She still owes us for the elves, but if he likes it there we might come to some sort of arrangement, and not even after a few minutes of arriving there it is clear that there is no place Sorin would rather be.  He has no objections joining Maeve¡¯s dungeon, but we make sure Maeve is going to treat him right before allowing her to bind him to her dungeon.


    She does still want quite a few more of the swan beastkin, so after seeing how much Sorin seems to like it on Maeve¡¯s dungeon, once she pays us back for the elves maybe I will trade her a few more. Belinda and I are quite glad that at only a year old she is doing quite well for herself.


    After visiting with her for a while longer we visit the twins Dawn and Twilight as well, and they seem to be doing quite well for themselves as well. We wanted to talk about coming up with some ideas for helping Tobes a bit more with the dungeon, so we save visiting Inari for last, that and I think Belinda wanted to steal a soak in that large hot spring bath thing that Inari has, so after saying farewell to Dawn and Twilight, Belinda and I then make our way to Inari¡¯s dungeon in Shima.

 Visiting Inari

    When things started to settle down after Hecate¡¯s attack on my dungeon we decided to pay a visit to all of the girls to see how they are doing, and after Sorin stayed behind at Maeve¡¯s dungeon we continued onto Dawn and Twilight¡¯s dungeons.


    We wanted to speak with Inari in detail about things we might be able to do in our own dungeon to help Tobes in some degree like she is doing with her village, so we decided to pay her a visit last. It is already pretty late in the afternoon in Shima when we arrive, but that means it¡¯s going to be really late when we return.


    After we spend a bit of time checking on how Inari has been fairing it is already clear that her dungeon has surpassed my own. I doubt it would still withstand an attack by the likes of someone like Hecate, but so far it seems like I am the oldest dungeon core that can enter her dungeon.


    Other than her sentient beastkin, not a single monster in her dungeon has ever seen combat, all of her xp comes from the villagers and endless supply of Oni outside her dungeon.


    Belinda: ¡°So how are things going with the villagers?¡±


    Inari: ¡°They have been content so far, but pretty soon they are going to need some more space.¡±


    ¡°How are your secondary dungeons fairing?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I haven¡¯t really grown them much leaving them just as temples to Inari, but Kenta¡¯s dungeon on the coast is doing pretty good under [Inari¡¯s Providence]. I was sad to hear that no new cores are going to be born after I already set up that second one in preparation for them, but maybe your daughter would like to set her dungeon in Shima and let Big Sis Inari protect her.¡±


    ¡°With the dangers of Shima I don¡¯t know if I would be comfortable with that, but I am sure that will be quite a few years before she is old enough to start a dungeon if she ages like a normal human.¡±


    Inari: ¡°So you still don¡¯t know how any of that is going to work? I mean I guess that is better than Mama swelling up till she pops out a full size person.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t say that, not even as a joke!¡±


    ¡°That would be quite bad¡­ We are hoping it is going to work like a monster born in the dungeon and grow normally until reaching the age of maturity, but we don¡¯t really know for certain.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You know it is going to be a girl, so have you given any thought on what you are going to name her?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes Two-Twelve has been giving it a great deal of thought.¡± ¨CShe says in a sarcastic manner.-


    ¡°You know I might have missed my chance, but I honestly have given it thought.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You have?¡±  ¨CShe says surprised.-  ¡°What have you come up with so far?¡±


    ¡°Humans usually look to their family for names right? Like Logan, so after reading a bit about your heritage I thought maybe we could name he after your grandmother.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t like my mother much less hers, why would I want to name our child after her?¡±


    ¡°Not your mother¡¯s side¡­ Your father¡¯s¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes because naming my daughter Belinda Gowen would be great¡­¡±


    Inari laughs.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were named after her¡­ I will give it some more thought.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You were going to name our child after my grandmother and didn¡¯t even know what her name was? Don¡¯t worry baby, we won¡¯t let daddy give you any weird names.¡± ¨CShe says rubbing her stomach.-


    ¡°It was just something I was going to mention¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°You said you found out she will be a dungeon core as well right? Do you know what Dungeon Core # she will have?¡±


    ¡°No clue, we don¡¯t know if she will be given it at birth, or if we will have to assign it like a failed dungeon core that gets another chance.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I thought once you had your number that was it, didn¡¯t Dyson have to wait for his number to become available again to become a dungeon core?¡±


    ¡°Apparently that was just the elder¡¯s way of having him get rid of a problem dungeon core¡­ We managed to give Hecate, Maric¡¯s number when we let her become a dungeon core again.¡±


    Inari: ¡°After her attacking you like that I can¡¯t believe you still let her become a dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°Well it was due to a misunderstanding, and she wasn¡¯t really the one behind it.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Still giving someone that strong a dungeon after what she did just seems reckless.¡±


    ¡°Letting her start her dungeon might be enough to make her an ally. Besides if we turned her down she would just be out loose on the world with that strength while still holding a grudge.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You could have killed her, but you are too soft Daddy. One of these days it¡¯s going to come back and bite you.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t have done the same thing in her position, so I would like to think if it did happen that way, I would have someone willing to give me a second chance as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So where is Takeshi? He usually never leaves your side.¡±


    Inari: ¡°We heard rumors of another one of those corrupt dungeons, so him and some of the others are out checking it out, but with the situation Daddy was going through Takeshi thought it would be best for me to keep an eye on the dungeon just in case.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I hope it¡¯s not too dangerous!¡±


    Inari: ¡°Oh I explicitly made sure they knew if that discovered it was indeed another one of those dungeons they are too high tail it back here. With this ring Daddy gave me I was able to gain quite a few levels, but I have achieved about all I can off of the Oni, so I could really use another one of those dungeons to give me quite the edge.¡±


    ¡°What about your plans for covering the capital with [Inari¡¯s Providence]?¡±


    Inari: ¡°That¡¯s another reason we could use the xp, I want to build at least 15 million xp before I perform and undertaking like that, but so far I only have 1/3 of that. It might also cost a lot of xp, but I am thinking of setting a small [Inari¡¯s Providence] up around the corrupt dungeon if it indeed is one, and then gather xp off it for as long as possible.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just be careful alright?¡±


    Inari: ¡°We don¡¯t plan on taking any chances. You know I love your visits, but I can tell Daddy has been itching to ask me something, and it is already starting to get late.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I would really like to use that big hot spring of yours before we go, but you are right, so do you mind if I use it while you finish up?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Go right ahead.¡±


    Belinda then gives me a kiss, gives Inari a hug, and then heads out of the room.


    Inari: ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡±


    ¡°Not that big of a deal really, there are a few rumors going around in Tobes making some of the residents uneasy because of the attack that happened in my dungeon, so we were thinking maybe you could give some pointers on adding a few things to the dungeon to benefit the town more.¡±


    Inari: ¡°With Daddy¡¯s dungeon that is pretty hard, you can¡¯t summon ore right? Have you tried to add a piece of raw ore to you dungeon inventory?¡±


    ¡°Well I could summon the ore, but not the veins, so I guess I could add a bunch of chests and fill them with ore for the humans to collect, but that would get pretty costly pretty quickly.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about growing crops?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t grow without sunlight, and I can¡¯t summon that artificial sunlight like you did here. I thought about making some rifts of livestock, but that would be quite hard to set up in a way that the humans would accept.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Oh I am sure a lot of the villagers here would kill for some livestock. They lost all of theirs when the village fell, and they have been going off of scraps from wild game when they are lucky enough to come across it ever since. We can get small quantities from the port, but that is very very expensive.¡±


    ¡°Well it might not work for me, but I could always summon you some livestock, it might take a while to be able to produce them yourself, but far less time than most monsters would.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That would be a tremendous help. I just wish I could do the same for you¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sure Belinda is going to take quite a while, so with a bit of luck maybe we can come up with something by the time she finishes¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I got plenty of room if you want to stay the night.¡±


    I laugh. ¡°Maybe if we can find a way to take a chunk of your ceiling home, or a vein of ore, we could take part of the hot spring to learn how to copy it as well.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But then mommy wouldn¡¯t visit me as much anymore!¡±


    We both laugh and then Inari seems to be thinking for a moment. ¡°Well I might not be able to do anything about the artificial sunlight, but¡­ ¡°


    Inari then accesses [Menu] and after a few seconds a large boulder appears in the middle of the room crushing the small table between us and even causing considerable damage to the floor. She quickly looks around.


    Inari: ¡°Opps¡­ Don¡¯t tell the others about that. I will fix it in a moment and they won¡¯t know the difference.¡±


    Inari then accesses [Menu] again the stone begins to grow in size but it looks different. It looks double the size as it was before, but I can see flakes of ore through the new parts of the stone.


    Inari: ¡°I have to add the ore deposits onto stone, but it looked like a small rock worked. It may not be large enough to give you any useable amount of ore, but if you teleport this back to your dungeon maybe you can at least be able to make your own veins of ore then.¡±


    ¡°Is it just iron?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yes I just wanted to see if it works, but if it does we can make a few more for you as well. Unfortunately they are non-renewing versions of them, because like rifts it would be unable to be removed from my dungeon if it was.¡±


    I use [Gate] setting the portal directly below the stone so it falls though into one of the sealed off rooms in the unused section of the soldiers training area. I pass through the portal as well to receive a message.


    New Dungeon Texture AvailableThis tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Iron Ore Texture*                           Cost 10xp cost per 100 Cubic feet


    * This kind of texture must be placed attached to a preexisting natural styled texture. It will produce a finite amount of destructible material matching the texture it was attached to along with a finite amount of the ore in which is purchased.


    After closing the message I then quickly pass back through the portal to see Inari using [Menu] to replace the flooring of her house and the table that got broken.


    Inari: ¡°Did it work?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is any different then what you can make but I received the Iron Ore Texture, so it at least worked somewhat.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That¡¯s good, let¡¯s get you a few more types, but I think we should do the rest of this in the yard, so we don¡¯t break anything else¡­¡±


    By the time it is all said and done I have quite a few of the large oddly shaped boulders sitting around in my dungeon, but I now have access to several different types of ores and even a few gemstone deposits in which I could add to my dungeon now.


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t know of a way to be able to get you the type that slowly replenishes itself, but that should at least get you started.¡±


    ¡°It might be quite costly for me to have to use them this way, so I guess I should just throw a few into my dungeon and test to see if it brings any added benefits to my dungeon before making any kind of mine.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright let me make a room real quick and we can then put the animals in there until I can start making use of them.¡± ¨CShe says accessing [Menu] one last time.- ¡°Alright I got a room set up, it¡¯s not accessible from the outside so that should prevent any sounds carrying and accidently being heard by the villagers.¡±


    Inari then takes my arm and transfers us within her dungeon. I don¡¯t know how much xp she just spent but she did it without blinking an eye, and the resulting room is mind numbing¡­ The only reason I know we are deep underground is because it is late enough the sun has set outside so the roof over head is just putting off a low amount of light.


    The room cost itself would have been high, but compared to my labyrinth it isn¡¯t that surprising, what is surprising is everything else in this room. There is a large grass meadow complete with a small creek running through that even has an arched bridge over the top of it.


    There are several buildings each massive in size that are different types of barns, and other buildings for housing animals.  Off to the far side there is a row of decent looking Shima style houses in which the small creek runs right next to.


    ¡°This is something else¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°It should work at least for now¡­ I am sure there are probably things I missed, but I was in a bit of a hurry. It will be a while till the villagers will get to see it, so maybe I can finish it out before they do.¡±


    ¡°I am starting to get really afraid of what you could accomplish if you had the mind to¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Then you better start getting me my animals!¡± ¨CShe says jokingly with her face scrunched up.-


    I use [Gate] to return to my dungeon and open [Menu] narrowing the results in the monster screen to just animals.


    Cow, chickens, goats, pigs, ducks, sheep, turkeys, and several types of fish they are all really low on cost so I summon five or six a piece of each one of them sending them through the portal. I don¡¯t think horses or donkeys are really used for their meat so I leave them out, but one more animal catching my eye and I summon a pair.


    With a smirk on my face I step back though the portal carrying the last two animals and Inari seems rather pleased grabbing the last remaining fish flopping about on the ground dropping it into the creek, and then she sees what is in my arms.


    Inari: ¡°And just want do you plan on doing with those things.¡±


    ¡°What they are good eating, or at least I hear, and they breed really quickly so you could probably introduce them far sooner than the other animals.¡± ¨CI say setting them down in the grass.-


    Inari: ¡°Don¡¯t set them down! I don¡¯t want those things touching my dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Really now¡­ What is it you have against rabbits anyway?¡±


    Inari: ¡°They are vile and disgusting little things and they should all die!¡±


    ¡°Well you are doing this for a food supply for the village so that is sort of the end goal. Besides I thought foxes were supposed to like eating rabbits?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Haha very funny Daddy¡­ Look there they go already trying to take over my dungeon!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good the sooner they reproduce the sooner you can summon them yourself and then use them for their meat.¡±


    Inari walks over grabbing them both by the ears picking them up and looking them in the eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t think you have won, I will be sure to be the one that eats you myself!¡± ¨CShe then takes them to a cage and tosses them in it shutting the door and latching it.-


    Inari then casts [Clean] on herself and then rejoins me. ¡°Well aside from those things, I think this will do quite nicely.¡±


    ¡°Well it might take a while before you can produce more on your own, but maybe your villagers will appreciate it the day you can.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I can guarantee it, and I will even let you and mommy come to the party that I am sure they will throw the first time we get to butcher one of the cows¡­¡±


    Inari then transfers us back to her house and we return to the seating area. ¡°Well the ore wasn¡¯t a good solution, but it was a start, and I don¡¯t even know how to start to teach you how to use the artificial lighting, but you said you were thinking about putting livestock in your own dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Processing something like one of those rabbits, or even maybe a chicken wouldn¡¯t be so bad I think, but an entire pig or cow? I think that would be too much for the adventurers. When we were training in Exeter I seen a few commissions that were for adventurers that could do exactly that, but I don¡¯t think that is the norm.¡±


    Inari: ¡°So what where you planning on doing?¡±


    I then tell Inari about the plan I told Belinda with the demi-human village and about using the soldiers to keep an eye on them.


    Inari: ¡°I am a dungeon core, and I don¡¯t even think I would trust meat that a dungeon monster is offering me¡­ I don¡¯t see why you don¡¯t just make a few rooms and turn the animals loose in them.¡±


    She then seems to think about it for a few more moments.


    Inari: ¡°Sure the adventurers might not be able to butcher animals properly, but then either the adventurers will learn, or others that can will hire adventurers to take them into the dungeon to harvest the animals.¡±


    ¡°That is an option, but I want to someday find a way for humans to communicate with the dungeon letting them once and for all know we are intelligent, and we are just trying to survive like they are¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy, bridging the gap between dungeons and humans is going to take more than a few cows¡­¡±


    ¡°I know that, but we have to start somewhere.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What if the demi-humans don¡¯t come from the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°That might get the villagers used to demi-humans but I don¡¯t know how it would help the dungeon.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Hear me out¡­ You summon your low-intelligence demi-humans, and have them get spotted making their way to the dungeon. Once they don¡¯t return the townsfolk might get curious about their fate and find them living peacefully inside the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°If I did it that way they wouldn¡¯t know that they didn¡¯t come from the dungeon to begin with and might think the dungeon is starting to send monsters out.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That could still work, because the humans might panic at first but once the soldiers investigate and find them moving in they could watch them for as long as they want before determining they aren¡¯t a threat to the town.¡±


    ¡°I think that would probably work¡­ Well, I better go check on Belinda, she has been in there for a long time, and you are probably ready to go to bed yourself.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Like I said Daddy, you are more than welcome to stay the night, but it might indeed be a good idea to go check on Mommy¡­¡±


    I say goodnight to Inari and then head to the hot spring to check on Belinda. She still seems to be enjoying herself quite a bit.


    ¡°You stay in there any longer and you are going to cook our poor child¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Good, you are done. Did you manage to get things worked out?¡±


    ¡°For the most part. We should probably head home, it is already really late now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Not until you join me!~¡±


    I can¡¯t say that I wouldn¡¯t enjoy it, but I am ready to go home after traveling all day¡­ She finally manages to talk me into joining her, and after a short bath we finally head back home, and go to sleep in the wee hours of the morning.


    Dyson PoV


    I haven¡¯t been completely slacking off since my return to my own dungeon, but I just don¡¯t have any more leads to follow. The fact Dungeon Core #634 was involved actually made me have to take a step back and look at this in a completely different manner.


    After Sandra departed I felt a big burden leave my shoulders, and even without quickly refilling my entourage I am not in as big of a rush. Not that I haven¡¯t kept myself occupied with a few women, I believe when I do refill my entourage I am going to put much more emphasis in quality over quantity.


    I am no longer going to deny beastkin women from my entourage, but they are going to have to meet my new standard of being at least a 4 along with the others I choose. I would say that would still be impossible for any beastkin woman to achieve, but I have noticed even though no beastkin could qualify as anything higher than a 2 in the past on my trip to the slave paddock I seen a few that could pass as a 3.


    I guess my encounter with Sandra was enough for the ears and tail to not be a total turn off for me, but if they wish to join my entourage they are going to have to be something truly special. One person that could produce such a beastkin is Two-Twelve, but he has never been too keen on trading one for such a manner, and I am not sure I even want him to know I am back yet.


    I guess if the father is out of the question maybe some of it rubbed off on the daughters. I open [Observation] and decide to look in on Two-Twelve¡¯s newest trainee Dungeon Core #135 [Maeve]. She appears to have gained access to elves and has quite a few that are up to the standards I have come to expect from Two-Twelve, but with Elves stature they are only good in limited situations.


    There is something else that catches my eye however. It is male, and she only has one, so perhaps it is her boss monster, but if she can produce more of these angel like beings I would definitely like to my hands on one.


    I decide with nothing else going on I have got to know, so I send he a message in hopes that she will meet with me. The response I receive back is very quick and energetic, but why wouldn¡¯t it be? An elder wishing to trade with a dungeon core barely a year old would have been unheard of before Two-Twelve¡¯s time.


    I prepare several xp beads in preparation for negotiations and then prepare to teleport to her dungeon. Under normal circumstances teleporting to another¡¯s dungeon is as simple as looking in on them with [Observation], but with #135¡¯s dungeon it makes things a bit different.


    If I don¡¯t know her exact current location I could wind up teleporting to the wrong place quite easily, so after making sure I have a firm grasp on her location I teleport and arrive in an open meadow with the long grass blowing in the breeze.


    The ruined village that was on her dungeon the last time I was here is in the distance, so it looks like she has expanded the surface area by quite a lot. There are several small trees here, there, and yonder, and each one seems to be used as foundations for tent like dwellings typical of the common elves.


    I meet with Maeve in one of the ruined buildings which might usually be quite the insult, but with aesthetics of being able to look over the meadow with the blowing breeze, and moss growing on the ruined structure it is quite surreal and refreshing.


    ¡°This is quite the place you have here.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I am sorry I don¡¯t have anything better to offer Elder Dyson, but please have a seat.¡±


    The chairs are actually quite comfortable in comparison to what you would expect in a ruined building, and she even seems quite nervous in my presence. Which in itself is quite the attractive feature, but with her meager breasts and tall lanky body, I am still a bit disappointed the first female Divine Being only turned out as a solid 3.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get right down to business, you see I have recently downsized my collection of women to adorn my throne room with, and in an effort to refill their ranks I was hoping we could come to an arrangement.¡±


    This seems to make Maeve even more nervous, but brings a fist to her chest and says. ¡°I understand¡­ Papa said something like this was bound to happen, and I admit after a year I thought perhaps he was exaggerating, but I assure you if that is what you are after it is going to cost you a great deal.¡±


    ¡°He anticipated something like this did he?¡± ¨CI say while stroking my chin.- ¡°I have come to think of Two-Twelve as a confidant, and as close to a friend as I have, but I feel something like this would be something he might try to discourage, so it may be in our best interest to keep this matter solely between us.¡±


    Maeve doesn¡¯t seem any less nervous but she seems to be getting quite excited as well as she puffs out her meager chest and says. ¡°Oh of course, it definitely should be something we could never tell papa about.¡±


    She seems to think she has me over a barrel with me not wanting Two-Twelve to find out about our exchange, so perhaps I should work my way to a woman like that flying man, and make it sound like I want one of the elves instead. When I mention the price being unreasonable then perhaps I can get a better deal on what I actually want.


    ¡°The quality of your elves are what I have come to expect from Two-Twelve, so I am glad you managed to inherent that from him.¡±


    Maeve looks taken aback a bit. ¡°Elves? I received them in a trade with Papa, I should have unlocked them by now, but maybe because my dungeon lacks a large enough forest I haven¡¯t been able to, but you¡¯re not here to talk about elves.¡±


    Shit, she knew from the beginning what I as after, I guess I should expect nothing less from Two-Twelve¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°Fine, then you can do it exactly as I say?


    Maeve: ¡°If the price is right, I will do my best.¡±


    She seems to not be giving me a starting price to see where I stand¡­ Sentient elves are roughly 2000 to 3000xp depending on your favored element and a flying humanoid would probably be at least double that. So I will start the bid at 10,000xp and she where she goes from there.


    ¡°Alright, if I get just what I want then how about 10,000xp?¡±


    This seems to anger her a great deal as she jumps to her feet. ¡°10,000xp! What do you take me for!?¡±


    ¡°Fine then you give me a number and we can go from there.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I have heard some of the deals you made with Papa, so even starting at 1 million should easily be possible for you.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t pay 1 million for my entire entourage much less a single member of it.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well you never have had one of these in your entourage!¡±


    ¡°You might be right there, and at the price I never will, I might be willing to go as high as 50,000xp but that is it.¡±


    Maeve:¡± I might not be built like Mama, or other monsters of Papa¡¯s, but I am at least worth 10 times that, and what are the odds you are going to find another Divine Being?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡­? I¡¯m not here for you, but you know¡­ ¡° ¨CI say while sizing her up.- ¡°It is good to know where you stand.¡±


    Maeve¡¯s face quickly turns to that of shock, and then embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill Papa the next time I see him!¡± ¨CShe then turns and punches one of the ruined walls.- ¡°He said with me being a Divine Being¡­ Aww!¡± ¨CShe screams red faced and punches the wall again.-


    After a minute Maeve manages to calm herself back down and then says. ¡°Wait, then what are you here for¡­?¡±


    ¡°That flying man, I wanted to trade you for a woman of the same race.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Sorin¡­? He was a gift from Papa as well, I want to get quite a few more from him, but I still owe him for the elves.¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve summoned that¡­? Damnit¡­ Wait, you said he was willing to trade with you, but you just owed him for the elves?¡±


    Maeve nods sitting in the chair across from me running hands roughly through her hair still quite embarrassed about the situation, while saying under her breath. ¡°Stupid¡­ Stupid.¡±


    ¡°Well then I might have just the idea for both of us to get what we want.¡±

 The Dungeons Newest Allies

    After the visit to Inari I made a few adjustments in my dungeon, at the moment either in the area outside or the entryway to the dungeon are the only parts that use natural like textures, so adding the ore will mean I have to add a completely new room, or add it to the first section of the dungeon.


    The only floor that the adventurers currently frequent that even has room to add any additional space is the ground floor as well, so in the small square room, just past the entry tunnel I add 2 rooms off either side.


    I add an archway similar to the one connecting this room to the tunnel and then fill the entryway with iron ore blocking off the path. I don¡¯t completely block off the path or the adventurers might never notice the change, so I leave it in a way that looks like part of the wall is crumbling exposing the rooms beyond.


    The iron ore veins are pretty cheap so for now I decide to coat all four walls in the ore veins several feet thick. The holes in the archways are just large enough for the smaller varieties of kobolds to fit through, so I add a small rift of them in each of the rooms and gives them small pickaxes as weapons.


    I can¡¯t say kobolds are known for their smarts so I make some shoddy iron makeshift weapons replacing some of the kobolds weapons on the first floor along with a crude forge, and scattered rock and ore around the ground floor of the dungeon giving the entire floor a sense of disarray.


    I hope this state of the ground floor of the dungeon will also start to help with my plan for introducing the demi-human village to my dungeon.


    The next day the adventurer¡¯s guild and mage¡¯s guild both are starting to speculate on the changes of the dungeon and over the next few days I slowly start to reduce the number of monsters that spawn from the rifts to continue my plans for introducing the demi-humans to my dungeon.


    I even start to leave some of the corpses behind stopping the dungeon from automatically cleaning the rooms out after the adventurers leave. The appearance of the ore is quickly forgotten behind the rumors that something definitely seems wrong in the dungeon.


    One morning I receive a message from a dungeon core I know of but haven¡¯t ever actually spoken to.


    Bianca: (Archjusticar of the Elders, I was told to inform you when the one Duke Dingleberry wishes to meet with is due to return, and so I have. Pass the message along and be sure to remind him of the compensation in which he promised.)


    I am not sure what Dyson wants with Bianca, or how my name falls into this, but I send a message back informing her I will let him know, and then relay the message to Dyson via the communication parchment.


    Dyson doesn¡¯t answer me back but I become busy when I am informed of a meeting that is being called with the Mage¡¯s Guild. One more push and then I will introduce some of the demi-humans¡­ The meeting goes about like you would expect they are worried about the dungeons decline.


    We manage to convince them that when our group supposedly dealt with the group that they had found the crystal and it was in bad shape before we were able to stop them. We also said they were battling a great deal of the dungeon¡¯s monsters as well, so after they were defeated we had to quickly flee before the monsters attacked us as well.


    It means we have to give the Mage¡¯s Guild and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild a bit more information about the dungeon then they currently know, but I didn¡¯t tell them about the three floors past the door locked by the orbs, saying that door lead straight to the crystal.


    I also could play off most of the monsters the dungeon has at that point because we said they were already gone when we reached that point. They quickly sent a message via communication parchment to the Adra Mage¡¯s Guild, but they said they haven¡¯t ever heard of a crystal taking damage like that without breaking.


    I heard my crystal withstood one of Listel¡¯s [Dark Arcana Blade] attacks but the crystals I have broken seemed to have done so quite easily, so maybe I shouldn¡¯t have said that. I tell them by the point in which a crystal is being damaged the adventurer either leaves a hero or doesn¡¯t leave at all, so maybe it happens more often but there just isn¡¯t anyone left to rely the information, and they seem to accept that.


    Nobody knows how to heal a damaged crystal so they decide to just have the Mage¡¯s Guild not enter the dungeon for a few days in hopes that without the loss of more monsters the dungeon will be able to recover.


    In truth the opposite would be more effective in having more people in the dungeon to recover lost xp, but with my secondary dungeon covering Tobes it doesn¡¯t affect me in the least, so I agree on their plan. We also put a hold on the adventurers entering the dungeon, and have the soldiers take a post outside the dungeon to make sure nobody interferes with the dungeon.


    Through all the faking about the dungeon being injured we are actually doing really well, we still haven¡¯t replaced a lot of the non-rift monsters yet, but with the added xp that we are receiving from Hecate we are in pretty good shape, so the next morning I decide to introduce the demi-humans.


    For now I head down to dungeon core training room and start to summon some sentient demi-humans. I summon them in the rift room, clothe them, move them to the larger room, and then repeat the process some 20 times¡­


    By the time I am done I have 20 small gnomes wandering around the room barking, grunting, with minimal amounts actual speech, and when I enter the room they quiet down and look up at me with an awe that is somewhat disturbing¡­


    The last one I summoned was the one I put the most thought into because I wanted him to serve as their leader, and as he only entered the room right before me he didn¡¯t have a chance to see the others yet.


    He quickly throws his little hands out and proclaims. ¡°Babga macka Master!¡±


    All the little waist high gnomes cheer and quickly drop to their knees in front of me.


    ¡°Hold on here¡­ I summoned you with the intention of making the humans think you worshiped the dungeon, but you don¡¯t actually have to worship me¡­


    Head Gnome: ¡°Imika Master!¡± ¨CHe calls out and all the gnomes quickly bow over and over again while staying on their knees.-


    ¡°This was not my intention¡­ Please, I need to treat me like a normal human. I can¡¯t have you acting this way around other humans.¡±


    Head Gnome: ¡°babaga imito Master, babaga macka dungeon?¡±


    I am not sure what he is saying but before they threw themselves to the ground he said that about me, and now he mentioned the dungeon, so maybe he is asking if he should worship the dungeon instead of me?


    All the other creatures I have summoned as sentient beings have been able to speak normally, being a dungeon monster they should know any language available, and even with Faron¡¯s death they should still at least know the languages known to me.


    I only learned to summon these gnomes because of the ones I summoned after Maeve sent me, but I have never summoned a sentient one. Maybe even though they are sentient they are still not smart enough to have a full grasp of human speech?


    ¡°You understand me right?¡±


    Head Gnome: ¡°Da Master!¡± ¨CHe says puffing out his chest, slapping it, and nodding his head.-


    ¡°I need you to not worship me like that, do you understand?¡±


    Head Gnome: ¡°babaga imito Master, babaga macka dungeon. ¨CHe says pointing to me and shaking his head and then holding his arms wide and then nodding.- ¡°Da?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worship the dungeon either, just make the humans think you do. Do you understand?¡±


    Head Gnome: ¡°Imito!¡± ¨CHe says shaking his head.-


    I guess I don¡¯t have a choice. It¡¯s either me or the dungeon, so I guess I will just leave it as the dungeon.


    ¡°Alright, I guess if that is what you want you can worship the dungeon, but you don¡¯t have to, do you understand?¡±


    Head gnome: ¡°Da!¡± ¨Che turns facing the other gnomes.- ¡°Babaga imito Master, babaga macka dungeon! Imika dungeon!¡±


    The gnomes throw themselves to the floor again, but instead of in bows it¡¯s more like they are trying to hug the floor, while some even roll around on it¡­ This might be a bit harder than I thought.


    ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t call me master either. Just Two-Twelve is fine.¡±


    Head Gnome: ¡°Master Two-Twelve?¡± ¨CHe says cocking his head to one side.-


    ¡°No, just Two-Twelve.¡±


    Head Gnome: ¡°Da Two-Twelve¡± ¨CHe says reaching up patting on my stomach.-


    I take a deep breath and then summon some of the livestock, starting out with a few chickens and cows.


    Head Gnome: ¡°Grindle bock bock, gringle moo moo!¡±


    The gnomes quickly jump up surrounding the livestock. I am afraid one of the cows might stomp one of the gnomes, but I guess since they are summoned from the dungeon they don¡¯t even flinch. The gnomes quickly start fighting over who can hold the chickens while others wrap themselves around the legs of the cows.


    The victors that get ahold of the chickens look as proud as they can be while trying to hold up the chickens that are almost half the size of the gnomes. The ones that lost then turn joining the others wrapping themselves around the legs of the cows.


    ¡°You do know what you are supposed to do, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The head gnome looks excited at seeing the chickens and cows, but doesn¡¯t move from his spot near me. ¡°Da! Bock bock ga moo moo humans grindle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    Something then quickly catches the head gnome¡¯s attention and he runs over slapping the back of the head of a gnome who was licking the chicken it was holding. ¡°Bock bock imito grindle baba, bock bock grindle humans!¡±


    Licking gnome: ¡°Baba imito grindle¡­?¡±


    Head gnome: ¡°Baba dungeon aka imito grindle. Baba imika babaga dungeon!¡±


    The gnome that licked the chicken looks unsatisfied as it has a frown on its face only saying ¡°Da¡±. The head gnome makes his way back over to me with the chicken after he takes away from the other gnome. The licking gnome doesn¡¯t look happy about it, but he quickly joins the others with the cows.


    Head gnome: ¡°Baba imito grindle bock bock ga moo moo.¡±


    ¡°So you do know that the animals are for the humans to eat?¡±


    Head gnome: ¡°Humans grindle bock bock ga moo moo, baba imito grindle.¡± ¨CHe says nodding his head and repositions the chicken so its feet no longer touch the ground as it holds it.-


    ¡°The soldiers are watching the dungeon so nobody tries to sneak in, I was hoping to use that as a way for the humans to know you are here, but I don¡¯t know if as it stands if you can be convincing enough for Doug to let you in the dungeon without it being suspicious to the other soldiers that are not with the dungeon.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Head Gnome: ¡°Soldier grindle bock bock! ¨Che says then shoves the chicken at me, and after a few seconds of hold the chicken out to me I take it and he nods.- ¡°Da.¡± ¨CHe says and then walks past me.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you just handing Doug a chicken is going to be convincing enough for the soldiers to let you in the dungeon. The soldiers are going to be on edge as it is because they are not used to demi-humans.¡±


    The head gnome looks shocked taking the chicken back out of my hands. ¡°Imito grindle bock bock, grindle moo moo?¡± ¨Che says propping the chicken over his shoulder while pointing at one of the cows.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t think giving him a cow would help either¡­¡±


    Head Gnome: ¡°Meh!¡± ¨CHe says collapsing to his butt while stroking the chicken which is now is just as tall as he is.-


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    Head Gnome: ¡°Grindle bock bock?¡± ¨CHe says with a smile on his face holding up the chicken.-


    I sigh with a smile on my face. ¡°No, no grindle bock bock¡­¡±


    I spend the next few hours talking with the head gnome, and I start to understand what he is saying, but he won¡¯t have that much time to convince the soldiers to enter the dungeon.


    In that time we also name the gnomes, and manage to give them each their own name, even though everyone seemed to be want to be called bock bock or moo moo¡­ The head gnome chose the name Bribri, and it seems to be a recurring pattern because well over ? of them have names with a three to four letters each being repeat.


    In the end I taught Bribri a few sentences to use to get past the soldiers. It is rather hard to keep it simple enough that Bribri can follow it, and still enough that Doug can let them into the dungeon without suspicion.


    That evening after I fill Doug in on the plan we put the plan into effect. From the dungeon core room I transfer the gnomes and livestock outside at the edge of the dungeon area, and have them approach the dungeon from inside the forest.


    When they exit the edge of the forest they are down by the lake, so there is quite a bit of distance from them and the soldiers. One of the soldiers sees the group heading up to the dungeon and calls out. ¡°Monsters!¡±


    The soldiers quickly draw their weapons and Doug calls out as well.


    Doug: ¡°Wait! How can it be monsters? We have been watching the dungeon entrance this entire time, and the dungeon has never sent out monsters before.¡±


    Soldier: ¡°Is that a cow¡­?¡±


    Soldier: ¡°What is leading the cows? Are there monsters stealing livestock from town?¡±


    Doug: ¡°I don¡¯t think they are monsters, they look like some kind of demi-human.¡±


    Soldier: ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±


    Sigrun slaps the other soldier in the back of the head. ¡°What do you mean what¡¯s the difference? Am I a monster to?¡±


    The soldier rubs his head and says. ¡°But you are a type of beastkin aren¡¯t you? Not some demi-human.¡±


    Sigrun: ¡°What do you think a beastkin is? Just because beastkin are a more common variety that doesn¡¯t mean we aren¡¯t technically demi-humans as well.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough, they don¡¯t appear to have any weapons, and they are small, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can let our guard down.¡±


    The soldiers quit the chatter and take positions. Bribri waddles up to the soldiers holding one of the chickens in his arms.


    Bribri: ¡°We enter babaga dungeon?¡±


    Watching through the screen I can¡¯t help but sigh. I told him to only use human words¡­


    Doug: ¡°You can talk? But the answer is no, the dungeon is closed by orders from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, Mage¡¯s Guild, and the Gowen royal family.¡±


    Bribri: ¡°But babaga dungeon is *cough cough* Bribri bring babaga dungeon bock bock.¡±


    ¡°Chicken! Not bock bock chicken!¡± ¨CI yell at the screen in front of me while face palming.-


    Doug: ¡°What do you know about what is going on in the dungeon?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Babaga dungeon was bad hurt, needs Bribri help.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I am guessing you are Bribri? What is it you can do to help the dungeon with a chicken?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°I also brings other babas and moo moos.¡±


    ¡°I give up¡­ Did he even listen to me?¡± ¨CI say to myself as the bunnies look at me with suspicion from over their shoulders.-


    Doug: ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean, how are you supposed to help the dungeon?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Babas purpose to help *cough cough* babaga dungeon. Babas make babaga dungeon no *cough cough*.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I mean how do you plan to fix the dungeon?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Bribri not knowing yet. Babaga dungeon be mad, Babaga dungeon be sad, or babaga dungeon be hurt. Bribri give soldier bock bock and soldier let babas in babaga dungeon?¡±


    I told him that wouldn¡¯t work. I hope he doesn¡¯t confuse Doug.


    Doug: ¡°You want to give me the chicken so you can enter the dungeon?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Bribri give soldier bock bock, make soldier no grindle. Babas then make babaga dungeon no *cough cough*¡±


    Doug: ¡°I told you the dungeon was closed.¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Bribri knows. Many soldiers, soldiers not need bock bock, soldiers need moo moo.¡±


    Doug: ¡°No, I don¡¯t need a cow either.¡± -he says starting to look confused.-


    I don¡¯t even know if he can read, but I send a message to Bribri telling him to get back on track.


    Bribri struggles with the chicken in his arms as he fights to open his message. I know what he is doing but without being able to see it looks rather strange, so I would imagine it looks even more so to the soldiers. He then tilts his head and shifts his weight getting a better grip on the chicken.


    Bribri: ¡°Da! Babas help babaga dungeon no be *cough cough* by using babas magic!¡±


    Doug seems to let out a sigh of a relief as Bribri returns to what he was supposed to say, and then Doug says. ¡°You have magic to fix the dungeon?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°That babas purpose make dungeon no *cough cough*.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ You don¡¯t even look like you can defend yourselves in the dungeon.¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Babas no need defends, Babaga dungeon let babas help babaga dungeon or stay *cough cough* Babaga dungeon let babas help babaga dungeon.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Wait you can talk to the dungeon?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°No, babas no talk babaga dungeon, bagaga dungeon just knows.¡±


    Doug: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ We should talk to my sister and the Adventurer¡¯s Guild first.¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Da, soldiers talk to my sister and babas help babaga dungeon!¡± ¨CHe says trying to walk past the soldiers but Doug stops him.-


    Doug: ¡°Hold on little guy¡­ Alright, I will make a deal with you. You show me how you fix the dungeon and we will consider letting you in the dungeon.¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Babas no make babaga dungeon no *cough cough* out here, babas must be in babaga dungeon.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Alright, but only a little bit inside, we have orders not to hurt any of the monsters till the problem with the dungeon is worked out.¡±


    The soldiers and the gnomes then enter the dungeon with the gnomes still dragging the livestock along with them. Once the reach the end of the tunnel Doug comes to a halt.


    Doug: ¡°Alright, this is as far as we go, through there is where the monsters are supposed to start.¡±


    Bribri steps through the archway and before Doug can stop him he trips the tripwire for the trap. Doug quickly calls out grabbing for the gnome, but nothing happens. I disabled the trap, but didn¡¯t tell Doug that so to make his reaction a bit more believable. I will have to apologize to him later.


    Bribri: ¡°No worries, babaga dungeon no hurt babas. Hold bock bock.¡± ¨CHe says then shoves the chicken at Doug.- ¡°No grindle bock bock. Now babas help babaga dungeon.¡±


    The gnomes look disappointed as they start to turn the livestock over to the soldiers but one gnome won¡¯t let go of the rope it was leading the cow with along with several of the other gnomes.


    Bribri: ¡°Koko gives soldier moo moo, and help babas!¡±


    I notice it¡¯s the same gnome that was licking the chicken earlier¡­ He then stubbornly refuses to let go of the rope. ¡°Imito baba moo moo, soldier imito grindle.¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Soldier Imito grindle moo moo, babaga dungeon grindle baba imito macka.¡±


    I think Bribri just told the other gnome that I was going to eat him¡­ It seemed to work because the gnome gets nervous and reluctantly let¡¯s go of the cow and joins the others.


    Bribri: ¡°Soldiers no move babas make babaga dungeon no *cough cough*.¡±


    The gnomes then start moving around the room touching the ground and walls all while speaking in whatever language it is they use is called. With the soldiers in the hallway they are in a different room, and all the gnomes are dungeon monsters so I slowly reactivate the rift causing the kobolds to begin appearing in the room.


    Soldier: ¡°Kobolds!¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Soldiers no move!¡± ¨CHe quickly calls out.-


    Doug holds back the soldier that was about to step into the room and another kobold appears in the room. The gnomes are all around, but the kobolds are completely ignoring them, and the soldiers. After the entire set of kobolds have appeared from the rift Bribri approaches Doug and holds out his stubby little arms. ¡°Give bock bock!¡±


    Doug hands Bribri the chicken again and then the other gnomes then quickly begin to fight again who gets what animal.


    Doug: ¡°That really was something¡­ Does that mean the dungeon is back to normal now?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°No, babas has gots to make all babaga dungeon no *cough cough*.¡±


    The soldiers are unsure how to react with the kobolds standing only a few feet away and still not making any attempts to attack them.


    Soldier: ¡°Prince Doug, maybe we should return to the garrison and tell them about these demi-humans.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Maybe you are right, but what about them?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°No worries, babas stays and make babaga dungeon no *cough cough*.¡± ¨CHe says as the gnomes have all returned into the room with the kobolds without the soldiers noticing.-


    Doug: ¡°We can¡¯t just leave you in here.¡± ¨CHe says trying to take a step forward, but the spike trap activates blocking the path between the soldiers and the gnomes.-


    Bribri then calls out from the other side of the spikes. ¡°Soldiers nos worry babas will make babaga dungeon no more *cough cough.*!¡±


    The soldiers then quickly try to reset the spike trap but by the time they do the gnomes are gone and the kobolds snarl and attack. The soldiers quickly retreat from the dungeon and leaving a few soldiers to guard the entrance the rest follow Doug down the mountain back towards town.


    Dyson PoV


    My favored element may be fire, but that doesn¡¯t mean I am incapable of summoning wind creatures. I can¡¯t summon anything as specialized like and elf, but monsters at the level Maeve needed to pay back Two-Twelve is no problem, and in exchange for my pick out of the swan beastkin females she gets from Two-Twelve I gave the other monsters to her.


    Now I just have to wait a few weeks to give her credibility that she us summoning them herself, and then I can acquire one of those angelic beastkin women. Ironic that I claimed finding a beastkin woman acceptable enough for my entourage would be quite hard, and yet a beastkin woman will become one of my new entourage¡¯s first members that I am greatly looking forward to exploring in great detail.


    But just after 2 days I decide I don¡¯t want to wait any longer to fill the remaining spots of my entourage with some human women. Finding fresh women is quite difficult unless I summon them myself, but I want to avoid having women that look like Sofia in my entourage from now on.


    Summoning a few just as placeholders should be easy enough, and afterwards they can then join Byson or become one of my soldiers, but before I get the chance to summon them I receive word via one of Byson¡¯s women that Two-Twelve had left me a message on the communication parchment.


    She presents it to me looking rather ashamed, and I am finding it difficult to maintain the mindset that I made the right decision in turning my entourage over to Byson. I take the communication parchment from her and then wave her off.


    Well it doesn¡¯t matter I will summon a few placeholders after I find out what it was Two-Twelve wanted, or so I thought. After reading the message about Bianca I decide it is time to get back to work. Placing the ring of the fat bastard back on my finger I inform Byson of my departure and teleport back to Bianca¡¯s dungeon.


    I find Bianca talking to a man and they seem to be trading merchandise. When I approach Bianca waves off one of the beastkin women that were going to stop me and she says.


    Bianca: ¡°Duke, I see you arrived in a timely fashion. Edward, this is the man I was telling you about, and Duke I will give you a chance to speak but then I expect what it is you promised me.¡±


    Edward seems rather nervous when he turns around, but seems to have a bit of relief wash over him after he sees my appearance. He then puts on his best businessman smile and greets me. ¡°I am Edward, I hear you had some questions for me?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I have been tracking the origins of a slave that you departed with in Southern Merretta.¡±


    Edward: ¡°I had assumed as much, but I can¡¯t tell you any more than all the rest that have asked me. I won her contract in a fair game of cards at the capital of Korta.¡±


    ¡°And the person you won her from?¡±


    Edward: ¡°It has been years¡­ All I know is he seemed like someone of importance, he had a group of adventurers that acted more as his private guards then they did normal adventurers. If I had to guess he was some sort of noble¡¯s son.¡±


    Edward then gives me all the information he has including the man¡¯s description and the adventurers that were with him, but says that¡¯s all he has.


    ¡°Well if he is a noble then someone should know him by his description. That is something I guess, if you can think of anything else Bianca knows how to reach me.¡±


    Edward then looks relived as he thanks Bianca and takes his wagon and leaves. Bianca then approaches with a smirk on her face.


    Bianca: ¡°Well I did as you asked, so I believe you owe me.¡±


    I take a small bead out of my pocket and toss it to her.


    Bianca: ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°Just what it looks like.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°Wait this is an xp bead¡­ How did you get your hands on one of these?!¡±


    ¡°You already know I know Two-Twelve, so is an xp bead that far of a stretch.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°But only the Elders can make xp beads!¡±


    ¡°I have my ways, but if you don¡¯t want it.¡±


    Bianca: ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡±


    ¡°Good, now I believe that makes us even, but if you find out any more information you know how to reach me.¡± ¨CI say then teleport to Korta without another word.-


    Korta is one of the smallest human kingdoms, and it seems half the population are nobles of some kind, but with the description of the noble and the ones with him maybe that will be enough to find out just who he is.


    He said it has been years, but maybe the noble still frequents the same tavern so I head there first and ask around for more information. No one seems to know who it is I am looking for but when I state that the information is several years old I finally get some information.


    Tavern goer: ¡°You said years¡­? Doesn¡¯t that sound a bit like Prince Korvasta?¡±


    ¡°Prince Korvasta? If he is the prince I guess I will find him at the castle?¡±


    Tavern goer: ¡°No¡­ Prince Korvasta died years ago in a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°A dungeon you say? Where!?¡±


    Tavern goer: ¡°That dungeon in Gowen, before all the fancy mage regents were coming from it, Prince Korvasta was supposed to claim its crystal as per an agreement with the Gowen Kingdom, but I say the Gowen¡¯s knew the dungeon was more then they let on and sent him there intentionally to kill him.¡±


    ¡°You are speaking of the Elemental Stronghold?¡±


    Tavern Goer: ¡°It was just the Kobold Stronghold then¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve¡­? How does the path lead back to him? I guess the reason for that cat beastkin of Laura¡¯s to enter his dungeon that first time was to investigate him concerning the cuff? If that is the case I need to speak to Two-Twelve, but first I make sure the information isn¡¯t here somewhere. Before contacting Two-Twelve I decide to try to gather more information about Korvasta first.


    I don¡¯t learn much about the late prince, except he seemed to be married into the Gowen family. I then decide I have no other choice but to find out why all paths seem to lead back to Two-Twelve. With one more teleport I arrive in Two-Twelve¡¯s town of Tobes.

 Dysons Return

    After Doug and the small group of soldiers return to town I transfer to the house. I am sure before too long I will receive a message from the mage¡¯s guild about what has happened, and shortly after I hear a knock at the door.


    I wave Vetala off as she goes to answer the door and answer it myself, but instead of seeing the face of one of the members of the Mage¡¯s Guild I am met with the altered appearance of Dyson. The confusion on my face must be apparent because the first words from his mouth are.


    Dyson: ¡°Looks like you were expecting someone else?¡±


    ¡°Well I was¡­ What are you doing here?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Following where my investigation takes me.¡±


    ¡°And that led you to me?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As a matter of fact it did. Now, are you going to invite me in?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was a bit surprised, come in¡­¡± ¨CI say stepping out of the way so Dyson can enter.- ¡°Oh by the way while you are here would you please remove the locking spell on the door in the kitchen it is a bit of a pain to no to be able to use that door.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You don¡¯t seem very worried about what I uncovered that led me here to you.¡±


    ¡°Why would I be?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What can you tell me of Korvasta of the Korta Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Kovasta¡­ That name sounds familiar but I am not sure that I know it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You ought to, you killed him.¡±


    ¡°Wait you mean Belinda¡¯s brother-in-law? That was a long time ago. I still don¡¯t remember much from back then¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well it seems before he met his sticky end in your dungeon, he was in possession of the cuff that Laura placed on you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, I thought you told me Laura wasn¡¯t involved¡­ I agreed in letting Lucille place Laura as a temporary Elder because you said she wasn¡¯t involved in the attacks.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Wait you what?¡±


    I then tell Dyson about the meeting with the Elders and about them making Laura and I both temporary Elders.


    Dyson: ¡°Well I guess it doesn¡¯t matter, but you heard right.¡±


    Dyson then explains to me what he has learned in his investigation.


    ¡°If I was able to kill Korvasta before becoming even a year old, I seriously doubt he was able to make the cuff.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Indeed, I think him dying in your dungeon was where Laura lost track of where the cuff came from. It might even be part of the reason for her grudge against you.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know how we can find out how Korvasta acquired the slave, we can try Belinda¡¯s sister, but I don¡¯t know how much use that will be. Her sister is not the easiest person to hold a conversation with.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well I have managed so far with this ring on, but you were right about one thing. It turned out to be quite a disadvantage when speaking with others, so perhaps she will talk to the great hero¡¯s descendant Dyson.¡±


    ¡°Well Queen has claimed to be your sister, and she still won¡¯t speak with her, so I doubt it. Besides if the communication parchments are compromised as well, they will know of you using a ring anyway, so there isn¡¯t much point anymore.¡±


    Dyson then removes the ring returning to his normal shape, causing the armor and clothing on his body to hang quite loosely. I offer to summon him some clothes a bit more fitting, but there is another knock on the door. Now this is sure to be the Mage¡¯s Guild.


    ¡°I am sure this is who I was expecting, give me a few minutes to talk to them.¡±


    Dyson nods then takes a seat on one of the benches. I answer the door to find Kleed from the Mage¡¯s Guild with quite a look on his face.


    Kleed: ¡°There has been a development in the dungeon!¡±


    I look back and Dyson and then step outside for a moment. ¡°Alright, what is going on.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°The soldiers said some demi-humans showed up, and after entering the dungeon they seem to be fixing the damage done to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful news, are you sure?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°That is the problem we don¡¯t know for sure. For all we know they could be making the dungeon far more dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Well I would surmise that after nearly being destroyed, that even if the dungeon does just survive off of only instincts that once it recovers it will probably be far more dangerous.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°You may be right, but what are we going to do about the demi-humans?¡±


    ¡°What about my brother-in-law? Was he part of the group that seen what happened?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Yes, he was the one that came to the Mage¡¯s Guild and told us.¡±


    ¡°Well Doug has spent quite a bit of time in the dungeon, with the soldiers, and before just as an adventurer, so if he said the demi-humans are helping, I would believe him. What does the Adra Mage¡¯s Guild have to say about it?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°They have heard of demi-humans taking shelter in a dungeon before, but never help one in such a way.¡±


    ¡°Well by their own admissions they had never seen something like this happen to a dungeon, perhaps the other demi-humans were doing the same for those other dungeons, but the damage just wasn¡¯t as well known.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°You are saying we should leave the demi-humans alone?¡±


    ¡°I say we continue to keep an eye on the dungeon. Leave the soldiers posted outside, if the dungeon seems to be improving then great, but if it doesn¡¯t then we can then worry about the demi-humans. I just don¡¯t think the timing of these demi-humans could have been a coincidence, so maybe they do know what they are doing.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°At least come back to the guild so we can discuss this further.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I have another matter I need to attend to right now, I already left my guest waiting, and he isn¡¯t a very patient person.¡±


    Kleed: ¡°But this matter is very important.¡±


    ¡°And you are saying my guest isn¡¯t?¡±


    Kleed: ¡°Forgive me. I just¡­ Excuse me.¡± ¨CThe old mage then turns heading back in the direction of the Mage¡¯s Guild.-


    I then return to Dyson inside, and he has a curious look on his face.


    Dyson: ¡°If you wished for me not to overhear I think you should have moved a far greater distance then that. Now what is this about damage to your dungeon and demi-humans here to fix it?¡±


    ¡°Oh it is just something I cooked up for the humans.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°But for what purpose?¡±


    ¡°Inari uses the temple of Inari and the shrine maidens of hers to hear what the humans wish from her, so I wanted to do something similar, but I don¡¯t fancy being worshipped so I thought maybe using a group of demi-humans that can understand the feelings of a dungeon would be a way for the humans to communicate. I would also like some of the less known sentient races to get their own fair shake.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What kind of demi-humans are we talking about here?¡±


    ¡°Nothing that would interest you, for now it is just a handful of gnomes, but once they get established I plan on slowly working in a few more species.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You plan on using gnomes to be the voice of your dungeon¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well they did prove to be a bit less intelligent that I would have hoped, but I actually think it will work quite well this way. If the humans could speak normally it would take a bit of the mystery out of it and they would have trouble believing that the demi-humans are capable of understanding the dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well I hope you know what you are doing¡­¡±


    ¡°Well back to the ones out there trying to kill us¡­ If Laura¡¯s digging came to an end at Korvasta¡¯s death then maybe we can learn something new from Mindy. That is if we can get her to speak with us. I will send a message to Logan, and see if he can swing something. If I tell him how important it is he might be able to do something about it.¡±


    I then go get the communication parchment for Logan sending him a message, and then get Dyson to fix the pantry door. After waiting over an hour we finally receive a response from Logan and he tells us Mindy is on her way to Exeter to begin the preparations for Tanya¡¯s wedding.


    (By carriage? That will take weeks. She could have just asked Belinda to take her to Exeter and saved the long journey.)


    Logan: (You know Mindy, she couldn¡¯t live with her self if she had to ask Belinda for help.)


    (Surely she took along a communication parchment? This is really quite important.)


    Logan: (I will send a message for you, but I wouldn¡¯t expect to hear back from her today.)


    (Even if you have to get the King involved it really is that important.)


    Logan: (I will do my best.)


    ¡°Well there you have it¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well if we are wasting our time here, I might as well put it to better use back in my dungeon. Speaking of better use of my time where are those slaves I sent your way?¡±


    ¡°Well about that¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They are still here aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°All five of them.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Five? You were supposed to send the children to Tom.¡±


    ¡°You know how Tom is. I couldn¡¯t just send children to him.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He runs the largest orphanage there is. That is a far better fate then they were destined for living in the streets of Uthaira.¡±


    ¡°He takes them apart to make undead!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°There is a chance the boys might have ended up that way, but the girl would be safe. Any young women that show promise I send to Tom to raise for me and when they blossom he sends them my way.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°That is low even for you¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have never received a complaint so far.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much I can do about the adult women, but I will not turn the children over to you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You don¡¯t really have a choice in the matter, but¡­¡± ¨CHe says his face contorting into a twisted smile. - ¡°If it is that important to you, surely we can come to some sort of an agreement. From my understanding Hecate¡¯s attack led to quite a number of monsters dying within you dungeon, you wouldn¡¯t of happened to gain something that might interest me, would you?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t trade you a sex slave if that is what you want, and unless you have use for a werecreature or elder earth dragon that is all there was.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I hardly treat my women as mere sex slaves, she would be treated like a queen.¡±


    ¡°One of 50 of your queens?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You might find this hard to believe, but I have decided to scale back. Quality over quantity as it were. I haven¡¯t decided on a final number yet, but I plan on moving forward with a much smaller entourage.¡±


    ¡°Still I don¡¯t think its right.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well the children are mine, so I think three children for a single adult is plenty fair.¡±


    ¡°I hate to do this¡­But I might have just the thing. You owe me a great deal for helping you with the equipment and the ring, not to mention caring for your slaves until you returned, so just releasing the children is not going to cut it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I promised, and I will hold true to that. Now, what is it you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°This is how it is going to work, putting aside all you owe me for now, just in exchange for freeing the children these are my terms.¡± ¨CI open [Menu] checking one of the monsters.- ¡°Alright you will provide me with 93,750xp to summon your monster, but before you meet her I want make sure she is willing to accept what it is you expect from her. If and only if she agrees then I turn her over to you, and if she doesn¡¯t agree then we quit while we are ahead, and you can just accept the loss of the xp.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What kind of monster are you expecting to summon for 100,000xp?¡±


    ¡°Do you agree?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°How do I know you don¡¯t plan to summon the monster with no intention of turning it over?¡±


    ¡°I will say if any monster I summon will agree to what it is you want from them it will be this one, and if I can¡¯t get her to agree to it then summoning a monster for you to serve that purpose would be impossible for me.¡±


    Dyson strokes his chin while thinking about it. He seems to be weighing the decision pretty heavily. ¡°Fine, but I ask to at least have the opportunity to change her mind if she doesn¡¯t wish to join me.¡±


    ¡°I will let you speak to her if she refuses, but if she refuses you again that is it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have to say I am quite curious what it is you plan on summoning. Alright I will quickly return to my dungeon and acquire an xp bead and return shortly.¡±


    Dyson then teleports away, and after a minute or so he returns. This time he is no longer wearing the armor and sword I prepared for him, but instead a very lavish set of clothing embedded with enough gems and jewels that it could practically serve as armor. He then drops a small xp bead into my hand.


    I add the gem to the dungeon inventory and after clearing away the message I receive and I sigh. I told him 93,750xp but the gem is straight up 100,000xp. I guess I could use the remaining xp to summon her some lavish clothing as well, but I don¡¯t think even that would finish out the xp.


    I then leave Dyson in the entryway and enter the living room, once there I then transfer to a building in town that I know to be empty. Even if he tries to spy on me with [Observation] he will have trouble finding me before I get a chance to talk to the woman.


    I summon some clothing for the woman and after accepting the summoning of the monster I quickly turn away from her before the light fades. As soon as it does I find her within the monster list and equip the clothing on her before turning to have a look at her.


    I focused on the best example of her race I can think of and she turned out quite similar. She doesn¡¯t have the motherly aura that Elexia put off, but her body is simply perfect, her eyes are the same solid black with golden iris, and her hair runs the length of her entire body with the same color of Elexia¡¯s which is so dark of a red it appears black.


    Although her eyes, hair, and body type are similar to Elexia her face is quite different. I remember thinking Elexia was the embodiment of perfection but even though this one¡¯s appearance is different I can¡¯t help but to think the same thing about her.


    Dwelling on such things however isn¡¯t healthy for my marriage, not that I would trade either for Belinda, but between me and my thoughts they are more physically attractive¡­


    Her leathery wings twitch and she whips her tail around with a smile so devious I can¡¯t tell if she is looking at me as a friend or foe. She then starts messing with the clothing unhappy with its conservative nature, but as long as she remains part of my dungeon she will have to deal with it.


    ¡°I take it you know why it is I summoned you?¡±


    She quits fidgeting with the clothing snapping her head back to look at me with the same devious smile speaking with a voice that makes me weak in the knees. ¡°Of course, and the answer is without hesitation.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case then I will let him choose your name then.¡±


    Succubus: ¡°No! If Master will accept I would like to choose my own name to not allow Elder Dyson to have that power over me.¡±


    When she called me Master it caused the saliva to get caught in the back of my throat and I simple say. ¡°Alright, if you want to pick your own name that¡¯s ok with me¡­¡±


    Succubus: ¡°Then I choose Desiree, because I will be the one thing he cannot escape.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think that is taking it a bit far?¡±


    Succubus: ¡°Then you will not accept the name I have chosen for myself?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that, I am just asking if you are sure.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I am, and now I wish to meet him.¡±


    After I accept her name, I set a basic ultimate command to protect my dungeon, and then transfer us both back to the house. She quickly exits the living room to the entryway, and by the time I enter Dyson is quite speechless as Desiree circles him sizing him up.


    Dyson can¡¯t pull his eyes off of her but acknowledges me in the room by saying. ¡°But how?¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin sent 2 to help me defend my dungeon against Hecate, but one fell in the battle.¡±


    Desiree whips her tail around gently sliding it across Dyson¡¯s cheek. ¡°You wish to be my Master yes?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Without a doubt¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I will call you Master, but you shall be my slave.¡±


    Dyson manages to gain a bit of composure to say. ¡°I am a slave to no one!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Wrong, you are a slave to your desire, and so I shall be your Desiree.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We shall see.¡±


    ¡°I take this to mean you accept her, and will release the children?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The children? You can have all five for all I care. I take this to mean our exchange is complete then?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Master is in a hurry to become my slave.¡±


    ¡°You still owe me for the ring and equipment.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Indeed and I will compensate you as promised. I will think of something extra special to return the favor, and in the meantime. Well you know how to reach me once you hear back from your sister-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± ¨CBut it¡¯s too late Dyson teleports from the room taking the succubus with him. ¨C


    I let out a deep sigh, but I then quickly hear a voice from behind me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry it is a decision you will not regret.¡±


    ¡°Tell that to my wife¡­ Now what are you doing here Ceres?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I have say things are moving along a bit faster than I expected. You really should have taken my advice about the vacation.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had the time¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That is the point of a vacation you make the time.¡±


    ¡°Is there something you want?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Do you think everyone comes to you wanting something? Last time I visited you I gave you helpful advice that you didn¡¯t take, and answered your questions.¡±


    ¡°You answered them vaguely enough that you couldn¡¯t even consider them an answer, and when you didn¡¯t like the direction the questions were going you disappeared.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well you are not the only one I look in on. I can¡¯t spend all my time with you. Quit being so needy¡­¡±


    ¡°I am quite busy, if you are not going to tell me why you are here then please just go.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Very well then, I need a favor.¡±


    ¡°Surprise, surprise.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Helping me also helps you.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying that, but I always end up with more and more things to worry about and never less.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°This involves something you are already wrapped up in. I just need you not to take no for an answer and transport Mindy and company to their destination instead of letting them continue on their current path.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t like when you told me to with Maric is it? She isn¡¯t going to die if I do this. As much as Belinda doesn¡¯t like her sister, I still don¡¯t think she would like to see her die.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°In that case, you have even more reason to do me this favor.¡± ¨CWithout another word Ceres is just gone.-


    Does that mean if I don¡¯t do this for her Mindy will die? Or did she just say that to get me to do what she wants¡­? Well I still haven¡¯t told Belinda that I have to go visit with her sister, and I am dreading the point in which I tell her I summoned Dyson a succubus, but if she finds out from anyone else¡­ Well I better just tell her myself.


    I meet with Belinda at the city hall building and fill her in on everything. She isn¡¯t exactly thrilled about my summoning of a succubus, but she at least doesn¡¯t seem to get angry about it. I think my saving grace was the fact it means we freed Dyson¡¯s slaves, so after our talk we head to the inn to inform them of their new freedom.


    Since their arrival they have been living off the gold Dyson provided, but eventually that will run out, and after telling them they are free the two adult women seemed disappointed about being abandoned by Dyson, and I don¡¯t think they will stick around to help the children.


    The youngest two are still too young to do any kind of work, but as long as it is small stuff the oldest should be able to manage, so Belinda is able to set him up doing small odd jobs for some of the townspeople.


    Not a job that will make him rich, or even a very enjoyable one, but it will keep his family together and keep a slave collar off of their necks and at least some food in their stomachs, so he seems to realize that and doesn¡¯t complain. Belinda also makes him promise her that he will send the younger two to the local school, and Belinda said she would cover the expenses it entails.


    I am sure they will have it quite rough for a while, but at least they won¡¯t end up cut up on Tom¡¯s table or in Dyson¡¯s bed¡­


    Belinda and I then retire for the evening and the following morning is quiet, and it isn¡¯t till almost noon before I finally receive a message back from Logan.


    Logan: (Mindy has reached Duscae, and is in the process of preparing Tanya and Mother for the trip. She said she is too busy to meet with you, but if you can catch them before they leave, and present yourself as an envoy of Gowen, they won¡¯t have any choice but to speak with you at least as representatives of Duscae.)


    I send a message back to him thanking him for the help. I then go meet Belinda at the city hall building, because if I have to deal with her sister, she might be of some help. She isn¡¯t happy about it, but knows the importance of what we are doing.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure we are going to even get anything out of Mindy?¡±


    ¡°Logan told us to go as envoys of Gowen, and with Dyson there as well I don¡¯t think they would risk blemishing the Duscae Kingdom¡¯s name.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure you will be able to reach Dyson¡­?¡±


    ¡°He knows how important this is, so surely he won¡¯t blow it off because he has a new toy to play with.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?¡±


    ¡°¡­Yea¡±


    I sigh and then send a message to Dyson, it takes a few minutes and I begin to worry but I then receive a reply back. Surprisingly he says he has already arrived and is waiting outside the house. Belinda and I then quickly head back to the house and indeed we find Dyson in his complete set of armor, he has his helmet tucked under his arm, as he is hitting on Vetala who seems quite embarrassed.


    When he sees us he turns and is in an uncharacteristically good mood. ¡°Excellent, you have arrived.¡±


    ¡°I am actually surprised you were so easy to get ahold of this morning.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have to admit, it was quite difficult, but there is a time for pleasure and a time for business. I would however like to get this done as quickly as possible, so lead the way.¡± ¨CHe says slapping his helmet on his head.-


    ¡°Forgive me, but I have to be sure. Let me see your hands¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Really now, you doubt me?¡± ¨CHe says removing one gauntlet at a time revealing his bare fingers.-


    ¡°I just had to be sure¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And now you are.¡±


    I then cast a [Gate] spell and Belinda, Dyson, and myself pass through it to reach the castle in Duramond. Once arriving Belinda and I tell the guards we are envoys from Gowen there to speak with Mindy.


    Guard: ¡°You have missed them, they have already departed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why do they have to make things so difficult? They knew they would have to meet with us if we caught them at the castle. I am sure they did this intentionally!¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t have gotten too far by now, and we could surely catch up to a slow moving carriage. We just have to find out which path to Exeter they took.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But we lost our advantage, outside the castle they won¡¯t have to act as representatives of the Duscae kingdom, and they could refuse to talk to us.¡±


    ¡°Mindy maybe, but I don¡¯t think your mother would risk refusing to meet with the great hero¡¯s descendant.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We better get a move on then.¡±


    There are three possible routes they may have taken to head to Exeter, but if they are trying to avoid us they might have avoided the shortest one.


    ¡°The locals are being no help. Out of all your skills don¡¯t you have something that could determine which path they took?¡±


    Dyson looks at the guards guarding the walls of Duramound and finds one that is a woman. He takes his helmet off, runs his gauntleted hand through his slicked back black hair, and flashes a bright smile while approaching the female guard.


    After sliding her a few gold coins and whispering in her ear for a few moments she giggles and he then returns with a look of triumph on his face as he slaps his helmet back on his head.


    Dyson: ¡°The only royal coach that has departed from Duramound today, heading through the path due north.¡±


    ¡°With all the skills you possess that is what you go with?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Indeed, as what other would you call that but skill?¡±


    ¡°Whatever, we need to try to catch them quickly.¡±


    We head out of the northern gate from Durmound following the road. This path will lead north until it reaches Korta, following the border of Korta north until crossing into Livinston. From Livinston you can take any number of paths west to Exeter, but surely we will catch up with them long before then.


    Then again maybe not, because Dyson doesn¡¯t seem to be in any hurry, as he just slowly strolls down the road.


    ¡°We are supposed to be catching up to them not just trailing behind them¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It has been many years since I just walked anywhere, it is a bit refreshing, so don¡¯t mind me I will catch up.¡±


    I sigh and after making sure Belinda is alright we pick up the pace, but Dyson begins to trail further and further behind us as he just continues his slow stroll. Eventually he is completely out of sight and Belinda says. ¡°I know you checked for a ring, but are you sure that is really Dyson?¡±


    ¡°Other than the ones trying to kill us I am the only ones that can make the items like that, and I have only ever made them as rings.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then what if it is one of them that are meaning to do us harm?¡±


    ¡°Then I am sure they would put a far bit more effort into acting like Dyson¡­ Maybe the succubus did something to him¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The succubus is a powerful monster, but in comparison to Dyson?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Belinda and I continue down the path, and by the time we see the carriage come into view ahead of us it is stopped in the middle of the road. We quickly catch up to it to find Dyson standing there.


    Dyson: ¡°And there they are. What took you two so long?¡±

 A Roadside Meeting

    After Dyson bringing me into his investigation of the ones that killed the Elders we found out that Belinda¡¯s sister Mindy might hold further information. She is not the easiest person to talk with, but after leaving Dyson behind due to his nonchalant and otherwise strange behavior we finally caught up to Mindy¡¯s carriage stopped along the road with Dyson already speaking with Mindy.


    ¡°If you caught up to them like that was any of this even necessary?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I told you it had been a while since I stretched my legs, and I found it quite enjoyable.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were in a hurry?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Well we are! Now, what is so damn important that you have to know, that you send your goon after us?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am hardly anyone¡¯s goon, and I told you we need to know more about your late husband.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Korvasta was a stooge. He couldn¡¯t wipe his own ass without that mage mentor of his giving him a hand.¡±


    ¡°Be that as it may, he had at one time a beastkin slave that wore a slave cuff rather than a collar. We need to find out how and where he got her.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°You expect me to remember one beastkin whore out of all of them he bought?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well how many of them do you remember having cuffs on their wrists rather than collars around their necks?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°You really think I ever paid any of them enough attention to know what they were wearing?¡±


    ¡°Then maybe you can at least tell us where he usually bought his slaves.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°I couldn¡¯t have cared less.¡±


    ¡°Do you know anything about your late husband¡­?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°I knew he was an asshole, but we had our own lives. The only time I even seen him was when he was trying to secure himself and heir.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s very colorful sis¡­¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Well what do you expect me to say? I am just lucky it didn¡¯t take. After all those beastkin whores, he could of spread the disease and I could have ended up with a beastkin child.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s not the way it works and you know it!¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Well we will see when that mutt of yours has ears and a tail.¡±


    Belinda takes a step forward but I put my hand on her shoulder. ¡°Enough. You don¡¯t want us here, and we don¡¯t want to be here. Is there anything you can think of that might help us?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Well his left nut died with him, but if you are looking for the right one, that would be his uncle. They shared everything together and he even tried it with me, but that wasn¡¯t part of the agreement and I firmly put my foot down.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I didn¡¯t speak to the royalty themselves, but I spoke to enough people, and I never heard about any uncle.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t, you don¡¯t think they would claim some bastard of a beastkin as a legitimate part of the family do you? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if after Korvasta¡¯s death they didn¡¯t have him executed for being an eye sore.¡±


    ¡°Well if there is a chance he is still alive, do you at least know his name?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Corbin, Corbin Eliona, because you know damn well they wouldn¡¯t let a beastkin carry the Korta name.¡±


    ¡°See you can be helpful if you put your mind to it¡­ Now about your trip to Exeter, Belinda and I could really give you a hand and make it so much quicker.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°We refuse! I won¡¯t take any handouts from either of you.¡±


    For the first time since we arrived one of the other two ladies in the carriage pokes her head out of the window and protests.


    Tanya: ¡°Mindy please! It has only been a few hours and I am already tired of this. I don¡¯t want to spend weeks bouncing around in this stupid carriage!¡±


    Mindy: ¡°You be quiet, this is none of your concern!¡±


    Tanya: ¡°It¡¯s my wedding we are going to! What if my future husband sees me after being worn from this long trip and decides to back out of the deal?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°We couldn¡¯t be so lucky! The agreement has already been set so if he backs out now they would still have to hold up to their end of the deal.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Mother, you agree right?!¡±


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°We do not need their help.¡±


    After Belinda¡¯s mother speaks Tanya angrily sits back down crossing her arms in front of her. Mindy puffs out her chest and says. ¡°There you have it, now you have taken up enough of our time already, be on your way.¡±


    ¡°Then do it as a favor to us.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°We do not give or receive favors from the likes of you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Please Mother! We heard that the path to Exeter has gotten quite dangerous lately and you don¡¯t even have any guards.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°No bandit or thief would be foolish enough to attack a royal carriage of Duscae.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bet on it¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Is this really an issue. They don¡¯t want anything to do with you, and you want anything to do with them. I don¡¯t see a problem.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Precisely.¡± ¨CShe doesn¡¯t say anything else as she enters the carriage and instructs the driver to go.-


    ¡°We have to stop them, I was told it is very important that we teleport Mindy to Exeter, by the one that serves the old god.¡±


    Dyson sighs and says. ¡°Well if you insist.¡±


    The carriage has only begun to move at this point and Dyson quickly pulls his sword and brings it down severing the head off of one of horses then swings the sword around cutting the harness off of the other one and it gallops off.


    Belinda¡¯s Mother:  ¡°Barbarian! Do have any idea what you have just done?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Mar sits right between the Adra and Merretta border and has been at war with both for as long as Mar has been around, and yet it still stands. Do you really think I care what some backwater kingdom like Duscae thinks?¡±


    Mindy: ¡°You will pay for this.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well they are all yours now. We got the information we require everything else is on you.¡± ¨CHe says as he nonchalantly strolls down the road.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t really mean for something like that to happen, but you can¡¯t go anywhere like that now. At least let us get you to Exeter.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°Why is this so important to you?!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Because we care about you ok?! I might not like you, but I still don¡¯t want to see anything bad happen to you, and we were told by someone we trust that if you continue on to Exeter on your own it may cost you your lives!¡±


    Mindy: ¡°More like you want to teleport us to the other side of Merretta so we don¡¯t arrive in time and renege on the agreement with Exeter!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Swallow that stupid pride for yours for a second and just let us help you!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the way I wanted to go about it, but the truth of the matter is you don¡¯t have much of a choice in the matter now. Unless you plan to walk to Exeter?¡±


    Tanya:  ¡°I¡¯m sorry mother, but I am not walking to Exeter.¡± ¨CShe says while jumping out of the carriage.-


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid child. It would only take a few hours for the driver to go back and retrieve replacement horses.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°We are cutting the trip close as it was. If Lindy helps us I can then at least get a chance to meet my future husband before I marry him.¡±


    Mindy: ¡°We are not accepting their help!¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Then don¡¯t, but I am¡­ Ok Lindy what do I need to do?¡±


    Belinda casts [Gate] setting the path to Exelka. ¡°You just have to walk through, but be careful it can make you a bit queasy if you aren¡¯t used to it.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°Don¡¯t you dare step through that portal young lady or else!¡±


    Tanya grinds to a halt, she then turns to look at her mother and Mindy.


    Tanya: ¡°Or else¡­? Or else what? You need me to marry Exeter¡¯s prince, but instead of helping you, I could do it to help myself! I could marry the prince and then seek asylum from Duscae as a princess of Gowen instead of one from Duscae, and then where would you be? No, I am tired of taking orders from you and Mindy. You want my help then you have to listen to me for a change!¡±


    Without another word she drags a suitcase off of the carriage and stomps through the portal everyone is quite speechless and even Belinda¡¯s mouth hangs open in shock. When the shock then subsides and Mindy looks angry.


    Mindy: ¡°Mother! You are not going to let her talk to you like that are you?!¡±


    Belinda¡¯s Mother: ¡°Shut up, and grab our things.¡± ¨CShe snaps at Mindy stepping down from the carriage and passing through the portal.-


    Mindy: ¡°Mother!¡± ¨CShe says scrambling to gather the remaining suitcases but there are just too many for her alone.-


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t worry sis, we will get the rest.¡±


    Mindy looks at Belinda with pure hatred in her eyes as she takes the smallest suitcase in the bunch, and even with it, she still only drags it as she passes through the portal. Belinda closes the portal long enough to cast [Shadow Pocket] placing the remaining suitcases and such inside.


    I give the driver a lift back to Duramond via the [Gate] spell so he doesn¡¯t at least have to walk all the way back to get more horses, and I then [Gate] to Exelka. Tanya is nowhere to be seen, but Belinda is comforting her mother as her and Mindy are still both doubled over after becoming sick.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    We are not far from the castle so the spectacle has drawn quite the crowd, and it takes us a while to get Mindy and Belinda¡¯s mother back on their feet and situated. We stay long enough to deliver the rest of their belonging in the inn in which is being used to house Tanya¡¯s family for the wedding.


    They weren¡¯t expecting them to arrive for a few weeks however, so it hasn¡¯t been emptied yet, which Belinda¡¯s mother quickly complains about, but Belinda just shakes her head. By the time we return home Belinda is laughing about Tanya telling off Mindy and their mother.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m proud of Tanya, I just hope she makes use of her freedom in a good way, and not end up just like Mindy or Mother.¡±


    ¡°I guess it depends on Exeter¡¯s prince.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well his mother is a pretty good person, so he can¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it worked like that, based on how your mother is, what¡¯s that mean for you?¡±


    Belinda hits my shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s not fair! But I see your point. I worried about him having to put up with Tanya, but now I hope he is a decent guy so maybe he can help her find her own way.¡±


    ¡°Like Korvasta did for Mindy?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I think they deserved each other, but speaking of that. Do you have to hunt down his uncle now, or is that something Dyson is going to handle?¡±


    ¡°Well it was his investigation, but I guess I should at least ask him.¡±


    After sending Dyson a message I receive back a quick message that simply says. (Handling it, I will let you know if I need you further.)


    ¡°Well there you have it, we have enough fires to put out as it is anyway.¡±


    Byson¡¯s PoV


    I am standing outside the capital of Korta after leaving Two-Twelve on the road to Exeter with his in-laws. I let out a deep sigh of relief and look over to my partner in crime.


    ¡°Thanks Speedy, I couldn¡¯t have done it without you.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°Master told me to take care of you, and to make sure you don¡¯t screw up, so I am just doing as I am told.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was done for when Two-Twelve asked to see my hands, but luckily I already put on the helmet so he didn¡¯t notice my appearance changing when I slid the ring off along with the gauntlet.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°That was a risky move, you and Dyson¡¯s builds are similar, but for any reason Two-Twelve would have questioned it further you would have been discovered.¡±


    ¡°The most concerning part was the pace they kept. Even with his wife only a few months from giving birth, I couldn¡¯t keep their normal walking pace in this armor.  I am going to have to gain more levels if Dyson is going to continue to have me impersonate him.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°That is the reason he has left this task for you.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was so he didn¡¯t have to part from the mouthwatering piece of succubus flesh he brought home with him.¡±


    Speedy turns her head looking visually upset and she says in a lighter voice. ¡°That too¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, I am sure he will eventually get bored of her as well. In fact I am counting on it!¡±


    Speedy: ¡°If you think you could handle a succubus you are greatly mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Well he usually keeps them for a year, so I got a bit of time get ready.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°If you manage to survive that long.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t want to keep my girls waiting any longer then I have to either, so we better get this started.¡±


    Speedy nods and then disappears. I then set off into the Korta capital looking for information about Corbin Eliona. I spend the rest of the day trying to get any information about him, but even after flashing quite a bit of gold about I still haven¡¯t had any takers.


    When I have about given up for the evening I take a shortcut through a side street and find myself surrounded by a large group of shady looking people. I have Dyson¡¯s sword and armor, but with this many people this might not end well for me.


    ¡°Do I really look like someone you want to be messing with?¡±


    Bandit: ¡°I have been watching you for hours. You don¡¯t have the skill to pull off armor like that, so I am guessing you used daddy¡¯s money to buy the most expensive thing you could find. Too bad you didn¡¯t inherit any sense from him.¡±


    Not good. Alright Speedy now is the time you need to come save my ass¡­ But as the group starts to laugh and draw their weapons there isn¡¯t any sign of anyone coming to my rescue. She better not have fallen asleep on the job! I nervously pull Dyson¡¯s sword from my waist.


    This sword is really something else. Earlier when I was trying to show off by killing that horse the blade cut so quickly and cleanly I nearly lost my balance and face planted into the ground in front of Two-Twelve, if I didn¡¯t blow it off by cutting the harness on the second horse they would of surely known something was up then.


    Unlike the horse however these bandits are wearing a hodgepodge of pieces of armors they have scrounged together and yet I still slice clean through two of the bandits in a single swing.


    It catches them off guard but it doesn¡¯t stop the rest of the group to gang up on me and lay on the hurt. Luckily the armor is so thorough that I barely even register their attacks. After my wild swings drop three more of the bandits however they manage to wrestle me to the ground.


    Even pinned to the ground they can¡¯t get through the armor, so they start trying to remove it. It isn¡¯t till I really begin to panic that the group is thrown into chaos when one of the men trying to pull off the helmet practically explodes spraying everything in a bloody mess.


    Bandit: ¡°What the hell?!¡±


    I still can¡¯t move, but by the time the second bandit explodes into a fine mist the remaining ones begin to panic and scatter. This frees me up to return to my feet and take out one more bandit in the time the rest to turn into clouds of bloody mist, and I am left standing there alone again.


    ¡°You know, not to sound ungrateful, but you could have helped before I was pinned to the ground making my look like an idiot.¡±


    Speedy suddenly just appears next to me. ¡°You didn¡¯t need their help for that. They were far from strong, but even the few you managed to deal with should have been enough xp to gain you a few levels. Besides you need the combat experience as well.¡±


    ¡°But what if someone saw that? It would make Dyson look bad.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°I would have simply killed them as well.¡±


    ¡°Even if they were just an innocent bystander?¡±


    Speedy: ¡°You do not wish them to die? Then get better.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t think we are going to find anything else out this evening, why don¡¯t you take us home and we can start again in the morning.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean no?¡±


    Speedy: ¡°Master Dyson said you can¡¯t return till you get the information he needs.¡±


    ¡°What about my girls?¡±


    Speedy: ¡°They will keep until you return. Master Dyson said it would be an incentive for you to work harder.¡±


    ¡°So I have to sleep in some inn? What about you, you are going to protect me right?¡±


    Speedy however casts a [Clean] spell on me and just disappears. I let out another deep sigh and then try to find a respectable inn. If someone robs or tries to slit my throat in my sleep I won¡¯t stand a chance. Speedy is fast, but she can¡¯t go into buildings at that speed without it ending up like those Bandits on the street.


    I am sure she has to sleep too, so how can I possibly rest easy? In the end, it is far from comfortable, and it isn¡¯t restful at all but I sleep the best I can without even removing the armor. By the time morning rolls around I am sore, hurting, and still tired.


    Unfortunately another thing I have to do that Dyson does not is eat, so after getting a meal in me I then begin my task of finding this stupid beastkin again.


    Speedy: ¡°You know you would have slept a lot better without that armor on, you didn¡¯t even remove the sword from your waist.¡± ¨CShe says as she suddenly appears next to me.-


    ¡°You were watching me while I slept?¡± ¨CI say after the shock of her sudden appearance wears off.-


    Speedy: ¡°I was told to keep a close eye on you, because we can¡¯t afford to lose Dyson¡¯s armor or sword.¡±


    ¡°What about me? Aren¡¯t you supposed to make sure I make it back alive as well?¡±


    Speedy then just shrugs her shoulders.  ¡°You might not have to worry about it at all when Dyson finds out about you not only sleeping in his armor, but drooling in his helmet while you did.¡±


    ¡°How can you possibly know I was drooling in the helmet, there isn¡¯t even any openings in it!¡±


    She just shrugs her shoulders again and then disappears. Yesterday I spent my time in the part of town where the beastkin tend to reside, because after all if you are looking for a beastkin go where the beastkin are.


    There is the fact he was a secret member of the royal family as well, so if the normal rabble found that out it might lead to quite an uproar, so maybe I should try those closer to the going-ons at that castle instead. This of course becomes a much touchier subject, and it takes quite a few more of Dyson¡¯s gold coins to get the job done, but I finally find someone that at least admits that this beastkin even exists.


    Noble: ¡°I haven¡¯t heard that name in a number of years, he was a slave and royal attendant at the castle. He served the late prince Korvasta, and after the late prince¡¯s demise. I am not sure what happened to him.¡±


    ¡°I really need to find this beastkin, is there anyone else that might know what happened to him?¡±


    Noble: ¡°The late prince had¡­ particular tastes and the king indulged in his son¡¯s whims while he was alive, but after the late prince¡¯s death his father cleared them all out. I am sure the one you are looking for was among them. There is one cook that is one of their kind that is still around from that time, maybe she might know what happened to the others. I really can¡¯t say more than that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better than nothing.¡± ¨CI say handing the man a few gold coins.-


    If information gets any more expensive I am going to have to sleep on the streets. Dyson would surely just waltz right into the castle, but I don¡¯t have the strength to back up his cockiness, so I am going to have to find another way to get in contact with this cook.


    If there is one thing a cook needs it is supplies, so after a bit more digging and a lot more gold coins, I am able to learn of the merchant that delivers food directly to the castle.


    Merchant: ¡°I don¡¯t care how much gold you claim to have I am not taking you in the castle, they would behead me for sure. Get lost before I call the guards.¡±


    ¡°I am telling you I don¡¯t need to enter the castle, just to speak with a cook there. She should be easy to find, because from what I have gathered she is probably the only beastkin left in the castle.¡±


    Merchant: ¡°That sounds like Sepia, but she never steps outside the castle walls, so good luck speaking with her. Now get lost.¡±


    Staring up at the castle walls I have to admit my defeat, I am just not Dyson enough to get inside.


    Speedy: ¡°You are missing the most obvious answer.¡± ¨CShe says appearing next to me seemingly pleased.-


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    Speedy: ¡°Me of course.¡±


    ¡°Sure you might be able to get me in, but I would still have to talk the guards out of flaying me alive before that would do any good.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°You are still missing the point.¡± ¨CShe says then disappears.-


    I sigh. You could at least told me what the point was then¡­ Speedy then returns but this time an older fox beastkin woman drops to her knees at my feet. She looks terrified and confused.


    Beastkin: ¡°Where am I? Who are you people? Guards!¡±


    After Speedy says. ¡°Maybe we should go somewhere a bit quieter.¡± She grabs ahold of the beastkin woman and my arm and after a sudden jolt of air rushing past me by the time she releases me as we are standing in an empty plain with nothing in every direction.


    Sepia: ¡°Now where are we?!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, we just need to talk.¡±


    Sepia: ¡°Talk?! Where is the castle?!¡±


    Speedy raises her hand pointing off in one direction.


    ¡°You¡¯re not helping¡­ Just calm down, I just need to ask you a few questions and then you will be returned.¡±


    Sepia: ¡°What kind of questions¡­?¡±


    ¡°You have worked in the castle a long time is that right?¡±


    Sepia: ¡°Ever since I was a young girl¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you happen to recall a beastkin in the castle by the name of Corbin Eliona?


    Sepia: ¡°How do you know that name?! Who are you people?¡±


    ¡°So you do know that name, and it sounds like you know that he was more than just a beastkin that served the castle.¡±


    Sepia: ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about¡­¡±


    ¡°The fact of the matter is I could care less who he is, but he might have some information I need, so I need to find out where he is now.¡±


    Sepia: ¡°He is dead! He died with all of the other beastkin royal attendants after Prince Korvasta¡¯s death.¡±


    ¡°That is most unfortunate, you see Korvasta had a young beastkin slave girl with a slave cuff around her wrist that he lost in a game of cards, and I need to find where she came from.¡±


    Sepia: ¡°You know where my little sister is?! Where is she?!¡±


    ¡°Your sister? You mean the slave I am talking about was your sister?¡±


    Sepia: ¡°That¡¯s right! Now you have to tell me where she is!¡±


    ¡°First tell me about the slave cuff.¡±


    Sepia: ¡°Corbin tricked her and put it on her! He told her if she wore the cuff she would become the most beautiful woman that had ever lived. She was young and didn¡¯t know any better and that before the slave collars become common they used to use cuffs, so she let him put the cuff on her.¡±


    ¡°He said she would become more beautiful after putting on the cuff?¡±


    Sepia: ¡°It was just some stupid line¡­ After he put it on her he said she must already be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and then gave her to Prince Korvasta as a gift. Now where is she, where is my sister?¡±


    ¡°Where did Corbin get the cuff?¡±


    Sepia: ¡°If I tell you, will you tell me where my sister is?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    Sepia: ¡°There was a shady merchant that always claimed to be selling magic items. Prince Korvasta and Corbin always fell for his gimmicks every time. If he bought it from anywhere I would say it was him.¡±


    ¡°How do I find this merchant?¡±


    Sepia: ¡°After Korvasta died nobody would buy anything from him so he stopped returning, I don¡¯t know where he was from, all I know is his name was Darwin¡­ Now please tell me where my sister is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much I am sorry to say, but she made it as far as Southern Merretta, but after she was sold to King Aaron they removed the cuff from her wrist and she died a few weeks later.¡±


    Sepia: ¡°Nooo!¡± ¨CShe screams collapsing to the ground in tears.-


    ¡°Alright Speedy, you can take her back.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°You are going to let her live?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we got what we wanted.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°She didn¡¯t tell us where to find this Darwin.¡±


    ¡°That is hardly her fault¡­ I think she has been through enough.¡±


    Speedy doesn¡¯t look happy about it, but she disappears and so does the sobbing Sepia. After a few moments she returns.


    ¡°Alright, now take us home.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°But you haven¡¯t completed your mission.¡±


    ¡°I was told to find Corbin, he is dead but I still found the information that Dyson wanted. I can¡¯t help that the information is just another piece to the puzzle. Maybe Dyson will know what to do next.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°I will tell you what he will say. ¡°Find Darwin.¡±¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know where to start!¡±


    Speedy:  ¡°The beastkin said he used to deal his wares often, if we go back we can perhaps find more people that dealt with him.¡±


    ¡°But I am already running low on gold! I can¡¯t afford to bribe anyone else and still be able to eat and sleep!¡±


    Speedy: ¡°Make due¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make due! I am not a dungeon monster any more if I don¡¯t eat I die as simple as that!¡±


    Speedy seems to be thinking about it for a moment, and she then grabs my wrist and after a quick rush of wind I find myself standing back in the streets at the Korta capital.


    ¡°Come on! I said I can¡¯t make due.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°You said you couldn¡¯t afford to bribe anyone else and eat, so choose which you would rather do and continue.¡± ¨CShe then disappears.-


    I let out a deep sigh and then begin asking around for information about this merchant Darwin.

 A Rough Winter Begins

    I am broke, exhausted, and hungry. Speedy is a slave driver¡­ I ran out of gold two days ago, so I haven¡¯t eaten since then and the most I have learned about the shady merchant Darwin is that he does in fact exist and he used to frequent Korta.


    Any information beyond that though, like where he is from, just who he is, or where he might be now is beyond my reach.


    ¡°Speedy please! There is nothing more I can do. Dyson has far more resources he can put onto this, we should return and tell him what we have found out.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°Man up, you are an embarrassment to Master Dyson¡¯s name!¡± ¨CShe says after appearing next to me.-


    ¡°He is a hundred times my level, it isn¡¯t my fault there are things he can do I just cannot replicate!¡±


    Speedy: ¡°The important part is the attitude and right now you are acting like a spoiled noble¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°If I was a noble¡¯s son I at least wouldn¡¯t be starving to death!¡±


    Speedy: ¡°You haven¡¯t gone long enough to pose any risk to yourself without water maybe, but just going without food you will live. Now, instead of complaining you could just make some gold yourself instead of expecting a handout.¡±


    ¡°Make gold myself? How do you expect me to do that?¡±


    Speedy: ¡°It really isn¡¯t that hard of a concept to grasp¡­ Take a commission or two, or do some work.¡±


    ¡°I am supposed to be gaining information for Dyson, not pretending to be an adventurer!¡±


    Speedy: ¡°Connections you make through completing commissions or doing work is a good way to gather information, and even a noble¡¯s son would know that.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t part of the agreement when I said I would pose as Dyson.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°What did you expect that you would pose as Dyson and never have to lift a finger your entire life?¡±


    ¡­


    Speedy: ¡°Well aren¡¯t you in for a rude awakening.¡±


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    It has been a few days since we escorted Belinda¡¯s family to Exeter, and other then to confirm the most recent death of a dungeon core at the hands of Dyson belonging to the imposter rather than the real one I haven¡¯t heard from Dyson at all.


    It isn¡¯t like we are going to run out of Dungeon Cores any time soon, but the rate this Dyson imposter is killing them is still disturbing none the less. They still haven¡¯t killed any more dungeon cores I know, but it is surely only a matter of time if they aren¡¯t stopped.


    After sitting down with Doug, Belinda, Scylla, the Mage¡¯s Guild Elders, and myself we have decided to start to allow small numbers to begin to enter the dungeon again. Of course I have returned the dungeon to normal operations by now, but I still can put on the act of being worried about the dungeon.


    The Mage¡¯s Guild is happy they can once again start gathering magic stones again to produce more of the runic magic stones. They have become a great source of revenue for Tobes and they have still never been able to supply enough to keep up with the demand. They are still not readily available but it isn¡¯t uncommon to see one in use anymore either.


    The soldiers are still guarding the entrance so they know the gnomes haven¡¯t left the dungeon, but since they are taking it slow and easy it is two days after the started to enter again before they found the gnomes taking up residence in the section of the dungeon that they were using as a staging area in which monsters didn¡¯t spawn.


    Doug: ¡°You all are planning on moving into the dungeon permanently?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Some dungeons good to babas, some dungeons bad and no like babas, but Babaga dungeon really good to babas. Babaga dungeon gives babas more bock bocks and moo moos, so babas stays in babaga dungeon and make sure no get *cough cough*.¡±


    Doug: ¡°You aren¡¯t going to start attacking the soldiers or adventurers that enter the dungeon are you?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Humans needs babaga dungeon, babaga dungeon needs humans. Babaga dungeon lose aka bagaga dungeon no get *cough cough*. Humans no make babaga dungeon *cough cough* babas no make humans *cough cough*.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Killing the monsters doesn¡¯t hurt the dungeon? But I still don¡¯t understand how do we make sure we don¡¯t hurt the dungeon?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Humans no touchy the bling bling, babaga dungeon no get *cough cough*.¡±


    Doug: ¡°What is a bling bling?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Bling bling is babaga dungeon heart stone.¡±


    Doug: ¡°The crystal? As long as nobody damages the crystal the dungeon won¡¯t get hurt?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Babaga dungeon sometimes mads, babaga dungeon sometimes glads, but no touchy the bling bling, babaga dungeon no get *cough cough*.¡±


    Doug: ¡°Then you might be glad to know that the Gowen Kingdom has an order to protect the dungeon¡¯s crystal.¡±


    Bribri: ¡°babaga dungeon stills got *cough cough*.¡±


    Doug: ¡°The princess and her husband are the ones that helped put a stop to the ones attacking the dungeon, so they did the best they could.¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Too slow.¡±


    Doug: ¡°¡­Well in any case, we don¡¯t have to worry about you attacking people as long as the dungeon¡¯s crystal is safe is that right?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Da!¡±


    Doug: ¡°The Mage¡¯s Guild might want to talk to you all, but from the soldier¡¯s side of things I guess we don¡¯t have a problem with you being here.¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Babaga dungeon want babas here, soldiers no got say.¡±


    The soldiers start posting a small patrol in the dungeon to keep an eye on the gnomes, while another patrol watches the entrance. The Mage¡¯s Guild was quick to want to speak to the gnomes, but I made sure Bribri gave them very little.


    The gnomes have invited the patrol in the dungeon to share some cooked chicken with them, but so far they haven¡¯t had any takers, so maybe Inari was right and they won¡¯t take the food from the gnomes. They did say the dungeon was providing to feed the gnomes, so if I add rooms with livestock now it would be far less suspicious.


    The ore in the dungeon has drawn a little curiosity since the dungeon has reopened, but so far not enough to make the cost of it worth it. It may also just be to the fact winter has started to set in and first snow storm to hit was a pretty severe one.


    On the up side it caused a massive surge in the sale of the small heat runic magic stones, and the locals are finding more and more clever ways to us them.


    The bunnies have been slowly replacing the monsters in the dungeon we have lost, replacing some of the monsters at the new levels with things we acquired in the attack. We have gotten some action from normal adventurers, but with the timing of the reopening of the dungeon and winter setting in it actually hurt us quite a bit.


    The mages, soldiers, and townsfolk alone prove more than enough xp where I won¡¯t starve, but if it wasn¡¯t for the inflow from Hecate, replacing the monsters would be a far slower process.


    Belinda has really begun to slow down now that she is getting further along, I am sure the baby won¡¯t be born till after the start of the new year, but I am pretty sure it will still be before winter lets up.


    With the heavy winter everything seems to be slowing down, but in truth behind the veil things have never been more hectic. Two more dungeon cores have died at the hands of the fake Dyson, and this time one of them was Var who trained alongside of Dawn and Twilight.


    That news seemed to shake up Dawn and Twilight pretty bad, and they want me to pay them a visit to help fortify their dungeons in a far more secure manner.  Their two dungeons are already a confusing mess of whose is whose and it was quite hard to give them any advice when together they managed to do a better job than I have.


    I did give them the advice about putting their crystals in a room no bigger than the crystal itself to prevent teleportation directly to the crystal, and also locked doors and dead switches are most definitely your friend.


    I hope I managed to put their minds at ease a bit, but as far as helping them I think I gained more ideas by seeing their set up then I was able to give them ideas of my own. Their ability to feed off of each other in not only xp, but in their personalities, ideals, hopes, and ideas makes my dungeon seem bland in comparison.


    It seems all of my daughters are going to leave me behind. Speaking of my other daughters I have also heard from Maeve that her dry spell has seemed to have ended as well, and she said she is starting to acquire quite a few new types of monsters so it shouldn¡¯t be long till she can pay me back.


    And when I last talked to Inari she said she is going to be quite busy for a while, so I have a feeling that the corrupt dungeon that Takeshi was looking for has been found. She wanted me to be sure to let her know when Belinda has the baby though so she expects to be busy for quite a while.


    I have been called to two more meetings with the elders since Laura and I have been made temporary elders, and it is quickly turning into a mess. The entire time everyone just wants to push the blame around without coming up with a solid bit of help.


    Laura is trying to use her newly acquired clout to find Duke Dingleberry instead of focusing on those that are posing as Dyson. She claims it is because of the loss of Llewelyn but you can tell by the smirk on Dyson¡¯s face and the anger in hers that apparently the Duke managed upset her on a far more personal level.


    Belinda gave me a pretty hard time at Inari¡¯s dungeon about a name for the baby, so I did a bit more digging and even paid a secret visit to Logan and her father to try to come up with a name good enough for our child, so when Belinda brings up the discussion again I will be ready.


    One morning while working on the dungeon I receive a message saying to go to the city hall building quickly that there is an emergency, so I quickly transfer over and find Belinda standing back against the wall holding Scylla¡¯s daughter while she is crying and trying to get out of Belinda¡¯s arms reaching for Scylla and Kline, but Belinda looks terrified.


    Scylla: ¡°Good you have arrived.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve it¡¯s not them!¡±


    Kline: ¡°You need not worry, I will release them when I believe you have done what I asked.¡±


    ¡°You are the other old god?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°In a manner of speaking.¡±


    ¡°I told you last time, if you wanted something from me this isn¡¯t the way to go about it, and now you are even threatening those we care about?!¡±


    Kline: ¡°It seems that busybody Ceres has decided to stick her nose into things and I had to be sure I got your attention.¡±


    ¡°You surely have our attention now, but not in a good way if you want us to do something for you.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I think it is in the perfect way.¡± ¨CShe says as Kline grabs a small stiletto from the desk placing it against Scylla¡¯s throat while Listel is still crying for her mother and father fighting to get out of Belinda¡¯s arms.¡±


    ¡°Belinda, take her to the house.¡± -She then nods transferring from the room taking Listel with her.- ¡°Don¡¯t hurt them¡­¡±


    Kline: ¡°That all depends on you.¡±


    ¡°What do you want? I have done everything you asked.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°And then you turned around and undermined everything I am trying to achieve by helping Ceres.¡±


    ¡°At least Ceres never threatened my family. If you have a problem with Ceres take it up with her not with us.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Oh I intend to, but first I need you to do something for me. I need you to kill Dungeon Core #245¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°#245¡­I can¡¯t.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°You can¡¯t can you?¡± ¨CShe says as Kline presses the stiletto harder against her throat enough to draw blood.-


    ¡°Inari has already passed me in strength a long time ago, so even if I wanted to I couldn¡¯t kill her.¡±


    Kline: ¡°But she trusts her dear daddy, so surely you could get it done if you put your mind to it, or would you rather lose these two?¡±


    ¡°Scylla¡­Kline¡­ I know you can¡¯t hear me right now, but I am sorry I can¡¯t. Entire villages full of people depend on Inari, so even if I could kill her I won¡¯t.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Very well then you can watch them both die.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Or better yet, you can watch her die and then explain to her husband how you let him carve up his own wife!¡±


    If he is going to kill them anyway I have to try something so I quickly cast [Blink] reaching Kline trying to pull the stiletto from his hand as it slides across Scylla¡¯s neck. I quickly start casting a heal spell as the blood flows from Scylla¡¯s neck.


    With Kline¡¯s level I should have no problem overpowering him, but I just can¡¯t seem to overtake him, and the more I struggle against the stiletto the more gashes appear on Scylla¡¯s neck. As I struggle against Kline I hear a voice.


    The voice rings out, but not just in the room. The single word is in my head, and down to my bones the voice reverberates through my entire being. The word seems to echo on for eternity, but is uttered in a single instant and the entire world seems to heed its command as everything comes grinding to a [Stop].


    The very next instant everything has changed. I am no longer fighting against Kline, as Scylla is laying on a nearby sofa with a chair next to it in which Kline sits. The blood on our hands is still there, but the blood on Scylla¡¯s neck is gone. Shelves, the desk, and the rest of the room is in total disarray with parchment scattered everywhere a broken inkwell on the floor with the ink held within sliding down the wall.


    Standing in front of me is a small feminine figure with like pink hair every strand of which standing on end as it seems to be putting off a bright light which instantly fades and the hair finds gravity and slowly begins to fall. Ceres stands there red faced and breathing quite heavily as every strand of her hair seems to fall into its own perfect place.


    In one hand she is holding a blade, but unlike any blade I have even seen before it doesn¡¯t even seem to follow logic as it bends and twists in different directions. Her other hand is clasped over her stomach with the front of her shirt and hand soaked with a shiny golden colored liquid that seems to burn up as it drips to the floor leaving scorched marks where it hits.


    ¡°Ceres, are you ok¡­?¡±


    She smiles weakly and says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was late, everything is changing so fast it is hard to keep track.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well I won if that counts for anything¡­ The battle at least, but I fear I might have just cost us the war¡­¡±-She then seems to faint, but I as I try to catch her she passes straight through my arms, and when she would hit the floor she just disappears.-


    ¡°Ceres!¡±


    As I call out Kline and Scylla both stir quickly looking around asking what happened and what is going on.


    Scylla: ¡°Where is Listel!?¡±


    ¡°Belinda has her, I sent her back to the house.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Well what happened? We were talking about the winter solstice festival with Belinda and then we were here like this.¡±


    I send a message to Belinda to make sure she and Listel are indeed safe.


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure, but I got a message from Belinda about there being an emergency and when I arrived you both where under the control of that old god that had Samuel. He threatened to kill you two if I didn¡¯t kill Inari, but Inari has so many that relay on her so I just couldn¡¯t do it. There was a scuffle and the next thing I know you both were there, I was here, and Ceres was here, but she looked in bad shape and I think she was bleeding. She then seemed to faint, but I couldn¡¯t catch her and she just disappeared¡­I don¡¯t know what is going on, if Ceres is even alive, or what she meant about losing the war.¡±


    We start to pick up the office while we talk about what just happened. Belinda then returns with Listel and Scylla and Kline both hug her tightly. I then tell Belinda what happened.


    Belinda: ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°We have to warn Inari, I don¡¯t know why he wanted her dead, but if he is still out there she might be in danger.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Kline, Scylla¡­ I would like you three to join the dungeon. I asked Ceres a while back if Samuel really was Kline¡¯s ancestor, and if he still posed a threat and Ceres said any beastkin, dwarf, elf, demi-human that wasn¡¯t bound to a dungeon can be taken over. If that god isn¡¯t done with us I don¡¯t want him using you three against us again.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Of course!¡±


    Kline: ¡°I¡¯m not sure how this all works, but wouldn¡¯t that cost you a great deal of xp?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care of the xp cost if it keeps us safe.¡±


    Kline: ¡°We won¡¯t end up like the others and change will we?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I believe that only happens when a normal dungeon would have access to a new boss monster.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°What about Listel? If we were part of the dungeon when she was born it would let you add her then, but I don¡¯t know if it will let you add her if she can¡¯t choose to accept or not.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I am going to at least try it. I need to go tell the bunnies about using the xp.¡±


    I transfer to the dungeon core room and tell the bunnies what is going on, they seem rather worried because they didn¡¯t notice anything on the screens, but they are focused on the dungeon so it isn¡¯t surprising they didn¡¯t see something that happened in town.


    I figure it up with Lila on how much it would be to add Scylla¡¯s family to the dungeon, and we are cutting it very close¡­ So close I actually have to break down a few items in the dungeon inventory to have enough xp to add them, but at this point I would rather they be safe.


    I send a quick message to Inari telling her about what happened, and return to the city hall building. I set it up and add Scylla and Kline to the dungeon easily enough, but for Listel it is a bit different. Just by adding both Scylla and Kline it asks to add Listel. It isn¡¯t a discounted xp amount that you would pay to add them at birth, but at least I am able to bind all three to the dungeon.


    Belinda: ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Honestly I haven¡¯t a clue, I am still waiting to hear back from Inari, but I should warn the Elders as well. I would also be very careful of any non-human that isn¡¯t bound to the dungeon for a while.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about Kaelmathis? He is at the house with Azami.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how strong Kaelmathis is, but under the old gods control I couldn¡¯t over power Kline, so I think we should warn them both.¡±


    I spend the next few hours warning everyone about what has happened, and I eventually hear back from Inari.


    Inari: (That sounds really bad, are you sure everything is ok Daddy?)


    (He wants you dead so I am more worried about you.)


    Inari: (Don¡¯t worry about us, we will take care of ourselves, you just take care of Mommy and Aunt Scylla.)


    (I know you didn¡¯t say anything, and it isn¡¯t my business but if you managed to discover another one of those corrupt dungeons this timing doesn¡¯t sound accidental, so if you do mess with one of those dungeons please be extra careful.)


    Inari: (We still are not 100% sure it is another one, but we really do believe it is. I hear you though and I don¡¯t care if Yuji throws a tantrum we will take it extra slow to be on the safe side.)


    Dyson and Madam Erin seem to believe me, but I am not sure about Lucille and Draco. I even warned Laura, but she laughed at me, but I did my part so the rest is on her.


    Queen is not only surrounded by her own beastkin, but others that have arrived on their own accord as well, so I warn her, and any other dungeon cores that it might be put in a bad way because of the old god.


    That evening when Belinda and I finally sit down to rest for a while she looks positively exhausted.


    Belinda: ¡°With everything going on¡­What kind of world are we bringing out daughter into?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much we can do about it, except keep giving it our best.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But even Ceres has given up, you said it she said the war was lost.¡±


    ¡°Well she wasn¡¯t exactly at her best at the moment.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°At her best? Do you even know if she is still alive?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You haven¡¯t given up on me have you?¡± ¨CShe says appearing on the couch next to Belinda startling her.-


    She is wearing different clothes, but I would say she was back to her usual self, she doesn¡¯t appear wounded, but she looks exhausted.


    Ceres: ¡°Easy there, don¡¯t get to excited and go into premature labor. Things are out of sorts enough as it is. Then again maybe something like that would put things back on track.¡±


    ¡°You never gave me a chance to thank you for what you did before, so thank you.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I look out for what¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°Except I¡¯m not yours.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The choice is yours, but don¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth.¡±


    ¡°Can you at least tell us what is going on?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything if you don¡¯t mind paying for the consequences.¡±


    ¡°What will happen if you tell me?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What will happen if you don¡¯t tell me?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°With the way everything has been changing? ¡­I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°So for all you know telling me what is going on could change things for the better?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That is why I gave you the offer.¡±


    ¡°Unless you can tell me for sure that not knowing will bring us less harm, then I want to know what is going on¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Where should I start?¡±


    ¡°Well first thing is first I guess, after seeing your blood, and what you did. You are one of the old gods, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Am I one of them the humans referred to as the old gods? Yes I am, but am I a goddess? Well I guess that depends on your definition of the word.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well we created the dungeons, so I guess we are your gods, but for who created us, humans, and everything else. I guess you could call them or it the ancient god or gods.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened to them?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Him, her, they, it, whatever the case, created everything and then us to keep things in check, and then they were just gone.¡±


    ¡°If it left you in charge, why did the old gods then disappear?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Some of us wanted more, some just wanted answers, so we created the dungeons like we were created and most of us then set off to find the one that created us, but the one we left the dungeons to. Well I guess she had other plans¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess you being back means you didn¡¯t find the ancient ones?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Some of us gave up quicker than others, and a few are still out there searching, but when I got back I couldn¡¯t believe what the dungeons had become. I couldn¡¯t call my sister out for what she had done to the dungeons, because of the fact in how far the humans have come, so I resumed this form and decided to just keep an eye on things on the sidelines.¡±


    ¡°Then the one controlling the dungeon¡¯s [Menu] is your sister?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well as much as any other the other ¡°old gods¡± are, but her name isn¡¯t something that can be pronounced with speech, so I just called her my sister.¡±


    ¡°If we were intended to be your replacements then what happened¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°My sister seemed to resent the fact our creators had left us, or maybe she just resented us for leaving her behind, but what should have been a means for our creations to become gods in their own right she turned into a tool giving parts of it to our creations and instead turned you all into dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Then the changes that have been happening in [Menu] are those her doing or yours?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well some of use felt that even though you didn¡¯t become what we intended, that doesn¡¯t mean you didn¡¯t become something just as interesting all the same. We started with you, cutting a few of the cords to see what would happen if you were all just left to your own devices, and although you have stumbled a bit along the way you have managed just fine on your own.¡±


    ¡°Then the reason I am different than the others is what some kind of experiment on your part?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°One that has seemed to pay off, and now since you have managed so well we decided to give you all bit more freedom. Now the current dungeon cores are bound to [Menu] through their crystals, and there isn¡¯t much that can be done with that, but your children, or your children¡¯s children. They will be continuations of what we started with you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Our daughter won¡¯t be a dungeon core?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°She will still be a dungeon core, but she will be her own crystal, or maybe I should say she will be the first actual dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean she will never be able to leave her dungeon then?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh no, things will work much differently for her. She won¡¯t be restricted to any one location, because she will be the crystal itself, she can walk right out of the dungeon. If she doesn¡¯t return to the dungeon it would begin to decay like any other, but depending on its size that could be hours, days, or even years.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then if she doesn¡¯t want to make a dungeon she doesn¡¯t have to?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well sure, if she wanted she could live among humans, and never even access her [Menu] if she wanted.¡±


    ¡°What about her xp consumption?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well she can use xp to sustain herself like a dungeon core, or sustain herself like a human through food and drink. She will only use xp to sustain herself if she doesn¡¯t do so the human way, and only if she has neither xp or food and drink will she begin to starve. Once she is old enough though, she will be able to preemptively sustain herself with xp if she decides against consuming food or drink.¡±


    ¡°You said when she is old enough, so that means she will age like a human?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°These second generation dungeon cores will age like their respective races, so for your child yes, and like a dungeon monster once they reach maturity they will cease to age. I won¡¯t say indefinitely, but well no current dungeon cores have reached the end of their life span and it will be the same for them.¡±


    ¡°What about human dungeon cores? They still can¡¯t have children.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We wanted to test the waters a bit, and only allowed 5 of the second generation cores for now, but if it works out the other dungeons will then begin receiving the option, and we will raise the number.¡±


    ¡°5 you mean there are already going to be 5 of these new cores going to be born? I knew about Draco¡¯s, but who else is having a child?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°There is your daughter, the 3 dragonkins, and the succubus.¡±


    ¡°3 I thought Draco only was having 1?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That was the reason for us putting a limit to only 5 at the start, as he has tried over 2 dozen times since.¡±


    ¡°So much for the agreement of only one per Elder¡­ And how did Dyson already manage to get the succubus pregnant, shouldn¡¯t he have needed to be able to summon them first?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°No, not him. The wolf beastkin Elder used the same method as your beastkin ladies did to impregnate her succubus.¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin?!¡± ¨CJust the thought of that makes my body shudder. I then change the subject to try to get that thought from my head.- ¡°What about the other god? You said you won the battle but may have lost the war, what exactly does that mean?


    Ceres: ¡°Well I am sure he is still licking his wounds, but he will be back and next time he won¡¯t be caught off guard again.¡±


    ¡°Then he is stronger then you? And just who is he?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°One on one I should be able to manage, but if this escalates there are others that might side with him and cause quite a problem. He has gone by a few names in the human language, but the most commonly they just called him the great hunter. Even before the dungeons we created a few of the monster races like goblins and kobolds, he was the one that controlled them.¡±


    ¡°But what about beastkin, and the others why can he control them?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°They may have been created by the dungeons, but [Menu] is still ours, so he can control them as well.¡±


    ¡°You said some might side with him, what about those that might side with you?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Most will remain neutral, and won¡¯t get involved, but I am still going to try.¡±


    ¡°How do I protect myself from him?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I managed to deal a substantial wound, and we don¡¯t exactly heal the same way you do. I was able to patch myself up but it may be years before I am back at full strength and the same goes for him. You did the best you could by having your monster and her family join your dungeon, but from now on any dealings with dungeon races that are not bound to a dungeon, you will have to be extra careful.¡±


    ¡°He wanted me to kill Inari, do you know why?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The ¡°old god¡± Inari, will probably side with me, it has been using your daughter Inari to stop the corrupted dungeons in Shima, but we still don¡¯t know who the ones responsible for making the corrupt dungeons was. I don¡¯t know if the great hunter is the one that is responsible for it, if he is trying to help the one that is so they will side with him, or if he is just trying to get the ¡°old god¡± Inari out of his way.¡±


    ¡°What about the ones attacking the dungeons in Dyson¡¯s name? I know you said it was a dungeon core problem, but anything you can tell me on that?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I tried to give my sister the benefit of the doubt, and although I still do believe it is only a dungeon core that is behind this, I think she might be bitter for some of us coming back and changing the rules of [Menu] so although she isn¡¯t doing this herself, she may have given a dungeon core an edge he or she wouldn¡¯t have normally had otherwise.¡±


    Even though Ceres has no wound anymore she suddenly winces so I ask her. ¡°Are you sure you are ok?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Like I said it may take quite a while for everything to be back to normal¡­ I know you are sure to have many more questions, but I think we are going to have to hold them off for another day while I recover a bit.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Thank you for protecting my husband, Scylla, and her family.¡±


    Ceres then just smiles and nods before disappearing from the room. After Ceres is gone I get up from my chair and take a seat next to Belinda where Ceres was sitting and Belinda lays her head on my shoulder. Belinda and I then just try to piece together all the information we just learned.

 Uneasy Conversations

    After a close call with the god that controls the beastkin in which Ceres really stuck her neck out helping us in a big way, and with her ability to predict future events getting murkier and murkier she decided if we wanted to know what is going on she would tell us.


    We found out the god that controls the beastkin was often referred to just as the great hunter, so we sent a message to our two scholars in Merretta, and have them focus on information on this great hunter, or any god that may be associated with him.


    We also found out a bit about the way things are going to work for our daughter.  We also found out a bit more about Ceres and the other old gods, if you even want to call them gods. We don¡¯t know if it helps or makes matters worse, but we also learned that the old god responsible for [Menu] may also be assisting the dungeon core that is responsible for killing the Elders, Maric, and all the others.


    We used all of the dungeon¡¯s xp to rebind Scylla, and also bind Kline and their daughter, but once midnight hit we got a small amount back. Even with close to 35,000xp from Hecate we are still in a tight spot.


    It feels a bit strange, but I am a temporary Elder so instead of just telling Madam Erin or Dyson I call for a meeting of the Elders myself. Lucille and Laura try to make it difficult, but I just tell them if they don¡¯t want to learn what I have uncovered then they can choose to ignore the meeting.


    It seemed to have worked however because shortly after I arrive at the neutral zone the only one to beat them in arriving is Madam Erin, but only by a few seconds.  I want to congratulate Madam Erin on her child, but I want to speak with her privately about it first.


    After all the women have arrived next is Draco, with Dyson following up the rear. He seems quite tired and worn, and I truly hope it is due to working hard trying to find the one impersonated him, and not because he has been entertaining his succubus¡­


    ¡°First of all I would like to thank you all for coming when I called, I know I am only a temporary Elder, but you all managed to come.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°We are not here for your thanks, tell us why you called the meeting.¡±


    I then tell them about the attack by the great hunter, and what he was after. I also tell them most of the information I learned from Ceres leaving the parts about my daughter and the other elder¡¯s children.


    Laura: ¡°You still expect us to believe you can talk to the gods?¡±


    ¡°If you listened to anything I just said then you would know that they may in fact be the old gods we have heard about, and the ones that created the dungeons, but they are only gods if you define them as such yourself, and they have an ancient god or creator themselves.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So if one of these half-gods, or demi-gods if you will are behind [Menu] and is it helping the dungeon core trying to take us all down, what exactly can we do about it?¡±


    ¡°Well has your investigation led to any more information about which dungeon core is behind this?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So far it hasn¡¯t, that cuff has been passed around more times than a 1 gold prostitute.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Cuff? Then it was you?! You sent that monster of a man into my dungeon?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Guilty.¡±


    Laura: ¡°I demand compensation!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Get over yourself, your arm was healed easy enough, and besides we got rid of Llewelyn on your boss monster¡¯s order so I say we are even.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You had one of your monsters kill another dungeon core without permission from the other Elders?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He isn¡¯t one of my monsters, and if you find him you can execute him or do whatever you want with him. Besides if you want to look to the one to blame for Llewelyn¡¯s death Laura was the one to order it, and even knowing that she was trying to get you all in a uproar about Llewelyn¡¯s death.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I think under the circumstances it is best to say Llewelyn¡¯s death was due to the dispute with Laura, and as she was not a temporary Elder yet, we can say the matter is settled.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°There is still a matter of this human that Dyson sent.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He was the one that did Laura the favor, but if it makes you feel better, if he shows his ugly face around I will personally deliver him to Laura wrapped in a little bow, is that acceptable?¡±


    Lucille and Laura don¡¯t look happy but they nod.


    ¡°There is one more matter I would like to discuss and that is the producing of new dungeon cores. I received a bit more information about it as well.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°It seems the demi-gods, as Dyson called them put a restriction on the number of these new dungeon cores would be born after one of the Elders summoned a total of 3 while still attempting to summon over 2 dozen more of these new cores himself.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I knew it, Dyson claimed to have no interest, and only wanted to limit it to a single one per elder so he could have more of the slots himself!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I haven¡¯t even attempted it!¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You are lying!¡±


    ¡°He is not, isn¡¯t that right Draco?¡±


    Draco: ¡°It was purely to test how this new method works. I tried several compatible species to my own and wished to find out what would result from them.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°We agreed! Fine, as I am unable to produce one of my own and you have three, I will take one of them for myself!¡±


    ¡°These are his children, you can¡¯t just demand¡­¡±


    Draco: ¡°Deal, but I am keeping the other two.¡±


    ¡°You are just going to give up one of your own children like that¡­?¡±


    Draco: ¡°We trade monsters all the time.¡±


    ¡°But this is your child!¡±


    Draco: ¡°And I will still have two afterwards.¡±


    I sigh and shake my head.


    Madam Erin: ¡°If they put a block on producing any more then what about the rest of us?¡±


    ¡°The block is only temporary, they want to see how these new dungeon cores do before someone else gets the idea to summon dozens more.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Then is that all?¡±


    ¡°I believe so, and remember if you have any demi-humans or even beastkin, elves, or dwarves that are not bound to your dungeon near your dungeon, they could potentially be used by the great hunter.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Like I would let trash like that close enough to my dungeon to harm me.¡± ¨CShe says and then gets up parting from the room while Laura follows her like a lost puppy.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°It seems those two have completely mended that rift between them.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. I think Laura is playing Lucille this time.¡±


    Draco doesn¡¯t look to happy with me for calling him out, but he doesn¡¯t say anything and departs as well.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well pup not bad for your first meeting you called yourself.¡± ¨CShe starts to get up but I stop her.-


    ¡°Hold on just a minute, Dyson do you mind if I speak to Madam Erin for a minute?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have business with you as well, so just don¡¯t take too long.¡± ¨CHe says then excuses himself from the room.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°What is this about, pup?¡±


    ¡°Well for one, are you going to be ok with you secondary dungeon, most of those monsters are not bound, so you are going to need to be extra careful.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Indeed¡­¡±


    ¡°I also wanted to say congratulations, but I knew if I mentioned your child in front of the others it would of brought into the question of how, and we still haven¡¯t told the other elder¡¯s about being able to replicate those rings ourselves.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then you mean..!¡± ¨CShe says looking a bit flustered.-


    ¡°Yes, but I thought the succubi were like your daughters¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I got the idea from seeing your two boss monsters, and Elexia was more than willing to test it out, In fact she was quite enthusiastic about it.¡±


    ¡°Please spare me the details¡­ But I just wanted say congratulations, and you may want to move her from the others back to your dungeon to be on the safe side.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, if you will excuse me¡­¡± ¨CAfter I nod Madam Erin seems to be blushing when she departs which is something I haven¡¯t seen her do before¡­-


    Dyson enters the room shortly after and says. ¡°That was quite the look, what did you tell Madam Erin?¡±


    ¡°If she wants you to know she will let you know. Now, what is this business that you have with me?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I needed to pay you back for the items you produced for me.¡± ¨CHe says taking an xp bead from his pocket and handing it to me.- ¡°I know xp isn¡¯t your favorite type of repayment, but after you said what happened I felt you might need it at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Well thanks for that.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I also have something else I am looking into for you, but acquiring it is quite difficult, so I will have to continue to work on it.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess another monster that you would like to add to your entourage?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I do feel my entourage is currently lacking with only one member, but she quite something and I think I can make do till I find some other unique additions, but no, the item I am trying to acquire for you is something else.¡±


    ¡°Well thank you for the xp bead, and let me know if you need any more help tracking down the origin of the cuff.¡±


    Dyson then departs as well and I return home and add the xp bead to my dungeon¡­ The items I gave him when he came knocking on my door was roughly 100,000xp worth of goods, but the xp bead it 10 times that.


    I can¡¯t afford to look a gift horse in the mouth however so I break the bead down and return to a comfortable safety net of xp.


    The bunnies seem quite pleased with it at least, and we use close to half of it replacing the boss monsters at the end of the elemental wings, and now that they are back we return the mythril swords to their traps in the rooms as well.


    As for the mythril armors I received from Hecete¡¯s demi-human group I had to break two of them down yesterday when I added Scylla, Kline, and Listel to the dungeon, and I let Zoey have another. I hold on to the one Azami was wearing just in case, and two more sets, but the other 5 I use in the dungeon.


    The ones I held on to are the ones that fit the basic humanoid creatures, but the monstrous sets are the ones I add to the dungeon. One was made for a troll, so the leader of the trolls that guard one of the keys in the clockwork room gets a set. I don¡¯t have any dragonkin good enough for the dragonkin suit of mythril armor, but I quickly find the monstrous suits of armor are more versatile then I thought.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    No matter the size anything from the smallest elf to the largest burly man can wear standard armor, and I guess the same can be said for armor designed for monsters. After putting mythril armor on one of the trolls, I also equipped a set on the rest of the leaders guarding the keys, that leaves two more sets one of which goes on one of the ogre lords, and I am even able to equip one on the minotaur in the room with his.


    These armors will likely be taken by adventurers within a year, but by then Azami should be able to make more herself. We have also decided to keep a few of the runic armor and magic stone enhanced weapons in the dungeon in limited quantities for something new for the adventurer¡¯s to drool over.


    After setting things up in a way I am satisfied for now I hold onto the remaining xp for emergencies. When I close my screen I notice Lala and Lele snickering and giggling while looking over a screen. With the advanced dungeon core room, they are able to share a screen, so I am also able to look over their shoulders to see what they are looking at.


    ¡°What does he think he is doing?!¡± ¨CI quickly say to the twins causing them to jump.-


    On the screen I see Moss of all people inside the dungeon talking to Bribri who has a strangely decorated wooden mask strapped to his face¡­ The two bunnies quickly get nervous and cover each other¡¯s mouths.


    I quickly check the screen to check where the soldiers are, and when I am sure it is clear I transfer down to Moss.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?!¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Elf elf give baba¡¯s babaga dungeon face!¡± ¨CHe says proudly.-


    Moss: ¡°Oh, it looks like it¡¯s time to change masks.¡±


    Bribri excitedly runs over taking the strange smiling mask off and grabs another one with a large frown putting it on and rushing back.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Elf elf give baba¡¯s maskes so soldiers know how babaga dungeon is happys or how babaga dungeon is mads!¡±


    ¡°But what are you even doing here? What if one of the soldiers saw you here?¡±


    Moss: ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, I checked with Lala and Lele before coming, and this was their idea, so I didn¡¯t want to disappoint them.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it was their idea?¡±


    Moss: ¡°Early this morning when I was working on my crafting, they showed up and said they wished the gnomes had little masks. I had to practice my crafting anyway, so I made a few and they really liked them and asked me to give them to the gnomes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should have run this past me first?¡±


    Moss: ¡°Why¡­? Lala, Lele, and their sisters do all the work around here. The way I see it this dungeon is theirs more than it is yours!¡±


    ¡°I rely on the girls a great deal, but I don¡¯t make any of my sentient monsters do anything they don¡¯t want to do.¡±


    Moss: ¡°That is only because you summoned them that way and they don¡¯t know any better! While you are off playing human they are the ones that are protecting all our lives.¡±


    ¡°I am not exactly goofing off, if you haven¡¯t noticed there is a great deal out there trying to kill us, and I leave the dungeon to the bunnies because I know they can keep it safe, while I try to put a stop to any major attacks before they even happen.¡±


    Moss: ¡°And yet that woman still came through the dungeon tearing everything up and scaring Lala and Lele to death, and after it was over you just gave her a free pass!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to explain myself to you. If you want to leave the dungeon I will gladly unbind you and you can go about your way.¡±


    Moss: ¡°Maybe not, but they risked their lives for you and you letting that woman go makes them think you don¡¯t care about their safety at all, so if they come to me asking for a simple thing like giving the gnomes masks, which they seem to be enjoying as well, then I would gladly do it again if it makes Lala and Lele happy and takes some of the worry off of them!¡±


    ¡°The masks aren¡¯t even the problem it¡¯s the fact you are changing things in the dungeon without consulting me! What if the humans reacted negatively to the masks? If I knew nothing about it how am I supposed to smooth things over?¡±


    Moss: ¡°Who cares what the humans think? They are just the dungeon¡¯s food! You don¡¯t think the humans care what a cow thinks of them do you?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple.¡±


    Moss: ¡°It is for most dungeons!¡±


    ¡°Well they are wrong.¡±


    Moss: ¡°Yes, because for 1000 years they haven¡¯t had you around to tell them that out of all the dungeon cores, you know best!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter up for debate. You can be unbound from my dungeon and do whatever you like, or you can stay bound and behave yourself.¡±


    Moss: ¡°Fine! Unbind me.¡±


    Immediately after saying that Lala and Lele quickly transfer into the room each grabbing one of his arms pleading with him.


    Lala: ¡°Please Moss don¡¯t go!¡±


    Lele: ¡°Don¡¯t leave us!¡±


    Lala: ¡°Master we are sorry about the masks! Don¡¯t let Moss leave!¡±


    ¡°It is his choice, as it is for all of the sentient monsters of my dungeon.¡±


    Moss: ¡°You two leave with me. I will take care of you!¡±


    Lala and Lele look torn.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t happening.¡±


    Moss: ¡°I thought you said it was their choice?¡±


    ¡°You have no money, no food, and you have no way to take care of yourself if you leave the dungeon much less them.¡±


    Moss: ¡°I can craft weapons and armor to sell, that would be more than enough to get us by.¡±


    Lele: ¡°Please Moss don¡¯t leave¡­¡±


    Moss: ¡°Then you won¡¯t join me?¡±


    Lala: ¡°Master is Master¡­ He needs us.¡±


    Moss: ¡°You have them so twisted they don¡¯t even know which way is up! Fine I will stay close, and when you girls are finally ready to leave I will be waiting.¡±


    ¡°With the great hunter being able to take over elves not bound to a dungeon. I can¡¯t risk him taking control of you and saying or doing something to hurt Lala and Lele, so if you leave then that¡¯s it, you are on your own.¡±


    Moss: ¡°You¡¯re a bastard!¡±


    ¡°I just protect my family. It is your choice if you want to stay part of that family¡­¡±


    Both of the girls plead to Moss with their eyes as they cling to his arms as he looks conflicted.


    Moss: ¡°Fine! You win, I will say, but don¡¯t think this changes anything!¡±


    Lala and Lele: ¡°Yay!~¡± ¨CThey say both of them hugging Moss. Even though Moss¡¯s age is older than the girls appearance they are still taller than he is so their modest chests are pressed against his cheeks causing him to blush.-


    ¡°Alright girls, that¡¯s enough¡­ I don¡¯t expect you to change your mind about me, but I just ask as long as you remain here you respect my dungeon and decisions, and don¡¯t go changing things without asking me about it.¡±


    Lala: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Master, we won¡¯t make that mistake again!¡±


    Bribri: ¡°Elf elf not make babas mores babaga dungeon face? ¨CHe says with his shoulders drooping.-


    Lele: ¡°Master please!¡± ¨CShe says as both her and her sister let Moss go and grab my arms pleading at me with their eyes.-


    ¡°I guess¡­ But only a few until we see how the humans are going to react to them.¡±


    Lala and Lele: ¡°Yay!~¡±


    Lala: ¡°Now Bribri can put the happy mask back on!¡±


    The gnome gets excited again running over and switching out his masks, removing the one with a frown and replacing it with the one he had earlier with the smile.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t take it too far ok¡­? And make sure the humans don¡¯t see you down here.¡±


    After that the humans are curious about the masks at first but that is it. It isn¡¯t even a week before the entire gnome population has their own set of masks that each slightly differ from the next. There is also a superstition that quickly spreads among the soldiers and adventurers about the condition of the dungeon compared to how many gnomes are wearing what types of masks, so the soldiers start counting how many of each type of mask the gnomes are wearing each morning and rush the results to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild posting the results for all to see.


    It only solidifies the fact that the gnomes are able to communicate with the dungeon in a limited way, so for a bit of fun the bunnies ask my permission, and I allow them to start slightly changing the difficulty of the dungeon to match with the results of the masks.


    Moss seems to avoid me even more so then before, even on one evening when I take him, Lala, and Lele to Shima for a bit of training he doesn¡¯t say two words to me the entire afternoon.


    After learning the great hunter was trying to kill her Inari has been giving us very little information about what they are doing in regards to locating the corrupt dungeon to not only protect herself, but us as well.


    We receive word that there have been a few attacks against Faron¡¯s churches again, but so far the damage has been minimal, but a few people have lost their lives. Ceres has seemed a little worried about it as she has visited us again quite a few times.


    She has started to come by just to see how we are doing, and make sure everything is going alright, and even going as far as knocking on the front door when she comes, instead of just popping in and out.


    I have heard very little from Dyson, the most I can get out of him about his investigation is it is ongoing, and he will then quickly change the subject to the matter of acquiring me a special gift¡­ He won¡¯t tell me what it is, but keeps saying it is something I will greatly enjoy.


    Scylla and Kline have been extra cautious lately especially around Samuel, I offer to allow him to join the dungeon, but Kline still isn¡¯t sure if he wants to tell him about the dungeon or not. With the winter solstice festival quickly approaching I receive word from Maeve that she has finally acquired enough monsters to pay me back for the elves.


    After I set up a time to meet with her I check to see if Belinda is up to the visit, and after a bit of waiting we arrive on Maeve¡¯s dungeon. It is quite warmer here then it was at home, and although it was cold at home the cool breeze blowing here actually feels quite refreshing.


    Belinda seems relieved after we cross the wide meadow and take our seats in one of the ruined buildings. She is starting to get close enough to having the baby that she has slowed down quite a bit.


    Maeve: ¡°Mama, if it was that hard I could have had Papa bring you directly here instead of way out there in the field.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s far easier to open a portal in that wide open field with a [Gate] spell, especially when you dungeon is moving, but it isn¡¯t just that. Walking is actually quite helpful for the baby, even if it is a little uncomfortable for me.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself to hard¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¨CShe says with a genuine smile.-


    ¡°I had to say I was quite surprised to hear you were able to unlock so many new monsters this quickly.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Sorin has been a tremendous help. Not only is he invaluable when I need to bring my spoils back with me to the dungeon, but being able to fly he has a great sense of the wind. He has been able to direct my dungeon while I am away adding hours or even days to the amount of time I can remain on the surface.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Yea he has been so helpful I wish I could get a few more of the swan beastkins.¡± ¨CShe says with a smile and a wink.-


    ¡°I told you I would trade you a few after the business with the elves was finished, but after last time I would at least like to make sure you actually deliver first.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Alright then first thing is first then.¡± ¨CShe accesses her [Menu].-


    After a few seconds a human sized fairy joins us after flying out of the entrance to Maeve¡¯s dungeon.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a fairy like your Windy? I should be already be able to summon them.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Sort of, it is a Sylph. It is kind of an offshoot of the fairy evolutionary line. Where fairies are only sentient at their highest tier a sylph can be sentient from the start, but this one of course is not.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had one or two of them when I summoned the gnomes, it would have made things a lot easier¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Next is another type of elemental, nothing special but it¡¯s a bit different than the ones I gave you before, and it is an off shoot like the sylph, so even if you unlocked higher tiers from the ones I sent you before, this one should still be new.¡± ¨CShe says while using her [Menu] to call out a wisp like elemental.-


    ¡°Looking good so far.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I have one more wind monster but I want to save it for last, so next up is¡­¡± ¨CShe uses her [Menu] calling out the next monster from her cave.-


    The next monster is a large bear, but it¡¯s got the head of a bird and its arms are wings, but they are nowhere near large enough to carry a monster of its size.


    Maeve: ¡°Tough, but nothing to spectacular, I am sure any of these monsters I have are nothing special to you, but they will just be ones you can¡¯t summon yourself yet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am sure you will get there.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I know, but you just seem disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, as long as they are new to my dungeon that is exactly what I was trading you for.¡±


    She then calls the next few monsters out, she already gave me a handful of flying animals, but these are species she didn¡¯t have before, so they aren¡¯t worth much but it is something I guess.


    Maeve: ¡°I only have one more so I hope that is enough to call us even.¡±


    ¡°Well you said you were saving one for the last, so I think as long as it is as good as the sylph it should work out.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well I know you have several types of dragonkin, and a dragons already but I don¡¯t think you have a dragon quite like this one yet!¡±


    ¡°A dragon? How can you already summon a dragon?!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Behold!¡±


    Out from the entrance of her cave flies the tiniest little dragon I have ever seen it has butterfly like wings and it zooms around through the air until it comes to rest on the table in front of us.


    ¡°Maeve¡­.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I promise it might not be that intimidating but it is still a type of dragon, its magical ability is pretty high, and its cost is actually higher than the sylph, so what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Well if it¡¯s as you say, and I will easily find out when I get home, so there isn¡¯t any reason for you to lie. I think it should work out.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Of course, I would never lie to Papa.~¡±


    ¡°You mean never lie again?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I never lied! I just didn¡¯t tell the whole truth¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same difference, but you came through in the end. Now, with Belinda not able to get around as well I have been helping with the preparations for the winter solstice festival, so we probably should get back.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But Papa! What about my swan beastkin?¡±


    ¡°Well you don¡¯t have anything else to trade, do you?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well no¡­ But I thought you would let me owe you again.¡±


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t completely recovered from Hecate¡¯s attack a few weeks ago, and then the great hunter forcing me to add Scylla and her family to the dungeon didn¡¯t help either, so I can¡¯t afford to trade monsters on credit right now. I promise though once you have something to trade me I will be glad to.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But Papa I need one!¡±


    ¡°Well you have Sorin, and I gave him to you for free.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But I need a female!¡±


    ¡°And once you get a new monster or two, I will trade you one if you are in a hurry¡­¡±


    Maeve lets out a deep sigh. ¡°Please Papa, I need at least 1 female now so I can pay back what I borrowed¡­¡±


    ¡°What you borrowed¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I didn¡¯t learn to summon new monsters¡­ Elder Dyson came to me and we made an arrangement¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maeve you didn¡¯t?!¡±


    ¡°After just getting the succubus he goes and does something underhanded like this¡­? And you went along with it?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well he showed up just like you said he would, and after we talked about what you said he would want to talk to me about, and I managed to talk him into an agreement on a swan beastkin instead.¡±


    ¡°Then all these monsters are his?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well we transferred their ownership to me, so that you wouldn¡¯t know about it when you transferred ownership to your own dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I can¡¯t believe you went behind your Papa¡¯s back again!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mama, but Papa knows what was at stake!¡±


    ¡°Then you hold on to these monsters for now, and I am going to have a talk with Dyson!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But Papa couldn¡¯t you just take the monsters and give me the swan beastkin? I don¡¯t want to anger Elder Dyson where he might hurt Papa.¡±


    ¡°I know part of this only happened because I asked you to turn him down, but I just won¡¯t stand for this sneaky behind my back stuff. No I think it is best if we settle this sooner rather than later, or he might come back demanding more of you.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Papa, that isn¡¯t really necessary, maybe I should just talk to him and tell him you found out about it and refused to trade.¡±


    ¡°Then he will try to rope you into something else, no, I will take care of it.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But Papa¡­Ok¡­¡±


    I know there is probably more to this then Maeve is letting on, but I don¡¯t want to get into the finer details with Belinda here, so I think it is best to get Dyson¡¯s side of the story before making any decisions on just what I am going to do about this.


    Belinda then gives Maeve a hug, and I do as well, but when I give Maeve a hug I whisper in her ear that I am going to get to the bottom of this, and she lets out a nervous chuckle only confirming that not all of this is adding up.


    After we teleport home Belinda asked me what Maeve meant about me knowing what the stakes were, and I blew it off, but Belinda isn¡¯t stupid, so I am sure she has a pretty good idea what it was. I take her back to the city hall building where she is working on things for the solstice festival that she can do without moving around a lot, and then I head back to the house and message Dyson.

 Dealing with Dyson

    After learning that Dyson used an underhanded tactic to try to get ahold of another one of my sentient monsters for his ¡°collection¡± by using the debt Maeve owes me, I decided to call him out on it and get to the bottom of what exactly is going on.


    I know Maeve is probably not as blameless in this as she made herself out to be, but I am hoping that this isn¡¯t just going all according to their plan. After sending Dyson a message however I receive a reply back that says. (Perfect timing, I actually just acquired the gift I have been trying to track down for you.)


    (You might want to hold off on that until after we have our conversation, as I don¡¯t think you will like it very much.)


    Dyson: (Oh?)


    (Will you be willing to meet me at the neutral zone?)


    Dyson: (Very well, I am ready whenever you are.)


    I then agree to meet with him a in a few minutes, and then make my way to Belinda to let her know about my meeting with Dyson. I then [Gate] to the neutral zone, and find Dyson has already arrived. Dyson however isn¡¯t alone as there is a very larger lion looking creature curled up in the corner of the room.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the creatures size being equal to a griffon I might think it is a simple winged lion, but I can¡¯t exactly be too sure what exactly it is as the way it is curled up its large wings are coving its head as it appears to be sleeping.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Your gift of course.¡±


    ¡°I told you to hold off until you hear what I have to say.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I went through a great deal of trouble to acquire you this monster, and we don¡¯t exactly see eye to eye, so I simply have no other use for him. Now, what is it you think I will not like?¡±


    ¡°I found out about the deal you made with Maeve.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you have to say?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have to admit this isn¡¯t ideal, but I don¡¯t see how this changes anything.¡±


    ¡°You know how I feel about sentient monsters. Do you think I would turn one over to Maeve knowing what would happen after that?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I would prefer one of yours, but it doesn¡¯t have to be one of them. With the male she already has, it might take quite a while longer for her to acquire the ability to summon them herself, but eventually she will be able to.¡±


    ¡°With the deal in place I have with Maeve when I gave her Sorin, if she tries to force Sorin into something like that it will unbind him from her dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is if it is forced. I hear he¡¯s quite the night owl, trying to sneak in late night visits to not one but two of Maeve¡¯s female elves, and if I give him a few more options to choose from I am sure Maeve will be capable of summoning her own swan beastkin within a year.¡±


    ¡°You are not going to ask for anything unreasonable from Maeve if I refuse to provide her with the beastkin are you?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As I already said I might have to provide a few additional options for the one she currently already possesses, but that is all.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, why do all this behind my back trying to get me to summon Maeve a swan beastkin for you?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The females you summon tend to be second to none, and I would be taking a gamble on if Maeve would be able to meet my expectations. Not to mention the fact my entourage is shorthanded as it is, and I would like to fill it as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°After just getting the succubus, you are already looking for something else?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The deal with Maeve was in place before I acquired Desiree, but Desiree seems to be looking even more invested in the growth of my entourage than I am.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I agree with any of this, and the succubus was a onetime thing, so I will not help you continue to fill your bed, but as long as you are not forcing Maeve or Sorin into anything, then it looks like there isn¡¯t a whole lot I can do about it¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are quite right about that, but you know. Maybe I will just take your daughter up on her other offer until she can provide the agreed-on beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Maeve is a dungeon core and can do what she likes, but I do think of her as a daughter in a way, and only want what is the best for her, so I might not be able to stop you, but are you willing to risk what taking such an action will do between us?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°A simple swan beastkin could prevent all that. I would even provide the xp cost for its summoning.¡±


    ¡°Then you are leaving me an ultimatum? Summon you a sex slave, or you will turn my daughter into one?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have already told you they are treated like queens and are not mere sex slaves. Besides the xp I could provide to Maeve while she us under my care could be invaluable to her growth.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I will summon your beastkin¡­But I want some assurances, and don¡¯t think this is going to end here. One of these days you may come to regret this decision.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am in no means asking anything unreasonable, in fact you and your daughter are benefiting from this simple trade far more then I, so to make it sound like some nefarious deed to make you feel better about yourself is of no fault of mine.¡±


    ¡°I want assurances that you will no longer try anything like this with Maeve, or any of my daughters like this again.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Deal.¡±


    ¡°You will also never ask for me to summon someone for this purpose for you, ever again.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Never, is quite a long time¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done. I will do my best to summon this beastkin to want to do as you ask, but at any point she says no that is the end of it. I don¡¯t care if it is now, 5 years from now, or 100 years from now you will not force anything on her, or abandon her because she is no longer of interest to you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°This is just a beastkin we are talking about¡­¡±


    A voice then sounds from under the wings of the sleeping lion that is quite majestic, while still powerful and deep.


    Lion: ¡°So these are the kinds of deals you make, young one?¡±


    ¡°Young one, do you mean me?¡±


    The lion then stands tucking its large feathered wings against its lion like body revealing a large but human like head on the lion-like creature.


    Dyson: ¡°He means me¡­ And what of it?¡±


    Lion: ¡°I have to say if you brought me to be impressed, I am far from it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You know why I brought you here, but I that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have other business to take care of as well.¡±


    Lion: ¡°I find this whole ordeal in bad taste.¡±


    ¡°I quite agree with you there...¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, he is just him being a pain in my ass, now are we going to do this or what?¡±


    ¡°Do you agree to my terms?¡±


    Dyson looks to the lion then back to me and says. ¡°Fine.¡± He then opens his [Menu] preparing a xp bead and tossing it to me after he is finished.


    ¡°I would like to speak to her before you meet her, so I will go to the other room.¡±


    Dyson scowls at the lion, and it ignores him wcurling back up in the corner of the room. I then head to the other room while opening my [Menu] after breaking down the xp bead I summon some clothes and then select the swan beastkin.


    I am not sure on what to focus on, I know what Dyson expects, and it was rather easy when summoning the succubus, but for a beastkin it just doesn¡¯t seem right. I don¡¯t know if I feel strongly enough for this to work, but I give it my best shot.


    As the light coalesces into a humanoid figure, I can already tell she has a rather petite, but beautiful figure, with over half her height being leg length. Turning away as the light drips off her and briefly pools on the floor before disappearing, I offer her some simple clothes. As she''s not the first swan beastkin I''ve summoned, I already know which type would fit her, so I can soon turn around to find her already dressed.


    Her face is round and cute, with an immediately endearing quality to it. She''s beautiful, but I wouldn''t call her alluring. As my sight takes in the rest of her figure and I notice the way in which her voluptuous breasts push against her dress, I realize I must have been putting a bit too much thought into it as they are somewhat large, when taking her overall height into account.


    Her hair is like golden wheat and almost seems to shine from within, and it reaches down to the base of her hips, light and straight. She then looks at me with rather worried expression as she speaks with a song like voice.


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master, but I don¡¯t know if I can do what you expect of me¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for asking something like that from you, but I didn¡¯t really have much of a choice.¡±


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°No, I understand, but that¡¯s not exactly it. Your agreement will allow me to tell Elder Dyson no, but it isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t find the prospect of being near him to be appealing. I just don¡¯t know if I can be all that he wants me to be.¡±


    ¡°Well what is it you want to do then?¡±


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°Well first, I would like to meet him. He can then give me a name and maybe that will put my mind to ease a bit.¡±


    ¡°You sure you want him to name you?¡±


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°If I am to join him, then yes I would like my permanent Master to give me my name.¡±


    ¡°If you are sure, then let¡¯s go meet him then.¡±


    I give her an ultimate command and she then follows me from the room no problem but once we approach to enter the room where Dyson is she seems to grow quite nervous. When I open the door she quickly hides behind my back, not that her wings will let her do a very good job at it, but she grabs the back of my shirt and I can tell she is even shaking a bit.


    ¡°Are you sure you are up for this?¡±


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°I have to be, right?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What is this?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Just give her a second¡­¡±


    The swan beastkin takes a deep breath and let¡¯s go of my shirt. She is still shaking a bit as she steps out from behind me lowering her head not to meet with Dyson¡¯s gaze. Dyson moves forward to check her out, but she uses her wings to shield herself from him.


    Dyson: ¡°Are you going to let me get a look at you?¡±


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am a bit nervous.¡± ¨CShe says lowering her wings enough for her face to peek out above them, but she tries to avoid eye contact with Dyson.-


    Dyson: ¡°Well from what I can tell her appearance is what I have come to expect from your work, but her personality seems to have been a failure, perhaps we will have better luck on the next try.¡±


    ¡°There is no next try!¡±


    The swan beastkin quickly steps forward grabbing Dyson¡¯s arm, blushing quite severely before saying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but please don¡¯t write me of just like that¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Do you wish to join my dungeon or do you not?¡±


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°I do¡­ But I just don¡¯t know if I can be what you want me to be.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have only 2 needs for a woman in my dungeon, and that is either part of my entourage, or a soldier in my army, and a beastkin woman in with the soldiers of Mar is by far the worst fate of the two.¡±


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°I will join your dungeon, but I make no promises¡­¡± ¨CShe says while blushing bright red after realizing she is holding onto Dyson¡¯s arm, and she quickly releases him covering herself again with her wings.-


    Dyson: ¡°So what name did Two-Twelve give you?¡±


    Swan Beastkin: ¡°If you will have me, I asked that you be allowed to give me my name.¡± ¨CShe says while peeking through the feathers of her wings.-


    Dyson: ¡°For those in my entourage, a name is something they must earn, but a name is required for you to leave here, so I will call you Angela.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Simple, but I like it.¡± ¨CShe says while lowering her wings again, while lightly blushing.-


    ¡°Are you sure this is what you want?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Yes, I want to be with Elder Dyson.¡±


    I am still not too sure about this, but I accept her name in [Menu] and then say. ¡°Then I take that to mean our deal is complete, and you will leave Maeve out of this?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am not sure your daughter will be happy in losing out on the xp she could have gained, and this is not exactly the deal I had in mind, but yes I believe this will work.¡± ¨CHe then turns to the lion.- ¡°Now, it is your turn.¡±


    The lion stands again and gives Dyson an angry look. ¡°As if I answer to you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We shall see.¡± ¨CHe takes Angela by the arm causing her to blush and they then disappear before I have a chance to say another word.-


    The lion then turns his human like head to me appearing to size me up.


    ¡°I am not sure what Dyson¡¯s intentions were, but he called you a gift to me, but you are a sentient being so what is it you want?¡±


    Lion: ¡°Akil, you may call me Akil.¡±


    ¡°Alright Akil, what is it you want?¡±


    Akil: ¡°I have called more than a few dungeons home over the years, but to actually join a dungeon is something I have no intentions of. You do however leave me quite curious. Perhaps a deal can be struck.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    Akil: ¡°If you will allow me to take up residence inside your dungeon, you can gather the xp from my presence and it will give me a chance to get a better view on what it is you do next.¡±


    ¡°I do not know if I am comfortable with a one that could potentially do my dungeon a great amount of harm to freely move about in my dungeon. Especially with the one called the great hunter being able to manipulate others like he can.¡±


    Akil: ¡°You have no need to worry of the great hunter, as I predate the humans and the old gods. With the exception of the ancient dragons I am one of the oldest beings there is, so the great hunter has no control over me.¡±


    ¡°If you are that old, then your strength is even more troubling.¡±


    Akil: ¡°Age does not determine ones strength, or you would not still be alive today. Although I am capable of defending myself, I do not fight, and instead focus more on the path of knowledge.¡±


    ¡°You said you want to see what I do next, what do you mean by that?¡±


    Akil: ¡°I have heard a great deal about Dungeon Core #212, who not only has the ear of several of those referred to as the old gods, but some of the ire of several as well.¡±


    ¡°I am just trying to live in peace¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°Even more reason for me to find you interesting.¡±


    ¡°Even if the great hunter can¡¯t control you, I am still rather wary about having a monster not bound to my dungeon to be able to wander my dungeon.¡±


    Akil: ¡°It is your choice.¡±


    ¡°What was Dyson even hoping to accomplish with bringing you here?¡±


    Akil: ¡°After failing to kill me twice, I assume now he plans to use my curiosity in you for his benefit.¡±


    ¡°He failed to kill you twice¡­?¡±


    Akil: ¡°I am still here, am I not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean that. You said you could defend yourself, but enough to stop Dyson?¡±


    Akil: ¡°He was much younger then, although I wish I could say less wise, but in that aspect he hasn¡¯t seemed to change much.¡±


    ¡°Then, why go along with him?¡±


    Akil: ¡°Because if there is one thing he got right, it is my curiosity in you might not give him what he wants, but still may end up to benefit him all the same.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really see how I can be that interesting¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°There are many with their eyes on you, even the ancient dragons are at least aware of you by now.¡±


    ¡°Everything I have ever accomplished was either by pure dumb luck, or through the efforts of others. Even what makes my dungeon unique, is only because of what the old gods did at my birth making me different, and is by no way my own merit.¡±


    Akil: ¡°And yet your name still appears time and time again.¡±


    I let out a deep sigh. ¡°Well if you were capable of holding Dyson off, even if it was years ago, I don¡¯t think if you wanted to cause me harm there is much I could do about it, but the xp I could gather from you could be quite nice¡±


    Akil: ¡°I will start off with the basics. I am simply going to observe you, and even at the cost of your life I will not take action to defend you or your dungeon. The xp you gather from me and maybe some wisdom I depart onto you will be the payment for allowing me to stay within your dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That is kind of harsh isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Akil: ¡°You are only interesting because of the things you have accomplished, and being witness to your fall would likewise be just as interesting. Another point is I need plenty of space, there are rooms available in your dungeon currently that would serve my purpose, but if this extends for any great length of time, once the humans penetrate deeper into your dungeon a new space will have to be provided.¡±


    ¡°If you are not going to defend my dungeon the last thing I would want is for you to be a target, and rooms are relatively cheap so I am sure I can manage that.¡±


    Akil: ¡°The third thing is that I need my sleep. When you get to be my age you tend to require a fair amount of sleep and although I don¡¯t mind you speaking to me when I am awake, but if I am asleep I am not to be bothered.¡±


    ¡°I am sure that is reasonable¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°Very well, then I have traveled a great deal to meet with you here, so it seems like a good time for a bit of rest.¡±


    I am still not too sure about this, but I could definitely use a large source of xp. I cast [Gate] leading to one of the large rooms on the second to last floor of my dungeon. Until the adventurers pass the orb door we shouldn¡¯t have anything to worry about, and Akil should still have a great deal of difficulty reaching my crystal if he tried.


    After arriving Akil looks around the room. ¡°This should do nicely.¡± ¨CHe then spreads his wings flying up to the snipers perch on the upper section of the room and then curls up in the middle of it.- ¡°Now if you will excuse me, I am quite tired.¡± ¨CHe says with a yawn then covers his face with his wing.-


    There are still many unanswered questions, but I guess they can wait for now. I transfer to the dungeon core room to inform the bunnies about our new guest, and it takes quite a while to explain the situation to them.


    I don¡¯t want to leave Akil in my dungeon without me here quite yet, so speaking to Maeve will have to wait. I wanted to ask Akil more questions, but even by the time Belinda and I are preparing for bed he has yet to move a muscle.


    We still don¡¯t take any chances, setting [Menu] to warn us if moves from that spot, and hopefully by tomorrow morning I can at least get some answers.


    Byson¡¯s PoV


    It has been a few weeks since I first started my investigation for Dyson, and it has been far from easy. Speedy has been nothing but a slave driver, but I am starting to think she is punishing me just because of my appearance as she can¡¯t punish the real Dyson.


    I have been taking a few odd jobs and adventurer¡¯s guild commissions to get by, and have even managed to gain quite a bit of experience, but I am sure it is just a drop in the bucket to the actual Dyson.


    Following the trail of the shady merchant Darwin, Speedy and I departed from Korta making our way north into Livinston, and I am feeling hopeful we are about to finally bring this investigation to an end as the last spotting of Darwin was just the previous day in this very city.


    After all these years, just the fact of a shady merchant like Darwin is still operating in the area is quite fortunate for us. After a bit more digging I find information about where this Darwin, is supposed to be tomorrow, so I decide to retire for the evening.


    I can¡¯t say the inn I am staying in is of the best quality, as it seems every piece of gold I have earned over the last few weeks that hasn¡¯t gone to feeding me, has gone straight into the information gathering process.


    Speedy sits in the chair across from my bed, that is little more than a bedframe with a stack of straw on it with a blanket thrown over the top, as I sigh sitting on its edge and begin removing Dyson¡¯s armor. Dyson¡¯s armor is quite elaborate and takes a great bit of effort to remove. There also isn¡¯t much room for much else so I barely wearing my skivvies underneath.


    I have grown accustomed to the looks Speedy is giving me while I have removed the armor over the last few weeks, but she just looks at the figure of Dyson in little clothing with a sense of longing.


    ¡°Thank you for storing away this stuff for me at night, I don¡¯t know what would happen to me if I were to lose any of it to thieves.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°If something happens to Dyson¡¯s sword or armor, you will not be the only one that will be forced to pay the price.¡±


    ¡°You know, I have been watching you for a while now, and I know I am not Dyson, but if it brings you comfort you can touch me if you like.¡± ¨CI say setting down the last piece of Dyson¡¯s armor.-


    Speedy¡¯s face quickly turns to one of anger, which is a face I am not unfamiliar with, as she looks at me with that face multiple times a day, and she says. ¡°Don¡¯t be absurd!¡±  She and Dyson¡¯s gear then disappears. I let out another sigh and get up from the bed moving over to shut and secure the window before heading bed.


    I wake up the next morning by an ice cold wind blowing over me, and I find the window standing wide open with Dyson¡¯s gear awaiting me at the end of the bed. I quickly move to the window closing it back and then start putting on Dyson¡¯s gear.


    Even Dyson¡¯s gear is ice cold, and my hands even begin feeling numb as I am shivering while putting on the armor. After getting the armor on I quickly rush downstairs to warm myself by the hearth. Even after breakfast I still don¡¯t see Speedy around as I set off in a light dusting of snow heading for the place in which Darwin is said to be at.


    I arrive at a large trade building that seems rather reputable in comparison to what I thought a merchant like Darwin would be frequenting. A few squeaky wheels need grease until I find myself waiting in a large office for either the big cheese of this establishment. Apparently he is the one to talk to for any matters concerning Darwin.


    I don¡¯t have to wait long as a man enters the room in quite nice set of clothing. I wouldn¡¯t call him an old man, but he isn¡¯t exactly in his prime any more either, and he has seemed to put on a few pounds since the time he had those clothes made.


    I stand as he enters and he quickly approaching me grasping my hand and giving me a firm handshake as he says. ¡°Elder Dyson, what a surprise to see you here in my fine establishment.¡±


    I am quickly taken aback, no one has recognized me as Dyson so far, but even if they did by calling me Elder Dyson they must be in some way associated with the dungeons.


    Well-dressed man: ¡°Please have a seat, I hear you have been looking for me.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if Dyson is supposed to know this man, but I don¡¯t even know who he is. He is talking like he is Darwin, but Speedy didn¡¯t recognize the name, so I am not sure how I should handle this. Luckily Dyson¡¯s helmet is hiding my expression or I am sure it would of given away my surprise.


    ¡°Yes, I was tracing the origins of a particular item in Korta, and wouldn¡¯t you know the name Darwin keep popping up, so here I am.¡±


    Well-dressed Man: ¡°I see, I see. I got this place off the ground, what was it¡­? Three years ago? It has been quite a while since I traveled around selling my master¡¯s items. There are parts of the traveling I miss, but not being on the road 10 months of the year is quite a nice feeling.¡±


    ¡°So about this item¡­¡±


    Darwin: ¡°Yes indeed, what exactly was this item you were looking for? Was it something you were wishing to acquire another of or what exactly?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, it happened to be a slave cuff of all things, I knew they went out of style years ago, but it had some interesting features.¡±


    As a merchant Darwin should be able to maintain composure regardless of the situation, but mention of the cuff makes even this seasoned merchant break out in a cold sweat. That also tells me even if he does know about the dungeons and he referred to someone as his master, he is at least not part of one himself.


    Darwin: ¡°Yes, that is quite curious my name show have popped up on such an item¡­ I don¡¯t recall ever selling such an item in Korta, or anywhere for that matter.¡±


    ¡°That is indeed curious, because I heard it was sold to a beastkin man in service of the Korta prince by you, and he was promised a great deal of the cuff¡¯s magical properties.¡±


    Darwin: ¡°You know what it¡¯s like trying to sell up an item to someone like that!¡±


    ¡°So you are acknowledging to the fact that you sold him the cuff now?¡±


    Darwin: ¡°I didn¡¯t say that!¡±


    ¡°Look, I am not interested in you. I just want to know where you acquired the cuff.¡±


    Darwin: ¡°It was the same place I used to acquire all of my goods, from my master, but she didn¡¯t make that item herself I believe she received it from another in a trade¡­¡±


    ¡°Another change of hands¡­ Who did she receive it from?¡±


    Darwin: ¡°From your predecessor¡­ Leland¡­¡±


    ¡°You are telling me your master acquired the cuff I am looking for from an Elder?¡±


    Darwin: ¡°Well maybe if you didn¡¯t let your allies run around killing other dungeon cores freely, my Master would still be alive and you could of asked her yourself!¡±


    I don¡¯t even know how to respond to that as I don¡¯t even know who this man¡¯s Master was much less if Dyson was somehow responsible. Luckily I am saved from having to say anything else because the door of the office explodes and I find Speedy standing next to me.


    Speedy: ¡°Master, come quick.¡± ¨CShe then grabs my arm and we are gone.-


    When Speedy finally comes to a stop we are standing in a large snow covered field.


    ¡°You really saved me back there¡­ Not that I think he was about to attack me, but if I had to keep talking I was sure to expose myself sooner rather than later.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°That was the reason for my action. Dyson didn¡¯t recall any Darwin when I asked about him, but after doing a fair amount more digging after you acquired the information yesterday Dyson and I were able to put it together. Darwin has contacts with Lucille, and his old Master was one of the dungeon cores she had trained. If Lucille managed to get information about Dyson having you act in his place it really could cause him some problems.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess it really is a good thing you bailed me out of that jam, but I was able to gain a bit more information about the cuff before you showed up. Apparently the cuff came from the old Elder Leland.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°That is impossible!¡±


    ¡°That is where Darwin said the cuff came from¡­¡±


    Speedy: ¡°I have to inform Dyson immediately!¡± ¨CShe says then disappears.-


    ¡°What about me?!¡± ¨CI call out into the empty field, but even I know it¡¯s too late for her to hear me.-


    I let out a deep sigh and look around. I don¡¯t even know where I am¡­

 Traitors

    It has been a few days since my exchange with Dyson. I don¡¯t think Akil is a threat, more like he just wants a safe place to sleep, and even though I have talked to him a few more times he is asleep at least 23 and a half hours a day¡­


    As long as he isn¡¯t a threat however he is more than welcome to stay, because the xp I receive from him daily is close to 75,000xp¡­ I can¡¯t even imagine how strong he truly is. The xp we gather from him alone was enough to double our current daily intake, and that doesn¡¯t even include Hecate¡¯s sizable contributions or the teams we have out gathering xp for us.


    The one or group posing as Dyson on the other hand has shown no signs of slowing down, because I have received one more message about a dungeon core¡¯s death at Dyson¡¯s hands. There has to be more to this, and there has to be a reason for these particular dungeon cores to be targeted.


    Due to the way Belinda¡¯s pregnancy started we know exactly when she conceived, and I was sure she would make it for at least a month into the New Year. Maybe there are a few differences between humans and divine beings, because I am not sure she is even going to make it till the end of the year now.


    Even as she helps Scylla and Kline prepare for the winter solstice festival that will happen next week, she is taking a great deal of time of rest between the preparations, so when I go to visit Maeve I leave Belinda in Tobes.


    When I arrive in the meadow on top of Maeve¡¯s dungeon the cool breeze is refreshing here instead of the cold snowy weather back in Tobes. Meave also eagerly greets me as I arrive instead of waiting for me to heading towards the ruined buildings.


    ¡°Do you plan staying in this area all winter?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Of course! You think the snow and cold is bad on the ground you should see it up here in the clouds.¡±


    ¡°I have to say your reaction to me returning after what happened seems quite different then I was expecting.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well Papa you always work it out in the end, so how did it go?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much of this you and Dyson planed together, and I don¡¯t want to know, but I had to summon him a swan beastkin.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°What about you¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Are you going to summon some for me now?¡±


    ¡°After what I had to do just to keep Dyson from adding you to his entourage instead, you are going to ask me that? I had to break one of my rules for summoning a sentient creature just so Dyson wouldn¡¯t try anything like that again!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Wait¡­ You what?¡±


    ¡°The deal you made with Dyson was for a sentient swan beastkin, and if you didn¡¯t deliver he was going to have you fill its spot until you could. I wasn¡¯t about to let him turn you into some sex slave so I broke my rule and summoned him one, but I made him a deal that he would leave you be.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°How could you make a decision like that for me?! I could have really used the xp it would have cost him for me to enter his bed!¡±


    ¡°I was doing you a favor!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°That¡¯s not a favor! Why are you taking it out on me?¡±


    ¡°I care about you. Maybe more then I should as just one dungeon core to another, but I really do think of you as a daughter, and I don¡¯t want to see something like that happen to you.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You didn¡¯t care about Inari enough to care who she invited to her bed, so why do you care so much about who I do?¡±


    ¡°A lot has changed since then¡­ And I do care, but Takeshi is a good man, but Dyson?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°It¡¯s just sex! If I can get a hundreds of thousands of xp for a few romps between the sheets it is well worth it!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not just sex! Well, maybe it is, but that is not the point. I don¡¯t want to see my daughters having to stoop to that level¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°It was my choice, yet you made it for me and cost me enough xp that I would have been able to finally being working on the village I had planned on building here. I didn¡¯t mind the whole Papa and Mama thing, and even enjoyed it a bit, but damnit Papa you went too far!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Maeve, I really am, and you can hate me all you want, but if I had it to do all over again I would. Like it or not I care about you and I think you are far too good for likes of Dyson.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I don¡¯t think you give Dyson enough credit.¡±


    ¡°Oh he gives himself all the credit he needs.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Papa, I mean it. You and Dyson have different ways of looking at things, but you are more alike than you care to admit.¡±


    ¡°Take that back¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I¡¯m serious, I think that is why despite your differences he sat right here in my dungeon and told me you were the closest thing he has to what could be called a friend.¡±


    ¡°Dyson¡¯s friend, now that is a scary thought. Some friend threatening and manipulating me to get what he wanted from me.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well I may have had a little something to do with that¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you did. How much of it was Dyson¡¯s idea and how much of it was yours?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°It is your fault you know!? You told me what to expect from Dyson, so when he showed up looking for a trade, the only monsters I have are the common variety wind monsters, and the ones you gave me so I just knew that was why he came. After making myself look like a complete idiot! I found out he thought the beastkin was mine. After I told him I got it from you, that was when we came up with the plan.¡±


    ¡°Whose idea was it to use you to get me to summon the beastkin?¡±


    Maeve:¡± Well¡­ That was sort of my idea.¡±


    ¡°Then you are just as much to blame. I couldn¡¯t stand for him to wave you around like some prize to be won, so I made it part of the deal he wouldn¡¯t do anything like that with any of you.¡±


    Maeve sighs. ¡°Well now what¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well just because the deal ended your debt to Dyson, it doesn¡¯t mean it ended your debt to me. You still owe me for the elves.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Seriously?!¡±


    ¡°I will make a deal with you, the monsters you got from Dyson, I will take them home and bind them to my dungeon and learn to summon them, then I will return them and you can re-bind them to your dungeon and we can just start over from there.


    Maeve: ¡°What about my swan beastkin?¡±


    I sigh. ¡°From what Dyson said, it sounds like there is a chance you might get the ability to summon them eventually anyway, but I guess I can summon you a few more, but you have to pay these ones back the legit way!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°I mean it Maeve, this will be your last chance.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I thought we were starting over?¡±


    ¡°Then this is your only chance.¡±


    Maeve gives me a smirk and says. ¡°Yes Papa¡­¡±


    ¡°So if you will go get the monsters I will take them home and summon a few more swan beastkin for you. Do you have any preferences for them?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°How many are you giving me?¡±


    ¡°Trading! Not giving.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Alright Papa, how many am I going to owe you for?¡±


    ¡°You already have one male, and by the sounds of it a female for him at this point doesn¡¯t sound like would make a difference, but how about a two female and another male. The same rules will apply though, same agreement as the elves or Sorin, you can¡¯t force anything on them especially force them to be together!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Yes Papa¡­ Like you said Sorin might give me the opportunity to summon either more of them or elves before too long, or maybe even both, so I can agree to that.¡±


    Maeve then goes and collects the monsters in which Dyson gave her to pay off her debt for the elves. I then cast [Gate] returning to my dungeon and transfer their ownership. I then have them move off to the side and begin on summoning the Swan beastkin.


    I summoning clothes for all three, and then start with the females. I am starting to get quite good on equipping the clothes on them before the light fades. The first of the two I summon has much the same angelic like presence as Angela and Sigrun, and her hair although quite short is as white as the feathers on her wings.


    The second female is no different and could even pass for the first one¡¯s sister, although her hair is shoulder length, but still white. I then summon the male and he turns out quite different. So far all of the swan beastkin I have summoned have pale skin, light colored hair, and white feathered wings, but this male has long black hair and wings to match it.


    ¡°Alright, I ask you three to take good care of Maeve, but I also want you to keep an eye on her for me as well. I care about her a lot, but I also worry.¡±


    The three of them nod and the male says. ¡°I understand.¡± I then give them all an ultimate command, with a bit more details on protecting them in case Maeve does something she shouldn¡¯t with them. I then re-cast [Gate] and after giving them simple numbers for names I take them along with the other monsters back to Maeve¡¯s dungeon.


    Maeve: ¡°Beautiful! Excellent, thank you so much Papa, you won¡¯t regret this!¡±


    ¡°I better not¡­ Now, I just gave them numbers for names, because I forgot to ask if you had a preference for that, but when you bind them you can give them names yourself.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You can¡¯t just give someone a name without seeing them first, you got to make sure it fits them. Isn¡¯t that right, Kya? ¨CShe says to the longer haired female.¡±


    Kya: ¡°If that is what you wish.


    Maeve: ¡°As for you two, how about Keir for you and Celestine for her?¡±


    ¡°Celestine?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°What and Sorin was better?¡±


    Celestine: ¡°I think it¡¯s a fine name Mistress.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°What about you? Any complaints?¡±


    Keir: ¡°No Mistress.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you three take the others into the cave, then you can have a look around. I am going to finish up here with Papa.¡±


    All three: ¡°Yes Mistress.¡± ¨CThey then lead the non-sentient monsters towards the cave entrance.-


    Maeve: ¡°You really outdid yourself this time Papa, they are prefect!¡±


    ¡°Then thank me by paying me back the correct way.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I get it Papa, I screwed up ok? You don¡¯t have to keep rubbing it in.¡±


    ¡°Well I apparently didn¡¯t say it enough after you did what you did with the elves to begin with, that you went and did something worse to pay me back for it!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I get it¡­¡±


    ¡°I am glad you like them though, and I hope they work out for you.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Thanks again Papa.¡±


    ¡°I better get back, I think Belinda has been pushing herself too much over the last few days.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Hey Papa, before you go¡­ Mama¡¯s sister, has she gotten married yet?¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Now what are you planning¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°No, she was supposed to get married to the Exeter prince right? Has that already happened?¡±


    ¡°Did Belinda tell you about it? No, not yet. Apparently there is an old contract in place between Exeter and Korta preventing a union between Exeter and Duscae, but that expires at the end of the year, and then they could proceed with the wedding, so it will be the first day of the New Year.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Are you and Mama going?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know your Mama and parties¡­ But I think the baby is going to come sooner than we anticipated so I am not sure.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°If you do go, can I come along?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not¡­?¡± ¨CI say questionably.- ¡°But why?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I am sure being there with Mama would make her happy right?¡±


    ¡°I am sure she would, but that still doesn¡¯t explain why you would want to go.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I just want to see the wedding is all.¡±


    ¡°I will ask Belinda, about it and let you know.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Thanks Papa.¡± ¨CShe says giving me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.- ¡°I promise I won¡¯t let you down!¡±


    I find Maeve¡¯s behavior a little strange, but it is soon forgotten because after returning home there seems to be quite the uproar in the living room.


    Once I enter I see Azami quite happy, and expression that I don¡¯t believe I have seen on her before, while she is holding a small bluish-silver piece of metal.


    ¡°You have done it? You have learned the skill to craft mythril?¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Not quite, she can use her [Elven Crafting] produce mythril, but to acquire the skill she still needs to craft a piece of armor or a weapon from mythril itself, but with her magical reserves that will be a matter of hours instead of weeks¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°A dagger will be simple and I could complete it in minutes.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°It isn¡¯t quite that simple, the first one you make will take an enormous amount of effort, so you should at least get some rest, and start on it refreshed.¡±


    Azami: ¡°No need.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°You have already been at this for far too many hours, a few hours rest is not going to make that much difference.¡±


    ¡°He is right Azami, you don¡¯t want your first item crafted from mythril to look strange, and you want it to be something you can take pride in.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Fine, but I will complete it today!¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°I have no doubts¡­¡±


    I then receive a message from Dyson requesting me join him and the other elders for a meeting, and all I can think of is. ¡°Now what¡­?¡±


    ¡°Alright, Dyson is calling a meeting together, but do let me know when it is done, and I will give Kaelmathis a ride home. I am sure he is ready to return to his family after all this time.¡±


    Kaelmathis nods, and Azami transfers from the room. I head back to the city hall building to tell Belinda about the meeting and then head to the neutral zone. There is still a bit of time till when Dyson called the meeting for, but I find he has already arrived and he seems to be having a heated discussion with Madam Erin.


    Madam Erin: ¡°You said it changed hands half a dozen times already, I am sure he received it and traded it off in the same fashion!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You know better than that. My skills might not be as specialized as Leland¡¯s were, but he wouldn¡¯t have been able to rest unless he knew every little detail of a magical item like that, and if he did crack it I am sure he wouldn¡¯t of traded it off unless he knew exactly what he was doing!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Leland was a lot of things, but a traitor wasn¡¯t one of them!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We shall see¡­ Ah, Two-Twelve you have arrived!¡±


    ¡°What is this about Leland and the cuff?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I will explain everything once the others arrive, but first I want to say what is the deal with that beastkin you traded me?¡±


    ¡°I summoned her moments before introducing her to you, so you have already known her far longer than I have¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You must have done something to her when you summoned her, or through an ultimate command to make her act the way she does.¡±


    ¡°I told you summoning a woman for that type of purpose was something I wasn¡¯t comfortable with, but I promise, I did do the best I could. After all if she wanted to be part of your entourage it would be much better than making her unhappy there.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And she does! But I can¡¯t get within arms-length of her without her panicking a refusing to let me get closer! It is by far a worse tease then Madam Erin was doing to me with that succubus of hers!¡±


    ¡°It sounds like she is just really shy, and you are just going to have to give her time.  You wanted something unique and with that you got to deal with unique personalities as well.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It is ridiculous, either she wants me or she doesn¡¯t, this back and forth is going to force me to have to summon a few more normal women just to take the edge off.¡±


    ¡°I really think Angela is the one that is acting normally.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What about your guest, is he working out as well as I hoped?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you expected, but he has been providing a fair amount of xp, but he sleeps so much I haven¡¯t really been able to learn much more than that.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is better than nothing, I guess. He hasn¡¯t asked you any questions either?¡±


    ¡°No, he just sleeps¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I was hoping his interest in you would provide useful information.¡±


    ¡°It has only been a few days.¡±


    Dyson lets out a deep sigh and then takes his seat waiting for the others to arrive. I didn¡¯t catch much of their conversation, but Dyson managed to get over their grievances pretty easily, but Madam Erin still looks quite perturbed. I take my seat as well, but Madam Erin doesn¡¯t until the others begin to arrive.


    Lucille: ¡°What is it that is so important to bother us with a meeting?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are always in such a rush, but I seriously doubt your dungeon takes up that much of your time. Maybe you are following in Laura¡¯s footsteps this time and found yourself a human man to lick your boots.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°And you apparently have too much time on your hands.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes I guess that is impossible because before you could enjoy yourself you would have to first take the stick out of your ass.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Enough, is this really the reason you called the meeting?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are sounding so high and mighty, I am sure you know what I mean. After all over 2 dozen attempts?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Just get on with it!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Fine, in my investigation into the one using my name to kill dungeon cores I uncovered that another dungeon core has had the cuff in their possession, Elder Leland.¡±


    Draco: ¡°Do you really expect us to believe Elder Leland was involved in all of this before his death? He died before any of this even became an issue.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Maybe that is the exact point, his death could have been the trigger that started all of this.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Leland was no traitor!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes, I already know your take on the matter¡­¡±


    Draco: ¡°Are you sure of this information? Accusing an Elder, even if he is already dead of something like this, is no small thing.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Besides it was his death that led you to become an Elder, maybe it has been you all along, and you are using Leland as a scapegoat to spit on his name.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Do you really think I would go through all this trouble? And yes, I tracked the cuff all the way back into Leland¡¯s hands, and you all know how he was with magical items, he was worse than a dragon with their treasure horde. He wouldn¡¯t have turned loose of a magic item like that without knowing exactly what he was doing.¡±


    Draco: ¡°And what of the Archjusticar, what have you found out?¡±


    ¡°Me¡­? I helped a bit with Dyson¡¯s investigation but for once I was told I didn¡¯t have to fuss with it so I haven¡¯t. I have too many other things going on to question Dyson¡¯s decision to handle this on his own.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°And you didn¡¯t find that the least bit curious?!¡±


    ¡°From everything I have seen? No not in the least bit¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I think we can all agree, that even if Leland was in possession of the cuff, he had no intentions for all this. We might not ever know what he was trying to do, but I can assure you it wasn¡¯t dungeon core genocide.¡±


    ¡°Even if we knew for a fact the Leland had made the cuff, where would that leave us now? Because the ones using the similar means seem to have access to the same type of items, and Rosalinda wasn¡¯t shy about using them, so I seriously doubt they have trouble acquiring more.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Leland was a skilled magical artificer, and with his knowledge if he did make the original cuff he could of taught the techniques to someone else.¡±


    ¡°But who¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is a good question.¡± ¨CHe says while leaning forward to stare at Madam Erin.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°I told you already, I don¡¯t know anything about this¡­¡±


    Draco: ¡°It stands to reason if Leland said anything, it would be to you.¡± ¨CHe says to Madam Erin.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°If I knew, don¡¯t you think I would say something? There are cores I have trained that have been targets of these attacks.¡±


    ¡°Has anyone found a commonality between the dungeon cores that are dying? To me they are all of various ages and locations, but I haven¡¯t been at this very long¡­¡±


    Draco: ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a discernable pattern yet.¡±


    ¡°What about in connection with Leland? Does adding Leland into the mix change anything?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°How is that possible, Var was born 2 years ago, long after Leland had died?¡±


    ¡°I am just trying to help¡­¡±


    Draco: ¡°You might be on to something there though¡­¡± ¨CHe says while deep in thought.- ¡°If you leaving out some of the bigger names, and Madam Erin¡¯s Var of course. Then quite a few of the dungeons that have died I believe they were trained by Leland.¡±


    Lucille:  #8, #27, #262, #445, #465, #503, #591, and #730 all were trained by Leland, that means about half of the ones killed were trained by Leland. That is far too many for it to be a coincidence, especially with the fact that Leland trained the least amount of dungeon cores then any of us.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then I was right, Leland wasn¡¯t the cause, or else they wouldn¡¯t be attacking the dungeon cores he has trained.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Maybe they are trying to get rid of information that they are afraid one of the dungeon cores he trained might know.¡±


    ¡°That still leaves the others though, how do they fit in? If you cut the ones out trained by Leland is there a pattern to the ones that remain?¡±


    Draco: ¡°Not that I am aware of.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Maybe they were just killed to distract us from their actual targets.¡±


    ¡°I think it is too soon to just write them off as collateral damage. We need to continue to see if we can find something that links them together, but we should definitely look into some of the dungeon cores that Leland trained that are still out there.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I agree¡­¡± -She says while she seems to be going through her [Menu].- ¡°That only  leaves Dungeon Core #160 and #288 of Leland¡¯s still remaining.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know #160, but isn¡¯t #288 Chansey? She was one of them that Maric said might be involved in this.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°After seeing how much strength Rosalinda had gained, I am not sure any of us should try to do this alone. Dyson, Two-Twelve, and I will take Chansey, if you three will check out Beatrice.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Of course it would be the three of you¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Would you rather have Dyson or Two-Twelve watching your back instead of Laura and Draco?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    Everyone then gets up from their seats and Dyson, Madam Erin, and I then leave the room heading for the smaller waiting room.


    ¡°How are we going to do this?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If Chansey isn¡¯t involved just showing up might be rather rude, but on the off chance that she is we don¡¯t want to alert her of our arrival.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Given the circumstances, if she isn¡¯t one of the culprits she is more than likely a target, so she can just deal with our sudden intrusion.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Even on the best of days Chansey is not easy to deal with, so no matter what happens you must be on your guard.¡± ¨CShe says to me.- ¡°If things start to look bad, just run, there is no shame in running to survive against impossible odds.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°She isn¡¯t that hard to deal with, you just need to speak her language. She has done quite a few favors for me in the past.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Why am I not surprised you have had business dealings with Chansey¡­ You didn¡¯t, Dyson her, did you?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What is that even supposed to mean?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I admit I am sure she would make quite the attractive woman if she were to grow up, but as a dungeon core she never will, so I draw the line on little kids.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°She is older then you are.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Only by a few years, and that doesn¡¯t change her appearance, but I hear that didn¡¯t stop Leland.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You know as well as I do the only childish thing about her is her appearance.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You give me a hard time, yet at least I draw the line somewhere. Hell my personality probably stems from your infatuation with Leland.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I was never infatuated with Leland!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You could have fooled me, and everyone else that ever saw the two of you together. I don¡¯t even think you have wagged your tail since his death.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am not some mutt that wags its tail! And Leland was there for me after I was forced to end my husband. Sure we might have kept each other company a few times through the years, but it was respect I had for Leland, and never infatuation!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, I think we are getting way too far off topic¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°The pup is right, we need to focus, because Rosalinda was a push over and if she gained so much strength there is no telling how much strength a truly formidable dungeon like Chansey might have obtained.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We better pull out all the stops then.¡± ¨CHe then looks to me.- ¡°I heard about those magic stones that have been flowing out of that city of yours, you wouldn¡¯t happen to have one with water magic would you?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t quite the way they work, it a singular spell, just like a normal magic stone with a spell stored in it, the only exception is the spell is reusable as long as you pour your magic into the stone.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I just need one with a simple [Clean] spell. After discarding my old entourage, my new one has yet to acquire the spell, and I am not going to traipse around town looking for someone to cast it for me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one on me, but with a magic stone, I should be able to make you one within a few seconds. The magic stone just has to be one rank higher than the spell unless you wish to activate the spell with runic activation spell, then it can be the same rank. Doing it for something as small as a [Clean] spell would be a waste, but if you are looking for a much more powerful spell, that is the way to go, because it uses your magical power instead of that of the stone¡¯s.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is truly fascinating, but I do not have that spell. I leave all my runic needs to Madam Erin, but you might have far more Leland in you then I thought.¡±


    ¡°From what I heard that doesn¡¯t sound like a compliment.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If Dyson got the curse of Leland¡¯s libido, and you got his artificer¡¯s gift, then I say you got the better deal.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I would hardly call it a curse.¡± ¨CHe says while he uses [Menu] to summon a magic stone larger than any I even have access to and then presents it to me.-


    ¡°You sure you want to use this stone? It seems like such a waste to use such a large stone on a simple [Clean] spell.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You said the spell uses the stone¡¯s power right? So using a stone like that should make sure whatever it is I wanted clean to sparkle when I am done.¡±


    ¡°You could probably purify a bog with this kind of stone, but if you are sure.¡± ¨CI cast [Runic Reading] and [Runic Writing] but quickly store and then remove the stone from my dungeon inventory before adding the runes to the stone.- ¡°Call it the fee for making the stone for you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I could summon a handful of them for you if you like.¡±


    ¡°As tempting as that sounds, I am sure I wouldn¡¯t like the cost.¡± ¨CI say while finishing up the stone and handing it to Dyson.- ¡°There that should do it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I didn¡¯t know you would use the spells I thought you for something like that¡­ I am going to have to be far more careful in what I give you in the future.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°But if you want to teach him more things like that succubus, I would be willing to pitch in!¡±


    ¡°Dyson!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°He has always been an insufferable ass, another trait he shared with Leland.¡±


    Dyson then pulls his armor and sword from his inventory, but he doesn¡¯t equip it. First he uses the magic stone I just gave him using the full strength of the stone on them.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Storing your armor with [Menu] will clean it, is that really necessary? Just what have you been rolling around in?¡±


    Dyson then stores the stone and the armor back in his dungeon¡¯s inventory, and then equips the armor with [Menu]. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡±


    I too equip armor, but I choose one of the mythril sets rather than my normal armor. The sword I got when I was with Listel is still of better quality than that of those I have summoned or received in Hecate¡¯s attack, but the ones I summoned are enchanted. I have offset the difference a bit by covering the sword in runes giving it some extra effects, so I equip it as well.


    Dyson: ¡°Not bad, but I think the other suit of armor suited you better.¡±


    ¡°Azami managed to make her first piece of mythril this morning so soon she can craft me my own suit of a high quality for a fraction of the cost I can summon it, so I think I will wait till then.¡±


    Madam Erin accesses her [Menu] equipping gear of her own, but I don¡¯t think you could really call it armor. It consists of some pauldrons, shin and wrist guards, and a large belt with some hip guards. They are also not made of metal but rather of precious stones each with glowing runes etched in them.


    The sword she has is nothing less than a greatsword, but she wears it at her hip like a normal sword. It looks to be carved from a single piece of obsidian with no hilt or crossguard to speak off just a section that is a bit more narrow then the rest that is tightly wrapped in dragonhide.


    ¡°Well it looks like we are all set.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Dyson you can get us in better without being detected, so if you would do the honors.¡±


    Dyson nods taking ahold of Madam Erin and my wrist and with a pull on the back of my chest we are off.

 Meeting #288

    After a meeting with the Elders we have determined a pattern from some of the dungeon cores that are being targeted by the one posing as Dyson. After splitting up into two groups Madam Erin, Dyson, and myself make a surprise visit to Dungeon Core #288 Chansey.


    After teleporting we arrive in a small open forested area with a small brook running past us and the entire scene is quite picturesque. Madam Erin and Dyson however seem confused as their heads snap back and forth looking around with a puzzled expression on Madam Erin¡¯s face.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Where the hell did you take us?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°This is supposed to be it!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well it sure as hell isn¡¯t!¡±


    I start looking around as well and notice not all is as it seems, what I thought was a exterior location is actually an interior. The walls and roof however are mimicking deeper parts of the forest and the sky. There even seems to be motion in the clouds along the ceiling.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see an exit.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is because there isn¡¯t one.¡±


    A small frog jumps from the brook onto a large flat stone, and after it wipes its eyes with it little webbed feet it speaks in a voice of a young girl.


    Frog: ¡°Oh, what do we have here? Two, no, two and a half Dungeon Core Elders stuck in my little box.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Chansey, is that you? What did you do to us?¡±


    Frog: ¡°Who, little old me? I think you should be asking yourself, what did you do? Thinking you could just sneak into the depths of my dungeon.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed there has been a lot of dungeon cores perishing recently.¡±


    Frog: ¡°And all at the hands of the one standing next to you. Or has it been?¡± ¨CThe small frog¡¯s wide mouth curves up forming a smile.-


    Dyson: ¡°What do you know of what is going on?¡±


    Frog: ¡°That all depends on what it is worth to you.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you might not have noticed but they have been targeting all the dungeon cores trained by Leland, and that puts you in danger as well.¡±


    Frog: ¡°Oh, but indeed I have. In fact I dealt with one of the little buggers just this morning. I do have to say it has been fun watching you die in absurd and interesting ways Elder Dyson.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It sounds like you have dealt with more than one, have they all attacking while posing as me?¡±


    Frog: ¡°None have quite had your flair, but I have to say it¡¯s quite entertaining to watch you scream, cry, and piss yourself before you die each time.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If they keep attacking you, you should tell us what you know so we can put a stop to them.¡±


    Frog: ¡°And miss out in all the xp they have been providing to my dungeon? Not a chance.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They might have been easy so far, but they have killed the likes of Faron, and Maric, so sooner or later they are going to send someone that you can¡¯t stop.¡±


    Frog: ¡°I have managed to stop half of the Elders in a single swoop, what makes you think I am scared?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Listen here you!¡± ¨CHe says scooping up the frog squeezing it in his grasp.-


    The walls tremble and trees crack and fall as the room shrinks to half the size cramming everything together, and it takes quite a bit of effort not to get pinned or crushed by the trees.


    Frog: ¡°No you listen! You are in my house, unwelcome, and uninvited. Even if you are Elders I could kill you all right now, and there is nothing anyone could do about it!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You could try!¡±


    ¡°Dyson, this isn¡¯t helping! Look! We don¡¯t mean you any harm, and we really did come here to help. You say you can defend yourself then fine, but what about the other dungeon cores that can¡¯t? If you would just tell us what you know, we would be out of your way.¡±


    Frog: ¡°Dungeon Core 212¡­ I have wanted to meet you for quite a while now, so let¡¯s have a little chat shall we?¡±


    I then feel a pull on my chest and everything goes dark. I quickly look around and it seems I am unhindered, but I can¡¯t see anything. The sounds of rattling chains can be heard then I feel something grab my wrists and jerk.


    It jerks me so hard it pulls me backward until I collide with something causing me to stumble. I fall into what feels like some kind of hard chair as the tightening on my wrists intensifies. I struggle to free myself in the darkness, but something then wraps around my ankles pulling them tight against the chair as well.


    [Blink], [Gate], [Light], and several other spells I try casting but nothing seems to work. A bright light then flashes in my eyes causing me to clench them tight, and then something moves in front of me and I slowly try to open my eyes.


    With the dark room and the bright light shining directly in my eyes it makes it hard to focus, but I make out a small figure in front of me. The light is then pulled back a bit and the figure becomes clearer, and the figure is that of a small girl.


    She appears younger then Lala and Lele, and is wearing a light summer dress, her auburn hair is so curly that if it were straightened it might extend half the length of her back, but instead it barely reaches her shoulders. Rocking on her heels with her hands behind her back she leans forward giving me a once over.


    Chansey: ¡°You don¡¯t look like anything special.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m not, now is all of this really necessary just to talk?¡± ¨CI say pulling against the straps around my wrists.-


    Chansey: ¡°A little thing like me can¡¯t be too careful.~¡±


    ¡°How did you pull this off anyway? I can¡¯t even cast any magic.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Now, you should know there are three things you never ask a lady, and that¡¯s her age, her 3 sizes, or her dungeon secrets.¡±


    ¡°What about Dyson and Madam Erin, are they still alright?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°They are arguing about something quite fiercely, so if they are in any danger it is from each other, at least for the moment.¡±


    ¡°You said you wanted to talk, but so far I am the only one asking any questions.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°I have to determine if you three are here for the reason you said you were, and if it is true, I have to decide if I even care.¡±


    ¡°Someone out there is killing dungeon cores left and right, do you not care about them at all?¡±


    Chansey tilts her head to one side and looks to be thinking about it before she shakes he head and says. ¡°Nope, not really.¡±


    ¡°From what Madam Erin said Dungeon Core #634 Rosalinda was your typical dungeon core until she started working with whoever is behind these attacks, and then she was strong enough to put Madam Erin in a tight spot, so do you really think you can hold out here on your own?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Really¡­? Rosey acquired that much strength working for these people? Maybe I should join them as well.¡±


    ¡°Except they want you dead, and for whatever reason, it is because you were trained by Leland.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Even dead he is still a pain in my ass, just now figuratively rather than literally.¡±


    ¡°Then help us get to the bottom of this.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°That pain didn¡¯t come without a hefty xp reward, so what is it Dungeon Core #212 has to offer me?¡±


    ¡°If you are asking for compensation for your information, Dyson and Madam Erin are the ones you should be talking to, my dungeon is barely scraping by as it is.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Your dungeon is quite special is it not? I hear you managed copy the items the fake Dyson¡¯s are using.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you heard that¡­¡±


    Chansey: ¡°I told you, I killed several of the fake Dysons. That means I have their belongings and with it were their nifty little rings. After putting one of them on and doing a little digging it was quite simple.¡±


    ¡°Then you tracked the ones that are doing the attack! You know who they are?!¡±


    Chansey: ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you who is pulling the strings, but sure I know a few of the puppets involved.¡±


    ¡°Then you have to tell us!¡±


    Chansey: ¡°See that is where you are wrong. I don¡¯t have to do a thing.¡±


    ¡°If you speak to Madam Erin or Dyson I am sure there can be something arranged for the information.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°The rings are not the only items you managed to create, isn¡¯t that right? You see they have quite a bit of information on you, enough that I could probably make an educated guess on the color of the underwear you are wearing.¡±


    ¡°I seriously doubt that is helpful to you, just tell me what it is you want then?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°You are the first Dungeon Core to ever procreate. I want you to do to me whatever you did to your boss monster.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple¡­¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Why not, I powdered my nose, put this dress on that seems to be your preference, and I know it¡¯s not my appearance because some of your girls aren¡¯t that much older in appearance then I am.¡±


    ¡°How could you have learned so much about me, and yet so little¡­? Belinda is my wife and my only ¡°girl¡±, and that isn¡¯t the reason I said it wasn¡¯t that simple. My dungeon being different isn¡¯t the reason Belinda got pregnant. She might have been the first but she wasn¡¯t the last.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Then how is it possible?!¡±


    ¡°I could hold that information until you tell me what you know, but I won¡¯t do that, because the answer is that it just isn¡¯t possible right now. We are already at the limit of the number of these new dungeon cores to be born for now.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Then if I kill one that should free up space!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it works that way, even when [Menu] summoned new dungeon cores, even if you killed a training core it wouldn¡¯t make another until the following year. I can promise however as soon as another becomes available I will let you know, but as to who the father is you will have to figure that out on your own.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°That¡¯s not good enough!¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you, because that is all I can offer.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°You are really shaping up to quite the disappointment.¡±


    ¡°I told you that you would have better luck with Dyson or Madam Erin¡­¡±


    With a sudden pull at the back of my chest I am thrown to the ground at Madam Erin and Dyson¡¯s feet.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Thank goodness, you alright, pup?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­¡± ¨CI say while returning to my feet and rubbing my wrists.-


    Dyson: ¡°Did you get what we needed?¡±


    ¡°I found out she has a lot of information we could really use, but she wouldn¡¯t tell me unless I got her pregnant¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You should have taken one for the team.¡±


    ¡°I know you probably would have done it willingly, but you know I couldn¡¯t have even if I wanted to¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I already told you I draw the line at children.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now what? We haven¡¯t heard from her since you disappeared, and we have tried about everything to escape, I don¡¯t know how she managed it but she has found a way to prevent any kind of teleportation magic within this sealed off room.¡±


    ¡°What about communication, Have you tried to contact those on the outside?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That doesn¡¯t work either, it sounds like the same thing Hecate used when she attacked your dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t think Chansey is working with them, but she has tracked a few of them down, maybe she pilfered one of the same type of items that Rosalinda gave Hecate.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If we could get one of those things to your dungeon, we could put them to good use.¡±


    ¡°Excellent suggestion.¡± ¨CSays another frog that jumps out of the brook.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°You have more of them?¡±


    Frog: ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You give us the information we need, and one of those items, and Two-Twelve will produce 2 more for you.¡±


    Frog: ¡°Five!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Three.¡±


    Frog: ¡°Deal.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We also need assurances you won¡¯t use them against the Elders.¡±


    Frog: ¡°You stay out of my dungeon, and you won¡¯t have a problem.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Alright, then tell us what you know.¡±


    Frog: ¡°Stones first.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then join us at the neutral zone, we will produce the stones, and then hand them over once you tell us what you know.¡±


    Frog: ¡°And leave my house for yours? Pass!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Damnit Chansey, I¡¯ve never let you down before, have I?¡±


    Frog: ¡°And there won¡¯t be a first time.¡±


    ¡°You have to work with us a bit here!¡±


    Frog: ¡°I do¡­? I seem to be the one holding all the cards.¡±


    ¡°I will throw in what we talked about, you¡¯ll be the first to know.¡±


    Frog: ¡°Madam Erin and Two-Twelve goes, Dyson stays and learns the information. When you return, we trade Dyson for the stones.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Deal.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    A large stone appears in front of me and drops into the dirt at my feet. It looks like a magic stone but tin comparison it is massive, even the largest magic stone I have seen, which is the one Dyson presented to me earlier, was still small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. This stone however even Madam Erin would struggle to wrap both hands around it with her fingers still touching.


    I then pick up the stone, I feel a pull on my chest again, and I land on the ground in a heap. The terrain looks the same as the room we were in before the trees were knocked over, and there is a large cave entrance nestled in the tree line, but now we are clearly outside.


    Madam Erin landed on her feet and after looking around and giving the air a quick sniff she says. ¡°Alright pup, your spell should get us back to your dungeon quicker than mine.¡±


    When I landed in the dirt I dropped the stone, so after collecting it again I cast [Gate], and Madam Erin and I step through the portal that I formed arriving at my house.


    ¡°I hope Dyson knows what he was doing, we don¡¯t even know how much this thing will cost to replicate, and we have to make three of them.¡± ¨CI say while storing the item in the dungeon¡¯s inventory.-


    New Item Available


    Magical Blackout                                             Cost: 10,000*


    ¡°They are quite expensive but not as bad as I fearrrred¡­¡± ¨CI start to say but I drag out the last word when I notice the asterisk.-


    *Item must be summoned with godly quality. Base cost does not include quality cost of item.


    Madam Erin: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It says I have to summon it with godly quality, base price is only 10,000xp but to actually summon one it will cost 1 million xp, each!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s 3 million xp!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have enough for one of them right now¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°This information better be good.¡±


    I have to cast another [Gate] spell so Madam Erin can return to her dungeon and collect an xp bead for the amount we require, and when she returns she says. ¡°I only could muster up 2,750,000xp without digging myself into a hole, so I hope you can at least cover that much.¡±


    ¡°It will be tight, but I think I can manage.¡±


    I let the bunnies know what I am doing and then add the xp bead, and summons three of the stones. I feel my heart drop as I watch all that xp just disappear in a flash. I store the three new ones and then pull the original back out of my dungeon¡¯s inventory and store them with [Shadow Pocket].


    I have the appearance of the location in my head, but Madam Erin has to tell me the geographical location of Chansey¡¯s dungeon so I can [Gate] us back there. It takes a few minutes after we arrive before a small frog hops out of the brook just like the one inside the dungeon.


    Frog: ¡°Did you get them?¡±


    ¡°And Dyson?¡±


    Frog: ¡°I want to see them!¡±


    I cast [Shadow Pocket] again and pull out two of the stones setting them down on the bank of the brook next to the frog. ¡°Now you know we can replicate them, now give us Dyson and you can have the other two.¡±


    Dyson then appears, but like Madam Erin he has no problem landing without ending up like I did, and the first thing I ask is. ¡°Is that you?¡±


    Dyson then takes off his helmet, tucking it under his arm and runs his gauntleted fingers though his hair. ¡°In the flesh.¡±


    ¡°Now the gauntlets.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Don¡¯t trust me at all do you?¡± ¨CHe says as he starts removing his gauntlets.-


    ¡°I am sure you would find comfort in the fact we didn¡¯t give up the goods before making sure we weren¡¯t dragging home an imposter.¡± ¨CI say while checking to see both of his hands are ring free.-


    Frog: ¡°Yes, yes, you got your leech back, now can I have my other two stones?¡±


    ¡°And the information?¡±


    Dyson¡¯s face contorts into a menacing smile. ¡°You bet your ass I did, and you are not going to believe this!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It better be good, because you now owe me 3 million xp for your half of the stones. ¨CShe says while I pull the other two stones from my [Shadow Pocket].-


    Dyson: ¡°3 million?! Shouldn¡¯t we at least split it 3 ways?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You expect the pup to have that kind of xp readily available?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Fine, I will just have to take it out of the hide of the one that is responsible for this mess.¡± ¨CHe then looks to the frog.- ¡°And trust me when I say I will be back for that other thing we talked about.¡±


    Frog: ¡°I will be waiting.¡± ¨CIt says while putting all the force in its little body to start rolling the stones into the brook which causes them to completely disappear.-


    ¡°Alright back to the neutral zone then?¡±


    ¡°Not quite.¡± ¨CDyson says while slapping his helmet back on his head grabbing ahold of Madam Erin and my wrists and with a pull on the back of my chest we we are off again.-


    When my feet find the ground again we are standing outside the gates of a large castle, I have been here before, but never to the castle, I still recognize it instantly however as the Royal Merretta Castle.


    Madam Erin: ¡°You¡¯re joking¡­ I don¡¯t care for Lucille either, but you don¡¯t really think it¡¯s her do you?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well it isn¡¯t, not exactly anyway. ¨CHe says kicking in the door of the castle causing shards of metal and splintered wood to fly in every direction. As the deafening sound of the shattering gate is still ringing in my ears, the sounds of horns and hustling soldiers in heavy armor can be heard quickly approaching.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°Are you insane?!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You said 3 million right? Time to start gathering!¡± ¨CHe says pulling his sword and cuts down 5 soldiers in a single swipe making their heavy armor look less then cloth.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°You better know what the hell you are doing!¡± ¨CShe says as kicks a soldier back pulling her greatsword from her hip swinging it around with one hand obliterating the soldier that was charging at her.-


    Dyson: ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there with that look on your face, even you should be able to handle a few of these guys at a time!¡± ¨CHe says as he cleaves another small group in two.-


    Dyson then seems to intentionally side step from a few of the soldiers leaving them a clear shot right to me, which between the insane werewolf looking woman and the demonic suit of armor, this little guy with the dumb look on his face must seem like an easy target.


    I have no choice then to pull my own sword and join in the battle. My first strike causes and explosion sending the soldier I attacked crashing into three more, and now my sword is bathed in dripping flames.


    Dyson: ¡°Still full of surprises I see! This is going to be fun!¡±


    It is quite literally 3 people against an entire army, although I can¡¯t say I am having much of an impact. Between Madam Erin and Dyson dropping entire squads of soldiers at a time I am merely picking off the strays.


    We make our way past the gate, and into the outer-courtyard, I don¡¯t know how much time it takes but there are soldiers, or at least pieces of them lying everywhere. Merretta Castle has several layers to it, so even as we bust through another gate entering the actual interior of the castle for the first time we will still have to pass through at least one more open courtyard before we reach Lucille¡¯s dungeon which is if I understand correctly a hidden entrance in the back of the throne room.


    Once we enter the passageways of the castle moving becomes far easier, because the soldiers don¡¯t have room to gather in large numbers, but that doesn¡¯t mean we ever stop fighting them in smaller quantities as we press forward.


    I don¡¯t have a clue what Dyson has planned or what he heard, but I am sure if I could see his face it would have the largest smile I have ever seen adorn his face, as he seems to be enjoying himself a great deal, and he even goes out of his way to drag more of the soldiers into the battle.


    ¡°Dyson! These soldiers don¡¯t have a connection to Lucille¡¯s dungeon, there isn¡¯t a reason to needlessly kill innocent humans.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They might not serve Lucille, but they serve Merretta, and that means they owe us their xp!¡± ¨CHe says cleaving another soldier in two.-


    ¡°At least let those that are choosing to flee live! Abandoning their post is considered treason, so they have as much giving up their claim to serve Merretta.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¨CHe then hits his chest with his free hand calling out.- ¡°[Battlefield Echo]!¡±


    What Dyson says next is loud, but not just in my ears, but in my head and it reverberates in my bones, similar to with Ceres used the [Stop] ability.- ¡°I have come for your king! All who wish not to die at the hands of the hero¡¯s descendant Dyson can choose to abandon Merretta and lay down their weapons. Only then will your lives be spared from my wrath!¡±


    Madam Erin and me: ¡°The king?!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Indeed. Laura was right the Dungeon Core Elders have underestimated humans for far too long, and under her very nose, those Lucille thought were her puppets cut their own strings.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°But calling out the king like that he will surely try to run now.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It has been ages since I hunted a king, and never one quite as high in the food chain as Merretta¡¯s King, so chasing him down will be half the fun!¡±


    ¡°Even if Merretta¡¯s King is involved he has to have Dungeon Cores backing him or they would have never gotten as far as they have.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Oh I am counting on it!¡± ¨CHe says cutting down the last of the soldiers between us and another large gate.-


    Dyson then busts through the next gate and we find ourselves in another large courtyard, but this time it isn¡¯t only soldiers but they have large dragon like mounts.


    Dyson: ¡°Wyverns! Oh Lucille you must have really dropped the ball to not notice something like this! Madam Erin, grab ahold of Two-Twelve it¡¯s about to get rough.¡±


    Madam Erin then scoops me up, her arms alone feel like solid stone, and it feels I am being crushed between boulders. Even her breast has no softness to it as buries the side of my face into one of them as she pulls me tight against her body.


    Dyson moves so quickly that it looks like he used the [Blink] spell to reach the center of the courtyard. Several of the soldiers start to take flight and others begin a charge along the ground on their wyvern mounts.


    Dyson takes a stance in the center of the courtyard and swings his sword wide arch above his head while calling out. ¡°[Void Attack]!¡± The very air seems to be sliced open as massive gust of wind quickly pulls my sword right out of my hand causing it to fly through the air disappearing into the fissure above Dyson.


    Even Madam Erin seems to struggle to hold her position with me in one of her arms she casts a spell and everything from her waist down turns into a solid boulder. The wyverns that took flight stand no chance being sucked into the fissure.


    Their size however prevents them from passing through it cleanly and you can hear the cracking and shattering of scale and bones as they disappear one after another. The wyvrens on the ground don¡¯t fare much better as even try to grip ahold of something only for the item they gripped to break lose flying into the fissure along with them.


    Soldiers fly through the fissure as well all that were lose on the ground and others that lose their grip on their mounts as their wyvrens cling to parts of the castle. Entire chunks of the castle start to break away one of which pieces strikes Madam Erin in the head as it flies past, and she quickly casts another spell creating a wall of stone between us and Dyson, but it only lasts a few seconds before it shatters and is consumed as well.


    Hundreds of footsoldiers, and dozens of wyvrens and their riders are gone, leaving only Madam Erin, Dyson, and myself left in the courtyard before the fissure seals and chunks of the castle start falling to the ground that were flying through the air.


    I can¡¯t tell the extent of the damage, but two complete towers of the castle have fallen along with many sections of the walls. Dyson stands there in the middle of the courtyard surrounded by the fallen rubble and even through his heavy armor you can see he is breathing quite heavily.


    Madam Erin¡¯s legs break free of the stone and it then disappears as she sets me back down on the ground and says. ¡°By the gods! What the hell was that?¡±  I meanwhile cast a healing spell on Madam Erin as she has rather large gash to the side of her face where part of the wall hit her.


    Dyson: ¡°The power of¡­ Two-Twelve¡­ When he puts his mind to it¡­¡± ¨CHe says between labored breathing.-


    I then cast a [Clean] spell on Madam Erin cleaning the blood from her to make sure the wound is completely healed and then I ask Dyson. ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have just never seen something¡­ Use so much of my magical power¡­ So quickly¡­ But I should be alright¡­ Shortly¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We just destroyed half the castle, the king isn¡¯t going to take this lying down. Get your shit together and lets find him before he has a chance to escape.¡±


    ¡°I lost my sword¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am sure if Dyson didn¡¯t already take out the rest of the soldiers, when we run into some more you can get you another sword. Might not be as good, but at least its something.¡±


    Dyson stumbles a bit as he takes a step forward, but quickly rights himself, his breathing has started to slow, but doesn¡¯t seem to be moving very fast. The collapsing of major sections of the castle has left our path forward blocked, but even chucks of the castle that are 2 to 3 times Madam Erin¡¯s size she pulls out of our way like they are pebbles.


    We run into a few more soldiers on our way to the throne room, but so far all just throw down their weapons and run when they see us now. I have switched swords three times since then each time I find a better one, but the one I currently got is still no better than a master quality dark steel sword.


    By the time we reach the door leading to the throne room Dyson has returned to normal, but he has probably only recovered a fraction of his magic, but that could very well still be more than my magic is when full. Dyson then kicks in the door and we proceed inside.

 Merrettas Fate

    After speaking to Dungeon Core #288 Chansey, Dyson learned information that would help us track down the ones using his name to kill dungeon cores, but it cost 3 million xp in total. We then proceeded to follow Dyson¡¯s information to the Royal Castle of Merretta, and after Dyson destroyed half the castle we find ourselves in the castle¡¯s throne room.


    The throne room is quite large and elaborate, but other than Madam Erin, Dyson, and myself there are only three others in the room. There is however a fourth older man in elaborate clothing laying sprawled out dead in front of the throne and I can only assume that is Merretta¡¯s king.


    Dyson: ¡°Dungeon Core #7 Luther, and Dungeon Core #401 Abigail, and I take it the boy is the dead human¡¯s son? He looks rather similar to Laura¡¯s pet.¡±


    Human: ¡°My name is Mariam!¡± ¨CSays the human man wearing a suit of mythril armor that looks more decorative then functional.-


    Dyson: ¡°Mariam? Damn your father must have really hated you, gave your brother an entire kingdom and gave you the name Mariam, but that¡¯s neither here nor there. I expected as much from you Luther, but Abigail? I thought you knew better then challenge me?¡±


    Abigail: ¡°You might have easily forgotten that embarrassment, but I haven¡¯t!¡± ¨CSays the woman wearing chainmail armor made from the material that Hecate¡¯s equipment was made out of.-


    Dyson: ¡°I would say you were a bit of an embarrassment, but you seemed to enjoy it at the time, so why the hard feelings now?¡±


    Abigail: ¡°You didn¡¯t give me much of a choice! It was either that or die, but things are different now. I am not afraid of you anymore!¡±


    ¡°Of course it would be one of Dyson¡¯s jilted lovers.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I would hardly call her a lover, now, you knew the stakes going in, and it wasn¡¯t my fault you underestimated me when you agreed to the conditions.¡±


    Luther: ¡°Enough! You think because you have a bit of strength you can do whatever you want including muscle your way into joining the Elders, but no more, we have found someone that has given us the strength to make the great and powerful Dyson just be a thing of distant memory!¡± ¨CSays the remaining man. He likewise has armor made of the material like Hecate¡¯s gear, but it is a much heavier type of armor.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°And where does the boy fit into all of this?¡±


    Mariam: ¡°My father served his purpose, and wasn¡¯t needed any longer, but they will still need a face to rule the masses when the dust settles.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are just a puppet in their game, boy.¡±


    Mariam: ¡°Oh I am well aware of my place. I may be a puppet to them, but to the humans I will be the greatest king that has ever lived!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well I guess it runs in the family.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If Luther and Abigail are anything like Rosalinda we can¡¯t take them lightly, the human however doesn¡¯t look to be that strong so we will leave him to you.¡± ¨CShe says to me and then addresses the room.- ¡°Rosalinda may have caught me off guard, but that won¡¯t happen this time. Alright Dyson let do this, but don¡¯t forget to leave one of them alive enough that they take us to their leader.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Way ahead of you. [Translocation Anchor]!¡± ¨CHe then flies across the room giving Abigail barely enough time to unsheathe her own sword to block Dyson¡¯s blow, but it still stops him in his tracks.-


    A large two-handed mace appears in Luther¡¯s hand along with a pair of tower shields, but they float independently to either side of him. He starts to target Dyson, as Dyson and Abagail cross swords, but Madam Erin leaps across the room cracking the floor as she lands blocking the path off between them.


    Mariam seems shaken, and retreats back out of the way, so I pull my sword. I try to [Blink] across the room to meet him, but find myself unable to. Dyson¡¯s [Translocation Anchor] must have affected me as well.


    My running across the room in my clanking mythril armor looks quite pathetic in comparison to the blows happening half way across the room between the other four, and I am having trouble even keeping up with their movement.


    Madam Erin is trading blows with Luther and every time she brings her heavy fist down or the massive obsidian greatsword in for a strike one of Luther¡¯s floating shields darts in between them blocking the blow, but he hasn¡¯t been able to land a blow with his heavy mace against Madam Erin either.


    Dyson and Abagail seem to just be trading blows with the swords with a mixture of dodges, parries, and strikes, even though their speed is hard to follow neither of them have landed a blow against each other yet either.


    When I first seen the material that makes up Hecate¡¯s weapons and armor I was wondering just how strong it was, but Abagail¡¯s weapon of the same material seems inferior to Dyson¡¯s adamantium sword, but he still hasn¡¯t been able to damage it, even though I have seen how easily Dyson¡¯s sword will shatter a mythril blade.


    As I start to near Mariam he pulls a sword that seems more decorative then functional, but it is still made from mythril, so he still has the advantage over the dark steel weapon I now have. My use of [Blink] has been my major tactical approach for a while now, so being unable to use it now makes me feel like I am at even more of a disadvantage.


    Mariam doesn¡¯t seem to have faced much combat, but even using enough strength that would flatten the soldiers we have been fighting he manages to awkwardly but still effectively block my blows. He seems so focused on blocking my sword blows I easily catch him off guard with a kick to his chest that causes him to stumble backwards and spit up blood.


    His gear is better than mine, and it appears his level is somehow higher than mine as well, but he must of gathered the xp without doing the actual combat himself, because I even though he is at the clear advantage I am managing to gain the upper hand.


    I wish I could say the same about the others, as I hear Madam Erin call out [Mother Earth] after taking a heavy blow from the mace to the stomach. Her body grows in considerable size assuming the giant wolf beastkin like golem form she had when fighting Rosalinda.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Dyson!¡± ¨CShe then says in a muffled and deep voice far different then her normal one.-


    Dyson doesn¡¯t seem to be doing much better as he takes a blow from Abagail right into the shoulder as he stops to raise his finger pointing it at the Madam Erin golem and calling out. ¡°[Quickening]!¡± The blow to Dyson¡¯s shoulder doesn¡¯t penetrate the armor, but it seems quite painful all the same as you can see Dyson recoil from the attack.


    Madam Erin¡¯s speed on the other hand increases a great deal as she swings around her massive stone hands one of which has the obsidian greatsword sticking out of it like a small spike. Once crushing one of the floating shields it remains on the ground even after Luther jumps back.


    Gaining the upper hand in my fight against Mariam I make the mistake of paying too much attention to Madam Erin and Dyson, because when I cross swords with Mariam I miss a que when he flicks his other wrist.


    A massive beam of light hits me square in the chest throwing me clear across the room and practically destroying most of the chest piece of my armor. He doesn¡¯t have the actual skill, but he has the stats, so I am going to have to be far more careful. I can¡¯t afford to have Dyson or Madam Erin lose their focus to worry about me right now.


    I drag myself to my feet while casting a healing spell and call out to Mariam. ¡°I have to say I wasn¡¯t expecting you to use magic, that was my fault, but how do you like it?¡± I then cast a [Light Beam] spell back at Mariam and mine is bigger around and lasts longer, so I at least seem to have more magical power then him.


    My big mouth causes him to have a split second to dive out of the way, and before I can turn the beam at him the spell dissipates. I don¡¯t let up there, and I quickly switch over casting [Shadow-ball]. He manages to dodge again, but this time not completely as I trap one arms all the way up to the shoulder within the black ball floating in the air.


    I can maintain this spell as long as I still have magic, so as he struggles trying to free his arm from the ball I quickly charge back across the room swinging my sword. He brings his sword up to block my blow, but being immobile and one handed I clearly have been able to offset any of the advantages he may have had due to his higher level.


    He can¡¯t cast any spells targeting me without dropping his sword, and I can¡¯t cast any more spells except healing spells while maintaining [Shadow-ball] so I move around him trying to find the most advantageous spot.


    I manage to give him a pretty good slash to his chest and back before he uses one last trick up his sleeve quickly calling out. ¡°[Null]!¡± After he does the [Shadow-ball] disappears, Madam Erin¡¯s golem body crumbles causing her to roll out of it, but Luther¡¯s second shield now falls as well along with all sorts of items start pouring into the room.


    I realize some of the items are my own, so even [Shadow-pocket] spells have been canceled. Dyson takes a rather strong blow to the chest before he pulls his helmet off and jumps back.


    Even though it gave Abagail a chance to strike Dyson she calls out. ¡°You idiot! I told you not to use that unless we told you to!¡±


    Marian: ¡°I had no choice!¡± ¨CHe says while charging at me.-


    Even through Abagail¡¯s objection Mariam¡¯s ability seemed to leave us at more of a disadvantage then them, because Dyson had to remove his helmet, Madam Erin lost her golem body and extra speed, and I lost my advantage over Marian.


    The entire battle seems to have grown more sluggish without magic, but I was gaining a small advantage over Marian before using magic so I begin to gain it again.


    Even without his helmet it doesn¡¯t seem to affect Dyson as all, but he still doesn¡¯t seem to be gaining any advantage over Abagail either.


    Even without his shield Luther still has his mace, and Madam Erin doesn¡¯t have her large golem like body anymore, she swings her sword at him, but without the boost from magic the obsidian greatsword shatters on impact. The shards of the flying obsidian slice up not only Luther but Madam Erin as well.


    With Marian focusing on my sword again I try to kick him in the chest again, but even though he has little combat experience he was ready for it this time, and he grabs ahold of my leg spinning me around causing me to land on the floor.


    I wasn¡¯t completely unready for him see through my kick this time, so just when he thinks he has me I manage to kick the sword out of his hand and then grapple him with my legs pulling him to the ground as well.


    After a bit of wrestling around that must look like a couple of kids scuffling on the floor I manage to lock my elbow around his throat and press my sword against his back, and I call out to Madam Erin and Dyson. ¡°I got Mariam!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Don¡¯t kill him! It might cancel his ability!¡±


    ¡°But it looks like it is putting you both at a disadvantage!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Disadvantage?¡± ¨CHe says while clashing swords with Abagail.- ¡°As if I could ever be at such.¡±


    Dyson then jumps in the air placing both feet square into Abagail¡¯s chest causing her to crash into the floor so hard the stone floor cracks, and he still somehow manages to right himself landing on both feet. Before she has a chance to recover he places his sabaton across her throat until a loud crunching sound is heard and her body goes limp. ¡°You were saying¡­?¡±


    Dungeon Core #401 [Abigail] perished at the hands of Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson].


    Luther: ¡°Abigail!¡± ¨CHe calls out leaving him distracted enough for Madam Erin take the remaining shard of Obsidian in her hand and jabbing it into Luther¡¯s eye.-


    Dungeon Core #7 [Luther] perished at the hands of Dungeon Core #36 [Elder Madam Erin].


    Dyson: ¡°Hu¡­ I think it should have said Abagail perished under my boot instead of at my hands, but I thought you wanted to keep one of them alive?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We might be able to get something out of the boy.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Mariam struggles a bit as he says. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you anything!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We don¡¯t really need you to talk, but more information is always better. Well if you¡¯re not going to say anything I guess there is no use keeping you around. Alright Two-Twelve, do your thing!¡±


    Mariam: ¡°Wait!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Oh? That was easy.¡±


    Mariam: ¡°Please, I don¡¯t know much, but I will tell you, but you just have to let me live!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Start talking.¡±


    Mariam: ¡°Father only dealt with Luther and Abigail, but there has been talk. They have a unified dungeon in the mountain range in Adra. It¡¯s like a hub all the dungeons that serve them move their dungeons there.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Once a dungeon crystal has been set it can only be moved to a connected room. They can¡¯t just pick up and move.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he is talking about an imitation crystal? Kenta¡¯s primary dungeon is in Gowen, and he made it right inside town, but it still has never been discovered, because he uses his secondary dungeon in Shima to gather xp.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Draco knows everything that goes on in that mountain range, I can¡¯t think there is a collection of dungeon cores using one dungeon there without him knowing about it.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t know about Alex killing his imitation crystals, so are you sure¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What else can you tell us?¡±


    Mariam: ¡°That¡¯s all I know!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Alright then Two-Twelve go ahead and do it.¡±


    Mariam: ¡°You said you would let me live!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°No, you begged for me to let your live, and I just told you to talk.¡±


    Mariam pleads to me. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He is over level 50, and you battled him solely by yourself, you could use the xp. I am also curious if you will gain that unique ability of his since they are only acquired once every 50 levels.¡±


    ¡°What about your brother? Does he know anything about what you and your father have been up to?¡±


    Mariam: ¡°No, father found out that Aaron is serving a dungeon core as well, so he couldn¡¯t risk the information getting out if he found out.¡±


    As I start to loosen my grip on Mariam, Dyson says. ¡°Come on! He just tried to kill you, and don¡¯t you want to find out what will happen when that boy toy of Laura¡¯s becomes king of all Merretta, and the fight that will ensue between Lucille and her?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you don¡¯t do it pup I will, we can¡¯t afford to allow those connected to these events to live, even if they are normal humans.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like you are leaving me much of a choice¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨CI shove my blade through Mariam¡¯s back. After a squeak and a light gurgle the light fades from his eyes and I release him, pull the sword out of his back, and then get back on my feet.-


    Madam Erin: ¡°Alright, can we use magic now?¡± ¨CShe says while drawing a line in the air. Apparently it has, because a [Shadow Pocket] appears before her, and she starts gathering items on the floor shoving them through.-


    All three of us then spend the next few minutes collecting our fallen items, and we start forming a pile of items that doesn¡¯t belong to us. After we are done Dyson grabs the sword that Abigail was using and tosses to me.


    Dyson: ¡°Not as good as the sword you made me, but better than anything I have seen you use so far. Although the designs on it I think are a bit tacky.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Like that door to your conference room?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That door is a statement!¡±


    Dark steel equipment still isn¡¯t cheap so I store the sword I have been using into my [Shadow Pocket]. Dyson picks up one of the stones like I copied for Chansey.


    Dyson: ¡°I don¡¯t care about the rest, but Two-Twelve already knows how to make these, so I will take this.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I don¡¯t know if I trust you with one of them.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It isn¡¯t like I am going to take it into the neutral zone during a meeting with the rest of the elders, and use it preventing their movement while leaving their dungeons completely exposed.¡±


    ¡°That sounds very specific, and makes me worried about you having it as well¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It isn¡¯t like you or Madam Erin would have anything to worry about, besides I promised Madam Erin I would wait for her approval before offing the others.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Watch your mouth, we are inside Lucille¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It¡¯s no secret I have it out for the others, so if anything it should bring them comfort to know that you have to approve.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You can take the rest of this junk, Two-Twelve. You can tell me later if there is anything interesting here, but for now at least in your dungeon you will be able to reproduce them.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t have to tell me twice, I quickly start adding the items to my [Shadow Pocket]. After I get it all squared away I say. ¡°Well, what do we do now?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We tore up Lucille¡¯s front porch, and I guess its Draco¡¯s turn.¡±


    Just after saying that Lucille appears before us with Laura in tow and neither look very happy to see us.


    Lucille: ¡°What the hell do you think you are doing?!


    Dyson: ¡°Now you show up?! We clean up your mess and this is the thanks we get?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Right under your nose, and inside your dungeon the King of Merretta was working with those trying to kill us, but don¡¯t worry I took care of it for you. His son was helping as well so he had to go too. I guess that makes Laura the Queen of all Merretta now that her boy toy is the King.¡±


    Laura quickly starts to send a message and Lucille slaps her wrist. ¡°This changes nothing! Merretta is still mine!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Merretta hasn¡¯t been yours for centuries, not since you abandoned it.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I never abandoned it!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We are on the ground floor of your dungeon and the soldiers were training to use wyvrens as mounts. They had to be dungeon monsters, but I know you can¡¯t summon them, so another dungeon must have provided for them.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Your King was working with another dungeon core and receiving monsters inside your very dungeon and you didn¡¯t care enough to even notice.¡±


    Lucille slaps Laura¡¯s wrist again. ¡°Stop trying to send that man of yours a message and help me figure this out!¡±


    Laura: ¡°What is there to figure out? Aaron is the only remaining heir to the Merretta throne, which makes him the rightful King of all of Merretta. By the looks of the castle however you can keep it, we will just make Uthaira the new capital of the unified Merretta.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I don¡¯t care about the damn humans, but my kingdom is in shambles!¡±


    Laura: ¡°Your kingdom is the humans, but when they start poking around the castle and discover a dungeon in its depths, you will care, and it will be up to Aaron and I what is to be done about it.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Now you are threatening me?! I made you!¡±


    Laura: ¡°When the student passes the teacher should be the teacher¡¯s proudest moment, and any human teacher would know that.¡±


    Lucille looks like she is about to attack Laura before Dyson steps in. ¡°As much fun as I am having with all this. We do have far more important matters to be dealing with right now. Madam Erin, Two-Twelve, and I managed to stop Dungeon Core # 7 and # 401, but they weren¡¯t the last. Speaking of which, where is Draco?¡±


    Laura: ¡°Lucille received the message about the attack at the castle and came rushing to find out what is going on, and we left him to finish the conversation we were having with Beatrice.¡±


    Dungeon Core #5 [Draco] has perished at the hands of Dungeon Core #160 [Beatrice].


    Shock quickly fills the group as we read the message.


    Dyson: ¡°And that is why you should have been watching each other¡¯s backs! Damnit!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It says Beatrice killed him, but do we know for sure it was actually her, or did they use one of their items to make it say it was her, so we could take care of her because they couldn¡¯t be bothered¡­?¡±


    ¡°How did Beatrice act when you were speaking with her? Did anything seem off?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Of course not or we wouldn¡¯t of left Draco alone with her. She was trying to force us to drink that tea crap from those tiny little cups like she always does, and she seemed like¡­ Beatrice.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We did just take out two of their own, Beatrice could have seen the messages and when you left Draco alone she took the opportunity to strike down Draco in revenge. That could be why it was under her own name instead of mine.¡±


    I then receive a message from a surprising source. It¡¯s a message from Chansey and it simply says. (We need to talk.)


    ¡°Chansey just left me a message wanting to talk again.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I didn¡¯t receive a message.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Neither did I. It could be a trap¡­¡±


    ¡°She is the one that sent us here leading us straight to Luther and Abagail. After seeing their deaths and Draco at the hands of the only other remaining Leland trained dungeon core, she might just be worried.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If she is worried then she can meet us in the neutral zone, I am not taking any more chances.¡±


    I send a message back to Chansey saying if she wants to meet it has to be at the neutral zone, and she sends me a quick reply back quickly agreeing.


    ¡°She says that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That isn¡¯t like her¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If it¡¯s a trap they can¡¯t use it in the neutral zone.¡±


    ¡°Unless it¡¯s one of those stones¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That was only a joke, even that stone would be considered an attack and [Menu] would prevent it from working.¡±


    ¡°They are godly quality items, so that means it could be at least as strong as [Menu].¡±


    Laura: ¡°What¡¯s a godly quality item, and don¡¯t get smart with me. What is it other than the obvious.¡±


    ¡°Well it is just that¡­ It¡¯s an item above the quality of legendary. The stones they used to block [Communication] and any sorts of teleportation are only the second thing I have seen made from that quality. The other was an eye, which was supposed to be the eye of an actual god.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You found Belphegor¡¯s right eye?!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It was the left. Someone told Tom I could find impossible to find items, and he showed me the left eye in hopes I could find the right¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And?!¡±


    ¡°And what? I took it back to my dungeon to see if I could make another, but it was specifically labeled the left eye so it wouldn¡¯t work.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°But you could make another of the left?¡±


    ¡°If you have a spare 150 million xp lying around sure¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°150 million xp?! Nothing cost that much.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then it¡¯s real¡­? I knew I should have never turned it over to him. Maybe I can convince him to trade it back to me.¡±


    ¡°Is this really important right now¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I guess you are right.¡±


    We then head to the neutral zone and I cast [Gate] opening a portal to the location right outside Chansey¡¯s dungeon, and not even a few seconds Chansey comes barreling through the portal with one of the frogs clasped between her arms.


    She quickly looks around and notices us all. ¡°Oh¡­ You are all here.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°I guess not, after losing another Elder I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. Although that is what I wanted to talk to you about.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well out with it.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°I saw you took care of Luther and Abagail, good job by the way, but after I saw the message about Draco I got to thinking, it¡¯s all wrong¡­ I know Beatrice, and she couldn¡¯t have killed Draco.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If you knew about Luther and Abagail you could have told us.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°It worked itself out, but I am telling you Beatrice didn¡¯t kill Draco!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We took that into consideration. They have been killing the dungeon cores Leland trained, so maybe they used one of their items to say it was Beatrice that killed Draco, in hopes we would do their work for them.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°That¡¯s just it¡­ I don¡¯t think Draco is dead either¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Impossible, we all saw the message.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And we know that message no longer means anything. Go on.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°I only know they have spies among all of you. I knew about the Merretta King, but from my understanding they have you all under watch with people just as close if not closer than the King was to Lucille¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°My city is designed by those looking for a place to hide, and I am sure I have several people spying on me at any given point.¡±


    Laura: ¡°I personally vet every person that enters my castle, nobody close to me is a traitor.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°But how does this lead you to believe Draco is still alive?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°I think the message was backwards. I think Draco used Beatrice to fake his own death.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Other than the fact you don¡¯t think Beatrice could kill Draco, what other proof you have?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°As I said they have spies among you all, but you know who I never heard them having spies on? Draco¡­¡±


    I receive a message from Madam Erin, and by the looks of it the other Elders have as well. (Given the fact we just heard about their base being somewhere in Draco¡¯s mountain range, it makes sense.)


    Dyson: ¡°Why are you so eager to help us all of the sudden? You have never done anything for free your entire life.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°And I don¡¯t expect to start now. I want protection. You managed to deal with Luther and Abigail, so maybe you can stop them before they get to me.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Even if we did believe you and Draco really was working for them, what good is that information going to do us?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Maybe nothing, but I can also get you on the inside of their lair!¡±


    Laura: ¡°If they want you dead, and you are their enemy how can you get us in their lair?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Are you saying you know where their lair is as well?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°I don¡¯t know where it is, but I know I can get you in. The rings they use to pose as Dyson, they have another function, they work like a key, and if you give me protection I will tell you how they work.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Until this matter is resolved we offer you the same protection available to any of us.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Yes, because that has worked so well so far.¡±


    ¡°You already have several of those stones, and that is all we have to offer. What is it you expect from us?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°You see, they are ransacking my dungeon as we speak, so I expect you to drive them off of course! Each one is at least as strong as the ones I fought before, but this time there are close to 10 of them. I need help.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Are they all dungeon cores?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°None of them that have attacked me so far have been, but I didn¡¯t stop to ask.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Tell us how to use the rings, and we will help you.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Then you will just let me die! No, I live, I tell you how to use them. I don¡¯t, well then you are on your own.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°This sounds like a trap to me.¡±


    ¡°We are the Dungeon Core Elders, and its high time we make that actually means something. I have never understood the every Dungeon Core for themselves mentality. Many dungeon cores are probably hiding in their dungeon right now hoping Dyson doesn¡¯t come to kill them, because after all we have learned they have no clue what is going on!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not that I share Two-Twelve¡¯s enthusiasm but the more of these imposters we can take out here, the less we have to deal with when I hit their base, and if it is a trap then you can bet I will be damn sure Chansey gets what is coming to her.¡±


    That seems to make Chansey a bit nervous, but she doesn¡¯t say anything. Everyone then prepares for combat.


    Madam Erin: ¡°The effects of the stone on your dungeon, is it just limited to teleportation and communication type magic, is that correct?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Yes, and unfortunately when I activated it at my dungeon I set it to target intruders, so the effects will affect all of you as well.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It doesn¡¯t affect enchantments or other magic though?¡±


    Chansey: ¡°Not that I am aware.¡±


    Madam Erin then pulls another one of the obsidian blades from her dungeon¡¯s inventory. I don¡¯t know if it is a completely new one, or if the other was repaired, but if it is the same one I would be quite surprised, because there was practically nothing left of the last one.


    Dyson was practically ready already, but Lucille and Laura both equip gear. Their armor and weapons are practically identical except Lucille¡¯s is made from that material of my new sword. That makes me think of the armor from Luther that I stored, so I switch out the damaged mythril armor I am wearing for Luther¡¯s set.


    I also have never been one to use a shield, but I take the one of Luther¡¯s that was remaining after the battle as well. I don¡¯t know what this material is called, or how exactly this shield works, but once I finally make it back to my dungeon I should be able to figure it all out.


    Laura: ¡°How the hell does he have sky steel equipment at his age?¡± ¨CShe says complaining about the gear I just equipped and also answering my question about what the material is called¡­-


    Dyson: ¡°Gifts from our traitorous friends.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I agree with your choice in using Luther¡¯s armor and Abagail¡¯s sword, but that shield might be too hard for you to figure out in combat, unless you plan to just carry it like a normal shield.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t just work on its own? Luther was using two of them.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It doesn¡¯t move without direction, so it would be best for you to practice with it quite a bit before trying to use it in actual combat.¡±


    I store the shield back in my dungeon¡¯s inventory. ¡°Well it was worth a shot.¡± We then prepare to head to Chansey¡¯s dungeon. Even with all the elders present my means of teleportation is the easiest to set up while still allowing use for everyone so I am left using [Gate] to transport us there.

 Elder Two-Twelve

    It has been quite the hectic day already, we have met with dungeon cores, been attacked by dungeon cores, and even fought off an army, but here we are returning to Chansey¡¯s dungeon to help her fend of attackers to her dungeon in hopes to finally find the answers we need to bring these attacks against dungeon cores to an end once and for all.


    The sun has already set when Chansey, Dyson, Madam Erin, Lucille, Laura, and myself exit from one of my [Gate] portals arriving at Chansey¡¯s dungeon.


    Chansey: ¡°Using the stone has prevented them from getting around my dungeon very quickly, but eventually they are going to make it to my crystal. There are 3 currently blocked off in the area that resembles this one, and as long as the stone remains in effect they should be unable to move from there, but there are at least 5 more pressing through.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We might not be able to teleport, but you should be able to transfer us to them.¡±


    Chansey transfers us to the intruders and combat begins. It is rather odd attacking 5 Dyson clones, but luckily they are nowhere near the strength of Luther or Abigail. Between the 5 moving though the dungeon and the 3 in the locked room it doesn¡¯t even take us 30 minutes to wipe them all out. Well, not that I was much help.


    Dyson: ¡°There we took care of your problem, now spill it.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°They aren¡¯t going to just stop attacking just like that. You have to continue to protect me!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°We can¡¯t do anything to stop them if we are just guarding your dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The deal was to deal with the intruders and we have done so, now tell us what you know.¡±


    Chansey: ¡°There is no secret to them¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You said they had another function!¡±


    Chansey: ¡°And if I didn¡¯t would you have helped me?!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I told you what would happen if this was a trap!¡±


    Chansey: ¡°But it wasn¡¯t a trap!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, we dealt with it easily enough, and it should be part of the jobs of the Elders to prevent this kind of attack anyway. Besides like Dyson said earlier dealing with them here means we won¡¯t have to deal with them later.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°This was pointless! I have matters to address with my own dungeon.¡±


    Laura: ¡°With the collapse of Merretta, there are many things I need to do with Aaron.¡± ¨CShe says and Lucille shoots her a hateful look.-


    ¡°This still doesn¡¯t change the fact the ones that are attacking dungeon cores are still out there! We now have a rough idea in where they are.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°But we don¡¯t know the exact location, and even if we did I have already used a great deal of magic already today, and it wouldn¡¯t be wise to go poking around without being completely prepared.¡±


    ¡°What about other dungeon cores that might get attacked, or even if they attack Chansey again?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Then good riddance I say after dragging us here for nothing.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I know you don¡¯t like the way the Elder¡¯s do things Two-Twelve, but we still have our own dungeons to worry about. If Draco really is dead that means another Elder has fallen and we need to be sure our own dungeons are safe. That doesn¡¯t mean we stop investigating, it just means we make sure we know what we are getting into first.¡±


    ¡°And until then, you are just going to throw these dungeon cores that can¡¯t defend themselves to the wolves?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You¡¯re an Elder albeit temporary, so if you feel so strongly about it then you deal with it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of power to do this on my own.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°That¡¯s right. You don¡¯t have the power to do anything, so before you start bossing others around, you should be able to back it up. Now set up a portal so I can get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Do it yourself¡­¡± ¨CI casting [Gate], passing through the portal, and quickly closing it behind me.-


    I don¡¯t quite know what to expect after leaving like that, so I used [Gate] to arrive just outside of Tobes, and as I start walking home in cold and snowy dark I can¡¯t help but think just how much potential is wasted in the Elders.


    I thought with the way things going Dyson and Madam Erin were at least on board, but Chansey was right, if she didn¡¯t trick them into going to her dungeon to help her they would have just let her die. Even these other dungeon cores that have no idea what is going on, the Elders just leave them in the dark while hording power for themselves.


    I guess Lucille did make a valid point, I am an Elder myself now, but just because I am not as strong as they are doesn¡¯t mean I am powerless. She told me if I felt strongly enough about it to take care of it myself, so that¡¯s what I am going to do.


    First thing in the morning, I am going to start sending out messages to every dungeon core that will listen. The enemy is not afraid to gather dungeon cores together to fight us, so let¡¯s see if I can raise my own army of dungeon cores.


    I will have to be careful though, there is bound to be a chance that the enemy will mix in some of the dungeon cores that work for them as well. I will need a way to try to sort them out¡­ While I try to sort it out I get a sudden bombardment of screens appearing before me as I pass the threshold into the dungeon.


    New items like my new equipment, new enchantments like telekinesis which I assume is the enchantment on the shield, and even a skill or two, none of which however are Mariam¡¯s [Null] ability however.


    There is also a screen that shows an increase by 15 justicar points between putting a stop to Mariam, Abigail, and Luther, to helping Chansey. I find that quite peculiar in itself. [Menu] is rewarding me for preserving the integrity of [Menu] for stopping these attacks, but isn¡¯t the god that controls [Menu] partly responsible for these attacks in some way?


    That puts me at 21 justicar points which leads to another message.


    New Archjusticar Menu ability unlocked. Spending 20 justicar points allows the creation of a new dungeon crystal. Any sentient creature may accept the crystal and become a new dungeon core. They then become a full-fledged dungeon core with all associated abilities and restrictions. After accepting the decision cannot be reversed. Creating a new dungeon crystal is only available as long as there is a dungeon core number available.


    The new ability is quite curious, I thought the creation of new dungeon cores was halted to make way for the new types of dungeon cores like my daughter, so why would [Menu] then turn around and give an ability like this to me?


    [Menu] continually seems to be back tracking lately, I wonder if it is due to difference in opinions among the old gods, maybe next time Ceres makes a visit I should ask her about this. Then again creating a new dungeon core could be helpful if I want to stop the ones that are attacking us.


    On the other hand though that will prevent me from using my ability to bind a crystal twice, and if I didn¡¯t have that ability when Rosalinda attacked my dungeon I have no doubts Madam or myself would no longer be around. The question is which one would be more beneficial?


    The other question would be who would I even make into a dungeon core? All my special boss monsters might as well be dungeon cores with the way I can teach them skills and such. There is always others like Sofia or Bell, but I don¡¯t know if they would even be interested.


    I guess if we make it through this whole mess and I am not forced to use my justicar points, it might be something worth talking to either of them about. For now though I need to focus on how I am going to convince the remaining dungeon cores to help me.


    I continue to think about it, and make it all the way through town and enter the house unconsciously, and I don¡¯t even realize I arrive into I hear a panicked voice.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve! What¡¯s the matter?!¡±


    I shake my head and then realize where I am. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just lost in thought I guess.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But you are positively covered in snow!¡± ¨CShe says moving up to me brushing large quantities of snow off my armor.- ¡°And what are you wearing¡­?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize it started to snow¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Come, sit down, and tell me what happened¡­¡±


    Belinda then leads me to the living room and I store my equipment before she sits me down on one of the couches. Azami never messaged me about creating her first mythril item, and I don¡¯t see her or Kaelmathis here with us.


    I guess she could have messaged me while in Chansey¡¯s dungeon and then I wouldn¡¯t have received it, but I don¡¯t remember seeing the skill listed in the newly available skills either.


    ¡°What happened with Azami and Kaelmathis? I thought Azami was getting close to unlocking mythril crafting.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I talked to the bunnies and we had enough xp, so when she asked to learn the [Gate] spell I taught it to her. She said something you said stuck with her, and she wanted to return sister¡¯s home to finish learning the skill. Kaelmathis went with her.¡±


    ¡°It might be quite dangerous to be around all those elves that could be taken over by the great hunter.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ceres said it should be alright.¡±


    ¡°Ceres was here today as well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes she seemed surprised you were not though. She just talked to me for a few minutes about the baby and that was when Azami came asking about learning the spell. She didn¡¯t stay long after that, and I told Azami to keep us informed to be on the safe side.¡±


    ¡°Well we might need her fighting ability here pretty quick.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So something did happen?¡± ¨CShe says while taking a seat in my lap and leaning against me with her head on my shoulder.-


    I bury my face into her hair and take a deep breath. Belinda¡¯s scent relaxes me quite a bit and it feels like the tension melts from my body. ¡°We may have lost Draco today.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Belinda quickly sits up startled. ¡°What?! How?! What do you mean may have?¡±


    ¡°We got the message about his death, but this time it didn¡¯t say at Dyson¡¯s hands but by the hands of the dungeon core he was speaking to. She didn¡¯t seem strong enough to be able to do it though, and there are some doubts, and he may have faked his own death.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So you think he might be working with the ones trying to kill the dungeon cores?¡±


    I then tell her all of the events that took place today, including about perhaps making the other Elders mad, and what I plan to do next.


    Belinda: ¡°Madam Erin cares about you a lot, Dyson likes using your unique dungeon too much for him to stay mad at you very long, Lucille I understand why it might be a problem, but do you even care what Laura thinks?¡±


    ¡°But the culprits are just right there, and they are choosing to ignore them. I just couldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Then show them! Just look at all those you have that care for you, and sure most are your monsters, but I don¡¯t think caring for you is a requirement for a dungeon¡¯s monsters. You have a way of pulling people to you, and I am sure you can convince the other dungeon cores to rally against this threat to all of your lives.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had your confidence¡­¡± ¨CI say while rubbing my hand across her stomach and I can then feel the baby kick a few times.-


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s no fair! You woke her up, I won¡¯t be able to get to sleep for hours now! You have to take responsibility for it! ¨CShe says running her hand up into my shirt and leaning over to nibble on my ear.-


    ¡°You¡¯re starting to get pretty close to having the baby, how long can we keep going like this and it still be safe?¡±


    Belinda giggles while she flicks my earlobe with her tongue and then says. ¡°Well if I go into labor, then that might be a sure sign it¡¯s time to stop, but until then I am going to get the most out of these extra hormones, because it¡¯s going to be weeks afterwards before we can again.¡±


    I pick her up and start to carry her from the room, but then transfer us to the bedroom. She giggles in my ear and calls me a cheater, and we then retire for the evening. After enough sleep that even Azami wouldn¡¯t consider it to be enough, I gently kiss Belinda as she sleeps soundly and crawl out of bed.


    I am not tired though, as my mind is going in 100 different directions trying to figure out just what I am going to say to these other dungeon cores. After I quickly get dressed I transfer to the dungeon core room, and the even the bunnies are still asleep, although Lilah might be faking it, because not even a few seconds after I arrives she says. ¡°Ah, Master finally got tired of Belinda and has decided to sneak into Lilah¡¯s bed in the middle of the night.~¡±


    I ignore them for now and then begin work trying to write messages to the remaining dungeons cores. I don¡¯t send them yet because it is still quite early but I have dozens if not already hundreds of screens lined up each with messages to individual dungeon cores.


    Dungeon Cores I personally know I send personalized messages, but all the others are a generic message. The message informs every dungeon core that someone has found a way to manipulate [Menu] and in doing so is using Dyson¡¯s name to kill dungeon cores.


    I give those tips and information on how to detect one of these fake Dysons in case one shows up, but tell them not to rule out the possibility of them taking anyone¡¯s shape. I am sure some of those responsible are going to be receiving this message as well, so they might try to find a way to avoid it, but this isn¡¯t going to be a one-time message, I plan on continuing keep them informed. No longer will normal dungeon cores be kept in the dark for no reason other than greed on the Elder¡¯s part, so they can remain in power.


    I am not sure I am wording the information well enough, but I still have many more of these messages to fill out, so I keep it up. Even as I can see the sun coming up in a few of the dungeon¡¯s screens, and the bunnies begin to stir I still have hundreds of these messages to make.


    When the bunnies get out of bed I really notice how tall Lilah is getting when her breasts push against the back of my head as she leans on the back of the chair and me as she asked me what I am doing. On the other end of things the twins, Lala and Lele, walk up either side of my chair, still in their night clothes, trying to see what I am doing as well, and yet they are only barely taller than me while sitting down.


    ¡°I am just working on some messages I am going to send the other dungeon cores.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Oh really? Which ones?¡±


    ¡°All of them.¡±


    Lala and Lele: ¡°We want to help!¡±


    ¡°Thanks anyway girls, but you already help enough with what you do with the dungeon, so this is something I need to do. I can¡¯t have Moss yelling at me again can I?¡±


    Lala and Lele: ¡°K!~¡± ¨CThey quickly say and run off back towards their room.-


    Lilah pulls up one of the chairs next to me and says. ¡°It really is no problem Master. Today is Lilah¡¯s day off, and with the snow the dungeon is really slow so she would like to help.¡±


    ¡°Then you really should go out and enjoy your day. It might be a bit cold, but with the solstice festival almost here there are plenty of new faces, and things to do in town.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But Lilah doesn¡¯t care about any of that, she just wants to help Master.¡±


    ¡°You need to make connections with others, because who knows someday you might have a dungeon of your own, and you will need those connections to help you survive.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is Masters monster, she can¡¯t have her own dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I gained a new ability yesterday as the Archjusticar and if I use enough points I can make someone a dungeon core, so if you want to someday, I could many give you your own dungeon.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah¡¯s own dungeon¡­¡± ¨CShe says while thinking hard about it, but she then shakes her head.- ¡°No! Lilah belongs to Master, she will always be his!¡±


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s what you want, to stay with the dungeon, don¡¯t you someday want your own family like Scylla, or Zoey and Roxy?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master is Lilah¡¯s family!¡±


    ¡°I am glad you feel that way, but don¡¯t you want to add to that family one day like Scylla did with Listel, Zoey and Roxy with their baby, or even Belinda and I am?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°When Lilah needs a baby, Master will give her one!¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°It isn¡¯t fair! Why is Belinda the only one that gets to have Master, Lilah wants Master too!¡±


    ¡°Because Belinda is my wife¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Many humans have wives and mistresses. Lilah is fine being Master¡¯s mistress.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not, because I think too much of you. You deserve better than that, and you deserve someone who will dedicate themselves to you and only you.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah just wants to make Master happy.¡±


    ¡°And you finding someone to love you like I love Belinda would make me happy, but it just isn¡¯t me.¡± ¨CI then raise my voice.- ¡°And that goes for all of you! Your ears sticking out while you are trying to peek over here are a dead giveaway!¡± ¨CSeveral pairs of long rabbit ears quickly disappear behind dressers and shelves that they were peeking out of.-


    One pair of ears however quickly comes bouncing over. Apparently Lala finished getting dressed and  she approaches she says. ¡°Then can I have Moss?¡± Lele then quickly runs up still pulling her arm into the sleeve of her dress and says. ¡°Moss likes me better. I get to have Moss right Master?¡±


    ¡°That is entirely up to Moss, but all three of you need to do quite a bit more growing before you think about that. Elves age a lot slower as well, so you both will be fully grown and still may have to wait a while before he even catches up.¡±


    Lylah then exits from her room area and moves over to the area they watch the dungeon from and calls out to the twins. ¡°Alright you two, the three of us are on duty today, so it¡¯s time to get to work.¡±


    Lala and Lele continue to bicker to one another as they move over to where Lylah is sitting. Lila and Leila then head over to me and Lilah.


    Leila: ¡°Because of the snow we only need three to watch the dungeon, so me and Lila are going to go get some cake!¡±


    Lilah¡¯s ears twitch at the mention of cake but she doesn¡¯t move from the seat next to me.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go with them? I am just got to get done with the rest of these messages and then figure out what I have to do from there, so you should go enjoy your day off.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Fine, Lilah will go, but Lilah isn¡¯t giving up on Master either!¡± ¨CShe says as Lila and Leila drag her away then transfer from the room.-


    Maybe I wasn¡¯t firm enough on denying Lilah¡­ I let out a deep sigh and go back to working on the messages. I have almost half done now, but I don¡¯t want to send them till they are all complete so I am not in 50 different spots in the same conversation. Once I find out how many want to participate maybe I can either get them all together or at least get a linked communication parchment in all of their hands and we can communicate that way as a whole.


    I continue till noon and I still have a dozen or two left, but one of the screens I have open nearby catches my eye. I don¡¯t get much chance to speak with Akil, so I leave a screen open to know when he is awake and I see him yawn, so I decide to put off the last few messages for now to speak to Akil.


    Once I transfer into the room he peeks at me with one open eye then quickly closes it and drops his head.


    ¡°I saw that¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°Alright, alright, you caught me. What is it I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°Is there something wrong with the food? This is what you said you eat right?¡± ¨CI say while looking at the large bowl of food that was left 3 days ago and is still untouched.¡±


    Akil: ¡°Oh I forgot about eating. I do that sometimes.¡±


    I replace the bowl with another that has several types of meats and breads in it. ¡°Well you are not actually part of the dungeon, so I don¡¯t want you getting sick or starve to death on me.¡±


    Akil: ¡°Yes because the xp I would provide and the ability to summon another of my species I am sure would break your heart.¡± ¨CHe says while giving another big yawn. Even though his face is like that of a human he still has some very cat like teeth in his mouth.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t go out of my way killing sentient beings¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°I am sure Mariam in the hereafter would disagree.¡±


    ¡°How do you even know about that being way down here¡­?¡±


    Akil: ¡°When you get to be my age knowledge just seeps into your bones.¡±


    ¡°If you know about that, then I am sure you know about everything else as well, so with all those years of knowledge you got, any advice you can give me on how to handle this situation?¡±


    Akil: ¡°Sometimes the easiest answer is always the best answer. Just take a nap until it sorts itself out.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°I thought you said you just wanted to live in peace?¡±


    ¡°You may want to sleep all day, every day, but that isn¡¯t my definition of peace.¡±


    Akil: ¡°I knew when you started writing those messages, you are one of the types that constantly feel they need to fix everything aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Not everything.¡±


    Akil: ¡°The Dungeon Core Elders haven¡¯t changed since they became Elders, but now after all this time, you think you could do better?¡±


    ¡°We have to if we are going to put a stop to the death of all these Dungeon Cores.¡±


    Akil: ¡°Well so much for your peace. Now it is time for my nap, so if you will excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to at least eat first, you haven¡¯t eaten in days?¡±


    Akil: ¡°Oh I guess I should.¡± ¨CHe stretches forward sniffing the bowl.- ¡°But later perhaps.¡± ¨CHe says then he stretches his wing up over his face.-


    I can¡¯t help but shake my head, I really hope he doesn¡¯t starve to death just out of laziness¡­ I transfer back to the dungeon core room and notice one of the other windows I was watching before visiting Akil has changed.


    It is afternoon already so I guess Belinda finally got out of bed. I told her she was overdoing it last night, but I can¡¯t say I can complain¡­ I need to finish these messages however so I return to focusing on them. It only takes another full hour of working on them to finish the last.


    The message has slightly changed from the time I started to when I finished, but it would take hours to change all the others as well, and by then I would probably find ways to refine them further, so I just leave them be while sending all of them together. Now I just have to wait and hope I get some responses.


    The dungeon cores I know are the quickest to respond, Maeve of course asks if helping will reduce her debt for the swan beastkin, Dawn and Twilight are on board, but Inari says she wishes she could help but she is just too busy at the moment, but if I need any of her monsters that are still at her dungeon that I am welcome to them, and she assures me Kenta will do whatever I ask as long as I say that it was her wish.


    Queen also responds saying she will help with whatever I need, and the dungeon core she trained said she will at least hear what I have to say before making a decision. The first dungeon core with any measure of power that responds to me is Ithros, and he says he is on board for anything as long as he can bring Teku along.


    Hecate responds saying she will do whatever is required of her at least till her debt is paid as per the agreement, and surprisingly Emery, the dungeon core that bailed during the attack on my dungeon wants to hear me out as well.


    Sara is a dungeon core that was born the same year I was and she says she is looking forward to get to see me again, but I don¡¯t have almost any memories of her except a vague recollection of an her appearance which is quite similar to Chansey¡¯s.


    A few more dungeon cores from my past that I have little to no memory of will at least hear me out, but so far I haven¡¯t heard from Chansey. I just hope that means she isn¡¯t under attack again. I even hear from a few new ones that I am pretty sure I haven¡¯t spoken to before.


    The Elders of course responded very quickly asking me what I think I am doing, and I just throw Lucille¡¯s words back at them. At this point they can either help or just get out of the way. A few more replies slowly trickle in, but a lot more cores then I expected don¡¯t respond at all.


    Dungeon Cores are rather solitary creatures so I guess asking them to play as a group might have been asking too much. Even as the afternoon wears on I receive a lot less responses then I had hoped. I make a quick trip to the Gowen Capital via [Gate] and try to acquire 200 communication parchments all linked as one.


    Anyone else might have gotten laughed out of the building, but I guess being considered a prince isn¡¯t all that bad. 200 might have been a bit excessive, as I haven¡¯t even received a quarter of that in responses, but it is easy to not use some of the pieces of parchment, but it is far harder to create more with the same id number.


    After receiving the communication parchments I proceed to deliver them to dungeon cores until I have just enough magic to make it home. I didn¡¯t deliver them all, but tomorrow I might get girls to help me deliver the rest.


    The winter solstice is days away, so the sun sets pretty early, so by the time I make it home it is already dark. There are still lights on everywhere and lots of movement within town, so it isn¡¯t too late, but after draining my magic almost to the very last bit I am already quite tired. I barely make it in the house however before I hear a voice.


    Ceres: ¡°For someone that can see the future I have to say I don¡¯t get to say this very often, but you have been a hard man to find!¡±


    Even without responding to Ceres I let out an exasperated sigh and collapse onto one of the nearby benches in the entryway of the house.

 A Surprise During the Winter Solstice Festival

    After sending a message to 754 currently living dungeon cores, I received responses from less than 50 back. Sending all those messages also gave me a bit of appreciation for my wife, as she did something similar when I disappeared, and as far as I know those are the only two instances that anyone has tried to contact every dungeon core at once.


    After spending an entire day sending the messages, acquiring communication parchments, the hardest part turned out delivering them. I know some of the traitors have received the message, so they would be able to catch me quite easily when I delivered them, so I had to get a little creative in my delivery method.


    With the nature of the communication parchments I at least only had to write the message once this time, but it is an apology and explanation why I popped in and out of their dungeons before they even realized I was there.


    When I returned home that evening exhausted and out of magic I find Ceres in my house waiting for me to return home.


    Ceres: ¡°Well that was rude¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it has been a long day.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You look like hell.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Just what have you been up to the last few days, I haven¡¯t been able to track your movements, or even catch glimpses of your immediate future for days.¡±


    I tell Ceres everything, about Chansey, Merretta¡¯s King, the traitorous dungeon cores, Draco¡¯s death and curious circumstances around it, and my seemingly failed efforts to unite the dungeon cores.


    Ceres: ¡°This isn¡¯t right! None of this is!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I am serious. I haven¡¯t foreseen any of this!¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t exactly been on the top of your game since your run in with the great hunter.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Things have been getting harder and harder to see as so many paths have sprung up, but this? None of this was in any of it.¡±


    ¡°What could cause something like that?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°One of my siblings¡­ It¡¯s the only way.¡±


    ¡°Well we know the great hunter is up to no good, but this sounds more along the lines of your sister that watches over [Menu]. You said you were starting to think she was more involved then you thought, so maybe she is way more involved then you thought.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°But that is impossible! Her very existence is tied to [Menu] so to do something like this to tear down its integrity just doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    ¡°I actually wanted to ask you about that, I am receiving justicar points for stopping these people, but if they are assisted by her, isn¡¯t that going against what she is trying to do?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The only way that makes sense is if she intended you to stop this from the start. She has pushed back at us ever since we created you, and one such example was making you the Archjusticar. We made you to be different then all the rest, but she has used things like the [Archjusticar Menu] to push you back into the group.¡±


    ¡°Then why give me abilities that far exceed what normal dungeon cores can do?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°So far they have just been variations of the Elders unique abilities, like a limited version of Dyson¡¯s [Observation], your [Map] is like the one Madam Erin created with her runic abilities, the information about other cores is off shot of Faron¡¯s [Knowledge] ability, and the boons and penalties are a combination of Fredrick, Lucille, Draco, and I am sure a bit of Leland¡¯s abilities rolled into one.¡±


    ¡°What about the binding of the crystals, or the newest ability I unlocked which allows the creation of a new dungeon core?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The ability to do what?! Is this her way of kicking back at us for stopping the production of more dungeon cores? Does the ability create the new style cores like your daughter will become, or a traditional style dungeon core?¡±


    ¡°Well it says the ability creates a dungeon crystal, and that with the approval of a sentient being I can bind them to that crystal, so I assume it is like the normal dungeons.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°She is trying to bypass what we did by allowing Dungeon Cores to reproduce. Wait¡­ Then the dungeon cores that have been killed?¡± ¨CShe seems to look extremely worried. ¨C ¡°I have to go!¡± ¨CCeres then just disappears.-


    What did she figure out¡­? She could have at least told me what she was thinking before she left, I thought the part where she didn¡¯t tell me things was behind us. In any case I am quite exhausted, and have many more of these communication parchments to deliver tomorrow, so I decide get ready for bed.


    It is already dark, but still relatively early, and Belinda didn¡¯t wake up till at least noon, so I¡¯m not surprised she isn¡¯t home yet, so I just leave her a message telling her I am preparing for bed. She enters the room shortly after I send the message, and if I look exhausted, I don¡¯t even know if there are words that describe how worn out Belinda looks.


    ¡°You should be taking it easy¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am! Is Ceres sure about how much she said the baby was going to weigh, because it definitely feels like a lot more than that¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should take a few days off from helping Scylla, and just make sure you get plenty of rest.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I only helped out half a day today! We only have 4 more days of preparations for the winter solstice festival, and there is still so much to do.¡±


    ¡°When we made Scylla the mayor we did it because we knew she was up to it, I am sure you are a great help to her, but I bet she has it handled. With everything going on right now the last thing we need right now is something to happen because you pushed yourself to hard.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess I have been getting in the way more than actually helping¡­¡±


    ¡°I am sure you have been a big help, and they don¡¯t think you have been in the way at all, but it¡¯s time to let them handle the rest, and you get your rest.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess the girls are helping her as well, so they have it handled¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually I am going to have to make quite a few [Gate] trips tomorrow, so I am going to need all the girls that can cast it. Has Azami made it back yet?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°This is the first time she actually wanted to go visit her sister since joining us. Back when we gave her sister a communication parchment the first time her sister sent a message Azami gave the communication parchment to me, and she hasn¡¯t spoken a word to her sister since, but since this is something she wanted to do I really wanted her to be able to enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°I guess it would be a bit harder, but maybe Roxy and I can handle it, or I could finally teach [Gate] to Zoey to help out as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t finally talk you out of taking a break from working with Scylla, then turn around and expect you do work for me, besides there is a chance this could be dangerous and I am not about to risk sending you right now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am your boss monster! Danger comes along with that!¡±


    ¡°And once the baby is born and you are back on your feet, I expect you to be by my side as always, but until then the baby isn¡¯t, so your job is to protect her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I feel so useless.¡±


    ¡°I remember feeling that way for a long time before I got my ring, but I promise you will be back on your feet in no time.¡±


    She then stretches to give me a kiss then falls on the bed. She uses [Menu] to change her clothes then she crawls under the blankets. When I crawl into bed Belinda then quickly crawls over the top of me.


    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly have the energy tonight¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I told you last night, it¡¯s going to be a long dry spell afterwards, so I am going to make the most of it while I can!¡±


    Under different circumstances I might feel insulted when she falls asleep halfway through, but instead I can¡¯t help but just laugh. The look on her face while she peacefully sleeps is all the gratification I need, so I gently kiss her and go to sleep myself.


    The next morning I get up and make breakfast. It is something we haven¡¯t done for a while, but I know as soon as I message Zoey about it, I won¡¯t have to track them down after that. I am sure I didn¡¯t make that much noise, but it isn¡¯t long until Belinda comes and checks on me.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to get out of bed.¡±


    Belinda walks up behind me and places her chin on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around me, and running one of her hands up into my shirt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about last night, but I can make it up to you.¡± She says then starts to nibble on my ear.


    ¡°I already messaged the girls and told them about breakfast, so I will have to take a rain check.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m going to hold you to that!¡± ¨CShe says while tickling my stomach with her fingers causing my muscles to contract. She then giggles and we hear a knock on the front door.-


    ¡°I guess they are here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s nothing they haven¡¯t taken a sneak peek at through [Menu].¡±


    ¡°That must have been some rest you got last night¡­But even still I am sure it isn¡¯t something your brother wants to see.¡± ¨CI say as I can hear Doug¡¯s voice as him and Aria speak with Vetala in the other room.-


    Belinda: ¡°Then I owe you twice.¡± ¨CShe whispers in my ear, slowly lets go of me, moves over to one of the chairs, and sits just in time to greet Doug and Aria as they enter the dining room.-


    Doug: ¡°Good morning, it¡¯s been a while. I was surprised to get your message this morning.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been quite busy lately, and I don¡¯t know how long it will be before we can do this again. Besides I needed to borrow Roxy today, and I knew the quickest way was to tell Zoey I was making breakfast, but I figured it would be nice to invite everyone else as well.¡±


    ¡°Well you definitely weren¡¯t wrong.¡± ¨CRoxy says as she enters the dining room with Zoey in tow.- ¡°It took a bit of effort just to make sure Zoey even got dressed before bailing out the door at the mention of food.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°As long as the food wasn¡¯t a lie, I¡¯m not even mad that he did it on purpose!¡±


    ¡°And how are you holding up Roxy?¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I might have gotten pregnant just a few weeks after Belinda, but my baby doesn¡¯t seem to be in near the rush as yours is.¡±


    ¡°Well I am sorry about having to ask something that might be potentially dangerous, with the baby and all.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it boss. He is tough and he can handle it.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°It could be a girl.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Na, he is just like me!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You¡¯re a girl!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That doesn¡¯t stop you from calling me Daddy!¡±


    Doug: ¡°Aria does the same thing¡­ What is with that?¡± ¨CHe says causing Aria to blush.-


    ¡°Alright, young ears entering!¡± ¨CScylla says as Kline, Scylla and Listel enter the dining room.-


    ¡°Morning, I figured if I am stealing all your help the least I could do was offer you breakfast.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am sure Kline appreciates it, we haven¡¯t had time to sit down to an actual meal in weeks.¡±


    Kline: ¡°It beats trail rations, so I have no complaints.¡±


    Even Bell and Sofia join us for breakfast while Vetala just watches us eat with longing. Katie doesn¡¯t join us because she says she already promised to have breakfast with the dwarves, but I think she just prefers their ale soaked bread for breakfast rather then what we are having.


    With the snow even all 6 bunnies manage to pop in and out at least for a small amount of time apiece. We also invited Moss, but even with Lala and Lele begging him he still refused to join us. By the time breakfast is over Belinda looks refreshed in a way that just rest couldn¡¯t have accomplished, so I don¡¯t believe a second of it was a waste.


    After teaching Zoey the [Gate] spell we end up using a fair chunk of her magic just to make sure she can use it right, we then set on the task of delivering the remaining communication parchments. I am the only one that can use [Archjusticar Menu] so the others can¡¯t see where we are going and I just have to do a good job describing it to them.


    That means it actually takes quite a bit longer between each jump, but it spreads the magic consumption amongst us. It takes the entire day but we manage to deliver them all. Now I can¡¯t imagine what would have happened, had more dungeon cores responded to me.


    I can finally send a unified message to all of them that wish to assist me, or at least hear me out, but I don¡¯t know if that actually is going to mean anything. Most dungeon cores I have gotten the attention of are young, and the older ones don¡¯t seem near as interested as the younger ones.


    For now I just go into greater detail about the situation we have found ourselves in, and present a desire to do something about it. I am not above asking for any suggestions or listening to their comments as well.


    Belinda holds up to her word that evening and I think she tired me out more than the actual working did. I spend the next day keeping an open conversation through the communication parchment with the other dungeon cores, while I work on a few things in the dungeon.


    The magic crystal I learned to copy due to Dyson turned out to be very expensive, but very worth it as well. Using it I manage to make my first runic gateway, but the location is fixed and cannot be altered, and it only works one way.


    Setting up one this way on either side however would work for traveling to or from fixed locations, but the amount of magic you have to focus into the magic stone to activate the portal is more than the average human has.


    It also will not help the Mage¡¯s Guild reach Maeve¡¯s dungeon, because although setting one on her dungeon could lead them back to Tobes every time, you can¡¯t set one leading to her dungeon with it being always on the move.


    I haven¡¯t heard from Ceres since she took off in a hurry, and the only elder I have heard from was Madam Erin, who simply asked if my plan is working out as I had hoped. I don¡¯t know if she was being sarcastic or sincere so I just told her it¡¯s a work in progress.


    The skymetal that my new gear is made from is only slightly more expensive then mythril to summon at base cost, but it has a requirement to be summoned as master quality or higher, so that raises its cost considerably. For now I just take the sword and armor I have and work on improving them by using runes.


    Belinda has spoken to Azami to make sure she is alright, but she said she would learn mythril crafting days ago and then she hasn¡¯t been home since. I am worried that being in the village with all those elves that are no longer bound to a dungeon, that the great hunter might do something. Azami however just says she is fine and will return when she is done.


    Even though Belinda still talks about making the school for higher learning, she decides to open her inn back up, to accommodate the extra people that are arriving in town for the solstice festival. Then again the school may never be built as it seems every time it is mentioned the scale in which she has plans to build it increase exponentially.


    As the winter solstice festival approaches Belinda makes me promise that unless it is a dire emergency, she asks me to spend those three days with her. As it happens we don¡¯t reach any considerable progress while speaking with the communication parchments, and there haven¡¯t been any more attacks by the traitorous dungeon cores, so on the morning of the beginning of the solstice festival I make the perpetrations and set out to spend the next few days with Belinda.


    Azami still has yet to arrive home, but we finally got enough out of her to find out that instead of making a simple dagger to learn the skill she decided to make a heavy armor, and that is the reason it is taking so long, but it still doesn¡¯t quite explain why she had to return to her village to do so.


    The first day of the festival has almost no events as everything makes their way around checking things out. There are a few events that happen to keep things going, but nothing really interesting, and even though we didn¡¯t get to see the entire thing Belinda is wore out, and we have to give it up.


    The second day is much better because a vast majority of the events that day are stage plays, and performers which allow Belinda to find a comfortable spot and just enjoy the shows. It starts to snow pretty heavily that afternoon however, so the events that can be, are moved inside.


    The morning of the last day of the festival, as Belinda and I depart the house we have a visitor round the gate and wave at us. I haven¡¯t seen Ceres since she left in such a hurry, but she doesn¡¯t seem worried at all as she approaches us.


    ¡°Morning¡­ I guess whatever your hunch was it proved false?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Today is a day of celebration, no need to worry about business talk today, and I hope you don¡¯t mind me intruding in your date today, I had some free time, so I wanted to see just what you all cooked up for this festival of yours.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We will be meeting up with the others, so you are welcome to join us, but you always seem like you are in such a rush, you do know this will be a long drawn out event right?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh believe me I know exactly how long it will take, and I wouldn¡¯t miss it.¡± ¨CShe says while squeezing between Belinda and me as we make our way to the events.-


    As we meet up with the others, some of them are quite surprised to see Ceres, and she still makes Roxy and Zoey a little nervous when she is close to them, but Ceres really does seem to be acting like a normal person today¡­


    She talks, eats, drinks, and watches the events with everyone. Roxy and Zoey¡¯s nervousness seems to fade some but they are still rather cautious of her, but Ceres really does seem to pay them a bit more attention than everyone else.


    Between one of the events she sits down with Belinda and me while saying. ¡°So, have you two picked out a name for the baby yet? I¡¯m not one to brag, but I think I saved your lives no less than 5 times already.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you get that number from, or even if it is remotely true, but we are not naming the baby after you¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It¡¯s a shame! I mean what¡¯s better than having a goddess as a godparent!¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t hold to the belief that the old gods are gods and goddesses? Wasn¡¯t that the very reason you claimed to worship someone instead of admitting you were the one doing all those things yourself?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well goddess for a godparent, sounds a lot better than, ¡°a person left responsible for the lives of humans by the original makers who are often referred to as old gods¡± for a godparent! Of course I only jest, as I already know what your daughter¡¯s name will be, I was just curious if you do yet!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We have talked about it a little bit, but nothing seriously.¡±


    ¡°Well I thought I was being serious when I suggested naming her after your grandmother, and if that wasn¡¯t who you were named after it would have been a decent idea¡­ I have done quite a bit more digging however and have come up with another idea.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh do tell!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am not naming her Gertrude after my great-grandmother either!¡±


    ¡°I thought more along the line of Rory.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Rory? Where did you get Rory?¡±


    Kline who is talking with Scylla nearby overhears me and says. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that the name Amy found for Samuel¡¯s grand-daughter when she was researching our family?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right. Samuel¡¯s grand-daughter, and your great-grandmother, and she would have been the first Torres to become a Gowen princess if it wasn¡¯t for the fact she was born a beastkin.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask you to do that¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No! I think it¡¯s perfect. She couldn¡¯t be family because of the times, but her namesake will be. I can¡¯t make up for the way I treated Amy growing up, but Rory Torres Gowen will be the recognition that your family deserves.¡±


    Ceres just sits there with a content sly smile on her face without saying a word.


    Belinda: ¡°I am kind of curious how you came up with that idea though¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude, I will have you know I have been putting great thought into it, and even spoke to your father and brother about it. They both approve by the way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You even got father¡¯s approval already?!¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the name you like, then yes. After messing up with your grandmother¡¯s name I didn¡¯t want a repeat of that, so I made sure to do it correctly. Of course if you shot it down I would have been in a lot of trouble¡­¡±


    Belinda laughs and rubs her stomach and speaks to it. ¡°How do you like that Rory Torres Gowen?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°They just started the dancing event. Go on Two-Twelve it¡¯s time to celebrate!¡±


    Belinda grabs my hand pulling me to my feet to go dance with her. I might not be the best of dancers, but the baby isn¡¯t making things much easier, but Belinda is smiling and laughing, so I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°I¡¯m really surprised about Ceres today¡­ I know after what happened with the great hunter she has been checking up on us just to check up on us, but I still thought this was a bit out of character, even for her.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like I keep telling you, you have a way to draw people to you.¡± ¨CShe says with a smile, but then her face quickly contorts. She then quickly grabs her stomach and her face shows that of pain.-


    ¡°Belinda, are you ok?¡±


    Belinda¡¯s face quickly changes again, but this time it lights up and she has a bright smile.¡± Oh my goodness! Two-Twelve! It¡¯s time!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?!¡±


    Belinda then doubles over and grunt. ¡°Oh pretty sure¡­¡±


    I quickly look over to the group sitting off to the side and Ceres is sitting there with a wide smile on her face staring at me. I then quickly transfer Belinda back home, while sending a message to the others to quickly find the midwife.


    I have Belinda lay down and I start running through the checklist we had prepared for when the baby came. Before I can even get half of it done the front door of the house quickly opens and among several of the girls, the midwife, and Ceres is among them.


    I quickly direct the midwife upstairs to one of the girls old rooms that we had set up for this moment and she tells me to relax and have a seat. It¡¯s never a bad idea to have someone who can use healing magic available so Scylla goes with the midwife and for some reason Ceres follows as well.


    I find myself pacing the floor when Kline places his hand on my shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Scylla is with her, so I don¡¯t think anything could happen that they are not prepared for.¡±


    ¡°I know that¡­ But it doesn¡¯t seem to help much.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You got nothing to worry about boss! Belinda was there to fix up Scylla when Listel ripped through her like a gnome with a short sword, and they both came through alright.¡±


    ¡°I will remember that when it¡¯s you and Roxy¡¯s turn¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Ceres is also with them, having the watchful eyes of a god in the room should be reassuring¡­¡±


    ¡°That is also what worries me¡­ We have come a long way with Ceres, but she has been acting peculiar today, even for her.¡±


    Kline: ¡°I am sure you are just looking too much into it.¡±


    ¡°I hope you are right¡­¡± ¨CI say while continuing my pacing.-


    It takes a few hours without any word before the midwife calls for Roxy to join them and I begin to worry even more, but it isn¡¯t long after that I receive a message.


    2<sup>nd</sup> Generation Dungeon Core #1 has been born to Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen], and Dungeon Core #212¡¯s boss monster Belinda Gowen.


    I then hear the cries from the baby upstairs and the quick hurried footfalls as Roxy arrives at the top of the stairs a bit pale in the face, but with a large smile on her face as she announces the birth. Roxy tells us everything went smoothly, but her complexion doesn¡¯t seem to be improving as she talks about it.


    After a few more minutes I start to receive a few messages from the Elders, but not of that is important right now as they are calling for me to join Belinda and the baby.


    It¡¯s an odd feeling as I pass the threshold from the hallway into the room and see Belinda laying there. Even as a boss monster of my dungeon she is still sweating quite a bit, but I can¡¯t think of a moment I have seen her look any more beautiful as she looks down at the small bundle in her arms.


    I quickly make my way across the room and give Belinda a kiss. She smiles at me looking exhausted. She then introduces me to our daughter and even being just born she has a full dark red hair and shinning blue eyes.


    After a few minutes Belinda lets me hold little Rory and as I cradle her I notice that the only others in the room are Scylla and the midwife who are fussing with things concerning the birth of the baby.


    ¡°What happened to Ceres?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I don¡¯t think she had the stomach for it, after Belinda started to give birth, Ceres just disappeared. Roxy didn¡¯t seem to take it too well either, but she stuck it out.¡±


    The winter solstice festival is long forgotten as we spend the rest of the day in the house, introducing our daughter to the rest of the members of our family.

 Azamis Progress

    A few more days have passed since Rory¡¯s birth, and things are starting to reach a new normal. For Ceres¡¯s strange behavior we still haven¡¯t figured it out, because she hasn¡¯t made another visit since, and with how she was looking forward to the baby we found that rather odd.


    On the other hand the message [Menu] sent out about Rory¡¯s birth must have sparked a few interested parties, because even though it¡¯s a week late a few more dungeon cores are now interested in what I have to say about the ones attacking us.


    With only 50 or so current members, we can¡¯t really afford to turn anyone away, so even if they are just hoping to get information on how I was able to have a child, maybe that alone will be enough to get the information out about the ones attacking the dungeon cores.


    The Elders have been asking for continuous updates about Rory, but she is just a baby so it isn¡¯t like there is much to tell them. They understand the process of birth, but just because it hasn¡¯t ever happened with a Dungeon Core before you would think they completely forgot the concept all together¡­


    Madam Erin was the first of the Elders to arrive in person to meet my daughter, and Dyson seeming to not be able to let that go arrives shortly later. He however brought several gifts, but none of which appropriate for a newborn infant, and even less so for a girl. I of course reject them all, but still allow them to meet my daughter.


    After leaving Belinda and Rory to rest we return to the entranceway of the house when Madam Erin says. ¡°She really is a baby¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course she is a baby¡­ You didn¡¯t honestly expect Belinda to give birth to a full grown dungeon core did you?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well at least she is a dungeon core, so she doesn¡¯t require the maintenance of a human infant.¡±


    ¡°She has no xp to speak of, so she is required to sustain herself like a human does until she is old enough to make that decision herself, so no, she is pretty much exactly like a human infant.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is ridiculous! I am not breastfeeding an infant!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am sure that would traumatize the child more than it would you¡­¡±


    ¡°Besides, wouldn¡¯t it be Elexia that one that would have to deal with that end of it?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told Dyson yet¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°No, and I hadn¡¯t planed on it. I guess he would have found out eventually since there are those messages about the new cores being born.¡±


    ¡°We still haven¡¯t told the other Elders about the rings yet, have you thought of a way to handle that yet?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There are so many of those rings floating around now due to the ones trying to kill us are using them so readily, so I thought of just using the excuse that I acquired and used one from them.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It¡¯s not like there is anyone left to tell, Lucille is the only other original Elder left besides Madam Erin, and I think she will have her hands full enough with Laura, and not have time to worry about what we are doing.¡±


    ¡°As much as Lucille couldn¡¯t care less about humans, she sure is making a big deal of which human has control over the land her dungeon sits on. They need to quit worrying about their petty squabbles and worry about what is really important, like the ones out there trying to kill us all!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°When that human is controlled by another dungeon core you can¡¯t really blame her. Especially when with a single word from Laura she could now sink the largest human army there is, into Lucille¡¯s dungeon.


    ¡°That is exactly what I mean! We are too disorganized and fighting among ourselves to even deal with the group that is united in wanting us dead.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So that is the reason for your little message out to the other dungeon cores? You don¡¯t actually expect any to answer you do you?¡±


    ¡°I have just over 50 dungeon cores, and even if they won¡¯t help in the actual fight, if I can at least keep them informed about what is going on. Then at least maybe they will be able to protect themselves until we can do something about the ones trying to kill us.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am surprised you got the attention of that many¡­ But haven¡¯t you ever thought that the ones trying to kill us will use your little group here to gather information on what we know?¡±


    ¡°Of course I have, but even if some of the traitorous dungeon cores are in my little group at least they are where I can see them instead of hiding in the shadows.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°This is a dangerous game you are playing.¡±


    ¡°I take that to mean neither of you two are willing to aid me with it then?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You may not like the way the Elders have been doing things, but there is a reason for it. Dungeon Cores very seldom see eye to eye. Sure a few agreements can be established here and there, but what you are talking about, it is going to eventually blow up in your face.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were the one that wanted to change the Elders? Now you are sounding just like Lucille.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°With the way things are going it is time to hunker down until we can deal with this threat, and not expose ourselves further like you are doing. You are a valuable asset, but even Madam Erin and I will be unable to help you once you lose control of this.¡±


    ¡°I thank you then, for coming to meet my daughter, but I think it¡¯s time for you both to go.¡±


    Dyson looks like he is about to say something else but Madam Erin places her hand on his shoulder, Dyson then nods and they depart. I collapse into one of the benches nearby and let out a deep sigh. Belinda enters the room and sits down with me.


    Belinda: ¡°It didn¡¯t go well?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping I could get them on board, they are two of the strongest if not the strongest dungeon cores there are. Dyson always said that having allies is crucial to our survival, but now that they don¡¯t know who or from where the threat is coming from they have decided its every core for themselves it seems.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You have a few strong dungeon cores in your group already. You have Ithros, Hecate, and Emery all willing to help.¡±


    ¡°Ithros is probably a decent core, but his behavior is pretty erratic, and then there is Hecate. She is only helping because of the debt she owes, but once its paid off I am sure she is gone. Emery has already shown us during Hecate¡¯s attack against us, that when nothing is in it for him he is quick to bail, so I don¡¯t know how reliable he can be, and the list just goes on and on.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You have a way to bring people to you, but the girls and I have always cared very much about you, so we know you will do what you think is best, but these other cores don¡¯t know you that well. Trust doesn¡¯t come easy to them and yet you have to get them to trust you if you plan to lead them. Maybe you should pay father and Logan a visit? We could take Rory to meet them, and you can get advice on leading¡­ Well, leading an army.¡±


    ¡°I would say they are more like mercenaries then an army, but it might not hurt to get some advice.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It may take a few days to set it up, to give you enough time to speak to them for that long, but I will message Logan and set it up.¡±


    ¡°Alright, in the meantime I think I am going to go pay Azami a visit. I am a little worried that she still hasn¡¯t returned, and the messages we have received from her are sketchy at best, even if that is normal for Azami I would feel better knowing she is alright.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Why don¡¯t you take Roxy and Zoey with you just in case?¡±


    ¡°It has already been made obvious if it is due to the great hunters influence, then having Roxy and Zoey there would only be putting them in harm¡¯s way as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But our job is to protect you!¡±


    ¡°Protect me yes, but not throw your lives away for no reason. Besides I am sure it is just Azami being Azami.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°At least take our equipment with you, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I then give Belinda a kiss and equip the skymetal gear I acquired from Abigail and Luther. I then use [Gate] to reach the forest home of Azami¡¯s sister.


    Many of the elves first look shocked and confused, but when one quickly approaches me he realizes who I am and relaxes a bit.


    Miliano: ¡°You startled me a quite a bit. I assume you are here to see Azami?¡±


    ¡°Well that was the plan. We were getting worried about her, after she left without little to go on, and she hasn¡¯t really filled us in.¡±


    Miliano: ¡°Yes, we were quite shocked about her arrival as well. She won¡¯t let anyone see what she is working on, but from what Kaelmathis has told us, she should be completing what she is working on any time now.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why it was important for her to come back here to complete it?¡±


    Miliano: ¡°Not a clue¡­ We haven¡¯t heard anything from Azami, other then what your wife sent us, so Azura was quite happy to see Azami to return only for Azami to lock herself away and refuse to speak with anyone once she arrived.¡±


    ¡°You said Kaelmathis is still with her, is that right?¡±


    Miliano: ¡°Yes, he comes out to get food, and rest, but that is about all. We have gotten the chance to speak a few times, but he won¡¯t tell us what Azami is working on, only that it will be completed soon.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should go speak with them.¡±


    Seemingly on que Kaelmathis exits from one of the tent like structures and quickly approaches. ¡°I heard the commotion and knew it had to be you. With Azami being gone as long as she has, as one of your boss monsters, I am surprised you waited this long.¡±


    ¡°There has been a lot going on, including Belinda having the baby¡­¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°That is wonderful news, but if you have come to take Azami home I beg you to give her just a few more hours. What she is working on is near completion.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind her completing it, but I would at least like to talk to her for a minute.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°She is working on a very complicated piece, and any interruption may prove disastrous, especially being her first item made from mythril, so unless it is worth her failing to acquire the mythril crafting skill I must insist you wait just a few more hours.¡±


    ¡°I guess I can wait a few more hours¡­Maybe Miliano can catch me up on what has been going on around here since our last visit.¡±


    Kaelmathis thanks me then returns to the tent he came from, Miliano shows me around a bit, but nothing has really changed at all. He then takes me back to his place, and I visit with him and Azura for the next few hours telling them what Azami has been up to while working with my dungeon.


    Kaelmathis told us that Azami¡¯s ¡°friends¡± appearance are molded by the casters personality, so Miliano and Azura seem quite happy to learn that Azami¡¯s spriggins are gaining a more humanoid shape. They are also quite shocked about her taking on Moss as an apprentice.


    Azura: ¡°I have to admit, when I heard she had joined you, I hated you for binding her to your dungeon, but it really seems she has come a long way¡­So, what I mean to say is. Thank you for taking care of my sister.¡±


    ¡°Azami is only bound to my dungeon for as long as she wishes to be, but as long as she is I promise to treat her like family, even if at times she finds that annoying, but she has almost completely stopped repeating herself when she speaks, so I don¡¯t think she finds us as annoying as she claims.¡±


    We share a few more stories before Azami enters the tent looking exhausted, but when she sees me she straightens herself up. ¡°Two-Twelve¡­Why are you here?¡±


    Azura: ¡°Because like you having us worried to death about you, you have worried him as well!¡±


    Azami: ¡°Then I must inform you have learned the skill in which allows the crafting of mythril armor, but I unfortunately can¡¯t allow you to have the ability to copy the piece I was working on as it must remain one of kind.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure I understand.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Azura took my place as my surrogate in marrying Miliano, but as per the tradition a gift must be provided to Miliano for not acquiring me as promised, so I created the best armor I have ever created with Miliano and the forest in mind, creating a unique item just for him.¡±


    Miliano: ¡°You are the one that said the traditions were put in place by the dungeon so we shouldn¡¯t be bound to them, so this isn¡¯t necessary.¡±


    Azami: ¡°The armor was made specifically for you, so it is too late to refuse.¡±


    ¡°You acquired the skill, that is the important part, and I think I understand what it is you are doing, so I think it is a great idea.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am doing what is required per tradition and nothing more¡­¡±


    ¡°No use keeping us in suspense any longer though, I would like to see this ¡°greatest work¡± of yours.¡±


    Azami draws a line through the air casting [Shadow Pocket] and sets up an armor rack then pulls out the most beautiful mythril armor I have ever seen, placing it on the rack. The designs on it are clearly directed to that of an elf with the plates of the armor appearing as folded metallic leaves, and the chest piece itself is almost a canvas as it has carvings depicting a forest scene with animals, trees, and the lake that is just outside the village.


    Miliano: ¡°This is too much¡­ I can¡¯t accept this.¡±


    Azami: ¡°That is your choice, but if you cannot accept the gift, then my sister must be returned.¡±


    Azura: ¡°Azami!¡±


    ¡°The armor was clearly made just for you, just accept it.¡±


    Miliano: ¡°If Azami will go that far to ensure I accept it, then I will treasure the armor, and your sister for the rest of my life.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Then the agreement is complete. Now, Two-Twelve, I have exhausted the use of my magic, so I ask you to please take me home¡­¡±


    Azami then collapses, but between Kaelmathis, Miliano, Azura, and myself we manage to catch her before she hits the ground.


    Kaelmathis: ¡°She really gave it her all, you should all be proud of her.¡±


    After saying our farewells I cast [Gate] and while carrying Azami in my arms I step through the portal with Kaelmathis following behind. I receive the message about the acquisition of the mythril crafting skill and I ask Kaelmathis to wait in the entryway of the house while I transfer to the forest up the hill to Azami¡¯s place.


    Moss throws a bit of a fit about Azami¡¯s state, but I ignore him while putting her to bed, and then return to the house. I then approach Kaelmathis. ¡°It has been a while. I bet you are ready to go home.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Indeed, but while teaching Azami, I too learned a great deal, so this was an exchange well worth my time.¡±


    I then get the information from Kaelmathis and return him home with [Gate]. We arrive just on the edge of a forest, and he parts ways with me there, but I thank him one last time.


    Kaelmathis: ¡°With this my debt to our mutual friend is over, so now my family will be able to rest easy.¡±


    ¡°You might have been fulfilling the deal you had with Dyson, but you did me a big favor as well, so if you ever need anything, you know where to find me.¡±


    Kaelmathis: ¡°Indeed, and take care of Azami will you?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Kaelmathis then disappears into the trees and I return home. I find Belinda in the living room sitting on the couch feeding Rory with Lele and Lala at either end of the couch peeking over the armrests watching Belinda with curious faces.


    I pass Lele on the way to sit down on the couch and pat her on the head while sitting down next to Belinda. ¡°You know, there is nothing wrong about being curious¡­ If there is something you want to ask, just ask.¡±


    Lala and Lele quickly jump out from beside the couch and start rambling questions to Belinda about Rory it takes them both about 5 minutes to calm down enough to realize they haven¡¯t giving Belinda enough time to even answer one of their questions.


    They then slow down and give Belinda time to answer them, and after Rory finishes eating they each take turns holding her for a while before they finally return to the dungeon core room. After the room quiets down Rory falls asleep, and Belinda asks me. ¡°How did things go with Azami?¡±


    ¡°She is home now, we acquired the skill, and she seems to have worked some things out with her sister in her own way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We made a lot of progress with her, but I think working with Kaelmathis really helped her a lot.¡±


    ¡°Between Moss and Kaelmathis, it seems she does better when she is around other elves so maybe we should summon a few more of them and let her teach them elven crafting like she did for Moss.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Dwarves love to craft, but it is only a small group of elves that study crafting, so it might take quite a few more elves then it would dwarves to reach what we have accomplished with them, and maybe even a full village worth of elves.¡±


    ¡°Summoning them wouldn¡¯t be too difficult, but maybe we should come up with a plan to introduce them.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Maybe you should slow down a bit¡­ We have so much on our plate as it is, without having to add to it right now.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right, if I summoned them they would have to stay bound to the dungeon because of the great hunter, but if something where to happen to me all those lives would be lost.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We will get through this, and by then maybe it will be a better time. I did manage to get ahold of Logan while you were gone, and he said he and father could meet with us tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I am surprised it is so soon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Me too, but I think father is excited to meet his granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°Ben has children doesn¡¯t he? This isn¡¯t your father¡¯s first grandchild.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ben¡¯s kids are strictly Duscae royalty as per the agreement when Ben married his wife, so even if they technically are his grandchildren he can¡¯t claim them as such.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will ever figure out how this royalty thing works¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°For royalty titles are often more important than blood, that is why it was so easy for father to claim you as a son, but so hard for him to treat his actual grandchildren as relatives.¡±


    ¡°It still makes no sense to me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The deals between Gowen and Duscae have always been strange, and I am sure there is more to it then father is letting on, but I am not sure he has even entrusted all of it to Logan yet.¡±


    Belinda and I spend the rest of the afternoon talking, and when Rory falls asleep just after sundown we decide to get to bed early as well. Rory wakes us up a few times during the night, but for the most part she is pretty easy to get back to sleep after feeding or changing her.


    The next morning we set out for the Gowen capital to meet with Logan and Belinda¡¯s Father. Logan usually greets us before we meet with Belinda¡¯s father but this time it is one of the servants that tells us that he will inform the king of our arrival.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange for Logan not to be the one to meet with us, he is here right?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°His message didn¡¯t say anything about him being away, so he should be.¡±


    We wait in the waiting room for a while before the servant returns to escort us to Belinda¡¯s father. When we enter the room Logan and the king are both sitting there, and it isn¡¯t until the king dismisses the servant and we are all alone in the room before he speaks.


    King Rondsom: ¡°Hurry child! Bring me my grandchild, I want to meet her!¡±


    Belinda smiles and takes Rory to her father.


    Logan: ¡°Father was really looking forward this, he wouldn¡¯t even allow me to meet with you before because he wanted to meet her first.¡±


    The kings face lights up as he hold Rory in a way that seems to completely diminish his usual stoic personality. ¡°She has her mother¡¯s eyes and hair, but I guess I can say that is only due to the influence your dungeon had on my daughter.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for Belinda¡¯s hair or eye color to change when she joined my dungeon¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I believe it suits them both quite beautifully.¡±


    Belinda doesn¡¯t quite know how to respond. It isn¡¯t often she receives compliments from her father.


    King Rondsom: ¡°And you indeed decided to go with the name of Rory? I am sure my grandfather would have been glad to hear that. See Logan, this is what you are missing out on, if you don¡¯t hurry boy you will be my age before get around to having children of your own.¡±


    Logan: ¡°If I join Queen¡¯s dungeon will my age even matter¡­?¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I would like to still be around to see your children as well!¡±


    Logan: ¡°Forgive me for wanting to be sure about who I choose as my Queen, I won¡¯t want them to leave me and undermined everything I do for the rest of my life!¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Your mother doesn¡¯t undermine me, she is simply trying to do the best she can for her own kingdom. The wedding in a few days between your sister and the prince of Exeter will not only benefit Duscae but Gowen greatly as well.¡±


    Logan:¡± You have always had a blind spot where mother is concerned, she is only marrying Tanya to the Exeter prince, because she was afraid of the disadvantage Duscae had against Gowen in matters concerning Exeter.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°And had she married one of Ben¡¯s daughters off, or one of the other princesses of Duscae we wouldn¡¯t have benefited from it as well, but she chose Tanya, and in doing so solidified the agreement Belinda already managed to make with Exeter.¡±


    Logan: ¡°That is only because she doesn¡¯t want to lose her own seat by allowing Ben¡¯s wife, or one of her sisters to gain more power than her.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I will speak no more of this. This is happy occasion, so if you wish to continue dragging your mother¡¯s name through the mud you can do it someplace else. Speaking of Tanya¡¯s wedding, however. My attendance in such an event would be practically impossible were it not for my daughter being capable of using teleportation magic, so if I could ask of you to give me hand with the matter?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course! I was worried about Rory making the trip when I was still carrying her, but she made the trip here without even waking up, so I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t attend and help you there as well.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Excellent. Now I believe my other son had some questions for us as well?¡±


    I spend a great deal of time picking the king and Logan¡¯s brains for ways to help me deal with the other dungeon cores, and the king doesn¡¯t turn loose of Rory until she begins to fuss when she becomes hungry, but even then he only parts with her with reluctance.


    I learn a great deal of things I didn¡¯t know before, and I don¡¯t know how they will carry over between humans and Dungeon Cores, but it is at least worth a shot. One thing that is made clear is speaking with just communication parchment will always cause problems.


    We need to find a way for the group to gather in a singular location to meet. The King and Logan both agree that having an actual meeting face to face with all of them will make a huge difference when it comes to building trust.


    I am sure that is the reason for our enemies building that unified dungeon, as a way to easily travel to and from that location they can all gather at. That may be the easiest way to go about it, but I don¡¯t know how many millions of xp that would take to create over 50 imitation crystals, and that is only if they haven¡¯t made some already¡­


    Another option is just making one myself like the neutral zone and then using those portals I managed to learn how to make to give access to that secondary dungeon, but there are quite a few safety concerns with that option.


    If there was a singular access to all of our dungeons, our enemies could use that against us, but the cost of creating such a thing would still be in the millions of xp, so I don¡¯t know if that would even work anyway. Not to mention I don¡¯t know if some of the dungeon cores in our group would have enough magic to active the portals.


    After the conversation between the king, Logan, and myself ends, we hammer out the details about using the [Gate] spell to go to Tanya¡¯s wedding and then Belinda and I return home. This time Rory was awake for the passing through of the portal, and she still doesn¡¯t seem to be effected by it¡­


    Full grown humans lose their lunch after teleporting for the first time, yet Rory handles it without even blinking¡­


    Belinda: ¡°Was meeting with father helpful?¡±


    ¡°Well it created more problems, but it isn¡¯t like those problems didn¡¯t exist before, I just didn¡¯t know they were problems. You can¡¯t fix what you don¡¯t know about, so we are at least in no worse shape than we started in, and I did gain a few pointers in handling the others, so it wasn¡¯t a fix all solution, but it was a step in the right direction.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And what about Father¡¯s reaction to Rory? I have to say I was quite surprised.¡±


    ¡°Really? I thought it was just like your father¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How is it you know my father, better than I do¡­?¡±


    ¡°I guess he just likes me better.¡± ¨CI say jokingly.-


    Belinda then hits me on the shoulder takes Rory to lay down. It is still a while before nightfall so I spend the remainder of the day working on the portal runic magic stone in hopes to at least make it function like the one in Uthaira or the portals that Madam Erin makes, where the location can be changed. I keep at it without success late into the evening until Belinda finally begs me to come bed.

 Tanyas Wedding

    A few more days have passed since my visit with Logan and Belinda¡¯s father, and we set out to attend Tanya¡¯s wedding. Keeping my promise to Maeve I brought her along. When we arrive the presence of Gowen¡¯s King comes to quite a shock to a lot of people, but none as much as the look on Belinda¡¯s Mother and Mindy¡¯s faces.


    Tanya approaches her father with a light bow and asks to speak with her father in private before the ceremony, so we leave the king to her. After a few questions about Maeve pop up we are soon visited by an elf in elaborate military type garb complete with a lavish set of medium armor.


    Elf: ¡°So the rumors for once where true. It seems you were indeed close to the Gowen royal family after all.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Hey, shorty¡­ You fill out that armor quite well. You almost look like a real soldier now.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°I¡¯m not the scared little boy you met a year ago, I am still nowhere equal to the elite solders of Exeter, but with a bit of help from my fianc¨¦ I hope to reach that level soon. I guess I have you to thank for that, but I must confess I have abandoned sword training. I have found for someone of my size the use of a pike or bow suits me far better.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°If that is what works for you then so be it, but I find it hard to believe that you could use a bow when you couldn¡¯t even hit a target dummy with a dagger in melee combat¡­¡±


    Exavier: ¡°That was the first time I had ever held a weapon before, so I¡¯m hoping you can forget about all that¡­ But I have gotten in a lot of practice this last year. I still have much to attend to before the wedding, so I must get back, but I am glad you came.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Think nothing of it shorty.¡±


    Exavier then departs, but not before thanking us for coming, and bringing Maeve along.


    Belinda: ¡°That was Exeter¡¯s prince¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I didn¡¯t take Mama to be one to discriminate.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it that way¡­ I just mean after meeting his mother several times, I just find it hard to picture her giving birth to him.¡±


    ¡°But more surprising is how do you know the Exeter prince?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but one in which that was your fault, so we will just leave it at that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean my fault?¡±


    Maeve sighs and then tells Belinda and me about the story on how she met Exeter¡¯s prince. We then get ready for the wedding and it is a heavily military style wedding, rather than nice clothing they are all in military style garb.


    Tanya looks a lot like an older version of Belinda, or at least before Belinda joined the dungeon, so Tanya looked quite stunning in her wedding dress, and the wedding itself went smoothly. Due to us using [Gate] to bring Tanya here early she got a chance to get to know Exavier before the wedding and by the looks of it they have been able to grow close, or at least put on a good show of it for the sake of the wedding.


    There does seem to be a bit of hesitation in Tanya when she practically has to take a knee for Exavier to give her a kiss at the end of the ceremony, and it seems to get a rise out of Mindy. Not long after the ceremony when the reception starts Belinda¡¯s Father approaches us.


    King Rondsom: ¡°It is near time for me to return, but first the newlyweds have requested a meeting and I felt it relevant to include you two in the decision.¡±


    Mindy and Belinda¡¯s Mother doesn¡¯t look to happy as Exeter¡¯s queen, Exavier, Tanya, Belinda, her father, and I depart from the reception to a small meeting room.


    Exeter¡¯s Queen: ¡°It seems we can¡¯t quit running into each other. I have made a request of King Rondsom Gowen the Third, and he said that it was a matter in which his children need a voice in, so here we are.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°They have requested the entry of Exeter¡¯s prince into the Elemental Stronghold dungeon.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I know you have been put a great deal of time and effort into preserving the Elemental Stronghold and using it to benefit Gowen, so we don¡¯t wish to disturb that, but I told Exavier of what you have accomplished with the training courses and such for the adventurers and he was interested in training there.¡±


    Exeter¡¯s Queen: ¡°As you know the dungeons in Exeter are not for the faint of heart, and I could surely place Exavier among seasoned warriors to increase his level, but there is no dungeon in Exeter that would serve to give him the adequate training to go along with those levels.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°They have agreed to follow Gowen¡¯s law regarding the safety of the dungeon, and are willing to compensate Gowen in a very generous way, but as you two are the ones that have put the work forth in the dungeon I felt the decision should be left to you.¡±


    ¡°The Elemental Stronghold is open to all adventurers, so as long as they adhere to the Gowen law and the rules set by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and the same can be said to the training courses provided in Tobes. That being said the Elemental Stronghold is a dungeon, so his safety can¡¯t be guaranteed, but as far as dungeons go if he follows the instructions of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild trainers I do believe it is a dungeon that is safer than most.¡±


    Exeter¡¯s Queen: ¡°That goes without saying, but I do not wish preferential treatment because he is a prince, if he doesn¡¯t face the dangers of a dungeon on his own he will not grow as a man.¡±


    ¡°He would receive the same treatment as any other adventurer that enters the dungeon.¡±


    Exeter¡¯s Queen: ¡°There is also the matter regarding his party, any in which I could send would far exceed his power level, I take it you have a means to ensure he can settle with a group that would not take advantage of his status?¡±


    ¡°I am sure we can manage something¡­¡±


    Exeter¡¯s Queen: ¡°Excellent. Now I take it these conditions are satisfactory to you Exavier?¡±


    Exavier: ¡°I promise mother I will prove I am more than just some token prince, and I will return a true warrior of Exeter.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Not quite the way I planned to spend my honeymoon, but I guess it could be worse, Tobes has surely grown in such a way I can find some way to keep myself occupied.¡±


    Exeter¡¯s Queen: ¡°There are no bystanders in Exeter, especially as a future queen of Exeter, you are expected to train right alongside your husband. Surely this matter was explained to you as it was your mother before the deal was struck?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°You mean you expect me to fight monsters¡­? Mother conveniently forgot to mention that part of the agreement¡­¡±


    Exavier: ¡°I thought that was your reason for suggesting training in Tobes?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I thought it was good experience for you! I never expected to fight monsters myself!¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Your training while you were growing up included basic self-defense, and you preformed quite adequately if I recall correctly, and as this was a deal struck between Exeter and Duscae I cannot interfere, but the deal between Gowen and Exeter means I will see to it you get all the proper training required in Tobes before have to participate in actual combat.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I agreed to the marriage, but not to this¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°You were raised better then to embarrass yourself in such a way, this is a matter you should speak about in private between you and your husband.¡±


    Tanya doesn¡¯t say anything else but she doesn¡¯t look happy. Meanwhile Belinda¡¯s father and Exeter¡¯s Queen exchange more details about the deal between Exeter and Gowen, before the meeting is concluded.


    Afterwards we are tasked in returning Belinda¡¯s father back home, and after we arrive back at the Gowen castle Belinda asks her father. ¡°You don¡¯t really plan on forcing Tanya to fight do you?


    King Rondsom: ¡°As I said, it isn¡¯t a matter I have no choice in, as it was Duscae¡¯s deal. I do however feel it would do her some good, she should follow in your example rather than Mindy¡¯s and I am sure she will become a much better queen someday.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But fighting is something one needs to choose for themselves, forcing someone to fight will not turn out well for anyone.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°You sister is smart, but there are times with talking fails and the sword must be raised. If she can gain the training she needs to be ready to meet such a challenge in your dungeon, I find that to be a relief.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We can¡¯t control everything in the dungeon though, she will still be in real danger, and could die.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°You saw the prince of Exeter, and Exeter prides itself on its strength. If and when that prince becomes king he will face many challenges from the kingdom, if you sister is not prepared at the time she will surely die. I believe preparing her before that time comes is for the best.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I guess, but it just doesn¡¯t seem right¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°You should return to Exeter now. I am sure the young lady you took with you and your brother will be waiting on you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Yes father¡­¡±


    We then return to Exeter to finish out the reception to Tanya¡¯s wedding. Logan tell us the newlyweds haven¡¯t returned since our meeting so perhaps they are in still in disagreement over Tanya¡¯s combat training.


    By the time they finally return Rory has gotten quite fussy already, and Belinda is talking to Logan and Maeve about returning home for the evening. Before we depart Tanya approaches us, and she still doesn¡¯t look to happy.


    Tanya: ¡°I am sorry to intrude on you again, but is it possible for you to use your teleportation magic to get my husband and me to Tobes?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I don¡¯t have much choice in the matter do I?!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about mother?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Exavier it a nice enough man, but this wasn¡¯t what I agreed to, and mother knew all along, so I could care less what she thinks at the moment.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It has been a long day for Rory, so we were about to head back home, but I guess I could have Two-Twelve wait on you for a bit.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Thank you, I would appreciate it.¡± ¨CShe says then returns to her husband.-


    Logan: ¡°What was all that about, what did she mean about taking her and the prince to Tobes?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Father made a deal with Exeter to allow the prince and his wife come train in the Elemental Stronghold.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Wait you mean Tanya?!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Exeter is a kingdom of warriors¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°I would pay to watch Tanya swing a sword around¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, mother made the deal without Tanya knowing anything about it, so it was a shock to her as it is. She doesn¡¯t need you rubbing her nose in it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Maybe it is time I come check to see how well Doug is managing the troops in Tobes.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Logan!¡±


    Logan: ¡°I also haven¡¯t had time to spend with my new niece¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are always welcome in our home, but I swear if you are just there to give Tanya a hard time, I will tell father!¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Maeve: ¡°If shorty is going to Tobes for a while maybe I will check on his progress as well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to return home?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Sorin and the others have it covered, the wind is pretty calm in Sarnova, so we have been able to keep it on a pretty predicable path, so I can take as long as I want.¡±


    ¡°You do realize that means it¡¯s still the middle of winter in Tobes right?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Then maybe I will only hang out for a day or two¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it looks like we are going to have a house full again.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°There isn¡¯t anything wrong with that! Isn¡¯t that right Rory?¡±


    ¡°What about Tanya and her husband?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°As representatives of Exeter, I am sure they will stay at the inn.¡±


    ¡°Sofia¡¯s courses are 8 weeks long for the whole thing, and that isn¡¯t even including the actual training in the dungeon time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you saying you want my sister and husband to stay with us¡­?¡±


    ¡°Doug and Aria still stay there half the time, and you put up with Mindy for over a year, so I don¡¯t see why they would have to waste gold on an inn when we do have the rooms to spare.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Aww, Papa is getting sentimental and misses having a house full of people.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying it seems like a waste¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know how Exavier would feel about it, but why don¡¯t you ask them?¡±


    ¡°What about you¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I already said I need to get Rory home, and it was your idea.¡±


    After Belinda heads home Logan goes with her, but Maeve stays with me while I wait on Tanya and Exavier, and as I guess it should be expected, but the reception drags on far longer than I would have liked and it is late into the evening before it is over.


    Then after the reception is over we are asked to wait an even longer amount of time while Tanya and Exavier get together the things they will need. By the time they get everything together it is well into the night.


    I cast [Gate] and we arrive just outside the house, and Exavier quickly doubles over in the snow while throwing up. Tanya however looks a little green but maintains composure. After Exavier manages to get ahold of himself he begins to apologize.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It happens all the time. Now it is getting pretty late already, if you wish you can stay here with us for the evening and we can work out what to do in the morning.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°We couldn¡¯t impose like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how the whole royalty thing works very well, but you are still Belinda¡¯s sister to me, so it isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°And I am curious to see what you have managed to achieve with your training, so I am going to stay here at Papa¡¯s for a few days as well.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°He is your papa¡­?¡± ¨CHe says questionably while Tanya looks on quite suspiciously as well.-


    Maeve: ¡°I have been meaning to ask, now that you got a child of your own, are you going to want me to keep this up?¡±


    ¡°I always told you that you didn¡¯t have too, but if you are asking if now that I have my own child if I think of you any differently the answer is no.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Then Papa it is.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°I guess we will impose on you for just a while longer then, and we can figure this all out in the morning.¡±


    We then enter the house and I have Vetala show Tanya and Exavier to one of the rooms upstairs. I then look to Maeve and asked her. ¡°There isn¡¯t going to be a problem between you and Tanya is there¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°What kind of question is that?¡±


    ¡°You seem rather friendly with Exavier, then there is asking to come to the wedding, and now staying here for a few days? That doesn¡¯t even mention the fact you have a little nickname for him, and if by what I understand, it wasn¡¯t long after you met him that you suddenly wanted me to summon you some elves.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Papa, It isn¡¯t like that!¡±


    ¡°How can I be sure¡­?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°No offense to shorty, but he is barely half the man I am looking for.¡±


    ¡°Then what is all this about?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I thought you learned your lesson about sticking your nose into my sex life anyway?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t just something that would make me and your mother uncomfortable, this could have lasting consequences. Not to mention because of my agreement with Queen I might even be forced to intervene just because Tanya is Belinda¡¯s sister.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I promise Papa, he is just a friend¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I just ask you to behave yourself, because they are representatives of another kingdom. Now, go get some sleep.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Yes Papa¡­¡± ¨CShe says with a smirk and heads upstairs.-


    I start to head upstairs myself when the door to the ballroom creeps open and Logan sticks his head out. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop, but it sounds like you could use a drink before heading to bed.¡±


    I laugh and say. ¡°Are you buying?¡±


    Logan: ¡°That depends on how much this establishment charges for a drink!¡± ¨CHe says with a smirk.-


    I decide to head into the ballroom with him.


    Logan: ¡°I thought learning to take over for father was a tough gig, but I wouldn¡¯t trade you positions for a second. Human relations, dungeon relations, mixing the two while still keeping them both separate. How do you even do it?¡±


    ¡°One step at a time¡­¡±


    Logan and I sit and drink for a while until a message appears before me telling me about the start of a new day before I tell him I need to get to bed or Belinda will kill me.


    Logan: ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I sit here a while longer do you? I got the room next to the newlyweds, so I think I will wait a while longer before going to bed myself.¡±


    ¡°I am not quite sure there marriage is that kind of a marriage.¡±


    Logan: ¡°They didn¡¯t seem too torn up by sharing a room.¡±


    ¡°In any case, go right ahead and wait it out if you want, but I am going to bed.¡±


    Logan tips his glass to me and I head up to bed. The next morning we have a house full so I start making breakfast, and as it won¡¯t make much of a difference I send a message to everyone else letting them know as well.


    It isn¡¯t long until the kitchen and dining room is full of people. The most shocking of the group however is a pair of elves sitting quietly as far away from the commotion as possible. I take Azami something to drink, I am not quite sure what it is, but it is some kind of juice or plant nectar that Belinda said that Azami would like it.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see you here¡­¡±


    Azami: ¡°Am I not welcome? I can leave.¡±


    ¡°No, by all means, I am glad you came.¡±


    Moss: ¡°See, I told you this was a bad idea! Hey, where is my drink?¡±


    Lele and Lala quickly jump up and say in unison. ¡°I¡¯ll get you a drink!~¡± Then they start fighting over who will get it for him. I manage to divide the work up between the two of them enough to make them happy, that is until they start fighting over which will hand it to him¡­ It¡¯s going to be a long breakfast.


    Exavier and Tanya seem quite taken aback by the number of heads in the room, and the sheer diversity of the races, as even Katie stumbles through for a short time after informing me that the dwarves had a compelling game going the night before and finished off all the ale so there wasn¡¯t enough for breakfast. I think the dwarves alone go through enough ale to keep the city tavern open just on their own.


    Tanya leans over to whisper to Doug, but with the skills a have it isn¡¯t hard to hear what she says. ¡°Is it always like this in the morning¡­?¡±


    Doug laughs and says. ¡°Of course not, Two-Twelve only goes all out like this when he is in a great mood, or he wants something, and we will soon find out which.¡±


    ¡°In that case no extras for Doug.¡±


    Doug: ¡°That¡¯s no fair!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You tell him Doug, I wouldn¡¯t stand for that kind of abuse!¡±


    ¡°I could add you to that list.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°You¡¯re on your own Doug!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Please do, I am the one looking to bust at the seams, yet if I have to hear one more time about Zoey complaining about her stomach being to full I am going to pull the fur from her tail hair by hair.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That¡¯s not my fault!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Excuse me?!¡±


    ¡°Alright you two, we have company, royalty at that, so please try to behave.¡± -I then go around the room introducing Exavier and Tanya to everyone.- ¡°And that is Sofia, she is the one running the adventurer¡¯s training building.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Speaking of which we get really busy during the cold winters like this, do you think there is a possibility I can get a few more hands?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I will talk with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, and see if we can set something up for you. Most of your funds come from them, so we will have to see if they are willing to budget you in some help.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Couldn¡¯t Two-Twelve just take care of it for us?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I am sure he could, but they would still have to get paid.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t get paid¡­¡±


    ¡°You are going to give our guests the wrong impression of us.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know what kind of impression to have. Exeter doesn¡¯t discriminate against race, only strength, but even they don¡¯t have the diversity you have in just this one room¡­¡±


    ¡°Tobes accepts all kinds. There are even a few unusual types of beastkin in town¡­¡±


    Lele: ¡°And don¡¯t forget the babas in the dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Yes, and some gnomes that have taken to making a village inside the dungeon itself.¡±


    Lala: ¡°Speaking of which we got 15 happys and 5 mads today, Dougie can get the commission this morning!¡±


    Exavier and Tanya both look confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°And one that will be covered in your classes. I started a fresh batch of students for the new year yesterday, so you only have a day to catch up on so I will let you both join that group. I am assuming you both have no experience?¡±


    Exavier: ¡°I have only trained against target dummies.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Just basic self-defense¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Good, between you two and the girl Dyson sent you will make the perfect test candidates to see if my new curriculum works out.¡±


    ¡°Dyson sent a girl?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I was skeptical at first as well, especially with everything you have going on, but she is truly a novice so there is no threat from her, she had a set of Dyson¡¯s signature armor, and she had a few questions after learning my name that even you wouldn¡¯t have known about.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°The great hero¡¯s descendant Dyson? I heard his family was closely connected to the Gowen, but I didn¡¯t expect to hear about him in my first day. Dyson is practically a patron saint of Exeter¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t let his descendant hear you say that, it will go to his head.¡±


    ¡°After the conversation we had the other day, I don¡¯t think we will be seeing him for a while.¡±


    Exaiver: ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I would have loved to meet him¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Logan, you are still dating the sister right? Maybe you could introduce us to her sometime before we return to Exeter.¡±


    Exaiver: ¡°You are dating one of the great hero¡¯s descendants?!¡±


    Logan: ¡°You have met her. Several times, and even Dyson during Two-Twelve and Belinda¡¯s wedding.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Yes, but my husband hasn¡¯t so can you do it as a favor to me?¡±


    Logan: ¡°That depends is the favor to my sister, the Duscae princess, or the Exeter one?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°To me¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°We have a few months, so I will talk to Queen and see what she says.¡±


    Breakfast doesn¡¯t get any less hectic after that, but we eventually wrap it up and Sofia escorts Tanya and Exaiver to the training building. After getting everything cleaned up and collapse into a chair.


    Logan: ¡°Like I said last night, how do you do it? You¡¯re like the king, the council, and the generals all rolled into one.¡±


    ¡°But most of the time I feel like the jester.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I have always wanted a court jester, but father never would get one.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That is why he keeps you close all the time.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Haha¡­ I am sure you have a lot on your plate right now, and I didn¡¯t get much time to speak with Kline during breakfast, so I think I will go pay them a visit.¡± ¨CHe says before getting up, thanking us again for breakfast, and then setting out of the house.-


    ¡°What about you, I am still not sure why you decided to stick around.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You hear how he is talking about me Mama? You would think he doesn¡¯t want me around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°It is something you said in the communication parchment to everyone. Not that it will make it any cheaper, but I might have got a bit of a solution.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°We use my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t put you in that kind of danger.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Just think about it for a moment Papa¡­ If you set the portals up on my dungeon they would only work in one singular location, so as long as there isn¡¯t a meeting taking place I just avoid that area, and I am not at any risk at all, but when you are ready to hold a meeting I move my dungeon to the location that makes the portals work.¡±


    ¡°That would still expose your dungeon during the meetings.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°We can set the portals in a closed off area, we could even set it up just like the neutral zone, the only difference being we wouldn¡¯t be able to prevent attacks from occurring, but that goes for anywhere, not just my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Each one of those magic stones cost 25,000xp, and it would take 2 for each dungeon core, that¡¯s 50,000xp per dungeon core and just over 60 dungeon cores. That would still take over 3 million xp to set up, not to mention who knows how long it would take me to make all those portals.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You were looking for solutions, and that is an option, that is all I am saying.¡±


    ¡°And what is in it for you?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Can I not just want to help?¡±


    ¡°I am sure you could, but the question is, is that all you are after?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Mama¡­ Papa doesn¡¯t trust me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t put this on me, after what you have done repeatedly, I want to trust you Maeve, but you have given your Papa little reason too.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, a new baby in the house and suddenly I am the ugly stepchild.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t put this on Rory either!¡±


    ¡°You have only yourself to blame, now if you really want to help, I would be glad to have it, but I just need to know what you expect out of the deal.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Fine, I just thought if it worked for the dungeon cores, I thought you could also place a set on the surface of my dungeon. You promised to help the humans get to my dungeon, but still they haven¡¯t even made any attempts. Gathering every point of xp on my own is no easy task!¡±


    ¡°If you made it available to the humans you would have to reliably return, to a single location, without fail, at every point in which the humans are expecting the portal to work, and I already told you the kind of cost that would take.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But I thought maybe if I let you use my dungeon for you meetings, you could cover the cost for me¡­¡±


    ¡°And there it is.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I don¡¯t think that is too much to ask!¡±


    ¡°Sure 50,000xp might not be much on top of 3 million xp, but when you don¡¯t even have that 3 million, 50,000xp is still a lot to ask for.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But you are resourceful, you can teleport anywhere you want, so you could gather huge amounts of xp in Shima, or even trade some of your rare monsters for more xp. I am sure even if Dyson doesn¡¯t want to help you there are still plenty of monsters you have access to he would be willing to trade you.¡±


    ¡°Shima is good for a couple thousand xp per day, but even if we sent all of our monsters out there. It still could take over a month to gather that much xp, and that is if you are talking a full grind for xp with spending none on anything else. I am also not going to become a slave trader.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°3 million xp a month is not bad.¡±


    ¡°That is recalling all of our monsters from what they are doing now just to send them to Shima, and I don¡¯t know how Inari would feel about having over 100 of my monsters running around near her dungeons.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°That would only help keep those Oni¡¯s population in check, and help the villages she is trying to protect.¡±


    ¡°There are not many villages left in Shima that are not under Inari¡¯s protection, and every time you wipe out a large amount of Oni they seem to come back two fold and that causes more of the villages not within her protection to fall.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Then what else could you do to raise that kind of xp?¡±


    ¡°I appreciate you trying to help, I really do, but it isn¡¯t that simple, if worse comes to worse, then we can try to go down that path, but for now we need to see if we can come up with another idea that will work.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t try to help!¡± ¨CShe says before storming out of the room.-


    ¡°I¡¯m not wrong am I¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Like you said that amount of xp isn¡¯t easy to come across, but I guess the question is, do you have another option? At what point does searching for another option take up more time then it would have to gather xp to make that plan work?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like the groups out now, are not currently gathering xp, and I am still not sure about throwing them all in Shima, but I guess we could start putting xp aside the xp they do bring in for making the portals while I try to come up with another way.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And what are you going to do with Maeve.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I am going to do with Maeve¡­ I was hoping I would have a few more years before having to deal with a rebellious teenager¡­¡±


    Belinda shushes me while cupping her hands over Rory¡¯s ears. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that Rory is going to be the perfect angel!¡±


    ¡°If her mother is any indication she is going to be a handful.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have us any other way!¡±


    I make it look like I am thinking about it before Belinda throws something at me. I then give her a kiss and tell her. ¡°Of course not.¡± I then tell her I am going to get to working on another option, and I go to work in the dungeon core room.

 New Developments fom Farons Church

    Chapter 155:


    We are already a week into the New Year. Maeve and Logan both have already returned home, and I am still no closer to finding a way for these other dungeon cores and I to get together at one time. I sent messages to the teams of monsters we have out gathering xp, to try their best. I tell them if they are getting a steady supply of xp with where they are, they should keep at it rather than trying to find another location, at least for now.


    Bandy and Poppy¡¯s groups are still the best performers bringing in as much between their two groups as all the others combined not including the groups in Shima. I am tempted to ship their two groups back to Shima, but I think at this point any group will do well in Shima, but only Bandy and Poppy¡¯s group can do well anywhere.


    As for our two scholars in Merretta, we had to recall them because with the tensions rising in the capital after the death of Merretta¡¯s King and its prince, they were starting to be followed and it just wasn¡¯t safe for them there anymore.


    After Ceres started opening up to us, they didn¡¯t really learn anything that Ceres didn¡¯t tell us directly, so it wasn¡¯t that big of a loss. Even as mages, they have no combat experience and their power level is extremely low at level 1, but they know quite a bit, so between helping Scylla and at the Mage¡¯s Guild they have remained busy.


    As much as we saw Ceres before Rory¡¯s birth, I am starting to get worried that we haven¡¯t heard from her since. I really want to ask her if there is something she could do with her sister that controls [Menu] to get her to help us out, but I think even if Ceres was here, she still wouldn¡¯t do something like that¡­


    We have had another death of a dungeon core, and I am not sure what it means, but it wasn¡¯t at Dyson¡¯s hands this time but that of Beatrice again. I don¡¯t know if they have given up using Dyson as a fall guy, or if this Beatrice is acting on her own.


    From what Chansey said Beatrice wouldn¡¯t have been capable of killing Draco, but the core that died this time was much weaker, but the biggest problem is that he was one from the group I am trying to build. I can¡¯t say that is making things any easier with the others, I am afraid if I don¡¯t get them together soon I might start losing some of them.


    That also means if we didn¡¯t have any of the traitors in our group before there is a possibility they now at least have one of our communication parchments.


    Belinda has started to return to work, helping Scylla, but between Listel and Rory she is pretty much just serving as a babysitter while freeing Scylla and Kline up to take care of matters more quickly. I suggested hiring a babysitter, or even perhaps summoning someone with that intention in mind, but Belinda firmly rejected saying maybe after a while when she starts working for the dungeon again, but for now she wants to spend as much time with Rory as possible, so I guess I can¡¯t blame her.


    So far all of Tanya and Exavier¡¯s training has been academic so Tanya has thrived leaving her to help her husband out, but I am sure once actual fighting is involved it will quickly switch. So far they have stayed out of the inn choosing to remain here with us, so we just have to be a bit more careful with dungeon matters when we are at home. It isn¡¯t any worse than when Mindy was here, so it isn¡¯t much of an issue.


    The runic magic stones the Mage¡¯s Guild make, are now everywhere¡­ Several businesses, especially Tobes largest entrepreneur, Denova, have been using them to replace several of her businesses functions. Always bragging on it with gimmicks like ¡°Our rooms are cleaned thoroughly by use of magic stones daily!¡± and that sort of thing.


    I don¡¯t honestly see what the difference it makes in cleaning by hand or by magic, but it seems to be working for her because even in the dead of winter, her inn is packed and her businesses are constantly growing. Her employees must be drained of magic at the end of each day though, for all the amount of simple tasks they preform now require for them to use magic on.


    Magical aptitude has also started to become a key factor in hiring process in some of the other businesses as well, even though they use far less of the magic stones.


    As for the dungeon, with the heavy winter it hasn¡¯t seen much action mostly the only ones entering are the soldiers and the mages. They keep the pathway up to the dungeon clear enough that a few groups that got caught in Tobes for the winter are still visit the dungeon every so often, to make enough money from items gathered inside and the commissions, to keep out of the cold.


    I wanted to introduce new species of demi-humans into the gnome village by now, but with the way we are trying to save xp right now, I guess it will have to wait till after we get this figured out. As for progress on the portal, I don¡¯t think anything I can do will change the way this one functions.


    I might have luck making another from scratch, but that would cost another 25,000xp, and if it turned out the same it would just be a waste. I decide to give it a try anyway, I will make sure the location for the portal is a wide open area of Tobes, that way even if the portal works the exact same way as the other, I can at least take the stone somewhere like the capital and at least give them a one-way portal to Tobes.


    After summoning the magic stone I stop to think hard about how the portal in Uthaira and Madam Erin¡¯s portals look. Building an archway instead of carving the runes directly onto the stone would be easy enough, but even though it works well with items, I don¡¯t know if I could connect the magic stone to the archway in a way that the stone would access the runes on the archway to activate the portal.


    So far I can either activate runes directly with [Runic Activation] magic like I did on the weapons, armor, and monsters during Hecate¡¯s attack, or carve the runes into a magic stone using the rune for [Runic Activation], but I don¡¯t know if I can separate the two.


    Everything I have come up with has shocked and awed the Mage¡¯s Guild, so I doubt asking them will do any good. Madam Erin was already worried about what I have accomplished with the spells she gave me, and we aren¡¯t exactly on the best of terms right now, so I am not sure about asking her.


    Maybe I should take a step back. Instead of using the expensive magic stone, maybe I should try it with weaker stones and spells.


    I take one of the standard swords we use in the dungeon out of the dungeon¡¯s inventory and begin using [Runic Writing] to carve in the runes for the [Fire] spell. I know if I active these runes with [Runic Activation] it will bathe the sword with flames, or if I carve the same runes into a magic stone and then embed it into the sword it will have the same effect.


    My question is can I carve the runes into the sword while using a stone with only the [Runic Activation] rune on it¡­ I quickly however find the answer to that question is no. I try to up the quality of the magic stone by one, but it still will not work.


    I then spend the better part of the afternoon trying to invent the right rune for such a task, using commands like [Link], [Combine], [Pair], [Merge] among others but that still doesn¡¯t allow it to work. I then switch it out to treat them as separate objects giving the magic stone¡¯s [Runic Activation] a target, but using commands like [Sword], [Attached Object], [Touching Object] among others still doesn¡¯t allow the two to work together.


    I then forgo putting any runes on the magic stone, putting them all on the sword including the [Runic Activation] then set to find a way to make it use the attached magic stone as a source. If I don¡¯t figure this out soon it is going to drive me crazy.


    Ok back to the drawing board. If I summon an enchanted item the item itself is its own magic stone per say. It doesn¡¯t cost much xp because any weapon I summon while altering its appearance automatically gains an enchantment, so even a standard steel sword receives an enchantment albeit a very poor quality one, but for what I plan on doing it should prove the point.


    I summon the steel sword and it comes with an enchantment that keeps the blade from dulling, nothing special at all, but the sword should be functioning as a magic stone now. [Fire] might even still be too much for that kind of spell, so I try a simple [Light] spell carving its runes into the sword.


    When it is completed the sword begins to glow faintly, but after a few seconds the entire sword cracks and breaks¡­ Even a simple [Light] spell was too much for that sword, but the enchantment was already using the sword¡¯s magic power, so I guess if you try to use 100% of its magical power twice things are bound to go wrong.


    I did learn however that it is possible to use an item with an enchantment as a temporary magic stone, but I think I am starting to veer off of what I am trying to accomplish. I may be able to make a one-time use emergency portal on an enchanted item, but to use it to bring the dungeon cores together it won¡¯t help any.


    An enchanted item is essentially a magic stone, so the actual physical stone isn¡¯t important. I already have mastered the art of changing the appearance of items I summon, so maybe I can try to change the actual magic stone.


    I decide to give it a shot. I find one of the cheap magic stones in [Menu] and prepare to summon it. This magic stone is too small to be used for much, so I am not sure on what to do with it so I just focus on a dagger as I accept the summoning of a magic stone.


    The result is a small crystalline dagger, but when I mean small, I mean small¡­ It appears I can¡¯t change the objects size with this type of summoning as the small crystalline dagger fits in the palm of my hand from tip of the hilt to tip of the blade.


    It won¡¯t make any difference if it doesn¡¯t work, so even though the dagger is practically useless I still use [Runic Writing] to carve in the [Fire] runes into it. Carving the runes into an object with [Runic Writing] works about the same as [Menu] or the Adventurer¡¯s Guild magic, by giving you a small screen in which you draw in the runes and it carves them into the object. If you tried to carve them in by hand I don¡¯t know how you would be able to put it on objects that small accurately.


    Besides doing it by hand I don¡¯t know if they would be able to be used magically. Madam Erin draws out the runes by hand, but I already know her special ability for being an Elder involves the use of runes, so that could be the reason she is able to.


    In any case it doesn¡¯t take long until the runes are carved and I activate the dagger holding the hilt between two fingers. Well, it may never be a weapon, but it might make a good fire starter for a hearth or stove. Now that I know it works I need to try to increase the size.


    I try several different things, but one thing is sure the size of the magic stone can¡¯t be altered, so I end up with a half dozen dagger shaped toothpicks¡­ Using my [Dungeon Jewelcrafting] skill I can change the quality and alter gems that are stored in my dungeon¡¯s inventory, so would a magic stone count as a gem?If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    With [Menu] open I try to use the skill selecting one of the dagger like magic stones I stored in the dungeon inventory. This gives me the basic stats of the item including quality it allows me to remold the magic stone back into a small stone like shape.


    There is an option for secondary ingredient which is used to add the jewel to a foundation in jewelry, but what if I select a sword instead? It lets me select the sword and add the stone to it. It says the alterations will cost 25xp, but that¡¯s no big deal so I accept and pull the sword from my dungeon¡¯s inventory.


    ¡­


    The magic stone is embedding in the sword in the exact same fashion as if I used my [Enchanter] skill rather than the [Dungeon Jewelcrafting] skill. Just to be sure I use [Runic Writing] to carve runes into the sword and stone, but still get no results.


    ¡°Damnit!¡± ¨CI call out slamming the sword down on the desk startling the bunnies currently monitoring the dungeon.-


    Lilah: ¡°Is Master alright¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I just can¡¯t get this to work at all.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Hang in there Master! You will figure it out!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure there is anything to figure out¡­ I might just be trying to do the impossible.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master does many impossible things. If Master puts his mind to it, Master will get it done.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had your confidence¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Maybe Master just needs a break? Master has been working for hours and hours.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you are right¡­¡±


    I stretch in my chair looking through the screens and see that the sun has already setting. I have been at this all day, maybe I should give it a rest and start again in the morning.


    ¡°Alright, thanks Lilah. Maybe I will have better luck tomorrow.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master doesn¡¯t need luck!¡±


    I move over to Lilah rubbing her head, which she seems to enjoy, but maybe a bit more then she should. Making me wish I didn¡¯t do it¡­ ¡°Alright, I will see you girls in the morning.¡±


    I then transfer back to the house while thinking I need to be more careful around Lilah, after what she announced a few weeks ago¡­ When I enter the living room I am surprised to find Azami there. She is sitting in the chair across from Belinda and Rory making something with her [Elven Crafting] skill, but I am not sure what.


    ¡°What are you all up to¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Shush! Azami is concentrating!¡± ¨CShe says while urging me to sit down with her.-


    ¡°What is she making?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She said she wanted to make something for Rory, and went to it.¡±


    ¡°How long has she been going at it?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Since I got home.¡±


    ¡°How long was that¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just a few hours. Now quiet.¡±


    ¡°A few hours¡­? With her abilities she can make a full sword in that time.¡±


    The light fades and the object comes to rest in Azami¡¯s hand as she says. ¡°There it is complete.¡±


    The object she is holding is a short shaft with a large ball looking thing at the end it almost looks like a miniature mace without any sharpness to it, and it is made from the blueish mythril.


    ¡°What is it¡­?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Forgive me if she is still too young, but human children age much faster than elves, I did not wish to be too late.¡± ¨CShe says holding the object by the shaft and shaking it causing it to make a metallic rattling sound, she then hands it to Belinda.-


    ¡°You made my daughter a mythril rattle¡­?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I need to practice my skill on simple objects, and assumed it would be the perfect way to do so. Now if you will excuse me, Moss was derelict on his training while I was busy, so I need to ensure he is still working.¡± ¨CShe then transfers from the room.-


    ¡°What was all that about¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I thought it was sweet. She could of made anything, but she wanted to make that for Rory, and there is the time she came to breakfast with everyone when my brother and Maeve was here. I think she is trying much harder to be part of the family, and she just doesn¡¯t know how.¡±


    ¡°Well I am happy she is trying to fit in more.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What have you been doing all day.¡±


    ¡°Nothing as exciting as crafting a mythril baby rattle¡­ ¡° ¨CI say jokingly, and then continue with a sigh.- ¡°I was working on making the portals better, but every step I seemed to take forward made me end up right back where I started.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well I am sure you will figure something out, you might be stuck now, but I am sure you will figure it out, you always do.¡±


    ¡°Lilah said the same thing¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well Lilah is a smart girl. She may be a little too attached to my husband, but she is smart.¡±


    ¡°You know about that¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course, you can tell by the way she looks at you.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping she would grow out of it, but she is starting to get old enough now, that it is becoming quite troubling.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You are the only real example of a man she has, she doesn¡¯t interact with many people. You have always been there for her, and given her everything she has needed, so it is no surprise she is attached to you, and she is at that age where things like that can easily get confused.¡±


    ¡°What do I need to do with her then?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well a little bird told me you already had to refuse her outright. These crushes at her age are not always rational. I remember I had the biggest crush on my mentor when I wanted to become an adventurer, which of course didn¡¯t make sense, and like me, Lilah will just have to realize on her own how foolish she is being, but until then you just might want to make sure you don¡¯t encourage her.¡±


    ¡°I thought your mentor was an old man.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So that you choose to remember¡­ Yes, and I said it wasn¡¯t rational and I was foolish. I am just glad I didn¡¯t have Lilah¡¯s courage to come out and tell him ,or I really would have looked like a fool, and don¡¯t you ever tell anyone that story, you hear me? Logan and Amy would never let me hear the end of it¡­¡±


    ¡°As obvious as Lilah was to you, I am sure you were just as transparent to them. Even if not Logan, I am sure Amy noticed.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¨CShe says looking sullen, but she then shakes her head.- ¡°No, I am sure if she knew she would of brought it up¡­Probably¡­¡±


    Belinda and I speak for a while longer before heading to bed, and over the course of the next few days I continue to work on the runic magic stones for the portals but I haven¡¯t gotten anywhere. We then receive a visit from the local Faron priest.


    Priest: ¡°I am sorry to disturb you, but I have received word from High Priest Martin that he would like to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°Did he say what it was about?¡±


    Priest: ¡°He didn¡¯t, but he said it was quite important that he speaks with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will contact him¡­¡±


    The priest thanks me and then departs. I really wanted to continue working on those portals, but I haven¡¯t found out anything in days, so a break might do me some good. Besides it might be concerning Ceres and why we haven¡¯t seen her since Rory¡¯s birth, so it might be a good idea to find out what he knows.


    After informing Belinda on what I am going to do I set off for Faron¡¯s Grand Cathedral. I haven¡¯t been back here since Ceres restored it, but it really does look like it returned just the way it was before Faron¡¯s death.


    It still being here means Ceres is still alive right? Or would it even matter now that it wasn¡¯t built by a dungeon. In any case I am quickly allowed entrance. Passing through the halls everything looks the same, although I think if look at Faron¡¯s statues hard enough, they might seem more feminine then they did before, or maybe I am just looking into it too much.


    I am greeted by several of the High Priests, but I don¡¯t see Martin among them. ¡°Archjusticar! The Archjusticar has returned!¡±


    ¡°I am just here to speak with High Priest Martin¡­ I was appointed Archjusticar to deal with the burning of the churches and now that the situation has been taken care of I am just Two-Twelve.¡±


    High Priest: ¡°But the churches still burn! The fires are indeed not as fierce, but many of churches have faced catastrophic damage.¡±


    ¡°My part in Faron¡¯s church concluded when I brought Martin to you, so I just need to speak to him so I can return home. I have a new baby to take care of after all.¡±


    High Priest: ¡°The blessed child has been born!¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t even start that¡­ Rory might be special to her mother and me, but as far as everyone else is concerned the only thing special about her is that she is a princess of Gowen, and even then she is down on the bottom of that list.¡±


    High Priest: ¡°But Martin said that your child was blessed by Faron himself!¡±


    ¡°Then there seems to be more I need to speak to Martin about, where is he anyway?¡±


    High Priest: ¡°He has grown quite troubled as of late, and has taken to sealing him off in his chambers. The message he sent out to speak with you was the first we had heard from him in days.¡±


    ¡°Well show me to him.¡±


    The priests nod and take me to Martin¡¯s chambers. After a knock on his door there is a panicked ¡°Who is it?!¡± and after the other priests announce my arrival the door slowly creeps open. Once he sees me Martin quickly drags me into his chambers and shuts the door.


    After releasing me he quickly makes his way across the room. The room looks like it has been thoroughly trashed. Martin moves across the room pushing toppled books and parchment scattered on the floor out of his way as he moves up to the far wall and places his arm in a shackle attached to the wall. He then throws the key at my feet.¡± I¡¯m sorry, but it is a precaution for not only my safety but for yours as well.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is going on¡­?¡±


    Martin: ¡°I am no longer bound to your dungeon so the great hunter could use me to try to hurt you, so this is for the best.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be all. You look like you haven¡¯t slept in days, and this room¡­ It¡¯s a mess.¡±


    Martin: ¡°It¡¯s Mistress Ceres. She hasn¡¯t spoken to me in weeks and the great hunters attacks are getting more brazen. I fear something terrible has happened to her, and I was sure if anyone knew what happened to her, it would be you.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her in weeks either¡­ In fact I haven¡¯t seen her since Belinda gave birth.¡±


    Martin looks slightly relieved when he hears that, and he says. ¡°Then Mistress Rory has been born?¡±


    ¡°How do you already know her name¡­ ? And what is the deal with you telling the others she has been blessed by Faron?¡±


    Martin: ¡°Ceres told me of course, and we both know that Ceres is the new Faron and she has great plans for your Rory.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what her plans are for Rory, Ceres isn¡¯t getting her hands on her no matter how nice she has been lately!¡±


    Martin: ¡°If Ceres is truly gone, we may need Rory.¡±


    ¡°Rory is just a baby!¡±


    Martin: ¡°But she has been chosen.¡±


    ¡°I have learned enough about Ceres¡¯s ability to see into the future to know it isn¡¯t infallible.¡±


    Martin: ¡°That¡¯s true, there are events in time that will come regardless of the direction one takes and nothing can change that, but how you get there and what happens leading up to that point shapes what the next said event will entail. Your daughter¡¯s birth was one such event.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true, because Ceres spoke of a possible future that instead of having a child with Belinda I would have had one with someone else.¡±


    Martin: ¡°That we before your daughter became the next event. Before her conception the event was the conception of a new generation dungeon core. If your decisions caused Belinda and Zoey¡¯s death then this event would have been the birth of the child between you and Roxy. I believe there was even a small chance Belinda could have died yet Zoey survived leaving you to birth a child with the elf Azami.¡±


    ¡°That is impossible.¡±


    Martin: ¡°The chance of you birthing a child with Roxy was actually a far more likely of an event. Belinda and Zoey¡¯s death was almost inevitable, and you and Roxy would have taken comfort in each other over the loss. The opportunity to summon a divine beastkin would have appeared to you and then¡­ well, I am sure you could figure out the rest.¡±


    ¡°None of that even matters, because Belinda, Zoey, and Rory are all safe and sound.¡±


    Martin: ¡°That is exactly right, and now the question is, after Rory¡¯s birth what has become the next event?¡±


    ¡°You said Ceres could only see from one event to the next, yet there have been times she has mentioned things past Rory¡¯s birth.¡±


    Martin: ¡°Anything past the next event is barely better than a guess. Without Ceres though we now have no way to know what the next event is. With Ceres¡¯s sudden disappearance, and the great hunter growing more aggressive by the day. I can¡¯t think it is something good. Ceres put a great deal into that child of yours, so she maybe the answer.¡±


    ¡°She is only a child, and as long as I have a say in the matter, she will grow as any other child until she is old enough to make decision what she wants to do herself.¡±


    Martin: ¡°That is good in theory and all, but you said it. If you have any say in the matter¡­¡±


    ¡°I came here in hopes to get answers about Ceres, but I am not going to stand here while you keep saying my daughter is some sort of savior or something. If I find anyone from Faron¡¯s church nosing around I will not take it lightly, so stay away from my daughter.¡± ¨CI then kick the key at my feet under a dresser and leave the room.-


    After a few of the high priests start to bother me as I am leaving I then just cast [Gate] then and there heading back home. Belinda is sitting on the couch feeding Rory, and after seeing the look on my face she says. ¡°I assume that means it didn¡¯t go well?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know what happened to Ceres either, butif you see any of Faron¡¯s priests anywhere near Rory I want to know about it!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What happened¡­?¡±


    I sit down next to Belinda and rub my hand over Rory¡¯s silky little red hair. I then tell Belinda what I heard at Faron¡¯s Grand Cathedral.


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous, how can they expect anything from an infant!?¡±


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine, but that is why I said if you see any of Faron¡¯s priests around I want to know about it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ceres seemed just fine when she departed during Rory¡¯s birth¡­ I hope she shows up soon and clears this all up.¡±


    With trying to figure out the portals I have been neglecting my evening trips to Shima, but if someone is going to be coming around bothering Rory we need all the levels we can get. I send a few of the girls messages seeing if they are up for some training and then spend the time until we are set to depart with Belinda and Rory.


    When the girls arrive I give Belinda and Rory a kiss before equipping the skymetal gear and head to Shima.

 Struggling to Unite the Dungeons

    A few more weeks have passed, and I have been spending my mornings with Belinda and Rory, my afternoons trying to work on the portals, and my evenings in Shima gathering xp with different groups from my dungeon.


    Now that Scylla has rejoined my dungeon along with Kline I took them on their first trip to train in Shima and Kline was quickly amazed by the training that is considered normal for the monsters of my dungeon. His level is close to some of the girls, so he doesn¡¯t gain a level, but he is shocked by the amount of xp he is able to gather in a single day, he is almost as shocked as when he first discovered his status screen within [Menu].


    I haven¡¯t heard from Faron¡¯s church since my visit, so at least I don¡¯t think they are going to try anything stupid, but I still haven¡¯t heard from Ceres either.


    Another dungeon core has perished, but it caused quite an uproar for a few days. Another of our group was targeted, but this time Emery was able to kill his attacker which appeared to be Dungeon Core #160 Beatrice. He wasn¡¯t familiar with Beatrice, but from what he could tell it seemed like her, except her power level far exceeded what she should have been capable of.


    That is until he striped her from her equipment and after removing a pair of earrings she changed to Dungeon Core #611 Colette. That means we are no longer looking for just rings, and the death messages can be faked not in just the one doing the killing but the one that died as well.


    [Menu] never corrected itself after that, and searching in my [Archjusticar Menu] it now shows Beatrice and Colette as dead. Now we can¡¯t even be sure if Beatrice is still alive, or Draco for that matter.


    I seemed to have pulled my two scholars from Merretta at a perfect time, because the reunification of Merretta and Southern Merretta has escalated into an all-out civil war. I know Laura is right in the thick of it alongside her king Aaron, but I am not sure what Lucille¡¯s take on the matter is, or if she is involved at all.


    I haven¡¯t spoken to the other Elders, except for when Emery killed Colette, but the conversation never went past that. There are rumors that the Tower of the Gods has started to grow again for the first time in years, and the monsters held within have gotten quite fierce lately as well.


    Mar is quite the distance away from Gowen, so I haven¡¯t heard any rumors about it, but I am sure Dyson isn¡¯t just sitting around either. I just wish we could work together again. In trying to unify the dungeons it seems the more powerful ones are trying to distance themselves even further from one another.


    I continue my mornings with Belinda and Rory, afternoons working on the portals and dealing with the other dungeon cores, and my evenings training in Shima, until something finally gives. When trying to summon a sword and a magic stone at the same time while focusing on them being a single object it took me several tries until I received a message.


    Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen] has acquired the skill [Dungeon Artificer].


    Dungeon Artificer (Rank 1): This skill grants a dungeon the ability to create new items in [Menu] made either entirely from scratch or by combining other items. This skill allows the Dungeon Core access to the [Artificer] option within [Menu]. This skill does not increase rank by level but by the successful creation of new items.


    The sword itself turned out a dud, but maybe this skill will be what I need. It takes me a while of messing around with the [Artificer] screen to figure out how it works. Similarly to [Dungeon Jewelcrafting] I am presented with two options I can use base materials or items in one section while putting different materials or items in the other.


    The main difference between [Artificer] and [Dungeon Jewlcrafting] is that the items are not restricted to only jewelry, and I can also forgo adding material in one section, by using xp instead. I can¡¯t however do anything unless both sections contain either items or xp.


    I end up with quite a few failed attempts as I am having trouble trying to figure out just how this [Menu] is supposed to work. The few successes I have had are putting a standard steel sword and then throwing so xp at it, but the results are different each time.


    Sometimes it will raise the quality of the sword, others it will give it a small enchantment, but it so far has been nothing I couldn¡¯t do before by just summoning it that way and summoning it would actually be cheaper.


    Combining two magic stones just increases the size of it, but again it is cheaper to summon the higher rank magic stone, then it is to combine two of the smaller ones. Now if I need a magic stone larger than the one I acquired from Dyson then I might get the ability to unlock an even higher tier magic stone, but at this point I don¡¯t see the need to spend that kind of xp on it.


    Even combining the magic stones with a weapon results in the same as my [Enchanter] skill I still can¡¯t have runes on the sword while activating it with the magic stone. As it stands it doesn¡¯t seem this new skill is going to do anything more then what I could already do with the collection of my other skills. That is at least until I can figure out how it works better.


    The excitement of the new skill already made me late for my trip to Shima this evening, so I quickly wrap things up and go join the group that was set to train with me this evening¡­ Unfortunately this trip seems to consist of Moss, but he has become more manageable alongside of Azami.


    With Azami, Moss, Lala, Lele, Katie, and myself we head to Shima for some evening training, but not before Azami complains about my tardiness, and when complaints are directed at me it is something Moss really gets behind so he joins in.


    Katie: ¡°Master is very busy¡­ We are lucky he is even taking time out of his busy schedule to allow us to get some training in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Katie, I told you all to be ready at that time, and I myself was not, so it is fair of them to complain about it. I acquired a new skill today for the creation of new items, and I got wrapped up in trying to figure out how to get it to work.¡±


    Azami: ¡°You already have quite a few means of creating items, especially with your unique dungeon. Is this means that much different.¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the problem. So far everything I have done I could accomplish with one of my other skills or just [Menu] alone. For a dungeon core that isn¡¯t me, it might be a useful skill but so far I can¡¯t find a way to make it work the way I want.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Well these training sessions are helping me a great deal, but I am still leagues behind you and Azami, so I don¡¯t know if I could be any help, but you just let me know if I can.¡±


    Azami: ¡°You have already gained [Elven Crafting] skill from me and taught it to all of your boss monsters, so there is little I can do unless you have need of something from mythril. I am at least for now, the only one of your monsters that can make it.¡±


    Lala and Lele: ¡°We can help too!~¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, but I think this is just something I am going to have to figure out on my own, but thinking of the way [Elven Crafting] works gives me an idea¡­¡±


    The twins both gain a level that evening, but it is strange to think these young girls are at least as strong as the adventurers entering my dungeon. Moss isn¡¯t far behind them and he should gain a level during his next training session. Azami is quite a bit behind me, but she had 30 levels prior to her level resetting so she is almost 20 levels or so ahead of me still. She still has a while before she gains another level at this amount of xp, but another few days of training like this and I might be able to finally reach level 40.


    When we return home I am eager to try the idea I had for the [Artificer] skill, but it can wait till tomorrow afternoon. With Rory waking up several times during the night we have been going to bed a bit early just to make up the sleep we lose when we have to take care of her during the night.


    There isn¡¯t anything I can do about feeding her, so I am on diaper duty. Unlike Denova bragging on using the [Clean] magic stones to clean her inn and brothel, Belinda seems to be on the opposite side of the spectrum where she would rather physically change Rory rather than just using magic. I don¡¯t see the difference except doing it by hand is more work, so when I have to wake up in the middle of the night, I cast [Clean] on Rory before going right back to sleep.


    Spending my mornings with Belinda and Rory means we have been having breakfasts again pretty regularly. We don¡¯t always invite everyone, but this morning was one such morning so we have a house full.


    Tanya and Xavier have seemed to quickly adjust to the household, but I still try to keep the girls in check and don¡¯t let them go too far in their conversations.


    Doug: ¡°How are you enjoying Sofia¡¯s training course? Aria and I enjoyed it a great deal.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°It is positively horrid! My mind and body have never been so tired in my entire life! When it was just learning about the dungeons and being an adventurer it wasn¡¯t that bad, but now that we have started the actual physical combat training on top of it, I don¡¯t even know if I am coming or going half of the time.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°You have performed very well in the academic part of the lessons, but you have a lot to learn in regards to weapons and armor. You still have yet to pick a preferred weapon and armor of choice.¡±


    Tanya: There is so much to consider, and some are better at some things while others are better at others. How can you positively pick a single one when that will give you a huge weakness during certain situations?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°That is where your group comes in to cover your weaknesses. Take Exavier for example, his chosen method is a bow or a pike, with his size it is good to keep his enemies at a distance, and he wears medium armor just in case something gets in range to hit him, but it¡¯s still light enough for him to retreat to gain distance of them again. In a group setting he will maintain his distance from the enemies while his teammates make sure nothing gets in his face.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°That only leaves some kind of mage for the back of the group along with Exavier where it is safe, and I already failed the magic aptitude test¡­¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Sofia: ¡°There is no ¡°safe¡± place in combat, but even among those in the front lines there are those that try to avoid taking damage. Bell¡¯s martial artist class, or Aria¡¯s dancer class are both good examples of that.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Those are both specialized classes though.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°If you want my opinion I think if you can get over your fear of being hit, I think a controlling role like that of your sister would be a good fit for you.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°But she just uses a spear as well.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°She uses a halberd, unlike Exavier where he uses his pike to keep enemies at a distance. Belinda uses her Halberd to control the entire combat area. She hooks, pulls, slashes, and jabs her enemies, and all the while she wears heavy armor, so she doesn¡¯t have to worry while keeping the enemy within her area of influence.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°What about Two-Twelve? What role does he fit into?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Two-Twelve is¡­Special. He is a front line mage using a sword and his magic he can fill a defensive role using his magic for evasion, he can use that same magic to fill an offensive role, or even a healing role. His style is unique, cultivated from his numerous abilities he has gained by his dungeon conquests.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°He is the only man my mother has feared to face in combat since my father.¡±


    ¡°I am not really that special¡­ There are plenty of others out there that are far stronger than I am.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°I find that hard to believe, after all, I thought my mother was the strongest person alive, until she was beaten by you¡­¡±


    ¡°She won that fight.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°That is not the way she tells it¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Tanya, if you decide in a role that uses heavy armor, I am more than happy to give you the armor that Father gave me when I become an adventurer. That is if you don¡¯t mind the Gowen crest across the chest.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I still don¡¯t know yet¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°You better make up your mind quickly, it¡¯s only a few short weeks before we enter the dungeon for the first time, and you need to have plenty of practice in before that time.¡±


    Breakfast finishes and Sofia, Exavier, and Tanya depart discussing types of combat classes. Scylla and Kline both give Listel a hug and leave her with Belinda while they depart for City Hall. Doug tries to beg Lylah to tell him the gnome mask count today, but unlike the twins she won¡¯t tell him, and Doug and Aria end up being late, so they leave in a hurry.


    Katie didn¡¯t join us this morning and neither did Azami and Moss, but Bell sticks around long enough to help me clean up before joining Scylla and Kline at City Hall. Zoey seems in no rush to leave after breakfast lounging around like an old man while Roxy fills her ear with the things they need to get done that day.


    Listel is just starting to get around well on her own two feet, and is babbling in semi-coherent words, as she runs around the room until she sets her sights on Zoey¡¯s tail that is wagging quite rhythmically to Roxy¡¯s nagging.


    Zoey teases Listel for a while with her tail before Roxy finally manages to drag her out of the house, but that doesn¡¯t seem to faze Listel any as she has found a new target of interest and that is the ears of the bunny girl that has the day off.


    Lila and Belinda play with Listel while I relax a bit with Rory until Lila finally decides she is going to go shopping leaving Belinda and I alone with Listel and Rory.


    Belinda: ¡°I can tell you have been dying to get back to work since you woke up this morning, why don¡¯t you go ahead, and I will take care of the girls.¡±


    ¡°This is our time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know, but I am watching Listel this morning that way Scylla will watch Rory this evening, I want to go with you to Shima this evening, and afterwards we can have a nice dinner just the two of us to make up for it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not too soon?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You didn¡¯t have any problems with Scylla taking over as mayor this soon after giving birth, but yes I think I am ready to take my place back at your side.¡±


    ¡°What if Rory gets hungry while we are gone?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I got it taken care of, I promise!¡± ¨CShe says giving me a kiss.- ¡°Now I love you, but get to work and I will see you this evening!~¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are sure¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am, now go.¡± ¨CShe says with a smile that makes leaving the furthest thing on my mind.-


    I give Belinda another kiss and kiss Rory¡¯s forehead before transferring to the dungeon core room. I open a screen showing the living room, so I can watch them while I work. I then crack my knuckles and get to work.


    [Elven Crafting] the art of making items with nothing other the pure magic energy. It works by you picturing a complete image in your mind, and while focusing your magic you slowly make that item take shape.


    Now of course that sounds simple enough, but the art is in doing it well. If you make a mistake or can¡¯t get a clear enough picture in your mind the results can be disastrous. Even with me changing the items in my dungeon as I summon them in a similar fashion it was nothing compared to [Elven Crafting].


    And that I believe was where my mistake lies with [Artificer] I tried it like I do with everything else in [Menu] but maybe instead, I should treat it like [Elven Crafting]. Another mistake is the finished product I was trying to make a sword with a magic stone in it so of course it just combined the sword with the magic stone, but instead I need to focus on a completed product.


    If I want the magic stone embedded on the sword to use the runes on the blade of the sword I need to focus on creating the item with the runes already on it with a clear function in mind. After casting [Runic Reading] and [Runic Writing] I then get to work.


    After a few failed attempts I finally get the runes just right and as the weapon is created I receive a message.


    New Enchantment Available


    [Fire-breathing] Item cost x1.5 or 2500xp whichever is less (500xp minimum)


    Fire-breathing sword: A standard steel sword that has the ability to shoot flames from the blade equal to the [Flame] spell with a spell power of 20, by focusing the wielders magic into the magic stone in the blades hilt.


    Creation of your first unique item with [Dungeon Artificer] has increased its rank to rank 2.


    The sword is nothing more than a parlor trick at spell power 20, that is equal to most level 1 mages, but it wasn¡¯t intended to be more as it was just proof of concept for something much greater. I decide to check to see what the ranking up of the [Dungeon Artificer] skill consists of, and by the looks of it rank 2 of the skill allows me to add a third optional ingredient when I create something with [Artificer].


    There are a few more things I need to figure out with the skill, so I start to run a few more tests. I spend the next few hours running a few tests. None of the results are great, but they are what I had intended, so I believe I have figured out how this skill works now.


    The only problem is now that I have a grasp of the skill I don¡¯t know if it is going to actually help me with the portals or not. I might be able to set something up like they have in Uthaira, but that would require me to have every destination in mind at the same time during the portal¡¯s creation.


    Even that would still only be good for the return trip I would still have to put a regular portal to the location of the meeting in of the dungeons. I think I am starting to see why the dungeon cores have never gathered together before¡­


    While I continue to try to work things out, and before I realize it I receive a message from Belinda asking me if we are going to train this evening. I was about to send her a message back saying ¡°Of course¡± until I realized the reason she is asking is because it already is that time¡­I let out a deep sigh and put everything away before returning to the house.


    Belinda: ¡°That look tells me, it didn¡¯t work out the way you wanted it to.¡±


    ¡°Well it did, it just doesn¡¯t help the way I was hoping it would. Who is going with us this evening?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s going to be Bell, Sofia, Lilah, Lylah, you and me, and they are all waiting in the other room for us.¡±


    I nod, we then go to join the girls, and then we make our way to Shima. Belinda is a little rusty, but it isn¡¯t long until she gets back into the swing of things, and todays training goes verily well. Belinda looks worn out afterwards but it doesn¡¯t stop her from dragging me out to dinner afterwards.


    Our ¡°date night¡± goes alright, but not matter how much she assures me Rory is alright, she never quits fidgeting and worrying about it herself until we end up heading back early to pick up Rory from Scylla.


    I would like to say the next day lead to another revelation, but unfortunately another full week passes without making any progress on the portals. That doesn¡¯t mean I haven¡¯t made progress with [Artificer], but it isn¡¯t really anything that will help with the portals.


    Luckily in that time no more dungeon cores have perished, so I decide if this line of thinking isn¡¯t working, then maybe I should start from scratch and think of another way to bring us all together.


    Between what I have learned from my [Gate] spell and with [Runic Reading] and [Runic Writing] I am pretty sure I could replicate Madam Erin¡¯s portals, but that still cost about the same amount of xp to summon a tome to teach the [Runic Activation] spell to all the dungeon cores, and it is bundled with the other two spells as well, so I am not sure it is a good idea to give all those dungeon cores access to those spells.


    With no other plans I notice Akil appears to be awake, so decide to go have a word with him. Transferring down to the depths of my dungeon I find him stretched out along the snipers perch. I haven¡¯t seen him move from that spot since he has arrived.


    Surely he has had to get up and move around some, he has eaten a bit, but not enough that I would think it would take to sustain his large body. I greet him when I arrive and he sleepily opens one of his eyes to look at me.


    Akil: ¡°Stumped are you?¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± ¨CI ask, and then he starts to answer but I cut him off by say.- ¡°I know, at your age knowledge just seeps into your bones, but I have heard you say that plenty of times now, and it still isn¡¯t a good answer¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±


    ¡°Are you getting plenty of exercise? You also still don¡¯t seem to be eating enough.¡±


    Akil: ¡°When you get to be my age, too much exercise is just as bad as not getting any at all, so why go through all that trouble when you can just sleep instead?¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to get sick¡­ You said you knew I was stumped, but with all that knowledge that has seeped into your bones, do you have any advice for me?¡±


    Akil: ¡°Give it up, and take a nap.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°If the teleportation spell you are currently trying to use is not working the way you want, try to use your other one.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have another one¡­ Wait, [Blink]? I guess it is considered a teleportation spell but it is only for a very short distance and within a line of sight.¡±


    Akil: ¡°Well that is enough questions for today¡­ I am quite tired you see¡­¡± ¨CHe says while bringing his wings up over his head.-


    ¡°But wait¡­ How do I use [Blink] to help me?¡± ¨CI say but receive no reply, and soon I can hear a soft snore from Akil. I then sigh and return to the dungeon core room.-


    After returning to the dungeon core room I decide to look at the description of the [Blink] spell.


    Blink (Shadow) (50mp): A limited teleportation spell that allows the caster to move instantaneously from one point to another. The target location in which the caster wishes to teleport to must be within view.


    I read it over, then again, and then 2 or 3 more times, but I still don¡¯t see how that is going to help. It is a much cheaper spell then [Gate] so I guess it won¡¯t hurt to experiment with a bit. After a short bit of time I have a magic stone capable of letting you use [Blink] like every other of the runic magic stones I have made.


    I start to study the runes that are carved in the magic stone when I receive a panicked message from Belinda telling me to return home quick. Quickly dropping the stone I transfer back to the house.


    There are small pillars of smoke coming from charred spots on the floor leading to the living room, so I quickly rush in. Belinda is standing across the room cradling Rory with a worried look on her face. The couch in front of her is smoking quite badly, so I round the couch.


    On the couch there is a young pink haired woman with damaged clothing and pools of golden liquid on her body dripping off causing scorch marks were it lands, and causing smoke to rise.


    ¡°Ceres!¡± ¨CI quickly say moving closer quickly trying to cast a healing spell.-


    No matter what healing spell I cast it doesn¡¯t seem to have any affect, and Ceres doesn¡¯t seem conscious and her breathing is strained and rough.


    ¡°Ceres, you got to wake up and tell me what to do.¡± ¨CI say while placing my hand on her cheek, but a quick burning sensation causes me to pull back.-


    A small drop of the gold liquid is on my hand causing it to burn like fire, I quickly try to cast a healing spell but it doesn¡¯t have any effect with the liquid still on my hand. I try casting [Clean] but that doesn¡¯t help at either, I then try to wipe it off causing it to smear and the pain to spread.


    I eventually manage to get it off and cast a healing spell on my hand, but even with the burn removed I can still feel pain¡­ I turn my attention back to Ceres. ¡°You have to help us, I don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯m¡­Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry! Just tell us what we can do!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It¡¯s¡­ to late¡­¡± ¨CShe says while wincing in what appears to be incredible amount of pain.-


    ¡°It can¡¯t be, there has to be something we can do!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ Like you¡­ Wounds don¡¯t heal¡­ Easily¡­¡± ¨CShe says just before coughing, causing some of the gold liquid to spatter my shirt quickly burning right through it.-


    I don¡¯t know what to do¡­I quickly turn to Belinda and she looks scared and worried as she cups her hand over Rory¡¯s eyes. I can¡¯t use magic to heal Ceres, and I can¡¯t even touch her. She said she wasn¡¯t like me and her wounds wouldn¡¯t heal¡­ I then get a stupid idea¡­

 Ceres

    I slowly open my eyes and its dark¡­ Is this what it is like to be dead? Even those referred to as the old gods aren¡¯t entirely sure what happens after death. We know there are several stages of death and once the spirt leaves the body death becomes permanent and irreversible.


    Even we are not immune to that, but once the spirit leaves the body, even we don¡¯t know what happens after that. Not that I can tell anyone, but I guess it comes to this dark place. In my last selfish struggle at the inevitable, I hope I didn¡¯t cause any repercussions to Two-Twelve and his family.


    You see, as I stood there and watched the miracle that was Two-Twelve¡¯s daughter being born, it came to the point where the next future event became clear, and the result was my own demise¡­ I know an event is impossible to change, but I quickly seen many paths and all where I chose to stay near Two-Twelve resulted in the massacre of his family.


    I knew right then I had to get away, far away. I knew I couldn¡¯t escape my own fate, but if I could save him and his family that might be enough. I just hope after it happened that my return didn¡¯t bring about a bad ending for him.


    This darkness is kind of lonely, but feels quite nice. The constant pain I have felt since I quarreled with that ancient dragon all those years ago, and then the pain I received when I saved Two-Twelve from the great hunter, and even the pain of my death has all been washed away, and I now feel like I am laying in a warm soft bed.


    A bright light suddenly assaults my eyes and I quickly shut them even with my eyes closes from the break in the light I can tell there is movement going on. Is this the Ancient one? Have I finally found our creator? I then hear a voice¡­


    ¡ð ¡ð ¡ð ¡ð ¡ð ¡ð


    ¡°Ceres¡­ How do you feel?¡±


    Ceres raises her hand to shield her face from the light pouring in through the doorway, and she then sits up. I advert my gaze when the blanket covering her falls exposing her bare chest. She quickly realizes her predicament pulling the blanket back over her and looking around confused.


    Ceres: ¡°What¡¯s going on? How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°Do you not remember what happened?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It is quite a blur, but I died! I had to of, it was the next event!¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know anything about that, but you are still very much alive, but I am not sure what that will mean to you going forward.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°As you were laying there on the couch bleeding to death, I begged you to tell me what to do, but then you said something that gave me an idea. I am not sure that was your sister¡¯s intention when she gave me that ability, but I was able to save your life by making you a dungeon core¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Then I¡¯m alive¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well if this is the afterlife I am sorry you got stuck with me for it¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°An event is impossible to stop, and my death was the event!¡±


    ¡°Well what exactly was it you saw?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I saw myself bleed out, the location in which I died changed, but the result was always the same I was just as dead.¡±


    ¡°You looked pretty dead to me before it was all said and done, I even thought my ability didn¡¯t work because just after you seemed to accept the offer you lost consciousness, but I thought it was perhaps because your crystal wasn¡¯t placed that you couldn¡¯t benefit from it. I then did the only thing I could think of. I just hope you don¡¯t mind being neighbors because the only thing I could think of at the time was transferring to the edge of my dungeon here and place your crystal in the ground just outside of it.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Then I¡¯m really a dungeon core¡­?¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­ After placing the crystal outside of my dungeon it quickly took root in the dirt and began to glow a brilliant shade of pink, I hid it the best I could and then quickly returned to check on you. I hope you realize just how much of a pain trying to clean you up was with that golden blood of your burning anything it came in contact with and not even being able to use the [Clean] spell to be rid of it.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Where is my crystal now?¡±


    ¡°The same place I put it. After we were sure you were out of the woods, I sent Roxy and Zoey to keep a close eye on it to make sure nobody accidently stumbled across it. I will take you to it if you like, but I might suggest getting dressed first.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What happened to my clothes?¡±


    ¡°Well that blood of yours burned everything it touched those clothes included, they were a wreck and we couldn¡¯t even use [Elven Crafting] to repair them, so right now they are smoldering in the back yard along with all the other rags and items we used to clean up with.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°This is just so much to take in.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me¡­ I put some clothes there on the table there, they might be a bit big, but once you get to your dungeon you should be able to fix that. I will be just outside when you are ready.¡± ¨CI say then step out of the room.-


    Belinda: ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°Shocked as you can imagine, I don¡¯t know what it means that she is a dungeon core now. Is she still a goddess, or is she just a dungeon core now? Maybe once she gets her head wrapped around what just happened we can figure it out, but I want to find out a bit more before I respond to all the messages I have received from the Elders.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How are they taking it?¡±


    ¡°About how you expect, I have told them about Ceres so I can only imagine their shock when the message came across about me appointing her as a dungeon core. My biggest concern is that using almost all of my justicar points on making Ceres a dungeon core, I will be unable to bind another dungeons crystal if we get in a tight spot.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that¡­¡± ¨CShe says exiting the room. The clothing we gave her, aren¡¯t as big on her as I thought it would be, but she will still need to resize it once she reaches her dungeon.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for it at all, it was my idea, and you didn¡¯t ask for it. I am curious though, now that you are a dungeon core can you still use the abilities you had before?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°They are still there, but something doesn¡¯t work. If I try to use them I get such a headache. It may be due to the fact I don¡¯t have the required magic to use them anymore.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say your situation is the same as Dyson or Hecate, but when they rejoined the ranks of the dungeon cores they retained their levels and their abilities.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That¡¯s just it¡­ I have never had any of those things. The concept of your skills or levels is controlled by the same sister of mine that controls [Menu]. Before her there was no human progression, and magic was only a thing usable by the ancient dragons, my siblings and I, and few else. A human¡¯s level and magic progression is a byproduct of the creation of the dungeon core¡¯s and [Menu].¡±


    ¡°Then everything is tied to her¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That¡¯s what makes her alterations so troubling, A few of my siblings and I spent over a century preparing for your creation making sure we didn¡¯t damage my sister, but these ones changing her now¡­¡±


    ¡°What about the one that attacked you?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Even with my ability to see the future and knowing my death was coming, I still couldn¡¯t discover who the one that attacked me was. I know it wasn¡¯t the great hunter because he just wouldn¡¯t have had the strength to do what happened to me, but that doesn¡¯t mean someone he is colluding with didn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Once they find out you are still alive, and if you are just a level 1 dungeon core now, you are going to be in a lot of danger.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°My one saving grace is my siblings are quite conceited, and if they do discover I am alive, my hope is they will think my situation to be comical and will leave me alone for their own amusement¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if they do leave you alone, the ones attacking the dungeon cores might not. A message was displayed saying I appointed you as a dungeon core when you became one, so there is a good chance they will come for you as well.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I will just have to make sure my big brother Two-Twelve is there to protect me.¡± ¨CShe says with a bit of a smirk.-


    ¡°The truth is, due to the panicked state I was in when I placed your crystal, we can¡¯t avoid the fact your dungeon is now directly beside mine, so in some fashion I am going to be stuck with you for a long while to come. If you do still have your abilities, but just don¡¯t have the magic to use them, then it may be beneficial to dedicate a bit of time in seeing that your dungeon thrives. That being said, I expect you to put the effort in yourself. I don¡¯t know what it was like for you before, but for all intents and purposes you are a dungeon core now, and will have to make due like the rest of us.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Yes big brother¡­¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t going to become a thing is it¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I can¡¯t say this adjustment is going to be easy, but what choice do I have?¡±


    ¡°In the meantime we should get you to your crystal now, so you can start working on your dungeon to protect yourself. Most dungeon cores start with 50,000xp, but your situation is unique in more ways than one, so I am not sure. Roxy and Zoey where with your crystal all night, so you should at least have the xp you gathered from them, from what I can remember when I was starting out adventurers like them where worth a month or better of xp.¡±


    Ceres nods I lead her through town towards her crystal. Ceres stumbles a few times while walking through town, just how much of a difference could there have been between before and now that she even seems to have to learn to walk again to an extent¡­


    ¡°Are you alright.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It¡¯s these blasted boots you gave me, they are tripping me up¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, but you should be able to take care of that once we get to your dungeon¡­¡±


    We continue on the path out of town. I was slowly working my secondary dungeon to the edge of the forest along the road, so maybe I could have started adding the farmland just behind the forest, into my dungeon, but now it seems the soldier¡¯s garrison is going to be the edge of my dungeon from now on, because Ceres¡¯s dungeon will be past that.


    We pass the garrison and a small distance up the road we see a pair of beastkin I know all too well. They¡¯re sitting on the edge of the road looking rather pitiful and bored. Roxy looks to be a bit uncomfortable holding her back while sitting on a large rock, and Zoey is squatting next to the road picking up and tossing a few of the lose cobblestones she finds on the road.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask this of you Roxy, you can go home and put your feet up now.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What about me boss! I have been bored out of my gourd!¡±


    ¡°When you are 8 months pregnant, sitting on a boulder out in the middle of the forest for an entire day in the cold, then I will feel sorry for you. Until then why don¡¯t you take your wife home and give her a nice warm bath and a foot rub or something.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°That sounds nice¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing getting rubbed!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°As long as you start with the feet I don¡¯t care¡­¡±


    Zoey then jumps up excitedly. ¡°Then what are you waiting on babe, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Roxy laughs as she gets up from the boulder with a grunt, and they then make their way back up the road towards town, but not before I thank them both for their help. Zoey just says ¡°No problem, Boss!¡± with a large toothy grin.


    Ceres: ¡°I always liked those two¡­I guess that will be a big advantage of my dungeon being here right next to yours I can visit them or you and Rory any time I like.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind you coming to visit, but you are a dungeon core now, so we are going to have to lay down some ground rules.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Anything you say big brother¡­ So, where is this crystal of mine?¡±


    I sigh and make my way a few feet into the forest¡¯s edge, I move a branch and a bit of snow off a small melon sized pink diamond that pulses pink light like a heartbeat.


    Ceres: ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit small isn¡¯t it¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is, you are just starting out.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well, at least it suits me, so now what do I do?¡±


    ¡°You start working on your dungeon. First off open [Menu] and find out how much xp you have.¡±


    Ceres manipulates the air in front of her and then says. ¡°It looks like I have just over 60,000xp¡±


    ¡°Then it sounds like you got the 50,000xp like everyone else, that means Roxy and Zoey are up to giving 10,000xp a day¡­? It would be nice if I was able to collect off of them as well. Anyway, a good place to start is your dungeon core room, and after that, use the rest to make your dungeon, but remember to keep enough for your crystal¡¯s consumption, I didn¡¯t spend all those justicar points on you to have you starve to death after just becoming a dungeon core.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Ceres: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help me¡­?¡±


    ¡°This is your dungeon¡­ You have stuck your nose far enough into my business that you should at least have a good idea on making a dungeon of your own. I just ask you keep the locals in mind. I have spent a great deal of effort to make sure the humans don¡¯t see my dungeon as a threat that needs to be destroyed, but your dungeon could be associated with mine if things go bad.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Yes, big brother¡­¡±


    I let out a deep sigh and say. ¡°Alright, I will leave it to you, I have got to find a way to explain all this to the other Elders, not to mention I think I was just starting to get somewhere with my portal situation.¡±


    I then start heading back to town, but before I even reach the garrison I hear the sound of crashing trees as a huge building appears at the edge of the forest causing several horns of alarm in the garrison and panic.


    I quickly run back calling out. ¡°What do you think you are doing?!¡± But Ceres is standing on the road with her arms crossed with a look of satisfaction on her face.


    The building is large, not as big as the Mage¡¯s Guild, but at least twice the size of City Hall, and its appearance is lavish¡­ With large windows along its 4 story structure with pillars holding a large covered entryway with a massive semi-circular stone staircase leading to the entrance to the building on the second floor.


    ¡°This hardly looks like any dungeon I have ever seen, it is too open, how do you plan to defend it? You just scared the daylights out of the garrison and I am sure you only have minutes before they come to find out what is going on.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I may be a dungeon core, but you forget one thing. I am still Ceres of the Mage¡¯s Guild. Do you think anyone will question me conjuring up such a building? Besides I don¡¯t have to protect my crystal if they don¡¯t know that it is even a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°There is still the problem of other dungeon cores.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I may have an idea for that as well, but you said it. We are both dungeon cores, so a girl has to have a few secrets of her own.¡±


    It isn¡¯t a few more seconds before a small group of scared soldiers are coming up the road.


    Ceres: ¡°Don¡¯t worry fellows! I will make sure to have the Mage¡¯s Guild issue an apology later! Sorry to worry you!¡±


    The soldiers look confused and a bit worried, but with I sigh and nod they seem to accept it. They aren¡¯t quick to leave however as they are staring at the building with interest.


    Ceres: ¡°You soldiers want to take a look inside?¡±


    The soldiers seem nervous after all this building just appeared out of thin air¡­


    Ceres: ¡°I thought you said you had important things to take care of?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you are going to be alright here?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Sure I¡¯m sure¡­ This might actually be quite fun.¡± ¨CShe says as she starts making her way up the stairs to the building.-


    I start heading back towards town but I stop at the soldiers who still seem to be debating on entering the building or not. ¡°You know how these mage types are, if you can please keep an eye on her and report anything strange back to Doug.¡±


    Soldier: ¡°But sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think it will eat you or anything.¡± ¨CI say not easing their minds any, as I start making my way back up the road.-


    On my way back to the house I think of a way to explain all this to the Elders, but in the end I simple send them each a message that reads.


    (The being knows at the old god Ceres received wounds that would have proved fatal were it not for me using my abilities as the Archjusticar to prevent her death by making her a dungeon core. The ability was something I had recently acquired, and is not useable again for the foreseeable future. If you wish to know any further information that is up to her to give you. Furthermore I did no choose what number she received and I don¡¯t know what it will mean if Draco proves to still be alive, but I believe [Menu] granted her Dungeon Core #5 due to it being the lowest available number and nothing more.)


    After sending the message out to the others I get responses from them all asking for more information, but I just close the screens and return home.


    Belinda: ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think anything about it when I told her to take it easy and not worry the humans, but then she turned around and made an above ground dungeon right next to the garrison¡­ Not only that but the building that she made pop up out of thin air was twice the size of the city hall, with materials like that of a baron or duke¡¯s residence.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She didn¡¯t¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s massive¡­ She had to spend almost every bit of her xp on it already. I don¡¯t know how she plans to defend her crystal, or even what she plans on doing with that building, because it had enough windows that it is far from being a secure building.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She has been around a long time, maybe she knows what she is doing¡­¡±


    ¡°But not as a dungeon core and by the looks of the building I would even hazard to say she didn¡¯t even make a dungeon core room, to at least give her a safe place to retreat to. ¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Is she going to be alright¡­?¡±


    ¡°From the humans, I think she will be fine, but other dungeon cores or her siblings¡­ Well, I don¡¯t know. We can only hope before someone tries to attack her she has gotten the hang of things. We need her to regain access to those abilities she has lost by becoming a dungeon core, so I plan on making her one of those rings. With it she should at least be able to gain levels at a fairly decent rate, and she might be able to get some of her power back.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You seem disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Well Ceres as a dungeon core could be a great benefit to us right now, but for what it cost me to make her one, and now that she is just a level 1 new dungeon core, the price was kind of steep¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You regret saving her life?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t say that I do, but it would have been nice to have a really strong dungeon core on our side.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So what now?¡±


    ¡°Back to it I guess. I will try to make Ceres her ring, and then Akil gave me a tip on the portals yesterday before that happened with Ceres, so I need to look into that as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You didn¡¯t get any sleep last night, because of making sure Ceres was ok, so don¡¯t push yourself to hard.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡± ¨CI say giving Belinda a kiss and then kissing Rory on the forehead. I then transfer back to the dungeon core room.-


    First thing I need to get out of the way is the ring for Ceres. I don¡¯t need to spend any more xp then I have to, but Ceres will be much better use to us at a higher level. Making a ring with a small pink diamond like that of her dungeon crystal is easy enough, but let¡¯s just say, so much for making it cheap as possible.


    Enchantments are so random though, I have always said making one of these rings successfully is a 1 in 3 up to 1 in 4 chances. I know how much it cost and I know how much xp the enchantment is, so maybe if I used [Artificer] it will improve my chances.


    I already spent more than I care to admit on just making the ring, but I put the ring in the first section the amount of xp required for the enchantment in the second section, but in the optional section I put in a small [Light] runic magic stone in hopes to give the pink diamond the same glowing appearance of her crystal.


    I then hit the accept button while focusing very hard on what it is I want the ring to do, and the results are¡­


    Ceres¡¯s Band of Brotherly Love: A ring forged for Ceres by her big brother to make her transition as a demi-god to a dungeon core a much smoother process. Without thought of personal cost Two-Twelve dedicated himself to insuring nothing less than perfection for his baby sister. When worn by Ceres the ring grants her double the acquired xp from any source, but divides the amount between her dungeon and her person at Ceres¡¯s own discretion. Other effects of the ring will become apparent as Ceres grows as a dungeon core. If worn by any other dungeon core the ring grants no bonuses but allows the dungeon core to divide gathered xp between its dungeon and person. Any other creature wearing the ring gains no benefits.


    This has to be some kind of a joke¡­ I am sure if Ceres¡¯s sister that control¡¯s [Menu] is capable, she is probably laughing right now. The ring works far better than I intended, but with its description I am tempted to break it down and never allow Ceres to see it.


    Of course I can¡¯t actually afford to do that, so I let out a deep sigh and shove the pulsing pink diamond ring into one of my pockets. I get a curious look from the bunnies currently watching the dungeon but I say. ¡°If you have any appreciation for me helping your sister like I am, the least you can do is help me out with my own problem¡­¡± I then begin to work in finding a way to bring my group of dungeon cores together.


    I don¡¯t know if she didn¡¯t hear me or I just can¡¯t get that lucky, because even though I work on it the rest of the day I don¡¯t make any progress. Even though for a moment I thought I might have found a loop-hole in the [Blink] spell.


    It doesn¡¯t say it is a short ranged teleportation spell in its description only that it has to be within sight, so I try to use it to reach places by observing them through [Menu] but it doesn¡¯t work. Even though Akil suggested it, unless he can clarify I don¡¯t see a way I can make [Blink] work.


    As I start to wrap up I still have a screen displaying the living room open and I see Belinda speaking to Ceres while Ceres holds Rory with a look of pure delight on her face. I then tell the bunnies I am heading home for the night and then transfer back to the house.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you making yourself right at home in another dungeon core¡¯s dungeon? Didn¡¯t I say we needed to talk about some boundaries?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You did, and I listened, but you never set those boundaries so here I am. Besides I haven¡¯t gotten the chance to meet this beautiful little bundle of joy. I might not be her god mother, but I could be her goddess of an auntie right?¡±


    ¡°Well you are just a dungeon core now, so that little joke doesn¡¯t work anymore.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    While rocking Rory and making faces at her Ceres reaches into the breast pocket of her shirt and pulls out a small booklet handing it to me. It looks like an adventurer¡¯s ID, so I open it and look at it.


    Adventurer #325,042 [Ceres] Base: Tobes Race: Demi-god Gender: Female Rank: C Level: 1 Class: Demi-god Favored Element: N/A Commissions Complete: 0 Dungeon Crystals Destroyed: 4


    ¡°What is this, I don¡¯t even¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I thought that was obvious¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We got it for her a little bit ago. You always get one for the dungeon cores you have trained so I thought she might need one sometime as well.¡±


    ¡°She is the unofficial leader of the Mage¡¯s Guild which is the parent institution to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, so does she really need one? And what is this about rank C already with 4 dungeons destroyed?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well I may have been responsible for a few dungeon core deaths over the years, and it seems to still count them even now. I also felt there was no reason for me to start off as a D rank when I already had 4 dungeons under my belt, am I right?¡±


    I fold the booklet back up and hand it back to her. ¡°By your own admission that was before you become a dungeon core though, so do you even have the [Heroic] skill or any skills for that matter?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I only have a few skills, but I have nothing to compare it to, so I don¡¯t know if that is good or not.¡±


    ¡°Well if you are a dungeon core now I should be able to look it up as well with [Archjusticar Menu]¡± ¨CI say while finding Dungeon Core #5 [Ceres].-


    She has the shortest status screen I have ever seen, but it still hurts to look at¡­


    Name: Ceres Dungeon: Administration Building Crystal: Small Pink Diamond


    Level: 1  XP till next level: 1 xp Dungeon Xp: 7 xp


    HP: 1200 MP: 1200


    Abilities: 1200


    Resistances: Immunity to poisons and special effects


    Armor: None


    Equipment: [Well-crafted Hand-me-down Outfit]


    Skills:


    Demi-god (Rank -5): The Demi-god skill prevents acquisition of most standard skills, but at each positive rank the Demi-god skill it grants substantial bonuses to Abilities. Demi-god skill does not increase by level but with deeds worthy of the title.


    Heroic (Rank 4): Each rank grants a +50 bonus to abilities.


    ¡°That has to be the strangest status screen I have ever seen, instead of listing each ability, it just says abilities, does that mean all of them?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What do you mean by abilities?¡±


    ¡°Your strength, your stamina, your magic power, even your ability to use sword, or axes, or defend yourself.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I was able to use any kind of weapon before, so as far as I know I still can¡­¡±


    ¡°If it is all of them, then your base ability scores at level 1 are way above the norm they are even above some of my secondary abilities. I don¡¯t know how much you will gain per level, but most abilities come from skills yet your skill prevents you from learning most skills, so maybe that is why the base is so high.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°The question now is, would there be any point in leveling you quickly? You don¡¯t have to worry about ranking up skills, so that may be a plus, but if your abilities don¡¯t increase by much at each level then I don¡¯t know how to increase your strength.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Maybe it is my sister¡¯s way of paying me back for cheating death by becoming a dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that is the case, because I am sure it took your sister¡¯s help in making this.¡± ¨CI say taking out the ring from my pocket, and handing it to Ceres.-


    Ceres: ¡°Oh, you are giving me a ring, and in front of your wife no less, you are a much more daring man then I thought.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If you look too much into Two-Twelve giving you a ring then I can tell you from experience, don¡¯t get your hopes up¡­Although that ring looks far nicer then the musty old ring of magic that you gave me¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It¡¯s beautiful. It looks just like my crystal¡­ Look it is even pulsing.¡±


    ¡°Apparently your sister has a sense of humor, because the description is troubling, but the effects are quite nice. My ring essentially doubles the xp I gather, but it splits it evenly between me and my dungeon. Your ring does the same thing but apparently it lets you choose how much xp goes where.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Thanks.¡± ¨CShe says sliding the ring onto her right index finger, as she makes another funny face at Rory.-


    ¡°By your status I also see you are about out of xp already, I told you to save enough, that huge building looks to have already cost you 9 xp for consumption by seeing how close you are to gaining a level, so if that is daily you¡¯ll be in trouble come midnight.¡±


    Ceres kisses Rory¡¯s cheek before handing her back to Belinda, she then lets out a sigh and stands up. ¡°You¡¯re right, I have a plan for that, but I better get prepared. You are all invited of course, but if you don¡¯t want to stick around for midnight I understand.¡±


    ¡°Are you throwing some kind of party¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Of course, it isn¡¯t every day the construction starts on Tobe¡¯s grand university!¡±


    ¡°University, what are you talking about?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I know you and Belinda felt strongly about bringing in an institution of higher learning into Tobes, and I want to educate the masses, so I felt it was the perfect choice for my dungeon. I invited a bunch of the mages and townspeople to celebrate the first in what will be many new educational buildings for the benefit of Tobes.¡±


    ¡°Are you hearing this¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She told me a few hours ago, I think it is a wonderful idea.¡±


    ¡°I thought we wanted to gather all the information we could before starting such a project.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I have seen it all, so what information could you possibly want that isn¡¯t already floating around up in my noggin?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Belinda and I were planning on building that together and now it just¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Don¡¯t worry big brother, it¡¯s still a family project! If you want I will even let you help pick out the faculty. I will be ready in about an hour if you want to show up, and I would love it if you could bring Roxy and Zoey along as well!¡± ¨CShe says then bounds out the door in a hurry.-


    I sigh and sit down on the couch¡­¡±Are you sure you are ok with this?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She is just trying to help, and admit it. The school hasn¡¯t been something high on our priorities at the moment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but I don¡¯t know¡­ I just feel cheated¡­¡±


    Belinda gets up from her chair to move over next to me, she then places Rory in my arms wrapping her arms around me, and giving me a kiss on the cheek. ¡°It will be alright, I promise.¡±

 Finding Another Way

    Ceres was true to her word, and her first night as a dungeon core was celebrated with a large banquet in which I can¡¯t possibly understand how she put together in such a short time. Not only that but she acquired enough xp that night to build a second, over the top, lavish building the next day throwing another celebration for it.


    This continued for a few days, but her pulling, what amounts to the entire Mage¡¯s Guild, to these banquets of hers is really putting a strain on the xp I acquire each day, and not only that but it is causing issues with the mage¡¯s. After their late nights they are struggling in the dungeon the next day, because they are too afraid to tell Ceres no.


    I finally make a deal with Ceres that will allow her to collect xp from me and my boss monsters in exchange of letting the Mage¡¯s Guild get back to their normal routine. I can¡¯t acquire xp from my girls anyway, so it works out in the end.


    Belinda and I often don¡¯t get to sleep before midnight anyway, but being out of the house at that time is leading to quite a few very late nights. Our mornings are spent together, relaxing, as a family, so it hasn¡¯t brought any issues up, but I am worried about the strain it is having on the girls.


    Ceres¡¯s xp consumption has climbed through the roof, these buildings she is constructing must be taking a massive toll on her, because even without any training at all her first night resulted in her reaching level 2, her second night resulted in level 3, and by her fourth night she already reached level 4, and I am not too sure she isn¡¯t nearing level 5 already.


    She doesn¡¯t acquire skills the way the rest of us do, and I was worried that would mean she would fall behind, but instead each time she has gained a level her abilities have increased by 100 points, meaning if this rate continues even without skills she will surpass me by level 20, and if she starts training that won¡¯t take any time at all.


    As for the progress in my own dungeon with the portals, I have hit a brick wall, I even happened to catch Akil awake so I asked him what he meant by using [Blink] instead of [Gate], but he shrugs his large lion like shoulders and said it was just a thought.


    ¡°I thought you knew what you were doing and that why you suggested it.¡±


    Akil: ¡°I know a great deal, but you are doing something that hasn¡¯t been done before, so there is no knowledge for that you seek, you must pursue it on your own.¡±


    ¡°What about Uthaira? How can I make a portal like that?¡±


    Akil: ¡°That is beyond your current means, but I have to ask is bringing all these dungeon cores together really necessary?¡±


    ¡°I know you would suggest I take a nap instead, but these dungeon cores don¡¯t trust me, and if they don¡¯t trust me, I can¡¯t convince them to help me. The only way I know how to build their trust is a face to face meeting.¡±


    Akil: ¡°There¡­ No mention of bringing these dungeon cores together was mentioned.¡±


    ¡°What do you think a face to face meeting is¡­?¡±


    Akil: ¡°You have means of seeing great distances without ever leaving the comfort and safety of your own dungeon, wouldn¡¯t it be more prudent to find a means of making that ability work both ways.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡±


    Akil: ¡°Is making the portals work the way you wish even possible?¡±


    ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t have anything left to lose, so it is at least worth considering¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°Or heed my advice, and if at first you don¡¯t succeed, give it up and take a nap.¡± ¨CHe says with a yawn and then pulls his wings up over his face.-


    I return to the dungeon core room while thinking about Akil¡¯s words¡­ Would just being able to see and speak to one another without actually being in each other¡¯s presence really work? It isn¡¯t like I would even know how to go about such a task.


    ¡°You know I could really use a way to use [Communication] between multiple cores with screens displaying their image!¡± ¨CI say out loud, to no one in particular, causing the bunnies currently on duty to look at me funny.-


    I have been doing that more and more lately, trying to communicate with Ceres¡¯s sister that controls [Menu], but instead I end up just talking to myself. The bunnies are sure to think I am starting to lose my mind¡­


    In their defense, they may be right, but if I don¡¯t find a way to get all of these dungeon cores on board, so we can put a stop to those who wish to do us harm, then there won¡¯t be any dungeon cores left to defend¡­ We just lost another one yesterday, and it is sad to say, but I was just relieved that it wasn¡¯t another from our group this time.


    Well, the problem isn¡¯t going to solve itself, so I put the portal work off to the side for a moment and try to understand the ways the screens work in [Menu]. I start off with the screen I currently have open displaying the living room with Belinda playing with Listel while Rory peacefully sleeps nearby.


    I can see anything I want within that room because it is part of my dungeon. I can change the view of the screen to cover the entire room, down to read the fine print on some of the books on the shelf. The ¡°eye¡± that shows me these things on the screen of course can¡¯t be seen or touched, or it would have been discovered long ago, but if I am going to make any part of Akil¡¯s suggestion work, I am going to have to find a way to replicate this ¡°eye¡± and [Menu] screens.


    We have already determined that [Menu] can be replicated in some fashion, because that is how the Adventurer¡¯s Guild magic works, but with Ceres being an unofficial leader of the Mage¡¯s Guild, then perhaps she is the one that created it.


    In either case that leaves me with two options, I can ask Ceres directly, or get in contact with the Mage¡¯s Guild in Calhoun as they are the ones that focus on Adventurer¡¯s Guild related items. It is nearing time for my training in Shima, and once we return I will have to spend the evening in Ceres¡¯s dungeon anyway, so I will speak to her then.


    I decide to leave it there for the day and spend a bit more time with Belinda and Rory, before training. My training sessions in Shima have allowed me to finally reach level 40, but with only a few hours each evening while training against the Oni, it is going to be a long time till I gain another.


    This time I brought along a few of the unsung heroes of the dungeon, the hardworking dwarven crafters. They have gained enough experience to be able to fight on their own, so I brought them all along, separating them into groups and using myself as the lure to bring the Oni to each particular group.


    After training they invite me to join them in their evening of drinking, but they seem to have a bottomless stomach when it comes to alcohol and more than once it has led me into a predicament. Besides I have to go to Ceres¡¯s dungeon, so I decline their invite and return home to collect my girls.


    Ceres¡¯s dungeon is starting to look like its own district of some noble section of the capital, with half a dozen overly lavish and decretive buildings made of stone and glass. Adding these buildings with [Menu] would be simple enough with the right amount of xp, but the problem is the humans. Under the guise as the most powerful mage in the Mage¡¯s Guild though, the humans take the additions Ceres has made without question.


    She now only has a few gawkers from Tobes that come out to see what changes she has made each day, and those who pass by along the road heading into Tobes. Humans truly are an adaptive bunch¡­


    ¡°So what¡¯s the purpose of the new building today?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We are going to need plenty of lecture halls.¡±


    ¡°So you are serious about the university then?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Of course, and if I am going to build it, I am going to make it be the best university there is.¡±


    ¡°Well it can¡¯t be a good university without staff, and you have yet to acquire a single staff member.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh, but that is where you are wrong. I have members from the Mage¡¯s Guilds from all around retiring their positions to be granted the honor of teaching here, and not only mages, but I have a few more surprises in store as well.¡±


    ¡°So far you don¡¯t even have any books in this school of yours, just a bunch of empty buildings, even with teachers you are still short of many items you will need.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I was hoping I could count on you, I know your dungeon has access to thousands upon thousands of books, I was hoping you would summon some for me with proper compensation of course.¡±


    ¡°I have quite a bit on my plate as it is, and I can¡¯t afford to spend xp like that, but there is something you could help me with and we might be able to talk about some of the cheaper volumes I can produce.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Marvelous, I would also like to ask your permission to hire those two scholars of yours. I know they are your monsters so I wanted to run it by you, but they would make a great addition to a theology department.¡±


    ¡°If you can make an offer they are willing to accept, then it is their decision, but just remember, as my monsters if I have need of them¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Yes yes¡­ I get it. What about the favor you wanted to ask me?¡±


    ¡°I had a suggestion that I might be thinking of this portal thing all wrong, instead of bringing the dungeon cores all together, I just need a better means of communication between them all. That means mimicking aspects of [Menu], and we both know that is something the Adventurer¡¯s Guild has already done, but as the head of the Mage¡¯s Guild, I am sure you had something to do with that.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°This isn¡¯t some small favor you are asking¡­ Even if I was still capable, we are talking about manipulating my sister again.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I am talking about helping your sister, to get rid of those causing harm to her, and the dungeon cores!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You should know by now, that if it is something my sister felt necessary, and it was within her power to do so, she would help you.¡±


    ¡°I am not asking to move mountains, I am just asking for an extension on something she has already done in the past. Back when I took part in the selection of the new Elder, she allowed me to use [Communication] to speak with multiple cores at once. From what I can recall it disappeared after Dyson was selected as an Elder, but I am just asking she brings that back along with a way to visually see one another.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Giving you that temporary ability along with her not taking [Observation] away from you after the Elder selection process, was her way of trying to figure you out. After all you were our creation and not hers.¡±


    ¡°She made me the Archjusticar to protect the integrity of [Menu] but with the tools I have available to me, I am coming up short. If she wants me to help her, she is going to have to up the stakes in this game of hers. I can¡¯t protect her without her at least putting in a bit of effort to protect herself.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Changing the way [Menu] functions is no easy task even for her. When you throw the ones currently manipulating her on top of it, she may not be able to help even if she wanted too.¡±


    ¡°There has to be something we can do?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You are a very resourceful individual, and I am sure given enough time you will work something out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. Time is something we are short of¡­¡±


    Ceres then shows us around the new lecture hall, before visiting with us until midnight, we then return home. I find myself fiddling with [Menu] the next morning while spending time with Belinda and Rory,


    Belinda: ¡°If you need to take care of it, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I am just playing around a bit, besides I am using screens to get another look at my beautiful ladies, so I don¡¯t have to miss a moment of it.¡±


    Belinda looks at me suspiciously, but doesn¡¯t say anything more. After a while I sigh while closing the screen and move over picking up Rory. ¡°What do you say we give your Mama a break today, and I take you to work with me?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about feeding her?¡±


    ¡°You just fed her, I am sure you would be fine for a couple of hours, just go do something for yourself, or relax a bit. I will take care of things for a while.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure¡­?¡±


    ¡°Do you not trust her to me¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course I do! It¡¯s just¡­ Alright I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¨CShe says giving me a kiss.- ¡°But if you need anything just message me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Alright¡­¡± ¨CShe says then gives me a kiss again before walking out of the room.-


    ¡°Alright Rory, let¡¯s see what kind of trouble we can get into.¡± ¨CI say then transfer to the dungeon core room.-


    There isn¡¯t much difference in my work having Rory with me, as I spend most the time just going through [Menu] anyway. I have to get up a few times while rocking Rory, but my screens follow me, so even that isn¡¯t a problem. After a few hours though Rory is starting to get fussy and she has just about sucked all the feeling out of my finger and still isn¡¯t satisfied, so I finally have to give it up and return Rory to Belinda.


    Belinda almost seems relieved to get Rory back, but she looks far more rested then she has the last few days. Belinda gives me a deep kiss and whispers that she will thank me later into my ear, before returning to the couch to feed Rory.


    I then head back to the dungeon core room to continue but I find myself unconsciously rocking in my chair¡­ I find myself unable to concentrate for the rest of the day even after Lilah teases me by offering to sit in my lap and let me rock her. At least I hope she is just teasing me¡­I don¡¯t end up getting anything accomplished, but after a few hours of training that evening and a few hours in Ceres¡¯s dungeon I return home and Belinda holds true to that promise.


    I wouldn¡¯t go near as far to say I would die without sex, but having gone without since Rory¡¯s birth, its return is most glorious. I would never say it out loud, but I find Belinda¡¯s new, larger breasts quite pleasurable to play with. That is until I choke after accidently getting a mouth full of breastmilk that ruins the experience for me, but Belinda gets a good laugh out of it.


    Between Belinda not letting me get to sleep and Rory¡¯s waking me up, I am surprisingly full of energy and ready to go the next morning. I prepare breakfast for everyone and Zoey can¡¯t help but make a comment about the return of Belinda and my romps between the sheets.


    After thoroughly using [Clean], and even a bath I don¡¯t possibly even know how Zoey was able to figure it out, but she continues to pester me and ask awkward questions, that is until our royal visitors arrive in the room, and they luckily defuse the conversation.


    After breakfast and spending a few more hours with Belinda and Rory I head to the dungeon core room. I then crack my knuckles, stretch and resume working with renewed vigor.


    At this point though, I don¡¯t know what avenue to direct my energy towards. With Akil¡¯s suggestion of [Blink] coming up with absolutely nothing, and with Ceres¡¯s certainty about the difficulty of pursuing Akil¡¯s other suggestion, I am not just wondering if the portals aren¡¯t our safest bet, because we know they will work. It is just their cost that is concerning.


    Wait¡­ That first experiment I made with [Runic Writing], it was that status stone for the Mage¡¯s Guild, and it had its own screen when you used it. I quickly access my dungeon¡¯s inventory pulling out the stone. After casting [Runic Reading] I look over the runes.


    There are a few runes in which I don¡¯t know even with [Runic Reading], but the ones I can read, I know exactly what they do, so I focus on the ones I don¡¯t know. I start off summoning a small rectangular blank slate of stone, using [Runic Writing] I use the runes that I don¡¯t know one by one to see what effect they have.


    It isn¡¯t till I add the third rune that any effect at all occurs and that brings up a small screen over the slate tablet displaying its properties. That means either the third rune is responsible for the screen or a combination of it along with one of the others, the third rune will be the one causing the properties to display.


    I start over adding the third rune by itself causing a blank screen to display¡­ Alright, now we are getting somewhere. I start playing around a bit with that particular rune in combination of some of the others and come up with some interesting things.


    It costs a small amount of magic to use, but I can now make runic magic stones that can display a small screen telling you how much magic has been stored in it, what spell it uses, and how powerful spell is and/or how long it will last.


    Adding the runes to magic stones embedded in weapons will have the same function. It will even tell you if the item has taken damage and if it is close to breaking.


    No matter what I try though, I have still yet to figure out how to get the screen to display any kind of actual image, so I have the screen part now I just need the ¡°eye¡±.


    Making things with runes is cheap and easy, and communication parchments are easy to come by as well, so I put in the tablet with the blank screen and a communication parchment into [Artificer]. Now the question is, what do I do for the optional slot?


    As it stands if it doesn¡¯t fail completely I should end up with nothing more than a screen version of the communication parchment, but I need something that represents the display of an image¡­ I could just put in some xp and hope for the best, but I seriously doubt that will work.


    I wish I could use [Menu] options so I could throw in [Observation], but I need to find some physical reference to it. What would be a physical representation of that¡­ I could use a mirror, but that is just a reflection. Maybe a painting, especially a portrait¡­


    I find a cheap portrait to summon from [Menu] and then add it as the third optional item. Between the painting, slate tablet, and the communication parchment I am out maybe 20 xp and a bit of gold, so even if this fails I am not really out anything.


    After I hit accept however I don¡¯t receive an item, but instead a message.


    [Advanced Communication] option has been added to the [Archjusticar Menu]. [Advanced Communication] allows the Archjusticar to speak with multiple dungeon cores at once, even through visual communication, as long the other willing participants are within their own dungeon. The Archjusticar may use this function with his appointed Justicars regardless of their location.


    ¡°That is definitely not what I had in mind, but I will take it, so thank you¡­¡± ¨CI say to the screen in front of me.-


    I want to see just how well this works before trying to contact everyone, so I open up [Advanced Communication] this type of communication asks for dungeon cores and dungeon cores only so I guess I can¡¯t even use it to talk to my own monsters, but for the moment it is what I need.


    For now I add Maeve, Dawn, and Twilight to the list and accept it. Three small blanks screens appear before me and nothing else happens¡­ a few moments pass and then one of the screen opens up to an image of Maeve with a confused look on her face she gets close to the screen and then says. ¡°Papa¡­?¡±


    ¡°I assume you can see and hear me just fine?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°How are you doing this¡­?¡±


    ¡°It seems [Menu] has decided it has had enough with the ones attacking us as well.¡±


    Another of the screens then begins to light up and Dawn¡¯s image appears, Maeve then looks to her side and says.¡± Who are you?!¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Papa! And¡­Another lady?¡±


    ¡°You can see each other?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I see a screen with Papa, and a screen with another lady, wait, is this my sister Maeve, she looks like a Maeve!¡± ¨CShe says getting extremely close to the screen pressing her beak against it.-


    Maeve: ¡°Your one of the twins¡­ Bright feathers, so you¡¯re Dawn?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Now Papa just has to introduce me to our new baby sister, and I will have met all our sisters!¡±


    ¡°Where is Twilight, I sent it to her as well.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°She may be busy, she went to the village for a man!~ And she complained about me¡­¡±


    ¡°Well it only works if you are in your dungeon, so that is why she hasn¡¯t shown up, and what¡¯s this about a man, is he human?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You meddle in their sex lives as well?!¡±


    Dawn¡¯s feathers get ruffled as she gets embarrassed. ¡°Papa doesn¡¯t meddle, he worries! But I seriously doubt it, and not that Twilight couldn¡¯t stand to lighten up a bit, but she doesn¡¯t like humans¡­¡±


    ¡°You two are being careful, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Of course Papa!¡±


    ¡°Alright, now I need to know more about this ability we are talking through, how did it appear to you when I sent it?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I received a message in [Menu] asking if I was willing to speak with the Archjusticar, and when I accepted you appeared in a screen in front of me then, Dawn showed up shortly after.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Same here! But when I accepted I received a screen with each of you!¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to check to see how this works, I am going to send a message with the communication parchment and try to get everyone to agree on a time in which we can all speak together.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I last saw Papa, and that is it? What about Mama and the baby? How is my baby sister doing?¡±


    ¡°They are doing well¡­¡±


    Dawn: ¡°When can I see them?¡±


    ¡°Well Belinda is already feeling better after the birth, and Rory has already made a couple trips through the [Gate] portals, so if we can find some time, I am sure we can come visit, or bring you and your sister here.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I would love to see how Papa¡¯s town has grown since our training! What about big sister Inari, when can we see her again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, she has been really busy for a while now, and I don¡¯t know when she will be in touch again.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°How do I close this thing¡­?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Maeve¡­ I will send the message through the communication parchment and we will talk again soon.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Ok!~¡±


    I then close the screen and the three screens disappear¡­This might just work. We are going to have a whole bunch of dungeon cores at the same time though, so we are going to have to find a way to make sure everyone is heard without everyone trying to talk at once.


    With the communication parchment we just separated the page and each person only wrote on their own line, but this is going to be much harder to maintain. I send out a message about acquiring an ability to allow us all to speak with one another and spend the rest of the afternoon trying to negotiate a time in which we can get everyone to agree on speaking¡­


    By the sounds of it I maybe have to break it up into about a half dozen smaller groups and handle it that way. That will also help cut down on people trying to speak over one another, but eventually we are going to have to all speak as one¡­


    It also looks like it will be tomorrow before I can even get the first group together, so for the remaining bit of the afternoon I work around with the rune that makes screens and the [Artificer] function. That evening after my trip to Shima for training, I tell Ceres about her sister pulling through for me.


    Ceres looks genuinely surprised, but she doesn¡¯t say anything else about it.


    ¡°It looks like you didn¡¯t add a new building today.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Like you said, I will need some staff, so I need to start saving for them as well.¡±


    ¡°You are going to summon some yourself? I have been a bit curious on just what kind of creatures you can summon, but if you are planning to use them as staff they must be some kind of sentient humanoid.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You will see when that time comes. Until then you can just keep speculating.¡±


    ¡°In any case, just please don¡¯t cause any trouble with the townspeople.¡±


    Not that I have any complaints, but I didn¡¯t get very much sleep the night before, so when midnight hits I am quite tired, so we then quickly return home and retire for the evening.

 A Secret Meeting

    Chapter 159:


    I wake up to the same disappointment I have received for a while now. Not that I have any complaints about Desiree, but the moment she begins her attack first thing in the morning, my other winged beauty flees quickly from the bed in her sensual and revealing nightwear that I has turned into an impenetrable barrier that I cannot pass.


    Were it not for Desiree¡¯s insatiable appetite for me, even going as far to enter my dreams to continue the pursuit of her desires, then Angela¡¯s behavior would be something I could not overlook, but as it stands, this angelic beauty that has graced my bed for over a month, and has still managed to be able to dodge me.


    Even by herself Desiree has managed to outperform any of my previous entourages as a whole, and this morning is no different as she draws my attention away from Angela long enough that the time in which I am set to meet with Madam Erin draws near.


    Once exiting from my bed Angela presents me with some clothing while she adverts her gaze while blushing. Meanwhile Desiree writhes in bed and uses her abilities to try to coerce me to return. My abilities could easily prevent hers from working at all, but I have quickly found letting her root around in parts of my head that I deem safe, is quite beneficial.


    I do however block her power of suggestion, but even if the magic behind the words she places in my head are blocked, the words themselves are enough to make me pause, as they are quite intriguing on their own.


    ¡°We will do all those things upon my return, but until then perhaps you could further try to convince Angela to join us before then.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°You already know that task is beyond my ability, our previous Master saw to it, that nothing but her own desire can convince her.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master, but I¡¯m just not ready yet¡­¡±


    ¡°I have put up with you this long, but the agreement between Two-Twelve and I states that I can¡¯t force anything on you, and I¡¯m required to take care of you, but my patience will eventually wear thin. This castle is a large place, and I can send you to any part of it in which you will be out of sight and out of mind. You will still be well taken care of, but if you wish to remain by my side it will take more than being next to me.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master, but I understand you will do what you must¡­¡±


    I sigh and grab my shirt away from Angela¡¯s hand. The outfit she presented me with is not that of my normal clothing, but that I have specifically for these meetings I have been having with Madam Erin. After putting the outfit on, I take a small ring in which I was provided with, and place it on my finger.


    The ring alters my shape to that of a young scraggly man, and between the look and the clothing I look as some young farm hand. After seeing to everything and making sure it is as it should be I then depart.


    Shortly afterwards I enter a small tavern in a village in the middle of nowhere, at one of the tables sits an attractive, but nervous young woman.


    The woman¡¯s attractiveness makes me uneasy as I approach the young woman and say. ¡°I won¡¯t ever get used to you looking like that. It is quite a shame after knowing what kind of monstrosity hides in that body.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well if the body interests you then I could let you could give it a go.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the body that is a problem but the thing inside of it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And here I thought you were more superficial then an ¡°It¡¯s what is on the inside that counts¡± kind of guy.¡±


    ¡°That may be, but in your case I will make an exception¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well if you change your mind I would be happy to oblige you, now are you sure nobody knows of your arrival here?¡±


    ¡°My entourage knows about my meeting with you, and of my appearance, but not of yours or where we are said to be meeting.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Are you sure that is wise? You have let assassins into your entourage before.¡±


    ¡°I seriously doubt the two from Two-Twelve are assassins.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°After this much time has passed you have still kept it at only the two? That¡¯s not like you¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want to get technical it is still just the one, because the other has still managed to dodge me all this time, but you can¡¯t lump the ones I received from Two-Twelve with that of my old entourages.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You holding to just one woman, that is something I never thought I would see.¡±


    ¡°Once you taste the finest wine, it is hard to go back to just normal swill, and for that reason alone I have yet to give up on the second one. Now, enough about all that, what is it you wanted?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Have you not found any new information?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t received any reports of any new dungeons in Adra, so it must be one of the old existing dungeons that the others have just started to add their imitation crystals to.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That means at least one of them is using their primary dungeon. The <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> might not update any longer, but we should at least be able to use it to narrow it down to the hundred or so dungeon cores that currently have their dungeon in the Adra mountain range.¡±


    ¡°We have also learned that all of Draco¡¯s secondary dungeons that we know of, have collapsed, but there is no way to know if his primary is gone as well unless we enter the volcano ourselves, or if he has another secondary dungeon stashed away somewhere that nobody knew about. What about Two-Twelve?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°He has been a lot more careful recently, and even the ones we have placed in Tobes have been able to only catch a few glimpses of him here and there. We still don¡¯t know how he created another dungeon core either, but she does seem to be the Ceres he told us about, and neither one are giving up any further information about it..¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how Two-Twelve managed to do it, but I think if there is any more solid proof that Draco is indeed dead, it¡¯s the fact that [Menu] replaced his number with another dungeon core.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°But if she was one of the old gods that leaves far more questions than answers. She does appear to be building a dungeon, if you want to call it that, and it is right next to Two-Twelve¡¯s secondary dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What of his plan to unite the other dungeon cores?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That was the reason I asked you to come here. Apparently yesterday [Menu] gave him the ability to communicate with multiple cores at once.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There was chatter about it all evening yesterday. Apparently it even allows visual communication, and he is supposed to start speaking with the members of his little group today¡­¡±


    ¡°If that is true, the traitors might be behind it¡­ If they manipulated [Menu] enough to do something like that, they could use that kind of communication as a way to teleport into other¡¯s dungeons, using it like I use [Observation].¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Or maybe Two-Twelve is right, and we are the ones being foolish¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if he does have the old gods on his side, he is still young and weak¡­ That means we are just going to have pick up the pace before he digs himself into a hole there is no escaping from. I am going to personally check out Draco¡¯s dungeon to find out if it is still there or not.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You have to be kidding¡­ Draco was barely behind me in power, and if he is still alive that means he is part of the traitors. If he has received a boost like Rosalinda, Luther, or Abigail, then there is no telling how strong he has now become.¡±


    ¡°Even more reason to face him before he gains any more strength.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So much for leaving Two-Twelve to his own devices¡­¡±


    ¡°You might have come down hard on him, but you can¡¯t sit there and tell me that you put that group in his city to spy on his actions, for any other reason than to let you know if he is in danger.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And you are saying your sudden spur of the moment action is anything less then you, yourself trying to protect him?¡±


    ¡°I have no reservations in saying that I have a vested interest in Two-Twelve¡¯s continued survival. Besides now that I have tasted the wine, I may need more bottles someday, and he is the only winemaker I know.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You can use that excuse if you want, but we both know there is far more to it than that.¡±


    ¡°I think it is fair to say neither one of us would like to see him come to any harm.¡±


    Madam Erin nods and then says. ¡°Then if Draco¡¯s dungeon is still there what are you going to do from there?¡±


    ¡°At this point I just want to find out once and for all if Draco is still alive or not. If his dungeon is still there we will have to find some quick means to deal with him, because since all this manipulation of [Menu] has been going on, [Observation] has been rather useless. I missed the window of opportunity I had to look in on Draco¡¯s dungeon after [Menu] displayed his death, but even now that a new Dungeon Core #5 has been made I am still unable to look in on that dungeon core #.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°She is one of the old gods that made [Menu] according to Two-Twelve, so she may also have a means to block the use of your [Observation].¡±


    ¡°If she is capable of controlling our [Menu]s like that then why hasn¡¯t she stopped the others yet?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Two-Twelve said that even the old gods have rules they have to follow. Maybe her becoming a dungeon core was a way for her to do just that, but unless we can get any more information out of them, I just don¡¯t know.¡±


    Our conversation continues for a while as we try to come up with an idea for dealing with Draco if he proves to be alive, and a way to gather more information on Two-Twelve and this new dungeon core #5 without them knowing about it. We then set the location for our next meeting, and then depart. Once returning to my own dungeon I quickly start preparing for a trip to Adra.


    Desiree: ¡°But you promised you would return to bed after your return.¡±


    ¡°The situation has changed, and there is a matter I must address quickly.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Surely not quickly enough that you cannot delay your departure for a while.¡± ¨CShe says while filling my mind with lustful thoughts.-This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Well I guess a bit of time won¡¯t hurt¡­¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    My first meeting with the first group, of the dungeon cores goes without any problems, but most of these cores are those I am close to, and over the course of the next few days I do no less than 10 meetings over [Advanced Communication].


    They all amounted to basic introductions, and it will still take a lot more before I can start earning their trust, but I can now at least put faces to all the names. That however, only seems to make it sting more when we all receive a message that results in the death of one more from my group.


    Out of all the dungeon cores that are left alive having 3 of them targeted within my small group is sure to be more than a coincidence, but so far I haven¡¯t had any members outright quit on me yet. I also have to acknowledge at least one of these dungeon cores I have talked to is more than likely part of those trying to kill us.


    As a safety precaution when I hold the meetings I do it from the neutral zone to prevent anyone from teleporting to me to cause me harm, but I wish I could offer the same safety to the ones I am speaking to.


    I am also keeping an eye on all the members through the [Archjusticar Menu] but there is only so many I can look into each day, and instead of making progress, it seems like I am just stuck¡­


    The next few weeks pass quickly, the snow around town has begun to melt, and although we get a few light flurries of snow every few days, winter looks to be on its last leg, as is Roxy¡¯s pregnancy.


    Rory has begun to sleep through the night on most nights giving Belinda and me a bit more time to ourselves, and on some nights that means we actually are able to get a bit more sleep.


    Ceres¡¯s dungeon has really taken off, but the time between buildings being placed has begun to slow down, and I think she has finally started to add things to her dungeon where ever she has hidden her crystal at.


    I am glad she is starting to take this seriously, but she still has not taken me up on any offers of going out to train, although she has already gained a few more levels just by her extremely high xp consumption. The only staff her university has acquired so far is a few of the locals, my two scholars, and even Sofia has agreed to move her training to Ceres¡¯s dungeon once the university gets up and running.


    Ceres has said that she has received word that quite a few of her other staff members have begun their trek and are anticipated to start trickling in within the next month or so.


    As for our royal guests, their training is almost reached completion and they have already begun to prepare for their first excursion into my dungeon. Tanya never did get over her fear of getting hit, but with Ceres¡¯s assistance Tanya has seemed to work things out.


    Her class is that of a tamer, which one I haven¡¯t heard of before, but apparently it is quite common in Dalian, although it works a bit differently there, but forgoing most physical combat herself she instead sends tamed beasts in her stead. The beasts she is currently using are a juvenile bear, and a large cat that Ceres told her she summoned with magic, but I am sure they are just dungeon monsters.


    I am not sure if it is because of Tanya¡¯s class, or the fact of the beasts being dungeon monsters, but they listen to Tanya without fail. That allows her to remain in the back of the group with her husband while directing their entire group from the rear, which seems to suit her pretty well.


    As for their group, other than Tanya, Exavier, the two beasts, and the beastkin girl Sandra, that Dyson sent to Tobes, their only other member is a local boy that doesn¡¯t seem to have his heart into as much as he should.


    That should get them through training in the dungeon for a while at least, but I don¡¯t think the local boy is going to stick it out once the danger starts. Especially with the fact that once Sandra took the magic aptitude test she seemed far more suited for a mage¡¯s role than that of the equipment Dyson gave her, which left the local boy their only front line fighter along with Tanya¡¯s beasts.


    Sandra seemed exceedingly gifted in healing magic, so it might work out in the end, as long as once combat starts, Tanya is still able to keep a cool head enough to command her two beasts.


    I, myself have been pretty busy in the dungeon, with the addition of [Advanced Communication] I no longer had to worry about saving up all that xp for use of the portals, so I have actually started to be able to begin to expand my dungeon again.


    The ore veins never seemed to draw much attention, so I remove the ore veins and instead make them entryways to a pair of massive grass covered rooms complete with small stream in each one. They don¡¯t look quite as good as Inari¡¯s because I am unable to make the artificial sunlight, but they should serve their purpose.


    So far the gnomes have only interacted with the soldiers, because their little makeshift village was in the area closed off to everyone but the soldiers, but with the addition of these new grassy rooms I move their village up to one, while putting in rifts of livestock like animals in the other.


    I also take the opportunity to add a few more types of demi-humans to the village, including a couple of sentient lizardmen, some of the sylphs I learned to summon from Maeve, and even a few of the sentient imps and gremlins, but even with the small size they are quite intimidating in appearance, so like the lizardmen I only summon a few of them. The sylphs on the other hand I summon enough to equal the amount of gnomes.


    The gnomes had become common knowledge to Tobes, even if after the dungeon was ¡°healed¡± no one but the soldiers seen them afterwards, but the addition of the other demi-humans has caused quite a stir.


    I am a bit worried now that the normal adventurers will be able to interact with the demi-humans, but if we don¡¯t take this step at some point nothing will change. The protection that was placed at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild concerning the gnomes is extended to the other races, but now we just have to see if the normal adventurers will adhere to it or not.


    The lizardmen seem a fair bit more intelligent than the gnomes, but they have the same difficulty with trying to communicate with humans, but the other races don¡¯t seem to have any trouble at all. The humans don¡¯t try to interact with the gremlins or imps much, but the sylph communicate well enough that there have been even some of the non-adventurers from Tobes come up to the dungeon just to have a chance to speak with them.


    The new demi-humans in the gnome village claim they can¡¯t communicate with the dungeon in the way the gnomes do, and they only arrived after hearing about the gnomes making the village in the dungeon. They claim they lost their own villages, and came here to ask the gnomes for help, in which the gnomes happily provided.


    The result of which was the dungeon providing more room and food for the gnomes and in turn for the newcomers. The addition of the livestock was also a big hit with Tobes, and the gnomes explained that the dungeon provided it for their village, but since the dungeon provides too much that the humans can take it as well.


    The humans still won¡¯t take any meat from the dungeon unless they harvest it from the animals themselves, but it has led to a few of the old hunters to become butchers, gathering the meat from the dungeon.


    That means it doesn¡¯t provide me with any additional xp, but the access to larger quantities of fresh meat has helped the impression the townsfolk have of the demi-humans. I am still having the demi-humans keep to the dungeon for now though. I want to make sure the humans get much more comfortable with them before I risk letting any of them go down to Tobes.


    The Demi-human village wasn¡¯t the only change in my dungeon either. Once the shock of the Demi-humans wore off, I got quite a shock myself when I added a sub-level 10 to my dungeon. Not only did I finally increase the size of my crystal, but the cost of adding rooms to sub-level 10 and lower are double.


    Luckily monster¡¯s costs are the same, and monsters have always been the most expensive part of adding a new area to the dungeon, but I was still unprepared for the additional cost. The increase in size of my crystal also means if I get the chance I can make another one of my special boss monsters.


    I don¡¯t want to add much to that floor until I have a clear idea on how I want the layout of it, but it has seemed that my labyrinths are my most effective deterrent, so maybe I should come up with another unique one.


    While trying to come up with a new unique labyrinth however I receive a message to come quick that Roxy has gone into labor. Once I transfer down to their house Zoey is lounging around without a care¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? Your wife just went into to labor.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Of course I know, I was with up until a few minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you just sitting around for, aren¡¯t you the least bit concerned?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I told you when Rory was born, you worry too much. Belinda and the midwife are with her, so it isn¡¯t anything they can¡¯t handle.¡±


    ¡°Healing magic is great, but there is still a chance something could go wrong. You can¡¯t just heal the baby out of her if something goes wrong and it gets stuck or something¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°After all the things we have done in bed, trust me nothing is getting stuck.¡±


    ¡°but I am sure a baby is quite a bit larger¡­¡± ¨CAs I say it I instantly regret it because Zoey actually seems to be thinking about it.- ¡° You know what¡­ Never mind I don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m only joking boss. Roxy would never let my try using something that big!¡±


    ¡°You make that sound like not for you lack of trying, but for my sanity let¡¯s just change the subject¡­ If you are not worried, then maybe you can tell me if you and Roxy came up with for a name for the baby.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Roxy is sure that it is going to be a girl, and I just know it¡¯s going to be a boy, so we came to agreement, we will call him Wolfric, and when then when we have a girl Roxy can name her then.¡±


    ¡°Roxy actually agreed to that¡­?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That¡¯s the brilliance of it! She is so sure it is going to be a girl she said yes!¡±


    ¡°Your child is either going to be a wolf or a dog beastkin, don¡¯t you think putting wolf in his name is going a bit far¡­?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Thanks boss, but like I am going to get naming advice from someone named Two-Twelve!¡± ¨CShe says with a smirk.-


    ¡°Well for the child¡¯s sake I hope Roxy was right about it being a girl¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°OH! And once he is born we want you to add Wolfric to your dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? That is a pretty big decision. With everything going on that could put your child at risk.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°We trust in you and besides adding the baby at birth is easy, but you would be unable to add him to the dungeon until he is old enough to decide on his own if we don¡¯t do it at birth.¡±


    ¡°It seems like there is far too much risk with no reward to add him before he is old enough to make the decision for himself though.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Are you kidding¡­? Not having to feed him or change him in the middle of the night is reason enough on its own!¡±


    ¡°You are not willing to risk you child¡¯s life just so you don¡¯t have to wake up in the middle of the night¡­Are you?¡±


    Before Zoey answers Kline and Scylla quickly enter while carrying Listel and Rory. Scylla hands me Rory as she says. ¡°Belinda left her with us when she heard, but we still had a few things to wrap up with before we could come by as well.¡± She then turns to Zoey and ask her. ¡°How you holding up?¡±


    ¡°She is just fine¡­ She even wants me to add the baby to the dungeon when it¡¯s born just so she doesn¡¯t have to wake up in the middle of the night.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I¡¯m sure that isn¡¯t true¡­ When I talked to Roxy about it the other day she seemed to think it would be quite the honor if you would bind the baby to the dungeon like you did for us.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That¡¯s right! See Roxy agreed with me, she just wants us to all be part of the family!¡±


    ¡°You know your baby will still part of the family even if you are not bound to the dungeon though.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°But it would still mean a lot to Roxy if you did.¡±


    ¡°And you are sure Roxy was ok with it?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°I¡¯m sure, we talked a great deal about it, and she said she was going to talk to you about it as well, but I guess she ran out of time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will bind it when [Menu] asks me, but I am still hoping you will get a girl¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Come on boss! Wolfric is a good name!¡±


    We sit and wait for any news about the baby, and even after a few hours pass we still haven¡¯t heard anything yet. Rory is starting to get pretty fussy, but when Scylla offers to stay with Roxy so Belinda can come feed Rory, I receive a message.


    Dungeon Boss Monster [Roxy] has given birth. Binding Divine Beastkin (Wolf) at birth will cost 10,000xp. Would you like to bind the offspring.


    ¡°I just got a message Zoey, your baby has been born¡­ Are you sure you want to bind it to the dungeon.¡±


    Zoey jumps up with the first bit of nervousness she has shown the entire time. ¡°Yes of course! Is it a boy?¡±


    I accept the binding of the baby and say. ¡°The message doesn¡¯t say, just that it is a wolf divine beastkin, so it looks like it took after Roxy on race at least.¡±


    I receive another message, but before I get a chance to look at it the door quickly opens and Belinda says. ¡°Two-Twelve! We might have a problem.¡±


    Zoey looks worried for the first time, but Belinda quickly apologizes and says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Zoey, your son is fine, and so is Roxy, but¡­¡± ¨CShe moves over and says quietly.- ¡°The baby changed like when you make a boss monster right in the midwife¡¯s arms.¡±


    I quickly turn my attention to the screen I didn¡¯t get the chance to read.


    New Monster Available


    Celestial Beastkin (Wolf) Cost: 1,000,000xp


    ¡°My new boss monster¡­ I had no way of knowing it would work on the baby like that.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Alright! Not only does my son get to stay part of the dungeon, but he even gets to be a boss monster!?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey, quiet down¡­ What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°We will just have to talk to her...¡±


    Belinda takes Zoey as they re-enter the room, and after a while Belinda exits the room with the midwife who looks pretty shaken. We sit her down and tell her that I have a unique skill that was the cause of what happened.


    I don¡¯t know how well we managed to convince her but she seems to accept our explanation, but when she leaves she looks at us rather warily.


    Belinda: ¡°You think it is going to be alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no stranger then buildings popping up out of nowhere, so I think we will be ok, but even using magic as an excuse for everything, eventually they are going to put all the pieces together all the similarities between me and the dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Hopefully by then the dungeon has garnered enough trust that they will accept it. You are the one that is always saying how quickly humans adapt.¡±


    ¡°Well, what about Roxy and Zoey¡¯s baby? You said it was a boy, but that¡¯s all.¡±


    Belinda then checks with Roxy to see if she is ready for guests and then we all get to meet the baby. Roxy is hesitant but she finally caves and lets Zoey name him Wolfric. Being an infant it is hard to tell, how much different a celestial beastkin is going to be compared to a divine one, but he seems to have lots of silvery grey hair and fur in quantities that is a bit much even for what a feral beastkin would have. I guess time will only tell how much of it he grows into.


    I think it might be a good thing he took after Roxy rather than Zoey, because for all his hair and fur as a normal beastkin I think his appearance would have been close to that of a werewolf if he was a feral beastkin¡­


    Even though Wolfric is bound to the dungeon Roxy still feeds him, and it seems to garner mixed feelings with Zoey, but she states that he better share causing everyone to laugh. I don¡¯t make it back to working on the dungeon that afternoon, and spend the rest of the day with my family.

 Maeves Deal

    It has been a few days since the birth of Roxy and Zoey¡¯s son Wolfric, and things have never been livelier around the house. Zoey was quickly disappointed in Wolfric¡¯s appetite. Even though he isn¡¯t required to eat he apparently got Zoey¡¯s love of eating, because he seems no different than a normal baby crying at all hours until he is fed.


    After things calmed down I looked over Wolfric¡¯s status. He is just an infant so his abilities are all almost non-existent. It worried me at first as he used up my available boss monster and yet didn¡¯t seem to receive the benefits of it, but maybe he will receive them as he ages because he does have a few unique skills that seem to be blocked, or otherwise unavailable to him that is listed on his status.


    Some of them are quite interesting and I would like to learn them myself, as well as teaching them to the others. However I don¡¯t know if it is due to the fact they are sealed, or they are just unique to him, but I haven¡¯t been given the option to copy the skills.


    I do know one thing though, since I learned that there is an evolution beyond that of the Divine type races I have been tempted to use that forced evolution from my [Dungeon Defender] on one of the girls to see if that would raise them from the Divine type to the Celestial type. I just have no way of knowing if it would actually work or not, and I definitely don¡¯t want it to cause any harm to any of them, so I am a bit hesitant.


    As for the dungeon, I got the chance to start working on sub-level 10 and I used the information about the portals I was making to use them in the dungeon, and apparently using runes to make a portal inside the dungeon itself, allows it to work without a magic stone or the runic activation spell, just as long as the destination of the portal is still within the dungeon as well.


    It raises my xp consumption by 1xp per hour, making each portal cost 24xp per day, which isn¡¯t much but still by far the highest xp consumption item I have ever added to the dungeon. The xp isn¡¯t wasted though because it goes into helping raise my own level, so I don¡¯t hesitate in making quite a few of them on the labyrinth in sub-level 10.


    Most of the portals are one way, leading to a point about 30 ft in the air above the lake, a few more are a bit more dangerous leading to rooms full of traps and monsters, but I had to make another portal that leads out of that room to be allowed to acquire xp from those who got trapped in it.


    That also means when I move my crystal deeper into my dungeon I had to make the portals not only going forward, but also allow a return trip or it wouldn¡¯t count as being accessible. With all the portals I added to sub-level 10 it more than doubled my xp consumption, but that is still lower then what I acquired on a bad day from Tobes, so as long as the city is still there I should be fine.


    As for the monsters they are a bit few and far in-between, but I managed to unlock the ability to summon a few higher tier monsters including a stronger version of the minotaur and even a troll capable of sentience, but I doubt I will add any of them to the village any time soon.


    The mages don¡¯t mess with the boss like monsters in the elemental wings, but the occasional adventurer group enters the elemental wings after the mages are through in efforts to get a mythril sword, so I also start planning for the expansion of the elemental wings as well.


    The same goes for the soldiers, they still haven¡¯t reached the deepest parts I have built for them, but I start lining up what the next areas will look like filling out the floors with all available space used up. I am starting to get deep enough in the mountain now that pretty soon I should be able to no longer have to worry about such a confined space.


    It has also taken me over 5 years to reach sub-level 10, so I don¡¯t know how realistic it is, but if I stretch the distance between floors to its max I should be able to connect my secondary dungeon to my primary one with another 10 or so floors. Even with the cost of the rooms doubling it would still be cheaper to connect them then to summon another imitation crystal, so I am half tempted to just add a bunch of stairwells together to connect the two, so I can have the peace of mind of hiding my real crystal.


    That feels like a bit of a cheat, creating more floors without adding actual rooms to them, but if it means further protecting me and my family it might be worth it. I can always go back later and add actual rooms to the floor later, so in addition to expanding the elemental wings and the soldiers training areas I also decide to start saving up for that as well.


    I decide to leave the dungeon like that for now, and as I am closing screens I receive an excited message from Maeve.


    Maeve: (Papa, you must come quickly! I just got the perfect monster to help pay you back for the swan beastkin!)


    (The perfect monster? You are saying you gained a monster worth the cost of several beastkin? You didn¡¯t trade something you shouldn¡¯t have, did you¡­?)


    Maeve: (Of course not Papa¡­ And I guess to be honest the xp cost of the monster isn¡¯t as high as the group of beastkin, but its rarity should make up for its cost.)


    (You¡¯re not trying to pull one over on me again are you¡­?)


    Maeve: (Of course not, just you wait and see. I am sure you have never seen anything like this before!)


    (Well I promised Belinda I would spend the evening with her and Rory today, but if it is to visit you I am sure she would love to see you again.)


    Maeve: (Then that saves me the trouble of asking, and I got another surprise for you as well!)


    Now just what is this girl planning¡­? I then head to the house to let Belinda know about the change in plans, which she quickly gets excited about, so I was right in thinking she wouldn¡¯t mind. Belinda quickly gets Rory ready for the trip while I get the information about where Maeve¡¯s dungeon is currently located.


    She has finally moved her dungeon out of the Sarnova desert.


    I guess spring is close enough that she decided to move on again. I then set up [Gate], and we quickly arrive at Maeve¡¯s dungeon¡­


    Her dungeon looks quite a bit different then the last time I was here, she has kept increasing the size of the meadow every time I visit, but now there are several dwellings lined up forming a small village. The elves were content with their little tent like dwellings, but it stands to reason the beastkin would want a bit more, so I guess it shouldn¡¯t come as a shock, but she must be planning on getting more out of me because the amount of dwellings that have been made far exceed what I have given her.


    As Belinda and I approach what used to be the old ruined building before is now been repaired making it a small business looking structure with several sets of tables and chairs of varies sizes catered to humans sized people and some to the much shorter elves.


    Maeve exits the building and is followed by two young human women. One quickly draws my attention as even though she appears to be the age of Lilah, her features are remarkably similar to Belinda¡¯s. Her hair even matches with a fiery red glow.


    ¡°What is this all about?¡± I quickly ask and then I notice the second human. She doesn¡¯t look any less like Belinda then the other one did, but she has dark midnight blue hair. While the red head has her head hanging low the girl with blue hair is mimicking more of Maeve¡¯s haughty expression, and I come to a realization.


    ¡°Dawn¡­ Twilight? Is that you?¡±


    The redhead quickly raises her head with a bright smile and bound towards me wrapping her arms around me while saying. ¡°I knew Papa would still recognize us!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Twilight: ¡°We told you we choose the appearance of humans for the rings you gave us to better suit us for training purposes.¡±


    ¡°But why do you mimic Belinda¡¯s appearance?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°We didn¡¯t intend to, but I just imagined what I would look like as a human, and it¡¯s only natural we would look like Mama¡­¡±


    ¡°Why the young appearance though? In your true forms you are as tall as Madam Erin¡­¡±


    Twilight: ¡°We may be taller then you, but the age of our appearance is no different in this form as in our true form.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Making us call him Papa, and making you both not to mention Inari appear so young. I think the rumors of Papa being a pervert might be true.¡±


    ¡°You know I never made you call me anything, and you also know I had no control over how you girls looked.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Maybe not directly, but there is part of you that willed us to look the way we do.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Quit picking on Papa!¡± ¨CShe says she approaches Belinda.- ¡°Hi, Mama¡­¡± ¨CBelinda quickly gives Dawn a hug then introduces her to Rory.-


    ¡°I am sure this was the other surprise you were talking about, and it¡¯s good to see you both, but what are you doing here?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°After the meetings we had with you we decided, or I should say Dawn decided to nag Maeve, until Maeve started to talk with her, but after that, Maeve learned about how we operate our dungeons, and we came to an agreement.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not taking advantage of them are you Maeve?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Why would Papa even suggest I would do such a thing to my big/little sisters? I just thought after how I heard they supply each other with xp, that I could help them by sending a few of my monsters to their dungeon, and in return they could send some to mine as well.¡±


    ¡°More like help yourself¡­¡±


    Dawn becomes ecstatic when Belinda lets her hold Rory, meanwhile Twilight says. ¡°I admit from the outside it may look like that, but Dawn and my dungeons have recently been discovered by the humans, and it makes having our non-rift monsters in each other¡¯s dungeons become quite troublesome, so Maeve¡¯s proposal actually is doing us quite a big favor.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly is that proposal?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°We are not exactly sure how well it is going to work, but if you create a room not attached to your dungeon, and another dungeon connects theirs to that disjoined room, then they obtain ownership of that piece of your dungeon.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°So Maeve tried making a smaller floating island off the side of her dungeon, and managed to get it to work, so in exchange for gathering xp from our monsters, we get the opportunity to plant an imitation crystal on one of Maeve¡¯s floating islands.¡±


    Dawn kisses Rory¡¯s forehead and says. ¡°It¡¯s going to be great! We will get to have our own flying dungeon now!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well, the second small island I currently have off to the edge of my dungeon stays the exact distance and speed as the rest of my dungeon, and we aren¡¯t entirely sure if they claim ownership to it, if they will be able to control it then or if it will continue to stay near mine, but either way we plan on bridging the gap and we can continue to gather xp from one another.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Like big sister Inari has her safe havens in Shima hosting other dungeon cores. Maeve is going to have a floating archipelago with each island being different dungeons.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°We are also hoping that by placing an imitation crystal on one of the floating islands it will allow us to create our own, but if not, it may be a bit harder, but we hope Maeve can at least add to the island and we then take it over in sections, while offering something in exchange.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a lot of that hinges on staying in Maeve¡¯s good graces¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You make me sound like some kind of tyrant¡­¡±


    ¡°Opportunistic is more like it¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°That hurts Papa¡­¡±


    Twilight: ¡°The cost of the imitation crystal will be quite steep, but we all feel it is worth the risk.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I know! Why doesn¡¯t Papa make an imitation crystal as well, and we could even get Inari to do it. We could all be together then!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Let¡¯s just take it one step at a time for now, and make sure this even works first¡­¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Which we were about to find out, until Maeve unlocked a new monster, and after mentioning you might like one, Dawn wouldn¡¯t quit bugging us until we contacted you.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I wanted to meet my little sister¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if you are all sure you want to give it a try I won¡¯t stop you, so I guess we should talk about this new monster, and you can then get back to it.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Aww, Papa isn¡¯t going to stay to watch? I wanted to spend more time with Rory!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡­ We don¡¯t have to return until just before midnight, when we have to enter Ceres¡¯s dungeon, so we could stay quite a while.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Yay!¡± ¨CShe says while giving Belinda a hug.-


    Maeve: ¡°Well as for the monster, I can¡¯t give her to you, but I will allow you to transfer ownership long enough to let you learn how to summon them yourself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not even going to give me one, and you expect it to cover the cost of at least a few of the swan beastkin?¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Maeve: ¡°You¡¯re the one that always say to respect the wishes of sentient monsters.¡±


    ¡°So she is sentient?¡±


    Maeve messes with her [Menu] and then a small girl walks out of the building. Well, I say small girl, but it is actually a full grown woman, but her height threw me off until I noticed her ears. Unlike a normal elf however she doesn¡¯t have earthy or green hair, but instead it is a light and puffy sky blue color, her most defining feature however has to be a pair of feathery wings extending from her back that match the sky-blue color of her hair.


    Maeve: ¡°Linna, let me introduce you to my Papa.¡±


    Linna: ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet my Mistress¡¯s Papa, but somehow I expected you to be taller¡­¡±


    ¡°Well sorry to disappoint.¡±


    Linna: ¡°It makes no difference to me. My joining of your dungeon is only temporary right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but first Maeve and I need to discuss the terms.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Surely being able to summon more like Linna is at least worth the beastkin you traded me.¡±


    ¡°You are just giving me the ability to summon more¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But it¡¯s an entirely new race! Never before has there been any sky elves, and being one of only two dungeons capable of summoning them must be worth the beastkin you traded me.¡±


    ¡°Like you said they have never been seen before, so I can¡¯t exactly summon some to go gather xp for my dungeon, and using sentient monsters to fight in my dungeon is not something I care to do, so it would be quite interesting to be able to summon them, but as for usefulness it is quite low.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Come on Papa! That¡¯s not fair! It should at least cover the cost of half of them¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make a deal with you, I learn to summon the sky elves and we call your debt paid off, but only if you agree to sign a magical contract with Dawn and Twilight stating that any assistance you give to them for the creation of their secondary dungeons is at cost. You can profit from the monsters you exchange with one another, but in helping them build their secondary dungeons you do it, point for point of xp.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But Papa¡­¡±


    ¡°Either that or the summoning of the sky elves is one new monster for the price of one of the one of the beastkin.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Fine, but that means we are completely even!¡±


    ¡°Alright, you summon the contract and I will fill out myself and the three of you will just have to sign, I will then take Linna back to my dungeon for a few minutes and then return her to you.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°It¡¯s really ok Papa, Maeve is really just trying to help us out.¡±


    ¡°You may be right, but I want to see that it stays that way.¡±


    Maybe I am being too hard on Maeve, because she truly looks like she just wanted to help her sisters this time, because she doesn¡¯t even seem the least bit upset after summoning the contract, and while I fill it out, Dawn, Twilight, Maeve, and Belinda are all visiting and laughing together while playing with Rory.


    When I finish Dawn quickly signs the contract, but Twilight actually reads it first, Maeve spends even more time looking it over but she signs it as well. The contract then splits into three and each girl takes their copy. I then leave Belinda and Rory to visit with the girls while I use [Gate] to take Linna back to the house.


    After receiving the message about the transfer of ownership a few more screens appear before me.


    New Monster Available


    Sky Elf* Cost: 5500xp**


    * Sky Elves are a unique race that is considered a wind monster regardless of their favored element. Even Sky Elves that bear earth as their favored element will have access to a limited number of wind based skills and spells.


    **Sky Elves can only be summoned as sentient. Sentient monsters are capable of disobeying orders, depending on personality and mood, however once a day an ultimate command can be used, and the monster will be forced to comply.


    New Skill Available


    Advanced Aerial Combat Cost: 5000xp Wind-meister Cost: 5000xp


    ¡°Alright, that should do it, but since I got you here there is a request I have for you.¡±


    Linna: ¡°My Mistress said I only needed to join your dungeon temporarily to give you the ability to summon more of my kind, she said nothing about fulfilling any requests for you.¡±


    ¡°Well it might be unfair of me to do this, but I just want to see to it that all of my daughters are treated fairly. The contract I made Maeve sign may stop her from taking advantage of the twins with the secondary dungeon, but there is a chance Maeve might still find a way or that one of the twins might try to take advantage of Maeve. By order of an ultimate command once you return to your mistress you will inform me if you hear any one of them acting in a manner that gives them an unfair advantage.¡±


    Linna: ¡°My Mistress may not be pleased to learn that you used an ultimate command on me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t restrict you from telling her about it, so you can if you like, but I ask you not to.¡±


    Linna: ¡°If she learns that I am forced to give away information that she might not want shared, she may discard me¡­¡±


    ¡°For that I am sorry, but if it does come to that. You are always welcome here in Tobes, even if you do not wish to join the dungeon itself.¡±


    Linna: ¡°You wished to see that your daughters are not taken advantage of, but by using me, you used my Mistress¡¯s trust in you to do just that. If that isn¡¯t ironic, I don¡¯t know what is¡­Now, if that is all I wish to return to my Mistress now.¡±


    She isn¡¯t wrong¡­But with Maeve¡¯s history I just want to make sure they are going to be alright working together. I nod to Linna and then summon up another [Gate] portal, and we return to Maeve¡¯s dungeon.


    Maeve: ¡°That took a bit longer then I thought it would, was there a problem?¡±


    I look to Linna and she says. ¡°No problem mistress, but I would like to return to my duties now.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Go right ahead¡­¡± ¨CShe says with a confused expression while Linna shoots me an angry look before disappearing into the building behind everyone.-


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she likes me very much¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Linna has been a bit temperamental since I summoned her, but being the first ever of her kind she is bound to be a bit conceited. Once Dawn, Twilight, and I start gathering xp from one another maybe I can afford to summon enough to fill the rest of the village, and maybe she will calm down a bit. Speaking of which, Twilight is just about ready to place her imitation crystal if we are all ready.¡±


    ¡°Where is she?¡± ¨CI say looking around only seeing Dawn still holding Rory while talking to Belinda.-


    Maeve: ¡°She will have to fly over to the island, so while you were gone she went to go change, and remove her ring.¡± ¨CShe says at about the same time Twilight exits one of the small dwellings having to duck to pass through the door as she is back to her normal bird-like form.-


    Twilight: ¡°Alright, are we ready to do this or what?¡±


    We then make our way back behind the dwellings and there is quite a bit of meadow behind the buildings that wasn¡¯t here last time I visited Maeve. We cross the open meadow until we reach the edge of Maeve¡¯s dungeon and through the clouds you can make out another small island floating some 50 or so feet past the edge of Maeve¡¯s dungeon.


    The small island¡¯s size is hard to judge through the clouds, but as Twilight spreads her wings and flies over to it, it looks to be about the max you can get out of a single room, if Maeve¡¯s rooms function the same way as mine.


    You can¡¯t tell at this distance, but it appears Twilight pulls something from one of her pockets and she squats down placing it in the dirt. At about the same time Maeve¡¯s attention seems to be drawn to something that is more than likely a screen that has appeared before her.


    Maeve: ¡°Well it looks like that much has worked, but how well it had worked, is still yet to be determined¡­¡±


    Twilight then sits back onto the grassy ground of the small island as she appears to start messing around in [Menu]. Soon the island quickly doubles, and then triples in size, making the edge of the small island close enough that I could probably easily jump to it from the edge of Maeve¡¯s dungeon.


    Soon five large towers grow out of the island forming a perimeter around the small island before the spaces between are quickly filled with large stone walls completely closing off the interior of the island. A large drawbridge forms against the wall directly across the gap between the two islands, and it slowly starts to descend until it touches down on Maeve¡¯s dungeon bridging the gap.


    A massive steel gate replaces part of the solid stone wall at the head of the drawbridge, and it begins to open by sliding to either side, disappearing into the stone wall as it does. Twilight can then be seen walking through the gate making her way across the drawbridge back to us.


    Twilight: ¡°I used up a bit more xp then I wanted to, but this should be a good start, I will start working on the interior once we start trading monsters.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I am glad you were able to add-on to the island yourself, I at least don¡¯t have to worry about having to do it for you every time you want to expand. What about the island itself, can you control its movement?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Unfortunately no, I received a warning when I placed my imitation crystal that my secondary dungeon will forever be bound to move alongside your dungeon. I don¡¯t know what that means if something were to happen to you or your dungeon, but it looks like I now have two little sisters I have to take care of.¡±


    Dawn quickly protests. ¡°I¡¯m not your little sister, we are the same age and size!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Not from where I am standing.¡± ¨CShe says while looking down at Dawn who is still in the much smaller human form.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°You know that is only because of the ring!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°You have been wearing that ring so often lately I was starting to wonder if you even remembered that it wasn¡¯t your true form.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Well I can¡¯t exactly go to the human village in my normal form can I?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°But when you return you could take the ring off, but instead you have been continuing to wear it when you go to bed.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I have to make sure first¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want to take the ring off and find out it caused harm.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean¡­?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°She is under the delusion that since you got Mama pregnant that she can get pregnant as well.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°It¡¯s not a delusion! I will have my own baby!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Dawn, but it doesn¡¯t work that way¡­ You have to use xp at the right time, and at the moment the old gods aren¡¯t allowing any new dungeon cores like Rory. In fact now that Ceres is a dungeon core herself, I don¡¯t know if it is going to even be possible.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t be as easy as just giving yourself to every man that would have you!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ What do you mean? I thought you were seeing a man named Gregory?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Papa¡­ That was a long time ago. Twilight wouldn¡¯t let me tell him our secret so he couldn¡¯t handle it anymore and he broke it off. After him I just found it easier to just have fun, and then you don¡¯t have to worry about the secrets.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You were giving me a hard time about Dyson, but don¡¯t care that Dawn is just like him¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Dawn, you can¡¯t do stuff like that¡­ It isn¡¯t safe.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°But I am being safe! I found a place just like Roc goes to. I get to find all the friends I want and they even pay me for it!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Yes, your daughter is working at a brothel, but she is at least taking care of her dungeon better now than when she was dating that beastkin, so it¡¯s none of my business.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Dawn, you have to promise me you will quit going there! You don¡¯t need to do stuff like that, unless you really care about the other person¡­¡±


    Dawn: ¡°But Twilight won¡¯t let me tell them about the dungeons, and they can tell I am keeping secrets from them and it always causes them to leave me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But it isn¡¯t right¡­ Two-Twelve, can¡¯t you summon someone for Dawn, so she doesn¡¯t have to do stuff like that?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Inari, Dyson, and now Dawn¡­ Why am I always the one getting left out?¡±


    ¡°Inari just worked out that way, I didn¡¯t summon Takeshi for that purpose, and you know why I had to summon a monster for Dyson, but I¡¯m not going to summon some tailor made boyfriend for you or Dawn¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They are all putting monsters in each other¡¯s dungeon to gather xp, so how about you join in as well? You¡¯ll get xp out of it as well, and if Dawn manages to find companionship among one of them, what would be wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°So instead of summoning some tailor made boyfriend for her, you want me to what summon her a harem instead¡­?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I just can¡¯t have my little girl working in a brothel¡­ And anyone you would summon would take care of her far better than some stranger.¡±


    ¡°If I summon them, they would be a stranger¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We both know if you put your mind to it, you could summon someone that would cherish our daughter¡­¡±


    Dawn: ¡°It¡¯s ok Mama¡­Really, I just wanted my own baby, but if what Papa said is true, then I won¡¯t go there as much anymore.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But you are still going to go?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Well¡­ I do enjoy it.¡±


    Belinda begs me with her eyes¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry Belinda, but I won¡¯t do it¡­ I didn¡¯t feel bad about the succubus, but I felt deplorable after summoning Dyson that beastkin¡­ I don¡¯t want to feel like that again, and Dawn is a dungeon core, so even if we don¡¯t like it, those kinds of decisions are hers to make.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I have a suggestion. What if you summon me some Avian instead? I have already got the makings of a small village, and between the sky elves and the swan beastkin a few Avian will feel right at home here.¡±


    ¡°Whose dungeon I summon them to isn¡¯t the problem, it¡¯s the fact you all want me to summon Dawn a boyfriend¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Hear me out first¡­ With Dawn and Twilight¡¯s secondary dungeons here, they can come here any time they want to just be themselves. Even if Dawn doesn¡¯t find companionship in one of the Avian, there will plenty of elves, sky elves, and swan beastkin as well, and if nothing else they can just come here to relax.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case why even summon the Avian at all, and what¡¯s in it for you?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Having more Avian around would make Dawn and Twilight more comfortable here, and like Mama said. You summon them and I gather xp from the group just like we plan to do from the monsters Dawn and Twilight will send, but as sentient monsters they will provide a fair deal amount more xp to me, especially after they train up a bit, while fighting our rift monsters.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ How do you feel about this Dawn?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I like humans, and I like being with humans, but you didn¡¯t let us get near Roc when we were training, so the only other Avian I have ever known is Twilight. I can¡¯t promise I will stay out of the human village, but I already promised Sorin that after Twilight and I got our secondary dungeons situated I would visit with him for a while, and it would be nice to be able to have a place I can stretch my wings while still being able to hold a normal conversation¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well you and Sorin actually sound a lot alike, but I wouldn¡¯t put too much into his words, if you are interested in a real relationship¡­¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I thought he sounded sweet.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°So does half the females in my dungeon, he has even tried to go after Syrinx and she is barely humanoid and not to mention she isn¡¯t even sentient¡­¡±


    Twilight: ¡°If you do decide to do it Papa, I wouldn¡¯t mind sending some of my own monsters to your dungeon as well. I don¡¯t need any fancy sentient monsters, but I wouldn¡¯t mind having even just one of your big strong monsters nearby, just in case the humans get past the rest of Dawn and my primary dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Let me think about it, alright? Belinda and I are going to have to go pretty soon, so are you going to place an imitation crystal as well, Dawn?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Yea, I got it here in my pocket, but I guess I better go change first.¡± ¨CShe hands Rory back to Belinda and the makes her way to one of the buildings.-


    While she changes and removes her ring, Maeve makes her way across her dungeon directly opposite from the side in which Twilight placed her secondary dungeon, and she uses her [Menu] to place another floating island, but even though the size is the same, this time it is only a dozen or so feet off the edge of Maeve¡¯s dungeon.


    Dawn swoops in soon after to make sure Maeve is ready, and after Maeve nods, Dawn flies over to the small island. She ends up checking her pockets several times then has to fly all the way back to the building she changed at, before returning and placing the pebble on the ground.


    Dawn makes the island bigger just like Twilight did, but as it is already near Maeve¡¯s dungeon on one side she extends it out going the opposite way. Instead of castle like towers and walls, Dawn¡¯s island is quickly filled with ruins.


    There are a few entrances leading underground that cause the base of the island to extend further down into the clouds. Other than the ruins she doesn¡¯t do much above ground, and when she is through she summons a rope bridge that she fastens to some pillars on her island then flies back to Maeve¡¯s dungeon with the other ends of the bridge.


    Maeve summons a stone archway at the edge of her own dungeon for Dawn to fasten the other end of the bridge to. After she is through tightening it up it looks sturdy enough, but passing over it would still take quite a bit of courage¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t make your secondary dungeon like your sister¡¯s.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I thought about it, but our primary dungeon is already a tower, and Twilight is already making a large castle like thingy over there, so I thought I would like to see what I could do underground this time.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well once Papa finally gives the adventurers the means to reach our dungeons, then it will be nice to have a bit of variety for them to choose from.¡±


    ¡°After going through all this trouble to make secondary dungeons away from the humans, so you could trade monsters, it seems like a waste to try to bring them here now.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°We discussed all that before we agreed to put our secondary dungeons here. We know Maeve plans to bring humans here, but the islands are a bit more of a controlled setting, we can always place another island away from the others that the humans can¡¯t reach to do our trades, so I don¡¯t think it will be a problem even after humans arrive.¡±


    ¡°Well it looks like you have it all worked out then¡­¡±


    Belinda and I continue our visit with the girls for a while longer before we have to return home to make it to Ceres¡¯s dungeon in time for her to collect xp from us. We only have about a week left before Ceres said she should have enough xp saved up that we won¡¯t have to visit her dungeon every evening, but it has grown into a bit of a habit.


    While waiting on midnight in one of the buildings in Ceres¡¯s dungeon Belinda and I discuss what we should do about the girls, and we then get Ceres¡¯s input on it, but by the time Belinda and I head home I still haven¡¯t made up my mind or not.


    As we lay down to go to sleep Belinda can tell I am still worried about what I should do with the girls so she says. ¡°Don¡¯t be worried, because I know you will do what you think is best, and it has never let us down.¡±


    I give her a kiss, and she wraps her arms around me burying her face into my chest before we settle into bed and drift off to sleep.

 Two-Twelve Helps His Daughters

    After careful consideration for a few days about my discussion with Maeve, Dawn and Twilight, we receive a spike of xp when I do the monthly recall of our monsters that are out training, but there are several surprises in store for us this month.


    Bandy slaps her adventurer¡¯s ID on the bar at the house after we recall her group while demanding a drink and saying. ¡°Just look at that!¡±


    It¡¯s quite early in the morning but after I nod my head one of her group members quickly starts to wait on Bandy while I look at her adventurers ID. Her level has surpassed even that of my own, but the most notable thing on her adventurer¡¯s ID is the rank.


    ¡°A rank?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°First one in over a century from what I hear, they didn¡¯t even have anyone to test my abilities, so instead they set me up to spar against an entire group of B rankers and after disabling them all they had no choice but give me an A ranking!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy for you, but you do realize there are still plenty of people out there that are stronger then you, but they just don¡¯t bother with Adventurer¡¯s IDs, right?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°For now maybe, but I have gotten 3 requests from different kingdoms wanting me to deal with problematic dungeons, so as soon as you give me the go ahead, I am going dungeon hunting!¡±


    ¡°We explained to you that no new dungeon cores are being born anymore, and with the traitors killing dungeon cores as it is, we can¡¯t really afford to be losing dungeons that we don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°They are problem dungeons for humans, I thought you didn¡¯t want to see dungeons causing problems to humans. Who knows one of them might even be one of these traitors you are looking for.¡±


    ¡°If any of them are part of the group of traitors, you may still be ill equipped to deal with them, but if you let me know exactly where these dungeons are located I will look into them. If any of them really are causing more harm than good, we can discuss it further then.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I could always have you unbind me, unless you are going back on your word?¡±


    ¡°If you really want to be unbound from my dungeon, then I will, but regardless if you are my monster or not, if you are causing problems to dungeon cores that you don¡¯t need to be, I won¡¯t just sit on the sidelines and do nothing like the Elders of the past.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I bet I could take you¡­¡±


    ¡°You might have gained a few levels over me now, but you only have a 10<sup>th</sup> of the skills I have.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Fine, I will continue to be your little xp gather for now, but if you don¡¯t let me have at least one of these dungeons¡­ ¡°


    Chase: ¡°Bandy! That is no way to talk to Master.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°He is only my Master if I choose him to be.¡±


    ¡°I said I would look into these dungeon cores for you and I will, and if you want to be unbound from my dungeon I will even do that, but as long as you are still one of my dungeon monsters I expect you to act in a way befitting one of my monsters.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Fine, we are ready to go back now, and don¡¯t think I won¡¯t be asking about those dungeons.¡±


    I sigh and send Bandy¡¯s group back to where they were training at. The next on the list is Poppy¡¯s group and even though their performance is only slightly under Bandy¡¯s group they are always much easier to deal with¡­ Or so I thought.


    Poppy: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master, but we have been at it since we have been summoned. We like being part of your dungeon, and don¡¯t want to be unbound if we don¡¯t have to be, but we just need a break¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand where you are coming from, but the xp your group gathers for my dungeon is important.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°And we understand, but we are not saying we want to quit adventuring completely, but we have done nothing but gather xp for years now, and we need a month or maybe a few to just find ourselves again. Surely that is a reasonable request?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I have come to rely on the xp your group gathers, but you deserve a break as well. You all can take as long as you need, and when you are ready to go back to it, you can just let me know. Would you like me to send you all somewhere?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°We have always been on the road, and it would be nice to stay here in Tobes for a while to learn more about Master.¡±


    ¡°Then you are all welcome to make yourselves at home at Belinda¡¯s inn, but the other inn in town is a fair bit nicer if you would rather stay there.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Thank you Master, we really appreciate it¡­¡±


    ¡°I should be thanking you for all you have done to me so far without any complaints at all.¡±


    Poppy¡¯s group then heads out of the house, and I then get back to recalling the rest of the groups, but now I am a little more mindful to their needs. A few more of the groups decide they want to take a short break as well, but I let them decide how much time they will need so it ranges from just a few days up to another one of the original groups that would like to take a full month.


    The xp the groups gathered this month was a bit higher than usual, but next month is really going to hurt, so I finally decide to agree to the girl¡¯s proposal and summon some new monsters to work in their dungeons.


    I start with a full group worth of Avian, with 3 males and 3 female, but put no effort in getting the males to put any special interest in Dawn. I also summoned another two groups worth of monsters that all might feel at home in the sky, complete with a couple more swan beastkin, a few more of the sylphs, a pair of sentient dragonkin, and even a couple of the sky elves.


    That should be enough to help Maeve and Dawn, but I am having a bit of trouble in coming up with the right kind of monster to summon to help Twilight. She said she would rather have just a singular larger type monster to help defend her dungeon, if the worst happens, but if I summon a non-sentient monster it will be hard for her to control while still being bound to my dungeon.


    I finally decide on a large bird werecreature like that Rosalinda resembled while wearing the ring in my dungeon. In truth he looks very similar to an avian with the only differences being his look seems almost wild or feral, and his lack of hands. He doesn¡¯t have arms and wings, as the avians do, instead they are one and the same.


    He could never use his wings to hold a sword or anything like that, but his wings are articulate enough that he is able to wrap them around objects to grip them. He is also sentient, but his intelligence is not very high.


    For being 20 times the cost of an avian, I think the avian are by far the superior species. The point of this exchange is for Twilight to be able to acquire xp from him, so for that purpose he might just work out. He might give Twilight more xp in the beginning then the others will receive, but before long, I will have to replace him with normal avians to bridge the xp gap the others will begin to receive once the monsters I am sending to them begin to level up.


    After having nearly 20 monsters ready to go I get in touch with Maeve, Dawn, and Twilight and then return to Maeve¡¯s dungeon. I can tell this exchange is working out for them quite well already, as it has only been a few days and after just arriving I can tell there has already been quite a few changes.


    Maeve¡¯s village hasn¡¯t been filled yet, but they seem to have begun working on making even more buildings. With the way Twilight set her secondary dungeon up you can¡¯t see inside, but there are noticeable differences along her wall and at the towers that give it a more detailed look and even the starts of some defenses. Even Dawn¡¯s little island has now got far more detail with trees and other greenery filling out the ruins on her little island.


    Maeve quickly approaches with Dawn and Twilight in tow. Dawn is wearing her ring, so her appearance is that of a younger Belinda, but Twilight is in her original form.


    Maeve: ¡°Papa, we were so glad to hear that you decided to help us.¡±


    ¡°I am glad to help, but this is an exchange, so I expect you three to help me in return.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Of course Papa.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, let me introduce everyone.¡±


    I introduce the monsters I summoned to the girls and we then decide how to split up the groups. With Maeve having a bit more room to move around, it is decided that she will host the higher quantity but lower xp races, while dawn will look after the higher priced dragonkin and sylph. Twilight of course will host the bird werecreature, in which she inspects with great scrutiny.


    Dawn: ¡°When Papa puts his mind to it, he goes all out!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Yes, sentience is a plus, but far from required. That would raise their costs exponentially without raising the amount of xp we gather from them.¡±


    ¡°Dealing with non-sentient monsters inside your dungeon is easy enough, but being away from your dungeon makes things quite a bit more difficult. I just felt it would be easier for you girls to be able to handle the situation if you could speak with them.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°I am not disagreeing, just stating the monsters Dawn and I have prepared for you in case you decided to assist us will take a great deal of time to make up for the cost of these monsters.¡±


    ¡°Once a month I will recall them like I do the other groups that are out gathering xp for me, and they will provide me with xp they gathered from training in your dungeons, so they will pay for themselves before you know it. That being said if any of them become unhappy with the arrangements here, I would like to know about it. I don¡¯t want to force anything on any of them.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I have been spending all my xp on trying to prepare my dungeon for the new monsters, as well as for Dawn and Twilight¡¯s secondary dungeons, so if it is alright with you, I would like you to look after Syrinx and Windy for me. They have achieved about all they can as non-sentient boss monsters, and they are by far the highest level monsters I have, so you can probably get far more use out of them then I can at the moment.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of places within my dungeon that humans have yet to enter, so I had plans on having the monsters you all send to just wander around those areas, so I don¡¯t see that to be a issue.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I appreciate it.¡±


    I use [Gate] to send the monsters the girls have ready for me to the depths of my dungeon, but most of them are either harpies, or various low tier fire or water elemental creatures. Syrinx and Windy appear to be the only two I will actually gain much off of in the ways of xp, but my groups will send xp back once a month as well, so it should be ok.


    Dawn is a little upset I didn¡¯t bring Belinda and Rory this time, but she quickly gets over it and shows me around her secondary dungeon. Twilight is a bit more tight beaked about her dungeon, but she tells me of some things she has added to it.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Maeve doesn¡¯t say anything about her actual dungeon, but she shows me around the village and Linna starts to walk up to us, but when she notices me she gives me an evil look and turns around walking away.


    Maeve: ¡°She really doesn¡¯t seem to like you¡­ You didn¡¯t do anything funny to her when you took her back to your dungeon did you?¡± ¨CShe says jokingly.-


    ¡°And tell you so you could tell your mother? I don¡¯t think so¡­¡±


    Dawn: ¡°After what Mama said, you would do something like that?!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°It was a joke Dawn¡­¡±


    ¡°What about you? How did your date go with Sorin?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Maeve was right, he just wanted my body.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Which she didn¡¯t give up for a change.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°He thought his words were enough, and didn¡¯t want to give me anything in return!¡±


    ¡°I just asked how it went, I don¡¯t need the details¡­¡±


    Dawn: ¡°And what about you?¡± ¨CShe says to Twilight.- ¡°I see the way you were looking at that monster Papa sent to your dungeon.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°He seemed interesting, but he looks quite dumb.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°You said being sentient was optional so what does that matter?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Sentience isn¡¯t important, but if he is sentient I want him smart enough to woo me at least.¡±


    ¡°Girls¡­ Remember your father is standing right here. I really don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well that¡¯s a first.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way Belinda does, and under the circumstances I would probably do the same thing all over again, because I wanted to protect you, but in the end I can¡¯t stop you, so there are things I would just rather not know about.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Well you don¡¯t have to worry about me Papa, even if he isn¡¯t sentient I still want it to be meaningful before I partake in the opposite sex.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°What about the same sex? Some of the girls are just as fun as the guys!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°You really have no restraint do you¡­?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°No, that¡¯s a deal breaker, I let one try that one time and I didn¡¯t like it so I don¡¯t let them use restraints¡­¡±


    ¡°Girls¡­¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Sorry Papa¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°And you were worried about me¡­¡±


    ¡°I better get back home, I got a meeting with a few of the dungeon cores later, and two of them are in the Adra mountain range, and they have been talking about grouping up to find the traitors.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Alright, thanks again for the monsters papa, and tell Mama and Rory I am thinking about them!¡±


    Twilight and Maeve both thank me as well and I then return home. After I return I check on the dungeon cores that Bandy had mentioned and while two of them are questionable at best, one really does seem to be causing major problems.


    I am a bit worried about allowing Bandy to go after him though, because the dungeon is in the Adra mountain range as well, so that afternoon I decide to ask the group about him.


    Dungeon Core #72 [Leonard]: ¡°I think he could easily be one of the traitors, he always seemed shifty to me.¡±


    Dungeon Core #361 [Megan]: ¡°I agree he is shifty, but I don¡¯t know if he would be part of the traitors or not. He doesn¡¯t seem like one that would play well with others.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°What dungeon core does? Up until now it has always been every dungeon core for themselves.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be wise to give him a bit of a closer look, I will ask around to some of the older dungeon cores, and do a bit more digging myself.¡±


    Megan: ¡°And if he proves not to be one of the traitors, do you still plan to eliminate him off of some human¡¯s request?¡±


    ¡°We need every dungeon core we can get, but humans only label a dungeon as dangerous for two reasons. Either adventurers go in and never come out, or the dungeon is sending monsters outside the dungeon to attack humans. If it¡¯s the first we might just need to talk to him, because he is only hurting himself, but if he is sending monsters outside of his dungeon, then traitor or not it has to stop.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°Some dungeon cores can only survive by sending monsters outside their own dungeon.¡±


    ¡°The only reason a dungeon has to send monsters outside is if their dungeon has yet to be discovered, or they screwed up along the way with the balance between the danger of their dungeon and the rewards for the humans to enter it. In either case it is going to have to stop.¡±


    Megan: ¡°You are just going to kill all the dungeon cores that send monsters outside of their dungeons?¡±


    ¡°No, the more we communicate with one another the easier it will be. If their dungeon has yet to be discovered we could send one of our own groups of monsters that are part of the adventurer¡¯s guild to ¡°discover¡± the dungeon so they will start receiving adventurers, and if they screwed up somewhere we could help them find the right balance for their area.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°Until then they will still have to send out monsters to survive not to mention to make any changes to their dungeons like you are suggesting.¡±


    ¡°There is a way around that as well. My daughters¡­ The dungeon cores I trained, they host monsters from one another¡¯s dungeons. They hunt rift monsters inside the dungeon gathering xp for their own dungeon, while their presence grants xp to the dungeon hosting them. If we made that common practice among dungeon cores we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about making our dungeons in a way to draw the humans in.¡±


    Megan: ¡°You would have to trust the dungeon core that is sending their monsters into your dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to get rid of the ¡°every dungeon core for themselves¡± mentality. I can tell you from experience, if you don¡¯t have to worry about killing humans to survive and instead build your dungeon in a way that benefits the humans, it is much more profitable down the road.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°That still doesn¡¯t tell us what you plan to do with Cochran.¡±


    ¡°After I find out more about him, if he can¡¯t be reasoned with, I will send a message out asking for a vote, and if the vote passes I will allow that group of mine accept the request.¡±


    Megan: ¡°Killing all those that don¡¯t agree with you makes you sound no different than the traitors.¡±


    ¡°The difference is I am going to give him a choice, and ultimately the decision won¡¯t be left up to just me.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°I¡¯m not sure I agree with your view on humans, but sending monsters outside of your dungeon has always been a dangerous gamble, and if you offer him an alternative to that and he can¡¯t accept that, then I won¡¯t vote, but I won¡¯t hold it against you either.¡±


    Megan: ¡°Well I will, because you can¡¯t expect to take the side of humans, and think other dungeons cores will agree with you.¡±


    ¡°But if he was a traitor you would be fine with his death?¡±


    Megan: ¡°Of course, they have already made it clear they want the rest of us to die.¡±


    ¡°You and Cochran are both in the Adra mountain range, what if after he keeps sending monsters out the humans, the humans decide to purge the entire mountain of dungeons, do you think you could hold out against the Adra army?¡±


    Megan: ¡°There are over 100 of us in the Adra mountain range alone, I seriously doubt they could take us all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but after all of Draco¡¯s secondary dungeons disappeared, they might think they actually could do it now. Do you want to risk being one of them they do try to take out?¡±


    Megan goes quiet after that, so I ask the others taking part on the meeting. ¡°What about the rest of you? Just because you¡¯re not in Adra doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t have a say in this.¡±


    Sara: ¡°You might not remember it, but your advice once saved my life, so I think if you think it is important I would support it.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°I am only here because of the agreement, but if your dungeon is any indication of what working with the humans is like instead of working against them, there may be some merit in it. I am also interested in hearing more about hosting other dungeon core¡¯s monsters.¡±


    Sara: ¡°Me too! I would love to have some of Two-Twelve¡¯s monsters at my dungeon, I bet they would be awesome!¡±


    ¡°It would work just like a trade, except you don¡¯t actually change ownership. If it¡¯s an equal trade and you put them behind a locked door, then they will pay for themselves in 50 days. If you train them against your rift monsters and they gain levels it would be even quicker. Not to mention the fact if you have a means to transport them back to their own dungeon once a month or so then they would take the xp they gathered home as well.¡±


    Hecate: ¡°And you willing do this with other dungeon cores?¡±


    ¡°There is a certain amount of trust involved, because you will have another dungeon cores monsters in your dungeon at all times, but yes.¡±


    Hecate seems to be thinking hard about it while we finish up with the rest of the meeting, After the meeting has been concluded I make sure everything in the dungeon is running smoothly before gathering a group to go train in Shima for the evening. After arriving in Inari¡¯s dungeon however one of her monsters approaches me.


    Chika: ¡°Master Two-Twelve¡­ I don¡¯t mean to be a bother, but I wanted to ask if you have heard from my Mistress.¡±


    ¡°I know she has been busy with what she thought was another one of those corrupt dungeons, but I thought she would at least keep in touch with you.¡±


    Chika: ¡°Well she did up to a few days ago. We are all still here, so I know she is alive, but she hasn¡¯t responded to any messages and I am beginning to grow quite worried.¡±


    I decide to send her a message as well, but after a few minutes of her not replying I decide to look her up in [Archjusticar Menu]. I can see her status, but her location and even the screen that should display her image are both absent from my [Menu].


    That¡¯s strange¡­The ones that have been attacking other dungeon cores, they couldn¡¯t have found her could they? If they did why didn¡¯t they attack her dungeon while she was away? Maybe they can¡¯t due to the barrier around her dungeon. I know the great hunter wanted her dead, but the traitors as well?


    ¡°Listen, I can¡¯t find your Mistress in my [Menu], I should be able to find her anywhere with that, but I just can¡¯t, so that worries me a little as well. Like you said she is sure to be still alive because her dungeon is intact, but it may be a good idea if I go look for her. Can you help me?¡±


    Chika: ¡°My Mistress told me not to tell anyone where they are, but¡­ -She says with a sly smile.- ¡°She also told me to help her father with anything you asked while she was away. I am not sure of their exact location, but I can take you to where they thought an entrance to the corrupt dungeon was at.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not prepared for any kind of serious combat, so I will have to return home and gather my boss monsters.¡±


    Chika: ¡°I understand, but please hurry¡­¡±


    After telling the group I brought with me this evening that I was sorry I [Gate] us back to the house.


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re back early¡­¡±


    ¡°Inari¡¯s monsters have lost touch with her, and I can¡¯t get ahold of her through [Menu] or find her with the [Archjusticar Menu], that means she might be stuck inside one of those areas like Hecate used against our dungeon.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We have to go find her!¡±


    ¡°I wish we could, but it could take days or even weeks. You can¡¯t be away from Rory that long right now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re right of course, but Inari is my daughter too.¡±


    ¡°And I will find her I promise, but I need you to hold down the fort while I am gone. Roxy can¡¯t leave Wolfric behind either, so if you can get Zoey and Azami ready I need to go talk to Ceres before I go.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Just the three of you?¡±


    ¡°If what Inari said about the corrupt was true I can¡¯t risk taking anyone less than my boss monsters, and that doesn¡¯t even mention the fact if there are traitors involved as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°That¡¯s even more reason you should take people with you.¡±


    ¡°They have all trained in Shima, and they have come a long way, but none of them even match your level and they don¡¯t have all the extra skills we possess.¡±


    Belinda looks worried but she nods and says. ¡°Alright, take care of what you need to, and I will get Zoey and Azami.¡±


    I quickly transfer to the edge of the dungeon heading for Ceres¡¯s dungeon. I hurried arrival seems to amuse Ceres as she says. ¡°I knew you would come running to me one day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t have time, but I need a favor from you.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡±


    ¡°Inari has gone missing, and I need to go find her. It could be one of the corrupt dungeons, it could be the great hunter, or even the traitors, so I need to do whatever I can, but with everything going on I can¡¯t leave Belinda or the other dungeon cores right now. Can I count on you to take care of things while I am away?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Sure I can look in on Belinda, but how am I supposed to help with your group?¡±


    I quickly open [Menu], then [Archjusticar Menu], I choose one of the options, a warning then appears before me.


    Adding Dungeon Core #5 [Ceres] as a Justicar will give her access to the [Justicar Menu], this decision can be reversed, but any justicar points spent will not be refunded. Do you wish to proceed?


    I accept and then receive another message.


    Dungeon Core #5 [Ceres] has been appointed as a Justicar by Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen]


    +5 justicar points for appointing your first Justicar 4/5 Justicars remaining.


    Ceres: ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Can you use [Advanced Communication]?¡±


    Ceres opens her [Menu] looking through it for a second and then nodding her head. ¡°It looks like it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I have a list of the dungeon cores that are part of our group at the house, I will make sure Belinda gets it to you, and just try to keep them from all quitting before I return¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I will do what I can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I start to turn and walk away but Ceres grabs my shoulder and says. ¡°Be careful¡­ I know you think of Inari as your daughter, but if you find out it is one of my siblings. Just run¡­ I don¡¯t think you are strong enough to take the great hunter even in his weakened state, so if any of them is behind this, you wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try, but I have to at least try.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You better return, I didn¡¯t go through 100 years of work for you to die now, and leave that beautiful family of yours all alone.¡±


    ¡°I got to go¡­¡±


    Ceres pats me on the shoulder one last time letting me go, and tells me to be careful one last time before I head back to the house. When I return to the house I find Azami in the second most beautiful set of mythril armor I have ever seen. It¡¯s only rival is the armor she created for her ex-fianc¨¦/brother-in-law.


    Zoey is ready as well looking at Azami¡¯s armor with drooping ears, but there are two more in the room I wasn¡¯t expecting.


    ¡°What are you two doing here?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Belinda told us what was going on, and we couldn¡¯t leave it alone.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°The others decided to vacation outside of Tobes so it is just us two, but our levels and equipment are close to your own, so if any of your monsters besides your boss monsters can be of help, it is us.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it but¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Please, if not for them, do it for me.¡±


    ¡°What about your vacation?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you know it¡­ I¡¯m already bored out of my mind.¡±


    ¡°I know you have trained in Shima, but this is going to be nowhere near the same.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°I am looking forward to fighting alongside Master for the first time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late, but we will have a few extra hours of daylight in Shima, so we need to make the best of it.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°We are ready when you are.¡±


    Belinda quickly moves over to me giving me a tight hug. ¡°I should be going with you.¡±


    ¡°Rory needs you right now. I promise I will do my best to make sure our daughter is safe, and all of our daughters continue to stay that way.¡±


    I then give Belinda a kiss before taking Rory in my arms and giving her a light hug and a kiss as well before returning her to Belinda. I then say ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon¡±, and then use [Gate] heading to Shima.

 Corrupt Dungeon

    After arriving to train in Shima we received news that Inari has been out of contact with her monsters for the last few days, and after doing a bit of investigation with [Archjusticar Menu] we have been unable to contact her.


    I decide it will be best to make sure she is safe so after gathering a group together we head back to Shima. On our return we are quickly greeted by Chika in her full combat gear along with the beastkin that Inari summoned for me.


    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±


    Chika: ¡°Mistress Inari took everyone else with her, so if she is in danger we are going to need all the help we can get.¡±


    ¡°If she took everyone else, then someone needs to stay behind to keep an eye on things.¡±


    Chika: ¡°I spoke to Akane. She is staying with Master Kenta, but she is still part of Mistress¡¯s dungeon, and she agreed to keep an eye on things during our absence. Besides you are a dungeon core yourself, and you know what it is like to travel in Shima as a dungeon core. It will take days from Mistress¡¯s secondary dungeon to reach the entrance to the corrupt dungeon, and the Oni will not let up on us the entire time, so we need the extra manpower.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you are right, but you said Inari has been out of contact for days already, so need to hope that if it is the traitorous dungeon cores that are behind this, that the item they use expires soon so we can use [Gate] to reach them.¡±


    Chika: ¡°What if it doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°It has to¡­ They may use more than one though so as a precaution will still attempt to get to her on foot, but from my understanding the last corrupt dungeon Inari dealt with was a maze of tunnels that took them weeks to traverse, and she has been at this one for a few months already, so if she is in danger I think our only hope is to reach her by use of the [Gate] spell.¡±


    Chika: ¡°We can¡¯t waste any more time then, are you ready?¡±


    I nod and then Chika transfers us to Inari¡¯s secondary dungeon. This is the one I haven¡¯t been to before, I have sent a few groups to train in this area, but haven¡¯t actually been to this village before. The village itself is quite large, but many of the buildings look abandoned and there are only a handful of villagers around.


    When they see Chika and the other fox beastkin they quickly approach. They speak in the Shima language so I can¡¯t tell what they are saying, but they seem quite worried. Chika seems to be trying to calm them down.


    Chika pats one of them on the shoulder and they seem to hang their heads as she steps away from them. ¡°Sorry about that. Even though I continue to tell them everything is fine, with us showing up like this they know something is up. Now there is a lower concentration of the Oni Generals in this area, but instead of being scattered among the normal Oni they seem to travel in groups, so as a precaution if you see an Oni General don¡¯t expect there to be less than 3 or 4 more nearby.¡±


    Chika then quickly covers a few more differences this area had compared to Inari¡¯s primary dungeon, and we then set off into the forest with only a few hours of sunlight remaining. We are quickly attacked by Oni, but it is nothing we didn¡¯t already expect.


    Chika was right though, the Oni Generals in this area tend to travel in larger groups. Even though we have to deal with them far less often then when we are at Inari¡¯s primary dungeon, being grouped together like they are, seems to make them quite a bit more dangerous.


    I have taken a lot of my monsters to Shima to train, but all of my groups that gather xp have never been around the house for more than a few hours, so this is actually the first time I have ever seen Poppy or Lynx fight, and I have to say, for them not being boss monsters their abilities are quite impressive.


    The attacks from the Oni only serve to slow us down as we keep pressing forward through the forest till the sun disappears completely from the sky. After that, I have skills that allow me to see relatively well in the dark, but some of the others can¡¯t.


    We could light our way with torches or magic, but I think it would be far safer to call it here and start back fresh in the morning. Now that we have made it this far though we mark the location so it will be easy for me to return to, and after checking my location with [Archjusticar Menu] we use [Gate] to return to Inari¡¯s primary dungeon.


    ¡°You all get some sleep, I am sure Zoey would like to check on Roxy and Wolfric, so I will take her back with me to Tobes, and we will return before daybreak to set out.¡±


    Belinda is surprised when I arrive home, and she quickly asks me if everything is alright. I tell her what we are doing and we then head to bed. Things continue like this for the next few days with Zoey and I returning long after the sun sets, and we are gone again before it rises.


    If Inari¡¯s inability to contact us is due to one of the items the traitors use, we are now certain they have had to at least use more than one of them by now. The Oni Generals have also begun to increase in numbers, but they always hit all at once.


    This has caused a few breaks in which we don¡¯t have to fight any Oni at all, which in itself is rather unusual for a dungeon core traveling in Shima.


    Traveling through the forest the entire time hasn¡¯t left much in the ways of landmarks, so Chika begins to get rather nervous hoping she is leading us in the right direction, so when we happen across a ruined village she quickly becomes relieved.


    Chika: ¡°I am sure this is the right place¡­ There should be small graveyard nearby with a large mausoleum. Inside of it we will find a collapsed wall that leads to a large network of caverns. Mistress Inari had big plans for this corrupt dungeon, so each day they would send back detailed instructions on the paths they took, and where they were, so using the information they gave us each evening I drew out a map. With it I should be able to lead us through the quickest route right up to the point we lost contact with them, but I am afraid that still may take days or even weeks depending on the monsters inside.¡±


    The mausoleum isn¡¯t hard to find, because even though it looks like there hasn¡¯t been anyone alive in this village for decades, there is a clear path cut though the village leading directly to the mausoleum. After entering the mausoleum, we encounter our largest group yet of Oni Generals that seem to definitely come from deeper within.


    After we deal with the Oni, Chika seems rather nervous as she says. ¡°This isn¡¯t right¡­ Is it? If the Oni Generals are coming from the corrupt dungeon, then they have to pass by Mistress Inari to get here. Why would they pass Mistress Inari by?¡±


    ¡°They might have taken a different path.¡±


    Chika: ¡°But they always head straight for the nearest dungeon core¡­¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t do us any good to try to speculate, we just need to push forward and find them as quickly as possible. Those items the traitors use are very expensive, and they didn¡¯t seem to want to risk using more than one when they gave it to Hecate to come after me, but they have already used at least 2 of them to go after Inari, and that can¡¯t be good¡­¡±


    We then continue to follow the trail though the mausoleum and find the collapsed wall. Beyond the mausoleum a cavern stretches wide. The tunnel itself is large enough even my boss-like monsters would have no trouble fighting inside it, with the exception of maybe the flying ones.


    Even with the grandiose size of the cavern the ground is covered in bones, many that have been so trampled upon, there is no way to determine what they even belong to. Along the walls however the bones have fared a bit better, and most if not all of the bones appear to be of at least from some kind of humanoid.


    There are far too many bones to have come from the mausoleum, in fact it¡¯s hard to believe the village even ever housed this many people. The other question is what brought them down here? Oni only seem to kill for the sake of killing leaving bodies behind where they fall, so if not them then what?


    The further we continue on though the amount of bones only seem to increase in number, no longer are they just adorning the ground either, from webs that appear to be some kind of spider they now glued to the walls and even dangle from the ceiling, but no matter how far we progress the only creatures we run into are the Oni generals that seem to appear at the head of every hour.


    Among the bones scattered about we find decaying corpses, but they all appear less like humanoids and more beastly like monsters. There are even carapaces of giant spiders, and after looking over a few they might have been monsters that Inari¡¯s group dealt with on their way through, but If that is the case why haven¡¯t we run into anything but the Oni yet?


    After the end of our first day in the cavern we have made it through the all of the bones littering the cavern and we return to Inari¡¯s primary dungeon. Day and night no longer matter within the cavern, so we start taking less time for rest to have more time to push though the caverns.


    This gives us a few additional hours each day moving forward, but even after a week we don¡¯t seem to have made any progress at all. What is even stranger yet is that even though we have continued to find remains, the only live monsters we have encountered are the Oni Generals.


    Belinda and Roxy now come to visit with us at Inari¡¯s dungeon during our breaks, but we don¡¯t get to spend much time with them because we only stop long enough to catch a few hours of sleep. I can¡¯t exactly message Rory, but I have been keeping in touch with Belinda through messages, so there are a few days in which I forgo sleep just so I can spend a little time with Rory.


    I have also tried to make sure Ceres is ok, but she just says ¡°Do what you need to do, I have the rest covered.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Belinda and the rest of the girls can¡¯t really check up on how things are going with my group of dungeon cores, but from what I have heard from Dawn, Twilight, and Maeve, Ceres is at least not causing any problems. Although they said a few of the dungeon cores are questioning my sudden departure.


    I am also starting to have doubts about Inari¡¯s silence is caused by the traitorous dungeon cores, as they would have had to use no less than 4 of those items by now, and if they couldn¡¯t have eliminated Inari by now, surely they would have sent much stronger dungeon cores. That leaves to question what exactly is the cause of her disappearance then?


    I don¡¯t know who is stronger me or her, but even if she is stronger than I am by now, I still don¡¯t see her being able to stop one of the old gods, so the only thing left is the corrupt dungeon itself. It seems strange though one of these corrupt dungeons would have an ability similar to the items the traitorous dungeon cores use.


    Not to mention the fact if she wasn¡¯t in trouble, once she learned she couldn¡¯t communicate, I would think she would return to an area where she could. She wouldn¡¯t go this long without letting her monsters know what is going on if it was within her power. We have no other choice but keep pressing deeper into the caverns in hope that we find Inari in time.


    Without running into any monsters except the Oni Generals our progress is much quicker then Inari and her group, and by the end of the second week we are already nearing the location in which Chika last heard from them.


    After looking over several corpses of decaying monsters I say. ¡°These ones are only a few weeks old, and by the looks of the damage I would almost without a doubt say, Inari¡¯s group were the ones to kill them.¡±


    Chika: ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the dungeon cleaned them up, or re-summoned more monsters?¡±


    ¡°With the ways these corrupt dungeons work, I couldn¡¯t tell you. Inari said the last one they dealt with had rooms with endlessly spawning items, but we haven¡¯t run into anything like that here. If I had to guess I would just say this dungeon doesn¡¯t have any kind of rifts at all.¡±


    Chika: ¡°I am thinking it was just after battling these monsters that Mistress sent me her last message. That bend up ahead there looks like the path they said they were going to take, but after that we are on our own.¡±


    ¡°Then at this point we should probably head back and rest for a while. We have no idea what is up ahead, and we need to let everyone know that we are about to reach the last point of contact with Inari. Moving past this point might put us out of contact as well, so we need to make sure they don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Chika: ¡°The Mistress could be just up ahead¡­¡±


    ¡°I seriously doubt they only made it 100 feet in the last few weeks. Every corpse we find has become fresher and fresher, so we are catching up, but we just need to make sure we are all prepared.¡±


    Chika seems to want to argue, but she nods her head and we return to Inari¡¯s primary dungeon. When we arrive it is still daylight out, but I tell everyone we are going to wait till tomorrow morning before setting out again so I tell them to make sure to get a lot of rest and make sure they have everything they might possibly need for weeks if necessary.


    I have been spending only a small amount of time with Belinda and Rory before resting at Inari¡¯s dungeon the last few weeks, so I [Gate] home, taking Zoey as well so she can see her own family. Belinda is happy to spend a little more time with me and after spending some time with Rory I collapse in bed.


    I can¡¯t say I got any more sleep at home, but I feel a lot more refreshed the next morning. With Belinda still sleeping in bed I trace my fingers along her figure and give her a kiss.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve, please promise you will be careful, and come back to us.¡± ¨CShe says after my kiss wakes her up.-


    ¡°I promise, and I will even bring back that trouble maker of a daughter that has us so worried.¡±


    I gently caress Belinda¡¯s cheek before giving her a deep kiss and getting out of bed. I go to Rory¡¯s room giving her a hug and kiss as well. This of course causes her to wake up, so I have to take her to Belinda, and the worry on Belinda¡¯s face makes it hard for me to leave.


    I transfer to Roxy and Zoey¡¯s house and after knocking Zoey quickly answers the door. It doesn¡¯t look like I woke her up, but her hair is in a sorry state. That however is quickly fixed by a spell that is cast from behind her right before Roxy gives her a hug.


    Roxy: ¡°I know Zoey can be a handful at times, but Wolfric and I kind of like having her around, so if it isn¡¯t too much trouble can you bring her back to me in one piece?¡±


    ¡°I will just keep reminding her of the dinner Belinda will want to have after bringing Inari home safely, and I am sure nothing would stop Zoey from that.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Dinner?¡± ¨CShe says with her ears perking up. Roxy laughs and gives Zoey a kiss on the cheek before I cast [Gate] and we return to Shima.-


    Everyone is ready by the time we arrive, so without delay I cast another [Gate] and return us to the dungeon, but we don¡¯t get very far before we are stopped dead in our tracks.


    Chika: ¡°This isn¡¯t right¡­ Mistress Inari should have went this way!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dead end¡­ Maybe they didn¡¯t know until after sending the message, and they took a different path afterwards.¡±


    Chika: ¡°Any time they changed paths Mistress Inari sent a message to make sure I got the map correct.¡±


    I try sending Belinda a message telling her I am just testing to see if [Communication] is still working, and she quickly replies with ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°[Communication] is still working, so we are not within the field already.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Look, at the floor, the way the dust has settled, you can tell this was a high traffic area, so this wall is new. I would say Inari did pass through here, and they got trapped on the other side.¡±


    Chika starts banging on the wall, and calling out to Inari.


    ¡°I doubt that would do any good. Even if they were right on the other side, I doubt they would be able to hear us through a dungeon wall.¡±


    Chika: ¡°How are we going to get to Mistress Inari then?!¡±


    ¡°We will have to hope there is another path.¡±


    Chika: ¡°What if there is not another way through?¡±


    ¡°With a normal dungeon you can lock someone up, but you can¡¯t make it impossible for them to get out. Then again a normal dungeon you can¡¯t build a wall behind someone either. The Oni Generals still have to be coming from somewhere, so as long as we wait for their next attack we just have to trace their steps.¡±


    Chika: ¡°I hope you are right.¡±


    We then return to the location in which we started at today, and await the attack from the Oni. After their attack we then head down the path in which they had arrived from. We quickly discover this path was undisturbed by Inari¡¯s group as we quickly run into some dangerous looking monsters.


    If these are the kinds of monsters Inari¡¯s group have been facing I have a far greater respect for her. Even between Zoey, Azami and her ¡°friends¡±, Poppy, Lynx, Chika, all 6 of the other fox beastkin, and myself, we have difficulty dealing with these monsters.


    The monsters themselves are twisted creatures and not a single one looks to come from a single monster. Griffons and monsters like that are a mix between different types of creatures, but their mixture seems natural then these abominations.


    There is a spider like creature with human like limbs mixed in with the arachnid like limbs. The large backside of the spider looks normal enough if not just extremely large, but its torso is grotesque with the human and arachnid appendages sticking out of a human like torso at odd angles.


    It also has no neck, but a human like head that is tilted all the way back and shoved into the upper section of the torso. The head has multiple eyes at seemingly random locations, and its mouth is rather disturbing as well.


    The upper jaw has a row of human like teeth, but also a massive pair of fangs that cause the bottom jaw to be pushed down and back attached directly the creature¡¯s torso. On either side of the jaw are small appendages with tiny human like hands at the end¡­ And that is just the spider.


    There is a centipede like creature seemingly put together with spare parts like the spider, with a mixture of human and insect like appendages attached to a row of human torsos not all of which are of the same sex.


    We haven¡¯t had to take a break after fighting any of the groups of Oni, but after these monstrosities, we are forced to take a breather.


    Chika: ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ What exactly are these things?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if I had to guess I would say some type of undead. I have seen complete humans put together from separate pieces, but mixing them with arachnids or insects is just disturbing¡­¡±


    Chika: ¡°I know they are mismatched sets of parts, but they don¡¯t seem like undead, and why are they only showing up now? Everything else we have seen was already dead when we came across it, but none of them looked like these things.¡±


    I open [Menu] and send a message to Belinda, but I don¡¯t seem to be getting a reply.


    ¡°It looks like communication has also stopped.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°While we were fighting the monsters, the path back to the surface has disappeared as well¡­¡±


    I then try to cast [Gate] but it fails. ¡°We knew this would probably happen, but we are now cut off.¡±


    Chika: ¡°Then we have no choice but to press forward and find Mistress Inari.¡±


    Our progress has slowed down considerably now that we have to deal with these monstrosities on top of the Oni Generals. We even have a close call when one of the battles drags on too long and the Oni Generals attack while we are fighting with the other monsters.


    Luckily the monstrosities and the Oni Generals don¡¯t seem to work together well, and have no qualms in attacking each other when one gets in their way. That distracts the monstrosities a bit, giving us chances to lay in some solid attacks, and it also leads to the death of several of the Oni Generals, so the end result is not much different in the end.


    Not all the monstrosities are the same, if fact I would even go as far to say that none of them are exactly the same, with some of them consisting of Oni parts mixed in.


    With two full groups we are receiving less xp in combat, but everyone except Chika all belong to my dungeon. She is the only thing preventing us from getting xp for the dungeon itself, but the battles are hard enough as it is, and I don¡¯t feel we would be capable of continuing without her.


    We substitute her with one of the other beastkin working as two separate groups, alternating them back and forth, but I don¡¯t know if that will be enough to provide xp to the dungeon. Some of the battles however are just far too difficult, so we have to all fight as one and I doubt any xp will be gathered for the dungeon in those battles.


    We don¡¯t seem to make much progress, but we soon grow tired and decide to stop for the night for the first time inside of the dungeon. We know the Oni will continue to attack us, so we can¡¯t just set a watch instead we have leave far more people awake at a time.


    Having to split into shifts even slows down our progress as even if we cut down on the amount of rest we get, separating it into two or even three shifts makes it take that much longer. The next morning our first encounter with the monstrosities almost cost Chika her life, but luckily I was able to get to her in time, pushing the creature back with the shield I got from Luther.


    After learning how hard it would be to use the shield, every time we came to Shima to train I was trying to get the hang of it, and Its effective range is only a few feet, but the training paid off because I could at least use it well enough to save Chika.


    We continue on for the next few days, but without any contact from the outside, we can¡¯t even tell if it is day or night. [Menu] still tells us the time, but it is getting harder and harder to tell when you look at it, if it is showing that time of day or that time of night.


    It also keeps track of the date, or I am sure we would have lost track of that by now. Still even though it says we have only been cut off from the outside for a week, it seems like it has been much, much longer.


    Even though our group is quite large we are still acquiring a fair deal of xp. Most of it might not return to the dungeon, but it has been enough that everyone has at least gained a level, and some have even managed to gain 2 levels.


    That hasn¡¯t really seemed to help however, because the monstrosities seem to be getting stronger as well. The battles have become so dangerous that we even loose two of the fox beastkin. The fox beastkin have been together ever since Inari summoned them, so they take the loss quite hard. Couple that with the fact we are down two people, and that has made the battles that much more difficult, which makes our progress only get that much slower.


    We still have yet to find any clue into Inari or her group¡¯s location, but we also haven¡¯t seen any signs that the block in our ability to communicate is caused by anything other than the corrupt dungeon either.


    That only leaves more questions than answers, if the dungeon itself is able to block communication, how exactly, and what are the odds it has the same ability as those stones the traitors use? Maybe once we find Inari we can then get some answers. Until this all we can do is continue to push forward.

 Slowly Pressing Forward

    Since we have been cut off by the outside world it has been a tough couple of weeks. We are still encountering monstrosities and the Oni Generals, but we have even started to run into some normal looking monsters as well.


    We don¡¯t know if that is a good sign or not though, because it might mean we are going the wrong direction. [Communication] is still not working though, so it maybe I am looking too much into it. The normal monsters are a bit more predictable, and after one or two battles with the same type they are easier to deal with, but until then they are no less difficult then the monstrosities.


    These normal monsters do seem to respawn however, because we had to backtrack yesterday after hitting a dead end and ran into another group of them. We have also discovered the walls are moving quite frequently, and it is making it hard to judge where we even are.


    We think we have passed through areas that Inari and her group has passed through, but with the walls shifting we can¡¯t be certain it isn¡¯t a group we didn¡¯t kill ourselves. We followed the trail as long as we could just in case, but a wall ended up cutting us off forcing us to go a different direction.


    Chika has proven to be a pretty good map maker, and in an effort to make sure we aren¡¯t just going in circles she has dedicated most of her time she isn¡¯t fighting into making map that is detailed as possible. Since that time we have discovered we pass over a single area 2 or 3 times before another path opens up.


    The fact that it can move the walls behind us, the dungeon could just block us off and we would be stuck, but after the second or third pass another path always becomes available, so it seems like the dungeon is just trying to slow us down.


    It may just be a way for me to occupy my mind during our down time, but I have taken to using a piece of communication parchment in which Belinda holds the other copy of to let her know what we are doing and how things are going.


    Of course the block on [Communication] stops it from working, but once we leave the blocked area all the things I have written should appear on her copy, and she will at least know how much I have missed, and thought about her and Rory. It will also allow her to get an update if we pass outside of the block in [Communication] even if it is only for a second.


    I plan to continue until there isn¡¯t any parchment left to write on. If things keep going like they are however, I am afraid I will run out of room long before we find Inari or a way out of here. We are now finished with our break however so I pack up the parchment and we then move out.


    As we round a corner we can see a small group of the monstrosities down the tunnel a ways. They are not the toughest variety we have faced, with one ant looking creature and another praying mantis like creature.


    They are not even the most grotesque looking ones we have seen but after the ant spots us it quickly starts scurrying our way, it causes Chika to scream in fear. Her scream quickly rattles the group and we quickly realize the reason for her distress.


    Each of these monstrosities vary slightly, with different amounts of human and insect like parts. This one is no different, but the human-like body has a large bushy silver tail, and the human like head with large crushing mandibles has silver ears sticking out the top of its head and a familiar face.


    Beastkin: ¡°It¡¯s¡­.Yuji¡­¡±


    Beastkin 2: ¡°I thought you said these things weren¡¯t undead?¡±


    Chika: ¡°What do we do¡­?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! It could just be a trick, but even if that used to be Yuji, it isn¡¯t any longer. If we don¡¯t kill it, then it will kill us.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°But it¡¯s the Mistress¡¯s boss monster.¡±


    ¡°If it is Yuji, then Inari wouldn¡¯t want him to be used in such a way.¡±


    We had plenty of time to cast a few spells before the monstrosities had reached us, but everyone¡¯s panic allowed them to get right up on us before anyone even draws their weapons. I quickly send my shield to its limit to block a blow from the ant like creature, while casting a spell sending a large boulder into the side of the creature trying to push it back.


    Azami, Zoey, Poppy, and Lynx quickly spring into action as well, but all the beastkin including Chika draw their weapons but seem hesitant to act.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time! If you can¡¯t handle the ant, then you deal with the other and we will take care of it!¡±


    Chika: ¡°What if it is one of Mistress¡¯s monsters as well?¡±


    Azami¡¯s spriggans quickly start battering the ant, but the lack of fresh dirt or mud over the course of the last few weeks has left them quite thin and not as strong as they once were. Lynx summons several fiery blades launching them at the ant doing small amounts of damage.


    With the bow Azami made Zoey, and the arrows we have been making with [Elven Crafting] in our free time, Zoey could probably fire and arrow straight through a tree, but still as her arrows pierce the tough carapace of the ant, they stop short of doing any real damage.


    Poppy¡¯s fighting style is pretty basic with sword and shield, so she tries to move in getting between the monstrosities and the others of the group. All the beastkin however are only now starting to move, but most are taking a step back rather than entering the fight.


    Chika still looks quite hesitant, but she at least acts by attacking the praying mantis like monster with her spear.


    Azami¡¯s ¡°friends¡± take the blunt of most of the attacks trying to defend the shaken up beastkin, but if they don¡¯t pull it together quick people are going to start dying.


    ¡°I understand how shocking it is, but we can¡¯t afford to worry about that now, we have to defend ourselves!¡±


    They finally begin to move, but they avoid the ant instead focusing on the praying mantis. While the fox beastkin attack the praying mantis the rest of us attack the ant. Azami¡¯s spriggan serve as our front line while Zoey uses her bow and the rest of us lob spells at it.


    I do the best I can with my shield, but Azami¡¯s spriggans are taking a massive beating. Replacing the spriggans is quite easy for Azami outside the dungeon, but in here the best she can do use [Elven Crafting] to repair them, so even though they are not sentient losing one of them is as bad as losing a member of the team.


    I then move forward to help take some of the strain off of the spriggans while using shield, sword, and spell to bring this thing down.


    Even though they are battling the praying mantis and are avoiding the ant the beastkin are still shaken up, causing them underperform, and it looks like they are taking quite a beating themselves.


    I can¡¯t afford to break off of attacking the ant, so I can only hope they can hold on long enough that we can take it down and move over to assist them.


    Before it is all said and done we manage to kill the monstrosities, but not without paying a heavy cost of the lives of two more of the fox beastkin and three of Azami¡¯s ¡°friends¡±.


    Azami gathers pieces from her fallen spriggans to reinforce the ones that remain, but even though that battle should have been simple we have effectively lost about a quarter of our fighting strength.


    Chika: ¡°Oh Yuji¡­¡± ¨CShe says rubbing the cheek of the fallen ant monstrosity.- ¡°What do we do now¡­?¡±


    ¡°These monstrosities are put together like undead even they don¡¯t seem to be. If that really was Yuji, I don¡¯t see any other way for the corrupt dungeon to take control of him like that, so to be on the safe side we need to burn the corpses of the fallen, so they can¡¯t be used against us.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°You are going to burn the bodies?¡± ¨COne of the beastkin says obviously upset.-


    Chika stands up wiping a tear form her cheek as she says. ¡°He is right. If not for our own safety then for our friends as well, if you fell in battle you wouldn¡¯t want to turn into one of those things, so we need to see to it our friends can rest in peace and not be subjected to something like what happened to Yuji.¡±


    Beastkin: ¡°What about Hiro, and Masato? We just left them behind when they fell.¡±


    ¡°We did the best we could for them, but we can¡¯t do anything about them now. We just need to mentally prepare ourselves that we may encounter them again as we did Yuji¡­¡±


    Even though we just started our day not long before the battle, I don¡¯t think it would be wise to push anyone at the moment, so we give the beastkin plenty of time to mourn while Zoey, Azami, Lynx, Poppy, and I deal with the Oni Generals that attack.


    That evening we try to get a bit of rest, but the smell of the burning remains of our fallen comrades still linger in the air keeping the events fresh in everyone¡¯s minds. Unable to rest we decide to get a move on, but our path forward is going to be much more difficult.


    Things don¡¯t get any easier the next few days even though we take things much slower, we still lose another fox beastkin, leaving only a female beastkin named Yui left. Luckily we haven¡¯t encountered any more monstrosities that resemble people we know, because I don¡¯t think Chika or Yui could handle it again.


    Being so shorthanded has made us have to get quite creative with the way we handle combat. Azami, Zoey, and I have been using [Stone Wall] spells to separate the monsters we fight, trying to make things more manageable.


    We have also not encountered any more signs of Inari or her group, but with our progress getting slower and slower, I am sure we are only getting further and further behind them. Our reduction in numbers has increased the amount of xp we are acquiring however, and Yui is catching up to our level quickly.


    Chika wasn¡¯t far behind to begin with and she has already reached the same level as Lynx and Poppy, and even I have gained another level. Chika, Poppy, and Lynx¡¯s last level gain put them all at level 40 giving them all a new skill and a boost to their strength with the ranking up of their skills, so that helped a great deal.


    After making a circle for a second time a new path opens up to us and finally brings a bit of hope, but also a bit of discouragement when we discover a makeshift camp with the charred remains of what appears to be two beastkin and one of the monstrosities.


    We can¡¯t tell who the remains belong to, but if the monstrosity is another from their group, they not only have lost Yuji but at least 3 more. If we don¡¯t find each other soon neither one of our groups are going to be strong enough to get out of here alive.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Chika: ¡°They are so burned up I can¡¯t even tell the sex of the remains, but I can tell they were burned only a few days ago at most.¡±


    ¡°That means their progress has slowed down considerably as well, we have got to find them quickly¡­¡±


    Yui: ¡°Who do you think is left?¡±


    Chika: ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if Yuji fell then anyone could have.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do anything about those who have fallen, we have to focus and find them so we can help the ones that are still alive.¡±


    Yui: ¡°But what if we are too late?¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t find them soon, we aren¡¯t going to make it out of here either, so we better hope we find them.¡±


    Staying here isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere so we continue on our path forward. I manage to keep all of the sentient monsters alive, but we have lost the last of Azami¡¯s spriggans in a difficult fight. Then again every fight has become a difficult fight except those against the Oni Generals.


    Things only get harder as we enter combat against a large scorpion like monstrosity that we haven¡¯t encountered before. Azami, Zoey, and Lynx are all ranged and Chika is a melee fighter, but she isn¡¯t the defensive type, so that only leaves Poppy, Yui, and myself to keep this scorpion¡¯s attention off of the rest of the group.


    That should be enough but this thing is large enough that it is taking each one of us at its pincers while the third one is defending against the monstrosity¡¯s tail. I don¡¯t know if I should be thankful or if I should find it unfortunate that instead of a poisonous bard at its tip, it instead has the upper half of a woman¡¯s torso complete with arms that are being used to cast spells at us.


    The monstrosity¡¯s appearance is quite grotesque, but at least as far as we can tell the humanoid remains that make of parts of its body don¡¯t have any distinguishable marks that would leave us to believe are from someone we know.


    Poppy is managing to hold one of the pincers at bay, but Yui is struggling quite a bit, while I try to deal with the tail. Zoey has filled the torso that makes up the tip of the monstrosity¡¯s tail with enough arrows that were they removed you could probably shine light through them, but that still caused no break in the spells being cast.


    Using spells Azami and Lynx are able to remove the arms from the torso, but then instead of casting spells it swings its tail around like a maul hitting the struggling Yui¡¯s shins knocking her legs out from underneath her.


    I quickly try to come to her aid, but the scorpion¡¯s pincer catches her around the neck, and it is already too late to save her. I quickly take her place against the pincer but even though Poppy was able to hold the other pincer at bay, with the tail whipping around us both it is making it twice as hard.


    We finally manage to kill the monstrosity, but the loss of Yui is more then we can afford right now. The battle leaves us completely drained making the Oni Generals that quickly follow a difficult battle as well. After we deal with the Oni Generals Poppy looks like she can barely stand, but Chika looks to be in even worse shape. That doesn¡¯t stop her from gathering Yui¡¯s remains with tears in her eyes.


    Chika: ¡°This is all my fault, I was the one that insisted they all come. You tried to tell me to leave them behind, but I didn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°They knew the risks, so don¡¯t put this on yourself. Inari gave them to me, and I was their master. If anyone is responsible for their deaths it is me, but even though their deaths were tragic, we never would have made it this far without them.¡±


    Chika: ¡°But what do we do now? There is only the 6 of us left.¡±


    ¡°It is clear the corrupt dungeon won¡¯t let us go back, so our only choice is to go forward. We can only hope we can find Inari soon, and that her group is faring better than ours is.¡±


    We take care of Yui¡¯s remains, and then rest there for a few hours, before we set back out, but out progress has slowed to a crawl. After a few more days of pushing forward we have had more close calls then I can count, but so far the 6 of us have at least made it through alive.


    If it wasn¡¯t for being dungeon monsters none of us would have made it, because for the number of limbs we have had to use magic to replace or reattach, that kind of damage would probably kill a normal person on the spot.


    Even I wasn¡¯t immune, losing a leg during the battle with another one of those scorpion-like monstrosities. That battle was an exceptionally close call, if it wasn¡¯t for Azami¡¯s almost endless supply of magic, we wouldn¡¯t have made it.


    The crushing pain of one of my legs between its pincers, or even the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced when it ripped the leg from its socket, was only secondary to the unnerving sound of its crushing jaws as it ate my leg.


    By the time the creature was killed there wasn¡¯t enough of my leg to salvage, so a new one had to be grown from scratch with magic, which was quite time consuming. Even though my leg is brand new, and is not even part of the one that was ripped off, just the thought of the monstrosity eating my old leg is enough for a chill to run down my back and give me an odd feeling.


    Poppy has lost a limb twice now, and although we were able to re-attach her arm the first time, a complete new one had to be regrown a second time, so I ask her. ¡°Does it get easier¡­?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°What having a limb torn from your body¡­ How can you expect to get used to that feeling? If I ever do get used to that feeling, then that is the time in which I throw in the towel and retire as an adventurer.¡±


    Chika: ¡°What do we do now though? We have been lucky that every time we run into one of those scorpions they are by themselves, but what will we do if there is more than one?¡±


    ¡°We are not going to starve, or even age, so we could essentially wait them out forever, but there is so much of Rory¡¯s childhood that I don¡¯t plan to miss, so I don¡¯t plan on giving up just yet.¡±


    Chika: ¡°I don¡¯t plan on giving up either, but we can¡¯t keep going like we are¡­ We have to find Mistress Inari.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, that is the whole reason we came here after all, and everything we have done up to this point was to that end, but if you have any suggestions I would be happy to hear them.¡±


    Chika: ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ But I don¡¯t want to die in this place.¡±


    ¡°Then we have to focus, and keep moving forward.¡±


    Chika: ¡°We haven¡¯t seen any sign of Mistress Inari in days, with the way this place keeps changing, and with the fact we have had no breaks in the monsters we have been fighting, we might have even gotten ahead of her.¡±


    ¡°Then we can only hope they can catch up to us, but we can¡¯t afford to sit around and do nothing. I don¡¯t know how these corrupt dungeons work, but every day we stay here it is only putting us further at a disadvantage.¡±


    Chika: ¡°I know you are right, I am just scared¡­¡±


    Poppy wraps her arm around Chika¡¯s shoulder and says. ¡°I am too, but if you trust in my Master, I promise you we will get through this.¡±


    I am actually quite worried myself, but Poppy¡¯s words manage to calm down Chika a bit so I don¡¯t say anything. We continue on for another day before Chika¡¯s worries become reality. We find our path forward blocked by two of the massive scorpion like monstrosities.


    We see them before they saw us, either that or they do not plan to leave the spot in which they are standing to come after us, but in either case we are able to maintain a safe distance while we decide how we wish to proceed.


    ¡°We could put us walls to separate them like we did with the other monstrosities and monsters, but I just don¡¯t think the walls we could summon would hold one of these creatures back long enough to deal with the other.¡±


    Chika: ¡°I know you have no desire to wait, but maybe we should at least give them some time to see if they separate on their own.¡±


    ¡°Even if we do try to take them, we should be fully rested, so might be a good idea. Just in case they don¡¯t though, while we are resting we need to try to come up with a plan to deal with both of them at once.¡±


    We give them a few hours, but we don¡¯t have any luck. The monstrosities don¡¯t even seem to move during that time period. They don¡¯t even twitch, and that is enough for Chika to ask. ¡°Are they even alive?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can consider those things alive or not, but if you are asking if they will attack us if we get closer I think the answer is most certainly.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°How we going to do this boss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying this is a good plan, but separating them is still our best bet. I say we try to lure one away from the other, and see if we can them to attack one at a time, but if not, everyone that can cast the [Stone Wall] spell needs to charge it with every skill you possibly can, and we can try to deal with them one at a time.¡±


    Chika: ¡°What if that doesn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how far this dungeon will let us go back, or how far these monstrosities will pursue us, but our only option then is to try to retreat, so we can only hope this works.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°That is awfully risky.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, if I had a better idea¡­¡±


    We then check and recheck everything before we lay out a few runic magic stones to slow them down just in case we have to retreat. I have everyone stand back a bit while I move forward to try to lure only one of the monstrosities.


    I cast a simple spell that is far from flashy or that will even cause any damage to these things, but as soon as the spell hit both monstrosities quickly begin charging straight at me. I then quickly use every skill I can muster to cast a [Reinforced Wall] spell to block one of the monstrosities off, and the others quickly follow suit.


    The walls block one of the creatures off completely, and we then begin focusing on the other one. The spells work quite a bit better than I had hoped, but trying to maintain the wall and fight the second monstrosity is easier said than done.


    Each of these monstrosities are unique, but we have fought enough of them now that we have the basics of their abilities, and tactics down, so we slowly begin to stack up damage against the monstrosity.


    I don¡¯t know if the other monstrosity gave up when it was blocked off by the walls, or what it has been doing behind the wall, but I can tell my wall is still intact behind all the others, and here I thought we would at least have to keep recasting the spells as it broke through each layer.


    After the monstrosity we are fighting begins to start suffering major damage, I start feeling confident this might actually work, but it was premature because I feel the fade of my magic as my wall collapses. Much to our surprise before I even can cast the spell again, the second monstrosity crashes through everyone else¡¯s walls simultaneously.


    We franticly try to recast our spells, but they no longer hold it back as it keeps crushing through them one after another. We then use stone wall in creative ways, having them drop straight on top of the scorpions, but they don''t really seem to mind it and just squirm from under them or break them. Trying to pin them down worked for a few moments when we had pillars grow from the roof, until they broke them with their tails.


    ¡°Damnit, we almost had one. We need to get some space between us, everyone retreat!¡±


    We then quickly start to disengage from the battle, and we make a run for it. As we do we can hear the sound of the runic magic stones going off, as the monstrosities pursue us. We get a bit of distance on the monstrosities, but would have liked to get a lot more, but the path in front of us is blocked off.


    We don¡¯t know if they are still behind us so we quickly prepare for battle, but after a minute passes there are no signs of the monstrosities. Before we have a chance to lower our guard however both monstrosities making their way through the cavern towards us.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good¡­ Everyone focus on the wounded one! If we can cut it down to just one, then we should be able to make it!¡±


    We are already pinned, but we don¡¯t want to fight without any room to move around so we put a bit of space between us and the blocked off path. As soon as the monstrosities come into range I try casting [Reinforced Wall].


    That still doesn¡¯t stop them this time as it crashes through it like it isn¡¯t even there. I give up on the wall focusing all my attention on casting spells to damage the injured monstrosity, but once they approach things really start to look grim.


    Holding off both of them would be impossible, but with the one being as injured as it was we are able to finally drop it, but not before suffering quite a bit of damage ourselves. Even Zoey and Chika have switched in to try to spread some of the damage out.


    Azami was able to disable the remaining scorpion¡¯s tail, but it is taking everything we have to hold back it¡¯s pincers. While Poppy and I have shields, Zoey and Chika don¡¯t, so we focus our healing on them until one of the pincers grabs ahold of Zoey¡¯s leg.


    Instead of trying to rip her leg off like the ones have done in the past it starts to club her against the ground. The loss of her leg will not kill her, but if the scorpion doesn¡¯t release her it surly will, so I make the decision to cut Zoey¡¯s leg off myself freeing her from the scorpion¡¯s grasp.


    I quickly cast a healing spell on her, but she has suffered enough damage that it doesn¡¯t even allow her to regain consciousness. I don¡¯t know how much danger her life is in at the moment, but if I don¡¯t focus on those still capable of fighting, then none of us are going to make it out of here alive, so I turn my attention back to the others.


    The battle continues, but there is not a second that goes by that I am not casting a healing spell, so my magic is starting to run out, and Lynx¡¯s magic already has so he moves forward with his staff. The monstrosity is starting to show signs of damage, but nowhere near as bad as our group.


    The monstrosity grabs ahold of Lynx around the waist with one of its pincers, and Poppy desperately tries to pry him free, but not before it nearly tears him in two. I hit him with a healing spell, but there is so much damage to him I don¡¯t know if he is even still alive or not.


    It isn¡¯t long before Poppy, and Chika are down as well, leaving me to fend off the monstrosity on my own. I see a rush of blue metal next to me as Azami joins in taking sword in hand. I have never seen her do anything more than cast spells and use her spriggans, but I don¡¯t have the luxury of being in awe right now.


    She never stops casting spells as she jabs at the monstrosity with a thin mythril blade, and for a mage she is managing to hold it back quite well, but it is still not enough for us to be able to down the monstrosity ourselves.


    I am about to lose hope when I see a flutter of feathers as a winged figure comes crashing down into the center of the scorpion¡¯s back. It takes me aback for a moment, and that is all the time the scorpion needed as it slams me with the side of its pincer knocking me backwards to the floor.


    The winged being has its back to me, but even though the wings threw me off, and even in the muddled state after crashing to the ground I would recognize that figure anywhere. She is not alone either as I can see others quickly approaching the scorpion pulling its attention away from us.


    Inari: ¡°Azami, you take care of Daddy, and we will take care of the rest!.¡±


    Relief washes over me, and I lose consciousness.

 Inaris Trip Through the Dungeon

    Takeshi finally returned after confirming that the location he went to check out for me was in fact one of the corrupt dungeons. The last one took us weeks, but from what Takeshi said this one is spitting out the Oni Generals, so I don¡¯t know if that means it is going to be bigger, or if that means it¡¯s going to be smaller because its newer, but either way we plan for a long trip.


    The other one was also a pretty close call, and we are in much better shape this time, so I decide to leave Akane with Kenta, and Chika in charge of my primary dungeon while I am away. We have plenty of adventurers, and even Daddy¡¯s groups to keep things under control while we are away so I take everyone else with me.


    Last time the Oni were quite a pain, but as we pass through the forest even these Oni Generals are barely a hindrance with who we brought along this time. I grow quite bored passing through the forest with nothing to look at but forest and Oni corpses.


    Maybe I can talk Daddy into teaching me that teleport spell of his, or at least trade him a monster for one of his that can cast the spell, but then again with Daddy¡¯s dungeon the way it is, that would mean it would have to be one of his boss monsters.


    Mommy visits often enough, so maybe I could have her teach me the spell the old fashion way, but with a spell as difficult as a teleport spell that could take quite a while. I kind of feel bad for leaving when I did, I know Mommy doesn¡¯t have long until the baby is born, but maybe with a bit of luck we can make it back home before she gives birth.


    We continue our march through the forest until we come to a ruined village. That isn¡¯t saying much however because by now I am sure most of the villages in Shima have already went the same way this one has. This village looks to have been destroyed long ago, but we follow a trail that has been well used coming up to a small graveyard that has a mausoleum that doesn¡¯t¡¯ quite fit among the rest of the graveyard.


    ¡°If that was some dungeon core¡¯s way of trying to hide a tree in the forest, it should have done a bit more research about Shima before using something like that as the entrance to its dungeon¡­ I wonder how the villagers reacted to something like that appearing among the graves of their dead family. I guess it could have been a lot more discrete before it became a corrupt dungeon, but I don¡¯t see one of the corrupt dungeons caring about appearances like that.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°It actually looks quite normal inside. The entrance to the corrupt dungeon is actually through a collapsed wall in the depths of the mausoleum. I know the Oni have been the threat in Shima for a while now, but back before them, there were all manner of monsters in Shima. This could have been built so they could keep an eye on the deceased or lock them up if they decided to come back after death.¡±


    ¡°You mean like undead? I hate undead¡­¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Yes, and when the dungeon first arrived it could have used that fear against the village. I don¡¯t know if it was the dungeon that destroyed the village or the Oni, but we already confirmed that several of the normal monsters within the dungeon are types that used to be associated with undead. I think these corrupt dungeons still maintain some of the traits of the original dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just great¡­¡±


    We then enter the mausoleum passing through it rather quickly until we find the collapsed wall leading into a large cavern. The amount of bones filling the cavern is staggering, I don¡¯t want to rest on top of a pile of bones, so after dealing with a group of Oni Generals that come from deeper within we make our way deeper into the caverns.


    Soon the Oni aren¡¯t our only problem as piles of bones form hulking undead creatures, but we have enough light based magic from dealing with the Oni all the time, that they cause us no problems. All the bones on the floor apparently weren¡¯t enough because they are no longer limited to just the floor as they hang from the walls and ceiling of the cavern as well.


    The webs the hold them in place means we should encounter something that made them, so in addition to the undead, and groups of Oni Generals we expect to see some kind of spider or similar creature at any time now.


    When we finally do begin running into the spiders I am quite surprised, not that they are not huge, I just expected them to be larger. They do have an ability that is a pain to deal with though, the webs they use seem to have a necromantic effect to them, so they can cover a pile of bones with their webs and make their own undead.


    They seem quite smart as well, and will avoid conflict as much as possible, instead letting the undead they make do all the work. We quickly find out that they may be even smarter than we thought. They have begun using the bones littering the ground to not only form undead creatures, but also to form traps, and if I am not mistaken the bones hanging from the ceiling that we gave no thought to, was actually an early warning system for them to perceive threats at a much greater distance.


    I was hoping to get through the bones before setting up camp, but who would have thought after 10 hours of caverns we are still surrounded in the bones. Add that to the time we spend going through the forest before even arriving at the dungeon and our group is quite exhausted.


    I decide to let some of the group get some sleep while Takeshi, Satoshi, Saki, Rin, and I keep an eye on things. The spiders are not really that difficult to deal with, it is just getting ahold of them that is a problem, but between them and the Oni Generals that come tearing through almost on the top of every hour, when it is time for us to rest, I don¡¯t even think of the bones any more as I fall asleep.


    I don¡¯t even budge until the next morning, or I guess I should say until later that afternoon. We didn¡¯t stop at night fall, I am sure the sun was even already in the sky before we finally did stop so even though I only got a couple hours of sleep it is already late afternoon.


    After waking us Yuji, Kaori, Akihiro, Yuzuki, and Hotaru then inform us they just dealt with a Oni General group, and managed to take out one of the spiders in the process, so now would be a good time to get a move on.


    We then quickly start to set out back through the dungeon caverns. Until we got though the mineshaft in the last corrupt dungeon there was little deviation from the main path, but with this one it started out in a cavern so we spend most of our time retracing our own steps.


    We even tried to wait for an Oni attack before choosing which path to go down, but that has lead us to dead ends as well, either the Oni Generals are not spawning all in one location like the regular Oni did in the last corrupt dungeon, or this dungeon has some intelligence behind it as it is purposely leading us down dead ends.


    We finally make our way out of the piles of bones after a week, but the path we have gone down is riddled with dead ends. Some of them take an entire day¡¯s worth of progress before we learn they are dead ends.


    At least we are done with those spiders. We are encountering some larger spiders and they are quite a bit stronger, but they attack directly so in the end they are actually less troublesome. In addition to the spiders we are still running into types of undead, but they are less hulking skeletons and more like a Shima variety of death knight.


    I can¡¯t say it is a waste, because we have gathered a fair amount of xp, but after almost a month and many dead ends we discover this path itself is dead end, and we have to return all the way back to the part of the cavern that had the bones.


    Unlike the last corrupt dungeon we dealt with, some of the monsters here seem to respawn because on our way back we had to deal with quite a few monsters in addition to the Oni Generals.


    Yuji: ¡°We basically had to come all the way back to the beginning. Couldn¡¯t we at least head home for a while before giving it another try?¡±


    ¡°We could, but we are not going to, I want to get this set up as soon as possible. The sooner I set up a dungeon here the sooner I can gather xp to set one up at the capital, and I want to get the capital covered in Inari¡¯s protection as soon as possible, because if the capital falls even the villages inside Inari¡¯s protection won¡¯t last long.¡±


    Yuji: ¡°They have made it this long.¡±


    ¡°The Oni have already made attempts on the walls of the capital. They have never tried that unless there was a dungeon inside the capital, and they were able to breach the walls back then, so it¡¯s only a matter of time before they do it again.¡±


    Yuji: ¡°I know¡­ I just hate being underground all this time.¡±


    ¡°Then instead of putting all that effort into complaining, use it to push our way through this place more quickly!¡±


    Yuji: ¡°Yes Mistress¡­.¡±


    I have to agree with him a bit, it is nice to have Takeshi by my side this time, but with all the people around we don¡¯t get any time to ourselves. I could care less what the others might see, but Takeshi is far to reserved for anything like that.


    I don¡¯t see why Yuji is complaining though, because I have heard enough during their watch to know that him and Kaori have not been going without. I can say the same thing about Yuzuki and Akihiro, but Saki and Satoshi are too much like Takeshi to do anything like that, so at least I am not the only one doing without.


    I guess it could be worse, Hotaru, Rin, and Chika still haven¡¯t found themselves a man. Not that Chika has given up on Tatsuo, but he is still oblivious to her advances. Without us being there maybe she will have a chance to be around him more and get her point across him. Then again it hasn¡¯t worked so far, so who knows.


    After another day we enter part of the cavern that doesn¡¯t have the bones scattered about, but now we are worried that means we are going in the wrong direction. We decide to back track a bit taking a few of the different paths but after two more days of searching and hitting dead ends it looks like this is the only path left to us.


    The monsters here are quite a bit tougher than the ones we had to deal with down the other path that wasn¡¯t lined with bones, but they are still nothing to worry about between our entire group. I would like to say we are going the right way after traveling this path for two weeks, but the last one took a month so we still can¡¯t be certain.


    I can tell you exactly how many days it has been since we entered this place, but it feels like it has been much longer. I received quite a few messages about dungeon cores dying and the like, but I finally receive a message in which I at least need to respond to and that is when I receive a message about how Daddy¡¯s new daughter has been born.


    I congratulate him and Mommy, but apologize that I wasn¡¯t able to be there for them. He seems to understand though and tells me to just be careful. I thought we would have been done by the time she was born, but then again they did say she seemed to have come quite earlier than they expected.


    On the plus side, if we have to traverse the caverns after I put my plan into action it should take only a fraction of the time, because not only have I been keeping a detailed map of every turn, path, and dead end we have taken, but I am also relaying that information back to Chika as well. Between the two of us we should have a rather decent map of this place.


    After finding another dead end, after following a path for two weeks I¡¯m really starting to get discouraged. If it wasn¡¯t for the sheer number of levels I have personally acquired since entering this place I would say I should have sent the others on alone, and only sent for me once they reached the corrupt dungeon¡¯s depths.


    I don¡¯t know how strong Daddy is, but I am pretty sure I have at least managed to out-level him now. He has destroyed a few normal dungeons however, and with the way his dungeon works he might have quite a few more skills then me as well, but I think I could at least give him a run for his money.


    Daddy didn¡¯t want to bother me so I haven¡¯t really heard much about what he is up to, but I have started to hear some odd things from Chika, and it appears Daddy has had a fallen-out with the Elders about the way they are handling the deaths of all the other dungeon cores.


    Then I receive a strange message about Daddy creating another dungeon core¡­ Her name is even Ceres, but I thought that was the name of the old god that he said he was speaking too? He sent a message about forming some kind of group in which he is asking other dungeon cores to help him fight against whoever is responsible for the recent string of deaths among the dungeon cores.


    Of course there isn¡¯t much I can do down here, but I told him if there is anything or anyone he needs to borrow from my dungeon that he was welcome to them, but Chika says he hasn¡¯t done anything other than his normal training.


    It has been a few months since we last saw daylight now, but I know we must either be getting close, or it is going to be much too large for us to be able to deal with because the monsters have begun to get strong enough now that we can no longer separate into two separate groups to deal with them.


    Even with the reduced amount of xp we are getting this way, we have still gained quite a few levels, and I am confident even if we do have to turn back I will have acquired at least enough xp to complete my secondary dungeon in the capital now.


    Now the question is if we get to the point in which we cannot progress any further do I create a secondary dungeon there, or just worry about the capital for now, and return here once we gain more levels.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I guess if we make it deep enough, and have acquired enough xp to complete both projects I will go ahead and place the imitation crystal, but if not we can always return¡­. Or so we thought. A few days later after pressing through a path we discovered a creature unlike anything we have faced thus far.


    We have encountered plenty of undead creatures, but this thing seemed alive¡­ It is a giant grotesque spider pieced together with parts from other creatures we have faced here, and humanoid species. If this thing is a dungeon monster, it has to have come from the corrupt aspect of the dungeon, because it reminds me more of those abominations the last corrupt dungeon spawned just before its death, then anything a normal dungeon could conceive of.


    The difficulty of battle has quickly shifted as well. We were doing fine using 6 members participating in combat with 2 on standby before, but this creature is taking everyone just to make sure nobody gets put in a bad way.


    After we fell the abomination, we give it a thorough examination¡­ Even though the creature consists of body parts from multiple monsters, and humanoids and they seem to extend from the creature at odd angles like they were just shoved into place, they don¡¯t seem to be attached like you would with an undead, and it seems like a living creature.


    ¡°How is that possible¡­ Can you make a living undead? I guess there are the rare exceptions like that maid of Daddy¡¯s, but this just doesn¡¯t seem right.¡±


    Akihiro: ¡°That isn¡¯t the only thing that isn¡¯t right!¡± ¨CHe says in a loud voice with a troubled look on his face.-


    After telling them we were going to rest here for a bit, while I examined the creature, I seen Akihiro and Yuzuki try to sneak off for a bit of privacy. They never stray far enough to be a problem, or others might say they don¡¯t go far enough, but their sudden return is more troubling then the look on Akihiro¡¯s face.


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Akihiro: ¡°Yuzuki and I were going to make sure nothing was going to sneak up on us from behind, but there is no path anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Trust me when I say, it is no secret what you two have been going off on your own for, but what do you mean there isn¡¯t a path?¡± ¨CI say while standing up and casting [Clean] on my hands after messing with the abomination.-


    Yuji: ¡°You must of just looking down the wrong tunnel.¡± ¨CHe says making his way in their direction.-


    Akihiro: ¡°There isn¡¯t any tunnel that is what I am saying!¡±


    Yuji sighs, but once he reaches them his face becomes worried as well as he says. ¡°Mistress¡­ You need to come look at this!¡±


    We all then quickly gather at the tunnel, only to find there is no tunnel there. We couldn¡¯t have gotten turned around, that has to be the way we came from, but there is just a solid wall there now¡­


    Hotaru: ¡°We must have gotten turned around during the fight¡­¡±


    Rin: ¡°There is no way¡­¡±


    I instruct everyone to take a few step back and cast a few spells trying to break the wall.


    Yuji: ¡°Mistress, what you trying to do? You can¡¯t break a dungeon wall¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t add to a dungeon behind intruders either, so this has to be some kind of trick!¡±


    Saki: ¡°But the other dungeon was able to summon monsters while we were still in the room as well.¡±


    My spells do nothing against the wall, so I even hit it a few times with one of my swords. ¡°But if it could block us off completely, why even allow access to the dungeon to begin with?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Maybe there is a path further ahead that also leads to an exit.¡±


    ¡°I hope you are right¡­ I guess I should have asked Daddy or Mommy to teach me that teleport spell of theirs. I guess for now we have no other choice but to move forward then.¡±


    I only talked to Chika an hour ago, but I need to let her know the path we took is now blocked off. I send her a message and then we have to deal with a group of Oni Generals, but even after that fight was over she has yet to reply back. She could be busy I guess, but I don¡¯t know of anything that would keep her busy enough that she wouldn¡¯t at least answer me. I then try sending a message to Akane as well.


    Yuji: ¡°Mistress what¡¯s wrong, did one of the Oni hit you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that, have any of you heard from Chika or Akane?¡±


    Rin: ¡°I talked to her before we rested a few hours ago.¡±


    ¡°Anyone else?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°You talked to her this morning didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I did, but since the wall blocked us off, I tried to send her a message to let her know what had happened, but she hasn¡¯t replied.¡±


    Hotaru: ¡°Maybe she is just daydreaming about Tatsuo again.¡±


    ¡°She has never, not answered me, I even sent a message to Akane, and she hasn¡¯t replied either.¡±


    Yuji: ¡°Now Akane not answering you I believe.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Chika is reliable, so if she isn¡¯t answering you right now whatever she is doing must be important, just give her a few hours.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about her, this only happened after we got cut off from the outside.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°You are worried that the corrupt dungeon blocked [Communication]? I know those dungeons that attacked Father were able to do something like that, but do you think this dungeon would be capable of something like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know I am going to send a message to Daddy just to be sure.¡± ¨CI say while doing just that.-


    We then send a few more messages and even try a communication parchment, but still none of our messages seem to get out.


    Yuji: ¡°This isn¡¯t good, your father said that one of the old gods was after you didn¡¯t he? You don¡¯t think the ones that attacked him are now coming for us do you?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°How could that be? Inari kept the location of this place from everyone, even Father, so I don¡¯t see how they could have found us.¡±


    ¡°Daddy has a way to determine a dungeon core¡¯s location, so it is possible. If that is the case we need to be extra careful moving forward.¡±


    With no other choice we decide to move forward, but the abomination like creatures only get harder the further we progress. In addition to the abominations, we also encounter quite a few other normal dungeon-like monsters and the Oni Generals, making our progress slow to a crawl.


    We don¡¯t see any signs of any other dungeons or monsters that don¡¯t seem to belong to this dungeon, but after days we still have no contact with the outside. I am sure Chika has become quite worried as well now that she has lost contact with us, but as long as the dungeon stays intact she will know we are at least still alive.


    The abominations do provide an exceptional amount of xp, and Yuji has already reached level 50, Saki and Satoshi are not that far behind. Takeshi and I are the ones that have done the least amount of training, so even though Daddy¡¯s ring has helped a great deal, I am still only level 47, and Takeshi is only 46.


    Once reaching level 50 Yuji got his special skill, and for scouting or moving on his own it might be quite beneficial, but in a group setting it isn¡¯t really helpful. As for the skill, as long as he does not enter combat he can make himself completely invisible. He can only do it once a day, but the duration lasts as long as he wants, as long as he doesn¡¯t try to physically interact with anyone, any kind of monster, or animal.


    Basically he can remain invisible for days if he wanted to, just as long as he doesn¡¯t touch anything alive during that time. His normal skills function well enough for him to get the drop on anything in combat, so it doesn¡¯t do us much good here.


    We could send him scouting up ahead, but inside a dungeon there are other ways to be detected other than just sight, so it would put him at a great risk. I am more worried about him picking up some voyeuristic habits once we return home.


    I don¡¯t know what kind of skill I will acquire when I reach level 50, but I can only hope it is a bit more useful in combat.


    We have been cut off from the outside for a while now, and I¡¯m now pretty certain it is due to the work of this dungeon. We keep pushing forward while the path behind us keeps getting blocked off to us, so we have to be making progress, but there are still sections of the cavern that I am sure we have passed through before.


    I am sure Chika has grown quite worried about us, but I hope she hasn¡¯t done anything rash like coming to look for us with that group I gave Daddy. We are gaining a huge amount of xp every day, but we are starting to run into some of these abominations that are giving us a run for our money.


    Yuji returns to the group after scouting ahead a bit and tells us of an abomination that we haven¡¯t encountered yet, it seems like some kind of scorpion, but like the other abominations it¡¯s a mix-match of humanoid, monster, and giant insect like parts.


    With how strong these things have become, encountering a new type is nothing to take lightly, so we make sure we are completely prepared before we attack. I start off with charging a full range of my orbs, like the Oni these abominations are strong against most magic except light, but hitting it with 12 spells at once should be devastating regardless if it is strong against those types of spells or not.


    We manage to catch the abomination off guard and all 12 of my orbs hit it causing a great deal of damage, and it even severs one of its pincers and a couple of its legs. Everyone else then moves in. The abomination doesn¡¯t have a poisonous barb upon its tail instead a humanoid like torso, so we are not quite sure what to expect from it, so when the arms on the torso start waving around casting spells it comes as no surprise.


    With only one pincer the tail has become the highest priority, so Yuji focuses on it, he leaps on top of the scorpion¡¯s body, and fights the tail as it was its own independent creature. It has no head, and he digs his blades deep into the torso without causing it to seem to notice. He then decides to take the easiest course of action and severs the entire torso from the end of the scorpion¡¯s tail.


    We expected that to be the end of the tail, but without missing a beat it whips around hitting Yuji in the chest with the end of the severed tip. It knocks him off the scorpion, but Takeshi manages to plant his own sword into the abomination¡¯s head and it collapses to the floor.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t hit you that hard did it?¡± ¨CI say turning to Yuji who is still crumpled in the floor.-


    Kaori then quickly moves over to him. ¡°Yuji?¡± She then quickly flips him over and gasps. I quickly curse and Saki, Yuzuki and I all quickly begin casting healing spells on Yuji. The tail hit him pretty hard, but not near enough to cause this much blood to be flowing from his chest, especially since he is a dungeon monster.


    The healing spells don¡¯t seem to have any effect as Kaori quickly exclaims. ¡°Mistress, he¡¯s dead!¡± She then quickly begins sobbing and hugs Yuji tightly.


    ¡°How is that possible, there is no way that thing could of hit him that hard!¡±


    ¡°Inari!¡± Takeshi quickly calls out drawing my attention to him. He is looking over the body of the scorpion, or more precisely looking at the tail. He then grabs the tail in his arms raising it up to show me. The torso wasn¡¯t severed cleanly so there are hunks of flesh still attached, but as Takeshi holds it up the tail the flesh falls loosely exposing a needle like barb that is at least 8 inches long.


    ¡°It had a barb under the torso?!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°It looks that way¡­¡± ¨CHe says then drops the tail.- ¡°It¡¯s got a strong smell too, I would say it is definitely poisonous as well.¡±


    ¡°Damnit!¡± ¨CI then turn back to Yuji and Kaori while sighing. I then run my hand through Kaori¡¯s hair while she continues to sob while holding Yuji to her chest.- ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have been paying more attention¡­¡±


    It takes several hours for us to get Kaori to let Yuji go long enough to examine him. Hotaru, Rin, and Yuzuki try to comfort Kaori, while Satoshi comforts Saki who is taking Yuji¡¯s loss quite hard as well. When I finally get the chance to look over Yuji, it looks like he never stood a chance. Even if the barb wasn¡¯t poisonous it pierced him right in the heart.


    I spend the next few hours using [Elven Crafting] to create a large bolt of cloth that I use to tightly wrap Yuji¡¯s body up in. Kaori sniffles and gives Yuji one last kiss before I wrap his face. She then askes ¡°What are we going to do with him?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice. We will have to leave him behind.¡±


    Kaori: ¡°He is your boss monster! You can¡¯t just leave his body behind!¡±


    ¡°He was the only one that had the [Shadow Pocket] spell, and we can¡¯t carry him the rest of the way, but I promise once we get everything taken care of, we will come back for him. With the way this dungeon is working I can¡¯t guarantee we will be able to recover his body, but I promise we will at least try.¡±


    Kaori: ¡°But the dungeon will clear the area long before then!¡±


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed, every time we have backtracked the remains of all the monsters we have killed have remained, so I am pretty sure this corrupt dungeon doesn¡¯t clean up after itself like a normal dungeon.¡±


    Kaori: ¡°I still don¡¯t want to leave him just lying there.¡±


    ¡°He has been with me since the beginning. Do you think I really want to leave him behind?¡±


    Kaori starts to cry again as she hold Yuji¡¯s cloth wrapped body. It takes a few more hours before we can finally convince Kaori into leaving Yuji behind. After that we have become far more cautious. We have encountered a few more of the scorpions, which Kaori takes pretty hard, but we manage to deal with them with no problems.


    Without Yuji the battles have gotten a bit harder, but we are still doing alright, that is until we encounter one of the abominations that make all our hair stand on end¡­ It is another one of the scorpion abominations, but the torso mounted on the creature¡¯s tail this time has a head.


    It is not only the head that is different, the body is that of a fox beastkin, and it closely resembles one of the beastkin that I summoned for Daddy.


    Kaori: ¡°Is that Masato¡­?¡±


    Rin: ¡°It can¡¯t be! He should be back at the dungeon with Chika!¡±


    Hotaru: ¡°Unless they came after us after we lost touch with Chika.¡±


    Yuzuki: ¡°How do you think he ended up as one of those things though?¡±


    Kaori: ¡°You don¡¯t think Yuji¡­?¡±


    Group: ¡°¡­¡±


    Given the circumstances the group handles themselves quite well during the battle, and we about have the abomination killed when two more of the giant scorpion-like abominations quickly move in to attack.


    We lost Yuji to one of these things, but we haven¡¯t had any difficulty with them since. Three of them at once though, I just don¡¯t know¡­ I manage to block one of the abominations off with a stone wall, while we deal with the injured one and the other one that joined in.


    It isn¡¯t long however till the third scorpion manages to find a gap between my spell and the dungeon just large enough to squeeze through. The third scorpion is then to close to try to block it off again, so I try instead to pin it with a stone pillar, which seems to be working.


    We manage to drop the first scorpion, but now there are still two more to deal with. Light spells do the most damage to these things, but Saki and Yuzuki both have to quit attacking so they can focus completely on healing.


    I have to keep recasting the [Stone Pillar] spell to hold the last scorpion in place, but it manages to wriggle free a few times, and even when it is pinned it doesn¡¯t stop its tail from casting spells at us. Even though we have already managed to drop one we still have had to fight three of them without stopping to rest, so everyone is starting to run low on magic.


    Akihiro and Takeshi have managed to keep the scorpion that is free back while everyone else stacks damage against it. I meanwhile I focus on attacking and pinning the other one,so it can¡¯t get to us, but on one of the castings of [Stone Pillar] that it manages to wriggle out of it quickly rushes the weakened mages.


    I quickly try casting my spells again, but not before it manages to grab ahold of Yuzuki. Rin and Kaori quickly break off from fighting the other scorpion to help Yuzuki, but it was too late to save her the moment its pincer grabbed ahold of her.


    Splitting up our forces doesn¡¯t help matters much either. The battle really becomes tough after that, and we finally manage to fell all of the abominations, but not without a heavy toll. With Takeshi, Akihiro, and Satoshi trying to deal with the one scorpion on their own after the girls changed targets it left them fighting the other with no defensive help.


    Satoshi switched targets as well to give them a hand, but it wasn¡¯t quite enough and we lost Kaori as well.


    Losing two of my monsters in a single battle make it hard for me to call this battle anything other than a loss. Even after the loss of Yuzuki, Akihiro managed to keep himself composed until the battle was over, but now that it is over he then breaks down along with the rest of the group.


    Takeshi breaks his rule about public showing of affection when he wraps his arms around me in a tight hug while whispering in my ear. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± It is only then I realize my eyes are damp as well and my body is shaking. I then find myself fighting back the tears as I bury my head into his chest.


    Hotaru, Rin, and Kaori were practically inseparable even after Kaori started dating Yuji, while Yuzuki and Akihiro have been a thing for long time now as well, so they are all taking this loss quite hard, but even Saki is having trouble maintaining herself while her, Satoshi, Takeshi and I deal with the groups of Oni Generals that appear.


    After investigating the abomination, the scorpion¡¯s tail really does appear to be the remains of Masato. If he ended up in the dungeon who else is out there? Losing someone you care about is bad enough but even if Akihiro was able to finish out the battle before losing it, if we ran into another one of these things that used Yuzuki, I think that would just be too much, so instead of leaving the bodies behind we decide it to burn the remains first.


    That way at least our friends can¡¯t be used against us, in a way maybe it is a good thing that Kaori fell when she did, because I don¡¯t know how she would be able to handle the thought of Yuji coming back to us in the same way.


    With no other option we decide to push forward, but with the loses we have had, it is going to be even harder.

 Working Together

    I haven¡¯t broken a sweat outside of the bedroom in many years, but even as a dungeon core traversing a volcano will do that I guess. I have entered this thing far deeper than any human could possibly enter and still have yet to find any traces of Draco¡¯s dungeon.


    It is possible the entrance has been moved, but he would still have to follow the rules about making it accessible to humans, so I really am starting to believe that Draco is gone. If he is still around he is doing a damn good job in hiding it.


    I am not going to be able to find anything else out from here so I teleport to the nearest village. These villages scattered up and down the mountain range have always been dealing with numerous dungeons, so much so they make their living off of them, and the disappearance of all of Draco¡¯s secondary dungeons looks to have hit the town hard.


    After asking around I find out there are only a few hold outs left. They are used to dungeons coming and going off this mountain range, so some still believe more dungeons will take the place of those that have recently disappeared, but many of the other villagers have moved on to some of the other villages.


    Even without Draco¡¯s dungeons there are still numerous dungeons within the Adra mountain range, but it seems all of them along this particular mountain have all disappeared. I ask about any rumors about other dungeons that may have suddenly seemed to grow a great deal recently, but the villagers haven¡¯t heard anything.


    Well I doubt I am going to learn anything more from these villagers, so I will return home for now and inform Madam Erin about my findings regarding Draco later. Once I arrive in my dungeon I am quickly greeted by my delectable succubus.


    She quickly flies to me wrapping her arms around me draping herself from me like a cloak, she nuzzles my neck while her hands explore my body and she says. ¡°Aww, did master find us another girl? She has seemed to cause you to work up quite a sweat.¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that, I went to find out once and for all if Draco¡¯s dungeon was still intact or not, so I was inside a volcano.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Such a waste of perspiration¡­Perhaps now that you have returned home I can see to it that not another drop is wasted.¡± ¨CShe says while placing images in my mind.-


    ¡°That looks and sounds promising, but there is still something missing. Where is Angela?¡±


    Angela: ¡°I¡¯m here master!¡± ¨CShe quickly says entering the room in a hurry.- ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had returned, please forgive me!¡±


    ¡°I am going to bed early today, but first I am in need of a bath, so go draw us one, and then you have two options. You can either join us, or you are then dismissed till tomorrow.¡±


    Angela: ¡°But Master!¡±


    ¡°You have your orders.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Yes Master¡­¡± ¨CShe says hanging her head and leaving the room.-


    Desiree: ¡°I think you are going about handling Angela in the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I don¡¯t know how to handle my women?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Your women yes, but Angela is still undecided if she wants to be one of those or not. Tell me, how would Master treat Angela if she was not already part of your dungeon, but a young free woman that you desired?¡±


    ¡°I have already tried those means with no results, and there are too many women in the world, and if they can¡¯t be bought, won, or wooed, I have no time to mess with them.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Many like Angela?¡±


    ¡°Only for that reason alone is she still gracing my hallways. I have no time for those who do not desire me.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I have a nose for these things, so trust me when I say there is much about you that Angela desires, so I still think she is not the problem. There are plenty of your thoughts that you keep from me, but I have seen enough to know you used to enjoy the chase. Was that not the very thing that drew you to your wife back when you were human?¡±


    ¡°You are dangerously close to overstepping your place.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Just think about it.¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    I wake up with Inari looming over me with her hands on her hips and an angry look on her face.


    Inari: ¡°Good you are alive, but what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Chika was worried about you, so we came to make sure you were ok¡­ What about everyone else?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°We are ok boss! We didn¡¯t lose anyone¡­ This time¡­ Although don¡¯t think I am not going to tell Belinda that you wacked my leg off!¡±


    Poppy: ¡°I lost my arm twice, and once it had to be regrown from scratch, so I don¡¯t want to hear it!¡±


    Lynx: ¡°It was a close call Master, but your daughter showed up just in the nick of time.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I am sure I could have finished the scorpion off on my own, but without Inari¡¯s assistance I don¡¯t think it would have been without casualty.¡±


    Inari then extends her arm to help me to my feet while I say. ¡°We came to rescue you, but it looks like you were the one that did the rescuing, so sorry about that¡­¡± But once my feet are firmly on the ground she throws her arms around me and squeezes me tightly. It doesn¡¯t really bother me, but it must be uncomfortable for her with her face glued to my armor.


    Inari: ¡°No Daddy, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I screwed up, and I am glad you are here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you did your best.¡± ¨CI say while she finally releases me and takes a step back.-


    Inari: ¡°But my best wasn¡¯t good enough, I lost Yuji, Kaori, and Yuzuki!¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you fared better than we did. I lost Masato, Hiro, Tetsuya, Yuka, Michiko, and Yui¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Chika told me¡­And that is also my fault, because they only came here because they wanted to save us.¡±


    Chika: ¡°Nobody blames you Mistress¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I do!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°We are your dungeon monsters. Our purpose is to give our lives for you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But you¡¯re not just my dungeon monsters, you¡¯re my family!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°You and Father both treat us with far better than a dungeon core should, so that is only more of a reason for anyone of us to be willing to sacrifice our lives for your sake.¡±


    Akihiro: ¡°He is right Mistress, Yuzuki might not have been the most vocal when it came to how much she appreciated you, but I promise you, she would be happy to know she died protecting you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°And what about Yuji? He didn¡¯t want to be here, and after Chika told us what happened to him and my inability to protect the one he loved after his death. Do you really think he would feel the same way?¡±


    Chika: ¡°We saw to it that Yuji is able to rest now, and although I am sure he would be sad to learn about have happened to Kaori, they would both be happy knowing you are ok.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well I am done with this place! Now that Daddy is here we can get out of here so none of the rest of you have to make that kind of sacrifice for my sake!¡±


    ¡°Well we did come here to make sure to get out of here safely, but do you have a plan on how to do that?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Of course Daddy, we can just use your¡­ ¡° ¨CAfter seeing the look on my face her ears droop and she then says.- ¡°Your teleport spell doesn¡¯t work does it¡­?¡±


    ¡°It is just like that item those dungeon cores used against me. It¡¯s not only [Communication] but teleportation that doesn¡¯t work as well. In fact the only difference the ability this dungeon has that differs from the item they used is that the dungeon doesn¡¯t seem to have a limited duration.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Then I will just place my imitation crystal right here, and we can then transfer out of here once the dungeon is established!¡± ¨CShe then reaches into a pouch on Takeshi¡¯s waist and pulls out a small pebble, but after placing it on the ground she picks it up and places it back down several times till not only her ears but her tail droops as well.- ¡°Daddy, it isn¡¯t working¡­¡±


    ¡°This is still a dungeon, even if it is a corrupt one, so you should have known there was a chance that you wouldn¡¯t be able to place your imitation crystal here.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I knew there was a chance, but with the way these dungeons worked, I really did think it would let me¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t say I am doing a very good job in rescuing you, but now that we are together again. Then just maybe we will stand a better chance moving forward. If we can get rid of this corrupt dungeon, we are sure to be able to get out of here then.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But we don¡¯t have any idea on how much dungeon is left!¡±


    Chika: ¡°I think we are close to the end. I have been keeping a pretty accurate map, and after what you told me while Master Two-Twelve was still out. I am pretty sure this dungeon has doing its best to keep our groups apart, but even if it seems to break the rules of a normal dungeon. I think it still has some sort of rules it has to follow.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It did seem to purposely make the dead ends seem like the correct path to slow us down, but how can you know we are nearing the end?¡±


    Chika: ¡°The fact it hasn¡¯t completely blocked us off tells me that it either has to leave us a clear path to the crystal or an exit if not both. I think it has been leading us around in circles trying to keep us apart as long as possible, but now that we have met up again. I can only assume that is because there isn¡¯t enough dungeon left for it to redirect us without running into one another.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Inari: ¡°Daddy, is that what you think as well?¡±


    ¡°That was pretty close to the assumption we were going with before we met up, so after talking with you, if that is what Chika thinks I believe her. She has pulled more than her fair share of the weight around, so you should be proud of her.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Then if we are getting close to the end, I¡¯m sorry for dragging into my mess, but can you help me see it through?¡±


    ¡°Well I promised Belinda I would return, and even promised to bring you back so you would meet your little sister, so it looks like I don¡¯t have much of a choice.¡± ¨CI say while ruffling her hair with my hand.-


    Inari then gives me another quick hug and says. ¡°Thanks, Daddy.¡± She then steps back straightening up her outfit and continues by saying. ¡°I know you just woke up after being knocked out, but Saki and I have both cast quite a few healing spells on you, so are you good to keep going now?¡±


    ¡°I think so, but that thing must have hit me pretty hard, because before I blacked out I saw you come in to help us, but I swear I saw you with wings¡­¡±


    Inari laughs and says. ¡°Daddy, you¡¯re not going crazy. My special skill I acquired when I finally reached level 50 lets me grow a pair of wings among other things.¡±


    ¡°You are already level 50¡­?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Chika told us you have been having it easy. We had to fight monsters the entire time we were in here you know!¡± ¨CShe says while scrunching up her face and putting her hands back on her hips.-


    ¡°Well if you have grown that strong, then I don¡¯t know how much help we will be, but we will do our best.¡±


    Inari: ¡°With Daddy¡¯s special dungeon, and all the hero skills you have acquired I am sure there isn¡¯t much difference in our abilities.¡±


    ¡°Well, you already had to save me once, so I hope I don¡¯t disappoint you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You were dealing with two of those scorpion abominations at once, so it¡¯s understandable.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t had to fight more than one at a time?¡±


    Inari¡¯s facial expression changes to a conflicted one as she says. ¡°Well yea we did, but that was when we lost Yuzuki and Kaori.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°No, it¡¯s alright¡­ Chika told me you were using the same kind of tactics we used, so maybe the reason it didn¡¯t work for you was because the dungeon learned a thing or two from our fight.¡±


    ¡°If that is true then what ever is in charge of this corrupt dungeon is paying as close attention to our battles as the bunnies do in mine. That in itself is quite troubling.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That just means we have to keep changing things up, so it doesn¡¯t have a chance to adapt.¡±


    We then make sure everyone is good to go. Zoey complains about her leg feeling funny then cracks a joke about pulling her leg, it¡¯s enough that it causes Saki to giggle, which seems to be all the validation Zoey needed which make her awfully proud of herself as she smirks and puffs out her chest.


    We then set out. We fight an Oni General group, and a few normal dungeon monsters, but it isn¡¯t until we encounter another one of the monstrosities, that really see the kind of power Inari¡¯s group possess¡­ Not only is it one of the scorpion-like monstrosities, but one of the centipede ones as well.


    I am a little worried, but Inari¡¯s group doesn¡¯t seem to be as she calls out. ¡°[Blessings of the Fox God]!¡± After that not only does a pair of silvery feathered wings grow from her back, but she also sprouts another tail as well, and even her ears elongate and grow double their normal size.


    While she launches herself from the ground towards the scorpion, the rest of her group head off the centipede. By the time the shock wears off of Inari¡¯s group and their sudden attack we barely manage to be any help at all before both monstrosities are dead on the floor.


    After the battle ends Inari quickly flies to me, and says ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Daddy¡­¡± As long canine teeth in her mouth begin to shrink along with her ears and wings, and by the time she has returned completely too normal she says. ¡°I guess we startled you a bit. We can¡¯t discuss tactics too much if the dungeon really is watching, but I guess I need to practice working together with you a bit more before I make another mistake.¡±


    ¡°The centipede I understand, but you practically killed that scorpion completely by yourself¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°My skill gives a pretty big boost to my abilities, but its duration is quite short, so I have to act quickly. The cost of using it is half of my magic, but it also increases my magic regain. Between that and using my sword I can almost negate its cost almost completely if I do enough damage. Although my spells do a lot more damage while I use it, they cost a lot more magic as well, so if I am not careful I can completely drain my magic in a blink of an eye, and that¡¯s why I have been sticking to my sword while using it.¡±


    I think she thought that I was upset about her going off on her own, but to be honest I was more shocked about her being able to kill one of those scorpions almost single handedly. If something did happen though it could have really turned out badly, so I decide to reprimand her for her going off on her own as well.


    ¡°I know you were worried about putting your monsters at risk, but you don¡¯t need to be putting yourself at risk either. If something would have happened while you rushed off ahead on your own we wouldn¡¯t have had time to help you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°On those last few fights we split off so we could try to gather xp for our dungeons, but I think going forward we should use those easy battles to practice our teamwork. At least until we can get the hang of each other¡¯s fighting styles.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I understand.¡±


    It takes us a few days of practice until we are fighting in sync with one another, and by then we think we are starting to get very close to the center of this place, because Chika¡¯s map starts to show us making more progress and not taking as many detours.


    Although none of the monsters have seemed to get any more difficult, including the Oni Generals or the normal dungeon monsters, the monstrosities have started to increase in numbers. In addition to at least two of the scorpions per battle we have started to encounter some of the weaker varieties alongside them.


    Blocking the scorpions off is just about impossible, but we can manage to hold off the easier monstrosities until we deal with the scorpions at least, so we have managed to progress so far without even suffering any serious wounds.


    The xp we are gathering is quite nice, and even though I am nearing level 50 myself, I know without a doubt that none of this xp is going to go back to the dungeon unfortunately. Once I get back maybe I should try creating another ring like the one I made for Ceres.


    I think with the way her ring works, you gain double the amount of xp but you decide how much xp goes towards your dungeon. Splitting it 50/50 would make it work just like my ring, except you wouldn¡¯t be limited to fighting with only monsters from your own dungeon.


    In hindsight I wish I would have thought of that before we came here, but I guess I was too worried about Inari to think about something like that. If I can recreate a ring at least similar to Ceres¡¯s ring then I guess there would be nothing stopping us from doing something like this again in the future, but perhaps just maybe under more favorable circumstances.


    We continue along the caverns until we come to a dead end that consists of a stone wall, and by that I don¡¯t mean another cavern wall, but a building-like stone wall. There are no paths diverging from our current one so this has to be the right way.


    Since the wall isn¡¯t like the cavern wall we decide to try see if it is destructible. For the most part the wall is like any other dungeon wall, but there is a small section of it that collapses leaving an opening much like there was from the mausoleum to the cavern.


    Inari: ¡°Do you think this is the center, or just another exit?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter at this point?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I guess you are right, but we should be extremely careful just in case.¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡±


    Once we make sure it is clear we enter through the opening and find a mausoleum much like the one we entered the cavern from. We quickly find however this one holds quite a few differences, the major one is it is filled with monsters.


    They are not monstrosities, just normal undead monsters, but their difficulty is by far harder than anything we have encountered so far, and that includes the monstrosities. They are not very far in-between either, it seems like we only take a single step after one battle ends before entering another.


    Another major difference this mausoleum has is its size. The one at the surface was large enough to hold a couple hundred bodies, but this one¡­This seems like the actual dungeon. There are no shortages of directions to go either.


    Not only does it seem like every step we take leads to another battle, but every battle opens us up to two or three more paths to choose from. Chika¡¯s map making really begins to come in handy now, and we quickly learn that even though very few paths lead to a dead end many end up leading to the same place, and we have retraced our steps quite a few times.


    Every time we enter an area we have already passed though however there is a new batch of monsters waiting on us and even though there is proof we have been in that area before, there is no indication of the monsters we left behind. That means the dungeon is starting to clean up after itself as well.


    We have also started to find chests and other items at some points. They are not endlessly spawning like Inari found in the other corrupt dungeon, but some of the items are worth hanging onto. The further we go along in this mausoleum the more it looks like a normal dungeon.


    The one thing that reminds us that it is a corrupt dungeon is the Oni Generals attacks. No longer do they seem to hit us from a single direction but instead try to surround us from every direction, but at this point they are barely a nuisance.


    All of the combat we have to experience soon leads to me receiving a message.


    Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen] has reached level 50 and acquired the [Archjusticar¡¯s Retribution] special skill.


    ¡°Hold on a second.¡± ¨CI say after I receive the message. After reading it I check out what exactly this skill does.-


    Archjusticar¡¯s Retribution (Rank 1): A special skill granted to the Archjusticar that grants the ability to bind, unbind, or change ownership of any monster held by another dungeon at the cost of 50% max mp. Sentient monsters can be unbound, but cannot be bound or have their ownership changed without approval of the sentient monster.


    * This skill is only available as long as the holder of the skill remains the Archjusticar. Usage of this skill may directly affect the [Archjusticar] skill. Using this skill to improve the integrity of [Menu] may result in bonus justicar points or an increase in the [Archjusticar] skill¡¯s rank. Using this skill to decrease the integrity of [Menu] may result in a reduction of the [Archjusticar] skill¡¯s rank.


    I don¡¯t know if I could use that skill on some of the monsters of this corrupt dungeon, but I could see how it could be extremely helpful, but if you are dealing with a sentient monster or the dungeon core themselves I don¡¯t see it being much use.


    I should be able to use it to bind monsters to my dungeon with an mp cost instead of an xp one, so that may be helpful as well. I am by no means disappointed in the skill, but I do kind of wish it was a bit more combat oriented like Inari¡¯s was.


    Inari: ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, I just reached level 50.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That is wonderful! What kind of skill did you get?¡± ¨CShe says excitedly, but hesitates for a second before saying. - ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that was rude for me to ask.¡±


    ¡°You told me about your skill, and I don¡¯t really mind.¡±


    I then read off the description of the skill to her. She seems to come to the same conclusion regarding the corrupt dungeon as I have as she says. ¡°You want to try it out against one of these undead monsters? If we can start using the dungeons own monsters against it, we might just be able to wrap things up here pretty quickly.¡±


    ¡°I would like to try it, but I use less magic killing one of them then I would from taking it over, and I don¡¯t know if I could expend that much mp very often.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I guess you are right, mine costs the same, but with my sword and the increased regain rate I barely notice, but even if you rested between the fights after three or four uses of it, your magic regain would be wiped out¡­¡±


    ¡°Even at those kinds of numbers though, as long as they don¡¯t die, in three days we could double our numbers. That would make these battles a lot easier.¡±


    Inari: ¡°If it works.¡±


    ¡°If¡­¡±


    During our next battle I test out my new skill by calling out ¡°[Archjusticar¡¯s Retribution]!¡± and the lich-like undead I was targeting quickly stops his attack. The drain of 50% of my magic in one fell swoop hits me harder than I expected and I feel a bit weak in the knees.


    After a brief moment of hesitation the lich-like undead begins attacking again, but this time he is targeting the remaining undead we were fighting. We manage to take out the rest of the undead but my new monster is falling to pieces.


    The only healing spell I have for undead is the one I learned to help Vetala, but it is so low tier it does practically nothing to this lich-like monster.


    ¡°Anything else and we could have healed it¡­ If we can¡¯t heal them between battles I don¡¯t know if they are going to help us out in the end.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well we won¡¯t be able to use them to take the brunt of the damage, but we could use them as a sacrificial shield, or just stack up damage to the enemies. Besides it¡¯s a pretty high level undead, are you sure it doesn¡¯t have a way to heal itself?¡±


    ¡°Not that I can tell, since it isn¡¯t sentient there isn¡¯t much to its status page.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright, we will wait for you to build up your magic a bit before continuing on, and maybe by then its natural recovery will heal it up a bit. You might try one of those wraith-like things we have been fighting next. It seems to at least have some kind of vampiric ability. If nothing else it could drain one of us between battles and then we heal ourselves.¡±


    My magic hasn¡¯t completely recovered before we move on so when I use the skill again it even makes me feel sick to my stomach. The lich-like monster doesn¡¯t make it through that battle but wraith monster I took possession of has taken very little damage.


    We decide to hold off on using the skill again for the next few battles, even after the wraith falls in battle as well. By the time I use it a third time I become so drained that after the battle Inari quickly says. ¡°Well this looks like a good place to get some rest. Why don¡¯t you let us handle the first watch and get some sleep.¡±


    I want to argue with her, but to be honest I am too tired too. Instead I only let out a grunt and find a place to lay down while probably looking like an undead myself.

 The Marble Coffin

    I am awoken by the gentle and seductive touch of my boss monster as she says. ¡°Mother, it is almost time for your meeting.¡±


    ¡°How many times have I told you not to call me that? Especially with your condition.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°You will always be Mother to me.¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve¡¯s child seems to be no different than a human child. She doesn¡¯t seem to be born with any knowledge like a typical dungeon core, so our child is going to be confused enough as it is without you making things more difficult.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°There will be no reason for her to be confused, this will all be normal to her.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact I have asked you to quit calling me Mother.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°You will soon be late to your meeting, and we both know how impatient Dyson can get.¡±


    ¡°This conversation isn¡¯t over.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°As you say, Mother.¡± ¨CShe says presenting me with a ring.-


    After putting on the ring my body shrinks and Elexia dresses me in the simple dress. I transfer down to the portal room and use one to reach a small village in the middle of nowhere. I proceed to the tavern where I find Dyson in his own disguise.


    Dyson: ¡°I have far more important things to do then wait on you all day.¡±


    ¡°You mean like entertaining that succubus of yours?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are hardly one to talk.¡±


    ¡°We are in need of new dungeon cores, so I made one, that is all there is to it. Now is there a reason you wished to meet, or are you the one wasting my time?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Have you heard of the developments with Two-Twelve¡¯s little group?¡±


    ¡°He has returned?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not exactly. I still haven¡¯t found out where he disappeared to, but he seems to have not only made Ceres into a Justicar, but also put her in charge of his group while he is away.¡±


    ¡°Then his disappearance was planned?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He at least knew enough about it before hand to prepare and not only that but Ceres now as the ability to communicate the same way he did.¡±


    ¡°Just what is it they are planning¡­?¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    It has been a few days since I acquired my special skill, and I am starting to get used to the toll it takes when it drains me of half of my magic. We decided to hold the monsters I took possession of, out of harm¡¯s way, until we build up quite a few of them.


    So far I have two of the lich-like undead, two of the wraith-like undead, a hulking bone golem, and a particularly strong necromancer specter, which has a spell to heal the other undead monsters. However for some reason after taking possession of the monsters they seem weaker.


    I don¡¯t know the reason for it, but we can only assume that it is because the corrupt dungeon is doing something to the monsters bound to it. Since I seriously doubt we will encounter any sentient monsters here, we probably will never know for sure.


    We can¡¯t be sure how much of this dungeon is left, but Zoey and Azami are the only ones between Inari and my groups to have not reached level 50 yet. With the addition of all those special skills we have been making quite a bit more progress.


    Takeshi acquired the [Unyielding Barrier] special skill that I have seen several times now, but now I have learned how it works. For half of Takeshi¡¯s magic he forms a magic barrier that allows him to absorb damage. The barrier has an hp equal to the magic expelled, so it functions like adding 50% of his magic worth in extra hp.


    He can only use the skill once per day, but the barrier lasts until it is completely depleted. He has managed to complete a day without completely losing the barrier, but when he used it the next day it didn¡¯t add more hp on top of it, but reset it, so now he just drags the barrier out till it breaks before reusing the skill.


    When I have seen others use it only lasted for a few seconds, so I don¡¯t know if theirs functioned differently or it just goes to show much damage was dealt to them at that point in which they used it.


    Between everyone¡¯s different special skills there has been one reoccurring theme, and that it they almost all take 50% of the users max magic to use the skill. That would explain why Listel could only use her [Dark Arcana Blade] once every so often, but I don¡¯t see how others like Hecate were able to use their special skills one after another¡­


    Satoshi received a skill that boosts his abilities like Inari¡¯s does, but it doesn¡¯t change his appearance and I don¡¯t think it is quite as strong. Its duration can last for the entire battle so it balances itself off I guess.


    Saki received a skill that is similar to the sun like skill that Rosalinda used, except Saki¡¯s is nowhere near as strong and it deals light-type damage. It doesn¡¯t affect us, but she has to be careful when she uses it because the undead I have taken possession of take damage just being near it.


    Chika¡¯s skill surrounds enemies in spears of light that pierce their targets all at once, I don¡¯t know if they do actual light-type damage though because it doesn¡¯t seem nearly as effective as Saki¡¯s skill. It can be used to wipe out an entire group of Oni Generals in one go though, so maybe it is just meant to attack larger groups.


    Hotaru¡¯s skill is the only one that doesn¡¯t cost 50% of her magic, but allows her to store 50% of her magic worth of spells like you would in magic stones. The only difference is she doesn¡¯t have to carry around the stones and she can release them at will, even all at once if she wanted.


    Inari¡¯s skill boosts her abilities evenly, and her change in appearance is fluid. Satoshi¡¯s appearance doesn¡¯t change but his abilities are boosted evenly as well. Rin¡¯s skill however¡­Her appearance changes almost like a werewolf transformation with the boost to her abilities all being towards her strength, agility, and endurance. There isn¡¯t duration to how long she can hold that form, but the longer she holds it the more strain it seems to put on her mind and body.


    Akihiro is sort of a jack-of-all-trades kind of person, and his skill isn¡¯t any different. Depending on what type of weapon he is currently using, or role he is filling in the group causes his skill to have different effects.


    A defensive role makes Akihiro¡¯s skill work similarly to [Unyielding Barrier] only weaker, but if he is fighting offensively, depending on the type of weapon he is currently using, it could be a series of smaller technique like attacks, or a single massive blow. Either way it seems way more versatile then the other¡¯s special skills, but not near as powerful.


    As for my own monsters, Poppy also receives the [Unyielding Barrier] skill, and Lynx received the [Empowering Spirit] skill that works just like Satoshi¡¯s skill. Satoshi¡¯s skill is in the Shima language, but I am told that translated it is comparable to [Empowering Spirit] so they could be the same skill as well.


    All of Inari¡¯s monsters have skills in the Shima language except Takeshi and Inari herself, but that could just be due to the fact they were both born in my dungeon. That leaves me to wonder though, because Takeshi was born with the knowledge as if he was summoned in Shima, and he is Inari¡¯s monster now, so why was his not at least the Shima version of [Unyielding Barrier]?


    I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter. I have been able to take several Shima versions of normal skills that I already knew, so it would be nice to learn both versions of the special skills. These special skills however don¡¯t work quite the same way.


    I wasn¡¯t able to learn Mariam¡¯s special skill after I killed him, so I don¡¯t even know if I will be able to copy [Unyielding Barrier] from Poppy or [Empowering Spirit] from Lynx after returning home either.


    After a few more days in this seemingly endless mausoleum Zoey finally reaches level 50. Azami and her are very close in xp, but due to Azami¡¯s studying to learn to craft mythril she took a few less trips to train in Shima then Zoey did, but at this pace it won¡¯t be but a day or two more before she reaches level 50 as well.


    As for Zoey¡¯s special skill, she acquired a skill called [Bombardment] that rains down magical arrows, which explode on impact, over a wide enough area that she has yet to spread it out to its max. There does seem to create the same amount of the arrows regardless of its size, so the smaller the area the more damage it does within it.


    My own special skill has allowed our group to gather quite a few undead, and things are starting to get progressively easier, until we come to an area that is much different than any we have come to so far. The area opens up into a large open area with decorative pillars and stairs.


    The mausoleum has been lined with small tombs and coffins, but all we investigated either housed undead monsters, items, or nothing at all. This room however looks like a single massive tomb, but it resembles more of a throne room, with a few coffins to the sides but a massive marble coffin at the head of the room.


    Chika: ¡°Is this it?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t see a crystal.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t in that coffin up there, but don¡¯t let your guard down. If we are getting close then it will surely be well guarded.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    We precede though the room with caution, but it isn¡¯t long before all the coffins except the large marble one burst open revealing quite a few different types of undead. We have encountered all these types of undead already, but these ones seem to be quite stronger each wearing its own unique armor and weapons.


    Inari holds off using her special skill till we find out just what we are getting into, while I send in the undead monsters at my disposal. Even though some of the undead look to be the same types, the enemy undead destroy mine in almost an instant.


    I hate to use it right off the bat, but if the other undead were so powerless against them, then this is going to be a tough fight, so I use my own special skill targeting the toughest, or at least best equipped undead.


    While I do that everyone else moves forward. We then quickly use spells to form walls to separate the undead, but they are even worse than the scorpion monstrosities, breaking the walls instantly. After smashing the walls two of the enemy undead quickly targets the one I took possession of, so I don¡¯t know how long it will be able to hold out against them.


    There were six of them to start with, so that still leaves three to deal with, so hopefully it can hold out at least until we can cut down their numbers even further. Takeshi quickly jumps forward to parry a blow from the undead.


    As their weapons collide you can quickly tell Takeshi is at a disadvantage and he has to give his all to not be instantly crushed by the undead. Within seconds he quickly calls out [Unyielding Barrier]. He still had half of his barrier left from the earlier fights, so to use the skill that quickly after this battle started is not a good sign.


    I quickly begin casting spells targeted at the undead while trying to use my shield to aid the others, but the first time I try to block a blow with it, I can do nothing to hold the shield¡¯s position as it slams into Poppy.


    It prevented the blade of the weapon from the undead to hit her but the force of the impact from my shield alone is enough to knock her some twenty feet back and to the ground. It doesn¡¯t keep her down though because she instantly jumps back to her feet rushing to rejoin the ranks.


    Saki quickly uses her own special skill after calling out the command she replaces the head of one of the undead monsters with a large ball of burning light. That tactic as dealt with every type of undead we have encountered so far, but even though you can¡¯t see the monsters head anymore it still doesn¡¯t relent on its attacks.


    One after another the commands of the special skills are being called out, and yet we have still been unable to drop a single one of the Madam Erin sized undead warriors. Magic is then quickly preserved for the use of healing, while we try to use regular attacks to hold off and bring them down.


    Shards of light keep breaking off of Saki¡¯s burning ball of light piercing the undead, until it gets small enough that the undead¡¯s head reveals itself again. Unlike Vetala these monsters cannot be mistaken for anything other than undead, but as far as undead go their flesh is in rather good shape. When Saki¡¯s special skill dissipates over the undead¡¯s head the only thing that remains is a bloody skull.


    At first I thought the skill stripped away the flesh, but after a few seconds I realize the skull isn¡¯t bloody at all, but is instead made from that reddish Shima metal that Inari¡¯s entire group uses. Missing the flesh from its metallic head doesn¡¯t seem to bother any as it never skips a beat on its attacks.


    Separated into multiple groups is making things look pretty grim. We still haven¡¯t suffered any major damage, but we have all used our special skills, so we are already way under halfway in our magic, and we still haven¡¯t killed a single one of these things.


    The undead I took possession of is also starting to look to be in bad shape with entire chunks of its flesh removed exposing the metallic skeleton underneath. If those two join this battle we really will be in bad shape.


    Inari seems to understand the predicament we are in because she quickly says. ¡°Satoshi, I don¡¯t care how much magic you have to transfer, but give Daddy whatever he needs to allow him to use his skill again!¡±


    I quickly take Satoshi¡¯s place in the front lines, while he places his hand on my shoulder and I begin to feel refreshed. I have already used quite a few spells after taking possession of the undead, so it is going to take Satoshi quite a while to transfer enough mp, if he even has enough magic to transfer.


    Trying to block a blow with my shield using the shield¡¯s telekinesis is pointless, and I can¡¯t afford to use any magic, so take my sword in one hand and the shield in the other while trying to hold off one of the undead.


    Fighting like this isn¡¯t really my style especially while trying to keep in contact with Satoshi, but removing the flesh from this things skull has seemed to make it more sluggish then the rest of the undead. Either that or we have done a bit more damage to it than we originally thought.


    As Satoshi transfers magic to me we just continue to try to hold of the undead with. There are four of us to each undead, but with that we are barely holding ground, if either of the undead attacking the one I took control of breaks off to attack us, we won¡¯t be able to hold any longer.


    Satoshi seems to be starting to struggle as he continues to transfer me his magic, but I am still a long ways away from recovering half of my magic, so I say. ¡°We have to retreat! Worst case scenario we try to bottle neck them in the doorway, but Satoshi is going to pass out before I recover enough magic!¡±


    We quickly start to back off, but as we start to approach the exit to room a wall forms over the door. The walls formed behind us in the cavern, but never within our view, and since we entered the mausoleum we haven¡¯t been blocked off since, so the sudden closure of our path is a bit startling.


    I quickly hit the sealed off door with my sword, but nothing happens, and the only thing we managed to do was back ourselves against the wall. Things then quickly take a turn for the worse when the undead I took control of collapses to the floor.


    ¡°Inari, you must get to that marble coffin, if the crystal is inside it that is our only chance.¡±


    Inari: ¡°With my help we can barely hold off three, how do you expect to hold of five of them?¡±


    ¡°We will all split up, only those who are not being targeted will attack. The ones that are being targeted will just have to stay on the move!¡±


    Inari nods, and then on my order we all jump, dive, and otherwise run like hell trying to split up the undead. It manages to work quite well, the room is quite large after all, but with the stairs, and condition of the room one misstep could prove deadly.


    One of the undead targets me, another goes after Zoey, the third goes for Chika, the fourth goes for Takeshi, and the last goes for Inari. If she is going to have any chance getting into the marble coffin someone else is going to have to draw the attention of the undead off of her.


    Azami hits the undead chasing me in the back of the head with spell drawing its attention off of me, so I chase after Inari. The undead quickly change targets several times, but no matter how hard I try to pull the undead¡¯s attention off of Inari, it doesn¡¯t seem to want to let her out of its sight.


    Unless someone gets too tired to continue, or makes a mistake we might be able to slowly bring these things down, as I start to do damage to the one that continues to chase after Inari while completely ignoring me.


    One of the others then breaks off from who it was chasing switching its target to me. ¡°Fine if that is the way you want it. Whoever isn¡¯t being chased, get to that marble coffin!¡±


    Takeshi, and Zoey are both free so they both rush towards the coffin but two of the undead chasing Inari and one chasing Poppy break off to guard the coffin itself.


    ¡°Alright everyone regroup, we will go back to plan A!¡±


    We all come back together and start to attack the undead again, but the two guarding the coffin aren¡¯t quick to leave it now. Once we start to stack up the damage against the three we are attacking, the other two leave the coffin to come after us as well. We then scatter again and repeat the process.


    After we do that a few times the undead then just encircle the marble coffin, we take positions at a distance and start hitting them with ranged attacks, that causes them to only leave one of the undead to guard the coffin while the other four attack.


    This is a much tougher fight, but even though we start to lose ground this way Inari breaks off to go after the coffin. She can¡¯t take one of the undead on her own, Takeshi breaks off as well leaving us in really bad shape.


    Between the two of them though they manage to distract the undead long enough to move half the lid off the coffin before the undead stop attacking us and head towards the coffin. Inari and Takeshi then have to retreat while the undead pushes the lid back in place.


    That means we have to start the process all over again, but does give us more information as Inari says. ¡°It¡¯s not the crystal, but there is a tunnel inside of it. It would be a tight fit, but that also means these undead wouldn¡¯t be able to follow us down, and if they do it would have to be one at a time.¡±


    Chika: ¡°That is if the dungeon doesn¡¯t block off the path before we get to it¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it can, or it already would have, but that isn¡¯t even the best news.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What have you found out?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, but we have delayed long enough, [Archjusticar¡¯s Retribution]!¡±


    I target the undead that looks to have taken the least amount of damage, and this changes the battle completely. With only four of the undead they are unable to guard the coffin and attack at the same time, so they just defend the coffin.


    Between the undead I took control of and us stacking up the damage from afar the enemy undead start dropping. When there is only one enemy undead left I leave it to my own undead while we remove the lid of the coffin.


    The sound of the marble lid hitting the ground echoes through the room, the one remaining enemy undead tries to stop us, but at this point he is the one fighting the losing battle. We decide to take out the remaining undead before going down the tunnel, but quickly change our minds after one of the other undead that we already dealt with returns to its feet as its body quickly begins to regenerate.


    ¡°Time to go!¡±


    We quickly start entering the tunnel and before we all make it through all of the undead except the first one I took control of has returned to its feet. I enter the tunnel last and my undead blocks the tunnel entrance. It doesn¡¯t stand a chance against four other undead just like it, but we try to put as much ground between us and the undead as we can.


    This tunnel is more like the cavern then the mausoleum with natural walls, and it is small we have to pass through it single file as it leads us to who knows where. We travel along the tunnel for a while before we realize the undead are not following us, so we decide to stop for a break.


    Zoey: ¡°Hey boss, I just realized. It has been several hours now since our last encounter with the Oni.¡±


    ¡°I have been wondering that myself. I was thankful when they didn¡¯t show up during our fight back there, but now I am starting to wonder what that could mean.¡±


    Inari: ¡°They may have spawned just outside of that room of undead, and when it blocked that door off they could no longer get to us. The Oni in the last corrupt dungeon didn¡¯t spawn at the crystal either, but it wasn¡¯t far off from it.¡±


    Chika: ¡°We could be getting really close then.¡±


    ¡°Even more reason to get some rest before going forward.¡±


    We then take turns catching a few hours of sleep, and for the first time since I have been coming to Shima the entire break goes without a single disturbance.


    ¡°I have grown use to the sound of combat while sleeping, so the silence actually woke me up a few times¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    The communication parchment between me and Belinda is all filled up, but I haven¡¯t stopped writing to Belinda. She wasn¡¯t receiving it anyway, so it was more to keep my mind occupied anyway, so after I finish writing we wake everyone else up and prepare to set out again.


    We travel along this narrow tunnel for hours without even running into a single bug. With the types of bugs that have been in this dungeon though, I guess I will count that as a blessing. The tunnel itself is pretty dark so we are using small [Light] runic magic stones to give us a clear view was is going on, but we then see light flickering up ahead.


    The dungeon knows we are here so I don¡¯t know what good it will do, but we put away the runic magic stones and move forward cautiously as to not alert anything of our presence. As we get closer we can hear the sound of running water.


    When we finally reach the end we find ourselves in a small wooded area, the trees are thick and covered in vines, but light filtering down through them, a small stream flows next to the mouth of the cave and it appears we have found an exit.


    Inari: ¡°All that for an exit¡­?¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be right¡­¡± ¨CI try to use [Blink] but it doesn¡¯t work, and I figure it won¡¯t work either, but I try sending a message to Belinda.- ¡°No, it seems we are still in the dungeon.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s awfully convincing.¡±


    ¡°The question is why¡­ So that we think we are outside and let our guard down? That can¡¯t be it because if we were outside we would expect to be attacked by Oni, so what other purpose could this place hold?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Wait, the vines!¡± ¨CShe quickly casts a few fire spells attacking the vine covered trees.-


    Trees collapse and the sound rings out, but the echoing sound returns to us confirming we are still underground. We wait for a few more minutes but none of the trees or vines make any kinds of movement.


    Inari: ¡°Now what kind of mess have we found ourselves in¡­?¡±

 The Quiet Village

    Spring has come into full swing in the city of Tobes, and it is lined with people. What was not even a decade ago a tiny hunter¡¯s village has blossomed into a city rivaling the Gowen kingdom¡¯s capital itself, and the newest addition to the city, a lavish university has opened its doors for the first time.


    The first classes being held are nothing new to Tobes, more of a relocation of training courses that were already provided, but with new teachers arriving daily the new courses will begin to start taking place within the week.


    A young attractive town girl and a work hardened farm boy walk arm in arm peering through a gate which houses the Gowen kingdom¡¯s princess and her family. They see the beautiful red-headed princess tending to some flowers in the garden with a young squirrel beastkin girl, that is just getting the hang of walking, plays nearby.


    Sitting on a stone bench a few feet away is the house¡¯s maid who is holding a bright-eyed and red-headed infant who is babbling to her mother that is tending to the garden. Seeing a kingdom¡¯s princess acting in such a way without a wall of guards around might be strange to some, but the couple peering through the gate just looks at each other and they nod before continuing on their way down the road.


    New people arrive in Tobes daily, so this young inconspicuous couple making their way through Tobes without turning a single head as they have a look around. They start off with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild inside of city hall.


    Next they hit some of the more prominent places in the city, checking out the stores that have items entirely unique to Tobes. They buy a few of the runic magic stones sold in the stores spending quite a bit more gold then you would expect from a simple town girl or farm boy.


    After the shops they continue to work their way through town until they reach the Mage¡¯s guild, before heading on the pathway out of the city passing the local garrison until they reach the lavish new university, and in doing so they arrive just in time for a class to be breaking up.


    The students pay no mind to the couple, but when the farmer boy sees the class¡¯s teacher his facial expression changes.


    Sofia: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you two before, are you looking to join in on one of my classes? You look pretty green, but I teach a beginner course as well, so if you are interested they handle all that stuff at the administration building.¡±


    Town Girl: ¡°We are new to town, and were just having a look around, but we might go check it out. Thank you.¡±


    The teacher nods, but gives the young farm boy a second look before shaking her head and excusing herself. The farm boy lets out a sigh of relief. ¡°I thought she noticed something for a second there.¡±


    Town girl: ¡°Would it have really mattered if she did?¡±


    Farm boy: ¡°I guess not, but would you like to explain why we are here looking like this?¡±


    The town girl just shrugs her shoulders and they continue on their way. Most of the college is pretty empty, but when they approach the administration building it is packed with people from all ages. The staff seems to be frantically trying to help all the people while a young woman with pink hair approaches the young couple from behind and taps them on the shoulder.


    Ceres: ¡°Can I help you two?¡±


    Town Girl: ¡°We were just having a look around.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Curious, I see, so what are your thoughts?¡±


    Farm boy: ¡°It is definitely¡­ Different.¡±


    Ceres laughs and says. ¡°I could see why you would say that, but when I was presented the opportunity I just felt this was the kind of place I wanted to build.¡±


    Town Girl: ¡°That you built?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well I am the proprietor of this university, and I guess the headmaster, at least until I can find someone for that role. My name is Ceres¡± ¨CShe says shaking hands with the couple.-


    Farm Boy: ¡°You are Ceres¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Town Girl: ¡°Forgive us, we didn¡¯t realize. My name is Letty, and this is Clifton.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Really¡­? Alright then Letty and Clifton, I will let you return to your ¡°sightseeing¡±, and if you need anything do let me know. Our courses are limited right now, but I am sure pretty soon we will have some that even you two might find interesting.¡±


    Ceres then departs from the pair disappearing back into the crowd of people.


    Letty: ¡°I can¡¯t say I am surprised, she seems just like his type.¡±


    Clifton: ¡°He really does have good tastes, it¡¯s just a shame he does nothing but collect them.¡±


    Letty: ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    Clifton: ¡°You heard her. She gave us permission, so let¡¯s take a look around.¡±


    Ceres then ducks out from the crowd and arrives in front of Two-Twelve¡¯s house within minutes. Belinda, Listel, Vetala, and Rory are all still outside enjoying the spring weather. When Belinda sees Ceres she gives her a wave.


    Belinda: ¡°I thought you were going to be busy with your admissions today?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed anyone strange poking around have you? Particularly a young couple.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well, no¡­ Why?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°And you haven¡¯t heard from the Elders?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Only to answer their messages when they started asking where Two-Twelve was at, but that has been quite a while ago, and I just told them what you and Two-Twelve told me to say. Why are you asking¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Madam Erin and Dyson are both wearing one of those rings of Two-Twelve¡¯s and poking around my dungeon while pretending to be someone else.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Without a doubt, so just keep your eyes open, and you might want to tell your girls to be careful.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What do you think they want?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Two-Twelve has been gone for a while now, and after what Two-Twelve had told them about me before, I am sure there is a lot they are curious about.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You don¡¯t think they would do anything, do you?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It depends if they are satisfied after poking around. I don¡¯t think they would try attacking us or anything if that is what you mean, but if they don¡¯t like what they see I am sure there is quite a bit they could do to cause us problems even without attacking.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Ok, I will make sure everyone keeps an eye out¡­ You haven¡¯t heard from Two-Twelve, have you?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I am sure you will hear from him long before I do. He said they would probably be out of communication until they get the situation taken care of, and his dungeon is still thriving, so I doubt you have anything to worry about.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know, but it seems like it has been forever since I last talked to him¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I am sure he is doing his best to get back to the two of you, now I better get back, so I can keep an eye on the Elders to make sure they aren¡¯t going to try something.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know, I just miss him¡­ You be careful, ok?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You keep an eye out as well.¡± ¨CShe says then departs heading back to her dungeon.-


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    After passing though the marble coffin we were sure that we were nearing the end of this corrupt dungeon, but it has been a week since then and we have seen no end in sight. It wasn¡¯t long after passing into the forest area that we were attacked by monsters.


    They are all monsters you would naturally think to see in forest like setting. Even though some of the monsters are ones I am able to summon already their power is on a whole different level. That means when I take control over one with my special skill they grow weak enough that they don¡¯t do us any good.


    Is this the dungeon¡¯s way to counter my special skill? Either way we have not been having too much difficulty because the wooded area meant Azami was able to create more of her spriggans. These ¡°Friends¡± of hers are much different than the last though, because she has reached level 50 and her special skill revolves around them.


    The spriggans have always been a type of forest elemental, but with Azami¡¯s special skill you would be hard pressed to call some of them spriggans anymore as they are more like golems then elementals. She is no longer required to use mud and wood to make them, but any material she likes making some of them from even the flesh and bone of the fallen monsters we have dealt with.


    Her skill has several passive bonuses that increase the abilities of her spriggians regardless of their material, but to get the full effect she has to use the skill itself when she makes them, and at a cost of 50% of her magic that is twice what my magic is even at max, so I can¡¯t say if the cost is really worth it or not.


    Even if the amount of magic it takes her to use it is so high, it doesn¡¯t take any more of a toll on her then when I use mine, because in the end it is just 50% of her magic. Being able to use any material to make her spriggans also comes in handy after we pass through a few of these large forest-like rooms and reach a room filled with shifting sand dunes.


    Pine forests, dry desserts, Icy mountaintops, and even bogs we find while traveling from room after massive room we pass through areas mimicking the outside world.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Each one holding monsters you would think relevant to that biome, and the only types of monsters we haven¡¯t encountered are light based monsters. A shadow crystal would explain all the undead we encountered before, but I have no access to light based monsters either, so we can¡¯t rule out the possibility this corrupt dungeon doesn¡¯t have a favored element either.


    Being that this is a corrupt dungeon I don¡¯t know if I will be able to learn to summon the types of monsters we have defeated here once I return home, but if I am, it will take me days to go through the lists of all the different types of monsters we have encountered. There is even a few of the monsters that I have used my special skill to take possession of just to increase the chance of being able to summon that particular monster after returning home.


    After dealing with a group of lizardmen and snake like demi-humans in a bog like room we pass into a cavern that is similar to the others we have used to pass between the biomes. Inari casts [Clean] on herself cleaning the mud and muck off of her outfit as she says. ¡°This all just seems like a massive waste of time now. The xp we are gathering has practically dropped to nothing, and it is taking us days to pass through these rooms without anything to show for it.¡±


    ¡°This dungeon can¡¯t go on forever¡­ We have to be making progress.¡± ¨CI say trying to convince myself just as much as I am her.-


    Inari: ¡°These corrupt dungeons seem to have no limits, and if it made even just one of these rooms a day, it is possible it could take us over three decades to get though them all, and that is only if it stopped growing the minute we entered. If it continued to grow after that, then we may never reach the end.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like we have another option. It won¡¯t be long before Rory says her first words, and it won¡¯t be long after that she takes her first steps. Things like that are the things I do not want to miss out on, and I promised Belinda we would return, so I don¡¯t care if I have to carry you out of here. We are going to continue to push forward as quickly, but safely as possible.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Daddy, you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°But you are right as well. Maybe I am just trying to convince myself that we are getting close, so I am sorry for taking it out on you¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯ll make a deal with you. You did all this for me when you didn¡¯t have to, so I promise I will get you out of here before Rory says her first words!¡±


    ¡°Well then we better get a move on.¡±


    It has now been months since we first stepped foot in this dungeon, and I am starting to wonder if there really is an end to it. We passed though the caverns and thought we were nearing the end when we encountered the mausoleum, but then we found the forest.


    We thought the forest then might be the end then we found the desert. We didn¡¯t get our hopes up after that passing through all the different types of climates, but then we encountered a large castle like building that Inari said was similar to the one at the end of the last corrupt dungeon.


    We were sure that had to be the end, as well, but after spending several weeks to reach the deepest part of the castle all we found was another tunnel leading us deeper and deeper underground. I can¡¯t use [Communication] but I still can see my own location in the [Archjusticar Menu].


    I haven¡¯t bothered with it up to now, because it doesn¡¯t do us much good from inside the dungeon, but I am curious just how far we have gone so I open it up. I see we have covered an enormous amount of ground, and I would not be surprised to find out this dungeon spans the entire Shima Island.


    We are not as deep as I thought we were either, it feels like the entire time we have been here we are going deeper and deeper underground, but according to my [Archjusticar Menu] we are only a few hundred feet below the surface.


    That only makes us feel that much worse though, because we know safety is only a couple hundred feet away, just impossible to get to from here. We had lost hope of finding and exit, thinking we would have to just destroy the crystal to get out of here, but if the surface really is that close then maybe there is some hope in finding an exit.


    After the castle we enter a series of caverns that we spend a week in fighting off undead monsters yet again. There are still no more signs of the monstrosities though and we have gained a few levels, so with the addition of Azami¡¯s ¡°friends¡±, we manage to deal with the undead pretty easily up until we find a large underground village.


    The village isn¡¯t exactly ruined, but it isn¡¯t pristine either. It looks like a village that has been here a long time, but it looks like it could have been full of residents even up to just a few hours ago¡­ Has someone been living down here, or is the dungeon just messing with us?


    ¡°What do you make of this?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­The way this place is set up, I mean it is no different than the way I have my village set up, but for some reason this place unnerves me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think the dungeon had humans down here do you?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t know what else the village would be for, but this village isn¡¯t large enough to give any notable amount of xp. Besides I don¡¯t think the corrupt dungeons have to worry about stuff like that, so I don¡¯t see why it would keep humans around at all, and if for some reason it was keeping humans here¡­ Where are they now?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°They can¡¯t have been gone long. The food is still fresh.¡± ¨CShe says while walking up and chewing on something.-


    ¡°What are you doing?! You don¡¯t even know what that is!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°It smelled good enough.¡±


    ¡°It could be poison.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I said I gave it a good sniff!¡±


    Inari: ¡°This could be some kind of monster or even Oni village and that could be human meat.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°If it is, you need to learn how they cook it, and we can start putting the humans that fall in boss¡¯s dungeon to good use!¡±


    ¡°That is disgusting Zoey¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m kidding boss¡­ Mostly.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of Zoey¡¯s questionable habits, she may have a point. If the food is fresh that proves two things. One whoever was living here had to eat meaning they were not part of the dungeon, and two they were here not that long ago.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Maybe we should try to find them. They could know a way out of here.¡±


    ¡°Or they could attack us on sight. I don¡¯t think it is a coincidence that they just happened to disappear as we arrived here.¡±


    Inari: ¡°If they are humans what will happen to them when we destroy the crystal? These corrupt dungeons collapse differently than a normal dungeon, but who is to say the village would survive?¡±


    ¡°It may be a bit of a risk, but I think we should try to find them. Like you said they may be able to show us a way out of here, or they could be prisoners that need help.¡±


    We spend some time searching the village to make sure nobody is still around while trying to prove that whatever was living here was in fact human or but, and if so where they went.  We don¡¯t find any humans, but we do find the source of Zoey¡¯s mystery meat, when we find a small livestock paddock.


    Inside the paddock there are quite a few giant beetle looking creatures, and by the tools in the nearby barn it is clear that one of these creatures was the source of Zoey¡¯s snack¡­


    Chika: ¡°I bet you are regretting eating that now?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Why? Meat is meat, but I am actually quite surprised, I thought eating a bug would be a bit more chewy.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You never cease to surprise me aunt Zoey¡­¡±


    ¡°We have covered the entire village now, and I have seen no signs to show which way the villagers went.¡±


    Inari: ¡°And there isn¡¯t any lack of options either, I counted no less than twenty tunnels leading out of the village, and they all look to have been frequently used by the residents.¡±


    ¡°Zoey, you can use that nose of yours to sniff out food, what about sniffing out which one of these trails is the most recent?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°What are you talking about boss, you have the same tracking skills that I do?¡±


    ¡°All of them except that nose of yours.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Roxy is the one with that skill.¡±


    ¡°Skill or not, you are the one that finds food where ever you go.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That¡¯s different!¡±


    Inari: ¡°You know, if they left the village to go into hiding, I am sure they took food with them, maybe you could find them by finding it?¡± ¨CShe says jokingly.-


    Zoey: ¡°Now you guys are just picking on me¡­¡±


    I let out a sigh and say. ¡°In all seriousness though, I don¡¯t know which direction they went. Either some went down every path, or the dungeon is just making it seem like they split up. I think our best bet is to just choose a path and go down it. If we find the villagers, we find them, if not, there isn¡¯t much we can do about it.¡±


    Everyone else then agrees and we choose a tunnel and head out. For the next few days no matter what winding tunnel we pass through we always seem to wind up back at the village. The monsters we encounter in the tunnels are very weak, some try to avoid us all together, and among them are more of those beetle like creatures the villagers were raising as livestock.


    Each pass on the village we make seems like the time in which since the villagers have been here is getting longer and longer, so it appears they haven¡¯t returned since our arrival the first time.


    We don¡¯t know if that means they abandoned the village completely, or even worse if the dungeon did away with them because we were getting close. There doesn¡¯t look to have been any kind of struggle though, so hopefully they are just hiding somewhere.


    We still have plenty more tunnels to check however so we keep going. This time after a short distance from the village the tunnel makes a sharp turn straight down. It is by far no short distance, but the base of the tunnel is still within view.


    The villagers seemed to frequent this tunnel as well, as there is a ladder fastened at the top leading all the way to the base of the hole. The latter is not the best of quality, but it looks sturdy enough to hold us just fine so we start making our way down the hole.


    Once we all reach the bottom of the hole we then set out along another tunnel stretching out before us. After an hour or so along this path we start to see signs that the villagers might have come this way, because there are some discarded items along the side of the tunnel.


    ¡°It seems after leaving the village and making their way down the ladder a few items the villagers brought along with them just became to troublesome and were then discarded.¡±


    Inari: ¡°If you are leaving your home you are going to take as much as you can with you, but you are going to start discarding personal items until only the items required for your survival remain. At least that was how it worked for the humans that lost their village and took up residence in my dungeon.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Personal items might give us a better understanding of who or what these villagers are, so maybe we should go through it, to see if we can figure anything out.¡±


    Chika: ¡°There are a lot of tools left behind here. You can always make more especially when most of them are made from parts from those beetle like creatures we seen back at the village. That is unless you are starting over, and then you would want to take at least one set of good tools until you can make more, so seeing all these here, I would say they don¡¯t plan on returning to the village at all.¡±


    ¡°But why was our arrival enough to completely abandon their village? I guess it could have been something else that drove them from the village, but I find it hard to believe it was just a coincidence whatever it was that drove them out, showed up only hours before our own arrival.¡±


    Akihiro: ¡°One type of tool I don¡¯t see here is any kind of weapon, and I didn¡¯t see any weapons back in the village either.¡±


    ¡°They are traveling in a dungeon, so it stands to reason they would load up with weapons and armor before setting off into it.¡±


    Akihiro: ¡°Here in lies the problem. In most villages not everyone has a weapon, even in Shima where the Oni threat is constant there are still villagers that don¡¯t have their own weapon, but in a situation like traveling through a dungeon with the village as a whole you would want everyone to be at least to somewhat defend themselves. Many of these tools could have been used as makeshift weapons and yet they still left them behind.¡±


    Chika: ¡°It could be like the people from Exeter, who are practically born with a weapon in their hand, where combat training is more common than reading or writing.¡±


    Akihiro: ¡°Exactly, but if that was the case we would have found at least old weapons or training implements back in the village, and yet there were none. If I had to guess I would say these villagers don¡¯t have any weapons at all¡­ They set off into the dungeon completely unarmed, and even with tools that could be turned into makeshift weapons they discarded them, so that makes me think they set off into the dungeon without a doubt in their minds that they were safe.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That would mean the dungeon has been taking care of them this entire time. I could see it, it if was a normal dungeon, I mean look at my dungeon, but one of these corrupt ones? They have done nothing in the last 30 years except try to wipe out the humans of Shima.¡±


    Saki: ¡°Well that is not entirely true¡­ They have tried to destroy dungeon cores, but humans? Until we came along and where causing massive drops in the Oni population throughout Shima, they only attacked humans that were in their way. Some of the villages had simple bramble barriers and it was enough to keep the Oni out of the village.¡±


    ¡°Well it does us no good to try to guess about what is going on. If this is the path they took, then they may have a few days on us, but we might be able to catch up to them, and then we can find out for sure what is going on.¡±


    Finding nothing else out from the discarded items we then continue along the tunnel. We travel along the tunnel for two days, finding small remains of proof the villagers went this way with makeshift campsites or discarded items. An entire village moving as one must be slower then what we can do, so we must be gaining on them.


    Then again, they are probably not being slowed down by monsters that seemingly attack us from nowhere. They are not exactly tough monsters, but it may be enough for the villagers to get further ahead us.


    All the items the villagers have left behind still give us no indication if they really are humans or not, that is until we come across a makeshift campsite that has something that was left behind that we didn¡¯t expect.


    A circle is drawn on the ground with several strange symbols around it made by the cinders of the nearby campfire, but at the center of the circle is a humanoid figure wrapped tightly in the skin of one of the types of monsters we have had to deal with.


    The wrapped body appears to be female, and as we unwrap the head we are met with quite a shock¡­

 Down the Well

    ¡°Ready!? 3¡­2¡­1¡­ Begin!¡±


    War breaks out on three small floating islands above the clouds. A small castle with large walls drops its drawbridge, bridging the gap between islands as hordes of water-type pour across it. On the other side of the central island hordes of fire-type monsters cross fallen pillars and a single rickety bridge that joins the islands together.


    The small cave nestled between a quaint village made from buildings that have been restored from ruins, starts spewing forth its own horde of vicious wind-type monsters. The three groups of monsters barrel across the central island until they crashing into one another like waves in the open meadow.


    Gusts of wind, balls of fire, and icy blasts fill the battle field as the monsters able to cast magic let loose their destructive wrath. Other monsters attempt to bite, claw, or peck their way to the top as they clash in melee combat.


    The battle is full of carnage, but very few of the monsters actually fall, most of them retreat once they become weak enough that they cannot continue, and no attempts are made by the rival monsters to attack the fleeing easy targets.


    After a period of time the water like monsters from the small castle seem to hold the advantage as they begin to gain ground. At the edge of the small village quite a few onlookers have come to watch the battle.


    Among them there is a teenaged girl with fiery red hair, a tall young woman who¡¯s only rival in height is the third woman of the group, a large bird with brilliant blue feathers. The two human women look to each other with a smirk and a nod.


    The remaining fire and wind creatures on the battlefield then regroup facing off against the larger water like monsters. The large bird woman¡¯s tongue clicks in her beak, but she doesn¡¯t seem the least bit worried, as were it not for her beak the others would notice she would be smirking as well.


    The regrouped fire and wind monsters seem to be gaining an advantage, as they start pushing back the water creatures. The battle is still pretty evenly matched but the water monsters quickly begin to fall back towards the castle.


    This pleases the human women as they watch the fiery and wind monsters pushing the water monsters all the way back to the castle. Their elation is however short lived, because before they make it to the drawbridge a horn rings out from the other side of the island as a blue spark shoots into the air over the island with the small ruins.


    Dawn: ¡°But how?!¡±


    As the fire monsters start to retreat leaving the wind monsters to fend for themselves ,Twilight then says. ¡°You should know not to put all your eggs in one basket.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Don¡¯t think this is over, you still have me to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Twilight says as another horn blows and a blue spark shoots out from the cave on the central island.


    Maeve then curses as the wind monsters retreat from the castle as well. She then says ¡°Fine, you win, again. We need an earth sister, because you have an advantage over Dawn, Dawn has an advantage over me, and yet you don¡¯t have a weakness.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°That¡¯s not my fault. You are the one that came up with this idea.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°It just isn¡¯t fair, Twilight! You have won five in a row now, so for the next one we are going to have to give you a handicap!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Element had nothing to do with you both leaving your fake crystals completely unguarded. I thought at least Maeve would have known better, but I guess not.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I have to admit I wasn¡¯t expecting a sneak attack, but I won¡¯t be making that mistake again.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°After four consecutive losses I figured you would try something, so I decided to send a small group to each of your dungeons as a backup plan, and it seemed to pay off. Just because we don¡¯t have to worry about adventurers up here doesn¡¯t mean you can slack off.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I will get you next week, now how many monsters did everyone lose? I lost 7.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°10¡­¡±


    Twilight: ¡°You need to be more careful! Losing that many monsters during these mock battles is costing you more xp then it is worth!¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really thought we had you this time, so I was pushing them to their limits.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°If you keep making mistakes like that we are going to quit covering for you. Now, let¡¯s see 10 and 7, so¡­¡± ¨CShe says while accessing her [Menu]. Soon several of the water monsters that retreated to the castle leave separating between the central island and the island with the ruins.- ¡°That should do it for my end.¡±


    The other two then access their own [Menu]. Maeve sends about the same amount of monsters to Dawn¡¯s dungeon, but they both send a massive amount of monsters to Twilight¡¯s.


    Maeve: ¡°I agree that it was our own fault we lost, but if you keep winning like this we might have to do something different or you will gain enough xp that we won¡¯t be able to beat you.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°I have been spending all the extra xp on the castle itself, so it isn¡¯t like it is putting me at an advantage during the battle.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I think it is about time for me to summon a boss monster, Twilight and I should each have 3 we could summon, so even if this one doesn¡¯t turn out we will know for sure. Nothing else it should be able to help in the mock battles.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°You already lose more monsters than anyone else in these battles, so are you sure you want to risk losing a boss monster too?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I have to do something to offset the advantage you have over me¡­¡±


    Twilight: ¡°I¡¯ll make a deal, I will start using higher quantities of the non-elemental monsters during the battle, but since I get a discount on the water monsters I would like to raise the max amount of xp I can use to make up the difference.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°How about this we each get a max of 1000xp for elemental monsters, and 2000xp for non-elemental monsters.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°I can deal with that.¡±


    The sisters then continue to bond while talking about their plans, and such enjoying their day.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    After unwrapping the head of the dead woman we found that the villagers living inside one of the corrupt dungeons, we were met with quite a shock. The corpse is that of an Oni, but among all the ones I have ever seen in Shima I have never seen a female before.


    Inari: ¡°This is definitely a first. Not only is she a female, but her age, I have never seen one this old either.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°It looks as though she might have died of natural causes as well, I was worried if a body showing up meant the dungeon was no longer protecting them, but it might have just been the traveling that was just too much on her.¡±


    ¡°I think it is fair to assume that if she is an Oni the rest of the villagers are as well.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Where does that leave us? By the actions they have taken, they are obviously sentient, and with their requirements of food they can¡¯t be bound to the dungeon, so the question is what do we do when we find them?¡±


    ¡°The Oni are only a problem because they attack, now others might not be so understanding, but we all know better, so as long as they don¡¯t attack it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But if they are not humans would they even be willing to help us?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t know until we run into them. It doesn¡¯t look like we have any other options at the moment though.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I understand¡­ What should we do with this one? It looks like they did some kind of ritual, but we know what can happen when a body is left behind in this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen any of those monstrosities in a long time, but if we want to get help from the village, disturbing their dead loved ones is far from the message we want to send.¡± ¨CI say while rewrapping the woman¡¯s head trying to take care in putting it back the way it was.-


    We then set back out making our way down the tunnels. It takes us another day and a half, but we start to hear sounds that may be the villagers ahead, but we are soon swamped by a huge group of monsters. They are not particularly tough monsters, but the sheer number of them is going to slow us down.


    With the amount of resistance we have been facing it is now clear more than ever that the dungeon does not want us to catch up to the villagers. It has heard our conversations so it would know we don¡¯t mean them any harm.


    Maybe that is just it. The dungeon is keeping us away from the villagers because the dungeon thinks that the villagers might help us. If that is the case we really need to find them.


    The battle continues and we finally manage to deal with the groups of monsters, but by that time the sounds of the villagers up ahead have disappeared, and we are met with a wall. Met with a dead end we have no choice but to turn back, but it isn¡¯t long until that path dead ends as well. That would leave us closed off, but a path has opened to the side that wasn¡¯t there before.


    ¡°At this point I don¡¯t think the dungeon is even trying to kill us anymore, just delay us as much as possible. If it wants to keep us away from the Oni villagers, then why doesn¡¯t it just lead us to an exit? If it did that it wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the villagers¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Maybe it isn¡¯t even the village that it is worried about. Maybe it is just enjoys tormenting us.¡±


    ¡°Well there is nothing for us to do except go down the path it has given us, so standing around talking about it isn¡¯t going to get us anywhere.¡±


    We then set out yet again. This path seems to be making us back track, and sure enough after a few days we arrive back at the abandoned village.


    ¡°Why here again¡­? If anything it should have allowed the villagers to come back and sent us moving in circles, and yet it sent us here again instead.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Instead of just taking another path, maybe we should give the village another once over.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like we have a better plan.¡±


    We then start searching through the village again, I don¡¯t know exactly what we are looking for, but just something that would be the cause for the dungeon to keep leading us back here. We decide to split up to try to cover more ground faster, but we still don¡¯t manage to find anything.


    When we regroup Inari has a look on her face like she is trying to piece something together, so I ask her. ¡°Did you figure something out?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ There is running water that flows almost directly through the center of the village, and yet there is still a well. You would only dig a well to get a closer source of water, but it practically stands on the bank of the stream. They also wouldn¡¯t be able to dig a well in the dungeon, so why is it there?¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well my actual dungeon is hidden in the well back at my place, so I was just thinking¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t hurt to check it out.¡±


    We then investigate the well. There is water in the well, but it is deep, deep enough that it would be far easier to draw water from the stream then the well. Saki is pretty small, but she is no elf, and besides Azami has her ¡°friends¡± to help her in cause something happens so we send her down the well on the end of a rope.


    Azami reaches the water, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything down the well. She then dives under the water and after an extended amount of time in which I begin to worry she pops back up pulling on the rope to indicate to us to pull her back up.


    Once she makes it out of the well she says. ¡°Inari was right, there is something down there.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What do you mean something?¡±


    Azami: ¡°Just under the surface there is a path, after 30 or 40 feet under the water the path opens up leading to an air pocket. I didn¡¯t stick around, but I heard a lot of movement going on before I returned.¡±


    ¡°Does that path open up enough for all of us to enter?¡±


    Azami: ¡°As much as any of the other tunnels.¡±


    ¡°Well we should check it out then.¡±


    We tie the rope off and one by one start making our way down the well. It¡¯s a pretty tight squeeze for us, but especially for Lynx, but all eventually make it as we poke our heads above the water. The [Light] runic magic stones we are holding light up the water, but the tunnel leading from the water is pitch black. Like Azami said however there is the sound of movement, and lots of it.


    As soon as we start to exit the water we are swiftly attacked by several hulking monstrosities. It has been quite a while since we encountered any of these things, and we have come a long way since then, but the sheer number of them makes for a difficult fight.


    To cut down on the numbers I try to use my special skill, but doesn¡¯t work on these things. For all the times I have used it this is the first time it has failed, but with the appearance of these monstrosities, I can¡¯t say that I am disappointed.


    The toughest monstrosities we faced before were the scorpions, but now it isn¡¯t only insects the monstrosities are mimicking, but other creatures as well. Some of them we can¡¯t even be entirely sure what they are trying to mimic.


    They seemingly attack us one after another, but at least that means it isn¡¯t all at once. We don¡¯t have time to rest in between them, but every time we defeat one the time in which it takes for another to appear is getting longer and longer.


    Inari¡¯s sword allows her to gather magic so she has been able to use her special skill several times, but only a few of the others like Takeshi have used theirs. Mine doesn¡¯t seem to work against these things so I just focus on saving my magic for healing.


    Inari: ¡°We are not getting anywhere this way! We seem to be making a dent in them, but just how long are we going to be able to hold out like this?¡±


    Chika: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Mistress, we are doing fine!¡±


    ¡°We are, but if we continue that way depends on just how many of these things we run into. We need to find a way to hold them off for a while, but they go right through our walls.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I got an idea!¡± ¨CShe says while casting a [Stone Wall]-


    Her stone wall doesn¡¯t block off the monstrosities, but instead shoves the corpses of the dead ones around. She keeps casting the spell until she starts piling the corpses up using them to block the path. I now see what she is doing so I start using [Stone Pillar] and [Stone Wall] to block off the path with the corpses of the dead monstrosities.


    That doesn¡¯t stop them from coming through the gaps, but that just slowly leaves us with more bodies to fill in the gaps. I start to run low on magic but the monstrosities that squeeze through the corpses now are becoming easier targets and filling the gaps themselves, as they die.


    Inari: ¡°We did the same thing with the Oni in the last corrupt dungeon, so I thought it might just work with these abominations as well.¡±


    They still push through the heap of corpses, but it gives us a bit of a break between the fights, and we are able to deal with them with a smaller group allowing the others to gather their magic back.


    We are able to recover ourselves quite a bit, but the corpses soon start disappearing making our blockade disappear with it.


    ¡°The dungeon is clearing the corpses!¡±


    Battle quickly ensues again, so we are going to have to come up with another plan. After dealing with a group of several of the monstrosities at once, the numbers start to decrease again, enough that we are able to start pushing forward a bit.


    We have been at it for several hours now, and we have only made it a few hundred feet, I don¡¯t know how many of the monstrosities we have defeated but it has to be close to 30 of them. The difficulty we had with them weeks ago seems like a distant memory, but even still at these numbers we are eventually going to run out of magic and then we will really be in trouble.


    We soon however catch a break when we see one of the monstrosities appear directly in front of us and after dealing with it we see something that gives us hope. Just past the area the monstrosity appeared in the tunnel beings to fill with vines.


    Inari tosses a fire spell down the tunnel lighting the way until it hits a wall causing a loud screeching sound and causing the vines to retract. The light gives us the view of a large black orb covered in cracks and fissures bound by vines.


    Inari: ¡°Is that the crystal¡­?¡±


    ¡°If it is we don¡¯t have time to waste!¡±


    The vines start lashing out at us, as well as another monstrosity appearing out of thin air to attack us.


    ¡°The corrupt dungeon is your thing, so we will deal with the monstrosities, you get to the crystal!¡±


    Inari: ¡°Understood¡±


    While Inari¡¯s group moves forward fighting their way through the vines my group attacks the monstrosity. We manage to take out the monstrosity, but another quickly takes its place, then another, then another.


    There doesn¡¯t seem to be an end to them, and Inari and her group doesn¡¯t appear to be doing much better. The vines are keeping them from making much progress towards the crystal, and even as they throw spells directly at it, vines quickly create a wall blocking the spells.


    They are slowly gaining ground though, so the only question is if we are able to hold out long enough for Inari¡¯s group to reach the crystal. The closer they get to reaching the crystal, the faster the monstrosities seem to appear.


    Even though Inari¡¯s group seems to be gaining ground we are slowly beginning to lose it as another monstrosity appears before we drop the previous one. Ignoring us the new monstrosity quickly targets Inari¡¯s group.


    We manage to defeat the monstrosity we are fighting, but not before the new one manages to cover enough ground to enter among the vines. We quickly try to pursue it, but the vines quickly block our path, as it tries to keep our groups separated.


    We start cutting and blasting through the vines, but another two monstrosities appear behind us and we have no choice but leave the one to Inari¡¯s group while we try to hold our ground. These two monstrosities look a bit different from the one that appeared previously and like Inari described in the previous corrupt dungeon they almost seem incomplete.


    One seems to be mimicking a four legged creature like a bear, or a wolf, but it is hard to tell due to sections of the creature that are missing. The other looks more like the scorpions then the spiders, but it lacks the scorpion¡¯s tail.


    The missing pieces don¡¯t stop them from quickly rushing us to attack however. The vines are preventing us to see what is happening to Inari¡¯s group, but we can only hope they are doing better than we are.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    The path behind us has been blocked off by vines, and one of the giant lizard looking abominations made it through before Daddy¡¯s group got blocked off from us. We are doing everything we can to keep the vines from wrapping around us as we push forward, so the lizard abomination is going to be quite difficult to deal with.


    Chika: ¡°Mistress, you take Satoshi, Saki, and Takeshi and get to that crystal. Rin, Hotaru, Akihiro, and I will deal with the lizard.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t deal with the lizard and the vines!¡±


    Rin: ¡°It won¡¯t matter if we don¡¯t get rid of the crystal, she is right this is our best chance!¡±


    ¡°Saki they will need your healing, you and Satoshi help them Takeshi and I will take care of the crystal.¡±


    Saki: ¡°Mistress, are you sure?¡±


    ¡°There is no time, and I have a plan!¡±


    Saki: ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    The group holds their ground while fighting off the vines and Takeshi and I push forward.


    Takeshi: ¡°Are you sure this is for the best?¡±


    ¡°I can count on you to protect me right?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then I have a plan. [Blessings of the Fox God]!¡±


    Wings spread from my back, and I wrap my arms around Takeshi.


    Takeshi: ¡°Inari! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Keep the vines off us!¡± ¨CI say while kicking off the ground launching us both towards the crystal.-


    This tunnel is narrow enough it is hard to fly through, but even more so while trying to carry Takeshi as he flails his sword about trying to keep the vines shooting from the walls from grabbing ahold of us. We cover most of the distance between where we started and the crystal, but wall of vines appears in front of us forcing me to land.


    The vines quickly wrap our feet when we land, but I last bit of time I have with my special skill active to cast a fire spell spreading out burning every vine in sight, and my body then returns to normal


    ¡°That isn¡¯t going to hold it back long, we have no time to waste!¡±


    The vines blocking our path wither to the flames of my spell revealing the crystal before us, but not for long as a large flower like I dealt with the last time descends to block us.


    ¡°We almost have it! Don¡¯t let up, and don¡¯t wait for me, if you get the chance destroy the crystal yourself.¡±


    My magic as far from max so after using my special skill along with a fire spell while it was active I am running quite low on magic, regardless I have Takeshi with me this time, so I don¡¯t let up as I begin pelting the flower with fire spells. Takeshi meanwhile tries to keep the other vines at bay that continue to try to entangle us.


    I hear the voices from the other call out in panic but I can¡¯t worry about that right now while I continue to focus on getting to the crystal. I pull my sword using it to slash at the vines to recover my magic to continue attacking the flower.


    Abominations quickly begin to spawn around us in incomplete forms but not before I hit the flower with a powerful spell causing it to reel while I call out to Takeshi. ¡°Now!¡± Takeshi launches himself forward severing the vines holding the crystal with his sword causing it to break apart.


    Before the pieces hit the floor they launch through the air entering Takeshi¡¯s body, and he quickly turns as says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°I told you if you had the chance to take it, so it is not your fault.¡± ¨CI say while quickly wrapping my arms around Takeshi.-


    The vines start to wreathe and shrivel up, much like the last one however there are two larger vines that refract themselves disappearing through the dungeons wall. Takeshi then rubs one of his hands through my hair while embracing me with the other.


    Takeshi: ¡°We should check on the others.¡±


    ¡°The monsters should have disappeared as well, they should be fine now.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Then we need to get out of here. It won¡¯t be long till everything starts collapsing.¡± ¨CHe says as his face is starting to get red.-


    ¡°How can you possibly still be embarrassed by just hugging me?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I have told you, in public¡­¡±


    ¡°We are in the depths of a dungeon! That is hardly public!¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°But Father, and the others could see us.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but once we are home, I plan on spending the next few weeks in bed!¡± ¨CI say finally turning loose of Takeshi.-


    The dungeon has begun to shake now, while Takeshi collects himself and we start making our way back towards the others. Once she sees us Saki wipes tears from her face and stands from a body lying on the ground and quickly moves towards me.


    Saki: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mistress, we tried, we really did, but Hotaru¡­¡±


    ¡°You did your best. Was she the only one? What about Daddy and his group?¡±


    Saki: ¡°Yes Hotaru was the only one of us that fell, but we haven¡¯t seen your father.¡±


    ¡°We need to find him.¡±


    Rin: ¡°What about Hotaru?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon is gone, and with it so should be the thing that is blocking our ability to use [Communication] or to teleport, so once we find Daddy we can take her home.¡±


    Rin, Akihiro, Satoshi, and Chika all grab Hotaru and we start making our way back towards where we left Daddy¡¯s group.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    One after another we fight the monstrosities, but each time they become easier because they seem less and less completely until the time in which the one we are fighting collapses on its own. Then the vines are begin to wither.


    From what Inari said about that last one that means Inari must have taken care of the crystal, and after a few seconds it is confirmed by the ground beginning to shake under our feet. I quickly open [Menu] and try sending a message to Belinda.


    I don¡¯t receive a replay so I try to use [Blink] but the spell doesn¡¯t work. It seems our block in [Communication] and teleportation hasn¡¯t ended with the death of the corrupt dungeon. That isn¡¯t the only bad news after a few minutes we see Inari¡¯s group approaching while carrying the body of Hotaru.


    Inari quickly runs up to me and gives me a hug. ¡°You made it Daddy, I was worried. We lost Hotaru, but at least we can get out of here now!¡±


    ¡°Well about that¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°What is it¡­?¡±


    ¡°Teleport spells still don¡¯t seem to work, and I tried sending a message to Belinda, but she hasn¡¯t replied either.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s dead, how is that possible?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°You said these dungeons don¡¯t break down the same way as a normal dungeon, so we can only hope to find a path out of here. At least the dungeon isn¡¯t still around to block our paths any longer.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about Hotaru, I promised the others we would take her home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we will have to go back out through the well, so I don¡¯t know if that would be possible.¡±


    Rin: ¡°It¡¯s ok Mistress¡­ Hotaru would understand.¡± ¨CShe says as the group starts to lay Hotaru back down on the ground.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s not your fault¡­ But I just don¡¯t understand how your teleportation spell is still blocked.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand it either, but we should get a move on.¡±


    Inari nods, and the group gathers around Hotaru¡¯s body. After saying a few things we decide that even though the dungeon should be dead we burn the body just to be on the safe side. By the time we finish with Hotaru¡¯s body chunks of the wall and ceiling have begun to fall.


    I lead the way back out and after diving into the water and making it back to the well I start to pull myself up the rope. I exit the well to notice everything has seemed to quit shaking, but the village isn¡¯t any less of a ghost town as it was before.


    I begin helping the others as they exit the well as well, and once we are back on solid ground a sound rings out behind us.


    *Clap¡­Clap¡­Clap*


    A tall man in Shima style clothing albeit they are closer to a type of robe made from very high quality material and lavish beyond what you would expect to see even on a king or emperor. His hair is long and dark, but glows with a blue hue that reminds me a bit of Twilight¡¯s feathers, and his serious looking face with sunken in eyes seems betrayed by the smile across his face.


    The man¡¯s sudden appearance startles us and we quickly ready our weapons, but he quits clapping and waves his hand the force of which pulls us all to our knees.


    The man then speaks with a cold icy voice and the words from his lips are that of the language of Shima. Inari¡¯s ears quickly twitch and she says. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The man then clears his throat and speaks in the language of the mainland. ¡°I will admit Inari is far more partial to my sister, but to not even know my name? Very well then, you shall call me Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto.

 The Shima Deities

    I don¡¯t regret the decisions I have made, because they have lead me to who and where I am today. I do have to admit however that I do wish I wasn¡¯t so obstinate growing up, and missing out on some of the education that was uniquely available to me.


    If I did go off to the university in Adra I would have never came to Tobes and met Two-Twelve, so everything has its reasons, but now that Tobes has its own university. I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to take a few courses when I am able.


    Who knows maybe I could even talk Two-Twelve into taking a few classes with me. My hands are a bit full right now while he is away, so maybe once he returns we can discuss it. Either way I don¡¯t think he would prevent me from doing it if it was something I wanted, although between Rory and everything else going on it would be quite hard to find the time.


    Speaking of not having the time, I have quite the busy day today so I guess I should get to it. My beautiful daughter reaches up for me while babbling.


    Rory: ¡°Mamamamamamamama¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¨CI say while picking up and hugging my little angel.- ¡°Your growing so fast! Your daddy is going to be home soon, I am sure of it can you say Dada?¡±


    Rory: ¡°Mamamama¡±


    ¡°Dada?¡±


    Rory: ¡°Mamamama¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ok, will work on it, and maybe surprise you Daddy when he returns.¡±


    After a bit of breakfast, and feeding Rory some mashed up fruit we start our day. I worried for a while about teleporting when I was pregnant and it took Two-Twelve taking me to the Mage¡¯s Guild and asking if there was any danger to it to ease my mind, but lately Rory seems to greatly enjoy traveling through [Gate].


    Every time we pass through one of the formed portals Rory begins bouncing in my arms and giggling reaching for the portal we had just passed through wanting to go again. Full grown adults who are not used to it often lose their lunch, so watching my baby girl enjoy it so much is quite amusing.


    Today must seem like quite the adventurer for Rory as we travel though the portal over and over again gathering the dungeon¡¯s adventuring parties that are out gathering xp. With some of the members wishing to take breaks and the absence of Poppy and Lynx we have done quite a bit of rearranging the last few months, and it has led to new friendships and parties being formed.


    With the ballroom of the house full of adventurers I go through and make sure everyone is doing alright, and is happy before we slowly start sending them back out. The few members that wish to take a break remain, but by noon I have sent back the rest, but I am already quite exhausted from spending so much magic.


    Next, it is time to take food to Akil, but Two-Twelve warned me to be cautious with him so I take Rory to play with Listel before transferring down to him. I have taken food to him on numerous occasions since Two-Twelve left, but for the first time one of his eyes open after I set down his food.


    Akil: ¡°Why if it isn¡¯t the missus. I see you have been quite diligent in your husband¡¯s absence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­?¡±


    Akil: ¡°The child, the dungeon, the monsters, he seems to have put a great burden on you while he is off doing his own thing.¡±


    ¡°He is not ¡°doing his own thing¡± he is out trying to save our daughter.¡±


    Akil: ¡°Yes, your ¡°daughter¡± but it seems she is doing the saving more then he is.¡±


    ¡°You know what is going on in the dungeon they are in?!¡±


    Akil: ¡°I can¡¯t help it if knowledge just seeps into my bones.¡±


    ¡°You said Inari was the one doing the saving, does that mean they are all alright? Please you have to tell me!¡±


    Akil: ¡°I don¡¯t have to do anything, but I will say even though they have suffered quite a few casualties from both sides your husband and daughter are currently fine, but the next few hours are the most crucial and he will either return home, or not at all.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me what is going on!¡±


    Akil: ¡°I¡¯ve grown quite tired, and I¡¯m in need of some rest you will know soon enough.¡± ¨CHe says while covering his face with his wings.¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    Inari: ¡°No-Mikoto¡­ You are saying that you are a god?¡± ¨CShe says while trying to return to her feet, but the force holding her to her knees is stronger.-


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°You have no hesitation in calling Inari as such, and I am far superior to that disgusting creature.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Inari has protected the people of Shima! That is far more then I can say about you.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°Your precious Inari would be nothing without my sister, it is her you should be worshipping instead of that follower.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That sounds like quite the complex you got there, who is this sister of yours?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Forgive me, but if he really is Tsukuyomi-No-Mikoto, I believe he is referring to Amaterasu-omikami.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°I see you are not all completely ignorant, and yet you still serve that foul creature.¡±


    ¡°The old gods have been gone for so long, it makes since that your name has been forgotten especially with the situation Shima has been facing the last few decades.¡±


    Tsukuyomi¡¯s eyes snap to me and he appears to be sizing me up. ¡°You appear different than the rest. Who is it that you worship?¡±


    ¡°I do not worship anyone, but I have had dealings with others of your kind, and I have to say to force us to kneel before you is enough to make me think you are not the kind of old god that deserves our respect.¡±


    The force keeping me to my knees increases, and causes me to fall forward till my head is merely inches from the ground.


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°The one you serve may be lax, but you shall show me the respect I deserve!¡±


    ¡°Brother, stop it!¡± ¨CA soft soothing voice rings out like a bell from behind Tsukuyomi, and I can instantly feel the force on my body instantly release me.-


    I don¡¯t immediately stand, but I do look up to see a panicked look on Tsukuyomi¡¯s face as he turns to look at a young woman that is no less as lavishly dressed as Tsukuyomi. Where Tsukuyomi¡¯s hair is that of a midnight blue, this young woman¡¯s hair is azure like the morning sky.


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°How did you know I was here¡­?¡±


    Woman: ¡°I heard from Inari what you were planning, so I promised I would keep an eye on it¡¯s follower and make sure you didn¡¯t take things to far, and it appears it was right to be worried. Don¡¯t you think you have caused Inari enough trouble as it is?¡±


    The young woman then moves over to Inari and helps her to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about my brother, Inari has told me you have done great things under it¡¯s name.¡±


    Takeshi is still on his knees and he throws himself forward to bow to the woman. ¡°You¡¯re Amaterasu-omikami.¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°I appreciate it, but there is no need to bow. Two-Twelve spoke the truth, we have done little to deserve that kind of treatment. In fact we should be thanking you for helping clean up my brother¡¯s mess.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°Sister!¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°They have a right to know what is going on, especially after you left them no choice in the matter but to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that the reason we can¡¯t use teleportation or [Communication] is because of you?¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°Not me, but Tsukuyomi.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°Your two groups have been the first ones to ever enter this place that had the potential in destroying the corrupt dungeon, so I had to make sure you defeated it before you left.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Why not just tell us that from the beginning?¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°We are not allowed to interfere, at least not directly.¡±


    ¡°Your definition of not interfering must be completely different than mine¡­ And why show yourselves to us now?¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°Inari¡¯s intentions from the start were to contain or destroy the corrupt dungeon. Tsukuyomi just wanted to be sure you didn¡¯t give up halfway through. Besides the damage was already done, as they say, so I am sure his curiosity got the best of him and he to find the answer to why you seem so different then the others.¡±


    ¡°You said this was your brother¡¯s mess, but I don¡¯t think you meant blocking [Communication] do you mean to say he was responsible for the corrupt dungeons as well?¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°Yes brother, are you responsible for the corrupt dungeons?¡±


    Tsukuyomi begins to get nervous as he says. ¡°It isn¡¯t like that¡­It wasn¡¯t intentional!¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°We are nothing without the people of Shima, and if it wasn¡¯t for Inari¡¯s protection, your mistake, intentional or not, would have wiped out almost all of the people of Shima by now.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°You have always been partial to Inari, and I am doing the best I can to fix my mistake!¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°By using Inari¡¯s follower.¡±


    ¡°So let me get this straight, if Tsukuyomi is responsible for the corrupt dungeons, just how much of them can he control, this place has been acting far differently than the other corrupt dungeon Inari dealt with.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°I was trying to lead you in the right direction, and to make sure you were strong enough to deal with the corrupt dungeon¡¯s crystal.¡±


    ¡°We lost a lot of family to this dungeon!¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°None of the monsters I was directly responsible for caused the death of any of your teammates, it was their deaths that lead me to create that area for you to go through to increase your strength so you didn¡¯t have to lose more, and I still wasn¡¯t entirely successful, because you still lost another member.¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t block teleportation or put up walls keeping us from backtracking we would have lost far less than we did!¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°But then you might not have destroyed the corrupt dungeon, so it was a calculated risk that I had to take. You yourself said it numerous times that if you were able to leave you would have.¡±


    Inari: ¡°But the dungeon was our goal, even if we had to retreat we would have returned eventually.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°I couldn¡¯t risk the chance you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And what if we didn¡¯t survive?¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°Then you were not the ones I hoped you¡¯d be.¡±


    ¡°I have heard enough. Let me use teleportation so we can return home.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°But there are still 5 more corrupt dungeons out there that need to be dealt with.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I count on the corrupt dungeons for xp for my dungeon, I have no desire to destroy them all, even this one the original plan was to surround the outer edge with Inari¡¯s protection to gather xp from the Oni and other monsters.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°What if I could help you do that?¡±


    Inari: ¡°If Inari doesn¡¯t trust you, then why should I?¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°Inari might not trust Tsukuyomi, but it trusts me, and I will see to it Tsukuyomi behaves himself if the plan is to retake Shima for its people.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Even if that is true, we just spent months and months to take this one, I can¡¯t even think of dealing with another corrupt dungeon right now.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°That is not acceptable!¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°That is enough, brother¡± ¨CShe sternly says then returns her gaze to Inari.- ¡°It is your plan is to protect the capital of Shima under [Inari¡¯s Providence] isn¡¯t that correct?¡±


    Inari: ¡°That is right¡­¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°If Shima¡¯s capital is safe, then we have time to deal with other corrupt dungeons.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°Then she needs to protect my village as well! I was able to hide them in plain sight within the corrupt dungeon, but now that it is gone, they won¡¯t stand a chance against the remaining corrupt dungeons!¡±


    ¡°So the Oni of this village do belong to you?¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°They don¡¯t belong to me, but they are my people, and after the incident that created the corrupt dungeons. It left this village as the only remaining safe haven for the Oni not under control of the corrupt dungeons.¡±


    Inari: ¡°After what you did, even if I decided to help you, [Inari¡¯s Providence] is a gift from Inari, and if Inari dislikes you as much as you claim, then you have to ask Inari¡¯s permission before I even attempt it.¡±


    Amaterasu begins to laugh and she continues to laugh until tears form in her eyes as she says. ¡°I think that is an excellent idea.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°You know Inari would never agree to such a thing, after what happened!¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°I think begging for Inari¡¯s help would be perfect atonement for your crime, so much so that I decree: You are not to assist Tsukuyomi, unless he begs Inari for forgiveness and help, and I will inform you of Inari¡¯s answer.¡±


    ¡°These Oni are sentient are they not? Are you saying Tsukuyomi over exaggerated the danger to their lives?¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°The threat is very real¡­¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°Even more reason for you for you to beg for it for its help all the faster!¡±


    ¡°You are risking the lives of a whole village¡­ No, those of an entire race on what, pride!? I understand [Inari¡¯s Providence] will only work with Inari¡¯s blessing, but for the safety of an entire race, I would be willing to house the sentient Oni in the safety of my dungeon until a decision is made to prevent the needless waste of life!¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°You are willing to risk my wrath to protect a race such as the Oni?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I know what the deal is with you Shima gods, but what I have heard from Inari, is that the old god Inari is a decent being, and if Inari respects you I could only assume you are the same. If you are willing to throw an entire race of sentient beings away for a petty reason such as this, then I don¡¯t see you any different than the old god that already wants me dead, so yes I guess I am.¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°You are either extremely brave, or extremely stupid.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Please forgive Daddy, He means well!¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°Ceres and I may not be close, but we are still sisters in a roundabout way, and I think I am starting to understand what she sees in you. Very well, if you choose to help Tsukuyomi, I will make sure Inari understands.¡±


    Inari: ¡°With the corrupt dungeon gone I have no use for placing an imitation crystal here, but you have seemed to prepare the Oni to the chance that they may not return to this place, so if you wish I can create a space for them in my northern village under the shrine of Inari.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°Transporting them there will be quite difficult. Most of them have never had contact with humans, and the ones that have, were treated as demons.¡±


    ¡°You are both gods, don¡¯t you have a way to move them?¡±


    Amaterasu: ¡°Even if we could, there are rules forbidding us from taking such action.¡±


    ¡°What you can and can¡¯t do makes absolutely no sense to me. You say you can¡¯t interfere, but here you have been interfering with us since we came into this place. If you can¡¯t interfere with the Oni then how did you get them to leave the village?¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°A few strategically placed monsters were enough to convince them it was no longer safe here.¡±


    ¡°Then you allow us to leave here, and Inari can set up the area for them in her dungeon. I will set up a [Gate] to lead them to her dungeon, and if they don¡¯t go through the portal on their own you can just chase them through with some monsters.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°I expect the remaining corrupt dungeons to be dealt with in a timely manner.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Shima is my responsibility and not Daddy¡¯s, so if you tell me where they are and promise to deal with all of them but one, but for the last one I expect you to hold up your deal about assisting me in surrounding it with [Inari¡¯s Providence]. I just can¡¯t promise a timeline, because I have much recovering to do after dealing with this one.¡±


    Tsukuyomi: ¡°That not¡­!¡± ¨CHe starts to talk but is quickly cut off by Amaterasu.-


    Amaterasu: ¡°You provide a place for Tsukuyomi¡¯s Oni, and cover the capital in [Inari¡¯s Providence] within the next few weeks, and we have a deal.¡±


    We then set up the details about when and where to set up the [Gate] to move the Oni. Even without ever being in that section of these tunnels, Tsukuyomi tells me to close my eyes, and when I do an image appears in my mind.


    He tells me to focus on that image when I cast [Gate] saying he will take care of the rest, so as long as I cast it at the appointed time. Amaterasu sticks around until the end but doesn¡¯t say anything else, only after Tsukuyomi tells us the restrictions on us are lifted, and he disappears from sight, does she nod to us and then disappears as well.


    Inari: ¡°If you will use your teleport spell to take us back to my village, I will set up an area for the Oni real quick, so we can get that out of the way. I am sure you are ready to get back home to see Mommy and Rory.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°And don¡¯t forget you promised a big dinner when we return!¡± ¨CShe says excitedly.-


    ¡°I will remember to tell Roxy that dinner was your priority over her and Wolfric.¡±


    Azami: ¡°By now I am sure Roxy would expect nothing less.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Roxy and Wolfric go without say!¡± ¨CShe says trying to defend herself.-


    ¡°First lets just worry about getting out of here.¡± ¨CI say while casting [Gate]-


    Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi promised that we were free to go now, but even after a portal forms after casting [Gate], it isn¡¯t till I step through the portal arriving in the small temple that Inari made in the northern village, that I breathe a sigh of relief.


    The villagers are quickly startled by our sudden appearance, but once they see Inari they quickly become ecstatic and some even begin to cry with joy. It takes a bit of work for her to get out of their sight long enough for her to work on the underground village for the Oni, but Chika manages to group them up to pray to Inari for those that were lost during the trip.


    While Inari takes care of that, I send a message to Belinda telling her I have just one more thing to do before returning home, but promise her I will be home shortly. There is no reason for the others to not be able to return home though, so I go ahead and send Zoey, Azami, Poppy, and Lynx on ahead.


    Once Inari has the underground village prepared she transfers me down to it. The village she built for the Oni is quite different than the one they had left, but it is twice the size and in my opinion, better in every way.


    Inari doesn¡¯t have access to the giant bugs, but there is a large area full of normal livestock. I don¡¯t know if the Oni will know how to deal with them, but it was the best Inari could do. I don¡¯t know how much xp she spent on the village, but just by appearance I am afraid if I saw the number my jaw would hit the floor.


    ¡°I am sorry you had to do all this, it was sort of my fault for volunteering to house them in my own dungeon, but it ended up having to be you instead.¡±


    Inari:¡± Think nothing of it, I can¡¯t say I would have done the same thing for a group of Oni, but were right in saying that every sentient being at least deserves their chance to live. It may take them quite a while to provide enough xp to make up the cost of this place, but they are Oni, so it might not take as long as you think, so it should work out in the end.¡±


    ¡°Still, I am sorry the decision was forced on you like that. Alright, it is almost time to set up the [Gate].¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright, set it up over here.¡± ¨CShe says leading the way.- ¡°I set this place up where we can hide behind the portal until all the Oni pass through, and they will never even know we were here.¡±


    I am still not 100% sure if this [Gate] is going to work right, but Tsukuyomi said it would so I can only trust him. I focus on the image he placed inside my head while casting [Gate]. The portal at least appears so something seemed to have worked.


    But after a minute passes and I have to spend more magic to maintain it I am starting to wonder if it worked correctly. After a few seconds pass however, from our hidden location we can see the Oni begin to pass through the portal, and begin looking around with worried yet surprised looks on their faces.


    I have to maintain the portal twice more before Oni quit exiting the portal. When the Oni speak, it is in a language I do not know, but it doesn¡¯t sound like the Shima language either, I look to Inari, but she shakes her head.


    From the time we destroyed the corrupt dungeon and now I have managed to recover quite a bit of magic, but if I keep holding the portal open I won¡¯t be able to cast the spell again until tomorrow, but I don¡¯t know if all the Oni have made it through or not.


    We can¡¯t understand what they are saying, but they start to attempt to block off the portal so nothing else can pass through so I take that as a sign that is all of them and allow the portal to collapse. Others are starting to look around the area, and some are starting to get close to the location Inari and I are both hiding in so she transfers us back to the surface.


    Inari: ¡°I will have to keep an eye on them for a while, but I didn¡¯t see a single one of them carrying a weapon, and the only exit is guarded by some of the highest tier monsters I can summon. I just have to make sure the humans don¡¯t find the entrance from the surface either.¡±


    ¡°I am sure there is still a lot for you to take care of, but as soon as you get things taken care of let me know, and I will either take you to go see Rory and Belinda, or bring them here. Until then I better head home, I promised Belinda I would be home as soon as possible.¡±


    Inari quickly gives me a tight hug as she says. ¡°Thank you so much Daddy¡­ I don¡¯t think we would have made it without you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, I think you ended up saving us more than the other way around.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Maybe, but it would have still been too much for just us. Tell Mommy I have missed her and that I will visit as soon as I can.¡±


    ¡°We may be out of the dungeon now, but the great hunter is still after you for some reason, so be careful, alright?¡±


    Inari: ¡°You too¡­¡± ¨CShe says then finally lets me go.-


    I pat her on the head and then cast [Gate]. I step through the portal and I am instantly assaulted by a massive amount of screens appearing before me. I am not worried about them all right now though, so I quickly slide them out of my view.


    I can smell and hear cooking from the kitchen so I store my armor and things away in the dungeon inventory and then quickly head to the dining room. When I enter the dining room I see Zoey sitting in one of the chairs holding Wolfric up in front of her while making funny faces at him while Roxy has her arm wrapped around one of Zoey¡¯s arms with her head on Zoey¡¯s shoulder.


    The sound of me walking in the room causes them to look over to me, Zoey smirks and I hear sudden movement as Belinda rushes from the kitchen and jumps into my arms hugging me so tightly that I can¡¯t breathe.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m so glad you are home, I missed you so much!¡± ¨CShe says with tears streaming down her face.-


    ¡°I missed you too.¡± ¨CI say rubbing the tears from her eyes and giving her a kiss.-


    Belinda doesn¡¯t seem to want to let go of me until she quickly says. ¡°Oh no, dinner!¡± She then quickly pulls herself from me and runs back in the kitchen. I join her in the kitchen and she seems to be going overboard with the amount of food she is cooking, so I roll up my sleeves and begin to help her.


    Belinda: ¡°You just got home. You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±


    ¡°I want to, because it lets me be next to you. Where is Rory at, I want to see her as well.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°When you sent the others ahead I asked Scylla to watch her so I could make some dinner. They should be here soon and they will bring her then.¡±


    We then start working on dinner until Scylla and Kline arrive with the kids, I step out of the kitchen long enough to see Rory¡¯s eyes light up when she sees me. She extends her arms out all the way while bouncing in Scylla¡¯s arm while crying out. ¡°Dadadadadada!¡±


    Scylla hands me Rory and I give Rory a hug while she keeps calling out. ¡°Dadadadada¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That¡¯s not fair. When I walked in the door Wolfric just looked at me, smirked, and filled his diaper¡­¡±


    Roxy laughs and comforts by whispering in her ear, which seems to brighten up Zoey¡¯s mood instantly. Meanwhile Scylla then heads into the kitchen to take over for Belinda so she can join us in the dining room.


    The house quickly fills with people while we laugh, cry, and joke for hours. Even Zoey and Roxy are not as quick to depart as they usually are. The celebration continues until long after the kids have all fallen asleep, and it is the wee hours of the morning before we all finally retire.

 Returning Home

    By the time I wake up the sun is well into the sky, but Belinda is lying on my chest with such a smile on her face that I don¡¯t want to wake her. I do however cast [Clean] to get rid of the pool of drool, but I don¡¯t hear Rory making any noise so I decide to stay in bed a while longer while looking through the massive amount of screens that appeared to me the evening before when I arrived.


    The screen showing the battle results weighs heavy on me with the loss of all six of the fox beastkin that Inari summoned me. The xp I acquired is close to 4 million, but only a quarter of that is what I actually the amount I acquired, the other three quarters is from the bonuses.


    With the amount of levels I gained I was hoping the amount we brought in would be at least that amount before the bonuses, but I guess with Inari or at least one of her monsters there at all times, during this trip I should consider myself lucky I was able to bring anything back at all.


    Next is the list of skills that became available, and although it is one of the smallest of the lists among all of the screens, it has some promising skills. Unfortunately not a single one of them are the level 50 special skills. I guess those ones can¡¯t be learned the easy way even for my unique dungeon.


    It also seems [Menu] was pleased with what I have done, because I received 5 justicar points for assisting in the destruction of the corrupt dungeon core, 5 justicar points for saving an entire race of monsters, 1 point for using my special skill the first time, another for using it 5 times, and one more for using it 25 times, for a total of 13 additional justicar points.


    That should leave me at 19 points, but instead I only have 16. I know I didn¡¯t use any, but it said they are shared with my justicars, so Ceres must have used 3 points, I will have to make sure she used them for a good cause later. I would hate to have to already take the justicar status away from her, but if she wasted my justicar points I won¡¯t have much of a choice, because I can¡¯t afford to lose them for no reason.


    The list of new items available is a bit larger than the list for skills, but the skills were at least useful, but the new items I acquired¡­.Not so much. The list of new monsters on the other hand¡­ The list is massive. I was worried that being a corrupt dungeon I wouldn¡¯t be able to summon the ones that I didn¡¯t use my skill to take control of, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    The only monsters I don¡¯t see on the list are the monstrosities, but even if they were, I don¡¯t think I would ever feel comfortable using those things¡­ I did receive quite a few more monsters that can be summoned as sentient, and some of them might even fit in as part of the demi-human village one day.


    Speaking of which I am afraid I need to start checking on how everything has gone in my absence, so I am going to have to wake Belinda. I try to gently wake her with a kiss but that only causes her to snuggle up to me even tighter.


    ¡°Come on Belinda, it¡¯s time to get out of bed.¡±


    She then giggles while wrapping her arms and legs both tightly around me. ¡°No! It¡¯s been months since we were last together, and you have a lot to make up for!~¡±


    ¡°All at once?! We wouldn¡¯t leave bed for a week!¡±


    Belinda¡¯s body shutters and after lightly biting my ear she whispers. ¡°Sounds good to me.~¡±


    ¡°As fun as that sounds, what about Rory? It looks to at least be noon already. I am surprised she isn¡¯t already crying because she is hungry.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We have started to give her soft foods, so Vetala has been taking care of breakfast, so maybe not a week, but we still have at least a couple of hours.¡±


    I honestly don¡¯t even know why I am fighting it at this point. I have been gone for months, and even another week wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference, so what is a few more hours¡­ Needless to say we don¡¯t leave bed for quite a while longer.


    When we do finally make it downstairs it is already well into the afternoon. I head into the living room with the intention of giving Rory a hug and then heading to see the bunnies, but after arriving I get sidetracked by her pleading eyes as the holds her arms out to me calling. ¡°Dadadada.¡±


    These women of mine know exactly how to get me to do what they want¡­ After being delayed a few hours by Belinda and then another hour by Rory I finally arrive at the dungeon core room.


    Lilah: ¡°Master is finally home, but now Master is too busy to come visit Lilah¡­¡±


    ¡°It was already practically morning when we went to bed, so I got a late start¡­¡±


    Lylah: ¡°She is only joking, we saw you playing with Rory in the living room, and we are happy that watching the dungeon for you allows you to spend time with Rory.¡±


    Lila: ¡°Belinda has seen to it that we are getting plenty of days off in your absence, but due to last night¡¯s celebration we decided to double up today, that way no one became too fatigued.¡±


    ¡°Well good, how has the dungeon itself been doing the last few months?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We didn¡¯t change anything while you were away, we wanted to save it because we knew you had plans on what you wanted to do next, so we only used the bare minimum leaving us with close to 9 million xp, on top of what you brought back.¡±


    ¡°Well sounds like I got a lot of work to do, so I better get to it.¡±


    13 million xp is a massive amount, but I know if I am not careful I will spend it all before realizing it, so I decide to start off with giving the girls and myself all the new skills available to us. The xp cost to give them to all of us is quite staggering for the bonuses it grants us, but once they begin to rank up it will be more then worth it.


    Now to start working on the dungeon itself, I made sub-level 10 already, but wasn¡¯t able to really put any decent monsters in it so I add more monsters to that floor before working on the next one.


    Sub-level 11 is separated into four parts. Two of which lead down long winding hallways without any forks in the path, but they are long enough that it will still take a great deal of time to traverse them. I even make them 25 feet wide just to make sure any kind of monster I want to put down the hallways will fit.


    Unlike the labyrinth floors, I now have the hang of making portals within the dungeon, I add only one large unattached room off to the side and fill it with portals so monsters can fill the corridors.


    With that I can summon any kind of monster I want and put it anywhere on the floor. With the portals being only one way, that means I don¡¯t have to worry about adventurers ever stopping the monsters from being able to spawn while they use the portals to reach different locations around the floor, even if someday that floor requires rifts.


    Other than the winding hallways the third path is an area full of 50 foot by 50 foot rooms, with a maze of doors leading around the area. With all the rooms being identical it would be easy to lose track of where you are at. These rooms however are each their own room, because the sheer cost of making portals to each one would be quite staggering.


    The fourth and final section leads to another set of boss like rooms that I fill with elemental monsters. Each boss like monster holds an orb like in the elemental wings, but these five orbs are not the only items required to open the path forward. Down the other three paths there are pieces to join the orbs together, so not only are the orbs required, but the connecting pieces as well.


    Once all of it is joined together it opens a door leading to my crystal. There is quite a bit more I want to do, but between adding skills to everyone, adding monsters to this floor, and sub-level 10, I have already used up more xp then I wanted to.


    My next addition is a little less conventional, as I add another set of stairs going down, but it is not behind the locked door, instead it is just tucked away in a corner. The crystal is not beyond it so I am able to seal the area off so no one can enter the stairwell. With these stairs I stretch them to their limit, and after that I just add another set of stairs going down even further.


    I continue adding more stairs until my dungeon reaches sub-level 22, but then my xp gets low enough that I decide to hold off for now. There are no rooms for the floor beyond sub-level 11, so even if adventurers somehow did make it into the stairwell, they are not going to find anything if they go down them.


    Once I start building my xp back up, and I continue down at least 2 more floors I can then start building rooms or hallways in the direction of Tobes. That will let me connect my secondary dungeon to my primary one within the next few weeks or at least within the next few months, depending on how much xp I put aside for it each day.


    Now that I have all these new monsters that I can add to the elemental wings, I want to work on them as well, so I am not sure how much xp I want to put aside for each project. I could probably push the xp I have left and connect the dungeons now, but I need to keep enough xp on hand in case of an emergency, so leave it like it is.


    Now, for the next item on the long list of things I need to do. Ceres took part in the dinner we had last night, but I told her to hold off on conversations of our group of dungeon cores until today, so I could spend last night with my family. That means I should probably go have that conversation now, as well as checking out this university of hers.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    I thank the bunnies for their continuous hard work, and then transfer back to the house. It has been a few months since I last seen Tobes, so I decide to walk through town instead of just transferring to the edge of it.


    The growth of Tobes has been quite rapid since I first formed my dungeon, but even though there is some construction going on in town, it appears the growth has begun to slow, or at least that is what I thought until I pass the soldier¡¯s garrison.


    Ceres¡¯s university has grown in leaps and bounds in the last few months, but it is still all along one side of the road. The other side however has also been cleared of many trees, and they look to be in the process of clearing many more.


    Not only is the area being cleared, but a few buildings and businesses have already begun to pop up across from the university. A few of them possess a familiar theme to them and even without stepping through the doors I know they must be businesses that belong to Denova.


    It looks like I am also going to have to spend some xp into expanding my secondary dungeon, which is unless Ceres has already expanded her own dungeon across the road to cover the new additions. As for the university itself, it has come a long way since I left.


    There were quite a few of the lavish buildings before, but there are now at least 20 of these exquisite stone and glass buildings taking up a great deal of what used to just be part of the forest. Almost all of them are bustling with activity as well, with young and old people alike entering and exiting the buildings.


    I make my way for the first building that Ceres made. The administration building is the liveliest building of them all with a constant flow of people, and I don¡¯t have the first clue as to where to look for Ceres in all this mess, but it turns out I don¡¯t have to try to find her because she quickly finds me instead.


    Ceres: ¡°You sure like to make a lady wait. I was expecting you hours ago!¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, there was a lot to deal with after my return.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I would imagine, now¡­¡± ¨CShe says while looking around.- ¡°Why don¡¯t we go somewhere a bit quieter so I can catch you up?¡±


    I nod and expect to follow her, but instead she grabs ahold of my arm and transfers us. After the brief pull on the back of my chest we arrive in a large room no less lavish then the rest of the buildings, except there are no glass windows.


    It could just be an interior room, but instead I get the feeling that we are below ground. That can¡¯t be possible though, because many of the buildings she built are several stories tall, so if she went up with her dungeon she couldn¡¯t go down as well.


    This room isn¡¯t completely free of people either, as there are several men and women sitting in different chairs and couches around the room, some of which seem to be studying while others just appear to be reading.


    After we each take a seat on large fluffy couches positioned across from one another, one of the young women sets down her book and quickly approaches us.


    Woman: ¡°Can I get anything for you?¡±


    Ceres looks to me but after I shake my head she tells the woman we are fine, and the woman then returns to her chair picking her book back up.


    Ceres: ¡°So what do you think of my little dungeon so far?¡±


    ¡°It is a lot livelier then when I left that is for sure¡­ Are you sure we are good to talk here?¡± ¨CI say motioning to the others in the room.-


    Ceres: ¡°Perfectly fine, they are all mine.¡±


    ¡°Yours? You can summon humans?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That comes as a surprise to you? I made you, so humans are easy in comparison.¡±


    ¡°That was before you were a dungeon core though, and here I thought you lost most of your power when I made you one.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°There are a lot of things I can¡¯t do anymore, but there are some things like summoning humans that has become far easier now that I am a dungeon core. I am really starting to rethink just how strong my sister that controls [Menu] really is, to give so much power to so many dungeon cores. She just might be the strongest of us all.¡±


    ¡°Even more reason for us to be cautious of those trying to manipulate her, so speaking of which, how has our group managed in my absence?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We have lost three more members, two have been killed and one has just quit on us, but I managed to recruit five new ones, so we are still in better shape than we were.¡±


    ¡°How did you manage to recruit more members? I noticed you have used some of the justicar points, so you didn¡¯t use them to recruit the new members did you?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I only used a justicar point on one of the new members, but it wasn¡¯t to recruit her, but to reward her for bringing in two of the other new recruits. The other points that I spent were to assist some of our members that needed help, only one of the points I spent seemed to be for naught, because the member I gave it to was one that died shortly afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I brought quite a few points back with me, but after what you used that has taken us back to 16 points. I would like to get ahold of at least 20 as a safety net that way we can either bind a crystal or two, or even make another dungeon core if we really need to.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°My situation was quite unique, so I don¡¯t know why you would need to make another dungeon core in a hurry, but because what happened with me I can¡¯t really argue the point, so I will at least talk to you about it before using any more points.¡±


    ¡°You said we lost 3, who were they?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Hecate said she fulfilled her deal with you, so it is no surprise that she was the one that quit. She still plans to pursue the ones that were behind Maric¡¯s death, so we won¡¯t at least have to see her as an enemy, but she just isn¡¯t much of a team player. The dungeon cores that died were #63 and #270.¡±


    ¡°It hurts to lose any of them, especially Hecate, but I guess we should just be glad that we didn¡¯t lose Emery or Ithros.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°One of them I recruited was dungeon core #790 Bella, she was the one that I gave the justicar point too, and I believe between her and the two she brought with her, they more than makes up for Hecate¡¯s loss.¡±


    ¡°I worked with Bella during the elder selection, but there is still much from that time I can¡¯t remember. Being chosen for the elder selection alone should speak volumes about her strength, but that also means she was close to one of the old elders as well.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°She was very partial to Faron, but between going after the ones that killed him, and what I did in regards to keeping his churches alive, she decided to join us. I can¡¯t say I have been able to do much for the churches since I became a dungeon core, but there are still things I want to accomplish with them, so I don¡¯t plan on abandoning them either.¡±


    ¡°Well having strong dungeon cores on our side is a double edged sword. They can help us a great deal, but they could also do even more damage to us if they wanted, so I am going to hold judgement on how I feel about that for now.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Speaking of that, dungeon core # 101 Iakovos has been showing interest in our group as well, but he quite close to Dyson, and doesn¡¯t do anything for free, so I haven¡¯t reached back out to him yet, because I wanted to know how you felt about him first.¡±


    ¡°If we could get Dyson on board I would accept Iakovos without a second thought, because Dyson could keep him in check, but with Iakovos¡¯s mercenary-like nature, he seems like the kind that could easily be swayed by the traitors as well.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t know about joining us, but I have spotted Dyson and Madam Erin sneaking around a couple of times around both of our dungeons while you were gone. They were using rings that you made them to appear like normal villagers, and even when I spoke to them they tried to hide their identities, so I can¡¯t be for certain what they wanted.¡±


    ¡°How could you be sure it was them?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I may just be a dungeon core now, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t still have a few tricks up my sleeves. I was going to call them out on it, but they didn¡¯t seem to be causing any harm, and appeared to be just curious so I let them be.¡±


    ¡°Belinda did say they were trying to find out what happened to me, so I guess they were bound to get curious after not being able to reach me for that long, I might send them a message later and let them know I have returned, just to make sure they don¡¯t do anything else.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What about Inari? Will she join us now that she has returned home?¡±


    ¡°Well I told you last night about running into Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, but what I didn¡¯t tell you, was that Tsukuyomi admitted to being the one responsible for making the corrupt dungeons. He also asked Inari into getting rid of them, so I am sure she will help us when she can, but with three of the old gods now pulling her strings, she is going to have her hands full.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°My siblings in Shima keep to themselves, and other then knowing that Inari had returned due to the gifts she granted your daughter, I wasn¡¯t even aware that Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi had returned, but from what I do know about them it doesn¡¯t seem that surprising. I will say between Inari and Amaterasu, your daughter should be in good hands. Tsukuyomi isn¡¯t necessarily a bad guy, but it seems Amaterasu spends most of her time cleaning up his messes.¡±


    ¡°Well for not being a bad guy his ¡°mess¡± has nearly cost the lives of every human in Shima.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It has always been that way for those two, and that is probably why the humans worship them as the gods of the sun and moon, because they are constantly trailing one another with Tsukuyomi making a mess of things, and Amaterasu following behind and cleaning it up in an endless cycle. When Amaterasu cleans up after Tsukuyomi however she does so properly, so if they have tasked that to your daughter as the one to clean up Tsukuyomi¡¯s mess then I am sure Amaterasu will see to it that your daughter has the ability to do it well.¡±


    ¡°I hope you are right. What about my other daughters? Have they behaved themselves in my absence?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Their helping of one another has been a major contributing factor on the success of the group as a whole. Some of the closer dungeon cores have started to follow in their example and have similar exchanges with one another to boost their own xp acquisition.¡±


    ¡°I guess I was worried about nothing, I was afraid they would start butting heads.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°On the contrary, they seem to be living it up, and they have even started holding friendly competitions between each other just to pass the time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, what about your dungeon? Have you kept it to the university, or have you begun to spread it across the road into that new section of Tobes that has begun to take root?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Belinda helped me with acquiring ownership of the small piece of land on this side of the road from the edge of your dungeon all the way to the edge of the forest, so I will have room to grow if I decide to do so, so I thought it was only fair to leave the other side of the road to you, so not to block you off here in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Small piece of land¡­? I could fit every floor of my dungeon including Tobes on the area from here to the edge of the forest and still not make a dent in it. Even with Belinda¡¯s help, how could you afford that much property?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well it is pretty much useless forest right now, and the Mage¡¯s Guild has deep pockets. I also saved quite a bit of gold by offering to educate the royal family, other high ranking officials, and their families.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, that just seems a bit excessive to me.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°for someone building their dungeon underground, then maybe, but I don¡¯t plan on building any large tower, so my dungeon is going to have to spread far and wide.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t offer you much protection.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We shall see.¡±


    Ceres and I then continue to talk for a while and she catches me up on the things before switching over to inform our group of dungeon cores that I have returned. The reactions from them are rather mixed, it seems some have preferred the way things have gone in my absence.


    It¡¯s only after Ceres assures them that she is going to continue to work alongside me in the future that some of them seem to accept my return. I guess I can¡¯t really blame them. I did disappear for several months without any warning at all.


    After I am done with the group of dungeon cores, I talk with Ceres for a bit longer before I return home. The next day I expand my secondary dungeon to cover the new areas across the road from Ceres, but spend the rest of the day with Belinda and Rory.


    I then spend the next few days playing catch up from what I have missed out on the last few months. Once things finally begin settling down I invite Inari to the house to meet Rory.

 Dysons Revelation

    Even before the traitorous dungeon cores were around I often dealt with would-be assassins trying to take me out. It just goes with the territory when you are the king of a city known as the largest collection of murderers and brigands in all the land. Most of the would-be assassins are female, working their way into the castle by joining my entourage, but as I haven¡¯t accepted any new members in quite a while I had almost forgot about the threat.


    That is until one of the far less common events of a male assassin managed to worm his way into my castle and try to slit my throat in my sleep. He of course fails, and for entering my castle and violating the sanctity of my bedroom, there isn¡¯t enough left of him to even recognize it was once a human.


    I have a special bit of torture for men entering the innermost sections of my castle, and you would be surprised how much torture a human can survive while being completely submerged in a couple hundred thousands of gold worth of healing potion.


    Once your body takes in so much healing potion that you are essentially more potion then man, the body actually begins to break down of its own accord. He seemed to be of a relatively high level though because he really gave it a good fight holding on till the end.


    His intrusion however gave me much needed insight. Often would-be assassins try to use gases, large area type magic, or the like because they think it is as simple as if they don¡¯t miss me then they will kill me.


    They are always of course dead wrong, but often enough quite a few members of my entourage pay the price. In the past I just wrote them off and replaced them, but this assassin tried an area type attack rather than an attack targeted directly at me, I could have lost my non-replaceable girls.


    This of course didn¡¯t sit well with me, so once the would-be assassin was dealt with I decide on a course of action.


    Angela: ¡°Master, you¡­You want us to fight¡­?¡±


    ¡°If you choose to fight or not is irrelevant, but you will at least be required to come along, so you can gain enough levels, that if another would-be assassin shows up you are not going to keel over at the first sign of danger.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°To be able to watch Master in action will give me pleasure beyond no other.¡± ¨CShe says while filling my head with images after emphasizing on the word pleasure.-


    ¡°Your race alone already makes you quite powerful, but that also means you do not have a class making your acquisition of more levels quite a bit more difficult, but Angela on the other hand will have to start from scratch, so we shall see what she has available to her.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I couldn¡¯t bear to do nothing while Master risks his life for me, so I would like to focus on ranged attacks, that way even while Master protects me I can at least be of some assistance.¡±


    ¡°I find the likelihood of my life being at risk very slim, but actually participating will enable you to gain quite a bit more xp...¡± ¨CI say while opening [Menu] to Angela¡¯s status screen and choosing to assign a class.-


    I go through the list of classes available to Angela, and just like our sex life, her potential is excellent, but grasping it is just out of reach. Any kind of mage class seems out of the question, but she does have a little bit of magical potential.


    She said she wanted to be ranged, but the only available class as ranged is a simple archer, she does have a rare type of spear wielding class that can be used as a ranged class once she levels up. That is as long as that small bit of magic she has, increases along with it. It will work much better in bringing out her potential then just a simple archer, so I choose that one for her.


    Next is gearing them up for combat, for Angela I summon her a set of my signature armor worn by my women, which compliments her wings magnificently, and even a dungeon core like myself is only capable of summoning armor made of mythril, so until I can have a better set of gear made specifically for her, this will have to do.


    With enough time I could make her an armor of higher quality then I could summon, but it would still be made from mythril, so I see little point in it. Even with our falling out, the agreement between Two-Twelve and I is still valid, if he hadn¡¯t disappeared, to gods only know where, I could have him make a set of armor like the set he acquired from our fight in Merretta.


    Now that her armor is taken care of I need to get her a weapon. If her magic pans out she will quickly be able to solve that problem herself, but until then I summon a good mythril glaive, but to give her a bit of the ranged combat she wants I summon a quiver full of javelins as well.


    That should take care of Angela, but now for Desiree. As I don¡¯t have the ability to summon succubi, I don¡¯t have any types of equipment specifically for them. She should be able to wear varies types of monster gear, but most of that would cover her most valuable assists.


    [Menu] will not allow me to equip her in normal gear even if her build is pretty similar to that of Angela. I could make another set for Angela and have Desiree equip it manually, but the size wouldn¡¯t be quite right and I think it would be best to consult an expert. With Madam Erin¡¯s expertise with succubi I send her a message.


    Madam Erin: (Why yes I can make gear for succubi, but if you are trying to get your kink on in new ways I am sure there is a far easier way then this.)


    (I am not speaking of equipment for the bedroom, I am speaking for actual combat gear.)


    Madam Erin: (What exactly is it you are planning¡­?)


    (It is simple, my entourage needs to have the ability to protect themselves.)


    Madam Erin: (You have never cared before if they could fend for themselves.)


    (You know as well as I do that this entourage is non-replaceable.)


    Madam Erin: (You have had that succubus from Two-Twelve for quite a while, if I didn¡¯t know you any better I would say you are actually getting attached.)


    (Can you help me, or not?)


    Madam Erin: (I am sure I can come up with something, but it is going to cost you.)


    (Very well, we will meet at the neutral zone to discuss terms.)


    I plan on starting the girls training immediately. I have Angela equip her gear, so we can leave directly from the neutral zone. Seeing Angela in my signature armor surprisingly makes me want her more than when she wears that revealing evening gown she wears to bed.


    Desiree has been suggesting I try a different tactic on Angela, and my prowess in combat has been able to cause more than a few women to swoon. Maybe this will be just the thing she needs, to make her unequivocally mine.


    After equipping my own armor we arrive at the neutral zone and I find that Madam Erin has already arrived. She wears a confused expression as she greets me. ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t believe it if I didn¡¯t see it with my own two eyes, and here I was thinking this might have been some kind of trap, but here you are, armor and all, so it must be you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, now the equipment? You can understand that I want to be sure it is what I am looking for before we negotiate a price.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now that sounds a bit more like you, very well¡­¡± ¨CShe says while opening her [Menu] and going through it.- ¡°Now I am guessing since you didn¡¯t just use standard monster armor, you want something quite specific, but that still leaves us several options, just how well equipped are we talking here?¡±


    ¡°You know I do not settle for second best, I need the best you are capable of producing.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°For yourself maybe, but your entourage? You really have grown attached to them.¡±


    ¡°I am simply protecting my property.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you say so¡­¡± ¨CShe says while she finishes in [Menu] summoning a set of armor.- ¡°This is the best set of heavy armor that is made specifically for a succubus.¡±


    Desiree is currently wearing a set of clothing I had Madam Erin produce for her a while back, but even in its own scantily clad nature, it appears to be too much to be worn along with the armor, so she quickly strips down as she dons the armor. The armor wraps around her like her own wings except it is made from Orichalcum that has been dyed to such a dark crimson color that if it was any darker it would turn as black as my armor. It even has its own helm if you want to call it that, it is more like a circlet.


    Madam Erin said this was a heavy armor, and being made from Orichalcum that is far more than I am able to summon on my own, but maybe due to it being succubus armor it leaves so much skin exposed It can¡¯t even be considered clothing much less be considered a functional suit of armor.


    ¡°Orichalcum is very impressive indeed, but I hardly call that heavy armor. Do you have nothing else that could offer her better protection?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now I really have seen it all, Dyson asking for a woman to be more clothed.¡±


    ¡°Her ¡°assets¡± are very important to me, and it would be a shame for them to be damaged in combat.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You did ask for succubus armor. Now this might be unconventional, but in theory it should work giving that the succubus armor is considered heavy armor.¡± ¨CShe says while accessing her [Menu] again.-


    She then summons a full body suit of Arachne Empress silk, which is softer than normal silk, but just as tough as dragon-hide, and after instructing Desiree to put it on she strips down again to put on the silken bodysuit.


    It fits her like a second skin leaving nothing to the imagination. Once she reequips the armor it gives her the same sensual appearance while still offering the protection equal to that of dragon-hide. With the armor on over the silken bodysuit is so close to her natural caramel colored skin tone that it is practically impossible to tell she is wearing anything at all under the armor.


    Madam Erin: ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°It feels stifling¡­ is the bodysuit really necessary? The armor should be more than enough.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s armor, it¡¯s meant to be restrictive, and I think that will work out fine. Now, as for a weapon, I am sure I can summon something she could use, but I would bet you can summon something a bit more specialized for a succubus.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°A succubus has no weapon restrictions, but if you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, but still within the typical whip-like weapon for a succubus, I might have just the thing. Maric once came to me asking for something special for Hecate, and we came up with a pair of swords that might be just the thing you are looking for.


    ¡°I have seen her use her whip-blades once and I think that would work perfectly for Desiree.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Double the blades will be double the cost.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°You know I am good for it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you insist¡­¡± ¨CShe says manipulating the screen in front of her.-


    Madam Erin didn¡¯t spare any expense and even though I only saw Hecate use her weapons once, and it was years ago, I think these two are superior to the ones Hecate wields.


    Once being presented with the weapons Desiree handles them quite awkwardly, but with practice she should be able to work it out. Between the weapons and the armor Desiree looks quite magnificent, enough so that any adventurer would struggle between either pissing themselves or creaming themselves just by laying their eyes on her.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Now that you are satisfied, as for the payment. Now orichalcum is no adamantium, but it is the closest you¡¯re going to get.¡±


    ¡°Between the weapons and armor you are looking at¡­ About 70,000xp and that is being generous, and then you add the Arachne Empress silk bodysuit on top which would double that price, so 210,000xp, and for your trouble we will call it a quarter million xp.¡±


    Madam Erin seems quite surprised by my offer as she says. ¡°Alright, I want to keep a closer eye on what is going on in Tobes between Two-Twelve and this Ceres, so if you are being so generous how about trade for 6 of your humans. I don¡¯t feel like bothering in training them up, so start them out at level 20.¡±


    ¡°Even giving them standard classes that would be 300,000xp, how about 4 of them?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You already offered 250,00xp, so how about 5 and you make 2 of them with above standard classes?¡±


    ¡°5 and 1 above standard class, or take the 250,000xp in a xp jewel.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Deal. Now, the human women you summon, their appearance will give them away to where they are from, especially if it is an entire group, but your limits to classes for the men will leave a lopsided group. Maybe we can get by with one women undetected if she is with a group of men, so make the above standard class a good female mage, and the rest men.¡±


    I open my [Menu] and summon two human vagabonds, one human bandit, and one human thief, for the female I select the thaumaturge class, and I know it will do me little good, but try to make her appearance as far removed from Sofia as possible.


    The human males turn out just about as expected, with the vagabonds being a pair of burly men, with the thief at the other end appearing more agile then muscular, and the bandit is somewhere in-between. The female however came out very differently than I expected.


    I have been summoning humans for years and years, but no matter how I tried the woman always came out similar, their hair may be different color and their builds might slightly differ, but their faces have always been a poor recreation of Sofia¡­


    I have tried to make women that appear nothing like her in the past, but they always still bore some resemblance to her, but this woman¡­ When I focused on making her as far removed from Sofia as I could, she really was.


    Her class may be that of a healer, but by her appearance you would think her more apt for being some cackling witch in a forest. I receive a warning that allows me to choose if I want her to have the [Dyson¡¯s Girl] skill as it will result in a negative ranking, which its description it told me that such a thing was possible, but I have not actually ever experienced it before.


    With her appearance I don¡¯t see it ever being possible for her to even break even much less a positive number in the skill so I deny her it. Even the men that I summon being of such a low morale character turn to avoid looking at her unclothed body.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well not at all what I was expecting, but this should work out. This only makes me wonder even more, what is your deal today?¡± ¨CShe says while draping a robe over the homely looking woman.-


    I then summon some clothing for the men and toss it to them while saying. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, you said you wanted her to not appear like she came from my dungeon, and I think it is clear no one would expect her to have come from my dungeon.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I would go as far to say it has been going on longer than just today. First you get rid of your entire entourage, replacing it with a single succubus, and then there is the beastkin. You have always made it quite adamant that no beastkin woman would ever be good enough, and now look at you.¡±


    ¡°Angela¡¯s race might be that of beastkin, but with her only characteristic being those wings of hers, she is hardly the kind of beastkin I was talking about.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And the beastkin woman in Tobes? Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see the way you were looking at her, and yet you did your best to stay out of her view even though you were disguised.¡±


    ¡°Sandra is none of your concern.¡± ¨CI then transfer ownership of the 5 humans over to Madam Erin.- ¡°Now, I take it our trade is complete, and we have matters to take care of, so we will be on our way.¡±


    Madam Erin seems deep in thought as she says. ¡°Fine, if you insist.¡± She then turns to the humans and leads them from the room.


    Angela: ¡°I am sorry Master, I should have told her that we don¡¯t have that kind of relationship, and you wouldn¡¯t have had to gone though that on my behalf¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I am sure if you had said anything it would have actually made matters far worse, but I am curious about this Sandra. I have rooted around in your head enough to know that name, but she is one of the things you are keeping from me. If she is that important to you, why not have her join us?¡±


    ¡°She is not important, but what she taught me was. The desire I feel for her is not the kind I need to embrace, but discard.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Desire is desire, there is no desire that needs discarding, if Master wants it, he should have it.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps you will have her take your place at my side, as if she is there I won¡¯t need you any longer.¡±


    Desiree looks worried for a second before she says. ¡°Then perhaps you are right, some desires should be discarded.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would feel that way, now Angela on the other hand, that is a desire I would much like to experience, and wearing my signature armor like that makes me want you all the more.¡±


    Angela blushes deeply as she says. ¡°Thank you Master, I really appreciate it¡­But I¡¯m sorry I¡­I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Just remember I won¡¯t wait forever. Now, we are geared for battle so shall we?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Of course.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I am a little scared, but if Master is there to protect me, then yes¡­¡±


    Without another word we teleport from the neutral zone.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    What started off as a get-together with Inari turned out into a large ordeal. Belinda and Inari were excited to see each other again and Inari was happy to meet Rory, and I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that Ceres invited herself to join in.


    Somehow though the other girls have gotten wind of our little get together, and I have somehow been tasked with heading to Maeve¡¯s dungeon to pick them up. I arrive at Maeve¡¯s dungeon and find it as a place I barely recognize.


    The tranquil meadow I usually arrive in looks more like a battlefield, with divots in the dirt, scorch marks among the grass, and just a sense of disarray. The buildings off to the side of the meadow seem even further away now, and the entire island seems quite larger.


    One of the small islands off to the side of the central island appears to have been taken over by large trees and it is hard to make out the ruins held within them. The island off to the other side however is not obscured by trees but by stone.


    Twilight surrounded the island with tall stone walls when she first took over the island, but now instead of just a solid wall with towers at certain points, the entire wall has become a rampart with varies kinds of defensive features at the top of the walls. The makings of a large castle like building can also be seen starting to take shape over the walls.


    I make my way towards the village and I am met by the three girls, all of which appearing in human form, and although Dawn seems perfectly content, Twilight doesn¡¯t seem happy about it. Dawn quickly gives me a hug, and Twilight reluctantly does the same, Maeve however just stands nearby.


    Dawn: ¡°When aunt Ceres told us of the get-together you were having today we were all quite excited!¡±


    ¡°Not that I mind you all coming by the house, but I was wondering how you learned about Inari¡¯s visit. Although I am not sure how I feel about you calling Ceres, aunt Ceres, and her sticking her nose into my dungeon¡¯s affairs¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°She is as bad as Mother, insisting that we called her aunt Ceres during our meetings, and speaking of Mother she seemed quite excited to have us attend as well, so she may have had a hand in inviting us as well.¡±


    ¡°As long as it is just you three I don¡¯t really mind, but I hope it wasn¡¯t a mistake making Ceres a dungeon core and even more so, by making her one of my justicars.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I have a feeling you might have dug yourself into a hole with aunt Ceres. I don¡¯t know how much she told you about what has happened while you were gone, but she has already made herself pretty invaluable among some of the other dungeon cores within your group. It won¡¯t be easy to just shut her out now if she starts becoming a problem.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°I like her! The human adventurers that she gave me have been really helpful!¡±


    ¡°She gave you a group of humans?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You didn¡¯t know¡­?¡±


    ¡°She failed to mention that part.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°She has given quite a few of the dungeons a group of humans already. I am a little worried it could just be a way to gather information from all of our dungeons, but she only gave groups to those to promised to treat them respectfully, and she said we could either instruct them to stay away from sensitive areas of our dungeons, or even bind them to our own dungeons if we wanted to.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean she isn¡¯t using an ultimate command placed on them to gather information, but if you saw some of the other things she has done for some of the dungeon cores, then it makes it far easier to believe she just wants to help.¡±


    ¡°How as she able to transport the groups of humans? She didn¡¯t say anything about regaining her ability to teleport.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Mama brought them to us!¡±


    ¡°She has been using Belinda?!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I don¡¯t know about the others, but Mother was the one that brought our groups to us¡­¡±


    ¡°This is quickly getting out of hand¡­¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Please Papa, don¡¯t be upset. The groups have really been a big help to our dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Again it isn¡¯t you three that are a problem, but if she used Belinda¡¯s [Gate] to transport the others as well it could have put Belinda or my dungeon in a lot of danger. We can¡¯t trust all of the dungeons in our group after all.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I am sure it was because it was just us that she brought the groups directly to us. Aunt Ceres thinks a lot of Mama and you, so I doubt she would do anything to endanger either one of you.¡±


    ¡°Then she could have at least mentioned it to me¡­¡± ¨CI let out a deep sigh.- ¡°I don¡¯t know what I am going to do with her.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Well what are we waiting for?! I want to see Inari, Rory, and Mama again!¡±


    It is not like standing here is going to solve anything so I nod and cast [Gate]. When we arrive at the house Dawn quickly makes rounds giving everyone hugs, which makes Takeshi quite uncomfortable as he is not used to that kind of thing.


    Twilight gives Belinda and Inari a hug, and then is forced into a hug with Ceres, but that¡¯s where she draws the line, and again Maeve hangs towards the back of the group while just saying hi. We all head to the living room and begin talking, and it isn¡¯t long until Takeshi and I become the targets of their conversations, and we have to flee to safety.


    Takeshi: ¡°Are you sure it was wise to leave them on their own?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not, but it is better than staying in there, so¡­ How did things go after I left the other day, I¡¯m sorry I was in a bit of a hurry.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°We have been keeping an eye on the Oni villagers, they seem to be doing alright, but they not adjusting to the new village as well as we had hoped.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry to hear that, but how is Inari doing...? She had quite the weight placed on her shoulders all of the sudden.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I was the one to take the corrupt dungeon out, so she wasn¡¯t able to gain its strength, so she actually seems excited about getting to know the exact location of the rest of the corrupt dungeons. After the losses we suffered though I can tell she is also quite scared.¡±


    ¡°I felt horrible about losing the fox beastkin she gave me, but I didn¡¯t know them that well. I only started to get to know them inside the dungeon, but I couldn¡¯t even imagine what it would be like to lose members like Zoey, or Azami.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°She is taking it hard, but I don¡¯t know if it is Yuji she is mourning most or Kaori¡­ She never really liked Kaori, but Yuji loved her, and even after losing Yuji, Inari couldn¡¯t even protect Kaori for him. It is almost like she lost Yuji twice, and that isn¡¯t even mentioning Hotaru and Yuzuki as well.¡±


    ¡°Maybe spending time with Belinda and the others will help cheer her up a bit. What about the old gods, have you heard any more from them?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°She heard from Amaterasu again, apparently she just making sure that Inari was going to hold up her end of the deal, and to reassure her that the old god Inari was on board for Inari helping Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. Inari hasn¡¯t heard from the old god Inari directly, but she did receive a new skill from it after returning home, so we are inclined to believe Amaterasu.¡±


    ¡°Well you take good care of her, alright?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°I promise Father, I will not let you down.¡±


    Takeshi and I talk for a while longer before we rejoin the women, and they seem to be enjoying themselves a great deal. By the time evening rolls around we have a large dinner together before we start preparing to take everyone home.


    Before I get to far however Inari asks me if I can take them to the neutral zone first. Apparently they have made a deal to trade some monsters to one another as well, and it would make things much easier from the neutral zone, so I agree. Everyone says their farewells and we then depart for the neutral zone.


    This room held the hellhound, phoenix, and the minotaur that Dyson gave me all at the same time, and even that large dragon companion of Ithros¡¯s, but I still end up having to use [Gate] to transfer monsters to the girls dungeons just so the room doesn¡¯t overflow with monsters¡­


    After their exchange is complete Dawn, Twilight, and even Maeve gives me a hug before they disappear into the portal. Before I open a portal back to Inari¡¯s dungeon she stops me for a second.


    Inari: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Daddy, but before I go home I would like to ask a favor of you. I know after everything you did to help me out, you don¡¯t owe me anything, but please hear me out.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°It¡¯s about the Oni¡­ Being unable to communicate with them is making things quite hard. Especially when we don¡¯t even know what they are talking about, but it is clear they are quite upset and I don¡¯t know how to fix it. I know you have trained in Shima a lot, so I was wondering if because of your unique dungeon you could summon a sentient Oni were we could at least have a way to speak with them.¡±


    ¡°Training in Shima has giving me the ability to summon Oni, but not the sentient ones, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well it was at least worth a shot¡­Tomorrow morning Takeshi and I are going to set out for the Shima capital so I can get that taken care of, but if you need anything don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡±


    ¡°You be careful, and take care of each other, alright?¡±


    Inari wraps her arms around me and gives me a big hug as she says. ¡°You too¡­And you take care of Mommy and Rory! Tell them they can come visit me anytime!¡±


    I rub my hand through Inari¡¯s hair and then shake Takeshi¡¯s hand before they disappear through the portal I create. I start to cast one last [Gate] to return home, but I then hear a voice behind me.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well if it my little wayward pup, you seemed quite busy so I didn¡¯t want to interrupt, but I think it¡¯s time we need to talk.¡±

 Help

    After setting up my girls with gear we arrive at the base of one of the mountains along the Adra mountain range. There are plenty of dungeons up in the mountain range, but that is not our destination this time.


    I can¡¯t risk accidently leading my non-replaceable entourage into one of the traitorous dungeon core¡¯s dungeons so I decide to stick to a dungeon that I already have an agreement with. Stretched out before us is a grand estate, it has tall thick rampart like walls surrounding the property, but that doesn¡¯t matter because we appeared on the inside of them


    Our arrival hasn¡¯t gone unnoticed however, because we have already seemed to cause quite a stir. Horns bellow as armored guards quickly begin approaching us from all directions. Angela looks quite frightened, but Desiree places her hands on the hilts of her swords as she says. ¡°Master, are these our enemies?¡±


    ¡°No, but if you desire their deaths, I am not one to stand in your way.¡±


    Desiree starts to draw her blades as the guards approach but a large feral lion beastkin man wearing an elaborate set of heavy armor runs up while calling out. ¡°Wait! Wait! Everyone, stand down!¡± The horns then stop and the guards stare at the beastkin while sheathing their weapons.


    The beastkin man approaches and says. ¡°Forgive me Master Dyson, we were not expecting a visit! Not that you need to explain yourself to us, but please forgive my men. The civil war in Merretta has put everyone on high alert. There have already been quite a few powerful people in Merretta that have jumped ship and have tried to establish a powerbase in Adra even if that means taking out one of the dukes in the process.¡±


    ¡°Well Desiree, what is it you want to do?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I guess we can let them live, for now at least.¡± ¨CShe says while taking her hands of the hilts of her blades, which causes the lion beastkin to breath a deep sigh of relief.-


    Beastkin: ¡°I thank you for your mercy, but I must apologize again, as my Master is not in at the moment. Because of the attacks I already mentioned, the Dukes have been called to the capital to discuss a plan of action.¡±


    ¡°His presence isn¡¯t required, only his dungeon.¡±


    The beastkin looks a little confused as he looks at Desiree, but he then turns his attention to Angela standing behind me and then nods. ¡°I understand, but using Master¡¯s dungeon without him here¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    The beastkin wears a pained expression while instinctively straightening his back as if he just received a lash from a whip as he says. ¡°I understand¡­ Follow me.¡±


    The beastkin man starts leading us towards the estate, while Angela grabs one of my hands with both of hers as she trails slightly behind us. When we enter the building we are met with beastkin of every sub-species imaginable all of which are female and wearing skimpy maid like outfits.


    All of which seem wary of our presence here, but they also seem quite relieved. Their appearances cause Desiree to lick her lips, and she seems disappointed when they quickly start going back to their duties while the beastkin man leads us through the building. We head down a set of stairs and are met with large solid wooden door. The door creaks loudly as the beastkin man opens it and he stops aside for us to pass him.


    I have been known to use torture, in fact this whole trip started with my torturing of that would-be assassin, and I find it quite useful for a manner of reasons, but the torture chamber we enter here is still the largest and most well equipped that I have ever seen. I have seen this place a few times before, but it never ceases to amaze me how much Duke Dionysus not only uses torture as a punishment, but does it to even his own monsters just for the sake of enjoyment.


    Upon one of the racks there is a naked young beastkin woman strapped to it, or at least what is left of her. She is strapped to the rack spread eagle, but is missing not only half of one of her legs and all of one of her arms, but several fingers at different joints on the other hand, all the toes on her remaining foot, one of her long soft rabbit ears, and even one of her eyes.


    If that wasn¡¯t bad enough she has quite a few large gapping wounds over her body each with some kind of implement sticking out of it or being used just go keep the wound spread open. She is clearly a dungeon monster or she would have never survived some of the wounds on her body much less the blood lose that would have been associated with them.


    When the rabbit sees us enter a tear streams down her face and Angela quickly closes her eyes tight as she buries her face into the back of my armor. With a voice muffled by my armor says ¡°What is this place¡­?¡±


    Angela¡¯s reaction causes the lion beastkin to notice the rabbit beastkin on the table and he quickly starts to move towards her but instead he looks to me and then stops in his tracks, clinches his fists, and turns his head.


    ¡°This is Duke Dionysus¡¯s dungeon. Now if I am not mistaken a trip to the capital would take several weeks am I right? The Duke should know to put up his toys when he is done playing with them. I''m guessing he just forgot. Now I am sure if his toy broke while he was away he would be quite upset, so maybe you should take care of it for him. He can always pick up where he left off when he returns.¡±


    The lion beastkin looks troubled, but he keeps looking at the bunny girl strapped to the wall, and he eventually makes his way across the room to her. ¡°Bunny¡­I¡¯m sorry but this is going to hurt, but I got to take these things out of you before I can move you and so you will heal¡­¡±


    She doesn¡¯t or can¡¯t say anything as more tears roll down her cheek as she stares at the lion beastkin with her remaining eye. The lion beastkin starts removing the items stabbed or wedged in the bunny girl¡¯s wounds. Each time she lets out a scream that doesn¡¯t even sound human, and each time she does Angela¡¯s grip on my only gets tighter as she hugs my back.


    Once all the implements have been removed from the bunny girl the lion beastkin takes her down from the wall and wraps her in the cape that adorned his armor. He gives me a conflicted look, and then looks to Angela who is still grasping me tightly. He doesn¡¯t know what to do other than nod his head and he carries the bunny girl up the stairs and out of the dungeon.


    Angela¡¯s grip finally loosens on me as she asks. ¡°Why would anyone do something like that to somebody?¡±


    ¡°Torture has its uses, and I would even do much worse than that if the situation called for it, but Duke Dionysus does it for the sheer enjoyment of it.¡±


    Angela: ¡°She surely couldn¡¯t have deserved anything like that¡­Why didn¡¯t you help her?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Master choose his words carefully when he said what he did. It allowed the other beastkin to help her without either one of them suffering a worse fate once the Duke returns.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Master could have at least healed her!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Would that have really helped her?¡±


    Angela: ¡°What do you mean? Of course it would have!¡±


    ¡°What she means is, that girl was clearly a dungeon monster, or she would have never been able to survive with wounds like that. That means it may take months, but she will eventually heal on her own re-growing the limbs and organs that were removed.¡±


    Angela: ¡°But your healing spells could have taken care of that in an instant!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°That may be true, but then Master would be overstepping his place within an ally¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Besides, even if the limbs and organs will return the pain of their removal was surely far more then what she is feeling now. If I were to heal her, when Duke Dionysus returns he could start over from the beginning, but if she has to wait for the dungeon¡¯s natural healing to take effect she won¡¯t have to suffer through that again for months.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I don¡¯t like it! He needs to pay for what he has done!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°The Duke is one of Master¡¯s allies he can¡¯t do something like that.¡±


    ¡°Hold on. I let you choose if you let the guards live or not, so now its Angela¡¯s turn. Is Duke Dionysus¡¯s head what you desire? If it is, I will assist you, but you must be the one to take it.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Master¡­ That is truly a cruel thing to ask of Angela¡­¡±


    Angela: ¡°No, it¡¯s alright¡­ I want him to pay for treating his own monsters like that. Please Master, help me make him pay!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°And what of his monsters? Even if Master does help you acquire enough strength to kill the Duke then his monsters will die along with him!¡±


    ¡°She is right, you know. The question is, do you feel that a swift death for his monsters would be better than their constant torture at his hands?¡±


    Angela: ¡°¡­I¡­¡±


    ¡°You have time to think about it, we did come here to train after all, but I expect you to make up your mind before we are done.¡±


    I then move over to one of the walls, I press on one of the blocks causing a loud clicking sound, and it causes part of the wall to slide out of the way leading to a passage way.


    ¡°Now come, it is time to start your training.¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    Madam Erin: ¡°Come have a seat pup, we have a lot to talk about.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Do we? I offered you and Dyson, no, as a matter of fact I offered the chance to all the Elders to join my group. If you wanted to know what has been going on perhaps you should have taken me up on that offer.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You are still an Elder yourself now! You have a responsibility to keep us informed.¡±


    ¡°I have seen you and Dyson break those rules time and time again, and we both know the Elders only share what they want to share. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I appreciate all that you and Dyson have done for me, but it¡¯s time for me to do things my way. The offer still stands though, I would be honored for you and Dyson to join my group so as long as you are willing to follow my rules.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And if I refuse?¡±


    ¡°Then we have nothing else to talk about, and I have a family to get back to.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There is too much at stake to just leave it into your hands, but forget about being an Elder for a second and just as someone who wants to put a stop to the threat we are facing as much as I do. Will you answer some of my questions?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee I will answer, but I suppose I do owe you enough to at least hear you out.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Your recent disappearance, you were gone for months, does it have anything to do with the ones trying to kill us?¡±


    ¡°Going into it, I thought it was a possibility, but no, it didn¡¯t.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What were you doing?¡±


    ¡°That includes information that it sensitive to not only my dungeon, but another as well, so I can¡¯t answer that without their permission.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Then who is this other dungeon?¡±


    ¡°That information alone might be too much, so I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t answer that either.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Does it involve the old god Ceres?¡±


    ¡°You would have to ask her.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What can you tell me about this, Ceres? You kept telling us about this old god Ceres, and now she is a dungeon core. What reason would a god have to become just one of us dungeon cores?¡±


    ¡°Again, you should ask her. She has made no attempts to hide, and even her dungeon seems to be an open book, so why is it so hard to not ask her yourself?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Being an Elder you get to personally meet every dungeon core that passed though the neutral zone here on their way to become a dungeon core, but Ceres skipped that step as you made her a dungeon core yourself. Perhaps since you know her personally you could introduce us?¡±


    ¡°I find it hard to believe that you haven¡¯t spoken with her, just because you haven¡¯t been introduced. Besides she said you have already met, and she gave you the opportunity to speak with her, but you choose to remain hidden.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°How did¡­¡± ¨CShe says quite surprised, but she stops and collects herself.- ¡°Reasons like that alone should be why we are properly introduced. If this Ceres is one of the old gods we should be careful how we deal with her.¡±


    ¡°You are afraid of her¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid of a dragon to know not to stick your head in its mouth.¡±


    ¡°Fine, if it is just an introduction that you want, I am sure that wouldn¡¯t be a problem, so are you ready to meet her?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What¡­Now?¡±


    ¡°She was at my house when I left, and when her and Belinda get talking¡­ So now should be a perfect time. Besides if you have questions its best to get them out of the way, right?¡±


    Madam Erin seems reluctant and even a little bit worried, but she finally agrees so I cast [Gate] making a portal that leads back to the house. When we arrive I can hear Belinda, Ceres, and several of the others still laughing and talking in the living room, so we head that way.


    ¡°While taking the girls home I found a stray, so I thought I would bring her by.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Madam Erin!¡± ¨CShe says jumping to her feet and gives her a hug.- ¡°It¡¯s been quite a while, what brings you here?¡±


    Madam Erin looks to me and I say. ¡°I ran into her at the neutral zone and she wanted to ask you a few questions about Rory. She might have been around for a long time but she hasn¡¯t been a mother before, so I am sure you could give her some advice once her own child gets here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡± ¨CShe says taking massive hand and pulls her though the living room.-


    Ceres is sitting on the couch playing with Rory, while Scylla, Kline, and Listel sit on the other. Roxy is holding Wolfric while sitting in a big arm chair. Wolfric is kicking his feet hitting Zoey in the head while she is oblivious, sitting in the floor with her head in Roxy¡¯s lap, and is sound asleep.


    Belinda pulls Madam Erin to the couch in which Ceres is sitting and having her sit down next to her filling up the rest of the couch and causing it to creak. I don¡¯t know what makes Madam Erin more nervous, the fact she is sitting next to Ceres or when Belinda takes Rory and hands her off to Madam Erin.


    ¡°I guess you two haven¡¯t been properly introduced yet either, so Madam Erin this is Ceres, and Ceres, this is Madam Erin.¡± ¨CI say while motioning to them.-


    Ceres: ¡°It¡¯s nice to finally put a face to the name.¡± ¨CShe says while shaking Madam Erin¡¯s massive hand.-


    Madam Erin awkwardly shakes Ceres¡¯s hand while carefully trying to hold Rory in the other. Meanwhile Belinda asks her. ¡°How is Elexia doing anyway, and when is she due?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°She still has a few months left.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure? Because Rory came long before Wolfric and Roxy and I both got pregnant pretty close to the same time. I don¡¯t know if it is that way for all of these new dungeon cores, but Rory was quite a bit earlier than we expected.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°For us it is the oppisite, so we are actually basing that off of the child¡¯s growth, as succubi usually have a very short pregnancy and Elexia has already been carrying this child for twice the length of it took for her other daughters.¡±


    ¡°Other daughters? You mean those succubi that perished in my dungeon that you called them her daughters, I thought you were talking figuratively, but you mean they were her actual daughters?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s right. Lilith is actually only the 3<sup>rd</sup> succubus I have ever summoned. All the others are either Elxia¡¯s daughters or granddaughters.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I wish I could have done more at the time to prevent their deaths.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Elexia was more than prepared for what would happen when she allowed them to help you.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You said daughters and granddaughters, but what about sons? Has she only had girls?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Succubi have no males in their race. A succubus will always birth a succubus no matter their partner, the only exception is when they breed with incubus, but then if the child is male it would just be an incubus rather than a succubus.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Oh, I see¡­ I guess that means you know you will have a daughter then, right?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I am glad you were one of the dungeon cores that were able to have a child, and they all weren¡¯t wasted on the likes of Draco. With my sister giving Two-Twelve the ability to make dungeon cores himself, and me no longer able to help, I don¡¯t know if my siblings will lift the restriction to let any more of these dungeon cores like Rory and your child to be born.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You can¡¯t speak to the other gods now?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°My sister that controls [Menu] and I have been able to pass a few quips when I have used [Menu] to summon things for my dungeon, but to speak to any of them directly it looks like big brother has a better chance at that then I do.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Your big brother?¡±


    ¡°She means me¡­ Since I made her a dungeon core she has been insisting on calling me that.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Aww, big brother is blushing. The truth is even though my race is still that of a Demi-God, at least according to my adventurer¡¯s ID, I am 100% dungeon core now.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Demi-God¡­? What about your powers?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Miss Elder! Asking a poor young dungeon core like myself to spill all her secrets¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin doesn¡¯t seem to know how to respond to that, but Ceres then laughs and says. ¡°I¡¯m only joking. I still have my powers, at least I think I do, but I have never had a status before, because I just¡­ Was, but now that I have abilities, skills, and magic, some of my powers are out of my reach for now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little late now, but are you sure you want to tell all that to Madam Erin¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Why not, that¡¯s the whole reason she came here tonight, to find out about me, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°


    Belinda: ¡°But I thought she came here to ask questions about the baby?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Of course not. She is a ¡°Dungeon Core Elder¡± she thinks she knows all she need to about having a child, but the truth is she doesn¡¯t even know, what she doesn¡¯t know about raising a child. It won¡¯t be till after the baby is born that she will realize there are questions she has. Big brother saying that was his way of being polite instead of just showing up with an Elder and saying ¡°here she wants to know all about you¡±.¡±


    ¡°And I thought you said you couldn¡¯t use your powers.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t need my powers to read you like a book, big brother! Besides if we want Madam Erin and Dyson to join our group it is best to be honest with them from the start, right?¡±


    ¡°If you want her to know then that¡¯s fine, but I just didn¡¯t want to make that decision for you.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°And so I did. Now Madam Erin, I told you about me, so why don¡¯t you tell us what it would take for you to join our group, because I am pretty sure if we can get you on board, Dyson will follow suit, and with you two then many more will follow as well.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Why not, do you not trust Two-Twelve?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I trust that he is a decent man, and he has the best of intentions, but that isn¡¯t enough. He lacks the strength to pull off what he is promising.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, he has already saved your life once before.¡±


    ¡°No, Madam Erin is right. I do lack the strength to save us from the traitors, but that is exactly the point. The entire reason I am making this group is because together we will have the strength to take them down.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°There is too much room for error, there is still so much we don¡¯t know about the traitors.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Even more reason to pool our information. Look, all of the dungeon cores that are in our group, are part of our group on their own free will. Just give Two-Twelve a chance, and if you like what you see, then tell Dyson, if not then we won¡¯t bother you with it again.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And if I think your group is just as dangerous as the traitors.¡±


    ¡°Then you do what you think is best for all the dungeon cores.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°But don¡¯t think we will just roll over either. Not being with us doesn¡¯t mean you are against us, but if you want to be our enemy we will be sure to give you a run for your money, I promise you that.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If nothing else, it would be worth at least hearing what you have managed to find out after all this time.¡±


    We haven¡¯t learned much, but I tell her the small amounts of information we have learned about the traitors, she asked about my disappearance again, but I tell her I still have to clear it with the other dungeon core first.


    I think she realizes it was for Inari, and I am sure she can work out that it was concerning one of the corrupt dungeons, but at least the details of what went down are still unknown to her. Most of the communication between us and our group had been done with the [Archjusticar Menu] but just for the sake of argument we also give Madam Erin one of the communication parchments as we do use them every now and again when we are trying to reach everyone at once.


    Even if Madam Erin doesn¡¯t remain with our group for long, I seriously doubt her copy of the communication parchment would end up in the wrong hands at least. Ceres then tells Madam Erin a bit more about herself and we even head to that side of town to give Madam Erin a proper tour of Cere¡¯s university.


    By the time Madam Erin leaves heading back to her own dungeon it is already quite late.


    Ceres: ¡°So what do you think? Do you think Madam Erin is going to stick around?¡±


    ¡°I am sure for a while she will only do the minimum required, just to see how things are going, but I saw in her the Madam Erin I was used to, and not the one that was plagued with fear about the traitors, so I think it is promising.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°And even if she doesn¡¯t stick around, maybe it would be enough to at least gain a few more stronger members before she decides to leave.¡±


    ¡°Well if Madam Erin is going to be watching over our shoulders, I guess we should really get to work to try to have some actual results for a change.


    Ceres: ¡°What exactly do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°I think what we need to do first is find a way to give some of the weakest members of our group a bit of a boost. We choose a dungeon core, go to their dungeon and find ways to improve not only their income, but their own strength as well.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The rings you made for the Elders and a few of the other dungeon cores have started to be pretty widely used among the traitors, so it might be time to start considering giving them out to our own members as well.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want just anyone to have them, because I was afraid how they would get used, but at this point when all of our enemies have them but none of our allies do, it kind of defeats the purpose, so you may be right.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Alright, so who should we help first? Or better yet, who do you think is our weakest link?¡±


    ¡°Dame and Kenta are our youngest dungeon cores, but Kenta already has a secondary dungeon, and they both have the rings already, so I think the weakest dungeon core in our group would be Dungeon Core #712 [Sara].¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Alright, first thing in the morning you make a ring for her, and we will both prepare some monsters to help guard her dungeon and provide her with xp. We will then take them to her and give her some help to make sure she is making the most out of her dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will see you in the morning then¡­¡±


    I then part from Ceres and head back home, it seems everyone else has already went back home as well so I head upstairs. I find Belinda putting Rory to bed, so I give her a hand, and then we head to bed ourselves.

 Sara

    I wake up early in the morning, and quickly prepare for my day ahead, but when I step out of my bedroom I quickly begin blushing and odd sound escapes my lips.


    There in the living room directly in front of me is the bare butt of a young man sticking up in the air, with a large fluffy tail swaying back and forth in a cheerful manner while the young man gathers clothing and other articles off the floor. Large canine-like ears on his head twitch and turn when I make a sound and the face of the man nervously turns to meet my gaze.


    The man quickly becomes startled and stands bolt upright, while looking down at his state he quickly begins to blush as well, and he grabs ahold of his tail using it and the clothes in his hands to cover his crotch.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± ¨CI manage to say in a high pitched squeaky voice.-


    Beastkin Man: ¡°You must be the roommate¡­ She said you would have been out already. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m Jake, and I¡¯m one of Miss Sofia¡¯s students.¡±


    ¡°Miss Sofia?¡± ¨CSays a voice from the other side of the room, and we both look to see the young woman with chestnut colored hair wrapped only in a light bedsheet as she leans against the door frame of her own bedroom.- ¡°That isn¡¯t what you called me last night.¡±


    ¡°Student? What kind of classes are you teaching?!¡± ¨CI say while still quite embarrassed, and the young beastkin man tries to quickly pull his clothes on that he was gathering off the floor while still blushing profusely.-


    Sofia: ¡°Jake here just wanted to earn a little extra credit.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do stuff like that with your students and count it as extra credit! What would Master say?!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± ¨CThe young beastkin man says while fleeing from the house while still only half dressed.-


    Sofia: ¡°Now look what you did, I was going to enjoy a bit of that for breakfast as well, and it was only a joke, Jake being in my bed, and being in my class are two separate matters completely. As for Two-Twelve there is nothing he can say. I made it clear when I joined the dungeon to be allowed to choose my own sexual partners.¡±


    ¡°What about Dyson, I thought you were waiting for him to come back for you?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I¡¯m sure that ship has long since sailed by now. Even if I did get to have him, after talking with that Sandra girl a few months ago it became abundantly clear I would never get to become ¡°His Sofia¡±, so it was time for me to move on, and so I have.¡±


    ¡°But one of your students?!¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Over half of Tobes is taking at least one course up at Ceres¡¯s university. If I excluded students I never would get laid! How about next time I grab ahold of two young men and we can make it a double date? I will make sure he wine and dines you, and it would be fun I promise!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do something like that with some stranger!¡±


    Sofia: ¡°You don¡¯t have to sleep with him, if you don¡¯t want, but you could at least go out on a date! You need to loosen up a bit!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Look¡­ I would have a better chance to getting Dyson all to myself then you would be able to catch Two-Twelve¡¯s eye.¡±


    My face begins to fire as I start blushing even more while I refute Sofia¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s not like that! I care for Master very much, but not like that!¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Really¡­? That¡¯s not what you say when you mumble in your sleep.¡±


    ¡°I do¡­?¡± ¨CI start shaking my head so hard my ears are flopping back and forth.- ¡°I do not!¡±


    Sofia: ¡°Then prove it. Just one date, and will even make sure he knows where you stand, and you can part ways with him immediately after dinner. You just have to promise me you will at least try to enjoy yourself during dinner!¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m late for work, I got to go!¡± ¨CI then quickly flee from home with a burning face as I head for City Hall.-


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    I bump into Bell as I go to meet with Ceres and she is uncharacteristically late while blushing as red as an apple. When she realizes it¡¯s me she bumped into she seems to only get redder, if that is even possible. She quickly apologizes profusely and runs off into the City Hall building.


    I¡¯m not quite sure what her deal is this morning, so I send a quick message to Belinda to have her check on her to make sure she is alright before continuing on my way to Ceres¡¯s university. When I arrive at the university Ceres quickly greets me by sneaking up behind me and wrapping her arms from me while hanging from my neck.


    ¡°What are you doing¡­? Are you ready?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Of course I am big brother, but are you? I didn¡¯t see you bring any reinforcements for Sara.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be far easier to come get you and your group, take you back to my dungeon, get my group, and teleport from there.¡±


    Ceres lets go of me and begins eyeing me suspiciously. ¡°You sure you didn¡¯t just want to check out what I was going to take along before summoning your own group?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a competition, why would it even matter to me what you summoned?¡±


    Ceres still eyes me a bit suspiciously then breaks out in a wide smile while she shrugs her shoulders and says. ¡°Ok! Now big brother, take my hand and I will take you to my group.¡± ¨CShe says offering her hand to me palm down like she is asking to dance.-


    I hesitantly take her hand and she quickly spins into my chest and at the same time I feel the pull on the back of my chest as she transfers us within her dungeon. As soon as we arrive at our destination she spins back out and extends her arms out as she says. ¡°Tada!¡±


    ¡°Somebody is in a good mood this morn¡­¡± ¨CI say but my words trail off when I notice the room we are standing in.-


    It¡¯s a large empty room at least the size of two or maybe even three times the maxed size room summoned with [Menu]. It has the large windowless stone walls with the same feeling of being underground like the room she took me to speak in the other day.


    Unlike the other day though this one is not furnished with any couches and chairs, but weapon and armor racks, and it looks like a massive armory. What¡¯s more, is that there is a group at least 30 to 50 people strong, gathering and equipping gear from the racks.


    Ceres seems unperturbed by the huge group of humans as she says. ¡°Of course I am in a good mood! The group you made has been doing everything it can lately to just hold on to what they had, but last night we finally managed to talk Madam Erin into joining, and we are taking our first decisive action to improve the lives of the other dungeon cores! This is a huge step forward, big brother!¡±


    ¡°Who are all these people¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The ones I summoned to help Sara of course!¡±


    ¡°All of them?!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well they are all level one, but she can quickly begin training them inside her dungeon and they should level up quite quickly. Then she should be able to acquire a fair amount of xp from them while also using them to defend her dungeon if she needs to.¡±


    ¡°They are all humans though. How can you be sure they would all be willing to help Sara?¡±


    Ceres quickly turns to the group and calls out. ¡°Are you all ready to dedicate your lives to help and protect Dungeon Core #712 Sara and her dungeon?¡±


    Every person in the room calls out in a unified battle cry that not only echoes in my ears but is loud enough to rattle the weapon and armor racks as well. Ceres then turns back to me with a smile and nods her head quite pleased with herself.


    Ceres: ¡°I spent the entire night summoning each one, one by one, making sure each one had their own aspirations, hopes, and dreams tied to Sara and her dungeon. They may not be her monsters, but I promise you they will care more for her dungeon then even one of her own boss monsters!¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t this a bit¡­Much¡­? And how did you get the xp to pay for all of them?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Maric used to provide every trainee that he trained with a monster worth 50,000xp once they acquired their own dungeon. That small gesture was enough to make the dungeon cores he trained some of the most successful dungeon cores currently alive, so something like this will not only make sure Sara survives, but also thrives. Remember it isn¡¯t the humans we are worried about now but other dungeon cores, and even the dungeon cores Maric trained fell apart when you and Listel tore through them.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what to say while standing there dumbfounded¡­


    Ceres: ¡°Or were you planning on just summoning her a handful of goblins and calling it a day¡­?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± ¨CIs all I manage to say and then I let out a deep sigh.-


    Ceres: ¡°You have to take this seriously Two-Twelve. These dungeon cores are going to be relying on you, and you are going to have to make them feel like they are important and safe if you have any hope of making them trust you enough to risk their own lives in this battle that you are going to want them to take place in.¡±


    ¡°I know you are right, but we have over 50 allies, do you realize how much xp it is going to take to do this for each one?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If we do this right, I am sure we will gain a few new members before it is all said and done, so I think it would be fair to say at least 10 million xp bare minimum. Think of it this way though, you know how much xp you acquire from those groups of yours you send out, so for every one of these dungeons you supply monsters to you will be gaining xp back from them as well.¡±


    ¡°It is hard enough to recall the groups I already have once a month, much less fifty plus more groups.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Who says you have to do it every month? Just choose a handful of groups and only do a little at a time. What about a ring for Sara, did you summon that yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well everyone here looks like they are about ready, it might be a good idea to make an adjoining room between our two dungeons like Dawn and Twilight have. That would make taking care of the rest of the dungeons a lot easier, because having to cast [Gate] even though your dungeon is barely a few yards away seems wasteful. In any case we can worry about that later, for now let¡¯s move this group over to your dungeon and we can summon Sara¡¯s ring and the monsters you are going to prepare for her.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The bunnies were expecting us, but I am sure they are not expecting a small army, so I send them a message to tell them we are on our way so we don¡¯t worry them with our numbers, and then I cast [Gate] while watching Ceres¡¯s group march through the portal.


    Even with the humans marching through the portal quickly and efficiently there are still so many of them I have to maintain the portal for extra time for all of them to pass through, but once they are finally through Ceres locks arms with me and says ¡°Shall we?¡± and we follow Ceres¡¯s group through.


    I decide the first thing to take care of is the ring, and when I made Ceres¡¯s ring I used the [Artificer] skill rather than just [Menu] and it seemed to work out pretty well, so I do a similar process for Sara¡¯s ring and accept the summoning of it while focusing on what I know and remember of Sara.


    Twintail-power Ring: Haters are going to hate, but twintails are justice. This unique ring was made by Dungeon Core 212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen] for one of his companions and first friends. They may have grown apart and unfortunate events may have led to Dungeon Core 212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen] losing most of his memories of Dungeon Core #712 [Sara], but fate has brought them back together and will lead to new and stronger bonds in the future.


    This ring grants no effects to non-dungeon cores, but any dungeon core wearing the Twintail-power Ring gains double xp from all personal sources and it splits the xp between the dungeon and the dungeon core itself. If the ring is worn by Dungeon Core #712 [Sara] it will be granted additional powers based on the bond in which she shares with Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen].


    ¡°What is with these item descriptions lately¡­Is your sister that controls [Menu] just picking on me because I made you a dungeon core?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If you didn¡¯t I would be dead, so if anything she should be thankful, so what does it say?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, because it works, so next is the monsters¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You¡¯re no fun¡­¡±


    ¡°What should I summon¡­ I think you have summoned more than enough humans, Sara is a wind dungeon core like Maeve, so maybe I should summon some things that would fit well in her dungeon.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Or better yet, if you are not summoning humans, then maybe something from the opposing element that she can¡¯t summon.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that, how about a handful of dwarves? Not only could they help defend her dungeon, but if can supply them with the materials she could gain access to much better equipment.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That isn¡¯t a bad idea. She also said the requirements for Elves will also be quite difficult for the way her dungeon is set up, so maybe you can summon a few of them as well. She could get lucky and a few of them might be able to use elven crafting.¡±


    Sara¡¯s dungeon is underground, so I don¡¯t have to worry about that, and as long as you give them plenty of ore and alcohol any dwarf would be perfectly happy, so I don¡¯t worry too much about them as I summon a handful of both male and female dwarves equipping them with clothing before the light even fades from their summoning, which is an art I have finally mastered.


    The elves might be a little harder, but she is in the middle of the forest, so their lives might be in a bit more danger then the dwarves, but they should at least be happy there, so my main focus on summoning them is a desire for crafting.


    Instead of crafting it seems the focus was more on just production, as from the handful of elves, only 2 of which desire to be crafters, but all of them want to produce something. The one that wants to be a painter might be a bit of a problem, but this might have worked out because other than the two crafters and the painter, two want to grow things, and one once to be an alchemist of sorts, producing potions and elixirs.


    With six dwarves and six elves that leaves me spending only a quarter of the xp that Ceres did, and I am not really trying to compete, but I also don¡¯t want it to look like I am not taking this seriously either. I decide to go with a few more earth monsters, summoning a male and female pair of sentient gremlins, a few non-sentient earth based elementals, and one of the smaller non-sentient earth dragons.


    That is a lot more xp than I planned to spend today, but Ceres was right about it being an investment, and not only should it pay for itself, it will also serve to keep Sara a bit safer so I guess it is worth it.


    Now we just have to get all these monsters to Sara¡¯s dungeon. Ceres and I contact Sara to inform her to have a room with plenty of space ready for us. We told her last night that we were going to come by to give her dungeon a hand today, but that was all we said, so needless to say she was quite confused by what we were asking her to do now.


    Once she informs us she has a space ready I confirm it with the [Archjusticar Menu] and use [Gate] to open a portal leading to the room she created.


    ¡°I should probably go first to make sure she doesn¡¯t panic when all these monsters and people arrive though the portal. You bring up the rear so I know it¡¯s clear to close up the portal.¡±


    Ceres nods to my request and I watch as the two gremlins quickly scale the earth dragon to take spots on his head while kicking him like they are trying to spur on a horse, and holding a hand forward pointing at the portal.


    ¡°Hold on you two, let me go first, we definitely don¡¯t want the dragon to be the first thing she sees or she will keel over for sure.¡± ¨CI say stepping out in front of them heading through the portal.-


    When I arrive Sara is standing a few feet in front of the portal with a pigtail in each hand as she jumps up and down excitedly. ¡°You actually came!¡±


    ¡°Of course I did, now step back. There is going to be quite a few monsters to come though the portal that are going to give you a hand.¡±


    Sara: ¡°Is that why you wanted a big room?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and this one still looks a bit small, so if you have enough xp or we are just going to have to make due for now.¡±


    Sara: ¡°Another one?! What are you bringing an army?¡±


    I let out a nervous chuckle and then sigh. ¡°Here, let¡¯s just step back alright?¡±


    I walk forward playing my hand on her shoulder and lead her out of the way as the dragon starts to emerge from the portal.


    Sara: ¡°Eeeehh! A dragon!?¡±


    The gremlins are still riding the dragons head holding on tightly to its horns as they kick it with their heels. Even though a gremlin looks like a miniature goblin they are still stronger than even the toughest hobgoblins I can summon, so I hope they aren¡¯t hurting that earth dragon as they keep kicking it in the head¡­


    ¡°Among other things, he is going to help keep your dungeon safe, so let¡¯s stay back so the others can come through as well.¡±


    Sara: ¡°There is more?!¡± ¨CShe says while opening her eyes wide with a shocked expression.-


    As the other monsters come through the portal her expression changes from shock to excitement and back again each time something comes through the portal, she can¡¯t seem to sit still either as she bounces around pulls on her pigtails and rocks on her heels.


    When the humans start coming though she really begins to panic and I have quickly calm her down and assure her that they are here to help.


    By the time I finally see Ceres come though the portal I have been maintaining it for several minutes, so I finally release the portal and look around the room that is packed full of monsters. I think Sara is broken because she is pulling on her pigtails while rocking on her heels giggling while muttering to herself.


    ¡°Are you alright¡­?¡±


    Sara: ¡°There is even a ton of humans¡­ How did you do all this?¡±


    ¡°Ceres helped quite a bit. Now, do you have a place for Ceres, you, and me to have a chat? It is kind of cramped in here.¡±


    Sara¡¯s eyes seem a bit glazed over as she opens her [Menu] looking around for a few seconds before she nods. Once Ceres manages to make her way through the crowd to reach us we each take one of Sara¡¯s hands and she transfers us to another part of the dungeon. We arrive in a hallway that looks to just be part of Sara¡¯s dungeon as she instantly become on guard.


    ¡°Are we in the normal part of your dungeon?¡±


    Sara: ¡°I don¡¯t have visitors, so I always just stay in the core room.¡±


    ¡°We should be safe here at least right?¡±


    Sara: ¡°For a while¡­¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t any part of your dungeon that the adventurers don¡¯t enter? I thought you told us you have been doing well, lately.¡±


    Sara: ¡°I have felt a lot safer since I hid the crystal room like you told me to, but that is the only room that doesn¡¯t have adventurers running though it all the time.¡±


    ¡°Well hopefully we can help you secure your dungeon a bit.¡± ¨CI say while opening the [Archjusticar Menu]- ¡°Alright walk me through your dungeon, anything you can see on your [Menu] I can see so we will just take it slow and we will see what we can do to help.¡±


    We spend the next few hours going through her dungeon room by room, with Ceres and I making suggestions on how to make it more secure. Once we are done with that I ask her, ¡°You said adventurer¡¯s enter your dungeon at all hours, do you mean to say that you have adventurers in your dungeon all night as well?¡±


    Sara: ¡°Yes¡­ There is a stupid mushroom that grows in my dungeon! I don¡¯t even know why. I don¡¯t summon them myself, but the still grow back every night. I guess I should be thankful because with the mushrooms being in my dungeon, it has prevented the destruction of my crystal, several times. It only grows at night and is apparently quite valuable to the humans, so a lot of them rush to stake claims on an area each night so they can scrap the mushrooms off the wall after they grow.


    ¡°Two of the elves that came with us want to grow things, so maybe they can find a way to make the mushrooms grow more frequently or in greater quantities, because if you don¡¯t have a town as part of your dungeon, any reason for humans to want to be in your dungeon during the start of day is a good thing.¡±


    Sara: ¡°I never thought of it like that, I just thought it was a pain that I had to worry about humans being in my dungeon while I am trying to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Your dungeon looks to be made from natural like materials, but is it possible to make doors of some kind?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Wind¡­Wind¡­Wind¡­Ah you have hanging vines available to summon right?¡±


    Sara: ¡°I have tried that, but humans cut right through them, because they are destructible.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Being destructible is the trade-off because they count as locked doors. If you set them up in a open position where the adventurers can pass through them and just before midnight you close them only for a few minutes you might be able to double the amount of xp you are bringing in every night. Even if adventurers do destroy some of them their cost is very low and it should be well worth it.¡±


    ¡°I would start slow though, and pick a room with low amounts of the mushrooms and then spread out from there, so by the time you have them all around your dungeon the humans are already used to their presence.¡±


    Sara: ¡°I can do that¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What are we going to do with the monsters we brought? It sounds like the humans that enter Sara¡¯s dungeon are all from a pretty tight nit group, if we threw a bunch of new people on top of them there may be trouble.¡±


    ¡°I think the best way is for her to focus on another section of her dungeon leaving the entrance to it hidden like her crystal, then she can hold the new monsters in there and still gain xp from the while using their xp to increase her overall dungeon. She can then slowly have one human group enter the dungeon at a time until the humans get used to seeing them. I don¡¯t know how far the nearest village is from here, but it might be wise to send them visit there as well. She can either add a few rifts to the new sections of her dungeon where she plans on hiding the new monsters, or just hold off until the humans are used to them before worrying about leveling them up.¡±


    Sara: ¡°Is their levels really that important¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course! The higher there levels are the more xp you will acquire from them. A level 1 human will only give you 1 xp a day, but a level 20 human will give you 470 xp.¡±


    Sara: ¡°I didn¡¯t realize there was that much of a difference between levels¡­All the humans that stay overnight in my dungeon must be really low level, because I only get 100 or so xp between all of them and there are at least 30 that frequent my dungeon at night.¡±


    ¡°You are the same age as me¡­ How have you not known that after all this time¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That just goes to show you how very different your dungeon is compared to the normal dungeon. Sara¡¯s dungeon seems to be right in line with the typical dungeon of her age. Most dungeon cores don¡¯t even start taking off until they are at least 50 years old.¡±


    ¡°¡­I have always been told my dungeon is above normal, but I didn¡¯t realize it was that different.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well that is why we came here, so Sara can begin catching up with you and your girls, so have you given her the ring yet?¡±


    ¡°I forgot.¡± ¨CI say while removing the ring from my pocket.- ¡°This should help you level up if you do some training yourself.¡±


    Sara: ¡°You want me to fight?¡±


    ¡°I know I have told you take skills as soon and often as you can, so you should be at least above average compared to the adventurers of your same level.¡±


    Noticing Sara¡¯s nervousness Ceres says. ¡°Let¡¯s just take it one step at a time, alright? We can worry about getting your dungeon secure first, and worry about the rest afterwards.¡±


    We continue to talk to Sara for a while longer, but once we have to relocate due to an approaching adventurer¡¯s group we start wrapping things up. We gave her a ton of information today, so we make sure she has it before we finally depart heading back to Tobes.


    Ceres: ¡°You may not yet realize it, but you just advanced Sara¡¯s growth by thirty years. Once she starts putting our advice into play it won¡¯t be long until her dungeon really starts taking shape.¡±


    ¡°I guess I have been so used to seeing dungeon cores like the Elders or the girls, and I didn¡¯t ever stop to think what it was like for the normal dungeon cores.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Your method of training dungeon cores changed everything, but I am sure there are dozens of dungeon cores out there ranging from 6 to 50 years old that are struggling just like Sara was.¡±


    ¡°Well our group comes first, but I think once we get them all situated, we can start recruiting new members by helping them like we did today for Sara.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I think that would be a great idea.¡±


    ¡°It is going to take at least a week for me to recover enough xp to make another group like I did today, without dipping to far into my emergency funds, so I think we should spend the next few days just keeping an eye on Sara, and go from there.¡±


    There is still plenty of daylight left, but Ceres and I part ways and I head home to spend time with Rory and Belinda. I find them at the City Hall building, but once they see me Bell quickly begins blushing and Belinda starts laughing. I don¡¯t quite get the joke, but Belinda pats me on the shoulder while telling me it is nothing, and we head home.

 Desiree and Angela

    Duke Dionysus¡¯s dungeon has not had visitors in a number of years. Since acquiring his status as a Duke he added a mine as his secondary dungeon and most of the xp he acquires is from slave labor he has in the mine.


    That doesn¡¯t mean his dungeon is unguarded, and when we take our first step into his actual dungeon we are met by dozens of goblins.


    Even at level one, with the equipment on the girls, a handful of goblins shouldn¡¯t pose any danger, but this is far more than just a handful, so I cast a fire spell causing flames to fill the area. This spell of mine isn¡¯t of the highest caliber, and becomes weaker for every strike, but it is more than enough to deal with the vast majority of the goblins leaving behind only injured ones behind for the girls to deal with.


    Desiree is the first to spring into action while she quickly lashes out with her whip-swords, she still hasn¡¯t gotten used to them yet, but the use of a whip must come pretty naturally to a succubus, because she still manages to down two of the goblins.


    Even as a level one succubus, she¡¯s still a high-class demon, so it isn¡¯t like goblins pose much of a threat to her. Thus, I can enjoy the graceful and purposefully sensual movements she makes for my viewing pleasure alone, even if that means she keeps leaving herself wide open to attacks that way.


    Between my spell and Desiree¡¯s quick lunge into battle, the two remaining goblins are still fumbling all over themselves and miss the chance to attack. Angela seems quite nervous as she pulls one of the javelins from behind her and she throws it at one of them.


    Disappointment seems to cross her face as the javelin misses its target, but it doesn¡¯t last long and she becomes quite excited when by sheer luck the javelin finds the other goblin instead, burying itself deep into the monster¡¯s chest.


    The last remaining goblin in which Angela¡¯s javelin passed within inches of is unable to put up any resistance as Desiree manages to wrap one of her whip-swords around the neck of the monster and quickly pulling it taut.


    This severs the last goblins head clean from its shoulders and it rolls around the floor coming to a rest at Angela¡¯s feet. This startles her a bit causing her to yelp and kick the head across the room.


    Desiree: ¡°Oh? Angela managed to pierce that goblin right in the heart with that javelin, I feel like that each time Master takes me from behind¡­Anyway, nice shot.¡± ¨CShe says flicking her wrist causing her whip-like swords to shrink back to the appearance of normal swords.-


    Angela: ¡°Thanks¡­I think¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Master dealt with most of those goblins for us, but wasn¡¯t that a bit much for a dungeon¡¯s very first room?¡±


    ¡°Duke Dionysus, doesn¡¯t need to repel adventurers anymore, as he gets his xp from that slave mine of his, so he doesn¡¯t need to appeal to the adventurers with a hard but fair challenge anymore. On the other hand, completely redesigning the whole thing would be a pain, so he just flooded his old dungeon with rifts to increase his xp consumption, which in turn increases his level faster.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Then all the rooms are going to be like this?¡± ¨CShe says nervously.-


    ¡°At bare minimum they will be like this room, the monsters will only get tougher from here on out though.¡±


    We start pressing forward though the rooms one after another, and in each one I use a spell clearing the majority of the monsters out before leaving the girls to mop up the remaining monsters, and as I watch them beginning to get the hang of things I start leaving more and more monsters behind for them to mop up.


    These are only simple goblins but I still find myself unconsciously wiping out a few that start to get to close to the girls, so I have to start forcing myself to hold back more. By the time I am confident they are working well together, Desiree has gotten the hang of the whip-swords using them to cover large areas of the room while Angela does precision strikes against high priority targets like casters or ranged attackers.


    The rooms are so full of monsters that it doesn¡¯t take long for Angela to gain quite a few levels, and even Desiree who gains levels at a much slower rate has gained a few as well. Not that the girls can notice through my armor, but I have also placed the ring I got from Madam Erin to assume the appearance of the farm boy, on my finger, because even if they are just goblins every little bit of xp helps.


    With each room the girls are getting better and better, so I force myself to hold back more and more until the time they begin emptying the rooms of monsters all on their own. I still deal with any credible threats that approach my girls but for the most part they have managed to proceed without even taking any damage worse than a light graze.


    Angela has seemed to gain quite a bit more confidence, so I am starting to think that this might just work out the way I wanted.


    Once the enemies start wearing armor however, Desiree¡¯s whip-swords become far less effective against them. With the quality of her blades she should be able to cut clean through the armor if she used them right, but for now they keep getting caught on the armor slowing her down, and forcing her to focus the aiming of her strikes far more carefully. At the same time, though, Angela¡¯s attacks have grown far more efficient as her javelins have a much easier time piercing though the thin and cheap armor the monsters have begun to wear.


    Just like that, between Desiree switching to keep the enemy at bay with quick lashes while Angela finishes them off. I can¡¯t help but smirk a little, while considering what a duo they have become. For enemies to get closer they have to get past the intimidating, lashing whip-swords of Desiree, and not getting close marks them for elimination from one of Angela¡¯s javelins. It has become quite the lose/lose situation for the monsters.


    These tactics might help them more against sentient creatures though, because these brainless goblins just keep charging forward into Desiree¡¯s blades while Angela picks off the ones she can before they make it that far.


    It comes to no surprise that one of the first skills each one of them acquired was the skill allowing them to use the techniques of their chosen weapons. Gaining skills like that early on, means they quickly rank up as they continue to level as well.


    Gaining levels as a monster race means Desiree acquires quite a bit of magic each time she levels, and that helps her a great deal when she gains a technique that allows her to use her favored element of darkness and imbue her weapons with it. This makes her have a much easier time dealing with the armored monsters.


    Angela¡¯s magic starts to pan out as well, combining that with the rare spear wielders class I gave her, she gains the ability to summon javelins with her magic. They are of poor quality and disappear immediately after impact, but once she levels up more they will only improve. This doesn¡¯t only stop her from having to worry about running out of javelins in the middle of combat, but also increases her rate of fire as she no longer has to reach back to pull another javelin from the quiver.


    Well, not everything is song and dance, though, as a tall hobgoblin manages, by accident, to serve as a meatshield for its peers, whom successfully rush Desiree and Angela. They have been doing so well I let my guard down, as I was checking their status in [Menu] and I managed to miss the initial rush. I quickly dive into combat and obliterate the hobgoblins that moved in on my girls, but not before one with a heavy-looking broadaxe hits Desiree in the chest.


    The blow was enough to knock Desiree back into Angela, and they both hit the floor, but I can tell even a broadaxe like that would have no chance of penetrating Desiree¡¯s defenses. There are only a few hobgoblins left so I quickly dispatch them as well before going to help my girls back to their feet.


    Angela is fretting over Desiree, running her hands up and down her looking for the wound the axe made, but Desiree just stands there with a smirk on her face.


    Desiree: ¡°And here I thought you didn''t want to get all touchy and grabby with me. Ah, but let me get out of my clothes first.¡±


    Angela: ¡°But¡­ Your wound¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Honey¡­That was nothing. Master Dyson¡¯s hips hit way harder than that little love tap.¡±


    Angela pulls her hands off of Desiree while she begins to blush, and she still seems quite worried as she says. ¡°D-do you have to use dirty jokes now?!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Who¡¯s joking? If you want a demonstration I am sure Master Dyson would be happy to oblige.¡± ¨CShe says while dusting herself off.-


    Angela doesn¡¯t quite know how to take that, and she quickly shakes her head trying to regain her composer while she saying: ¡°You¡¯re impossible¡­But I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright.¡±


    After the next few rooms I am pleased to see that the girls have gotten much better at dealing with monsters that have gotten closer to them. Their teamwork has gotten good enough that I might even start getting jealous soon. Desiree manages to learn a new technique that allows her to thrust her whip-swords directly in front of her stretching them to their max, while Angela¡¯s summoned javelins can now explode on impact spreading the damage out in an area.


    This gives them both a little more versatility when dealing with monsters in groups, or focus on them one by one as they approach. I do still see a glaring weakness, which if left untreated, will prove to be their undoing.


    It¡¯s their gear. I wanted to make sure they were well protected, but against monsters like these they are putting their all into attack and their fighting styles have become far too reckless for my taste¡­ It is already getting rather late, and they are close to leveling up, so after their next level we will head back to the castle and work on their defense.


    They went from fighting weak goblins to goblins, which gave way to the elite goblins before switching over to weak hobgoblins which likewise gave way to regular hobgoblins and then the elite ones all in one day so I can¡¯t really say I am disappointed as we finish out the day after they acquire a pivotal level.


    They have each gained a few skills, but most of them have just been boosts to their abilities, it¡¯s their weapon skills that have been the most useful and so far.


    ¡°That will do for today, but I am rather disappointed in your defensive capabilities¡­ Perhaps before we return we should take to the training grounds at the castle. There we can spar and I can drill some defensive practices into you.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Yes please, do drill into me, Master!¡± ¨CShe says with a coy smile.-


    Angela meekly complains. ¡°B-but Master is far too strong.¡±


    ¡°You will both have to get used to defending, and being able to defend yourselves was the whole to leveling you up! Now that you have attacking down, learning defense will be much better to do with someone who¡¯s not trying to kill you.


    Both: ¡°Yes Master.¡± ¨CThey say in unison.-


    ¡°Now come here, I¡¯ll teleport us back to the castle, and after some defensive training we can rest, and return first thing in the morning.¡±


    I wrap my arms around the waists of my two beauties which causes Desiree to lean into me while Angela bows her head and clasps her hands in front of her. After a brief second we are out of the dungeon and standing in one of my castle¡¯s training grounds.


    Our sudden appearance startles several of the guards and one even drops his weapon. One of the training officers quickly approaches. ¡°Sire!? What do we¡­¡± ¨CHe says before noticing the girls and he quickly takes a step back and bows his head.-


    ¡°Those three seemed a bit lack in their training to be startled in such a way, and you!¡± ¨CI say while point at the guard who dropped his weapon.- ¡°Losing your weapon in a surprise attack is akin to suicide. Sergeant you take those four and discipline them properly while I use the training grounds, then you are dismissed for the rest of the day.¡±


    The four soldiers in training look quite worried, while the training officer gives them their orders and marches them from the yard.


    Desiree: ¡°I thought the men Master Dyson summoned were of a less scrupulous nature?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Yes, they seemed like a normal soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Seeing beauties like the two of you, they knew it was in their best interest to get lost.¡±


    This causes Angela to blush a little, but she no longer makes a big deal out of it. I then move over and take one of the training weapons off the rack.


    ¡°Even with this I could obliterate someone with a single blow, so don¡¯t let your guard down or I can¡¯t guarantee you will remain unharmed. Even with your weapons I doubt you could even scratch me or my armor, so give me all you got!¡±


    We then begin sparring 2v1 for the rest of the evening till long after the sun is completely gone from the sky. I give them instructions and even try to dumb myself down as much as possible, but the girls still spend most of the evening knocked on their butts, and by the time we are finished they are quite exhausted.


    Desiree: ¡°If Master Dyson wanted to give me a sore ass I could have thought of much better ways to go about it.¡± ¨CShe says rubbing her bare backside as crawls into the bath.-


    I then join Desiree in the bath and she quickly mounts me while Angela sticks to her normal routine by huddling in a corner with a bucket washing herself while keeping her head down and blushing. The bath is large enough for ten plus people, but Angela won¡¯t even enter the water if I myself am in the bath.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I stare at her while she washes herself, and once again can¡¯t understand what is going through her head. She is blushing profusely while trying to keep herself covered, but it isn¡¯t like she can keep herself covered 100% of the time while bathing herself by hand.


    Yet I haven¡¯t ordered her to bathe at the same time as us, so she is only here by choice. She even seems to get some kind of enjoyment from me watching her even though she is blushing and covering herself. It¡¯s the ultimate tease is what it is¡­


    Desiree grabs my cheeks to turn my attention back to her while using her wing to block my view of Angela. From bath to bed Desiree¡¯s assault against me only has a short intermission in-between as I even begin to get excited when Angela doesn¡¯t quickly flee from the bed, but I am disappointed when I learn it is only because she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


    For being as exhausted as they both were, Desiree seems to have an extra energy reserve just for sex, as she keeps me busy long into the night. Our next week continues much in the same fashion, with the girls gathering massive amounts of xp during the day at Duke Dionysus¡¯s dungeon, with their asses getting knocked to the ground every evening while I teach them defensive tactics, and then Desiree spends her nights intertwined with me while Angela either sleeps nearby or in a chair across the room if Desiree and I started before she had fallen asleep.


    The girls have both grown quite strong, long since passing creatures like goblins and hobgoblins as we moved on to orcs, then ogres, an trolls. They even managed to pass them while dealing with creatures like minotaurs, and guardian elementals, but Desiree has reached the max level for the type of succubus she is, and Angela¡¯s first special skill was a disappointing attack type skill.


    We are still dealing with Duke Dionysus¡¯s rifts, but it won¡¯t be long until we proceed deep enough into his dungeon that we will start dealing with his non-rift monsters. He has still yet to return to his dungeon, and my girls still have a lot to learn so that is his problem.


    The larger problem however is no matter how much stronger Angela gets, Desiree will be unable to grow anymore, unless¡­


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    With all the new monsters Sara got into her small dungeon, she had quite a bit of trouble trying to move them around without alerting the adventurers.


    Thankfully, most of the adventurers head straight for the areas in which the mushrooms grow so they pay little attention to the areas in which they don¡¯t. That first night after giving Sara the monsters she sent a message, as she was flabbergasted at the amount of xp she acquired.


    She used the first bit of xp to expand her dungeon exterior further into the forest so the elves could live outside, and she then created some rooms large enough for everyone else. The following nights, each time midnight hit, she repeated this process, expanding the area she covered in the woods and the underground rooms, but it took her a full week until she finally had enough room for everyone to live somewhat comfortably in their new accommodations.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the dungeon monsters being able to go without eating she would have really been in trouble, but luckily she has been able to manage.


    Whenever there were no adventurers nearby, the elves worked trying to transplant the fungus to other rooms within her dungeon, but sadly, the adventurers just picked them up the instant they spotted them, which made their efforts futile.


    A more experienced adventurer may have advised them not to pick everything up, leaving enough for it to replenish itself, but the adventurers were too low-level thinking that since it is a dungeon it should just automatically be there for them every time.


    In the end Sara seems to be doing ok now, we managed to give her some good direction, and I have enough xp gathered to help another dungeon, so Ceres and I continue on with the next dungeon within our group that needs help.


    That doesn¡¯t mean we are abandoning Sara, but giving her all the help in the world won¡¯t do her any good if she can¡¯t manage her own dungeon, so we come up with a plan to give her a bit of space while only checking on her once, every few days.


    Ceres and I start working on helping the next dungeon core on our list, but I then receive a message from Dyson.


    Dyson: (Madam Erin told me of your return, but not about what you have been up to this entire time. As curious as I am, that isn¡¯t the reason I contacted you. Instead there is a matter in which I wish to discuss with you.)


    (I am quite busy at the moment, but I guess a bit of time won¡¯t hurt, so where would you like to meet?)


    Dyson: (I am already here, but that undead girl of yours said you were currently taking care of some matters in town.)


    I let out a deep sigh and tell Ceres about Dyson¡¯s sudden appearance.


    Ceres: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we use this to our advantage? We already got Madam Erin to join our group, or at least partially. We promised not to say anything to anyone, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t try to recruit Dyson on his own as well.¡±


    ¡°I guess, but I figured it would be far easier to get Madam Erin completely on board before making another attempt at Dyson.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°But there isn¡¯t a reason to let an opportunity like this pass us by either.¡±


    ¡°I have already failed several times, so maybe you can give it a go this time?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯d be happy to.¡±


    We then put our plans on hold and leave from Ceres¡¯s university heading to meet with Dyson. When we arrive at the house I have to say, I have grown quite accustomed to seeing Dyson in his armor, but I am still taken aback when not only Dyson is wearing his armor, but Desiree is wearing¡­ Well I can¡¯t really call it armor, but it seems to be some kind of combat gear, and Angela wearing armor that looks identical to Queen¡¯s.


    Desiree is hanging off of Dyson pressing her body against him, and Angela is standing there meekly with her head bowed and her hands clasped together holding Dyson¡¯s helm for him. Dyson meanwhile is impatiently waiting with one arm around Angela¡¯s waist and the other has Desiree¡¯s tail wrapped loosely around it leaving his hand firmly grasping her butt.


    When he sees me he takes a quick step forward causing Desiree¡¯s tail to uncoil from his arm and both girls to look up. ¡°What took you so long, and why is she here?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh?¡± ¨CShe says curiously.- ¡°You know who I am?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Of course, I am a Dungeon Core Elder!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You sure it wasn¡¯t just wasn¡¯t the fact I introduced myself to you when you showed up in my dungeon hand in hand with Madam Erin?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Master you were with Madam Erin?! Why was I not invited?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is absurd! That is a notch that will never be on my bed post!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Never say never, because I thought you two looked like a cute little couple, while wearing those rings.¡± ¨Cshe says with a smirk.-


    Dyson: ¡°Madam Erin told you about that?!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Of course not, she was as surprised as you. I will just say some habits die hard, so what was it we can do for you?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We? It was Two-Twelve that I came to see not you.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Fine I can see what I am not wanted, but there is still something we should discuss, so call me when you are done.¡± ¨CShe says just before she walks away.-


    Dyson watches her walk off then he says. ¡°What is the deal with you two? Are you working together now?¡±


    ¡°She is my justicar, so it stands to reason that we would work together, so what is it you want from me?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I need your assistance in a big way, but first I have to ask. Are you capable of acquiring another one of you special boss monsters?¡±


    ¡°I believe so, why¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Good, and any monster you take as a special boss monster evolves, is that right?¡±


    ¡°I have only have humanoid sentient boss monsters, but it worked for all of them¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I would like to purchase one of your available boss monsters.¡±


    ¡°You know better than even suggest something like that to me¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am not saying one of your current boss monsters, I am saying I want to give someone to you so they can become one of your special boss monsters, and I then after they evolve I want you to trade them back to me.¡±


    ¡°Would it not be far easier for you to just make them one of your boss monsters?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°My primary boss monster is level 306. There is no way the monster I want to evolve can become strong enough to become my primary boss monster where they can evolve naturally.¡±


    ¡°Surely there is a far easier way to evolve a monster.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I hear there is a magic item that is capable of doing it, but I have never seen one in my lifetime, even from Madam Erin¡¯s perspective it seems like a myth.¡±


    ¡°What about the [Dungeon Defender] skill? I am sure at least some of the dungeon cores you have killed have been within your own dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have never heard of it, are you saying that skill will allow me to evolve monsters?¡±


    ¡°I acquired it for a dungeon core dying within my dungeon during Hecate¡¯s attack. I ended up with 2 ranks, but I got a rank in it instead of it contributing to my [Heroic] skill when they fell.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And what is its cost to evolve a monster?¡±


    ¡°I can evolve one monster for every dungeon core that perishes in my dungeon, so I have been trying to save them for something important.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I need to have a monster evolve, now if it is by becoming one of your special boss monsters, or with the use of that skill it doesn¡¯t matter to me so as long as she evolves, so name your price.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple¡­ We are not talking about just reproducing something for you, but using something I can only have a limited usage of.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Are you saying you will not help me?¡±


    ¡°I am saying this is a tough decision and I don¡¯t have the first clue of cost of such a thing you are asking of me¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I will make matters easy, I will bring a dungeon core for you to kill in your dungeon and you won¡¯t be out anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not killing a dungeon core for something like that!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then what is your price?¡±


    I am not using that skill for anything else, and I am curious how it works. I wanted to try it on the girls, but I am also scared of it having a negative effect on them, so this way I should at least find out how it works.


    Besides if Dyson has a monster that he needs a higher evolution of and he can¡¯t just summon it himself, then not only will I unlock that monster, but its evolved form as well. What kind of cost do I put on that though. He seems to be getting impatient again as I think of it so after ruffling my hair I say the first thing to come to my mind.


    ¡°Aww, 10 million xp?¡± ¨CI blurt out.-


    Dyson: ¡°Done.¡± ¨CHe says firmly without a hint of hesitation.-


    ¡°Done¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Transferring her ownership means you won¡¯t have to pay the cost to bind her, so the skill should be far cheaper, but either way it doesn¡¯t matter to me as long as she evolves. After it is done I will present you with a 10 million xp bead, and then you transfer her back to me.¡±


    What kind of monster does he want me to evolve, that 10 million xp warrants no hesitation...? ¡°Alright, should we go to the neutral zone?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Here should suffice. While I go acquire the bead, you can take care of your end.¡±


    ¡°What about the monster?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°That would be me.¡± ¨CShe says stepping forward.-


    ¡°Wait, you want me to evolve Desiree?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t use the skill on my own girls because I was afraid what forcing the evolution in them would do, but even if it works exactly as planned surely there would be a cheaper way to get a higher evolution of a succubus.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°You are suggesting that Master discard me for another stronger succubus? And you accused him of mistreating his girls¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ I guess I did, didn¡¯t I¡­ You¡¯re right, and I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨CI say feeling horrible about myself, but in my defense it would be the normal Dyson like move to make¡­-


    We then step into the house and Dyson transfers ownership of Desiree back to me, and I quickly receive a few messages. One tells me that Desiree has reached max level so I can summon succubi up to max level at an additional cost, another is a list of a few new skills most of which are monster skills.


    Dyson: ¡°I will go acquire the xp bead now, Angela you keep an eye on things and make sure Two-Twelve takes care of Desiree.¡±


    Angela nods while blushing and then holds his helm out to him before Dyson takes it and disappears from the room. Once Dyson is gone I close the screens in front of me and ask the girls. ¡°He is treating you well, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Of course! Master indulges in all of my desires.¡±


    ¡°What about you Angela?¡±


    Angela hangs her head meekly and just nods.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Yes, Master takes good care of me, he gets angry some times because I don¡¯t do the things Desiree does, it¡¯s my fault that I only watch¡­¡±


    ¡°He makes you watch?!¡±


    Angela: ¡°It¡¯s not like that! I¡¯m just scared!¡±


    ¡°If he scares you, you don¡¯t have to go back I made sure the rules were quite clear.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I think you are greatly misunderstanding the situation.¡±


    ¡°What is there to misunderstand? She said she was scared of him.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I¡¯m not scared of Master! At least not anymore, but what if I am not good enough, I can¡¯t do those things like Desiree can. What if I am just a disappointment to him, and he doesn¡¯t let me stay by his side?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t answer that for you. Dyson¡¯s reputation isn¡¯t exactly the best, and I made the rules the best I could, but just because he has to continue to take care of you as long as you want to remain with him, it doesn¡¯t mean he will continue to let you stay by his side either.¡±


    Angela nods and hangs her head, but Desiree gets angry and says. ¡°You may have summoned us, but you are speaking of things you know nothing about! Master would never abandon Angela like that, and before you use his old entourages as your justification, remember I am able to peek inside his head, and I can assure you he doesn¡¯t see either one of us the way he has seen those girls in the past.¡±


    Desiree then moves over patting Angela on the shoulder, raises her chin gently with one of her hands, and then turns back to me with a scowl. ¡°I think it is time you hold up your end of the deal, so we can return to where we belong!¡±


    How did I become the bad guy here¡­? I then start accessing my [Menu] just in time for Dyson to reappear in the room and ask. ¡°Is it done?¡± Angela quickly jumps up from the bench she was sitting on and runs to Dyson grabbing ahold of his arm.


    Dyson: ¡°What happened?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Master, it is nothing, and Two-Twelve was just about to take care of it.¡±


    I select the skill in [Menu] activating one of the forced evolutions. [Menu] asks me to select one of the available monsters, but the list is quite shorter than I expected, and most of the available options are of rifts, which was unexpected.


    Luckily Desiree¡¯s name is on the list, but that makes me understand what is going on. Only monsters or rifts that have achieved max level are listed, that means I will never be able to use this skill to forcibly evolve one of the girls as they level indefinitely.


    ¡°I guess it is a good thing a succubus reaches max level or I would have been unable to use this skill. Then again I guess if she didn¡¯t you wouldn¡¯t have come to me to begin with. Are you sure this is what you want?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Do it!¡±


    I hit accept, and Desiree is covered in light while being lifted from the ground, It seems to be working just like the evolution in my boss monsters, which brings forth a message about new items becoming available, and a new monster in the form of a higher ranked succubus called a Carmilla¡¯s Succubus, but at the same time it brings forth the realization I am about to have a naked succubus standing right in front of me.


    By the time the light fades I have still been unable to locate her gear within [Menu]. Upon seeing Desiree¡¯s state Angela becomes quite flustered, and quickly steps forward hugging her while trying to wrap Desiree with her wings.


    Desiree: ¡°You sure have been putting your hands all over me a lot in the last week, maybe the reason Master is having so much trouble with you is because it is not him in which you are after.¡± ¨Cshe says while turning her body within Angela¡¯s wings to press it against Angela.-


    Angela is blushing profusely as she stammers while saying. ¡°I-It¡¯s not like that! Only Master should see us like that!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Us?¡±


    A squeaky sound escapes from Angela¡¯s mouth before she buries her burning face into Desiree¡¯s shoulder, but not daring to release her.


    With all the items that are in the dungeon¡¯s inventory now, trying to find Desiree¡¯s gear is harder than I thought. I eventually have to look at the list of new items that became available to me to help me search for me to find her equipment.


    ¡°[Menu] called that armor, and a gambeson¡­? You were wearing a gambeson, and what is Arachne Empress Silk, and even Orichalcum, that is the dwarven equivalent to Mythril isn¡¯t it? Are these swords like the ones Hecate used?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°You are awfully interested in my equipment. Can I just have it back so Angela can stop stepping on my toes?¡±


    Angela and I both apologize at the same time, and I start equipping Desiree¡¯s items back on her. Angela then looks over Desiree closely before releasing her lets us finally get a look at her.


    Honestly I can¡¯t tell any difference from her appearance now then it was before, her body was already perfection, so I guess there is no reason messing with perfection.


    Angela: ¡°Did it work? I don¡¯t see any difference.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Are you kidding?! These weren¡¯t there before.¡± ¨CShe says while parting her hair to reveal two tiny horns not even visible unless exposing them like she just did.- ¡°And not to mention my tail a at least an inch longer and a little bit thicker. There is also¡­¡± ¨CShe says leaning forward whispering into Angela¡¯s ear causing Angela to blush bright red again.-


    Desiree then straightens herself back up and looks at Dyson while licking her lips, she then quickly turns to me with a scowl and says. ¡°I think it is time for you to return me to my Master now!¡±


    ¡°Yea, no problem¡­¡± ¨CI say while transferring her back to Dyson.-


    Dyson: ¡°Perfect, This should cover our deal, and you should start preparing for the next time in which Desiree is in need of your assistance.¡±


    ¡°I did it this once, but I can¡¯t just keep doing it¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We shall see. We have much to do now, and must be on our way.¡±


    ¡°Ceres wanted to speak with you before you left.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°She will have to wait till next time.¡± ¨CHe says quickly wrapping his arms around his girls and disappears.-


    I sigh and return to Ceres telling her what happened, and we then get back to work on helping members of our group.

 Madam Erins Child

    It has been many years since I last time I woke to the embrace of another, but even though it has been so long I can¡¯t say I find comfort in it now. I take the arm from around my waist and quickly get out of bed. The naked, albeit very beautiful, creature residing in my bed stirs with a complaint.


    Elexia: ¡°Mother, come back to bed.¡±


    ¡°I have told you, do not call me that, and I told you to stay out of my bed.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°But Mother, our baby will be born soon, we should spend as much time together as possible.¡±


    ¡°It is your responsibility to raise her. She will be a dungeon core, so forming a close bond with her would be unwise on my part.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°That is ridiculous! Dungeon core or not, she will still be your daughter!¡±


    ¡°You know it isn¡¯t that simple.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Why not, it hasn¡¯t stopped you in regards to Dyson.¡±


    ¡°The only bond I have with Dyson is that of mutual respect. Were it not for his strength he would be nothing but just another dungeon core to me.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°What about Two-Twelve?¡±


    ¡°It is only his unique dungeon that interests me, not the man himself!¡±


    Elexia: ¡°You sacrificed some of my daughters for him, and even risked your own life. Who is it you are trying to fool, me or yourself?¡±


    ¡°Their sacrifice was regrettable, but his unique dungeon¡­¡±


    Elexia interrupts me by saying: ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t blame you! That isn¡¯t it at all. I am saying there is nothing wrong with forming bonds with others. My daughters sacrificed themselves knowing that Two-Twelve is important to you and you denying that fact is an insult to their sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°What you are asking of me is not easy to do.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I don¡¯t expect it to be, but all I ask is that you don¡¯t lie to yourself. Two-Twelve needed you and you helped him. I am sure he will need you again sometime in the future, and that is fine as well, but our daughter is going to need you just as much, so please don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Fine I will think about it, but just stop calling me mother.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Alright, my beloved?¡± -She says while pulling on a silken robe.-


    I can¡¯t help but sigh putting on clothes of my own before transferring from my room.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    After the events that led me to evolve Desiree, Ceres wasn¡¯t surprised that Dyson left before having a chance to talk with him. She did however complain that I didn¡¯t use Desiree¡¯s evolution as an advantage asking to have Dyson join our group as a condition.


    I can¡¯t say she is wrong¡­ But when I threw out the mention of 10 million xp and Dyson agreed without hesitation I have to say I got a little rattled. I have since put that xp to good use by expending my dungeon ever so closer to my secondary dungeon, but when I tried to make a room to connect the two Lilah quickly stops me.


    Lilah: ¡°Master wait!¡±


    ¡°What is wrong?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah knows Master wants to connect the two dungeons together, but Master can¡¯t yet!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, that was why we were making the stairwells and rooms for the last few weeks.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But if Tobes becomes part of Master¡¯s primary dungeon, it would become part of sub-level 24.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, and then we can store the crystal using the imitation crystal in its place, and be much safer for it.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°I think what she means is. If Tobes becomes part of sub-level 24 than there would always be intruders within that floor.


    ¡°We gain half of our xp from the mages and townsfolk of Tobes, so I understand that.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°But Tobes is the ground floor of the secondary dungeon, as sub-level 24 of the primary dungeon we would no longer be able to change anything in the floors above so as long as there is a single person remaining in Tobes¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Well¡­Damnit. I got so wrapped up in connecting the two I completely forgot that part. That means we will never be able to connect the two dungeons.¡±


    Lila: ¡°Untrue Master. Once sub-levels 24 and above are full of rifts and we are happy with them we can connect the dungeons then.¡±


    ¡°We are years if not decades away from that point if continue building like we have so far¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If Master is worried about the crystal, then Master can make another imitation crystal.¡±


    ¡°I do have plenty of xp left, but I feel it is a bit of a waste to use another imitation crystal here.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°The imitation crystal in the house was a gift from the Elders, so it should still only be a million xp for the first one you summon yourself.¡±


    ¡°I think the crystal is rather secure right now, I would much rather use an imitation crystal to put a secondary dungeon in Shima than use another one here.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah will go to Shima to train, but Master will have to get someone else to watch a dungeon there!¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t think you have anything to worry about, I am in no rush¡­¡±


    Since combining my dungeons is out of the question I spend the reminder of the xp I got from Dyson to expand on the elemental wings of the dungeon, but even ten million xp doesn¡¯t go far when adding some of the new elemental creatures I learned in Shima.


    It has been several weeks now and not only has Sara¡¯s dungeon, but the other two dungeon cores within our group that we have helped out, are all beginning to make excellent progress.


    After producing a ring for each of them using the [Artificer] skill, it always results in a customized unique ring for the core in which I made it for. They all function the same way. It is just the description that is tailored to the core in which I summoned it for.


    I still don¡¯t know if it is because of the skill or something to do with Ceres¡¯s sister that controls [Menu], but either way it has given me the ability to make the rings with a 100% success rate, and as long as it works, then that is all that matters to me.


    Ceres and I talked about building a large room to connect our dungeons together so we could summon monsters for our groups, but it looks like my suspicions about some of her rooms where no unfounded, after we connect our dungeons by large rooms running underneath the road into Tobes.


    She won¡¯t tell me how she managed to build buildings, with the tallest being 5 floors, and build sub-levels. There are quite a few multiple story buildings in Tobes that are covered by my secondary dungeon, but the entire buildings count as a single room. However I have seen Ceres summon in items while there were humans in another room of the same building, so I know that can¡¯t be the case for her.


    The only explanation I can come up with is a secondary dungeon, but I don¡¯t see how she has acquired that much xp. On the other hand she doesn¡¯t even bat an eye while summoning over 100,000xp worth of monsters each time for the members of our group, so I guess it isn¡¯t completely out of the realm of possibility.


    The room has helped quite a bit however, and we have started to summon the monsters early to gather a bit of xp from one another until we ship them off to their new dungeons.


    My days have grown quite busy again with the first few hours of each morning with Belinda and Rory, then spend at least an hour in that room with Ceres speaking to the cores we have already helped and preparing for the next one we help. I then take care of matters in my own dungeon, and we have started to pick back up the training we do in Shima in the evenings.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    The dungeon has received quite a few high level groups lately. Most of the groups are the mages with the Mage¡¯s Guild, and they are content with just gathering the elemental regents, but the prince of Exeter¡¯s reputation of being weak was well known, but rumors of him becoming a seasoned adventurer have made it back home and we are starting to see signs of adventurers from Exeter coming to Tobes.


    One such group is a group of 5 humans that have really became a thorn in my side. Their levels are average compared to similar groups within my dungeon, but for some reason this group put me on edge.


    If they were not a group made entirely of humans I would suspect they have come from a dungeon. Even then I thought they might be from Dyson¡¯s dungeons due to their classes, but after doing some digging they don¡¯t appear to have ever stepped foot in Mar, and the woman within their group does not have the appearance of someone in which Dyson is capable of summoning.


    It isn¡¯t only their progress in the dungeon that seems troubling, but the poking around they have done in Tobes. They don¡¯t seem the type to stay in one place very long, but they quickly secured a large building that they bought from some sort of exchange with Denova, and not only are they living there but they seem to be gathering a great deal of items from the dungeon.


    Some of which they sell to Denova, but they are sending just as much off somewhere else. The only part of it that is actually against the rules is with the amount they ship off they should be paying some sort of tax to Gowen, but even Belinda doesn¡¯t think it is enough to risk outing ourselves in the process, so we are just keeping a close eye on them.


    This mystery group, and some of the Exeter groups have finally reached the end of sub-level 6, taking out the minotaur guarding the end of that floor enough times that it warranted us finally placing a rift there which cost us quite dearly, but so far none have been able to get all the elemental orbs together to open the door.


    If they can defeat the minotaur they should be able to beat the bosses in the elemental wings, so it is only a matter of time, so I have since created a room for Akil in a lower section of the dungeon, which he complained about quite profusely when I relocated him.


    With the university and the continued popularity of the dungeon, the racial diversity of Tobes has started to grow with dwarves and elves becoming a much more common sight, so I wasn¡¯t too worried when I summoned some more dwarves to help offset the items we have started to lose.


    The Demi-human village inside the dungeon has even become a popular place for not only curious adventurers, but tourists as well, and although there have been a few mishaps, so far the loss of life has been preventable through the laws placed down by the soldiers and Mage¡¯s Guild.


    I am still not confident enough to let them leave the dungeon, but they have started to sell items to Tobes that they gather in the dungeon. Some of the adventurers have even taking to hire some of them in hopes to help them in the dungeon.


    Something we quickly encouraged and it didn¡¯t take long for it to become known that groups that hire and treat the demi-humans well receive better rewards within the dungeon. They don¡¯t actually partake in combat, but the gnomes or fairies tag along with some of the groups helping them process fallen monsters or some of the more brutish demi-humans like the lizardmen to serve as pack mules.


    I don¡¯t know what the future will hold, but with the constant increase of the different races within Tobes I am hoping that soon the demi-humans will become just as widely accepted.


    With me spending most of this year underground helping Inari, I missed most of spring and a fair amount of summer, so as fall starts to hit in full swing I can¡¯t help feel there is a lot I have to make up for. I missed most of the girl¡¯s birthdays again this year including Belinda¡¯s so she is not planning on holding back as my own birthday begins to approach.


    After spending my time with Belinda and Rory in the morning and just as I am finishing up with Ceres and out group of dungeon cores we both receive a message.


    2<sup>nd</sup> generation Dungeon Core #2 has been born to Dungeon Core #36 [Madam Erin] and Dungeon Core #36¡¯s boss monster Elexia.


    Ceres: ¡°Well it is about time¡­ I have never heard of a succubus carrying a child that long before.¡±


    ¡°We will have to make sure to send a message and congratulate them in a bit, but I still don¡¯t know if Madam Erin sees it as an event worth congratulating. She seemed rather adamant about it being just another dungeon core.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t know, people have a lot of ideas what parenthood is all about until they actually become a parent, so who knows. Maybe she will warm up to the idea.¡±


    ¡°I hope you are right, not that I don¡¯t think Elexia would do a good job of raising another child, but I think it would be nice if Madam Erin does her own part.¡±


    Ceres nods and we continue wrapping up our business, and after a while before we have a chance to send a message to Madam Erin she sends one to me.


    Madam Erin: (I am sure you received a message a while ago, so you are aware of the birth of the new dungeon core. However there are some things about it that has left me puzzled, and I am requesting your assistance.)


    ¡°That was quick¡­ I guess you weren¡¯t joking about Madam Erin not being prepared when you said that a few weeks ago. She is already asking for my help.¡±


    Madam Erin: (It may also be helpful to bring that Ceres along with you, as she might have a better understanding of how this could happen.)


    ¡°She is asking for me to bring you along as well.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Meanie Big Brother, you wouldn¡¯t let me be the godmother to dear Rory, so maybe Madam Erin realizes how important such a decision is so she is calling for me as well!¡±


    ¡°I doubt that, but do you think we should go?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°A member of our group is asking for assistance so of course we should go see what is going on.¡± ¨CShe says with a smirk.-


    I nod and get answer Madam Erin back, I then let Belinda know about going to pay Madam Erin a visit but don¡¯t tell her about the baby just yet, as Madam Erin was talking as if there was some kind of problem, and I don¡¯t want Belinda to worry.


    Madam Erin tells me where to teleport to inside her dungeon and it isn¡¯t long until Ceres and I are standing in front of Madam Erin who is wearing a concerned look on her face.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Do you know what is going on?!¡± ¨CShe asks hastily to Ceres.-


    Ceres: ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Did you know this would happen with Elexia¡¯s child?¡± ¨CShe says flustered in a way that is very unlike her normal attitude.-


    Ceres: ¡°I am not sure what you mean.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should calm down, and just tell us what happened.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°It would be far easier for you to just see for yourself.¡± ¨CShe says while quickly slapping her massive hands on our shoulders, and transferring us from the room.-


    We arrive an in largely decorated bedroom, but it is far from what one would expect from Madam Erin, unless somewhere deep down she has soft and delicate side we don¡¯t know anything about. The room is full of pinks and fluffy objects. One of which is a bed in which we are standing right next too, and nestled in the center of it is Elexia holding a small bundle of pink blankets.


    Elexia: ¡°Oh Mother, you brought guests! I am glad you changed you mind.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°This is a serious matter!¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Oh Mother, quit exaggerating, we knew with the length in which it took for this one to be born, that something was different.¡±


    ¡°Different, what do you mean different?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°We obviously were not prepared for such an event so we still haven¡¯t chosen a name yet, but let me introduce you to Mother and my son.¡± ¨CShe says lowering the blanket so we can see the baby¡¯s face.-


    Ceres: ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°So you do know what has happened?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well the situation is quite different, and with the use of that ring, and the summoning of the new dungeon core with [Menu] there is a lot of things to take into consideration, but when I heard about the length in which it was taking for the child to be born, I had my suspicions.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Well, care to fill us in?¡± ¨CShe says impatiently.-


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t see what you are worrying about. It just proves how much Elexia cares for you.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Of course I care for Mother.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You don¡¯t just care for her, you love her don¡¯t you?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Of course! Everything I am is because of Mother!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Love is not something that a succubus should ever experience in their lifetime, and there is a legend that is as old as I am that tells of a succubus falling in love with a human. The birth of such a child was the birth of the race called vampires.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That is impossible, vampires are just undead monsters!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Maybe the ones summoned by dungeon, or created by a necromancer, but I am talking about more than that. A true vampire as you might call it, and the purest of their race. Comparing a true vampire to one in which a dungeon can readily summon is like calling a kobold a dragon.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°And that is what you are thinking happened here? That this child didn¡¯t become a succubus and became a vampire instead?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°This legend was before Dungeon Cores existed mind you, much less beastkin, but the theory is sound.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You don¡¯t believe that this was a mistake caused by those manipulating [Menu] then?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Mother, I told you our child would be special.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Not only will he be one of the second generation dungeon cores but a true vampire as well, I think we can expect a lot from you child.¡±


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t say I quite understand all this, but I haven¡¯t gotten the chance yet, so I just want to say congratulations.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Thank you Two-Twelve and I am sure Mother would never admit it, but I am sure she appreciates it as well.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am perfectly fine speaking for myself, and I have told you to quit calling me that.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Speaking of names, we can¡¯t exactly call out son Camilla, so since Ceres knows so much about these true vampires, maybe we should ask her and Two-Twelve¡¯s help in naming him?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t know about a name, but I believe they called the true vampire from legend a Cambion.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I like that, but just Cambion won¡¯t do. He is the proof of the feelings Mother and I share, so his name should be equally important, so how about we call him Lord Cambion? What do you think Mother?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If this really hasn¡¯t been a mistake, then he should be a dungeon core, so what we name him is only relevant until a time he chooses his own name.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Please Mother, don¡¯t be like that! This is our child, our very own child. You can¡¯t expect him to be just another dungeon core to you¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°She is right Madam Erin. This child is your child, and he will need more from you then all the other dungeon cores you have ever trained combined. This isn¡¯t the kind of task you can just push off to someone else just because you don¡¯t want to grow attached to him.¡±


    Madam Erin doesn¡¯t seem too happy about the idea, but even though we can¡¯t force her to love him, we at least get our point across about the responsibilities she has to him. Without objection Lord Cambion became the child¡¯s name.


    Ceres asked to hold him, and she seemed to greatly enjoy it. When Ceres was holding him I was able to get a better look at him, and he doesn¡¯t seem to share a lot of traits from his parents, at least for now he looks like a human child.


    We stay for a while longer speaking to Madam Erin and Elexia, but when it is nearing the time for me to depart for my evening training we depart and Ceres and I return back to Tobes.


    ¡°How do you think it is going to go?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I think it is going to be fine. Madam Erin sent you the message because even though she doesn¡¯t want to admit it she was worried about her son.¡±


    ¡°I guess only time will tell.¡±


    I then bid Ceres farewell and head home. After catching her up about Madam Erin and her son she is a little mad that I didn¡¯t take her with me to Madam Erin¡¯s place, but she understands why I didn¡¯t. We then head to Shima with several of the bunnies, leaving Rory with Scylla.

 A Plan of Action

    It has been a week since Madam Erin¡¯s son was born, and we have had a few discussions concerning these new dungeon cores. Ceres only knows what she has already told us, as no dungeons like this have ever been born before.


    We have begun to wonder about Draco¡¯s children though. Out of the 5 available dungeon cores to be born 3 of them were taken by Draco, but with his death we are not entirely sure what happened to his children.


    If the monsters that were carrying Draco¡¯s children were his boss monsters, it is possible they are still alive, and even under normal circumstances, from the time Draco first started trying to summon a new dungeon core till now, it will still be at least another year before a normal dragonkin¡¯s egg would hatch.


    That means we can¡¯t rule out the possibility of his children surviving for at least that long and perhaps even longer if something were to happen like it did with Madam Erin¡¯s son. We just have no way of knowing until we or if we receive a message about their birth.


    As for Cambion he seems to be doing just fine. Belinda got the chance to meet him and she even tried get Elexia to drop the Lord from the front of his name, but even after Belinda tried to explain the way a title works, but Elexia wouldn¡¯t have any of it and kept insisting on Lord Cambion.


    Elexia feels that since a dungeon cores name is not only what they choose for themselves, but in which they are referred to as well. She thinks calling him Lord Cambion he will have an advantage as he grows up.


    [Menu] adds the Archjusticar title to my name, the Elder title to their names, and I have even seen a few Dukes among dungeon cores, but Dyson isn¡¯t referred to as the king, so I can¡¯t be for certain if Elexia¡¯s idea will work the way she is hoping.


    If you didn¡¯t know Madam Erin you might think she is acting cold or unconcerned about Cambion, but from what I know of her it seems like she is doing the best she knows how. This kind of thing is completely foreign to a dungeon core, so it only makes sense that she is having trouble adjusting, but I only wish she realized it a few month ago, and maybe she would have adjusted a bit better by now.


    Even though it is my birthday that is approaching it has seemed to have turned into a celebration for everyone, and I have used the opportunity to update the gear of many of the girls. It took a fair deal more xp then I care to admit, but between [Dungeon Jewelcrafting], [Elven Crafting], and [Dungeon Artificer] I have managed to produce some very nice gear for everyone.


    Between the rings for the dungeon cores in our group, and the equipment for my own monsters, I managed to rank up [Dungeon Artificer] again. With the new rank, when I select an item as a base I can use the two other slots to put in items of different quality or material to attempt to increase the quality or material of the base item.


    That has allowed me to create items that I was already capable of summoning, and change them into items I am not, unlocking that new item in the process. That makes all the work Azami did in learning to summon mythril to be a bit of a waste.


    In truth she can still make items for zero cost to the dungeon as long as she has the time, so it isn¡¯t completely wasted, but for items like Belinda¡¯s armor the skymetal seems like a much better material to use then mythril. The cost of upgrading Belinda¡¯s armor was far from cheap however as it took two suits of skymetal armor like the suit that I wear to combine with Belinda¡¯s dwarven armor in [Dungeon Artificer] to make it skymetal as well, but it also had the added bonus increasing the quality from expert to master.


    That allowed me to summon skymetal full-plate armor for less than it cost me to upgrade Belinda¡¯s armor, but when you take quality into account combining several lower quality pieces of equipment together might be cheaper than summoning them at higher quality.


    I try experimenting with it a bit on cheap steel weapons, but the results vary. It can take as few as two standard steel swords to make an expert quality steel sword, or as many as six. More often than not it takes four of them, which is the same cost of summoning it that way, so unless you can¡¯t summon that particular item, or you are partial to the base item, it is easier to just summon it then to upgrade it.


    Taking that into account, Zoey¡¯s armor has been gathering dust since she started wearing the mythril armor, so I give it the same treatment, upgrading it to the skymetal as well, although the quality of her armor was already master, so it doesn¡¯t increase any further.


    Lilah is the only other one of my girls that has her own custom armor, so I upgrade hers as well. Between the full-plate of Belinda¡¯s armor, the armor I wear, the Archer¡¯s armor, Archer¡¯s half-helm, Beastkin Tail-armor that make up Zoey¡¯s armor, and Lilah¡¯s battle dress, that leaves me plenty of options to summon new gear for almost all of my dungeon monsters that don¡¯t already have custom armor.


    In fact the only ones that don¡¯t end up with new, or at least upgraded armor, is Azami, because I promised her she could make her own, Moss, who would probably prefer a set from Azami as well, Scylla who is the only one of my girls that doesn¡¯t wear armor, and Bell who is the only one of my girls to wear light armor.


    For the weapons I go through the same process making sure everyone has best weapon I can make for them, or at least that I can afford to make for them.


    I even made some equipment for Kline now that he is part of my dungeon as well. We do have some family that are not part of the dungeon, so I decided to make some for Doug, Aria, Tanya, and Exavier as well, but I have to admit I didn¡¯t spend as much effort or xp on their equipment.


    By the time the party arrives and I present my gifts, it seems like we are gearing for war rather than having a celebration, but no one seems to mind. Even those who are not part of the dungeon and got lesser gear, are simply amazed due to the fact that since I summoned their gear it all holds at least some kind of enchantment. Of course Tanya and Exavier don¡¯t know that part.


    The bunnies look rather charming all in their own uniquely designed battle dresses, each varying slightly by their tastes. Lilah¡¯s of course has the bunny motifs and engravings being just the upgraded version of the armor she already had, while Lylah¡¯s is fluffy and frilly with flower-like designs.


    Lila¡¯s armor is very no-nonsense design with a bit of pink fabric and lace to still give it a bit of girlish charm, while Leilah¡¯s armor is like much like Lylah¡¯s except instead of flowers the designs are cute monster caricatures.


    The twins, Lele, and Lala, are the only ones with a matching battledress which are still quite frilly but are made of a darker earthy brown and green colored fabrics. Like Leilah¡¯s armor they have little monster caricatures on theirs, but instead of normal monsters they are of some of the demi-human races, with a few overly exaggerated angry little elves mixed in for good measure. Moss of course doesn¡¯t find it very funny but Lele and Lala seem to love them so he doesn¡¯t say a word.


    Before the mythril armor Roxy wore a battle dress as well, but this time I made her armor like my own, giving her a bit more protection to offset that small buckler she carries for defense. Sofia uses a large shield, but with being a teacher now it would be better for her students to be able to see her footwork, so like Roxy I traded out a battle dress for half-plate like armor.


    For Katie I just covered her from head to toe in skymetal, which she seemed to be a little upset it wasn¡¯t dwarven metal, but even though she would probably not admit it out loud she does understand that the skymetal is a superior metal of dwarven metal.


    Orichalcum is supposed to be the dwarven equivalent to mythril, but with the armor I learned to make from Desiree being only for a succubus, even when I summoned a set and tried to use it to upgrade the other armors because it being monster armor it wouldn¡¯t allow me to.


    Because of Desiree¡¯s whip-swords being made from orichalcum though, I was able to summon and use them to make superior weapons, and also fulfill Lilah¡¯s wish of replacing her normal barbed whip for one of those whip-swords.


    Being unable to summon armor for Scylla and Bell I instead made them each an enchanted necklace from my available enchantments that would most benefit them. Sadly each of them cost about the same amount of xp as the equipment I summoned for the others.


    Kline and Aria¡¯s equipment were also a custom made archer¡¯s armor, albeit Kline¡¯s was of better material, each are complete with the half-helm, and tail armor. For Exavier I used [Dungeon Jewelcrafting] to change up my old scale-mail armor to make it more presentable for a prince and gave him that.


    Tanya¡¯s attitude has greatly improved, and she is even getting along pretty well with Belinda, but she is still rather vain so I took a battledress, and although I guarantee its protective quality, it looks more suited for a ball then combat.


    For Doug I took Mariam¡¯s overly gaudy mythril armor that I got in Merretta, and made it more suitable for him. I feel a bit bad about giving Doug mythril armor when Logan still hasn¡¯t gotten any, but Logan has retired as an adventurer, and I guess that should be Queen¡¯s responsibility now.


    Of course Ceres wasn¡¯t going to pass up the party, but we didn¡¯t really prepare anything for her, and she didn¡¯t seem to mind. All in all the party turns out rather well, and everyone has a good time, and once it is over we all return to our daily routines.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    By the time Ceres and I have helped a total of eight of the weaker dungeon cores within our group, fall is already on its way out and it is giving in to winter. We have lost one more of our group to the traitors, but we have managed to gain three new members as well.


    Ceres, Madam Erin, and I figured it up the other day. Since the traitors first began killing other dungeon cores we have lost just over 100 dungeons, and that isn¡¯t even including the traitors that have been killed, or the few that lost their lives not related to the traitors.


    There was only a dozen or so available dungeon core numbers before the traitors, so there is still over 600 dungeon cores left, but 1/8<sup>th</sup> of our population is by no means something we can take lightly. Our group however seems to be fighting a losing battle, as the traitors continue to get stronger by the day, killing other dungeon cores, our group is not gaining strength fast enough.


    Madam Erin will help us when it is just Ceres and I, but she still won¡¯t let us tell anyone else about her joining us. Lucille and Laura are still pitting themselves against each other in Merretta¡¯s civil war, and Dyson has been hard to get ahold of ever since I evolved Desiree. All of which makes the Elders little to no help in protecting the dungeon cores from the traitors.


    We finally catch a break when one of the members of our group, whose dungeon is in Adra, thinks they have uncovered one of the dungeon¡¯s near to them are part of the traitors. The question is how do we find out for sure, and if it is true, deal with them without alerting the other traitors.


    We can¡¯t be sure due to the fact that the traitors have so far been able to go undetected, even with all the information I can learn from a dungeon core with the [Archjusticar Menu], but if this dungeon core is part of the traitors it should be one of the weaker ones, so it takes a few days but we come up with a plan.


    Madam Erin finally decides to stick her neck out for us a bit by calling the dungeon core to a meeting with the Elders. She tells the dungeon core we are investigating that the meeting is about Draco¡¯s death and the need to find a replacement, but tells the other Elders a bit of what is going on.


    Even though the other Elders have been preoccupied with their own endeavors, it isn¡¯t like they are not interested in finding the traitors as well, so she should be able to get them to at least show up for the meeting.


    While the Elders are trying to prove or disprove that the dungeon core is one of the traitors at the neutral zone, I meanwhile will head to the dungeon core¡¯s dungeon and see if I can try to find any proof there.


    Even with the dungeon core being what should be one of the weaker dungeon cores, I am not going to take any chances. Inari is still working on helping the old gods in Shima, but she is still in the preparation stages for her next trip into a corrupt dungeon, so she has agreed to help.


    Not only Inari, but I am going to take my other daughters along, as well as some of the stronger members of the group. Just to be sure we cover the dungeon thoroughly while the elders keep the dungeon core busy.


    If something happens to me during this trip, I don¡¯t want our group to just stop, so we decided to have Ceres stay behind just in case.


    I can¡¯t really blame her, but Belinda doesn¡¯t want to be left behind this time either, and although her level has fallen behind, we are going to need all the help we can get. Scylla has her duties as mayor, but Kline and Bell are going to come along as well.


    The bunnies have to keep an eye on the dungeon, and Sofia has her students, but Katie will be coming with us as well as Moss. I am a little worried about his fighting ability, but even with his age he has been training in Shima with us long enough that he can at least stick to the back and cause some trouble with his magic.


    With all hands on deck we gather in the ballroom making sure everyone is prepared. Since Scylla is staying behind and is going to be watching Rory, Roxy decides to leave Wolfric with her as well to, so she can join us.


    Belinda and I give Rory a hug and a kiss, while Roxy and Zoey do the same for Wolfric, and Ceres pats me on the shoulder telling me she will help Scylla keep an eye on things. We only have a few hours to a day at most to get this done, but for some reason it feels like we are in for more than when I went to help Inari, so I am a little nervous.


    We then all start casting [Gate] while splitting up to gather our reinforcements, Belinda is going to Maeve¡¯s dungeon to gather Maeve, Dawn, and Twilight, while I go to Inari¡¯s dungeon to get her. My other boss monsters except Azami go to collect other members of our group that are going to join us, while Azami takes everyone else here to a staging area.


    When I arrive at Inari¡¯s dungeon I am met not only by Inari and her monsters, but Kenta and some of his as well. Among Inari¡¯s group there is Inari, Takeshi, Satoshi, Saki, Chika, Rin, Akihiro, and several other fox beastkin that I have not met before. Even though she is technically part of Inari¡¯s dungeon Akane is with Kenta along with several of what I assume are his boss monsters, most of which don¡¯t appear sentient, but as long as they follow him it should be alright.


    Inari quickly gives me a hug and introduces me to her new monsters.


    Inari: ¡°I am glad I am able to return the favor of helping you this time, and of course you know everyone else, so let me introduce you to the newest additions to our family.¡±


    She has only had a few months so I don¡¯t know how strong these new fox beastkin are, but weapons and armor is something she is in no short supply of, and each of them are decked out in that crimson hihi¡¯irokane stuff that is equal to mythril.


    The first of which is Yuuta, a young fox beastkin man that she introduces as one of her new boss monsters. His face reminds me a lot of what Yuji looked like, but not only is his ears and tail silver in color but his hair as well. His build is also quite different then Yuji¡¯s was and it is closer to that of Satoshi or Takeshi¡¯s.


    Next is a young fox beastkin woman named Tsubaki. She too is introduced as one of Inari¡¯s boss monsters, and although she has silver fur on her ears and tail, her hair is pinkish color that would match Ceres¡¯s hair color. Her build is quite delicate like that of Saki, and by her equipment she too is clearly some kind of a mage.


    Then there is Ryuu, he isn¡¯t a boss monster, but he is definitely built like a monster. Takeshi is a bit more buff then Satoshi, but neither one of them holds a candle to Ryuu, and even though he is much shorter I would think he would even be comparable to Madam Erin. He may be a fox rather than a wolf, but I would say that even his appearance is close to that of Madam Erin¡¯s as well, although I have to admit it looks far more natural on a male then it does for Madam Erin.


    Hana is a female fox beastkin that looks to be a decked out in the heaviest armor in Inari¡¯s collection making it hard to determine she is even a woman, if it wasn¡¯t her being introduced as such. Her ears are completely enclosed in a helmet, but her tail is very light tan color that is almost blonde, and I can¡¯t be for certain but I think her hair is the same color.


    There is also the first male fox beastkin in Inari¡¯s group to be a mage, and his name is Kazuki. His hair is black even though his ears and tail are red with white tips, and his build is quite muscular for a mage, but I am pretty sure it was by design because Inari puts a lot of effort towards the men she summons to be muscular.


    The last of the new monsters that Inari introduces is a fox beastkin woman named Megumi. Yuuta¡¯s face bore a lot of resemblance to Yuji, but the rest of him did not, and Megumi seems the opposite. There are obvious differences with Megumi being a female, but she would easily pass as a female Yuji. The fur on her ears and tail are not silver like Yuji¡¯s was, but a duller grey color, but her hair is jet black like his was. She even seems to have the same class as Yuji did, and if it isn¡¯t his equipment she is using it is awfully close.


    There is still a lot that needs to be done, and not a lot of time to do it in, so after the quick introductions I cast [Gate] again, to join the others at the staging area. By the time we arrive at the staging area it is already bustling with quite an unusual group.


    Several of my groups that acquire xp for my dungeon have been recalled for this task, so there are quite a few humans and beastkins. Bella has already arrived as well bringing with her a small horde of amphibian like demi-humans.


    Ithros and his dragon Teku have made it as well, and they are talking to Emery who brought along 3 dragons of his own. Emery¡¯s dragons are all smaller then Teku, but are still far larger than the earth dragon I use in my dungeon.


    Between my daughters, and Kenta we have higher quantity of younger cores then older experienced ones. Queen only adds to that number as she has seemed to arrive with a few beastkin of her own, but the part that surprised me, is she brought along Logan as well. Belinda doesn¡¯t seem too happy about Logan being here, and she seems to be in a heated discussion with them.


    The few other dungeon cores that are here are much older than me but power wise they we are about the same level. I wish we could have brought more dungeon cores along, but I wanted to make sure we didn¡¯t tip the traitors off to what we were doing, so I only invited the ones I was sure that they were strong enough to hold their own, and not part of the traitors.


    I need to handle the situation with Belinda and her brother, but first I make my way to the others thanking them for coming, and handing them each a ring that I prepared for them. We might not get much use out of them today, but until Ceres and I make it to their dungeons to help boost them up the rings should at least help them some.


    Each ring was custom made just like the ones for the dungeon cores Ceres and I have been helping, so it takes a little bit more time then I wanted to spend on handing them out and explaining how the rings work.


    I still haven¡¯t gotten to Belinda yet, but I receive the message from Madam Erin that the target dungeon core has arrived at the neutral zone, so we need to get a move on. When I do finally approach Belinda, Queen, and Logan, it seems Inari, Maeve, Dawn, and Twilight have managed to calm Belinda down, but she still doesn¡¯t look happy about Logan being here.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve! You tell them, it is not a good idea for Queen to bring Logan along with us!¡±


    Logan: ¡°Here we go again¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I understand why you are upset about it, but the truth is Logan is a pretty decent adventurer, and we could use his help. Not to mention the fact as long as Queen is with him she will have to do everything in her power to keep him safe because of our agreement.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But he has too many responsibilities to risk his life for this!¡±


    Logan: ¡°What about you?! If something happened to you, my niece would lose her mother, and if I sit by and did nothing, while something like that happened. I would never forgive myself!¡±


    ¡°Belinda, I am sorry. Maybe if we had more time I would listen to it from both sides, but we just don¡¯t¡­ Madam Erin said our target has arrived at the neutral zone so we need to get started.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°If something happens to Logan, how would I ever tell father?¡±


    Logan: ¡°I¡¯m a big boy, and you can tell him the truth, that I died protecting my family!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Belinda, but we have to get started.¡±


    Belinda is still upset but she nods so I then turn and get everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Thank you all for coming, I have already given everyone the rundown of what we are going to do here today, but just to make sure everyone is clear that we are here to stop one of the traitors, and if we can¡¯t prove Barry is one of them we need to do the least amount of damage as possible. The information that Megan brought to us is pretty straight forward, and enough that the Elders are also investigating Barry, but just in case we made a mistake somewhere, I want you all to remember to not to destroy the crystal until we find out for sure. Now we choose this site because it is close to Barry¡¯s dungeon while still out of sight from it or the nearby village, but once we start moving that can quickly change, so we need to make our way to the dungeon quickly before the nearby human village even knows we are here. Everyone knows what we have to do, so let¡¯s get to it!¡±


    Everyone then starts getting their monsters together, and we all quickly set out heading for Barry¡¯s dungeon.

 Taking the Fight to the Traitors

    From the moment we returned to my dungeon after getting Two-Twelve¡¯s assistance in evolving Desiree I knew something was off. With my arm still around Angela¡¯s soft, thin waist I decide to explore a bit on the new and improved Desiree by pulling her into me with a deep kiss.


    As a succubus, Desiree held plenty of lust, and evolving to a Camilla¡¯s succubus, it should have only increased, but whatever happened at Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon in my absence has seemed to upset her enough to sideline those feelings for lust, as she doesn¡¯t even fill my head with lustful images like she normally does when I take her in my arms and kiss her.


    Not only Desiree, but even Angela seems out of it as my lips part from Desiree¡¯s, and Angela is just standing there with my other arm around her deep in thought while oblivious of me making moves on Desiree inches away from her.


    ¡°What exactly happened while I was gone?¡± ¨CI ask them, because I know something just isn¡¯t right.- ¡°I know Two-Twelve isn¡¯t the type to take advantage in that kind of situation¡­¡±


    Perhaps that is an understatement? Considering how many beauties he surrounds himself with, each willing to jump him as soon as he gives the word, and yet how oblivious he acts around them. It seems a bit of a miracle that he was the first dungeon core to have a child.


    ¡®That princess of his is rather strong willed. Maybe she forced herself onto him.¡¯ -I can¡¯t help thinking while licking my lips.-


    Anyway, that doesn¡¯t clear up the situation with my girls, they are clearly upset about something, and since there wasn¡¯t enough time for anyone but Two-Twelve to say or do anything, he must have been the one to upset them.


    Angela: ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± ¨CShe explains.- ¡°He made the assumption that¡­ No, he really thought you¡¯d taken advantage and raped me!¡± ¨CShe blurts out with her face growing quite red from not only embarrassment, but out of anger as well.- ¡°It made me so angry! The master I love and respect is so different from how his ¡°friend¡± thinks of him, I¡­ Ah, I¡¯m just so angry!¡± ¨CShe declares, flaring her wings, and griping my hand, that is around her waist, tightly.-


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± ¨CI say while looking at her and a smile stretches from ear to ear across my face.-


    Angela: ¡°Of course!¡± ¨CShe declares again.- ¡°I mean, I know I said some things that I shouldn¡¯t have, but the leap in logic he made is just unfair!¡±


    Desiree begins to smile as well, releasing her grip on me and stepping back while placing a simple image into my mind. It is surprisingly tame, a downright cute and prudish one by her standards, but not one I am entirely opposed to, at all. It is enough I decide to act upon it, and after my arm around her waist slides up along her back, I pull her into me planting my lips on hers for a kiss.


    Angela: ¡°I-hmo?!¡± ¨CShe gasps at the interruption, as our lips finally come together on a long-awaited kiss.-


    Angela is startled at first and she offers some resistance, but after her declaration, let¡¯s just say, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the codpiece of my armor has got a dent in it. Those words of hers were what I have been waiting for, and after a couple of moments, she finally realizes what she admitted to.


    Angela¡¯s arms begin to relax and her hands go from pushing to clinging while we kiss. At the point from which Angela goes from being kissed, to kissing back it is as sweet as I had expected from her, but Desiree¡¯s near-constant example right before her eyes, she''s seen kisses both sensual and lewd enough to make a high-class whore blush, so after a few more seconds of giving her some nice memories of a sweet and chaste first kiss, I promptly begin to devour her tongue and lips as hungrily as if they were made of milk and honey.


    Desiree: ¡°I told you. All it took was a different approach, Master. If pushing doesn¡¯t work, try pulling.¡± ¨CShe whispers into my ear as she join in, nibbling on my ear while my hands begin to explore Angela.-


    Soon armor and clothes have begun to fall to the floor as Angela presses against my front while Desiree presses from the back. By the time my armor and gambeson have been removed I am left only in my undershorts, Desiree has easily come out of all her clothes, and Angela''s small silk basque is wonderfully bad at covering her beautiful figure.


    With one of my hands held firmly on one of Angela¡¯s breasts over the top of the silken basque the other explores slowly up her inner thigh, seeking out a far greater prize. Both of the girl¡¯s hands are all over my body while Desiree¡¯s tail works its way into my undershorts and wraps around my mighty member just tight enough to cause a rush of pleasure and not pain.


    As my hand working its way up Angela¡¯s inner thigh finds its mark, my hand brushes over her final line of defense in the form of her lace and silk panties. I try working my hand past that point but Angela¡¯s body jerks and she abruptly stops pushing me back.


    Angela is blushing brightly as her eyes dart from me to Desiree. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Master. I don¡¯t mean to say I am not¡­ Ready, but¡­¡± ¨CShe says while her eyes keep darting between me and Desiree.-


    Desiree: ¡°Say no more¡­ This new body of mine will not go without Master¡¯s touch for long, but this is a special occasion, so I will at least give you some time before I return.¡± ¨CShe says while she takes a step back, her tail uncoiling from around me as she pulls it out of my undershorts.- ¡°Don¡¯t do anything I wouldn¡¯t do.¡± ¨CShe says with a devilish grin before she starts sucking on the spade-like end of her own tail while walking out of the bedroom leaving all of her clothing behind.-


    Angela: ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Master¡­ I might not be like Desiree, but I will do my best, I promise!¡± ¨CShe says while blushing and then grabbing my hand while pulling towards the bed.-


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    Today is the day of the big meeting, and I am going out on quite a limb here for Two-Twelve, so he better not be wrong about this. The messages have already been sent, and Two-Twelve said he has already started gathering his ¡°troops¡±.


    I don¡¯t know if the other Elders will show or not, but if they do I might be able to hold Dungeon Core #764 Barry here at the neutral zone for a much longer time, if the meeting seems genuine. Then again I didn¡¯t tell the other Elders the whole truth either, so if they do show, things might quickly get out of hand if I am not careful.


    As the time in which I am supposed to go collect #764 approaches, I have still received no word or signs of any of the other Elders arriving, but after getting the meeting room prepared, I start to walk out the door to set up a portal to collect #764 when Lucille walks through the door.


    ¡°Good you have arrived.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°This better be important¡­ I see Laura hasn¡¯t arrived yet, that means she is most likely using this time that you have me cooped up here, to launch another attack.¡±


    ¡°As I told you, this is more important than your little human border squabble with Laura. I believe I have uncovered one of the traitors, so we need to question him. If he is one of the traitorous dungeon cores he could lead us to the others.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You better be right.¡±


    I step out of the room and find Dyson in the hallway with his new entourage hanging from his arms. All three are wearing their equipment, and Dyson seems to be uncharacteristically exhausted.


    Angela: ¡°Do we have to, Master~??¡± ¨CShe pleads with a song like voice.-


    Desiree: ¡°You know there are matters that Master has to address on his own.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Fine!¡± ¨CShe says while pouting.- ¡°But Master has to promise to make it up to us later!¡±


    ¡°Only after all of our errands are complete. With a bit of luck this meeting won¡¯t take long.¡± ¨CDyson says as he sends his girls into the waiting room and shuts the doors while letting out a sigh of relief.-


    ¡°Trouble in paradise?¡± ¨CI say while stepping forward to greet him.-


    Dyson: ¡°He must have done it on purpose, I-¡­ Where is Two-Twelve, I need to speak with him.¡±


    ¡°He has another task he has to deal with today, so he will not be joining us.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Shit¡­ It looks like I may have to use an ultimate command, after all. I never thought I would see the day I would use one for something like that¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you going on about¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Ever since I took Desiree to Two-Twelve and had him use one of his skills to evolve her a few months ago¡­ He must have done something after I left the girls in his dungeon and left to collect his payment. I haven¡¯t had a proper night¡¯s rest since!¡±


    ¡°Are you complaining about what I think you are complaining about? Now this is a day I never thought I would see, but I did try to warn you of the dangers of taking a succubus into your entourage, and evolving her would only increase that lust.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Desiree¡­? ¡°Desiree¡­? No, she''s great. It''s the white-winged lust demon I''m talking about! If Desiree didn''t help me wear down Angela every night, I wouldn¡¯t get any sleep at all!¡±


    ¡°The great pursuer of lust, the hero Dyson himself, has finally met his match on a shy little beastkin girl? Are you serious? If it has really been that much of a problem, why only do something about it now?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I said it was exhausting, but I didn¡¯t say that it wasn¡¯t worth every second of it¡­ But many of the things that require my attention have fallen to the wayside because of it. They haven¡¯t even properly returned to training since that day. Hell, this is the first day in two and a half weeks that I''ve managed to get dressed!¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°You poor thing¡­¡± ¨CI say sarcastically.-


    Dyson: ¡°Laugh all you want, but promise me you will drag this meeting on as long as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan¡­ Speaking of which, I need to go get our guest.¡±


    Dyson nods and then heads off towards the meeting room, while I head to the portals and rewrite the ruins to take me to the place I agreed to meet Dungeon Core #764 to pick him up for this meeting. Once the portal forms in the archway, I step through it quickly finding the dungeon core I came for.


    Dungeon Core #764 Barry isn¡¯t exactly known for anything in particular, and he isn¡¯t even a very strong or successful dungeon core, but that is kind of the point we are counting on right now. If he really is one of the traitors we can use his weakness to finally get some information on the rest of their group.


    It isn¡¯t every day a dungeon core is called to a meeting with the Elders, and even less so for a dungeon core such as Barry, so he seems to be rather nervous as he sees me arrive. We lured him to this meeting with the talks of refilling the ranks of the Elders, and I am sure Barry doesn¡¯t expect we mean with him, but it also is no secret about Two-Twelve¡¯s role in the Elder selection process when we added Dyson, so surely he is expecting to reap some kind of reward in the same fashion.


    Barry: ¡°Ma-Madam Erin¡­Excuse me, Elder Madam Erin, I-I¡¯m looking forward to helping the Elders in any way I can.¡± ¨CHe says while stammering.- ¡°A-and congratulations¡­ I-I saw the message about the birth of your child¡­¡±


    ¡°As this is the new way to produce new dungeon cores, no congratulations are required. Now, the others don¡¯t like to be kept waiting, so shall we?¡± ¨CI say while motioning to the portal.-


    Barry: ¡°I-I understand¡­¡± ¨CHe says as he hesitantly approaches the portal and steps though.-


    After following him through the portal and returning to the neutral zone I quickly swipe my hand across the ruins on the portal causing it to disappear. We then head down the hallway and enter the meeting room while I send a message to Two-Twelve to begin.


    The sound of arguing is heard the moment we step into the meeting room, as we find Lucille and Laura in their place at the head of the room arguing back and forth. Meanwhile Dyson is in his own spot with his elbows on the table in front of him, his fingers interlocked, and his head in his hands¡­


    He appears to be sound asleep. With Dyson¡¯s skills he should literally go weeks without a bit of sleep, so with him being able to fall sleep, here, and with Laura and Lucille yelling at each other right next to him, he really wasn¡¯t joking about being sleep-deprived. Or should I say sleep-depraved?


    ¡°I see Laura has arrived as well. Alright everyone, Dungeon Core #764 Barry has arrived, so it is time to get down to business.¡± ¨CI say while ushering Barry to his seat and then take my place in mine.-


    Laura stops fighting with Lucille long enough to say. ¡°What exactly are we doing here?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°If you read the message you would know we are here get information from Barry, but asking you to follow simple directions such as reading must be too hard. As you couldn¡¯t even be bothered enough to have that human of yours read the treaty agreement I carefully laid out for those idiotic humans!¡±


    Laura: ¡°Oh we read it alright, and it was ridiculous. Aaron is the rightful king of Merretta, and anything less than that is an insult. We are not signing any treaty that isn¡¯t a universal surrender of those traitors to the crown.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You see what I am trying to deal with here! We can¡¯t have a proper meeting here with Laura here.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± ¨CA voice rumbles out from between Dyson¡¯s fingers and he then raises his head.- ¡°You are the one that insisted we make Laura a temporary Elder, so deal with it.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Speaking of dealing with it, where is Two-Twelve? Seems like he is choosing to shirk his duties as an Elder, once again!¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve is dealing with an important matter right now, and couldn¡¯t be here today. Now, do you think we can get this meeting started?¡±


    After the others agree I then turn to Barry who has seemed to only grow more nervous.


    ¡°Dungeon Core #764 Barry, do you know why we have called this meeting here today?¡±


    Barry: ¡°U-uh¡­To ask me questions on who I think should become a new Elder after the death of Elder Draco¡­?¡± ¨CHe says nervously looking around the room.-


    Laura: ¡°Of course not you idiot! Why would we care who you thought would make a good Elder?¡±


    Barry: ¡°U-uh¡­?¡± ¨CIs the most he can say while starting to look frightened rather than just nervous.-


    Dyson: ¡°It has been a little over a year now, but I assume you can recall receiving a message from Archjusticar Two-Twelve about a group of dungeon cores that are going around and murdering other dungeon cores while using my name, is that right?¡±


    Barry: ¡°O-of course! I-I would never think Elder Dyson would do such a thing as indiscriminately kill dungeon cores for no reason¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Good, then that makes this easier. Now are you saying Dyson wouldn¡¯t do something like that because of what you think, or is it because you know who truly is behind it?¡±


    Barry: ¡°U-uh¡­No?


    Laura: ¡°No, what?!¡±


    ¡°What she means is. We have received some pretty creditable information that says that not only do you know Dyson is innocent, but you are helping those who are killing others in his name.¡±


    Barry: ¡°T-That¡¯s absurd! W-Why would I do such a thing?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is exactly what we are here to find out.¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    We move out from the staging area heading for Barry¡¯s dungeon, we aren¡¯t as close as I would have liked to have been, but this was as close as we could get without alerting Barry or the nearby village beforehand.


    We have just over 100 bodies gathered with most of them being humanoid in shape, but there are a small handful of actual monsters that some of the other dungeon cores brought along with them, and Teku is the largest of which.


    The three dragons Emery brought along are not far behind, but after them there is a major drop in size leaving the rest of the monsters only the size of a hellhound at most. Even with their size, the geography of the area mean that unless we just happened across some humans by chance, I am rather confident in being able to reach the dungeon without detection.


    That is until Ithros and Teku go against my recommendations and take to the air. They should arrive at the dungeon much quicker that way, but I fear they are going to get spotted. Emery is not one that likes to be out done either, so he quickly mounts one of his dragons and all three of them take to the air as well.


    Dawn: ¡°Papa, please let us go on ahead! They are going to take all the xp before we get there if we don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°We are not doing this for xp, we are doing this to deal a blow to the traitors.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°She is right. If we are going to risk out necks we should at least get something out of it in return. Sorin, Linna let¡¯s go!¡± ¨C She says while Sorin and Linna grab ahold of Maeve¡¯s arms as they take flight. The monsters Maeve brought with her consist of Sorin, another pair of the swan beastkin I gave her, Linna, and several more of her sky elves, each of which take flight to keep up with Maeve.-


    ¡°Damnit Maeve, you are going to be seen!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are going to beat me! Girls let¡¯s go!¡± ¨CShe calls out taking flight with a handful of the monstrous harpies that she brought along.-


    Dawn however looks conflicted as she watches Maeve and Twilight fly off. She is wearing her ring so she has the appearance of a human, but she turns and says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Papa, but I haven¡¯t won a single one of our competitions yet, so I can¡¯t get behind in xp now.¡± She then slides her other ring on her finger returning to her normal form before chasing after the others.


    The monsters Dawn brought along are mainly different types of fire elementals, so they don¡¯t really walk, but they don¡¯t really fly either. They take off after their master, but they slowly are losing ground to her as Dawn gets further and further ahead.


    Inari: ¡°The damage is already done, if the humans are going to see anything it is the dragons, so the rest of us won¡¯t matter after that point. Takeshi you and the others stay with Daddy and we will meet back up at the dungeon. I am going to go on ahead and make sure those bird-brained sisters of mine stay out of trouble.¡± Inari then uses her special skill, and takes off so quickly I can barely follow her movements.


    I could still run quite a bit faster then I currently am, but there are a lot of monsters and other dungeon cores that couldn¡¯t keep up that speed, so I have no choice but let the girls go on ahead, and hope they don¡¯t run into some kind of trap.


    By the time the rest of us reach the dungeon, the dragons, and my daughters are nowhere in sight. The opening of the dungeon is no larger than that of my dungeon so, even if the three dragons of Emery¡¯s managed to squeeze though, I don¡¯t see any way for Teku to have managed it.


    Most villages use loud horns or bells to signify the movement of monsters nearby, and the village is close enough to the mouth of the dungeon that if they were sounding off we would have heard it, so where ever the dragons went it seems at least nobody got detected by the humans.


    After we make sure everyone has arrived we enter the dungeon. With this many people entering the dungeon at once it is quite packed. We encounter a few entry level monsters, but they quickly hit the floor before they know what hit them.


    Other than the monsters we have killed there are remains of monsters lying about as well, so I can¡¯t be certain about the dragons but at least the girls have seemed to pass this way. This dungeon turns out to be quite similar to mine, with the entry way being a natural cave, and then quickly giving way to stone walls.


    As the paths start to diverge I remind everyone that we are here to get proof that Barry is a traitor, and not just to kill monsters. We then start to split up and take different paths. Moving through the first few floors and through dozens upon dozens of rooms is done without anyone suffering as much as a scratch.


    In fact the only damage that anyone has sustained has been through traps, but at this point the traps are weak enough that it has been no serious threat. As the groups start to break off one after another each time the path splits.


    Within the first hour we have already moved past the third floor and we have spread out enough that the only ones still with me are my own monsters, Inari¡¯s monsters, and Kenta and his group of monsters. Even out of my own monsters, it is only my boss monsters, Bell, Kline, and Moss that are still with us. All of the xp gathering groups and Katie with a few of the dwarves have gone with other groups as well.


    I know once things start spreading out more it might be unrealistic, but for now each time someone split off from us I tried to have at least one set of monsters from my dungeon go with them. We haven¡¯t found a way to prove if Barry is working with the traitors or not, but we are only in the entry levels.


    We do at least know [Communication] still seems to be working, and I have used [Blink] a few times so there doesn¡¯t seem to be one of those items the traitors use. If we did are job right though they shouldn¡¯t even know we are here, so that isn¡¯t any indication if Barry is one of the traitors or not.


    Over the next few floors we seem to be staying ahead of the majority of the group as we haven¡¯t hit a single dead end yet as we are pushing forward trying to meet up with Inari and my other daughters, who we are keeping in contact with, while they continue to push forward trying to catch up to the dragons.


    Inari told us the dragons must have entered the dungeon ahead of them because by the time they arrived at the mouth of the dungeon there was nobody there already. They are pretty sure they are on the right path though, because they have said they are still following the trail of dead monsters as they go.


    I am not sure how much xp has been spent on the rifts that are in this dungeon, but if the dragons killed a spawning group, then the girls killed another, and we have to kill a third spawning, then it seems like they are quite costly indeed.


    I am still rather curious about how the dragons are working their way through the dungeon though, as we have passed through several hallways and doorways that I don¡¯t see how any of Emery¡¯s dragons could have made through much less Teku.


    After we pass the four hour mark we have made it as far as the 10<sup>th</sup> floor, before we have finally caught up to the girls, who had to begin slowing down due the difficulty. We still however haven¡¯t gotten any hint to the fact that Barry is part of the traitors, in fact his dungeon if anything is rather on the bland side.


    By what my [Archjusticar Menu] says this should be the halfway point through his dungeon, but as Inari and I are catching up with what has happened so far I receive a message from Madam Erin saying that we are running out of time, and she doesn¡¯t know how much longer she is going to be able to hold Barry.


    ¡°I was really hoping we would have found something by now, like the [Communication] block, or even just some monster of some kind that shouldn¡¯t be here. Just anything that would give Madam Erin a hand in his interrogation, because as it stands it doesn¡¯t look good.¡±


    Inari: ¡°If he doesn¡¯t prove to be working with the traitors, we will know it might be a good idea to take a closer look at the one that gave us information saying he was, and so far we have done very little damage to his dungeon, as everything we have killed so far have been rift monsters. The only problem is if he is indeed part of the traitors, but we have to leave without being able to prove it, and he then tells the other traitors we are starting to move against them.¡±


    ¡°Well it we aren¡¯t going to find anything out by standing around here, we better get a move on¡­¡±

 Dungeon #764

    ¡°This is getting us nowhere.¡± ¨CSays Laura as we continue our process of trying to gather information from the dungeon core Barry.-


    Laura: ¡°Asking him the same questions over and over for the past four hours is not accomplishing anything. I have far better things to do rather than wasting my time here in your pointless pursuit.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t know what you want me to say. I am not, nor have I ever worked with those who are killing the other dungeon cores¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°As much as I loathe agreeing with Laura, I don¡¯t have all day to spend wasting my time on some weakling like Barry. If you are so sure about him being one of the traitors, just deal with him already, so we can get on with our own business.¡±


    ¡°The information that was brought to me was quite compelling, but by no means definitive. Without new cores being born we need to be sure!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Although I am not in much of a rush as Laura or Lucille, I do believe, traitor or not, if Barry was going to say anything with this line of questioning, he would have done so by now.¡±


    ¡°You have a better idea?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well now that you mention it, quite a few actually, but all of which can¡¯t be performed here at the neutral zone.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I don¡¯t see any purpose the traitors would want a weak core like Barry, so I believe this is a waste of time, but if you insist on torturing him, I will leave that bit of messy little business to you. I have much more pressing matters to attend to. If you do happen to turn up any information about the traitors from Barry however, do let me know.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Important matters like stopping Aaron taking his rightful place as the ruler of all of Merretta?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°You might be surprised to hear, but the world doesn¡¯t revolve around you and that little human pet of yours.¡±


    Laura: ¡°For acting like you don¡¯t care, you sure have been putting a lot of effort in preventing Aaron from taking the throne!¡±


    The two women continue to argue as get up from their chairs and leave the room.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Looks like it is down to the two of us.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Works for me, so Barry, are you going to tell us what we need to know, or is it time to take you back to my dungeon for a little alternative questioning?¡±


    Barry: ¡°P-Please¡­ You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°We have presented you with every opportunity to tell us what you know, so I see no other option.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I can¡¯t tell you what I don¡¯t know! I wish I could help you, but I can¡¯t!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Quit sniveling, you¡¯re a dungeon core for the gods¡¯ sake! If you are telling the truth, we will cut you lose, and you will heal up no problem, but if you¡¯re not¡­¡±


    Barry: ¡°I-I don¡¯t know anything¡­¡±


    ¡°Well we will soon know for sure.¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    If you would have told me even two years ago that I would be standing here in a dungeon speaking to a demi-human, while preparing to hire said demi-human to serve as a spotter and to gather reagents from the monsters, that I am actually going to take part in killing, I would say you had gone insane, but here I am.


    Next to me is my midget of a husband Exavier, he leaves much to be desired as a husband, but he is quite sincere and an overall decent individual, so as far as arranged marriages go, I could have done much worse.


    Which is another thing I would never have thought you would hear me say, that I am happy being married to an elf. Well, he is only a quarter elf, but as far as appearances go, I have seen full-blooded elves, that you could convince me had less elven blood than Exavier.


    To the other side of me is Sandra, who is a beastkin woman that I consider a close friend¡­ Hell if you told me about any part of my current life and I would have said you were crazy. Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t even know what kind of beastkin Sandra is. I have never been on friendly terms with a beastkin before so I don¡¯t know if it is rude or not to ask their sub-species.


    She is has a long tail and rounded ears kind of like Doug¡¯s beastkin, but I am pretty sure it isn¡¯t the same species. In any case she is a pretty damn good mage, and serves as the healer of our group.


    The rest of our team changes quite frequently depending on what commissions we are taking in the Adventurers Guild. There is never a shortage of adventurers that jump at the opportunity of traveling with a prince and a princess, so we never have a trouble filling those slots.


    Currently we rounded out our group with a pair of adventurers that come highly recommended at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I would have never chosen them personally as they seem pretty sketchy, but the receptionist at the guild vouched for them.


    Exavier doesn¡¯t seem to be getting anywhere with the lizard demi-human, so I decide to try to help along the negotiations.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. We know the dungeon doesn¡¯t attack your kind, so you just have to scout the rooms before we enter to make sure we can handle the monsters inside, and once the monsters are killed we need you to harvest any valuable components from them and carry them for us.¡±


    Lizardman: ¡°Grix understanded, little prince, but princess princess princess needs understanded, only Choxl and Zox allowed to helps in adventurys. Grix nots have permissions to helps adventurys.¡±


    I think it is quite obvious why the demi-humans call Exavier little prince, but they used to only call me princess until one of the gnomes learned I was not only a princess because of being married to Exavier, but a princess of Gowen, as well as Duscae. Ever since then the dumber demi-humans have been calling me princess princess princess.


    ¡°But the other two of your kind have already gone with another groups, you are the only one that is left.¡±


    Grix: ¡°Grix sorrys¡­¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s try it this way, you said you don¡¯t have permission to escort adventurers, what do you need to do to get permission?¡±


    Grix: ¡°Smarts gnome must ask their babaga before anys of newlings go withs adventurys.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Isn¡¯t the babaga the dungeon itself? The gnomes have to ask the dungeon for permission for one of the demi-humans to help the adventurers kill monsters?¡±


    Grix: ¡°Wes not helping in killings of monsters.¡±


    ¡°I know that but it¡¯s still ironic that you need to ask the dungeon¡¯s permission, even if it is just to loot the corpses of the dead monsters. Anyway, can you ask one of the gnomes to ask for you to have permission to go with us?¡±


    Grix: ¡°Smarts gnome says babaga no speaks today.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to have to cut into the corpses of the monsters myself, isn¡¯t there some way for you to come with us, today?¡±


    The lizardman cocks his head to one side as he seems to be thinking really hard. He then grabs the end of his snout and rattles his own head several times like he is trying to shake an idea loose or something¡­He soon however slump his shoulders and says. ¡°Grix sorrys, Grix not knowing.¡±


    ¡°What if I speak to one of the gnomes for you, do you think that would work?¡±


    Grix: ¡°Grix not knowing.¡±


    ¡°Well I am going to find out¡­¡±


    I try to find one of the gnomes, but I have to pass several by because it has been well established when the gnomes wear the masks with the frowns they get really pissy when you talk to them, so I have to find one with the smiling face.


    ¡°Hey you! I need to talk to you for a minute!¡± ¨CI say calling out to one of the gnomes with a smiling mask.-


    The gnome quickly stops and turns. ¡°Princess princess princess, what want Grigri for?¡±


    ¡°All of the lizardmen are helping other adventurers except Grix, but he said he doesn¡¯t have permission to go with any adventurers, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to be able to take him into the dungeon with me today.¡±


    Grigri: ¡°Babaga dungeon no talk talk today¡­¡±


    ¡°Grix told me you have to ask permission first, but if the dungeon is too busy to talk wouldn¡¯t it be too busy to worry if Grix goes with us or not?¡±


    Exavier: ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a good idea¡­ If they really are asking the dungeon for permission, wouldn¡¯t it be really bad to make it mad?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°He is right, Tanya. Sofia would skin us alive if she heard we tried something like that.¡±


    ¡°But we need that lizardman¡­¡±


    Adventurer 1: ¡°Then who cares what some stupid gnome says. That lizardman was stupid anyway, we can just tell him we got permission and he would probably go with us.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°You apparently haven¡¯t been in Tobes very long¡­¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°I told you it was a stupid idea to ask the monsters for help anyway!¡±


    Sandra: ¡°They are demi-humans, not monsters!


    Adventurer 1: ¡°Are we going to go into the dungeon or not?¡±


    ¡°Fine, but if we are not taking one of the lizardmen, you two are doing the heavy lifting, and we¡¯ll take one of the sylphs instead. Even if they don¡¯t help with anything, it is said the items you receive in the dungeon are better quality when you have one of the sylphs with you.¡±


    Adventurer 2: ¡°Fine, but we have wasted enough time here, just hurry up and grab it and let¡¯s go.¡±


    The old me would probably have told them off on the spot, but then again the old me probably would have agreed with them. It has already gotten late enough in the morning that we wouldn¡¯t be able to rustle up another pair of adventurers, so I guess these two will just have to do for today, but see if I ever listen to the recommendations of that receptionist ever again¡­


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    It¡¯s been another hour since I met up with Inari, and I heard from Madam Erin. We have continued to follow the trail of dead bodies, but with the strength of the monsters that have respawned. Some of the lower leveled members of our group are hanging towards the back while we push through.


    With the number of people that are fighting these battles I am sure the xp everyone is acquiring is slim to none, and not a single point of it will go back towards the dungeon, but as I said before, that is far from what we are trying to do here.


    At the six hour mark, from the time we first started, we have pushed down to the 12<sup>th</sup> floor. With our progress slowing so much, I can only hope Ithros and Emery manage to uncover something, as I don¡¯t think we are going to reach the bottom before we are forced to retreat.


    Just after seven hours we have reached the 13<sup>th</sup> floor, we still haven¡¯t found anything. Ithros and Emery have been ignoring most of the messages I have sent them. By the messages they have replied too, they seem to be close to reaching the end of the dungeon, but they haven¡¯t uncovered anything unusual either. It is also at that point I receive word from Madam Erin, and it isn¡¯t what we wanted to hear.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Madam Erin: (We have done everything we could¡­And quite more than we should have, but either Barry has an indomitable will, which is completely opposite of the rest of his personality, or the information you received was bad.)


    (He gave you nothing at all¡­?)


    Madam Erin: (Dyson raked him over the coals, and I am not just speaking figuratively, but Barry still maintains his innocence.)


    (You tortured him?!)


    Madam Erin: (We put ourselves out on a limb for you with this little crusade of yours.)


    (I told you the information was compelling, but in no way proof that he was one of the traitors! You shouldn¡¯t have tortured him based just off of that information!)


    Madam Erin: (He is a dungeon core, the scars will heal within hours, and now we can be sure.)


    (Maybe the physical ones¡­ So what are you going to do now?)


    Madam Erin: (The information you brought to me was, like you said, very compelling. I don¡¯t think that information wrong, as much as it was pointed at the wrong individual.)


    (You are thinking Megan brought us this information to throw us off, and that she is one of the traitors rather than Barry?)


    Madam Erin: (I am saying we should have a chat with her.)


    (What about Barry?)


    Madam Erin: (Dyson is patching him up now before sending him home. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he demands some sort of compensation, and this is your show, so that makes it your responsibility. Now, if I was you I would round up your people and get out of there before things get even worse.)


    (I would have liked to reach the end to make sure there was nothing in his dungeon to prove otherwise, but if what you said was true I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. Thank you for sticking your neck out for me on this. I just wish the result would have been better.)


    Madam Erin: (It isn¡¯t over until we have had a chance to speak with Megan, but if the information still doesn¡¯t pan out, I can¡¯t say it is looking good for your little group.)


    (I understand¡­)


    I then start sending out message to the other groups to fall back to the staging area, and that it is over, but Emery sends me a message back.


    Emery: (It isn¡¯t over yet, far from it! We made it to the end and there is no crystal here!)


    (Reaching the end doesn¡¯t necessarily mean the crystal will be there, he must have just been smart enough to hide it.)


    Emery: (You think I don¡¯t know better than that?! I have a skill that should lead me straight to the crystal, and yet I am telling you the crystal is not where it should be.)


    I am not sure what exactly is going on, but the one thing I do know for sure is I need to send Madam Erin a message before they send Barry back, at least until we figure out what is going on.


    (Madam Erin it is urgent that you don¡¯t send Barry back yet!)


    Madam Erin: (Why? What is going on?¡±)


    (Emery reached the location in which Barry¡¯s crystal should be located, but the crystal is not there. It is not just the deepest location of the dungeon that Emery is looking at, but it is where the skill that he possesses says the crystal should be. It could all be some kind of mistake, but until we know for sure you need to make sure not to send Barry back yet.)


    While waiting for Madam Erin to reply I open a message to all dungeon cores that came with us, and tell them to take extra precaution as they leave the dungeon as quickly as possible. Before seeing any kind of response from Madam Erin or the dungeons cores I receive a different kind of message.


    Dungeon Core #421 [Goren] had perished at the hands of the Lizardman Monarch [Zalios]


    Goren was one of ours¡­ The more troubling fact is that it said his death was caused by a named lizardman, but all of the lizardmen I can summon are of the water element, and with Barry being a fire dungeon core he should be unable to summon a lizardman.


    Not only that, but I should have received a message back from someone by now, especially after Goren died¡­That only leaves one possibility. I try using [Blink] but it fails.


    ¡°Everyone be on guard! Goren should have been a level much higher than we are and still encountered a type of Lizardman further evolved than I can even summon, not to mention the fact I am pretty sure we have just been placed under the effects of one of those items the traitors use.¡±


    Inari: ¡°So does that mean that Barry is a traitor after all?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°But I thought you told the Elders about what was going on, why would they let him go after what you told them?¡±


    ¡°I told them to hold him, but it could be that the message just didn¡¯t get to them in time. Either that or his friends have come to his aid. Either way I lost contact with the others in the middle of a conversation, so regardless if they sent him back or not they should know we are under the effects of one of the traitor¡¯s items¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Well the message about retreating that I sent out to the others went through before we got cut off, and it seems apparent that Barry is part of the traitors now. I don¡¯t know how he is hiding his crystal, but if we can¡¯t get to it or him, there is no use for us being here any longer. Our best bet is to retreat for now and since we know Barry is one of the traitors we can put that information to good use later.¡±


    We then all gather up making sure everyone is accounted for, I can¡¯t be certain what Ithros or Emery are going to do, but between the two of them I will be little to no help, so it is best to work our way back gathering others on our way out.


    As we start to turn back the monsters behind us have all respawned yet again, and although their difficulty isn¡¯t any harder than they were before, now that we know Barry is one of the traitors, the monsters seem to put us on edge.


    On our way back up we slow down a bit checking some of the hallways and pathways leading off of the main path for other groups, but so far it looks like we gained quite a lead over the other groups, as we still haven¡¯t encountered anyone else.


    We made it down 13 floors in just over 7 hours, but our cautious approach going back up is taking quite a bit more time. By the time we reach the 10<sup>th</sup> floor another message appears.


    Dungeon Core #366 [Quentin] has perished at the hands of the Lizardman Monarch [Zalios]


    Goren was by no means a weak dungeon core, but Quentin was at least 10 levels above him, and over 50 years older. Our group is quite large, so as long as we stick together we should be alright, but I can¡¯t say that I am not a little worried about what exactly we are going to run into on our way back to the surface.


    What is worse is if we keep losing people here, like this, the other dungeon cores will no longer listen to me, and that will be end of this group of mine¡­


    ¡°Alright everyone, we need to pick up the pace a bit. Some of the side rooms are showing activity of others, and we can¡¯t afford to split up. Everyone was instructed to retreat, so we have to hope if we do leave anyone behind we can come back for them after making sure the majority of the weaker dungeon cores have retreated.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I am worried about this Zalios, as well. With the kind of strength it would have taken to take out Quentin it seems to be a stretch even if he was one of Barry¡¯s boss monsters, but being from Barry¡¯s opposing element that doesn¡¯t seem likely either.¡±


    ¡°Quentin didn¡¯t bring many monsters with him. If he suffered any casualties at all, it would have put him in quite a tough spot. Right now, between you, Dawn, Twilight, Maeve, me, and all our monsters we have plenty of people to switch in if someone becomes injured, so I am not worried about us, as much as I am about some of the other dungeon cores out there. Not to mention my other groups of monsters.¡±


    It takes us moving past a few more floors before we encounter our first other dungeon core, but he looks to have suffered quite a bit of damage, but nothing life threating, his level is about equal to mine, but he is completely alone, so we were quite lucky to have found him.


    ¡°Leonard, it¡¯s good to see you are still alright.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°I lost all my monsters, but one of your groups of monsters saved my life¡­¡±


    ¡°Where are they now?¡±


    Leonard: ¡°They didn¡¯t stick around after saving me¡­ I tried to tell them the orders were to retreat, and so did some of the others in their group, but the raccoon beastkin woman wouldn¡¯t have any of it. They left through that door there.¡± ¨CHe says while pointing to one of the doors that leads away from the main path.-


    ¡°Leave it to Bandy¡­ She is a pretty valuable asset to my dungeon, but she is reckless and I need to ensure the other dungeon cores are safe. For her sake I hope they are able to find their own way out of here.¡±


    Leonard then joins us as we continue making our way towards the surface. As we make our way up we encounter plenty of monsters, several other groups, most of which are the xp gathering groups that belong to my dungeon, but we have found Kenta, Akane, and Kenta¡¯s group of monsters as well.


    By the time we have reached the third floor we are beginning to run into more and more of our allies. We also receive a troubling revelation from Poppy¡¯s group when we find them.


    Poppy: ¡°Master, we have heard that the entrance to the dungeon has been sealed. We haven¡¯t seen it for ourselves yet, but we have encountered several groups that are attempting to find another exit.¡±


    ¡°First the missing crystal, and now this¡­ I don¡¯t like the way this is starting to look.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°How is it possible for him to seal the entrance of the dungeon off completely? That doesn¡¯t even mention the fact all of us should be considered intruders, so he even managed to edit his dungeon behind intruders.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Master, you are bad luck¡­ Every time I go somewhere with you we get trapped in a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully this one takes a lot less time to escape from.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°You have experienced something like this before?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, that was a unique situation, and in no way should Barry be able to do the same thing.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°Well then how do we get out of here?¡±


    ¡°Well first thing is first, we need to find the beginning of the dungeon. If it is sealed off we can go from there, but for now I think it is our best bet as a place to rally everyone together to plan our next move.¡±


    By the time we reach the location in which we entered the dungeon we have rounded up quite a few more people, and have found that what Poppy heard was true. The part of the dungeon that goes from the stone walls to the natural cave like texture is completely blocked off.


    We try everything we can think of from blasting the wall with spells, to trying to find a hidden switch or something that may move the wall, but no matter what we try the wall holds, and we appear to be completely trapped.


    ¡°I hate to say this, but we may have to spit up a bit to try to find another way out of here. I am not too worried about the monsters on these first few floors, but I am worried about that lizardman showing up.¡±


    Inari: ¡°We will just have to make sure there are some higher level people among each group.¡±


    ¡°We could have really used Bandy¡¯s group right about now. They are the highest level group from my xp gatherers. Alright, Poppy, you and Lynx are in pretty good shape, so I think your group should be alright to have a look around on your own.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Chika and Kazuki, I want you two to go with them just in case. In fact I think all of my monsters should split up and go with some of Daddy¡¯s groups just to be on the safe side.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°What about us?¡±


    ¡°I want quite a few people to stay here and try to set up a defensive line. This dungeon isn¡¯t very big, but if we are stuck here for a few days I want a location we can hold out at. Azami you have all of your spriggans so I want you and Zoey to keep an eye on things here.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Saki I want you and Satoshi to help them.¡±


    ¡°Maeve, Dawn, and Twilight, you three should probably remain here as well.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°But Papa, I want to help!¡±


    ¡°You are. We need to hold this area so that if the entrance opens back up so we can escape, not to mention the fact that the last orders everyone received was to head here, so some of the groups that haven¡¯t shown up yet should be trying to get here.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don¡¯t think I am going to stay behind this time, Logan is still out there somewhere. I know I missed out on gaining levels while I was pregnant, but I can¡¯t stand to see you go off again while being left behind again.¡±


    ¡°What about Rory? If something were to happen to me, at least you would still be there for Rory.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am pretty sure if you don¡¯t make it through this, then none of us will, so I want to be by your side for better or worse¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Daddy, Takeshi and I will stay with you and make sure to keep Mommy safe.¡±


    ¡°What about your new beastkin? They have held their own pretty well, but just how strong are they?¡±


    Inari: ¡°After we destroyed the corrupt dungeon, things quieted down for a week or so, but before we were able to reach the capital to protect it, there was a surge of new Oni coming from the remaining corrupt dungeons. The Oni Generals are not even the worst of it any more. By the time we reached the capital they had already breached the wall, but we were still able to save most of it. After that though, when I summoned the new monsters I wanted to make sure they would be strong enough so I summoned them all at level 50.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything¡­? We have been coming to train there for the last few months, and we could have done something to help.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It hasn¡¯t really changed around the village, so I didn¡¯t want to worry you about it, and I knew you would have wanted to help, but this is my problem. It¡¯s something I have to take care of on my own.¡±


    ¡°Well we can talk about this more after we get out of here, but for now, let¡¯s see about splitting up the groups.¡±


    Group 1 consists of Poppy¡¯s group, of which Poppy and Lynx¡¯s levels are in the 50s, but the remaining members are only in the mid 40s, along with Chika, and Kazuki who are both in their 50s as well.


    Group 2 is made up of one of my groups in which their levels are all in the upper 30s, along with Akihiro, Rin, and Yuuta all in their 50s


    Group 3 is another of mine ranging in levels from low 40s to high 30s, with Hana and Megumi from Inari¡¯s dungeon joining them who are at their 50s as well.


    Group 4 is my own with Belinda, Inari, Takeshi, Ryuu, Bell, and myself with our levels ranging from Inari at the highest at level 57 down to Bell who is just under Belinda at level 41 .


    That just leaves the ones staying behind. Not including Maeve, Dawn, Twilight, Kenta, and Leonard there are three other dungeon cores that we brought along that are going to set up here, along with Zoey, Roxy, Saki, and Satoshi.


    With Quentin and Goren having already perished, that leaves 3 more dungeon cores and their monsters still out in the dungeon somewhere, and that isn¡¯t even including Ithros, Emery, Queen, Logan, Queen¡¯s beastkin, Katie¡¯s entire group, Bandy entire group, and two other groups of my monsters that are still missing as well.


    ¡°We have our work cut out for us, make sure you return here at least once every few hours so we know you are still alright, and don¡¯t proceed to a different floor without checking back here as well. Don¡¯t forget we are not only looking for a way out of here, but the others that are still missing as well. Be careful everyone, and good luck¡­¡±


    After making sure everyone is set, we set off in different directions. We spend the next hour or so going over the first floor with a fine toothed comb but so far we have come up with nothing that will help us get out of here.


    We have been pushing everyone pretty hard today and we have been at it for hours, so back where everyone has gathered some of the members are starting to catch a few hours of sleep. We have had one more dungeon core arrive at were we set up, but so far that is it.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s getting late, but people are starting to get restless, so I want to take at least one pass at the second floor before we stop to rest as well.¡±


    Inari: ¡°After being trapped in that corrupt dungeon for months on end, I don¡¯t want to go through that again, so I am right there with you, in trying to find a way out of here as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°Is everyone else holding up alright?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°So far the monsters here have been nothing to worry about, but they haven¡¯t quit respawning with each time we pass through the room, so even if they are not a problem to deal with, all this repetition is wearing me out.¡±


    ¡°If you want you can go ahead and rest. Some of the other groups have already gone up to the second floor, so we should be alright if you want to rest.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°No, I said I didn¡¯t want to leave your side, and I meant it. If I don¡¯t start pushing myself I am only going to get further and further behind, and my brother is still out there somewhere¡­¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t push yourself to hard.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I promise.¡±


    We then continue on to the second floor, but after another 2 hours of searching every room, wall, nook, crack, and crevasse, we are no closer to finding the exit or finding any more of the missing groups. Once we decide to return to the basecamp we are left with one last somber message to end out the day.


    Dungeon Core #216 [Deion] has perished at the hands of the Lizardman Monarch [Zalios]


    We might be cut off from leaving the dungeon, but this time at least Madam Erin and Dyson should know about it right from the start, so even if we can¡¯t find a way out of here, maybe there is something they can do on their end.


    Exhausted, and with no other options we finally decide to get a bit of rest as well.

 Keeping a Promise

    Everyone has been on edge for the last 12 or so hours, not only has Madam Erin been franticly trying to find Two-Twelve, but the sudden string in dungeon core deaths have exceeded 25 in the time since Two-Twelve¡¯s loss of communication.


    All hands are on deck with the Elders as they try to track just where Two-Twelve disappeared to, but they have had their hands full. Last everyone had heard, Two-Twelve was in Dungeon Core #764 Barry¡¯s dungeon, but of course Dyson and Madam Erin have both thoroughly searched every inch of it since he and the other cores disappeared, but they haven¡¯t found a single trace of any of them.


    The Elders have even been so desperate they have asked me to assist them, but I promised Two-Twelve I would keep Tobes and his dungeon safe in his absence, and with a dungeon cores dying less than 30 minutes apart, I don¡¯t dare leave or risk breaking that promise.


    Even though 3 of the dungeon cores that have died so far are from our group, none of them are the ones that disappeared along with Two-Twelve. Unfortunately the way those items the traitors use work, that doesn¡¯t mean none of them have died as well, it just means we don¡¯t know about it yet.


    I know Two-Twelve and his daughters are at least still alive, because I have been keeping in constant contact with my people that I have sent to each of their dungeons, but I don¡¯t know the status of the rest of them.


    Not that they needed me to tell them, but I told Two-Twelve¡¯s bunnies to not let their guards down for even a second. I am not too worried about my own dungeon, but I am worried that if one of the traitors that are strong enough to cause problems to the Elders, attack here, I don¡¯t know how I will fare now that I am a dungeon core.


    It hasn¡¯t started snowing, but the weather seems to be acknowledging the situation we are currently facing as it is cold and dreary. The townsfolk of Tobes are rather oblivious as they smile and laugh quickly making their way through the streets on this cold morning.


    The college is also quite busy, and I am surely going to need to create some more buildings soon as even winter hasn¡¯t slowed the influx of new students, young and old alike, arriving daily, but of course all that is going to have to wait till Two-Twelve has returned safely.


    I curse under my breath as I step into the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, as I have to tell Scylla that even though the night has passed there is no new information about the disappearance of her Master, or husband.


    Once I walk through the door Listel runs up to me raising her arms for me to pick her up, so I do so, and her mother starts to get out of her chair looking at me with pleading eyes, but I only hug the little squirrel beastkin girl and shake my head.


    Scylla collapses back into her chair with a heavy expression, I move over and sit down on one of the couches setting Listel back on the floor to go play, and the other two children crawl over and begin climbing my legs.


    I pick both of them up placing them on either side of me while giving them hugs as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry little ones. Everyone is doing their very best to make sure all of your parents make it home soon¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Have they found anything?¡±


    I can do nothing but shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but they have to be relatively close to Barry¡¯s dungeon, because I doubt they could have misled Two-Twelve into arriving too far away from Barry¡¯s dungeon without him realizing it.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Are they positive it isn¡¯t Barry that is responsible?¡±


    ¡°I think that is the only thing they are sure of right now¡­ They had already started raising suspicions about Megan, the one that gave them the information about Barry, before they lost communication, but with how they got cut off right at the point in which Barry was set free, I am not sure if Two-Twelve will stay suspicious of Megan, or double down on thinking Barry is responsible.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°What about Megan¡¯s dungeon, surely the Elders would have searched it as well?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s completely gone¡­ From what the locals said, Megan¡¯s dungeon was destroyed over a month ago, so whoever the Megan is that is with Two-Twelve now, it isn¡¯t her.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Surely with Dyson¡¯s [Observation] ability they should be able to find them!¡±


    ¡°Dyson has been scouring every Adra core all night, but if they are in a secondary dungeon that he doesn¡¯t know about, or in the unlikely event that they are not even in Adra anymore, the chances of finding them that way is slim.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Now I fully understand what Belinda must have felt like with Master was kidnapped¡­ Now, it is even worse because it is all of them, and not just Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything that can be done is being done, so I promise you, we will bring them home.¡±


    The traitors don¡¯t look to be slowing down either, as I sit there for a little while playing with the kids while keeping Scylla company and two more dungeon cores have perished within that time. After a while I am bouncing Rory and my knees while making her laugh when Lilah appears in the room.


    Lilah: ¡°Master told Lilah that if anything went wrong that Lilah should ask Ceres for help, so please help!¡±


    I quickly set Rory down and jump to my feet. ¡°Is Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon in danger?!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah isn¡¯t sure it will come to that or not, but they are not targeting the monsters as much as they are the adventurers in the dungeon, and Ceres should know how much trouble that would cause if all the adventurers were to die in Master¡¯s dungeon at once.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I anticipated them attacking the dungeon, but not the adventurers! This could get ugly fast. Quick transfer me to the group of adventurers that are nearest to the enemy!¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But it¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Hurry!¡±


    Lilah transfers me into Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon, and I quickly look around. I am much deeper in the dungeon than I anticipated, and find myself staring down a familiar group that just finished up a group of monsters in the room and are currently harvesting reagents from the corpses. It is Tanya, Exavier, Sandra, and one more adventurer that I do not recognize.


    ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I can say the same about you, how did you even get here?¡±


    ¡°There is no time! We have to get you out of here!¡±


    Adventurer: ¡°I don¡¯t know who you think you are, but we were here first, this is our hunting grounds!¡±


    A voice from behind me then speaks. ¡°Oh this is a surprise, no wonder they couldn¡¯t find you at the university, but hiding in this puny dungeon isn¡¯t going to do you much good.¡±


    I quickly turn to see a canine beastkin man wearing a full-plate armor that could easily be described as being inferior to none, other than Dyson¡¯s armor. I don¡¯t know who this person is but I one thing is overly clear to me. He is a dungeon core.


    ¡°Leave this place now, and I will let you live!¡±


    The beastkin man then laughs. ¡°No one told me you had a sense of humor. How about instead you leave and I will give you 30 minutes to prepare your own dungeon until I come for it as well.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°What is he talking about?!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter we have to get you out of here!¡±


    Adventurer 1: ¡°I already told you we were here first!¡±


    The adventurer with Tanya¡¯s group then tries to draw his weapon, but before he even gets the blade unsheathed the beastkin man rushes past me so quickly that the pressure of his movement alone causes me to have to brace myself to keep me from falling backwards.


    The others aren¡¯t as lucky as most of them are flung across the room, the only one that doesn¡¯t move is the one that was attempting to draw his weapon, but he instead is gone, and in his place is the beastkin man surrounded in a cloud of red mist.


    Tanya: ¡°Who the hell is this guy?!¡± ¨CShe says trying to pull herself back to her feet.-


    But the beastkin man completely ignores Tanya, and turns back to me and says. ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t even fall over? Well it doesn¡¯t matter. You should have run while you had the chance.¡±


    ¡°Tanya, you have to trust me. I am going to get you and your group out of here, but you have stay out of this!¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°No weapon, no armor, not even a year at the game yet, and you think you have a chance against me?¡±


    ¡°If you know who I am, then you surely know what I was before, so are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°It¡¯s a shame you lost all of your power, I would have liked to have taken it all, but no matter I will take what you got left.¡±


    He is right, I am not as I once was, and I haven¡¯t even tried to fight since becoming a dungeon core, but promised Two-Twelve, and I can¡¯t let him down.


    ¡°Lilah! I will take full responsibility, transfer Tanya and her group out of here! All of you listen, you are going to feel the pull of teleportation magic, let it take you or I won¡¯t be able to save you!¡±


    Tanya: ¡°What does Lilah have to do with this¡­? I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Just trust me! Lilah now!¡±


    Tanya and her group then disappear.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°Instead of worrying about their lives, you should be more worried about your own.¡±


    ¡°What is it you are planning?¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°You think just because I am going to kill you I would lay out our plans, just like that? No, those rabbits of Two-Twelve¡¯s listening in would spoil the surprise, unfortunately you will have to just die without having any answers.¡±


    I might not be strong enough to beat him myself, but if I can use his own attack against him I might stand a chance, so as he rushes across the room in less than a blink of an eye, I have little time to react to use his own momentum against him. Without any room for error I manage to grab and flip him, sending him crashing into the wall hard enough that I am quite certain if it wasn¡¯t a dungeon wall he would have gone through the stone wall.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°Bitch!¡± ¨CHe says pulling himself back to his feet.- ¡°But if you think something like that is enough to save your life you are sorely mistaken.¡±


    He charges again, but as I try to grab him he completely disappears, so I quickly dive to the side as a large blade comes crashing down from behind me hitting the floor with ear shattering sound.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°This is bullshit! They said you lost your powers when he made you a dungeon core. How can you possibly gotten this strong in under a year?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get working with people too scared to come out of the shadows. They lie. They never expected anything out of you, or why else would they send you here, and order you not to kill Two-Twelve, while all the other dungeons are being killed on the spot?¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°How do you¡­? No, he hates Two-Twelve, he sent me here to make Two-Twelve suffer before killing him!¡±


    ¡°Wake up, they used you and threw you away when they no longer had any use for you!¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°You lie!¡±


    After the beastkin man screams he charges again trying to hit me with the massive sword he tried to hit me with moments before, mid-arc however he disappears from my sight again leaving the sword to careen though the air of its own accord, so I dive out of the way again barely avoiding a massive axe that came crashing down from directly behind me.


    This time however by the time the time the axe crashes into the ground, the beastkin man is no longer holding onto it either. Instead he stands right in the path in which I dove. As the massive sword finally crashes into the wall the beastkin man brings his heavily armored leg around kicking me, and sending me into the opposite wall.


    Something like that wouldn¡¯t have even registered to me before, but pain rushes through my body so intense that I am having trouble pulling myself off the floor. The beastkin man quickly appears next to me and shoves a smaller blade into my shoulder while stepping on my other shoulder.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°Lucky, that is all you were, but let me see you get out of this one.¡±


    The pain from the kick and the wall was bad enough that the pain of the sword entering my shoulder is barely even noticeable, and the weight of his foot on my other shoulder might be keeping me from getting up, but it isn¡¯t preventing me from moving my arm.


    A short, light spear forms in my hand, and from this position I am able to wedge it between the lower and upper sections of his armor, shoving the spear into his lower back. His reaction time is however far too high and he disappears and reappears twenty feet away before suffering any major damage.


    He is off me now at least, so I pull myself to my feet while pulling the sword from my shoulder, he likewise pulls the small spear from his lower back and we both drop each other¡¯s weapons to the ground.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°Struggle all you want, but something like that is not going to save you.¡±


    ¡°I could say the same to you.¡±


    The beastkin man laughs a loud and prideful laugh. ¡°I haven¡¯t even begun yet, and yet you already have one foot in the grave!¡±


    ¡°We will see about that!¡± ¨CI say while using magic to bring forth 4 celestial wolves as they leaps at the beastkin man all at the same time.-


    The wolves are each the size of a dire wolf, but their fur is so golden it looks to be giving off its own light, the beastkin man manages to disappear before the wolves reach him, and before the wolves collide into each other they shift their bodies to push off from one another landing gracefully on the ground.


    As soon as their feet hit the ground they are already charging towards the location in which the beastkin man reappeared. While the wolves keep the beastkin man occupied I cast a healing spell over myself. I manage to close the wound on my shoulder, and recover most of the internal injuries I sustained in the kick, but I am still in quite a bit of pain when I hear the whelp of the first wolf that takes a small hand-axe to its neck.


    Instead of collapsing and dying the wolf simply poofs out of existence as the other three spread out filling in the gap. The beastkin man continues to wield his small hand-axe while using a large shield to bash and keep the wolves at bay.


    I am not completely healed yet, but all of his attention is on the wolves, so I form a long winged spear in my hand and I throw it at the beastkin. He of course manages to deflect the spear, but I expected as much, it does distract him enough for one of the wolves to get past the shield and grab ahold of his shield arm.


    I also take the opportunity to close in forming a small curved blade in each hand. With the wolf holding on to the beastkin man¡¯s shield arm it makes the shield unusable, but it also leave the wolf wide open as well.


    The beastkin man brings his hand-axe around burying it in the skull of the wolf holding his arm. The wolf fades from existence like the other, but not before I have reached the battle and us a dual dagger technique.


    My two curved blades spark and ping against the beastkin man¡¯s armor no less than twenty times, before the technique is exhausted and the curved blades shatter under the strain. The beastkin man shakes the shield off of his arm letting it fall to the floor while another small hand-axe forms in his hand.


    Hardly defenseless, but at least without a shield now the wolves try to tear into the beastkin man, but he completely ignores them turning his attention to me. I quickly form a large tower shield just in time to stop a blow from the beastkin man¡¯s hand-axe.


    The beastkin man waylays into the shield with both hand-axes, each blow pushing me across the floor and denting the shield even further, no longer being able to completely ignore the wolves he quits his onslaught against the shield just long enough to plant each hand-axe into the head of the remaining wolves.


    I bash him with the tower shield before tossing it to the side, I thrust my hands forward again, this time a spear forms in my hands, the tip in which only completely takes shape inches before I wedge it between one of the shoulder joints of his armor.


    A mace appears in the beastkin man¡¯s hand as he brings it down shattering and splintering the shaft of the spear, in his other hand a dagger quickly appears and he tries slashing at me with it. I jump back in time to dodge the swipe of the dagger, I then dive in using a hand to hand, flurry of blows technique.


    The first fist fall to come into contact with the beastkin man¡¯s armor is flesh on metal, but by the second punch my fists are covered in a heavy leather glove with metal across the knuckles, and by the third punch spike like protrusions form over the metal knuckles which manages to even start denting the beastkin man¡¯s armor with each consecutive hit.


    It was only a second at best, but I managed to get in at least six good blows before I have to give up on the technique to dodge out of the way as he brings his mace around to hit me. The mace blow misses me, but he then throws the dagger which I don¡¯t manage to dodge and I catch it right in the gut.


    I quickly pull the dagger from my stomach with one hand, and begin casting a healing spell while a hooked sword takes shape in the other and I try to pull the beastkin man¡¯s legs out from underneath him.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°Damnit woman! How many weapons do you have?!¡± ¨CHe says while gripping the mace with both hands and bringing it down against the hooked sword.-


    Instead of fighting against the mace I just release the hooked sword and take another quick jump backwards as I aim and fire a crossbow bolt at the beastkin man before the crossbow even finishes forming in my hand.


    The bolt is enough to pierce the beastkin man¡¯s armor and it hits him square in the chest, and the actual damage is minimal, but it is enough for him to call out. ¡°Enough!¡± He then throws the mace to the floor, but he seems far from have given up.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°[Bleeding Chains]!¡±


    As the beastkin man calls out I feel sudden rush of pain through my wrists and ankles as they are suddenly pierced clean through by spike like implements that are attached to chains that are snaking out of the stone floor.


    If the pain the spikes inflicted wasn¡¯t bad enough, they quickly pull tight slamming me into the floor causing my head to hit the stone floor and causing everything to muddle.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°I have had just about enough of you¡­¡± ¨CHe says while walking over to the sword he stabbed me in the shoulder with and picks it up off the floor-


    My pain is intense, but even with my ears ringing and my vision foggy, I know it is only going to get worse if I don¡¯t free myself from here. I quickly try to pull my wrists from the spikes, but the ends of the spikes have flared after going through my arms making it impossible to pull my arms off of them.


    The beastkin man then appears at my side with the sword in his hand, he then shoves the blade back into my shoulder in same position he had it before while saying. ¡°There that¡¯s better. I didn¡¯t give you that wound for you to mend it! Now, let¡¯s see. You had three, no four cracked ribs last time?¡± He then kicks me in the side with excruciating pain.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°Well they are all on the same side this time, but I guess that doesn¡¯t matter, now where is that dagger?¡±


    I feel a sudden pull on my chest in what I assume can only be Lilah trying to transfer me, but even as I try to let it happen I am still pinned to the floor.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°Now, now, that won¡¯t work once my chains have gotten ahold of you, I told you to run while you had the chance.¡± ¨CHe says while shoving the dagger back into my stomach right back in the partially healed hole in which I pulled it from.- ¡°Now that we have that taken care of, let¡¯s see how many new wounds we can give you before you give it up.¡±


    ¡°If you are going to kill me just get it over with!¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°I guess you are right, I do have other matters to attend to, don¡¯t I? It seems a bit of a shame though. ¨CHe says picking up the large axe from the floor.-


    A voice then speaks from the other side of the room, and between being pinned to the floor and my muddled vision I can¡¯t see who it is, but the voice is one I haven¡¯t heard in a very long time¡­


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you.¡±


    The beastkin man quickly turns to look at the one speaking, and he then says. ¡°And what the hell are you supposed to be.¡±


    ¡°Your death, if you don¡¯t release that young woman there.¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°This dungeon is full of jokers isn¡¯t it? Alright, you first then!¡±


    I don¡¯t even twitch a muscle as the beastkin man rushes across the room, as he tries to bring the large two-handed axe down on my head, but the blade stops inches away from it.


    ¡°Is that it?¡±


    The beastkin man franticly swings the axe several more time in wide arcs trying to hit me, but the blade always stops inches before it makes contact. I finally just deep sigh and say. ¡°You know I was just trying to catch a bit of sleep until you came around making a bunch of racket.¡±


    I cock my head to look up at the axe¡¯s blade that just came to a stop a few inches from my forehead. I then blow out a small bit of air in the direction of the axe causing the blade to rust in an instant and crumble into dust.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°Just what the hell are you?!¡±


    ¡°Just a tired old man, that doesn¡¯t like it when his sleep gets interrupted.¡±


    The beastkin man doesn¡¯t seem to know what to do now, but he was sent here only to cause havoc in the dungeon, so he must feel there is no reason dying for a simple mission like that so he tries to flee with a teleportation spell.


    However light forms around his ankle that is attached to a string of light that disappears into the floor causing him to crash to the floor rather than teleporting anywhere.


    Beastkin Man: ¡°How did you do that?!¡±


    ¡°When you have lived as long as I have, things like that just come naturally, now I believe I asked you to release the young woman.¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°If I do, you will release me?¡±


    ¡°Now, I am sure you are not naive enough to believe that, but releasing her will save a bit of effort on my part, and I do hate having to put forth any effort¡­¡±


    Beastkin Man: ¡°What kind of monster are you¡­?¡±


    ¡°I resent that remark, I was born long before any monsters had even dreamed of being conceived, I am the great sphinx Akil! And you have begun to bore me, so it is time for you to go.¡±


    I then open my mouth and release a roar that shakes the walls of the dungeon, it causes the beastkin man to cover his ears and begin screaming, but Ceres who is just dozen or so feet away is unaffected. The beastkin man continues to scream until the roar stops and when it does a dried up husk falls and the armor clinks on the floor as it does.


    I step towards Ceres and stare sternly at the chains pinning her to the floor, which then smartly choose to fade back into nothingness instead of having me get rough on them. After I gently blow on the dagger and sword piercing Ceres''s body, they age away into nothingness before I heal her. Once she is completely healed, she sits up, but instead of gratitude all she shows me is confusion.


    Ceres: ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fine welcoming after such a long time¡­ Now that man didn¡¯t intend to damage the dungeon, at least not directly, so my promise to you was upheld, but then again you are a dungeon core yourself now, so I guess in saving you I did break my promise after all.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That still doesn¡¯t tell me why you are here.¡±


    ¡°That boy of yours is quite interesting, and you know me, so I thought why not hide out here, and keep an eye on the boy at the same time.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You have been living in Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon? Does he know?¡±


    ¡°You should know him well enough to know nothing goes on in his dungeon without him knowing about it, I can feel them constantly watching me and judging me while I sleep. I miss the times when an ancient being such as myself could move into a cave or basement somewhere and be worshipped like one of you guys, instead of being treated like some dungeon monster.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°How long have you been hiding in here?¡±


    ¡°Not nearly enough time to even take a decent nap¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You slept through 500 years of turmoil, and still claimed you didn¡¯t get enough sleep when we woke you up!¡±


    ¡°I think you are just upset that little boy of yours didn¡¯t tell you about me, or should I say your ¡°big brother¡±?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well truth be told, regardless of the circumstances I am actually quite happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°This is the second time I have saved your life, and this time it was even while you are a dungeon core and I promised not to interfere with dungeon cores. I think I have done more than my fair share, and should be allowed to take a nice long nap now¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The others of my kind are returning and causing havoc left and right, the dungeon cores are manipulating the one that is supposed to keep them in check, and I am without my powers¡­ I could really use your help¡­¡±


    ¡°It was really a good thing you planned ahead and made that boy, wasn¡¯t it?


    Ceres: ¡°Maybe in a couple hundred years, he would be ready, but we just don¡¯t have that kind of time!¡±


    ¡°You underestimate him, he already saved your life once, give him a chance he might surprise you. Beside as his ¡°little sister¡± you can be right there by his side and make sure of it.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°With what just happened, that should prove to you that my being here as a dungeon core, isn¡¯t enough.¡±


    ¡°Well I think I pulled a muscle with that roar, so give me some time to rest up¡­ I¡¯d say by the time you two deal with those rogue dungeon cores, which should be plenty of time for me to rest up and point you in the direction of what comes next.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°But this is what we need help with!¡±


    ¡°Sorry I promised a young beautiful goddess that I wouldn¡¯t meddle in the affairs of dungeon cores.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You were eating them, and letting their dungeons collapse around you so that your mate couldn¡¯t find you!¡±


    ¡°And if she finds me here, you really won¡¯t get my help! Now, I need to rest now. Little bunny! I am ready to go back to my room!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Wait, Lilah! Don¡¯t send him back yet!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t, you have to explain to your dear Master why the xp he acquired from me is gone, because I had to find a quieter place to sleep!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Lilah, wait!¡±


    I feel the pull of the magic flowing through me so I smile to Ceres and wave one of my big paws at her before returning to my room.


    I thank the little bunny girl as I curl up in my room, but after a big yawn I say. ¡°And don¡¯t worry about your Master, I promise you he will return soon.¡± I then cover my head with my wings and go to sleep.

 Meeting Up

    I woke up quite early this morning unable to get a decent rest with the heavy atmosphere. This is not the first time I slept in a dungeon, on the contrary I have spent most of my life sleeping in dungeons, and it¡¯s the inns that usually make me uncomfortable.


    I don¡¯t know if that is because I was born from a dungeon myself, or just that is what I know, but this situation is quite different than the normal one. We are with Master again, but it seems every time we travel with him the situation turns out like this.


    Here we are, trapped in a dungeon, with no idea how to get out of this mess, but at least this time the monsters inside this dungeon are much easier to deal with, and not to mention the fact we have dozens of people with us this time.


    From the sounds of it there are plenty of people that are already awake, in addition to the ones that took the final watch, so I finish putting on my gear and go to join them. It turns out there are a lot more people already awake then I expected. I guess I wasn¡¯t the only one that had trouble sleeping.


    Lynx: ¡°You slept soundly as ever I see.¡±


    ¡°Really? I thought it was a rough night¡­¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Well you are the last one to wake up, so if that was a rough night, what kind of night did the rest of us have¡­?¡±


    ¡°Everyone else is up already?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Even the ones from Inari¡¯s dungeon are ready to go already.¡±


    ¡°I guess we shouldn¡¯t keep them waiting, why don¡¯t you gather everyone up while I find out our orders for the day.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Done, and done. We are supposed to return to the second floor continuing our search there, and everyone is waiting on your word to move out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a godsend¡­ What would I do without you?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°I would surmise not ever leaving bed, but if you really are appreciative maybe once we are out of here you can speak to Master about summoning a few more of my kind? I can¡¯t exactly go to Dalian, can I, so it would be nice to not be alone¡­¡±


    ¡°You are not alone¡­¡±


    Lynx: ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Well we seldom have time off, but Master did say he wanted to be more mindful about giving us breaks, so with all the xp our group brings his dungeon, I don¡¯t think it would hurt to at least ask.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, now, we should probably get started. I want to get out of this place as soon as possible.¡±


    After Lynx and I returned with Master from helping Inari a few months ago our group had already gone back to gathering xp with others, and when we returned some already felt at home in their new groups.


    Iris and Aster returned to our group so it has just been the four of us for the last few months so with the addition of the beastkin from Inari¡¯s dungeon it feels nice to have a rounded group again. Chika was with us when we were helping Master to save Inari, but as for the new guy, we haven¡¯t really seen what he is capable of yet.


    We fought alongside him with Master yesterday, and a bit on our own yesterday evening, but we still haven¡¯t gotten into a tough scrape with him yet to know how dependable he is though.


    ¡°I know we all want to get out of here, but it is still quite early, and we might be stuck together for quite a while. If that is the cause I think while we work our way back up to the second floor we should get to know each other a bit better.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Poppy, Aster, Iris, and I were all summoned at the same time by Master¡¯s wife when he disappeared a few years ago, and with the exception of the time Poppy and I went with Master to help your Mistress, we have been together the entire time, gathering xp for Master¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Master¡¯s wife summoned us at level 1, so we had to obtain all our levels from scratch. I don¡¯t mean to say that since your Mistress summoned you at a higher level, that we are looking down on you or anything. I just want you to know how much we have been through together, so you know that you can count on us.¡±


    Chika: ¡°It has been a few months since I worked with Poppy and Lynx, but we been through quite a bit together, so if you two say I can trust and rely on Aster and Iris, then I believe it, and with that said even though Kazuki has only recently summoned I can guarantee he will not let you down either.¡±


    Kazuki: ¡°I admit I haven¡¯t done battle with more than just hordes of Oni before now, but just know, I would sooner die then disappoint my Mistress, and my Mistress tasked me with working with you, so I will do it to the best of my abilities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all we ask, but it¡¯s not only that. I mean, I would like to get to know you as a person as well. It has been a while since our group has gone to Shima, to train so I am sure our turn is coming up pretty soon. When we train we take it pretty seriously, but even we have to rest, so when we stop off to rest in your Mistress¡¯s dungeon, it would be nice to have a few more friendly faces to talk to while we are there.¡±


    Chika: ¡°You guys know you are always welcome in the Mistress¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    ¡°No, I know that, but for that reason alone it is a good idea to get better acquainted, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°This isn¡¯t about what we spoke with earlier is it¡­?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± ¨CI quickly say then lean into whisper to Lynx.- ¡°but you have to admit though he is kind of hot though¡­¡±


    Lynx sighs and then whispers back to me. ¡°Not that species compatibility matters with my preferences for other men, but even so, I don¡¯t really find those with so little fur all that appealing to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Who says it¡¯s about you?!¡± ¨CI blurt out.- ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that feels alone sometimes!¡± ¨CI then quickly realize I blurted that out loud where everyone can hear me and I quickly cover my mouth while blushing.-


    Kazuki: ¡°Uh¡­I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    I nervously laugh it off, after all if you don¡¯t know Lynx is gay I guess the only part of my outburst that doesn¡¯t look like I am talking just about friends, is the fact the conversation started in whispers¡­ ¡°N-No, I mean it¡¯s nothing!... Everyone could stand to have a few more friends, right¡­?¡±


    I am sure Aster and Iris saw right through me, and I am not too sure about Chika either, but Kazuki quickly steps forward taking one of my hands in both of his as he says. ¡°You¡¯re right! I return back to the Mistress¡¯s dungeon every evening so I can only imagine how isolated you would begin to feel as a traveling adventurer, so I think it would be wonderful if we could be friends!¡±


    Chika laughs and she says. ¡°I should probably mention Kazuki is a lot like Takeshi, and Kazuki really looks up to him.¡±


    Everyone then laughs while Kazuki seems a bit confused as he says. ¡°Of course!¡± and he then starts singing praises about Takeshi¡­ It is a bit of a awkward start first thing in the morning, but we still manage to make it to the second floor ahead of any of the other groups.


    The second floor is not any harder today than it was yesterday, and even with Iris and Aster being 10 levels or so under the rest of us they could still probably handle these monsters on their own. With monsters like these I doubt any of the missing groups got held up by them, but we also need to see if we can find another exit, so we thoroughly examine each room after clearing it with monsters.


    Not only are we looking for hidden switches, but breakable walls, or anything else we can think of that might lead to an exit. Even if a dungeon core was capable of sealing the entrance from their dungeon, that would make anything killed inside of it not give any xp, so I can¡¯t see any dungeon core sealing off the entrance without at least a hidden one somewhere within the dungeon.


    Then again if they are not interested in the xp, and are only worried about trapping and killing us it makes a bit more sense¡­But now I really wish I hadn¡¯t thought of it that way. Even if they did just want to kill us throwing xp away by not at least having some sort of entrance would be completely illogical. Surely there has to be an exit somewhere, even if it is just cleverly hidden¡­


    After a few hours we have checked over all the rooms on the second floor, often switching places with some of the of the other group so they can give the room a once over with a fresh set of eyes as well, after we are all thoroughly convinced that there is nothing on the second floor we then proceed to the third.


    The third floor is only more of the same, the monsters are pointless, and the rooms are devoid of any secrets. We heard about another one of the Master¡¯s groups arriving back at base, so that was a bit of a relief, but there are still plenty of groups still out there that are still missing.


    After the third floor we move on to the fourth, but by the time we are done thoroughly searching that floor it is getting late enough we decide to head back to the base camp and call it a day. We have had so many groups going in and out each room that we finally have seemed to reach the end of the rift spawns, so heading back down takes no time at all.


    Once we reach the ground we hear the sound of battle, and I am not talking about a group of adventurers fighting monsters, but like the clash of two armies! We quickly prepare and try to return to camp only to find ourselves cut off by a massive lizardman army between us and the basecamp.


    Every inch of the room is full of lizardman as they press forward against the base camp. Quite a few of the stronger people stayed behind at the camp, but there is no way they could defend against all of these things at once.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    It may be disadvantageous of us to attack them being cut off from the base camp, but can¡¯t just leave them to fend for themselves either. Everyone else seems to agree so we quickly charge into battle.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    Master gave us orders to retreat, so that must mean this is just a normal dungeon, and not one that belongs to one of the traitors. We haven¡¯t gathered enough xp in this trip to even consider it worth the break in our routine.


    After becoming a A-Ranked adventurer I got several requests to destroy dungeons, and even though Master said he would take the proposals seriously, he has still yet to allow me claim a single one, so forgive me if I am a little mad over the fact that he is not only blocking me from becoming a hero, but he is even hindering our progress as well!


    If you ask me he is just jealous we are doing so well. Once he got his first taste of power and exceeded the strength of the rest of his monsters, he wasn¡¯t about to let that power go, and has been preventing us from passing him ever since!


    Well, see if I care. If this dungeon isn¡¯t one of the traitors, it is still a normal dungeon, so there is nothing wrong with a group of adventurers checking out a dungeon, am I right?!


    ¡°Alright everyone, we are going to continue pushing through on this dungeon.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Bandy, our orders were to retreat¡­¡±


    Leonard: ¡°I appreciate you saving me, but he is right, Two-Twelve told us to return to the staging area.¡±


    ¡°So he can continue to gather xp on his own I am sure. You can keep going if you want, but I am going to keep going.¡±


    Bradford: ¡°After everything we have been through together, Corrie and I are with you.¡±


    Suzie: ¡°Someone has to keep you out of trouble¡­¡±


    Kit: ¡°You produce the best results, and that¡¯s the only reason I am still here, but this time Master¡¯s orders were quite clear!¡±


    ¡°Fine with me, I am sure there are plenty of other people that would be willing to take your spot in our group.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Please reconsider Kit¡­ Without you there is no one to keep the peace.¡±


    Kit: ¡°You could come with me, and Suzie as well, any of Master¡¯s other monsters would be happy to have the three of us in their group.¡±


    Suzie: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kit. I am with Bandy on this one. We have only made it this far because of Bandy and this group. Since this dungeon core obviously wasn¡¯t one of the traitors, what the difference in training here as compared to anywhere else?¡±


    Kit: ¡°Chase¡­?¡±


    Chase: ¡°I can¡¯t leave Bandy¡­¡±


    ¡°Well what¡¯s it going to be Kit?¡±


    Kit: ¡°Fine, but remember when this comes back to bite us in the tails, I told you so.¡±


    Leonard: ¡°Wait, you are just going to leave me here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a dungeon core aren¡¯t you? Besides with Master telling everyone to head for the exit, as long as you sit right here, someone else should come passing through here, eventually.¡±


    The dungeon core looks scared out of his wits, but he doesn¡¯t say anything else as we head out to gather some more xp¡­ We spend the rest of the afternoon gathering some xp, but the monsters here are just not that great.


    Everyone else should have made it out of the dungeon already, Master hasn¡¯t messaged us throwing a fit, so that weak dungeon core must have told him what we are doing, so he must not have any objections.


    ¡°I guess we should set up camp for now, and we can decide in the morning if we want to try to go deeper, or just say, to hell with this weak ass dungeon.¡±


    We then find a place to set up camp, and we are so used to putting on the airs of pretending to not appear as dungeon monsters that smell of food cooking wafts through the air before we even realize it isn¡¯t necessary this time.


    There is no use letting the food go to waste though, so cast [Shadow Pocket] pulling out a large bottle of alcohol and get started on it. By the time my belly is full I have had just the right amount to drink so I sprawl out next to the fire, and drift off to sleep.


    What feels like only minutes later I am being shaken while I hear Chase pleading. ¡°Bandy! Bandy, wake up!¡±


    I start to sit up, and although the effects of the alcohol is dissipating I can still feel it, so I must not been asleep very long. ¡°You know better than waking me up! If something isn¡¯t gnawing on my leg you are going to be sorry!¡±


    Chase: ¡°No, we are not under attack, but please listen! It is one of Master¡¯s other groups, they just showed up!¡±


    ¡°If Master wants us to leave this place so damn bad, to send someone after us then fine! We will leave first thing in the morning.¡± ¨CI say while yawning and trying to roll over to go back to sleep.-


    Chase: ¡°No, Bandy, don¡¯t go back to sleep! Listen! They weren¡¯t sent by Master, we are cut off from Master!¡±


    I quickly sit up, sobering up in almost an instant. ¡°Cut off? Just for ignoring one little order?! I am too fucking important to cut me off just like that!¡±


    Chase: ¡°No, not Master has cut us off. None of us can use [Communication]!¡±


    ¡°O-Oh? So Barry was one of the traitors after all?¡±


    Chase: ¡°We don¡¯t know, as far as we can gather was, that the message that Master sent out telling us to leave the dungeon, was the last either of our groups received.¡±


    I wipe my eyes and stretch. ¡°So, who was this other group of Master¡¯s that came wandering through?¡±


    ¡°That would be me.¡± ¨CSays the dwarven woman in the fancy armor.-


    ¡°O-Oh, one of Master¡¯s ¡°special¡± girls¡­Hey, me and Bradford have a bet going. What makes you one of Master¡¯s ¡°Special¡± girls anyway? It¡¯s the sexual favors isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Chase: ¡°Bandy! This is important!¡±


    ¡°So is this! I have 50 gold riding on it.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Of course not! You should know as one of Master¡¯s monsters that he isn¡¯t like that!¡±


    ¡°How should I know? I¡¯m not one of his ¡°special¡± girls, so I don¡¯t get to lie around Tobes, and do nothing.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I not only work just as hard as the other dwarves creating weapons and armor for the dungeon, but I also have a full-time job working at the blacksmith!¡±


    ¡°Yes, because a dwarf just hates to work a forge all day¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°Look, none of that matters right now anyway, we have to get out of this dungeon!¡±


    ¡°So Master can claim the crystal for himself? Now that we know Barry being a traitor is back on the table, I am going to go for the crystal myself!¡±


    Katie: ¡°You can¡¯t be serious¡­?¡±


    ¡°Why not? This dungeon is only 20 floors, so in one day we already got past more than half of it, and first thing in the morning we will start working on the rest.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Aren¡¯t you the least bit worried about this being one of the traitor¡¯s dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Master dealt with a few when they attacked his dungeon, so if he can do it, I know we can.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Only one of them was one of the traitors, he had to use a whole heap of his justicar points, and Madam Erin played a big part in it.¡±


    ¡°Well you are welcome to wait out the rest of the night here with us, but in the morning we are heading down, so you can do what you like after that.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Bandy you are actually going to go after one of the traitor dungeon cores?¡±


    ¡°You damn right I am, this is the kind of situation we have been waiting on. With Master¡¯s last order to have everyone leave the dungeon, I am sure we are the group closest to the crystal now, so we have a chance at claiming our first crystal!¡±


    Chase: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°You are welcome to stay with the dwarves.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Suzie¡¯s healing isn¡¯t enough to keep you in top form, who else is going to cover your backside?¡±


    ¡°Stare at it is more like it.¡±


    Chase sighs and says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Katie, but when Bandy makes her mind up on something¡­¡±


    Katie: ¡°Just be careful alright¡­?¡±


    Chase: ¡°We will.¡±


    ¡°W-Well, I am now wide awake and in a great mood now, so why don¡¯t I take the next watch. I am in such a gracious mood, that I will even let you take watch with me, Chase, and you can wrap your hands around that ass you are always staring at.¡±


    Chase: ¡°We can¡¯t keep watch and do something like that at the same time! Besides we don¡¯t really have any privacy here¡­¡±


    ¡°If they want to watch let them watch. If not they will turn away.¡±


    Chase: ¡°I also told you I am no longer do anything like that without some commitment, I am tired of getting tossed aside when we hit a village and you find someone else!¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself, I am more than happy to handling it on my own.¡±


    Katie: ¡°On that note¡­ I am going to try to get some sleep, I will have one of the others give you a hand¡­ With the watch!¡±


    ¡°Dwarves aren¡¯t really my style anyway.¡± ¨CI say while stretching before taking a position making sure nothing sneaks up on us.-


    Once morning rolls around we get everything set for setting back out into the dungeon, and prepare to part ways with are dwarven compadres.


    As we prepare to set out Katie reaches out to shake my hand, but quickly pulls her own back after a brief second and says. ¡°A-Ah well¡­ I really wish you the best of luck, and I will tell Master when I see him that you are alright.¡±


    I nod and we set out while Chase nudges me and says. ¡°Did you see that look on her face she was horrified, I can¡¯t believe you actually did it!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just upset because you didn¡¯t take me up on the offer!¡± ¨CI say as we head out of the room and into the next.-


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    ¡°Megan! Are you alright?!¡± ¨CI call out as I step forward slicing up the monster that knocked Megan down.-


    Megan: ¡°Fine, thank you.¡± ¨CShe says as she stands up and brushes herself off.-


    ¡°That looks like the last of them for now, but don¡¯t let your guard down. We haven¡¯t seen any Lizardmen and they have already taken out three of the others. What about the rest of you, are you alright?¡±


    Most of the group replies with ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡± All that is but one, he just nods his head and grunts.


    ¡°Are you sure? That one looked like it got you pretty good.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing¡­ Barely a scratch.¡± ¨C Says the redhead man as he wipes the blood from his arm.-


    ¡°You have plenty of scars as it is, so until you join my dungeon I am going to worry about even the little scratches.¡± ¨CI say moving over and casting a low tiered healing spell over his wound.- ¡°It looks like it was a little worse then you were letting on¡­ I respect Dyson a lot, and you do remind me of him at times, but I would like my future husband to not have a body covered in scars like his.¡±


    Logan: ¡°I¡¯m human, not glass, I do still heal on my own you know¡­¡±


    A pair of beastkin girls that I brought along on this trip giggle as I fret over Logan¡¯s wounds. After I take care of Logan I look around the room and say. ¡°Well we got quite a ways to go before we get out of here, so we should probably get started.¡±


    Beastkin girl: ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Megan coming along when she did, we would have still been stuck in that room!¡±


    Megan: ¡°I was just glad to help.¡±


    ¡°When I received the message from Two-Twelve to retreat from the dungeon, and then we got trapped in the room and couldn¡¯t send a message out, I thought we were in serious trouble. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky you were checking the side rooms on the way back up.¡±


    Megan: ¡°When I saw several people pass by heading straight for the exit, I thought, what if someone was trapped, and sure enough.¡±


    Logan: ¡°We were stuck in there all night, do you think everyone else has made it out by now.¡±


    Megan: ¡°Now that we have proof that Barry is one of the traitors, I don¡¯t think they are going to just let that go, I am sure some of them are heading for the crystal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Two-Twelve is the cautious type, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he just took the information to the other Elders. After all we have already lost several cores.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Let¡¯s get going, I want to make sure Belinda is alright.¡±


    We then start making our way to the surface, it has already been 24 hours since we entered the dungeon, but we got trapped pretty far down, and it will probably take most of the day to get back, especially if we continue to make sure no one else got left behind.


    I quickly realize that Megan is a pretty strong dungeon core, she seems to be trying to hide it though. I don¡¯t know if she is just trying to help me gather xp, or if she just doesn¡¯t want to make me feel bad for being so much stronger, but either way the further we go up the monsters get easier and easier so it isn¡¯t really a problem.


    We keep working our way up all day, and if we keep checking every room it we might be stuck in here for another night, but as luck would have it once we reach the 4<sup>th</sup> floor we notice that someone has cleared out the monsters already.


    On the other floors the monsters respawn as soon as we stepped out of the room, so with so many corpses left behind without any respawning, someone must have searched this floor extensively. We stop to debate if we want to continue to check the room, or just head for the exit.


    Megan has seemed to become in a bit of a rush, I guess she doesn¡¯t want to spend another night in here either, so finally agree to skip the rest of the rooms and head straight for the exit. As we start approaching the exit we however are met with sounds of a massive battle.


    Megan quickly spurs us into action. Just as you enter Barry¡¯s dungeon from the natural cave texture to the stone texture there was a massive room, probably 100 feet wide and at least three times that long, and as we approach it, it seems every inch of it is covered in Lizardmen.


    They range in variations of evolution, and even completely different species. Through the whole mess of Lizardmen I can see what looks to be everyone that entered the dungeon with us battling against the lizardmen on the far side of the room.


    Directly in front of us however there is another small group that seems to be trying to get to the others as well, and they are one of the groups of people from Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon. We quickly draw our weapons and move in to help them.

 Lizardman Army

    The day started off without problem, we systematically moved through the first few floors of the dungeon trying to find another exit, while looking for some of the missing groups as well, but all we found was a single group of my monsters.


    They said they got delayed because of pressing too deep into the dungeon and the respawns of monsters caused them to have to rest over night before they could make their way up. For being one of my weaker groups I can see how that would be a possibility, but groups like Katie¡¯s or even the dungeon cores like Queen, should have had no trouble.


    We haven¡¯t had any more deaths, so that is at least a good sign, but I fear it is only a matter of time if we can¡¯t get everyone back together, and find a way out of here. I want to push harder though the dungeon, but at this point even if we find the others if we can¡¯t find an exit it won¡¯t mean much, so we can¡¯t let up on searching the floors for a possible exit either.


    Poppy¡¯s group led the charge this morning, being the first group out searching, but once everyone else got to it, we quickly caught up with them. I am afraid we are spending too much time on each floor, but I do not want to separate any more then I have to, and we can¡¯t risk missing a possible exit.


    Those items the traitors use last several days, and it has already been 24 hours, so I don¡¯t know if we will be able to search the entire dungeon in time for the item to lose its effect. If we don¡¯t manage to find all the missing in the time the item expires we may have to make the hard call and just leave the ones we couldn¡¯t find behind. Let¡¯s just hope we can find them all before then, and just hope that the traitors don¡¯t use a second item.


    Once the other groups start to return, we decide to make one more sweep of the 4<sup>th</sup> floor before heading down, now that the monsters have stopped coming from the rifts it shouldn¡¯t take that long. We however don¡¯t find anything more.


    We decide to head back to the ground floor, so we are not separated from the others for too long, but as we enter the main pathway we run into a pair of winged creatures. The male is easily recognizable as Ithros, but the woman¡­


    She appears just like Ithros, not quite human, but not quite dragonkin either, more like a dragon beastkin. However if Ithros is a dragon beastkin, then I would say this woman is a feral dragon beastkin, as her wings are a fair amount bigger, wrapping completely around her body like a large cloak.


    Her hair is rather long as far as I can tell, as it disappears under the wings wrapped tightly around her, and from the top of her head she has large horns arching backwards. With the shape of her horns, the purplish hue to her hair, the shape of her wings, and the fact that Teku, who never leaves Ithros¡¯s side is absent, I can only guess this woman is Teku.


    ¡°Ithros! It is great to see you are still doing fine. Is this Teku¡­?¡±


    Ithros: ¡°We were unable to contact you after Emery told you about the crystal being missing so we decided not to leave until we got to the bottom of it. Unfortunately even after all this time we were unable to uncover any signs of it.¡±


    ¡°What about Emery?¡±


    Ithros: ¡°He did not wish to give up yet, but Teku truly despises taking this form so we left ahead of him. We are actually quite surprised to see you still in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Well about that¡­¡±


    I then tell Ithros about what has happened since we lost contact with one another, and then Teku kicks her head back and roars causing her mouth and nose to start to turn into its original shape. Once Ithros pats her on the shoulder and offers her words of comfort her face returns to that of a human woman and she calms down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it looks as though if we don¡¯t find an exit this way, we will have to just wait¡­¡±


    Ithros: ¡°If nothing else that entryway was a large open area. Even if it isn¡¯t tall enough for Teku to take flight, she should at least be able to stretch her wings.¡±


    ¡°We were about to head that way ourselves so we will join you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but you said Teku doesn¡¯t like taking the form? I would think, taking that form would bring her closer to an appearance like your own, so with your relationship, shouldn¡¯t that be a good thing?¡± ¨CShe asks as we make our way back up as the monsters aren¡¯t spawning so there isn¡¯t much else to do but talk.-


    Ithros: ¡°Teku¡¯s true form has never been a problem for me, so if that is what makes her happy that is all that matters to me.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Speaking of changing forms, what happened to Emery¡¯s dragons? I was wondering how Teku and Emery¡¯s dragons were getting around the dungeon, so did they shapeshift as well?¡±


    Ithros: ¡°Even though she hates doing it, shape-changing is unique to Teku¡¯s race of dragon, so of course Emery¡¯s dragons couldn¡¯t do the same. In truth Teku and I would greatly enjoy to be able to handle the situation as Emery did. Emery used magic to shrink their size.¡±


    Teku: ¡°I would not like to be made as small as the children Emery had with him, but small enough to move around the dungeon while maintaining my glorious natural form would be exquisite.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You can speak?!¡±


    Teku: ¡°Of course, I know all 7 languages and all 42 unique reginal dialects, and countless monster languages. Knowing them is simple, but having a larynx that is developed in a way to speak them is a different matter entirely.¡±


    Ithros: ¡°Yes, my Teku is very intelligent, and that is why I defer all matters to her, she has not only been my mate, but her smarts have kept me alive all these years.¡±


    Teku nudges Ithros with her head. ¡°If I was not in this vile form I would give you the proper affection, but this is all I can do for now¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°That leaves me with more questions than answers¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Do you hear that?¡± ¨CI say as we start to approach the ground floor.-


    Belinda: ¡°It sounds like combat¡­ And a lot of it!¡±


    ¡°The others might be under attack! Everyone hurry!¡±


    We rush forward readying our weapons, and when we enter the entryway, the entire room is crawling with lizardmen and the others are all trying to fight them back. Some of the groups that arrived in front of us are doing battle from this side of the room.


    Belinda: ¡°Logan!¡± ¨CShe calls out when she sees him attacking with Queen.-


    Logan looks back just in time to acknowledge Belinda, before Ithros and Teku charge past us to join the fray. Teku has had her wings completely wrapped around her, so it hasn¡¯t been noticeable but when she charges forward she spreads her wings out revealing a very shapely, very nude body.


    She must have had to maintain this form since they entered the dungeon, and would have had to expected it before arriving here, so why they didn¡¯t bring her gear or at least clothing fit for this form I don¡¯t quite understand, but it doesn¡¯t matter much now, because Teku¡¯s body quickly grows and changes into her true form crushing a handful of lizardmen as she does.


    A large great-axe takes form in Ithro¡¯s hands and he dives into the group of lizardmen beside Teku, and even though the lizardmen fall in droves every time he swings his axe, he swings it as effortlessly as cutting through air.


    Ithros and Teku joined in quite a distance away from the others, and I think we would just be in their way at this point so we quickly join in with the other groups. As we rush forward I quickly ask the others. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Queen: ¡°We don¡¯t know we just arrived but a few minutes ago ourselves, and everything had already gone to hell before we arrived.¡±


    ¡°Giving the situation I can¡¯t really say I am glad to see you are safe, but it is at least good to see that you all made it back in one piece.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Yes, we found ourselves in quite the tough spot, if Megan didn¡¯t show up when she did, I fear we still would have been trapped deeper in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Megan was with you?!¡±


    Queen: ¡°Yes, she was here just a minute ago¡­¡± ¨CShe says looking around while trying to fight off the lizardmen.- ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she may have already pushed further forward with one of the other groups. We can talk about it more once we deal with these lizardmen!¡±


    That is easier said than done however, because even with all our numbers there is probably 100 lizardmen to every one of us. Most of them are quite easy to deal with and are the difficulty of some of the lizardmen I can summon, but they are from evolutionary lines that I have never seen.


    The lizardmen I can summon are all from the water element, but it seems some of these are of completely different species, with their appearances and fighting styles differing greatly. If the lizardman that was killing the other dungeon cores is among this group, that might explain why Barry was able to summon it, but on the other hand some of these lizardmen are clearly of the same type that I can summon, so Barry shouldn¡¯t be able to summon them, even if he could summon the named one.


    Dead monsters don¡¯t clear from a dungeon until the start of day, unless they are cleared manually within [Menu], and although most of the other monsters we have faced up till now have not been cleared manually, these ones however are now being cleared almost before they even hit the ground so we can¡¯t even use the corpses to our advantage.


    As we continue to cut down the lizardmen I can¡¯t help but wonder just what is going on in this dungeon. If Barry was truly one of the traitors, why would he reveal himself just after he was cleared by the Elders?


    That then turns us back to Megan who was the one that sent us the information, it would make far more sense for her to attack before Barry was cleared then to wait until afterwards, and that also doesn¡¯t change the fact of how would she manipulate Barry¡¯s dungeon. Queen also said Megan saved them, so why would she do that if her goal was to kill us?


    There is also the fact that Madam Erin and Dyson know where we are, and what is going on this time, so even if they couldn¡¯t get past the entrance of Barry¡¯s dungeon, I am sure they would have found another way by now.


    Even if Barry¡¯s dungeon is affected by one of the traitor¡¯s items, Dyson might not be able to teleport out, but he should at least be able to teleport in. Chansey used the item she stole to redirect people transporting in to a different location, so maybe even if Dyson used [Observation] to teleport in he might have ended up in a location not reachable by us, if he risked teleporting at all under the circumstances.


    I try to run though the scenarios though my head while we continue to battle the lizardmen, but every once in a while one of them will be extremely tough and I have to focus on the battle. We have also seemed to be battling these things forever, and there is still no end in sight, and that is when I receive the message.


    Dungeon Core #72 [Leonard] has perished at the hands of the Lizardman Monarch [Zalios]


    That tells us two things, that named lizardman is within this group somewhere, and that he is more than likely on the frontlines fighting against the groups we left behind¡­ With the battle going on it is hard to hear anything, but try to call out to Ithros and Teku.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    There may be at least a hundred lizardmen between us, but the distance isn¡¯t that great, so maybe with their levels they have some sort of skill to hear us among all the other noise. ¡°Ithros! We can¡¯t get to the others fast enough, if you can push, fly, or crawl to them before we can, please do so!¡±


    Teku has stuck to rending the lizardmen with her teeth and claws, but after I call out her head perks up over the lizardmen she then turns back to the lizardmen in front of her and lets out a devastating breath attack that seems less of a breath attack and more of a release of thousands upon thousands of needles made from pure magical energy are released from her maw.


    Like fire putting out heat, even at this distance the needles put of a powerful magical power that can be felt even from this distance. It seems just one needle is enough to drop any of the lizardmen in front of her, unfortunately with how tightly packed they all are, the first few rows of lizardmen are pierced with hundreds if not thousands of needles each.


    Even with the first few rows absorbing most of the attack, by the time the last lizardman falls from Teku¡¯s breath attack, she clears a path at least 50 to 75 feet directly in front of them. Like trying to part the sea however, the gap quickly begins to fill with more lizardmen that begin to spread out, but not before Teku and Ithros cover most of the ground in which she cleared.


    Her single breath attack cleared hundreds of the lizardmen, and in doing so, it caused the others to spread out to fill the gaps making even the number of lizardmen we are facing reducing in numbers. We can¡¯t let up though, so we continue to push forward, but even though Teku and Ithros are getting closer and closer to the others another message appears.


    Dungeon Core #331 [Lorraine] has perished at the hands of the Lizardman Monarch [Zelios]


    ¡°We are losing far too many! Inari, can you use your special skill to reach the others to give them a hand?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I can, but alone it won¡¯t make much of a difference, I know Maeve, Dawn, and Twilight are there, but so is Aunt Zoey, Aunt Roxy, Azami, and don¡¯t forget Satoshi and Saki are with them as well. We can only leave it to them, and only hope we can all get to them before it gets to be too much for them.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, this is what we are going to do.¡± ¨CI then take a deep breath and call out to everyone that can hear.- ¡°Everyone over level 50 gather here in the front, we will push forward as hard as we can while the others cover our backs! We have to get to the others as quickly as possible!¡±


    Even as everyone begins to gather together there are still no signs of Megan, but we then receive another message.


    Dungeon Core #188 Crowley has perished at the hands of the Lizardman Monarch [Zelios]


    ¡°Damnit they are being slaughtered, we have to hurry!¡±


    Ithros and Teku finally hit the other groups and that seems to make a huge difference, but by the time we arrive as well, we have all suffered heavy losses.


    Poppy¡¯s group lost Kazuki, but the second group of my monsters all perished leaving only Akihio, Rin, and Yuuta remaining. Likewise from the third group only one of my sword-maidens has survived along with Hana and Megumi.


    In fact Kazuki was the only member from Inari¡¯s dungeon to have fallen, the rest were all part of my xp gathering groups, most of the dwarves that were with Katie, and all the beastkin Queen brought along with her.


    Some of the others are in pretty bad shape including Bell, being a dungeon monster she won¡¯t die from her wounds, but Ryuu has taken quite a bit of damage himself shielding her from any further damage.


    Belinda has suffered a large gash in her dominant arm, but if it wasn¡¯t for her heavy armor taking most of the damage it would have taken the arm clean off. She has also taken a pretty hard blow to the head, but it appears to look far worse than it actually is.


    The blow that hit Belinda in the head was meant for Logan, and with him not being a dungeon monster it would have probably been far worse if not completely fatal, but for the most part he only has a few nicks and scratches.


    Katie and the remaining dwarves are in pretty bad shape as well, so I order all of those who are in bad shape, as well as Logan and Belinda to fall back. Belinda tries to argue, but I tell her I need her to start healing the others so she reluctantly agrees. Then Inari, her monsters, Queen, Poppy¡¯s group, and I quickly join the ones holding the camp.


    The damage here have seemed to be quite harsh as well, but as far as deaths go it seems to have been confined to the few dungeon cores that have perished. With the others joining in on the front lines Zoey sheathes her swords to step back and pull her bow.


    Zoey: ¡°Nice of you to join us boss!¡±


    ¡°Where is the named Lizardman?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I don¡¯t know, he pops in and out between the other lizardmen, but every time he does pop in another dungeon core falls or he disappears before landing a single blow, and he seems to be targeting them exclusively.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have taken quite a bit of damage, why don¡¯t you fall back for now with the others and we will take care for a while.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°No boss, you don¡¯t understand! He went after Maeve, but when I stepped in-between he then retreated. It doesn¡¯t make sense because he killed Leonard in a single attack, so I knew I couldn¡¯t have done much, but he wouldn¡¯t go through me to get to Maeve.¡±


    ¡°Where is Maeve now?¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Since Ithros showed up all the injured fell back behind him, so Maeve, Kenta, and Dawn are over there, and Roxy went with them to try to heal them up and get them back into fighting shape.¡±


    ¡°Alright, now that we got more on the front line, I want you to focus on healing the others as well, while sticking towards the back with your bow.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m fresh out of magic, boss¡­ and if Roxy doesn¡¯t pass out from using her magic on the others it will be a surprise. We were barely holding on when Ithros showed up with his dragon.¡±


    It isn¡¯t much but I quickly cast a healing spell on Zoey, and then say. ¡°Alright, I am going to check on down the line, as Belinda gets some of the others healed up enough to rejoin the fight I want you to fall back and have her take a look at your wounds as well.


    Zoey nods while continuing to fire off arrows into the lizardmen. I then make my way towards Ithros and Teku. Even among the much higher level dungeon cores we brought along, Azami is still the only one with enough magic reserves to continue to cast offensive magic while her spriggians hold the front line.


    Twilight doesn¡¯t seem to have ever faced any kind of combat after running low on magic, so she seems rather confused on what she should be doing while she jabs at some of the lizardmen between Azami¡¯s spriggians with a spear she must of picked up from one of the fallen lizardmen.


    ¡°Twilight, there is still a lot of battle left, if you need to recharge your magic step back for now and rest up, remember your magic doesn¡¯t recover near as fast if you continue to fight, if nothing else go check to see if Belinda needs any help with the injured.¡±


    Twilight seems relived after I call her back from the front line, and she quickly makes for the location in which Belinda is dealing with the injured. Even though everyone has their hands full, we are slowly pushing the lizardmen further and further back.


    When I reach Ithros, between every swing of his axe, and every swipe of Teku¡¯s claws they are able to take a step forward, so as long as things continue this way we should eventually wipe out the lizardmen.


    The only variables are the named lizardman and Megan, Megan was with Queen earlier, but nobody has seen her since, and with no messages about her death, I can¡¯t help but think she is at least partially responsible for what is going on here.


    Once Roxy brings Maeve and Dawn, back into fighting shape, I tell them all to take a rest for now to recover as much magic as possible while we continue to hold the line. Kenta however doesn¡¯t have much magical ability so I have no reason to reject him returning to the front line.


    We continue to push back the lizardman long into the night, and although a lot of us are grown quite tired, we are making a noticeable difference in the numbers of lizardmen. The named lizardman still hasn¡¯t shown himself again since our arrival, but maybe with Ithros and Teku here now he is afraid to show himself.


    This is on a much larger scale, but Inari¡¯s group and mine, have both grown used to this constant attacking due to the Oni in Shima, so needless to say some of the others are rather confused when I start sending some of the weaker members to try to catch a bit of sleep to help them recover.


    Twilight: ¡°How could we possibly sleep at a time like this?¡±


    ¡°After continuously draining your magic like you have, you will be surprised how easy it will be for you to fall asleep, even with the current situation, and have a little faith in us. We will keep you from coming to any harm.¡±


    They reluctantly agree, and that leaves only Inari, her monsters, Ithros, Teku, Zoey, Azami, Poppy, Lynx, Dungeon Core #282 Nora, a small handful of her monsters that remain, and myself to hold the line while the others rest.


    Ithros: ¡°Where are they all coming from? We are making progress in their elimination, but Teku and I alone have killed enough to fill this room in such a way that it was when we entered.¡±


    ¡°I can only think they are coming in from some of the side paths, if they are being summoned into those rooms, there is no telling when we will see the end of them.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Unlike in Shima, we are at a disadvantage, once Ithros and Teku have to stop to rest. We are going to start losing ground again.¡±


    Ithros: ¡°This axe will give out far before I do, and as long as Teku is in her true form she can go weeks without rest.¡±


    ¡°I can go days without rest as well, but under this constant barrage of attacks I won¡¯t be able to go for but a few more hours without having to stop to rest. Are you sure you two can really keep it up that long?¡±


    Ithros: ¡°They already lost a day of that item they use, and even if it is not weeks, Teku and I could easily hold out long enough for the item to expire.¡±


    We continue to fight, but I can feel the fatigue building in me, even if they can keep up like this I will not be able to. By the time midnight rolls around though the numbers of the lizardmen are starting to decrease enough that I am able to send Poppy, Lynx, and Zoey to rest as well.


    As they start to fall back I hear Zoey call out ¡°Boss, come quick!¡±


    I can¡¯t really afford to leave the front line, but Zoey¡¯s voice had a since of urgency that I can¡¯t ignore either. I apologize to the others and quickly fall back to where the others are resting. When I arrive a commotion has awaken several of those that were sleeping as Zoey, Lynx, and Poppy are trying to fight off a lizardman the likes of I¡¯ve never seen before.


    He isn¡¯t the biggest lizardman I have ever seen, but his scales are almost golden in color and the equipment he uses is easily equal to that of my own. If he is truly as strong as he looks, then my monsters should be no match for him, but he seems hesitant to attack them.


    Zelios: ¡°Get back! You are not the ones I am after, so if you get out of my way I will let you live!¡± ¨CHe says with a voice that is quite deep, but is very well-spoken for a lizardman.-


    Poppy: ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen!¡±


    My sudden appearance only seems to throw him off more as he jumps further back looking to be on guard.


    Zelios: ¡°If you turn over the other dungeon cores I will spare your monsters! I will even spare Ithros while I am at it.¡±


    ¡°You are not claiming the lives of anymore dungeon cores!¡±


    Zelios: ¡°I may not be allowed to kill you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t kill your monsters and leave you unable to fight, if I have to.¡±


    ¡°You have orders to not kill me?¡±


    Zelios: ¡°My master might not want me to tell you this, but he didn¡¯t order me not to, so that is his problem. My orders were to kill all dungeon cores we trapped here except you.¡±


    ¡°Who is this master of yours?¡±


    Zelios: ¡°Now that is something he did order me not to say.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like there is no love lost between your Master and you.¡±


    Zelios: ¡°Regardless of how I feel about the matter, my Master has been sure to give me enough ultimate commands that I have no choice but do exactly what he wishes of me, and on that note, are you going to step out of the way, or do I have to go through you?¡±


    The others that are waking up quickly join us to face off against Zelios.


    ¡°He claims to be after you all, and I don¡¯t know how much of what he said can be trusted, but I want you to go to Ithros, while I hold him off.¡±


    Zelios: ¡°I¡¯m can¡¯t let you do that!¡±


    Zelios then charges while wielding oversized gloves with large blades sticking out the end of them. He charges straight for Maeve, but I jump in-between them and parry his claws with my sword. This takes him a bit off guard, but he doesn¡¯t jump back this time, as he slashes at one of my legs with one of his claws doing quite a bit of damage to my armor, but I manage to escape any serious wounds.


    As Poppy and Zoey quickly come to my aid the dungeon cores among us quickly start retreating towards where Ithros is.


    Zelios: ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt the ones I don¡¯t have to!¡±


    ¡°What if there is another option?¡±


    Zelios: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but forfeiting my life isn¡¯t an option either!¡± ¨CHe says as one of his claws hits my shield, and it hits it hard enough to knock it from the air.-


    ¡°If you give me time to build my magic I can unbind you from your Master!¡±


    Zelios: ¡°That is impossible!¡± ¨CHe says jumping back while trying to charge around us to get to the other dungeon cores.-


    I dive towards him grabbing him by the tail planting my feet into the ground. This wouldn¡¯t work in a normal battle, but Zelios really does seem to be trying to avoid conflict with those who are not his targets.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t impossible. I have a skill that will allow me to unbind monsters from a dungeon!¡±


    Zelios: ¡°Unbinding me won¡¯t remove the ultimate commands, now release me or I am going to have to attack you again!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t know unless we try it!¡±


    Zelios: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I cannot risk it!¡± ¨CHe says quickly slashing at my chest with his long bladed claws rending my armor and causing great deal of damage.-


    If he wanted to, that blow could have been fatal but he intentionally spared me, but it was enough cause me to release his tail. He then charges across the floor and the others try to stop him from reaching the dungeon cores, but he charges straight through them knocking them down as they go. Belinda quickly runs up to me and tries to heal me, while the others pull themselves off the floor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, he was sure to make sure it wasn¡¯t fatal, make sure he doesn¡¯t get to the girls!¡±


    Once they get to their feet they quickly chase after Zelios, but my own wound is bad enough I can¡¯t follow. I quickly cast a healing spell while crossing my finders, and hoping a message doesn¡¯t appear. By the time I heal myself enough to move I pull myself to my feet and try to return to the others, and I find all the remaining dungeon cores taking refuge near Ithros and Zelios is nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Where did he go?¡± ¨CI quickly asking while holding my chest as I run to catch up to the others.-


    Belinda: ¡°He is gone! I don¡¯t know if it is what you said, or if they just got close enough to Ithros that he didn¡¯t want to risk it, but he disappeared.¡±


    I quickly collapse and continue to cast healing spells trying to heal my chest. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down though, who knows when he will show back up.¡±


    I then receive another message but it isn¡¯t one I expected.


    Dungeon Core #304 Eldrin has perished at the hands of the Lizardman Monarch [Zelios]


    It wasn¡¯t one of the dungeon cores that were here, but one of them that were still missing. Maybe because he couldn¡¯t get to the ones here he went after Eldrin, but in any case it appears he hasn¡¯t giving up on claiming the lives of the other dungeon cores yet.


    With the ones that were sleeping waking up due to the commotion Zelios caused, most of them just start taking positions to help against the other lizardmen, giving me and some of the others a chance to rest.


    Without knowing where Zelios is I am hesitant to go to sleep, but once my body starts to slow down I can¡¯t keep my eyes open and I fall sleep.

 Zelios

    I am not sure how I got into this situation, last I recall we were training in the dungeon when Ceres appeared out of nowhere claiming we were in danger, and next thing I knew the adventurer we brought with us today was dead.


    I am not even sure how it happened, but a beastkin man entered the room after Ceres and he killed the adventurer faster than we could see. I honestly can¡¯t even be sure the adventurer is dead because it happened so fast.


    All I can be for certain is that after Ceres called out to one of those rabbit beastkin that are often around my sister¡¯s house, and Exavier, Sandra, and I all got teleported back to just outside of the dungeon entrance.


    ¡°How did we get here?¡±


    Exavier: ¡°It had to be Ceres right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, she kept calling out to Lilah of all people, like she was the one that was supposed to teleport us.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°I know several of your sister¡¯s associates can teleport, but I wasn¡¯t aware that any of the rabbit beastkin could.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I am worried about Ceres, do you think she is ok? That beastkin man was out for blood¡­¡±


    Sandra: ¡°She is the leader of the Mage¡¯s Guild. When I go there to study, they talk about her like she is some kind of a god¡­¡±


    ¡°She is still a mage though, and that beastkin man seemed to be the up-close and personal type. Someone with that speed would be the worst possible enemy for a mage.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°But what can we do? He killed that adventurer we took with us, before we even saw what had happened¡­ I don¡¯t even remember his name.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°Maurice¡­ His name was Maurice.¡±


    ¡°That beastkin man said something about Ceres losing her power. Maybe we should go back and make sure she is ok¡­¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a good idea. Even if she doesn¡¯t make it, she died trying to help us escape, so returning now would just be a waste. Besides it would take us hours to return to that section of the dungeon.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°She is right. The best thing we can do now is head down to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and tell them what happened.¡±


    I reluctantly agree with them and we quickly try to head down the mountain to warn the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. By the time we arrive however the guild seems to be in an uproar already, and we find Ceres speaking to the Mayor.


    ¡°How did she¡­?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°What does that matter? She is alive!¡± ¨CShe runs across the building towards Ceres.- ¡°Ceres!¡±


    Ceres and the Mayor both look quite worried, but Ceres quickly puts on a smile to greet Sandra. Exavier and I make our way that way as well, in hopes to get some answers as to just what is going on¡­


    Ceres: ¡°I am glad you all made it out of there, but what about the one that was with you? Were you close?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°No, this was the first time we took him along with us, but we have never lost anyone in our group before.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°By reaching the level you all have without suffering a loss of a party member is quite rare, but I am not going to give you some story about it getting easier, because that just isn¡¯t the case. What little comfort I can offer you though is that the one responsible has perished as well.¡±


    ¡°What exactly happened in there?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Maybe we should speak about this in Scylla¡¯s office.¡±


    We agree and are then led into the office where we take a seat. There are several people in the office already as well as several children including my sister¡¯s daughter. The Mayor asks the others to leave, and has my sister¡¯s maid take the children out as well leaving only Exavier, Sandra, Ceres, Mayor Scylla, and myself remaining.


    ¡°So, what exactly happened up there in the dungeon?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We are still piecing it together, but it seems that beastkin man had intentions of entering the dungeon to not kill monsters, but adventurers.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°We believe it was an effort to either anger the people of Gowen, or even the dungeon itself. You have seen how much of an effect the dungeon has had on Gowen, so it stands to reason there are those out there that would wish for that symbiotic relationship to end.¡±


    ¡°It may be a dungeon, but that could be considered an act of war.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t think they expected their presence to be known, making it to look like the dungeon was responsible. Besides even after getting caught, we still don¡¯t know who was behind it.¡±


    ¡°What about the adventurer¡¯s ID? You should be able to find out his affiliation though where the ID was registered.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Unfortunately he had no such identification.¡±


    ¡°So, what happens next?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°There isn¡¯t much we can do, we won¡¯t know for sure how much damage has been done till the adventurer groups start returning this evening, but we are estimating between the mages and normal adventurers he killed 7 full groups before Ceres was able to stop him.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°That¡¯s horrible!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It would have been far worse if he went through the elemental wings, the demi-human village, or even the soldier¡¯s training ground, I am sure. I actually consider us quite lucky that the damage was as little as it was.¡±


    ¡°What about my sister, and her husband, I thought they were supposed to be back by now. Don¡¯t they usually deal with situations like this?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°They ran into a bit of a problem, and it may take them a few more days then they expected.¡±


    ¡°We have been training here in Tobes for almost a year now, and I now see how much effort my sister has put into Tobes and the dungeon. It would be devastating to my sister, if something happened to the dungeon while they were gone!¡±


    Scylla: ¡°More then you even know, but my husband is with them as well, and last I heard so was your oldest brother, so I can assure you they will return as soon as physically possible for them to do so.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Besides, they left things in good hands, and after dealing with that man earlier I can assure you the dungeon won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°What about how you got us out of the dungeon? You mentioned that rabbit girl of Two-Twelve¡¯s like she was the one that was supposed to take care of it, but it worked differently than the magic spell Two-Twelve and my sister uses. I admit those rabbit beastkin are quite peculiar, but I also know when I asked Belinda about it in the past she said they weren¡¯t capable of using the teleportation magic.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I will tell you all I can, but only after I am able to speak with your sister. There are a few sensitive matters concerning the dungeon that I obviously can¡¯t say without permission from the royal family of Gowen.¡±


    ¡°But I am a member of the royal family!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Even before becoming the princess of Exeter though your marriage, you claimed your Duscae heritage over your Gowen one, so you can understand why there are some things you can¡¯t be told.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like my sister sold her soul to the dungeon or something¡­¡±


    Exavier: ¡°Would that be so strange¡­? Not the sold her soul part, but the Gowen kingdom working with the dungeon. I admit there are many things I don¡¯t even know about Exeter, but there have always been hushed rumors of Kingdoms making deals with dungeons. When you consider how much Sofia¡¯s training teaches students to respect the dungeon and treat it like a living being. It doesn¡¯t seem that farfetched.¡±


    ¡°That is ridiculous, even if the dungeon was a living being it would be like a beast or an animal. Even the gnomes that claim to speak for the dungeon claim that it can¡¯t speak directly.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I know it is possible because I¡­!¡± ¨CShe says quickly but hangs her head then continues.- ¡°I mean it just seems to make a lot of sense to me¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I think you are misunderstanding the situation, but that is fine, because as representatives of Exeter you have a responsibility to protect Gowen interests.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I am not part of Exeter or Gowen, but I think under the situation we find ourselves in I owe it to somebody that I trust to not say anything¡­¡±


    ¡°This mysterious boyfriend of yours keeps getting more and more interesting.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡± ¨CShe says while blushing.- ¡°


    ¡°Then the mysterious benefactor who is not your boyfriend, that still gave you equipment fit for a princess, and the funds to travel half-way across the world to become an adventurer. Who must have only been as generous as he was handsome, because you turn down the advances of every man that takes an interest in you because they and I quote: ¡°Don¡¯t stack up¡± to this mystery man of yours.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°It isn¡¯t like that! I wasn¡¯t even with him for more than a day!¡±


    ¡°You must have made some impression on him then.¡±


    Exavier: ¡°Is this really what we should be worried about right now¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well it seems Ceres and the Mayor are going to remain tight lipped on anything else regarding the dungeon, so getting this little glimpse into this mystery man of Sandra¡¯s seems like it is not necessarily a fair trade off, but at least it is something.¡±


    There is then firm knocks on the Mayor¡¯s door and she says. ¡°I am sorry we couldn¡¯t tell you more, and I am glad that at least you three made it out ok, but I am afraid there are matters concerning Tobes we must get back to.¡±


    ¡°Just when we were getting to the good part, anyway, whatever happened up there in the dungeon thank you Ceres for helping us get out of there alive.¡±


    We get up and start to leave the room when the knocks hit the door with a bit more urgency this time, so we quicken our pace, but once we open the door Sandra yelps with a surprised expression as her face turns scarlet.


    A man dressed in armor of pure darkness enters the room followed by two winged beauties that quickly latch onto his arms as soon as they follow him through the door. One of which wearing armor only as magnificent as it is revealing, while the other wears an armor this is quite familiar looking¡­


    Although I have not seen the women before, the man I have, and between what I know of this man and Sandra¡¯s expression everything seems to click into place all at once, as the man¡¯s eyes lock onto Sandra.


    Sandra: ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± ¨CShe says meekly.-


    Dyson: ¡°It has been a while. I trust they are taking good care of you here in Tobes?¡±


    Sandra: ¡°Very much so, in fact they just saved us from the dungeon earlier.¡± ¨CShe says as her eyes start to wander to the two women accompanying Dyson.-Stolen story; please report.


    Dyson: ¡°I see, you must have gotten yourself caught up in quite a mess, but under the circumstances if you did get caught in the middle of what I think went down, and lived to tell the tale, than I believe you are being well taken care of. Forgive me for cutting this short, but regarding that matter I have questions for the Mayor of Tobes and Ceres.¡±


    Sandra: ¡°I understand¡­ Will you have time to speak with me afterwards?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I doubt I will have the time. Besides I believe it is for the best if we leave matters here.¡±


    Sandra¡¯s lip quivers a bit as she bites it, but instead of saying anything else she just nods her head and walks from the room. Exavier however seems quite awestricken by Dyson, not that the impression he gives isn¡¯t intimidating, but I quickly learn it is for another matter entirely.


    Exavier: ¡°That is the great hero Dyson¡¯s armor?! Then it is true, it truly is made from adamantium?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is right, now like I said pressing matters to attend to.¡±


    I apologize on behalf of my husband and end up having to practically pick him up and carry him from the room while he remains in awe. Once he reclaims his voice he starts ranting about the impossibility of the existence of Dyson¡¯s armor, while I meanwhile find Sandra downstairs with tears in her eyes, and a drink in her quivering hand as she sits at one of the tables for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    Between what happened up at the dungeon, Exavier¡¯s encounter with Dyson, and Sandra becoming reacquainted with him, it seems like my day is far from over¡­


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    Dyson: ¡°After receiving the message about the death of a dungeon core by Akil, I came as soon as possible, but as you can understand we Elders have been quite busy.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You knew of Akil being in Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Of course, I was the one that sent him here, and as much as he refused to assist me, it seems he didn¡¯t have the same misgivings about Two-Twelve, but I figured as much. I take it by the conversation when I entered that the situation in the dungeon is taken care of completely?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°He was the only one to attack Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon, but he spoke of others poking around my dungeon, and although I have seen some suspicious people wandering about, they can¡¯t seem to locate the entrance to my actual dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is a small silver lining at least.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What is more concerning is the fact that the deaths of dungeon cores were coming almost like clockwork thirty minutes apart, but after Akil was able to stop the one in Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon, I haven¡¯t seen one since.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°What about Two-Twelve, has there been any new developments?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Perhaps after losing one of their own they are starting to scale back, and to answer your question, the answer is no, we are still no closer to finding Two-Twelve or those he took with him.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°About that, when I confronted the traitor in Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon he wasn¡¯t trying to destroy the dungeon as much as he was trying to just cause trouble between Two-Twelve and the humans. He went as far to say that even Two-Twelve¡¯s disappearance isn¡¯t meant to take his life, but is part of some plan to make him suffer.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°But why¡­? After the dungeon cores they have already killed why are they so interested in making Two-Twelve suffer instead of just killing him like the others.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Your guess is as good as mine, but now we might be able to use this to our advantage find out who is responsible for the traitors.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Can¡¯t you use your god mojo to just tell us who is responsible?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I have already told you and the others, that it doesn¡¯t work that way, my sibling that controls [Menu] has been manipulated in such a way to shield the traitors from my view even before I became a dungeon core, and as for looking into the future. Other than some random glimpses of possible future events, the last definitive thing I saw before my gift was lost to me were the moments right before I became a dungeon core.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As far as gods and goddesses go, you are doing a piss poor job of it.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I already told you that as well. After Two-Twelve made me a dungeon core that is all I am now, and what about you? The self-proclaimed most powerful being on the planet, how are you still coming up short of expectations?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Master, you don¡¯t have to stand for these insults! We already found out what we wanted to know, so there is no reason to belittle yourself by continuing this conversation!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Stay your tongue Angela, as it stands, you are the one insulting Master, by telling him what to do.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is enough out of both of you. If there is one thing you both inherited from your original Master, it was his stubbornness, and besides I never claimed to be the most power being on the planet. Part of my strength is also knowing my limitations, that claim is just what others have said.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You have never tried to deny it either.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It keeps the rift-raft from endlessly challenging me at my doorstep, so it has its uses.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°So, is there any new news regarding the traitors?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well if what you said is true, then Two-Twelve should turn up on his own accord pretty soon, but then again their plan in his dungeon seems to have failed them, so he might not be out of the woods yet.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°After the encounter in his dungeon, I am more worried about the other dungeon cores, if he were to lose all those that he took with him, especially the ones he considers his daughters, I don¡¯t think he would ever fully come back from that kind of loss.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then you better hope he pulls off another one of his miracles, because as it stands he is on his own¡­¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    I am not sure how long I slept, but I awaken with a jolt. I quickly check the screens and see that I couldn¡¯t have fallen asleep for more than a couple of hours. There are a couple more messages about deaths of dungeon cores, but it isn¡¯t any that made it back here.


    It seems all the dungeon cores that haven¡¯t made it back to the first floor except Emery, are now gone. I don¡¯t know if that means Zelios will now go after Emery or come back here, but either way I decide to return to the front lines to see how things are going now.


    I didn¡¯t get much sleep so I let the others that are still sleeping continue to, but some of the others still haven¡¯t gotten any sleep yet, so I should consider myself lucky. As I head over to join the others who are holding back the lizardmen, I notice their numbers have gone down considerably.


    Their numbers have reduced enough that even those who are not sleeping are able to take turns on the front line giving some of the others a brief rest to recuperate.


    ¡°Ithros, how are things going?¡±


    Ithros: ¡°After the other dungeon cores perished it seems the respawn rate of the lizardmen went down considerably, and now it looks to have stopped completely, Teku and I have been holding on to our magic in case of an emergency, but if you like we could probably wipe up the remaining lizardmen in a couple of minutes.¡±


    ¡°Have there been any more appearances from the named Lizardman?¡±


    Ithros: ¡°No, since he couldn¡¯t get to us, my guess he just settled for the others that were still out in the dungeon somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I hope Emery makes it back alright. If the lizardmen really have quit spawning, I think we should have them wiped out in no time, so I would save your magic just in case.¡±


    Ithros: ¡°Understood, and it is going to take more than a lizardman monarch to cause Emery any trouble, even if it received ranks in the heroic skill for each dungeon core it has killed.¡±


    ¡°What about Megan, have there been any signs of her?¡±


    Ithros: ¡°None at all.¡±


    ¡°I think it is fair to assume she is one of the traitors, but I still don¡¯t understand why she would have saved Queen¡¯s group if their intentions were to kill the dungeon cores from the start.¡±


    Resting has allowed me to recover a fair amount of my magic, so before joining the others in wiping out the lizardmen I decide to use some of it to heal the others, but I make sure to save enough to use my special skill just in case Zelios returns.


    After a short while the numbers of lizardmen really are decreasing at an accelerated rate, and the corpses have even begun to quit disappearing causing them to start to stack up. I don¡¯t know what else this dungeon has in store for us, but whatever it is, it seems like it is going to have to happen here pretty soon.


    Once only a few dozen lizardmen remain, Zelios appears from within the group charging in a wide arc trying to avoid Ithros and Teku. The hesitation he had shown before seems completely gone as he attempts to go after Kenta.


    Inari activates her own special skill, growing wings and an extra tail, while launching herself across the room to knock Zelios away before reaching Kenta. I am a fair amount closer to Kenta then Inari was, but she still arrives first, but even with her special skill active she is having trouble keeping Zelios at bay.


    By the time I reach them I know Inari only has seconds left, so I try to talk Zelios down one last time.


    ¡°It¡¯s over Zelios, you are not going to claim any more dungeon cores here today!¡±


    Zelios: ¡°Maybe, maybe not, but my Master gave me one final order, and that was to take as many of the dungeon cores as possible before I die!¡±


    ¡°There is no reason for you to die! I can unbind you from your Master!¡±


    Ithros and Teku have just finished taking out the last of the other lizardmen and begin to head this way as Zelios says. ¡°Save your pity for someone worth saving, there is no coming back after all the things I have done for my Master.¡±


    ¡°You were under the effects of ultimate commands, at least let me try to save you.¡± ¨CI say while using my special skill to try to bind Zelios to my own dungeon. I then call out to Ithros and Teku have already reached Zelios. ¡°Hold on!¡±


    I receive the notification about Zelios becoming one of my monsters and Zelios hesitates for a moment.


    Zelios: ¡°It appears there is no saving me after all, there is one thing I can do however.¡± ¨CHe then turns from trying to attack Inari and Kenta to attempt to attack Ithros and Teku instead.-


    ¡°Wait!¡± ¨CI call out, but it is too late as Teku reaches forward chomping down on Zelios.-


    Teku quickly spits Zelios out onto the ground but it is already too late. We don¡¯t have time to dwell on it however because we quickly begin to look around as the dungeon begins to shake.


    ¡°What is going on?! He wasn¡¯t actually a dungeon core was he¡­?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Impossible, this is Barry¡¯s dungeon, he said he was sent to us to kill as many as he could, so perhaps while he was attacking us the traitors went after Barry.¡±


    ¡°In any case, how do we get out of here before the dungeon collapses?¡±


    The dungeon itself seems to answer my question, because the wall behind the base camp that leads out of the dungeon then begins to collapse revealing the natural cave like tunnel. The shaking of the dungeon wakes the others that were sleeping, and even though we are this close to the exit and should have plenty of time to leave the dungeon we don¡¯t waste any time exiting it.


    Once we exit the cave it is still early enough that the sun hasn¡¯t even begun to rise yet, but even still we can tell something is wrong. The cave we just exited from is not the same one we went in. Instead of the mountainous Adra region that we should be in we instead exited from a cave in a small hill overlooking a wide plain¡­


    Many of us are confused and looking around while I quickly open the [Map] within the [Archjusticar Menu] and see that it is displaying us hundreds of miles away from the Adra mountain range and we are standing in the plains of Calhoun.


    ¡°Impossible, I checked the map multiple times! How did we end up in Calhoun?¡±


    Inari: ¡°We are in Calhoun?¡±


    ¡°That is what my map is saying now, but I never felt any effects of teleportation.¡±


    Ithros: ¡°Regardless we suffered quite a few losses, and we have now escaped, so I believe it is best to get as far away from here as possible for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Emery is still inside, and we can¡¯t just leave him behind.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Are we still under the effects of the traitor¡¯s item? If not perhaps you can use your [Menu] to see if he is still alright.¡±


    I start to open my [Menu] again, but before I am able to navigate to the proper screen, two dragons the size of a bear come barreling out of the cave entrance followed quickly behind is a third dragon with Emery on its back.


    Emery quickly jumps off his dragon and says. ¡°Damnit, which one of you found the crystal?!¡±


    ¡°None of us, the dungeon just started to collapse, so I guess that means you weren¡¯t the one responsible for the dungeon either.¡±


    Emery: ¡°I searched every inch of that dungeon, and I couldn¡¯t find it anywhere. Just when I gave up and started to leave is when the dungeon started falling apart.¡± ¨CHe says as he begins to look around noticing the same thing we did after exiting the dungeon.- ¡°Where the hell are we?¡±


    ¡°I think for now we should go somewhere a bit safer, and we can then discuss everything that happened. For now I think our best bet is to go to the neutral zone, because I should inform the other Elders what we discovered as well.¡±


    Everyone eventually agrees, but Ithros and Teku do not seem particularly happy when I ask Teku to shapeshift, as there just isn¡¯t enough room for Teku in her true form and everyone else as well. Everyone is making quite a bit of noise but we manage to make it to the neutral zone without problems.


    We apparently made enough noise though that our voices carried down the hall because the door to the waiting room flies open and Madam Erin is there with a startled, but relieved expression. We spend the next few hours catching Emery, and the Elders up with what had happened in the dungeon, and the Elders fill us in what has happened outside as well.


    When I tell them about Megan¡¯s disappearance they don¡¯t seem surprised, as they tell me about the real Megan¡¯s dungeon being destroyed over a month ago. It seems that the traitors were somehow able to stop the message about Megan¡¯s death from send out to the other dungeon cores allowing the imposter to take her place.


    Although Barry is still being closely monitored, they told us that we had apparently never even stepped foot inside of his dungeon, and the reason he was used as a scapegoat is not entirely clear. After discussing it we figure he was just one of the traitors targets and they were just using him, or perhaps it was the simplistic design of his dungeon that he was chosen, because it seems the traitors replicated every single point of his dungeon, so we wouldn¡¯t realize that the dungeon was a fake even with the [Archjusticar Menu].


    There is no information on how the traitors were able to get so much information on Barry¡¯s dungeon, and we still can¡¯t figure out how they were able to make a dungeon without a crystal, and were able to lock us inside of it.


    We start to send the other dungeon cores back to their own dungeons, and I can¡¯t help but worry about them, but it is not like being here protects their dungeons at all, so there is not really any other reason for them to remain here.


    After sending the others home the Elders tell me about the attack on my own dungeon, and I send Belinda and the others home as well to reassure Ceres and the others back home that we are alright. Apparently after the attack on my dungeon the traitors claimed a few more dungeon cores before losing another one of their own, and the attacks then abruptly stopped.


    We are not quite sure if it was due to some kind of a time constraint or what their reasoning was, but it seems to coincide with the time in which the lizardmen quit respawning in the dungeon we were trapped in as well.


    After figuring up the totals between the dungeon cores I lost, and the ones that died on the outside, it appears the traitors managed to double their dungeon core kill count in less than two days, and as for the two traitors that were killed, we don¡¯t know how valuable they were to their overall plan¡­


    With close to only 550 dungeon cores remaining things are not looking very good. Especially with my group, as our first attempt to hit the traitors back was nothing but a trap that we dove headlong into.


    By the time the time morning rolls around we have covered about everything we can, and although we still don¡¯t have a plan of action going forward, everyone is exhausted after 2 days of being on edge, so the Elders agree to regroup after everyone is able to get some rest.


    When I arrive home, I can only assume that the sun is already in the sky because a cold dreary winter day conceals it behind thick clouds that have begun to release large snowflakes over Tobes. As tired as I am the weather can¡¯t bring me down as I hold Rory in my arms while I try to catch Ceres up on what happened before falling asleep on the couch in the living room.

 Sandra

    After catching up on some much needed sleep, and spending time with Belinda and Rory I checking over things in the dungeon and found that even though Zelios never made it back to my dungeon he did accept my skill, so in addition to multiple new types of Lizardmen, one of which is the Lizardman monarch.


    Even though none of the situations we faced in the dungeon went as planned, and Zelios died just after I used my special skill, I did still receive a few justicar points for saving a sentient being from a wicked master. I also got a few more for the destruction of what [Menu] is calling an imitation dungeon.


    A dungeon with an imitation crystal is called a secondary dungeon, so I am not exactly sure what an imitation dungeon is, but it looks like the situation with the traitors is getting more and more complicated.


    That leaves me with a total of 21 justicar points, so I could create another dungeon core if I wanted, but at this point we might have to end up using these points to stop some of the traitors by binding their crystals, so it might be best to hold on to them for a while.


    I tried to speak with Akil and thank him for saving Ceres and my dungeon but he did little but grunt before rolling over to go back to sleep. The gear the dungeon core that attacked my dungeon had on him was a nice addition to the dungeon, but after just upgrading everyone¡¯s armor, it doesn¡¯t help us much other than unlocking those particular items to be summoned.


    Even though Akil isn¡¯t part of my dungeon since he killed the dungeon core within my dungeon, my [Dungeon Defender] skill also increased in rank. That provided a nice boost to my own abilities in addition to allowing me to force evolve another monster.


    It worked well for Desiree, but since I can¡¯t use it on any of the girls I guess I will just have to hold on to the remaining uses of the forced evolution. I still have a lot to talk over with the Elders, so I don¡¯t want to work of the dungeon to much right now, so after thanking the bunnies for their hard work as well, I return to the neutral zone.


    Since my return the traitors have not claimed any other dungeon cores, but I am not sure if that is a good thing because Laura has started to accuse me of working with the traitors. Even though she doesn¡¯t come out and agree with Laura, I am not so sure about Lucille either.


    Laura: ¡°Think about it! Dungeon Core #734 attacked his dungeon with clear instructions not to destroy his dungeon, and that sounds to me like he was just supposed to put up a good show to make it look like Two-Twelve was one of the targets.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Ceres and Two-Twelve did not try to keep that information from us, so if that was really the case why would they tell us about it. I just think whatever future plans the traitors have, they plan to use Two-Twelve¡¯s unique dungeon for something, so for now they are just attempting to weaken him.¡±


    Laura: ¡°I nearly forgot about you ¡°saving¡± him from when Hecate attacked his dungeon. How do we not know you are in on it as well?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°This is ridiculous¡­ Your little feud with Lucille is making you jittery. If Madam Erin and Two-Twelve were working with the traitors, they wouldn¡¯t be bothered by showing up to these pointless meetings. If anything it is you that has brought no information to the table, so who is to say you are not trying to shift the blame because you are working with the traitors?¡±


    ¡°Look! I am the only one that has made an effort to put a stop to the traitors, and I just lost a lot of people that put their trust in me, not to mention a lot of my own monsters in the process, so the last thing I would be doing is working with the traitors. The traitors have now killed over 200 dungeon cores, and the Elders can¡¯t keep sitting idly by. My group was a sound idea, but we just don¡¯t have enough dungeon cores with any considerable strength. If you want to put an end to these traitors then help me!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then you have a plan?¡±


    ¡°There are not many dungeon cores out there that have been around long enough to gain any considerable amount of strength. We need to do a better job of protecting those that are left.  I have already started to take steps in strengthening the younger dungeon cores of my group, but there are many others out there that could use our help.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°What good is that going to do? These traitors are strong enough to kill dungeon cores as strong as Maric, Faron, and Draco, so you honestly expect that providing assistance to weak dungeon cores is going to make any difference at all?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not right at first, but we wouldn¡¯t only be building their strength but building allies as well. I don¡¯t have all the answers, but I can only do what I know how, and unless someone else has a better idea that is all I got¡­¡±


    We continue to talk for quite a while, but even though they don¡¯t have any plans to join my group any time soon, they at least agree to start working a bit more amicably in the future, but before they leave Lucille and Laura are already at each other¡¯s throats again, so I don¡¯t know how well this is going to work.


    Dyson and Madam Erin stick around after the other two leave to speak more, so not to any surprise but it looks like it is down to the three of us again.


    ¡°Lucille and Laura are both so difficult. They either trying to kill one another or willing to die for one another, we need to end this conflict between them so that we can get all the Elders on the same page¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Their problem is they are too much alike. When Lucille was leagues ahead of Laura it was never a problem, but now that Laura has gained enough strength to stand up to Lucille, I don¡¯t see the situation coming to an end any time soon.¡±


    ¡°Lucille doesn¡¯t even care about the humans, so why is she so set on preventing Aaron from becoming king of Merretta? As long as Laura makes an agreement not to not use the Merretta army against Lucille it should not be a problem.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You¡¯re right, Lucille doesn¡¯t care about the humans, but she doesn¡¯t care to lose either. She may not have taken an active role in Merretta in centuries, but she still looks at it as having to concede Merretta to Laura.¡±


    ¡°Over 200 dungeon cores are dead! Can¡¯t they at least put their squabble behind them until we deal with the larger problem?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°This feud was started when the traitors used the Merretta king and then threw him away. I would say that having Lucille and Laura at each other¡¯s throats was part of their plan from the start, and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they are aggravating the situation behind the scenes to keep them busy.¡±


    ¡°Then the situation with me being stuck in the dungeon could have been for the same purpose¡­ I hate to say it but they may have used me to keep the two of you busy while taking out all those other dungeon cores.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I am tired of just reacting to the situations these traitors are causing!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If they are stirring things up in Merretta, maybe we should get involved. We can use the guise of ending the feud between Lucille and Laura to instead look for traitors that are pushing for it to continue.¡±


    ¡°Even if we don¡¯t find any traitors this way it would still be useful to end the feud. Merretta is an absolute power house in terms of military strength, but they are also the suppliers of many goods and items traded to other kingdoms. It may not look like it, but this civil war between Merretta is rippling out even causing problems everywhere not just in Merretta.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Mar and the other settlements of the Midden Badlands rarely ¡°buy¡± or ¡°trade¡± items from other kingdoms, and the only noticeable difference so far is the slave stockades have become full to capacity when people fleeing from Merretta get caught by the slave traders. I have however heard that many of the more powerful people fleeing from Merretta have begun trying to stake claims in Adra, by force if they have too.¡±


    ¡°Without anything else to go on with the traitors, I think this will be our best bet.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°The question is, who do we side with?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is simple Lucille might be useless, but she is the actual Elder, and Two-Twelve might finally be able to settle his score with Laura.¡±


    ¡°We need every powerful dungeon core we can get, and both Lucille and Laura qualify. Lucille might have years of experience, but the Merretta army doesn¡¯t answer to her. Laura and her King Aaron have Southern Merretta¡¯s army and if we can end this amicably all of Merretta¡¯s army behind them. The humans might not be much, but with the army the size of Merretta¡¯s, it could be quite useful against the traitors.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°For all your hatred towards Laura, every time she comes up you end up defending her.¡±


    ¡°For all that I hate about her, she knows how important the humans are to our future, and right now an army is what we need. If I can¡¯t put aside my differences with Laura, then how can I expect her and Lucille to do the same?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If we are going to try to end this peacefully we should split up the load, As much as Two-Twelve wishes to broker a peace I think he would still have better luck with Lucille, so he and I will speak with her, while Dyson, you try to speak to Laura.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We might agree that putting a stop to their fighting is important, but we are still looking for the traitors, so I am going to be looking for people trying to spark tensions in Merretta, you two should split up and deal with Lucille and Laura.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just bring them both back here and hash it out altogether¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°This isn¡¯t something that can be easily solved in a matter of a few hours. It is going to take a lot of convincing on either side before we can bring them together to settle it. Just remember this was your idea.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I am not entirely convinced you are not suggesting we handle Lucille and Laura, so you can spend more time with your entourage, but after recent events I will give you the benefit of the doubt this time.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have a reputation to maintain, so I ask you keep that matter strictly between the two of us¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?  Something didn¡¯t happen to Desiree or Angela, did it? We had an agreement.¡±


    Madam Erin laughs and says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry pup, Dyson¡¯s care of those two is within the best of his ability, I can promise you that.¡±


    Dyson scowls at Madam Erin while saying. ¡°They are temperamental and hard to deal with at times, but I have upheld our agreement. Now, I should start focusing on the task at hand, so excuse me.¡±


    Dyson then steps down from the podium and exits the room, but I can hear Angela happily call out to him from down the hallway, and before the door is completely shuts I can see her bury her head into his chest while wrapping her arms around him.


    Madam Erin: ¡°I have never seen Dyson treat any of his entourages the way he treats them two. Many of his girls have never seen the outside of his castle until he was bored of them, yet he doesn¡¯t go anywhere without them two anymore. I don¡¯t know how you managed to do it, but I would even go as far to say he genuinely cares about them.¡±


    ¡°Is that what he was worried about? He is afraid his reputation would be hurt if he shows real affection towards someone?¡±


    Madam laughs a deep belled laugh and says: ¡°No, he was speaking of something far more comical, but I assure you it isn¡¯t a matter that you have to be concerned about.¡±


    ¡°As long as you are sure¡­ Anyway, about Lucille, do you really think I stand a chance of convincing her to end the fighting between her and Laura?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Even though your strength is much less than that of the older dungeon cores, if there was one thing I was ever sure of, it is your ability to do the impossible. I think as long as you can convince her compromising with Laura would be her win, than you stand a decent chance. Laura on the other hand¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Laura will settle for anything less than all of Merretta, we just have to find a way to let Aaron take the throne while making Lucille think she is the one that is winning¡­¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Madam Erin: ¡°And that is why Dyson said this won¡¯t be an easy task¡­¡±


    The door of the room opens back up and I see Angela¡¯s head peek though before I hear her say. ¡°No, he is still here, so can I?¡±


    Even from this distance I can hear Dyson¡¯s sigh as he says yes. Angela then bounds into the room shutting the door behind her before she says. ¡°If it isn¡¯t too much trouble do you mind if I speak with Two-Twelve for a moment?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I think we are about done here, so I guess that is up to him.¡± ¨CShe says as she pats me on the shoulder, which never fails to almost make my knees buckle from the strength she puts behind it. She then steps down from the podium before heading for the door.-


    ¡°Is there something the matter?¡±


    Angela: ¡°I just wished to ask you a few questions if that is alright?¡±


    ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­¡±


    Angela then waits till Madam Erin leaves and the door is completely closed. I meanwhile step down from the podium myself, but before I make it too far she quickly flies right at me stopping inches away from me as she whispers. ¡°Please, can you tell me about Sandra?¡±


    ¡°Sandra¡­?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Shhh!¡± ¨CShe quickly hushes me and looks behind her at the door before whispering back to me.- ¡°That beastkin woman that adventurers with your sister-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I have seen her around a few times when Tanya brings her around, but I can¡¯t say I know her¡­¡±


    Angela: ¡°What is her deal with Master? I know there has to be something, because I saw the way he looked at her, and he won¡¯t let Desiree into that part of his head.¡±


    ¡°All I can tell you is she showed up in Tobes one day to train to become an adventurer, with a weapon, armor, and gold that she got from Dyson. She sold the weapon and armor when she realized she was better suited to be a mage, but that is about all I know.¡±


    Angela: ¡°That¡¯s all you know¡­?¡±


    ¡°She kept a necklace that Dyson gave her, which I thought was kind of odd, because I didn¡¯t think Dyson was the type to give jewelry, but I never given any thought before now.¡±


    Angela: ¡°You don¡¯t think he was in love with her do you?¡±


    ¡°Dyson is a man of lust not love.¡±


    Angela: ¡°That is not true! He loved his wife.¡±


    ¡°And he never let her go, and I think for that is a big reason he won¡¯t ever love again. He has spent 100 years trying to recreate her, and even though Sofia not only shared her name, but from what I understand a near perfect resemblance she still wasn¡¯t enough for him.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Something about this Sandra is special. You put a lot of effort into the agreement with Master to make sure I was happy, so if you are really concerned about my happiness can you promise me you will at least look into it for me?¡±


    ¡°I asked a lot of unfair things of you after you were summoned, so if this is what you want, then I will see what I can do.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Thank you, and promise me you won¡¯t talk to Master about it.¡±


    ¡°I promise¡­¡±


    She thanks me again and then quickly heads out the door¡­ Angela seemed pretty troubled by this Sandra girl, but after all the entourages and women Dyson has had over the years, I wonder why this is the one that is bothering her.


    Since Sandra adventures with Tanya and Exavier it isn¡¯t like it would be too hard to ask her a few questions, so if this puts Angela¡¯s mind at ease, I guess it is the least I can do. I do have other pressing matters to attend to though, so I don¡¯t know when I will be able to tell her what I find out.


    I head back to the house and catch up Belinda and Ceres on what happened with the meeting. It is too late to head to Merretta today, so maybe I can ask Tanya to invite Sandra to dinner this evening and get that out of the way while I am at it.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    I didn¡¯t sleep very well last night, I don¡¯t know why I reacted the way that I did. I was the one that said I didn¡¯t want to get further involved, but when I saw him again after all this time, and with those two beautiful women, I couldn¡¯t help to feel abandoned and jealous.


    He was never unclear about the type of man he was and I know I was being ridiculous but after speaking with Tanya afterwards I at least know his name now¡­ I am not sure what Tanya said was true or not though, because being the descendant of a hero makes since when he saved me from the dungeon, but he had a dungeon of his own.


    Then there is Sofia¡­ Even though I told her what I experienced, I never got a straight answer out of her association with Dyson, but when I was with him and he told me about summoning women to try to replace his lost wife, so I could only assume she was once of those women.


    At first I thought the knowledge she had about dungeons was because she was created by Dyson, but once I started to see how things worked here in Tobes with the dungeon up in the mountain I began to have my doubts.


    Everything always comes back to Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law. At first I thought he was like Dyson, but after what happened yesterday I am not so sure. I have only spoken to him a few times when I went to his house to meet with Tanya and Exavier, or when we all bumped into him in town, but I did get the same impression of him as I did of Dyson.


    I think either he is the master of the dungeon up in the mountain or that rabbit beastkin Lilah is. If it is her, she could be using Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law to keep tabs on Tobes. The great hero Dyson¡¯s descendant, Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law, and the leader of the Mage¡¯s Guild Ceres, they are all deeply tied to the dungeons.


    Tanya: ¡°Are you still thinking about Dyson? Who would have thought your mystery man was the hero¡¯s descendant.¡±


    ¡°No¡­Well, I mean I guess I am, but not in the way you are thinking.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I knew it. You always fidget with that necklace of yours when he is brought up in the conversation.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize¡­¡± ¨CI say as I notice that I was subconsciously playing with the necklace Dyson had given me.-


    Tanya: ¡°Forget about him! You saw those women that were with him, and that should tell you the kind of man he is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that I promise.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Good, because now that my sister and her husband have returned she is throwing a dinner party, she wanted me to invite you, and I can¡¯t have you dragging down Exavier and my reputations by being depressed all evening.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Your brother-in-law wants me to join you for dinner?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°They have these dinner parties all the time, and my sister probably wanted to invite you since you have been with Exavier and me this whole time.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think this has to do with what happened up in the dungeon do you?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Well they do like to stay in the loop with things that happen in the dungeon, but Ceres usually shows up for these dinners as well, and she would be able to tell them far more then we could.¡±


    ¡°What about Lilah. Will she be there?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I don¡¯t know, all of those rabbits that my sister takes care of pretty much come and go as they please. My sister says she has them doing easy commissions for Tobes, and that keeps them pretty busy.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think that is strange?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°My sister and her husband are always taking in strays and giving them a hand, so not really¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to do with my suspicions about the dungeons, but now that I am going to have dinner with them all I can¡¯t say that I am not feeling quite nervous. What if Dyson told them about me and now they are wondering if I know too much¡­


    Tanya: ¡°It isn¡¯t that big of a deal, if you don¡¯t feel like going, I can just tell them you weren¡¯t up for it.¡±


    ¡°What if that just makes them more suspicious of me?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Suspicious of what¡­? Are you sure you are feeling alight? You have been acting strangely ever since you saw Dyson again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be alright¡­ Like you said they have these dinners all the time, right?¡± ¨CI say with a nervous laugh.-


    Tanya: ¡°Yes, and my sister is actually a surprisingly good cook, even her husband isn¡¯t too shabby, just don¡¯t eat anything if it was made by Zoey. The way Zoey talks I wouldn¡¯t exactly trust where her ingredients came from¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not making me feel any better about the situation¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°It will be fine.¡±


    After what happened in the dungeon yesterday the Adventurer¡¯s Guild held a wake for the thirty plus fallen adventurers, so we didn¡¯t know Maurice very well, but we decided not to go to the dungeon and attend for his sake at least.


    After it was over there was no point in going to the dungeon today, so we have been taking the day off, so that hasn¡¯t helped my mind from wandering, but now instead of thinking about Dyson I am worrying about this dinner with Tanya¡¯s family.


    Maybe I am just looking too much into it. I have gotten to know Tanya and Exavier pretty well since we began our training, and they have been living with Tanya¡¯s sister since they arrived, so if something was off with Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law, they would have noticed it by now.


    That at least puts me at ease long enough to make it until the time we are to meet for dinner, but as I start to get ready for the dinner I start to worry for a different reason¡­ Tanya often says things that remind me that she is a princess, but for the most part I forget that Exavier and Tanya are royalty.


    This is going to be a dinner with princes and princesses, even Ceres is the leader of the Mages Guild, and so I realize I don¡¯t have the first clue as to what I am even supposed to wear. We spend all our time training in the dungeon, so I haven¡¯t really gotten any nice clothes.


    I wear a heavy leather reinforced robe that protects me and my clothing when we are training, but it isn¡¯t perfect, so every outfit I own has mended at least once. Funding isn¡¯t even the issue, because even after buying a small cottage in Tobes I made enough gold by selling that rapier and armored dress that Dyson gave me that I am still living off that.


    It is too late to have something fitted, but I might be able to find something to at least get by with, so I quickly head to a clothing shop. It is the middle of winter, so most of the clothing is what you would expect, but that means there is nothing one would think to wear to a dinner with royalty.


    I manage to find a dress, but it is rather light for this time of year, the size of it is off, and it is made for a human, so there is no place for my tail, but it is all I can do on such a short notice. The only advantage is that since it is out of season I get it quite a discounted price. Even still it is the most expensive clothing I have ever bought with the exception of the armored robe I wear for combat.


    I quickly head back home and get changed. The dress looks pretty ridiculous, and it is a bit uncomfortable with my tail being bound up like it is, but I just have to make it through tonight, so I am just going to have to make it work.


    The dress has no sleeves or back, in fact if it was cut just a bit lower in the back my tail wouldn¡¯t be in such a bind, but I don¡¯t want to risk ripping the dress either. Walking in the cold winter evening is enough to make me shiver, and that doesn¡¯t help keep the dress on as I am practically having to pull it back up after every other step or risk falling out of it¡­


    I however eventually make it to Tanya¡¯s sister¡¯s house and knock on the door. The door is answered by the house¡¯s maid and I am quickly escorted inside.


    Vetala: ¡°Oh you poor dear, you look positively frozen¡­ The house has a furnace so stand right here, and I will Master know you have arrived.¡± ¨CShe says while directing me to a small panel on the wall.-


    The maid opens the panel and I can feel the warm air pouring out of the wall¡­ I was impressed with my little cottage, but this place in on a whole other level, but I guess that shows you the difference in royalty and normal people.


    I don¡¯t have any objections standing next to the wall as the heat allows me to regain the feeling in my extremities. The maid then leaves the room while I continue to keep trying to warm myself up by the panel on the wall while continuing to pull my dress back up.


    I then hear Tanya call to me from the top of the stairs, as she starts to make her way down them wearing a normal winter outfit... ¡°Sandra¡­? What are you wearing?¡±


    ¡°You said it was a dinner party, I didn¡¯t know what else to wear¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°It¡¯s just dinner. You should have just worn your normal clothes¡­¡±


    ¡°Now you tell me¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Did you walk all the way here in the cold, in that dress? I will ask my sister to teleport you back home after dinner. I don¡¯t want to find you frozen to the road tomorrow morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°The dining room is right through here, but it looks like you would be more comfortable waiting right there for a while, so I am going to go see how long it is going to be till dinner is ready.¡± ¨CShe says then heads through a set of double doors leading to where she said the dining room is.-


    After a few minutes I have warmed up enough to no longer cling to the panel on the wall, so take a seat on one of the benches next to the stairs. I have waiting for Tanya and Exavier here a few times before, but I never realized just how little there is in this room.


    I mean it is just the entryway, but there is no artwork, or portraits hanging from the wall only a few generic tapestries. I start to grow restless again, and then the doors to the dining room open up as Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law, joins me in the entryway.


    ¡°Thank you for inviting me to dinner¡­¡± ¨CI nervously say.-


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I see there was be bit of miscommunication between Tanya and you about dinner, but don¡¯t feel bad, it took me a long time to get used to things myself. Your dress is quite lovely though¡­ I also brought something to help warm you up.¡± ¨CHe says while handing me cup of coffee.-


    I have started to warm up a bit but the heat from the coffee cup in my hands feels wonderful just the same. I take small sip from the coffee, but even though it is very strong, it is also very sweet. I must have made an odd face because Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law quickly apologizes.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Sorry about that, I don¡¯t usually put sugar in my coffee, but the girls usually do, so I didn¡¯t know how much to put in it¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite alright, really.¡± ¨CI say with a weak smile and take another sip.-


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself. We can get you another cup in a minute, but I just wanted to know if it would be alright if I could have a word with your before dinner?¡±


    ¡°You went through the trouble of inviting me here, so it would be rude for me to refuse.¡± ¨CI say nervously and take another sip of the overly sweet coffee.-


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Of course not, you have been a big help to Tanya and Exavier, and if we hadn¡¯t been so busy this year we probably would have invited you much sooner.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what to say so I just take another sip of the coffee¡­


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Well, maybe I should have made the time, but Sofia said you were doing well, and you had Tanya and Exavier with you so I let things go for probably too long. You see I heard Dyson was the one that sent you our way, and I guess you can say Dyson is kind of a friend of mine, so maybe I should have checked in on you a  bit more¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it is quite alright¡­ I only learned of Dyson¡¯s name yesterday after bumping in to him again. The truth is I only met him for a short time before coming here, so I don¡¯t know much about him, he just gave me a fresh start when I needed it.¡±


    I really don¡¯t know much about Dyson, so maybe if I can convince him of that, I can put him at ease and he won¡¯t think I know too much about the dungeon up in the mountain¡­


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry, but that in itself is quite strange to me, especially giving Dyson¡¯s personality¡­¡±


    Well that backfired¡­ I nervously take another sip of the coffee before I say. ¡°I was in a bad spot, Dyson saved my life, and he was quite the charming man, so we¡­¡± I then take another sip of the coffee while blushing.


    Two-Twelve: ¡°That¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to say anything else¡­ Like I said I know Dyson quite, so I figured as much, but that is the part that leaves me confused. No offense, but Dyson has a bit of a problem with beastkin women¡­¡±


    ¡°He had those two beastkin women with him yesterday.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Exactly. I know we barely know each other, but from what I can figure you are the reason he no longer hates beastkin women and I am not trying to say you¡¯re not a special young woman, but I was curious what made you special to Dyson¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ That is what this is about?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ To be honest I owe one of those young ladies in a big way, and she knows you are special to Dyson, but I think she is a little jealous, because she doesn¡¯t know why. She asked me if I could find out from you.¡±


    I take a big swig of the coffee and then breathe out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°With the situation that brought Dyson and I together, it just helped Dyson realize something about himself, and I am not special to him as much as just a reminder of that realization. You can tell her she has nothing to worry about from me, I promise.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I am not sure I understand, but I will let her know. Now, why don¡¯t we go get some dinner.¡±

 Speaking with Lucille

    Worrying about what was going to happen to me prevented me from getting too embarrassed, but now that I realized I was overthinking things, I can¡¯t only help be a bit embarrassed about everything that has happened up until now.


    Tanya told me it was going to be a dinner party, but to be honest I had no idea what to expect so with Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law leads me into the dining room I am quite surprised, and even more embarrassed about this stupid dress.


    Not only is the dining room full of people, they are all dressed casually except me¡­ As Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law escorts me to my seat and pushes it forward for me after I sit, I almost fall out of my dress again and I quickly have to grab it and pull it back up.


    The sight doesn¡¯t go unnoticed either, Tanya¡¯s brother Doug quickly blushes and adverts his gaze which seems to upset his beastkin companion, and a canine beastkin gives me a big toothy grin before the other canine beastkin with a baby boy bouncing in her lap, sitting next to her slaps her in the shoulder.


    I have seen everyone around, and there isn¡¯t a person in Tobes that doesn¡¯t have their own strange rumors about this household, but even though I have never personally met many of them, I have heard a lot about them from Tanya.


    Tanya quickly begins introducing me to everyone, and it is quite literally a who¡¯s who, of Tobes. There is the Mayor and her family, Roxy, Zoey, and their son who are not only some of the strongest adventurers in town but also the source of a lot of rumors of their own.


    Then there is practically half of the Gowen Royal Family present and Exavier the prince of Exeter of course. The leader of the Mage¡¯s Guild who is also the headmaster of the college, Ceres, and even Sofia is here. There is Tobes¡¯s legendary dwarven blacksmith Katie, and even Azami, who was the biggest surprise, she is very rarely seen in Tobes and is said to be an elven witch that lives up in the forest with her apprentice Moss¡­


    Then there is the bunny sisters. There are plenty of rumors floating around Tobes about them as well. It is said Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law bought the oldest one as a slave, and periodically another one would just show up.


    It doesn¡¯t appear that all of them are here right now though, there is one sitting on either side of the witch¡¯s apprentice, and the oldest one Lilah is sitting to the side of Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law. If I am remembering correctly that still leaves three more that are not here.


    When Dyson spoke of summoning women, I had my doubts until I met Sofia, but if my suspicions of the dungeon are true it would make perfect sense. The bunny sisters are all different ages but no one would doubt they are sisters, even though some of them are normal beastkin and some are feral beastkin.


    I guess that is not impossible if one of their parents was a feral rabbit beastkin and the other was a normal rabbit beastkin, but I think my dungeon idea is more likely. Everyone is being so nice to me, but I still can¡¯t help feeling a little nervous when one of the bunny sisters or Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law speaks directly to me.


    If anyone asked for proof that the Gowen¡¯s didn¡¯t discriminate against one¡¯s race, all they would need to do is take one look at this room. Humans, beastkin, elves, and even a dwarf all treating each other like family, it makes me even wonder why I thought they were dangerous.


    After introducing me to everyone Tanya asks her sister. ¡°I was going to introduce Sandra to everyone but where are Lylah, Lila, and Leila? Are they still doing commissions this late?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They insist on providing for themselves, and that can be difficult when you only do errand commissions. Maybe they will get done before Sandra has to go.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I swear you can never get all six of them together at one time¡­ And Bell, was she busy as well?¡±


    Scylla: ¡°She left work early today to get ready for her date tonight, so I doubt she is going to make it to dinner.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Get out! Bell actually going on a date? Who is he?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I was just as surprised as you. Apparently they met when she went with Two-Twelve when they went to the¡­Well, on their last trip. He is one of Inari¡¯s¡­ Servants, I think she said his name was You.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°His name is Ryuu, and he is a perfect gentlemen, he even came to ask Two-Twelve permission to ask her on a date. It reminded me of when Kline and Scylla first started dating.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°That behemoth of beastkin that was with Inari? Woof¡­¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You can¡¯t really blame her. He risked his life and suffered all those wounds while carrying her through all those Lizardmen. Not many men could carry Bell, but he did it with one arm while defending her with the other. I could only wish my own spouse would be half as romantic as that!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I could carry you and Wolfic in one arm!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°You would have to, because the other hand would be full of food!¡±


    Everyone then laughs and Zoey doesn¡¯t refute it and nods her head almost like she is agreeing¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to pry, but you said Lizardmen, does that mean you were completing a commission?¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°That¡¯s perfectly fine, and to answer your question was yes. There was a large group of lizardmen that were causing problems, and we were asked to deal with them.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Large group my tail! It was practically an army!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Zoey!¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s why we took plenty of help along with us, and don¡¯t worry about the Lizardmen, none of them were like the ones in the demi-human village in the dungeon.¡±


    Most people wouldn¡¯t give a second thought about lizardmen being dangerous monsters, but Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law seems to make a point of them not being like the demi-humans in the village up in the dungeon. That does make me wonder if there is a difference in the normal lizardmen and the ones living in the demi-human village.


    Tanya: ¡°That¡¯s too bad, we have been trying to get the help of one of the lizardmen for a couple days now, but all the ones that are allowed to travel with adventurers are gone before we make it up to the dungeon.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I don¡¯t know how the demi-humans find this place, but it seems there are always new demi-humans turning up in the village, so who knows? Maybe more lizardmen will show up before too long.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°As long as friendly and not like the ones we had to fight¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Speaking of the Demi-human village, I know you and Doug have asked the demi-humans to stay in the dungeon, not only for Tobes¡¯s safety, but for theirs as well, but I was talking to Sofia about expanding the adventurer part of the college, and it would be quite helpful if a few of the demi-humans could come speak to the newer students.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I don¡¯t know if any of the demi-humans could communicate well enough to speak with new adventurers¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Maybe a few of the sylphs? They seem smart enough, and they are not as intimidating as some of the other demi-humans.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°It sounds like a big risk¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I am sure the college could make a generous donation to the soldier¡¯s garrison, and they could spare a few soldiers to escort a few demi-humans to the college in the morning, and back to their village in the evening. We could align it with the shift change, and it would only be 100ft out of their way tops.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°You know what you are asking¡­?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°We want the adventurers to differentiate between normal monsters and demi-humans, so I think the earlier we can introduce them to demi-humans the better.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Doug, help me out here¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ The garrison could stand to get a few additions, maybe some private quarters for the senior staff¡­? Having to go rent a room at the inn a couple times of week just for some privacy, is quite a pain.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°You know you and Aria are welcome to stay here any time¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I can draw up some plans, and as soon as you approve them, I can have builders begin working as soon as you sign off on it!¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°You are also not considering if the demi-humans would even be willing to do something like that¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You wanted the Demi-humans to be welcome in Tobes, and if this isn¡¯t the safest possible first step, I don¡¯t know what is¡­¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Fine, but only if they agree, and only the sylph or the gnomes for now. We don¡¯t need to scare the townsfolk with the lizardmen or imps, and surely don¡¯t want one of the gremlins to get away from the soldiers and wreaking havoc in Tobes¡­¡±


    Tanya: ¡°I am interested to see what a class with one of the gnomes or sylph would be like¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You know the Gowen family can take any courses they want, so we would be glad to see you there.¡±


    Tanya looks to me and then says. ¡°I don¡¯t know, we still have a long way to go on our training.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Don¡¯t even worry about it. Sandra is practically family already, so you can all come.¡±


    ¡°E-eh? The courses are expensive, I couldn¡¯t do that!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about it. I hear the headmaster is a real softy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Speaking of your training, how are those animals working out for you Tanya? A dull blade is an adventurer¡¯s worst nightmare, but you have so much more to worry about when your weapons are living breathing animals.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Those figurines you gave me have been a real life saver, I have been sealing them in the figurines between battles like you suggested, and not only does it make transporting them so much easier, but they heal exceptionally fast like that.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°I thought you were just keeping them out of town because of their size, what are these figurines you are talking about?¡±


    Tanya: ¡°They are quite amazing! Ceres said since the animals were summoned with magic I could use these figurines that she gave me to seal them inside of it, and it has really made them far easier to deal with.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°Did she now¡­ I would like to take a good look at one of these figurines sometime.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I made them special for Tanya, but I guess I could make you one as well.¡±


    Two-Twelve: ¡°¡­I¡¯d like that.¡±


    Tanya has been using the figurines for months now, and the new has already worn off for us, but I guess it was a big shock to Tanya¡¯s brother-in-law, because he seemed quite curious, and even though he wore a smile while talking to Ceres, the feeling I got from the conversation made me a bit uncomfortable...


    Ceres however just flashes a genuine smile before telling Tanya. ¡°And don¡¯t forget to bring them to the college every so often so I can make sure they are doing ok.¡±


    Tanya: ¡°Of course.¡±


    Dinner progresses and I get to know everyone a bit better, and before I know it is already late into the night. I got to meet the other three bunny sisters, later in the evening, but as soon as they were around the other three were nowhere to be found.


    I don¡¯t think there is a doubt in my mind that they are watching over the dungeon in some way, but after tonight, I don¡¯t think that even matters to me anymore. I ended up greatly enjoying myself, but by the time Belinda teleports me home, I quickly shed the deathtrap of a dress I bought, curl up in my bed, and go to sleep.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    Dinner last night was kind of a strange experience, I don¡¯t know if I got the information that Angela wanted, but it was the best I could do. After Sandra and I talked we ate dinner and Sandra started to feel more comfortable around everyone and by the end of the evening everyone was laughing and having a good time.


    I am a little worried about the demi-humans venturing out of the dungeon, but like Belinda said, as long as they have soldiers escorting them there is not much that could happen to them. I am curious about these figurines Ceres gave Tanya.


    Tanya believes the animals Ceres summoned for her were summoning magic, but I know she just summoned them with her dungeon. If Ceres has items that she can store and transport dungeon monsters in, this is quite a shocking bit of news.


    When I woke up this morning I had received a quite angry message from Bandy, claiming we had abandoned her in the dungeon. She was the one that chose to go off on her own, and when Emery exited the dungeon and she still hadn¡¯t, I only assumed the worst.


    I try to explain that to her, but Bandy has always been difficult to deal with. In hindsight a look at the monsters list in [Menu] would have shown me their group was still alive, but that list has grown so large that it makes sorting through it kind of difficult. I do however scan through it now to make sure none of my other monsters that disappeared in that dungeon are still alive somewhere.


    Bandy¡¯s group however is the only one that seems to have made it, other than the ones that were already with us. After leaving the dungeon they apparently found their way to the Calhoun Capital, so I [Gate] there to retrieve them.


    Bandy looks to still be in a bad mood when I arrive and she quickly says. ¡°You have wasted enough of our valuable time now, so why don¡¯t you take us back to where we were before this stupid dungeon.¡±


    ¡°The others are all still resting in Tobes, and we have lost quite a few people, so we are going to have to reorganize the groups before sending everyone back out again.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Our group is just fine how it is. There is no reason to waste our time any further.¡±


    Kit: ¡°I always remained with your group because of the results, but I warned you what your refusal of Master¡¯s orders could cause, I will find another group in which to put my services to better use, and I implore the rest of you to do the same before Bandy costs you your life.¡±


    Suzie: ¡°He is right Bandy, I do appreciate all you have done for us, but this time it was just too much¡­¡±


    Chase: ¡°I thought we settled this in the dungeon!¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Let them go, You, Bradford, Corrie, and I are more than enough!¡±


    Bradford: ¡°Corrie and I are with you, but it would be nice to take a break like the other groups do every now and then¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°What do you think we have been doing the last few days? That dungeon was a pushover!¡±


    Chase: ¡°It¡¯s just a few days Bandy¡­ What could it hurt?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°You are already much too soft, the last thing you need is to become lazy on top of it!¡±


    ¡°I will settle this. I am making it an order for you to return to Tobes to rest for a few days. Of course, I won¡¯t force you to follow that order, but after what happened in the dungeon, ignoring two orders like this will not be tolerated. If you stay, then you are on your own, and I take that as your choice to be unbound from my dungeon.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°You are threatening to kick us out just because we don¡¯t want to take a break?¡±


    ¡°Your group has done a lot of good for the dungeon, but if you can¡¯t even be bothered to follow a simple order like taking a break, then I can¡¯t afford to have you as a liability to my dungeon either.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Fine! We can find another dungeon to take us on as boss monsters, and finally get a bit of the respect we deserve!¡±


    After she says that several of the others have begun to get nervous and Bradford is the first to speak up. ¡°Listen Bandy, I said Corrie and I are with you, and we are, but I am not willing to go that far. If you wish to be unbound from the dungeon, count us out.¡±


    Corrie: ¡°Chase is right. A few days really can¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°He left us behind and forgot about us, but I have been there for you through all the battles and scrapes we have gotten into, and yet you are still going to choose him over me?!¡±


    Bradford: ¡°Some of those battles were unnecessary and instigated by you. Not that I can complain, I would be willing to follow you into battle almost anywhere, but at the end of the day Master is still Master, but the benefits of being one of his monsters far outweigh the little he asks of us, and it¡¯s not likely would find another dungeon that would give us this much freedom.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Fine! We will take your stupid break, but remember when one of the other groups surpasses us in power, that I warned you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a competition¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°For you maybe. You profit from our work either way.¡±


    ¡°I have a lot to do, so if we could head back now I would appreciate it, and after a few days when I get the chance, we will go over everything with the groups and get you back to gathering xp if that is what you want.¡±


    I then use [Gate] and everyone steps through it albeit Bandy does it a bit begrudgingly. I really need to get to Lucille¡¯s dungeon to speak with her, but if I can¡¯t even get my own house in order how am I supposed to convince Lucille of anything?


    I send a message to Lucille that I would like to speak to her about the situation between her and Laura, but instead of trying to force the issue I decide to check on my remaining group members while I wait for a reply.


    All the dungeon cores are quite rattled, and I can¡¯t really blame them because not only did I walk into a trap head first, but from the outside, I am sure it doesn¡¯t look good because Bella, Emery, and Ithros are all exceptional dungeon cores so it makes since they made it out of the dungeon, but out of all the other dungeon cores that made it out, it was only those who I have close ties to.


    I wonder if even that was part of the traitors plan¡­ Maybe I am just looking too much into it, as Zelios did seem to target Maeve several times. He did fail both times when other dungeon cores much stronger then Maeve perished, and I still have no answers as to why Megan, or whoever she was, saved Queen before disappearing either.


    Maybe it wasn¡¯t only the others trust in me, but my trust in others they were trying to break as well. I started this task out to build trust in the dungeon cores and hit back at the traitors, but it has had the opposite effect. Even Kenta says that he will stay on as long as Inari asks him too, but asks me not to call on him for help again, and Emery didn¡¯t even respond to my message.


    Some of the others look like they are having doubts about being part of my group as well, but with all the other dungeon core deaths on top of the ones I took with me, they are just as afraid to lose the information my group provides as much as they are afraid of staying on.


    It seems the only dungeon cores that do still have faith in me are my daughters, Queen, Ceres, and Ithros, even if I am starting to have doubts if I am even deserving of such. I guess that just means I am going to have to do a better job, and become worthy of the faith they have placed in me.


    Not long after finishing up with the other dungeon cores, I begin figuring up my xp, so that I can start replacing some of the xp groups that I lost, but Lucille surprises me by sending a reply.


    Lucille: (The matters between Laura and I are personal, and in no way effect the Elders, so it is of none of your concern. However, the grudge you have against Laura, and your way of thinking might be useful to me for the moment. I will not allow you to exact your revenge on Laura, but if you can settle for putting her in her place, then there might be something you can do for me.)


    Not exactly what I had in mind, but it is a way in at least, so I send her a message back telling I am willing to meet with her and hear her out.


    Lucille gathers xp from the Merretta capital, like I do Tobes, so of course it is part of her dungeon, as is the castle that was half destroyed with I was here last time, but to say I have been inside Lucille¡¯s actual dungeon, this is a first.


    It is nothing less than you would expect being under the castle, it appears to be just part of the basement, but even though my map in [Archjusticar Menu] doesn¡¯t show the dungeon itself I can tell by me elevation that I am about 100 floors down, so I can only assume I am in the deepest part of her dungeon.


    This section of her dungeon must be where she spends her time, and although I don¡¯t think she has many visitors here, it doesn¡¯t look much different the castle at the surface. The only difference being there are high level monsters in the likes to which I have never seen within every room we pass, each of which have their doors wide open as to make a point for me to see what is inside¡­


    I don¡¯t know if it is always this way, she is just going for a show of power, or if she actually thinks I might try something, but any way you look at it I can¡¯t help but feel a bit intimidated. Even the way she carries herself as she leads me though the corridors is a much more intimidating presence then she usually gives off at the neutral zone.


    ¡°You know, there wasn¡¯t a need for all this, I could have used [Gate] to arrive right where you wanted to speak at instead of having to walk there.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I might be asking you to help me, but let just say this should put the differences between us into perspective.¡±


    ¡°Trust me. I know full well the difference in our strengths.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Then think of it as a refresher, so that you do not become like Laura, and forget your place.¡±


    Lucille then leads me to a room that is identical to the waiting room at the neutral zone, down to even the color and patterns on the fabric of the couches and chairs. There is one obvious difference however, and that is like the other rooms this one has 10 armed guards lining the walls.


    The armor is made from the same material that mine is, but it appears to be of a higher quality. They are full sets of full-plate armor, even with helmets that cover every inch of the head. Even though they are all making subtle movements like the rise and fall of ones breathing, I can¡¯t be entirely sure what kind of creature is inside of them.


    They are roughly one and half times the size of a normal human, but all ten of them are identical and are without any defining feature that might lead you to believe they are anything other than human, except for their size.


    Lucille instructs me to sit down on one of the couches and then sits across from me in a large arm chair, leaning back and crossing her legs with a sense of haughtiness that goes far behind her normal attitude.


    Lucille: ¡°At first I thought the solution was quite simple, if King Aaron were to die, Laura would lose her claim to the throne, and the humans would continue to fight and bicker among themselves until a new king carves their way into leadership.¡±


    ¡°Aaron¡¯s death wouldn¡¯t be the end of the civil war, in fact it would probably only make it worse, because the alliances would fracture even further while each one tries to replace the royal family with their own leader.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care what human thinks they are in charge of Merretta, just as long as it isn¡¯t one Laura controls. The more humans that kill each other fighting for the throne could only benefit me by providing me with more xp. However, I have learned that Laura has enthralled the humans in such a way that even at Aaron¡¯s death they would rally behind her in his name. She could then place any stooge she wanted on the throne while maintaining control.¡±


    ¡°So what exactly was it you thought I could help with?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°If killing Aaron won¡¯t help, I just need to see to it Southern Merretta loses the civil war. I sent out groups of monsters to take out the attacking Southern Merretta soldiers, but there have been several instances of the Merretta soldiers encountering them first and it has had the opposite effect. Laura has turned this into a fight with humans, and if I don¡¯t do the same I might win the battles but still lose the war. Dealing with humans isn¡¯t exactly my forte, and Laura has become quite efficient at it, so if Merretta is going to win the war I need a human expert of my own.¡±


    ¡°I am hardly an expert of human wars, Laura knew you didn¡¯t pay attention to the humans and she used that to her own advantage by setting this up the way she did. The fact the traitors took out the Aaron¡¯s father and brother only helped her plan.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I don¡¯t care what her plan is. We just need to stop it!¡±


    ¡°The problem is Laura is right. Aaron is the rightful king of Merretta, and as far as kings go, he isn¡¯t a bad one. The only problem I have with the way he runs things is the things that Laura dictates. The people of Merretta know Aaron is the rightful king, but they are used to the way things were with his father, and that is the only reason they are fighting back.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°None of that matters to me!¡±


    ¡°Well it should! There are plenty of people in power in Merretta right now that would lose everything under Aaron¡¯s rule, so among those people, they are either taking the masses of gold they have horded and are fleeing Merretta, or they are using that gold to fight to preserve the way things are. Those who are fighting will only continue to do so as long as they still see the profit in it. If at any point they don¡¯t they will cut ties and run as well.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Then how do we stop Aaron from taking over Merretta?¡±


    ¡°At this point I think it is inevitable, the war might continue for years, but that won¡¯t benefit anyone. If you truly don¡¯t care about the humans and even more so if you do, I don¡¯t think you should be focusing on how to stop Aaron from reuniting Merretta, but how you can quickly turn it into your advantage.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°That is unacceptable!¡±


    ¡°Right now the nobles of Merretta are paying the normal citizens of Merretta large amounts of gold to protect their way of life, but like I said, once that starts cutting into their profit their generosity will come to an end, and the normal citizens will start taking Aaron¡¯s side. If it reaches that point before you act Merretta will become Laura¡¯s and you will have nothing to show for it, but if you act before then and help her reunite Merretta, you can concede the human kingdom you don¡¯t even care about for something far more valuable.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know your motivations, but Aaron plans to remain in Uthaira making it the new capital of Merretta, but the castle here is in quite a sorry state, and it will only be a matter of time until people realize your dungeon us under the castle. You could help Aaron reunite Merretta and in exchange you can choose the duke that fixes up the castle, maybe turn it into a soldiers training facility so you can gain the xp from those who would train here, or any other numerous ways to it into a massive boost in the xp you acquire, and all the while Laura would be indebted to you for your assistance.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Laura would still be in control of Merretta.¡±


    ¡°In control of the humans of Merretta, something you yourself have said that you care nothing about. You are looking at this as she is trying to take something away from you, but it is something you didn¡¯t care about until she tried taking it. If you are the one that starts the negotiations, offering it up to her in exchange for your own demands, then no matter what you get out of it, you will still win¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°If you are so confident that Merretta¡¯s army will lose then why would she even agree to negotiate to begin with?¡±


    ¡°Because like I said it could take years and countless resources on her part during that time. There is also the fact you said I couldn¡¯t get revenge on her, and you talked about killing Aaron, but never her. As this draws out you may change your mind, and I am sure she doesn¡¯t want to risk that happening either.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°And what are you getting out of this exchange?¡±


    ¡°Other than an end to the pointless fighting, so we can return to the important topics, like that of the traitors? This civil war has begun to affect the other kingdoms, and I don¡¯t want it effecting Gowen.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°What do you plan on doing if I refuse, and decide I want to continue the war?¡±


    ¡°Stopping the war so we can get back to the important things is my goal, the fact I came to you, is out of respect being the actual Elder and you are the one that could end it the quickest, but to keep Gowen from having to suffer due to this war, I will even assist Laura if it means we get this over with quickly.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I will have to decide what to do next, until then I think it is time for you to go.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just don¡¯t take too long, because you only hold the advantage in negotiations if you act quickly.¡± ¨CI then get up and head home by use of [Gate]-


    I am not sure if I was able to get through to her or not, but at the moment that is the best I know how. I can only hope Madam Erin is fairing a bit better than I am¡­

 Madam Erin and Laura

    I arrived in Uthaira, and didn¡¯t send a message to Laura until I approached the guards. The guards block me from entering, and I could easily dispose of them, but this is supposed to be a diplomatic mission, so I just stand there towering over the guards waiting for Laura to respond, or someone to let me though the gate.


    Laura doesn¡¯t respond, but I don¡¯t have to wait long until a young and attractive cat beastkin woman approaches in a complete suit of armor matching that of the other guards with the exception of it being of far higher quality.


    The guards quickly salute her and she looks up at me with quite the troubled expression. I do not know if this woman is associated with Laura¡¯s dungeon or just the castle, but it doesn¡¯t even clarify it as she says. ¡°Forgive me Madam Erin, your arrival was not expected. Unfortunately the king is quite busy right now, so I have been instructed to take you to his trusted adviser, Lady Laura¡­¡±


    Even if she knows of the dungeon, it doesn¡¯t mean the guards do, so I simply say. ¡°Very well, please lead the way.¡±


    The young woman leads me through the castle until we enter the throne room, and as she said the king doesn¡¯t seem to be here, but that doesn¡¯t matter because the person I came here to see is sitting in a chair next to the throne. The young woman bows and then excuses herself leaving Laura and I alone in the large throne room.


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t this a sight to be seen, I would think someone such as you would claim the throne yourself rather than sit at its side.¡±


    Laura: "I am but the king''s devoted servant. Whether that service happens in court during the day or in his bed at night, is inconsequential."


    "More like his full-time puppeteer."


    Laura: "You''d be surprised, but I rarely if ever pull at his strings, as you call it. I''ve found that respect works a lot better than bitching or manipulating does, when it comes to keeping my partner happy."


    ¡°You would partner with a mere human?¡±


    Laura: ¡°You are hardly one to speak, Erin Calhoun, but I guess it is much easier to be labelled as a keeper of whores, than by the name given to you by your husband before you killed him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you speak of matters that you know nothing about!¡±


    Laura: ¡°Oh Lucille told me plenty. First of your kind, The wife of Calhoun¡¯s first prince, and then damning beastkins for centuries, after running to hide in your dungeon after your husband learned your secret, not only killing him, but half the royal court as well.¡±


    That was far from my finest moment, and neither is this one as I let my anger get the best of me as I leap across the room snatching the now shocked Laura from her chair before she has a chance to react and slamming her into the floor.


    ¡°Not so cocky now are you?!¡± ¨CI say with my hand pushing on her head hard enough to crack the stone floor.- ¡°I came here to put an end to this civil war, but I can just as easily end it by doing away with you as I can through negotiating, so what is it going to be?!¡±


    After a bit of struggling on Laura¡¯s part I manage to cool my head a bit and I let her up. She quickly jumps to her feet brushing herself off with an angry and bruised face. ¡°Are you out of my mind? I am an Elder what the hell is wrong with you!?¡±


    ¡°You might have gained a little bit of power, and you are a temporary Elder, but don¡¯t let it go to your head. Lucille might have told you what happened to me in the past, but that gives you no right to open your mouth in what you only think you know!¡±


    Laura then casts a spell healing her face before sitting back down in her chair and saying. ¡°Fine, what is it you came here to talk about¡­?¡±


    ¡°We are neck deep in trouble with the traitors killing dungeon cores left and right, we don¡¯t know what their next plan of action is, hell we don¡¯t even know why they are doing this, but what I do know, is this is no time for you and Lucille to continue this spat of yours.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Aaron is the rightful heir of Merretta, and he will settle for nothing less then what is his! You can¡¯t blame him or me for Lucille¡¯s lack of foresight when I took Aaron as a boss monster, and only now that he is in the position to take it, she is standing in his way.¡±


    ¡°You know as well as I do, this civil war wasn¡¯t started by Lucille, but by greedy humans, and the only reason Lucille has decided to fight it, is because you deliberately provoked her.¡±


    Laura: ¡°And when Aaron takes the throne of Merretta regardless of Lucille¡¯s interferences, she will not only have to admit she was wrong, but that I was right!¡±


    ¡°All of this just for the sake of your vanity, and what happens when one of the traitors kills you because you are too preoccupied with your fight with Lucille to see them coming?¡±


    Laura: ¡°They would not even be able to step foot in Uthaira without me knowing about it!¡±


    ¡°I walked right through your doors and had you in the perfect position to end your life if I wanted to, and we both know they are capable of mimicking other¡¯s appearances.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Only the real you and a small handful of others could put me in that kind of position.¡±


    ¡°That may have been true in the past, but Rosalinda was far weaker than even you are now, yet if it wasn¡¯t for Two-Twelve¡¯s unique abilities she would have bested even me. With that kind of increase in strength I could easily see 20 to 50 dungeon cores, which if they become one of the traitors, could easily end you just as I almost did.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Then what is it you expect me to do, deny Aaron his rightful place as king of Merretta? I would have to kill him to stop his pursuit for Merretta, and you think the war is bad now¡­¡±


    ¡°The civil war is just a means to an end, if it was over, Lucille and you would have no longer any reason to keep this up, but it in itself is not what is important as ending the tension between Lucille and you.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Aaron becoming king is the only thing that matters to me! Even you, who have taken a human husband in the past, called Aaron a mere human, so you know Lucille¡¯s opinion of him is far less. However if he were to reunite Merretta and put Lucille in a position that gives her no choice but to acknowledge his power, then she would also have to acknowledge I was right.¡±


    ¡°You are so determined to prove you are right, you are willing to let all dungeon cores become targets of the traitors to do it. A human war would never prove anything to Lucille anyway. Instead end this war as quickly as possible by asking for Lucille¡¯s assistance. You may have to show her some humility, but once your king sits on his throne, use his army to help put an end to the traitors and prove his worth to Lucille that way.¡±


    Laura: ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound much like an Elder¡¯s way of thinking¡­¡±


    ¡°I have to admit, it wasn¡¯t my idea, but Two-Twelve¡¯s. You and him are much more alike than either of you care to admit.


    Laura: ¡°After everything that has happened, what makes you even think Lucille would allow Aaron become king of Merretta without a fight?¡±


    ¡°Because like I am here with you, Two-Twelve is speaking to Lucille, proving to her she doesn¡¯t actually care about what human sits on the throne of Merretta, and by allowing your Aaron to take the throne she would be doing you a huge favor, in which she would appear to be the victor. That way everyone gets what they want. Your Aaron gets to be king, Lucille thinks she won, and you go on to prove you are right by stopping the traitors with your humans.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Why would Two-Twelve do that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t have a clue, but what he said was, that this is no time for us to be fighting among ourselves, and how could he expect to convince you two to quit fighting if he couldn¡¯t put his own feelings to you aside.¡±


    Laura: ¡°As I told you before, I allow Aaron do as he pleases, but if you can get Lucille to bring the civil war to a swift end, allowing him to take his rightful place as the king of Merretta. Then I will see if he will assist with the matters concerning the traitors.¡±


    ¡°None of this ¡°we will see¡± or ¡°I will think about it¡±, if you ever want your position as an Elder to become more than temporary, or see your king sitting on his throne. You will negotiate terms with Lucille, and I don¡¯t care if you have to bring that king of yours with you!¡±


    Laura: ¡°I will speak with Aaron, and if Two-Twelve can convince Lucille to come to favorable terms we can discuss it then.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret letting you live. I will get back to you when Two-Twelve pulls through with Lucille.¡±


    Not waiting for any reply I turn and walk out of the room.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    After arriving back home after talking with Lucille I collapse on one of the couches in the living room. Belinda askes me ¡°That bad?¡± as she sets Rory down on the floor, Rory take a few carful steps before giving up by dropping to her hands and knees to crawl the rest of the way across the floor.


    She can¡¯t pull herself up onto the couch yet, but she gives it her all before looks at me with her big blue eyes and raises her arms opening and closing her tiny fists while saying ¡°Dada¡± over and over again until I pick her up and she hugs my neck.


    Even though they are almost the same age Wolfric doesn¡¯t get around near as well as he comes crawling across the floor to see what the commotion is about, but Listel completely ignores my arrival as she is too focused with playing with some kind of a toy on the other side of the living room.


    Belinda picks up Wolfric and then sits down next to me while tickling him with his own tail. I lay my head on Belinda¡¯s shoulder while stroking Rory¡¯s head and say. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Lucille is rather hard headed, but I think I told her in a way that she will find it favorable. We are just going to have to wait and see I guess.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Sounds like a trait many of you dungeon cores have.¡±


    ¡°The problem is Lucille has close to a thousand years on me, so how could I be sure that anything I said to her be taken seriously by her?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She agreed to meet with you, so I don¡¯t think you give yourself enough credit. Besides the Elders have done things their way for so long, now that everything is being flipped upside down they are scrambling for answers just like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Well, in any case there is nothing else we can do now but wait, it isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t have plenty of things around here that I need to get done anyway.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Belinda: ¡°Are you sure that is a good idea? I mean [Menu] isn¡¯t warning you of any more dungeon core deaths, but that doesn¡¯t mean the traitors aren¡¯t creating more places like we were at and killing more of them without the notification.¡±


    ¡°There is not really anything else I can do. The [Archjusticar Menu] might be able to help if I wasn¡¯t the only one able to access the finer details of it. I could just assign more justicars, but still it would take days if not weeks of analyzing the stats of each dungeon core to find out if something is out of place, if they haven¡¯t found a way to cover that up as well, and I am still not too sure who all I could trust with that kind of responsibility. No, our best bet is to hope whatever that dungeon we were in was, that it is not something they can easily replicate, and the traitors for whatever reason are leaving the other dungeon cores alone for now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Not that Rory and I don¡¯t enjoy your company, but what are you going to do until you hear back from Lucille then?¡±


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t answer by the end of the day I am going to try again tomorrow. Until then I am going to start summoning some more sentient monsters. We lost a lot of people in that dungeon, and without the xp gathering groups out and about our income for the month is going to take a major hit.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about their levels? Having to start all over from scratch is still going to set you back for quite a while.¡±


    ¡°I could summon them at higher levels, but I don¡¯t think the cost of doing that is really worth it unless you are going to summon them at 50 or above, and we don¡¯t have the xp to summon a bunch of level 50 sentient monsters like Inari does¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about the girls! If you just summon a bunch of monsters and take them to the girl¡¯s dungeons, they would be much safer, and you wouldn¡¯t even have to make them sentient if you didn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°I am hoping the girls will let me level them up in their dungeons, but allowing them to go out and explore not only brings us the xp, but it also brings us new items, and information as well. Besides I already have a sizeable amount of monsters in the girl¡¯s dungeons as it is, and if I summoned a bunch of non-sentient ones on top of that, there would just be much too high of a risk of something bad happening.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But what about the risk to those you summon? I know it¡¯s a risk every adventurer takes, but we lost so many this time¡­¡±


    ¡°That is even more reason why we need to do this. The xp we earn from these groups is what we use to make our dungeon, and in turn all of our monsters safer.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I understand and I am sure this is how my Father and brother feel every time they have to send the Gowen soldiers out as well, but I can¡¯t help to feel that we are more responsible, because we summoned them into this role they didn¡¯t choose it for themselves.¡±


    ¡°We never force any of our sentient monsters, and you know that.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Because that is the purpose you summon them for and they feel obligated to do it! I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t mean to criticize you, maybe I, myself, am feeling like I should have done more to protect the ones that didn¡¯t make it back. Just promise me you won¡¯t send them anywhere dangerous until they are well aware of the risks involved, ok?¡±


    ¡°With the traitors around, I don¡¯t really think sending them anywhere is safe, but I plan on rearranging the groups around a bit, so that so some of the stronger ones like Poppy and Lynx, can help the new ones.¡±


    There was of course some of the xp gathering groups that were not strong enough to take with us when we went to what we thought was Barry¡¯s dungeon, and they are still in the field, but our high level groups have all been shattered.


    Bandy and Poppy¡¯s groups were the only ones that came out of that place without losing any members, but with Bandy¡¯s group breaking up, and Poppy¡¯s group already shorthanded before we entered, I decide to just call everyone in together and work it out all at once.


    After sending out the message to the xp gathering groups, I wait for them to arrive while continuing to play with Rory and visit with Belinda. In that time Roxy and Zoey arrive and pick up Wolfric, but after hearing that I am going to summon some new monsters Zoey¡¯s curiosity is peeked, so they decide to stick around for a bit.


    Everyone gathers in the ballroom, and by the time they are all there Zoey and Katie both are here as well both wearing all their gear¡­


    ¡°What are you two doing¡­?¡±


    Katie: ¡°I don¡¯t know what she is doing¡­ But Miss Bandy made a compelling argument to me, and the small amounts of training I am doing here in Tobes isn¡¯t enough for me to take the next step in my crafting, so I have decided to go with them.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that is a good idea¡­? And what about the orders that has to be filled for the smithy?¡±


    Katie: ¡°Some of the others are going to fill in at the smithy while I am gone so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but I lost too many friends this last trip, so I need to get better.¡±


    ¡°But with Bandy¡¯s group¡­?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°I¡¯m just here to show off to the newbies!¡± ¨CShe says cutting Bandy off.-


    ¡°We should get started. I should start with how we are going to split the more experienced members up with some of the new people to give them a hand starting out.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°With the addition of Katie, we are all set now!¡±


    ¡°Katie isn¡¯t enough to replace both Kit and Suzie, you are going to need at least one more mage.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I don¡¯t have time to be holding some beginners hand!¡±


    ¡°Katie isn¡¯t quite at your level either, so you are going to have to cut it back anyway, this way at least you will have a solid group again. Besides I would like Bradford and Corrie to start their own group as well.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°This is bullshit! We waited like you asked us too, and now you are going to further weaken us by breaking us up even more?!¡±


    ¡°Our groups need to become stronger. Your group and Poppy¡¯s group were the only two that have really taken off. All the others we took with us were either lost completely or at least lost most of their members. We need strong leaders to make all the groups better, and between Chase, Katie, and you, your group will still have quite the head start on the others.¡±


    Bradford: ¡°I am hesitant to leave Bandy after all this time, but if you are just asking us to train new members, then I am willing to head up a group temporarily. I will however refuse to separate from Connie, she and I are partners, and I rather be unbound from your dungeon, then not being there to watch her back.¡±


    ¡°I would rather each of you head up a group, but if that is the way it has to be, then maybe it is for the best. Having at least two higher level people on each group would be safer, but we will have to switch out groups more often.¡±


    Connie: ¡°We appreciate it¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, we have Bandy, Chase, Katie training one group, Bradford and Connie training another, Kit, are you and Suzie good to lead a third?¡±


    Kit: ¡°It would be my pleasure. Suzie, it looks like we will still be in each other¡¯s care.¡±


    Suzie: ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°If that¡¯s the way you want to do things, it may make more sense for Lynx and I to each head up a group along with Aster and Iris, as our seconds, but even though it might be a bit unreasonable I think Aster and Iris would like to remain together, so if must, I ask you let them stay together, and Lynx and I can each head up a group if you want.¡±


    Iris: ¡°We would like to stay together, but we understand if you have to split us up.¡±


    ¡°From a level standpoint you may be right, but I have seen firsthand how well Poppy and Lynx work together, so if it is already with the rest of you, I will let Poppy and Lynx head up one group, while Iris and Aster lead up another.¡±


    The sword maiden, I think her name was Avila, is one of three left that made it from the fake dungeon, she looks a bit uncomfortable as she says. ¡°I barely made it through that dungeon, if that dungeon core didn¡¯t save me I wouldn¡¯t have even made it, so I don¡¯t think I am in the position to train anyone¡­¡±


    The warrior Dreues, and the mage Armand, made it out of the fake dungeon together, but they lost the rest of their group as well, so they seem to agree with Avila when it comes to leading a group, but I manage to convince the three of them to work together to train another group.


    Now all I have to do is fill out their groups and we will be back at the number we started with, but the xp they will be bringing in will still be short until they level up the new members.


    ¡°Alright we will start off with Bandy¡¯s group. Between Katie, Chase, and you, we should probably summon at least one more mage, and make the other two defensive types.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°It¡¯s my damn group! I should be the one that chooses what gets summoned for it!¡±


    ¡°That would get you a well-rounded group, but if you have another suggestion I am willing to listen¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Fine, but I at least get to choose their race and sex.¡±


    ¡°That depends on your purpose for summoning them¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°That¡¯s awfully hypocritical of you after the women you summoned for Dyson.¡±


    ¡°That was a unique situation.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Can¡¯t be too unique if you did it twice.¡±


    ¡°Neither Desiree or Angela are doing anything that they themselves didn¡¯t choose for themselves, I made sure of that, and besides what about Chase?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°After I gave Chase so much, he has decided that is no longer enough for him anymore, so he is moving on¡­¡±


    Chase: ¡°Tell the truth! All I said is I want a real relationship, I deserve at least that much! I told you I refuse to just be the man you come too when you have no other options.¡±


    ¡°Alright that¡¯s enough¡­ I will summon two male beastkin, but I am leaving their subspecies random. Whatever you convince them to do willingly is between you, but I am going to make sure you don¡¯t use your position in the group to take advantage of them either. Your group also needs another mage, a human would be the best bet, so I will summon a female human mage as well.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°At least make them manlier then chase!¡±


    I sigh and open [Menu]. The beastkin don¡¯t need to be ripped, but they are going to be in defensive roles, but abilities are only lightly affected by physical appearance. After all, Chase and I share a similar body type, but I could hold a defensive line as well as anyone.


    I am a dungeon core though, and when they summoned with a muscular physique, it will increase their likelihood of having defensive classes available to them. A standard adventurer¡¯s physique that isn¡¯t focused on magic should be fine though, so I don¡¯t worry much about that focusing, instead on roles.


    I prepare them some clothing and summon them both at the same time. I have gotten pretty good at adding clothing before the light fades of their summoning, but two at once was a close call. Just to be on the safe side I will make sure I only summon one monster at a time.


    One of the men is a pretty standard bear beastkin man, and even though I didn¡¯t put any effort into it, he is built pretty solid, but the other one is much more interesting. At this point I have summoned quite a few beastkin, and even though I tend to summon them with random subspecies more often than not, but rarely unlock a new subspecies any more.


    I don¡¯t know if it was the influence of fighting all the lizardmen in the fake dungeon, or just a coincidence, but the second man is of a lizard subspecies that is new to me, and he is rather prickly¡­


    As for beastkin that have subspecies that are furry animals even the feral beastkin, only have 20 to 40 percent of their body covered in fur tops, but for reptile and amphibian beastkin their skin is usually far more effected. Scylla is a good example, even though her physique is very human-like, but her skin and tail is largely like that of a salamander.


    This beastkin that I summoned is no exception. In fact I would go as far as to say he is more reptilian then most. His face is very human-like albeit it is covered in the tan and brown like scales that cover the rest of him, but eyes seems largely disproportionate to his face.


    The scales on his shoulders and tail have large spikes sticking from them that are large enough that if his clothing wasn¡¯t fitted with [Menu] they would poked through it. The spines seem to cover most of his back from the base of his hair line on his neck down to the tip of his tail, but the closer you get to the center of his back their size decreases very quickly.


    Bandy: ¡°When I said I wanted a horny man, that isn¡¯t what I meant¡­¡± ¨CShe then moves over to the bear beastkin and starts sizing him up.- ¡°This one however seems quite nice.¡±


    ¡°Behave yourself Bandy¡­ These are going to be your new teammates, not playthings¡­¡± ¨CI say while the bear beastkin man seems a bit nervous about being sized up by Bandy.- ¡°What Bandy lacks in manners, she makes up for in combat ability, so she is going to lead the group you two will be on, as you leave the dungeon to gather xp.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°That¡¯s right, so you have to do as I say.¡±


    ¡°Within reason, she may be the leader of the group, but your opinions matter. I don¡¯t want her to force either you into anything that you don¡¯t want to do. Chase and Katie will be with you as well, just in case, so I hope you follow in their moral example rather than Bandy¡¯s.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°That is a horrible way to talk about the strongest person in your dungeon!¡±


    ¡°You have done quite well for yourself I admit, but you are hardly the strongest person in the dungeon.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I am the first A-Rank adventurer in a hundred years!¡±


    ¡°Because everyone stronger then you doesn¡¯t have time to worry about their adventurer rank.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I¡¯m going to call your bluff! You say that I am not the most powerful person in this room, I say prove it!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this, but if you want to see the difference between us¡­¡± ¨CI take out the stone that I made that mimics the Adventurer¡¯s Guild item that shows ones abilities.-


    Bandy: ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean anything, if you want to prove it, prove it with a fight!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Let me take care of it Boss!¡±


    Katie: ¡°I think it is a good idea as well. Bandy is strong, much stronger than me, but she needs to realize she is just a cog in the wheel of your dungeon.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Bandy has been disrespectful of you for far too long, and it makes me angry when she talks to you like this. I think it is time she learns the sun doesn¡¯t rise and set at her behest, so I agree Master¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°So what is it going to be?¡±


    ¡°Do all of you feel this way?¡±


    Bradford: ¡°I would just like to see Bandy go all out for a change.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Bandy needs discipline¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Just say the word boss!¡±


    ¡°Under the right circumstances you could even beat me Zoey, and Bandy¡¯s problem is with me, so I think it is best if we do this, then I should be the one to handle it.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Hot damn, then how about we raise the stakes a bit? If I win you treat me like I deserve to be treated, and I get to choose the last member of our group, down to the last freckle.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°And when Boss wins?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Then the only thing he will hear out of me is when he says jump, will be me asking how high.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°That is the way you should be treating Master already!¡±


    ¡°If it will settle this once and for all¡­ Then you know what, fine.¡±


    I don¡¯t want to tear up the ball room, so I transfer us down to a part of the dungeon with plenty of room to move around in, everyone then moves to the side leaving Bandy and me in the middle of the room. Now the question is just how serious are we going to take this¡­?

 Bandys Hubris

    I ended up in quite a peculiar situation¡­ I am standing in my dungeon with Bandy in front of me and all the other xp gathering groups that are currently in town towards the edge of the room, along with Katie and Zoey.


    Bandy was causing problems again, and everyone decided they have had enough, so when she challenged me to a fight, everyone encouraged me to accept, so here we are¡­


    ¡°Alright, how do you want to do this? We need to set agreeable terms to winning and losing.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°There are plenty of people here that can use healing magic, so I say we go full out! I wouldn¡¯t want you to try to weasel out of this with some technicality.¡±


    ¡°I know I am going to regret this but fine¡­ We want to prove abilities not equipment, so we will both use gear of equal quality, and since your magic abilities are limited, I will refrain from using magic myself.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I don¡¯t need a handicap!¡±


    ¡°Just tell me what kind of equipment you need¡­¡±


    Bandy: ¡°A pair of short-swords and leather armor is all I need.¡±


    ¡°I will wear leather armor as well, but I will go with a single sword and a buckler.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Your loss.¡±


    There are plenty of items like the in the dungeon¡¯s inventory, so I use [Menu] to equip us both in the gear.


    Bandy: ¡°Last chance to change your mind.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Knock her on her ass Boss!¡±


    Bandy waves the two short-swords around a few times to get their feel down, and I unsheathe my own sword testing its balance as well. I then raise my arm equipped with the buckler to defend myself.


    ¡°Zoey, count down from three, and then say start. Then we go on start, agreed?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Three¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Zoey: ¡°Two¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Zoey: ¡°One¡­¡±


    ¡­


    Zoey: ¡°Start!¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    After the meeting with the Elders, Angela had a strange request to speak privately with Two-Twelve. I would have thought nothing of it except she has been acting rather strangely since our visit to his dungeon yesterday.


    Desiree insists that this is something that Angela needs to do, and it isn¡¯t like I have to worry about Two-Twelve stealing one of my women, so I allow it, but I am starting to wonder if Two-Twelve is a bit sneakier than I thought, and placed some ultimate command on them, as they start acting strangely every time they come in contact with him or his dungeon.


    Desiree finds my line of thinking comical and assures me that I am highly mistaken on Angela¡¯s intentions. Even if they were lying to me, any information Angela could give Two-Twelve would hardy become a problem for me, but for some reason I can¡¯t help feel a bit apprehensive about this.


    When Angela returns to us in a happy mood however, I can¡¯t help feeling a bit relieved. There is still plenty of daylight left, so we leave from the neutral zone heading for Merretta.


    If the traitors are trying to involve themselves to see to it that this civil war is drawn out as long as possible, then the border would be the best bet, so we arrive in the most contested area between Merretta and Southern Merretta.


    The city we arrive in is in disarray as you can practically see the imaginary line that separates Merretta and Southern Merretta right thought the middle of town. Neighbor vs Neighbor, cousin vs cousin, brother vs brother, the entire town is filled to the brim with soldiers from either side looking to pounce at the first side of aggression from the other side.


    The businesses of the town are covered in passive aggressive warnings barring one side or the other from entering the establishment. Even a simple stone throw while calling out one of the side¡¯s name would likely set everyone else off.


    That means if the traitors are involved they have a vested interest in this current stalemate, or the city would already be in total anarchy. Once the fighting breaks out the city will quickly be claimed by one or the other of the two sides, and the war will progress, so if the traitors are trying to drag out the war it would make sense they want everyone to remain on edge without setting them off.


    If that is the case I could easily end this stalemate and that should draw out the traitors, if they really are here, as they try to get things back under control to maintain the status quo. Now the only question is which side do we give the advantage too?


    Everything should point to taking Lucille¡¯s side and assisting the Merretta side, but even though Two-Twelve is not a fan of Laura¡¯s he seems to be siding with her during this civil war. He was the one that stuck by her allowing her to become a temporary Elder, and now taking this side of the civil war, maybe there is more reconditioning done to him then we first realized.


    There is also the option to just instigate the fight then step off to the side, when/if the traitors try to stop it we can deal with them then.


    Desiree: ¡°What if the traitors are not involved? We could be aggravating a war for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Regardless if we interfere or not this battle will take place eventually anyway, so if we can have the chance to benefit from it, there is no reason not to do so.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Two-Twelve might not feel the same way.¡±


    ¡°He has his task and we have ours.¡±


    We spend the next few hours going around the city to find out as much information as we can, in hopes to find the most pivotal place to strike, which will cause the this battle to get underway, and bring the traitors out of hiding, if they are here.


    We finally find just the information we are looking for in the form of a resupply wagon from the Merretta capital. The bad news is that it is not due to arrive till mid-morning tomorrow some time, so we have no other reason to remain here for the rest of the day, but before teleporting back to my castle Angela stops me.


    Angela: ¡°Master, please wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Was there something else you wished to do before returning to the castle?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Not exactly, but I just thought we have spent so much time in the castle lately, it is kind of nice to get out for a change.¡±


    ¡°And whose fault is that?!¡±


    Angela bites her lip and blushes a bit and says. ¡°But seeing how much you were enjoying it, I just couldn¡¯t help myself¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, we have till morning, what is it you would like to do then?¡±


    Angela: ¡°I just thought that renting a room at an inn would give us a bit of new scenery¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Unbelievable¡­ Even I have my limits! This place is practically a war zone. Do you know how dangerous it would be for us to stay the night in such a place?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Master would be able to keep us from any harm, but don¡¯t you think the mystery of it makes it all the more exciting?!¡±


    ¡°With the possibility of traitors here in the city somewhere, staying the night wouldn¡¯t be worth the risk. We haven¡¯t exactly been making our presence known, but we haven¡¯t been hiding it either, and the last thing I need is being caught by a traitor with my pants down.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Then we should hurry home then!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°This girl¡­¡±


    ¡°I have no complaints if that is what you want, but tomorrow might be a trying day, so we must get some sleep tonight.¡±


    Angela bites her lip again while thinking out loud. ¡°Four hours of sleep should be sufficient, and if we leave right away, that gives us at least six hours! I would rather we had at least eight dedicated hours, but two hours of sleep might be cutting it close¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°You really have no shame¡­¡±


    Angela then grabs my arm with a smile. ¡°Please Master, we need to hurry!¡±


    Desiree and I both sigh before we return to the castle. After a very pleasurable, but long night, we return to the small city on the edge of Merretta the next morning just after the sun has begun to rise. We arrived a little later then I had anticipated, because a bath was required, and Angela saw to it that it ended up taking a fair amount of time longer then was necessary.


    It did however seem to put both of my lecherous companions in a good mood this morning, so they are in good spirits, and we quickly search out information to make sure the supply caravan has yet to arrive.


    We are indeed still a few hours early which Angela complains about, but we had plans to hit it long before it reaches town, so we set out of the city in hopes to find the caravan and start some commotion. After teleporting a few times we find what I assume has to be the caravan, but there seems to be a bit of a problem.


    What is supposed to be a simple supply caravan is a fully outfitted, fully militarized caravan. It appears they are not going to take any chances in allowing this caravan to be intercepted, but then again, they weren¡¯t expecting me.


    ¡°Depending on which detachment these soldiers are from, will determine if you two will be any use in this fight. To be on the safe side I want you two to remain back here, and allow me to deal with them myself. Only after the soldiers are dealt with will we hi-jack the caravan and use it to jumpstart this war, so we can hopefully draw out the traitors.¡±


    Angela: ¡°But there are so many of them.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°One soldier or one hundred, it doesn¡¯t make a difference when it is Master in which they have to deal with.¡±


    Angela: ¡°But we can help!¡±


    ¡°Your training was cut somewhat short after we evolved Desiree, so the odds are you will just get in the way.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master¡­¡± ¨CShe says hanging her head.-


    Desiree: ¡°I hardly feel Master thinks the last few months have been a waste, so I wouldn¡¯t fret too bad if I were you.¡±


    I don¡¯t make a habit of taking my entourage anywhere with me, much less everywhere, so this experience is rather new to me. I felt the need to train them, so they didn¡¯t die in an assassination attempt, but even I don¡¯t know the reason I have continued to bring them along with me everywhere else as well, and yet it seems to come naturally from my lips as I say.


    ¡°That may be, but if you wish to continue to stay by my side as I travel, then I suggest we resume your training, and in doing so you will have to take it much more seriously.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Of course Master!¡±


    ¡°Alright, then you two wait here, and I will signal to you when it is clear.¡±


    The soldiers are only normal soldiers making my worry for the girls unneeded, but I find myself making it an overly showy affair. I¡¯m no stranger to using my battle prowess to impress women, but for Desiree or Angela that seems somewhat pointless as they are already mine, and yet here I am trying to impress them none the less¡­


    I stand there over the corpses of the soldiers and call out to the women with a sense of accomplishment far outweighing the circumstances, and I even find myself puffing out my chest when Angela and Desiree come to my side praising me.


    Angela: ¡°I love watching you fight! ?


    ¡°That was hardly a difficult battle¡­¡±


    Angela: ¡°Maybe for you, but there were so many soldiers, and the way you handled them! ?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I did find the way you handled yourself to be quite alluring.¡±


    ¡°I find you both praising me after such a trivial battle to be a bit of an insult.¡±


    Angela: ¡°From lowly goblin to ancient dragon, it doesn¡¯t matter to me, as long as I get to see you fight.¡±


    ¡°Well regardless, we have secured the caravan, now we just need to see to it that Southern Merretta is blamed for its disappearance, and wait to see if that draws out any of the traitors.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°But how exactly do we plan to do that?¡±


    ¡°While in the city I took the liberty of acquiring the location of a storehouse that belongs to allies of Southern Merretta. We will teleport the supplies for the caravan there, and then spread the rumor about the destruction of the caravan along with a rumor about seeing Southern Merretta soldiers hauling cargo into the storehouse. The rest is just waiting to see if someone steps forward to try to prevent a battle from breaking out.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Angela: ¡°If you say that is the best way I believe you, but I am still worried about instigating this conflict¡­¡±


    ¡°If you are not up for the task, you can wait for us back at the castle.¡±


    Angela: ¡°No, I want to see this through with you¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, now help me remove the supplies from the caravan so I can easily teleport them to the storehouse.¡±


    After a short time we have teleported the supplies successfully, and I proceed to stage the corpses to look like they were attacked by other soldiers. We then return to the city and begin spreading the rumor of the attack and the sighting at the storehouse.


    After the rumors are spread we take a position outside the storehouse, out of sight, in which we can observe what happens next. We don¡¯t have to wait long before a few of the city guards start poking around the storehouse.


    The city guards have tried to remain neutral between the conflicts, but the supplies were for the city itself, so how are they going to react once they uncover them? The owner of the storehouse must have caught wind of the rumor as well, because he hastily approaches and begins arguing with the guards.


    Owner: ¡°Malicious rumors I assure you, never before have I been so insulted!¡±


    Guard: ¡°If that is true, then this can easily be remedied by allowing us to have a look through your storage building.¡±


    Owner: ¡°And have you, accuse me, of stealing my own wares?! I don¡¯t think so, and you can tell the Mayor, the Duke, or the bloody council for all I care, but you¡¯re not stepping one foot inside of my building!¡±


    ¡°There you go ladies.¡± ¨CI say in a hushed manor to Angela and Desiree.- ¡°A legit businessman would have no issues showing his wares to the guards, because he would have detailed records of where they all came from.¡±


    My suspicions are shared by the guards as they quickly say. ¡°It sounds to me like you have something to hide, but that is alright, because we have orders to search your warehouse, by force, if necessary.¡±


    The guards start to grab the man and he quickly panics throwing his hands up in the air and saying.


    Owner: ¡°Wait, wait¡­These horrible rumors about me are false, but this civil war has broken many of my supply lines, and a few of the other merchants became worried about having supplies that came from Southern Merretta, so I offered to buy them without papers, but I assure you none of which are stolen goods!¡±


    Guard: ¡°We will be the judges of that!¡±


    One of the guards hold the man while they storm into the storage building and it isn¡¯t long until the stolen supplies are discovered. The man pleads with them claiming there is some kind of mistake, while they shackle him.


    Within the hour the entire city is in an uproar. The merchant was a clear supporter of Southern Merretta, and there was no way a simple merchant would have been able to take the caravan¡¯s soldiers out, so it isn¡¯t long before the accusations begin circulating about Southern Merretta¡¯s involvement.


    Things escalate so quickly it almost seems it is going too smoothly, and it isn¡¯t long before the first signs of fighting begin to break out. By the time the sun starts to set the entire city has broken down as the guards can no longer keep up with the constant fights breaking out on the streets.


    Angela: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the traitors have moved by now¡­?¡±


    ¡°I truly did believe they at least played some part in maintaining the status quo within the city. Maybe things fell apart too quickly and by the time they could act it was already too late, or perhaps the fall of the city was always their intention and we only helped their plan along instead of drawing them out.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°You are overlooking what could be the most obvious answer. Maybe they were not involved at all, and we have been wasting our time here¡­¡±


    Angela: ¡°All of those lives that will be lost because what we did¡­ And for nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°It was only a matter of time before someone set everyone off, we merely hastened it a bit, so I will hardly lose any sleep over this matter, but¡­ As far as missions go, this couldn¡¯t be considered anything else but failure, so we can only hope Two-Twelve and Madam Erin are faring better than we are.¡±


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    ¡°Ha!¡± ¨CI exclaim as my sword is crashing down against Bandy¡¯s short swords only to be parried.- ¡°I will give it to you, you have come a long way, and without using my magic this is taking more time than I expected to, but you should clearly see now, that you are at the clear disadvantage.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I haven¡¯t gotten a scratch on me, so I am clearly the one winning here.¡± ¨CShe says then lunges forward with both of her short-swords coming from different angles, leaving me with little time to parry one of them with my sword and deflecting the other with the buckler on my arm.-


    She already managed to deal a good blow against me like this, so she can¡¯t fool me again. Instead of trying to block the blows I dodge out of the way while going on the offensive. As I dodge I sweep one of my legs around to trip her up, and although the sudden change startles her she quickly dodges as well gaining a bit of distance between us.


    ¡°Your reaction times are excellent, but you have been fighting too many non-sentient creatures. You can¡¯t use the same attack over and over again, and hope for the same results.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Thanks for the advice!¡± ¨CShe says charging back at me attempting the same type of attack.-


    She is smart enough to know not to do the exact same thing right after warning her, so she must have some other sort of plan, but what exactly is it? I didn¡¯t want her to get too discouraged by overpowering her to much so I have tried to match myself to her, but maybe I have been underestimating her a bit because if I don¡¯t take this more seriously it may have the opposite effect.


    Our levels are quite similar, but with her only having the skills she acquired from leveling up, and me acquiring almost every skill available to me from the dungeon, there is no contest in our abilities, but after giving up my magic and my gear for this fight, I am at the biggest disadvantage as I can possibly be at.


    Without those things I am not exactly the best frontline fighter, so I decide it¡¯s time to stop pulling my punches and whatever happens, happens¡­ As Bandy closes the grap between us, it is the not knowing what she is going to do that makes me the most nervous, but the closer she gets the more it looks like she is going to continue to follow through with the same attack.


    Her swords collide with my sword and the buckler I am wearing, as I easily deflect what I was sure had to be some kind of feint, but as I start to feel somewhat disappointed with her, I get a chill that runs down my spine as I push her back and dive to the side.


    I quickly return to a combat ready position and point in which I was standing is now occupied by two short-swords that would have found their way into my back. Holding the short-swords is a second Bandy, which clicks her tongue.


    Bandy: ¡°It figures I couldn¡¯t keep my special skill hidden from you, but as much as you were struggling before, how do you think you can manage against two of us!¡± ¨CShe says and then both her and the Bandy clone turn and lunge at me at the same time.-


    Bandy¡¯s special skill [Combat Double] works exactly how it sounds, by using half of her magic she is able to split herself in two. The Bandy clone has limited intelligence, and it functions much like a non-sentient being, but the link it shares with Bandy makes it just as dangerous.


    The one drawback of it is its duration is quite low, but it is more than enough time for me to be in serious trouble if I don¡¯t start taking things seriously. The advantage for me however is I don¡¯t have to worry about hurting Bandy by taking out the double, so I can fight it without reservation.


    I can¡¯t dodge them both, but I manage to dodge the real Bandy while parrying or blocking the blows of the fake one. I then turn my attention to it and swing my sword as hard as I can. The body double tries to block the blow with its short-swords, but using all my strength it can¡¯t stop my swing.


    I quickly boast by saying. ¡°Back to one¡­¡± but unfortunately the standard steel sword I am using can¡¯t handle the blow either, so in the process of eliminating the second Bandy, I also rendered myself without a weapon.


    Bandy looks on with awe as I annihilated the body double with a single blow causing it to disappear back into nothingness, but she quickly regains a combat stance as she says. ¡°That may be, but now what are you going to do without a weapon?!¡±


    Without me having a weapon Bandy throws caution to the wind, and lunges at me again with the full force of both of her short-swords. If I try to counterattack even with a grapple, her reaction time is quick enough that she will dodge out of the way before I make it very far so I let her follow through with the attack much past the point of what would be considered safe.


    They are only standard steel short-swords, but Bandy puts enough force behind them that they easily pierce the leather armor I am wearing and one penetrates my lower gut, and the other breaks off in my shoulder.


    She seems somewhat surprised as both of her weapons dig into my body, and I use that opportunity to punch her square in the jaw with a hand-to-hand skill technique causing her to cartwheel through the air, and falling to a heap on the floor.


    As she starts to pull herself from the floor, I pull the broken shard of the one short-swords from my shoulder, and the other short-sword from my gut turning it back on her. ¡°Now it seems you are the one that is unarmed, so shall we continue?¡±


    She looks up at me angrily as she tries to get back to her feet, but she just sighs and collapses back to the ground while breathing heavily. I wait for a few seconds before relaxing myself, and quickly call Zoey over to cast a healing spell on Bandy, while I cast a healing spell on myself.


    After Zoey heals Bandy up, I extend my hand to her and pull her back to her feet. ¡°I have to apologize, I promised to use no magic, but skill techniques were a bit of a grey area, and I just felt there was no reason to continue to drag it out any longer. If you wish however, I will be willing to consider our fight as a draw.¡±


    Bandy slaps my hand away as she gets to her feet. ¡°Were you just toying with me the entire time?! My special skill allows me to make a complete copy of myself and my equipment, so you could have ended me the same way as that clone at any time, but no instead you beat me with a single punch! No magic, No weapon, you just let me attack you with all my might, only to completely ignore my attack, and bring me down with your bare hands¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss told you it was pointless from the start¡­¡±


    ¡°This is the difference between a dungeon core and a normal person. You wanted to know why I haven¡¯t allowed your group to take one of those commissions on one of the other dungeon cores, and here is your answer. I didn¡¯t do it because I was toying with you, I was trying to prevent you from coming to harm.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Yea a lot of good that did.¡± ¨CShe says rubbing her jaw which should have been completely healed by now.-


    Zoey: ¡°It was better than boss putting you out of commission by loping off a limb or two, trust me when I say this was much less painful.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Whatever, you proved your point, you say jump and I say how high, that was the deal, so let¡¯s get this over with already.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a strong leader Bandy, but your lack of empathy and humility keeps everyone at arm¡¯s length. If you were to treat the dungeon, or even just your own group for now, the way you treat yourself, then there is no telling how far your group could go. ¡°


    Zoey: ¡°The reason Boss took out that copy of yours so quickly, was because with the two of you in sync, there would have been no way for him to win with the rules he set out. Now if your entire group was on the same page the way you were with your copy, you could have giving boss a run for his money even without the handicap.¡±


    ¡°What she means is instead of treating your group like they are holding your back, use your group to propel you and them forward, and maybe next time you come to me with commissions for troublesome dungeon cores, I won¡¯t be so hesitant in letting you take one of them.¡±


    I can¡¯t tell if Bandy took anything of what was just said seriously, but I guess only time will tell, so I get started on summoning the last member of her group. I want to guarantee that the last member of her group is a mage, so human is the best bet for that as I summon humans by their class, but for all the humans I have summoned already that leaves me with quite a few options.


    Basic classes like mage, magician, and sorcerer would all be simple, but I also have the option of spending a bit extra xp to summon an advanced class like a shaman or a thaumaturge, Chase and Suzie made do with the few healing spells they knew, but a thaumaturge would allow Chase to focus more on using attack magic, so I opt to spend the extra xp to summon a female human thaumaturge.


    I equip her in a set of heavy robes in plenty of time before the light fades, but even still you can see her figure is quite voluptuous with wide hips, a narrow waist, and large breasts. Her face is quite mature with large green eyes, and dark brown hair, but it only adds to her sense of elegance.


    Zoey: ¡°Boss, is it too late for me to join Bandy¡¯s group as well¡­?¡±


    ¡°I am not too sure Roxy would like that very much¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Only because she didn¡¯t ask first!¡±


    ¡°I highly doubt that¡­ Alright, we have one group down, but we still need several more to go, so I will let Bandy¡¯s group get more acquainted while I start filling in the missing spots.¡±


    Next I begin working on Kit and Suzie¡¯s group, I start off with two more random beastkin leaving everything up to chance including sex, and they end up with another male cat beastkin, and a female otter beastkin.


    The cat beastkin man has little options for classes so I give him a simple warrior class, but the female otter has the option of becoming a mage, so I make her a sorceress. That leaves them lacking on the defensive side, so I spend a little extra on the last two making both a male and female human knight.


    Next up is Bradford and Connie¡¯s group which both of them are already heavy hitters, so they need both mages and defensive people, so after the first one results in a dog beastkin with little options other than warrior, I fill out the other three members of the group with humans making a male advanced Templar class, a female sword-maiden, and another female thaumaturge that although is still quite attractive, she doesn¡¯t draw the attention as the one in Bandy¡¯s group.


    When it comes time for Poppy¡¯s group however she stops me and says. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to cause trouble like Bandy did, but I was wondering if I could make a few selfish requests of my own¡­¡±


    ¡°What exactly did you have in mind?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Lynx and I have been through a lot together, and I just thought it would be nice for him to be able to group with a few more cat-folk.¡±


    ¡°I have been keeping the groups rather limited to humans and beastkin because they don¡¯t draw any suspicion, but since Lynx is already in your group I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to summon one or two more, but that doesn¡¯t mean I will change the rules for how I expect them to be treated.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Of course not Master, the odds of you summoning another male like myself, would be quite low indeed, but just having another cat-folk to talk too would be nice¡­¡±


    ¡°Well if that is the case, I might like to try something a bit different with your group this time. Poppy is really good with people and has managed to keep you guys out of trouble so far, and even though a cat-folk is still technically a beastkin, they are still regarded as a demi-humans because of Dailian¡¯s treatment of the only other known cat-folk, so if you are up to it, how about we fill the rest of your group with a few more cat-folk and a few demi-humans, and see how that goes?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°I don¡¯t really mind, but we will surely draw a lot of attention that way, and might have trouble gathering xp.¡±


    ¡°Your group has always performed exceptionally well, and even though you are not worried about your levels your group has always been right there alongside Bandy¡¯s, so I am more worried about how you guys would feel if you started to fall behind.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that Master, we are happy to serve in whatever capacity we are capable of.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°He is right, and Lynx has been by far the best party member I could have asked for, so if you are willing to make at least one more of them a cat-folk, I would be up to having a few more unique party members as well.¡±


    I start off with a female cat-folk, and even though mages are usually hard to come by she has the cat-folk mage class available just like Lynx did, so I select it, but I quickly find after summoning another male cat-folk that he has the same available classes as well. I hate to waste a mage, but I give him the cat-folk thief class instead.


    Now for the two remaining members. I go through the list of sentient demi-humans available to me, and unable to make up my mind I just choose two at random, the first of which ends up as an avian. This avian has a much closer resemblance to Roc then he does to Dawn or Twilight, but even though he is larger than a human he seems much more streamlined then Roc, appearing to be some kind of hawk or falcon.


    The last member I summon for Poppy¡¯s group however gives me second thoughts. It sounded good on parchment at least, and it isn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t know what they looked like after fighting them in the corrupt dungeon in Shima, but seeing a Lamia woman among the rest of Poppy¡¯s group puts her size into perspective a bit more.


    Just by supporting her humanoid upper body she is easily as tall as the cat-folk or the avian, but that still leaves at least 20 ft of tail curled up underneath her. The ones I fought in Shima were of course non-sentient, so when Poppy quickly starts speaking with her I am quite surprised that, personality wise, she seems more human than I expected.


    Even though I have my reservations it seems quite clear after only a few minutes of Poppy and the lamia speaking to one another, that Poppy is quite excited to get started with her new group. Unlike the cat-folk or the avian however the lamia doesn¡¯t have a class, so there is also a worry that she will eventually obtain max level.


    Iris and Aster¡¯s group is next and they want a little more variety in their group as well, but they aren¡¯t quite as brave requesting a pair of elves and a pair of dwarves to finish out their group.


    Avila, Dreues, and Armand were the ones most worried about leading a group together, but in addition to a human martial artist, they request some sentient lizardmen to round out their group. After losing their party members in that fake dungeon to lizardmen you would think a lizardman would be the last thing they wanted to see, but they seem rather adamant about it.


    Maybe it is only due to monsters starting off stronger than an entry level human, but I oblige them by summoning them a pair of high tier sentient lizardmen. I would have liked to summon them a pair of Golden Lizardmen like that of Zelios, but they would have cost the same amount as one of the sentient elder earth dragons at 1 million xp for the pair.


    After everyone gets a chance to speak to one another for a while, we go through giving names to the newly summoned monsters, and I give them some equipment from either the dungeon inventory or summon it from scratch.


    I still haven''t spoken to any of the girls, or Ceres to see if they would be willing to assist me with their training, but we are going to take care of that first thing in the morning, so I let the humanoids head to Tobes, while asking Poppy¡¯s group and the group with the lizardmen to remain in the dungeon at least for tonight.


    I still have yet to receive a message back from Lucille as well, so it looks like I will have to pay her a visit afterwards as well. With all that weighing heavily on my mind I return back to the house and after spending a small amount of time with Belinda and Rory I retire for the evening.

 Early Morning Meeting

    I wake up early the next morning with a long list of things I need to take care of today. I need to speak with Lucille again, but first I need to find places for my monsters to train at. There are also many questions I have for Ceres that I just haven¡¯t had time to speak with her about yet, either.


    Answering my questions and asking her to see if her dungeon can handle training a few of my groups is more than enough reason to start with her. Besides, no matter how early I start my day she always seems to be a step ahead of me, so I send her a message to see if she is willing to meet with me this morning.


    Without missing a beat, I receive a reply back almost instantly, telling me she is finishing up an early morning meeting and that she can meet with me in five or ten minutes once it is over¡­ I just got out of bed, and I can easily get ready with [Menu], but even still the sun hasn¡¯t even started to rise yet, so for her to already be finishing up with a meeting this morning. I can¡¯t help feel sorry for whoever her meeting was with.


    I decide to let Belinda sleep in a bit and give her a small kiss before quickly getting ready and heading for Ceres¡¯s dungeon. It is the middle of winter, but it hasn¡¯t snowed in a while so I am at least not having to deal with that, but being just before dawn even as a dungeon core the chill in the air is enough to make me uncomfortable.


    I arrive at the administrative building, and am not even surprised to see everything lit up this morning already. Then again Ceres is the leader of the Mage¡¯s Guild, so much of the lighting used within the college comes from the ruined magic stones I taught the guild how to make.


    When I enter the building there is already a fair number of people scurrying about, and even though some of them I know are people that Ceres has summoned herself, others are faculty she has hired from outside.


    I don¡¯t even have time to send Ceres a message before she is tapping on my shoulder from behind and greeting me with a smile that is much to cheery for this time of the morning.


    Ceres: ¡°My, aren¡¯t you up awfully early this morning, big brother!¡±


    ¡°I could say the same to you, especially when you have already finished a meeting this morning¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If you are speaking about the one I told you about, that was my second meeting for the day, so this will technically be my third, so I would ask what I could do for you this morning, but I think I have a pretty good idea, so what do you say we go somewhere a bit more private to talk?¡±


    ¡°Third... Do you even sleep?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Of course I sleep, but I am not exactly a human am I, so I don¡¯t require as much as you do.¡±


    ¡°Really? Just how much do you sleep?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I get a good couple hours in every week or so, but is that really what you came here to ask me this morning?¡±


    ¡°A couple hours a week?!¡± ¨CI quickly say before shaking my head.- ¡°Although that leaves me even more curious, you are quite right, so lead the way¡­¡±


    At first I thought Cere¡¯s dungeon had to be the type that builds up, as more than a few of the college buildings are multi-story, but I think I have determined they are more like the buildings in Tobes that are part of my dungeon.


    At least that is the best explanation as to how Ceres can have those buildings above ground and yet still have sub-levels as well. At first it was just the feeling of being underground when Ceres transferred me several places within her dungeon, but after we made that large underground room to summon monsters in for the other dungeon cores that connects to both of our dungeons, I knew for sure.


    I am sure she would tell me if I were to ask her about it, but when it comes to matters that I want to know just out of curiosity, I try not to overstep, because we are going to be stuck with each other for a long time, and I don¡¯t want to upset her.


    I honestly expected her to transfer us to the room with the comfy couches that we usually go to, so I can¡¯t help looking around curiously at this room that is far different than any she has taken me to before.


    I get the same feeling of being underground here as the other rooms I have been to, and I know it isn¡¯t one of the college buildings, because we are at the base of a large cylindrical room easily 200ft tall and big enough for Teku to take flight in.


    Even though the center of the room leading all the way to the top is empty, along the entire edge of the room are different styles, colors, and even textured doors leading out. There are also 4 continuous staircases leading up to different floors. From where I am standing I can see just as many doors on the second, third, and fourth floors, but can only assume the other six or so floors above it are the same.


    ¡°Where are we¡­? There has to be hundreds of doors here.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Welcome to my true dungeon.¡±


    ¡°For you only being at this a year, this is quite something¡­But why show me this now?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well I heard you had some new monsters you needed to train, isn¡¯t that why you came to speak with me this morning?¡±


    ¡°How did you hear that¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I ran into a few of your groups last night, and I noticed a lot of new faces. Now I admit I might not have many monsters here that would be much help to the higher level members, but if you let them stay here while they train the others, I will make a point of summoning some monsters so they won¡¯t get bored.¡±


    ¡°But if this is your actual dungeon, then your crystal is behind one of these doors, and I wouldn¡¯t want to put you at any kind of risk.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯m hardly worried. In fact if it helps motivate them you can tell them they can claim the crystal if they can manage to find it!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t do that!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Don¡¯t worry it is just an imitation crystal, besides I¡¯m pretty sure that even then, they won¡¯t be able to find it, and if they do somehow manage to claim the imitation crystal, then I know I need to do a better job.¡±


    ¡°But the cost to replace it would be quite steep¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Which should motivate me to make sure they can¡¯t find it, isn¡¯t that right? Besides the xp you and your girls provided to me those first few weeks after I became a dungeon core was more than enough to make up for it.¡±


    ¡°Well if you are sure, this would really be a big help to me¡­But I have to warn you some of these groups might be a little less conventional then normal.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Even more reason for them to train up in the safety of my dungeon, but there is something you can help me with as well.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I would like to borrow that oldest bunny of yours, Lilah.¡±


    ¡°Borrow her¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I would like her to train a few of my own people to watch over my dungeon the way the bunnies watch over yours. We could then offer the same services to other dungeon cores as a dungeon core only course at the college.¡±


    ¡°The number of adventurers entering the dungeon no longer slows down during the winter, so they have been giving it their all as it is. I couldn¡¯t do without Lilah right now without replacing her with another bunny, and since it is Lilah maybe even two or three¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well it might not be a bad idea to summon a couple more then, and she can train them at the same time as training a few of my people.¡±


    ¡°Well it may be time to think about summoning a few more to look after the dungeon, but this would be a lot of extra work for Lilah to take on, so before I could agree to any of this I would have to see how Lilah feels about it.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Of course, but keep in mind if I had someone to look after my dungeon the way you did for yours, then the groups you send to train here would be able to learn a lot more while they are here.¡±


    ¡°I will speak with Lilah and see what she thinks about it, but in addition to asking you to help me train a few of my monsters, I have a few more questions for you if you still have time.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Oh? Well, you know me. I always have time for my big brother.¡±


    ¡°Well, I know I have thanked you several times already for helping keep an eye on my dungeon, even when it almost cost you your own life, but we haven¡¯t really had much time to speak since then without at least somebody around that doesn¡¯t know about the dungeon, so as grateful as I am, I was curious about a few things.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Surely Akil told you all you needed to know?¡±


    ¡°That is exactly it¡­ When you told me about Akil saving you, you spoke about him like you knew him beforehand, and I can¡¯t even get him to wake up long enough to ask him a few questions, but for you, he not only woke up but saved your life as well from what I hear...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Akil has been around longer then I have, so of course I know about him. I just didn¡¯t know he had taken up residence in your dungeon. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised, he does enjoy to be at the center of things.¡±


    ¡°But all he does is sleep!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Akil works differently than we do. When he is awake he is strong, so strong that none of my siblings will even risk fighting him, but his true power comes from when he is sleeping. When he is asleep, he can be anywhere. Or everywhere that he wants to be at the same time, but in that state he can only observe.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°What exactly does that mean¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Even my siblings can only be in one place at a time. I guess you can say that when Akil is sleeping it is like being a dungeon core room and he can observe everything through the screens, except that he can process what is going on in each and every screen at once.¡±


    ¡°That explains how he always seems to know what is going on, but doesn¡¯t that make him quite dangerous¡­?


    Ceres: ¡°Luckily for us, Akil is quite lazy. He could watch everything, but he instead only watches things he finds interesting. That and the fact the more attention he draws to himself, the higher the chances are that his mate will find him.¡±


    ¡°He has a mate¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Yes, she is nowhere near as strong as he is, but she is still formidable in her own right. Every time their children get old enough to fend for themselves, Akil makes a run for it and goes into hiding for a couple hundred years until his mate manages to track him down and forces him to start another family.¡±


    ¡°You said she was much weaker then him, so how could she force him if he doesn¡¯t even want to be with her?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ We both know how much Akil loves his sleep, but when he rears each and every one of his children himself, that means it leaves little time for sleeping, so once the children are grown he tries to find a secluded place to sleep until his mate hunts him down again.¡±


    ¡°Sounds complicated¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well that has been the way it has been since before I came into being, so that is just normal for them. I will warn you though even though it hasn¡¯t been long since he last went into hiding, I wouldn¡¯t put it past his mate to already be searching for him.¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t harm my dungeon to find him would she?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Akil killed the last dungeon core of the dungeon he was staying at to bury himself in the dungeon¡¯s ruins, and although I made an agreement with him to not try something like that again, his mate will stop at nothing to find him.¡±


    ¡°Great! That is all I need, another threat to my dungeon. The xp I get from Akil is easily 50% of my income, but if the risk is that great maybe I should tell him to find somewhere else to hide¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°He is the closest thing to a god that we have access to at the moment without my powers, and not only is it clear the traitors have to be working with one of my siblings, but the great hunter still hasn¡¯t made his intentions known either. If you do decide it isn¡¯t worth the risk though, I would be willing to house him in my own dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I guess I will let him stay for now, but I can¡¯t get anything out of him, so if you could convince him to help us, by all means, please do so¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I already tried, and he said he might help after we deal with the traitors, but it looks like until then we may be on our own.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad¡­ Well, I still have a lot to do today, so I better get started. I assume the reason you transferred me here was so I could teleport my monsters here instead of letting the entrance of this place be discovered?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Nothing as complicated as that, I just had a good idea of what you wanted from me this morning, and I wanted you to see firsthand that you can count on your little sister. I am sure it would make things much easier for you to transfer them to our connected room, where I can speak with them a bit before transferring them down here, if you don¡¯t mind, that is.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ I will also speak with Lilah to see how she feels about training a few of your monsters, and I will get back to you on that matter.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I understand, oh, and one more thing.¡± ¨CShe says while she calls her [Menu] and after a few seconds a small wolf figurine forms in her hand and she then tosses it to me.- ¡°You said you wanted one of these. That one is just a little wolf, but I am sure with your dungeon, that will be enough. Ownership works a bit different with them, but you¡¯ll figure it out once you get back to your dungeon.¡±


    I thank her and look over the small wolf figurine before Ceres transfers us back to the university¡¯s administrative building.


    Ceres: ¡°Well best of luck to you today, and tell those groups of yours I am looking forward to working with them.¡±


    I thank Ceres again for her help and step back outside into the cold winter morning. Everyone else should be beginning to wake up now, so I send message to my groups telling to meet back at the house. I only have to walk across the road to be back in my dungeon, but by the time I transfer back to the house there are already a few groups waiting on me.


    Poppy¡¯s group and the group with the lizardmen pair are still at the dungeon of course, but Bandy¡¯s group is waiting in the ballroom already fully equipped in their gear. Iris¡¯s group and Bradford¡¯s group are here as well but they are not in their combat gear.


    That only leaves Kit¡¯s group left, but Bandy barely has a chance to complain before there is a knock on the door and Vetala lets brings Kit¡¯s group into the ballroom.


    Bandy: ¡°Thanks for holding us up, why didn¡¯t you just transfer here like the rest of us?¡±


    Kit: ¡°This is Master¡¯s home, I felt it wrong not to at least knock on the door¡­¡±


    Bradford: ¡°He did invite us with his message¡­¡±


    ¡°We all just got here ourselves, and it is your complaints that is taking this longer then it has to be, so if you are all ready I will transfer us all to the others and we can then send you to get started.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Fine with me, let¡¯s do it!¡±


    I then transfer us all to the groups still in the dungeon, after telling them about Ceres¡¯s dungeon, and making sure everyone has their gear equipped, I then transfer the groups to the room connected to Ceres¡¯s dungeon and my own, while I transfer to the dungeon core room.


    Most of the bunnies are still asleep, but Lilah is up watching one of the screens while sitting in a chair still in her nightgown.


    ¡°Did an adventurer group get an early start this morning?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°No, Master started early, so Lilah has to do her part as well.¡±


    ¡°You six already do more than your fair share. I am the one that should be trying harder to do my own part¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master has to protect the dungeon from the whole world, but Lilah only has to protect it from those that enter the dungeon, so Master¡¯s job is already much harder.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I am glad you are awake, because there was something I needed to talk to you about, but first you should probably get dressed...¡±


    The nightgown she is wearing should be a perfect fit if equipped by [Menu], but by the looks of the way it fits Lilah, I would say it was for one of the twins instead. Lilah is starting to grow into quite the attractive young woman, and I have to say seeing her like this makes me a bit uncomfortable.


    A lot of the nightgowns Belinda tends to wear, she does so without anything underneath it, so I guess I should be thankful Lilah is at least wearing a pair of panties because they are clearly visible by the way she is sitting. Not only that but with how tight the top of the nightgown is, it is quite obvious she is not wearing anything under it there.


    Lilah: ¡°Is Master taking Lilah somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that, I just wanted to ask a favor of you, but you are old enough now you should be more mindful of your appearance around men.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course, but Lilah doesn¡¯t mind as long as it¡¯s Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, just get dressed¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Okay¡­¡± ¨CShe says sounding a little disappointed.-


    She then hops up from her chair and starts walking to her room. Their rooms aren¡¯t exactly private with just some furniture separating one section of the dungeon core room from the next, but she is still quite a ways away from her room when she pulls off the nightgown walking the rest of the way to her room just in her light blue panties that have little white bunnies all over them¡­


    ¡°Lilah!¡± ¨CI quickly say once she reaches her room, and starts removing her panties as well.-


    Lilah: ¡°It¡¯s not Lilah¡¯s fault Master is watching, this is Lilah¡¯s room, and Master was the one that told her to get dressed!¡±


    ¡°Just use [Menu]¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Fine¡­¡± ¨CShe says as she pulls her panties back on and picks a small runic stone off her dresser. The magic stone is one with the [Clean] spell, and after she uses it she taps away on [Menu] and a soft blue one-piece dress appears on her body.-


    Lilah has always been partial to the first blue one-piece dress I summoned for her, Even using [Menu] to maintain its fit over the years, but this dress most definitely is not it. It¡¯s appearance is almost identical, but this one¡¯s length is much shorter ending well above her knees. In fact it isn¡¯t all that much longer then the nightgown she was just wearing.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit short for a winter dress¡­?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master said he wasn¡¯t taking Lilah anywhere, so shouldn¡¯t she just wear something comfortable?¡± ¨CShe says while twirling in the dress as she walks back from her room.-


    ¡°Alright, whatever¡­ I just wanted to ask you a question before going to check if Lucille has changed her mind, so Ceres wanted to know if you would be willing to train a few of her monsters to protect her dungeon like you and the other bunnies do for mine.¡±


    Lilah starts to get upset as she says. ¡°Master is trying to get rid of Lilah? She is sorry. She will put on a different dress, but don¡¯t get rid of Lilah!¡±


    ¡°I am not getting rid of you¡­ Sofia teaches at Ceres¡¯s college, and she is still part of us. I am just asking if you would be willing to train a few of Ceres¡¯s monsters the way Sofia teaches the adventurers.¡±


    Lilah drops to her knees in front of me and pleads with me. ¡°No! Lilah belongs to Master, she will only help Master! If Ceres wants one of us, Master can summon another sister for Ceres!¡±


    ¡°That is a possibility, but that would take twice as long because you would still have to train her, and then she could train Ceres¡¯s monsters.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t care! Master¡¯s dungeon is Lilah¡¯s responsibility and she can¡¯t give that up!¡± ¨CShe shakes her head violently enough that her long ears flop back and forth.-


    ¡°I could have you train Ceres¡¯s monsters here, but as close to family as Ceres is, I still don¡¯t know about letting her monsters in our dungeon core room. You six are starting to get overworked as it is so if you are at least willing to train a few more new sisters, then I will see if Ceres is willing to just take one of them instead¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Thank you Master! ¡­Lilah promises to train the new sisters very hard, as long as Master promises to let Lilah keep protecting Master.¡± ¨CShe says with tears in her eyes.-


    I sigh and scratch Lilah behind the ears while she starts to calm down. I then hear a voice from the other side of the room.


    Lylah yawns and stretches exposing her belly in the pajamas she is wearing as she says. ¡°What¡¯s all the commotion about this early in the morning? Am I going to have to tell Belinda that Master has Lilah crying on her knees while holding the back of her head?¡±


    ¡°Sorry for all the racket and waking you up¡­¡±


    Lylah: ¡°On my day off too¡­ Where do you plan on going dressed like that Lilah? Isn¡¯t it your day off as well?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master just gave Lilah an important job, so Lilah can¡¯t take the day off!¡± ¨CShe says while I help her back to her feet and she puffs out her chest.-


    ¡°There is not that big of a rush, you can start tomorrow if today¡¯s your day off¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°No, Lilah promised, and she won¡¯t take another day off until she fulfills that promise!¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t work yourself to hard, ok¡­? And I would start with three more and after they are trained we can then see which one or how many we send to Ceres alright?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Understood!¡± ¨CShe quickly says as she runs over to her chair and starts looking though her [Menu].-


    Lylah yawns again and says. ¡°Well whatever you promised her, it looks like to have made her day. It looks like the first adventurer group has entered the dungeon, so I better get the others up.


    I need to tell Belinda before going off to Lucille¡¯s dungeon, so I return home just in time to see Belinda getting ready to get in the bath with Rory. I decide to stick around a bit and help Belinda give Rory a bath.


    I let Belinda soak in the bath for a while longer while I get Rory dressed, and play with her a bit. When Belinda gets done with her bath she sneaks up behind me while I am trying to keep Rory from making too much of a mess out of her breakfast, and Belinda wraps her arms around me while leaning on me from behind the chair.


    I pull her around the chair and into my lap while I take in the sights and smells of Belinda still in her bathrobe with her damp hair that smells of her fragrant shampoo. Belinda giggles and leans in giving me a deep kiss.


    After the kiss Belinda rests her damp head on my shoulder as she says. ¡°Thank you for that. Have I told you lately how much I love you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Not in so many words, but it is nice to hear it every now and again.¡± ¨CI say while work my hand up Belinda¡¯s leg and into her bathrobe.-


    Belilnda¡¯s breath becomes a bit heavier as she starts nibbling on my ear, while I tease her from under her bathrobe. We don¡¯t get very far however, because there is soon a loud crash as Rory tosses her plate into the floor since we weren¡¯t paying attention to her.


    Belinda jumps off my lap and gives Rory a kiss on the forehead before crouching down to pick up the mess off the floor. ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best. You have a lot to do today don¡¯t you? I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    I get up and kiss Rory on the forehead as well, and while Belinda moves over to the sink I wrap my arms around her and biting her ear. ¡°Maybe so, but I promise to be home early to pick up where we left off.¡±


    Belinda sets the plate down in the sink and turns giving me another deep kiss before saying. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.~?¡°


    I then give Belinda another quick kiss, and then give Rory another quick kiss on the forehead as well before stepping out into the entryway to collect myself, before using [Gate] to reach Lucille¡¯s dungeon again.

 Merrettas Civil War

    ¡°Welcome everyone!¡± ¨CMy voice rings out causing the large group of people in front of me to start settle down.-


    Two-Twelve spoke of there being a few non-conventional members to these groups, and to be honest I was expecting the few dwarves, elves, avian, and cat-folk to a degree, and even the lizardmen are not entirely out of what I was expecting, but even I have to admit that the lamia was definitely a surprise.


    ¡°Right now you are all currently standing in your Master¡¯s dungeon, and before you step forward over here to my dungeon, I want to be clear on a few things. First of all, your Master sent you here to train, and I plan on doing everything I can to make sure you are able to do so freely and without hindrance, but there are some ground rules. Your Master told me that you have already been separated into groups, so I first need to know how many groups are present.¡±


    Poppy quickly steps forward and says. ¡°There are six groups¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± ¨CI say while opening my [Menu] calling for six of the people I had prepared for this and they quickly begin transferring into the room at my side.-


    ¡°Each group will be paired with one of my own people, and you can choose to have them follow you or just observe your group through [Menu], but either way they have been instructed to not interfere with your training. They will only be watching you to make sure that my dungeon¡¯s monsters don¡¯t go a bit overboard on any of your groups.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°More like to keep an eye on us!¡±


    ¡°You must be Bandy¡­ Yes, in addition to making sure the dungeon¡¯s monsters don¡¯t kill any of you, they will also be making sure you are following the rules, but the rules are only to make sure you all get a fair training experience, and nothing more.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Then we have free reign over the entire dungeon?¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Bandy, stop it! Miss Ceres is doing Master a favor by allowing us to train here, so show a little appreciation!¡±


    ¡°There are ten floors inside my dungeon, and you are free to explore any one of them, however to make the training experience fair, each group will choose a floor at the beginning of each day and will only stay on that one floor. The monsters may vary between floors, but the amount of xp acquirable should remain constant between each of the ten floors.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Six groups, and ten floors, what about the other four floors?¡±


    ¡°There is plenty of dungeon to explore on each floor, and I am doubtful you could traverse an entire floor in a single day, but once your groups become strong enough to do so, we will see about letting some of the groups train on the remaining floors.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°And what about those of us that are already strong?¡±


    ¡°I know some of you are nearing level 50 or even slightly above it, and unfortunately I don¡¯t currently have anything quite strong enough to be a benefit to those members, but every point of xp I acquire from your stay in my dungeon will go straight back into the dungeon, so the faster you level up the new members the sooner I begin to acquire higher amounts of xp from you in which I can summon stronger monsters.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°So we are just wasting our time here!¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, you are training the new members, and by the time your entire group is ready I am sure I will have gathered enough xp to make it worth your time. Besides I will be taking you to my actual dungeon, in which one of the many rooms will possess my crystal. It may just be an imitation crystal, but if you were to claim it I am sure that would still prove to be quite beneficial.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°You are saying we can destroy the crystal when we find it?¡±


    ¡°As long as you are following the rules, then yes if you find the crystal you can.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Then what are we waiting for?! Let¡¯s get started!¡±


    ¡°We still have a bit more to cover, but we should now make our way to the dungeon, so for all of you willing to follow the rules, step over here on my side of the room and I will transfer us to the dungeon.¡±


    Two-Twelve¡¯s groups then step over the threshold between our two dungeon, and I transfer us down to the base of my dungeon. Many of them begin to look around with shocked expressions. After showing this area to Two-Twelve I made a few adjustments.


    We are surrounded by a couple dozen tents and other wilderness survival gear. Two-Twelve didn¡¯t give me the exact number of his groups so there are quite a few extras of everything. I guess that just means that each group doesn¡¯t have to be limited to a single tent.


    ¡°This location is a safe area, you will come back here when you are done training for the day to rest, and you can rest here without worry of any kinds of attack. Now there are plenty of supplies for each of you, but it looks like at least a few of you will have to share a tent.¡±


    ¡°This one is all mine!¡± ¨CBandy says as she stakes claims on one of the tents, but she then looks to the bear beastkin that appears to be in her group and says.- ¡°Unless of course Ursus wants to bunk up with me?¡±


    The bear beastkin man looks to the others of his group quite nervously. The thorny lizard-like man next to him places one of his hands on the bear beastkin¡¯s shoulder and says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ursus, if the mistress insists on having someone share her bed, I will volunteer.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Like hell, you horny bastard, I don¡¯t want to end up a pincushion!¡±


    I took the man as a lizardman at first, but as he hangs his head dejected by Bandy¡¯s comment I notice his features and mannerisms are far more human-like. Does that mean he is some kind of beastkin, or did Two-Twelve create a new race again and didn¡¯t tell me about it¡­?


    A human woman, Suzie, quickly changes the subject by saying. ¡°Hey Kit, look!¡± ¨CShe says picking up some of the supplies.- ¡°There is even food!¡±


    "I know you don''t need to eat, but having had to pose as an adventurer myself in the past, I think it would be better if those who are new among you got used to eating beforehand, and those who enjoy it should be able to continue to do so."


    ¡°Is there any alcohol?!¡± ¨COne of the dwarves quickly askes.-


    ¡°There isn¡¯t, but once your training is complete for the day you can speak with your representative from my dungeon, and they can either take you to Tobes to buy anything else you might need, or provide it from the dungeon itself.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°We can go back into town?¡±


    ¡°Of course, however any time you leave your representative will have to accompany you or you at least have to let them know where you are going, but that is just so you will be able to get back. As long as you take your training seriously, if you wish to pop out of the dungeon for a few hours in the evening it should be perfectly fine. I just ask you return before the end of day.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Well I don¡¯t care where the rest of you go, but our group it taking the tenth floor!¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be much easier to just start at the bottom and each group just move up an additional floor?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I¡¯m going to find that crystal!¡±


    ¡°Good luck, but if there is any part of the dungeon that I can¡¯t guarantee your safety, it is the room that holds the crystal. If you just search out the crystal without training your group properly, the odds of you claiming the crystal when you find it will be slim, and I don¡¯t want to be the one that explains to Two-Twelve that some of you may have died pushing yourselves too far.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°You already said you didn¡¯t have any monsters tough enough to be a problem for me, so after saying we could claim the crystal, now you are just trying to scare us!¡±


    ¡°The rift monsters aren¡¯t that strong, but there are some non-rift monsters guarding the crystal that could be a problem. Just give the other members of your group a few weeks of training before you dive into more than you can handle.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Then we will just get started then.¡±


    ¡°Fine, Milo.¡± ¨CI say to one of the representatives of my dungeon.- ¡°You will look after their group just like we discussed, and if there are any problems, you contact me or Two-Twelve immediately.¡±


    Milo: ¡°Understood.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°We don¡¯t need a babysitter, you can wait here.¡±


    Milo: ¡°I understand, just remember I will still be keeping an eye on you with [Menu], so if at any time you have need of me just say the word.¡±


    Bandy ignores him and then gathers her group as they start making their way up the stairs.


    Poppy: ¡°Alright everybody, we should get started as well. Miss Ceres said the xp will be the same no matter the floor, so I am perfectly fine with any floor. If any of you have a floor preference just let us know now.¡±


    Bradford: ¡°We want the first floor. This may be where we arrived at, but this is an underground dungeon, so odds are the tenth floor is actually the first. Now that we are no longer under Bandy, I want that crystal as well, so I think the chance of it being on the first floor is just as high if not higher than being on the tenth.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Alright, but just remember why we are here¡­¡±


    ¡°Artor.¡± ¨CI say to another representative of my own dungeon as Bradford¡¯s group gathers together.- ¡°You will be assigned to their group.¡±


    Artor: ¡°Understood.¡± ¨CHe says then presents himself to Bradford¡¯s group.- ¡°I am Artor, I will make sure you all remain safe during your training. I can remain here and keep an eye on you with [Menu] if you prefer, but I¡¯d much rather keep an eye on things directly.¡±


    Bradford: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, just stay out of our way.¡±


    Artor: ¡°You will barely know I am there.¡± ¨CHe says and then follows them as the group starts looking at some of the doors.¡±


    Kit: ¡°We will take the next floor, just so we can spend more time training and less time climbing stairs.¡±


    ¡°Jocelyn, you take their group.¡±


    Jocelyn then moves over to Kit¡¯s group and introduces herself.


    Kit: ¡°I guess we will be in your hands, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± =He says and then introduces his group to Jocelyn before they hit the stairs.-


    Poppy: ¡°Anybody else has any floor preferences?¡±


    Nobody else seems to care which floor they take so I introduce each group to their representative until only Poppy and her group remain.


    Poppy: ¡°I guess that means you are with us.¡± ¨CShe says to the last remaining member of the representatives from my dungeon.- ¡°I¡¯m Poppy, this here is Lynx, we also have Orino, and Reti¡± ¨CShe says indicating to the other two cat-folk.- ¡°Isi, is our fine feathered friend here, and our extremely long friend is Nyxia, and we all look forward to working with you.¡±


    Last Representative: ¡°I¡¯m Gabriela, and I look forward to working with you as well.¡± ¨CShe says with a bow.-


    They then start heading up the stairs, leaving only Milo and me left remaining in the camp. ¡°Well it looks like you have your work cut out for you, take care of them.¡±


    Milo: ¡°Understood.¡± ¨CHe says while finding a place to sit down opening his [Menu] to keep an eye on Bandy¡¯s group.-


    Now that this situation is taken care of I have a new teacher I to introduce myself to, two more meetings at the university, a meeting at the Mage¡¯s Guild, and that is all before noon, but I at least don¡¯t have to worry about a stubborn Elder¡­ I wonder how Two-Twelve¡¯s meeting is going.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    I wasn¡¯t invited this time, so I obviously didn¡¯t teleport directly to the depth of Lucille¡¯s dungeon, but I arrived in part of the ruined castle instead. After arriving though, I quickly send a message to her letting her know I am here to talk to her further.


    Even though I am a ways away from the city itself I can hear quite a bit of commotion from it, and even from here you can feel the tension in the air. If something doesn¡¯t give soon, this civil war might not end unless one side or the other is completely wiped out¡­If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Lucille complains about my sudden arrival, but she transfers me down to the room in which I spoke to her yesterday. The monstrous suits of armor still line the walls, but at least she didn¡¯t feel the need to walk me though the entire floor to show off again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the sudden intrusion, but as I said yesterday, this matter is quite time sensitive, so I wanted to know if there was anything else I could do in which to persuade you.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°The Southern Merretta army pushed forward and captured a border city just this morning, if there is chance to end this war without force, Laura is going to have to stop her aggressive actions!¡±


    ¡°Even more reason for you to make a quick decision. You don¡¯t care about the humans, so offer to help Laura take control of the rest of Merretta, before she does it on her own¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I might not care about the humans, but Laura does, and she thinks by doing this she is challenging me! Regardless how I feel about the humans, I can¡¯t let her think she holds the advantage.¡±


    ¡°As long as you continue to let this get under your skin, then she does. Regardless of the outcome of the war the only way you can win this now, is by helping her to prove that you don¡¯t care about the outcome, or by completely destroying her, and we both know that we can¡¯t afford to lose any more powerful dungeon cores right now.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Fine, I will speak with Laura, but if I am to help her, Aaron, take the throne of Merretta, I am going to have strict conditions.¡±


    ¡°Then we shouldn¡¯t waste time. We will call an Elder meeting immediately and get this squared away before the traitors try anything else¡­¡±


    I quickly send a message to Madam Erin, telling her Lucille is ready to speak to Laura, and we call an Elder meeting. It takes the rest of the morning before we can get everyone to the neutral zone for the discussion, and not only has Dyson brought along Angela and Desiree again, but Laura has brought along Aaron as well.


    Angela seems a bit upset when Dyson tells her and Desiree to wait in the waiting room while Laura leads Aaron into the meeting room, but Angela does as she is asked, and then disappears into the meeting room, while she complains to Desiree.


    Once we enter the meeting room we take our seats while Aaron finds an empty chair at the base of the podium, he is doing his best to show a regal appearance, but I think it is plain to everyone in the room that he is quite nervous.


    Lucille: "Your disregard for this place is shameful, you should be more like Dyson and leave your pet at the door, or do we need to get a ''no pets allowed'' sign?"


    Laura: ¡°This meeting is pivotal to the future of the Merretta Kingdom, so it is only natural its true King is present for it.¡±


    Lucille starts to say something else but Madam Erin cuts in by saying. ¡°I told her to bring him along, to expedite the process.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The fact that all of us had to step forward to put this pointless conflict between you two to bed, when matters far more dire require our attention, is proof enough for you to know this needs to end now.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Aaron is the rightful king of all of Merretta, Aaron and I have planned for this moment since I took him on as my boss monster, and Lucille¡¯s lack of attention to Merretta should be no excuse for the Elders to become involved in what are clearly human matters.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Even though the number of high levels adventurers has dwindled since my time as one, but the sheer number of humans has never been higher. You couple that with the fact that Merretta has the largest army of soldiers of any of the human kingdoms, and it stands to reason that this is something we Elders should take note of.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Then you admit human¡¯s importance to the future of dungeon cores?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have been using humans for years, and Two-Twelve is no stranger to them either.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Humans have always played an important role in the future of the dungeon cores. The purge should be proof enough of that, but I feel over the last few centuries many of us had become strong enough that the humans no longer seemed to be the threat they once were.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Lucille called me foolish for taking a human as a boss monster, foolish for involving myself in the human politics, and foolish for sitting at Aaron¡¯s side, but she was the foolish one because every day the Southern Merretta army pushes that much closer to her doors.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Humans fighting humans, that is hardly any proof at all, even if your¡­ Aaron? Took the throne of Merretta that would prove nothing.¡±


    Laura: ¡°You are contradicting everything the others just said, and your own actions up to this point!¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I don¡¯t speak for the others, but my own actions are merely due to you thinking you can challenge me with those simple humans of yours.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Then when we do take Merretta we can show you just what my mere humans can do!¡±


    ¡°Ladies! We are here to put an end to this fight and the civil war, not escalate it! Lucille, you don¡¯t care which human sits on the throne of Merretta, so there is no reason you can¡¯t help Laura put an end to the civil war. And you Laura, you claim to want to reunite Merretta, and yet the one person that can be the most help to you, you are instead fighting with!¡±


    Laura: ¡°I don¡¯t need Lucille¡¯s help to take Merretta!¡±


    ¡°That may be, but without her help you are looking at a drawn out civil war, with needless losses on both sides. Most of the nobles that are backing the old ways of Merretta are likely living in the noble quarters of Merretta, inside Lucille¡¯s dungeon. With her help, you could locate those behind the challenge of Aaron¡¯s claim to the throne, and Lucille could transfer your soldiers directly into their homes dealing with them all at once. Then when Aaron is Merretta¡¯s king you can prove your human¡¯s strength by helping us with the traitors rather than fighting among ourselves!¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Why would I help her?¡±


    ¡°With the capital of Merretta moving to Uthaira, you will need someone to rebuild and take over the old castle, to guard the entrance to your dungeon. For your help, if they were to allow you to choose a duke, count, or whatever you want to call it, to take that position and that would even give you a voice in the kingdom once again.¡±


    Laura: ¡°That will hardly solve the underlying problem between Lucille and I.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but it will at least put an end to the civil war, and we can focus on stopping the traitors, if you wish to continue to squabble after they have been dealt with, then that is on you¡­¡±


    Laura: ¡°What do you say, my king?¡±


    Lucille scoffs at Laura¡¯s way of addressing Aaron, before he says. ¡°There are many benefits to what they are suggesting, not only would it reduce the number of lives lost, but we would not have to continue to drain the kingdom¡¯s coffers over a long fought war, allowing the kingdom to bounce back much quicker afterwards.¡±


    It seems like we have come to at least somewhat of an agreement so we spend the next few hours hammering out the finer details, and in the end I had to summon a human man to serve as Lucille¡¯s duke. Dyson summoned a man first, but neither Laura nor Lucille found him acceptable, so I had to do it instead.


    I made sure to put some stipulations of my own of course, but he is going to be a duke in one of, if not the strongest kingdoms, so as long as Laura and Lucille abide by the agreement I made before summoning him then it should be alright.


    I made an agreement with them, but for the human man himself, they only allowed me to give him an ultimate command to prevent him from telling any secrets of my dungeon, before having me transfer his ownership directly to Lucille. Lucille wasn¡¯t too happy about having a human bound to her dungeon, but it was the only way to be sure he serves his purpose correctly.


    It may still take a few days or even a few weeks before Lucille can pinpoint the nobles that are standing in Aaron¡¯s way, but after that the civil war should come to a swift end, and we can start focusing on more important matters.


    I only hope the traitors give us that long¡­ Once the meeting is over Lucille and Laura leave while speaking quite cordially. There really is no in-between for them. They are either the best of friends or worst of enemies.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Add one more achievement to that growing list of yours, single handedly stopped a civil war.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t over yet, and I didn¡¯t do anything¡­What about you Dyson? Did you find anything to make you believe the traitors were involved in any way?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I thought there was a chance, but it turned out to be nothing. It did however result in a bit of fun, so I guess it wasn¡¯t a complete loss. So, what now?¡±


    ¡°That fake dungeon really did a number on me, and it is going to take a while for me to get back into fighting shape, but I am more worried about the members of my group, or what the traitors are going to do while I try to recoup my losses.¡±


    Madam Erin: "The way in which the traitors keep breaking what we thought were iron-clad rules is becoming worrisome."


    ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the fact, that they are not only manipulating the god that controls [Menu], but that it is beginning to look like they must have another one helping them do so.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Maybe we should start focusing on training up your little pet goddess back to her former glory.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it would take for Ceres to return to the power level she was before becoming a dungeon core, but I am pretty sure we don¡¯t have enough time to do it. Besides I have tried to get her to train, but she has refused thus far, only leveling up by the xp from her consumption.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What about that Akil creature that saved her in your dungeon, from what Dyson told me, he is some kind of god-like creature as well isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°From what Ceres told me, he is even older than the old gods, but he is even less help than Ceres. Speaking of Ceres, I left some new monsters I summoned to train in her dungeon, so I probably should return to check on them.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Be careful, if the traitors were counting on the civil war, and they are not getting the kind of results they were hoping for, they might try something else.¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ By the way, I completed the favor Angela asked of me, I don¡¯t know if she will be happy with the results, but I should probably tell her what I found out.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Can¡¯t say I like you keeping secrets with my entourage¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Enough that I won¡¯t force the issue. Besides Desiree assures me it is a trivial matter, and her I do trust.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°That¡¯s a new one.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Do you not trust your own succubus?¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I summoned Elexia, and she is my boss monster, besides you have never even trusted your own monsters, much less those given to you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are making a big deal out of nothing.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°If you say so.¡±


    ¡°Well, excuse me then, I will go speak with Angela and then head home.¡±


    Madam Erin continues to nitpick on Dyson about the girls as I go tell Angela what Sandra told me. Like I thought she doesn¡¯t find the information helpful as she wanted, but she thanks me anyway. I then use [Gate] to return home and as I collapse on the couch I receive a message.


    5 justicar points received for protecting the integrity of [Menu] by mediating terms to end a war.


    [Archjusticar] skill has increased to rank 3. 2 additional justicars can be selected, and new options have become available under the [Archjusticar Menu].


    The house is pretty quiet so Belinda and Rory must be out, so I decide to check out the new options in the [Archjusticar Menu]


    In addition to the number of available justicars I have, there is a new option in the [Menu] that says [Justicar Teleportation] I select it and it says.


    [Justicar Teleportation] allows the Archjusticar, or any of the Justicars to teleport to one another at the cost of 1 justicar point. The Archjusticar and multiple justicars can use a single teleport, however no other creatures can be transported with this ability.


    Teleporting only Ceres to me or myself to her for the cost of a justicar point seems rather useless ability until I read the next line.


    This teleportation is a godly effect superseding any magical interference preventing teleportation unless the interference comes from a higher ranked godly effect.


    Those items the traitors use are of godly quality, but is the effect higher than this ability? If not we might finally be able to escape once trapped by the traitors. Even so I don¡¯t know how much help it would be, because I wouldn¡¯t have left everyone else behind in that fake dungeon to escape on my own.


    However, if I make a few more justicars and we make sure to travel in at least pairs once we become trapped one could teleport out and give warning before returning, since the cost is only a single justicar point each way.


    Then again this all on the assumption that this teleportation is of higher rank than that of those items the traitors use. I will also have to select more justicars, and I am not sure who I can trust. I think Inari is a fair choice, I believe I can trust her at least as much as Ceres after all we have been through together, but I am not so sure about Maeve, Dawn, or Twilight.


    Madam Erin, Dyson, or Ithros would also be good choices as they are strong enough to be actual help in the event we become stuck again. On the other hand Ithros would be unable to bring Teku with him, and am not sure he would use the ability, regardless of the situation, if that was the case.


    As for Madam Erin and Dyson, they are powerful enough to make a major difference in any situation we may find ourselves in, and although I do trust them to a degree, we often have differences of opinions as well that may prove to be a problem at some point.


    In any case, I made Ceres a justicar because I felt I could trust her, so it won¡¯t hurt to see what she thinks. Besides, I need to check to see how my xp gatherers are doing in their training anyway. Belinda and Rory still haven¡¯t returned so I send Belinda a message to let her know I am home, and that I am going to go to Ceres¡¯s dungeon.


    Before I can send a message to Ceres to tell her I am on the way, Belinda sends me a message back saying she is with Ceres already at the Mage¡¯s Guild for a meeting, so I should come by, and after the meeting we could all check on the xp gather¡¯s progress together.


    I decide to change clothes into something a bit warmer, so I can walk to the Mage¡¯s Guild, in hopes that I am able to miss the meeting, but when I start to change I notice the little wolf figurine in my pocket¡­


    I was in so much of a hurry to take care of the matters with Lucille, I completely forgot about bringing this home¡­ Ceres said that she would give me the wolf stored inside, but I didn¡¯t receive the message about the change of ownership when I arrived in my dungeon this morning.


    She did say it works a little differently when using the figurine, so after giving the little figurine a once over again, I try to figure out how to get the wolf out of the figurine. As soon as I think about it however the figurine begins to glow and the wolf takes shape in the middle of my bedroom floor.


    As far as wolves go it is an excellent wolf, I have seen quite a few wild wolves, and even summoned a few myself for the training of the Gowen soldiers, but the only other wolf I have seen that is so flawless is the one that Tanya uses.


    Even if I don¡¯t put any effort forth when summoning humans or beastkin, they tend to be quite attractive, a fact I have been called out on more than once, but normal monsters are rather generic. Maybe Ceres summons animals in the same way? Now that I think about it though, the humans she has summoned seemed to be a cut above the normal townsperson as well, so maybe everything she summons is better¡­


    I try giving the wolf a few commands and it listens without fail, but for some reason I still receive no message about transfer of ownership. I think about how to put the wolf back in the figurine, and it lights up again and the wolf disappears.


    I guess ownership of the wolf isn¡¯t that important, but the main reason I wanted one of these figurines is because the magic in the figurine itself, so I decide to store the figurine in the dungeon¡¯s inventory. This causes the figurine to light up before it disappears, and it kicks the wolf back onto my floor. Once the figurine is stored however, I receive a message.


    Wolf has changed ownership from Dungeon Core #5 [Ceres] to Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ------ Gowen]. Would you like to change the name of Wolf?


    New Monster Available


    Divine Wolf Cost: 1,000 xp*


    *Divine wolves can be summoned as sentient at x10 base cost.


    New Enchantment Available


    Divine Binding Cost: x5 monsters base cost


    Divine Binding allows a non-sentient divine creature to be bound to an object. Creatures bound to an object take orders from whosoever possesses the object. The creature can be stored or withdrawn from the object at will, and receives increased recovery while stored in their bound object.


    Divine wolf¡­? I ask myself while staring at the wolf standing in the middle of my floor. It also says only divine creatures can be bound to objects, so does that mean Tanya¡¯s wolf and bear are both divine creatures as well?


    Does that mean everything that Ceres summons has the divine added to it? If so what does that mean those humans she summoned are actually divine beings instead? It seems the more I learn about Ceres the less I seem to know¡­


    I wanted to use the figurines to transport large numbers of monsters quick and easily, but if they all require the divine type than I don¡¯t know if that will be possible. I play around with the figurine and the wolf for a little bit, but it seems I have no trouble storing the wolf in my crystal, storing the figurine in my dungeon¡¯s inventory, or storing the wolf in the figurine, but I can¡¯t store the wolf in the figurine while the figurine itself is in my dungeon inventory.


    I seem to have wasted a bit too much time, because Belinda eventually messages me asking me where I am at, so I quickly store the wolf back in the figurine and set it on the dresser, before quickly getting dressed and I then head out to meet with Belinda and Ceres.

 Training in Ceress Dungeon

    ¡°Now we can see what everyone can do!¡±


    We spent the entire evening yesterday getting to know the new members of our group, but as they had just been summoned it wasn¡¯t like there was much for them to tell. We did get to learn about their personalities though, and I think we will be able to get along at least.


    I do feel a bit bad for Lynx though, he wanted more than anything to have more of his kind, so he would have someone to speak with. It isn¡¯t like Lynx, Orino, and Reti don¡¯t get along, but even though Orino and Reti have only just been summoned they already seem to have a strong chemistry between them. I am afraid in Lynx¡¯s pursuit for a friend of his own race, he will end up becoming the third wheel¡­


    Not that it is much of a consolation, but our new avian companion, Isi, seems to be getting along exceptionally well with Lynx. They spent quite a few hours talking last night, but you could tell Lynx would have rather been talking with Orino and Reti.


    I meanwhile spent the evening making friends with our new lamia member, Nyxia. I was surprised however, because I kept forgetting she wasn¡¯t human. Not that it matters to me, but I had to catch myself quite often, because she kept speaking about wanting to see Tobes and meet lots of new people, and I had to stop myself before I told her I would take her to do those things.


    The townspeople of Tobes are pretty open-minded, but I still think a Lamia would be a bit much for many of them. If things keep going well with the demi-human village it may become possible, so I hope I do get the chance to show Nyxia around Tobes one day.


    As for their gear Cat-folk and Avians are a rare breed, they level like a human, but they wear monster gear. Of course that wasn¡¯t a problem for Master, so Orino is wearing a rather snazzy set of leather and chainmail armor. The quality and materials are far better than a standard level 1 adventurer, but compared to Lynx and my own gear, it is quite lacking.


    Master did promise to provide the groups with better equipment after they finished training, so this will be plenty to get him through until then. Likewise Reti was given a set of leather reinforced robes and a simple but pretty staff. Lynx uses one of those bladed combat staves, so he fights alongside of us most of the time while casting spells, but Reti looks to be more of a traditional type of mage.


    Isi on the other hand was quite hard to prepare equipment for, flight isn¡¯t a very beneficial ability when you spend most of your time in dungeons, but we still didn¡¯t want to equip him in armor that would prevent him from being able to take flight either, you add his wings and the fact that avians are about twenty five percent larger than a human, and that leaves him quite an easy target.


    We decided to give him a variation of the archer¡¯s armor, with quiver full of javelins. From what Master said, the swan beastkin that he gave Elder Dyson, seems to be fighting with a similar style, so it should work for Isi as well.


    As for Nyxia, Master equipped her in chainmail armor, and it ends after only covering the first few feet of her tail, the rest of the tail is then completely bare and exposed. Nyxia doesn¡¯t have a class due to her race, but she has a large curved sword with a single edge, and large shield to serve as a defensive member of our group, but I am rather worried about her tail making her an easy target.


    There isn¡¯t much we can do about it though, so I just look on as we send our new members in on their first battle. Gabriela seems to be taking her job very seriously as she watches the battle and what I assume is a screen in front of her very carefully with a furrowed brow.


    The first room we entered contained nothing but a handful of goblins, and although they don¡¯t look as mangy as normal goblins. Cat-folk and avians are a bit stronger at level one then a normal monster, but even at level one Lamia are way up there on the list, so it is of no surprise to Lynx and I when they have no difficulty in dealing with the goblins.


    ¡°Gabriela, I appreciate your dedication to your work, but if you take things this seriously during a fight with simple goblins, I worry about your health once the battles really begin to heat up¡­¡±


    Gabriela: ¡°No, I am watching to make sure they are safe, but I am also very interested to see how adventurers carry out the battles as well. My mistress wishes me to watch over her dungeon in the same manner as the bunny sisters do for your Master, so I wish to pay close attention to how adventurers react to a situation, so I can better command the monsters, once my Mistress gives me the permission to do so.¡±


    ¡°Our group is far from the normal adventurer group, but I guess that is ok. We have much training to do however, so please pace yourself. I wouldn¡¯t want you to become tired and make a mistake at a crucial moment.¡±


    Gabriela: ¡°I understand, and I promise to remain vigilant!¡±


    The room itself is pretty standard. Nyxia could probably stretch from corner to corner. I don¡¯t know if the door we chose makes much of a difference, but there is another one on the far side of the room, so we decide to keep going.


    The progression in this dungeon is pretty steep, the first room was simple goblins, and the second room was advanced goblins, and by the third room they were already having to deal with hobgoblins. At that point the group started to have a bit of trouble, but with Nyxia they still managed to clear the room without our help.


    Gabriela seems to be in the zone every time we enter a new room, and she doesn¡¯t relax until all the monsters are dealt with, and she has even begun to take notes.


    ¡°That last battle was a bit rough, why don¡¯t we take a quick breather real quick, before we continue on to the next room.¡±


    Reti: ¡°Kyaa~!¡± ¨CShe exclaims as she stretches.- ¡°Miss Ceres doesn¡¯t mess around.¡±


    Orino: ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting the progression of the monsters to be so sudden.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°You have all performed very well for your first time.¡±


    Isi: ¡°Of course, we got to do our best, so we can help Master for real!¡±


    Nyxia: ¡°It is best to take it nice and slow.¡±


    Isi: ¡°But not too slow, or the other groups will leave us in the dust!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, with Nyxia in our group you have started out at a higher advantage. Depending on how the others train, the only other group that comes close is Miss Bandy¡¯s group.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°I think she is the type to try to raise their levels fast by blowing through the monsters herself, but I believe that even if they out-level you all, as long as you get the actual combat experience, you are still better off.¡±


    Isi: ¡°It would be nice to be recognized by Master though¡­¡±


    ¡°Our group is pretty special, so I don¡¯t think you have to worry about getting Master¡¯s attention, I am sure he is going to be quite interesting how your training goes.¡±


    Reti: ¡°Well we better get back to it then, we wouldn¡¯t want him to find out we were just sitting around chatting!¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Breaks are important too, you have not been conserving your magic as much as you could be, so you need to make sure you take all the time you can to recharge.¡±


    Reti: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I will be more careful.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about making mistakes now, right now is the time to make them when the cost is low. As long as you learn from them, that is the important part.¡±


    Gabriela has been writing on her parchment like crazy ever since we stopped for our break so Nyxia says ¡°What kind of notes you writing down Gabriela?¡± as she slithers closer to take a peek.


    Gabriela: ¡°I¡¯m just trying to write everything down, while it is still fresh in my mind.¡±


    ¡°Wow, these are amazing!¡± ¨CNyxia says as she looks over Gabriela¡¯s shoulder.- ¡°Can I have a look?¡±


    Gabriela: ¡°Please, just be careful with them, they are important.¡± ¨CShe says handing a few of the pages of parchment to Nyxia and she then continues to write away on another.-


    ¡°Look at this everyone!¡± ¨CNyxia says as she starts showing the rest of us what is on the pages.-


    We have only been through a few rooms but there are already pages of information that Gabriela has observed, complete with little sketches of the group members and how they reacted in the situation. To be able to do this on the move while standing, and in such a short amount of time, Gabriela seems quite talented.


    Nyxia: ¡°Look this one even has the face I made when Orino kicked my tail!¡±


    Orino: ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Gabriela, if you don¡¯t mind, maybe we can take a look at these at the end of each day? It might really help their training if they can see their mistakes like this.¡±


    Gabriela: ¡°As long as you return them, since I need them for my own training¡­¡± ¨CShe says without looking up from her parchment.-


    Nyxia then gathers the parchment pages back up and gives them back to Gabriela, and we then gather up heading on to the next room. The progression of the rooms means it won¡¯t be long until things become serious for our new members, and sure enough it proves true when the next room consists of some advanced hobgoblins, and Lynx and I have to step in to block a few blows.


    We still let them kill the hobgoblins themselves, but as soon as the battle is over Orino drops down to the floor to rest and quickly apologized to Nyxia. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I kicked your tail again¡­¡±


    Lynx and I made sure none of their wounds were more than just superficial, but to be on the safe side we cast a few healing spells to make sure everyone is in top shape.


    Nyxia: ¡°No, you were just trying to dodge that attack, if my tail wasn¡¯t in the way you wouldn¡¯t have gotten hit at all! If anything, I should be apologizing to you for you getting hit like that.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°Nyxia¡¯s tail, is quite the unique obstacle, but once you all get used to fighting together, you will stop making mistakes like that, and maybe even turn it into an advantage instead.¡±


    Nyxia: ¡°I don¡¯t see how, right now all it does is get in the way!¡±


    ¡°This is only the first day, just give it some time.¡±


    After only peeking in the next room and seeing a group of orcs we decide it is best to return to the central room. Lynx and I could handle the orcs, but there is no way the new members can, and we have plenty of other doors to choose from, and we are in no rush.


    The first door we entered that was housing the goblins, was an old worn wooden door, the next one we chose is a rusty metal door, and behind it we find a small group of kobolds. These kobolds are much more sleek then the typical kobold, but just like the goblins their fighting potential is about the same.


    Their progression also continues much like the goblins, each room proving to be far more difficult from the last. We make it through the same number of rooms as we did with the goblins, and everyone is starting to work together a bit better now.


    Reti: ¡°Thanks Isi, you really saved me from that kobold, but I don¡¯t know what was scarier, the kobold rushing at me, or the whoosh of that javelin as it flew past me to bring him down¡­¡±


    Isi: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to get it that close to you, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Orino: ¡°You did good Isi, and so did you Nyxia, I was proud that I haven¡¯t kicked your tail in the last few rooms, and when I started to back up and I hit your tail I just knew I screwed up again, but if you didn¡¯t stop me I would have backed right into that other kobold¡­¡±


    ¡°You guys are getting there, but we still have a long way to go.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Nyxia: ¡°That one was a pretty close call though, so we should probably head back and choose a different door now.¡±


    Lynx: ¡°That is a good call.¡±


    We then turn back heading to the central room again, and the next door we chose leads to some lizardmen. The lizardmen are a bit tougher than the goblins or kobolds, so they struggle a bit more dealing with them, but even so they are really starting to come together as a team.


    After they can¡¯t go any further on the lizardmen we return and find some dog-like humanoids in the next door. After we clear the first room, I investigate the corpses, because I am not quite sure what they are.


    Orino: ¡°I guess if we don¡¯t know what these things are right after being summoned, that means you don¡¯t know what they are either?¡±


    Lynx: ¡°I have never seen anything quite like it. It is like a dog and a goblin. Gabriela, care to enlighten us?¡±


    Gabriela: ¡°They are not an entirely new species, but I can¡¯t say they are very common, I am sure you will know what they are once you see some of the evolved forms, but think of it as your own training.¡±


    Nyxia: ¡°Well they aren¡¯t any stronger than the other monsters, so we should be good for at least a few rooms, so why don¡¯t we go find out?¡±


    After a few more rooms, they become too difficult for the new members to deal with, but we are also pretty confident that these monsters are some lesser form of gnoll. Although I didn¡¯t know there was such a thing.


    If each one of these doors hold a singular creature, and as you pass from room to room you encounter the higher evolutionary forms. It seems like Ceres¡¯s dungeon is like a menagerie of monsters and their evolutions. If that really is what Ceres is trying to do here, I have to say it is quite an ambitious feat¡­


    We continue late into the evening, but even though we only make it a few rooms deep past each door we still don¡¯t make it through even half the doors on this floor. We probably could have leveled up the new members faster if Lynx and I participated more, but I think their experience in handling a fight, is just as important as their actual level.


    On our way back down to camp we check everyone¡¯s statuses, and it appears that even though Orino, Reti, and Isi have reached level 7, poor Nyxia has only gained a single level. She started out much stronger than them so maybe it will balance out eventually.


    Once we make it down to camp we see several of the other groups have already returned, and among the groups is Miss Ceres, Master, his wife, and even his daughter as well. Miss Ceres is holding Master¡¯s daughter while laughing with Belinda, because Rory is trying to stick her fingers in the nostrils of the female lizardman that is in Avila, Dreues, and Armand¡¯s group, while she makes funny faces at Rory.


    Master meanwhile seems happy as he prepares a lot of food in a pot hanging over an open fire. The groups¡¯ fatigue seems to instantly melt away as we quickly join in with the others.


    ¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð¡ð


    Our group arrives on the fourth floor from the bottom, we are not sure what to expect exactly, but the numerous amount of doors is enough to make us a bit anxious. Dreues, Armand, and I were quite hesitant to lead a group of adventurers after losing the rest of our teams in the fight against the lizardmen, but Master persuaded us to do it anyway.


    After Poppy¡¯s group decided to add some actual monsters on their group, we came up with an idea. We thought if we added lizardmen to our group, then if something did happen to them we wouldn¡¯t feel so bad.


    However things didn¡¯t work quite as planned, because after Master summoned a large green lizardman as a defensive fighter, and a smaller blue lizardman female, or would it be lizardwoman¡­ In any case she was a mage, so our group had a pretty niche role to fill with our last member.


    I am a sword-maiden, which allows me to cast a few spells, but that leaves me as only being good at casting magic and good at fighting but not excellent at either. Dreuses is a stout boar beastkin, and he has a big shield and thick armor, so he is clearly built for defense. Armand however is a slender and a bit twitchy chipmunk beastkin mage, which focuses on restorative arts.


    That means we needed a sustainable damage dealer, so just to be sure Master summons a young human woman with the martial artist class. That made Dreues, Armand, and me a little more hesitant, but as long as we focus on her safety we thought it would be alright.


    At least that was the plan, but the lizardmen in our group aren¡¯t like the ones in the demi-human village, and definitely aren¡¯t like the ones in the dungeon we fought. We of course knew they would be sentient, but we honestly expected them to be like the ones in the demi-human village, which means we thought they would be a bit more primitive¡­


    However they articulate their words very well, and their motivations, although very lizardmen-like in nature, can easily be paired with a human¡¯s. Jitrick the male lizardman wishes to become the clan leader for the lizardmen of Master¡¯s dungeon, but that could just as easily be a human wishing to become the mayor, a duke, or the like.


    Meanwhile, Qas, the female wants to be a clutch-mother for the lizardmen of Master¡¯s dungeon. Which in human terms is like a caregiver to the children, or perhaps a teacher? And if you can¡¯t sympathize with that, odds are you can¡¯t call yourself sentient to begin with¡­


    ¡°Alright everyone¡­We need to make sure you all get trained, but we need to do so safely, so Dreues, Armand and I will go in first, dealing with the majority of the monsters, and once there is only one or two left you three can come in and clean up the rest.¡±


    The representative from Ceres¡¯s dungeon, that introduced himself to us earlier as Hughes, looks at us a bit curiously and says. ¡°I guess everyone has their own idea of training, but I assure you no matter which door you choose, the first room at least should be easy enough. Especially when two of the members are such advanced forms of lizardmen¡­¡±


    Dreues: ¡°Have you ever lost friends in a dungeon?¡±


    Hughes: ¡°No¡­¡±


    Dreues: ¡°Well we have, and it is not something I wish to repeat, if possible, so until the new members of our group get a few levels under their belts, forgive us if we are a bit cautious.¡±


    Hughes: ¡°I¡¯m here to make sure that doesn¡¯t happen, but I¡¯m sorry if you took offense, I was just trying to help¡­¡±


    ¡°And we appreciate it, but once we leave here, we only have ourselves to rely on, so we may be overly cautious, but in the long run it is better safe than sorry.¡±


    Hughes: ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Dreues, Armand¡­ Let¡¯s do this!¡±


    The three of us enter the first door and the neutral stone building-like interior quickly melts away into room of molten rock. Fire spits from cracks in the wall and small streams of magma flow through trenches in the floor, causing heat to poor from the door into the central room as we pass inside.


    On the far side of the room there are small dancing flames, that are not part the room. The flames start creeping across the floor in our direction.


    ¡°Fire elementals! They don¡¯t look very strong, but we have to find the cores among the flames!¡±


    I cast a wind spell trying to scatter the fire to find the elemental¡¯s core, while Armand casts a water spell completely dousing one of the flames causing a small spherical molten core to hit the floor as it puts off steam.


    Dreues just uses his shield to hit one of the flames causing the small molten core to fly through the air and crash into the wall. The fire elementals really are bottom of the barrel, and it is now clear their core is in the dead center of their bodies, so I swiftly take out two more.


    That only leaves two more of the elementals, so I call out to the others. ¡°Your turn! Their cores are in the dead center of the flames, and it should only take a good whack to take them out.¡±


    Qas is a water mage as well, so she extinguishes another of the elementals, it may not have been as flashy or quick, but the elemental is just as dead. Elwisia, the new human girl in our group looks down at her hands wrapped in bandages and at the remaining flame elemental unsure what to do.


    Jitrick however steps forward swinging his sword in a large arc taking out the last elemental in the process.


    Elwisia: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°That is quite alright, a flame elemental is a pretty bad matchup for you right out of the gate, so perhaps we can do something about that. Hughes, you are supposed to give us a hand if we need something right? What about some kind of weapon for Elwisia, so she doesn¡¯t have to try to use her bare hands against these things?¡±


    Armand: ¡°And what about the magic stones from the elementals, are we allowed to take them, or do we leave everything behind?¡±


    Hughes: ¡°You are allowed to kill and loot any monster in which you run into in Mistress¡¯s dungeon, and I have permission to provide simple items you group might need, but a weapon¡­ I may have to ask for something like that.¡±


    ¡°Elwisia, isn¡¯t going to be able to participate like this, so how about this¡­ Armand, let me see those stones.¡± ¨CI say since Armand started gathering the magic stones from the elemental¡¯s cores after getting permission.-


    Armand: ¡°All of them¡­?¡±


    ¡°I am sure there are plenty more ahead.¡± ¨CHe hands them over to me.- ¡°One, two, three, four, five, six¡­ Six tiny magic stones, here.¡± ¨CI say handing them to Hughes.- ¡°That should be more than enough to cover the cost of a quarterstaff if nothing else, although I would prefer a weapon not made of wood¡­¡±


    Hughes sighs and opens his [Menu], the magic stones then disappear from his hand, and in their place is two small metal rods, each with a small leather bound grip sticking three-quarters of the way down the shaft. ¡°They are not much, but they should do the job¡­¡±


    Elwisia: ¡°A pair of tonfas? That should do the trick. Thank you.¡±


    Hughes: ¡°They should get you by for a little while, but I would suggest asking your own Master, or going into town in the evening to get something better.¡±


    Elwisia takes the two weapons and tests them out for a minute, before we prepare to enter the next room. Those elementals were pretty easy, so if the next room holds the same thing we might leave a few more for the new members to take care of on their own.


    However that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case, The next room has much larger elementals, but their cores are much smaller, they also move around so it hard to pinpoint where to hit them. That isn¡¯t to say they are difficult for Dreues, Armand, and me to handle, but we are hesitant to leave even more than one of them for the new members to handle.


    To be on the safe side we left only one alive before calling for the others to enter, but perhaps we are worrying to much because after a quick blast of water from Qas, Elwisia was able to see the core and was able to take it down with her new weapons.


    Armand: ¡°Man, its hot in here! ¨CHe says while gathering the magic stones from the fallen elementals.- ¡°I don¡¯t see how you can walk in here barefoot, even in my boots, it feels like my feet are cooking.¡± ¨CHe says to the nearby Jitrick.-


    Jitrick: ¡°As long as I don¡¯t step in any of those streams it isn¡¯t too bad, but I doubt even those boots of yours would help you there.¡±


    ¡°Just be glad we are bound to Master¡¯s dungeon, can you imagine how hot it would feel if we weren''t?¡±


    Dreues: ¡°I know I can go for a nice cool bath after we get out of here. Do we have anything like that back at camp?¡±


    Hughes: ¡°I don¡¯t believe so, no, but if it something you feel strongly about perhaps you can petition my mistress for one after the training for the day is complete.¡±


    Elwisia: ¡°Oh, that would be nice¡­¡±


    ¡°We have only just begun, so don¡¯t start counting the minutes yet¡­¡±


    Dreues: ¡°Maybe we should go try another one of the rooms, not only the heat, but even the elementals are a bit much for a beginning adventurer.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know if they will be any better, let¡¯s just do what we can here, and then we can worry about the other doors.¡±


    We move on to the next room only to find even tougher elementals! With these elementals being even tougher then the last we cut the groups size down to one yet again. This time all three of the new members get to at least get an attack in before the elemental falls.


    We continue on after Armand gathers the magic stones, and we continue the process all over this time with even tougher fire elementals. This time the elemental we left the new members to deal with on their own, managed to do a little damage, but they still manage without our assistance.


    After the battle is over though, we quickly heal them up, and decide on what to do next.


    ¡°The elementals are getting exponentially stronger, we should consider turning back and trying another door, before we get in too deep and have to rely on Hughes to save us.¡±


    Dreues: ¡°I agree, we have plenty of time, and no reason to push our luck.¡±


    Jitrick: ¡°If you think it is for the best, but if the next door we chose is filled with rooms covered in ice I will most definitely want to come back here.¡±


    Elwisia: ¡°If it is full of ice, I am going to lay on it!¡±


    Armand: ¡°So you can handle the heat, but not the cold?¡±


    Jitrick: ¡°It kinda comes with the whole lizard thing¡­¡±


    Qas: ¡°Speak for yourself, I am perfectly comfortable in either.¡±


    Jitrick: ¡°That is because you are a glacial lizardman! That makes you the exception, not the rule.¡±


    ¡°You still called her a lizardman¡­ I was curious about that.¡±


    Qas: ¡°My race is lizardman and I am a woman, just like you are a human and a woman, you don¡¯t call yourself a huwoman do you?¡±


    ¡°Well, no, but you can have one human or many humans, it never changes, but a single lizardman and many lizardmen. That makes it sound like Lizard-man .¡±


    Qas: ¡°If it bothers you that much just call me by name¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, but I didn¡¯t mean to offend, I was just curious is all.¡±


    Qas: ¡°No offense taken. So, shall we continue?¡±


    We return to the central room, and close the door the drastic change of temperature is almost jarring. We make for the next door and prepare before opening it, but as soon as we do another wave of heat blasts us, and we quickly see another room much like the ones through the last door.


    ¡°We should still go first, just in case, but if there are just more elementals we will call you in and see about dealing with all of them together.¡±


    As soon as we enter the room however we don¡¯t find more fire elementals, but small gelatinous balls of burning goo, and they start slithering our way.


    ¡°They look like normal slimes, but they are on fire¡­ What should we do?¡±


    Armand: ¡°I will attack one with a really weak water spell, and if it does the trick then we call the others, but if not we cut down their numbers first.¡±


    Armand then casts his spell, and a small jet of water hits the slime, snuffing out its fire and smearing what is left of it across the floor.


    Dreues: ¡°That seemed to have worked, alright everyone!¡±


    Everyone else enters the room and we quickly dispatch the flaming slimes, we asked Hughes about them afterwards but he just told us they are called pyro slimes, but that was as much detail about them as he would go into.


    Armand takes a few samples from the remains of the slime, but they don¡¯t possess any magic stones or anything else of value that we know of. We then continue on to the next room as a team.


    The next room has more slimes, but they are much larger and stronger than the last, but between the six of us we deal with them without problems. In the third room we have the new members hold back until we deal with a few of them, then bring the new members in, and have them help with the remaining slimes.


    We do this again for the fourth room, but the slimes have gotten strong enough that the new members have already begun to struggle. We then progress into the fifth room, dealing with all but one of the slimes, and having the new members help us with it.


    To be on the safe side we return to the central room after that.


    Qas: ¡°You think the next door is the same way?¡±


    ¡°I think it is a fair assumption, but we better do like we did with this one, just to be sure.¡±


    After the pyro slimes, we dealt with some fiery snakes that quickly grew between rooms. We didn¡¯t make it far enough to be sure, but I think they might have been some lower form of those salamander monsters.


    Next was some red lizardmen that made all of us except Jitrick and Qas uncomfortable. They said they are non-sentient, so they are just monsters, but we were all happy when we returned to the central room after they became too strong.


    We went through a few more doors and got a fair bit more comfortable fighting with one another, and seen some interesting fire monsters, but when evening rolled around we were all quite hot and tired¡­


    We use a few [Clean] spells to clean up all the sweat and grime, but that doesn¡¯t help much with the fatigue. We checked out the statuses of the group and even though Elwisia reached level 9, Jitrick and Qas only reached level 3, but it is surely because they are monsters without an actual class.


    I ask Hughes, if he will check with his Mistress about the bath situation, but before he receives a reply, not only his Mistress, but Master, his wife, and their daughter appear in the camp for a visit!

 Training in Ceress Dungeon Part 2

    Ceres¡¯s representative Saerus PoV


    It looks like I got stuck with a pretty vanilla group: Two humans, two dwarves, and two elves, a true textbook show of the ''civilized'' races that appear as adventurers in nearly every bard''s tale, and a male and female of each, on top of that. The human female seems to be the leader, as she is not just front line fighter, but also one of the healers, patching up her party members in-between sword swings.


    The human male seems just as powerful as the female, but he is quite enamored with her. It doesn¡¯t seem to be on a romantic level, but I am sure if she were to tell him to slit his own throat, he would do it without even questioning her.


    The dwarves and elves appear to be the new members of the group that require the most training. The human female seems like a decent tactician, because after arriving on the third floor they quickly chose their first door, and she and the other human entered first, then immediately checked the dead-spots on the right and left corners of the room. Once inside, both humans gathered the attention of the small frogkin.


    Once the humans have the undivided attention of the frogkin, the dwarves swing around one side, while the elves swing around the other circling the small frog monsters. Using their levels and their experience as their shield the humans fend off the attacks of the frogkin while the dwarves and elves bring them down.


    They were only entry level monsters, but so are the dwarves and the elves, so for them to have not even a scrape or a bruise after their first battle is quite the achievement.


    ¡°Congratulations, that was quite impressive.¡±


    Iris: ¡°Why thank you, but I have to disagree¡­¡± ¨CShe looks to the dwarves.- ¡°The entire room looks saturated in water, you can even feel the humidity in the air, and yet you still almost slipped on the damp floor.¡± ¨CShe then turns to the elves.- ¡°And you two¡­What were you even doing¡­?¡±


    With their size difference it looks like a mother scolding her children, and by the looks on the elves face you could almost believe it.


    Male Elf: ¡°What do you mean¡­? You told us to circle around them and flank them.¡±


    Iris: ¡°You¡¯re a mage Castien! You can flank without being right in their face. If those where hobgoblins, or the like, one of them could of taken you out in a single hit.¡±


    Female Elf: ¡°It was our first battle! What do you expect?!¡±


    Iris: ¡°I expect you to survive, and I will do whatever it takes to see to it that it happens, but that doesn¡¯t mean I am not going to point out when you make a mistake!¡±


    Aster: ¡°Sis, Arryn is right. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to ease up a pit on them eh? Not only do they have us to protect them, but that¡¯s why Saerus is here, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Well yes, but I am only supposed to step in if it is life threatening.¡±


    Aster: ¡°There you go, see?¡±


    Male Dwarf: ¡°I understand what Iris is getting at though, breaking a bad habit is much harder than heading it off before it becomes one.¡±


    Female Dwarf: ¡°Well regardless, we aren¡¯t going to get any better by just standing around here.¡±


    The group continues on for the next few rooms with the same configuration. As long as the two humans are able to maintain the attention of the frogkin, there isn¡¯t a problem, but as the monsters get tougher it becomes harder for them to do that.


    They manage to make it one door away from the back of this path, but one of the advanced frogkin is a mage, and it hurts the male dwarf pretty badly. It was bad enough I almost had to step in, but the humans managed to get things back under control before I had to.


    Once the battle is over the group begins to heal their wounds, and decide it is best to head back and try another door. They continue for most of the day pushing to about the same depth past each door, dealing with all manners of water-based monsters.


    With the higher level humans working alongside the new members of their group, they push through the rooms rather quickly, while still giving the elves and dwarves the chance to gain combat experience. By the time they decide to stop for the evening the new members of the group had already reached level 10.


    Iris: ¡°Everyone did really well today, but don¡¯t let your quick level increase go to your head. You are still not strong enough to progress into any deeper areas behind the doors, and if tomorrow¡¯s training is a repeat of today you will only gain one more level. Think of today as your introduction, and tomorrow is when your training really begins.¡±


    Bradford¡¯s PoV


    I think this situation has turned out to be the perfect opportunity. Corrie and I have come a long way while being in Bandy¡¯s group, but no matter how well we did, we were still only second to her. Now that Corrie and I have our own group, we have a chance to surpass Bandy. Especially if we are the ones that manage to find and destroy the imitation crystal.


    I don¡¯t know if it is a good sign or not, but after leaving the others at the camp area, we choose our first door and find a group of simple skeletons.


    ¡°This is perfect. Even Addison, our new healer, should be able to help, since our enemies are undead! Everyone take a skeleton, and Corrie and I will help you, if required.¡±


    Skeletons like these are only a danger to new adventurers when their numbers are far greater, so even though Corrie and I each deal with a skeleton to keep it one on one, our new members have no trouble taking out their own skeletons either.


    I guess it shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise. After our first new member, Porter, turned out with just the basic warrior class, Master spared no expense summoning us three advanced classed humans. Percival is a Templar, which focuses on defense while being able to cast a small amount of spells. Elaine is a sword-maiden, which means she is more of an attacker, but has a small amount of spells as well, and lastly there is Addison. She is a thaumaturge, which of course focuses on healing magic.


    Bandy¡¯s group received a thaumatuge as well, but that was their only new member with an advanced class, so as long as we take our training seriously, we might have a chance of surpassing her group.


    ¡°That fight should have been simple enough, but I plan on having us train fast and hard, so with only one dedicated healer, I want to hear how everyone is fairing, both physically and magically after each battle.¡±


    Porter: ¡°Perfectly fine!¡± ¨CHe says while puffing out his chest and hits his shield with his mace.-


    Percival: ¡°I can¡¯t say I am against fighting skeletons such as these until we get the hang of battle, but I must say; As long as the monsters do remain this easy, I doubt concern will be necessary.¡±


    Elaine: ¡°I agree, we couldn¡¯t have planned a better match up with a Templar, sword-maiden, and a thaurmaturge against a dungeon full of undead.¡±


    Addison: ¡°It was a promising start, but we have no way of knowing if the dungeon, this floor, or even just this room is the only one with undead. Ceres is like Master, without a favorite element, so I highly doubt she would stick to only a single type of monster.¡±


    Corrie: ¡°You¡¯re right, we have no way of knowing what is ahead unless we check it out ourselves. That is of course unless our babysitter is willing to tell us.¡±


    Artor the representative of Ceres¡¯s dungeon has remained silent up to now, choosing to stand in the corner of the room out to the way up until now, but to Corrie¡¯s comment he says. ¡°I am merely an observer. I can stop the monsters if you get in over your head, but I was instructed to not interfere unless it is to prevent death.¡±


    Corrie scoffs and we continue on to the next room, and find that it is filled with more skeletons. However these ones are easily a much tougher variation of the same skeletons we faced in the last room.


    We manage to deal with the group, but their sudden increase of strength after only one room is enough to cause quite a bit of problems for our new members.


    Elaine: ¡°What is with this kind of progression!? There is no way a normal adventurer group would be fine with this!¡±


    ¡°We are on the bottom floor of a dungeon that goes down 10 floors, the very fact these monsters are still within your abilities is quite peculiar in itself.¡±


    Corrie: ¡°It just goes to show you what Ceres said was fact, that each floor consists of the same xp worth of monsters, and if I were to take a guess I would say each and every one of the doors on each and every floor start out the same way.¡±


    Addison: ¡°So you are saying instead of using rifts with multiple monsters per day, she has made hundreds of identical rooms?¡±


    Corrie: ¡°I don¡¯t know about identical, as we have only just started, but each door was different, so maybe each monster behind the doors are different as well.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°If the strength of the undead increases yet again, we should handle this next room more cautiously.¡±


    I look over to Artor to get some kind of confirmation, but he might as well be a non-sentient monster himself, for all the help he is being. We regroup a little, with Corrie and I taking point before we head into the next room.


    Corrie and I have to handle more of the skeletons, but we still manage to push through two more doors but this last room had a skeleton necromancer that managed to revive all the skeletons again before we managed to drop it. Essentially making us have to clear the room twice.


    Addison: ¡°I can¡¯t fight another group like that as I am, much less one stronger.¡±


    Percival: ¡°We should consider returning to the rest area and choosing another door.¡±


    ¡°I hate to leave a path without fully exploring it, but until you four gain more strength, we may not have any choice. I still think there is a good chance the imitation crystal is on this floor though, so before we turn this floor over to any other group, I want to fully explore it.¡±


    We return to the rest area before choosing another door. Corrie¡¯s assumption seems to be correct as the next door we choose holds some weak zombies rather than skeletons. We keep working on the rooms for the rest of the day.


    Even though our new group members make it half-way though level 9 we haven¡¯t made it through even half of the doors, by the time we exit into the rest area and find that several of the groups have already began to return to the camp.


    We didn¡¯t achieve much, but it was their first day, so we decide to join the others instead of choosing another door.


    Suzie¡¯s PoV


    I have been with Kit ever since we both joined Bandy¡¯s group, and yet we have never been very close. In fact neither one of us seemed to fit well with Bandy¡¯s group. Chase worried himself to death trying to keep Bandy in check, but he always ended up doing whatever she wanted anyway. Bradford and Corrie had each other, and they had no problems following Bandy¡¯s orders.


    I guess I was the same way. I was quite shy when Master placed me in Bandy¡¯s group, and I just went with the flow most of the time, but never really fit in with them, even when I tried. Kit on the other hand seemed to purposely separate himself from the group every chance he got.


    Kit would follow Bandy¡¯s orders when it was required, but the moment we entered a village or town, we wouldn¡¯t even see him again until it was time to leave. Even when the rest of us hit the tavern he would choose to go his own way.


    I honestly thought he didn¡¯t like any of us, but when he said it would be a pleasure to work with me again when Master asked us to lead a group, I was surprised and quite happy by what he said, and then just as surprised when I realized that yes, I was happy about staying with him. After Master summoned us a group to lead, I think I learned more about Kit in one evening than I did in our entire time together until now.


    Our group consists of only humans and beastkin, so Master let us go into Tobes yesterday evening, and for once Kit came along to the tavern with us. It wasn¡¯t just relaxing, however. He learned everything he could about our new members, as well as revealing stuff about himself that I knew nothing about.


    We both grew quite strong in Bandy¡¯s group, but I feel Kit really wasted his talent by remaining silent this entire time and letting Bandy lead the group, because once we started talking at the tavern, leading just seemed to come naturally to him.


    While in Bandy¡¯s group it was always said that Kit was too uptight, and either didn¡¯t drink or can¡¯t hold his liquor. However while we were getting to know one another I learned Kit¡¯s favorite alcoholic beverage was a stout dwarven concoction that Stubs, our new cat beastkin member, passed out drinking only after a single tankard, yet Kit drank four full tankards before retiring, and he seemed largely unaffected.


    We didn¡¯t just have a good time though. Kit also went over the plans for our training. Now, we didn¡¯t know exactly where we are going to go, at the time, but Master did say he is going to check with Ceres and his daughters to see if we can at least get the new members in fighting shape before adventuring abroad.


    That made Kit come up with several different plans depending on where we go to train, but it seems he wanted to take a cautious approach.


    He chose Bandy¡¯s group because she had already become strong, and he knew she would stop at nothing to be first. He however didn¡¯t take into account that to that end, the group would lose favor with Master, and when Master needed help, he went to Poppy¡¯s group rather than Bandy¡¯s to get it.


    Then when Bandy chose to ignore Master¡¯s orders in that strange dungeon, it was enough for Kit to decide he¡¯d leave Bandy for good, and when Master presented this opportunity, he of course welcomed the chance to prove himself in Master¡¯s eyes.


    He is no longer striving to be the strongest of Master¡¯s xp gathering groups, but he does wish to be one that Master knows he can count on. That¡¯s why, we plan on taking the training of our newest members slowly, while making sure they can handle themselves in a fight.


    As for our representative from Ceres¡¯s dungeon, she seems to have become quite friendly with Kit in the short amount of time since we met¡­


    Kit: ¡°Think nothing of it, I know it won¡¯t always be the case, but I am glad to know that if I fail in my task of training here, at least we have you to make sure I don¡¯t lose any of our new members.¡±


    Jocelyn: ¡°You don¡¯t really seem the type to let something like that happen. I expect I¡¯ll have little to do other than watch you work.¡± ¨CShe says in an obvious flirtatious manner.-


    Kit looks around noticing we have reached the second floor and says. ¡°Well, since we are here¡­ You wouldn¡¯t happen to be able to tell us what to expect past these doors can you?¡±


    Jocelyn seems to think hard about it for a few seconds then places her finger to her lips and says. ¡°I guess it wouldn¡¯t hurt to give you a little hint. Each door possesses a single evolutionary line of monster. The second floor is currently the earth floor, so behind every one of these doors is a group of first tier earth monsters.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it is alright to be telling us that?¡±


    Jocelyn: ¡°You¡¯re here to train, and I am here to make sure you do it safely, so if telling you what lies behind a door before you enter it makes your training smoother and safer, why shouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I was under the impression you were just supposed to observe, though.¡±


    Jocelyn: ¡°My Mistress and your Master are like family, so I am sure my Mistress won¡¯t mind. Besides if it helps your members gain levels faster, it means more xp for my Mistress.¡±


    Kit: ¡°And we appreciate it, knowing they are earth monsters helps. Alright, since we now know that no matter which door we choose they will be entry level monsters, I want you all to think of yourselves as a four person group. Suzie, Jocelyn, and I will only be here if something goes wrong.¡±


    Jax and Skaja, the human knights, take point, while Stubs the cat beastkin warrior follows closely behind them, River, the otter beastkin sorceress, falls into the rear of the group entering just before Kit, Jocelyn, and I do.


    The first room contains small creatures that look like they are made of mud, and even though there are six of them and only four of our new members, it isn¡¯t long before they are able to defeat the creatures.


    Jax: ¡°Shall we continue?¡±


    Kit: ¡°Jocelyn, you said that each room follows a single evolutionary line, does that mean the next room will contain more of the same?¡±


    Jocelyn: ¡°Yes and no, I mean they will still be mudkips, but they will be a higher, evolved form.¡±


    Skaja: ¡°After a single room?!¡±


    Kit: ¡°You have a good team, and we are here in case of an emergency, but if each doorway consists of the first tier monsters, I think it would be wise to start off by hitting the first room behind every door to start off with. You should gain enough levels from that to safely tackle the next rooms after that.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the chance to fight a variety of monsters, even if they are all of the earth element.¡±


    The group then heads back into the central room moving on to the next door. Mudkips, dirty slimes, weak desert lizardmen, a weak type of gremlins, some snake like worms, and varies other monsters all fall to the group, making them start to get quite confident in their abilities.


    River: ¡°I didn¡¯t realize there are so many variations of earth monsters¡­¡±


    Stubs: ¡°And that doesn¡¯t even include the higher evolved forms.¡±


    Kit: ¡°You have cleared all of the rooms now, but you still have a little bit of time left. If you wait till tomorrow you can retrace your steps taking out the same monsters, or if you are feeling confident enough, you can try a few of the deeper rooms.¡±


    Jax: ¡°We have already reached level 8, that should be more than enough to handle the next stage of evolution for most of these creatures!¡±


    Kit: ¡°Then have at it.¡±


    The room they were currently in had several overgrown lizard-like creatures in it, so as they progress to the next room, the size of the lizards grow quite a bit. While they are fighting the lizards, Jocelyn looks to Kit and says. ¡°What are your plans for this evening? Will you return to town for a few hours, or do you plan to stay in the dungeon?¡±


    Kit: ¡°There are many times in which we will be spending long periods of time underground, and we just had a bit of celebration last night as we got to know everyone, so I think the longer we can avoid returning to town the more we can get the new members comfortable with each other.¡±


    Jocelyn: ¡°I see¡­So, if you plan on staying in the dungeon, you wouldn¡¯t mind if I stuck around with your group this evening, would you?¡±


    Our new members are not even a few feet away, fighting monsters, granted they seem to be having no difficulty with them, but still, they are risking their lives and this woman is here hitting on Kit¡­? ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a good idea!¡±


    Jocelyn seems a bit taken aback by my sudden outburst, and says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t realize the two of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Me and Kit? Of course not! I merely stating the fact we are from different dungeons.¡±


    Kit: ¡°I don¡¯t personally see the harm in it, but Suzie may be right. Both our Master and your Mistress are on good terms right now, but with the close proximity of their dungeons, and their frequent interactions, there is no telling if they will remain so.¡±


    Jocelyn: ¡°But you may be here for a few months, so I thought for at least as long as you are here, we should get to know one another better.¡±


    Kit: ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t see the harm in an amicable relationship, but by the assumption you made about Suzie and I after she commented. I take it to mean you wish for something more intimate, which I cannot give you. It would be unfair of me to take advantage of your expectations. We may remain here a few months, but afterwards we may be gone for years at a time, and there is little guarantee of our safety, so to let you think otherwise would not be just unwise, but also somewhat cruel¡­¡±


    It seems the fight against the overgrown lizards has been taken care of and the others are listening in on, as Kit politely refuses Jocelyn¡¯s advances. I don¡¯t have any romantic feelings for Kit, but I have to admit I only said that out of jealousy, and now I can''t help but feeling bad for Jocelyn¡­


    Jocelyn looks somewhat upset and says. ¡°You are awfully full of yourself for only being a little bit handsome! I just thought it was a good idea to get to know one another, but since this is going to be a problem for you, I will just return to camp and watch through [Menu]!¡± ¨CShe says while beet red.-


    Kit: ¡°I meant no disrespect, I was only trying to be honest...¡± ¨CHe says as Jocelyn storms out of the room.- ¡°Did I misunderstand the situation?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you misunderstood, much as she just didn¡¯t handle rejection well.¡±


    Kit: ¡°Well, as long as she continues to do her job correctly, I guess that is all that matters¡­ It looks like you four have managed to deal with the monsters here, so it time for you to decide what to do next.¡±


    River: ¡°I feel kind of bad for Jocelyn now. Are you sure we should continue our training without at least talking to her first?¡±


    ¡°River may be right. We don¡¯t only have to worry about Jocelyn keeping an eye on everyone, but there is also the chance she might try to retaliate against the group.¡±


    Kit: ¡°I doubt she¡¯d be that underhanded. She seemed like a nice young woman, but if you¡¯d prefer, perhaps we should call it an evening here, which would allow me to have a word with her and straighten this all out.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure that is a good idea, not the stopping part, but you having a talk with Jocelyn.¡±


    Jax: ¡°In any case, it isn¡¯t exactly how we planned to end the day, but we did make good progress, so we can¡¯t exactly call it a loss.¡±


    After that we return to the campgrounds on the bottom floor, but Jocelyn isn¡¯t there. Milo, the one watching Bandy¡¯s group said she came, and as soon as she heard we had ended our training for the day, she transferred out of the dungeon.


    If we don¡¯t get a chance to speak with her by morning perhaps we should speak to Miss Ceres or Master¡­

 Bandys New Group

    As we go up the stairs things begin to look promising because the top few floors each have a fair number more doors than the lower floors do, so it looks like we made the right choice on going all the way to the top.


    ¡°Everyone listen up! We are going to be the ones that destroy that imitation crystal, and to do that you are going to have to toughen up, and toughen up fast. We are going to push through the rooms as fast as we can. As long as you are there you should acquire xp, so stay out of my way.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Bandy, we have to train our new members properly!¡±


    ¡°Katie is far from new, and the others can learn by watching to see how it is done, all the while they will be leveling up just by being in the group.¡±


    Katie: ¡°I just need to acquire more levels to increase my crafting abilities, but these others are just starting out, levels won¡¯t do them any good if they have no actual combat experience.¡±


    ¡°They can train in their own time, but if they want to level up they better keep up!¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t let you down Mistress!¡± ¨CSays Edmund the lizard beastkin as he attempts to suck up to me.-


    Katie: ¡°You shouldn¡¯t call Miss Bandy your Mistress, Edmund¡­ We already have a Master, and people will think you are her slave if you call her that.¡±


    ¡°She is right Ed. I wouldn¡¯t want anyone to think you were something I chose.¡±


    Katie: ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    Ed: ¡°It¡¯s alright, I might not be much now, but I will prove to everyone I belong at Bandy¡¯s side.¡± ¨CHe says while puffing out his chest, but seems to blush when he calls me by name.-


    ¡°Good luck with that...¡± ¨CI say sarcastically, but Ed seems to take it as encouragement.-


    Chase: ¡°I am sure Ed will come to his senses after he gets a chance to see the real Bandy.¡±


    ¡°You had your chance to leave!¡±


    Chase: ¡°Someone has to keep you from disgracing Two-Twelve!¡±


    ¡°Looks like someone woke up and put his big boy pants on today. Let me guess, you are trying to impress Charlotte?¡±


    This whole group was a mistake, if Ursus and Ed¡¯s personalities were flipped it might not be too bad, but even Charlotte is making matters worse. Not only is she going to start stealing the gazes of the men when we stroll into a new village, but she is even causing Chase to grow a pair in hopes of impressing her.


    Maybe if I level this group up quickly Two-Twelve will allow me to trade them off for another group more to my liking, I would have to start over again, but it beats this sack of disappointment.


    Chase: ¡°This has nothing to do with Charlotte! You have always been impetuous¡­¡±


    Charlotte: ¡°Forgive me if I am speaking out of turn, but we are not gaining any training or xp by standing here arguing, shouldn¡¯t we begin?¡±


    ¡°Look, even Charlotte is tired of listening to you prattle on. Now, if you want to live stick close without getting in the way!¡± ¨CI say while picking out the fanciest door on the 10<sup>th</sup> floor, readying my two weapons, and flinging open the door.-


    The room appears to be as standard as they come. Even the size of the room is the default 20 feet by 20 feet the only change may be the fact the ceiling is a bit high for a default sized room, but overall it is boring.


    There is another door on the other side of the room, but between us and the door is a small group of wolves standing their ground and growling at us. I wouldn¡¯t exactly call them pups, but they are far from being full grown ones.


    ¡°Is this come kind of a joke?!¡±


    Chase: ¡°These rooms are for training new adventurers, so it makes sense that the first door has entry level monsters like this.¡±


    ¡°This is the 10<sup>th</sup> floor!¡±


    Katie: ¡°Ceres did say that every floor contained the same xp amount of monsters.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you can all do what you want, but I don¡¯t have time for this!¡±


    I launch myself through the room taking out two of the wolves as I pass heading for the next door. Meanwhile the others move into the room and begin fighting the wolves. Once I reach the door however I find it is locked, but has no key hole.


    Even with Ed, Ursus, and Charlotte being level one, between them, Chase, and Katie, the remaining wolves fall before I have a chance to investigate the door any further, and once the final wolf falls, the lock on the door gives.


    ¡°Seriously!? We are going to have to kill all these puny wolves in every room before moving on to the next one?¡±


    Chase: ¡°Have some patience. The wolves are good training for the new members of our group.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like we have any choice anyway, so you better keep up.¡± ¨CI then fling the door open and head into the next room.-


    The next room still contains only wolves, but at least this time they are at least fully grown ones, I wait only long enough for the others to enter the room, before moving forward to deal with the wolves, I stab the ''leader'' up its chin and out the top of its skull as it lunged at me, then break the ribs of the one right behind it with a kick, throw the body of the first one at another, and lunge forth, re-impaling the first wolf, and giving it a mercy kill (it was somehow still alive) while taking out the one it got nailed to.


    A fourth one tries jumping unto my back, but I move to the left and kick its butt while pulling my sword off (breaking some of the dead wolf¡¯s bones in the process. I''m strong enough it doesn''t really matter if the sword gets ''stuck'' on these pups), then slicing its back legs right off. As I look back, I see the others are staring, and that includes the surviving wolves.


    "Well, what are you waiting for? These guys aren''t killing themselves you know!?"


    Between the three of them they manage to take out the remaining wolves without any help, but we don¡¯t know how far this path goes, and there are dozens of doors from the central room, so I don¡¯t have time to be holding their hands.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t pick up the pace, then stick to the sidelines. We have dozens of rooms to go through and we don¡¯t have time for you to be patting each other on the back over a little wolf.¡±


    Chase: ¡°They are just starting out Bandy, it was good teamwork for them!¡±


    ¡°And I told them they can train their combat in their own time. Now, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The next room contains another set of wolves, and these ones are not only fully grown but much tougher looking as well. They are still just wolves though so I charge forth and leap up over their heads, twisting in mid-air to stab at their heads through their ears, quickly killing two of them, then grabbing the third one''s hind legs as I land/slide on the floor and before it even gets to whine, pull it up, spin with it fast enough that its body makes a whizzing noise as it cuts the air, then slam it into the floor with a satisfyingly wet, yet crunchy, sound. With only two left alive I let Chase deal with one while Katie helps the new members slay the last one.


    ¡°That¡¯s better. Let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    In the next room the wolves actually start getting a bit of a bite, because instead of normal wolves they are dire wolves. Even six dire wolves are no problem for me, but they have the new members shaking in their boots.


    One more room of even larger dire wolves brings us to a dead end, but I am hesitant in turning back right away¡­


    Chase: ¡°There is nothing here, we should go back.¡±


    ¡°Ceres said even if we were allowed to destroy the crystal, we wouldn¡¯t find it, so I am sure she has hidden it somewhere, so damned if I am going to give up on this room just because it looks like a dead end.¡±


    Chase: ¡°We need to continue everyone¡¯s training, Bandy. That¡¯s why we are here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving this room till I am sure the crystal isn¡¯t here, if you want to train them, you take them to another room.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Fine! I will!¡±


    Edmund: ¡°You are just going to leave Bandy here alone?! What if something happens? If Bandy stays, then so will I!¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you expect to do, if I encounter anything that would be even remotely troublesome, you would make zero difference¡­¡±


    Edmund: ¡°I don¡¯t have any delusions of being stronger then I actually am. I know the difference in our strengths, but if something does happen I can at least try to run and get help.¡±


    ¡°Fine, do whatever you want.¡±


    Chase: ¡°This is crazy! You need your training as well, you should come with us.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°If this is where Bandy is, this is where I want to be!¡±


    Katie: ¡°Maybe we should all stay behind. Splitting up is never a good idea if it is avoidable¡­¡±


    Chase: ¡°Ceres said that the rules were that we could destroy the crystal if we found it, only if we are training our new members correctly, so even if Bandy did find the crystal it isn¡¯t like she would be allowed to destroy it, because she is ignoring the training of the rest of you.¡±


    Charlotte: ¡°He is right¡­ Please Edmund, come back with us, so we can do our training right!¡±


    Edmund: ¡°I¡¯ll catch up later.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Forget it! Let¡¯s go. I can at least make sure two of you get proper training.¡±


    Ed waves off the others while they leave while I continue looking for a hidden door, switch, or any kind of clue to the location of the crystal.


    Edmund: ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us now¡­¡± ¨CHe says nervously.- ¡°I-is there anything I can do to help?¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­¡±


    Edmund: ¡°What is it?!¡± ¨CHe quickly blurts out.-


    ¡°Keep quiet, and stay out of the way. Don¡¯t even for a minute think you did me some kind of favor. I am still not sleeping with your horny ass.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°That isn¡¯t what this is about!¡±


    Ed just watches me while I continue to search the room, but after a while he either gets embarrassed from staring so long, or grows bored as he begins searching the room as well. As if he could find anything that I couldn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°You know, it isn¡¯t too late, they probably have only made it through a couple rooms, you could catch up to them and the amount of xp you missed out on would barely be noticeable after a couple of days.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°No, you are the leader of the strongest group in Master¡¯s dungeon, and you didn¡¯t get there without knowing what you are doing, so if this is where you say we should be, then this is the only place I want to be.¡±


    ¡°Well you may be wrong, because I don¡¯t see anything here, but with an attitude like that, you just might have a place in my group after all. Never in my bed, mind you, but at least in my group.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°There isn¡¯t anything I wouldn¡¯t give for just that honor alone. And hearing you say that was well worth the xp.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for kiss asses either, if you want to be part of my group prove it with your strength. Now, we should catch up with the others before they reach the end of the next room, find the crystal, and get some kind of bright idea.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    We make our way back to the central room and enter the next room to find it much like the last one, only this time instead of young wolves, there is a half dozen young boars.


    ¡°None of the other monsters seemed to respawn, and if they did the others wouldn¡¯t had time to go through them all and enter another room by now, so I think we went the wrong way.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Should we go back?¡±


    I think about it for a minute and cross my arms while smirking. ¡°No, you want to be part of my group, and those dire wolves alone should have been enough to give you a few levels, so show me what you got!¡±


    Edmund: ¡°By myself, or are you going to help me?¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t take out some piglets on your own, I can¡¯t really say that shows me you have any hope of proving your strength to join my group permanently.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Then do you mind if I get rid of this shield, and borrow another weapon from you? If I am going to do this alone, the shield is just going to get in my way.¡±


    ¡°There is no way I would even let you touch one of my swords, but I got an old stiletto in my boot for emergencies, if that works?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°That would be fine.¡± ¨CHe says while unbuckling the strap that keeps him from dropping his shield, and lets it fall to the floor.-


    ¡°You sure you can handle two weapons at once?¡± ¨CI say pulling the stiletto from my boot and slapping it into the palm of his hand.-


    Edmund: ¡°Not as well as you. At least, not yet. But more than enough to deal with a few pigs.¡±


    I still use the two Shima short swords that Two-Twelve gave me, but Ed had a full sized sword and a shield, so can he use the two vastly different sized weapons together effectively? I guess I am about to find out because he yells as he starts to run across the room.


    Normal wild boars that are the age in which these ones are, would run away from an idiot screaming and flailing weapons about, but these are dungeon monsters, so they bow up and charge Ed.


    He runs in and tries to do a poor man''s me, by dodging to the side and sinking the stiletto through the 1st boar''s ear, but as he tries to pull it out, he ends up trying to drag the entire animal as it sticks to the blade, so another boar bites at his overextended wrist, and he has to swing the sword to hit at its back, twice, in order to bring it down by breaking its spine.


    Honestly, he probably got lucky, and as the third boar bites at his foot and starts pulling him away, it at least helps him get the stiletto free, so as soon as the fourth boar comes for him, he desperately stabs at its head and chest while sticking his right forearm into its mouth, wisely filling its muzzle to protect his face. I think he also stabbed his own arm a couple of times in the process, though.


    He finally brings it down, and gets busy with the boar that dragged him. At this point, I think he''s running on pain, though since he starts chopping and stabbing while letting out a long monosyllabic warcry that could make you think he was charging a dragon instead. By the time he calms down all of the boars are dead, one of which skewered by the spikes on Ed¡¯s shoulder after he body slammed it¡­


    ¡°You call that showing me your strength?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°They may have been just been boars, but they were dungeon monsters! That is much different than if they were just normal boars¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if that proves anything or not, but are you ready for the next room?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°By myself again, or with help this time?¡± ¨CHe says while getting back to his feet.-


    ¡°If these rooms are anything like the last, I would say there are quite a few fully grown boars in the next room. Do you think you can handle that on your own?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°I would like to show off and say yes, but realistically, not by myself¡­¡±


    ¡°What if I trimmed down their numbers for you a bit?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°We don¡¯t have a healer, and weren¡¯t you worried that Chase to find the crystal in the room they went into?¡±


    ¡°The odds of it being at the end of their door is just as likely as it being at the end of ours, or are you telling me you aren¡¯t up to the task of being part of my group?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Of course I am!¡± ¨CHe says quickly preparing himself to enter the next door.-


    ¡°What about that? You plan on bringing it along?¡± ¨CI say pointing at the boar skewered to his shoulder.-


    He quickly tries to pull the boar of the spikes sticking out of his shoulder, but they are pointing to his back, and are just far enough back that he can¡¯t reach the boar with either hand. He then tries shaking it off, but hangs his head in defeat.


    Edmund: ¡°Could you please assist me¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pull it off this time, but you better figure out a better way to remove things from your spikes if you plan on charging things again!¡± ¨CI say grabbing onto the mangled corpse stuck to his back and pulling it off. I then wipe my hands off on the front of his shirt before we move on to the next room.-


    I leave Ed in the way for the couple of moments it takes me to deal with all but one of the larger boars, but I then kick the last one, pushing it in Ed¡¯s direction. He is initially caught off guard as he was standing there practically drooling while watching me fight, but he charges in on the boar.


    My kick alone was enough to cause some internal injury to the boar, but even still Ed takes just as long to drop the fully grown boar as I did for the other five.


    Edmund: ¡°I did it!¡±


    ¡°People in my group don¡¯t get excited over a simple boar, now if you are done wasting our time, are you ready to continue?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can fight any stronger then this on my own¡­¡±


    ¡°If these rooms here are like the wolf ones than we have at least three more to go.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to fight in all of them do you¡­?¡±


    ¡°If you want to be part of my group, you will fight till you don¡¯t think you can fight any more, but you will fight some more anyway, because it is what I told you to do, and then, If I am feeling generous you can have a break. But only if I like what I see.¡±


    Ed seems to be wearing a difficult expression so I decide to add. ¡°Whenever you decide that you don¡¯t want to be part of my group, you can return to the others, and train with them.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°No, I understand¡­ I can¡¯t promise I will be much help, but if you tell me to give it a shot. I will!¡±


    ¡°Good, you enter the next room first.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Wait¡­ What?! They will be even stronger then these ones and you want me to face all six of them by myself?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, you would die, but I do want to see what your limits are, before I join in.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°What if they charge me and kill me before you have a chance to save me¡­?¡±


    ¡°I highly doubt they are faster than I am, and besides that Milo guy is supposed to be keeping an eye on you all, to make sure something like that doesn¡¯t happen.¡±


    Ed then nervously approaches the door and opens it, peering inside while saying. ¡°Oh¡­ They are huge.¡± He readies his weapons, and steps past the door. I didn¡¯t know if he was brave enough to step into the room alone, but he was, so I quickly rush to the door to catch up with him.


    The boars are now almost chest high now, with tusks that could do a lot of damage if they manage to gore you with them. Standing a few feet behind Ed, neither he nor the boars have made a move yet staring each other down from across the room.


    I lean against the door frame to see what Ed does next. I half expected him to look back for me, but instead he tightens his grip on his weapons, takes a deep breath, and takes another step forward while yelling again.


    If all six hit at the same time, I couldn¡¯t stop all of them from hitting him, and I don¡¯t know if Milo would be able to hold back all six at once, so as the boars start rushing across the room towards Ed I launch myself forward as well.


    Ed stands between me and the boars, so I grab a few of the longer spikes on Ed¡¯s body climbing him like a ladder. He is surprised at first by my weight on his body, but before he even has a chance to react, other than bracing himself against my weight, I¡¯m already propelling myself off of his shoulders and into the group of boars.


    My sudden action seems to bolster Ed with courage as he charges forward to catch up to me, but he only arrives in enough time to deal a fatal blow to the last of the boars. He seems relieved though as he lets out a deep sigh of relief.


    ¡°Showing up just in time to lay out the final blow doesn¡¯t count. If you want to be a permanent member of my group you better get quicker.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°You startled the hell out of me when you grabbed me from behind. I thought I was getting attacked! It took me a second to realize what was going on, and by then you were already killing them left and right!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want excuses, you need to do better. The next two rooms, if they are like the ones with the wolves they will be filled with dire boars, and there is no way you can handle them, so stay out of the way.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°You said I need to get better, and in the same breath told me to back off! To get better I need to fight as well!¡±


    ¡°The xp you will get from both rooms of dire boars should be enough to give you a few more levels, and once we proceed to the next door you can have the first two rooms all to yourself then.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°What about the others? What if they find the crystal?¡±


    ¡°Chase is too chicken shit to even think about claiming the crystal himself, I don¡¯t know about Katie, she wants power, but I don¡¯t think she is the type to try to get it like that, and the others are not strong enough to try either. Besides I am sure the crystal is hidden and they aren¡¯t even looking for it, so if they clear all the rooms past half the doors it gives us more time to look for the crystal instead of fighting worthless monsters.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°But couldn¡¯t we work faster as well if we joined them again?¡±


    ¡°Chase wanted to give the others training, so I am sure he is pussyfooting around holding their hands while they slowly push from room to room, but we don¡¯t have that problem.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°You are having to slow down because of me though¡­¡±


    ¡°Only when you stop to ask fifty questions, now are you ready, or do you want to go join them?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°I¡¯m ready...!¡±


    Ed waits nervously as I take out the dire boars in the next room, and again in the last room, but after spending another twenty or so minutes searching the room we still find no traces of the crystal here either, so we return to the central room.


    ¡°Alright, now it is up to you. Are you going to show me what you got, or is it time to rejoin the others?¡±


    Ed looks to the door on the other side of the one we started on, but quickly turns around and choses the door next to us. Once we enter the next door, a quick scan of the room makes it seem empty, until we look up and a few bats hang down from the ceiling.


    ¡°Well this is going to be interesting, have at them.¡±


    Just like the boars, wild bats like this would have just tried to run rather than attack, but as Ed steps forward they descend from the ceiling and quickly surround him. They scratch him up pretty good, but that seems like all they can do as they flutter around him. He has a little trouble swatting them out of the air with his weapons, but eventually manages to take them down without ending up much worse for wear.


    ¡°Those were already full grown bats, so I don¡¯t know what is in the next room. Perhaps it is a more aggressive type of bat, or maybe the bloodsucking kind, either way are you ready?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°I guess I have to be, right?¡± ¨CHe says while checking over a few of the scrapes he received from the bats. He then makes his way for the next door.-


    The bats in the next room are definitely more aggressive and seem to be doing actual damage to Ed, but he manage to take them out regardless, but if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he is a dungeon monster, some of his wounds would be bleeding pretty badly.


    ¡°You are still fighting without using any techniques. Did you get any interesting skills as you have been leveling up?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it.¡± ¨CHe says calling forth a [Menu] to look at his status- ¡°I ranked up on the few skills I started with, but they are all just small boosts to my abilities, at level five I got the [Dual Weapon Training] skill that lets me use techniques when fighting with two weapons, but until it ranks up, it won¡¯t be much use.¡±


    ¡°That is kind of a shame, skills like that are better acquired through training then from leveling up. You said it needs to rank up, I guess that means you haven¡¯t reached level 10 yet?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Not yet, but I am getting close.¡±


    ¡°Well since the techniques aren¡¯t much use to you right now, let¡¯s find a better use for your magic.¡± ¨CI say tossing him a small ruined magic stone.- ¡°Just don¡¯t over use it, since you don¡¯t have a magic class I am sure you will run out of magic quickly if try to use it to much.¡±


    Ed starts focusing his magic into the stone causing his wounds to disappear, but before they are all gone you can tell he is already struggling to continue to use the stone.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. I am not carrying your horny ass out of here. If you pass out on the floor.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Thank you, I feel much better now¡­¡± ¨CHe says dropping the stone back into my hand.- ¡°I feel like I can take on the next room with confidence now!¡±


    ¡°If you are feeling that good, then go right ahead.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to give me a hand, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you were confident?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Yes, with your help!¡±


    ¡°Fine, but you first.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°You¡¯re not going to use me as a spring board again, are you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie. You know you enjoyed me climbing on top of you.¡±


    Ed seems like he wants to say something else, but he begins to blush instead, he tries to hide it by turning around and marching through the next door. The next room has bats that are quite a bit larger than the last two rooms, but I don¡¯t think they are quite large enough to be called dire bats yet.


    In any case larger just means easier to hit, and even though I have to help Ed with these ones he seems to fare much better against them than the last two groups of bats. The next room possesses the first set of bats that I would actually consider dire bats, and even though Ed tries to help out a little bit he mostly sits out the battle, and even more so when we tackle the final room through this door as well.


    Three doors off of the main room, and three dead ends with nothing to show for it, I don¡¯t know how far the others have gone, but we still have plenty of daylight left, so Ed and I continue on. wolves, boars, bats, bears, snakes, lizards, three different types of cats, and even some monstrous spiders, are beyond the doors we go through, but spending the rest of the day we still don¡¯t find a single hint to the location of the imitation crystal.


    Edmund: ¡°It is getting late, should we keep going?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how far the others have gotten, but we should probably make sure the crystal is not in their rooms either, before calling it a night. That way we have less rooms we have to cover tomorrow.¡±


    Edmund: ¡°How far do you think they got?¡±


    ¡°I doubt they got nearly as far as you did, and it was all because they said I was impatient and not taking your training seriously.¡±


    About that time, from the other side of the room the others step out from one of the doors, it looks like they made it through a door or two less than us, but seeing which door they came out of also means we know how many doors we got to search.


    When they spot us, they quickly come around the room to meet up with us, and Chase says. ¡°Let me guess no crystal?¡±


    ¡°We searched for the crystal and still did better than you did, Ed is already level twelve.¡±


    Charlotte: ¡°That¡¯s great Edmund! We made it to level eight.¡±


    ¡°Only¡­? And you said I wasn¡¯t taking the training seriously.¡±


    Chase: ¡°They might have only reached level eight, but they got actual combat experience!¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Bandy took it very seriously! I can even handle the third rooms completely by myself, and with her help the dire creatures aren¡¯t that bad anymore either¡­¡±


    Ursus: ¡°You fought the dire animals? We turned back before fighting them to make sure everyone stayed safe¡­¡±


    ¡°Not only did you not go near as far as we did, but you even skipped rooms? We wanted to check for the crystal past the doors you went through, but I don¡¯t feel like messing with that many more monsters tonight¡­¡±


    Chase: ¡°There are more important things than just finding the crystal¡­ Did you even think of the possibility that once the imitation crystal is broken this dungeon will be gone, and the new members won¡¯t be able to train any longer?¡±


    ¡°Ceres said this was her main dungeon, so that means the imitation crystal is just a backup and I seriously doubt she would have built a dungeon this size, only to give us permission to take it out.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Well either way, we have plenty of time, and we decided we are going to head back downstairs and rest for the evening.¡±


    Charlotte: ¡°You should come with us, I would like to hear the kinds of monsters you got to fight!¡±


    ¡°What do you say Ed? Are you ready to give it up for the evening?¡±


    Edmund: ¡°I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t, what did you say? Fight till I don¡¯t think I can go any more, and then fight some more, so what do you say?¡±


    ¡°That right! On the other hand, the others are only two-thirds of your level, so you don¡¯t want to show them up by too much. As a reward for your hard work we will let you get some rest.¡±


    Chase: ¡°You already said you didn¡¯t want to fight any more of those dire creatures¡­¡±


    Edmund: ¡°Thank you Bandy, and I promise to go twice as far tomorrow as I did today!¡±


    We all start heading down the ten flights of stairs while Ursus and Charlotte ask Ed what kinds of creatures he fought. By the time we reach the base of the stairs it looks like we were left out, as we show up just in time for the ending of quite the celebration that even Ceres, Two-Twelve, and Two-Twelve¡¯s wife and daughter attended¡­

 The Justicars of Two-Twelve

    Belinda, Rory and I arrive at Ceres''s dungeon to check on the training groups, and it ended up turning into a bit of a party. Everyone enjoyed themselves so I guess that is all that matters, or at least most everyone.


    Bandy¡¯s group continued their training late into the evening and everything had already begun to settle down before they arrived. I have to say what she lacks in etiquette, she more than makes up for in sheer drive. While her group joins in on what remains of the party I pull Ceres to the side to speak with her.


    ¡°I want to thank you again for allowing them to train here. It really helps out a lot.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Of course, and it isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t benefit as well.¡±


    ¡°I told you earlier we might have gotten the civil war in Merretta straightened out, but my rank in my [Archjusticar] skill also increased, and I don¡¯t know if you have noticed or not but it should have left a new option under your [Justicar Menu].


    After checking out the new teleportation option she says. ¡°It would be nice to be able to teleport again, but at the price of a justicar point, I don¡¯t think it is really going to be much use.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see though, we may be able to use it to teleport out from an area that the traitors have used one of their items on.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°They are both godly effects, so that is a pretty big gamble. It all depends on which god is responsible for the creation of those items.¡±


    ¡°But there is a chance, and if we take on more justicars that would only increase our chance of survival. Ranking my skill up also allowed me to make two more justicars, so in addition to you and me, that is six other dungeon cores we could potentially save from those items the traitors use.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That is all if it works, and who would you trust enough to make them justicars?¡±


    ¡°That is what I wanted to discuss with you¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If you are just looking for people you can trust than, any or all of your daughters would make a decent choice, but if your dungeon is being attacked while under the effect of one of the traitor¡¯s items, then you are going to need more help than a dungeon core like any of your daughters could provide.¡±


    ¡°I think Ithros is a good choice, but I don¡¯t think he would leave Teku behind to get help, or help someone else if he had to leave Teku behind.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What about Madam Erin or Dyson? They are strong enough that they wouldn¡¯t be tempted in using the justicar points unless they had to, and even though you have had plenty of disagreements, when it comes to a life or death situation they have always pulled through for you.¡±


    ¡°Is that enough I wonder¡­? There is always the option to remove a justicar as well, so I guess it is at least worth sitting down with them to have a conversation about it, and we can tell the girls that appointing them as justicars is only a temporary measure.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Having more justicars will be good, but what we really need is Akil¡¯s help. I know he already refused, but maybe if we try speaking to him together.¡±


    ¡°It is worth a shot, but even if he still refuses to help us with the traitors, the civil war in Merretta is coming to an end, and we should have the assistance of Lucille, Laura, and the army of Merretta soon as well.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We¡¯ll see I guess¡­¡±


    We then return to the party, and to help the groups a bit, we stick around till just after midnight to give Ceres a little more xp to work with to add to her dungeon for the xp gatherer¡¯s training. But afterwards we go home and go to bed ourselves.


    The next morning, I lay out the plans for the day with Belinda, while she and Rory enjoy breakfast. I am sure Inari will accept becoming one of my justicars, and she is probably the one I can trust the most, but even though the sun has begun to rise here it is still really early at her dungeon so I decide to start off with the other three.


    Dawn and Twilight have been putting all their effort into their secondary dungeons at Maeve¡¯s dungeon, so I am a little worried about them since adventurers are entering their primary dungeons now, but it makes talking to the girls much easier, because I only have to message Maeve and ask her to ask the other two to join us.


    Maeve doesn¡¯t reply right away, but by the time breakfast is over she sends a message back telling me that it¡¯s ok to visit. After saying bye to Belinda and Rory I get the current location of Maeve¡¯s dungeon. She moved her dungeon to the desert last winter, so it isn¡¯t a surprise that her dungeon is in Sarnova.


    I use [Gate] to reach Maeve¡¯s dungeon, and the signs of winter are nowhere to be seen. Winter isn¡¯t completely avoidable in Sarnova, it still gets much cooler here during the winter, but as early as it is in the morning, the temperature has already reached a point that is higher than we get in Gowen during the winter. Even on the years we have mild winters.


    It has only been a few days since we returned from being stuck in that dungeon, but Maeve¡¯s dungeon has gone through quite a few changes yet again. For one, the place in which I usually arrive at is now inside of a pavilion with large decorative pillars and a dome for a roof.


    I arrived a few feet off of the center, but behind me there is large archway that seems to be the mainstay of the pavilion. It is quite larger than the doorways Madam Erin makes portals out of but it is still smaller than the one in Uthaira.


    She has spoken about wanting me to set up a portal for a long time, but it seems she has gone on her own and started at least making plans of it. Leading out from the pavilion towards the village there is now a brick pathway leading all the way up to it.


    Between the elves and swan beastkin I have summoned for Maeve and the sky elves she has summoned on her own, her village is really starting to take shape. It is at the point now that is it almost looks like a normal village, the only difference is most of the residents here have wings.


    When I approach the small caf¨¦-like building we have been meeting at lately I see that all three of the girls are already there waiting, while sitting at one of the tables outside of the building.


    ¡°It seems things are starting to come around quite nicely around here.¡±


    Dawn¡¯s appearance is of that when she wears her ring, which by now I believe is pretty much all the time. Twilight on the other hand much prefers her true form and as such she is sitting in a chair that is much more accommodating to her appearance. They sit directly across from each other with Maeve sitting in between them leaving a few empty chairs on this side of the table.


    Maeve: ¡°Yes, I have been hard at work preparing for the time in which you hold up your end of your promise.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me if I have been a bit busy¡­ But I also feel that giving humans access to this place is not something you should take lightly.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I have thought about it, and I think all three of us agree that the monsters you have sent here for us to acquire xp from are great and all, but it isn¡¯t a substitute for actual adventurers roaming your dungeon.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°No matter how much we work on our dungeons here, it seems pointless if it is only for us. At least Twilight and I have a chance with the adventurers in our primary dungeons, but Maeve doesn¡¯t have that chance.¡±


    ¡°You are starting to get quite a few residents here, have you discussed how you are going to explain it all when adventurers make their way here?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Most of them have wings, so that is not really a problem, but we have spoken about the story we are going to spin for the humans.¡±


    ¡°Oh yea?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°The elves are going to say they are the last of the original habitats of the island. They are going to claim that after the dungeon appeared outside the village the ground broke up and carried part of the village to the sky. After that they had no choice but to just try to do their best to survive.¡±


    ¡°I can understand the swan beastkin, but what about the sky elves. No one has ever seen one of them before how you going to explain that one?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°That¡¯s where the elves come in, we are going to say that after the village left the ground the children born in the village after that were all born with wings. As for Dawn, Twilight, and the swan beastkin they came here after hearing about the floating island and were welcomed, which is something that can¡¯t be said for the reaction most humans have of them on the ground, so since the villagers here welcomed them here they just stuck around.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like you are just over complicating the matter. Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to say that the sky elves are just born between the elves and swan beastkin?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°But hybridization doesn¡¯t happen between the humanoid races.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you call a half-elf? I am just saying it would make more sense that they are a new race created from swan beastkin and elf, then it would be just elves changed by a dungeon¡¯s magical influence, safer as well. Not to mention the fact that elves are very long lived, so that means you are going to have to insinuate that your dungeon is hundreds of years old, but the island has only been seen the last few years, and that doesn¡¯t even mention the fact, that if the villagers started to be born with wings why didn¡¯t they leave?¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Have a little faith in us, Papa¡­ We are going to say the village was out over the sea for a long time, and has only recently headed over land. As to why they didn¡¯t make contact with the humans after arriving over land, you have the beastkin, being persecuted just for having wings, so don¡¯t you think that is enough to make the sky elves wary of contacting humans as well?¡±


    ¡°Well if we survive our ordeal with the traitors, I will see what I can do about getting humans up here, but I can¡¯t guarantee it will be a portal.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°As long as we start getting visitors that is all that matters. Now, I am sure you must have had a reason for wanting to come speak to us or you would have brought Mama along, so what is it you want.¡±


    ¡°You know about me being able to appoint jusctiars, like I did for Ceres, and well I just thought it was time to fill those roles. After all if I can¡¯t trust my daughters, who can I trust, right?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°You want to make us your justicars?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee it will be permanent, but yes. I received a new ability that allows me to teleport to my justicars or vice versa, and it may even work when we are trapped like when we were in that dungeon, so I want to give myself more options.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°We would love to!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Hold on¡­ Let us think about this for a second.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°What¡¯s to think about, we are helping Papa, and think of all the perks we would get for being Papa¡¯s justicars!¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I am actually inclined to agree with Dawn this time¡­ Even if it is temporary the only drawback I can see is it may put a target on our backs, but we don¡¯t know how the traitors choose their targets anyway, so I don¡¯t know if that means much.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°If we accept, we will really get access to all the justicar abilities?¡±


    ¡°Some of them are point based, and I would ask you not to use a single point without permission, unless it is a life or death situation, because the points are shared between us all, but the other [Menu] items yes. Remember though, I do have the ability to remove justicars as well, just in case you decide to abuse it.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Twilight: ¡°Then I don¡¯t see a reason not to accept, but I am still not sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I won¡¯t force any of you, and you can always ask out of it at any time. I have just been leaving the slots empty all this time, and with this new teleport ability I thought assigning you three as justicars could possibly save our lives in a pinch.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Who else are you going to make your justicars? After all if they gain the ability to teleport to us, we should know about it.¡±


    ¡°After I asked the three of you, I was going to ask Inari next, and that will fill the original five slots, but when I got the teleport ability I also gained two more slots so I was going to ask Madam Erin and Dyson. That way if we do get in trouble we could have backup from someone of their strength.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°What do you plan to do to convince them? It isn¡¯t like there is much you can offer the Elders.¡±


    ¡°Well with Faron gone, they don¡¯t have the <u>Dungeon Core Information</u> book anymore, and if this teleport can be used while under the effects of the traitor¡¯s items then that might be enough to convince them on its own.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well I guess I am on board, but if the Elders don¡¯t accept, I want to know before you go to someone else.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s fair.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Of course I will help you Papa!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°I¡¯m still not sold on the idea that you are not planning to use us for something, but I guess I am in as well.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Papa wouldn¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°I am planning on asking the Elders for a few favors, but for you girls I just wanted to give you a chance in the event a traitor shows up.¡±


    I then open up the [Archjusticar Menu] and add each of them as justicars, and after they each accept I receive messages much like the ones when I made Ceres a justicar, and even receive five more justicar points for adding each of them, which I didn¡¯t expect. I thought I got the five points for Ceres because she was the first.


    That leaves me at forty one justicar points, and that is even before adding Inari, Madam Erin, or Dyson. I now have no reason to think they won¡¯t give me five more additional points each when I add them, so maybe I can convince Madam Erin and Dyson to join if I allow them to choose someone in which to make into a dungeon core. That would still leave me at thirty six points, which is more than enough for an emergency.


    But why stop there if you get five points each time you add a new justicar, can you just add and remove them over and over? No harm in finding out, so I select the option to remove a justicar.


    Removing a justicar from service that is not posing a threat to the integrity of [Menu] will cost five justicar points. Removing a justicar in this fashion when zero justicar points remain is possible, but not only will this result in a negative justicar point balance, but also reduce the [Archjusticar] skill rank by one.


    However if the justicar being removed poses a threat to the integrity of [Menu] the removal of the justicar is without cost.


    ¡°Now remember, don¡¯t use anything that takes any justicar points unless you specifically ask, or if it is a matter of life or death, and that includes the teleport.¡± ¨CI tell them while they appear to be checking out their new options in [Menu].-


    Maeve: ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it was this detailed¡­ Do you really acquire that much xp every day? And you spend just as much!¡±


    ¡°If you look, it tells you want it is spent on¡­ But I can¡¯t say it is very promising that the first thing you do with your new [Menu] is to look up information on me.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°I was curious how it worked, and you were sitting right there, so your number was the first one to come to mind, but after seeing how much xp you acquire every day it seems odd that you don¡¯t want to help me get humans here, when you get that much from them every day¡­¡±


    ¡°Notice the amount going out is just as high, because that¡¯s what it takes to make sure they don¡¯t kill me. Yes you make far less xp here without humans around, but you are far safer as well. Besides half of the xp I acquire each day comes from a single source, and it isn¡¯t from the humans.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Well then what the hell is an Akil, and where to I get one?¡±


    I laugh and say. ¡°He is an ancient being, even older then Ceres, and I didn¡¯t really choose him, he kind of chose me. I guess it would be the equivalent of one of the ancient dragons deciding to use your dungeon as his lair.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°All that and you got bent out of shape over the xp from the elves¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the principle of it, Maeve¡­¡±


    Maeve: ¡°If you make that much xp every day, I can only imagine what Dyson makes¡­ Maybe I will find out real quick!¡± ¨CShe says messing with her [Menu].- ¡°What the hell?! He doesn¡¯t bring in any more xp then you do!¡±


    ¡°Dyson¡¯s dungeon only covers about a quarter of Mar, and even though it is the part that has the highest level people in it. They are bandits and thieves, not adventurers, so their levels aren¡¯t that high.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°Madam Erin¡¯s is even worse! Wait¡­ How can her both her xp consumption and income be zero?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean zero? That can¡¯t be possible¡± ¨CI say opening up my own [Menu] navigating to display Madam Erin¡¯s information.-


    ¡°What is going on here, last time I looked at her information it was normal, how can her consumption be zero when she has 347 floors¡­ Wait this says she has 350 floors, the number of rooms and monsters doesn¡¯t seem right either. Any way you look at it though, it is impossible to have zero consumption.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°How can she sustain her dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I think I may need to speak to Dyson alone, before I talk with Madam Erin¡­ Something isn¡¯t right here.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°You don¡¯t think she turned on us do you?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think so, but something isn¡¯t right¡­ ¡° ¨C I say while I send Dyson a message saying it¡¯s urgent and that we need to talk immediately.- ¡°Thank you three for your help, but I really need to take care of this.¡±


    Maeve: ¡°We are your justicars now, so keep us informed on what you find out. I think that should at leave give us the right to know.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right, as soon as I hear something I will let you all know, and I am sorry to rush out of here but...¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Just be careful, Papa.¡±


    I nod and then quickly use [Gate] to reach the inner courtyard of Dyson¡¯s dungeon, but when I step through the portal I am tossed outside the gate of his castle, and none to gently¡­


    The castle guards laugh and one of them says. ¡°You didn¡¯t think some teleport spell would get you inside the castle did you? You don¡¯t even have a weapon on you, what did you hope to accomplish?¡±


    Now that I think about it I have always arrived here¡­ I have teleported out of Dyson¡¯s castle but never into it. He has a skill that he can use to block teleportation, but is he able to prevent teleportation inside his dungeon as well? I wonder if he will teach me how to do that, but for now we have more important matters to deal with.


    ¡°It is an emergency, I tried sending a message ahead but I didn¡¯t have time to wait for a reply. If you can¡¯t get me inside of the castle then get me someone that can.¡±


    Guard: ¡°You are unarmed, and quite puny at that, so what makes you think you can order us around?¡±


    ¡°Well I know that Dyson doesn¡¯t train the men near as much as the women, so even without a weapon I am still pretty confident I can take you, but I don¡¯t have time for this, so either get someone that can grant me entry or I will go through you if I have to.¡±


    I send Dyson another message while the guards argue what to do, but this time I actually receive a response.


    Dyson: (What is so important to be bothering me this early in the morning?)


    (You are usually an early riser, and I would be surprised to hear you were still asleep, but that isn¡¯t important right now, I need to talk to you immediately.)


    Dyson: (Give me an hour or so, and I will meet you¡­)


    (I am standing outside of your gate arguing with your guards, this can¡¯t wait an hour.)


    Dyson: (Somebody better be dying or dead¡­ At least give me a few minutes to get dressed.)


    (Just hurry, I think the guards have just decided they want to fight.)


    Dyson: (It will be good practice for them. Just don¡¯t kill them if you can help it.)


    Guard: ¡°Alright, this is your last warning. It is time for you to go!¡±


    ¡°I just spoke to Dyson, he will be here in a few minutes, and I don¡¯t really want to fight you.¡±


    Guard: ¡°Oh yea? You haven¡¯t moved from that spot.¡±


    ¡°You already know I can teleport, so how much harder can talking to someone with magic really be?¡±


    I don¡¯t deliberately train my hand-to-hand ability, but quite a few skills I have taken to boost my endurance or agility come with a side effect of boosting my hand-to-hand. I have also taken the hand-to-hand training skill, just because of its low cost, and well, for times like this.


    The guards are apparently done talking, because one of them charges forward while drawing his sword from his waist. Their levels appear to be actually somewhat higher than I expected, but not enough that I couldn¡¯t deal with both of them at once, much less the one that is charging me while the other continues to watch the gate.


    As the guard swings his sword I side-step out of the way just in time to grab the guard¡¯s wrist and twist it till I hear a unnerving cracking sound and he drops his sword. This of course causes him to cry out in pain as he tries to punch me with his other arm.


    The pain has made him sluggish however and his other wrist was easier to grab then the last. Instead of twisting it however I hold it firmly while I bring my other arm around punching his elbow, and after another bone crunching sound the guard¡¯s elbow bends in the opposite direction then intended.


    I push the guard backwards and he drops to his knees while wailing in pain. The other guard starts to step in front of the gate, but seems unsure if he wants to be between it and me, however before anything else happens the gate begins to open, and Dyson emerges from it.


    Dyson looks at the main wailing on his knees and the other uninjured guard before looking to me and saying. ¡°Only one of them?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to pick a fight with your guards. He was the only one to try to attack me. Now, we should step inside, because we have something important to talk about¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Alright, fine.¡± ¨CHe then looks to the two guards and says.- ¡°I will deal with you two later.¡± ¨CHe then leads me in past the gate.-


    We follow the familiar path through his castle leading to the overly gaudy door, before stepping inside, and having a seat. I look around the room questionably when I notice it is only the two of us.


    Dyson: ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I just expected to see Desiree and Angela.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They are my entourage, not my body guards.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but they have sort of become a permanent fixture attached to your hips, so I thought it strange was all.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If you must know, after you so rudely woke us up this morning, they decided to have a bath. Now, I am sure you are not here about them, so what is it that was so important?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about Madam Erin. Has she seemed to be acting strange to you in any way?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The last time you spoke to her, was the last time I did as well, which was a few days ago when we hashed things out between Lucille and Laura.¡±


    ¡°Well I finally decided to appoint the rest of my justicars, but in the process we looked at Madam Erin¡¯s information with the justicar abilities, and something is clearly off.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What do you mean off?¡±


    ¡°With the death of all the dungeon cores I can understand a bit of growth as it says she has added a few floors and strengthened up a bit, but it says the xp she is bringing in and her consumption is zero.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That can¡¯t be right, she hasn¡¯t added a new floor the entire time I have been alive, and how can her consumption be zero?¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s what my [Menu] says, and unless the traitors have found a way to even mess with my [Archjusticar Menu] that is what I would like to know.¡±


    Dyson looks troubled as he seems too lost in thought for a moment, but he snaps out of it to say. ¡°We lost over a hundred dungeon cores in a single day, and haven¡¯t seen a sight or sound out of the traitors since, so I can understand why she may want to batten down the hatches, but this?¡±


    ¡°I am worried that either she is under attack and might need help, which of course is something I¡¯m woefully incapable of providing help with, or the traitors got to her, rather it be using her, taken her place, or that she joined them. Any way you look at it we need to find out what is going on.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I agree¡­ Madam Erin would be a tough one though if we were to fight, do you have enough of those justicar points of yours to bind a crystal if you had too?¡±


    ¡°I can, but I have to be within a few feet of the crystal or the actual dungeon core to be able to use it.¡±


    Dyson then appears to be messing with his [Menu] for a few seconds before his is suddenly covered from head to toe in his armor.


    Dyson: ¡°It would be quite hard to navigate through all the new rooms with [Observation] to find out what is going on, can you use your [Menu] to see what she is up to?¡±


    When I bring Madam Erin back up on my screen I look in on what should be her location, but I don¡¯t see her anywhere, and the entire room I am looking in on looks empty. With the [Archjusticar Menu] I can only see the immediate vicinity of a dungeon core, so to no be able to see her is something I haven¡¯t had happen before.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see her¡­ That shouldn¡¯t be possible. The screen is displaying a image, but it just isn¡¯t showing Madam Erin.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be wise for you to come along, but we have to go check out what is going on, and I may need your crystal-binding ability, so I will do my best, but if she has started working with the traitors I don¡¯t know if I can protect you while dealing with her.¡±


    I was planning on asking Dyson to become one of my justicar anyway, so if I did he could use the ability himself and it would be much safer for all of us, but I want to find out what is going on with Madam Erin myself, and I am afraid if I gave him the ability he would cut me out of the loop.


    I know it is stupid, and I should just make Dyson a justicar, but I find myself keeping my mouth shut and just telling Dyson. ¡°I understand.¡±


    The door quickly opens to Desiree and Angela strutting into the room with their hair straight and heavy with water still, but already wearing their combat gear.


    Dyson: ¡°What do you two think you are doing bursting in here like this?!¡± ¨CHe says a bit forcefully.-


    Angela: ¡°We saw your armor off of the armor rack, and knew something had to have happened. We came as fast as we could.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You two are going to have to stay behind this time. It is much too dangerous.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Is Two-Twelve going along?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not that it matters, but yes he is.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Then we are coming too!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°No!¡± ¨CHe says forcefully enough to startle not only both girls but me as well.- ¡°I said this will be much too dangerous, and I can¡¯t afford the distraction this time.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Is that all we are to you is a distraction!?¡± ¨CShe says as her eyes start tearing up.-


    Dyson: ¡°I can¡¯t be put into a position of having to choose between saving Two-Twelve or one of you. If things do go wrong, Two-Twelve may be the only one that can make sure we get through it alive, so can¡¯t afford to let him die because I had to protect one of you instead.¡±


    Dyson then shakes his head and hits it with the palm of his head. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ He is right Angela. We have to stay behind this time.¡±


    Angela: ¡°But¡­!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°We will be awaiting your return.¡± ¨CShe says then grabs Angela¡¯s arm dragging her from the room while Angela tries to argue.-


    ¡°Let me die instead of them? ¨CI say with a smirk after the girls are gone.- ¡°You really care for them, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m glad.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I told you I would treat them as queens. Now we don¡¯t have time to waste, we should make our way to your dungeon for you to acquire your equipment in case something goes wrong.¡±


    After I agree Dyson grabs my arm and teleports us.

 Madam Erins New Floors

    After a quick stop at my house to equip my gear Dyson and I head to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. We weren¡¯t entirely sure where to teleport to, so I used [Gate] to reach the area in which [Menu] said Madam Erin was at. Even if we can¡¯t see her there, that doesn¡¯t mean she isn¡¯t there.


    However like when I arrived at Dyson¡¯s castle we are both tossed to the floor in a large empty throne room. If I am remembering correctly this used to be the top floor of her dungeon, and behind those small doors behind the throne is where her crystal used to be.


    After Dyson and I return to our feet he says. ¡°We were tossed aside like there was a barrier preventing teleportation. This isn¡¯t where you said we were supposed to be, right?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t, but that in itself doesn¡¯t make sense. This used to be the top floor, and Madam Erin¡¯s crystal used to be right though those doors, so why would a barrier drop us here?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Madam Erin isn¡¯t capable of making a barrier like that, as far as I am aware, but even if she was capable, I am with you, why drop us here? Even if she just learned how to create the barrier it should cover her entire dungeon not just the new floors she added.¡±


    ¡°If Madam Erin is still alright, she should know we have arrived in her dungeon by now, so should we try sending her a message?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You said her crystal used to be through those doors? Let¡¯s check it out first.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ If her crystal is there still, you don¡¯t plan on breaking it or something, are you?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If she has become one of the traitors, you damn right I will break her crystal, but until we know that, I just want to see.¡±


    I am a little hesitant to the idea of letting Dyson just walk into Madam Erin¡¯s crystal room, if it even is still her crystal room, but it isn¡¯t like I can stop him, so I follow him through the small double doors behind Madam Erin¡¯s throne.


    The room is small, much smaller then I remember, but what appears to be growing out of the far wall is the largest crystal I have ever seen. The large amber crystal that takes up the entire wall glows with a pulsing light like a heartbeat, and bright enough that it is almost painful to look at.


    Dyson: ¡°Well that answers that question, but leaves even more. If we stepped into Madam Erin¡¯s crystal room, if she would instantly know and if she was capable she would have been here by now.¡±


    Suddenly a figure appears between the crystal and us, and I would say armed to the teeth, but the armor she is wearing is far more revealing than anything I¡¯ve seen her wear before, looking almost the same as Desiree¡¯s armor.


    Elexia: ¡°Two-Twelve?! Dyson?! What are you two doing coming after Mother¡¯s crystal for?!¡± ¨CShe says without letting her guard down, while posed and ready to strike.-


    ¡°Just wait! We are looking for Madam Erin!¡±


    Elexia: ¡°She left this morning before I woke up, but that still doesn¡¯t explain what you are doing in her crystal room!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°She appears to be missing. So maybe you can help us. If Madam Erin¡¯s crystal hasn¡¯t been moved, then why has she added more floors to her dungeon and erected a barrier to prevent teleportation into those new floors?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°What are you talking about?! Mother can¡¯t be missing, or I would know! Besides she hasn¡¯t added any new floors to her dungeon in 200 years!¡±


    ¡°This is the 347<sup>th</sup> floor, right?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°The [Archjusticar Menu] says her dungeon now has 350 floors, and when I try to look at her location I only see an empty room that is about¡­ 2 floors up from here.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°That is impossible, this is the top floor!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not any more it isn¡¯t. Now if you want to help Madam Erin, I would suggest finding us a way to reach the floors above.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°First, leave Mother¡¯s crystal room! ¡°


    Dyson: ¡°You really think you could stop me if I wanted to destroy her crystal?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t any reason to provoke her¡­Madam Erin wouldn¡¯t set up the barrier leading us right to her crystal. I am sure she is probably the one in trouble, so it won¡¯t hurt us to wait in the other room at least¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The point is, if I wanted Madam Erin dead she would be dead.¡±


    ¡°Come on¡­¡± ¨CI say dragging Dyson from the room. Of course, were he to resist, it isn¡¯t like I could really stop him, but Dyson follows along and we are soon waiting to hear back from Elexia in the throne room.-


    Dyson: ¡°You do realize as soon as we stepped out of there she moved the crystal to somewhere else, right?¡±


    ¡°That is the deepest part of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, with the exception of the new floors, so she could only leave it there or move it to the new floors. Do you think she would trust the floors she knows nothing about, or leave the crystal where it is, because like you said if you wanted to destroy the crystal she wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop you.¡±


    Dyson plops himself on Madam Erin¡¯s throne and looks around the room. ¡°What does she do all day? There is absolutely nothing to look at in here.¡±


    ¡°Most throne rooms I¡¯ve been in are empty. They¡¯re just for show, not practicality.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well, I used to spend most of my day sitting on my throne, unless I had an actual reason not to, you know?"


    "Ironic, considering your entourage were the only ones around. Why didn''t just replace your throne with a bed is beyond me. A king-size bed, of course." - I smirk slightly - "Come think about it, I think Byson''s the only one that has ever seen your throne room."


    Dyson: ¡°Who¡­?¡±


    ¡°Byson! The man I summoned for you to take your place¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I had completely forgotten about him.¡±


    ¡°He is still alive, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I haven¡¯t received a message telling me otherwise, so I would assume so. I gave him my old entourage, so he has plenty to do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable. How could you¡­¡± ¨CI start to say but Elexia appears in the room and looks horrified that Dyson is lounging around on Madam Erin¡¯s throne.-


    Elexia: ¡°That is Mother¡¯s chair! You can¡¯t sit there!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well, did you find out how to get to the floors above us?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I don¡¯t answer to you!¡±


    ¡°Please Elexia, Madam Erin could be in trouble, and she might need our help.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°That doesn¡¯t give him the right to disrespect Mother¡¯s dungeon! But Mother may really be in trouble. I tried to reach her with a message, and even looked into the rooms that you claim exist above us, but the dungeon core room is not showing any such room.¡± ¨CDyson starts to say something when she cuts him off and says. ¡°But I did find a ladder that wasn¡¯t there before. If there is a way up, that must be it.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Good. Take us there.¡± ¨CHe says while jumping to his feet.-


    Elexia glares at Dyson, but leads us out of the throne room into its antechamber, which happens to be large enough to have two massive dragon-sized golems on it. I guess that if someone came in the normal way, it would look as if they were guarding the throne room''s entrance.


    Dyson doesn''t appear impressed by them, but I''m bad at reading the facial expression of helmets (since he happens to be wearing his full set, field helmet included).


    There''s a large spiral staircase (going down) in the center of the room, but we go around it to one of the smaller doors across the floor. This room is considerably smaller, and houses two similarly smaller golems, as well. Though by smaller I meant to say they''re about the size of Madam Erin herself.


    These golems do grab Dyson¡¯s attention as they appear to be made from orichalcum. He quickly moves over to one and knocks on it, before nodding his head.


    Dyson: ¡°The big ones were showy for sure, but these ones must be her actual last line of defense. I couldn¡¯t even imagine being able to summon something this strong in my dungeon, I guess no matter how strong I make myself, there¡¯s just no substitution for years of experience.¡±


    Elexia''s mood seems to improve with Dyson¡¯s comment, but she attempts to keep a stern face when she speaks ¡°The ladder is here!¡± With a snarky undertone pointing out a simple ladder that runs next to the corner of the room to a small trap door in the ceiling.


    Dyson: ¡°I take it you are going to come with us?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I want to find Mother more than anything, but if something were to happen to both Mother and myself, there would be no one to watch Cambion, and so I unfortunately must leave to return to him now.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You want us to find, and possibly rescues your Mistress, in her own dungeon, and you are not going to provide any assistance?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I told you. The area above, whatever it is, is not part of Mother¡¯s dungeon, and Mother has very few named monsters, none of which would be much help to you up there.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If we do have to save your Mistress, the price is going to be quite steep.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°There is only so much I could possibly offer without Mother¡¯s consent, but if it is within my power, I will grant it. Mother told me you had great interest in Lilith, and although I can¡¯t promise you her, I have several daughters that are not bound to Mother¡¯s dungeon that I could offer you, on the condition you do them no harm.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°That really isn¡¯t necessary¡­ Something can be worked out after we find Madam Erin.¡±


    I can¡¯t tell Dyson¡¯s expression because of his helmet, but he sounds genuinely surprised as he says. ¡°I am not one to turn down free women, but for once I believe I am not interested¡­¡±


    ¡°Well none of this is helping Madam Erin right now¡­ Let¡¯s just get up there and find out what is going on.¡±


    Dyson turns and begins climbing the ladder, when he reaches the trap door he hits it with his gauntlet and the door swings open. As he disappears through the hole I tell Elexia that we will do our best, and then follow Dyson up the ladder.


    Before I make it to the top of the ladder I can hear the sounds of combat, so I quickly rush the rest of the way. I am not exactly sure what I expected to do, I mean if Dyson had trouble fighting something I seriously doubt I would be any assistance, but by the time I reach the top of the ladder the room has gone silent.


    The room looks normal enough. The walls, floor, and roof look much like the rest of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, and the size of the room isn¡¯t out of the norm, it is definitely larger than a standard room, but not enough to accrue any additional cost. I enter the room to find Dyson wiping his sword off on the clothing of one of the creatures on the ground as he inspects it.


    The dead creatures on the floor, or at least what is left of them, appear to share a lot of similarities to a succubus, however the main and major difference is that every succubus I have met redefines the meaning of beauty, these creatures however are the exact opposite.


    Their hair is quite similar to the colors I have seen on the succubi, however instead of being long and silky it is course and matted. These creatures have wings and tails much like a succubus as well, but again the more you look at them, the more differences you see.


    I haven¡¯t seen any succubi with horns, yet these creatures have a pair curving backwards growing out of their scalps at least a foot long each. Their skin looks old and withered, their figures saggy and unpleasing, rather than feet they have hooves, and don¡¯t get me started on the face.


    Lilith¡¯s eyes were quite normal looking, but Elexia and Desiree both have eyes where the normal white part is solid black with golden irises, and they were quite entrancing. These creatures have similar eyes, but maybe it is just because they are dead, but those whose eyes remain open are not entrancing at all, more like, they make a chill run down my spine. And ugly¡­ These creatures are very ugly¡­


    ¡°What are they¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I¡¯m not too sure myself.¡± ¨CHe says standing back up and kicking one over.- ¡°But whatever they are, they aren¡¯t much of a problem. What is a problem however is that I don¡¯t see any doors leading forward.¡±


    He is right, the room is completely solid, and the only entrance or exit is from the trap door we entered from.


    ¡°There has to be something, right?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not necessarily. Madam Erin¡¯s crystal is behind us, so regardless of Elexia''s claims on whether this is part of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon or not, [Menu] is at least treating it like it is, so


    ¡°Then how do we get to Madam Erin?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Shut the trap door.¡±


    ¡°What if it seals us inside¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is a strong possibility, in fact I would almost bet on it. You can leave now if you choose, but I may need your abilities later, so if you don¡¯t want to be responsible for both Madam Erin and my death¡¯s, then shut the trap door.¡±


    I am hesitant to shut the door, but if all else fails. I might get to find out if the [Justicar Teleportation] works or not¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m trusting you.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Have I ever given you reason to doubt me?¡± ¨CI can¡¯t see his face, but I can practically feel the smirk on it¡­-


    When I returned to the house to get my armor I didn¡¯t even tell Belinda about what happened. I don¡¯t know if she will get it, but I send her a message telling her I love her, and I try to give her a short version of what is going on, but Dyson starts to complain about me taking so long that I send the message I have just before I kick the trap door shut.


    As soon as the door slams shut it instantly changes to match the rest of the floor completely sealing us off in this room¡­


    Dyson: ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad, was it?¡±


    ¡°Now what do we do¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°First thing is first I guess.¡± ¨CHe says then makes a grunting sound before saying.- ¡°Looks like teleporting is out of the question.¡±


    I feared as much, and it isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t believe him, but I try to cast [Blink] and [Gate]. Neither of them works however, so I take a deep breath and say. ¡°I hope this mean you have a plan?¡±


    Before Dyson has a chance to answer however several doors seem to grow out of three of the four walls leaving us with six options to choose from.


    Dyson: ¡°I do now¡­ I think I know who is behind this. But of course with the abilities the traitors have at their disposal it doesn¡¯t mean that my plan is guaranteed to work. But if he hasn¡¯t changed his design I should be able to get us through this.¡±


    ¡°Whom?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Don¡¯t want to tip our hands too far, now¡­¡± ¨CHe says looking at the six doors before choosing one. - ¡°This way, and whatever you do, don¡¯t shut the door until it is clear we can deal with whatever is on the other side.¡±


    I have no other chose but to follow Dyson, so I follow him as he swings open the door he choose. With his sword still in his hand he quickly lunges forward into the room so I quickly rush forward to catch up with him, and this time I get to see the hideous creatures while they are still alive, albeit briefly.


    Dyson enters the room swinging, the first creature raises its arm to block the blow, but Dyson¡¯s sword cuts through creature''s arm and torso while barely slowing down. The next creature casts a spell surrounding Dyson in a pink hazy mist.


    Dyson stops moving while grabbing his helmet and shaking his head. ¡°If you think something like that will work on me you are sorely mistaken!¡± He then shoulder charges the creature casting the spell. I don¡¯t know how strong these things are in comparison to myself, so I don¡¯t know if I should be doing anything.


    Three more of the creatures swarm in on Dyson, carried not by their wings or feet, but floating like a lich or similar monster. Dyson punches the one he shoulder slammed, and cuts down another of the new arrivals with his sword, but that still leaves two more of the creatures as they bare their claws to him and they don¡¯t damage his armor but pass through it like a shadow spell.


    I don¡¯t know what kind of danger that poses to Dyson, but I can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing, so taking them as some kind of demon or undead I cast the strongest light-element spell I know, but even though my spell power is strong, my availability of spells is far below what a mage of my level should have.


    The beam of light I produce hits one of the creatures attacking Dyson, and although it does seem to do a great deal of damage to the creature, I fear I just pissed the creature off, more than anything. Not that non-sentient monster can get pissed, but its golden eyes quickly lock onto me, and it withdraws its claws from Dyson¡¯s armor and starts floating my way.


    ¡°Use fire!¡± Dyson grunts as he collapses the skull of the creature he is pummeling with his gauntleted fist. He then turns his attention to the last remaining creature that is attacking him. He slams it in the chin with the hilt of his sword causing it to shriek with an ear splitting sound.


    It causes the creature to be pushed back as it struggles to try to keep its claws sunk into Dyson¡¯s armor. It gives him enough of a distance however to bring his sword down severing the creatures head from its body.


    By the time the creatures head hits the floor the last creature descends upon me with its claws extended.


    Many light-element spells focus on healing and not attack so I am lacking in higher level spells, but fire-elemental attack magic is far more common, so some of the groups that have leveled up or monsters that I have slain have given me access to higher level fire-elemental attack spells


    I was using my skills to make the spell far more powerful, so the creature¡¯s claws are within inches of me by the time I release the fire spell. Many of the attack spells start off small growing bigger as they get stronger, but by level 30 or so they get so large they are massive attacks that cover a large area, and can damage many friend and foe alike, but it seems once you pass that hurdle they begin to shrink again and only increase in strength and intensity rather than size.


    In fact this [Magma Bolt] spell doesn¡¯t appear to be any more dangerous than a [Fire Bolt] or a [Fireball] spells, but the moment the spell connects with the creature it erupts in intense flames, causing it to shrike again.


    As the creature bursts into flames, Dyson doesn¡¯t appear to be worried as he wipes his blade off one the clothing of one of the dead creatures before sheathing his blade. By the time the creature quits shrieking the flames are still engulfing its body, and I have to take a step back to avoid it landing on me as it collapses to the floor with a crunchy thud.


    Even as it lies unmoving on the floor the fire is intense enough I have to use caution squeezing past it to enter back into the room with Dyson.


    ¡°You know it almost got to me, I wasn¡¯t sure if one of my spells, even fully charged, would have been enough to deal with that thing.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If you would have used another one of those weak light-based spells, it probably wouldn¡¯t have. I¡¯m not much of a spell caster myself, but for a dungeon core not of the fire favored element, that was quite an impressive [Magma Bolt].¡±


    ¡°I obviously don¡¯t have a light-elemental spell that strong, nor shadow, wind, or earth, but I do think I have a water spell that is at least just as strong as well.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Shadow and light-based spells have their own uses, but for the most part if fire doesn¡¯t kill something, water surely will, so even if it isn¡¯t the most effective spell against a particular creature, that isn¡¯t bad at all.¡±


    ¡°I have had far more luck with light-elemental and shadow-elemental spells in the past, myself.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°When you are low level they tend to be the strongest of the six, but once you start getting into the real monsters, the lines get far blurrier. Take these things for example, you took one look at them and could tell they were shadow-based creatures, but it wasn¡¯t your light spell that was most effective, but fire.¡±


    ¡°But you said you didn¡¯t know what these things were, so how could you know they were weak to fire rather than light?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I wasn¡¯t pummeling that thing for the hell of it¡­ I have a hand-to-hand combat skill that allows me to learn about monsters or creatures when you deal with them with your fists.¡±


    ¡°Sounds pretty pointless¡­ If you can beat the monster to death with your bare hands, what good is learning about its weaknesses after the fact¡­?¡±


    Dyson: "Well, I learnt that skill when I was adventuring, way back in the day. Rather poor on its own if you want to measure results by damage dealt, but rather invaluable for an extended dungeon dive or if your party will happen to fight plenty of the same monsters, wouldn''t you say?


    Dyson however can¡¯t seem to leave well enough alone because he continues by saying "Besides, martial artists have the best bodies, and the woman that taught me that happened to have one of the very best. Nice curves all around, long and shapely legs with good, strong thighs, and breasts that probably should have gotten in her wa-"


    "I got it." - I sigh in resignation - "It is indeed useful for your party members. Can you punch the bodies and learn anything else?"


    Dyson: ¡°I think it goes without saying that they are indeed a shadow-based monster, with a weakness to fire, but like their appearance suggests they seem to be some kind of succubus but they are classified as undead rather than as demons.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that these are some of Madam Erin¡¯s succubi that have been turned into undead then?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I find it highly unlikely unless someone forced Madam Erin to summon the succubi to convert them into undead, but the dungeon cores that would be capable of such a thing are on a short list. Besides even if they could force Madam Erin to summon the succubi, what would be the point it, if her dungeon is their goal.¡±


    ¡°The question is, what do they want from her dungeon? We had a straight shot right to her crystal, so if they wanted her dead they could have done that already, but instead they seem to be adding to her dungeon, or at least forcing her to do so.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well let¡¯s find them and ask.¡±


    The creature I set on fire is still smoldering, so I have to douse it with a water spell to be able to move it out of the doorway, and like the room before once the door is shut it completely disappears, and several more doors open along the other walls.


    ¡°Which door now?¡±


    Dyson quickly examines each of the doors carefully before choosing one. ¡°This one.¡± He says with confidence, but then quickly changes his mine choosing another. ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s this one!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure¡­.?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Ninety percent sure. Now, are you coming, or what?¡± ¨CHe says kicking open the second door he choose and striding through it.-


    We spend the next few hours passing from room to room in much in the same fashion. Dyson has chosen the doors seemingly at random each time, and I believe we¡¯ve passed though some of the same rooms on multiple occasions, but regardless of my suspicions there are always more of the undead succubi-like creatures, and no signs of our previous pass. Besides Dyson still insists he knows exactly what he is doing, so I have little choice but to follow him.


    We do eventually come to a room in which after the door is shut, a door appears overhead, and a ladder descends. Dyson takes that as a sign he was correct, but I can¡¯t help feel that we could have saved at least an hour if we didn¡¯t seem to back track several times.


    Dyson: ¡°The room that your [Menu] says that Madam Erin is in, is it directly above us, or do we still have further to go?¡±


    I open my [Archjusticar Menu] to confirm it and say. ¡°No, I still can¡¯t see her, but it doesn¡¯t appear the room that it is showing doesn¡¯t appear to be directly above us, but to the right probably two or maybe three doors.


    Dyson: ¡°We haven¡¯t come across an empty room yet, so I would trust that image you are looking at, and we don¡¯t know what is up ahead so be on your guard.¡±


    I agree and Dyson then begins to climb the ladder.

 Locating Madam Erin

    After reaching Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, Dyson and I made it through the first of three new floors of her dungeon. These floors are unlike any Madam Erin has in the rest of her dungeon, and with the use of one of the traitor¡¯s items, we are becoming more and more certain that Madam Erin may be in trouble.


    After a few hours of roaming the floor seemingly at random we uncover the ladder heading up to the next floor, and Dyson begins the climb. As he reaches the trap door for the next floor he flings it open and peers into the floor above.


    I start to follow him up the ladder but before I hear him call out, and before I have a chance to react, he releases the ladder and jumps backwards off of it.


    Dyson: ¡°Get back!¡±


    When he jumped backwards off the ladder, I couldn¡¯t tell because he was blocking my view, but as I let go of the ladder to do what Dyson said, I notice he isn¡¯t alone. I don¡¯t see how I could have missed it even with Dyson blocking my view, as this creature is over twice the size of Dyson.


    The creature itself is gigantic spider. It is large enough I don¡¯t quite see how it even managed to make it through the trap door in the ceiling much less at the speed at which it must have passed through it to attack Dyson.


    The giant spider has a human-like face, but unlike the monstrosities I faced in the corrupt dungeon, it seems natural. Doesn''t make it any less horrifying, as each one of its thick armored legs that look more crab like than spider, but are as black as Dyson¡¯s armor, and are the size of my waist, ending with two dagger-like curved barbs at their end.


    Dyson''s armor is truly a marvel, a field plate with rotating double and triple joints that offer a complete range of motion without compromising even one bit on its defense, and yet the monster still manages to force its blade-like toes (feet? claws? this thing doesn''t make any sense as a living being. It is clearly a monster through and through, a thing meant to kill, and nothing else) into its non-existent gaps. Constantly exerting itself trying to pull it apart.


    Dyson doesn''t takes kindly to its efforts, though, and punches it on the face, sinking its nose in with a sick, wet crunching noise, then doubling down again to punch its eyes... no, right on top of its eyes, its eyebrows, for some reason.


    It takes me a moment to understand, but what he''s doing is causing it bleeding wounds, the type that will bleed straight down unto its eyes and make it impossible for it to see. He''s overpoweri- no, he''s dismantling the thing bit by bit, first taking its eyesight, then smashing its ears before swatting away its legs.


    Without its eyes, it cannot accurately aim for the joints in Dyson''s armor anymore, and it starts to frantically run its claws over him as it tries to do so again, to no avail.


    Dyson: ¡°Don¡¯t! Stay back!¡± ¨CHe calls while I start to prepare to cast a spell while he grapples with two of the spider''s legs, as three others continue to try and find purchase into his armor''s joints.-


    Dyson manages to bend and break one of its arms. There''s a howl as the thing''s arm bends the wrong direction, then snaps altogether before Dyson finally manages to draw his sword, promptly slicing off two more of its legs. After this, the spider leaps away and seems to need to re-assess itself, having lost three legs in the last two seconds, along with most of its ability to see.


    The spider turns towards me, and lunges, yet Dyson manages to get between us. To no effect, however, as it was actually going for the ladder, scurrying back up through the trap door and into the floor above.


    Dyson:¡±Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°It never got anywhere near me, so the question is, are you alright?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting something to attack as soon as the door swung open, and its legs are a bit of a problem, but now that we know what we are dealing with, things should go much more smoothly.¡±


    ¡°As long as there is only one of them¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It was quite strong, and if grappling like that is standard for the breed, it would take some time before I could break free and help you, should one aim at you.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want me to do then?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are just going to have to wait in the previous room until I manage to clear it out, and just make sure you don¡¯t let the door close so we don¡¯t end up separated.¡±


    ¡°That creature passed between floors, I seriously doubt it will have any issues passing from one room to the next. It isn¡¯t hard to name even non-sentient monsters to allow them to move from one floor to the next, but that means they are at least not rift monsters.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Unless that is something else the traitors have managed to change. However I don¡¯t think there is more than one, at least in the room above, or surely the others would have attacked as well.¡±


    ¡°What do you think it is doing now?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They have amazing regenerative abilities, so I would say it is recovering from its wounds while building us a trap with its web.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we get up there and deal with it before it has the chance then?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We?¡± ¨CHe says, but then starts climbing the ladder with his sword in his hand.- ¡°Whatever is up there I will try to keep it there. I don¡¯t want you to move until I give you the all clear. Do you understand?¡±


    There isn¡¯t really much I can do, so I don¡¯t argue and cone Dyson heads through the trap door, entering the floor above, I hear sounds of combat, but have no idea how it is going. After a short while it becomes quite again.


    It remains that way for at least another minute, which causes me to begin to worry, but Dyson then pokes his helmeted head through the hole, and tells me to head up the ladder.


    When I reach the next floor the entire room is full of the creature¡¯s web. It is so thick you can¡¯t even see the walls or ceiling, so I can¡¯t even be quite sure how large this room is for sure. The spider creature lies dead a couple yards away, while Dyson seems to be searching the room.


    ¡°This room is completely full of spider webs, are you sure there was only the one?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Pretty sure, but don¡¯t let your guard down. I don¡¯t see any doors, but the last floor didn¡¯t have any until the door was shut either, so go ahead and shut that hatch.¡±


    I close the hatch and it disappears just like in the floor below, but this time if any new doors appeared, I can¡¯t find it¡­


    ¡°Do you see anything?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not yet.¡± ¨CHe says as he starts hacking at the cobwebs with his sword.-


    Dyson is hacking in the direction opposite of the way Madam Erin should be at, until he uncovers a doorway, then pulls and cuts at the webs to get at it.


    ¡°That door is going the wrong direction. Shouldn¡¯t we take one on this other side?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If there is a door over there, I don¡¯t believe it will lead us to Madam Erin. Just trust me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t exactly go the other direction myself, so I don¡¯t really have any choice in the matter, do I?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Just trust me. Now, you stand over here behind me, and after I open the door, you just make sure it doesn¡¯t shut again until we are want it to.¡±


    I nod, then move behind Dyson. He makes sure I am out of sight before readying his sword and opening the door¡­


    As the hours pass, we go through quite a few rooms. I haven¡¯t seen any of the monsters except through the corpses Dyson leaves behind. There are some rooms that have several corpses in it before I step into the room, but I am rather sure we have backtracked through the rooms again this time, so I am not entirely sure if he was fighting more than one, or it is one of the corpses from a previous pass through the room.


    Either way, that means the monsters are at least being replaced after we leave the rooms, but we still don''t know if they are rift monsters or not.


    Dyson: ¡°If my hunch is right, this next room should have three of those spiders in it, so whatever you do, you stay on guard, and out of sight.¡±


    ¡°Three? Are you sure you can handle that many?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Of course, I just can¡¯t protect you while doing so. If nothing else I can use this sword¡¯s ability and pull them into a void, but there would be nothing preventing you from getting pulled in as well.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure there is going to be three of them though?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Each room has only had one of them, with the exception of the rooms we have passed through multiple times. Each time we reenter a room the number of spiders increases, so since this is going to be our third pass through this next room, I assume there will be three of them this time.¡±


    ¡°So we really are backtracking!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not exactly, but you are going to have to just trust me.¡±


    Once he enters the next room the sounds of combat seem to last forever and three is nothing I can do but stand here holding the door¡­


    Not long after the room goes quiet, Dyson calls out giving me the ¡°all clear¡±. When I enter the room there is indeed three spider corpses, but the shocking thing is Dyson¡¯s appearance. Dyson¡¯s armor is always immaculate, and I have never seen as much as a scratch on it.


    However right now it is covered in scratches, one of his gauntlets is missing, and he is holding his helmet under his arm, and half of it has been caved in. The sleeve of his shirt, which can be seen on the arm missing the gauntlet, is torn and covered in blood, Dyson himself doesn¡¯t seem to have any wounds on him now, but there is quite a bit of blood that doesn¡¯t belong to the spiders on the spiders and the ground.


    For a dungeon core to lose blood like that is quite shocking so I ask him. ¡°Are you alright¡­?¡±


    Dyson draws a line in the air and tosses the helmet through it before saying. ¡°It will only take a few hours in my dungeon¡¯s inventory for it to be as good as new.¡±


    ¡°Not your armor, are you ok?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Dyson: ¡°Healing myself is far easier than repairing my armor, and it has been many years since the last worked up a sweat in battle.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯d rather take damage then allow your armor do its job¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°My armor is non-replaceable. If it got damaged beyond repair it would be gone forever.¡±


    ¡°Remember if all else fails my dungeon can recreate it at least, although the xp cost is quite high.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I completely forgot about that, perhaps I should invest in preparing a backup set of armor once we get out of here.¡±


    ¡°If you give me the xp, I will gladly help you, but we should worry about Madam Erin for now¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Indeed. If my hunch is right we are only a few rooms away from the one in which [Menu] is showing you.¡± ¨CHe says before we move on.-


    As he said, after two more rooms, and several more spiders we enter the room in which my [Menu] is displaying for Madam Erin¡¯s location. Unlike all the other rooms, this one does not have any spiders, or any webs for that manner being a perfectly bare and empty room.


    ¡°Do you see anything¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You can come in now. I don¡¯t think there is anything here.¡±


    After entering the room with Dyson I open my [Archjusticar Menu] and when looking in on Madam Erin¡¯s location I see Dyson and myself, but through the screen or my own eyes, I don¡¯t see any signs of Madam Erin anywhere.


    ¡°I was hoping we would find something here¡­ If I can¡¯t even find her with my [Archjusticar Menu] I don¡¯t know how we are going to find her.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What I am finding strange is the lack of anything in this room. Every other room had the spiders and their webs, but this one doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin apparently isn¡¯t here regardless what [Menu] says, so should we continue, and hope we find her ahead somewhere?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°There is something about this room that leaves me a bit unsettled, but I don¡¯t think we have any other options.¡±


    I shut the door to the room, and it disappears like all the other times, but another door doesn¡¯t immediately appear. Dyson on the other hand begins to snap his head around quickly looking around the room.


    Dyson: ¡°What did you you!?¡±


    ¡°I just shut the door¡­ But no other doors appeared this time.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not that! Where are we!?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I then notice something off as well. The screen displaying Madam Erin¡¯s location is still open, but instead of us standing in that room we are no longer there. From a quick search of Dyson and myself it displays the same empty room as well.


    ¡°Are you saying we got transported somewhere¡­? I didn¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We were definitely teleported to another location, the question is where, and now that we are here, what do we do now? There doesn¡¯t look to be any more doors appearing this time.¡±


    ¡°And Madam Erin isn¡¯t here either.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I just tried to teleport as well, and it seems we are still under the effects of one of those items. Does that mean we just got transported within Madam Erin¡¯s Dungeon somewhere, or is this the effect of another one of those items?¡±


    ¡°They must of teleported us in the same manner as they did when we tried entering Barry¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The teleportation was subtle, so I could see why most of you would miss it, but if that is the case we could be anywhere now.¡±


    ¡°I am more worried about the fact that [Archjusticar Menu] still shows us being in that other room.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°At least we know what happened to Madam Erin now. She is probably trapped in a room just like this one.¡±


    ¡°What do we do now? Is there no way out of here?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not that I can tell.¡± ¨CHe says while checking several of the walls.- ¡°They can¡¯t possibly keep one of those items active forever, so we will have to wait it out.¡±


    ¡°There is another option¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°I might be able to get out of here, and possibly both of us, but the question is. Do we want to just leave here? We haven¡¯t found Madam Erin, and if we leave we will have to start all over again.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We won¡¯t be able to do anything while being trapped in this room, so if you have a means for escape I suggest we take it. We can attempt something else to try to find Madam Erin.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to discuss too much of it here, but if this works it means you will have to become one of my justicars as well.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If it gets us out of here, do it.¡±


    I open my [Archjusticar Menu] and add Dyson as one of my justicar. Once he accepts I grab ahold of Dyson¡¯s arm and attempt to use the teleport ability to reach Ceres, and since Dyson is a justicar now he should be able to come as well.


    I don¡¯t know if this will work or not, but I accept the justicar point cost while crossing my fingers and closing my eyes tight. The pull on the back of my chest indicates that the ability is at least attempting to work, but I am afraid to open my eyes until I hear a familiar voice.


    Ceres: ¡°Well isn¡¯t this a surprise¡­¡±


    I open my eyes to find Dyson and me standing in the middle of a lecture hall full of students as Ceres appears to have been holding some kind of class.


    Dyson: ¡°How did you do that?!¡±


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but we were in a bit of a spot¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Alright everyone. We will have wrap it here for today.¡± ¨CShe says to the students as she dismisses the class before turning to Dyson and myself and saying.- ¡°We should probably go somewhere to talk.¡±


    After transferring us to one of Ceres¡¯s private meeting rooms Dyson has a look around and Ceres says. ¡°So what exactly happened? Last I heard you were supposed to be speaking to the girls about becoming your justicars.¡±


    We fill in Ceres with what has happened while I check my [Archjusticar Menu] to make sure it shows Dyson and me in Ceres¡¯s dungeon rather still in that empty room, and it seems to have righted itself displaying us correctly.


    Ceres: ¡°I see, but if you both teleported out of there, how are we going to find Madam Erin?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Returning to that area should be simple enough. It may take a few hours to get to that point again, but the question is how do we get to wherever Madam Erin was taken to?¡±


    ¡°There was the third new floor that we still hadn¡¯t reached, If we can find out who is behind adding those floors to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon then perhaps that is our way of helping Madam Erin.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As I said, I had a bit of a hunch about that, and now that we are out of there I can tell you what I know. I got my place as a dungeon core by doing dirty work for the Elders, and after I refused to continue to kill dungeon cores on their whims, that was when they forced me to kill Bert to become a dungeon core again.¡±


    ¡°I have heard this before¡­.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°But what you didn¡¯t hear is before I killed Bert we had a rather long conversation. He was only 20 years old, but he had big aspirations. He told me of how he wanted to set up a dungeon with rooms that worked exactly like those ones in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. Of course, that kind of set up for a dungeon would be impossible, and he has been dead as long as I have been a dungeon core, by my own hands, so I know it can¡¯t be him, but someone took his idea.¡±


    ¡°Like you said it should be impossible to build a dungeon that way, so he probably didn¡¯t have any worries about telling others, but if he told you, and you weren¡¯t even a dungeon core at the time, who knows how many others he told about it¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is where it gets interesting. One part he didn¡¯t tell me about, I learned from a journal I took from his dungeon after he died. In it he said the doors themselves weren¡¯t the trap, it was the fact that the doors had to be taken in a curtain order to reach the next floor, and in that journal it had the order in which the doors had to be traversed for three separate floors. By the fact we made it through at least the first floor without problem, I would say someone had to be close enough to him to see the journal.¡±


    ¡°Bless¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°She had a grudge against me ever since I killed Bert, and then the Elders after I become one. We know she tried to kill Fredrick once, so she could have become one of the traitors to strike back at the Elders.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, instead of going back to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon then we need to go to Bless¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is what I was my next course of action, but I think for that one you should sit it out. Making me one of you justicars I use those abilities of yours myself, and we don¡¯t have to risk putting you in danger.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t make you one of my justicars for you to just cut me out!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What he is saying makes sense¡­ You just don¡¯t have the strength to go up against one of the traitors, and if he has to watch over you, it could put him at risk as well.¡±


    ¡°I put our group together because the Elders were too busy doing their own thing, and now you are going to just push me out?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We have always been trying to deal with the traitors, but we never had any credible information, so now that we have a shot, I can¡¯t risk wasting it by you getting into trouble again.¡±


    ¡°And what am I supposed to do while you go to Bless¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well Lucille and Laura are probably working to end the civil war in Merretta, but they should know that Madam Erin is missing.¡±


    ¡°So now I¡¯m just a messenger?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Unless you can quadruple your level, then yes.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, Two-Twelve has done a lot of good, and you wouldn¡¯t even know Madam Erin was missing if it wasn¡¯t for him. Levels aren¡¯t everything, but I do think we should let Dyson handle Bless, while we do what we can.¡±


    I know they are right. It isn¡¯t like I could fight Bless even if she wasn¡¯t a traitor, but still feel left out. I let out a deep sigh and say. ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t use any justicar points unless it is absolutely required. They may also be in a panic because we somehow managed to escape, so don¡¯t let your guard down.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then I better hurry while we still have the element of surprise.¡±


    ¡°And keep us informed!¡± ¨CI say as Dyson teleports from the room.- ¡°Are you sure leaving it to Dyson was the right thing to do?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I know you want to help, but the entire reason you formed your group of dungeon cores, is because you knew you were not enough to handle the situation on your own, and even then it still wasn¡¯t enough. I think we have no other choice but to leave it to Dyson.¡±


    ¡°Well, I just sent a message to Belinda telling her what was going on, so I should probably go tell her I made it back alright before I leave to speak with the other Elders.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°And you might have cleared one class of students, but I have two more classes I was going to personally attend to today, so I should get back to work as well.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem very worried about the danger Madam Erin is in¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It doesn¡¯t help to dwell on that we can¡¯t control. Dyson is our best bet, so that is the best we can do.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but to worry that Dyson might have been wrong about Bless, or what if something happens to him or Madam Erin?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you will just have to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°I have been trying, but it isn¡¯t that simple¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Nobody said it would happen overnight, or be easy, so until you do get strong enough to help, it is best to just do what you can do, like informing the other Elders about what is going on.¡±


    With nothing else for me to do I head back to the house to catch Belinda up, and then send a message to Lucille and Laura, about needing to speak with them. It takes a while for them to respond, but to make matters easier for them I use [Gate] to reach Lucille¡¯s dungeon rather then making them meet at the neutral zone.


    Laura: ¡°We are working as fast as we can, but a war doesn¡¯t just end overnight!¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t why I wanted to speak to you two¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Then what is it this time, we do have better things to do than cater to your every whim.¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin seems to have had a run-in with the traitors, and she could be in danger. Dyson is working on helping her, but we don¡¯t know if we are looking in the right direction or not.¡±


    Laura: ¡°What do you mean Madam Erin could be in danger?¡±


    I then tell them about what Dyson and I have been doing all day. After which Laura says. ¡°That is impossible, I know the traitors gain a fair deal amount of strength, but there is no way Bless could acquire that much power!¡±


    ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t her directly, she could be assisting the traitors, and if not, then she could know who else knew of Bert¡¯s ideas.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°What is it you expect us to do about it?¡±


    ¡°I thought you two were busy putting the war to an end? Besides I believe Dyson is just trying to keep me busy by telling you what is going on, but surely there is something you can do to help?¡±


    Laura: ¡°It sounds like Dyson has the matter taken care of, besides it was you that wanted us to end this war.¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin could be in grave danger, and you not even going try to help her?¡±


    Lucille: ¡°From the way you described it, it doesn¡¯t sound like there is much we can do.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Besides the sooner we get this civil war taken care of the sooner Merretta recovers, and I can then show you what the humans are really capable of. If something does happen to Madam Erin, we will need the Merretta army. And to that end, you may actually be able to assist us.¡±


    ¡°I just came to tell you what happened with Madam Erin in hopes you could help, but instead you are asking me to do something for you?¡±


    Laura: ¡°You wanted to end this war as well, so you can¡¯t say you are disinterested in helping us bring it to a quicker resolution.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not disinterested. It is just I think Madam Erin¡¯s life is a little more important than ending the war quicker¡­¡±


    Laura: ¡°And what of all the lives that are lost in that extra time it takes for the war to end, because you refused to help?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t fair¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there is anything we can do to help Dyson, so that means you surely will not be of any help, so if anything it is doing just like Dyson asked. Keeping you busy while he takes care of matters.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I am not saying I am going to do it, but what is it you want?¡±


    Laura: ¡°Aaron hasn¡¯t exactly been in the good graces of the Gowen kingdom, since the kidnapping, and with Gowen¡¯s rise in popularity over the last few years there is skepticism from kingdoms like Exeter, and Calhoun against Southern Merretta. Many of them didn¡¯t like the way Aaron¡¯s father ran things, but they at least knew what to expect from him, but if you can put in a good word with the King of Gowen, that should go a long way for gaining backup for Aaron.¡±


    ¡°That is ironic that you are asking my help when I was the one that was kidnapped to cause that discord between Gowen and Southern Merretta¡­¡±


    Laura: ¡°Exactly, and if you were to tell the Gowen King to support Aaron then it would go a long way to leaving the ones that are challenging him with nowhere to turn to.¡±


    ¡°I will speak to Gowen¡¯s king¡­ But I will leave it up to him what he decides.¡±


    With that I end my talks with Lucille and Laura, but instead of heading home I arrive at the Gowen capital instead. This really seems quite pointless when Madam Erin¡¯s life is at stake, but I guess that is what I get for not having the strength to fight back. I then let out a deep sigh and request an audience with the king¡­

 Dyson Regroups

    After leaving Two-Twelve and Ceres, I return to my castle so I can prepare for the dive into Bless'' dungeon. Of course, I quickly find myself flanked by Angela and Desiree, whom are not happy at all about being left behind once more.


    Angela: ¡°Your armor looks terrible! Are you saying we must let you go alone against someone who can summon monsters strong enough to leave you looking like this!?" - Says a very obviously worried Angela.-


    ¡°I left Two-Twelve behind, so I won¡¯t have to worry about someone else while fighting, so bringing you two along would be self-defeating.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°He is right, if Bless is capable of summoning monsters that could damage his armor like that, we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance, but what if we could help in another way?¡±


    Angela: ¡°How so?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Bless is strong compared to us, and if she is working for the traitors who knows how much stronger she has become, but when it comes to her dungeon itself, it is far from a large dungeon. If we were to go in through the front of the dungeon and cause a bit of a distraction, then perhaps Master could get into the depths of the dungeon undetected.¡±


    ¡°That is far from necessary, I have [Observation] to reach Bless without her ever knowing I am coming.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I think that if she is a traitor, and actively targeting Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon right now, perhaps she has the same safeguards on her own dungeon, that she placed on the floors they added to Madam Erin¡¯s. If you try to reach her directly and fail, the other traitors could be alerted, and even Master would have trouble against multiple traitors.¡±


    ¡°I am not saying it wouldn¡¯t be possible, but for me to sneak though her dungeon without the use of teleportation, could take a full day, perhaps even two, and that is time Madam Erin doesn¡¯t have.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I have rooted around in your head enough to know you look up to Madam Erin, even though you have grown stronger than her, but I also know if it came down to saving Madam Erin¡¯s life or stopping the traitors, what your choice would be, without a doubt.¡±


    ¡°If Bless is part of the traitors, I seriously doubt she is high enough in the ranks to deal any substantial blow were she to die.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I prioritize your life over Madam Erin¡¯s so even if it takes more time, and she dies in the process, I would rather you see it through safely than risking you having to face multiple traitors at once.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Besides you wanted us to train, so wouldn¡¯t this be good for us as well?¡±


    During our conversation I¡®ve been looking over Bless¡¯s dungeon with [Observation], and I can¡¯t locate her crystal. It is not in the location it was at in the past, but there are a few more floors since the last time I looked in on her.


    Another thing I don¡¯t see any signs of, is Bless herself. She isn¡¯t in her dungeon core room, or anywhere I can see with a quick scan of her dungeon. Finding her might not have been that big of a deal if I could find her crystal, but since I can¡¯t, Desiree¡¯s plan of making a distraction might be a decent idea.


    ¡°Bless is one to head off strong groups entering her dungeon herself, so instead of distracting her, we could have you two cause enough damage inside her dungeon to draw her out of hiding and instead of searching for her or her crystal, we can draw her to us.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Then you will be with us?¡± ¨CShe says excitedly.-


    ¡°I will need to remain hidden, but I will be nearby.¡±


    Angela: ¡°As long as you are watching, I know I can give it my all!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Your actions reflect on Master either way, so regardless if Master is there or not, you should always give it your all in his name.¡±


    Angela: ¡°But if Master is watching I can give it more than my all!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°That doesn¡¯t even make sense. Now, we should get ready if we are to be fighting.¡±


    If there is one thing the girls have going for them, it is enthusiasm. Even though it is already late in the afternoon, they don¡¯t even question the time as they prepare to set out. They spend a few seconds equipping their gear with [Menu].


    ¡°That isn¡¯t going to work. You two are going to have to blend in, and with Angela¡¯s armor, it might as well have my name written all over it, and there is no mistaking Desiree¡¯s race after a single look at her armor.¡±


    Angela: ¡°What are we supposed to wear, if not our gear?¡±


    "You can wear any ¡°normal¡± gear. Desiree on the other hand, will need some work. Luckily you both have a very similar build, so you should be able to remove any gear you''ve equipped with [Menu] and let her equip it by hand."


    Desiree: ¡°Wait¡­ A heavy armor not made for my race would cover me from head to toe in metal.¡±


    ¡°You two are the ones that wanted to come along, and if you want to continue to be useful outside of the bedroom, then you will not only need to level up, but also become skilled at subterfuge.¡±


    We then go through the process of summoning a heavy armor on Angela, and the act of taking it off of her and putting it on Desiree takes quite a bit longer than necessary but is also quite fun¡­ Once it is over though Desiree doesn¡¯t seem very happy with the confined feeling she gets while wearing full-plate armor.


    Angela¡¯s armor takes no time to summon, and they are then ready to set out, but looking at the two of them there is something still missing.


    ¡°Even with the normal armor, the two of you still stand out. Your wings alone are one thing, but if it is just the two of you, it is bound to raise some suspicion.¡±


    Angela: ¡°You could come with us! You could wear one of those rings and we could stay together.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how effective those rings are when it comes to the traitors. After all they can make them as well, so it is best that I just keep hidden. I do have another idea though. Byson has done some training himself. If we have him lead your group, and throw in one or two of Mar¡¯s soldiers I think it would work quite well.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I won¡¯t take orders from anyone except Master!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°As much as I would like to disagree, listening to Byson is Master¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°I am not going to tell him that I will be nearby, so that he will conduct himself as he usually does, but I am sure with the two of you there, he will still be in his best behavior. However, if he does act out of turn you have permission to knock him around a bit, as I will be unable to show myself until after Bless appears.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Why not just put one of us in charge then?¡±


    ¡°When a group starts causing trouble in Bless¡¯s dungeon, she tends to kill the leader of the group first to confuse the others before picking them off, and even with my speed if she teleports in and attacks immediately I might not make it in time, so it is best for her target being Byson and not one of you.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I understand¡­ But if he tries to put his hands on me, I will break his fingers!¡±


    We then head to my throne room and I call for Byson, when he arrives he does so by the way of Speedy. I haven¡¯t laid eyes on him in months, and he seems to be far more battle hardened then I remembered.


    With Angela and Desiree sitting on either side of me, Byson and Speedy approach us and kneel at our feet.


    Byson: ¡°You called for us?¡±


    ¡°I called for you, but this might just work out. I have a new mission for you.¡±


    Byson: ¡°I understand.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°We have already been on a mission for you, for months on end, without rest or even a single acknowledgement from you, and now you want us to do more?¡±


    Angela: ¡°That is no way to speak to Master!¡±


    Mission¡­? I don¡¯t remember sending them on any missions, but then again I had forgotten about Byson up until Two-Twelve reminded me of him, so perhaps I did send him to do something. They have gone months without any results however, so it is no wonder I had forgotten about it.


    Speedy: ¡°Don¡¯t get to full of yourself! He will get bored of you just as he did me, and then you¡¯ll see.¡±


    Byson: ¡°That¡¯s enough Speedy¡­ She is right. After all of my training Master has called on us for what is surely the next step, so to reach this far in a matter of months should be considered an honor, and not a reason to become angry.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°But you said it yourself, that he was being unreasonable.¡±


    Byson: ¡°I said that because we hadn¡¯t gotten an update from Master in months, but now here we are.¡±


    ¡°Are you done¡­?¡±


    Byson: ¡°Sorry Master! Please tell us what it is you want us to do.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°How does claiming a dungeon sound to you?¡±


    Byson: ¡°I am ready!¡± ¨CHe says excitedly.-


    ¡°As you know, as an Elder, this can¡¯t be tied back to me. I need you to do this without drawing suspicion, but it is something that must be done, and quickly, so I will be sending Desiree and Angela here with you to back you up.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°Byson and I have been doing fine on our own up until now, and we don¡¯t need to baby sit your entourage!¡±


    ¡°Your attitude is starting to get on my nerves. This wasn¡¯t a suggestion or even an order, because I don''t need to order you. It was a simply statement, because that''s how it is going to be.¡±


    Byson pulls on Speedy¡¯s arm to pull her back into a kneeling position as he says. ¡°We will leave first thing in the morning!¡±


    ¡°When I said quickly, that is what I meant, you will leave immediately. I will teleport you within a fair distance from the dungeon, and Angela and Desiree can fill in the rest.¡±


    Speedy: ¡°You said you wanted to avoid suspicion, but entering the dungeon in the evening is enough to cause suspicion on its own!¡±


    ¡°Not for this dungeon, adventurers enter and exit at all hours, now are you ready?¡±


    Speedy doesn¡¯t seem happy about it, but Byson agrees, and we make sure everyone is prepared before I teleport them near Bless¡¯s dungeon. I wait for them to head in the direction of the dungeon before I stealthily follow behind.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    After asking for an audience with the king I wait for a while before I am greeted not by my father in law, nor Logan, but by one of Belinda¡¯s brothers that I''ve had almost no interaction with in the entire time we have been with together.


    Quinn: ¡°Father and Logan are both busy, so they sent me. What is it you want, brother?¡± ¨CHe says seething with distain.-


    ¡°I know we have never really been on good terms, but I don¡¯t feel I deserve that kind of reaction¡­And you don¡¯t have to call me brother.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°Oh but I do. Logan and Father not only insisted on it but demanded me to! So I ask again, what is it you want, brother?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to speak to them about Gowen¡¯s relationship with Merretta.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°Is it not bad enough that you made an enemy out of Southern Merretta? If King Aaron manages to quell the disorder in Merretta he has a fair shot of controlling the largest army in the world, and you want to make matters worse?!¡±


    ¡°I had no say in the matter with what happened between Gowen and Southern Merretta. They kidnapped me, and it was the King and Logan that insisted that it was an act of aggression against Gowen. Besides I actually wanted to try to talk the King and Logan into coming to an agreement with Aaron.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°That is easier said than done! You can¡¯t make an enemy of someone like that and just let bygones be bygones.¡±


    ¡°There are things about it I can only speak to Logan or the King about, but I assure you that Aaron is the one asking for a favor.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°Even Adra feared what King Aaron would do to those with ties to Gowen, if he manages to take control of all Merretta , so because of you Princess Rose broke off the engagement I spent years trying to get her to agree to, and you expect me to believe that King Aaron is asking you for a favor.¡±


    ¡°It was because of the communication parchment that Princess Rose even showed an interest in you to begin with, and if I am able to speak with Logan and the King, then perhaps we can get you back in Adra¡¯s good graces.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°It is too late now! After they kicked me out of Adra, Princess Rose had a new fianc¨¦ before I even made it back to Gowen!¡±


    ¡°Well I am sorry¡­But I didn¡¯t ask to get kidnapped.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°But those friends of yours, the descendant of Dyson, and that Madam Erin woman were the ones to kill King Aaron¡¯s father and brother. There is also a rumor that you were there when it happened, brother.¡±


    ¡°Merretta¡¯s King was already dead when we arrived, and I told Logan exactly what happened, so if you want to know more you have to take it up with him.¡±


    The door then opens and Logan walks in with a curious look on his face.


    Logan: ¡°Quinn, what are you doing here?¡±


    Quinn: ¡°What am I not even aloud to speak to our brother now, either?¡± ¨CHe says in a mocking tone.-


    Logan: ¡°Father decreed it. He is our brother, and not one that constantly returns to the castle empty handed, so if you wish to speak to him with that kind of tone, then the answer is no.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°I don¡¯t need this crap. I am going back to my room.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Actually Father has decided what to do with you, and with Two-Twelve being here, it actually makes things a lot easier.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°What does he have to do with anything!?¡±


    Logan ignores Quinn and asks me. ¡°I know you had something you wished to speak with Father, but if I could ask a favor of you first. Father and I would greatly appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°You know you can ask me anything¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°I don¡¯t know if Quinn told you or not, but his engagement with one of the princesses of Adra fell through. Honestly, Father didn¡¯t have much faith that Quinn was even going to get that far, so that was the reason he was going to have Doug marry one of the princesses instead. However when Quinn actually managed to pull off the engagement it freed Doug up to pursue his own interests, and now that that marriage has fallen through it might put Doug in a bad spot. Father has given up trying to have one of his sons marry into the Adra family line, but we need a win, and if Quinn is unable to perform, it will fall onto Doug¡­¡±


    Quinn: ¡°It isn¡¯t my fault Princess Rose backed out! Our brother there already admitted to being with the descendant of Dyson, and Madam Erin when Merretta¡¯s castle fell, so he is to blame, not me!¡±


    Logan gives Quinn a scornful look, but continues to ignore him as he talks to me. ¡°However, I managed to work out a deal with Father. Quinn¡¯s schooling was quite insufficient, apparently, and with the university there in Tobes now, I managed to talk Father into sending Quinn there for a semester or two.¡±¡±


    Quinn: ¡°I went through twice the schooling you did! I don¡¯t need any more!¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well you apparently skipped the class on etiquette, but no, the courses I managed to talk Father into making you take are the adventurer¡¯s courses. Doug has made great strides since taking the adventurer¡¯s course there in Tobes, and that was even before there were several different types of study, and even Tanya and Exeter¡¯s Prince have improved enough that Gowen¡¯s relations with Exeter have become iron clad.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°I took the military courses in Adra, some backwater adventurer¡¯s course is not going to do anything!¡±


    Logan: ¡°Father has decided!¡± ¨CHe then turns back to me and says.- ¡°Unless Quinn¡¯s presence in Tobes will be a problem? Belinda, Doug, Tanya, and now Quinn¡­ Father doesn¡¯t want to overburden you.¡±


    ¡°Belinda does a good job of taking care of me... Doug has also become quite helpful around Tobes, and even Tanya is coming around, so as long as Quinn follows the rules, I don¡¯t see any problems with it.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Excellent and I will see to it that Quinn doesn¡¯t cause you any problems. We should give Father the good news together, and you can then ask him what you came to ask him.¡±


    Logan starts to lead me from the room, and Quinn tries to follow with a disgruntled look on his face, but Logan stops him and asks. ¡°And where are you going?¡±


    Quinn: ¡°If he is going to speak with Father, then so am I!¡±


    Logan: ¡°You have Father¡¯s orders. I am sure our brother won¡¯t have a problem letting you teleport back to Tobes with him, right?¡± ¨CHe says looking to me, and after I nod he continues.- ¡°There, you see? You better hurry along then. You don¡¯t want to keep Two-Twelve waiting, so you better get your things together before our meeting is over.¡±


    Quinn then storms off while Logan wears a smug look on his face.


    ¡°I know you well enough to know you are a decent guy, but you seem to get far too much pleasure from watching your own sibling¡¯s misfortunes¡­¡±


    Logan: ¡°Growing up they always ignored me when I told them to do anything, but now that I have the authority to actually make them, I do get quite a bit of enjoyment out of it, especially when they are as obstinate as Quinn or Mindy.¡±


    ¡°Does Queen know you have such a sadistic side to you?¡±


    Logan: ¡°Queen is pretty sadistic herself. I could tell you stories¡­¡±


    I however cut him off by saying. ¡°No¡­ That¡¯s quite alright.¡±


    Logan laughs as we continue down the hallway. Once we reach the room in which to meet his father, he lightly knocks, but doesn¡¯t wait for a reply to open the door and lead us inside. It¡¯s the same meeting room I have met with the King on multiple occasions with the large comfortable couches with the King sitting across from the couch Logan and I both sit.


    From what I can remember of the first time I met Belinda¡¯s father I remember thinking he was quite a bit younger than I had imagined, and he continues to look strong and healthy for his age. But the years since include the war with Longolia, and he has seemed to have aged to the point he is literally ¡°fit for his age¡± now, as in, he actually looks his age now, albeit ¡°quite strong for his age¡±.


    He might have even appeared young enough to be Logan¡¯s brother, rather than his father, but now their age difference is quite clear. He seems to be happier than I remember though. I don¡¯t recall him smiling very often in our previous encounters, but now he sits across of us with a dignified, but simple smile on his face.


    King Rondsom: ¡°Logan says you wish to speak with me, my son, but it has been several weeks since that daughter of mine last brought my grandchild for a visit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that¡­ Belinda knows how busy you are and doesn¡¯t wish to be a bother, but we will bring Rory for another visit soon.¡±


    Logan: ¡°First of all, I would like to say I have spoken with Two-Twelve about Quinn, and Quinn should be packing his things as we speak. And if he isn¡¯t then he will surely answer for it after our meeting is over.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°It seems you have a habit of taking my children from me, but they have all been the better for it, so I thank you for that. Now, what is it I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°It is about Merretta, and King Aaron.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°Yes, with our relations with Southern Merretta, I can¡¯t deny that Merretta¡¯s civil war has been on my mind, especially considering how things are turning out. You said the matter concerning your kidnapping had been addressed, so perhaps it was your involvement in the death of Aaron¡¯s father and brother?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t it at all. I don¡¯t see any way around Aaron becoming the next king of Merretta, and I am not even too sure that is a bad thing. I was actually wanted to discuss the possibility of an agreement being made between Aaron and Gowen.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°After what he did to you, you are asking me to endorse him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you the longer Merretta¡¯s civil war goes on the more it affects other kingdoms, so I will just say I think Aaron would make a better king than the previous one, and far better one than whoever those who are standing against him might appoint in his place.¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°The problems between Aaron and Gowen might have started with your kidnapping, but they didn¡¯t end there. I am not saying I am opposed to making an ally out of Merretta, should Aaron claim the throne, but it is the dungeon core that he answers to, that worries me.¡±


    ¡°I can say from the dungeon core side of things, that I am confident she will not be a threat to Gowen. I believe that Aaron is making great strides in Southern Merretta, and my only worry is Laura¡¯s influence on him will leave him making more questionable decisions like when I was kidnapped. Making him no better than his father in the end¡­¡±


    King Rondsom: ¡°I can¡¯t make any open ended deals with Merretta, but after what happened to you, you are still willing to bring this to me, so I can at least hear Aaron out. I will say it needs to be on my terms, because I am still far from trusting of Aaron at this point.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I will send word, and we can set a time and place for the meeting.¡±


    It is growing quite late, but I send the message to Laura telling her that Gowen is willing to talk. She actually responds rather quickly and we hammer out the details for the meeting to take place. Afterwards, Belinda¡¯s father actually holds a bit of small talk, asking how Rory is doing, and how things are going in Tobes, before Logan and I leave the room to check on Quinn.


    Quinn has spent half of his life outside of the castle, so his personal belongings don¡¯t amount to very much. He doesn¡¯t seem happy about the fact, but he is at least packed and ready to go by the time Logan and I arrive.


    Logan: ¡°Alright, are we all ready then?¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    Logan: ¡°It has been a while since I paid a visit to Tobes myself, so I thought I would make sure Quinn settles in just fine while paying the others a visit, if that is alright, that is?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am sure Belinda would be happy to see you.¡±


    Quinn has so few possessions we don¡¯t even have to store any with [Shadow Pocket] before I cast [Gate] opening a portal to take us to Tobes. Belinda is quite surprised to see Quinn, but happy to see Logan when we arrive at the house, and after quickly catching her up on what is going on, we prepare a room for Quinn and Logan.


    I haven¡¯t heard any word from Dyson, but if Bless really is one of the traitors, then the odds of him being able to message out are slim, so we will just have to wait I guess. I just hope Madam Erin holds on that long.

 Unease

    When I wake up early the next morning there is little in the way of any news on how things are going with Madam Erin. I send a message to Dyson asking for a update, but either he is ignoring me or he is under the effects of one of the traitor¡¯s items and didn¡¯t receive my message.


    I use the [Archjusticar Menu] to look in on Madam Erin, but it is still displaying the same empty room in her dungeon. It is showing she is still alive however, so maybe that is a good sign. The meeting we set up for Aaron and Belinda¡¯s father is still a few days away as well, so it looks like I have nothing to do but wait¡­


    Like most of Logan¡¯s visits we ended the last night at the tavern, but with everything going on with Madam Erin I made sure to pace myself, but Logan more than made up for my fair share, as it has been a while since he got to visit with Kline and Doug.


    Even Exavier and Quinn joined us, but Quinn¡¯s presence wasn¡¯t exactly voluntary. He didn¡¯t seem to want to be there, but he didn¡¯t have any reservations about drinking either. Exavier seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit, being able to visit with Tanya¡¯s brothers, but the poor guy holds his liquor even worse than Doug.


    Needless to say, I don¡¯t expect to see any of them too early this morning, but I decide to make breakfast anyway. I give Belinda a quick kiss, roll out of bed, get dressed, and then head down to the kitchen. After starting the cooking, the smell starts to waft through the air and before long I feel a light tug on the edge of my shirt.


    Rory is still much too little for it to be her, and the bunnies have grown too much for it to be any of them, so to say I am a bit startled at first is an understatement. I quickly look down to find a young boy that can¡¯t be more than 10 years old pulling on my shirt with one hand while sleepily rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of his pajamas with the other.


    His pajamas are too big for him, but they are a pair I recognize. Not only the pajamas, but the boy¡¯s general appearance gives away who he might be. He seems to be a rabbit beastkin with long grey ears, but instead of standing straight up on top of his head like the others his are drooping to the sides of his head.


    His facial features are predominantly more animalistic as well. His face, backs of his hand, and his neck is all I can see, but they are all covered in short grey hair. His face is elongated with a rabbit like nose. All the third tier beastkin are of a much larger size so even young boy like this should be taller, so perhaps he is some kind of demi-human?


    ¡°Well¡­ Who are you?¡±


    The boy¡¯s rabbit-like nose twitches and he says. ¡°Big sister Lilah named me Leveret.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Leveret.¡± ¨CI say scratching him behind the ears.- ¡°So, what can I do for you this morning?¡±


    Leveret¡¯s nose twitches again, but he seems to be enjoying me scratching him behind the ears. ¡°Big sister Lilah said this was part of my training. She wanted me to ask Master if it is ok to make breakfast for all of us in the dungeon core room.¡±


    ¡°How about you give me a hand, and we make breakfast for everyone, together?¡±


    Leveret doesn¡¯t seem to know how to respond so he stands there while his nose twitches for a few seconds before he finally nods, and we begin making breakfast together.


    Leveret was born in the dungeon, so he takes to the kitchen like he has made breakfast a million times before, but I only told Lilah to summon more bunnies a few days ago, so he can¡¯t be more than a few days old to start with.


    Monsters born in the dungeon know what the dungeon knows, and that is common, but the details in which Leveret knows, down to where the utensils are at, to the amount of ingredients to use, he takes to like it is second nature.


    Lilah must have focused really hard on making him as knowledgeable as possible¡­Or summoned him for the specific task of making food for them, but I hope that isn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Lilah is training you how to take care of the dungeon, right?¡±


    Leveret: ¡°Yes, but it is quite hard. I don¡¯t only have to make sure I can do it, but do it well enough that I can teach others as well.¡±


    ¡°She was supposed to summon a few of you, were you the only one?¡±


    Leveret: ¡°No, Lilah summoned me along with another brother and another sister.¡±


    ¡°And yet she only sent you to make breakfast this morning?¡±


    Leveret: ¡°Lily and Levi are both still asleep, so big sister Lilah asked me to do it.¡±


    ¡°Well alright then, the training she is having you do is quite important, but don¡¯t let it get to the point that she is overworking you either. If you stay with my dungeon or join Ceres¡¯s all of the monsters summoned from my dungeon are not to be mistreated, so if she asks too much of you, all you have to do is let me know, alright?¡±


    Leveret¡¯s nose twitches as he seems to be thinking about what I just said, but he then just nods and continues helping with breakfast. It isn¡¯t long until Vetala arrives in the kitchen after smelling the food cooking and hearing the racket, so I ask her to go check on our guests.


    Belinda enters the kitchen soon after with a look of confusion on her face after seeing Leveret. I explain the situation to her and she makes him go sit down while helping me with breakfast. Leveret¡¯s feet don¡¯t even reach the ground as he sits in the chair rocking them back and forth while drinking on some juice that Belinda gave him.


    We have [Menu] set up to warn us when Rory crawls out of bed, and as soon as we get the notification I''m left to fix everyone¡¯s breakfast alone when Belinda has leaves to make sure she doesn¡¯t try coming down the stairs on her own.


    Those who went with us to the tavern last night show up to breakfast a little worse for wear, but Logan arrives with a small jug of green liquid that he distributes to the others. He offers me some, but I took it easy last night, so I decline.


    Exavier on the other hand is looking at the cup with a curious look on his face. ¡°Is this even safe to drink?¡±


    Logan: ¡°It may help to pinch your nose, and drink it in a single go. It will cause your stomach to flip flop a bit, but by the time breakfast is served your stomach will have recovered and your hangover will be gone.¡±


    Doug pinches his nose and throws his cup back, afterwards he shakes his head while making a disgusted face. ¡°After all these years you would think you would have found a way to improve the taste¡­¡±


    Logan drinks his without even the slightest change in facial expressions. ¡°I guess you just get used to it after a while. It beats the hangover, which reminds me. Don¡¯t let me forget to take some to Kline after breakfast.¡±


    Quinn arrives at the table looking horrid, but he turns his nose up to the green liquid that Logan offers him, and orders someone to bring him some coffee.


    Logan: ¡°There are no servants here, Two-Twelve is making breakfast himself, so if you want something to drink. Make it yourself!¡±


    Quinn grabs his head as Logan raises his voice, and I slide a cup of coffee to Vetala and she takes it to Quinn.


    ¡°If you need some help while staying here Vetala can help you, but keep in mind she has lots of things to take care of, so don¡¯t expect her to be available all the time.¡±


    Quinn looks at Vetala questionably for a few seconds before taking the cup and turning his head. He does it quick enough though that he winces a bit from the sudden movement, and Vetala just curtsies and comes to help me in the kitchen.


    By the time everyone begins eating breakfast the mood has shifted and everyone is talking and having a good time, that is all except Quinn, he is holding his head as Logan seems to be getting a kick of it and makes a point of being louder than he needs to be.


    When breakfast is over, everyone goes about their daily routines, and Logan goes to pay Kline a visit, leaving Belinda, Rory, Vetala, Quinn, and me left. We leave the dishes to Vetala, while Belinda bounces Rory on her knee while trying to talk with Quinn.


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear about Princess Rose. I know being in Tobes isn¡¯t exactly where you want to be right now, but as long as you are here, we will do our best to see you enjoy you time here.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°Just leave me alone¡­¡± ¨CHe says while turning his back to Belinda hunching over his cup of coffee.-Stolen novel; please report.


    Belinda: ¡°We are here, whenever you decide to quit feeling sorry for yourself.¡±


    We leave Quinn to finish his breakfast in peace and I spend a bit of time with Belinda and Rory, before Logan returns to make sure Quinn heads to the university. I can¡¯t continue to do nothing while Madam Erin¡¯s life is in danger, so I decide to go with them and speak with Ceres.


    When we arrive at the university Quinn finally seems to perk up a bit when he sees Ceres heading our way. Instead of her usual greeting, she bows to Logan and Quinn, and then turns to me greeting me politely.


    Ceres: ¡°Welcome to my university! I received your letter just this morning, and will be happy to show you around, personally.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Well as much as I appreciate it, I believe Two-Twelve only tagged along because he had something he wished to discuss with you, so Quinn and I will just have to make due with one of your staff members.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°In that case, I apologize for being unable to show you around myself.¡± ¨CShe quickly flags down one of the other staff members, calling them over to us.- ¡°This I Gowen¡¯s very own Prince Logan, and his brother Prince Quinn, so I expect you to treat them as such as you show them around.¡±


    University staff member: ¡°Yes ma¡¯am! Right this way gentlemen. I will give you the royal tour.¡±


    Ceres shakes her head as the staff member leads Logan and Quinn away. She then turns to me and asks. ¡°Has there been any news? Should we go somewhere a bit quieter?¡±


    ¡°No, unfortunately there hasn¡¯t been any new developments I am aware of, but I can¡¯t sit around while doing nothing any longer.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What do you intend to do?¡±


    ¡°I thought you and I could go have another little chat with Akil, but this time I say we don¡¯t take no for an answer.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t hurt us if pressed, but that doesn¡¯t mean he might not just leave your dungeon instead of helping us.¡±


    ¡°I thought of that, but I just can¡¯t take doing nothing, and he is the only one that I know that would be equal to Dyson.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well, as long as you know the risks, then I will go with you.¡±


    Ceres and I then make our way back to my dungeon, and after we transfer down to Akil¡¯s room, it doesn¡¯t come as a surprise that he is not only awake, but waiting on us.


    Akil: ¡°I would say what a surprise to see you tow, but we all know that would be dishonest of me.¡±


    ¡°If you knew that, then you should also know why we are here.¡±


    Akil: ¡°Of course, and I believe we already addressed this matter?¡±


    ¡°The situation has changed. Madam Erin could be in grave danger, and we can¡¯t do anything without your help.¡±


    Akil: ¡°The situation hasn¡¯t changed, I said I needed to rest until the other dungeon cores were dealt with, but here you are anyway waking me up again.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Akil, please¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°This isn¡¯t the kind of affair I need to get myself wrapped up in or surely my hiding spot will be discovered.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If you don¡¯t help us, I will tell her where you are myself!¡±


    Akil: ¡°I would know if you did, and all you would be doing is depriving Two-Twelve here from the xp he gathers from me, as I will be long gone before she has the chance to arrive.¡±


    ¡°Surely there is something you can do¡­?¡±


    Akil: ¡°How about a bit of information? I give it to you and you let me go back to bed.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That depends on the information.¡±


    Akil: ¡°It is quite simple really. You were once a powerful goddess, you still have the same abilities, just not the power to use them. You just need to get your powers back, or at least some of them. Now, if you excuse me.¡± ¨CHe says as he starts to cover his head back up with his wing.-


    Ceres: ¡°Wait! How are we supposed to do that?¡±


    Akil sighs and heavy sigh and says. ¡°You gods and goddess¡¯s were all born from the same pool of magic. Once that pool was empty that was it, but that kind of magic doesn¡¯t just go away. When you died, and the other gods and goddess that died before you, your magic returned to the pool, unless your killer took it for himself, of course.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying we need to get to this pool and Ceres can recover her powers?¡±


    Akil laughs a deep laugh and says. ¡°Of course not! Even the most powerful of Ceres¡¯s kind would be unable to enter that place again.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the point of telling us about the pool?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It was to state the fact that the source of my powers is transferable, isn''t that right? If that is the case, we should be able to borrow some from another deity.¡±


    Akil: ¡°In a manner of speaking.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I can¡¯t even contact any of them anymore, how am I going to ask one of them to borrow some of their powers?¡±


    ¡°What about Inari? The god Inari doesn¡¯t exactly talk to her, but she can talk to Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. If you could borrow a little power from each of them it might be enough.¡±


    Akil: ¡°Well it looks like you have everything all figured out now, so I am going back to bed¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is going to be as simple as all that, but it is at least something, so thank you Akil.¡±


    Akil just yawns a big yawn and covers his head back up with his wings.


    I wanted to speak to Inari about making her a justicar anyway, so I send a message to Inari to see if she will talk with us, while I transfer Ceres and myself back to the house. It takes a little while before she responds to me, but when she does she says she is busy right now.


    I send her another message apologizing, but stating that it is really important that I have a chance to speak with her. This time she messages me back saying that she is in one of the corrupt dungeons.


    ¡°Ceres, do you have any combat gear?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I can make do¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, Inari is busy working to destroy another one of those corrupt dungeons, but this important, so I am going to teleport to her anyway, and we might see some combat.¡± ¨CI say while equipping my own gear from [Menu].-


    Ceres: ¡°What if we get trapped in there? You were stuck for months last time, and I know Madam Erin doesn¡¯t have that long.¡±


    ¡°That was Tsukuyomi¡¯s doing, and the messages went though fine, so we are just going to have to risk it. Besides the justicar teleport seems to have worked to leave Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That is only if the power is weaker than the ability, so don¡¯t trust it too much.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, this is something we need to do.¡±


    Ceres nods, and after looking up Inari¡¯s location with the [Archjusticar Menu] I cast [Gate] to reach her.


    When Ceres and I arrive at Inari¡¯s location we find ourselves in the depths of a natural looking cave. There are several dead monsters nearby that are quite strange in appearance, but nothing like the monstrosities that we faced in the last corrupt dungeon.


    Inari seems to have brought all of her fox beastkin along with her this time, I even see Bell¡¯s boyfriend, among the group. It looks like the only one that isn¡¯t here is Akane, but even though she is still part of Inari¡¯s dungeon, I think it is fair to count her as part of Kenta¡¯s.


    Inari: ¡°You really came¡­ This must be important then.¡±


    ¡°It is, and there is actually two things I would like to talk to you about, but first, how is the corrupt dungeon?¡±


    Inari: ¡°This one is rather straight forward, nowhere near like the last, but I guess we don¡¯t have Tsukuyomi sticking his nose into it this time.¡±


    ¡°That is actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about, you said you were able to speak to Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, right?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well they have come to me several times since we saw them in the last corrupt dungeon, but I can¡¯t exactly call them to me¡­ What is this about?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It is actually me, now that I am a dungeon core I can¡¯t contact any of my siblings either, and I was in need of asking them a favor, so we were hoping you¡¯d be able to help.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I mean, I can ask, but I don¡¯t know how closely they are watching me, so I don¡¯t know if they hear me or not¡­¡±


    ¡°All we are asking is you give it a shot.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You said there was something else as well, is that right?¡±


    ¡°The other is far more simple, but could also benefit you as well. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to become one of my justicar. I told you about the point system that my Archjusticar abilities are based around, and I got a new ability that allows you to spend one of those points to teleport to any other the other justicars. It doesn¡¯t sound like much when I have use of [Gate], but I have already used it to escape from inside one of the influence of one of the traitor¡¯s items.¡±


    Inari: ¡°That one is simple, even if there wasn¡¯t a perk tied to it, I would be happy to be one of your justicars. To be honest I was a bit jealous that you made Ceres one of your justicars before me, but I didn¡¯t think it was my place to say anything.¡±


    ¡°If you would have asked I would have taken you on any time¡­ I just haven¡¯t seen the need to have any more justicars until now.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I take it you aren¡¯t only asking me then, right? You are going to ask Dawn, Twilight, and Maeve as well?¡±


    ¡°I knew you were busy, so I already did. I meant to ask you immediately afterwards, but then Madam Erin disappeared¡­¡±


    Inari: ¡°What do you mean Madam Erin disappeared?!¡±


    ¡°Just as it sounds¡­ I can¡¯t even find her with the [Archjusticar Menu] it just displays the same room inside her dungeon. The thing is¡± according to her boss monster, that room shouldn¡¯t exist, and when Dyson and I went there to check it out we got teleported to another location like when we thought we were entering Barry¡¯s dungeon. That was when I got the chance to test out the teleport ability that uses the justicar points. The only drawback is you can only teleport justicars, so I was forced to make Dyson one as well.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about Madam Erin?¡±


    ¡°We still don¡¯t know, Dyson is working on a lead to find her, but I couldn¡¯t sit by and do nothing, so that was why Ceres wants to ask her siblings for help.¡±


    Inari calls out into the room for Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. She then looks to me and says. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that is all I know to do¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯ll admit I don¡¯t know Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi as well as some of my other siblings, but I do know when any of us show a interest in someone, we keep a close eye on them, so I am sure they got your message.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I have called for them that way before, but they did say it wasn¡¯t something they would make a habit of answering¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°There could be any number of reasons they didn¡¯t show, but I doubt any of them include them not hearing you.¡±


    Inari apologizes for not being able to help, and we go through the process of adding her as a justicar. I receive the message about receiving 5 justicar points for taking on a new justicar, and Inari asks if we have any idea on what we are going to do now.


    Ceres: ¡°That was our best bet¡­ I guess we can only hope Dyson pulls through.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I know I wasn¡¯t as helpful as you would have liked, but perhaps you can do me a favor?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like we have another plan, so sure, what do you need?¡±


    Inari: This dungeon is much like the one we entered the first time, and we have already found several rooms full of items. Now, so far none of them have been of note, and would probably take more work to get back home than we would get out of them for breaking them down, but as we go deeper, if we come across a good pile again, do you think we could borrow you and your [Gate] spell to take as much as we can? I would be willing to split it with you of course.¡±


    ¡°Of course, and even if I am busy, I am sure I could spare Belinda, or one of my boss monsters to help you when you do find something worthwhile,¡±


    Inari: ¡°Thanks, Daddy.¡± ¨CShe says as she gives me a hug.- ¡°I¡¯m just sorry I couldn¡¯t of been more help. I would hate to see something happen to Madam Erin, but if I don¡¯t deal with this corrupt dungeon, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi will show up, but it won¡¯t be a good thing¡­¡±


    ¡°We will figure something out, just be careful ok?¡±


    Inari: ¡°You too, Daddy¡­¡±


    Ceres and I could talk to Akil again, but I think that would be pushing our luck with him, so without any other plan Ceres and I decide to head back home. We spend the rest of the day trying to come up with another plan to help out, but we eventually have to give it up.

 Bless

    It has been two days since Ceres and I went to talk with Inari, and we have come up with no better solution on a way to help Dyson find Madam Erin. We have even tried using our network of dungeon cores, without giving up too much information, that way if the traitors are listening in they won¡¯t know what Dyson is up to.


    Since I had nothing else to do, I got to see a bit of Lilah¡¯s training on the new bunnies. Lily and Levi, are both normal beastkin, but as far as age and height, they don¡¯t appear any different than Leveret. Lilah does seem to be a bit more critical about Leveret¡¯s abilities however.


    I wouldn¡¯t think Lilah would discriminate against him because he isn¡¯t a normal beastkin, but it has happened often enough in the short time I was watching that while they are occupied I pull Lilah to ask her what the deal is.


    ¡°I have noticed you seem to be quite a bit harder on Leveret than the other two, is there a reason for it?¡±-I ask her trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.-


    Lilah: ¡°Of course Lilah is harder on Leveret. His race was a bit of a surprise when Lilah summoned him, but that only meant his abilities were far higher than the others, so Lilah expects a lot out of Leveret.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­But just remember, you summoned them quite young, and with his difference of appearance, and being harder on him than the others, he might not see it that way.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah, didn¡¯t think of it that way¡­ She will be more careful in the future.¡±


    ¡°As long as you understand.¡±


    Lilah then pulls Leveret to the side to talk to him. Leveret has a concerned look on his face and his nose is constantly twitching as Lilah speaks with him. I don¡¯t know what she said to him, but it seems to perk him up a bit before he rejoins the others and Lilah continues their training.


    After a while I return to Ceres¡¯s dungeon to check to see if she came up with anything to help find Madam Erin, but to no surprise she hasn¡¯t. While I am here I decide to check on the progress of the xp gathering groups.


    For the amount of time they have been training, their progress has been exceptional, but when their party leaders are around level 50, I guess it is understandable that they are able to level much quicker. Bandy¡¯s new group is slowly gaining a lead on the others, but Ceres said they are still a long ways from reaching the imitation crystal.


    After that we check on a few of the dungeon cores that we have been assisting, but before we check over them all I receive a message from Dyson.


    Dyson: (Emergency meeting of the dungeon core Elders, the neutral zone is not able to meet the needs for this meeting, so everyone is to arrive at my dungeon immediately.)


    As Ceres starts to message the next dungeon core I stop her, and tell her of the message from Dyson.


    Ceres: ¡°I can take care of the rest, you should go.¡±


    I thank her and leave, but I don¡¯t immediately head for Dyson¡¯s dungeon, I instead head home first. Not only to tell Belinda where I will be going, but also, Dyson¡¯s message seemed strange to me. For him to ask us to his dungeon rather than the neutral zone is rather unusual.


    Not to mention he has been out of contact for a few days now, and has been dealing with a dungeon core that might very well be one of the traitors, so I decide to take a few precautions beforehand. I have sent a few messages to him the last few days with no reply, so I had assumed he was under the effect of one of the traitor¡¯s items, but no justicar points have been used, so he apparently didn¡¯t need to teleport out.


    There have been no [Menu] messages about any dungeon core deaths, but if he was under the effect of one of the traitor¡¯s items, there wouldn¡¯t be. I check out his information in the [Archjusticar Menu] and right off hand nothing looks out of the ordinary, but there is so much to Dyson¡¯s information it could take days to search all the details.


    When I look in on his location, I see a great deal of deal of things that leaves me to question if this is really Dyson or not¡­ The room is in Dyson¡¯s dungeon, so it isn¡¯t like it is exactly new, and I do know Dyson, has said he uses torture when the situation calls for it, but to actually see Dyson torturing someone, is a cruel side of Dyson, I can¡¯t say I have seen before.


    He has Bless strapped to a table, she is completely nude, but her modesty is preserved by the straps holding her to the table. Not that is much comfort due to the fact the table itself is almost completely submerged in a liquid that is mostly clear, but has a reddish hue.


    The table itself is at an angle, thus leaving nothing but her head above the liquid. I am not sure what the liquid is, but it doesn¡¯t appear to be dangerous because as Bless struggles against her bindings, it splashes in her face and mouth causing her to choke.


    A dungeon core isn¡¯t required to breathe, it is more a by-product of the race we resemble, but it is still something we do involuntarily, and even though we wouldn¡¯t drown, that doesn¡¯t mean we don¡¯t choke and get the feeling of drowning while being held underwater.


    If a dungeon core is completely submerged for a couple of minutes, there might be a point in which their body just shuts off the act of breathing, but with the manner in which Bless is being held, I don¡¯t see that being the case.


    Dyson is standing near the ¡°bath¡± soaked enough that it looks as he was wading in the water when torturing Bless. He is currently cleaning what looks to be implements of Bless¡¯s torture, and although they all look to have been used quite a bit, Bless doesn¡¯t appear to have a single wound upon her body. Angela and Desiree look to have entered the room just before I looked in on Dyson, and they are talking.


    Angela: ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything¡­sexual, to her did you?¡± ¨CShe says while seeming to be uneasy at the situation.-


    Desiree: ¡°If that is what it takes to get her to talk, then Master wouldn¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Unlike Dionyasus, I use torture as a means to an end, not just for the sake of enjoyment, and although Desiree is right about me using torture of that nature if necessary. I don¡¯t find it the least bit enjoyable, and was able to get Bless to talk with much simpler means.¡±


    Dyson then tells the girls to get the meeting room ready for the appearance of the Elders, so they leave the room again, although Angela does so a bit reluctantly looking back at Bless strapped to the table. Dyson then grabs another torture implement and wades into the ¡°bath¡±.


    I don¡¯t care to watch so I close the screen, but it appears that Dyson did return home alright, and by the sounds of it was able to get some information from Bless, so I cast [Gate] and head to Dyson¡¯s dungeon. I am send a message about my arrival and it isn¡¯t long until Angela greets me at the gate.


    She still seems a bit upset over the situation with Bless, so I ask her if everything is alright, and she just nods and takes me to the meeting room. Even though I went back to the house and looked through [Archjusticar Menu] before arriving here, I still seem to be the first to arrive.


    Angela says Dyson will be with me soon and leaves before I get the chance to talk to her any further. I sit there for what seems like an hour before the door opens again and Desiree leads in Laura. Desiree doesn¡¯t stick around long either, leaving Laura and me alone in the room.


    ¡°Aaron met with Gowen¡¯s King yesterday, didn¡¯t he?  How did it go?¡±


    Laura: ¡°It went fine¡­ What, do you expect me to thank you for asking Rondsom to meet with Aaron?¡± ¨CShe says suspiciously.-


    ¡°¡­I was just making conversation.¡±


    An awkward silence then fills the room for a while, but Lucille eventually arrives, and even though the room is still silent it doesn¡¯t seem as awkward as it was when it was just Laura and me.  When the door finally opens again Desiree and Angela walk into the room, but they appear to be alone as they step forward.


    Desiree: ¡°Dyson apologizes for not arriving to greet you himself, but he will be along as soon as he can.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Until then, we are supposed to catch you up on the information regarding Madam Erin¡¯s disappearance.¡±


    ¡°Has Dyson found her yet?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Unfortunately no, but it appears for whatever purpose the traitors want her for, they want her alive, so at least for now her life doesn¡¯t seem to be in any immediate danger.¡±


    Laura: ¡°So Dyson found one of the traitors?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Yes, Dungeon Core #313 Bless, has admitted to being the one to alter Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon under the orders of the other traitors.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I haven¡¯t received a message about her death, is she still alive?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Dyson is questioning her more, as we speak, but it seems that Bless is only still alive because the information she has about the traitors is limited.¡±


    Angela: ¡°She told Dyson that to join the traitors you have to turn over your crystal to them, so if they felt threatened by what she would be able to tell us, they would have already killed her.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°That is impossible, a crystal can¡¯t be removed from you dungeon!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Bless wasn¡¯t entirely sure how it works, but they are required to provide an imitation crystal to take the place of their real one, and they manipulate [Menu] allowing them to remove the crystal from the dungeon.¡±


    Laura: ¡°Then where is Bless¡¯s crystal now?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Dyson isn¡¯t sure that Bless even knows that, but if she does, she has been tight lipped about it so far. It does seem like they keep all of the crystals in one place though, or at least all the dungeon cores like Bless, so if we could find them it would deal a huge blow to the traitors.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Bless wouldn¡¯t allow someone to just take her crystal, surely she has to know something.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Bless apparently promised the traitors that she could deliver Madam Erin with a bit of their help, and in exchange she wanted to join them.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°If she has only just joined the traitors, how could she possibly be strong enough to pose a threat to Madam Erin?¡±


    Angela: ¡°We are not quite sure on that part, but apparently Bless had information to hold over Madam Erin¡¯s head, and it lead to her being able to turn her over to the other traitors without so much as a fight.¡±


    Laura: ¡°What could she possibly know that Madam Erin would turn herself over like that?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Like Angela said, we aren¡¯t sure, but the traitors seem to want to turn Madam Erin rather than just kill her, because Bless¡¯s instructions were to place the floors on Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, in an effort to take control over it rather than just destroying it.¡±


    ¡°What about the other traitors, what has Bless been able to give up on them?¡±


    Angela: ¡°She apparently only dealt with one other traitor. Dyson hopes that to mean that whatever Bless started with Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon is important enough that they haven¡¯t killed her yet, or they don¡¯t think this other traitor is going to be able to lead us any closer to them either.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°Who is this other traitor?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°You will have to ask Dyson that one yourself¡­¡±


    Lucille: ¡°I would if he decided to show up and speak to us himself!¡±


    Angela: ¡°He is trying to get more information from Bless, but he thought you would all at least like to know what he has found out so far¡­¡±


    Laura: ¡°I didn¡¯t come all this way to receive second hand information from one of Dyson¡¯s ¡°things¡±.¡±


    ¡°Does it really matter who gives us the information, this is more then we have been able to learn about the traitors all year!¡±


    Lucille: ¡°It is the fact of the matter! We should be hearing this from Dyson himself.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Very well!¡± ¨CHe says appearing in the room dripping wet, while tossing the naked Bless down at our feet. He makes a gesture as if wrapping something around his hand and pulling it tight, causing Bless to pull back on what seems to be some sort of invisible rope around her neck.- ¡°If my presence is all your require, then perhaps I can pick up things right here.¡±


    Lucille and Laura quickly take a step back, in fact so do I, because Dyson¡¯s sudden appearance seemed to startle us all, and although I probably have an uncomfortable look on my face, Lucille and Laura have one of disgust.


    Lucille: ¡°What is the meaning of this?! First you call us here only to blow us off, and then expose us to your vile fetishes.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°First of all, I have no such fetishes, I find consenting women to be far more enjoyable, second of all wasn¡¯t it you that insisted in my presence? Besides, I have heard some information that you might want to hear.¡± ¨CHe says while pulling the invisible rope taut causing visible discomfort to Bless as she tries to stand up while wrapping her wings around her body.-


    Bless: ¡°You are all going to regrets this! He will kill you all!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You don¡¯t even know who ¡°He¡± is, so why should we fear him?¡± ¨CHe says while flicking his wrist down causing Bless to drop back down to one knee.-


    Bless: ¡°The truth is, it doesn¡¯t matter who is at the top, as long as they do away with the all of you!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You are foolish to give your own crystal to someone you don¡¯t even know. Now, tell them what you told me!¡± ¨CHe says while twisting his wrist and causing Bless¡¯s face to contort.-


    Bless: ¡°I was prepared to die the moment I joined them, so as long as they removed the Elders from the picture! The fact I was able to assist them in obtaining Madam Erin was just icing on the cake!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And their plans for her?¡±


    Bless: ¡°I told you I don¡¯t know, but unfortunately they don¡¯t plan to kill her anytime soon. All I know, is they have to keep her alive long enough to take over her dungeon, which is the process I started when I added the floors to her dungeon!¡±


    Lucille: ¡°How is that even possible, to take over another dungeon core¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Bless: ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but I do know they tried altering their appearance to that of another dungeon core, but even though it seemed to fake out [Menu] enough for them to have limited control of their targeted dungeon, when the real dungeon core died, the dungeon started to break down, even when [Menu] didn¡¯t display their death.¡±


    Laura: ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain how they expect to it to work this time.¡±


    Bless: ¡°They had me separate Madam Erin from her dungeon, so they could make another attempt at taking over a dungeon. This time I think they are trying to place one of their own crystals in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, and use their manipulation of [Menu] to remove her crystal, effectively taking over her dungeon.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°That can¡¯t be possible.¡±


    Bless: ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is or not, but all I know is that is what they are trying to do.¡±


    Laura: ¡°And who is this traitor that told you all of this?¡±


    Bless starts to answer but Dyson pulls on the invisible rope, which causes a pull on Bless¡¯s neck and she quits speaking.


    Dyson: ¡°This is our only lead into finding higher ranked traitors, so forgive me if I want to keep that information a bit close to the vest. They might want to keep Bless alive for whatever purpose they have with Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, but that doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t kill the dungeon core she was answering too, so the less people that know her name the better.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°If something happens to you we will lose our only lead!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I guess you will have to make sure nothing happens to me, then.¡±


    Lucille: ¡°This is preposterous! We have the right to know!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I was the one to delve into Bless¡¯s dungeon to capture her, I was the one to extract the information from her, and I am the one that will deal with this other dungeon core, so no , unless you plan on helping me delve into another traitors dungeon, then I don¡¯t think you do.¡±


    ¡°Is there at least something we can do this time? I can¡¯t continue to sit by and do nothing¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°There actually is something you can do.¡± ¨CHe says while making a wrapping motion around his hand. He then shoved something into my hand, and as he does a long slender metal cord appears extending from my hand down to wrap around Bless¡¯s neck.- ¡°I¡¯m not about to let her go, and we can¡¯t kill her just yet, so I need someone to watch her until we find out if the others know we have her, and what they plan to do about it.¡±


    ¡°What am I supposed to do with her?!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As long as you keep her bound with that, she will be unable to use her magic, or call for help, but that doesn¡¯t exactly mean she is defenseless either. I would suggest throwing her in a hole somewhere in your dungeon that she can¡¯t get into trouble where you can still keep an eye on her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I am comfortable with this¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You asked for something you can do to help, so unless you have gained two hundred levels in the last few days, this is how you can help.¡±


    ¡°What if the other traitors find out I have her, and they come after her?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes, that would be quite unfortunate, I suggest not advertising you have her, and no one should be the wiser. Now that I have filling you all in, and taken care of what to do with Bless, I think all that is left for me is to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Can I at least put clothes on her or something?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well she certainly isn¡¯t much to look at, so I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    ¡°And what about this cord, you said to throw her somewhere in my dungeon, but do I have to sit with her the entire time and hold this rope?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Of course not. As long as you wrap it around your hand distance doesn¡¯t matter, but I would still keep an eye on her if I was you.¡±


    I sigh and wrap the cord around my hand but it doesn¡¯t appear to become any shorter, and even though I wrap it tightly around my hand I don¡¯t actually feel it touching my hand. I then ask Angela for some clothing for Bless, and she appears to summon some for me. I then hand them to Bless who snatches them from my hand.


    With the fact that Angela summoned them, by default they were summoned to fit her, so there is a place for Bless¡¯s wings, but Bless¡¯s body is very child-like so to stay they fit her loosely would be an understatement, she is at least no longer nude, so it is at least a bit of an improvement.


    As Laura and Lucille leave the room they complain about being called for a meeting without more information, but Dyson ignores them while watching me help Bless get dressed rather curiously, and even though Angela and Desiree can¡¯t possibly be stronger then I am, he sends them out of the room to prepare.


    They could use [Menu] to be ready here in an instant, so I feel it is more of an excuse to have them step out of the room, because as soon as they do Dyson says: ¡°You know she is your enemy, you don¡¯t have to show her so much care.¡±


    ¡°Laura was once my enemy as well, and although I don¡¯t exactly count her a friend, I can¡¯t exactly continue to hold a grudge if we are to continue working together. Besides, even if we were to decide to kill Bless tomorrow, I still feel even your enemies should be showed a fair amount of decency or what makes us any better than them?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Just don¡¯t let that decency of yours sway you into letting her go¡­ And don¡¯t relax your guard around her, even with her magic bound she is high enough of a level to still cause you significant harm if you underestimate her.¡±


    ¡°Compassion and decency doesn¡¯t mean stupidity, I have no doubts she would tear me apart the first chance she got, but do you really expect me to hold her in my dungeon until you return?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°About that¡­¡± ¨CHe says looking to the door.- ¡°I would like to ask you another favor as well.¡± ¨CHe then shows a face of concern that seems to make the torturer I seen through my screen earlier to be a lie as he says.- ¡°This next dungeon core isn¡¯t like Bless, and I don¡¯t feel the girls are up to the task, so I wanted to ask you to look after them while I am gone.¡±


    ¡°You left me behind when you went to Bless¡¯s dungeon, so surely you left them behind as well, so shouldn¡¯t they be able to continue to wait for you here.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They actually came up with a compelling plan that allowed them to assist me in capturing Bless, but that won¡¯t work for this next dungeon, and I would feel much safer with them being in your care while I am gone. You can use them to keep an eye on Bless if you wish, but would you do me this favor?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but are you sure you should be doing this alone? You don¡¯t sound like your normal confident self¡­ It almost sounds that you are not sure you can handle this next dungeon core on your own¡­?¡±


    Dyson seems to ignore my question as he covers his concerned face with his armor as he equips it from [Menu].


    Dyson: ¡°I am sure Desiree already has figured out the reason for me sending them from the room, and once Angela realizes it, things will become far more difficult, so I will part from you here. Just take care of them for me.¡± ¨CHe says turning to face the door. I don¡¯t know the expression he has now because of his helmet, but just by the way Dyson spoke, it makes me quite worried.-


    Dyson then teleports from the room leaving me alone with Bless, but it isn¡¯t even a few seconds later that the door bursts open with Angela entering the room in her armor and a concerned look on her face, while Desiree follows behind her, likewise in her armor, but wearing a expression of guilt rather than concern.


    Angela: ¡°Where is Master?!¡± ¨CShe asks quickly, but after looking at my face she turns to Desiree, and after seeing the look on her face she says.- ¡°You knew he planned on leaving us behind, and you didn¡¯t say anything?!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Out of respect for Master, I won¡¯t say what I felt from him, but yes I knew, and although I don¡¯t know if I agree or not, I feel it might have been for the best this time.¡±


    Angela: ¡°What are we supposed to do until he returns?!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I believe Two-Twelve has the answer to that.¡±


    ¡°He asked me to look after you two. I might ask you to help me keep an eye on Bless, but for the most part, I guess you will just be guests at my house until he returns.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Why would he send us to Two-Twelve¡¯s dungeon? He left us behind when he went to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon. Why not let us just wait for him here?¡± ¨CShe says as her voice becomes more concerned.-


    Desiree shakes her head while Angela looks at her, and she then forces a more neutral expression on her face as she steps forward while saying. ¡°I guess we will be in your care until Master returns, but don¡¯t get any ideas. We belong solely to Master.¡±


    ¡°Not that I had any intention¡­ But that seems like a strange statement coming from a succubus.¡± ¨CI say half-jokingly just to try to improve the mood.-


    Desiree: ¡°If it makes you feel better, chalk my eccentric behavior to the fact I was summoned from your dungeon. But if that isn¡¯t good enough an answer for you, then I''ll say that Master provides for all my needs and more, so to lay with a lesser man would be nothing but a disappointment.¡± ¨CShe says quite seriously, and even a bit condescendingly.-


    ¡°I was just trying to lighten the mood, and I didn¡¯t mean to offend¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Master is risking his life. I was born of your dungeon, so I know as much about you as one possibly can, and as to why Master puts so much faith and trust into you I can¡¯t understand, but he does, so I will do has he asks, but making jokes while he risks his life does nothing but solidify the fact that I truly do not like you.¡±


    ¡°We should probably head back to my dungeon now¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°That is probably for the best.¡±


    I don¡¯t know how Belinda will feel about Angela and Desiree¡¯s presence in the house. Especially with Desiree being a succubus, but they seem to be exceptionally loyal to Dyson, so I don¡¯t think it will really bother her, though I do wonder how she is going to react to holding Bless in my dungeon¡­

 Guests

    I arrive home in the depths of my dungeon. Apparently I am the only one able to see the rope that binds Bless to me, but I don¡¯t want her to see more of my dungeon than she has to either. The bunnies must have been hard at work, because the room I used [Gate] to reach was one that I thought would be empty, but instead there is a rather large and angry looking earth dragon snarling at us when we arrive.


    The room is cut off from the rest of the dungeon, so the dragon must either be something they are testing out, or they are using the room as a staging area of some kind, but either way it shouldn¡¯t matter it being here with Bless.


    I thought it might help keep Bless in line, but by the look on her face she doesn¡¯t seem that impressed. She can¡¯t use her magic, and she has no gear, but now I am wondering if I should move the dragon just so she doesn¡¯t try to hurt it while we are away¡­


    I am also rather surprised Bless hasn¡¯t said anything. I thought she would try to talk her way out of this, or given the difference in our strengths, even threaten me, but instead she has just kept silent while seeming to judge me with her eyes.


    Perhaps she thinks one of the other traitors will come for her. I guess it is a possibility, so I need to do my best to make sure none of them find out she is here in my dungeon. I barely made it out alive from the scrape with Rosalina much less if it was a stronger traitor.


    ¡°This place will have to do for now. The dragon won¡¯t bother you unless you try something yourself, and I will have a screen open to you at all times, so if you do try anything I will see it, so just try to behave yourself.¡±


    Bless just ignores me while moving over to sit down against the wall. I guess I can¡¯t really blame her, her situation seems pretty grim. I don¡¯t know how important what she is doing to Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon is to the traitors, but if they don¡¯t attempt to save her the only fate that awaits her, is death by Dyson¡¯s hands once this situation is resolved.


    ¡°I meant what I said to Dyson, I can¡¯t change what will happen to you in the end, but if there is something I can do to make your time here a bit more comfortable, I will be willing to listen. Within reason of course.¡±


    Bless still doesn¡¯t say anything, so I just open a screen that shows this room, and then transfer Angela, Desiree, and myself to the house. Explaining things to Belinda goes about as well as I imagined, but it takes a fair deal more explaining to the others staying at the house.


    The cord wrapped tightly around my hand is still visible, but it no longer shows it being strung across the floor, but through the screen I can still see the other end of it around Bless¡¯s neck. She pulls on it a few times and wanders the room, but for the most part that is all she has done.


    Nobody else can see the cord, and Tanya and Exavier saw Angela and Desiree with Dyson on a previous trip to Tobes, so that makes things go a bit easier. Desiree¡¯s eyes are the only thing that stand out from making her appear to be a bat beastkin, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem, because Quinn hasn¡¯t quit hitting on either of them.


    He tries to impress them with moves he learned in Sofia¡¯s course at the university, but up until a few days ago he had only received basic combat training during his military training, and that was a few years ago, so to say he didn¡¯t impress them would be an understatement.


    Desiree seems to enjoy the attention, though she makes no attempts to reciprocate his advances, but even she quickly grows tired of him, and we finally have to tell him to back off before Dyson becomes offended by his actions.


    That seems to do the trick, but it isn¡¯t till I provide them with a change of clothes so they can change out of their armor, that Quinn quits his leering¡­ Finally when things start settling down I show them to their rooms.


    Desiree: ¡°Angela and I share our bed with Dyson, I highly doubt separate rooms here are necessary.¡±


    ¡°We do have quite a few visitors lately, but we are still not bad enough to have to force you to share a room, surely you would prefer your own rooms?¡±


    Angela: ¡°We will be without Master tonight, so the last thing I want is to be without Desiree as well¡­¡±


    ¡°I just thought¡­ You know, never mind. If that is what you both want, then I¡¯m not going to force you to sleep in separate rooms.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°This room will do just fine.¡±


    ¡°If you two need anything else, just let me know.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Is that an offer?¡±


    ¡°Within reason¡­¡±


    Angela: ¡°Desiree, you wouldn¡¯t do that to Master!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Of course not. It is just all the others in the house have quite a few interesting thoughts rooting around in their heads, and Two-Twelve¡¯s are rather boring, so I hoped to stimulate a few myself. Unfortunately even his wife was far more interesting than he is..¡± ¨CShe says while licking her lips and showing off her long fangs.-


    ¡°I thought it would go without saying, but I ask you to not dig around in our heads while you are¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°It¡¯s not just something I can stop. You don¡¯t walk around naked, and hold others responsible for seeing you that way do you?¡±


    ¡°Then I ask you to keep it to yourself.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Are you sure? I am sure I could give you a few tips, from the things I have read from the missus.¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite sure.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Your loss.¡±


    Angela and Desiree then head into their room and I can¡¯t help shaking my head¡­ If keeping an eye on Bless wasn¡¯t enough to worry about, I now got to worry about Desiree poking around in our heads as well.


    I start to head to bed myself, but I notice that Bless seems to be calling for me down in the dungeon. I gave Lilah and the other bunnies a heads up, and told them to keep an eye on her as well, so I go to the dungeon core room first.


    I don¡¯t see any of the bunnies except for Lila and the three news ones, but that is due to the fact there is a new partition separating the bunnies¡¯ bedrooms from the rest of the dungeon core room that hasn¡¯t been there before.


    The three new bunnies are lying on cots set up on this side of the partition and even though Levi and Lily seem to already be asleep, Leveret appears to be looking through [Menu]. Lila likewise is sitting in one of the chairs, and she is still not in her night clothes while looking over the dungeon.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    Lila: ¡°Perfectly fine, Master. We have had a group of adventurers stay overnight in the dungeon the last two nights, and with Bless now here we thought it would be a good idea to have someone keep an eye on things all night, just in case.¡±


    ¡°I guess that isn¡¯t such a bad idea, but this isn¡¯t going to put a strain on any of you is it?¡±


    Lila: ¡°I still got my day off today, so it shouldn¡¯t be an issue, and we are discussing about making the addition of a night shift permanent once Lily is trained.¡±


    ¡°I am sure there isn¡¯t much going on overnight, are you sure that is even necessary?¡±


    Lila: ¡°It is rather boring, but¡­¡± ¨CShe looks over to Leveret and speaks quietly enough that he can¡¯t hear.- ¡°With how much Lilah has taken a liking to Leveret I am not sure she is going to give him to Ceres when their training is done, so maybe with two new additions we can have a pair on the night shift to keep each other company.¡±


    Leveret was lying in bed looking over [Menu] and that isn¡¯t to say he wasn¡¯t listening in on the conversation as well, but once Lila started speaking in whispers, it seemed to peak his interest even more, because he is making a bad attempt in trying to listen into the conversation while pretending not to.


    ¡°Well, I guess we will see. In any case, with you still keeping an eye on the dungeon it makes things a bit easier. It looks like Bless wants to speak about something, so if you will watch my back while I am down there I would appreciate it.¡±


    Lila: ¡°Of course.¡± ¨CShe then speaks to Leveret.- ¡°And if you are not going to go to bed as instructed, perhaps you can come give me a hand watching Master¡¯s back?¡±


    Leveret¡¯s nose twitches and he jumps from his bed to come sit in on of the chairs next to Lila while saying: ¡°Don¡¯t worry Master, we will make sure nothing happens to you!¡±


    ¡°Alright, but if you do stay up with Lila for a while, make sure it doesn¡¯t affect your training with Lilah tomorrow.¡±


    Leveret: ¡°Yes sir!¡± ¨CHe says excitedly.-


    I look down at the cord wrapped around my hand and then transfer down to the room that holds Bless. Once I arrive Bless quickly stops her movement, in which she was doing to get our attention, and sits back down on the floor.


    Bless: ¡°I thought you said you were going to keep an eye on me, I have been trying to get your attention for at least thirty minutes!¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been half that¡­ Besides I said I would try to make things a bit more comfortable for you, but you are still a prisoner, and I am not at your beck and call.¡±


    Bless: ¡°You call this comfortable? I have been sitting on this cold hard floor for hours, with this dragon breathing down my neck!¡±


    ¡°You have been silent up till now, so whose fault is that?


    I don¡¯t know exactly how strong Bless was before joining the traitors, but I do know she was still leagues stronger than I am, so there is no telling how strong she is now. I don¡¯t want to risk giving her a weapon even if it is makeshift from something I have given her, so I am hesitant in summoning anything in for her.


    I don¡¯t want to have to huddle on the stone floor either, so I summon a light straw mattress and a few blankets. It is not exactly luxury, but it will at least let her get off the floor.


    Bless: ¡°Really¡­ That is it?¡±


    ¡°I think I preferred you when you were silent. Look, I can¡¯t risk you putting me or anyone from my dungeon in danger, so this is the best I can do.¡±


    She gets up moving over to the mattress, wraps herself in one of the blankets, and then plops down on it.


    Bless: ¡°Is the dragon really necessary? I can¡¯t exactly go anywhere, and all its snarling and rumbling growls are going to do is keep me from being able to sleep!¡±


    The dragon isn¡¯t a rift monster, so I store it away in my crystal for the time being freeing up half the space in the room, and Bless seems genuinely surprised I removed the dragon from the room.


    ¡°There, that should make things a bit more comfortable for you.¡±


    Bless: ¡°You are awfully accommodating for someone who is just going to kill me in the end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. As I said I have no control over what happens to you after this, but I can at least make sure you don¡¯t have to suffer all the way up to that point.¡±


    Bless: ¡°Why not just let me go then? I will be out of here, and you won¡¯t even have to think about me again.¡±


    ¡°And you will what, release Madam Erin and her dungeon?¡±


    Bless: ¡°Just like you I have no control what happens with Madam Erin next.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry, but the traitors can¡¯t be left alone after all they have done, and it was your choice to help them.¡±


    Bless: ¡°You know as well as I do the Elders were a bunch of lazy murderers themselves, you can¡¯t tell me that the dungeon cores are not better off without them.¡±


    ¡°And what about the hundreds of other dungeon cores they killed in the process?¡±


    Bless: ¡°I don¡¯t understand how it works, but he had too. To break the rules of [Menu] he has to kill other dungeon cores to make it possible, and if it gets rid of the Elders it is worth any cost.¡±


    ¡°As long as it isn¡¯t you, is that it?¡±


    Bless: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if the Elders are out of the way, if I am not here to see it¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not sure how the Elders operated in the past, but I do know the Elders are responsible for quite a few dungeon core deaths, but it is nothing compared to the number of dungeon cores the traitors have killed, so how are the traitors, the one that leads them, or you for that matter, any better for killing all those dungeon cores?¡±


    Bless: ¡°The purge was what put the Elders in power to begin with, so it only makes sense another one will be what it takes to get rid of them. We might lose a lot of dungeon cores in the process, but after the Elders are gone we can start to rebuild without being under their thumbs.¡±


    ¡°You are just trading the Elders for the traitors, nothing would change.¡±


    Bless: ¡°He has no plans on leading or controlling the dungeon cores. Once the Elders are dead, and a few other dungeon cores that could stand in the way, he will see to it that everything will go back to a time before the elders were put in charge, and then the ¡°traitors¡± as you called them, will disband.¡±


    ¡°How can you trust him to follow through with that, and even trust your crystal to him when you don¡¯t even know who he is?¡±


    Bless: ¡°Just because I don¡¯t know who he is, that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know what he is planning. The copy of Barry¡¯s dungeon, having me try to take over Madam Erin¡¯s, even those rings were first made in an attempt to pose as another dungeon core to take over their dungeon. They were all ways for him to see if it is possible to become a dungeon core, because he isn¡¯t one himself.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even think he is a dungeon core? He has already achieved so much, and has shown no hesitation in killing dungeon cores to suit his needs, so if that is true, what would stop him from taking the Elder¡¯s place once they are gone?¡±


    Bless: ¡°The reason he has no desire to take their place, is because he has his sights set much higher than that.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly is that, become a god¡­?¡±


    Bless: ¡°Why not? Dungeon cores were always meant to be a replacement for the gods when they took off, but [Menu] severely limited our potential.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more delusional then I thought, if you think he can become a god¡­¡±


    Bless: ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t, but that doesn¡¯t matter, because that is what he believes, and he will die trying, so as long as he takes care of the Elders in the process, that is all that matters to me.¡±


    ¡°And the other traitors? Are they going to be content with all that power they have obtained since they joined him? What is to stop them from replacing the Elders when he doesn¡¯t?¡±


    Bless: ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but he has a plan for that as well. To move up to their level within the group they were made aware that the power they were gaining was only temporary.¡±


    ¡°If becoming a dungeon core is what he is after, I could make him one¡­but after all the dungeon cores he has killed, and even the humans that have been affected by his actions. I can¡¯t accept what he has done to get there.¡±


    Bless: ¡°Can¡¯t accept it? You¡¯re not free of blood on your hands yourself, Elder Two-Twelve. For whatever reason he wants you to remain alive, but you are starting to sound a lot like the other Elders, so if you don¡¯t watch it, he may change his mind.¡±


    ¡°You told Dyson of only one connection to the traitors, are you saying you learned all of this from that one other dungeon core?¡±


    Bless: ¡°Of course not. You don¡¯t think after all I have been through that I would give into Dyson¡¯s torture after mere minutes do you¡­? I just told him what he wanted to hear, and he hungrily ate it up just as planed!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t expect me to believe that this was all planed out, do you? What if Dyson killed you after torturing you?¡±


    Bless: ¡°I have to admit, arriving at your dungeon wasn¡¯t part of the plan, but as long as I hold Madam Erin¡¯s life over Dyson, he wouldn¡¯t kill me until he knew for sure. I am sure he is meeting the welcoming party right about now, if he hasn¡¯t been killed already. We haven¡¯t gotten a notification bout his death yet, but I guess we wouldn¡¯t, would we?


    I quickly try to send a message to Dyson, but to no surprise I don¡¯t get a response.


    ¡°Where did you send him?!¡±


    Bless: ¡°Where was it now¡­? ¨CShe says with a smirk while huddled in her blanket on the floor- ¡°Was it to dungeon core #502¡­? Or was it dungeon core #107? It must have slipped my mind¡­¡±


    I try Dyson again, but I am still not receiving any message. If things got too rough he could have used the justicar¡¯s teleporting ability, so surely he is still ok¡­ It has gotten late already, but I send a message to Lucille and Laura as well.


    ¡°We are not done here!¡±


    Bless: ¡°Well you know where to find me!¡± ¨CShe says as I transfer from the room.-


    Lucille and Laura are not responding either, but even at the best of times, they still take forever to respond, so I send a message to Ceres as well. She responds in almost an instant, and tells me to meet her in the room our dungeons connect.


    I quickly transfer there, but still don¡¯t beat her, as she quickly asks me what is going on. I fill her in on the details I heard from Bless, and try sending another message to Dyson, Lucille, and Laura.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to lose Dyson and Madam Erin¡­ We have to do something.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I agree, but what? If I could have just spoke to Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi perhaps I could be more help.¡±


    ¡°Lucille and Laura still aren¡¯t answering. I hope that doesn¡¯t mean they are under attack as well¡­ I don¡¯t think we have any choice other than waking up Akil. I don¡¯t care if he leaves the dungeon at this point, as long as he helps us¡­¡±


    I transfer Ceres and myself to Akil¡¯s room and even though his wing is still covering his head I hear a deep sigh come from underneath it, and it isn¡¯t Akil snoring¡­


    ¡°Please we need your help!¡±


    Akil: ¡°Do you have any idea what time it is¡­?¡± ¨CHe says poking his head out from under his wing.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is important.¡±


    Akil: ¡°You seem to think everything is important.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t only Madam Erin that is at risk, but Dyson as well, we can¡¯t afford to lose both of them to the traitors.¡±


    Akil: ¡°I already told you how to take care of matters.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Regaining my powers, even a small bit of them, is no easy task¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°No one said it was easy, but it is hardly impossible.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°My siblings won¡¯t even meet with me, so if I can¡¯t even get them to do that, how am I supposed to convince them to lend me some of their power?¡±


    Akil: ¡°I never said you had to acquire it by persuasion.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t fight any of Ceres¡¯s siblings if that is what you mean¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°Not many mortal weapons could hurt one of Ceres¡¯s kind, even the sword of Exeter or Dyson¡¯s blade would be as effective as a dull kitchen utensil, but Ceres alone if proof when fighting among themselves they are quite vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that helps¡­¡±


    Akil: ¡°The ones that have died, had their power return to the pool, but if they lived through the encounter, then any pieces of them left behind, might just have enough power to get you through this situation.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°My clothing, bandages, and rags Two-Twelve used to care for me when I arrived in his dungeon injured might have worked, but the power in my blood dissipated when I became a dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°If not your power, then how about some from another one of your siblings?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That would be like finding a needle in a haystack. We would have a far easier time trying to convince one of my siblings to help us!¡±


    ¡°Not if I already know of such an item¡­ Not that I could ever afford it, but I can even summon it with my dungeon.¡±


    Akil: ¡°There is not much I¡¯m unsure of, but the ability to copy one such item in your dungeon is one of them. It would depend on multiple factors, on one hand, if you copied the item and it pulled power from the pool then you could only create more so long as there is power in the pool, but on the other hand if it doesn¡¯t pull power from the pool it wouldn¡¯t really be a copy, just an item mimicking its effects.¡±


    ¡°Everything I have copied with my dungeon has at least been of equal quality of the original, and sometimes even better, but the original would be much easier to come by, because there is no way I could come up with 150 million xp to recreate it.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What exactly are we talking about here?¡±


    ¡°Belphegor¡¯s left eye, dungeon core #521 Tom has it. Although when I learned to copy it, I not only learned it but also learned to make items from godly quality. What if we summoned a much cheaper item while applying the godly quality, do you think that would work?¡±


    Akil: ¡°A copy of the eye itself is questionable, so I highly doubt it would work. After all, an item containing a god¡¯s power will always be an item of godly quality, but not all items of godly quality will contain a god¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Although Belphegor¡¯s left eye seemed to carry a heavy curse, and that is the only reason Tom hasn¡¯t used it yet.¡±


    Akil: ¡°That is because that power is only meant for the gods, but Ceres was once a goddess herself, so the question is, will the eye recognize her as such, or treat her as the dungeon core she is now.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I can¡¯t say that I relish in the thought of putting anything of Belphegor¡¯s in my body, but are we even certain Tom still has this Belphegor¡¯s eye?¡±


    ¡°I know Dyson showed interest in acquiring it from him, but as far as I know Tom still has it. It has already become quite late, but there is a way to find out.¡± ¨CI say while sending Tom a message.-


    Akil: ¡°Now, will you leave me in peace?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise we won¡¯t be back, but if this works and we manage to save Madam Erin, and Dyson. I will let you sleep as long as you like!¡±


    Akil: ¡°I will remember you said that.¡± ¨CHe says burying his head back under his wings.-


    Ceres and I then transfer from the room, and we wait a while but still haven¡¯t received a response from Tom, Lucille, or Laura.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to just [Gate] to Tom¡¯s dungeon without his knowledge, but if he doesn¡¯t answer, we might not have a choice, because if Dyson is still alive, I don¡¯t know if he can hold out until morning.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We can¡¯t afford to fight Tom right now either, it may be risky, but we may have no choice but wait for morning.¡±


    I send another message to Tom stating how urgent it is that we speak with him, but after waiting a bit longer for a reply we are left with no other choice.


    ¡°I will wait till morning, but if we don¡¯t receive a reply by then we are going to have to risk angering Tom by showing up on his doorstep uninvited.¡±


    Ceres agrees, and we make plans to meet back in a few hours before heading home for the evening. I¡¯m going to have to explain things to Belinda, but she is already asleep by the time I make it home, so I set [Menu] to wake me early in the morning and try to catch a few hours of sleep.

 Eye of Belphegor

    Morning comes early as [Menu] wakes me up. Belinda is still asleep, and I don¡¯t want to wake her, but she was already asleep when I got in last night, and I don¡¯t know what is going to happen today regarding Tom and what happens afterwards, so I can¡¯t leave without telling her what is going, on so I gently caress her cheek and give her a kiss.


    Belinda just coos softly while pull me close without waking up, so I put a little bit more effort into waking her up. When she does finally open her eyes I quickly apologize for waking her up, and tell her I have to go.


    I get out of bed and start getting ready. Belinda seems confused at first but as she wakes up a bit more she slides to the edge of the bed and sits up asking me what is going on. I then explain everything to her while I finish getting ready.


    Belinda: ¡°I know you want to help, but if it is so dangerous that Madam Erin and Dyson are both in trouble, maybe you should just sit this one out¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just let the traitors have their way¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You said that Bless said that they are not even after you. I know a lot of dungeon cores have died, but as selfish as it is, as long as you and the girls aren¡¯t one of them, then I rather you stay safe then making yourself a target¡­¡±


    ¡°Bless gave up that information too easily, and I can¡¯t help feel they want something from me, and if we don¡¯t have Dyson or Madam Erin to help us, we won¡¯t be able to stop them when they do come. Besides Ceres and I are just going to Tom¡¯s dungeon for now,¡±


    Belinda hops out of bed wrapping her arms around me while saying. ¡°I miss the times when I was strong enough to be the one defending you¡­ Just promise me if it gets too dangerous you¡¯ll come back to me in one piece rather than getting in over your head.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in over my head for a long time now¡­ But I promise I won¡¯t take any more risks then I have to, and if things go well with Tom, I will send you a message before we do anything else.¡±


    Belinda then gives me a kiss that makes it hard for me to leave, but after caressing her cheek again I transfer to the part of my dungeon that connects to Ceres¡¯s.


    Even though it shouldn¡¯t be by now, when I arrive I see Ceres already waiting for me on her side of the room, I¡¯m surprised. Once she sees me she steps over to my side of the room and greets me.


    Ceres: ¡°Good morning, have you received a response from anyone yet?¡±


    ¡°No, it was late before sending the messages last night, and the sun hasn¡¯t even risen yet, but I am starting to wonder¡­¡± ¨CI cast [Blink] traveling only a few feet, but I just wanted to make sure we weren¡¯t being blocked.-


    Ceres: ¡°Well teleporting doesn¡¯t seem to be blocked anyway. Should we give them a bit longer to respond?¡±


    ¡°The justicar point total hasn¡¯t moved, so if Dyson is in trouble he can¡¯t even use that ability, so I don¡¯t think we can wait any longer.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Ceres is wearing her normal clothing and not even carrying a weapon so I ask her. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need any gear. We don¡¯t know how Tom is going to react.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°He should respond much better to me in my normal clothes, then if I showed up to his dungeon geared for war like you are.¡±


    ¡°It is meant to show the urgency of what we are going to ask him. Besides if you do manage to get your powers back, we might go straight from his dungeon to Dyson, or Madam Erin¡¯s aid.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯m prepared either way, so whenever you are ready.¡±


    I cast [Gate] opening a portal to just outside of Tom¡¯s orphanage.  When we arrive the heavy gates of the orphanage behind us are still closed, but even though it is still dark through the majority of the windows in the building, several lights can be seen through some of the windows.


    Being an orphanage, I am sure the adults would have to awaken quite early to prepare for the children, so it shouldn¡¯t be a surprise some of them are already awake, but knocking on the door this early in the morning when the gate itself is still locked might be quite strange.


    I would assume the yard is part of Tom¡¯s dungeon as well, so he should have known we were here the moment we teleported in, and we don¡¯t really have time to wait around so I step forward and knock on the door anyway.


    It takes a few attempts before a confused older woman answers the door in the long robes. She peers past us looking at the closed gate before greeting us.


    ¡°Sorry for the intrusion so early, but we need to speak with the one in charge.¡±


    Older woman: ¡°We usually don¡¯t accept visitors this early.¡±


    ¡°Again I apologize, but it is a matter of great importance, and it couldn¡¯t wait.¡±


    Older woman: ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, please this way.¡± ¨CShe says opening the door for us to enter, staring at the gate again as we walk past her.¡±


    A few sleepy but curious children poke their heads out a few of the doors as we walk past while the woman leads us through the halls to the room I met Tom in last time I was here. She opens the door and asks us to wait inside while she goes to inform the director of our arrival.


    After we enter the room and the door is shut however, Tom crawls out from under the desk and then jumps up and sits on its edge like last time, but this time he doesn¡¯t seem too pleased with our appearance.


    Tom: ¡°Humans tend to be quite touchy when it comes to children, and I have done a lot of work over the years getting the balance down, but you showing up here unannounced, this early in the morning leaves more questions than answers. What is it you want?¡±


    ¡°We tried contacting you last night, and again this morning, but unfortunately it couldn¡¯t wait any longer, so we were forced to come in person. Madam Erin and Dyson both in a bit of a situation, and you might be able to help.¡±


    Tom: ¡°I don¡¯t really see how that is my problem, and you left me enough parts last time you were here, to keep me busy for at least another year, so I hardly think you have anything left to offer me.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to know more about the eye of Belphegor, and I might have found someone that can help with that, but there is a catch¡­¡±


    Tom: ¡°Well now, I heard the rumors about the dungeon core you appointed being some sort of a goddess, but I was sure it was an exaggeration. Are you saying that for once the rumors were true?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I am Ceres, and I can say I have been around for a while and have seen a thing or two, but first we need to know if you still have the eye?¡±


    Tom: ¡°I held that thing for years. Dyson traded it to me for a couple of girls that become of age, and after being unable to find the second one, I thought that maybe it was a bad investment, so when Dyson came back to me recently, and wanted it back, I managed to drive up the price quite a bit, and thought I made a hell of a deal, but now that everyone seems to want it, I am left wondering if Dyson screwed me over¡­¡±


    ¡°You traded it back to Dyson? And what do you mean everyone? Have others come looking for it besides Dyson and us?¡±


    Tom: ¡°There have been a few inquiries about it.¡±


    ¡°I am interested in who else might have been interested in the eye, but with you already trading the eye off we need to try to find it quickly.¡±


    As Ceres and I start to prepare to leave Tom says. ¡°Hey! You are just going to leave after disturbing my dungeon this early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but maybe you should answer the messages you receive in the future.¡± ¨CI say while casting [Gate] returning Ceres and myself back to my dungeon.-


    I had [Gate] bring us to the kitchen at home, so once we arrive I begin making some coffee while saying: ¡°Now things either just got exceptionally easier, exceptionally harder, or flat-out impossible.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Ceres: ¡°How do you figure?¡± ¨CShe says while sitting down at my usual spot.-


    ¡°If Dyson has the eye stored in his castle, or dungeon inventory, then Angela or Desiree might be able to get it for us, and if it is to save Dyson from whatever has happened it might be quite simple. The problem is we will have to tell them he is in danger, and I don¡¯t know if I can keep my promise of keeping them safe if they find out Dyson is in danger¡­Then there is the worst case scenario. Either Dyson no longer has the eye, or that it is stored in his dungeon inventory in a way in which neither of the girls are able to withdraw it.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Lets just hope they can access it, and understand the situation.¡±


    After a few minutes, Belinda must have heard the commotion in the kitchen, because she comes to check on things and is surprised to see us return so soon, but she also looks quite relieved as well.


    Belinda: ¡°You made it back alright¡­ Did you find it?¡±


    ¡°We found out where it might be now, and that can either be a good or a bad thing. In any case I am going to need you to go check to see if Angela and Desiree are awake, I need to speak with them.¡±


    Belinda hesitates for a second then seems to piece it together giving me a big hug and a quick kiss before heading out of the kitchen. I don¡¯t know if Angela and Desiree drink coffee, but I pour us each a cup while waiting for Belinda to return, but it takes a bit longer than I anticipated.


    I start to go check on her, but then quickly enters the room rather flushed and embarrassed. She quickly crosses the room and joins me in the kitchen without a single word.


    ¡°Did you get them up? Is everything ok?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They got up just fine on their own¡­ I told them you needed to speak with them, and they should be down in a few minutes.¡±


    By Belinda¡¯s reaction it seems she walked into something she wishes she hadn¡¯t. I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised Desiree is a succubus after all, and by the way Dyson talked about them, it doesn¡¯t sound like he took turns with them, but I guess the fact Angela would continue without Dyson is a bit surprising.


    When Zoey and Roxy still lived here I am sure everyone had accidently walked in on them at least once or twice. Sometimes I think Zoey even intentionally caused the situation, because she got some kind of thrill from it. Maybe it is the fact that Angela and Desiree are just guests, but Belinda seems to be a bit more embarrassed about it then what I¡¯d expect.


    When Angela and Desiree enter the dining room a few minutes later it appears Angela is quite embarrassed as well, but Desiree doesn¡¯t really seem affected, but she does apologize to Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, I should have knocked, but since it was just the two of you I¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Angela: ¡°It¡¯s my fault, we are guests in your house! Yet I¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°We are all adults here. It is nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, Two-Twelve summoned you, so he must be at least partially responsible for that insatiable appetite of yours.¡±


    ¡°I bare no responsibility for anything like that. I just summoned you both with Dyson in mind.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Well it worked, because Angela is definitely ¡°Dyson¡¯s Girl¡±. Even when wearing the ring he had me borrow, Angela still complains I am not as good as Master¡­! Me, a succubus¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It definitely startled me¡­¡±


    I guess Desiree was wearing a ring to appear as Dyson, and that was why Belinda was so embarrassed.


    "I don¡¯t know if either of you drink coffee, but I poured you one, and I am sorry for disturbing you so early in the morning, but I need to ask you something.¡±


    Desiree must have seen inside my head because her expressions sours, but she waits for me to say it out loud.


    ¡°Dyson may have run into a bit of trouble, but Ceres and I have managed to find a way to help him out, but I first need to ask either of you if you know about the left eye of Belphegor.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Is Master ok?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°He doesn¡¯t¡¯ know, there has been no contact because one of the traitor¡¯s items, but Bless gave Two-Twelve some information that isn¡¯t good.¡±


    Angela: ¡°You made Master a justicar, can¡¯t you get to him that way?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple, there is a chance that even if one of the traitor¡¯s items are in effect that we could reach him that way, but if they were able to cause Dyson trouble, there is no telling what we would be teleporting ourselves into.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Then what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°The eye¡­¡±


    Angela: ¡°Of course, it was that creepy eyeball that Master bought from that little creepy kid for a huge xp bead¡­¡±


    ¡°Does he still have it? I mean is it in the dungeon?¡±


    Angela: ¡°I don¡¯t know if Master would want us to say¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°It¡¯s the only way he knows how to help Master¡­ Yes, it¡¯s in the dungeon inventory, and yes we should be able to get it, but if you are wrong about Master, and we do as you ask, it could prove to be quite the problem.¡±


    ¡°I will take full responsibility for whatever happens.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Even if Master demands a reimbursement of 10 million xp for the cost he spent to acquire it from the other dungeon core?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of xp, but if it comes to that Dyson and I can work something out.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I too will chip in if Dyson isn¡¯t anything but thankful for us coming to his aid.¡±


    Angela: ¡°We¡¯ll have to return home to be able to get it.¡±


    I nod and give Belinda a quick kiss before I prepare another [Gate] and use the portal to reach Dyson''s dungeon together with Angela, Desiree, and Ceres.. After last time I don¡¯t try to teleport directly into the dungeon, instead arrive just outside the gates, but with Angela and Desiree with us we have no trouble entering the castle itself.


    Even though just stepping foot within the perimeter of Dyson¡¯s dungeon should be enough the girls lead us to the usual meeting room. Desiree then accesses her [Menu] pulling the large singular eyeball from the dungeon inventory and causing it to appear in her hand.


    She moves over to Ceres to drop it in her hand but hesitates and saying. ¡°You have to promise us you will take us to help Master.¡±


    ¡°Something like this happening was the exact reason he wanted me to keep you two safe, so taking you along now would go against Dyson¡¯s wishes.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°If this works exactly how you are planning for, it will be Ceres that has the power to help Master, not you., so why do you get to go, while leaving us behind?


    ¡°Any number of things could happen while we are there, Ceres might have her hands full, so I am just going to cover her.¡±


    Angela: ¡°We have gained just as many levels as you have, so if you go we should be able to as well. Besides if we go along that will only increase our chances of being able to watch Ceres¡¯s back.¡±


    ¡°Even if this goes against what Dyson wants?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°If you die, we can¡¯t follow Master¡¯s orders either, so we don¡¯t have much of a choice.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take responsibility if Dyson is mad about the eye, but if he is mad about me bringing you along, then that is on you.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Agreed.¡± ¨CShe says while dropping the eye in Ceres¡¯s hand.-


    Ceres: ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¨CShe says examining the eye.- ¡°Why is it so big¡­? Are you sure this is Belphegor¡¯s eye?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°That is what [Menu] says.¡±


    Ceres lets out a deep sigh while looking over the eye, then quickly plops it in her mouth while trying to swallow it whole. Somehow she manages to get it down, but has a look of sheer disgust on her face.


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything, other than Belphegor¡¯s nasty eyeball swimming around in my insides¡­¡± ¨CShe then stiffens up as her eyes open wide while taking a deep breath.-


    ¡°Are you alright?! Is it the curse?!¡±


    Ceres groans as she doubles over grabbing her stomach, but when I start to step forward she holds her hand out to stop me.


    Ceres: ¡°I¡­I think it¡¯s working!¡± ¨CShe says while still doubled over. I can¡¯t see her face because of the way she is standing, but her fists are starting to clinch tight.-


    After a few moments Ceres stands back up straight, while the expressions on her face quickly change from looking sick all the way to looking angry and every expression in-between. She finally manages to regain composure and promptly stops¡­


    Ceres: ¡°I think that¡¯s it¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you ok¡­?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t feel any negative side effects, but to be honest I am a little disappointed. Belphegor never was very strong, or he wouldn¡¯t have had his eyes plucked out of his head to begin with, but if this is all the power his eye has, I believe we are in a lot of trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you find Madam Erin, or Dyson?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Let me try.¡±


    Ceres then closes her eyes and starts to concentrate. Even though her eyes are closed her facial expression keeps changing from a neutral expression to one of focus like she is trying to read something or focus on something far away.


    This continues for a while¡­ So long in fact I move over and take a seat. I want to say something but Ceres hasn¡¯t opened her eyes even once since she began and she seems to be focusing awfully hard. Angela and Desiree must be feeling a bit apprehensive as well, and Desiree is the first one to break the silence.


    She however is quickly shhh¡¯ed by Ceres while holding up her finger while as she shakes her head, cocks it to one side, and seems to be focusing really hard. After another few moments she slowly lowers her hand while righting her head, but she still doesn¡¯t make any other signs of stopping.


    After a few more minutes I start checking to see if Lucille or Laura ever messaged me back, while Angela and Desiree move over to a different part of the room while beginning to whisper back and forth. I don¡¯t know if they are just trying to keep from bothering Ceres or trying to keep me out of the conversation as well.


    If they are, they are failing at it, as I overhear them talking about the eye, and how worried they are what Dyson is going to do when he finds out what happened to it. Being worried about Dyson being angry rather than worried about him being killed is slightly better I think, so I leave them alone while waiting for Ceres to finish.


    Ceres finally calls out ¡°Ah-ha! I found him!¡± quite loudly, and startling the other three of us in the room.


    Angela: ¡°Master?! You found him?¡± ¨CShe says excitedly.-


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯m almost certain it¡¯s him, but I must warn you it doesn¡¯t look good. He looks to be in pretty bad shape, but the good news is that he is bound.¡±


    Angela: ¡°How is that good news!?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°It means they don¡¯t intend to kill him, at least not right away.¡±


    ¡°She is right, with Dyson¡¯s strength, even if they managed to get an advantage over him, keeping him alive is quite risky, and they wouldn¡¯t do it unless there was a reason.¡±


    Angela: ¡°We have to go to him! We have to save Master!¡±


    ¡°The traitors have captured Madam Erin and now Dyson as well. If they are strong enough to capture those two, charging in there without a plan is just suicide¡­ Ceres, you said the power you received from the eye was less than you expected, but will it be enough to be able to save Dyson?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Bless didn¡¯t mention anything about their leader working with a god, just that he wanted to become one, but I still don¡¯t see how he could have accomplished all that he has without finding an ally among at least one of them. If that god shows itself while we try to rescues Dyson, there is no way I could stand up to them with the limited power I obtained, but as long as that god doesn¡¯t show, we might stand a chance. Maybe not beating them, but at least being able to get Dyson out of there.¡±


    Angela: ¡°We have to try!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°And we will, but we need to do this carefully¡­Now, I will tell you what we are going to do.¡±

 Saving Dyson

    Ceres laid out a plan for Dyson¡¯s rescue, but the catch is there is a lot of ¡°what ifs¡± associated with her plan. Ceres¡¯s strength even after taking in Belphegor¡¯s eye is questionable at best, and the rest of us would have no chance against anyone that would be able to capture Dyson.


    Ceres thinks she might be able to teleport to and from the location in which Dyson is being held, but if something happens our only avenue of escape is using the justicar teleport and even with the dangers present, Angela and Desiree are both refusing to stay behind.


    ¡°If something goes wrong, we can use the justicar teleport to leave, but we won¡¯t be able to get you two out the same way. Dyson trusted you both to me, and I can¡¯t put you at that kind of risk.¡±


    Angela: ¡°You promised! We gave you the eye so you have to take us with you. I don¡¯t care if I die, as long as Master is saved.¡±


    ¡°If Ceres plan works, we get in and out before anyone even knows we are there, so taking you along only decreases our chance of saving Dyson.¡±


    Angela: ¡°We already covered this! The same can be said about you!¡±


    ¡°Ceres doesn¡¯t know how much of a drain on her power teleporting is going to take, especially when we will be teleporting through one of the traitor¡¯s items. If we arrive at Dyson¡¯s side, only for it to be too much of a strain on her powers, she might even collapse, if that happens I will at least be there to use the justicar teleport to get us out.¡±


    Angela: ¡°And if something happens once we arrive every second might count, and if Desiree and I can give you even a few extra seconds to get Master out of there it will be worth it.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Give it up Two-Twelve, if it were Belinda being held, would you be any less determined to help?¡±


    ¡°I just want to be clear I am highly against taking them along with us, and if anything happens I tried to stop it¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Noted. Now, it has been a while since I last teleported, and it took a while to pierce the protection of the traitor¡¯s item just to see inside, so teleporting may be even harder. I should be able to do it, but bear with me.¡±


    Ceres then shakes her head and arms loosening herself up before she closes her eyes and begins to focus. After 20 or so seconds she shows signs of discomfort as she shakes her head again. She then reaches out grabbing ahold of me and Angela while instructing us to grab ahold of Desiree.


    The moment we are all joined in a circle I feel a tug on the back of my chest¡­ Ceres¡¯s form of teleportation usually had no tells, much like when we got teleported by the traitors from Barry¡¯s dungeon or in Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, but this time I do.


    It isn¡¯t even the normal feeling of teleportation either, I can still feel my feet firmly on the ground where we are standing in Dyson¡¯s dungeon, but the pull on my chest feels like it is actually pulling me, and I feel like I am being stretched from here all the way to our destination.


    Needless to say, even as a dungeon core that is used to teleportation even I am starting to feel sick to my stomach. Then all of a sudden there is a snap feeling like my body being stretched over the vast distance caught up with itself all at once, causing a lurch in my stomach causing me to bowl over.


    I am not the only one either, all of us including Ceres is bowled over gasping for air, but Ceres looks far much worse for wear then we do. Her face is quite pale, she is covered in sweat, and seems to be having trouble catching her breath.


    We however seem to have arrived in our destination. We are standing in a small darkened room. From the information Ceres figured out from when she found Dyson we are on the top floor of the new section of Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon, but by the appearance of the room you would think we are deep underground.


    Ceres said Dyson was in bad shape and it was hard to be sure that the person she found was even him, and after finally having a look around the room I can see why. The figure nearby being stretched on a rack, and has been stripped of all of his clothes and belongings, he looks to be of Dyson¡¯s build, and scars all over the body are reminiscent of ones I have seen on him in the past, but that is quite literally the only indicators we have of this person¡¯s identity.


    His head is completely covered in a helmet much like the one Dyson wears in his armor, with the expectation of instead of having no holes at all within it there is a singular hole right in the front, and its purpose? Dyson¡¯s tongue is pulled through the small hole and long rods have been stabbed clean through his tongue keeping him from pulling it back into his mouth.


    The helmet is only the beginning however, because the binding holding his wrists and ankles to the rack keep him stretched out, but other long rods each with thorny barbs sticking all out of his body from all angles is what truly what is holding him in place.


    Giving the helmet on his head, I am not sure he was aware of our arrival, but once Angela and Desiree¡¯s eyes fall on him they quickly run to his side. They try to help Dyson by quickly removing the rods, but as soon as they touch them Dyson begins to struggle against his bindings causing the barbs on the rods to not only tear into more of Dyson¡¯s flesh, but into Angela and Desiree¡¯s hands as well.


    Angela: ¡°Master, please calm down! It¡¯s us! We are going to get you out of there!¡± ¨CShe pleads to him with tears in her eyes, but he can¡¯t seem to be able to hear her through the helmet as he keeps struggling.-


    I try checking on Ceres because she still hasn¡¯t seemed to recover from the teleport, but she pats me on the shoulder and tells me to go help Dyson. I head over to Dyson and try taking the helmet off first, but it seems to be far more complicated then I originally realized.


    The rods though his tongue will have to be removed to take the helmet off that is for sure, but there are at least a dozen knobs, and screws all over the helmet doing who knows what on the inside. I can remove the rods from his tongue, but I don¡¯t know what to do about the others, because I could do more harm than good if I mess around with them especially with Dyson still struggling.


    Once the girls finally remove a few of the rods from Dyson¡¯s body he seems to realize that he is not being tortured further and starts to struggle far less, but the damage has already been done to both of the girls¡¯ hands.


    Dyson¡¯s tongue shrinks back into the helmet after I pull the last of the rods out, but to no surprise he doesn¡¯t immediately speak, if he is even capable right now¡­ Not sure what to do with the rest of the helmet I switch to healing some of the wounds in which the girls have already removed the rods from, and that causes Dyson to quit struggling altogether.


    Angela: ¡°We got the rods all out, but I can¡¯t remove the shackles or the helmet¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°They are some sort of magical items, as I can¡¯t even see inside Dyson¡¯s head with the helmet still on him.¡±


    ¡°If worse comes to worse, we can cut him off of the rack, but I am more worried about the helmet.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I am not cutting off his hands and feet! Hasn¡¯t he been through enough?!¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Then I will. It won¡¯t kill him, and healing him will be no problem unlike what will happen if we stay here too long.¡±


    ¡°I agree the sooner we get out of here the better, even if we can¡¯t get the helmet off right away, we need to at least remove him from the rack.¡±


    I stand by ready to heal Dyson, as Desiree pulls one of her swords. Angela buries her face into Dyson¡¯s chest while wrapping her arms around him the best she can. Even with Desiree¡¯s sword, between Dyson¡¯s level and skills cutting though his ankle proves to be a lot more work than Desiree anticipated, and it turns into a horrible bloody mess, but once his left leg is finally free from its shackle I begin casting a healing spell immediately to reattach Dyson¡¯s severed foot.


    This is taking far more time than we anticipated, and can¡¯t help get a little more anxious each second we remain here, but as I look over to Ceres while repairing Dyson¡¯s ankle, it doesn¡¯t seem like Ceres is much shape to teleport us out of here even if we did have Dyson free already.


    Reattaching severed limbs is much easier then growing new ones from scratch, but even still it uses a lot of my magic to continuously cast a healing spells as long as it takes to completely heal even one of Dyson¡¯s severed limbs, much less doing it four times in a row.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    As hard as it was to cut off Dyson¡¯s feet and then reattach them, it proves to be far easier than his wrists. Not that it is any harder to cut, but once one of his arms is free he starts struggling again and flailing his stump as I try to reattach the hand.


    Once I finally do however Dyson reaches over grabbing the last remaining shackle and begins to pull. Even with his strength he isn¡¯t able to break the shackle but instead he breaks several of his own fingers and strips half of the flesh from his own hand as he pulls his last hand free of the shackles.


    Even with his hand being a mangled mess it is still much easier to heal than reattaching the severed limbs, so at least that is something. Once Dyson is whole again he runs his hands over the helmet, albeit very carefully. Even he seems rather hesitant to mess with any of the knobs or screws.


    ¡°Alright, we got Dyson free. We need to get out of here, and then we can figure out how to get the helmet off in the safety of one of our own dungeons. Ceres, are you going to be able to teleport us back out?¡±


    She still looks rather pale, but collects herself and says: ¡°I¡¯m going to try.¡±


    ¡°If it makes it easier, start with Angela and Desiree, we can always use the justicar ability to teleport out, but only your power will be able to get them out.¡±


    Angela: ¡°No! Not without Master.¡±


    ¡°Once we know you are safe, we will be right behind you.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, two people or five people won¡¯t matter, it is getting though the protection over this place that is the hard part.¡±


    I am pretty sure Dyson still can¡¯t hear us, and even with Dyson¡¯s tongue being free he still hasn¡¯t said a word, so I am not sure if he is even capable right now, but he at least seems to recognize Angela and Desiree by touch, so when they take his hands stopping him from fiddling with the helmet to grasp his hands for Ceres¡¯s teleportation, he complies.


    After a few seconds of Ceres focusing hard, however it is clear this isn¡¯t going to work, as Ceres nearly falls over, but since we have ahold of her she only falls down to one knee, and that is only the start of the bad news.


    I quickly try to help Ceres back to her feet but I am interrupted by a [Menu] message. I am initially surprised about receiving a message while inside the effects of one of the traitor¡¯s items, but it is the content of the message that worries me the most.


    Dungeon Core #187 [Elder Lucille] perished at the hands of Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson].


    The traitors haven¡¯t been using Dyson¡¯s name when killing other cores for last few months, so why would they switch back now, and how can we even be sure this is a legit message when we shouldn¡¯t have received it within the effects of the traitor¡¯s item.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We have other things we should be worried about right now, so ignore it.¡± ¨CShe says while managing to pull herself back to her feet, but she looks in even worse shape than she did before.-


    I didn¡¯t think Dyson could hear us, but as a figure steps out of the shadows from the corner of the room and starts to speak, Dyson already holding onto Angela and Desiree because of the attempted teleport, he pulls them behind him. Putting himself between the figure and them.


    Shadowy figure: ¡°It is perfectly possible when we are the ones that control what you see and don¡¯t see. We just thought seeing that message would put into perspective just what kind of situation you have found yourself in.¡±


    The figure is decked out from head to toe in Dyson gear, so it would be no surprise for someone to mistake this person for him, although [Menu] wouldn¡¯t be so easily fooled, but they have the rings for that.


    Angela: ¡°That belongs to Master!¡± ¨CShe says trying to step out from behind Dyson, but Dyson firmly holds her back.-


    Shadowy figure: ¡°It really is the best armor ever made, and this sword¡­ I could do wonders with this sword.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? I¡¯m Dyson, or at least for all intents and purposes I soon will be.¡±


    Angela: ¡°You can¡¯t just wear Master¡¯s armor and claim to be him!¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°It was enough to fool Lucille, and the ring was enough to fool [Menu], but soon even his dungeon will acknowledge me, and that will make you mine as well.¡±


    Angela: ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen!¡± ¨CShe says still struggling to get out of Dyson¡¯s grip.-


    ¡°Calm down, he is just trying to rile you up¡­¡±


    Angela: ¡°I don¡¯t care! He can¡¯t have Master, or Master¡¯s dungeon!¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°You¡¯re not really in the position to be making any demands, now are you?¡±


    ¡°What is it you want from us? Surely if you killed Lucille like you claim, and even captured Dyson, this conversation wouldn¡¯t be happening unless you wanted it to.¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Until Dyson¡¯s dungeon becomes mine, we still need him to stick around, so I wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen to him just yet. As for you, the verdict is still out. You have done some curious things that have made us quite interested in you, but curiosity only gets you so much good will.¡±


    ¡°And what of Madam Erin?¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Safe, for now at least. The boss wants her dungeon for himself.¡±


    ¡°The boss? So you aren¡¯t the one in charge?¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°You don¡¯t think he would bother with the petty stuff like this do you?¡±


    I don¡¯t want to leave Angela and Desiree behind, and if we are ever going to stand a chance against the traitors we have to get Dyson out of here, but Ceres is clearly in no shape to teleport again. Whoever this is wearing Dyson¡¯s armor, if I can just keep him talking, Ceres might be able to recover enough to teleport again.


    ¡°I can only assume you are the reason I have not heard back from Lucille and Laura then? What of Laura, did you kill her as well?¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°We still haven¡¯t decided what we want to do with Laura yet, with Lucille out of the way, Laura just might be of some use to us, but so far she has not been very agreeable. Much like Dyson here, but her dungeon isn¡¯t as important as his.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Dyson¡¯s actual dungeon, but Lucille¡¯s was surely far more impressive, so why kill her and try to take Dyson¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°That answer should be obvious, for the ability to summon humans, of course. It is truly a gift that Dyson squanders without utilizing its full potential.¡±


    ¡°Everyone keeps saying that, but I don¡¯t see how it is any better than being able to summon beastkin. The only difference is the summoning of beastkin is far less rare.¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Beastkin may be making their way up in the human world, but a beastkin will always have to do twice the work to prove they are equal to a human, and kingdoms like Dalian still refuse to acknowledge them.¡±


    ¡°I have been trying to figure out who you are from the moment you showed yourself, and even though I still am not sure, it sounds like you know this from experience. Bless told me about your leader not being a dungeon core, and to be honest I didn¡¯t expect someone strong enough to do the things you have done to not be a dungeon core. Even with you talking about taking over Dyson¡¯s dungeon, I had assumed it was in addition to your own, but you are not even a dungeon core yourself, are you? And if I had to guess you¡¯re a beastkin at that.¡±


    It¡¯s hard to tell while the man wears Dyson¡¯s armor, but I seem to have struck a nerve and he takes a more defensive posture. This puts me in a delicate situation¡­ If I can keep him flustered I can steer the conversation and drag it out, but if I step too far it could backfire and he could lash out instead.


    ¡°We have been calling you all the traitors, because it appeared that you were dungeon cores that were unhappy with the way the Elders were handling things, but instead you have just been using the dungeon cores all along¡­ But what I don¡¯t understand, is how normal humans or beastkin could even learn so much about dungeons, must less become strong enough to subdue Dyson and manipulate [Menu]?¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°You are the one that said we were not dungeon cores, not me.¡±


    ¡°That is why you tried to help Hecate kill me, because you¡¯re all failed dungeon cores¡­ The only reason you didn¡¯t ask Hecate to join you, was because she would have found out that it was you that killed Maric, and that was how you knew enough about dungeon cores to convince some to join you as well. What I don¡¯t understand if you gained so much strength why not go back to the Elders to reclaim your positions as dungeon cores like Dyson did?¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Hecate chose her path when she went to lick the Elder¡¯s boots after failing to kill you. Besides, you proved to be much more interesting than she did, and it is the Elders are the problem, and first they must go, only then can we reclaim our place as dungeon cores.¡±


    ¡°Then what Bless said about becoming a god is what? A lie?¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Aren¡¯t we already? We have killed five of the six dungeon core Elders, captured all of their replacements, and can manipulate [Menu] to do our bidding. Our only rivals now are the actual gods, and we have a plan for them as well.¡±


    ¡°Five? Then you were responsible for even Leland¡¯s death?¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Leland was a big help, and we learned a lot from him, but once he started to realize what we were planning to do. Let¡¯s just say, it was quite easy to convince Adra¡¯s king to give us a hand with Leland after the prince¡¯s ¡°accident¡±.¡±


    Angela has finally stopped struggling against Dyson, and he has resumed the attempt of removing the helmet from his head, and even Ceres¡¯s face seems to be regaining a bit of color, but she is still a long way from being able to attempt her teleportation again.


    ¡°I can¡¯t agree with your reasoning for wanting the Elders dead, but even if I did that still doesn¡¯t excuse the hundreds of other dungeon cores you have killed.¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Manipulating [Menu] comes at a cost, and a dungeon core that is complacent in the Elder¡¯s actions is just as guilty as the Elders themselves, especially when they are powerful enough to do something about it like Maric.¡±


    ¡°You can try to justify your actions all you want, but at the end of the day you are just killing dungeon cores for your own benefit.¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°And who gets to be the judge on one¡¯s action, you? I am sure many those who have lost loved ones in your dungeon would disagree.¡±


    ¡°Everyone that has entered my dungeon has done so knowing the risks it involves.¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Now who is trying to justify their actions? You do what you must to survive, just as we have. ¡°


    ¡°You have done far more than just try to survive¡­¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°As fun as this conversation has been, I had hopes of seeing this new teleportation ability of yours, but given Ceres¡¯s condition I would assume it has something to do with her? As such it looks as it may take a while before I can see just how effective it is, but as I said before we still need Dyson, so I am going to have to ask you to come with me.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere without Master!¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°You are of very little consequence so if you wish to stick around and watch him die then so be it.¡±


    ¡°I promised to look after those girls for Dyson, and they won¡¯t leave without him, so it looks like we are at an impasse.¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°Do you honestly think you could stand a chance against me?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be the first person to underestimate me¡­¡±


    Shadowy figure: ¡°You¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    I start to ask him how I¡¯m mistaken but before I can even get the words out I am assaulted by a sudden rush of air and a sharp pain in the back of my neck, the last thing I can recall before blacking out is the sounds of Ceres, Angela, and Desiree calling out.

 Headache

    When I come to I find myself lying flat on my back with Ceres, Dyson, Angela, and Desiree talking next to me. I don¡¯t know how long I was out, but the pain from where I was hit is still there, so it couldn¡¯t have been too long ago.


    Ceres: ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¨CShe says offering to help me to my feet once she notices I have awoken.-


    The blow was enough to knock me out so to say things are a little blurry are an understatement, but as Ceres pulls me to my feet I can¡¯t help feel a little confused. I am not quite sure where we are at, but Dyson is now fully clothed and without the helmet on his head and Ceres looks perfectly normal even though before I was knocked unconscious she looked dreadful¡­


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Ceres: ¡±I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault you got hurt.¡±


    ¡°We knew the risks, but how did we get out of there, and where are we now?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We are back at my place. Ceres brought us here right after you were attacked.¡±


    ¡°But how? You were in no shape to teleport again, but now you look perfectly fine.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but from the moment we arrived, I was faking it¡­¡±


    ¡°Faking it¡­? But why?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Right from the start I noticed we weren¡¯t alone, and although I was sure I could get us back out of there, I was hoping that by appearing weakened, we could get some information from Dyson¡¯s captors before we fled, and it seemed to be working until you were attacked.¡±


    ¡°Then we are safe?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I don¡¯t know if safe is the right word¡­ I have been beaten in combat before, but those failed dungeon cores¡­ I might have been able to take one alone, but against all of them? I had no chance.¡±


    ¡°All of them?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°There were three of them. The one that you spoke with I didn¡¯t recognize, or one of the one of the others, but the third one¡­ Now her I remember. Thirty years ago or so I trained a dungeon core, I don¡¯t remember his name and even though he became a dungeon core he died after a few years, but that isn¡¯t important because Leland trained a woman that year, and she was the one with the other two that attacked me.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Leave it to Master to remember a woman from thirty years ago that he only met once¡­¡± ¨CShe says rubbing her hand across his chest.-


    Dyson: ¡°After she failed I volunteered to take her in, but Leland refused taking her in himself. I always figured she found him to be a bore and left his dungeon, because I never heard anything about her again.¡±


    ¡°If she was with Leland up until his death, then are we sure she isn¡¯t the one calling the shots?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I believe it is the third person I fought with that is their leader. The one you spoke to and the woman both referred to the other guy. He also seemed the strongest of the three.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea how they managed to gain so much strength?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I killed a lot of dungeon cores in my time with humans, but nowhere near what they have accomplished, so it stands to reason they would have gained many levels from that.¡±


    ¡°Some of the first dungeon cores they eliminated were dungeon cores like Faron and Maric, so they had to be at least that strong even before they started killing dungeon cores.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They had at least 30 years to do together what only took me 20 while alone, even if they avoided killing dungeon cores up until they were ready to strike, it could be possible.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Not to mention the fact they could have been using those rings of theirs long before posing as Dyson. Posing as a dungeon core to kill another would be suspicious, but if they posed as random adventurers each time, who knows how many of the dungeon core deaths within the last 30 years could be contributed to them.¡±


    ¡°If even Dyson isn¡¯t strong enough to take them down, what are we going to do?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well, first of all, there is one thing I have to do before anything else.¡±


    I start to say I¡¯m sure I can guess what that is, but before I get the chance Dyson catches me off guard by bringing his fist around punching me square in jaw. The last thing I recall before losing consciousness again is the pain and crunching sound of what feels like every bone in my face being crushed¡­


    When I come to again, I surprisingly don¡¯t feel any pain at all, but my surroundings have changed again and something it wrapped around me,  I  quickly start to get up but I hear a soothing voice in my ear.


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s okay! You¡¯re back home.¡±


    I quickly look around, and sure enough, Belinda is what is wrapped around me as we are lying in our own bed.


    ¡°How did I get here?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Dyson and Ceres brought you home a few hours ago¡­ They told me what happened to you, and that you would be ok after getting some rest.¡±


    ¡°What did happen? We were all talking after rescuing Dyson, and he just hit me¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After Dyson left Ceres said that he was awfully upset about you taking Angela and Desiree along when you went to rescue him¡­¡±


    ¡°I was the one that wanted to leave them behind¡­ Where are they now?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°After they dropped you off, they said there might be some trouble, and told me to warn the bunnies to keep a look out for suspicious activity, but to message them if anything happened before you woke up. They then went home to prepare their own dungeons.¡±


    ¡°I need to see what we are going to do next.¡± ¨CI say while trying to get out of bed but Belinda holds me tightly.-


    Belinda: ¡°There is nothing else to do tonight¡­ They said they will return first thing in the morning to discuss what comes next, but you are lucky to even be alive after what happened today, so you should rest up while you can.¡±


    ¡°I think Dyson put me in more danger than the traitors did¡­¡±


    Belinda seemed pretty worried about what happened with Dyson¡¯s rescues, and is just happy to see me home in one piece. We get far less ¡°rest¡± then she insinuated, but it isn¡¯t like I have any complaints, and by the time morning rolls around I only got an hour or two of additional sleep.


    When I finally get out of bed I have time to read a message that has been floating around since I first woke up.


    Dungeon Core #5 [Ceres] prevented degradation of [Menu]¡¯s integrity by saving Dungeon Core #400 [Elder Dyson] awarding 10 justicar points.


    Ceres did the heavy lifting this time, but we at least got ahold of some more justicar points in the process. I tell Belinda to let me know when Dyson and Ceres arrive while heading up to the dungeon core room to make sure we have done all we can.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah promises Master everything that can be done, already has. All of the xp that was being saved in the dungeon was spent to further protect the dungeon, all except for a small amount held back for an emergency.¡±


    ¡°Is that really going to be enough, the ones coming after us are strong enough to beat Dyson¡­¡±


    Lylah: ¡°For that purpose we tried focusing less on monsters and more on clever usage of traps and the ways we designed the rooms. Like Master did when making the labyrinths. We each took turns designing different areas so even if they make it through one area the next will be completely different because it was conceived by a completely different person.¡±


    Lila: ¡°Doing it that way we were able to do more, because monsters are always the biggest cost when adding to the dungeon. We can always go back later once we acquire more xp and add more monsters to these rooms, but for now I think this is our best bet.¡±


    ¡°Dyson and Ceres should arrive shortly, but as soon as we get a chance I want you to run me though all the additions you all have made.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course, Master.¡±


    I then return to the house just in time to see Vetala letting Dyson, Angela, and Desiree in the front door. Dyson approaches me.


    Dyson: ¡°Were not late, are we?¡±


    ¡°No, please come in and have a seat.¡± ¨CI say leading them to the living room.-


    Once inside the living room I see Belinda is already speaking with Ceres inside. Belinda quickly asks Vetala to take Rory into the dining room to feed her some breakfast, so she does so, leaving only the six of us in the living room.


    Dyson: ¡°No hard feelings about the face I presume? Personally, I would have made you suffer through a bit longer, but Ceres insisted in patching you up before bringing you home. If anything would have happened to Angela or Desiree though, a few broken bones would have been the least of your worries.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°No hard feelings, but I do have to say I didn¡¯t really have a choice in the matter when it came to taking them with us.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I left them in your care. It was your responsibility to keep them safe. You were too worried about hurting their feelings by not bringing them along, that you broke the agreement we had when you said you would keep them out of harm¡¯s way!¡±


    Angela: ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master, but we are fine¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And that¡¯s the only reason he is still walking this morning, now as for what we are going to do about the failed dungeon cores. We need to come up with a plan before they get any stronger.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We have to recover Madam Erin before they find a way to take over her dungeon, or I don¡¯t see us being able to stand a chance. Can you get to Madam Erin the same way you did me?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°She should be in that new part of her dungeon just like you were, but I was only able to lock onto you because of you being a justicar, if it wasn¡¯t for that I could jump twenty times and still might not be able to find her, and as far as I can tell the power I have used from Belphegor¡¯s eye hasn¡¯t returned, so once it has been used up, that is it¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That power you gained from Belphegor¡¯s eye, was that unique to the eye, or can you gain power that way from other means?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Anything that contains the power from one of the gods should suffice, but items like that aren¡¯t exactly common.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then it comes down to a race. I might be able to acquire a few more items like Belphegor¡¯s eye, but I can¡¯t guarantee their authenticity, and we have to acquire enough authentic ones before the failed dungeon cores discover a way to take over Madam Erin¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If you actually know where to find some of these items, then I am in.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°There is a catch¡­¡±


    ¡°The people that have them might not exactly be willing to part with them.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°I presume you want to persuade them with the business end of your sword?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I¡¯m not blood thirsty you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Then what is the plan?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well it is true some of them will refuse to part with them with anything less the force, but there are a few we might be able to talk them out of. If some of the easier to acquire ones are authentic then that might help us acquire some of the more difficult ones.¡±


    ¡°So, where do we start?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We don¡¯t start anywhere. I will need Ceres to authenticate these items, so we don¡¯t have to waste time on a fake, but someone needs to keep an eye on our dungeons while we are busy.¡±


    ¡°You want me to watch your dungeon?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Someone has to keep an eye on Bless, she seemed more eager to talk to you then me, so maybe she will give you some more information that might be helpful to us,. Besides Byson has made considerable progress, so he can keep an eye on the day to day things, but we don¡¯t know if the failed cores are going to just leave us be either.¡±


    ¡°How long is this going to take?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°With a bit of luck nothing longer than a week.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I will need you keep an eye on a few things for me as well.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And one more thing¡­ With my armor and sword gone, I am going to need a replacement until I am able to recover them. I could make something decent myself, but it would take too long, so maybe you can give me a hand?¡± ¨CHe says while pulling xp bead out and setting it on the coffee table in front of him.-


    I pick up the xp bead and check it out, and it makes my stomach lurch at just how much xp I am holding in my hand¡­ it isn¡¯t enough to make a perfect copy of Dyson¡¯s armor outright, but minimum requirements for adamantium is master quality, so I could at least make an adamantium full-plate.


    ¡°This should be fine. I can make you one hell of a set of orichalcum full-plate, or I can make you a new set of adamantium¡­ It won¡¯t be nearly as good as the set you had, there is a large xp difference between master and legendary quality, but if you are willing to do without the enchantments and legendary quality I can at least keep you in adamantium.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Adamantium would be wasted if it is not made of at least legendary quality. I hate to say it, but I think the orichalcum armor would be a better bet.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. I now have the ability to upgrade armor as well. Now, if I understand the way the ability works, it may take anywhere from 5 to 7 master quality adamantium full-plates to upgrade it to a legendary one like you had, but that would at most only cost 500,000 extra xp then if we summoned it that way, but if you are lucky and it only takes you 5 it could save you up to close to 4 million xp in the long run.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Your dungeon never ceases to terrify the hell out of me¡­ Fine, adamantium it is then.¡±


    I send a quick message to the bunnies to let them know what I am doing, so they don¡¯t freak out about the fluctuations in our xp total, and add Dyson¡¯s xp bead to the dungeon. I then select to summon an adamantium full-plate.


    This will take up the majority of the xp the bead added, so I summon it with a design like dwarven armor that has the gambeson built into it. A separate gambeson might offer a greater deal of comfort and protection, but would also raise the cost a considerable amount, so this will have to do if Dyson wants me to summon a weapon for him as well.


    I don¡¯t want to copy his original armor completely, so I give it a bit of my own flare, and the resulting armor is the best I have ever summoned. Just being made from adamantium makes it that, but I have to say its design is something I am proud of as well.


    Where Dyson¡¯s original armor was like a heavy earth dragon covered from head to toe in thick impenetrable scales, this armor is more like that of a wind dragon, with a far more streamlined appearance that restricts movement to a much lesser degree, and although it isn¡¯t the impenetrable barrier as his other armor was it still covers its own shortcomings much better than any armor I have summoned in the past.


    Due to my [Advanced Summoning] skill I could see there was a solid 25% chance of having a critical success, and although the result wasn¡¯t a critical success itself it still received a free enchantment because of the skill.


    Dyson¡¯s original armor was enchanted with the [Magic Repel] enchantment only furthering its ability to be like an impenetrable barrier, and although having it o this armor would be quite nice, it instead got a much lesser form with only [Magic Resistance].


    I summoned the armor onto an armor rack I pulled out of my dungeon¡¯s inventory, so as Dyson looks it over he says. ¡°Just with the fact that you are capable of summoning adamantium armor should in itself be massively impressive, but I have grown so used to you exceeding my expectations, so I can¡¯t help feel this armor is somewhat lacking.¡±


    ¡°You are just used to your own armor, and at least 6 times the cost of this one I am sure I could have made an armor to equal your own, but you get what you pay for.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I know you are right, but it almost looks wrong to look upon an adamantium armor of sub-par quality.¡±


    ¡°This is the best armor I have ever made, it kind of hurts to hear you talk about it like that¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Once we deal with these failed dungeon cores, I will start gathering some xp for you to summon a few more sets of adamantium armor, and then we will see if you can change my mind.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡±


    Angela and Desiree start helping Dyson don the armor while I go back to my [Menu] to summon him another sword, and its result is much like the armor. I was the one to summon Dyson¡¯s void sword so it makes the difference in quality much more apparent at least.


    Not only was his normal sword of legendary quality, it was also a critical success so even though a master quality adamantium sword had a 18% chance it didn¡¯t result in a critical success either. Dyson¡¯s void sword had the [Darkness Attack] enchantment, which this one shares as well, but it also had the [Void Attack] enchantment on top of it, so after upgrading this sword a few times and adding the second enchantment it might actually be equal to his normal sword, but it would surely cost more xp to get it there then what his other sword originally cost.


    I had the sword over to Desiree who straps it to Dyson¡¯s waist while Angela takes a step back looking Dyson over.


    Angela: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I know this armor isn¡¯t as high quality of your regular armor, but I think its design is much more appealing. It isn¡¯t as frightening to look at.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Intimidation is an added benefit of my armor. Now, what about the helmet?¡±


    ¡°That is a little trickier. Due to the fact it has no openings for you to see out of, it has to have the [Peerless Sight] enchantment on it, and that would make it cost too much to summon. We can take a gamble on hoping the random enchantment is [Peerless Sight], but if it fails we can summon an orichalcum half-helm and combine them to get an adamantium half-helm. Either that or just put all the xp on a very high quality orichalcum half-helm.


    Dyson: ¡°It is worth the gamble, because if nothing else you will learn to summon adamantium half-helms.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Sexy new armor, and I still get to see Master¡¯s face, I am really starting to like this new armor.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Exposed face also means more easily damaged. You seen what Master¡¯s face looked like when Ceres took that torture device off of him yesterday, and forgive me if I rather not have to picture him like that again."


    Angela: ¡°I was trying to be optimistic¡­ But you had to ruin it didn¡¯t you?¡±


    I didn¡¯t see what Dyson looked like when they took that helmet off of him, but I am starting to be glad I didn¡¯t by the way they are talking.  The man in Dyson¡¯s armor said they wouldn¡¯t be able to get it off without the key in their possession, so I wonder how they managed it.


    I don¡¯t need to be focusing on that torture device while summoning a new helmet for Dyson¡­ so I try focusing hard on producing an adamantium sightless helmet, with hopes of getting one with the [Peerless Sight] enchantment, but the result is [Eagle Eye] which is ironic because it improves your sight, but that does you any good from a helmet you can¡¯t see out of¡­


    I have to use a few hundred of my own xp to summon an orichalcum half-helm to combine with the sightless helm, but a few hundred xp isn¡¯t going to make much of a difference. The enchantment on the half-helm is [Shock-absorption] which reduces the impact from blows to the head, but once I combine the two helmets I think the enchantments from the combined items increase the chances of the new item having at least one of the same enchantments, but it isn¡¯t guaranteed.


    Out of the most uninspired item of the morning, the helmet of all things results in a critical success, and although the quality of the new adamantium half-helm doesn¡¯t increase it results in a unique item and it carries over both of the enchantments, so it isn¡¯t entirely useless.


    The resulting appearance of the helmet is a bit gaudy though, with the shape of an eagle¡¯s head down to intricate feather-like engravings to large jewel like eyes. Angela looks disheartened when Dyson puts the helmet on his head, and Ceres and Belinda can¡¯t help chortle at his appearance.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ That wasn¡¯t exactly what I was expecting.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It will have to do for now, but you better be ready to fix it the next time I stop by.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ What about you Ceres?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°So I can end up with a bird on top of my head as well? ¨CShe snorts.- ¡°No thank you, I am just fine.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You really should consider some type of armor, we aren¡¯t exactly going to be going on a picnic.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me, I have everything I need.¡±


    ¡°What about Angela and Desiree? Are you going to leave them here again?¡±


    Angela: ¡°No! We are going with Master this time!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°After what happened yesterday I am hesitate to leave them behind...¡±


    Desiree: ¡°You said the first few stops should be without danger, so having us along shouldn¡¯t be a problem, and once it is we can return to this conversation then.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Ceres summons a large stack of parchment and hands it over to me.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Some paperwork that needs to be done, I will send a message back to the administration building so you can pick up tomorrow¡¯s paperwork as well.¡±


    ¡°Wait this is just for today?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If you don¡¯t know where to turn it in, one of my people at the administration building should be able to help you. There should be some for the university, the mage¡¯s guild, and some side work I have taken on for Scylla as well.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a minute¡­¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dyson said it would be gone no longer than a week.¡±


    Dyson takes Ceres¡¯s que and the four of them disappear from the room leaving me with the large stack of parchment. Belinda nervously gets up and says. ¡°I better go make sure Vetala has things handled with Rory¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Belinda comes back and kisses me on the cheek while saying. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, you didn¡¯t think I would abandon you did you? Let me just ask Vetala if she minds watching Rory for a bit longer, and I will come back and help you.¡±


    As Belinda leaves the room I sit down and start going through it all, and I can¡¯t help but wonder if all this stuff is really necessary. Most of the memories I have recovered from before are of events, conversations, or of feelings, but lots of menial stuff like my work as the mayor is still gone.


    I remember being the mayor, and remember the process, but it isn¡¯t till I start digging into this paperwork that I remember some of the more boring aspects of the time I was mayor¡­

 Complicated Relationships

    The last few days have been, to say the least, chaotic. I''ve tried to contact Laura several times, but so far she hasn¡¯t responded, so I think she is being held by the failed cores as well. Maybe I should get a hold of Aaron to see if he knows anything, but I''ve been quite busy running Ceres''s university in her absence.


    Either I''ve gotten less of my memories back than I thought, or I just never did so much paperwork in my life. If Ceres isn¡¯t pulling my leg about the paperwork, then I honestly don¡¯t see how she has the time to lounge around my house with Belinda for hours every day.


    Well, she sleeps but once a week, or so she claims, so maybe she leaves the paperwork for night time? Since I can''t do the same, I had to recruit some help, and pulled a few of the bunnies into this madness. Misery loves company, after all.


    Lilah had no issue telling her trainee bunnies it is part of their training, but I have to say that if I wasn¡¯t in dire need of the help, and the fact they seem to enjoy it so much, I would have scolded her for taking advantage of them.


    Working with them this closely over the last few days. I''ve gotten to know them better, if nothing else, and I have seen that Lilah really took a liking to Leveret¡­ a bit too much so perhaps? He appears to be a boy just half her age, which makes it seem unwholesome despite them actually only being a few years apart.


    ¡°Leveret, I need you to deliver this form at the Mage¡¯s Guild. Do you remember the way there?¡±


    Leveret nods energically, causing his ears to flop back and forth before he speaks - ¡°Yes! I''ll deliver it!¡±


    ¡°Lilah will make sure Leveret doesn¡¯t get lost!¡± ¨CSays Lilah as she prepares to go with him.-


    ¡°He''s done it half a dozen times over the last few day, I''m sure he''ll do just fine on his own. Besides, he won¡¯t even leave the dungeon grounds, so even if he did get lost he''ll just need to transfer back.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°But¡­Lilah isn¡¯t doing anything anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually there is something I need to talk to you about, so I need you to stay.¡±


    Leveret: ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can!¡± ¨CHe says enthusiastically, while Lilah¡¯s eyes dart back and forth between the two of us, and her ears start to droop as he bolts out the door.-


    ¡°Lilah, what exactly¡­¡± ¨CI start to say when Leveret slowly creeps back into the room, his ears hanging low, his nose twitching.- ¡°Yes, was there a problem?¡± - I address him


    Leveret: ¡°I-I forgot the form¡­¡± ¨Che averts my eyes as he picks the form and leaves again.-


    Lilah: ¡°See, Leveret needs Lilah!¡±


    ¡°He was excited, it was an honest mistake. Alright Leveret, take care and come straight back.¡±


    Leveret''s ears perk up a bit as he clasps the form to his chest, and hurries back out of the room. As Lilah¡¯s eyes trail him on his way out of the room, I say. ¡°What I was going to say is; what exactly is going on between you and Leveret?¡±


    Lilah gets a bit fidgety as she says. ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t know what Master means!¡±


    ¡°First you were treating him quite harshly making him do more work than the others, and with how you are treating him now¡­ I have to say, I know I told you it was ok for you to find yourself a lover, but isn¡¯t Leveret a bit young¡­?¡±


    Lilah¡¯s nervous face quickly vanishes only to be replaced with confusion, and after a few moments she says. ¡°Master is mistaken! Lilah would never cheat on Master!¡±


    ¡°Lilah, I told you. Our relationship will never be like that, so it isn¡¯t cheating¡­ But I do think Leveret is just too young.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master doesn¡¯t need to worry. Lilah would never do something like that with Leveret!¡± ¨CShe says sounding almost disgusted at the possibility, which is a sort of a relief, but on the other hand, a bit worrying since she hasn¡¯t given up on me yet¡­-


    ¡°Then what is the deal between you?¡±


    Lilah becomes flustered and fidgety again and says. ¡°Master needn¡¯t worry!¡± But that still doesn¡¯t stop her from cheering up for a second as the door opens again, only to be clearly disappointed when it is Levi and Lily, returning from their own chores, and not Leveret.


    I still don¡¯t know what to make of Lilah¡¯s reaction, but we still have a lot of paperwork to get through today, and now that Levi and Lily have returned, we get back to it.


    Later in the evening I recruit Belinda to help me put together a thank you dinner for the bunnies.


    After inserting the bird into the oven, there''s nothing else to do, and since Belinda agrees to take it out in time for dinner, I make a quick trip over to Dyson¡¯s dungeon, just to make sure Byson has things under control, which by the look of things, he does. Then, I drop by to check on the groups training on Ceres''s dungeon.


    Bandy: ¡°Oh, its just you.¡± ¨C she says with a sigh, then plops down next to a campfire her group has set up, on top of which they are cooking their dinner.


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint you¡­?¡± ¨CI say while trying to figure out just which kind of creature they have roasting over the fire.-


    Edmund: ¡°It isn¡¯t that. She is just upset that Ceres isn¡¯t back yet, because it means no new monsters, and we have started to get quite bored with what Ceres has already added.¡±


    ¡°What about the crystal? Last I heard, you hadn¡¯t made any progress towards finding it.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°She is bullshitting us with that imitation crystal. I don¡¯t think it is even here. The floors rotate daily, so you never know what element the creatures you are going to run into belong to, but even so, we have searched every room thoroughly and still hadn''t found anything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Ceres has any reason to lie to you, so if she says it¡¯s here somewhere, I am sure it is.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°That¡¯s what I keep telling them. There must be some special circumstances that open up the pathway. Maybe a certain element has to be on a certain floor to open the path, and we just haven¡¯t given it enough time yet.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°I don¡¯t even care anymore. When are we going to be able to get back to training for real?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you out there while the failed cores are causing havoc, so let¡¯s get that situation taken care of first. Then we''ll see about turning you loose again.¡±


    Belinda messages me to inform she''s taking the bird out from the oven, so I quickly make sure noone needs anything, and go back to the house. They me enough to know I¡¯m not much of an eater and just enjoy the company, so they have already started eating when I enter the dining room.


    Belinda has Rory in her lap as I walk in, feeding her some of the softer foods. Both Lily and Levi look like they are enjoying themselves greatly as well, maybe because this is only the third or fourth time they have ever eaten anything. And then there''s Lilah and Leveret¡­


    Leveret is sitting there enjoying his food as much as Lily and Levi, but Lilah will scoop up something off her own plate and tell Leveret he has to try it shoving it in his mouth. My arrival seems to cause Lilah to scale it down, but throughout the meal there are still several more times I see her try to sneak Leveret a bite from her plate.


    One advantage of Dyson and Ceres being out there trying to find divine relics rather than messing with the failed cores is that [Communication] hasn¡¯t been blocked, so we are able to keep each other up to date about what is going on, and do just that after dinner, with me relaxing in the living room while Ceres and Dyson catch me up.


    Unfortunately the first two divine relics they came across turned out to be fakes, but the good news is, the third one was authentic. We don¡¯t know if the type of item has any relevance to how much power is held within, but they managed to boost Ceres''s power with a vial of divine blood.


    Even though the amount of power Ceres got from the blood was less than they had hoped for, they have several more leads before they need deal with the relics they''re sure to need to fight for. Hopefully enough of the easy ones will prove real, so they won¡¯t need to fight over the last ones.


    Well, after speaking with Ceres and Dyson for a while. I close [Menu] and watch the bunnies and Belinda. Then something seems to click. Lily and Levi are making faces and playing with Rory while she sits in Belinda¡¯s lap, but it is Lilah and Leveret that draw my attention.


    Leveret is practically sitting in Lilah¡¯s lap, leaning against her chest with Lilah rubbing her hands through his hair. I was mistaken for thinking the way Lilah was treating Leveret like a lover.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    My eyes dart from the couch were Belinda is holding Rory and laughing while Lily and Levi make faces at her, back to the couch where Lilah and Leveret are, and I notice the similarities, then everything just clicks together¡­


    ¡°Lilah!¡± ¨CI say loudly startling not only Lilah, but everyone else in the room as well.- ¡°What did you do?!¡±


    Lilah looks nervous as she notices Leveret and quickly makes him sit up. She then avoids eye contact but says. ¡°Master, I don¡¯t know what you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Lily, Levi, and Leverert, why don¡¯t you three take that extra food Belinda prepared to the others now. I am sure the dungeon has slowed down enough that they can enjoy it.¡±


    They seem confused at first because of the sudden outburst, but then they nod and start to head back to the kitchen. Lilah starts to get up and follow after them, but I stop her. ¡°No Lilah, you stay. I think Belinda and I need to have a word with you.¡±


    Lilah¡¯s ears droop and she avoids eye contact while dropping back onto the couch. Once the other bunnies are out of the room, I ask Lilah again. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°I thought Lilah was acting weird with Leveret, and I was right, but not the way I first thought. But I think I get it now.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah did as Master asked. Lilah summoned Levi, Lily, and Leveret for helping in Master and Ceres¡¯s dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Lily and Levi maybe, but there was another reason you summoned Leveret.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah tried summoning Leveret as a normal beastkin, it isn¡¯t her fault he ended up as a Lepuskin instead.¡±


    ¡°I am not talking about his race. I am talking about the way you are treating him. The reason you distanced yourself from him at the beginning was because you thought you failed. But now, regardless of his race you don¡¯t think that anymore.¡±


    Lilah fiddles with her hands while avoiding eye contact. ¡°Lilah doesn¡¯t know what Master means.¡±


    ¡°I am not saying it is wrong for you to want a child. I do still think you are a bit young, but it is more about how you went about it. That doesn¡¯t even mentions the fact that he is half grown!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Lilah, is that true?¡±


    Lilah¡¯s ears are drooping so low now that they are almost like Leveret''s, but she suddenly gets angry and says. ¡°It isn¡¯t fair! Belinda had a baby with Master even though it shouldn¡¯t have been possible, yet Lilah, who is always, always protecting Master¡¯s heart, can¡¯t, not even like this?!¡±


    Belinda gets up and hugs her. Rory is still probably too young to understand what is going on, but it is hug time and she won''t be left out, so she hugs Lilah too.


    ¡°Lilah¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve, please go give Rory a bath, and ready her for bed. This is something Lilah and I should probably talk about without you getting in the way.¡±


    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t I¡­¡± ¨C Belinda cuts me off with a look as she rubs Lilah¡¯s head.- ¡°Alright¡­¡± ¨CI take Rory upstairs.-


    I give Rory a bath, get her ready for bed, and read her a story while she falls asleep, and still there are no signs of Belinda. I send Belinda a message asking her if everything is ok, but she quickly sends me one back telling me to stay here, and that she will be up as soon as she is done.


    With nothing else to do I get ready for bed myself. Lilah has been with us almost since the beginning, and we have known how about her feelings for a while, but I really thought she had gotten her over it. Now the question is; what will we do with Leveret?


    He doesn¡¯t sees Lilah as a his mother, and in a few years might start getting the wrong impression about her in the same way Lilah did towards me, so the sooner we put a stop to it the better. He is going to think he did something wrong if Lilah starts treating him different all at once though¡­


    Well, hopefully that is something else Belinda is covering in her talk with Lilah. I could use [Menu] to see what they are talking about, but maybe it is for the best that I don¡¯t. It takes a few more hours before Belinda comes to bed, and she looks like she cried a bit.


    I ask her if everything is alright, but she won¡¯t tell me what she talked about with Lilah. She just gives me a light kiss and crawls into bed after saying that it has been taken care of. I don¡¯t exactly know what she means by it, but she won¡¯t answer any of my questions either, so there is nothing else to do but go to sleep.


    The next morning when the bunnies come to give me a hand with the day¡¯s paperwork, Lylah comes with them instead of Lilah. When I ask Lylah about Lilah, she just says she is busy, but later in the day when I go to the dungeon core room to check on things, Lila and the rest say that Belinda told her to take a few days off, so she is out.


    Lilah is family, and even Belinda treats her as such, so I can¡¯t see her kicking Lilah out or anything like that, but I do have to say it seems rather strange for Belinda to give Lilah a few days off right after their talk. Unfortunately I don¡¯t have much time to figure out what is going on, exactly, because there is just so much paperwork to do.


    By the time evening rolls around however I decide to ask Belinda what is going on with Lilah.


    Belinda: ¡°I told you I took care of it.¡±


    ¡°I try to get Lilah to take a break all the time, and even on her days off she doesn¡¯t want to leave the dungeon unless it is to go train with us in Shima. Yet not only did you get her to take several days off in a row, but got her to do so outside the dungeon, as well?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We had a long talk, and I know she is family, but her crush on you really crossed a line this time¡­ She did not just summon Leveret with the intention of him being her child, but she focused on what a child between you two would be like.¡±


    ¡°So you what? Made her leave?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course not!¡± - she looks shocked - ¡°But like you said, even if you are not around, she is always there protecting your crystal, so in a way she is always by your side, and we let her crush go on for far too long. After talking for a good while, we both decided it was best that she takes just a few days away to think about things.¡±


    ¡°With everything that is going on, do you really think it is safe for her to be roaming the countryside alone?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°With the training she''s gotten in Shima, she is easily as strong as Logan. Besides, she isn¡¯t ¡°roaming the countryside.¡± I took her to the capital. I hope spending a few days with Amy might give Lilah a chance to see there is more to life than just you and the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think Amy is the right person to help Lilah right now?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Amy is a lot of things, but she was always there to help me keep my head on straight when I was growing up, so I¡¯m sure Lilah will be fine.¡±


    ¡°She got us both drunk, took our clothes off, and threw us in bed together long before we were even interested in one another.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Well, before -you- were interested¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should go get her.¡±


    Belinda quickly comes over and sits down in my lap, and kisses me.


    Belinda: ¡°I love that you are worried about Lilah, but if you ''rescue'' her now, do you really think that will help her in the long run?¡±


    ¡°I just think with everything we have on our plate right now, this headache that could have been put off for a while longer.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You constantly go from one frying pan to the next, putting it off for so long is why we are in this mess to begin with.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right, I am just worried about her, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I know.¡± ¨CShe says while rubbing my chest.- ¡°And I know this isn¡¯t going to help matters much, but I don¡¯t think Lilah is the one you need to worry about.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Lilah¡¯s reason for summoning Leveret the way she did was because she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to have a child with you, but she also didn¡¯t want to be left behind¡­ Apparently, Lylah has found a boyfriend, and their relationship has progressed very quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind the bunnies having relationships, but don¡¯t you think Lylah is a bit young to have a relationship go that far? There is also the dungeon¡¯s safety to consider¡­ Are you certain Lilah wasn¡¯t mistaken? Because Lylah worked with me all day today, and she didn¡¯t mention a thing.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°She was quick to volunteer to help you after Lilah left, and was more than eager to take any of the paperwork to the Mage¡¯s Guild. Lilah said he is one of the Mage¡¯s Guild mages that frequents the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, we better have a talk with her. She knows better than to give any information about the dungeon, but we need to make sure she doesn¡¯t give him preferential treatment while entering the dungeon, either.¡±


    I start to send Lylah a message, but instead she quickly transfers into the room with a panicked look on her face.


    Lylah: ¡°Master! Tobes is under attack by monsters!¡±


    Dyson¡¯s PoV


    After we secure our first divine relic (a vial with the blood of some ancient deity), Ceres uncorks it and drinks the golden liquid within it. From the looks of things, anything but a pleasant experience.


    ¡°Well? Did it work?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°As if eating Belphegor¡¯s eye wasn¡¯t bad enough, but to drink some random god¡¯s blood as well? I¡¯m turning into a cannibal¡­ And the worst part is, I haven¡¯t felt this alive in over a year.¡±


    ¡°Then it contained more power than the eye did?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°About the same? If we don¡¯t find more of these items quickly, we won''t make it in time.¡±


    ¡°There''s a few more we can look for before we go after the ones guaranteed to require violence, but we should probably inform Two-Twelve on what is going on before he does something reckless again.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You are right about that. He means well, but always finds the hardest way to do things.¡±


    We open [Menu] and speak with Two-Twelve for a while. After that, we make plans for tomorrow and retire for the evening.


    Now, a third party observer may think Desiree has gained quite a bit of influence over Angela since my rescue, considering the amazing passion, inhibition and creativity they''ve been showing during sex as of late (specially in the inn''s bath and bed, but even by our campsite''s fireside, with Ceres no more than a couple yards away), but that isn''t really the case, though at first I thought it was them trying to make up for our time apart, but when I confront them about it, they look at me with confused expressions.


    Angela: ¡°Yes, we were worried sick about you, and are elated to have you back, but I don¡¯t think we''ve done anything different¡­ But if Master is displeased, we''ll do whatever it takes to correct it.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°I''ve noticed the change as well, but it is Master who is acting different.¡± - she says


    Angela seems nervous as she adds - ¡°B-but Master, I like this you the most!¡±


    ¡°This me, uh? And what exactly is it you both think is different now?¡±


    Both girls look at each other nervously, but it is Desiree that speaks. ¡°Master has become afraid.¡±


    Angela quickly jumps in to say. ¡°Master isn¡¯t afraid of anything!¡±


    ¡°Only a fool fears nothing, however there''s not much I do fear.¡±


    Desiree hesitates before speaking up - ¡°The number of Master''s fears increases almost daily nowadays, and while the parts of your mind where you keep them has always been blocked to me, some of them have been leaking out as of late.¡±


    ¡°I admit the situation with the failed cores has become more troubling then anticipated, but to claim that it scared me that much is too exaggerated." - I can''t help but frown at my succubus¡¯s words


    Desiree: ¡°When you punched Two-Twelve hard enough to kill a normal man, it wasn¡¯t only because of anger that you did so, but fear. Fear of losing us, and anger at being helpless while we were in danger. That is what I feel.¡±


    ¡°I have put a lot of time, effort, and resources into the two of you, so it stands to reason I wouldn¡¯t want to lose you."


    Desiree: ¡°And yet, both of us fall terribly short in all of those parameters when compared to your armor, yet you felt almost nothing about losing it.¡±


    "My armor isn''t going anywhere. I''ll get it back as soon as the failures are dead. But I''ve spent most of my life looking for a new love, and I am not giving you up now that I''ve finally found the two of you,.." -A weight falls off my chest as I say so.-


    "Master, I love you!" - cries Angela as she tries to bury her face into my chest.


    It takes me a few moments to realize the truth of what I just said. Indeed, I do love them. The pain over my wife''s loss is still there, but I am not looking for her in other women anymore. I can finally move on, and... I think she''d approve.


    I look down at Angela and gently lift her chin so I can kiss her, then pull Desiree to kiss her as well. The bed of this simple inn is nowhere near sturdy enough to endure what comes next, so we are forced to teleport back home to the sturdiness of our bed.


    We end the long night in the bath, with all of us resting together. Angela twirls her finger through the water while watching Desiree¡¯s tail flick back and forth as she nibbles on my right earlobe.


    ¡°Hm.¡± ¨CI comment to no one in particular while resting in the water that has already begun to cool due to how long we''ve been here. After checking over something in [Menu] I say.- ¡° I guess I¡¯m finally ready to expand our family by one.¡±


    "Master?" - Angela says looking up at me - "Do you have anyone already in mind, or will you talk with Two-Twelve about it?"


    Desiree: "Ah, I think she should have wings. It has become something of a theme, hasn''t it? Maybe a human-sized fairy? Your bed already has bat and swan wings, so butterfly or dragonfly wings may be a must by now..."


    "I wasn''t thinking in adding another woman." - I reply - "When [Menu] changed the way dungeon cores are born, I was quite troubled over who I''d like to be the mother of my child, but then the option was no longer available. Recently however I have noticed that there are times in which it has become available again, and this time I am no longer troubled over it¡­ Wait, were you hoping for a new ¡®sister¡¯ to join our bed?¡±


    "Ah-" - Angela is bright red, while Desiree''s smirk speaks volumes on its own.


    ¡°Well it seems we have much to discuss, but first¡­ Ceres has been asking for us for the past half hour, she''s seen the state of the inn room, and worried we had been attacked, you know?¡±

 The Attack on Tobes

    Lylah: ¡°Master! Tobes is under attack by monsters!¡±


    Lylah¡¯s words echo in my ears, without me being able to grasp their meaning for a few moments, or maybe it is just that I can¡¯t believe it.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve¡­Two-Twelve!¡±


    Belinda snaps me out of it¡­ I anticipated that the failed dungeon cores might attack Ceres or myself, but I never anticipated they would attack the town itself. I quickly send a message to all of my monsters telling them to meet at the house at once, and at the same time the sounds of bells ring out in Tobes.


    I quickly cast [Gate] and I am half surprised it even worked, but this attack has to be the failed dungeon cores, so we have no way of knowing how long we will be able to use teleportation magic.


    ¡°Belinda take Rory and go to your father!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But I can help!¡±


    ¡°I know you can, but we have to get Rory to safety first. Once there you can open another [Gate] and get your father to send as many soldiers through as we can before the failed cores stop [Gate] from working.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨CShe says scooping Rory up in her arms. I give them both a quick kiss, and Belinda disappears through the portal heading to the capital.-


    The girls start arriving at the house in a panic as the warning bells chime.


    Scylla: ¡°Master, what is going on?¡±


    ¡°We are still getting information. Lylah, where are they coming from?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°It¡¯s the far side of town near the university, but they aren¡¯t attacking from the road, but coming out of the forest.¡±


    I quickly open [Menu] to show me the edges of my dungeon, and there are hundreds, if not thousands of monsters pouring out of the woods into the new section of Tobes. They were caught off guard, but the soldier¡¯s fort is nearby, and they have already begun to mobilize.


    There are a few higher ranked monsters in the mix, but the majority of them are goblins, kobold, and the like, but in their numbers the normal townsfolk won¡¯t stand a chance.


    ¡°Lylah, gather everyone at Ceres''s dungeon. I don¡¯t know how much control Ceres gave us over her dungeon, but tell the ones supervising our people to gather theirs to help as well, if they can.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Boss, what about us?¡± ¨CShe says using [Menu] to equip her armor.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I am sure you are worried about your families as well, Take Listel and Wolfric to the capital as well, while there is still a chance.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°It won¡¯t matter where they are if the dungeon falls, so I would rather have Listel close, The dungeon core room would be the safest place for them right now.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°She is right, if we get stuck in the capital unable to return to help, I would never forgive myself.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Leveret, Lily, and Levi, you have all been training hard to control monsters, but not leveling yourselves. You take the little ones to the dungeon core room and take care of them for now. Lila, I want you to gather all the demi-humans other than the fairies, and bring them to Tobes. Leila, send the fairies through the dungeon to inform all the adventures in the dungeon that Tobes is under attack, if they are willing, transfer them out of the dungeon and into Tobes to help.¡±


    Leila: ¡°What about them finding out about the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t important right now, we can say it is the fairies doing, or the dungeon giving permission, or whatever, but right now we need their help.¡±


    Leila: ¡°Understood¡­¡±


    ¡°Lala and Lele, I want you two to gather all the dwarves and anyone else bound to the dungeon I may have forgotten about, and get them to the front lines as well. Azami, you have the most magic, but we don¡¯t know how long teleporting is going to be possible. Get as many of the townsfolk to safety as you can, if not by [Gate] then transfer anyone willing as far away from combat as possible. Anyone that can wield a weapon, summon one if you have to, but get them armed.¡±


    Bell: ¡°Where is Sofia?¡± ¨CShe says in a panic looking around the room.-


    ¡°She was having a lecture at the university, so if she isn¡¯t already aware of what is going on, she soon will be.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I need to make sure she is ok!¡±


    ¡°Alright, but just like with Azami, many of Sofia¡¯s students have at least basic combat experience, so put a weapon in their hand and have them help save Tobes.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the mayor. You need to coordinate things between the townsfolk, soldiers, and dungeon. You help get the ones fleeing from battle to a safe place, and sending the ones that can fight in the right direction, and make sure they don¡¯t start attacking the demi-humans by mistake. Kline, I need you to find Doug, he needs to give Scylla a hand from the soldiers side of things. He is currently the highest ranking officer in town, so he needs to stay safe and give orders, and if it isn¡¯t too much trouble, try to find Tanya and Exavier, we don¡¯t need to start a war with Exeter on top of everything else.¡±


    Kline: ¡°Just make sure you heed your own advice, I know you want to jump in the middle of things to help, but our lives are tied to yours, and if something happens to you everything will fall apart.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    Everyone starts transferring from the house to do their part, while I send a message to Dyson, Ceres, Ithros, and anyone else part of our group that might be of assistance.


    Vetala: ¡°What about me? I¡¯m not bound to your dungeon, but I can fight as well.¡±


    ¡°I need you to go to the Mage¡¯s Guild. I am sure they are already beginning to move, but you have a good relationship with them, so if something where to happen and you were to get hurt, the Mage¡¯s Guild Elders know that you are an undead and would be the best equipped to help you.¡±


    I pull some gear from the dungeon inventory for her to use, and Vetala takes it while running out the front door. It feels like I am running and hiding, but I can keep an eye on things much better from the dungeon core room than here, so I transfer there to meet the trainee bunnies, Listel, and Wolfric.


    Wolfric is young enough he doesn¡¯t know what is going on, so he is having fun playing with some of Leila¡¯s massive collection of stuffed animals, but Listel is old enough to read the mood of those around her, and understands something is wrong, even if she doesn¡¯t know what.


    The trainee bunnies are born from the dungeon but they are practically children themselves, so even though they know what they have to do, they are still barely holding it together. I pull up one of the seats the bunnies use, and then bring forth the rarely used screens that show the town, eclipsing the ones that show the dungeon with them.


    The streets are in utter chaos, people running in every direction, some trying to flee without a clear destination, others trying to locate loved ones, and others trying to seek safety at the guilds. The soldiers have indeed begun to mobilize, but most of the soldiers are rookies, here to train in the dungeon, so there''s barely any real, professional soldiers at the fort.


    I was trying to get Belinda¡¯s siblings to safety, but I had forgotten about Quinn, and as he was at the university, he is right in the thick of things. He must have been in Sofia¡¯s lecture because she is engaging the monsters nearby, but Quinn is fighting recklessly trying to show off, and even if they are just goblins and the like it is going to get him killed if he isn¡¯t careful.


    Bell just arrived. I send her and Sofia a message, asking them to keep an eye on him if possible, because I don¡¯t want to be the one to explain to Belinda¡¯s father that we failed to protect him¡­.


    Most of Tobes deals with the dungeon in one way or another, even food production has really come a long way in the dungeon, so thankfully we have a higher-than-average amount of fighting-able people in town.


    As such, once the initial panic wears off, more and more people begin to show up in the frontline to ward off the monster tide. That isn¡¯t to say we aren''t taking losses, but once the Mage¡¯s Guild shows up, the rate at which the monsters die compared to the townsfolk starts growing lopsided in our favor.


    An hour since the beginning of the attack, and everyone has joined together. The monsters seem to be thinning out. Even Belinda returned with several companies of soldiers. She was disappointed her father didn¡¯t send more, but I can understand that if Tobes is under attack, he had to tighten the defenses of the capital as well, in case we are not the only target.


    A downside is, it was pretty late in the afternoon when the attack started, so the sun has already started to set, and this time of year, that means cold. Thankfully, by the time the last rays of the sun disappear and true night falls upon us, the flow of monsters seems to have ended.


    Teleportation and [Communication] never became hampered, so I am left wondering if this attack truly was from the failed cores¡­ There is a massive amount of corpses around, so once the monsters have been completely dispatched we start dealing with the dead, and treating the injured.


    The demi-humans helped in the fighting, but that doesn¡¯t stop rumors wondering if it is possible that the dungeon was behind the attack. We try to put a stop to such rumors before they spread, but even though the monsters were all quite low ranking, there was still a huge verity of types of monsters, so if they didn''t come from the dungeon then where did they come from?


    We continue working late into the night burning monster corpses, identifying and dealing with our own dead, healing the injured, and assessing the damage. Long after midnight, I collapse into a chair in Scylla¡¯s office so can try to make sense of what just happened.


    Scylla: ¡°I don¡¯t know if you would call it lucky or not, but the death toll was 73 people. That is a lot of people, but if the attack targeted the residential area instead of the university, or our response was any slower, or they were any stronger, we would have lost a lot more people¡­¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the reinforcements that Belinda brought from the capital, if this was the failed cores¡¯ doing, it seems they weren''t trying¡­ Even just one of those items of theirs would have drastically changed the battle.¡±


    Scylla: ¡°The town itself also took very little damage. Most of the damage was caused in the newer sections of Tobes, so many buildings there are either still being built, or are far sturdier than the ones in the older sections of the town.¡±


    ¡°I thought maybe this was just a distraction, so I tightened things down in the dungeon to make sure that even if so much as a mouse entered the dungeon I would be informed, but nothing¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I get the feeling that this isn¡¯t the end¡­¡±


    ¡°I agree. I don¡¯t think these monsters could have come from anywhere but the failed cores, but it was just a prod to check our reaction times, gauge our strength, and just gather information. In that regard I think we might have made a mistake.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°We went all out from the get go, because we aren¡¯t used to Tobes coming under attack, so if this was just a measure of our strength, I think they got a pretty accurate test of it¡­¡±


    Scylla: ¡°Well if they try anything else we will be more prepared. With the troops from the capital, we have made a pretty decent perimeter around town, so if monsters do attack again, the townsfolk should know it roughly at the same time we do.¡±


    ¡°I am also worried about the rumors involving the dungeon.¡±


    Doug: ¡°The soldiers are helping to quell those rumors, because we''ve had men stationed at the dungeon at all times, but they are starting to talk about a hidden entrance, or a new dungeon entirely.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°What about Ceres¡¯s dungeon?¡± ¨CI ask one of her members that I invited to the meeting.- ¡°if they go looking for this new entrance or new dungeon, and stumble onto the opening of Ceres¡¯s dungeon, there will be trouble.¡±


    Ceres¡¯s representative: ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. They won¡¯t ever find the entrance to her dungeon unless she wants them to.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What about Ceres, is she coming back?¡±


    ¡°I kept them up to date on everything that happened, and if we are to lose contact or get attacked again they may return with a justicar teleport, but I told them that things are under control for now. We need Ceres to recover more power, and can¡¯t just pull her out of that job if we can help it.¡±


    Kline: ¡°So what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Get some rest¡­ If another attack comes we will be notified immediately, but the longer we stay up the worse off we will be if another attack does come.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I am going to head back to the capital and make sure Rory is ok. I will ask father if he can watch her for a few days just to be safe, and then I will be back.¡± ¨CShe then gives me a quick kiss before using [Gate] to disappear.-


    ¡°Alright, everyone else get some rest, because we don¡¯t know what''ll come next¡­¡±


    I told everyone to rest, but I don¡¯t think anyone went home after splitting up. Scylla and Kline remained at the city hall building to help out, and I headed to the dungeon core room.


    Lilah: ¡°Master should be getting some rest.¡± ¨CShe says, placing her hand on my shoulder.-


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to come back so soon¡­¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Of course! If Master is in danger, this is where Lilah has to be!¡±


    ¡°Once we are sure everything is safe, I''ll make sure you get a proper vacation, alright?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah rather not¡­ Lilah knows she made a mistake, but she didn¡¯t like being in the capital. She''d rather be at home¡­¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t even 24 hours since you left, and you do need to broaden your horizons.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If Master insists, Lilah will visit Denova¡¯s brothel and hire a man there, but please don¡¯t send her away again.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t what we meant at all¡­ We want you to be happy, but I can¡¯t be the one that does it. How about this¡­ What is it about me that you like?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Master is Master!¡±


    ¡°I mean things about me that you like. Instead of focusing on me, think about those things, and try to find someone with those traits. I am sure you''ll find someone out there to make you happier than I could.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah wants to just keep liking Master¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lilah.¡± ¨CI say taking her hand off of my shoulder.- ¡°It would be best if you''d just get some rest for now.¡±


    Her ears hanging low, she goes to bed, and I think I heard her starting to sniffle¡­ I hate to see her hurt, but what else could I do? I don¡¯t see how Dyson does it¡­ I am just not built that way. I love Belinda, and can¡¯t imagine being with anyone else.


    I let out a deep sigh and focus on [Menu], to do what I came here to do in the first place. We''ve been spreading out the dungeon as Tobes expands, but that left the monsters right on top of us before we knew it, so I take what little xp we acquired from the attack, along with the xp from the start of the new day and spread the dungeon off into the forest around as much of Tobes as possible.


    However, Tobes has grown large enough that even with the amount of daily xp we take in nowadays, I still couldn¡¯t come close to surrounding the entirety of town, so I had to pick the areas that seemed like its biggest weak points.


    Even with that, if there is another attack, and the monsters move through the forest at any considerable speed, it isn¡¯t likely to give us much more of a warning. It is all I can manage right now though, so I close [Menu] and head to bed.


    Dyson¡¯s PoV


    ¡°I''d ask what took you so long, but I have a pretty good idea of what the answer will be. You know, as cute as it is to see you fall in love all over again, you do need to prioritize. You are no spring chicken anymore, you know?¡± - says Ceres as we enjoy the best breakfast the innkeeper ever managed to put together, having paid him more than enough for the wrecked room he could probably renovate the whole floor.


    ¡°What can I say? We all got a little enthusiastic last night. We''re even considering adding someone new into the family.¡± - I reply while enjoying a half decent egg with, surprisingly for this region, pepper and sea salt. The innkeeper is really trying his best, I see.


    Ceres: "I thought you had decided to stop filling your bed with new women every time you turn around?"


    ¡°Well, to be fair the girls thought that same as you.¡± - I continue - ¡°I brought it up thinking about having a child of our own. It seems [Menu] has made it possible again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, congratulations. So, which one is the future mother, or is it both?¡±


    ¡°None right now. I wouldn''t drag the mother of my unborn child out into the field with us, would I? And I am sure she''d resent being left to stay behind, though they did had the same train of thought you did, and Desiree suggested a few things for this theoretical newest member in our lives.¡±


    ¡°I... contributed as well.¡± - adds Angela while looking at her plate as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the room


    ¡°Yes, they each had two pages worth of suggestions. Each. I wonder if Two-Twelve will have an issue following a script.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this I have to see. May I?¡± - asks Ceres, and I hand her the small sheets - ¡°It really was four pages long... let''s see... Hmm... Uhu... Alright... I see... there is at least one grievous oversight I spotted right away, though.¡±


    ¡°What? Where!?¡± - Desiree leans over with curiosity, and then sighs as she probably got the answer right off Ceres''s mind - ¡°Your hair color is not a requirement for beauty, you know?¡±


    ¡°Says you! Other than that... no beauty spot?¡± - adds Ceres


    ¡°Beauty spot, is it?¡± - I inquire


    ¡°Most of the highest ranked beauties through old history had a cute little mole somewhere. Either close to an eye, the mouth, atop their breast in a zone that was equally easy to display, yet slightly demanding of higher-than-average skin exposure... it was called the beauty spot.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have one, and I suspect you got to design your own looks.¡±


    ¡°Totally wrong face structure. Besides, I was going with ''cute and friendly,'' not ''sex goddess,'' you see? Here, let me draw you a portrait...¡±


    It seems our resident former deity has a whole shelf of unexpected talents, because she very quickly and deftly draws the portrait of a woman that I must admit, could indeed pass as one of history''s top beauties. She even gave her hair the right shade while using only a charcoal stick in order to make it clear she is a blonde, and I must admit that the ''beauty spot'' does add a somewhat sensual, slightly indecent air to the whole, even without the openly proactive expression on her face.


    ¡°I see...¡± - nods Desiree in an approving manner - ¡°That''s the beauty spot, is it?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Can you add a few of the things from the list to the portrait?¡± - asks my succubus as she hands it back to Ceres


    ¡°Sure, hold on... from what I read, you are aiming for either an insect-type demi-human, or a fairy, is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master seems to have a theme of girls with wings going on right now. I see no reason to step outside of it, though some variety would be desirable. Thus, neither bat nor bird wings this time, which leaves...¡±


    ¡°Insect wings, was it? How about leaf-like wings? Insect wings come in two varieties, and I can''t imagine either being ideal for your... vigorous night life. The rigid type would either get bent, break, or at best have to be worked around, and the type that goes limp or rigid is quite delicate in its own way, which leaves the sort that shrinks under a protective chitin shell when not being used, and I don''t think you''d find an armored humanoid very fun... a flower-type fae on the other hand, has either petal or leaf-like wings. They''re soft and pliable, so they should be safe in¡± - she clears her throat - ¡°Any position.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a flower fae sounds nice!¡± - chirps in Angela, who seems to have recovered from the hypnotic effect of her breakfast


    ¡°And Two-Twelve thinks I''m callous with women. The three of you are plotting, planning and deciding her whole being with a singular purpose in mind before she''s even brought to life.¡± - I point out with a smirk


    ¡°Well, it is what we want her for, don''t we Master?¡± - Desiree smiles in such a way that I am sure the rest of the patrons also having breakfast in the inn''s common room, already entranced by Angela and herself, are more than grateful to be sitting right now.


    ¡°Oh! Could you do a few more illustrations?¡± - asks Angela


    ¡°Sure thing.¡± - replies Ceres as she rubs the charcoal stick against the edge of one of the sheets to sharpen it a bit


    Back in Tobes


    I don¡¯t know how long I was asleep, but it was already well past midnight when I went to bed, and it feels like I just closed my eyes when something starts softly hitting my face again and again. I open my eyes to find a bright eyed little redhead smiling as she sits next to me.


    Rory: ¡°Daddy!¡± ¨CShe exclaims shoving one of her fingers into my nose.-


    I quickly shake my head and sits up. ¡°Rory, what are you doing here!?¡± I say while Rory just happily chuckles as she hugs me.


    Belinda slowly opens her eyes from the other side of the bed and props herself up on her elbow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¨CShe says sleepily with a yawn.- ¡°But after I went back the capital to check on her, I just couldn¡¯t leave her there.-


    I check the time in [Menu] and it is still a few hours until sunrise, so I got a little under 2 hours of sleep.


    ¡°But we still don¡¯t know if there will be another attack. It isn¡¯t safe right now.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°When I went to check on her, she was still awake! I don¡¯t know if it is because the way I dropped her off, or something else, but the maids taking care of her at the castle said that she had been throwing a fit and calling for us from the moment I left.¡±


    I hug Rory back and run my hand through her hair - ¡°If the monsters attack was the doing of the failed cores, and I don¡¯t see how it could have been anything else, then there is a chance we won¡¯t be able to get her to safety next time.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°The dungeon core room is as safe of a place as possible, perhaps even more than being at my father¡¯s, and she would at least still be with us. Besides you thought it was safe enough for Wolfric and Listel.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Wolfric because he is technically one of my boss monsters, but Listel is bound to the dungeon, so if something where to happen to me, then it wouldn¡¯t matter where she was at, but Rory is a dungeon core herself. She would survive my death, but I don¡¯t want her to end up trapped in the dungeon core room with no way out.¡±


    ¡°I have faith that no matter what those failed cores throw at us, you will take care of it.¡± ¨CShe says while rubbing her hand through Rory¡¯s hair as she kisses me.- ¡°Now, it¡¯s still too early, so let us try and get some more rest.¡±


    ¡°Just promise me, no matter what happens, if I tell you to take the kids and run. You''ll do so without question.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I promise.¡± -She says picking up Rory and trying to get her to lay back down.-


    Rory fights to sit back up, but when I lay down, she grabs my arm and settles down next to me. Belinda picks her up and adjusts her position slightly so she can scoot closer, and lets Rory¡¯s head back down on both of our shoulders as Belinda stretches to give me another kiss while intertwining her fingers with mine.


    Rory seemed wide awake not even a minute ago, but now she''s sleeping soundly, Belinda and I start to settle in to go back to sleep ourselves, when I get hit with a sudden alarm from intruders making their way to Tobes through the forest.


    I have no choice but to quickly transfer to the dungeon core room to see what is going on. I quickly send a message out to all my monsters to inform them another attack is coming while opening screens to display the forested area around Tobes.


    Belinda transfers into the room holding Rory, whom luckily is still sleeping. The twins were on night duty tonight, so they are still awake as well, but I can hear the other bunnies quickly waking up after receiving my message.


    The twins are working, but they are both wearing colorful pajamas, and when the others begin to arrive from their rooms they are in various stages of dress. The conservative Lila is completely dressed, but Lilah is wearing that almost see-through nightgown of hers.


    I guess I can¡¯t really say much because I am only wearing a simple pair of trousers, and Belinda is in her own nightgown, which isn¡¯t much different from Lilah¡¯s. Plus there are much more important matters to attend to right now.


    I can see movement though the trees though the screens, but seeing it though the screens rather in person makes my skills of being able to see well in the dark irrelevant. From what I can make out, they do look larger than the goblins and kobolds we faced earlier, but not by much, so hopefully we can manage to hold them off again.


    The others start arriving in the dungeon core room as well, and like Lila, Scylla and Kline arrive fully clothed as well. While Scylla asks for a situation report, Kline seems rather embarrassed, not knowing quite where to look, but when Zoey and Roxy arrive he quickly covers his eyes.


    Roxy¡¯s nightgown is a thin and short thing that doesn''t leaves much to the imagination, but it isn¡¯t really worse than Belinda or Lilah¡¯s. Zoey on the other hand, is only wearing a tiny pair of panties. She is already sliding a shirt down her arms and over her head as they arrive, but honestly it would have been faster to get fully dressed using [Menu] than it is to grab the shirt and put it on.


    Scylla: ¡°Zoey, have a little decency, there are men in the room!¡±


    Zoey: ¡°We''re all adults. It isn¡¯t anything they haven¡¯t seen before.¡± ¨CShe says with a smirk.-


    Scylla: ¡°I was referring to the two impressionable young rabbit beastkin that you are flashing your backside to!¡±


    Zoey flicks her tail and shakes her butt at Levi and Leveret, causing the rabbit beastkin to blush right out of their drowsiness.


    Zoey: ¡°They stare at the dungeon screens all day, I am sure they have seen much worse.¡±


    Roxy lightly hits Zoey on the shoulder while I say. ¡°That¡¯s enough! We have more important things to be dealing with right now. Everyone equip your gear, and let¡¯s get started!¡±


    The attack is coming into Tobes from a different location this time, and unfortunately it is towards the residential side of Tobes, which is composed by the oldest, most feeble buildings in town. I guess the dungeon sections I expanded into the forest didn¡¯t help much, because before we make it into the scene, quite a few homes have already been set on fire, and the town warning bells are already ringing loud.


    Everyone was at least on standby this time, so we don¡¯t have to wait as long to gather everyone together, but this part of Tobes is also more confined, which makes fighting the monsters much more difficult.


    I stay in the core room with the children , while everyone dons their gear and joins the battle, including Belinda this time. This wave is made of rather basic monster types, just a few ranks higher than the monsters in the previous one, but that by itself is enough to give a hard time to the townsfolk that were just able enough to fight against the previous monster wave.


    I was able to get information out to Dyson, Ceres, and the other dungeon cores that we trust about being under attack again. Dyson and Ceres were sure they are getting close to another one of the divine relics, and asked if I could hold out long enough till they were able to acquire it.


    We were doing pretty well at the time, so I said we''d try, but then the higher level adventurers, mages, and my own monsters had to split up because several other parts of town came under attack as well. Most of the higher level people are doing fine, but we are quickly losing the normal townsfolk.


    I tried to contact Dyson and Ceres again, but after receiving no reply I try and fail a teleport spell, confirming that we''ve finally been affected by one of the failed core¡¯s items. We were surprised they hadn¡¯t used one last time, so we agreed to send a message every half hour for updates.


    That means that by now, Ceres and Dyson know we are being blocked, but the question is, will they rush to return, or will they try and recover the divine relic first?


    With no signs of Ceres or Dyson though, we''ve managed to hold them back so far while losing the outer edges of the town, but our casualties are already past the three digit mark and climbing fast. If things keep going like this, we''ll eventually be able to clear out the monsters, but will lose all the normal townsfolk in the process.


    So, we decide to reposition towards a more defendable position after daybreak, with sturdier buildings, though sadly wider streets, which means we can''t funnel them into bottlenecks in the same way we could in the old section of town. This leaves my own home outside of the perimeter, with fires spreading across the area. That leaves me with no other choice but to move our house''s imitation crystal further down into the dwarven tunnels.


    I don¡¯t know if my dungeon is the target, or just the town, so I summon a few strong monsters into the tunnels, just to make sure that if they are discovered, the imitation crystal will not go down without a fight.


    Now I just hope we can hold until Ceres and Dyson arrive¡­

 From All Corners of Tobes

    Bandy''s PoV


    The villagers are dropping like flies, and the xp is for shit, but I have to say I am having a blast¡­ I clear out the last of the hobgoblins I was dealing with but there are still plenty more where they came from. Ed has his hands full with a couple dozen crimson kobolds, so I decide to give him a hand next.


    I rush through the street calling out to Ed, he braces himself just as I arrive and I vault over him using his spikes as steps, and come crashing down into the center of the group of crimson kobolds. I eviscerate them one after another swinging my Shima style short-swords around with enough precision that it drops one of the crimson kobolds with every slice.


    Within a few minutes the intruders are all but cleared out from the area. The townsfolk are quite wary of Ed, but with blubbering faces they thank me for saving their lives.


    ¡°If you are going to be this useless, go find a hole to hide in with the children!¡± ¨CI spit out at the townsfolk that are making idiots of themselves, while Ed steps forward.-


    Ed: ¡°They are doing their best, baking bread and hunting rabbits is hardly good practice for fighting monsters.¡± ¨CHe says while wiping some of the crimson kobold¡¯s blood from one of my cheeks.-


    ¡°If this is their best, then they need to stay out of the way!¡±


    Townsperson: ¡°These are our homes, and our businesses, we can¡¯t just abandon them!¡±


    Ed: ¡°They are just things. It is better them then abandoning your lives. Mayor Scylla is calling for everyone to fall back towards the Mage¡¯s Guild.¡±


    ¡°Look at you, trying to sound all strong and wise, but we both know who the boss is.¡± ¨CI say while grabbing and squeezing Ed¡¯s crotch. He is wearing thick leather armor, but with my strength he still grunts uncomfortably and I stretch up to bite his lower lip.-


    He fights the urge to kiss me, and fails¡­Twice¡­ But finally pulls himself away long enough to say. ¡°Now is hardly the time, we need to regroup with the others.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but it¡¯s your loss.¡± ¨CI say grabbing one of the spikes on his shoulder, while placing one of my feet on one at his hip. I swing around him standing on several of his spikes.- ¡°Onward!¡± ¨CI say pointing over his shoulder.-


    Ed: ¡°I¡¯m not a horse, you can¡¯t just ride me where ever you want!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s funny, I didn¡¯t hear you complaining about me riding you last night.¡±


    Ed: ¡°Let¡¯s just find the others¡­¡±


    Poppy¡¯s PoV


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¨CNyxia says as she tries to help one of the townsfolk to their feet, but they look at her with just as much fear as they did the attacking lizardmen that we just defeated.- ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¨CShe says a bit discouraged as she slithers back a few feet away from the townsperson.-


    I then step forward and help the townsperson to their feet. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nyxia is a good person, we are all just here to help. Mayor Scylla is pulling everyone back towards the Mage¡¯s Guild, so you should head that direction, and tell anyone else you come across as well.¡±


    The townsperson runs off looking back over his shoulder, and Nyxia weakly waves at him as he goes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this isn¡¯t the way we wanted to introduce you to Tobes, and with the circumstances everyone is on edge.¡±


    Nyxia: ¡°I know, it¡¯s not their fault. That¡¯s why I want to help though, so they can see that I am the same as them, even if I am a little bipedally challenged.¡±


    I nod and then call out to Isi, and he drops out of the sky landing next to us. I then ask him. ¡°Did you see the others?


    Isi: ¡°Lynx, Reti, and Orino, are about two streets over leading a group of people towards the Mage¡¯s Guild, but they are being perused, so they might need our help.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you fly right to them, and Nyxia and I will catch up.¡±


    Isi nods and takes back to the air, Nyxia and I then set off towards the others.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    ¡°Everyone to the Mage¡¯s Guild! Scylla is waiting inside with more instructions!¡± ¨CI call out to the large group of people that just arrived. I then pat Katie on the shoulder and say. ¨C ¡°Good job getting them all here safely, but where is Bandy and the Lizard beastkin?¡±


    Katie: ¡°We got separated right before we ran into all these people, and we figured getting them to safety should be our priority.¡±


    Chase: ¡°And I am not too sure the separation wasn¡¯t intentional¡­ They have been sneaking off together a lot the last few days.¡±


    Katie: ¡°Edmund has already caught up to me in levels, so it didn¡¯t hurt from them to have a bit of fun. It has kept Bandy happy and off everyone¡¯s back, but I am sure they know the seriousness of what is going on, and it was only accidental that they got split up this time.¡±


    Chase: ¡°We¡¯ll see¡­¡±


    Charlotte: ¡°Well, my magic is fully spent, so if we are going to go back out there to look for them, I am going to have to at least rest for a bit beforehand.


    Chase: ¡°I¡¯m running pretty low myself¡­ Damnit Bandy, why do you always have to pull stuff like this!?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°It¡¯s alright, [Communication] and teleportation may be blocked, but transferring still works, so if they get in over their heads they can always transfer to safety.¡±


    Katie: ¡°She challenged Two-Twelve, so I don¡¯t know if she knows the meaning of being in over her head¡­ She has Ed with her though, and he might not be as strong as she is, but I¡¯m sure he can at least keep her safe from herself.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve has his hands full, but if nothing else we can have him keep an eye out for them just in case they run into trouble.¡±


    Charlotte: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    As the group heads into the Mage¡¯s Guild, Doug exits it making his way over to me and asks. ¡°Have you seen Quinn around lately?¡±


    ¡°I thought he was helping you inside?¡±


    Doug: ¡°He wasn¡¯t happy about taking orders from me, and stormed off, but I just had a chance to look for him and couldn¡¯t find him anywhere in the Mage¡¯s Guild, so I wanted to make sure he didn¡¯t go out.¡±


    ¡°He was trying to show off to Sofia last night, but her and Bell went out a little bit ago to help, and I know for a fact that Quinn wasn¡¯t with them, but we have been busy and can¡¯t watch everything at once¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°They were heading over by our houses weren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Two-Twelve said there were some people taking refuge in the city hall building, so we sent them to go bring them here.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Then if he snuck out trying to follow them, then he is most likely on that side of town as well¡­ In that case Roxy and I will go look for him!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I can just have Two-Twelve look for him.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Like you said, Boss is busy. Besides I want to swing by the house and make sure it is still standing¡­¡±


    ¡°Last I heard the fires were pretty far from our houses, but the dwarves, Lilah, and Lila are on that side of town holding of a horde of monsters that started entering from back behind the dwarves¡¯ homes, and if the dwarves¡¯ homes go, then there is nothing stopping the fires from reaching our houses.


    Zoey: ¡°Then we need to hurry!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°I¡¯m touched that you are worried about the house¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°We can replace that junk! But do you know how much of my food we left behind?!¡±


    Roxy sighs and says. ¡°I should have known¡­ Don¡¯t worry Belinda, we will go and try to find Quinn, send anyone we might find back here, and then if we have time we will check on the house¡­¡±


    Zoey: ¡°Or we could just transfer there!¡±


    Roxy: ¡°Did you not just hear the part about helping the townsfolk and looking for Quinn!?¡± ¨CRoxy says dragging Zoey away.-


    Doug watches them leave and then asks. ¡°How is the rest of Tobes faring?¡±


    ¡°Not good to be honest¡­ The newer sections of town are sturdier, but the older sections, are practically non-existent anymore. Everything west of my inn to everything south of Denova¡¯s district is gone¡­ It might be only a small section of Tobes now, but that is all Tobes used to be¡­ All of the original residents have been displaced, the Mage¡¯s Guild is almost filled to capacity and that still leaves half of Tobes¡¯s residents unaccounted for¡­¡±


    Doug: ¡°What about the university?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all part of Ceres¡¯s dungeon, so fire or no fire it will remain standing, but the forest is on fire on that side of town preventing everyone from fleeing towards the capital, and I am pretty sure even if you got through the fire there would be monsters there to stop you.


    Doug: ¡°What about Dyson, or Ceres, any word from them?¡±


    ¡°Not since [Communication] became blocked. After we lost contact we were hoping they would come right away to aid us, but so far nothing¡­ I hope they didn¡¯t get attacked as well.¡±


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    For all the countless times our lives have been on the line in an effort to protect the dungeon none have made me feel as this attack on Tobes. Tobes may be my secondary dungeon, but it isn¡¯t even that fact that is making me angry, it is the loss of all these townspeople to the monsters.


    We have gone through so much effort to not only make the beastkin be treated like everyone else, but the demi-human races as well. We were making so much progress¡­ but even with all the effort we put forward so far, it stands on the brink of collapsing with this attack.


    As far as the dungeon is considered our losses so far have been quite minimal, we have lost 2 dwarves, and a handful of the demi-humans, but that is pretty much it. The town on the other hand has seen better days.


    I won¡¯t say the buildings were shabby, but until Tobes actually started having actual builders move in, most of the buildings from the first few expansions in Tobes were all done by amateur adventurers looking to make some gold.


    Even our home wasn¡¯t immune to the spread of fire. Luckily Bell and Sofia managed to arrive in time to save some of the townsfolk that had taken refuge in the City Hall building before the fire had spread that far, and even though the building was made from stone leaving it impervious to the fire. It will still take a lot of work to make it useable again. Given the fact it is still salvageable makes it better off than any other building in the area I am afraid.


    We built most of the buildings in Tobes out of wood due to it being readily available, but if we make it through this attack, we should really consider rebuilding Tobes in stone. I can summon various types of ore, so perhaps we can find a way to produce stone to help rebuild Tobes as well. However I guess I should focus on making it through these attacks first.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Leveret, you transfer down to Lilah and the group she is with and tell them to start falling back towards the Mage¡¯s Guild as well. I think all the townsfolk in that area has already evacuated, and the fires are getting to close for comfort.¡±


    Leveret: ¡°Yes sir!¡± ¨CHe says transferring from the room.-


    ¡°Lily, I want you to transfer down to the groups down there in the market area, and tell them to try to hold the position a while longer. I am going to try to send them some more help.¡±


    Lily: ¡°Understood, Master!¡± ¨CShe says transferring as well.-


    ¡°Levi, I want you to transfer to Belinda and catch her up on all that is going on, and tell her if any of the groups have begun to recover to send them towards the market area. Losing your home is detrimental enough, but some of the merchants were unable to remove their goods like Denova did, and their shops are not only their homes, but for some there entire livelihood and ability to feed their families rest in those goods.¡±


    Levi: ¡°Got it!¡± ¨CHe says leaving as well.-


    Even with help they won¡¯t be able to hold the market for long, because fighting the spread of the fire is harder than fighting off the monsters¡­ The market is currently being held by several of the xp gathering groups.


    Lilah, Lila, and a handful of the dwarves are in the area of town where all the dwarves¡¯ houses are. I sent Leveret to pull them back because the fire that took our home, is threatening to cut them completely off from the rest of Tobes.


    The rest of our monsters are either trying to protect the area surrounding the Mage¡¯s Guild, or trying to clear a path past the university just in case we have to evacuate the townsfolk from Tobes completely. There is also Roxy and Zoey who are looking for Quinn.


    He seems to have disappeared a few hours ago, and even though I have kept an eye out for him there is so much going on I haven¡¯t located him on any of the screens so far¡­ If we weren¡¯t losing so much of the town to the fires I might be able to dedicate more rescores to finding him¡­ What is taking Dyson and Ceres so long to return?


    Quinn PoV


    I can¡¯t believe them! I am older than all three of them and have gone through more schooling then all of them combined, and yet they treat me like a child acting as if I don¡¯t know what I am talking about. Monsters are pouring out of the damn forest, so of course it is the dungeon!


    Once I prove that these monsters are coming from the dungeon there will be no choice but to destroy it, and since I was the only one willing to acknowledge the truth I will see to it that father allows me to claim the crystal, and that will really show them all!


    I proved to them all yesterday that I can fight, but they still insist on treating me like I am just getting in their way. I am not hiding because I couldn''t kill these monsters, I am hiding because I have a plan, and there is no use fighting all these small fry¡­


    I will just sit here and bid my time until they have passed by and I will find where these monsters are coming from.


    Bandy¡¯s PoV


    The Mage¡¯s Guild is crawling with people, but I finally manage to find a semi-private stairwell and pin Ed to the wall, pun intended, while shoving my tongue down his throat and unfastening the front of his trousers.


    As Ed raises me up I hook one of my knees around on of the spikes on his hips pulling myself close, I hear someone clear their throat loudly.


    ¡°Unless you plan on joining in, we¡¯re busy!¡±


    Charlotte: ¡°We just got word that everyone that is able, is to gather at the market to defend that area. Chase and I both have recovered enough of our magic that he volunteered us to take part.¡±


    ¡°Well then good luck.¡± ¨CI say then bite Ed¡¯s lower lip.-


    Charlotte: ¡°All of us!¡±


    I sigh and say. ¡°Fine! We¡¯ll be there in five minutes!¡±


    Charlotte: ¡°Chase said now!¡±


    I unhook my knee from the spike on Ed¡¯s hip and hop down. I then confront Charlotte. ¡°Last time I checked I was still the leader of this group, who died and put you and Chase in charge.¡±


    Charlotte: ¡°With you and Edmund disappearing all the time, someone had to pick up the slack!¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you let Chase stick it to ya once in a while, you wouldn¡¯t be such a bitch!¡±


    Ed: ¡°That¡¯s enough Bandy!¡± ¨CHe says while refastening his trousers.- ¡°This is far more important, and besides 5 minutes isn¡¯t nearly enough time¡­¡±


    ¡°Yea, keep telling yourself that¡­ Fine¡­¡± ¨CI make sure no one is watching and reequip my armor before storming out of stairwell, and back into Mage¡¯s Guild.-


    Poppy¡¯s PoV


    ¡°Nyxia, no!¡±


    Nyxia: ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m not going to hurt him!¡± ¨CShe says while constricting one of the townsfolk in her tail.- ¡°You clearly saw us taking out those lizardmen who are attacking the town, so why did you think it would be a good idea to try to stab me in the back!?¡±


    The townsperson struggles against Nyxia as he say. ¡°How was I supposed to know?! We have seen the lizardmen go to the university, but we have never seen a monster like you before!¡±


    Nyxia: ¡°I¡¯m a demi-human, and I¡¯m not one to care if someone calls me a monster, but all of Master¡¯s lizardmen have blueish scales! These ones all had green and red scales!¡±


    ¡°Nyxia!¡±


    Nyxia releases the man while saying. ¡°Now get out of here, and if you can¡¯t tell the difference between the ones attacking Tobes and the ones defending it, then just go back to the Mage¡¯s guild!¡±


    The man scampers to his sword grabbing it before running off towards the Mage¡¯s Guild.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t good, not only will attacking that human hurt the relations between the demi-humans and the humans, but you also said the lizardmen¡¯s Master. If they were to find out the Lizardmen actually come from the dungeon, they could find out about Master as well, and we can¡¯t have that.¡±


    Nyxia: ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the Master part, but what was I supposed to let him stab me in the back?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but you didn¡¯t have to wrap him up in your tail either. Everyone is on edge, and it was just a mistake. Most of the normal townsfolk don¡¯t even know what a lamia is much less ever seen one before.¡±


    Nyxia: ¡°It is bad enough we have been fighting all morning, and every time we think we are just about to see the end of the battle there is a new wave of monsters attacking a different part of town, but now I have to make sure I don¡¯t get attacked by the townspeople as well?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right we have been at this all day, maybe we should go back to the Mage¡¯s guild and rest for a little bit.¡±


    Nyxia: ¡°No, because then they will just think I am spying on them. Let¡¯s just get this over with so we can get back to our training¡­¡±


    Lynx: ¡°We should head to the market area, I think everyone is gathering to make sure that area doesn¡¯t fall.¡±


    ¡°Isi, I¡¯m not good with all these side streets on the best of times, so can you fly up and find us the quickest path?¡±


    Isi: ¡°Of course.¡± ¨CHe says taking flight.-


    ¡°What about you three, are you still good to go?¡±


    Reti: ¡°Trying to put out that fire earlier really drained a lot of my magic, but as we don¡¯t push it too hard, I should be ok.¡±


    Orino: ¡°I¡¯m all out of magic myself, but magic isn¡¯t required for most of my skills, so I¡¯m good.¡±


    Lynx just nods and we set out following Isi¡¯s directions through town.


    Belinda¡¯s PoV


    Bandy doesn¡¯t look too happy as their group heads out of the Mage¡¯s Guild heading for the market area, I guess that is the last group heading that way. I am glad to see how much thought Two-Twelve is putting into not only stopping the attack, but helping the townsfolk as well.


    Although I would have liked for him to at least put a little more effort into saving our home¡­ When Roxy and Zoey stopped by saying they didn¡¯t find Quinn, they said the house was on fire as well. I guess if it was the only building standing after the fire went though, it would be pretty suspicious though.


    I would like to go help defend the market as well, but we have already had a few monsters find their way to the Mage¡¯s Guild, so we have to maintain guard, because saving the markets won¡¯t do any good if we lose all the townsfolk in the process.


    After watching Bandy¡¯s group disappear down the street Lylah comes out of the Mage¡¯s guild, and heads my way with a confused look on her face.


    Lylah: ¡°There was a large group of mages that were supposed to be guarding the Mage¡¯s Guild. Do you know what happened to them?¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few mages that were hired by Denova to go guard her warehouses. We were going to stop them, but Denova has just as many people working for her as there is in all of the market combined, so if she were to lose all her goods it would be just as bad if not worse than losing the market district¡­¡±


    Lylah: ¡°How long ago did they leave?¡± ¨CShe says worriedly.-


    ¡°About 20 minutes ago, why?... Oh, I see. Your boyfriend was among them, wasn¡¯t he?¡±


    Lylah: ¡°How did you¡­?!¡± ¨CShe says before stopping herself and looking embarrassed.-


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Two-Twelve and I are happy you are finding a life in addition to the dungeon, but there isn¡¯t any rush ok¡­?¡± ¨CI quickly look around to see who is still guarding the Mage¡¯s Guild.- ¡°Kit and Suzie¡¯s group is still here, take them to the dungeon core room and find out where your boyfriend went and go give them a hand.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°I couldn¡¯t¡­ We are already shorthanded here as it is.¡±


    ¡°It will be alright, if the intruders attack here, there are still plenty of people inside that are capable of fighting if they have to.¡±


    Lylah: ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, but please promise me that you will take it a bit slower¡­ I know it isn¡¯t fair, but considering your position there are a lot of factors to consider.¡±


    Lylah nods and then runs over to Kit and Suzie¡¯s group, after a few moments of talking they gather their things and set off into town, which I assume is so they can transfer without being seen by all the people guarding the Mage¡¯s Guild.


    Two-Twelve¡¯s PoV


    It looks like our desire to protect the market district has been noticed by the enemy. We have started to receive waves of monsters in not only shorter distance apart, but also stronger as well. We have a few groups scattered here and there, but for the most part everyone has been split between the market district and the Mage¡¯s Guild.


    Lylah came to me a little bit ago, and together with Kit¡¯s group, went to help some mages defend Denova¡¯s warehouses. I would hate to give Denova preferential treatment, but when Lylah told me why Belinda is sending them to help and it makes a lot of sense. If things don¡¯t become any more difficult at the market district I will start sending some of the other groups to help them as they become available.


    The attack last night only lasted a few hours, but this one has been going on for half a day already. If the failed cores sent that many monsters any considerable distance they would have been seen by somebody, so I can only assume they are either being summoned directly outside of town, or being teleported to those locations.


    Summoning monsters outside of a dungeon like that is a worrying thought, but I don¡¯t know what is worse, that, or having enough magic to summon monsters almost non-stop for half a day. Either way I have Azami, Moss, and the twins are searching the forest trying to find where the monsters are coming from, or how they are getting here.


    No matter how much we have looked for him through the screen, Quinn has still somehow managed to remain out of sight. Even with Roxy and Zoey¡¯s tracking skills they haven¡¯t been able to locate him. Maybe the failed cores kidnapped him for some reason?


    I don¡¯t know what purpose they would actually want him for though. It would be almost the worst possible person to take if it was for some sort of leverage. He is Belinda¡¯s brother, and I am sure she would be upset if something happened to him, but we can¡¯t put so many resources on just him¡­


    With how reckless he was fighting yesterday evening he could already be dead for all we know. If he shows up on one of the screens I will send someone after him, but until then I send Lily down to have Roxy and Zoey meet up with Lylah to guard Denova¡¯s warehouses.


    After a while passes things have yet to improve any. The monsters have started to rank up past starting monsters. Goblins are fading away and being replaced with orcs, the kobolds are being completely phased out, and the other types of monsters are becoming more specialized.


    So far we have managed to hold the market district, Denova¡¯s warehouses, and the Mage¡¯s Guild, but it won¡¯t be long before we won¡¯t be able to hold the three separate locations.


    All of the townsfolk are completely unable to fight now, and even quite a few of the adventurers, leaving only my monsters, and the groups that enter the dungeon multiple times a week. We need Dyson and Ceres to return¡­


    I could use the justicar teleport to get to them and ask for help, but then we would have no way to return. At least the monsters have stayed out of the actual dungeon. I know it does us no good, but I send a message to them telling them to hurry up¡­


    Quinn¡¯s Pov


    What is it with these monsters?! There is no way the adventurers and mages of Tobes are going to try fighting monsters like these are they? Tobes is truly done for now. The only thing I can do now is get out of here and tell father what has happened¡­ I might be the only living person left in Tobes¡­


    I have made it all the way to the dwarven part of town, but there are so many orcs around here I can¡¯t move from this burned out building! One of the orcs almost sees me so I take a step back and floor breaks under my feet causing me to tumble.


    I tumbled down into some sort of basement, but I made a lot of noise in the process so I quickly get to my feet and look to the head of the stairs. After a few moments it doesn¡¯t seem like the orcs are coming after me, so I begin to look around.


    My eyes have started to adjust to the dark basement of the building and I realize it isn¡¯t a basement at all but large stone corridor under Tobes¡­ Did I just stumble into the dungeon?! I don¡¯t have anything to light my way, but there are plenty of things around to make a makeshift torch.


    I pick up what looks to be some kind of large torture device and a piece of cloth on a table. I wrap the cloth around the end of the torture device, and light it by using my sword and some flint I had in my pocket.


    I guess Sofia was right, I said it was pointless to carry around flint when the dungeon well lit, but I guess that only applies to the sections it wants us to know about¡­ As the small embers hit the cloth it lights very easily, almost as if it was soaked in lantern oil or something.


    With more light I can start to see my surroundings a bit more, and I am indeed standing in a large corridor but there are tables and chairs against the walls along with large kegs. It is almost like a hidden tavern under the dwarves¡¯ homes.


    When it comes to dwarves I could easily see them having their own tavern, and even possibly having it underground, but the walls are clearly like that of the dungeon, and why would it be hidden? Are the dwarves working with the dungeon as well?!


    I suddenly hear the sound of one of the chairs behind me squeak and I quickly turn to see a small hairy monster right behind me! I don¡¯t panic mind you¡­ but I employ a strategic retreat heading down the corridor a ways to get a bit of distance from the monster so I can plan my counter attack!


    ¡­ How far did I go? I have gone deep enough into the corridor that I can no longer see the light from the stairs that brought me down here or the small hairy monster. I ran past several doors up until now, but as long as I keep going straight I can¡¯t possibly get lost, right¡­?


    And that is when I see it¡­ it¡¯s the biggest, hairiest, ugliest monster I have ever seen in my life. It must be some kind of demon because it has large horns growing out of its head, and a large axe in which the head of it is almost the same size as me.


    I quickly dart for one of the doors off of the corridor and slam the door behind me¡­ inside the room there is a large shelf of some kind next to the door so I slide it in front of the door and then have a look at the room¡­


    The room is not very big, but it has a large forge against the far wall with several weapon and armor racks loaded with gear¡­ It¡¯s true! The dwarves are making weapons for the dungeon! I quickly turn back towards the door to make sure the demon can¡¯t get through and that¡¯s when I hear a voice behind me¡­


    ¡°What are you doing down here¡­?¡±

 Tipping Point

    ¡°What are you doing down here¡­?¡±


    Quinn swings the torch around practically squealing at the sound of my voice.


    Quinn: ¡°Two-Twelve! Where did¡­ How did you get here?¡±


    ¡°I can teleport remember¡­ And we have been looking for you for hours.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°This place! I saw several monsters out there in the corridor¡­ I saw a hairy beast, and a huge demon! This must be were the monsters are coming from, it is part of the dungeon!¡±


    ¡°I am assuming that hairy beast you are referring to was poor little Leveret, I sent him to come get you, but you started screaming and running. Gave the poor kid a heart attack¡­¡±


    Quinn: ¡°But the demon! The demon was real!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, this is a tunnel the dwarves built, there is nothing down here but you, me, and the shadows on the wall¡­¡±


    Quinn: ¡°I know what I saw!¡±


    I move the shelf from blocking the door, Quinn tries to stop me from opening the door but I swing open the door to an empty corridor. I take one of the runic stones that hold the light spell and activate it liking the entire area around me, far better than Quinn¡¯s torch.


    ¡°See, nothing out here¡­¡±


    Quinn: ¡°But it was right there!¡± ¨CHe says while pointing.-


    ¡°Running through the corridor scared, with only that little torch lighting your way, you probably just seen a shadow off those barrels there and your mind was playing tricks on you.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°I wasn¡¯t scared!¡±


    ¡°You screamed loud enough to scare Leveret that he was shaking¡­ It¡¯s alright, being down here, by yourself, when those monsters are attacking the town, there is nothing wrong with being scared.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°But I didn¡¯t just see it, I bumped into it, I felt it¡­¡±


    ¡°Not unless one of the orcs found its way down into this tunnel, but if that was the case he would have tried to get through that door. There is nothing down here. It is just a tunnel the dwarves built that connects Katie¡¯s workshop under our house to the dwarves¡¯ houses¡­¡±


    Quinn: ¡°But the weapons and armor, it is just like the monsters use up in the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°The dwarves make the items for Denova¡¯s shop, for the soldiers in the fort, and we even send some back to the capital. As for them being like the ones up in the dungeon, I am sure that has to do with the way dungeons work. If you paid attention in Sofia¡¯s class she would tell you that a dungeon¡¯s overall strength is determined by the strength of the people and adventurers around it, so with the dwarves making all this equipment, it stands to reason the dungeon would produce similar items.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°Then why does nobody know about this place?¡±


    ¡°You know how much dwarven gear is worth, do you think it would be wise to have racks of weapons and armor of dwarven make just lying around? Besides the dwarves prefer working underground.¡±


    Quinn: ¡°None of this makes any sense¡­ That demon I bumped into was real, I just know it¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, Tobes is under attack, and we don¡¯t have time for this right now. Take my hand and I will take us back to the Mage¡¯s Guild where it is safe.¡±


    I offer out my hand, and Quinn is hesitant to take it, but one he finally does I transfer us to the Mage¡¯s Guild.


    Belinda: ¡°Oh thank goodness, you found him!¡±


    ¡°He was hiding in the dwarven tunnels.¡± ¨CI tell her with a serious expression.-


    Quinn: ¡°And there was a demon down there but Two-Twelve said I imagined it, but I know I didn¡¯t. It has to be because of the dungeon, I just know it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Let¡¯s just get you inside, and you can tell me about this demon¡­¡±


    Quinn: ¡°I¡¯m not crazy!¡±


    Leveret quickly appears causing Quinn to jump again, Leveret quickly apologies for scaring Quinn in the tunnel, but he has a worried look on his face and quickly turns back to me.


    Leveret: ¡°Master, we have a huge problem!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Leveret: ¡°It would be easier if you just saw it yourself¡­¡± ¨CHe says nervously while twitching his nose.-


    ¡°You got this, Belinda?¡±


    Belinda nods and tries to usher Quinn into the Mage¡¯s Guild and he still seems quite shaken up.


    Leveret: ¡°Master, we have to hurry.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± ¨CI say then we both transfer back to the dungeon core room.-


    Once I arrive back in the dungeon core room, the other two trainee bunnies are in a panic, and after looking at the screens I can see why. We have been doing our best fighting off waves of monsters every half hour or so from alternating locations, but now¡­


    The screens are full of monsters, it¡¯s like the attack from the night before, except they are for all three locations we are trying to protect at one, and they are monsters of even higher rank then before. With this many monsters even holding one location would be difficult, but all three?


    Not to mention they are hitting each location from multiple angles, so even if we were to abandon two locations we would still have to transfer everyone from the other locations to the one we are planning to protect, but there is no way we could transfer that many people quickly enough.


    I don¡¯t think even Dyson and Ceres could help the massive casualties that we are about to be facing¡­


    Leveret: ¡°Master¡­ What do we do¡­?¡±


    Lily: ¡°We have to send monsters! It¡¯s the only way to defend our dungeon!¡±


    Levi: ¡°It isn¡¯t the dungeon, it¡¯s the town¡­ You want to send monsters into town? Are you crazy? Did you not hear anything Lilah taught us?¡±


    I quickly look at the amount of xp we have¡­ Summoning more humans or beastkin would be pointless at low level, and even summoning sentient demi-humans right now would be a waste because making them sentient just eats up more xp that we can¡¯t afford right now.


    ¡°She is right¡­ Monsters would be our best bet right now.¡±


    Leveret: ¡°There is no way it will go unnoticed by the humans.¡±


    ¡°It is either this, or we lose the town completely!¡±


    I quickly open [Menu] to try to determine what to summon¡­ If I summon anything like the monsters attacking already, it could cause quite a bit of confusion, so I need to summon something completely different.


    I could summon some minotaurs, but we''ve already seen Quinn¡¯s reaction to that, and we don¡¯t need all the townsfolk freaking out like that. Maybe something more clearly associated with the dungeon¡­ The boss-like monsters¡­


    The hellhound or any shadow monster might be too frightening, but the others? In open battle, the crab would be too slow, get walked around, and not much use in this situation, and we have too much fire as it is, so the phoenix would definitely be a bad idea.


    The earth dragons might be helpful, but I think it should be the griffons. Plenty of wide open space to fly around, and we could even use them to evacuate if necessary¡­ I look at the griffon in [Menu] and look at the amount of xp we have again¡­


    One or two just aren¡¯t going to cut it, and even if I summon 5 to each location, we are talking just over half a million xp, that is all our xp reserves and even most of the emergency funds¡­. If this doesn¡¯t work we could break down some of the dungeon¡¯s inventory, but that would be time consuming.


    ¡°Levi, you go to Denova¡¯s warehouses and tell our people there to watch for some of our monsters incoming. Leveret, you go to Belinda and tell her the same, and Lily you go to the market district. Once you tell our people about the monsters, get back here quick I am going to need all the help I can get trying to control all of them.¡±


    As the trainee bunnies quickly transfer from the room I summon 15 griffons, I don¡¯t really have time to get creative with their names, so I just number them 1-15 and split them into three groups, one for each spot I want them to defend.


    As the trainee bunnies start returning I use [Menu] to equip myself in my armor.


    Lily: ¡°Master, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I am of no use to you here. You three were summoned for the task of controlling far more than just 5 monsters each. You add Lilah¡¯s training on top of that, and I will just be in the way.¡±


    Leveret: ¡°But if you go down there and something happens to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will make sure to transfer out if things get too rough, but I can¡¯t just be sitting on my hands here.¡±


    Levi: ¡°We haven¡¯t controlled monsters in an actual battle yet¡­¡±


    ¡°The griffons should be more than enough to deal with the types of monsters attacking right now, so the trick is to make sure you don¡¯t accidently hit any of the townsfolk. If anything changes just come get me and we will deal with it when the time comes.¡±


    Lily: ¡°Lilah is going to be so mad at us¡­¡±


    I pat the trainee bunnies on the head, pick up Rory to give her a kiss on the forehead before setting her back down to play with her plush toys, and after reassuring the trainee bunnies that they got this I transfer from the room down to the Mage¡¯s Guild.


    I arrive to see everyone fighting off the hordes of monsters, Belinda isn¡¯t exactly struggling, but she has her hands full fighting off several monsters at once. I pull out my sword and rush to her side to give her a hand.


    Belinda: ¡°Two-Twelve, why are¡­ What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let my wife do all my fighting for me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°But if something happens to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Have a little faith in me.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Leveret told me you were sending monsters from the dungeon, what about them?¡±


    ¡°They are in good hands. Now, let''s save our town!¡± ¨CI say, then cast a spell and blast several orcs into pieces of shrapnel that shred the ones coming behind them, buying us a bit of time.-


    It is then that the griffons arrive on the scene with a thunderous choir of cries that causes several of the adventurers and mages to clutch their weapons as they either fall on their asses or get ready to flee, but then they dive down and begin decimating the orcs and ogres.


    A griffon''s dive... I''ve definitively been hamstringing the one in the dungeon with that small a room to fight in. An orc gets turned into red mist by the sheer strength of the griffon tearing through its body on its path to reach the ground, and then the griffon seems to ''bounce'' from its landing spot with a grace belittling its size, pushing with the strength of its hind legs and wings to pounce into a nearby ogre.


    The other griffons'' work has similarly spectacular results, with swiping claws, buffeting wings, and flesh tearing beaks. I am sure it is one thing to see a body that has been cut down by a sword, but this has a completely different aftermath.


    Orc and ogre bodies... no, orc and ogre chunks and bits lay scattered about. I am sure an eagle would tear our eyes and face flesh, but a bird orders of magnitude larger and weighting half a ton? Flesh has been gouged, and the larger ogre bodies are left with chasms almost half a foot deep running from throat to groin, while orc arms and legs lay down on blood-soaked dirt, the bodies they were connected to having vanished, just vanished, and almost everybody still recognizable as such is lacking its head, as the griffons seem to have a taste for them.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    All of that in two seconds. The lead griffon pauses, lifts its head to inhale, and then lets out a cry-like roar at its opponents. Dungeon monsters should have no concept of fear or self-preservation, but I could swear the orcs stiffened as the griffons begin advancing upon them.


    A gnome wearing an angry mask calls out while waving a short sword as if it was a two-handed blade: ¡°Baba ga dungeon helps to save babas!¡±


    The adventurers and mages stare in confusion for a few more seconds, but as the griffons jump forth and orc chunks start flying in every direction, they warily return to their senses. It may be too much to ask of them (and I''d rather not test the bunnies fine control of the griffons yet) to stand and fight side by side with their sudden reinforcements, but they quickly begin to gang up on any stragglers the griffons may have missed, and both spells and arrows start flying forth in long arcs to hit the monsters further in the back.


    The addition of the griffons makes a huge difference in the battle. They are meant to take on entire adventurer groups by themselves, after all, and under the wide open sky, they are able to run up houses and leap into the sky whenever they get crowded, allowing them to dive back down and pulverize whatever foe was giving them trouble just a moment ago.


    We have on our side those like Roc, Isi, the fairies from the dungeon, and even Sigrun, but there are just enough magic casters and ranged attackers amongst the enemies that whenever they do take flight, it isn¡¯t for any extended length of time.


    The griffons on the other hand are sturdy and fast enough that they are able to either shrug off or dodge most of the attacks, but as one of them dives through a fireball fast enough to have it explode behind it. I can''t help but worry about healing them once damage starts piling up.


    The sun''s position betrays our perception of time, as the shadows'' length tells us it¡¯s still the early afternoon. The monster bits (can''t really call them corpses anymore) are starting to stack up high enough that incoming monster waves need to push through impromptu walls of flesh in order to get close to us.


    That isn¡¯t to say we aren''t taking losses as well. With every new wave, we lose a few more adventurers and mages, and I''ve even lost some of my monsters as well, mainly amongst the demi-humans. The remaining gnomes retreat into the Mage¡¯s Guild, because what few left of them there are just can¡¯t keep up any more.


    I don¡¯t know how the other two groups are faring, but the monster waves have become extensive enough we only rarely catch sight of the griffons every now and then anymore, swooping through the air in the distance, and the trainee bunnies haven¡¯t come to get me, so they must be holding on like we are.


    Most of our xp gathering groups are at the market district, and although the group leaders are quite strong, the newest members are only as strong as the mages and adventurers here, so I''m quite worried about them. That isn¡¯t even mentioning Denova¡¯s warehouses¡­ That group consists almost completely of adventurers and mages, so I hope Lylah is alright.


    Things then take a turn for the worse. I don¡¯t know if it is in response to the griffons or if it was planned this way from the start, but as the newest wave begins to approach, several people point at enemies in the air¡­


    As if the ogres in wasn¡¯t bad enough, the sky is now dotted with harpies and giant bats. Even some dragonkin have made an appearance. Though they are no stronger than the ones I could summon, dragonkin are exceedingly rare, so for the failed cores to be able to find someone to produce them is quite troubling.


    A griffon flies overhead, swarmed by a clamor of harpies that part and surround it whenever it tries to stop, hover and fight. They rake and tear at its rear end, dealing small but numerous wounds each time it swipes and tears one of them apart. The spectacle is somehow reminiscing of a swarm of ants taking down a beetle, and just as sad to watch, the massive boss monster being whittled down bit by bit.


    ¡°The griffons are really taking a beating now¡­ It just isn¡¯t enough¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°What else can we do?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if we killed them or not, every monster, adventurer, and mage that has died within the edges of the dungeon provided xp to it. With the strength of those that are falling now, we should have recovered quite a bit of xp already. I am going to get us some reinforcements.¡±


    I transfer back to the dungeon core room, and the trainee bunnies are glued to the screens doing their best. I haven¡¯t seen how the other groups are doing since I went to fight myself, so I look over the screens¡­


    Things where getting rough, but I thought we were doing better, but one look at the screens shows me that it is worse than I feared.


    The market district had most of my boss monsters in addition to the xp gathering groups so they should have been in better shape than the Mage¡¯s Guild, but they seem to be getting hit twice as hard. They''ve already lost two griffons, and from the chaos on the screens I can¡¯t be certain, but it looks like even if they fight off the monsters, we may still lose the district.


    Denova¡¯s warehouses are in even worse shape. They look to be getting hit with the least amount of monsters, but they''ve lost all but one of the griffons already, and there can¡¯t be more than a dozen or so people left defending the area.


    ¡°The other districts are lost¡­ Go down there and tell them to fall back to the Mage¡¯s Guild. Have them transfer as many people as they can, and I will do what I should have done from the start. It may be hard to explain once the battle is over, but I don¡¯t see any other way.¡±


    Leveret: ¡°What are you going to do, Master?¡± ¨CHe says while the other two transfer down into town.-


    ¡°Once the other two return I want all three of you focusing on transferring as much of the merchants and Denova¡¯s supplies into the dungeon inventory as possible. By the time you are done with that, we''ll hopefully have some new monsters to help save what little of Tobes is left.¡±


    Bless hasn¡¯t made any attempts since she has arrived here, but with the collar blocking her magic that Dyson put on her, and being locked in a room with no doors it isn¡¯t like she could do anything anyway.


    We got some useful information from her, and the failed cores haven¡¯t even made an attempt on the dungeon, but I can¡¯t risk this attack being an attempt to rescue her.


    The failed cores¡¯ item will prevent her name from being displayed everywhere, but they should at least learn of her death, so seeing no other option I transfer down to her holding room.


    Bless: ¡°Some host you turned out to be, do you know how many days I have been locked in here without so much as word from you. Especially after I gave you so much help!¡±


    ¡°Your ¡°help¡± just led us into another trap, which I am sure you knew about, but Tobes is under attack. I can¡¯t risk you getting free and causing even more havoc than has already happened¡­¡±


    Bless: ¡°So you are what? Going to grow a pair and try to kill me? My magic may still be blocked, but come at me and see if you think you are strong enough!¡±


    ¡°There is too much at risk right now, and it may be cowardly, but¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Bless was right, and there is a chance she could overpower me even with the collar. Bless is a fire dungeon core, so I cast the strongest water spell I know to try to make it quick, but our level differences are so great that the screaming echoes in my ears long after Bless is dead¡­


    I receive the message about Bless¡¯s death at my hands and I can¡¯t help feel sick to my stomach. I know she was one of the traitors, but after everything she has been through I don¡¯t know if death was a justifiable punishment.


    The room was closed off from the rest of the dungeon so the dungeon doesn¡¯t receive any xp, but my [Heroic] skill increases by 1 rank, and I myself receive a pretty substantial boost in xp causing me to not only gain a level but reach well into the next level as well.


    Once I return to the dungeon core room the trainee bunnies are avoiding eye contact with me while following my instructions about the supplies, I look at [Menu]. The amount of xp we have takin in, even with all the monsters, adventurers, and mages that have died, is far less than I thought it would be.


    No matter how I try to figure it up in my head, the amount of xp is far less then we should have recovered just from the monsters at the Mage¡¯s Guild, much less the other two locations as well. For some reason we are not acquiring all the xp we should, if we are acquiring any at all¡­


    The griffons already dealt a huge blow to our xp reserves, maybe I should of connected Bless¡¯s room to the dungeon before killing her, but I couldn¡¯t risk her escaping¡­ With these meager earnings, it won¡¯t even make up for replacing the griffons¡­ But there is another option. There are plenty of monsters in the dungeon that aren¡¯t rift monsters, but if I sent them out and the dungeon is attacked. It would basically just be the labyrinths and traps keeping the intruders from killing me.


    The question is: Do we put the dungeon at more of a risk to save the townspeople? Saving them is important by itself, but there is also my daily income of xp to consider. I am sure it has already been dealt a major blow due to the amount of townsfolk that have died so far, so we literally can¡¯t afford to lose any more of them.


    The confusion between the intruder¡¯s monsters and our own is going to become a huge risk, but I just don¡¯t see any way around that. If we had the time we could perhaps give them each an identifiable marker like a colorful cloth bracelet or such, but there is none, and there is always the chance the intruders would copy it at well.


    Most of these monsters won¡¯t ever leave the dungeon itself, but to be on the safe side I give each of them a number as a name before sending them down to Tobes by the dozens.


    347¡­ The last of the dungeon''s non-rift monsters to transfer into Tobes, ends up with the name 347. Hard to believe there are that many non-rift monsters in the dungeon. I am sure there will be a lot less before this is all over though.


    Lily: ¡°Master, we can¡¯t control this many monsters at once!¡±


    ¡°They all have an order to not hurt the townsfolk, so just control as many of them as you can and the others will just fight like normal monsters.¡±


    Levi: ¡°But that will make them so much weaker¡­¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a choice. I am going to go back down there and make sure the humans don¡¯t start panicking when all the new monsters start showing up, if anything changes, let me know.¡±


    I transfer back down to the Mage¡¯s Guild, and things are starting to look a bit better here. Trying to defend three locations was a dumb move from the start, I could have saved a lot more of the supplies, and protected a far greater amount of lives if I did it this way from the start, without worrying about how it would look to the townspeople.


    ¡°Everyone take caution on what you are attacking, I teleported to get a better vantage point and saw a large group of monsters exiting the dungeon and attacking the invaders. If they are like the griffons, we may have more help on the way, so make sure whatever it is you are attacking is an enemy, because if they are the dungeon''s, we don¡¯t want to anger it¡­¡±


    Indeed, my dungeon''s monsters start walking in from the opposite direction of the invaders. The crab, which is the largest of the boss-like monsters is... surprisingly imposing. It stands up low (relative to size), and easily spins in place whenever it gets swarmed, its massive left claw smashing flesh, bone and buildings alike, reducing it to a bloody, redish rubble its legs have no issue walking over.


    A harpy clamor swoops down on it, but it just shrinks its eye stalks back into its shell and covers them with its smaller claw, then proceeds to magnificently ignore them as it keeps doing its own thing.


    The enemy orcs are, likewise, mostly ignored as it focuses on anything ogre-sized or larger, using its massive claw to smack them down, causing a splattering of blood, bile and bits to splash in every direction each time it pulverizes a thing. Without the bunnies control, it only seems to have the two attacks, though, smacking and spinning, but that seems to be enough to turn it into a massive headache for the invaders.


    The minotaur, that I armed with the mythril armor from one of Hecate''s companions had, is either swinging its axe in large sweeps, or head-butting things large enough to have a large time dodging, but the sheer weight of numbers is giving it a much harder time than the crab''s. It isn''t large enough to just ignore the orcs and ogres, and so it has a much larger number of actual foes to deal with.


    All too soon, though, it runs out of orcs. A victim of its own success, it is now surrounded by nothing but ogres and trolls, and while its armor may not dent from their blows, it still feels the impact, and is quickly overrun.


    Most of the shadow monsters stay closer to the back, attacking the enemy monsters as they enter town, in a effort to not scare the townspeople, but unlike the other boss-like monsters I have a surprised number of hellhounds, so they have been spotted on occasion.


    The imps and mephitis are also seen joining the other flying creatures of the dungeon are giving the harpies and bats a taste of their own medicine, swarming them while cackling and tearing at them from all directions... I guess bigger isn''t necessarily better, after all.


    The crab would disagree, though. It just grabbed a troll by the head, and squeezed. I almost feel bad for the troll, as it managed to raise its arms to try and protect its head, all it got for its troubles was its arms pinned and crushed in place.


    When I was with Listel we made short work of the crab we faced, but we used strong shadow magic negating most of its armored shell. The invaders however, keep attacking it with axes, claws, swords, and spears, none of which do much more than slide off its shell.


    It is almost hypnotizing to see the crab skitter along from foe to foe, but its story is just one amongst 347, and I can''t waste focus on it.


    Hours go by, but there is no reprieve to the monster waves, and there isn¡¯t anyone that isn¡¯t at least mildly injured in some way. Our magic is starting to get pretty scarce, so we are trying to use it as a last resort only.


    The monsters I pulled from the dungeon either waddled into the enemy and disappeared, like the crab, or died, and I don''t have the time to look for them. Low-tier flying aberrations have replaced the drakes that replaced the harpies, and the sky belongs to the enemy now.


    Uh, I think I''d like to try a floor themed around those things, if my dungeon survives, but it has been 24 hours now since the first attack yesterday evening, and even though Tobes was built quite quickly, that speed was nothing compared to how quickly it fell¡­


    ¡°Belinda, I connected a tunnel to the dungeon that connects to the Mage¡¯s Guild. It will lead you outside of Tobes and into the forest. Start taking all the townsfolk into it as you can, and get them to safety. Once that is done, go get Rory and unbind any sentient monsters still bound to the dungeon. Take them to your father''s¡­¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you to die!¡±


    ¡°Tobes is gone, and with it gone I will no longer be able to sustain my dungeon anymore. You and the town are just collateral damage, the one they want is me, and if you go now, you should be able to make it.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I refuse! I am not leaving you!¡±


    ¡°Our daughter needs you!¡±


    Belinda: ¡°And I need you!¡±


    ¡°You knew the risks of falling in love with me¡­ I was hoping we''d get to spend many years together, but we have a child, and she needs you now more than I do.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°They haven¡¯t even tried attacking the dungeon yet. Who cares if Tobes has fallen, we can reduce the dungeons size so the consumption is more manageable, but don¡¯t just give up!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan on giving up¡­ But I need to know you and Rory are safe.¡±


    Belinda grabs and kisses me.


    Belinda: ¡°I will get Rory safely to my father¡¯s, because that is what I promised you this morning, but I will not leave you behind, so once she is safe, I am coming back!¡± - she kisses me again, and heads into the Mage¡¯s Guild.


    ¡°Everyone fall back into the Mage¡¯s Guild, we are evacuating Tobes!¡±


    The few people that are left head into the Mage¡¯s Guild behind Belinda, but Lilah comes over to me, instead.


    ¡°You too.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah¡¯s place is with Master.¡±


    Zoey: ¡°She is right boss!¡± ¨CShe says walking up as well.-


    ¡°No, you and Roxy have Wolfic, you have both done more than your fair share.¡±


    Roxy: ¡°And we owe that all to you, Belinda will make sure he is safe.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me use an ultimate command¡­¡±


    Sofia taps Roxy on the shoulder. ¡°You two go, Lilah and I will take care of Two-Twelve.¡±


    Poppy: ¡°Our group has decided that we are staying as well. There is no place for demi-humans unless it is with Master.¡±


    By the time the townsfolk begin evacuating through the tunnel I made under the Mage¡¯s Guild I am left with Poppy¡¯s entire group (Poppy, Lynx, Reti, Orino, Isi, and Nyxia), Iris (the only one remaining from her group), what¡¯s left of Kit¡¯s group (Kit, Suzie, and Karina, the river otter beastkin sorceress), Katie (All of Bandy¡¯s group survived, but all of them except Katie evacuated with the townsfolk.), then of course Lilah, Sofia, and Bell.


    Azami, Moss, Lala and Lele didn¡¯t evacuate either, because they haven¡¯t been seen since they exited the dungeon and started looking for the location the monsters are coming from, so I don¡¯t even know if they are alive or not.


    ¡°It looks like this is it¡­ We will buy them as much time as possible, if you become injured and can no longer fight, transfer as far as you can and at least try to get out of here alive.¡±


    Sofia: ¡°You heard Two-Twelve, no holding back!¡±


    There is no way we can hold off all these monsters with under 20 people, but we have to keep them from the evacuation tunnel for as long as we can. I don¡¯t know if we have any of the dungeon monsters left, but I start casting large area spells to try and slow down the monster waves by collapsing the buildings in their path.


    Uh, what do you know, the crab is still going...

 Last Line of Defense

    After receiving word from Two-Twelve about the attack on Tobes, Dyson and I decided to hurry towards acquiring the next divine relic. The last message from Two-Twelve said the attack had ended and they were dealing with the aftermath, but the likely hood of another attack is rather high.


    It has only been a few short hours since then but Dyson and his girls are prepared already to set out before daybreak. And though Dyson looks well rested and ready, his girls look less than enthusiastic about leaving bed this early.


    Angela: ¡°Once this is over, I¡¯m going to sleep for a solid week!¡± ¨CShe says with a large yawn.-


    Dyson: ¡°You had the choice in sleep or other activities, and you made your choice quite clear.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Three hours of sleep was hardly worth it, so it only makes sense to put the time to better use¡­¡±


    Desire: ¡°But even succubi requires sleep now and then¡­¡± -She says as she yawns herself.-


    Angela: ¡°You didn¡¯t have to participate as well.¡±


    Desire: ¡°And if I didn¡¯t, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone to keep you from going overboard.¡±


    ¡°As interesting as this is¡­ We should get started just in case Two-Twelve runs into any more trouble.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Agreed. Now, the next relic that I know about is quite promising, but getting there is going to be ... Tricky.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It is owned by an old elf woman living in the forest, and the only thing she hates more than visitors, is me. I don¡¯t expect her to try anything violent, but I wouldn''t eat or drink anything she offers you.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Wait, are you talking about the witch in the woods? I heard one of the locals talking about her yesterday evening, after we arrived. They made her sound like some sort of monster or creature rather than a little elf¡­¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I definitely wouldn¡¯t call her that while we are there, either.¡±


    ¡°So how do we get there?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Unfortunately we will have to walk. After I made her mad, she started changing up random aspects of her forest to make teleporting in very tricky. I couldn¡¯t guarantee being able to teleport in without winding up with a tree sticking out of one of us.¡±


    ¡°If she dislikes you that much, what makes you think she will even turn the divine relic over without a fight?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Curiosity¡­ She acquired the item that I believe is the divine relic not long after I met her the first time, and she still has yet to figure it out, and as long as it isn¡¯t me, I am sure she would turn it over just to see what it does.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a pretty big gamble.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And that is why we saved this one until the last of the non-combat relics. If it doesn¡¯t work we can always come back when you acquire a bit more power and take it by force.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that we are not strong enough to take it now?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°She has been around for a while, and lets just say that, on her own turf, I don¡¯t want to risk it.¡±


    As we set out for the forest, we receive word from Two-Twelve letting us know that another wave of monsters is attacking Tobes. He seems rather confident that at the current strength of the monsters that he should be able to handle things, so we continue our trek into the forest.


    The forest is quite thick, too thick. The spacing between the trees are so close together it is entirely unnatural, there are even times we have to squeeze between two tree trunks just to pass. Dyson and I aren¡¯t having much difficulty, and Desiree has her wings tucked tightly around her so she is doing fine as well, but Angela seems to trip on every other tree root, and keeps getting her more bulky feathery wings caught on twigs and branches.


    Angela: ¡°If this elf lives in here somewhere, shouldn¡¯t there be a path to her place?¡± ¨CShe says after tripping on what seems to be the hundredth tree root-


    Dyson: ¡°I warned you. She doesn¡¯t like visitors.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it just be easier to fly in?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°In addition to a few enchantments on the trees, she is sure to have defenses against reaching her house by air, especially after my last visit¡­¡±


    Desiree: ¡°What exactly did you do to her to make her hate you so much?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Quite a few years ago I was tasked in taking out a few of the dungeon cores at the behest of the Dungeon Core Elders, and by sheer coincidence several of them were dungeon cores that produced elves. Dungeon cores that summon elves are few and far in-between as it is, so most elves see me as an enemy to their race.¡±


    ¡°That may make sense for most elves, but by the way you talk it sounds like this particular elf hates you more than most.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°She has called more than one dungeon home in the past, and it just so happened that two of said dungeons were ones I was tasked in taking out. In my defense, I didn¡¯t choose the dungeons, but I still took out two different dungeon cores that had taken her in.¡±


    Angela: ¡°I would sooner die than see any harm come to Master, yet she survived the death of two Masters? It doesn¡¯t seem fair that she blame you, when she should be blaming herself!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They weren¡¯t the first dungeon cores she ever lost, besides I was the one that choose to spare her life both times, and in doing so, I think that is where some of the hostility she has for me stems from.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Just how many cores has she been through¡­?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well that I don¡¯t know. She wasn¡¯t the first elf ever summoned, but she is probably a close second, or maybe third.¡±


    Angela: ¡°One of the first? How can that be? Does she just jump from one dungeon core to the next so she doesn¡¯t age?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about her specifically, but elves have only been around as long as the dungeon cores. With their rate of growth very few have ever reached a natural death, and if you were to add years of servitude to a dungeon, that wouldn''t make it that far of a stretch.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is about right. Lady Faraine, as she insists on being called, was summoned by the original Hecate, back when dungeon cores were first finding their place in the world, and she was with her all the way up until the purge. And she has since jumped around quite a few times, so there is no telling how may years Fara has left, but I would probably guess she has many years left to spare if she decides to remain unbound to a dungeon this time.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± ¨CAngela says before stumbling after tripping over another root.-


    After Angela stops herself from falling over we continue deeper into the forest, but realize that Two-Twelve missed his check in time, so we send him a message and get no response.


    ¡°Should we turn back?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The only reason I can see the failed dungeon cores not using one of their items right from the beginning is that they wanted to make sure it lasted until the end, so I would think they expect this siege to last a couple of days. Last we heard the monsters attacking Tobes were nothing they can¡¯t handle on their own, so I think we should have enough time to finish collecting this relic before heading to Tobes to assist.¡±


    ¡°They should also know that he was able to send out messages about the attack beforehand as well, so they should be anticipating reinforcements. If those reinforcements don¡¯t come then Tobes might be in danger.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°For all we know, the reason the failed cores haven''t used one of their items until now is that got wind of what we are trying to do and they want us to abandon our search to find the relics to save Two-Twelve in a effort to slow us down, so we should at least get our hands on this divine relic first.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but we need to hurry, because my dungeon is there in Tobes as well, and if they know what we are doing it might not be Two-Twelve that they are after, but my dungeon instead.¡±


    I would say we picked up the pace, but with the forest being like it is, that just isn¡¯t really possible. After a few hours however we manage to stumble across a clearing in the forest and Angela seems greatly relieved to be able to stretch out for a minute.


    The clearing is quite large, but as Dyson said, the way the trees are growing makes it impossible to see the sky above, so if you flew overhead you would never know this clearing was down here. There is also no signs of the Lady Faraine, but the clearing extends out of view.


    Dyson: ¡°Everyone be on guard, I don¡¯t think Fara will attack outright, but that doesn¡¯t mean she won¡¯t send something after us either.¡±


    We follow the clearing through the forest, and although nothing jumps out to attack us, I can¡¯t help get the feeling that there are plenty of eyes watching us as we make our way. We are at least no longer tripping over everything so it is at least somewhat of an improvement.


    It doesn¡¯t take long until we come up on a small meadow with many kinds of flowers and herbs growing in it. Light shines down on the meadow, but with the way the trees are overhead there is no way the light is natural.


    Just past the meadow lies a small cottage. Twisted trees and branches make up the support for the cottage, but unlike normal elven dwellings, instead of the walls in between being made of heavy fabric they are packed with dried mud and twigs, reinforced with magic, making the walls appear to be more sturdy then even stone or brick.


    A small stream of smoke that has a purplish hue bellows out from the roof of the cottage, but it quickly dissipates before even reaching the canopy of the trees. It does however fill the area with an aromatic smell of burning herbs.


    Dyson: ¡°Well it looks like she is home, or at least was recently. There is no way that she doesn¡¯t know we are here already, so we should go announce ourselves before she thinks we are trying to sneak around. I would also try and avoid stepping on any of the herbs or flowers, or things might become far more difficult.¡±


    We carefully make our way around the meadow, and approach the cottage. Dyson seems to hesitate for a second, with an expression of worry on his face that is very uncharacteristic for him, as he seems to be trying to build up the courage before reaching forward and lightly knocking his knuckles on the door of the cottage, then quickly withdrawing his hand.


    Both Angela and Desiree are worried after noticing how much Dyson is worrying. I on the other-hand am quite curious about this elven woman. I was never an all-knowing, or all-seeing deity, but there is wasn''t much that slipped past me before becoming a dungeon core, so to find an elf that puts this kind of expression on Dyson is rather interesting.


    A beautiful young elf opens the door to let us in, but her movements feel unnatural as she moves aside for us. Even though I am certainly not tall, she still reaches only up to about my chest, though that is rather typical for a normal elf. Her eyes on the other hand, are a clear giveaway, for instead of flesh and blood ones, she has shaped and polished stones in their place.


    The attention to detail on the stones is enough that from a couple yards away it would be hard to tell they weren¡¯t actual eyes, but the more you look at her, the more things you begin to notice that aren¡¯t quite right.


    Even though her light moss-colored hair looks natural at first, it is not hair at all, but some kind of reed or grass. Her skin looks flawless, soft, and silky smooth, but it and the rest of her are made from wood. Even her clothing isn¡¯t clothing at all, but woven moss and foliage.


    She doesn¡¯t say anything, but when Dyson asks her where her mistress is, she ushers us to sit down around the large cooking pot in the center of the cottage that takes up a good bit of the cottage just on its own. It also seems to be the source of the smoke, and smell of herbs in the air.


    The cottage is rather simple, consisting of only the single room. Everything held within it appears to be taken directly from the forest, even a few books that sit on one of the shelves appears to be some kind of leaves with bark serving as the binding and cover.


    Dyson¡¯s worry seems to have faded and he seems more agitated now, as he speaks out loud to no one in particular. ¡°There is no way our arrival surprised you, so quit hiding and show yourself already!¡±


    The surface of the large pot in front of us stirs, startling Angela and Desiree, as a small head pokes up out of herbal concoction. A petite elf makes her way out of the cauldron, the herbal concoction dripping off her, causing her bare skin to seemingly shine under the gentle artificial sunlight in the hut, a few flowers and leaves sticking to her randomly without affording her any modesty.


    Her state of undress doesn¡¯t seem to matter much to her, as she calmly picks up a towel of woven moss to start dabbing herself with it, a displeased look on her face. If the elf-looking creature that ushered us in seemed like the ideal elven beauty at first glance, then this slightly older woman would be the ideal she was poorly mimicking.


    Faraine: ¡°Leave it to Dyson to show up right in the middle of me taking a bath. What is it you have come to take from me this time?¡± ¨CThe elven woman says while continuing to dry herself off.-


    Dyson: ¡°You surely have known about our presence for hours. It seems more to me that you put yourself into that situation deliberately. As for why I am here, we need the heart stone.¡±


    Faraine looked displeased with our arrival, but at the mention of the heart stone her focus of drying off one of her legs is lost as her head snaps in Dyson¡¯s direction, and she looks shocked and hurt for a second before she resumes drying herself off.


    Faraine: ¡°Of course¡­ You have taken everything else from me so why would I be surprised that you want that back as well.¡± ¨CShe says as she drops the towel unto a beautifully grown chair made of vines, trunks and leaves with tiny buds and sprouts growing at its top.-


    Angela: ¡°Want it back? You mean Master was the one that gave it to you?¡±


    Faraine: ¡°Just a little token of his affection¡­¡± ¨CShe says while walking in between Angela and Dyson while trying to shove Dyson back, but with their height difference she just barely manages to hit him on the stomach.-


    Dyson steps to the side as Faraine walks past them picking up some of her laid out clothes, and like everything else in the home, they are either made or grown from the woodlands around the house. While she starts pulling on the clothes, she continues by saying. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know the cost would be so high¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought before Angela and Desiree, you only took human lovers? No wonder she hates you so much. Is there any woman from your past that isn¡¯t a jilted lover?¡±


    Faraine scoffs at being called Dyson¡¯s lover and says. ¡°Lover? That has to be a joke. Dyson isn''t capable of such affection. Another notch on his belt, that is all any of his ¡°lovers¡± ever amounted to.¡±


    Angela: ¡°That is untrue! Master would never treat us that way!¡±


    Faraine: ¡°Aww, to be young and ignorant again.¡±


    Angela begins to step forward to argue again, but Dyson quickly steps forward holding her back, then interrupts by saying. ¡°That is quite enough Fara.¡± -He puts an emphasis on calling her Fara which doesn''t seem to go unnoticed from Faraine. He then continues.- ¡°We didn''t come for a fight, but to ask for your help. You have wanted to know the heart stone''s purpose since the moment you acquired it, and I have found the one person who can tell you.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°And in exchange you will take it off my hands? Just what kind of fool do you take me for?¡±


    ¡°Dyson told me a bit about you, and he said you have taken more than a few dungeons to call your home. Now I can see why you would feel for Dyson the way you do, but do you bear all dungeons the same grudge? Because if that item is what we believe it to be, it isn''t Dyson that you would be saving, but my dungeon, and at bare minimum at least one more.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°If that is the case show me how to wield it, and I will forget the fact that Dyson brought you here, and will help your dungeon myself. But if it it''s enough to make Dyson come begging for, I am not about to turn it over to anyone.¡±


    ¡°It isn''t that simple... It isn''t some weapon that can be wielded. But if you could let me see it I can at least tell you if it is what we think it is, and the conversation can go on or we can leave.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°I don''t take you for being one of Dyson''s girls... And if you are not one of his girls and you are still stomaching being around him for any length of time. Then maybe this is as important as you say...¡±


    Faraine is good... Without even making the slightest gesture she seems to be trying to gather information about me with magic from the moment she stepped out of the cauldron. I don''t know how thorough her magic is, but it appears she has either learned all she can or has found out what she wanted to know because her magic ceases.


    Faraine: ¡°Fine... I will allow you to see it, but I still do not trust Dyson, so him and his things can wait outside.¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Angela appears like she wants to argue, but Dyson leads her and Desiree out of the door without saying a word. This seems to peak Faraine''s interest and she nods her head causing the woman/creature that led us into the house to step forward.


    Faraine reaches forward sliding her hand under the moss/foliage making up the woman/creatures attire, but she keeps reaching forward until she is buried elbow deep. She seems to be rooting around inside of the woman/creatures body before she finally seems to find what she is looking for as she starts to pull her arm back out.


    The entire spectacle takes less then a few seconds and the woman/creature didn''t even bat an eye through any of it. When Faraine withdraws her hand from under the woman/creature''s clothing her hand is filled with what looks to be a human heart, with the one exception that it has a gentle glow, and appears to be solid stone.


    Once the stone is free from the woman/creature, Faraine makes a quick motion with her head and the woman/creature heads out the door to join Dyson and the others.


    Dyson may have been right on his assumption that this item was indeed a divine relic, as I already have a good idea exactly what it might be, but unless Faraine allows me to hold it I can''t be certain.


    Faraine: ¡°Well here it is... Now can you tell me exactly what it is and what it is you intend to do with it?¡±


    Two-Twelve PoV


    ¡°Alright everyone, so far the dungeon itself has yet to be put at risk, but we have to hold our ground until the remaining townsfolk make it to safety. I am not going to lie and say things are looking good, but we have a job to do and we have to do it well for those we care about." - he looks around, then continues - "Once the townsfolk are safe, those who have not already done so will retreat to the dungeon, and depending on the monster''s response, we will decide on what our next course of action will be.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°No need to worry Master, Lilah will not let you down!¡±


    Once this battle is over, more than a few of the townsfolk have seen things that would lead to questions about myself and the dungeon, but that won''t even matter if we don''t live through this ordeal. So I have decided to no longer hold anything back.


    I don''t have much xp remaining due to summoning monsters left and right for the last few hours and the fact these enemy monsters are not producing the xp that they should. So I can''t really afford to create walls blocking off the Mage''s Guild completely, but I should be able to at least make some walls blocking off some of the monsters and funneling the rest to allow us more time for the townsfolk to escape.


    After accessing [Menu], I start creating massive walls that extend far into the sky. Most of the townsfolk are busy trying to flee, but the walls are not exactly quiet as they crash through some of the remaining buildings and burning rubble that make up the remains of Tobes, causing many of the townsfolk that remain in the back of the group to notice their sudden appearance.


    I remember a while back commenting on how cheap building rooms is compared to summoning monsters, but with the state of our xp, and the compound cost of summoning the walls high enough to affect the flying monsters as well, I summon far fewer walls than I would have liked to.


    It doesn''t seem to slow the monsters down any, but it does cause a bit of a bottleneck to help us deal with them. Some of the flying monsters still go over the walls, but it takes far more time then just funneling through the wall, so most of them are bottle-necked as well.


    That proves to be quite lucky, because with the few fliers we have on our side, sending them into the air would be suicide, so they fight along the ground with the rest of us.


    After an hour and a half we are still managing to hold the line rather well, but as the evacuation continues and the crowd outside of the Mage''s Guild begins to shrink we are left with less people picking off the injured and stragglers, so we have to be certain we finish off any monster we down causing us to spend a bit more time which in turn causes us to loose ground.


    Just after the two hour mark a few monsters manage to get by us and they get a hold of several of the townsfolk. We quickly deal with the monsters, but not before the last of the remaining townsfolk that remain outside panic, and cause even more damage than what the monsters did.


    They force their way into the Mage''s Guild trampling several people in the process, and while I am quickly trying to calm the townsfolk down I hear someone cry out from the front line.


    ¡°Lynx!¡± -The panic voice calls out.-


    Several of the townsfolk were killed in the panic, but the last of them have managed to enter the interior of the Mage''s Guild. I can seal off the tunnel once everyone enters it, but with the amount of people still in the Mage''s Guild, that will still take at least another hour or two, so I return to the front-line to find out exactly what happened.


    I find several of the members of Poppy''s group with tears in their eyes as they fight back the monsters. They don''t have the luxury of being able to mourn their fallen comrade lying among the rest of the bodies on the ground.


    ¡°What happened?¡± -I say while rejoining the fight.-


    Poppy: ¡°It was my fault... The townsfolk screamed and I lost concentration.¡±


    Reti: ¡°It''s nobody''s fault. We all lost concentration...¡± -She says wiping a few tears from the face and casting another spell into the monsters.-


    We have lost more than a few members of our dungeon since the battle began, but this is the first loss Poppy''s group has faced, and their morale is shot. Poppy''s group makes up a quarter of our current fighting group, so to say things get much more difficult, would be an understatement.


    ¡°All of the townsfolk have made it inside the Mage''s Guild, so we just have to hold out a little while longer!¡± -I call out as encouragement, but it falls on deaf ears as we can see that even stronger monsters are entering the bottleneck.-


    We manage to hold out another thirty minutes, but then we lose Isi, the avian from Poppy''s group. I decide it is too dangerous now for the newer members of our dungeon to continue fighting and send them inside the Mage''s Guild to be the rear guard for the evacuating townsfolk.


    Lilah has been with me a long time, but she has only recently begun training her combat skills, so I try to send her on as well but she firmly refuses.


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah isn''t leaving Master''s side! If Lilah dies then so be it, but...¡± -She however is cut off while a large creature comes barreling out of the sky crashing between us causing her to quickly scream- ¡°Watch out!¡±


    It surprised us for sure, and we almost attacked it, but we quickly realized it isn''t an enemy, but one of the griffons we had written off hours ago. It doesn''t really help us much because it has sustained enough wounds that it died almost as soon as it touched down.


    The griffon however wasn''t alone, off of its back slide four figures that we didn''t exactly write off, but wasn''t sure if they were still alive or not, either.


    ¡°Azami! You all made it!¡± -I say as Lele, Lala, and Moss join in with the others fighting the monsters while Azami approaches me.-


    Azami: ¡°I found the source of the monsters, however you are not going to like it... The monsters attacking Tobes are coming from the dungeon, our dungeon...¡±


    ¡°Thats...¡± -Impossible, I was about to say, but with the new floors and monsters in Madam Erin''s dungeon I switch to saying.- ¡°Are you sure? Some of these monsters that have begun to show up are monsters we can''t even summon.¡±


    Azami: ¡°We found a few cave openings in which the monsters were pouring out of. We then traced one of the caves back to the dungeon, so we are fairly confident the others will lead back to the dungeon as well.¡±


    While talking Azami begins to use her magic causing vines to extend from the ground. The vines wrap around some of the monster corpses and the rubble from the buildings, binding them together to make her spriggans which begin fighting as soon as they are complete.


    These spriggans are haphazardly thrown together and quite grotesque, compared to the ones she has been making lately that could almost pass as some type of demi-human, but every bit of combat strength helps at this point.


    With the help of Azami''s spriggans, we are not exactly out of the woods yet, but once she manages to put together a dozen of them it gives me a chance to think about what what the meaning of her words is.


    ¡°If they are coming from the dungeon we have to find a way to stop them... I doubt we would be able to break down the caves ourselves, but if we managed to find the rooms they are attached to, then perhaps we could break those down, and cut the caves off from the dungeon itself.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°If there was plenty of time that may work, but even if they are detached from the dungeon it could take days or weeks for the detached caves to deteriorate, and there is nothing stopping the monsters from continuing to spawn until then. Not to mention the fact, who ever put them there, added them to Master''s dungeon, so who is to say they couldn''t create more rooms to reattach them.¡±


    ¡°We have to try something, because who knows what will happen once the townsfolk manage to completely evacuate... Will the monsters then turn their focus on the dungeons, or what...?¡±


    Sofia: ¡°I think if they wanted to attack the dungeons themselves they would have done so already. Last we checked they haven''t done anything to the dungeon up in the mountain, and they burned all the equipment and furniture in Ceres''s university, but once that was done they have pretty much avoided it ever since.¡±


    ¡°Either way, I think the result will be the same... With the state of our xp and without the income from the townsfolk we won''t be able to meet the xp consumption for three maybe four days tops before we will be forced to break parts of the dungeon down just to meet the consumption rate.¡±


    Bell: ¡°I don''t think that is the only issue either. I heard more then a few of the townsfolk talking about your relationship to the dungeon, and after everything that has happened today I don''t think we are going to ever be able to get things back to the way they were before.¡±


    ¡°That can be tomorrow''s problem... We have to live through today first.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I can help with that.¡± -A voice rings out behind me that I immediately recognize.-


    I quickly turn to find Dyson, Desiree, Angela and two elves that at first glance look like twins, though there''s something wrong with one of them, but I can''t put my finger on it because I am quickly distracted by the last member of their group. The voice that called out was that of Ceres, but the only other person in their group easily stands a head taller than Dyson.


    Everything about the tall woman is an aberration. With burning red hair that makes even Belinda''s hair looks pale by comparison, the tips of which actually flicker like flames. The woman''s skin is almost ghostly pale, yet the outer edge of the iris of her eyes is pitch black with the rest of it an intense purple color that would put an amethyst to shame. Even the woman''s ears, which are the shape of an elf''s ear are three times longer in proportion to her head. The woman''s clothes however are reminiscent of the clothing Ceres typically wears.


    The woman then speaks with Ceres''s voice which clearly doesn''t fit her appearance. ¡°You keep leering at me like that and I will tell your wife.¡±


    ¡°Ceres...?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Yes, yes... A side effect, albeit a temporary one.¡± -She says while looking at her own hand.- ¡°The appearance isn''t the only temporary thing however, so we need to act quickly. By the look of things everyone is fleeing somewhere under the Mage''s Guild, so I need you to drop those dungeon walls you have standing out there and build one between me and the Mage''s Guild. Just make sure it is huge, and everyone but me is on the Mage''s Guild side of it.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°There isn''t time! Just hurry.¡±


    I quickly have everyone fall back and use [Menu] to break down the walls I placed out in the town, I then make a new one with a half dome shape separating us from the changed Ceres.


    ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± -I ask Dyson, but before he answers the ground starts to shake.-


    The ground starts violently shaking making even the magically reinforced walls of the Mage''s guild start to crack and sway. Those of us that manage to keep to our feet are quickly assaulted by bright light and intense heat.


    The half dome wall I summoned almost butted right up against the Mage''s Guild, which should of left us in the dark, but enough light and heat is coming through the small gap that even cupping my hands over my eyes doesn''t seem to help the light from hurting my eyes.


    Next is a massive wave the causes me to fly through the air, I don''t know how far because the blinding light is burning my eyes, and once I hit the ground I can do nothing but curl up in the fetal position on the ground and wait for it to be over.


    Between the blinding light, shaking ground, and a sound that is like that of a dragon on either side of your head roaring in your ears, it feels like it goes on forever. But eventually the ground starts to quit shaking, the light begins to dim, and the sound mellows out.


    I lay there for a while longer, but I can''t tell you if it is a couple seconds, or a couple minutes, but when I finally stagger to my feet, the ordeal is finally over. My eyes are having a hard time adjusting now, and even though the sound has stopped there is a loud ringing in my ears.


    The wall I made is still standing, and it looks like it shielded some of the Mage''s Guild structure, but much of the rest is now just completely gone. I quickly stagger to the door to check on the townsfolk that were still evacuating, and even though there does appear to be some casualties, most are curled up on the floor in the fetal position just like I was.


    I turn and use [Menu] to remove the half-dome wall, and on the other side is nothing...


    The rubble from the buildings, and the few buildings that were still standing... There is no trace of them. Further away I can make out the buildings that made up Ceres''s university, but the forest is gone... Even towards the mountain the entire landscape is completely different.


    I look towards where Ceres is standing and she is down on one knee. She reaches up pulling large chunks of the red hair from her head leaving her normal pink hair exposed underneath, and as she stands up her height has seemed to return almost completely to normal.


    I call out her name in what I swore was a shout, but it barely sounds like a whisper over the ringing in my ears. She turns, walks over to me, and casts a healing spell on me causing the ringing in my ears to subside and my vision to clear up.


    ¡°What!... Was that?¡± -I start to shout, but quickly lower my voice by the time I finish.-


    Ceres still has a purple hue to her eyes but the rest of her is almost completely back to normal. She places her hand on my shoulder and says. ¡°I''m sure the others need healing as well, lets fix them up, and we will catch up later...¡±


    I nod and we start to move around casting healing spells on everyone, and even Dyson didn''t escape the ordeal without feeling the effects as much as I did. If anything his skills making his senses better than mine, might of actually made him suffer more damage.


    ¡°That dealt with all the monsters, but more will probably just spawn in now.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don''t think so, that blast not only got rid of the monsters, but I sensed that I took out several people that were hiding out in the forest as well as a dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure they weren''t some of the townsfolk that just got lost and was trying to escape though the forest?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°As sure as I can be. Hopefully that puts a big enough scare into them that it buys us a bit more time. Unfortunately I just used up most of the power I had gathered the last few days, and the rest will only last another day or two, but I did I find out where we need to go next, and we are going to have to move quick.¡±


    After healing the elf that came along with Dyson and Ceres I check on the other one but it looks dead.


    ¡°I''m sorry it looks like she didn''t make it...¡±


    The elf shrugs it off and says. ¡°A lot of rare minerals went into her creation, but I should be able to fix her up in no time.¡± -She then turns to Ceres and says.- ¡°That was even more incredible then you said it would be, although I was expecting it to work more then once...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That was because it wasn''t my power to begin with. I am sure it returned to the source now instead of being trapped in that item. I managed to save some of the energy, but I won''t be able to hold on to it for more then a few days, so I will have to use the rest of it by then.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡± -The elf says with disappointment. She then moves over to examine the corpse of her companion.


    Once everyone here is healed up we move inside and start healing the townsfolk that hadn''t yet evacuated. Many of which only sink into despair once they realize the crumbling building around them is the Mage''s Guild, and the empty plain outside is what used to be Tobes and the forest.


    ¡°Alright everyone, you can continue to evacuate though the tunnel to join the others heading for the capital or you can stay behind. We are not completely sure the danger is over, but so far it looks like it has passed. If you decide to stay we will make sure you have the supplies you need until you make up your minds on what you want to do next.¡±


    To no surprise after my address to the townsfolk many don''t even stick around to think about it before heading down into the tunnel. Once I make sure those who are still alive are alright, I notice I have received several messages.


    The traitor''s item should be preventing any messages, but I have received a message about a dungeon core dying that I have never met before, and a panicked message from Belinda.


    Belinda: ¡°I know you probably can''t see this, but I don''t know what else to do. Those who are bound to the dungeon are still alive, so I know you must be as well, but there was a huge explosion towards Tobes... It was so large we felt the heat from here...Please come back to me Two-Twelve...¡±


    I don''t really know how to explain what happened so I just send her a message back saying. ¡°We are fine, the last of the townsfolk have headed into the tunnel. We believe the attack is over, but there is nothing left here for anyone, so just continue to lead them to the capital. Once I know more I will let you know. Tell Rory I love her, and I love you too.¡±


    We have spent all day fighting, the entire town and forest have been wiped out of existence, but there is still too much to do to be able to rest. After using up my magic healing people I don''t have enough to use [Gate] but since I can send messages I try [Blink] and it works, so it seems even the effect of the item was wiped out...


    I continue to send messages back and forth with Belinda while coordinating with those still here. The small handful of townsfolk that did decide to stay behind had lots of questions, but we couldn''t really answer them right now. For now we just set them up in several of the university buildings and made sure they had the supplies they needed.


    Ceres told me she had to eat some old dead god''s heart that she got from the elven woman that came along with them, and that was where she got the power, but there seems to be some kind of deal between the elven woman and Ceres that she isn''t revealing.


    It is starting to get late and the sun is beginning to set but we walk what used to be Tobes just to see what is left... The entire town is just gone... There is nothing left larger than a fist, the only things left are the few underground passages that we made for the dwarves, but they are practically left in the open now that the buildings they were hidden in are now completely gone.


    My imitation crystal was in one of the tunnels along with a pair of minotaurs I had guarding it, and just so the townsfolk that did stick around accidentally find the tunnels I put the imitation crystal and the minotaurs in one of the side doors and lock it.


    My actual dungeon has come through this pretty much unscathed, but several of the walls that were buried deep in the mountain are now uncovered. They can''t be destroyed from either side, so I don''t think it will hurt anything, but it does show you just how deep the dungeon has gone into the mountain.


    Once I check out my dungeon, and Ceres checks out hers we gather at a camp fire outside one of the university buildings to discuss what comes next.


    Ceres: ¡°Everyone has had a long day, and after using that much power in one sitting even I need to take a rest, so the only thing we can do is rest till morning and hope that attack was enough to frighten off the failed dungeon cores at least till then.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Lilah is going to go to the dungeon core room and keep an eye on the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You have done just as much as everyone else, so you need to rest as well.¡±


    Lilah: ¡°All the others are gone Lilah is the only one left to protect the dungeon, so Lilah must protect the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You can set [Menu] to wake you up if something happens, but promise me you will at least get some sleep?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°Yes, Master.¡± -She says before walking out away from the fire. She has to check several times, because the border between the dungeons is harder to tell without any landmarks, but she eventually transfers out, disappearing from view.-


    Ceres: ¡°Dyson, they have made no attempts on your dungeon yet, but perhaps you three should head back and make sure. We can meet back here first thing in the morning, and that way the rest of us can get some sleep without all the racket...¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If they attack again we might not be able to teleport back.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°After these last few days traveling with you three, trust me, it is a risk I am willing to take...¡±


    Angela pulls on Dyson''s arm and whispers in his ear, Desiree is standing on the other side of Dyson yawning, but after Angela says something to Dyson that even my ears can''t pick up, it catches Desiree''s attention. Dyson nods, and Desiree grabs Dyson''s other arm and with a simple. ¡°See you in the morning.¡± from Dyson the three of them teleport away.


    Ceres: ¡°I am going to take Faraine somewhere she can sleep in peace, then I want to speak with you for a minute before we go to bed, is that alright?¡± -She asks me.-


    Lala: ¡°Moss, your bed is gone now, so you can share with Lele and me!¡±


    ¡°With all the other bunnies helping with the evacuation there are plenty of beds to go around in the dungeon core room, so Moss can pick any other bed to sleep in. The rest of you should probably transfer to the dungeon core room and get some rest as well.¡±


    The others nod and start preparing to head to bed. Sofia has to nudge Bell who fell asleep resting her head on Sofia''s shoulder, Bell wakes up quite embarrassed, apologizing at least a dozen times before they cross the threshold between the dungeons and transferring out.


    My muscles are pretty sore and my magic regain has practically reached a standstill, but I told Ceres I would wait, so I stir a stick in the fire while I wait for her. I don''t have to wait long before she returns however.


    Ceres: ¡°Sorry, I know you are probably exhausted, but I wanted to talk to you about Faraine, without her or Dyson overhearing.¡±


    ¡°Alright...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°First of all she has been around a long time, and she would be a valuable ally to have. Dyson and her have a rocky past, but I am sure that is something that even if they can''t work though they can at least work around.¡±


    ¡°Ok, so whats the problem?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well I know I should have asked before making the promise, but with communication being blocked, and our desperate need for Qryara''s heart, I promised her we would make her a dungeon core in exchange for the divine relic.¡±


    ¡°We don''t know what is going to happen next, and I would like to hold on to as many Justicar points as I possible can, but as long as you think she can be trusted I think the cost would be worth the divine relic, even if we didn''t get to use it in a better way.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That''s the thing... I didn''t get much chance to speak with her, and with her past with Dyson I could really see why she would sympathize with the failed dungeon cores, so it is quite risky making her a dungeon core. Especially even without being a dungeon core Dyson was afraid of fighting her on her turf as it is.¡±


    ¡°When did you promise her we would make her a dungeon core?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I didn''t say when, but I am sure she assumed it would be soon. I just don''t want to wait too long and make a enemy of her, we can''t afford having someone strong enough to worry Dyson, join the failed dungeon cores.¡±


    ¡°Once she does become a dungeon core she will have to protect her dungeon, so if we can have her help us for a little bit it may be helpful, but I don''t want her to think we are stringing her along either. If we can at least get Madam Erin back before we do it I would feel much better.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°After I absorbed Qryara''s heart, finding Madam Erin was the first thing I tried to do, and I am pretty sure I know where she is. After using as much power as I did however, I don''t think I can reach her, but I think I know how we can. If it works we should have Madam Erin home by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I really hope so...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well get some rest, and we will figure it out in the morning.¡±


    I nod and bid Ceres a good night before heading to the dungeon core room to sleep, but not before sending Belinda a message, wishing her a good night.

 Rescuing Madam Erin

    I didn''t manage to get much sleep, but being a dungeon core it was at least enough to alleviate the soreness and tiredness of yesterday''s ordeal. The sun still has yet to rise and it will be a little while longer before the time in which I am supposed to meet back with Ceres and the others, so I decide to look over the dungeon to see in how bad a shape the dungeon is.


    Looking at the remains of Tobes through [Menu] really drives home the devastating attack that Ceres unleashed. Even the mountain has permanently been reshaped, and I am honestly beginning to wonder if not only Tobes but the mountain itself wouldn''t have become just a huge crater if it wasn''t for the fact the ground is considered a dungeon floor.


    The trees however have been obliterated, even the lake halfway up the mountain has shrunk considerably... Wait... I check the [Monsters] section of [Menu]. It''s the giant crab, it must have taken shelter in the lake before the attack, and the ground around the lake must have protected it from the blast.


    That makes him practically the only non-sentient monster in my dungeon left alive, not counting the rift monsters, of course. Looking at the list of [Monsters] however is quite disheartening. Even among my named monsters the list is only a small fraction of what it was before.


    Some monsters were spared as they were at one of the girls'' dungeons, but almost all of the xp gathering groups that were training in Ceres''s dungeon have been wiped out. The loss of monsters has decreased my xp consumption back down to levels in which Akil''s xp covers it again, but if we can''t get the humans to come back to Tobes we won''t be able to recoup our losses for a long time.


    As for the dungeon itself, there are a few rooms that appear to have been altered, and by the looks of things it must have been where the failed cores had attached the tunnels to the dungeon. Lilah must have altered the rooms last night so that the tunnels would begin to break-down.


    We have a substantial amount of weapons, armor, and supplies stored in the dungeon inventory, so to be on the safe side I start breaking down some of it to make sure we have enough xp in case of an emergency.


    There is still a lot left when I am done, and I didn''t even touch the things we pulled from the shops and storehouses of Tobes, but I have run out of time, and I need to go meet with Ceres and the others already.


    I equip my gear, transfer down to the edge of my dungeon near Ceres''s dungeon, and see that the amount of people has quadrupled overnight, but that is still not even a small fraction of the population of Tobes before the attack. I don''t see Ceres or Dyson yet so I go greet some of the townsfolk.


    They seem exceedingly nervous as I approach and greet them. Most of them won''t even look me directly in the eye anymore. I don''t know if they will stick around though, because the longer I talked to them the more nervous they seemed to get. From what I can gather they only returned to try to salvage what they could from Tobes, but since there is nothing to salvage they are already talking about abandoning Tobes altogether.


    I tell them that the dungeon is still there, and with the items it supplies it would be worth the trouble to try to rebuild Tobes, but their nervousness only increases to the point in which I might as well have two heads, so I feel the best thing I can do is bow out of the conversation.


    I continue to have several more similar awkward conversations with other groups of people, and although none come out and say anything to me directly, I can tell they are putting a lot more validity into the rumors about me. Some of them going as far as quieting others down when I approach.


    When I finally catch sight of Ceres, she is standing on top of the steps of one of her buildings calling the attention of all those who are still in Tobes.


    Ceres: ¡°Everyone, I wish to speak with you all!¡± -She says and waits for everyone to gather before she continues.- ¡°First of all I want to start off by saying, you are all welcome to use the university''s buildings as long as you need to, until we can begin the process of rebuilding Tobes.¡±


    Talking about rebuilding Tobes seems to cause more than a few of the people to begin talking back and forth. Ceres gives them a few moments then clears her throat and continues.


    Ceres: ¡°Listen, everyone here knows me, or they at least know of me. I''m not only the headmaster here at the university, but also the unofficial leader of the Mage''s Guild, and in turn the Adventurer''s Guild, but there is something about me that you don''t know.¡±


    Ceres looks over the crowd and takes a deep breath before saying. ¡°Last year I was killed, and it was only due to the dungeon up in the mountain that I am still around. I am now, for all intents and purposes, the master of my own dungeon which runs along side the dungeon up in the mountain.¡±


    Ceres''s revelation causes the townsfolk to raise a commotion as they quickly begin talking among themselves. Ceres gives them a few moments again before she fires a spell off into the air, creating a loud booming sound that causes everyone to jump and become silent before she continues speaking again.


    Ceres: ¡°Now what you do with that information is up to you, but you can also believe me when I say that I know for a fact that the dungeon in the mountain had nothing to do with the attack that occurred on Tobes, and it did everything it could to protect Tobes and its citizens, including the means for the townsfolk to evacuate. That also means that when I say we will rebuild Tobes better than it ever was before, that is exactly what we are going to do!¡±


    Ceres really just stuck her neck out for me, and if it was up to just me I would stand next to her and tell them about my dungeon as well, but as close ties I have with the kingdom and Belinda''s family I couldn''t say anything without at least giving them an advanced warning.


    I do however join Ceres on the steps and say. ¡°I can''t speak officially for the kingdom, but anyone that seen the battle yesterday could clearly see the dungeon tried to protect Tobes and lost as many monsters as we lost citizens, and dungeon or no dungeon I trust Ceres, so if she means to rebuild Tobes, I will as well!¡±


    It isn''t exactly an admission of being associated with the dungeon, but it isn''t a denial either. The rumors about me might not go away, but this might be enough to buy me some time to at least have a conversation with Belinda''s father first.


    The townsfolk that remain begin talking among themselves again, and Ceres ushers me into the building and says. ¡°Well that should give them plenty to gossip about for a while.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you are alright telling them about you being a dungeon core?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°After today it might not matter anyway, but even if we do make it though today alright, I am rather confident they would not be able to hurt my dungeon even if they found it, so I don''t see a problem with it. Besides I think I have watched humans long enough to judge how they are going to respond to the news.¡±


    ¡°Well... I hope you''re right.¡±


    I send Belinda a message letting her know about Ceres telling those that remained, about being a dungeon core. After all it is already an established fact that Ceres has support from Gowen, so if something goes wrong I don''t want Belinda''s father to get blindsided by this.


    Belinda isn''t nearly as surprised as I expected about the news, but after sending messages back and forth for a few minutes Ceres says. ¡°Well I just received a message from Dyson saying they are on their way, so we better get started.¡±


    I send Belinda one last message telling her we are going to go attempt to bring Madam Erin back, and she sends me one back telling me to be careful while Ceres and I make our way back outside.


    After exiting the building, it seems like nobody has moved, since they are still talking among themselves, seemingly unsure how to process the information they received. Dyson''s sudden appearance however snaps them out of it long enough to jump. You can tell by the looks on their faces that when they start talking again their topic hasn''t changed, but Dyson has been added to their discussion.


    Dyson studies them as he walks by them, and though he mostly ignores them, they can''t do the same for him since they need to step out of the way. He arrived with upwards of two dozen humans, as well as Angela and Desiee. Even Speedy and Byson are among the group which is trailing shortly behind Desiree and Angela.


    ¡°What''s all this?¡± -I say while they approach.-


    Dyson: ¡°Ask the boss lady, she is the one that said to bring them.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°While we go to recover Madam Erin, I have something else that needs to be done, and I figured that after the battle yesterday you wouldn''t have the manpower, so I asked for Dyson''s assistance.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°A distraction so we can rescue Madam Erin unhindered. Now we need to hurry, so if you tell them to head inside they can meet with a few of my people and they will take it from there.¡±


    Dyson nods and sends the group that followed him into the building. Ceres then continues by saying. ¡°Now, Two-Twelve can you take us to speak with Akil?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you know Akil has flat out refused to help with this matter.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I believe after Akil hears what I have to say I believe he might change his mind.¡±


    I thought Akil saw everything, so what could she say that he doesn''t already know? But I don''t voice my concern because if there is a chance that Akil will help I will gladly take it, so I transfer us all down to Akil''s room.


    Akil is lying in the same spot and position he always is, but he at least makes the effort to bring his face from behind his wing this time as he says. ¡°I distinctly remember you saying you would let me sleep as long as I liked if I helped you last time?¡±


    ¡°I said once we rescue Madam Erin.¡±


    Akil: ¡°It doesn''t matter, I know why you are here and you already know my answer.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I don''t know what they are planing to do there, but if you know where they took Madam Erin, you can''t tell me you would sit by and let them get away with what ever they are planing?¡±


    Akil: ¡°You know what you are asking of me and what it would cost to use that much power.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I do...¡±


    Akil: ¡°The question is, does Two-Twelve?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? What cost?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If Akil uses enough power to send us to where Madam Erin is, it is likely his mate will know exactly where he is at. That means after he uses his power he will have to leave your dungeon.¡±


    ¡°After the loss of Tobes I can''t maintain my consumption without Akil''s xp...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°There is far more than just Madam Erin''s life on the line now. Dyson and I already spoke about it, and if we have to, we have agreed to supply you with enough xp to get you back on your feet, but this has to be done...¡±


    ¡°Fine...¡±


    Akil: ¡°It looks like you all agree, but there is one more catch.¡±


    I start to ask ¡°what?¡± but my surroundings contort until everything is just a blur, and by the time my vision clears I am standing in empty darkness. I say that but even though there is darkness as far as the eye can see there is a floor giving off a faint light making this place look identical to a dungeon core room.


    It is much larger than my dungeon core room and the faintly lit floor stretches out in all directions as far as the eye can see. I am not sure where we are, but only Ceres is standing next to me and she quickly curses.


    ¡°Where is Dyson, Angela, and Desiree?¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Ceres: ¡°I assume that is what Akil meant about a catch. He didn''t trust Dyson enough to send him here...¡±


    ¡°What about the failed cores? Are we going to be able to do this without Dyson?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We don''t have a choice.¡± -She quickly looks around and then points.- ¡°We go that way.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? It all looks the same.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Trust me.¡±


    I following Ceres though the darkness but after five minutes I ask her. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Can''t you tell? It''s a dungeon core room.¡±


    ¡°I''ve never seen one so big...Whose dungeon core room is this?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°My sister''s, or I guess you can say, it''s the world''s dungeon core room.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean the world''s...¡± -Ceres cuts me short shushing me.-


    Looking out in the distance I can see a faint source of light. Ceres motions for me to be quiet as she carefully continues towards the light source while watching her surroundings closely. With darkness in every direction except for the light source I am not exactly sure what she is looking for but I follow suit.


    With each step we take towards the light, it grows disproportionately to the distance we are traveling. Within a few steps it grows to the size of a person and I notice it is pulsing like a dungeon crystal. We continue moving forward until it completely covers our field of view, and that is when I hear a voice.


    We proceed forward more carefully now, until we see a few figures in the distance. Two men appear to be arguing back and forth while a third bear-looking person is on their knees nearby. I lightly tap on Ceres''s shoulder and she nods.


    There is nothing between us, so we can''t exactly sneak up on them. Ceres pulls out a sword almost the same size as she is seemingly from thin air, causing me to draw my sword as well while moving forward. I expected the figures to spot us right away, but they are so distracted that we make it quite close before then.


    One of the figures is wearing Dyson''s armor and sword, so I only assume it was the beastkin that captured him, the other man is older, wearing thick and heavy robes, and they seem to be arguing about what to do next until they spot us.


    The man with Dyson''s gear draws Dyson''s sword and says. ¡°How did you get here?!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It doesn''t matter how we got here, just that we are here.¡±


    The older man says: ¡°Of course it would be you that found your way here, but do you honestly think you are capable of stopping us?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I didn''t have any problems mopping up that mess you were pulling at our dungeons.¡±


    The one wearing Dyson''s armor says. ¡°That''s the bitch that killed Aislin!¡±


    The older man says. ¡°Calm yourself, even if she is capable of using another attack like that, do you honestly think she would risk it next to the world crystal?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°He is right about one thing.¡± -She says to me quietly.- ¡°Even with the power I got left, taking out even one of them will be questionable, so you have to find a way to free Madam Erin while I distract them.¡±


    They shouldn''t have been able to hear Ceres but the old man smirks and says. ¡°Is that so? In that case, I am almost done, so deal with them while I finish.¡±


    The man in Dyson''s armor says. ¡°We haven''t gotten Dyson back yet, you promised me his dungeon!¡±


    Older man: ¡°I told you, you can have Madam Erin''s dungeon, I won''t be needing it after all.¡±


    Fake Dyson: ¡°Ugh! Fine, but you owe me more than just the dungeon when this is over!¡± -He then launches himself forward faster than I can follow, but Ceres manages to step in front of him halting his advance with her sword.-


    The massive sword Ceres was holding shatters but not before stopping the man in Dyson''s armor. It doesn''t seem to faze Ceres at all though, as she releases the hilt and swings her arms around. Half-way through her swing a large two-handed mace appears in her hands and crashes into the side of the man wearing Dyson''s armor.


    Ceres: ¡°Hurry, we need Madam Erin!¡± -She calls out to me.-


    The man was surprised by the blow to his side, but Dyson''s armor protected him from any harm, so when I start to move towards Madam Erin he tries to block my path. Ceres drops the two-handed mace causing it to fade from existence while whipping around a whipsword like the pair I summoned for Desiree.


    The sword extends in a whip like fashion and wraps around the man''s neck forcing him to have to turn back to Ceres allowing me to run to Madam Erin''s side. As I reach Madam Erin I can see the man wearing Dyson''s armor has easily freed himself from the whip-sword and has begun attacking Ceres again.


    Ceres seems to be holding her own, causing weapons to appear and disappear at will, so I turn my attention to Madam Erin. Madam Erin is hunched over while on her knees with both of her hands bound, and I don''t see how she is managing to stay up as she appears to be unconscious.


    As I try to wake Madam Erin the older failed core completely ignores us as he seems to be manipulating a screen in front of him between him and the world crystal. Nothing I do seems to cause Madam Erin to wake up, but she does seem to be breathing, at least.


    Since nothing else works I try casting a healing spell on Madam Erin, but that still doesn''t do the trick so I call out to Ceres. ¡°I can''t get her to wake up!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Cut her bindings!¡± -She calls out just before deflecting a blow from Dyson''s sword.-


    Dyson''s sword shatters the weapon she is holding and this time it doesn''t seem like she managed to completely block the momentum. Ceres''s shoulder is quickly covered in a large pauldron that forms just like her weapons do. It however does her no good, as Dyson''s sword goes right through it severing Ceres''s arm clean off.


    Ceres doesn''t even call out in pain as her arm disappears just like the weapons she drops. The purple color of her eyes shines bright as an arm quickly forms to replace the one she just lost, and in it is a large spear that she trusts at the man wearing Dyson''s armor.


    I turn my attention back to Madam Erin and try to cut the bindings holding her hands, but even with the appearance of rope it is like trying to cut a metal chain with a butter knife. I decide to switch over to magic and even though it damages Madam Erin''s wrists and hands a little bit I finally manage to break loose her bindings.


    As Madam Erin starts to wake up the man wearing Dyson''s armor swings his sword with a downwards slash but his target was clearly not Ceres. The air between them splits and a void opens threatening to swallow everyone up.


    Madam Erin wakes up enough to grab my arm before the void pulls me in. There is nothing to hang onto however so even Madam Erin begins to slide across the floor. Ceres eyes shine even brighter as a greatsword forms half-planted in the ground, and she uses it to brace herself from the pull of the void.


    I cast a spell forming a small stone wall between us and the void, but immediately the corners begin breaking off. Madam Erin quickly shoves me into the floor next the wall and tells me to hang tight before jumping over the wall.


    I can do nothing as the wall continues to crumble breaking off larger chunks of it each time. I can''t see Madam Erin, Ceres, or the man wearing Dyson''s armor, but the older man is still working his hands in front of himself feverishly while seeming completely unaffected by the pull of the void.


    The wall breaks enough that I see Madam Erin wrestling with the man wearing Dyson''s armor, only to let go of him just as Ceres blasts him with a large ball of purple flame causing him to loose his own balance falling into the void he created.


    As Dyson''s sword and armor disappear into the void the fissure slams shut. I however can''t help but wonder that even if we manage to make it out of here alive, what Dyson is going to do to us when he finds out we lost his sword and armor...


    Madam Erin and Ceres appear to be alright, but Ceres''s eyes have almost completely returned to their original color now. I quickly pull myself from the floor to join them as Ceres calls out to the older failed core.


    Ceres: ¡°It''s over, you have lost.¡±


    Older man: ¡°That''s where you are wrong, the idiot just had to buy me enough time, and that is exactly what he did.¡± -He says while slamming his hand forward on the screen that only he can see.-


    The pulse of the world crystal quickly speeds up and when it does it begins to ripple like a wave leaving a human size area in the center exposed. Without the light pulsing in that area you can see that the crystal itself is as clear as glass, and resting inside is a large female figure completely void of characteristics, much like when a new dungeon core is born.


    Ceres: ¡°That is your plan?! Do you know what that will do?! If you kill her it will completely wipe out [Menu], kill every dungeon core, and wipe skills and magic from the world!¡±


    Old man: ¡°I''ll replace her and become a god! I will enslave [Menu] to my every whim!¡± -He says pounding on the screen again causing the featureless figure to be pushed from the crystal, causing it to collapse on the floor and we receive a message.-


    [Menu] interface removed system failure imminent.


    Ceres: ¡°We have to stop him!¡± -She cries, rushing forward.-


    The old man quickly casts a spell, Ceres eyes shine with the last bit of purple light, and she manages to dodge the spell and plunge a dagger into the old man''s chest, but Madam Erin is hit hard and crashes to the floor.


    I''m not sure if Ceres was able to end the old man in a single hit, but I decide to risk it and run to Madam Erin''s aid instead. Madam Erin has a large gash starting at her shoulder extending all the way to her waist, and even for a dungeon core there is too much blood, enough to see just how severe the wound is.


    I quickly begin casting a healing spell on her, but she pushes me away with one of her massive arms and struggles to get to her feet. She then hobbles over to Ceres, as she listens to the old man''s last words, whom is now lying on the floor.


    Madam Erin: ¡°Is he dead?¡± -She says with one of her arms on her shoulder and the other wrapped around her stomach almost as if she is holding herself together.-


    Ceres: ¡°Yes...¡± -She says letting go of the old man letting his head hit the floor. She quickly moves over to check on the featureless figure laying a few feet away.- ¡°It''s too late...She was never meant to leave the crystal, her body isn''t equipped to live outside of it.¡±


    ¡°You said if she died then the dungeon cores would die as well right? So what do we do?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We will have to do what he already tried to... We''ll have to replace her.¡± -She then motions seeming to interact with a screen in front of her.-


    ¡°For how long...?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Permanently...¡±


    ¡°There has got to be another way.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Dammit!¡± -She says hitting the screen in front of her.- ¡°It is still recognizing me from before I became a dungeon core so it is rejecting me.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°What about one of us?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°They were trying to do it to become a god, but it isn''t that simple. You would become [Menu] there is no telling what would happen to you, or if you would even still be you.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°You make it sound like we are dead either way, so I''ll do it. It''s better than dying while doing nothing at all.¡±


    ¡°Hold on! That might have been the leaders, but there are still plenty of dungeon cores that were working for them, and they aren''t just going to go away. You would be able to protect everyone far better than I can, so I should do it.¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°Forget it pup, you got far much more to lose than I do. You have a family waiting for you back home.¡±


    ¡°What about Cambion and Elexia? You have a family as well!¡±


    Madam Erin: ¡°I''m not cut out for that sort of thing like you are. Just remember what you promised me the first time I took you to meet Elexia.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We don''t have any more time. Madam Erin, you should be getting a message. Accept it and then the crystal will take you.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Madam Erin takes her arm off of her shoulder to hit something in front of her and she then presses against the crystal. The crystal pulls her inside a few feet and Madam Erin curls into the fetal position with her eyes closed. I start to move towards the crystal but I am hit with what feels like a giant weight, dragging me down as I receive a message.


    New [Menu] interface established, all [Menu] parameters reset. Current parameters determined as corrupt. Resetting to back-up parameters.


    No no no, wait wait wait... There!


    Justicar System reset error, reset failed


    Dungeon Core #5 [Ceres] reset error, reset 66% complete


    Dungeon Core #135 [Maeve] reset error, reset 50% complete


    Dungeon Core #212 [Archjusticar ----- Gowen] reset error, reset 33% complete


    Dungeon Core #245 [Inari] reset error, reset 16% complete


    Dungeon Core #344 [Dawn] reset error, reset failed


    Dungeon Core #400 [Dyson] reset error, reset failed


    Dungeon Core #443 [Twilight] reset error, reset failed


    Everything is resetting left and right, this is the best I can do.


    ¡°What just happened...?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I think it was Madam Erin...¡±


    ¡°What about the weight I am feeling...?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If I had to guess...¡± -She says while opening her [Menu].- ¡°That''s it, [Menu] reset that means, level, skills, xp, it''s all gone.¡±


    I quickly open my own [Menu] and it has changed by a lot. My dungeon xp has been wiped out, my level has reset back to one, almost all of my skills are gone, and my basic abilities are a mere fraction of what they were, including my hp and magic. I still have all of my spells, but I no longer have enough magic to use them.


    Two-Twelve


    Name: Archjusticar ------ Gowen Dungeon: Elemental Stronghold Crystal: Small Polychromatic Diamond


    Level: 1 XP till next Level: 100 XP: 0


    HP: 61 MP: 25


    Strength: 61


    Agility: 61


    Endurance: 61


    Sword Arts: 61


    Evasion: 61


    Leadership: 61


    Spell Power: 86


    Concentration: 86


    Spell Arts: 86


    Mental Defense: 86


    Resistances: Confusion immunity, Charm immunity, Fear immunity


    Armor: [Enhanced Dark Steel Scalemail]


    Equipment: [Luxurious Clothes], [Master Quality Mythril Sword]


    Skills:


    </a>Archjusticar (Rank 3): Becoming the Archjusticar of the Elders allows the use of the [Archjusticar Menu]. Ranks do not increase by level but by performing tasks to increase the integrity of [Menu]. Decreasing the integrity of [Menu] can remove ranks, and Archjusticar is one of the few skills capable of having a rank of 0. If the holder of this skill performs an action that reduces the integrity of [Menu] while at rank 0, the skill will be removed.


    Archjusticar¡¯s Retribution (Rank 1): A special skill granted to the Archjusticar that grants the ability to bind, unbind, or change ownership of any monster held by another dungeon at the cost of 50% max mp. Sentient monsters can be unbound, but cannot be bound or have their ownership changed without approval of the sentient monster.


    <ul>


    <li>


    This skill is only available as long as the holder of the skill remains the Archjusticar. Usage of this skill may directly affect the [Archjusticar] skill. Using this skill to improve the integrity of [Menu] may result in bonus justicar points or an increase in the [Archjusticar] skill¡¯s rank. Using this skill to decrease the integrity of [Menu] may result in a reduction of the [Archjusticar] skill¡¯s rank.


    </li>


    </ul>


    Ceres: ¡°This is seriously not good.¡±


    ¡°What do we do now? I am not strong enough to even fight a group of goblins now...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We have to get back, everyone and everything in the world has been affected by the reset. There is going to be chaos...¡±


    ¡°How do we get out of here?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Getting out will be much easier than coming in...Except you probably don''t have enough magic to use your [Gate] spell anymore... Luckily Madam Erin managed to prevent the justicar system from resetting, so we should be able to use the justicar teleport.¡±


    ¡°Dyson will be our only bet, if we teleport to any of the girls, we would be unable to make it back home...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°[Menu] said his reset failed, so maybe he is still has all of his abilities.¡±


    I confirm the teleport, and we return to where Tobes once stood, and there seems to be quite a bit of confusion going on, and I am slammed with a bunch of messages from the girls, Belinda, and pretty much every other dungeon core that I know. All of which wanting to know what happened.


    And here I thought saving Madam Erin was going to be the hardest thing I did today...

 Royal Summit

    After Ceres and I returned to what is left of Tobes, I received a flood of messages. Most of them are freaked out about the level reset event, and are asking for any information about it, but there''s not much I can actually tell them so I''ll take a while and think of a proper answer, but first we have to talk to Dyson.


    We did use the justicar teleport to reach him, so it doesn''t take more than a few moments to locate him. Once he spots us he quickly shoves the panicking people out of the way to approach us.


    Dyson: ¡°What the hell happened, and what of Madam Erin!?¡±


    Ceres quickly transfers us someplace private so we can talk more freely, and we try to answer Dyson''s questions.


    ¡°We have managed to take out the leaders of the failed dungeon cores, but our purpose was to save Madam Erin, so I guess depending on how you look at things, it will determine if you think we failed or not. What do you know about where we went?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Before Akil fled your dungeon he said he sent you to the world crystal, and I mean I get the idea, but to think something like that actually exists? It''s not something I have even heard of in the wildest of fantasies.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It is most definitely real, and the failed cores were attempting to take control over it like they were with Madam Erin''s dungeon, or were going to try to do to you. We managed to stop them but not before they, to put it simply, killed the world crystal''s dungeon core. Magic, monsters, dungeon cores, and I''m not even too sure if humans would have survived without the world crystal having a core, so our only option was to finish what the failed dungeon cores had started.¡±


    ¡°Madam Erin sacrificed herself to become the world crystal''s dungeon core...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°But the damage was already done. The world crystal controls all aspects of [Menu], and contrary to what you might think, isn''t limited to just dungeon cores. Every time any creature gains xp, levels up, learns a skill, or even casts magic, they are tapping into [Menu], and even with Madam Erin taking it over, everything has started over from scratch.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I felt it when it happened, and it effected everyone else, but I don''t feel any different.¡±


    ¡°The last thing Madam Erin managed to do before completely becoming part of the world crystal, was stop a few things from resetting.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°She managed to stop the justicar system from resetting and in turn, we justicars were not completely reset. It seems the higher the dungeon core number the more she was able to prevent from resetting, so I am in pretty much the same shape as everything else on the planet, but higher number justicars, like you and Two-Twelve''s twins managed to get by without any personal reset.¡±


    ¡°It said my reset was only 33% complete, but so far the only thing I can tell that hasn''t reset is my known spells, but without my skills or level, I don''t have any magic to cast any of them.¡±


    Ceres: "There are other problems too. The reset should only affected levels, making them as if they never began training, but [Menu] has been altered enough over the years that the world''s crystal couldn''t possibly have done so properly. I am not sure in which ways, but I am quite sure, things will be very different from this point forth."


    ¡°I know there is a lot we need to do, but if Dyson can still use his teleport spells, I would like to ask a selfish request. I received a ton of messages, and even though they all want to know what is going on, Inari is the only one that seems to be in any immediate danger. She was in the process of trying to destroy one of those corrupt dungeons in Shima, and even though she could use a justicar teleport to leave, she would be loosing all of her sentient monsters.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We still don''t know where Laura is, either. And with Madam Erin gone, we are the only Elders left, so if the justicars have not completely reset we are going to need them for what comes next. I''ll go get Inari''s monsters to safety, and bring her back here along with your other daughters, so let them know to expect me.¡± -He then turns to Angela and Desiree.- ¡°You two stay here with Two-Twelve and Ceres, I''ll be back as soon as I can.¡±


    Angela looks like she wants to argue, but neither one says a word. Dyson gives each of them a gentle kiss before turning and giving Ceres and I a nod before disappearing from the room.


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± -I ask while I send messages to the girls.-


    Ceres: ¡°The dungeon core''s xp consumption is really going to take a toll on most dungeon cores with all their xp suddenly disappearing, and humans will likely not be entering dungeons for a while. The dungeon cores that do weather this however should have a clear advantage. With every human back to level 1 as well, dungeon cores can, I assume, still summon monsters, so even if they have to break down half their dungeons, they will hold one hell of an advantage over the humans.¡±


    ¡°I agree. We have been trying to improve the relationship between the dungeon cores and humans for a long time now, and this can either be the perfect thing to bring us together, or the thing that makes it impossible. You already came out telling the humans you are a dungeon core, and I think it is time I do the same. I have met with more than a few of the kingdom''s leaders, so I say after Dyson returns with the girls we get the human leaders together as well.¡±


    Ceres nods and then begins looking over her [Menu], she seems rather distressed as she does, but not enough to say anything. I meanwhile start sending some messages to some of the other dungeon cores that messaged me. I also send a message to Belinda, and to the bunnies in the dungeon.


    If I knew my xp was going to reset to zero I wouldn''t have broken down all those items this morning, but there is nothing I can do about that now. I tell the bunnies to break down some more stuff to at least cover the xp consumption, while I figure out what we are going to do next.


    It takes Dyson a little longer than I expected but he finally returns, along with Inari, Maeve, Dawn, and Twilight.


    Inari: ¡°Thank you, I didn''t think we were going to make it out of that dungeon alive.¡± -She says while giving me a hug, squeezing really hard.-


    Contrary to the smile on her face, when she hugged me I could tell she was still shaking. Dyson went to get her first, so for her to still be shaking after this much time has past, whatever happened in the corrupt dungeon must have been worse than she is letting on.


    ¡°I didn''t really do much, it was Dyson that saved you.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Still, thank you.¡±


    After Inari finally lets me go, Dawn gives me a hug as well, and although she is wearing her ring making her appearance that of a young human girl that only comes up to my chest, she was largely unaffected by the reset, so when she hugs me she squeezes hard enough I can feel my bones pop.


    After I have to tap out of the hug Dawn quickly apologizes for squeezing to hard. Twilight is in her original avian form, but neither she or Maeve give me a hug. They just give me a simple nod while Ceres and I tell Dyson about our plan to bring the human leaders in on this as well.


    Dyson: ¡°If it is true that we are the only ones to avoid the reset, I don''t think there is a army in the world that could stand in our way if we decided to crush them, so I have no problem with it.¡±


    ¡°We are going to try and broker peace, not war...¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You do realize that many of these leaders that you are speaking about, don''t get along even on the best of times, then you add the uncertainty of what just happened, and that''s on top of confirming their rivals are cooperating with dungeons. Something many of them could only speculate for decades or even centuries. We''ll just see how this turns out...¡±


    This room Ceres transferred us to isn''t really big enough to host all of us on top of all the kingdoms'' leaders, so we relocate to the large underground room between Ceres''s and my dungeons. We don''t have the xp to decorate, but I manage to pull a few things from my dungeon inventory to make it at least presentable.


    While we do that Dyson leaves again to start rounding up the queens and kings. To make things a bit easier he brings each one back before getting another, and even though I was able to contact Belinda''s father and Exeter''s queen with communication parchment, the others are not really getting any warning or choice in the matter.


    Belinda''s father is the first to arrive, and that gives us a little bit of time to be able to talk.


    Rondsom: ¡°Even with all the events that have transpired in the past, I still find this quite difficult to swallow. I however can''t deny the fact that something did happen. I only wish it didn''t come at such a difficult time, with the loss of Tobes, our kingdom is in distress. How are your townspeople handling the relocation?¡±


    ¡°They were handling it the best as could be expected, but the one thing Tobes had was stronger than average citizens, so without many wagons readily available they were carrying the supplies with them. After the reset they can''t move the supplies anymore, and with that many people the trip was going to take at least two weeks, so they will never make it as it stands. Belinda is trying to convince them that there is no other choice but to return here, but the people are scared and she is having trouble convincing them.¡±


    Rondsom: ¡°If they return, can you provide for them? Tobes has grown so quickly, that even with the dungeon the infrastructure was having trouble keeping up as it was.¡±


    ¡°In truth it was the town infrastructure holding us back. The dungeon can easily supply the needs of the people, it was doing so without making them aware the dungeon was doing it, that made things difficult. Like the wells and foundations of buildings having to be constructed by my own people so the citizens don''t realize they can''t dig more than a few feet down before it becomes indestructible. The sewer system of Tobes was unsightly and rather rudimentary at best. Removing waste with the dungeon is so much easier.¡±


    Rondsom: ¡°I see...¡±


    Dyson then returns with Exeter''s Queen before leaving back out again. I did little more than just warn her that Dyson was arriving to bring her to a meeting, so to say she is a little confused and not to pleased would be a understatement.


    ¡°Forgive me for the short notice.¡±


    Exeter''s Queen: ¡°I see by the use of teleportation magic not everyone was effected by whatever it was that happened. Do you care to explain what happened, and where we are?¡±


    ¡°I will, but first Dyson is gathering the rest of the kingdoms'' leaders.¡±


    Exeter''s Queen: ¡°What of my son, and his wife?¡±


    Rondsom: ¡°They were affected like everyone else, but for now they are safe back home in my castle. I don''t know if your son informed you about the situation going on in Tobes before everything changed, but to be on the safe side they were moved there to prevent incident.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Exeter''s Queen: ¡°My son was rather tight lipped about the situation, but I did indeed hear a few things. Was the attack on Tobes related to all of this?¡±


    ¡°Not directly, but I''ll explain everything once everyone else has arrived.¡±


    Rondsom and Exeter''s Queen are on rather good terms so Rondsom speaks with her further while I greet our next arrival. The next queen to arrive is one of Belinda''s aunts, and although she looks almost identical to Belinda''s mother I have never been formally introduced to Duscae''s Queen.


    I introduce myself, but things don''t go very well, it isn''t until Belinda''s father, and Exeter''s Queen start speaking with Belinda''s aunt, that she finally calms down enough to take a seat. That is also about the same time we receive our next arrival as well.


    It hasn''t been that long since I was kidnapped in Longolia, but due to the war with Gowen, and several other internal problems Longolia''s royalty has changed several times since then, so I don''t immediately recognize the young man that arrived, but once he sees the others he seems rather nervous.


    The kingdoms'' leaders start to show up rather quickly after that, and most of them are quite angry, as Dyson basically kidnapped them all. Some of them become less angry once seeing the others, and others get even more angry, but it isn''t until Aaron arrives that Dyson sticks around afterwards.


    Aaron: ¡°What is the going on, where is Laura?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We can discuss what to do about Laura after this meeting, but for now we should get started.¡±


    Now that everyone has arrived I try to call everyone''s attention, but kidnapped kings and queens are not exactly the easiest people to get to listen to you.


    Dyson is not much of a spell caster, but being one of only a small handful of people that can even cast magic at the moment, when he fires off a loud spell to get everyone''s attention, the room becomes silent.


    Dyson: ¡°If you want to go home in one piece I suggest you listen to what Two-Twelve has to say, and you might just learn something important as well.¡±


    Including the smaller island kingdoms there are at least twenty members of royalty suddenly turning their attention to me, so when I go to speak my voice fails me. I finally clear my throat and say. ¡°Welcome... I know the manner of your arrival was less than ideal, and I am sure many of you are quite busy with everything that has happened, but its my hope we can come up with a solution to this that might benefit everyone.¡±


    I start to walk around the table and all the eyes follow me as I go making me a bit more nervous as I say. ¡°Many of you probably don''t know me, or at least haven''t met me, so let me start by introducing myself. I am Two-Twelve Gowen 5<sup>th</sup> prince of the Gowen family, I''m also one of three dungeon core elders that is tasked with looking over the dungeons, in addition to being the dungeon core of a dungeon myself.¡±


    This causes a bit of a uproar among those at the table, but surprisingly less than I expected. The Midden Badlands isn''t exactly a traditional kingdom, but Dyson is technically the king of it, so he has found a seat among the others, and after the uproar begins to get out of hand he slams a fist into the table causing several of the people to jump.


    Dyson: ¡°I''m sure you know all know me, or have at least heard the legends. I''m not in fact some lowly descendant to the hero Dyson, like I led you to believe, but the very same Dyson that many of your ancestors had begged for help when I was wandering the land, and I too am a dungeon core elder with my own dungeon under my castle. I was also unaffected by what has happened to everyone else, so take that in mind before disrespecting me, or Two-Twelve again.¡±


    Everyone grows silent again after Dyson''s words, and you can also feel the fear building in the room. I try to ease the tensions in the room by continuing what I was saying.


    ¡°I promise you, we didn''t bring you here to threaten you, but to give you information, so we can move forward with a better understand of what happened and what we can do together, moving forward. I''ll start out with the information about what happened to you and all your people several hours ago.¡±


    It seems I finally got their attention so I continue. ¡°To make this easier I will first explain what a dungeon is. I am sure you all know that dungeons have a crystal in their depths that act like a heart, or a mechanism that keeps the dungeon alive, but in addition to the crystal every dungeon also has a dungeon core like Dyson and myself. The dungeon core can be of any race, or even a type of sentient monster, and they control every aspect of the dungeon. We can go further into that later, but I wanted to point that fact out because like a dungeon, the world itself has its own crystal and core.¡±


    Many questions seems to be floating around everyone''s heads, but nobody dares interrupt as I continue. ¡°Now the world crystal and core, thankfully, doesn''t work exactly like a dungeon crystal and core, because a group of people found the world crystal, and in an attempt to become some kind of god, they tried to take over for the world crystal''s core. Their plan failed miserably, but they managed to kill the world core in the process. The dungeon core responsible for The Tower of the Gods, who you might know as Madam Erin, sacrificed herself becoming the core for the world crystal, and in doing so saved us from a far worse fate than we are facing right now.¡±


    Calhoun''s King: ¡°Madam Erin? You mean she was master of The Tower of the Gods? Is that the reason the tower began to collapse the same time everything else happened?¡±


    ¡°Her tower is collapsing?!¡± -I say quite surprised. I should have known her tower would fall, but for some reason I guess I still can''t see Madam Erin as being dead...- ¡°Dyson, I made a promise to Madam Erin, can you bring her family back here while I continue?¡±


    Dyson nods and disappears from the room. I am worried about Elexia and Cambion, but hopefully Dyson can find them without problem, and I can''t really do anything for them right now, so I continue.


    ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t realize... Yes, that would be the reason her tower began to collapse, and that is also the reason for everything else. When Madam Erin sacrificed herself, it stopped magic from disappearing from the world, but she wasn''t able to stop it completely.¡±


    I use my [Menu] to take out the stone that the Adventurer''s Guild uses to determine ones abilities and hand it off to the Exeter''s Queen. ¡°Your level, the xp you have acquired, your hidden talents, and your magic was all controlled by the world crystal, and even though Madam Erin kept that all from disappearing from the world, she couldn''t stop it from being reset to a time before you began training.¡±


    Aaron: ¡°What about Dyson? He said he wasn''t affected.¡±


    ¡°With Madam Erin''s last bit of strength she was able to prevent a few people from the full effect, and they are Dyson, myself, and the other young ladies here in the room.¡±


    I introduce the girls to the kingdom''s leaders, and to no surprise many of them know Ceres, but they are quite shocked to learn she is a dungeon core. Everyone else seems to have no issues with the others except for Twilight. She is the only one that doesn''t appear human, so they are more wary of her, especially the Dailian king, he looks at Twilight with extreme prejudice.


    ¡°Now, what you do from here is what matters. I said Dyson and myself are two of the three remaining dungeon core elders, and even though we are capable of contacting the other dungeon cores, we have no control over them. They were affected just like your people were, so many of them are probably on edge like you are. That leaves many of them quite unpredictable, and how we deal with them depends on you.¡±


    Belinda''s Aunt: ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon cores gain xp from those who enter and/or die in their dungeon or at the hands of their monsters, and unlike humans they require xp to survive. Depending on the size of the dungeon depends on how much xp they are required to survive, and with all of them loosing every bit of xp they had stored up, many will be desperate to acquire more.¡±


    Adra King: ¡°They are going to attack our towns and cities?¡±


    ¡°The smarter dungeon cores will shrink the size of their dungeon to reduce the amount of xp they need to survive, but many of the older, more stubborn dungeon cores will probably, like you said, send monsters out to make up their loss.¡±


    Korta King: ¡°If you are in charge of them, you have to stop them.¡±


    ¡°We are talking about hundreds of dungeons, and with Dyson the only one still capable of teleportation, we couldn''t stop them all even if we wanted to. We will do what we can, but my suggestion to you, now that you know that all dungeons have an intelligence behind them, is to make a deal with the dungeons around your towns and cities. If you can work with the dungeon cores in your area this situation could go over much more smoothly.¡±


    Dyson reappears and gives me a nod before saying. ¡°This shouldn''t come as a surprise to any of you. Many of you have already worked with dungeon cores at some point or have at least heard legends of it. We are just suggesting instead of doing it to get a leg up on the neighboring kingdom, you do it for mutual survival.¡±


    Dailian King: ¡°To suggest we work with monsters is preposterous!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You have filled the ranks of your soldiers with dungeon monsters for years, so lets be honest for a moment. Two-Twelve wanted me to bring you here so we all may benefit from this situation, but I couldn''t care less. Out of respect for Two-Twelve, if he says he is willing to work with you, so will I, but at any point you decide we lowly ¡°monsters¡± are beneath you, I could just as well wipe your kingdoms from the map.¡±


    Dyson''s words fill the kings and queens with fear, and I can''t help but sigh at my plan backfiring on me.


    ¡°Look, I didn''t want this to be a threat, I brought you all here because I thought you deserved to know what has happened to everyone, and to warn you about the possibilities of the dungeons attacking so you could better prepare your people. Not all dungeon cores will be willing to negotiate, but I honestly believe the majority of those that remain will. And although I don''t agree with the way Dailian has handled their deal with the dungeon they work with, it is a prime example of what can be accomplished if you work with a dungeon.¡±


    I continue on by telling them a bit more about dungeons, what happened at the world crystal, and even volunteer to act as a mediator between any of them and a dungeon if they so wish. Each of them has seemed to at least hear what I had to say, but once they begin gripping among themselves we decide to start sending them back home.


    Exeter''s Queen asked to stick around and I wanted to discuss more about Laura with Aaron, so eventually it is down to just them two along with Belinda''s father. I am not sure how Aaron feels about letting the others know about Laura, so for now I ask Ceres to entertain Exeter''s Queen and Belinda''s father while I speak with Aaron.


    ¡°We have so far been unable to learn any information about Laura''s location other than the fact that the failed cores claimed to have her captive. Do you have any idea where they might be holding her?¡±


    Aaron: ¡°She left to speak with Lucille, but I haven''t heard from her since. I guess it is safe to assume that after the reports I have received and by the way you were speaking that Lucille is dead?¡±


    ¡°We can''t be certain of it, but it does seem to be the case. I think finding Laura quickly is imperative, because we don''t know what her captives might do to her, after they lost their strength and learn their leaders have failed.¡±


    Aaron: ¡°So what do we do?¡±


    ¡°First of all, how much access do you have to her dungeon? If she is unable, someone is going to have to break-down some of her dungeon to make sure she stays alive until we can find her. I know Laura and I haven''t seen eye to eye, but right now, we need every elder we got, so I promise I will do my best to try to find her. Even if I manage to find her, you are going to have to ask for Dyson''s help, because he is the only one that would be able to go to her aid.¡±


    Aaron: ¡°I understand...¡±


    ¡°You can speak with Dyson when he returns, but I should probably see what Exeter''s Queen wanted to speak with me about.¡±


    Aaron looks discouraged, but he nods. I then go over to speak with the others.


    ¡°I''m sorry for keeping you waiting, but I had an important matter to discuss with King Aaron. Now, what can I do for the Queen of Exeter?


    Exeter''s Queen: ¡°I think it is safe to say you can call me Millie, if you like, or Queen Millie if you prefer.¡±


    ¡°Millie...?¡± -I say with some skepticism.-


    The queen laughs and says. ¡°Yes well, what my parents expected me to live quite a different life than the one I lived, but I guess none of that even matters now. I feel as weak now as the first day I picked up a sword.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What about your subjects? Exeter has always picked its royalty by strength rather than lineage. Do you think you will maintain your title as the Queen?¡±


    Millie: ¡°That is actually what I wished to speak to Two-Twelve about. Everyone is still reeling with what has happened, and I suspect at first I will remain unchallenged due to nobody wanting take over the kingdom while it is in shambles, but after a few weeks of thought I am sure there will be a few takers.¡±


    ¡°So what is it you want from me?¡±


    Millie: ¡°My one advantage, is everyone else is just as weak as I am at the moment, so I would ask you several favors. First of all is my son and daughter-in-law, I ask you to keep them out of Exeter for the time being until I can be sure my place as Queen is secure.¡±


    Rondsom: ¡°Tanya, is my daughter as well, so you have my word.¡±


    Millie: ¡°Thank you. Secondly, most of the stronger dungeons in Exeter have recently collapsed leaving my choice in training grounds quite limited, but I ask you to speak to one of the remaining dungeons on my behalf in hopes of reaching some kind of an agreement.¡±


    ¡°I will do what I can.¡±


    Millie: ¡°Thank you. And lastly, I heard you did an exceptional job whipping my Exavier into shape, so if all else fails, I ask you to do so again. That way even if I fail, my son at least has a chance to one day retake the throne.¡±


    ¡°I hope it doesn''t come to that, but we will do what we can.¡±


    I speak with Exeter''s Queen, and Belinda''s father a bit longer as Dyson returns to speak with Aaron. Once their conversation looks to be complete Dyson leaves with Aaron and returns just long enough to take Millie home as well.


    ¡°With Dyson being our only means of teleportation, I fear it may be a while before Belinda and Rory will be able to stop by for a visit.¡±


    Rondsom: ¡°There is still the communication parchment, so we won''t be completely out of touch. I am also interested on hearing how things go with the rebuilding of Tobes now that you can give it your dungeon''s full support."


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Since Rory was born it seems every time I see Belinda''s father he acts less formally with me, but I am still surprised when Dyson returns to take him back home, he shakes my hand while telling me to take care, before departing with Dyson.


    Ceres: ¡°We have informed the humans, now I think it is time we start sending the message out to the other dungeon cores.¡±


    We spend the next half hour or so drafting a message to send out to the dungeon cores. We include what happened concerning the failed cores, the reset of [Menu], and tips on how to resupply themselves with xp without sending monsters out to terrorize the humans.


    After sending out the message we decide to look for Laura. If it is a dungeon core holding her hostage, our message just informed them that their bosses failed, so we need to find her before they decide what they want to do with her.


    We spend the next few hours using the [Justicar Menu] to try to locate her, but by what ever means they seemed to have her stashed away, doesn''t seem like it was affected by the reset.


    Between trying to find Laura, answering messages we receive because of the one we sent out, and trying to figure out what we are going to do next, we run out of daylight rather quickly.


    Meave: ¡°I don''t mean to rush you Papa, but we are not really getting anywhere, and I am going to have to return to my dungeon. I wasn''t as lucky as Dawn or Twilight so my xp has been completely wiped out, I am going to have to do some restructuring of my dungeon to meet my xp consumption in a few hours.¡±


    ¡°We will continue looking for Laura, but with Dyson the only one still able to use teleportation magic it may be a days or a few weeks before we find out just how much this reset is going to affect everyone, so I guess for now we should call it a night.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I''m sorry to hear about Tobes. My level may have reset, but my dungeon xp, magic, and even my skills are still intact, so if there is anything I can do to help, just let me know.¡±


    ¡°Going to Shima to train might be more important then ever, but I will first have to build my level back up enough to use my [Gate] spell again, so we don''t have to bother Dyson all the time.¡±


    Inari: ¡°My xp is in a rather good spot, so I may have enough to build another secondary dungeon. I could place one near Tobes so we can transfer back and forth if that makes things easier.¡±


    ¡°We still don''t know all of the reset''s affects, so for now I think we should hold off on any huge xp expenditures like that.¡±


    Inari then gives me a hug and says. ¡°Well the offer still stands if you decide to change your mind.¡± Dawn gives me a hug as well, and then Dyson teleports out taking the girls with him leaving only Ceres and I left.


    Ceres: ¡°It looks like Dyson stopped by the waiting room and got Angela and Desiree, so I guess he doesn''t plan on returning again tonight, so what are your plans for the rest of the evening?¡±


    ¡°Right now there is enough room for everyone in your buildings, but if some of the other residents begin to return tomorrow, we are going to need some more space. I am going to look over my dungeon and see if I can make it a bit more hospitable, so they can take shelter there until we can begin rebuilding Tobes.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Alright, Take care.¡± -She says before transferring from the room.-


    I step over to my side of the room, let out a deep sigh, and then transfer to my dungeon''s core room.

 A New World

    It has been a few weeks since Madam Erin sacrificed herself to the world crystal, and much to Ceres''s predictions, it has been chaotic. A few more of the remaining dungeon cores have lost their lives due to starvation. I don''t know if they didn''t heed our advice about breaking-down parts of their dungeons to keep up with their consumption, or that they made some miscalculations, but Dyson told me that if a dungeon''s xp consumption is high enough, that it is possible for the dungeon to starve within hours rather than days.


    I managed to speak with one of the dungeon cores in Exeter and got them to form an agreement with Exeter''s Queen, and although it seemed heavily in favor for the dungeon core, Millie quickly accepted the terms.


    It turned out to be a moot point however, because not only has leveling up become far more difficult than before the reset, but Dailian declared war on its neighbors not even a few days after our meeting. The Dailian army is not nearly impressive as Adra or Merretta but even with their levels reset the monsters Dailian use, are far stronger than a level one adventurer.


    Exeter''s army that relied on quality over quantity didn''t even stand a chance of holding them back once they were reset. The only thing that has stopped Dailian from completely overthrowing Exeter, is the fact they are pushing forward into Livinston and Clement at the same speed.


    Dailian either plans on extending their territory as much as possible before the other kingdoms build their strength back up, or make deals with dungeons to be able to fight back with monsters of their own. Any negotiations with the Dailian King or with Duke Bozhidar, the dungeon core supplying Dailian''s monsters, have met on deaf ears.


    Dyson even spoke to Exeter, Livinston, and Clement about taking out Duke Bozhidar, but so far they are refusing our assistance. They don''t want to owe Dyson or the dungeon core Elders that big of a debt.


    Is that really what things have come down too? I wanted to get the knowledge of dungeon cores out in the open to help broker peace between us and the humans but instead we are turning into their new weapons of war...


    Things haven''t been going much better in Tobes either. We still haven''t got a clue as to Laura''s location, and the news about Ceres and myself being dungeon cores has spread quickly to the returning townsfolk of Tobes. They all have taken up residence either in one of Ceres''s buildings or in my dungeon, but many of them do so begrudgingly.


    Ironic because they don''t have any problem taking the food or drink supplied by the dungeon, but many of them won''t so much as look at anyone that they know is associated with the dungeon. It seems all the help we gave during the attack has been forgotten.


    That has also caused all the progress that was made with introducing the demi-humans into society to regress as well. The humans still act cordially when in our presence, but when our backs are turned and they don''t think we can hear them there is plenty of talk. Even the beastkin are are being accused of being dungeon monsters again.


    Since I lost all my skills and my level was back to 1 I thought about adding as many cheap skills as possible to give me a boost until I managed to gain some levels, but the options to add skills is no longer available in [Menu], and that is for me or my boss monsters.


    I instead tried to focus on leveling up, but much like Millie, our own leveling progress has been slow as well. I have dedicated quite a bit of time in trying to regain my levels by training in Ceres''s dungeon, but even after all this time I have only reached level three.


    It used to only take 10 xp to go from level 1 to level 2, but with how [Menu] works now, that doesn''t seem to be the case any more. As I can tell the xp my dungeon consumes no longer counts towards my level, and even though I brought back many times over the 100xp [Status] said I needed to gain a level, on my first day of training, my [Status] still displayed 35 xp until next level.


    The next day when I finally did manage to gain a level the xp amount reset to 100 xp before I gain another, so after continued testing I now believe it is percentage based now. That still doesn''t help much because in the following days I killed more and more monsters yet the number didn''t seem to be moving that much.


    We also learned that many of the townsfolk that were not even doing any training managed to gain levels on their own. We can''t be certain if it is because they are living within the dungeon or not, but they definitely are leveling up.


    We were able to find this out because [Menu] has also become far more accessible. Anyone can now access their own [Menu], but for most people it is almost strictly limited to their own [Status]. With the information they were limited to before with the stones the Adventurer''s Guild had, this is completely mind blowing to them.


    [Menu] screens are also no longer invisible to other people either, so even though they know I am a dungeon core now, we still have to be careful how and where we use [Menu]. Gone are the days I could walk around town while keeping several screens open, monitoring the dungeon.


    As for the dungeon itself, we had stopped the rifts from producing monsters on the first few floors for now, with the exception of the ones producing livestock. And although it isn''t exactly comfort living, the people living in the dungeon are able to at least eat well.


    I was worried about being able to maintain my consumption rate without Akil, but after losing so many sentient and non-rift monsters during the attack, even the low level humans are enough to maintain my consumption rate.


    I have plenty of monsters out in other dungeons but with their levels being reset, and no way to collect them, I have told them to just continue helping the dungeon they are stationed at the best they can until I level up enough to be able to teleport again.


    The xp we have been gathering, by training in Ceres''s dungeon, we have so far just been stockpiling until we can start the process of rebuilding Tobes, but even with Ceres letting us kill hordes of her rift monsters without them fighting back, we still aren''t making very good progress.


    Lilah: ¡°Master doesn''t seem to want to say it, so Lilah will. It''s time for Master''s meeting...¡±


    I let out a deep sigh then say. ¡°Of all the people to have returned after the attack, why did she have to be one of them?¡±


    I then transfer to one of the rooms on the first floor of the dungeon that has been converted into a makeshift tavern, and to no surprise when people notice my arrival they give me a wide berth. It is quite crowded in here so that only makes it easier to find my ¡°guest¡± that is sitting at one of the tables with a sour expression.


    When Denova spots me however her lips curl into a devious smile as she greets me. ¡°Greetings Two-Twelve, I would offer to buy you a drink, but as I understand it, you''re not charging anyone for the booze.¡±


    ¡°Well my dungeon produces it, so as long as the amount is negligible, I think the people of Tobes have been through enough that they deserve the break.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I of course heard the rumors, but to think you would admit to is so openly, I have to admit I am quite surprised. I always knew there was something about that escaped slave story of yours that didn''t sit well with me, and I always wondered about your affinity to the dungeon, but even I didn''t think you were some monster in control over the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°The term monster has never bothered me, and I even call those bound to my dungeon as such, regardless of their race, but hearing it from your lips makes it sound vile. I am what I am, so you can call me a monster if you want, but I would appreciate it if that is where it stops, at me.¡±


    Denova takes a sip from the drink sitting in front of her then sits back in her chair while crossing her legs, the devious smile never parts from her face as she seems to be thinking before she says. ¡°Interesting...¡±


    ¡°I''m sure it is. Now, I''m sure you didn''t travel all the way back here from the capital just to find out how to address me, so why is it you wanted a meeting with me?¡±


    Denova''s devious smile grows, if that''s even possible, as she leans forward and says. ¡°I''ve come to collect my compensation of course.¡±


    ¡°Compensation? For what? Last I heard you bought the remaining wagons heading for the capital and were charging people everything they own for a ride.¡±


    Denova: ¡°For my properties of course. Those monsters only came to attack Tobes because they were looking for you. And as I understand it, that blast that took out half the forest and every building, was to save your own neck.¡±


    ¡°Those monsters never even attempted to attack the dungeon here, so as for the reason they attacked Tobes, the answers died with them. As for the blast, your buildings were rubble far before Ceres even fired off that spell.¡±


    Denova''s devious smile fades and is replaces with anger as she shouts. ¡°Everything I owned was tied up in Tobes! I had warehouses full of goods, shops, brothels, two inns, and even a handful of houses that I owned, and someone has to pay for it!¡±


    ¡°Those responsible for the attack on Tobes are dead, so there is at least that, but the land is still yours. Now I can''t guarantee the exact same plots of land, because figuring that out with the change of landscape would be quite difficult, but the size of your properties were well documented, so if you wish to rebuild, there shouldn''t be a problem.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Even if half the forest wasn''t gone, it would still take laborers to harvest the trees, and builders to build the buildings. Even if I could scrounge up enough gold to get that done, it doesn''t matter anyway because I don''t have the capital to replace the goods!¡±


    ¡°I can''t promise anything, but I am going to use the dungeon to assist in the rebuilding of Tobes. You saw how well the buildings Ceres made with her dungeon held up, so I plan on doing the same when we rebuild Tobes.¡±


    Denova: ¡°By making our homes and businesses part of your dungeon? Nobody will agree to that, besides what''s in it for you?¡±


    ¡°Tobes has been part of my dungeon ever since we first built our home there, and the only reason we didn''t construct the buildings with the dungeon before, was because we didn''t want the humans to know it. As for what is in it for me, it is the same as it has always been, survival. Some dungeons may be content killing off adventurers that enter their dungeon to supply them with the xp they need to survive, but I prefer the daily xp I receive from people residing within the dungeon''s boundaries.¡±


    Denova: ¡°So you are leeching xp from everyone?¡±


    ¡°It isn''t leeching, because it is mutually beneficial. The xp I get for them living here doesn''t take anything away from them, but it keeps me alive and also allows me to provide things like that alcohol you are drinking.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Even if I were to agree to dungeon created buildings, it would take years to regain the capital I would need to resupply them.¡±


    ¡°I may be able to help with that.¡± -I say while standing and reaching my hand across the table.-


    Denova eyes me suspiciously but reaches forward and takes my hand. I then transfer us down to a massive room that was designed for adventurers to fight a dragon in. I don''t have the ability to summon any dragons like Teku, and even if I did I don''t see me having enough xp in the foreseeable future to summon one, so it is instead just a huge empty room.


    Denova quickly pulls her hand from mine and with panic in her voice she says. ¡°Where are we?!¡±


    ¡°Well you are deeper in my dungeon than any human has ever been, but you don''t have anything to worry about, I just needed the extra space, and I doubt you would want what you are about to see, just outside on the ground.¡±


    I then access my [Menu], and although Denova still seems a little panicked, it doesn''t stop her from trying to catch a glimpse of my [Menu]. I turn it so she can''t see it and then access the dungeon''s inventory.


    We gathered many of the goods from the shops and warehouses of Tobes during the attack, and although most of it would be impossible to find its rightful owner, Denova was quite thorough. Denova had a habit of placing her mark on all the crates and boxes that she had in her storehouses, in the event one of them turned up somewhere it didn''t belong, so I am able to search for that mark in my dungeon''s inventory and select all the items we recovered that belonged to her.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Even though this room is huge, after removing the items from the dungeon''s inventory over half the room is filled with crates and boxes. Denova notices the mark on one of the boxes and says. ¡°These are mine!¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry it isn''t everything, but it was all we were able to save before Tobes completely fell. If you want to return to the capital and hire wagons to load this all up, you are more than welcome to, or you can stick around for the rebuilding of Tobes, and we can just see how grand the new Tobes will be.¡±


    Denova rummages through a few of the crates and boxes while she seems to be thinking, and with each crate and box she opens the devious smile on her face get larger and larger. She eventually returns with a small crate that she packed full of clothing items, jewelry, a few smaller weapons, and a handful the magic stones the Mage''s Guild used to produce.


    Denova: ¡°Alright Two-Twelve, I''ll hold off making up my mind until I see one of these buildings you are promising me. Just don''t take too long.¡±


    I sigh and say. ¡°I said I can''t make any promises, but I will do what I can.¡±


    Denova: ¡°Good, now I take it the rest of my things will be safe here?¡±


    ¡°I''ll store them like I had them before, and nothing can get to them.¡±


    Denova: ¡°I''ll take this one with me, it should get me by for a few weeks. I take it you can send it and me back to the surface without any trouble?¡±


    ¡°I can transfer it and you right back into the wagon that brought you here if you want.¡±


    Denova looks a little surprised, and shudders a bit before agreeing for me to send her back to the makeshift stables that have been set up on the surface. After sending Denova on her way I open a screen to watch her while I store her things back in the dungeon inventory. While someone hitches her team to her wagon she looks back up towards the mountain several times wearing a complicated expression on her face.


    I have plenty to do so after Denova''s things are stored again, so I transfer to the dungeon core room while leaving the screen on Denova open. As I watch her making her way back towards the capital she looks back at the mountain several more times before she is out of view, but I keep thinking those magic stones that Denova recovered from one of her crates.


    The runic magic stones should almost be impossible to make now most of the mages from the Mage''s Guild are gone, and even the ones still alive, are back to level one. Creating a stone with the [Gate] spell was just not worth the magic stone it would take to power it before, but now that we can''t use [Gate] it may be worth reexamining.


    We would have to build at least two, one for the trip and another for the return. We have gathered enough xp to make them, but that would wipe us out again. Not to mention the fact it could take days to charge the magic crystal up enough to activate the spell.


    If we set it up between here and Shima though, we could probably make up the xp cost in no time. The portal in Utharia was a large archway in which you could change the runes out to change the location of your destination, so if we were to build one we should probably do the same.


    I don''t think we are ready for one that big yet, but if each rune holds a smaller magic stone instead of just a large one for the whole portal, we could move the location of the archway or increase its size, and we wouldn''t have to start over from scratch. We would just have to change out one or two runes at most.


    The archway will be simple, I can summon it with [Menu] no problem, it will be the rune stones that will be difficult, so I begin working on them. I remember the cost for casting [Runic Reading] and [Runic Writing] was negligible, but after only casting each of them once I already feeling quite drained.


    It is like [Shadow Pocket] I never even noticed its magic drain, but on the day our levels reset, after our meeting with the kings and queens, I got back to the dungeon core room and was preparing for bed when midnight hit. [Shadow Pocket] tried to use the same amount of magic it has done every day, but all I remember is hearing the things I had stored in the [Shadow Pocket] crash to the ground as I lost consciousness. When I woke up the next morning I had a horrid headache all day long.


    Belinda doesn''t use [Shadow Pocket] unless she needs it, so she wasn''t really effected by it, and most of the others weren''t either, but Zoey on the other hand... From what I heard from Belinda and Roxy, when midnight hit Zoey instantly blacked out and Tobes''s refugees were covered in all kinds of different kinds of food and every type of monster part you can imagine from useful regents, down to disgusting bodily fluids. Even after the last few weeks have past, Roxy still hasn''t stopped giving Zoey a earful about it every chance she gets.


    It takes longer than I expected to make the runic stones, because I had to stop and wait for my magic to recover several times, and I still will need to finish one final stone once I set the archway here, and two more in Shima once we find out where the archway will be located there.


    The one bright side is that due to the fact of summoning the magic stones, they are already charged, so I will be able to get to Shima and back before figuring out how to recharge them for their next usage. Now I just have to get a group together to gather xp in Shima.


    I don''t think I am strong enough to fight the Oni yet, but I do think there is someone that has been training a bit harder than I have, so I transfer down to the area of my dungeon in which Ceres has been training along with some of her own monsters... After talking with Denova I guess I should get out of the habit of referring to any sentient creature as a monster.


    Ceres barely sleeps, so she has been training all night and most of the day, but she still hasn''t gained many levels herself. She has also brought along all the sentient creatures she had left, because even though she has gathered enough xp to summon more, her reset was almost complete so the [Monsters] section of her [Menu] was reduced down to only the most basic of monsters.


    Ceres and her group has been training in the room I made for training the new dungeon cores, and when she sees my arrival she tells her group to continue training while she walks over to me. They must be pushing themselves really hard, because even though it is quite difficult for a dungeon core to sweat, Ceres is practically soaked with it.


    She isn''t wearing her normal bright smile as she wipes the sweat from her brow, and she lets out a deep sigh when she drops the shortsword she was holding only for it to clank to the floor. She bends down picking the weapon back up and sheathing it at her waist while she says. ¡°You would have thought I''d gotten used to using normal weapons by now...¡±


    ¡°It isn''t even noon yet, and you look positively exhausted, so I can see why...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We are just about to finish up with a 48 hour training session, and then we will take a break. Unless of course your visit is more than just checking up on how we are doing.¡±


    ¡°I have decided to make a gateway between here and Shima using some runic magic stones, with Inari''s permission of course, but I don''t think I have gained enough levels to train there yet, so I was wondering if you would take me to Bandy''s group.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Of course, let me just round everyone up real quick and we will start our break a bit early.¡±


    ¡°I can wait, I don''t want to interrupt your training.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It''s fine, I have only been gaining 5% of a level per training session all week, so I don''t think half of an hour is going to make much difference at this point.¡±


    ¡°5% in 48 hours? You must be level 30 by now for the training to be going that slow...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You would think... But I have only reached 8, and some of the others haven''t even made it that far.¡±


    ¡°Well you are doing far better than I am, I have only made it to level 3 so far. I can''t believe how insanely high the xp curve has gone to gain levels now.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I know what you mean, I have gained enough xp from these training sessions that I am ready to begin refurbishing the university, and still have enough xp to maintain my consumption without worry, but only 8 levels...?¡±


    Ceres then begins rounding up her people and I start to wonder. If Ceres has only reached level 8 after all this training, then even Bandy''s group might not be ready to head back to Shima yet. I have been so busy I haven''t been monitoring Bandy''s group, I just know they have been training practically non-stop. I start to open my [Menu] to check on them but Ceres is now ready, so it will be just as quick to ask them.


    I transfer all of us to the room that connects Ceres''s and my dungeon. Ceres''s group disbands heading over to her side of the room, and they begin transferring out while Ceres waits for me to join her. Once I join Ceres, she checks her [Menu] to find the location Bandy and her group are in, and she then transfers us to them.


    Bandy''s group seems to be taking a bit of a break after clearing out a room, so they are a bit startled by our sudden appearance. Bandy quickly lowers a shortbow she has aiming at us and says. ¡°That''s a good way to get an arrow between the eyes, just showing up without any warning.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, we didn''t mean to startle you, but since when have you started using a bow?¡±


    Ed: ¡°We have been switching up weapons to...¡± -He is then cut off by Bandy.-


    Bandy: ¡°We were reduced back to level 1 why shouldn''t we try something new?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough...¡±


    With the heavy losses we suffered during the fall of Tobes, we are down to only two xp gathering groups, and even though everyone from Bandy''s group survived they have switched a few people around.


    Katie was quite upset of her loss of levels and skills so she has rededicated herself to training her smithing ability again, and Ursus the bear beastkin that was in their group has decided to take up leatherworking instead.


    They were replaced by Reti and Orino, the two cat-folk that were in Poppy''s group. They didn''t blame Poppy for Lynx''s death, or Isi''s for that matter, but to continue working together was just too much for them. That left Bandy, Chase, Edmundo, Charlotte, Reti, and Orino in Bandy''s group.


    All the remaining xp gathers which consists of Poppy, Iris, Kit, Suzie, Karina, and Nyxia are in Poppy''s group. Iris returned to Poppy''s group after she was overseeing her own group along with Aster, who she looked to as a brother, so she has been taking the loss of her group pretty hard. Kit also lost three members of his group as well, so Poppy''s group is now pretty damaged. Their progress has probably only equal to my own, even though they have far more time dedicated to train, so I doubt it would be a good idea to take them to Shima, hence why I came to Bandy''s group.


    Bandy: ¡°So did you need something, or did you just come to interrupt our training?¡±


    ¡°Well I came to ask how you were progressing, what level are you now?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Does it matter what our level is?! We are bringing you back the xp we get every few days!¡± -She says defensively.-


    ¡°I could just look it up with [Menu]... I just thought it would be easier to ask.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Fine, I''m level 10, so more than enough to kick your ass now if I wanted to.¡±


    Chase: ¡°Bandy!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Level 10?! How is that possible, you have been training less than I have, and have been taking back far less xp than I have been gaining in Two-Twelve''s dungeon. This new system of leveling doesn''t make any sense!¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Well maybe we are just training smarter instead of harder.¡± -She says smugly while puffing out her chest.-


    ¡°If you really have reached level 10, than you probably could beat me in a fight, but what good would that do you? And I would then have to find someone else to go to Shima to gather xp instead.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Shima?¡± -She says enthusiastically, dropping the condescending tone.-


    Looks like I got her attention now, in fact, her whole group seems to be enthusiastic about the idea, so I add. ¡°I mean, if you are interested.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Damn right we are interested, but how!? Did you make some kind of deal with Dyson to teleport us back and forth? I know you haven''t leveled enough to use your [Gate] spell again.¡±


    ¡°You let me worry about the how. Now, you will have to follow the same rules as always for going to Shima, and remember Inari''s level may have reset, but she was able to keep her skills, so her level doesn''t mean much when she has the skills of someone over level 50.¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Alright, we get it... When do we leave?¡±


    ¡°As soon as I get Inari''s permission, and I am sure Belinda would like to see Inari as well, so I will have to go get her and Bell hasn''t seen her boyfriend in weeks, so she will probably want to go to. I doubt Inari will have a problem with it though, so I would advise you all to get ready.¡±


    Bandy''s group begins gathering their things and Ceres transfers us back to the area in which our dungeons connect. I then send a message to Inari letting her know of my plans, and send a message to Belinda and Bell asking them to meet me here.


    Inari responds with the answer I was expecting, and she also tells me where she would like the portal''s destination to be at, so while I wait for Belinda and Bell, I am able to finish the last few rune stones.


    We will be able to make the first trip there and back without problems, but for some reason when Belinda and Bell arrives, Belinda brings Rory of course, she also brings along with enough luggage for days, if not weeks.


    ¡°We are just going to take Bandy''s group over there and visit for a bit. We will be back before the end of the day.¡±


    Belinda pushes on Bells shoulder and she steps forward a bit nervous. ¡°Thanks for inviting me to come with you Master, but since it will be difficult to travel back and forth to Shima for a while, I was wondering if perhaps... If it is alright with you... If I... Uhm...¡± -She looks to Belinda while stumbling though her words, but nods her head and Bell finishes.- ¡°I''d like to selfishly request to stay in Shima for a while!¡±


    Bell has always been a bit shy and reserved. Her voice has never really matched her appearance, but that last bit was actually quite forceful. Things are quite rough right now, and once we start rebuilding Tobes I am sure Scylla could really use Bell''s help, but...


    ¡°Your training hasn''t progressed that well, so I am not sure you are strong enough to train in Shima right now.¡±


    Belinda gives me a dirty look, and Bell''s shoulders drop a bit, but she quickly puffs back up and with the last bit of her nerves she proclaims. ¡°I don''t want to go to Shima to train, I want to go to Shima to start a family with Ryuu!¡± Her knees then almost seem to give out underneath her and she quickly covers her blushing face with her hands while Belinda pats her on the back.


    I can''t help but to laugh and quickly apologize. ¡°I''m sorry... Of course you can stay in Shima if that is what you truly want. I just know Sofia would be mad at me if I didn''t at least give you a hard time about it. Although I do have to say starting a family with Ryuu is rushing things a bit isn''t it?¡±


    I can''t see Bell''s face because they are covered by her hands but you can practically see steam bellowing from her ears in embarrassment. She quickly shakes her head violently enough you can hear her ears slapping her head as they flop back and forth, and she stumbles though a few words before she finally says. ¡°I just mean I want to spend my life with him...¡±


    ¡°Well I''m happy for you, but I think before we get to far ahead of ourselves. You and I need to sit down with Ryuu and Inari and have a conversation.¡±


    Bell doesn''t say anything else, but she lightly nods her head while lowering her hands from in front of her face, and it is every bit as red as I imagined. She then picks up her luggage while waiting for me to finish the portal.


    I have all the rune stones finished, but now its time for the archway. I eventually want to make the archway accessible to the humans, but for now it will just be used to transfer people back and forth to Shima, so I open my [Menu] and place the archway here in the room connecting my dungeon to Ceres''s.


    The design of the archway isn''t that important, just as long as I can fit the runes stones into it, so that is what I focus on while summoning it. The archway turns out a bit larger than I anticipated but all the slots for the rune stones are within reach so it should work out just fine.


    I will have to manually carve in the rune to activate all the rune stones in unison onto the archway manually, but the [Runic Reading] and the [Runic Writing] spells I cast to finish the last of the stones has already expired. I can''t afford to cast both again, but the runic activation rune is one that is on practically every stone I have ever made, so if there is any rune I can do from memory it is that one.


    After casting [Runic Writing] it takes a while to finish the rune due to the size of the archway, but after it is finally complete, I make sure everyone is ready and then place my hand on the activation rune.


    I close my eyes and take a deep breath before activating the rune, and I keep my eyes closed until I hear Bandy say. ¡°It worked!¡± I then open my eyes to see the portal filling the archway. Another sigh escapes me this time one of relief.


    ¡°Alright everyone, we don''t have the magic to activate it again from this side, so we got less than a minute for everyone to get though.¡±


    After a few seconds pass however nobody seems to want to be the first one to step through it. Ceres then walks up and taps me on the shoulder while saying. ¡°I would like to come along as well, if that is alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I don''t think Inari will mind.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Alright, see you on the other side.¡± -She quickly says before stepping into the portal.-


    It takes a few more seconds before Bell steps forward and passes through as well, then Bandy rushes forward to be the next one though, her group following just behind her. Belinda follows up the rear with Rory and she brushes my shoulder before stepping though. I then step though myself feeling the pull on my chest I am pulled though to the other side.

 Meeting with Inari

    My feet land firmly on Shima soil after being pulled through the portal. Looking around I see that we arrived right where we were supposed to. As we climb the last few steps and enter Inari''s dungeon, the curious eyes of a few of the locals fall on us, and although that is common from when we used to teleport here in the past, they seem a bit more uneasy about our presence this time.


    I can''t really blame them. Living in Shima must be quite difficult as it is, and when you add the reset on top of it, I am sure I would be uneasy as well. At least a few familiar faces seem happy to see us with Ryuu and Bell quickly embracing one another, but only for a brief second before they let go and look quite embarrassed about it. Inari also steps forward giving Belinda a hug along with lightly pinching Rory''s cheek.


    After giving Belinda a hug Inari moves over to stand in front of me, she has never shied away from giving me a hug before, but this time she just gives me a light bow and says. ¡°I''m happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°We are glad to see you as well, I thought we would have been able to use [Gate] again by now, but unfortunately with the new way in which [Menu] functions, it has made it difficult to gain many levels.¡±


    Inari: ¡°It took us a while to figure it out as well, but it is actually quite fortunate you caught us when you did, because in a few days we were going to make another attempt at the corrupt dungeon we were working on when the levels reset.¡±


    ¡°I know you kept your spells and skills, but have the others gained enough levels already to help you with a corrupt dungeon?¡±


    Inari: ¡°We''ll have to progress much more slowly than we were before, but I think it is just what they need to catch them back up.¡±


    ¡°You are doing far better than we are. I have only been able to put in a few hours a day of training in, and I have only reached level 3.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Only level 3? To make sure I get the most out of each training session, I have switched out weapons each time. Now it may be because of the added strength of still having my skills, but I have already reached level 15, but even the ones with restrictive classes have still at least reached level 10.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by making the most out of your training by switching weapons?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Oh Daddy...¡± -She says while shaking her head.- ¡°I''m sorry I thought you would have been the first to figure it out, or I would have told you weeks ago. Killing monsters is only a small fraction of the xp you get now. You gain xp from the actual training now, if you use the same moves with the same weapons it will take you forever.¡±


    ¡°Is that so...?¡± -I say looking over to Bandy''s group who are now avoiding eye contact.-


    Inari: ¡°I figured it out as soon as the locals started leveling up by cooking, crafting, and the like. I haven''t tried it out yet, because we have plenty of Oni to fight with, and because you do get a small boost for defeating a monster, but I am sure you don''t even need to fight actual monsters. You could probably gain xp just by practicing on training dummies, at least to some degree.¡±


    ¡°That explains why the people that have returned to Tobes were gaining levels. I was starting to think they were holding us back by gaining xp from the training we were doing, and it was just splitting it between all the residents in my dungeon.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I thought it had to do with the types of monsters we were fighting. In a way I guess I was at least closer than Two-Twelve, because by having the monsters not attack and letting us kill them off quickly. It was actually hurting us in the long run.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well I''m glad I was able to help out.¡± -She then turns to Bandy.- ¡°And although everyone''s level reset, I am sure their personalities haven''t, so I am sure your group is ready to get started?¡±


    Bandy: ¡°Now that you gave up our secret, we are going to have to maintain our edge somehow, so bring it on.¡±


    Inari looks over to Ryuu who is holding Bell''s hands while they speak quietly to one another and ignoring our conversation completely. Inari calls out his name, only to startle him and causing him to begin blushing again. He then lets go of Bell''s hands while turning his attention to Inari.


    Inari: ¡°I''m sure you have much better things to do, but I need you to get Bandy''s group started on their xp gathering. I can count on you for this, can''t I?¡±


    Ryuu: ¡°Of course Mistress!¡± -He then turns to Bell, apologies to her, asks Bandy''s group to follow him, and then leads them towards the entrance of town.-


    Inari: ¡°Why don''t the rest of us head downstairs, so we can relax a bit while we talk.¡±


    After we agree Inari leads us down to her house. She could easily transfer us down to it, but instead she leads us on foot, as she greets and talks to several of the locals along the way. I''m not sure what they are talking about, because it is in the Shima language, but Inari must have decided not to tell them about being a dungeon core due to the fact you can tell they still revere her.


    With Dailian focused on starting a war, there might not be any boats for a while, and with the locals resetting to level 1, it may be a while before the people of Shima begin moving through the Oni filled lands again, but sooner or later they are going to learn about dungeon cores, and they will surely put two and two together.


    I don''t have to say anything though, because once we reach Inari''s house, Ceres says. ¡°I''m surprised the locals are still treating you that way after telling them you were a dungeon core.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Actually I think a lot of them were relieved. No matter what we said, in the back of their minds they always thought that I was a god. Although I did have to tell them about the blessings I have received from the gods as well, because since I was the one that has been helping them all this time they thought perhaps the gods had abandoned them.¡±


    ¡°I guess you haven''t ever killed anyone with your dungeon, so it makes sense they trust you more than the people back in Tobes trust us.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Don''t worry Daddy, I am sure you will figure something out. After all, nobody can stay mad at you for very long.¡±


    ¡°I hope you are right.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I think it will just take time. Everyone has been through so much lately, and once we start rebuilding Tobes, and they see how much they have come to rely on the dungeon, they will start trusting you again.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I''ll even help out if I can. Once you set that portal up I can send supplies, workers, or anything else you might need. After all the only thing that seemed to reset for me was my level, so think in the long run I am only going to benefit from the reset.¡±


    ¡°By letting Bandy''s group come here to gather xp, and by telling us about how leveling works now, you have already helped out plenty.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about you?¡± -She asks Ceres.- ¡°Not that I mind you coming along with Daddy just for a visit, I am sure you had something to ask me?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Several things actually, but first it is something Dyson wanted me to ask you. Since we are still unable to locate Laura, Dyson and Two-Twelve are the only remaining Elders, and when you add the fact that the Elders are going to have to start dealing with humans as well. Dyson wanted to at least fill the empty chairs, so we don''t get to bogged down by what needs to be done.¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Yes, he asked me as well.¡±


    ¡°He hasn''t said anything to me about it...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°He just figured you had enough on your plate to deal with right now. I am sure he would have talked it over with you before it was set in stone, or are you saying that you object to Inari and I becoming Elders?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but both of you at the same time? That is a lot of people with close ties to me.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°And that is why he wanted me to ask Inari instead of you. The truth is, with the exception of Dyson, you and your daughters were the least effected by the reset, so it makes sense to go to them first. Initially I told Dyson that one of your twins would be better suited to become an Elder instead of me, but even though both of them avoided the reset, I am the only one that is still alive since the dungeon cores were first born, so he thought it would be best to have my knowledge over their strength.¡±


    Inari: ¡°And what are your other questions?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Well it really depends on your answer to Dyson''s question.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well I don''t dare put off destroying the corrupt dungeons any longer than I have to, but as long as it doesn''t interfere with that. I have no objections in becoming an Elder.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Alright, since your father will never ask, once you become an Elder you''ll be able to make xp beads, so I then would ask you to loan your Father some xp, and I will pay back the loan.¡±


    ¡°I''m doing alright for myself! I don''t need to take xp from you or Inari!¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Rebuilding Tobes is your top priority, and rightfully so, but there is so much more you should be doing as an Elder. I got Dyson to agree to match whatever xp amount Inari is willing to provide, if she is willing. And with it you can at least make Tobes livable again, so you can begin focusing on other priorities.¡±


    Inari opens up her [Menu] and after a few seconds she smirks and says. ¡°Alright, tell Dyson I will loan Daddy 5 million xp, so that he has to match that, but I will only ask you to pay me back for half of it. I could go as high as 10 million, but Dyson doesn''t have enough xp to match that, and there is no rush to pay me back if it is only 5 million xp.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Only 5 million...? I was doing alright for myself before the reset, but still couldn''t afford to say only 5 million xp.¡±


    Inari: ¡°You know xp has never really been an issue for me, and besides I didn''t lose my xp in the reset either.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I''m sure that is a lot more than Dyson was expecting, but I will see to it that he holds up to his end of the deal. We can work out the details on how you want me to pay you back whenever you want.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Just remember once you start building homes for the humans, your xp consumption jumps in leaps and bounds, so make sure you don''t over do it.¡±


    ¡°I still haven''t agreed into taking the xp...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I could ask for the loan for myself, and rebuild Tobes on my dungeon instead, but Tobes is your thing, so I would rather help you. Besides it isn''t just for you, its for helping the humans as well. You wouldn''t deny the humans a chance at getting their homes back sooner, just so you don''t have to take xp from people that want nothing but to help, would you?¡±


    I sigh and then say. ¡°Fine, but I am paying you all back.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Once Tobes is rebuilt, and everything calms down, if you want to repay me, so be it, but not until then.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Was there anything else you needed?¡± -She asks Ceres.-


    Ceres: ¡°Since I don''t see any way of acquiring skills with the way [Menu] is set up now, I had some questions on how it is affecting the skills you held onto during the reset. That is of course if you don''t mind talking about it.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well I know Momma will want to soak in the hot spring while she is here, and that could take hours, so why don''t we continue the conversation there?¡±


    ¡°Wait... What about me?¡±


    Inari gives me a smug look and says. ¡°Well alright Daddy, if you want to join us I won''t stop you.¡±


    ¡°You know what I meant... I guess we can talk afterwards.¡±


    Rory is still too little to enter the hot springs, so Belinda hands her over to me before leaving with Ceres, Inari, and Bell.


    ¡°Well Takeshi, it looks like it''s just you, me, and little Rory here... I guess while we wait on the girls I can go ahead and set up the portal to return to Tobes.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Very well Father, I will show you to the location in which Inari wishes the portal to be set up.¡±


    Takeshi leads me from the house, and out the gate, but instead of heading back up to where we arrived, he leads me down deeper into Inari''s dungeon.


    ¡°Inari had me make the arrival point just outside her dungeon, so why does she want the departure point to be so deep in her dungeon?¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°With your plans on making the portal open to the public eventually, Inari believed it to be best to have the arrivals outside the providence to prevent the possibility of any mishaps, but have the portal in a controlled location.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense I guess, it never even occurred to me to have different locations for the incoming and outgoing. You do know the portals aren''t just one way though, right? You wouldn''t be able to open the one outside of town from this side, but once it is open you could go either way. The same could be said for the one down here, you could only open it from this side, but once it is, someone could enter from Tobes.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Even more reason to have it in a controllable location... Here, this building should work.¡± -He says as we reach a large warehouse looking building.- ¡°We used it to store supplies, but after Inari told the locals about being a dungeon core, she decided it would take up far less space and none of it would spoil if we were to store everything in her dungeon inventory instead. Just let me know what you need.¡±


    The warehouse is huge, I wouldn''t say it was large enough to hold all of Denova''s goods, but it would be pretty close. If we do eventually open up the portals for trade purposes, this building could easily be converted to trade building. We are still a ways away from something like that, but it might not be a bad idea to do the same for the portal on our end, when I decide on a permanent location.


    Depending on what they want to do with this warehouse I think the best bet would be to set the portal up along the back wall, so after confirming its location in my [Menu] I begin working on the last few rune stones for the portal.


    ¡°I''ll need a doorway or archway along the back wall there, it will have to be able to house these rune stones, but other than that, the look of it is not really important. And try not to make the gap between the ruin stones very big or it will be difficult for me to connect them together with the activation rune.¡±


    Working on the rune stones while entertaining Rory is a little bit easier said than done, but I do my best as Takeshi opens his [Menu] to begin working on the archway. Takeshi seems to be putting a lot of thought into it, because by the time I finish the first stone he is still just staring at his [Menu].


    I play with Rory while I wait for my magic to recover enough to cast the rune spells again. Meanwhile Takeshi finally seems to have made up his mind as he has begun to make motions on his [Menu] screen. The warehouse must consist of more than a single dungeon room, because without me having to leave Takeshi is able to summon in the archway against the back wall.


    The archway looks identical to the archways leading to the shrine on the surface, but is much smaller in scale. It will still take quite a while to make the activation rune on it, because it is just as large as the one I built, if not a bit bigger even.


    Since I have been working on these stones all day my magic is recovering at a decreased rate, so even by the time Belinda sends me a message telling me they are done with their bath, I still have well over half of the archway to cover with the activation rune.


    ¡°We might as well go join the ladies, I won''t be able to go any further until my magic recovers anyway.¡±


    Takeshi: ¡°Very well, Inari prefers us walking around when inside the dungeon to fit in better with the locals, but there isn''t any harm in it right now. Are you ready Father?¡±


    I pick up Rory and put her on my shoulders before nodding my head. With a quick pull from behind my chest we are standing back in the meeting room at Inari''s house.


    Belinda, Bell, and Ceres are all wearing Shima clothing similar to Inari''s, and even though Inari''s clothes would probably fit Ceres, they probably wouldn''t fit Belinda, and most definitely wouldn''t fit Bell, but I guess if they equipped them with [Menu] size wouldn''t matter. I do have to say they fit Belinda quite stunningly.


    Belinda and Ceres don''t seem to be having any issues with the attire, but Bell seems quite uncomfortable. I''m pretty sure with all the layers the robes consist of she is in no danger of falling out of it, but she keeps pulling on the front of the robe and the sash to make sure it is secure.


    Ryuu has returned and is talking with Inari, so it could just be Bell is nervous about him seeing her in that outfit. Our arrival ends their conversation as Ryuu gives Inari a light bow and then nervously sits at Bell''s side.


    Inari: ¡°Good, you have returned. It sounds like it is time we sit down and discuss Ryuu and Bell''s future.¡±


    ¡°Bell is like family to me, and if Ryuu is what makes her happy, I''m all for it. Besides we both knew this could have been a possibility from the moment we allowed them to date to begin with.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I agree, I have no objection to their relationship, but if their relationship is progressing to something more serious, there are some matters that need to be addressed. For instance, will they remain here in Shima, or return with you to Tobes?¡±


    ¡°I believe Bell''s intentions were to come here and stay with Ryuu.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Another issue is my trip to the corrupt dungeon. Chika is usually the one to stay behind to keep an eye on the dungeon, so I guess I can have Ryuu fill that role this time, but he is one of my monsters, and he will have responsibilities to deal with which may include him leaving the dungeon for up to several months at a time.¡±


    ¡°Of course, and Bell has worked a great deal in the mayor''s office in Tobes, so I believe she could really assist in the management of your town here.¡±


    Inari: ¡°What about her responsibilities to your dungeon? With the xp I am going to provide won''t you need her help back in Tobes for the reconstruction?¡±


    ¡°I won''t say things wouldn''t go smoother with her help, but since she wishing to remain here, we will make due.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Then it sounds like your monster will remain here, and I can use her however I see fit, so if we all agree, I''d say that about covers it.¡±


    ¡°I don''t believe you to be someone I would have to worry about taking advantage of Bell''s situation, but I will say you can use her however you see fit within reason, just to be on the safe side.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Alright, if Bell and Ryuu both agree?¡±


    Ryuu: ¡°Of course Mistress!¡±


    Bell: ¡°Yes...¡± -She says meekly.-


    Inari: ¡°Then Bell, welcome to our family.¡±


    Inari then calls for all her monsters to return and has a celebration for Ryuu and Bell. It doesn''t take Inari long to get quite drunk, so I never was able to sit down and speak with her. We do have the portal now, the situation with Bell is taken care of, and we even have a time set to meet with Dyson concerning the Elder matter, so all in all I guess I will be able to speak to her more at that time.


    I leave the celebration a bit early to go finish the activation rune on the portal back to Tobes, and by the time I am finished the celebration is starting to wrap up. Inari and Takeshi already retired hours ago, and even Bell and Ryuu have disappeared at some point. With Belinda falling asleep where she sits, and Rory already asleep in her lap. It seems Ceres and some of Inari''s other monsters are the only ones keeping the celebration going anyway.


    We say our goodbyes, and even though it is quite earlier here in Shima than it is back home it is well after the start of a new day before we finally depart and head back to Tobes. For the next few days there isn''t much for me to do other than train, and come up with some plans for the reconstruction of Tobes.


    Switching out weapons has really made a difference in our training. We have no longer just been having the monsters stand there taking the hits either, but have had them start trying to dodge attacks so that you have to use more skill to take them out.


    Ceres began another 48 hour training session as soon as we returned from Inari''s dungeon, and gained 3 levels in just the first session, so she is leaving me even further behind. I have put a bit more effort into training the last few days have gained at least 1 level each day, but even though being a dungeon core allows me to use any type of weapon, since my class is technically a mage class it is my spells that seem to help me level the most.


    Of course without the magic to continuously fire off spells it seems to be holding me back a bit. Sofia is restricted to a sword, and Scylla is a mage as well, so we are all having the same problem, but Belinda, Roxy, Zoey, Kline, and most of the bunnies are gaining closer to 2 levels per day.


    Azami lost her lost her skills in the reset like everyone else, but even though it reset she still has the mental endurance ability, so her pool of magic is still quite larger than everyone else. She can also only summon a single spriggan now, but between her magic, her spriggan, and even doing some elven crafting on the side, she is starting gain levels faster than anyone else in my group.


    It is starting to become clear that skills have completely disappeared, because nobody has gained any back through all of our training, and yet Azami and Katie can still use their crafting abilities. Even without Ursus ever having a skill, he has started to learn leatherworking, so maybe skills are just no longer required.


    By the day that Dyson is supposed to arrive to take us to the neural zone to make Ceres and Inari into Elders, I have reached level 7 and the others range from 7 to 13. I don''t know how many levels Inari has gained since then, but Ceres has managed to catch up to what Inari was, by reaching level 15 just this morning.


    If things go like we expect I should be returning with 10 million xp for the rebuilding of Tobes, so like I have done several times already I am building Tobes in my [Menu], just to see what it would look like, but then canceling the buildings as I don''t have enough xp for them.


    While I am doing that one last time the portal in the section of my dungeon that is connected to Ceres''s dungeon activates and Inari steps through. Ceres is there to greet her, so I cancel the buildings I had on [Menu], close the screen, send a message to Dyson that we are ready, and go down to join them.


    ¡°Welcome back to Tobes. It''s not much to look at right now, but after today maybe that will change.¡±


    Ceres is wearing her normal simple but high quality outfit, but Inari on the other hand is completely decked out. Not only is she wearing what is probably the best Shima style robe that she has, but she is wearing her full armor, and is carrying no less than 5 weapons including several swords and the bladed staff that I made her. Even her long hair has been tied up with a large headdress adorning he head.


    She also has Midori and Aoi on either side of her, and if I didn''t know they were foxes I would say they were wolves if not even dire wolves by their size, both of which are highly decorated and wearing armor of their own. Not only have they increased in size since the last time I seen them but each one now has 3 tails.


    ¡°Well... Don''t you clean up nice?¡±


    Inari: ¡°It''s not every day that someone becomes a new Elder, so I wanted to show off just a bit.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°It is just going to be us and Dyson, so I think I will just stick with this.¡± -She says motioning to her own simple outfit.-


    ¡°I already messaged Dyson, so he should be on his way at any moment.¡±


    Seemingly right on cue Dyson appears in the room. He is decked out as well, its not as good as when he had his old armor, but he is even wearing that stupid looking helmet I made him. I thought he would have asked about his sword and armor by now, since we did get rid of the failed dungeon cores, but since he hasn''t mentioned it I didn''t want to be the one to say they are gone for good.


    Like Midori and Aoi following Inari, Angela and Desiree are on either side of Dyson, in their armor as well.


    Dyson: ¡°Well I''m glad at least someone is taking this honor seriously. I do however have a bit of bad news.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you see, I checked on the neutral zone, but it just isn''t there anymore. I don''t believe it was part of Madam Erin or Lucille''s dungeons, so it may be due to the reset, but in any case the neutral zone is no more.¡±


    ¡°If the neutral zone is gone, are you even sure if you can make Ceres and Inari into Elders?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Even without the neutral zone, the dungeon cores still need the Elders.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The Elders were not part of [Menu] since the beginning, so it is a possibility there are no Elders anymore.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well we won''t know until we try it, so are we ready to get started?¡±

 The New Council of Elders

    <h1 align="CENTER"> </h1>


    Thirty minutes after Dyson''s arrival, we decide that the neutral zone is, indeed, gone for good, so we decide to stay here and see if we are at least capable of appointing new Elders, but find no success in that area, either. I try to ask Madam Erin for help, but Ceres says there is nothing left of Madam Erin anymore.


    But well, the notifications from [Menu] have become less formal ever since Madam Erin was absorbed into the world crystal, so this isn''t the first time I have tried contacting her, nor is it likely to be the last.


    I tried to contact her by sending a normal message, like I used to do, and when that didn''t work, tried to send a message without a recipient, but that didn''t work either.


    Maybe Ceres is right and Madam Erin has been completely absorbed by the world crystal, but I want to believe that even without a physical body, the less formal notifications prove that some part of Madam Erin still survives within [Menu], rather than being caused by the reset.


    My plea, however, goes unanswered, and I let out a deep sigh before saying. ¡°I guess that''s that. If there was a way to replace the fallen Elders, we surely would have found it by now.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well even if [Menu] doesn''t appoint Elders any more, that doesn''t mean we can''t. The humans have never used [Menu] to appoint their leaders, so we could just copy one from their book, and appoint our leadership by ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Ceres and Inari are still justicars, and that system isn''t much different than being an Elder to begin with.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°In that case, let''s get started... Dungeon Core #5 Ceres, do you accept the title of Dungeon Core Elder, and all the responsibilities that title entails?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Sure.¡± - she throws her right thumb up.-


    Dyson: ¡°Then as Dungeon Core #400 Elder Dyson, with Archjusticar and Elder Dungeon Core #212 as witness, I appoint you as a Dungeon Core Elder.¡± -He then looks to me and motions to Inari.-


    ¡°Right... Dungeon Core #245 Inari, do you accept the title of Dungeon Core Elder, and with it all the responsibilities it entails?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yes! I do.¡±


    ¡°Then, as Archjusticar and Elder Dungeon Core #212, with Dungeon Core #400 Elder Dyson and Dungeon Core #5 Elder Ceres as witnesses, I appoint you as a Dungeon Core Elder.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Now, as I understand it, Inari will be unavailable for some time, after today, so we need to take care of as many things as possible while we are all together.¡±


    Ceres: First of which, is our agreement. We both became Elders, so now you have to provide xp to Two-Twelve for the reconstruction of Tobes.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The agreement was I would match whatever xp Inari provided. She promised 5 millions, but since [Menu] doesn''t acknowledges the creation of new Elders, how does she plan on transferring said xp?¡±


    A screen appears to Inari, and I don''t think she called for it, because of the look of surprise on her face. After a few seconds of reading, her lips curl upwards into a grin, and she says: ¡°Like this!¡± - She presses on the screen, and new screens pops up before each of us.


    Dungeon Core #245 Elder Inari will provide Dungeon Core #212 Archjusticar ------ Gowen with 5,000,000 xp to uphold a previous agreement. If all parties accept, the transaction will cost 1 justicar point, and [Menu] will enforce the agreement.


    I accept, and Ceres, too, accepts with a smile, but Dyson looks quite troubled.


    Dyson: ¡°[Menu] didn''t even acknowledge... How did you...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Was that your hope from the start? You thought we wouldn''t be able to become true elders, and much less to transfer the xp, so you agreed to provide the xp on the condition Inari did so first.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°5 million xp is just too steep, that is well over half of my available xp right now, and with everyone resetting to level 1, it isn''t exactly easy to acquire more.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Inari offered 10 million, but cut it down by half to ensure you could hold your end of the bargain, and while it may not be enforced by [Menu], we do have an agreement. You wouldn''t go back on it, would you?¡±


    Dyson seems to be thinking about it for a moment before saying. ¡°Fine, but I am altering the agreement. We needed more Elders, but I''m not actually getting anything out of this, so if Two-Twelve agrees to summon me another girl as wonderful as Angela and Desiree, I will pay the 5 million, plus the xp to summon my third queen.¡±


    ¡°I told you, I drew the line at Angela and Desiree. I am not summoning you a harem...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Two-Twelve, hold on now. We are talking about rebuilding Tobes in exchange for summoning a single woman, whom as far as we know will be just as happy as Angela and Desiree. I''m sure Dyson would even agree to the same conditions that you set for them, am I right?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Two-Twelve''s success rate so far is a tale of sensual perfection, but I will only provide the xp once. If it takes more than one try to get a woman worthy of being my third queen, I don''t care if it comes out of the 5 million or Two-Twelve''s own xp, but he keeps trying until she comes out perfect once again.¡±


    ¡°And how do you two feel about this?¡± -I sigh and look at Angela and Desiree.-


    Angela and Dyson exchange a look, and she steps forth after a moment, pulling a small stack of parchments from one of her pockets. She unfolds it, then hands it to me.


    Angela: ¡°We have come up with three acceptable candidates, and wrote as fine a description of each as we could. Any of them would be acceptable, but if possible, please try for the first of the three.¡±


    ¡°Three...?¡± -I say while looking at a stack of no less than 10 pages.-


    As it turns out, each page is completely filled with exhaustive descriptions and carefully drawn diagrams of three different winged women in their late teens or early twenties, and nothing about any of the three has been left to chance.


    I would understand a desire to pick hair, eye or skin color, but there are precise measurements included, from the length of each limb, thickness of each muscle, the exact length of their nails, eyelashes and teeth, down to the texture, length and exact quantity of hair strands on their heads. Of course that includes hair style. I am not even surprised by the time I read that bit, either.


    There''s pages and pages dedicated to making sure that every possible bit of these yet-to-be young women is carefully detailed, from the size and shape of their breasts to the curve of their spines or the ratio between their shoulders, waist and hips. Even the length of their feet and the arc of their spines has been included in the pages Angela handed to me.


    ¡°Wait. Some of this handwriting looks much too familiar... Ceres, did you help with this!?¡±


    Ceres takes a look at the parchments in my hands, then smiles as she looks back at the oversexed trio. ¡°Aww, the one I helped with is your favorite? I''m touched.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Well it was the first, and we did try and come up with some ideas on our own, but we incorporated most of your suggestions into all three.¡±


    ¡°Summoning a monster with even a few details is hard enough, but this is ridiculous, I can''t promise anything near this level of detail.¡± -I say while shuffling though the parchments.- ¡°And these are all physical characteristics, you didn''t mention a single detail about their likes, dislikes, mannerisms or personalities!¡±


    Angela: ¡°As long as you get the looks right and make sure she loves us, the rest will work itself out.¡±


    ¡°Us... Just who am I making this woman for?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Desiree and I are part of Master now, so if she can''t accept all three of us, she is not good enough for Master.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°It is very easy to say what you don''t like. Letting others know what you do like is much, much harder, because it reveals a lot about yourself, yet we poured all of our desire and expectations into those pages. Every time one of us asked for something the other lacked, it would have caused heartache and resentment in a less confident partner. The fact that we just nodded and continued is absolute proof of how much we know we are loved and desired. Please rest assured, we already love every single one of them.¡±


    ¡°Inari, back me up on this. This is ridiculous...¡±


    Inari: ¡°I''m sorry Daddy, but the one that I share my bed with, was someone that you summoned as well, so I don''t believe I have any room to talk... for what is worth, I think Desiree has a point. If Takeshi told me he wished for someone with larger breasts or a smaller waist, or whatever, I don''t think I would be able to just smile and move along.¡±


    ¡°Ceres...?¡± -I plead.-


    Ceres: ¡°Think of it as a chance to grow your skills. Besides, I''m counting two years on this human body already, and still haven''t broken it in yet, so depending on how well you do for Dyson, I might place an order of my own for you to fulfill. If it makes you feel any better, I think the fact they did NOT make any request towards their personalities proves that they are hoping for a new person to join their love nest, rather than a toy.¡±


    I sigh and say. ¡°Fine, but I am doing this for Tobes, and make no guarantees about it.¡± -I shake the parchment pages.-


    Angela quickly snatches the pages from my hand, straightens them out, and says. ¡°These are very important! You must be careful with them!¡± -She then hands them back to me.- ¡°And I want them back when you are done!¡±


    I make an obvious attempt of folding the pages back just the way they were when Angela first handed them to me, and then store them in the dungeon inventory. As soon as I do, a new screen appears for all of us dungeon cores.


    Agreement has been altered to include Dungeon Core #400 Elder Dyson''s contribution of 5,000,000xp plus 3,500 additional xp, and in exchange Dungeon Core #212 Archjusticar ------ Gowen must provide one creature that meets at least the minimum specifications that have been provided, as determined by [Menu].


    Ceres and Inari quickly accept, and Dyson re-reads the message a second time before accepting it himself, but the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. On the other hand, dozens of the sentient monsters I summoned to help my dungeon have died because I failed to protect them, so do I really have room to judge, when the ones I sent to Dyson are all healthy and happy? Even Byson seems to enjoy his role in Dyson''s dungeon nowadays.


    I reluctantly accept the agreement then watch as my justicar points are reduced by one, and my dungeon xp goes up by 10,003,500xp.


    Dyson: ¡°I''m sure it will take you a few days to learn her specs by heart before my new queen is born, so in the meantime there are a few more matters that must be addressed. I have spent a great deal of time using the [Justicar Menu] to look in on every dungeon core number from 1 to 799, and have found a huge number of dead dungeon cores that we were not made aware of. Now, I don''t know if they died before or after the reset, but the one thing I am sure of is that instead of the 500 or so dungeon cores that we thought were still alive. The truth is closer to half that number...¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If it happened before the reset, then the failed cores used their items, and if it was after the reset I have a few theories as well. We were told that the failed cores found a way to move all the crystals of the dungeon cores that allied with them into a single spot. After the reset one or more of them may have decided to try to regain their levels by slaying the others.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Do you really think that there were close to 250 dungeon cores allied with the failed dungeon cores?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Either that, or after the reset they have been using those items of theirs and have been taking out every dungeon core they could find.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Ceres: ¡°It''s safe to assume it could also be a combination of all three of your theories.¡±


    ¡°With the way levels are gained now, and no apparent skills, we don''t even know what effects absorbing a crystal has on someone now, so if the dungeon cores died after the reset, we could be looking at a mess just as bad as the one we were in before the reset...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You said you looked into every single dungeon core, so did you find any of them that may have far more power than they should?¡± -She says to Dyson.-


    Dyson: ¡°That''s either the good news or the bad news... All the remaining dungeon cores look to be struggling as much as everyone else, but that isn''t to say that the culprits behind the deaths are not masking themselves, or there may be a fourth failed core that we didn''t know about.¡±


    ¡°This just keeps getting better... The question is what do we do about it? We are far less likely to be able to deal with any more major attacks.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°There isn''t really anything we can do, other than keeping our eyes peeled and looking for anything suspicious... We also have to think about the number of dungeon cores being below 300 now, and we don''t know if the reset is going to cause [Menu] to start producing new dungeon cores again.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I''m only guessing of course, but my siblings and I were the ones to alter [Menu] to produce the dungeon cores to begin with. It wasn''t one of its original functions. Then again, neither was the ability for humans and other creatures to use magic and gain levels, so it''s a toss up.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Until it is determined one way or the other, we need to think of alternative ways. With Angela''s help, we are already in the process of finding out if a new dungeon core can still be created through biological reproduction.¡±


    ¡°Angela is pregnant?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The option has been appearing off and on in [Menu] over the last few months, even before the reset, and the three of us finally decided to find out. The xp has been spent, so now we just have to wait and see if it works.¡±


    Inari: ¡°Even if it does work, we are still talking about a bare minimum of 15 years until your child is capable of starting their own dungeon. If [Menu] doesn''t produce any dungeon cores, we need to find a faster method to get our numbers back up.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We do have the method that created me. Although now that I think about it, we haven''t received any more justicar points after the reset.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, and that might not be odd if it wasn''t for the defeat of the failed dungeon cores. Surely that should have awarded us some points, but we didn''t receive any.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Either way, we still need to make Faraine a dungeon core as promised. She has already waited patiently for weeks now.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Forget Faraine, with her strength gone now, there is no reason to waste justicar points on her. Especially as we don''t know if it is possible to obtain more.¡±


    ¡°We did promise her, and the relic she provided not only saved the people of Tobes, but also gave Ceres the strength she needed to defeat the failed dungeon cores.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I was the one to give her the heart to begin with.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°And then you broke hers.¡±


    ¡°Either way, we need to know if we can still use the justicar points to create a new dungeon core, and since we promised her anyway, so we can test it out on her.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I''ll go get her, and see if she is ready to become a dungeon core.¡±


    Dyson scoffs as Ceres steps over to her side of the room and transfers away. While Ceres is away I ask Inari. ¡°So how is Bell settling in?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Well it is a good thing she has Ryuu, because if it wasn''t for him, I would be concerned about her safety.¡±


    ¡°Well I know she hasn''t gained very many levels back since the reset, but as long as she stays within the providence, she should be safe, right?¡±


    Inari: ¡°I jest, but its not the oni that I am worried about, its Chika. Tatsuo and Chika have had a thing, for quite a while now, or at least Chika likes to think they do, even if Tatsuo hasn''t exactly agreed to it yet. He is the one that oversees the humans that live in my dungeon, by the way. Well, like you said Bell is very knowledgeable about running a village, and Tatsuo has been spending a lot of time with her the last few days, picking at her brain, so Chika has become quite jealous.¡±


    ¡°Bell doesn''t like attention, so I don''t know who I feel more sorry for, Chika or Bell...¡±


    Inari: ¡°Yea, she seemed pretty apprehensive about speaking with Tatsuo without Ryuu in the room, but since everyone else is leaving for the corrupt dungeon tomorrow, Ryuu has been busy with the preparations, so she had to go without him this morning.¡±


    ¡°I know you wouldn''t have had her go if you were worried about it, so I am sure she will do fine.¡±


    Ceres returns with Faraine, so Inari just nods, and we all turn our attention to them.


    Ceres: ¡°As I said before, the means in which we had planned on making you a dungeon core might have been affected by the reset as well, but we are going to attempt it now, if you are ready.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°How am I to start my own dungeon now that I am powerless to defend it?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Same way every other dungeon core that is just started out in the last 1000 years has. At least you have the advantage of all the humans being in the same position.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°You will return me to my forest, so that I can start my dungeon there?¡±


    ¡°Dyson is the only one still capable of teleportation, so you will have to ask him for that one.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We don''t have Madam Erin''s fancy map anymore, so sure, since you know exactly where you want to set up at, I will teleport you there.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°I refuse!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The only alternative is to walk, and do you know how long that would take you, especially at your level?¡±


    Faraine: ¡°I will not accept charity from Dyson, and definitely will not be in his debt!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Do you want to become a dungeon core, or not? I told them it was a waste to use it on you.¡±


    Faraine clenches her jaw hard enough you can hear her teeth grinding.


    ¡°You may loathe Dyson, but there is some truth to his words. We can''t afford to offer more than one person the ability to become a dungeon core, and it has to be today, so we will have to choose another if you changed your mind.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I traded you the divine relic for the chance to become a dungeon core, and if you decide to wait, we may be able to try again at a later date, but I can''t guarantee how long it will be before that. The closest I can give you to a guarantee is if we do it now.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°If I do this, how exactly is it going to work?¡±


    ¡°From what I understand you have been with several dungeons in the past, but I don''t know how much you actually know about us. The best way I can describe it is that it will function just like the setting of an imitation crystal.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°Do I have to set the crystal right away?¡±


    ¡°We are a bit hazy on those details, because the only other time we have used this ability was when we made Ceres a dungeon core.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°And I was unconscious and dying at the time, so they just placed the crystal for me. By the time I woke up there was only a message telling me about the creation of my dungeon.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°Even if it doesn''t have be placed right away, it isn''t like I have the ability to get back to my forest anyway, so as long as Dyson delivers me to my forest and leaves immediately afterwards, I have no choice but to accept.¡±


    ¡°I would also like to mention one more thing. Moving forth, the dungeon cores we create in this way will be held to a higher standard than the dungeon cores of the past. I understand your grievances against Dyson, so if you don''t want to see him sooner rather than later, be sure to maintain a dungeon that doesn''t threaten sapient beings or causes problems among other cores.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°And how am I to provide xp to my crystal without attacking humans or dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Working with humans instead of against them provides far more xp in the long term than just attacking them.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°My forest is sealed off from the outside world for a reason.¡±


    ¡°You should probably think about those reasons before agreeing to become a dungeon core. Sending monsters out of your dungeon has always been a considerable risk for a short term gain. I am sure between the four of us we could provide a few monsters to your dungeon to at least keep up your consumption for a while, but you will eventually have to open your forest if you plan on being a successful dungeon core.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That village near your forest is rather small, and is quite a distance from your cottage, but if you start your dungeon at the edge of the forest and work with the humans to cover the village, you should be able to grow rather quickly. It may take a while before you can reach all the way to your cottage as well, but as long as you work with the humans by providing things that may help their village grow, I am sure you could get it done within a few years.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°How am I supposed to convince the humans to help me, when the humans here have known you for years and are still giving you a cold shoulder now that they know you are a dungeon core?¡±


    Inari: ¡°It all depends on what you can provide for them. The village back at my dungeon had no problem accepting me as a dungeon core, and I am sure once Daddy starts to rebuild Tobes with the dungeon, the humans here will come around as well.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It''s really quite simple. Either you accept the offer and become a dungeon core, or I dump you back in your forest anyway and you can go back to being a hermit.¡±


    ¡°I can appreciate her reluctance, this is a big decision and I want her to be sure this is what she wants before we proceed, because it can''t be undone. That''s why if she has any more questions, this is the time to ask.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°You said you can summon some monsters for me to provide for my consumption, what exactly are you offering?¡±


    ¡°Well it depends on you. If you want help communicating with the locals around your forest, I can summon you a human or two, but know that I have strict standards on how the sentient monsters I summon are treated. I could also spend the same amount of xp on a single monster for you to use in your dungeon however you like, and it will provide a larger amount of xp. Any monsters I do send to your dungeon, sentient or not, I''d ask you allow them to return to my dungeon every so often to return the xp they accumulate in your dungeon, so that the exchange is beneficial to both of us.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Humans might provide less xp in the beginning, but if you allow them to level up, they will eventually surpass what a monster can provide. I would offer the same, but unlike Two-Twelve the reset affected the monsters I can summon, so unless you can use of a pack of wolves or such, there isn''t much I can offer.¡±


    Inari: ¡°I can also summon you a few beastkin, or any number of Shima monsters available to me if you prefer.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°And you, Dyson? Are you going to offer anything?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You have already been granted quite a few advantages over most new dungeon cores. Besides, I''m teleporting you back.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°So you expect me to accept monsters that do your bidding into my dungeon under the guise of helping me, so you can what? Keep an eye on me, is that it?¡±


    ¡°As a dungeon core, we wouldn''t need any monsters to keep an eye on you. We have the ability to do that whenever we so choose. The offer to help is just that, and like I said, we would collect the monsters on a regular basis once we are able to teleport again, so that''s how we will benefit from this.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°You expect anyone to accept terms like these? You want me to follow impossible standards, while tying my hands behind my back, and watching every move I make.¡±


    ¡°Ceres, Inari, and myself prove that the standards we are asking for are far from impossible, and even though Dyson''s ways aren''t exactly as gentle as ours, he and Laura both survive off the xp provided by the humans that reside within their dungeons. Eventually we will hold all dungeon cores to the same standards, but if we can''t at least get the new recruits to follow the rules, how can we expect the dungeon cores that have lived for centuries to change their ways?¡±


    Faraine: ¡°I need to think about this...¡±


    ¡°I understand. We have a few more matters to discuss, and you have until we are done to make up your mind. If you do not agree to become a dungeon core today, I''m not saying you won''t get another chance, but we can''t make any promises, either.¡±


    Ceres directs Faraine back to her side of the room and transfers away with her, then transfers back by herself a few moments later.


    Dyson: ¡°I told you Faraine was a waste of time.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°That is still yet to be seen. When we gave her the promise of becoming a dungeon core the world was a completely different place than it is now, so you can''t tell me you don''t at least understand a bit of her hesitation.¡±


    ¡°We are also throwing a lot of stipulations on top of her that other dungeon cores haven''t had to worry about. She has seen how dungeons ran before, so it may be best if we start looking for candidates outside from those associated with dungeons.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We gave her some time to think about it, but do we even have another candidate if she refuses?¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Elexia has shown a keen interest in becoming a dungeon core. She wants to try and reclaim Madam Erin''s Tower of the Gods.


    ¡°The collapse of the tower has practically killed the town surrounding it. Not only did most people flee the area, fearing the tower would fall on them. Most businesses around it counted on the goods supplied from Madam Erin''s dungeon. I don''t think rebuilding the tower is going to be an easy task. Especially while trying to raise a child.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We could always summon someone specifically to make them a dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°I would rather give a chance to those with more experience, but if we do find a way to acquire more justicar points, that might not be a bad idea down the road.¡±


    Inari: ¡°We could also use it as a reward or incentive. In exchange for assistance, or even just loyalty, we could offer existing cores the chance to ''promote'' one of their monsters into a new core. Having one''s own monster become an allied dungeon core would be quite the incentive to some of the older dungeon cores.¡±


    ¡°Well, lets see how Faraine responds, and we''ll ask Elexia if she doesn''t accept, but for anyone else we need to try to find a way to acquire more justicar points before we need to worry about it.¡±


    With everyone''s silence, the subject seems agreed upon, and it is then that Ceres brings our attention to something else.


    Ceres: ¡°I think our next order of business is a discussion on what we are going to do about Dailian and Duke Bozhidar.¡±


    ¡°So far the humans in the neighboring kingdoms have refused our help, so there isn''t much we can do.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°But Duke Bozhidar is a dungeon core, and if we plan on taking a more active role as Elders, we might have to decide to deal with him ourselves. He is openly killing humans, after all.¡±


    ¡°But he is doing it as an ally of the Dailian kingdom. So unless he is attacking other dungeon cores, he is running his dungeon the way we want him to, soI guess the question is: How much do we want to involve ourselves into the politics of the world?¡±


    Inari: ¡°Daddy has a point. Where do we draw the line? Wanting the dungeon cores to work with humanoid society goes hand in hand with those very same humanoids wanting the dungeons'' assistance in their own agendas. Do we only involve ourselves when other dungeon cores are involved, or do we interfere on their behalf without being asked to, as well? And if so, at what point are we not just overseeing the dungeon cores, but all of the world''s sentient humanoid species as well.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Wasn''t that the purpose of the dungeon cores to begin with? Now, acting as replacements for the gods might be a bit of a stretch, but there is plenty of xp to be had by not only acting as mediators between humanoids and dungeons, but even between just the humanoids themselves.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, I would rather stay out of other people''s politics.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°The truth is, the dungeon cores are not going to let anyone walk all over them just to maintain your new standards, so if you want them to follow you, you have to prove you hold the humans, elves and others to the same standards.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And that brings us back to Ceres''s question, what to do about Duke Bozhidar?¡±


    ¡°We have tried speaking with him and with Dailian''s king to no avail, but if we are going to do this, we need to do it right. We are going to have to bring Dailian''s king and Duke Bozhidar here together and see if we can come to an understanding.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I may be able to acquire a bit of leverage in the negotiations, but it will take a few days to get it together. I know Inari will be busy, but the rest of us can reconvene in say, one week?¡±


    ¡°A lot can happen in a week, but if you truly have something that can help, I guess that''s have to do.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We also need to discuss what we are going to do with the information Inari gave us about the way in which people acquire levels now. Should we let everyone figure it out on their own, or should we tell them?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Inari may still have her skills but until you three are able to gain a decent level advantage I would say we keep it to ourselves. Now, it doesn''t have to be some big secret, but I wouldn''t tell everyone just yet.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I guess we are ready to see if Faraine has made up her mind?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I actually had one more matter. The fact you three can''t teleport is going to become a problem moving forward, and with how slow you seem to be acquiring levels, it doesn''t seem like that will change anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Well there isn''t much we can do about that, I can make portals easy enough, it is just the powering of them that will be difficult. I have been taking the stones around the tavern in the evenings, asking for volunteers to pour magic into them so we can use the portal if we need to, but got just about half of them ready to go. Furthermore after Inari goes back to Shima, I''ll have to start all over again.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°That is why I am going to lend you Speedy. She isn''t quite as quick as she was before the reset, and it will take her quite a bit of training before she can be as useful as before, but in an emergency it sure beats you having to wait until you can use [Gate] again.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. That will be quite helpful.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°And not having to come by every time you need something teleported would be quite helpful to me.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If that is all, I will go get Faraine now.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You might as well find Elexia as well, because I would stake my sword on the fact that Faraine is just wasting our time.¡±


    Ceres ignores Dyson while moving to her side of the room before transferring out.


    Dyson: ¡°You have over 10 million xp right now, would you like to make a wager on whether or not Faraine accepts our terms?¡±


    ¡°The xp is for the rebuilding of Tobes, so it isn''t really mine to wager.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Then you don''t think she will accept either?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don''t know. She didn''t seem too keen on the idea of working with normal people.¡±


    To be on the safe side, I open my [Menu] and begin looking for Elexia in the places she frequents within my dungeon. I guess beauty goes a long way towards beating the citizens unrest about her being a monster, because wherever she goes, she gathers quite a crowd, and doubly so when she feeds Cambion, it seems.


    Maybe its about her being a succubus, but while I feel she looks down on her admirers, she doesn''t mind the attention. Rather, she seems to enjoy it. As such, she''s not hard to find.


    When Ceres returns with Faraine, it is quickly apparent that betting on her accepting the deal would have been foolish.


    Faraine: ¡°I will hold you to your promise to make me a dungeon core, eventually, butwith the reset, becoming a dungeon core right now will only make me more vulnerable, not less.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Fine, I will teleport you back to your forest and be done with it.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°Since you can''t guarantee making me a dungeon core in the future, I would ask for something in return.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°We offered to hold up our end, right now. You are the one that refused.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°She did still provide the divine relic, so lets at least hear her out.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°Thank you. Since I won''t be turning into a dungeon core any time soon, I need to return to my forest, briefly, to gather supplies, and then I''d ask you to take me to a strong dungeon core with the capability to summon elves. If I can''t be a dungeon core, I can at least use my knowledge to be a helpful boss monster for a good dungeon core.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°All the dungeon cores are in the same predicament right now, there are no strong dungeon cores.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°You know what I meant. A dungeon core that is smart enough to get through this ordeal.¡±


    ¡°I''m capable of summoning elves, but if you are looking for someone else, I may have an idea.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°I''m listening...¡±


    ¡°Maeve, she is one of my justicar, so she wasn''t completely affected by the reset, but she can only summon winged elves. Having said that, she traded me for several normal elves so you wouldn''t be the only one of your kind there.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°I had never even heard of winged elves... This could be very interesting.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I''m the one that is going to have to be teleporting her all over the place, so what is in it for me?¡±


    ¡°Consider it a personal favor to me.¡±


    Dyson scratches his chin while thinking about it and then says. ¡°Very well, but straight to her cottage, and then to Maeve''s dungeon, nowhere else.¡±


    ¡°I''ll see what Maeve thinks about the idea.¡± -I say while opening [Menu] and sending Maeve a message explaining the situation.-


    Ceres: ¡°If Maeve accepts, you will be bound to her as her boss monster.¡± -She says while we wait for Maeve''s reply.-


    Faraine: ¡°It won''t be the first time.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I just want to make sure this is what you want.¡±


    Faraine: ¡°As long as this Maeve understands it is just until I become a dungeon core myself.¡±


    I receive a reply from Maeve saying she is willing to talk with Faraine, so Dyson ferries the elf away while we take a break. Inari goes to visit Belinda and Rory, and Ceres takes care of a few matters in her dungeon. Meanwhile, I go speak with Elexia...

 A Fresh Start

    <h1> </h1>


    I transferred to my dungeon so I can speak with Elexia, and many of her admirers make a sour face and disperse as I arrive. She just finished feeding Cambion and is gently rocking him to sleep when she greets me.


    Albeit the simple elegance of her long silk dress does nothing to hide the sensual curves in her body, one cannot but appreciate the peaceful grace of a mother doting on her child, and even her blatantly inhuman traits, ranging from her black and gold eyes to her wings or horns do nothing to dispel the aura of alluring beauty that seems to surround her as naturally as air.


    I am perfectly aware of the magical allure that succubi give off at all times, but even so, I can''t help but feel guilty of something whenever I catch myself looking at her for a few moments too long. I mean, I am usually able to ignore most succubus charms, but Elexia is the furthest-evolved form of succubus I have ever met, and I''ve always had quite the difficult time suppressing myself around her. Just thinking about how potent the allure of further evolved succubus must be is quite worrying.


    I clear my throat and shake my head to try and clear my mind, which amuses her and brings a smile to her face, which in turn makes it just that much harder to keep my composure. Finally, I take a deep breath and begin explaining to her the reason for this talk.


    Elexia: ¡°I have spoken at length to Miss Ceres, about my wish to salvage what is left of mother''s work, but that is all it was just wishful thinking. The logistics of such an endeavor would be maddening. Dungeons a fraction of Mother''s size at its time of collapse would take decades to rebuild, and when you take the reset into account, and with most of the locals abandoning Emeraldline, it would take even longer than it took Mother to build it in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that you are not interested in becoming a dungeon core, then?¡±


    Elexia looks to be quite troubled as she is thinking about it. She then says. ¡°That isn''t what I''m saying at all... It''s just... What exactly is it you are offering?¡±


    ¡°I just received a sizable amount of XP to help in the reconstruction of Tobes, so I have a lot of work ahead of me. And Inari needs to go back to Shima so she can resume dealing with the corrupt dungeons, least the Shima gods think she is not holding up her part. Ceres is dealing with more than anyone person should be able to, and I am sure Dyson is busy as well. What I''m trying to say is, that we can go over everything with you, but only if you are serious about it.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I am interested, but may need some help.¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you have in mind?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°My daughters, and the other descendants of Mother''s dungeon. We haven''t been able to see them since Mother''s sacrifice, but I''ve kept in touch with them via communication parchment. I know this would mean Dyson discovering their existence, but if I had their help, and was able to acquire XP from their presence in the dungeon. Then I could surely stand a chance of making my wish more than just a wish.¡±


    ¡°Even for Dyson, that is no small feat. We are talking about several hundred if not thousands of creatures that would need to be teleported. Are you sure they would even be willing to leave the protection of the cave and be exposed to the world?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°1,342 miscellaneous creatures and humanoids, to be exact. And if it was to rebuild Mother''s legacy, every single one of them would all give their lives without question, so I have no doubt they will jump at the opportunity to help me do so.¡±


    ¡°I could set up a gateway between your dungeon and the cave. It may take a few days for everyone to get through, but even at level 1, many of the creatures there have a higher than average magic pool than most humans, so as they go through, you''d have that many more people powering the gateway.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Oh! With a way to go back and forth, we''d have access to the resources in the cave. There are many ores and gems that surface humanoids find valuable, and we could use them for trade. Not only could I rebuild Mother''s dungeon, but maybe even expand on Emeraldline as well.¡±


    ¡°Building the gateway would be simple, but the XP cost of doing so would be a problem. Even a single gateway would cost ten times the amount of XP I was willing to part with just to assist a new dungeon core.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Most of the gateway cost is in the magic stones, is that right? If I provide the magic stones, would you build the gateway for me?¡±


    ¡°I could try easily enough, but without using [Menu] to summon the stones with the runes already in them, I don''t know if I am skilled enough to carve the runes well enough for it all to work...¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Not every magic stone requires a rune stone on it though. I could summon an archway with the magic stones embedded on it, could I not?¡±


    ¡°That would take a pretty massive magic stone.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I will never say this again, but Mother was starting to get quite paranoid before the end, especially after Cambion was born. She is no longer with us though, so I guess she was right and not paranoid at all, unfortunately. The point is, to ensure Cambion and I would be taken care of in the event something happened to her, she had me start gathering a sizable war chest, and in it, there are more than one magic stone large enough to suffice.¡±


    ¡°The gateways can be used to travel either direction, but they can only be activated from the side with the magic stone on it, so you need someone to reopen it for your return trip, or risk becoming trapped.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I''ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°It appears you have made up your mind about becoming a dungeon core.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°If you agree to make the gateway for me, then yes, I would be willing to become a dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°There are some stipulations to it, but you already talked about trading ore and gems with the locals, so I am sure it won''t be too much of a problem.¡±


    Elexia then stands to offer me her hand to transfer her down to meet with the other Elders. I don''t have to physically take someone''s hand to transfer that someone around within my dungeon, but I have used the gesture as an acknowledgment of consent from the locals I transfer around the dungeon ever since coming out as a dungeon core.


    The moment I take Elexia''s hand, however, I instantly regret it, as just that bit of physical contact is enough for my body to react in a way I''m sure wouldn''t make Belinda happy at all. Unless it was in reaction to her, of course.


    Belinda obviously understands the power of a succubus''s charm by now, but that doesn''t mean she is comfortable with its effect on me, and that is why we try to Celes be the one interacting with Elexia whenever possible, but that wouldn''t work this time around.


    I transfer both of us to the meeting room, and quickly release Elexia''s hand. Her kind and understanding smile causes me to spin away from her and let out a deep sigh.


    Elexia: ¡°You know, I don''t think your princess appreciates how lucky she is. Most men''s thoughts and will turn into so much pink mush at the mere sight of me, but yours fly to her even while we are in touch.¡±


    ¡°More like flee than fly... but I''m the lucky one. It''s because of her that I manage to resist.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°Even some women can''t resist. Like your dungeon''s very own dog beastkin young woman, the pretty one. But it was somewhat surprising that her partner, the wolf beastkin with the scar, seemed to resist me just fine.¡±


    ¡°Holding me to the same standards as Zoey isn''t much...¡±


    Elexia''s sweet, crystal-clear chuckle causes my knees to go weak, but thankfully I don''t need to worry about it for much longer, as Ceres transfers back in on her side of the room. She quickly makes her way across the room and gently rubs Cambion''s cheek, then quickly apologizes to Elexia.


    Elexia: ¡°You don''t have to apologize every time you see me. I told you I don''t hold you responsible for what happened with Mother.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°If I was quicker or stronger, we wouldn''t have lost Madam Erin...¡±


    Elexia: ¡°You were already working with borrowed power as it was. After what could have happened, we should count ourselves lucky you were there when you were. Mother might have sacrificed her life, but if it wasn''t for you, there would have been nothing left for Mother to sacrifice her life for.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Thank you, but I still can''t help but feel responsible.¡±


    ¡°Now that you are here, I''ll be going to inform Inari about Elexia''s decision, then we just need to wait for Dyson''s return.¡±


    After leaving Elexia and Ceres, I transfer to the lake just outside the dungeon, where Belinda is helping some of the locals with laundry. Inari is far too well dressed to be sloshing around in the water so she is leaning up against boulder next to the lake, playing with Rory.


    I don''t know if she realizes it or not, but that is no boulder. Rather, it is the large crab monster, having saved the lake from filling in with the dirt from Ceres''s blast. Quite a few locals are washing their clothes here as well, so I am sure they would be even more shocked to learn just how close they are to a monster of that crab''s size.


    I probably should move it back to the dungeon, but at this point, it is safer to leave it there, at least until I start working on Tobes. Everyone in the dungeon has been coming down to the lake, so it might make them anxious if what they thought was a huge boulder disappears all of a sudden.


    ¡°Sorry Belinda, but it looks like I''m going to have to steal your baby sitter.¡±


    Belinda steps out of the water and casts a [Clean] spell on herself, but it just doesn''t have quite the same effect as it did in the past. She is at least dry now, so she goes to thank Inari and pick up Rory.


    Belinda: ¡°You be careful in that corrupt dungeon. I wish there was something we could do to help.¡±


    Inari: ¡°This corrupt dungeon is pretty straight forward. With the reset, it may take some time to build everyone''s levels back up enough to take it, but I don''t see any complications. Unless Daddy resets the world again or something.¡± -She says, then laughs.-Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°I''m sure I''m going to have my hands full with Tobes for a while, so you don''t have to worry about me.¡±


    Inari: ¡°We''ll see...¡± -She says then kisses Rory on the forehead and Bellinda on the cheek.-


    After kissing Belinda and Rory each one more time, Inari and I transfer back down to Ceres and Elexia. Dyson has returned in my absence, and it appears our arrival has interrupted a heated argument between Elexia and Desiree.


    After a few seconds pass. However, it seems their argument hasn''t ended. Succubi are capable of reading thoughts and emotions, so it appears most of the argument was never with spoken words, to begin with. They both look quite angry, Angela looks worried, and Dyson doesn''t look too happy either, finally stomping his foot and saying. ¡°Enough!¡±


    Dyson''s reaction seems to startle both Angela and Desiree, and Desiree seems to drop whatever conversation was going on in her head as she steps back returning to Dyson''s side. Elexia, on the other hand, doesn''t seem startled at all, though she does take a step back.


    Elexia: ¡°Fine.¡± -She says to Desiree while ignoring Dyson''s actions.- ¡°I guess I shouldn''t be too surprised. Dyson was a dungeon core born under Mother''s guidance, but so was Two-Twelve... And you were summoned by Two-Twelve, correct?¡± -She then turns her attention to me.- ¡°My, my, you are proving more and more interesting by the day.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure I want to know... But now that we are all here, perhaps we should get to the business at hand?¡±


    Elexia takes another step back away from Dyson while tenderly stroking Cambion''s head in his sleep. Then she smiles, but it doesn''t elicit the same kind of reaction from my body as it usually does. It still fills me with unease, but instead of arousal it is more like a chill ran down my spine.


    Desiree takes Dyson''s arm and whispers in his ear, he nods and then says. ¡°Very well.¡± -He then turns to Elexia and continues.- ¡°I take it you know what it is we expect from you as a dungeon core?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I was able to read the expectations from Two-Twelve, and I don''t foresee it being a problem. I would like to add however, that Cambion is the only thing I have left of Mother, so in the event of anyone trying to harm him, I won''t care about your rules. Be it mortals, dungeon cores, or the deities themselves trying to do him ill, I will hunt them down with no quarter.¡± -The violent intent as she says so sends another chill down my spine.-


    ¡°I can understand your desire to protect your child, but if something like that were to happen I would ask that you at least let us know.¡±


    We then go over a few more details about making Elexia a dungeon core, and I don''t know if she is answering truthfully or just telling us what we want to hear after poking around in our heads, but by the time we are done, Elexia is shaping up into a pretty beneficial addition to the dungeon cores.


    Once everyone agrees, I open my [Justicar Menu] and bring up the option to add another dungeon core. We aren''t quite sure what to expect since it wasn''t exactly a straightforward process with Ceres, and after the reset, it is about anyone''s guess on how exactly this is going to work.


    So far, there don''t appear to be any issues. I chose the option, then targeted Elexia to become a dungeon core, and confirmed the justicar point cost, we are now just waiting for Elexia to read and confirm the screen that appeared to her.


    The anticipation of it all is making me a bit nervous, and even though I thought we were pretty straight forward with Elexia, she has quite the troubles look as she reads and re-reads the message before her.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± - I ask Elexia


    My comment seems to startle her, and she looks up from the screen with a faint smile, but even though it is forced and even a little painful, it still fills me with warmth.


    Elexia: ¡°The message I received almost felt like... I''m sorry, never mind.¡± -She says trying to change the subject by pressing accept on the screen in front of her.-


    As soon as she confirms on the screen before her, it disappears and an egg-shaped orb roughly the size of a head replaces the screen before her, then comes to rest in her''s hand. The orb itself is pitch black, and even though most dungeon crystals, regardless of gem or color, are still translucent, Elexia''s crystal is so opaque that even as it pulses from its core with a red light, the darkness of the orb seems to absorb it, almost preventing it from escaping.


    Elexia has accepted the conditions set by the council of dungeon core elders to become a dungeon core. She has received a crystal, and once it is placed, her dungeon will be formed and she will then become a dungeon core.


    My justicar points have been reduced by 20, but even with the point cost of trading XP with Inari, we still have 34 points remaining. Now that we know for sure that creating a dungeon core in this manner is still possible, we could still create at least one more, but I would like to make sure we can receive more justicar points first.


    ¡°[Menu] said that you will become a dungeon core as soon as you place your crystal. Does that mean there is no time limit for it?¡±


    Elexia: ¡°That seems to be the case, but if it''s the same to you, I would like to begin as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I don''t see a problem with that, but it may take a few days before I''m able to set that gateway up for you.¡±


    Elexia: ¡°I understand.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I believe that covers everything we needed to for today, so I''ll deliver Elexia to Madam Erin''s old dungeon on my way out.¡±


    Then I ask if anyone has any further business they''d like to mention, but we wrap up the meeting after everyone passes on it. It doesn''t take long for Elexia to gather her things and leave with Dyson after a thank you and a smile that made me weak in the knees.


    Ceres says she has things to take care of as well, so she heads back to her dungeon, leaving me alone with Inari. It is still pretty early in the day, but she too has a lot of matters to attend to before leaving for the corrupt dungeon, so we have a quick lunch with Belinda and Rory.


    The locals are still rather wary of me, but it seems they are also quite curious about Inari''s brief return. First Elexia and then Inari. It sure looks like beauty goes a long way.


    We finish our meal, then see Inari off before I return to the tavern-like area we set up within the dungeon, and gather everyone''s attention.


    ¡°Some of you may have noticed we had a few visitors today. A meeting was held with several dungeon cores including Ceres and me to aid in the reconstruction of Tobes. I was provided the necessary means to rebuild at least a portion of Tobes.¡±


    At first, only a small few of the locals were paying any attention to me as I spoke, but now I seem to have everyone''s attention, so I continue.


    ¡°After careful consideration and planning, as well as going through all the options available to me through [Menu], I have concluded that individual housing would be far too costly to attempt all at once. Instead, I am going to construct several large structures known as apartment buildings to serve as housing.¡±


    I wait to see what kind of reaction the locals seem to be having, and for now they seem more confused than upset, so I keep going.


    ¡°These apartment buildings will be constructed on the far side of town next to Ceres''s university, so that once we begin constructing individual residences, the apartments can be repurposed for those coming to study there. Now, let me assure those of you who owned your own homes before the destruction of the town. you will hold priority as we begin building individual homes. But this will at least allow you to have some measure of privacy in the meanwhile, plus these structures come with plumbing and central heating, which may prove a pleasant surprise to those of you unfamiliar with them, as well as a spacious bathhouse in the basement, plus the first floor apartments can also work as shops, and there will be a spacious plaza between both buildings, with a fountain and shrubbery around the whole thing. I hope this will be a sign of things to come down the path of cooperation between normal citizens and dungeons.¡±


    The unknown doesn''t sit well with a lot of people, and that will only make this next part even harder...


    ¡°After the temporary housings (apartment buildings) are built, I will begin rebuilding the business district, guilds, and public city buildings. I know some of these buildings are not what many of you consider high priority, but I assure you they are vital. As things stand, the XP you provide my dungeon with through your presence is barely enough to cover the food and supplies you are already receiving, so we need to reestablish commerce as soon as possible to raise everyone''s living standards.¡±


    Quite a few people seem skeptical about my statement, but it isn''t any worse than they were looking at me before, so I decide to wrap it up so I can begin the work.


    ¡°I''m going to begin working on the apartment buildings soon, and will send word when I am done, so please refrain from heading down into Tobes until then, to prevent any complications. If you can spread the word among the other residents staying here in the dungeon, I will send someone to the university to inform them as well.¡±


    I then ask several of the town''s craftsmen to gather and discuss the finer details about some of the shops. The discussion goes pretty awkwardly at first, and it takes a lot more time than I expected, but I think I finally got the information I need.


    I thank the craftsmen and transfer to the dungeon core room to get started. I send a few of the bunnies out to spread the message about the rebuilding of Tobes, and finally get to work.


    The buildings should be pretty straight forward, so I begin underground. The way sewage was handled in Tobes before was pretty basic, and the smell during the summer months tended to get rather strong in some parts of town. I did what I could in the past, but it would have been rather suspicious if I just made all the sewage disappear. Now, though, that is not a problem. I set up a network of pipes coming from the apartment buildings, one leading to a massive tank deep underground, and set it so that it will empty itself on a regular schedule, thus sparing the nearby lake from having to absorb our waste.


    Another issue was the water. With no rivers running through Tobes, the faucets at our house were far from common, and most of the citizens'' water had to be drawn from wells, and setting those up without drawing anyone''s suspicions was a difficult task in and of itself. Now though, I can use the dungeon to set a large, affluent spring high up in the mountains, then it flows underground to a large reservoir next to the town but still high on the mountainside, and the weight of the water itself will be more than enough to fave running water ''climb up'' into every apartment''s bathroom and kitchen.


    Creating an underground lake to act as reservoir, and the rivers leading to it from the spring is not exactly cheap, though, and so between them, the sewers, the septic tank, the basement bathroom, and the plaza fountain and sprinklers, I am already looking at well over a million XP before getting started on the buildings themselves.


    As promised, I start on the apartment buildings next. I begin at the very end of my dungeon, right where it butts up against Ceres''s dungeon. I change entire sections of the ground in the area, shifting from dirt to granite, creating two massive foundations, and the stone-paved streets leading up to them.


    I start with 8 buildings in sets of 4, but each is easily the size of a small castle. They are built like over-sized inns, with the bottom floors reserved for diners, food shops, warehouses, various stores, and taverns. The six floors above consist solely of living quarters, with the second and third floors being rows of ''apartments'' each equal in size to a good inn''s bedroom.


    The fourth and fifth floor''s apartments are a bit larger, having more than one bedroom, as well as a small bathroom and a room that can double as a kitchen and dining room, while the top floor''s apartments are easily the equal to the hunting cottages that used to make up the old part of Tobes.


    Each massive building has almost a hundred apartments, and if you put individuals in the small rooms, couples in the medium-sized ones, and families in the large ones, you are looking at about 400 people on each apartment building. Remembering Belinda''s attention to detail when our home was being built, I add inexpensive little touches of decoration, such as wood dust covers at the bottom of each wall, bronze lever faucets, white stone toilets and showers, engraved handrails on the stairs, mosaic pictures on the floor of the large basement bath, and large griffon and lion heads to spout hot water into it.


    It is then that I realize I don''t need to do this much work for every apartment building. I only need to go through it once with as much attention to detail as I can, then all I need to do is set the first one as a template default for [Menu] to reproduce as often as I need.


    This, I start paying real attention, adding balconies with curved and polished wooden handrails, plant pots, window lids, and every single thing I could remember from my and Belinda''s home that wasn''t expensive enough to matter. It doesn''t matter if the materials are cheap anyway, since as parts of the dungeon, all of these are indestructible after all.


    With that in mind, each apartment building costs just over half a million XP, so I used up half the XP I was given and could now house about a fifth of the total of Tobes''s residents before its fall. Maybe I should have skipped the shrubbery?


    I don''t exactly have an exact headcount now, but with how many we lost in the battle, and how many chose not to return afterward, we should be able to make it work. Now that the housing is taken care of, I can get started with the market district.


    Following the main road into Tobes, I change more of the dungeon floor into granite to make a long and wide central road, leading from the entrance of town at the university, all the way to the trail leading up into the dungeon. There, I will build the businesses and city works buildings along its edge.


    Taking the advice I got from the craftsmen, I change up some of my previous plans on the shops, but it hardly raised their cost. I even summoned some basic materials or goods to get the shops started, and thanks to making them conjoined into a massive singular marketplace. I still completed all of them at just under 1.5 million XP.


    I move a little further along the road, and spend another 250,000 XP on the new city hall, having left a sizable space between it and the new market. It can probably be used as a town square, I guess. Anyway, even though the new city hall doesn''t contain the adventurer''s guild this time, it is easily twice the size of the old one, even if the market dwarfs it with ease.


    I haven''t even started on the guild buildings yet, but with the reset I don''t know how things are going to play out concerning the guilds, so for now, I am going to hold off. I also left out Denova''s properties, because I am sure out of anyone she will have the most to say about how those should be built.


    Well, even if Denova''s properties reached a million XP I would still have just over a million left for emergencies. I double-check everything, to make sure I did not forget anything, and then let out a deep sigh before confirming the changes in [Menu].


    I watch my XP plummet by close to 8 million as the screens displaying Tobes show the buildings appear like a solidifying mirage. Even though that was a massive expenditure, the buildings barely cover one side of the new Main Street in Tobes, and even though some of the apartment buildings are built on each side of the road, it is still only half the street, with large gaps between sections. The actual houses should be cheaper to build, but even still I can''t imagine what the total XP cost of completely rebuilding Tobes is going to be like.


    Even though I asked everyone to stay indoors while working on the town, it seems the appearance of the buildings hasn''t gone unnoticed by the locals at the university. The apartment buildings dwarf even Ceres''s university buildings, so it isn''t really surprising that they noticed them appear, but they have already thrown caution to the wind and ventured outside.


    Ceres heads them off, letting them stay outside, but making sure they don''t pass over from her dungeon onto mine. I''m done anyway so I gather a few of the bunnies and ask them to start moving the people from inside the dungeon into town. Then I transfer down to the edge of my dungeon, so we can start setting people up in the temporary housing.


    It takes the rest of the day and somewhat into the night, even with everyone bound to the dungeon helping out, to finally get everyone squared away, and even though some of the individuals are having to share apartments. There is at least a fair deal more privacy than there was in the dungeon or Ceres''s buildings.


    As midnight hits we are finally slowing down and taking a break in one of the new apartment buildings dining areas when I receive the start of a new day''s message. My XP consumption has greatly surpassed what I am receiving from the locals, so we''ll be in trouble if we don''t re-establish commerce in Tobes soon.


    It is as Belinda and myself start preparing for bed that another [Menu] message appears, but even though it is every bit a [Menu] message, the words on it manage to fill me with about equal parts confusion and excitement.


    The succubus Elexia has successfully formed a dungeon and is now Dungeon Core [Elexia]. For protecting the integrity of [Menu] through selecting new Dungeon Core Elders and creating a new dungeon core, the justicar points used in the creation of Dungeon Core [Elexia] have been refunded.


    Furthermore, until a time that the number of dungeon cores has been replenished, the cost of future dungeon cores has been reduced by 10 justicar points, and their cost will be refunded after 1 year of successfully maintaining their dungeons without harming the integrity of [Menu].


    Keep up the good work, pup.

 Negotiating with Dalian

    <h1> </h1>


    For everything that happened yesterday, creating new elders, creating a new dungeon core, acquiring 10 million XP, and spending 8 million of it to rebuild a part of Tobes, and yet none of that was what kept me up all night. It was that message I received as I was preparing for bed.


    Keep up the good work, pup... Madam Erin was the only one to call me pup, so has to be part of her still in the world crystal. After receiving the message I spend the entire night trying to get Madam Erin to respond to me again, but I received no further messages.


    That also means I was unable to find out if there was any deeper meaning to the fact that Elexia has become a dungeon core, but was not assigned a number. Ceres received the first available number, when I made her a dungeon core.


    Now that I know at least some part of Madam Erin is still within [Menu] did she give Elexia special treatment due to her relationship with her, or are all future cores created this way going to be without a number as well?


    With the justicar points we spend to make Elexia a dungeon core being refunded, and the cost of creating a dungeon core being reduced, we could create up to 5 more dungeon cores to find out. If all goes well we would even get the justicar points back in a year.


    We should maintain a reserve of justicar points for an emergency, but even still, we were already committed to spending 20 yesterday, so if we created 2 more dungeon cores we wouldn''t be out anything that wasn''t already planned for.


    I guess that is a matter the Elders should discuss as a whole, so it can probably wait until we reconvene in a week, after Dyson manages to dig up the leverage over Duke Bozhidar that he was talking about. Dyson said as much, last night when I messaged him to see if he got a message from Madam Erin as well.


    I sent a message to all of the Elders, and even a few of our dungeon core allies that are not, to see if they received the message as well. And although everyone received the message about the creation of a new dungeon core, and the justiciars also received the message about the refunded points and the reduced cost. None of the others received any kind of personalized message.


    Ceres even tried to tell me it was some sort of mistake, that I was just tired and reading more into the message than what was there, but I stood there in shock just staring at the message for at least five minutes until it disappeared, so I know it was no mistake.


    When I messaged Ceres she has already begun another training session, so she said she would talk about it with me further when she was done, but honestly I don''t know what good that would do. I think I will have more luck talking with Elexia, when I go to set up that portal for her, because the way she reacted to the confirmation message about becoming a dungeon core. She looked as if she saw something in that message that made her think of Madam Erin, so if anyone understands it would be her.


    So until then I just focus on Tobes. Now that everyone at least has a roof over their heads, it was time to get them back to work and start the part I was never very good at... Rebuilding Tobes''s economy. I can clean the majority of the apartment buildings with [Menu] but there are still plenty of tasks that need to be taken care of.


    There are not many left, but I assigned one sentient humanoid monster from my dungeon to each of the apartment buildings to supervise, and then had some of the locals to take care of the other matters. The craftsmen also have their shops and needed people to run errands for them or work their counters so we filled those positions as well.


    We opened the rifts back up on the upper floors of the dungeons, so those few who wanted to start to build their levels back up they could. Most of the mages from the Mage''s Guild died in the attack, but a few of them that are left have regrouped and in addition to rebuilding their levels they are also trying to resupply their regents from the elemental rift monsters. They abandoned what little was left of the Mage''s Guild building and are using a few of the offices and shops of the marketplace to continue their work. Madeline and Zedross both perished in the attack leaving only Kleed to lead the remaining mages.


    There is also far more locals harvesting the livestock animals in the dungeon, since there are no demi-humans to help them any longer. That produces far more meat then we need so we have started to export some of it to bring gold back into Tobes, so we can pay those who are working.


    Getting some of the locals to transport it back to the capital proved to be a little more difficult than I anticipated because with the reset they were worried about their safety. I could have focused on training up a few of the locals to act as guards, giving them a job in the process, but instead, I summoned some intimidating-looking demi-humans.


    Many of the demi-humans don''t start much stronger than a typical human, but I focused on their look. I could have summoned a water lizardman who would have been slightly stronger but opted for a fire one instead. They are a bit bulkier and their scales resemble a dragon''s scales rather than a typical lizard like the other elemental variants.


    I also summoned a lamia, a harpy, and for one of the transports who flat refused any kind of demi-human, I summoned a large wolf that of course wasn''t sentient, but the fact they are accepting the monsters, sentient or otherwise, from the dungeon at all, is a good sign.


    In addition to the guards, I also had to summon each one a wagon with a horse to pull it. Compared to the guards that cost was negligible, but I also had to summon some magic stones and make some runic magic stones with an ice spell to keep the meat from spoiling on the trip. We could have dried the meat, but I think we could get more gold this way, and at this point, even if we are still tight on XP, it is gold that we need the most.


    It will be two weeks until the first transport returns, so until then there isn''t much more we can do. I started working on the stones for Elexia''s portal, but I had planned on using Speedy to transport me to Emeraldline to set it up, and I received word from Dyson that there was a complication regarding Speedy, so he would be unable to provide her until he returns for the next meeting.


    I could make some location stones for our portal to take me to Emeraldline, but I would like to avoid that cost if at all possible, so I feel there is nothing else I can do, but apologize to Elexia and ask her to hold out for another week.


    When not dealing with matters in Tobes, I spend the remainder of the week training, in an attempt to build my level back up. It has gone relatively well, but even before the reset once you get above level 10 things begin to slow, so with the way it works now, it has slowed my progress.


    Azami still seems to be gaining levels at a much higher rate than anyone else, and even with the fact she is only training a few hours a day, her level is staying equal to Ceres and her group that are training almost non-stop.


    Even though my class is a mage class, my versatility as a dungeon core has allowed me to gain enough levels that I am roughly halfway between Azami and the rest of those bound to my dungeon. Without gaining any skills however the difference between our abilities is almost unnoticeable.


    Between Tobes and the training, the week passes very quickly. On the day before we are to meet back up with Dyson I decide to look into holding up my end of the deal to summon a new woman for Dyson. I go through all the pages over and over again, but no matter how I look at them, out of the three one of them is completely impossible with the types of creatures I am capable of summoning.


    That doesn''t mean the other two are any easier though, so I push the impossible one off to the side and decide to focus on the other two. For one of them I could try to accomplish it one of two ways. I could try summoning a sentient female lizardman while focusing on its appearance to look as human-like as possible, but that would leave it without wings, and that seemed to be one of the key points Desiree and Angela wanted.


    The other option would be to go with a sentient female dragonkin, but with their appearance, it would take some major mental gymnastics to make it look anything human-like. Much less to the fine degree of details laid out in these pages.


    To be honest it is the other one that has grabbed my attention though. She is described to be like a human-sized fairy but mixed with many aspects you would find in a dryad, and it has a lot of similarities to Faraine''s spriggan.


    I didn''t get a chance to look at Faraine''s spriggan before it was destroyed, when Ceres used her attack, but my first impression of it was that she was Faraine''s sister rather than a different creature. Azami''s spriggans have come a long way, but still nowhere as lifelike as Faraine''s was, but maybe either Faraine or Azami could help me with this.


    Explaining what I''m trying to accomplish to Faraine would be rather difficult so I decided to consult with Azami first. With a large chunk of the forest now gone, I have to travel a bit on foot outside of my dungeon to reach a place where the trees were protected by the mountain and still stand, to find Azami''s new home.


    To no surprise she is practicing her elven crafting when I arrive. Even though she is gaining levels far faster than the rest of us, the sharp quality drop from the items she can produce with elven crafting after the reset has affected Azami.


    Even without her skills she can still make Mythril items, but it took her an entire week just to make a small cube of Mythril, so she has instead been focusing on creating lesser items with higher quality. She is working on one such item when I arrive.


    Light swirls around the object floating in the air while Azami is so deeply focused on it that she hasn''t noticed my arrival. Creating items with elven crafting might not be as physically demanding as pounding out raw materials like a blacksmith, but even though Azami is bound to the dungeon sweat is still visible on her brow as she focuses.


    Moss is working on something as well, but he at least notices my arrival. The object he is working on slowly drifts from the air down to a stump that is being used as a workbench. He doesn''t look too happy as he stands up and moves over to Azami, but I don''t know if it is because of the interruption or just the fact he still doesn''t care for me too much.


    He takes a small cloth and wipes Azami''s brow without her even flinching, but he then whispers in her ear and the object she is working on slowly drifts down onto the stump as well. She then blinks a few times and stretches before addressing me.


    Azami: ¡°I see, I see, it is still a bit early to begin today''s training is it not?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was something else I wanted to discuss with you.¡±


    Azami and Moss''s new place is still in need of a lot of work as it appears closer to a temporary campsite rather than an elven home, but they seem to be making it work with various items scattered about.


    Azami checks several empty cups, jugs, and even shaking a waterskin before Moss shakes his head. She then sighs and says. ¡°If it is not the time for training, what is it I can do for you?¡±


    I explain the situation with summoning a new woman for Dyson to her, and how it brought me to her and her spriggans. She makes a gesture and a large glob of mud and twigs fall out of one of the nearby trees, it rolls/slides across the ground until it reaches Azami and then takes a very rough humanoid shape.


    Azami: ¡°I''m not sure how my spriggan can help, it isn''t sentient, and technically not even a type of monster. More like a collection of forest debris held together by magic.¡±


    ¡°What about Faraine''s spriggan, it almost looked like a perfect replica of her.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Lady Faraine''s spriggan was made with years of careful sculpting of the best possible ingredients. There were unique items chosen for each part of the spriggan based on its likeness to mimicking real tissue. For instance, the vines used to make up the muscle tissue only grow in the southern reaches of Merretta, while the wood that mimicked bone is only found in the forests of Dalian, and that is only two of at least 100 different materials.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°So if you were so you wanted to, you could make a spriggan like Faraine''s?¡±


    Azami: ¡°I''m not saying that I couldn''t, but I wouldn''t. A spriggan is a tool, a weapon for those who make them, so having such a spriggan would be like one of those human royals that carry around a sword made of the solid gold covered in gems. Not at all practical if it was needed for its intended purpose.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    Azami: ¡°Besides no matter the ingredients, or their appearance, they can not venture far from their creator, or be made sentient, so I don''t see how this helps you in your task for Dyson.¡±


    ¡°Well I don''t have the skill anymore, but that hasn''t seemed to matter for many skills, but some elemental creatures and undead can be summoned using existing materials, so I was kind of hoping to try to see if I could do the same for the woman I am summoning for Dyson.¡±


    Azami: ¡°That is an intriguing concept, but it seems like such a waste to test the theory out on a woman that is destined for nothing more than Dyson''s bed.¡±


    ¡°It would be pushing the boundaries on what we are capable of doing with [Menu], but if it worked...¡±


    Azami: ¡°I spent a fair amount of time with Lady Faraine while she was here, and I heard enough that were we capable of acquiring the materials, I could replicate her spriggan. With my exceptional pool of magic and all our training I should be capable of casting the [Gate] spell at least once a day, maybe even twice if I used my magic for nothing else. It would take a few weeks to gather all the ingredients if Dyson was willing to wait that long.¡±


    ¡°If your magic pool has grown enough to be able to cast [Gate] again, there are quite a few things that we should make use of it to do instead. Besides Dyson should arrive with Speedy tomorrow and we could send her to gather the ingredients.¡±


    Azami: ¡°I can cast [Gate] again, but doing so would make me unable to train or practice my elven crafting, so doing so would stunt my ability to gain more levels. It can wait for Speedy''s arrival.¡±


    ¡°You would use [Gate] to gather the components for the spriggan, but not to help the dungeon...? Besides you could go a few days without training to give the rest of us some time to catch up...¡±


    Azami: ¡°I joined your dungeon to become powerful, and even though the reset has erased all the work I have done until now, it has also created an opportunity. Since the reset affected almost everyone the same way my substantial magic pool has given me quite an edge that I plan on exploiting as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°I know the attack on Tobes and the reset threw everything off balance, but in the last year or so you have come a long way. You even started to come down to Tobes just to visit, so I thought maybe you started to feel like this was your home.¡±


    Moss: ¡°Among humans and beastkin? That''s ridiculous!¡±


    Azami: ¡°I''m sure Lala and Lele will be displeased in hearing you speak that way.¡± -She says curtly causing Moss to drop his head and not say another word. It makes me smirk however as she then continues.- ¡°I indeed started to feel as Tobes was acceptable, but I was yet again too weak to defend it in its time of need.¡±


    ¡°We all were...¡±


    Azami: ¡°Which is exactly the reason I should exploit the current situation while I can, so it never happens again.¡± -She says with a somewhat frightening determination.-


    I know what she went through with her old dungeon and family, but I didn''t realize that Azami was taking the fall of Tobes so hard. To think she felt that strongly about Tobes is reassuring. Now I feel bad about giving her a hard time about it.


    ¡°Well, I don''t want to take away from any more of your elven crafting training, so we will leave the gathering of the components to Speedy when she arrives tomorrow.¡±


    Azami doesn''t say anything else as she begins working on the item she was working on when I arrived. I don''t know if Dyson will accept having to wait for a few more weeks to receive the woman I promised him, but I guess if he doesn''t, I can then try the dragonkin-like woman instead after the meeting.


    After speaking with Azami though, I feel like I should be taking my training a bit more seriously, so after returning to the dungeon core room long enough to put up the plans for the women, I gather some of the dungeon members and begin our training for the day a bit early.


    The next morning I wake up still tired from the training the night before... Perhaps I got too fired up after talking to Azami yesterday. Belinda is still sound asleep so I ask Vetala to watch Rory and to let Belinda sleep in this morning. I then head down to the room that connects my dungeon to Ceres''s.


    Somehow within seconds of arriving Ceres joins me bright-eyed and ready to go. I guess I shouldn''t be surprised by now, but even though I went to bed only a few hours ago Ceres was still in the middle of her training when I retired.


    If we are going to continue to hold meetings for the Elders here, Ceres and I have decided to do a bit of redecorating. It is quite similar to the way it was set up when we brought all the kingdom''s royalty here, but we have a little more XP now, and instead of just throwing it together with the furniture we already had we make it a bit more official-looking.


    Ceres and I are just putting the final touches on the room by hanging some decorative tapestries from the walls when we receive word from Dyson that he is on his way. He warns us that we should be on our guard, because he is bringing a few guests, and the guests aren''t too happy about it.


    Ceres and I are not too sure what to make of Dyson''s message, so we prepare our gear. When Dyson arrives we quickly take a step back as Dyson arrives with a dragon in a chokehold. As far as dragons go it is quite small. Much smaller than even one of my earth dragons, but its shape is that closer to a dragon similar to Teku.


    Dyson has its wings, limbs, and even its maw bound shut, but that doesn''t stop it from trashing around quite violently and making one hell of a racket. Even though it is small in dragon standards, it is still twice the size as Dyson, but he doesn''t seem to have any issues holding onto the dragon''s neck.


    The dragon isn''t Dyson''s only guest as Desiree and Angela each is leading a pair of women whose arms are bound behind their backs. The women are dressed in lavish dresses and appear to be terrified, and they look to be related. Desiree pushes the older of the two into one of the chairs we prepared, and if I had to guess she is the mother of the woman Angela then forces into the chair right next to her.


    The last of Dyson''s party is Speedy and Byson, but they step off to the side trying to remain out of the way.


    ¡°What is going on?!¡± -I say trying to talk over the noise the dragon is making as it continues to fight against dyson.-


    Dyson: ¡°I told you, I was going to acquire a bit of leverage, and what better way to convince the Dalian king to back off, than taking his wife and daughter.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you think there was a better way to go about this than kidnapping Dalian''s Queen and Princess? And what exactly is the dragon for?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It was a few years ago, and it was before you lost your memories, so you might not remember. On the day I gave you Sofia, I gave Duke Bozhidar an egg. It was of a very rare type of dragon that he had been searching for years trying to find, and this is that dragon. If there is anything that could be considered leverage to Duke Bozhidar, this would be it.¡±


    ¡°What about Dalian''s king, and Duke Bozhidar?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I wanted to deliver these three to you first, I will now go get them as well.¡±


    ¡°You are just going to bring them here and take off? How are we supposed to deal with the dragon?!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°As long as you don''t take off her bindings there shouldn''t be a problem.¡± -He says then disappears leaving everyone behind including Desiree and Angela.-


    The dragon begins thrashing around now making even more noise, and the captured women seem to grow even more frightened. Desiree steps back over to the dragon making sure to avoid its thrashing around. She grabs a hold of its head, but is unable to hold it as still as Dyson was as she brings her face down close to its and whispers something to it.


    Whatever Desiree said, the dragon must have understood, because it quits thrashing about, but its eyes lock onto Desiree as she takes a few steps back again. Without the dragon thrashing about we can now speak again without raising our voices, so Ceres then turns to talk to the two captive women.


    Ceres: ¡°I would apologize for this, but I doubt you would believe that I was being sincere. For what it is worth if you are the leverage that Dyson believes you to be, I doubt you will come to any harm.¡±


    Dalian''s Queen is still quite frightened as she pleads with us. ¡°If you let us go before that other man returns, I can promise you that my husband will reward you greatly.¡±


    ¡°Just wait a little while, your husband will be here shortly, and then we can negotiate your release.¡±


    Dalian''s Princess seems to regain some of her composure as well, but instead of pleading she issues a threat. ¡°After Father tells Duke Bozhidar what you have done you will be sorry!¡±


    ¡°You needn''t worry about that, Duke Bozhidar will be joining us as well.¡±


    She quickly becomes frightened again, but I can''t be sure if it is because we''re not worried about Duke Bozhidar, or if she is worried about Duke Bozhidar making an appearance. The women don''t say anything else, so I move over to Desiree to get a better look at the dragon.


    As I approach the dragon''s eyes dart to me a few times, but only for a brief second before latching back onto Desiree. I can''t tell because of the way it is bound, but I think its general body structure is very similar to Teku''s albeit only a fifth of the size.


    That is where the similarities end however because its head is rounder with a short snout. Its coloring is vastly different as well and it isn''t completely covered in scales like Teku, but has a row of feathers from the top of its head leading down to its back where the spread out covering the dragon''s wings making them look more like a feathered serpents wings. The feathers then continue down the dragon''s tail and end with what looks like the fletching of an arrow.


    ¡°Dyson said this was a rare type of dragon, and it seemed to understand you, so does that mean it is sentient?¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Very much so... Even though it is only a few years old it is probably as intelligent as a sentient lizardman.¡±


    The dragon obviously doesn''t appreciate the comparison however because it tries to fight its bindings again, but Desiree gives it a stern look and it settles back down. The fact that it got offended by Desiree''s comment proves that it holds at least the intelligence that Desiree suggested.


    ¡°If that is the case...¡± -I turn to the dragon, and even though its eyes keep darting back to Desiree it does turn its gaze on me while I speak to it.- ¡°Like we told the other two, I''m sure once we can come to an agreement with the King and Duke Bozhidar, you''ll be back to your home as well, so bear with us for a while.¡±


    The dragon then snorts and lays its head down on the floor, its eyes are still gazing at Desiree. We wait for another 15 to 20 minutes before Dyson finally returns with Dalian''s King and Duke Bozhidar in tow.


    Dalian''s King has his hands bound behind his back like his wife and daughter. Duke Bozhidar, on the other hand, is not bound in any way but he is also not wearing any armor nor carrying a weapon and is only wearing some clothing you would expect a Duke to be wearing. The dragon''s attention quickly falls on Duke Bozhidar as it starts to struggle against its bindings again while the two human women begin to complain to the King.


    Dyson: ¡°Enough!¡± -He barks causing all three to immediately stop their fussing. He then thrusts the King down into a seat next to his wife and daughter, and then pulls a chair out for Duke Bozhidar and says.- ¡°Now, please have a seat and we can get this unfortunate business taken care of.¡±


    Duke Bozhidar wears a complicated expression on his face, and his eyes are darting around the room, but I can''t tell if it is out of worry, or if he is just analyzing his situation. When his eyes fall on the dragon his muscles seem to tense up, but he does as he is asked and takes a seat.


    Duke Bozhidar: ¡°It''s been quite a while Two-Twelve, and I take it you''re Ceres?¡± -He says while greeting Ceres and me.-


    Ceres: ¡°As this is a formal meeting, you can call me Elder Ceres.¡± -She says while taking a seat at the table.-


    Duke Bozhidar scoffs and says. ¡°Formal meeting? It looks more like extortion to me.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Call it what you will, but we needed to make sure we had your attention.¡±


    Duke Bozhidar: ¡°And so you do. Now, what is it we can do for the Dungeon Core Elders?¡±


    ¡°We need to discuss your effort to expand Dalian''s borders by sending monsters from your dungeon to attack humans.¡±


    Duke Bozhidar: ¡°I''ve done nothing that I haven''t already been doing for decades. It is only the effects of the reset that has made our efforts more fruitful than they have been in the past. I have bothered no dungeon cores during the expansion, so I fail to see how this has become a concern of the Elders.¡±


    ¡°All of the old elders are gone, and our goals are different than theirs. We plan on taking a much more active role than the elders did in the past, and not just in the interactions between dungeon cores but in the way the dungeon cores interact with humans as well.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°We have made our presence known to the humans, and plan on working together for the betterment of all sentient humanoids, and although your agreement with Dalian is agreeable with our new agenda, the use of your monsters to overthrow other kingdoms cannot continue.¡±


    The king has been rather tight-lipped up till now, but he finally shouts out. ¡°What gives you the right to dictate what I do with my kingdom!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The fact I was able to get to you and your family should be proof enough, but we wish to resolve this civilly. With the quick progress you have already made, you have increased Dalian''s size by 50%, and after discussing it, we have decided that you can even keep the land you have already taken, but your expansion stops now. ¡±


    It isn''t like the King has a choice in the matter, as he is bound and is essentially a hostage along with his family, but he looks to Duke Bozhidar and then says. ¡°You''ll return me and my family as long as we halt Dalian''s expansion...?¡±


    ¡°That is all we''re asking.¡±


    The King looks to his wife and daughter, then to Duke Bozhidar again before nodding his head and saying. ¡°Very well. You return us to Dalian, and I''ll have Dalian''s soldiers hold their position.¡±


    Duke Bozhidar: ¡°I think the King forgets, his soldiers listen to me, and our expansion has only just begun.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You may not be bound like the others, but we have the precious dragon of yours that you spent so much time trying to obtain. Besides, you may not be bound like the others, but look around, you are in a dungeon room with no exits.¡±


    Duke Bozhidar: ¡°To be honest, you can keep the dragon it has been more trouble than it is worth, and I guess I should be thanking you. I have not needed Dalian''s royal family for some years now, but with you revealing to the world what you are, on top of being observed kidnapping the royal family. I''ll have no trouble rallying the humans to fight back against the foreign monsters that assassinated the royal family, but I guess that means I can''t have the royal family turning back up again later, can I?¡±


    Duke Bozhidar then lunges from his chair, and before we have a chance to react he casts a spell causing lightning to arc through the Dalian Royal family killing all three instantly before we even have a chance to react. Everyone seems caught off guard by Duke Bozhidar except for Dyson who draws his sword and swings it down on the duke before the royal family even hits the ground.


    Dyson''s blade is blocked however as Duke Bozhidar grabs the blade with his bare hands. Dyson''s new sword may not be as good as his old one, but it is still made from adamantium, so for it to be blocked by Duke Bozhidar''s bare hands shocks even Dyson. What''s more is there is very little blood, and even though Duke Bozhidar should have reset like everyone else Dyson''s sword doesn''t budge another inch even though you can see Dyson is putting all of his strength into pushing the sword forward.


    Dyson struggles against Duke Bozhidar what feels like minutes, but what is only a few seconds before he jumps back with a worried expression on his face.


    Dyson: ¡°How...¡± -Dyson starts to say shocked from what happened, but he quickly snaps out of it and yells to me.- ¡°Two-Twelve! Bind his crystal!¡±


    I quickly open [Menu] but before I can access the option to bind a crystal I hear. ¡°Not so fast!¡± As I am hit by the corpse of Dalian''s King as Duke Bozhidar throws it at me. Before the reset, I may have been able to withstand the 200 pounds of dead weight, but now I crash to the ground hitting my head hard against the floor and blacking out.

 Failed Negotiations

    I don''t know how long I was out for, but as I start to come to I can hear the sounds of combat, the sounds of things in the room crashing. My eyes are still blurry and out of focus as I try to push the corpse off of me, but a deafening roar rang out filling me with a sense of dread that leaves me unable to move as I instinctively curl into the fetal position with my eyes shut tight.


    After another loud crash, the room grows eerily quiet. I then hear a familiar voice, and the sense of dread leaves my body and I am finally able to push off the corpse of Dalian''s king and stagger to my feet. The pain in the back of my head is still rather intense, so I can''t help holding the back of my head while the room comes into focus.


    ¡°Hold it down! Don''t give it a chance to get back up!¡± Dyson yells as my vision clears enough for me to see Angela, Desiree, Speedy, and Byson all piled up on the dragon trying to hold it still after it appears to have broken free of its bindings.


    In addition to the corpses of the royal family of Dalian, there are many corpses of different types of animals and monsters around the room. If I had to guess the animals belong to Ceres''s dungeon, but some of the monsters I recognize as my own. A few of the animals and monsters are still alive, so Ceres must be as well, but I don''t see her or Duke Bozhidar anywhere.


    ¡°We are still alive, so I guess that means we won... But where is Duke Bozhidar, and where is Ceres?¡± -I say still scanning the room.-


    Dyson: ¡°Tell some of your monsters to help hold down this dragon, and Ceres went down over there somewhere.¡± -He says while motioning to an overturned table.- ¡°As for Duke Bozhidar, he escaped.¡±


    I direct the monsters standing around the room to assist with the dragon, and say. ¡°Escaped? How is that possible?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°He teleported, he came prepared, I don''t know how, but he was far stronger than he should have been. Even if he avoided the reset, he shouldn''t have been that strong...¡±


    I then check behind the fallen table for Ceres. I find her in a crumpled and charred mess on the floor, and not that she needs to as a dungeon core, but I can tell she is still breathing by rising and fall of her chest.


    If she were human she would already be dead. Over half of her body is charred beyond recognition going all the way down to the bone on the majority of her right hand and arm. There is very little I can do with my current magical capabilities, but I still rush to her side and begin casting the strongest healing spell I can.


    ¡°Never mind that for now! Quick, Ceres needs help!¡± -I call out already exhausting my magic without even making a noticeable difference to Ceres.-


    Between all of Dyson''s group and my monsters, they are holding the dragon in place so Dyson joins me in the casting of a healing spell on Ceres. Unlike my spell, his healing spell seems to be doing some good. The missing muscle and flesh reform over the exposed bones in her arm and some of the burns disappear completely, but when Dyson ends his spell there are still massive burns covering half her body.


    Dyson: ¡°It isn''t pretty, but she at least out of danger. I need to conserve the rest of my magic in case Duke Bozhidar decided to have another go at us.¡±


    I check on Ceres again and as Dyson said, she appears to be out of danger, but she is still unconscious as I ask Dyson. ¡°What exactly happened...?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°For one I''m going to have to think about adopting your method of dungeon monitoring... We were in your dungeon so Duke Bozhidar targeted you first, but Ceres then summoned her animals, so he realized her dungeon was connected as well and he freed the dragon to take care of Ceres. If it wasn''t for the quick action of your monsters that you have in your dungeon core room, pulling some of your monsters here, I don''t know if we would have won.¡±


    ¡°But you said he still managed to flee?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Yes. Judging by the strength he showed, I''m confident I could still take him on a one-on-one fight, and he seemed to realize it as well, because after your monsters didn''t quit coming after knocking you out, his dragon didn''t give him as much of an advantage as he thought it would, so he abandoned it fled with a teleport spell similar to mine. Which is something I wasn''t aware he had even before the reset.¡±


    ¡°The dragon isn''t as important to him as you thought it was, so why go through all the extra work of recapturing it, instead of killing it?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I would think you would be the first to not want to kill a sentient creature without weighing all your options, but I on the other hand just think it would be a waste. When I said it was a rare type of dragon it was by no means an exaggeration. I would go as far as to say it was one of a kind.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°It''s of a species of dragon that has existed far before dungeons, so its existence is equal to that of Akil, but since this one was still an egg when I acquired it and presented it to Duke Bozhidar, when it hatched it became bound to his dungeon. As young as it is, I''m not saying you will get as much XP from it as you did Akil, but if you were to keep it alive in your dungeon, I would say it would be a good start.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t that just be putting my dungeon at unnecessary risk? I mean I get that it is a rare species, but with it being bound to Duke Bozhidar, I can''t see this going well. Besides the fact that it is sentient only makes it worse. Even if Duke Bozhidar unbound it from his dungeon that doesn''t mean its alliance would change, and keeping a sentient creature locked up for an indefinite amount of time might be crueler than giving it a quick death.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I''m sure with the way Duke Bozhidar spoke, he has already unbound the dragon from his dungeon, or at least he will unbind it shortly. As for it being sentient, it is still quite young and you have always had a way of bringing people around to your way of thinking. Given enough time I''m confident you can do the same with this dragon.¡±


    ¡°When exactly did we switch roles...?¡±


    I pick up Ceres off of the floor and move her to a couch against one of the walls. It is a little scorched, but it is better than leaving her on the floor. Besides, it appears most of the items in the room have received at least some damage from the attack while I was unconscious.


    After taking care of Ceres I move over to Dyson''s group and my monsters. The dragon has seemed to stop struggling, but they are still holding it tightly just in case. Byson is wrapped around the dragon''s head with his arm tightly wrapped around its muzzle to keep it from biting or belching fire.


    That leaves one of the dragon''s eyes completely covered, but the other one locks on me as I approach. I''m sure it heard the conversation I just had with Dyson, and by its reaction before I was knocked out, I''m sure it understood what was said, so I start by saying.


    ¡°I don''t know if Duke Bozhidar unbound you from his dungeon or not, but even if he did you might think he is still coming back for you. And perhaps maybe he will, but if you want to stay alive until that time, I suggest you calm down until then.¡±


    Nobody loosens their grip on the dragon, but it seems to relax a bit and it quits fighting against being held. As it does Dyson steps up beside me and says.


    Dyson: ¡°Two-Twelve''s monsters are still going to hold you in place for now, but I''m going to have my people step back now. If you try anything, we will not hesitate to kill you this time. Unlike some of the others of your species, I take it that Duke Bozhidar taught you how to speak the human tongue?¡±


    Byson, Speedy, Desiree, and Angela then slowly let go of the dragon while Dyson places his hand on his sword. After Byson steps out of the way the dragon shakes its head around a few times, and works its maw, but makes no signs to attack instead speaks with a rough, but a somehow light childlike voice.


    Dragon: ¡°Of course I can speak, I''m not an idiot! And you''re wrong about my Master. He will not unbind me from his dungeon, and when my Master returns for me, I will make sure he lets me feast on your corpses!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You heard him as well as I did, he abandoned you. If he cared about you he could have taken you with him when he fled, but leaving you behind should be all the proof you need. Either that or he is a coward, and that still doesn''t help your chances of him coming back for you.¡±


    The dragon appears to be getting angry and it takes a deep breath, but Dyson''s grip tightens on his sword. The dragon doesn''t spew flames, but it raises its voice, and as it speaks small flames escape its mouth.


    Dragon: ¡°Master is no coward! He has killed over 120 dungeons in this last month alone! And the Great Dyson has only killed what? 40 in your entire lifetime!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So he was working with the failed dungeon cores, and took out all the other traitors after the failed dungeon cores died? I don''t see how else he could have killed that many in such a short time, especially without [Menu] sending out an alert. I guess we should be thanking him for dealing with all the other traitors for us, so now we only have to deal with one instead of many.¡±


    The dragon roars and angrily spews fire over our heads, and even though fear rushes through my body and I instinctively duck, Dyson doesn''t move. He just stands there with a smirk on his face as he continues talking.


    Dyson: ¡°If he killed all the others, I take it that means he is the one holding Laura captive as well?¡±


    The dragon regains its composure as it says. ¡°Even if I knew, I wouldn''t tell you!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°If he didn''t even tell you that, I guess you are just another pawn to him.¡±


    The dragon looks angry again but doesn''t say anything this time. Dyson presses it with a few more questions, but it refuses to answer anything else about Duke Bozhidar.


    Dyson: ¡°We could torture the information out of you, but I doubt it would do any good because, by the look on your face, I would say he didn''t trust you with that information to begin with.¡± -He then turns to me to say. ¡°I guess we are done with it for now. I will let you keep working on her for the next few weeks, I take it you can move her somewhere in your dungeon that she can''t escape from?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Well she isn''t struggling now, but between those two minotaurs and an ogre, they seemed to be able to hold her still along with your group, so as long as I put her towards the end of my dungeon. I think I have enough monsters to keep her from going any deeper or escaping.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°She may be relatively easy to handle, but her strength will grow exponentially as she gets older. If she doesn''t come around by then, and there comes to be a time where she is getting to strong for your dungeon we can decide on what to do with her when that time comes.¡±


    I turn to the dragon and say. ¡°Alright, I am going to transfer you to another part of my dungeon. These two minotaur and the ogre will be the only ones in the room with you, but if you attack them there will be plenty more monsters sent into the room and it won''t be to subdue you. Do you understand?¡±


    The dragon nods its head and I transfer it down to the room I took Denova to when I showed her the supplies I salvaged from the attack on Tobes. I then move back to check on Ceres. I don''t know if resting is a good way to put it, but her situation is unchanged as she lays unconscious on the couch.


    Dyson steps up to the couch with me as well and says. ¡°It will still be a while before she wakes up on her own, so the discussion on what to do about Duke Bozhidar can wait until then. Meanwhile, maybe we should discuss the matter about your end of our bargain regarding the XP for rebuilding Tobes?¡±


    ¡°Is that important right now...?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°To be honest, I think we are in much better shape than we thought we were in an hour ago. Duke Bozhidar killed all the other traitors leaving us with only one target, and one location in which Laura could be at. Also by killing all the other traitors before they had a chance to regain any measure of power, his strength is still less than mine. So, about that new lady of mine?¡±


    ¡°Duke Bozhidar blocked your blade with his bare hands... Now I admit I missed most of the fight, but if he is weaker than you, by the looks of things, I would say it is only by a small sum, and now that he is fled back to his dungeon he has thousands of monsters to aid in his defense putting him at the clear advantage.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I get the feeling you are avoiding the question, but yes. As long as he remains in his dungeon he more than likely holds the advantage, and with gaining enough strength to be close to me he must have an ample supply of XP, which is something we currently lack. If we want to bring him down, our best bet is to halt his army''s advance. Whittle down their numbers until we exhaust his XP while boosting ours or manage to draw him out of his dungeon.¡±


    ¡°He has been filling Dalian''s army with his monsters for years, and even though his actual dungeon doesn''t spread out too far, he has more monsters outside of his dungeon than any 5 normal dungeons have inside theirs.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Not to mention the Royal Family of Dalian have been killed, which I would figure he will use to his advantage. I was seen taking them, so he will lay the blame on me and rile the humans up to act out his bidding as well.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! So how is the woman I am supposed to summon for you a priority?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You wanted to put a stop to Dalian''s expansion, and now we have an excuse, not only that but we also have well over 100 fewer enemies to deal with, and you have the start of a new source of XP for your dungeon. Now, we can''t discuss what to do next until Ceres wakes up, so about the woman...?¡±


    I sigh and say.¡±I haven''t summoned one yet... If you are in that much of a hurry I do have an idea for the dragon-like woman.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°After today, I think I''m all dragon-ed out...¡±


    ¡°Well the one I was planning on working towards was the dryad-esque one, but I needed some supplies that I was unable to get until Speedy''s arrival, so that is why I haven''t started yet.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What exactly is it you need?¡±


    ¡°Well I have a list, but it has items from all four corners of the map. I was going to have Speedy start working on it after she takes me to Emeraldline and we finish setting up the portal for Elexia, but now...?¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well, about that... The complication regarding Speedy is far worse than I originally thought. I brought her and Byson along in case you still have a use for them, but not only is she slower, but she also can''t transport more than a heavy pack, so taking you anywhere would be impossible.¡±


    ¡°That does put quite a damper on our plans. I guess I can just give her the list and let her acquire the items I need.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°The reason we didn''t send her on ahead was because we still might have arrived before her. Now 5 days on foot from my dungeon to yours is no small feat, but if the items you require are as far spread as you claim. It could take her weeks if not months to acquire them all.¡±


    ¡°The only other option is to give you the list and have you gather the items yourself.¡±


    Desiree steps forward and asks. ¡°If Master acquires these items, the woman will match our specifications?¡±


    ¡°I''ll do what I can, but it wouldn''t hurt to get enough ingredients in case I have to make several attempts.¡± -I say while pulling out the list and handing it to Desiree.-


    Desiree looks over the list, making several troubled facial expressions along the way. She then says. ¡°Do you know how hard some of this will be to acquire?¡±


    ¡°It can''t be any harder than trying to summon a person to match your ridiculous specifications... Now that we have taken care of that, can we get back to what is important?¡±


    Dyson looks over the list in Desiree''s hands for a few moments before she puts it away, he then says. ¡°It does appear you are at least taking this seriously, so I guess we can hold out a few more weeks before adding another to our group. Now, if Duke Bozhidar was going to return with a bunch of his monsters I believe he would have done so by now, so we should wake up Ceres and decide our next course of action.¡±


    I cast another healing spell on Ceres, draining my magic again, but even though it seems to do more good than the spell I cast earlier, it is still not enough to wake her up.


    ¡°That''s all I can do...¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I can''t afford to waste any magic either, just in case Duke Bozhidar tries something, so we are going to have to use a healing potion.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any? Because the cost of summoning a healing potion is far too high. It would almost be just as expensive to summon a monster capable of casting a healing spell.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Of course, I have one. There is always the chance you enter an area where your ability to use magic has been cut off, so carrying a few healing potions should be second nature.¡± -He says while pulling a highly decorative metal flask from a pouch on his belt.- ¡°The hard part is getting Ceres to swallow it while unconscious. For now, just sit her up.¡±


    After sitting Ceres up on the couch, Dyson instructs me to tilt her head back a little and he then hands me the flask after removing the cap. Speedy and Byson are moving around the room picking up the furniture, but Angela, Desiree, and Dyson are staring at me rather intently, and when I place the flask to Ceres''s mouth they all three seem rather disappointed.


    Dyson: ¡°Not the way I would have done it, but I guess that works. Pinch her nose so that she has to swallow it.¡± -He says while I pour the contents of the flask into Ceres''s mouth.-


    After a few gulps, Ceres begins to choke and cough as she brings the back of her hand to her mouth and slowly begins to open her eyes. The burns on Ceres''s flesh start to heal, but unlike an actual healing spell the tissue is scarred.


    If it wasn''t for the fact that Ceres was a dungeon core the scarring would be permanent, but since she is, even if she didn''t receive any more healing the scars would eventually disappear.


    Ceres: ¡°What is this vile liquid you are pouring down the throat of a poor unconscious woman?¡± -She says between coughs. She then winces in pain and notices the shape she is still in. She casts a healing spell on herself, but it doesn''t seem to do much more than the ones I cast on her, and before long she stops casting and lays her head back while breathing harshly.- ¡°Was that some kind of potion, because I don''t think it worked...¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Well you are awake, so obviously it did.¡±


    Ceres looks around the room and then asks me. ¡°Help me to my side of the room, I have something stored in my dungeon that might help.¡±


    I help Ceres from the couch and with one arm around my shoulder, I carry her to her side of the room. She opens her [Menu], and being that I''m still holding her up I can see her access her dungeon inventory.


    Ceres withdraws a handful of small runic magic stones and exhausts the magic in them in an instant. The burns on her body begin to heal, but even with all the runic magic stones, the scarring from the potion remains along with some burns still on her shoulder and arm.


    The only thing holding the majority of her clothing on was the fact it was burnt into her flesh, but now that she is mostly healed, there is nothing left to hold what is left of it in place, leaving her quite exposed. She remedies that next, by using [Menu] to equip herself in new clothes while letting go of me to stand on her own.


    Ceres: ¡°Given the situation, I can forgive you for looking at me in such a state of undress, but if I hear of you spreading rumors about my body. I''ll have to kill you.¡±


    ¡°This isn''t the first time I have seen you without clothing...¡±


    Ceres: ¡°You''re not the one I''m talking to.¡± -She says while turning to face Dyson.-


    Dyson: ¡°Kill me?¡± -He scoffs.- ¡°I''d like to see you try. Besides, I like my women a little less well-done, and you''re hardly anything to brag about.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°My body is that of a Goddess, a model of perfection!¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Apparently not all Goddesses are created equally.¡±


    Ceres starts to say something else, but I cut in and say. ¡°Alright! We have more important things to be dealing with right now...¡±


    Ceres looks surprised as she says. ¡°It isn''t over?¡±


    ¡°No... Duke Bozhidar escaped, and we need to discuss what we are going to do next.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Did he take that dragon with him?¡± -She says after looking around the room and noticing the dragon''s corpse isn''t here.-


    ¡°No, we managed, and by we I mean Dyson and his group managed to recapture it. When I woke up the battle was already over, and we moved the dragon to another area of my dungeon where it won''t be able to escape.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Good, because I would like a little payback!¡±


    ¡°You can''t blame it. It is just a child, and it was trying to protect its dungeon core.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I most certainly can! It''s an offspring of one of the original dragons. Their only allegiance should be to their own kind, and to my siblings and I.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You may have forgotten, but you''re just one of us now and think of it this way, we might need the XP it will provide by being a captive in Two-Twelve''s dungeon.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°And if I promise not to kill it?¡±


    ¡°It''s still just a child...¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You''re one to talk. You were wanting to kill it not even 20 minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°That was before I spoke with it, and I''m still not entirely sold on the idea that keeping it locked up is more humane than giving it a quick end, but I can''t deny the fact that it already gave us critical information, even if it was accidentally.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    We then catch Ceres up on the information we learned while she was unconscious and discuss what our next plan of action should be including what Dyson and I already discussed.


    Ceres: ¡°Not that I wouldn''t like Dyson to sneak into Duke Bozhidar''s dungeon and bring this to a swift end. I do believe that will pose too much of a risk. If we were to lose Dyson now, we would have no way to defend against Duke Bozhidar after that.¡±


    ¡°If it is going to come to a war, we should inform King Aaron what we learned. All of the kingdoms armies are weak right now, but to try to push back along the entire border of Dalian, we are going to need numbers, and once King Aaron learns that Duke Bozhidar likely has Laura, I''m sure he''ll want to help.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Archbishop Hayden might be of some help as well. I know you don''t agree with his methods, but the reset hit him hard. He only kept one city of humans alive in Lodia while spreading his undead across the rest of the kingdom. He has had to sacrifice thousands of undead by breaking them down just to maintain his consumption rate. With Lodia being so close to Dalian we might be able to convince him to help for the sake of allowing his undead to spread into Dalian to gathering XP.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°Not unless we can convince him to change the way he operates. He would only use that XP to push his plague lands further into Exeter and Calhoun. At least with Duke Bozhidar he leaves the humans and ground alive after he expands his territory...¡±


    ¡°Queen Millie is already stretched pretty thin, but we should bring in Livinston''s King, and Clement''s Queen in as well. They didn''t want to ask for our help, but if we are going to push back on Dalian on our own we at least need their permission to send people though their lands.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°I think we should consider bringing all of the kings and queens back again. Not only will it prove that the Dungeon Core Elders are trying to work with humans, but also that we will do what it takes to rein in one of our own that has gone too far.¡±


    ¡°If we do, I suggest we make the meeting voluntary this time. If we keep kidnapping the royalty every time we want to speak with them they never will learn to trust us.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°I have to make some rounds gathering the items on the list Two-Twelve provided to me, so I will speak with them all, and try to make them understand the importance of what we are trying to do.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°In the meantime, I need to focus on summoning as many monsters as possible, so I can get past these simple beasts, and begin summoning something that may become useful.¡±


    ¡°I''ll try to touch base with some of our allied dungeon cores, and see if they will be able to provide any assistance.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°You two are the last two I should have to warn about battening down the hatches on your dungeons now that we know Duke Bozhidar can teleport, but you should warn the others as well.¡±


    ¡°I also wanted to discuss the creation of new dungeon cores, but maybe we should put that on hold until we get a better handle on the situation with Duke Bozhidar.¡±


    Ceres:¡± What we need is numbers, and if we were to create a few more dungeon cores we could, in turn, have them help bolster our numbers, but on the other hand we might want to hold becoming a dungeon core as a bargaining tool.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°In any case, keep working on that dragon as well, see if you can get it to give up any more information, and if you have any problems with it let me know.¡±


    We wrap up the meeting, and after Dyson leaves I get Byson and Speedy situated with a place to stay. We then take Ceres around town having everyone we know that can cast healing magic to heal her as best as they can. By the time we are through, Ceres is back to normal.


    Afterward, we clean up the mess made in the room we spent all the time trying to set up, but we aren''t quite sure what to do with the remains of the Royal Family of Dalian... We could just let the dungeon do away with the bodies, but that doesn''t seem right.


    We can''t send them home either, because that will only feed into whatever story Duke Bozhidar plans on spreading to the people of Dalian. Until we decide I store the bodies in the dungeon''s inventory so they at least don''t rot.


    By the end of the day, I already received a message from Dyson saying he has already acquired the first item on the list... I wish I had his optimism about our current situation, but I can only see things getting much worse soon.

 Slow Process

    Things have moved at a snail''s pace in the months since our encounter with Duke Bozhidar. That is not to say we are idle, but seeing what a huge grind it is to level up nowadays, yet it is what we''ve made the most progress with, it is easy to imagine how long it will take before things go back to normal.


    It took less than a week before we received word that Duke Bozhidar blamed Dyson for the death of the royal family of Dalian, surprising us more or less to the same degree in which a scholar would be surprised by watching a rock fall in an effort to check if gravity is still working. And following down this trend of ''just as expected'', Duke Bozhidar has taken control of Dalian, and declared war on the Dungeon Core Elders.


    Almost immediately, the people of Dalian began attacking dungeons within their borders. Dyson had to delay seeking out the materials in the list I gave him just so he could defend the dungeons under siege.


    The Dalian army has been playing it safe. They attack a dungeon until Dyson appears to help defend it, then pull their troops back and signal their troops elsewhere to attack different dungeons at the same time. Then Dyson has to choose between pursuing the fleeing troops or go to the aid of the other dungeons. In this manner, Dyson had to spend all his time teleporting from one besieged dungeon to the next, yet not a single week has gone by without another dungeon falling to the Dalian army.


    When Dyson does have any time to rest, he spends it trying to meet with the other kingdom''s royalty. Arranging for another royal meeting without kidnapping anyone to make it happen proved to be rather unfeasible, though, so we finally decided to meet with them individually, but after what happened with Dalian''s royal family, and again to nobody''s surprise, quite a few of the kingdoms have refused to participate at all.


    One exception, of course, is King Aaron, because after finding out that Duke Bozhidar likely has Laura, he agreed to send Merretta''s troops to aid in pushing Dalian back. Due to the reset, however, his troops aren''t any stronger than those of the kingdoms that have been trying to fight off the Dalian troops already, making it little more than a political victory.


    With all that going on, I couldn''t ask Dyson to teleport me to Emeraldine so I could set up the portal for Elexia, and I couldn''t afford the time it would take me to get there on foot, so I had to make some more stones and modify my portal to take me there as well.


    That concluded my agreement with Elexia, so I began focusing on matters concerning my dungeon. That was when the first set of merchants I sent to the capital returned, and Denova with them.


    Instead of summoning new buildings to appease her, I was able to save a considerable amount of XP by allowing Denova to take over buildings I had already constructed. That solved another problem for me, because with the change in ownership, it is now her responsibility to pay the salary of the people working in said buildings.


    We agree on a fair wage for her new employees, as well as on the value of the buildings themselves. I still had to construct a new brothel for her, but even as XP-heavy as that was, in the end it was still far less than I was expecting to spend on Denova.


    With her new brothel being easily four times the size of her previous one, and most of her girls being missing since the traitors'' final attack on Tobes, it still isn''t completely staffed.


    She asked me to summon girls for her, but I explained that my summons are not mindless tools, but people, and I had no intention of changing that any time soon. It was then that she reminded me that she was a former slave, and sure enough, she had always treated her girls fairly enough, so we settled on me summoning six girls, and then it would be up to her to recruit them if she could.


    She did convince me to give her a slave-trading license, though I made it clear that I intended to watch like a hawk over the treatment of her ''goods''.


    Once she heard which species I could summon for her, she went really quiet for a bit.


    Denova: ¡°Winged elf, swan and bunny beastkin, two of each, please!¡± - she declared while looking like she wanted to grab me by the jacket or something along those lines - ¡°As beautiful as you can make them! And smart! I''d much rather deal with smart people than a bunch of morons if I can help it!¡±


    ¡°I-is that so? Somewhat unexpected. I thought you''d prefer them simpler and easier to manipulate.¡±


    Denova: ¡°If they are smart enough¡± - she said while oozing self-confidence - ¡°I am certain I can offer them a good enough deal they will see it is in their best interest to come work for me.¡±


    ¡°If you say so...¡±


    Honestly, I was more than half convinced she''d want me to summon her six empty-headed bimbos, so this was a nice surprise.


    Of course, the actual summoning took place inside my dungeon, and perhaps as a show of good faith, Denova was ready with clothes for them, whether they agree to work for her or not. As for the end result, five of the new girls agreed to work for her after negotiations long enough for me to lose interest after the second hour.


    When I came back to check on them, they were talking like old friends, and only one of the bunny girls decided to pass on her job offer. Niamm (such became her name) is on the taller side for a rabbit beastkin, with short darker-than-black hair that tends towards ''fluffy'', long legs and a rather curvaceous figure. I figure the long legs came to mind because of the bunny situation, but have to admit the rest of her came to be considering her potential career. All the same, she chooses to work in the brothel''s dining hall rather than joining the XP parties, and I suspect Denova will not give up in trying to recruit her any time soon.


    The slave-trading business in Gowen has been greatly reduced over the last few years, but it''s not going away any time soon. Besides, some would argue that the sentient creatures I summon to go gather exp for me are no different from slaves, so I feel I lack the moral base to object to Denova''s request. At least this way any slaves that are brought into Tobes will be given the same treatment I give to my sentient monsters.


    Furthermore, I have a sentient creature locked up in my dungeon, and it is not the first time I try such a thing, so I don''t have much room to talk. As for the dragon, she hasn''t spoken more than a dozen words since we moved her into the depths of my dungeon. She has tried to escape several times, but her attempts have been childish at best. Perhaps threatening to kill her if she attacked my monsters worked, because even when she has tried to escape, when she is caught she gives up without a fight.


    After calling her dragon over and over she did finally snap and say that her name is Drakaina, and although Ceres said that just means ''female dragon'', Drakaina refuses to believe her master didn''t give her a proper name. It has been years since leaving Madam Erin, yet I still go by Two-Twelve, so I can''t claim to have a better naming sense, but Ceres has taken to calling her Aina, and she hasn''t seemed to object, so I have as well.


    The XP Aina provides my dungeon with is quite nice, but like Dyson said, it isn''t the equal of what I lost when Akil left. However, with Denova''s return marking the restart of the supply routes for many of the everyday needs of the people in Tobes, my XP expenditure has gone down a fair bit, and both factors put together means that we are finally back to earning XP every day.


    And so, now that my XP isn''t in the red anymore, I decided to work on some of the more minor conveniences, like providing homes for my people, since having everyone bunked up in the dungeon core room has led to more than a few sights and sounds that I''d rather forget. Especially with Zoey lacking anything with more than a passing resemblance to modesty¡­


    This time I go with individual houses, and albeit they are not as grand as the house Belinda had built for us before, these are constructed by the dungeon, so we can always improve them over time as our XP increases.


    While furnishing the home I summoned for my family, I came across some of Belinda''s jewelry stored away in the dungeon''s inventory, and something dawned on me¡­


    The Ring of Magic that Belinda used to wear provided very little magic. So little in fact, that before the reset she was only wearing it now and then, just for sentimental reasons. Not that the ring would help much now, but my dungeon can create objects with stronger versions of the same enchantment.


    We got used to magic being the least of our problems, and have been so busy since the reset, that maybe that is why none among us had thought about it before. Now that I have, though, I begin working to create new rings for everyone, as well as other ways in which we might make use of the enchantment.


    The boost to one''s magic that the enchantment provides is not like your own magic where it recovers slowly over time, but all at once at the start of each new day. That means that even though it will help our training greatly, and allow us to use the [Gate] spell again, it will only do so once a day, even when using the strongest enchantment I know.


    I wouldn''t say the cost of summoning a new ring for each mage in our group is negligible, but after spending millions of XP rebuilding Tobes, it certainly feels that way. I have also been trying to find a way to add the enchantment to the portal I built. If we could use the portal once a day without charging the stones, that would be quite helpful.


    However, while I will keep trying to find a way to improve my runic portals, our focus turns back to the war with Dalian after the fall of Exeter''s capital. And even with Dyson teleporting us to Exeter so we could help the people, it still took us a month to learn what happened to Millie.


    Exavier wouldn''t sit by while his mother was in danger, so we brought him and his group along when we went to aid Exeter. They started training almost immediately after the reset so they were quite helpful. After locating Millie, we found she had gone to ground and had been using guerrilla tactics to try and defend what was left of Exeter.


    As we returned to Gowen, Exavier''s group stayed behind, but it took some convincing on their part because it wasn''t only Exavier and Tanya at stake. It wasn''t a surprise when Sandra rejoined Exavier and Tayna again, but this time the newest member of their group was quite a shock.


    The attack on Tobes, and the reset that followed after, left Quinn in a bad way, but after realizing that meant he was on the same playing field as those who had been training for years, like Logan, he started taking his training far more seriously, and joined Exavier and Tanya shortly after.


    After the fall of Exeter''s capital, the fighting between Dalian and Clement ceased as well, and what we thought might be a silver lining around a tempest cloud, turned out to be just incoming lightning. Duke Bozhidar returned the land Clement lost so far and in exchange Clement has entered an agreement with Dalian.


    The spread of Dalian''s influence has made it yet harder for Dyson to protect the dungeons in Dalian, Clement, Livinston, and what is left of Exeter, so a few of them joined Duke Bozhidar as well.


    With the aid of other dungeon cores and the addition of Clement''s army, things are turning bad in a hurry. Dawn and Twilight''s dungeon is in Clement, and now troops are beginning to gather in the nearby village, so Dyson and I have gone to see if there is anything we can do for Dawn and Twilight.


    ¡°I''m not doubting you, but are you sure they were Dalian troops?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Many of the young men in the neighboring village were conscripted to fight in the battles between Dalian and Clement, but now that the fighting is over, the ones that returned did not do so alone.


    Dawn: ¡°One of those young men is a friend of mine, and when I talked to him about the newcomers, he told me they were here to help guard the village, but after a bit of pressing, he begrudgingly admitted they were Dalian troops that were sent back with them to make sure that none of the villages step out of line.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°I''m sure I can only imagine the type of ¡°pressing¡± that you did to get the information out of him.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Just because I''m not a prude like you doesn''t mean I can''t just talk to someone without sleeping with them!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°So you haven''t had sex with him?¡±


    If Dawn wasn''t wearing her ring to appear human I''m sure her feathers would ruffle with embarrassment and a bit of anger shows on her face while she replies. ¡°That''s not the point! Papa asked if we were sure that there were Dalian troops nearby and I was just proving that I am sure!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°How many of these men do you think would have anything to do with you if they knew what you looked like? And I''m sure they would be disgusted were they to find out the truth.¡±


    ¡°Alright girls that enough... Duke Bozhidar isn''t hiding the fact that he is wiping out any dungeon core that doesn''t submit to him, and if his troops are in the area, I''m sure they already know about your dungeons and will eventually come after you. We need to find a way to keep you girls safe.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°They have secondary dungeons on Maeve''s floating island, so if we could find out how the failed cores were able to move the crystals of the traitors then we might be able to do the same for Dawn and Twilight. That way even if this dungeon falls, they would still be safe.¡±


    ¡°The only one that could know how it was done is Duke Bozhidar, so I doubt we are going to figure it out any time soon. Our one advantage is that Duke Bozhidar hasn''t been personally attacking these dungeons, sending others to do the work for him.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°He is not the only one... Maybe the dragon could help.¡±


    ¡°Even after all this time, the most we have been able to get out of her is the name that Duke Bozhidar gave her. He still hasn''t unbound her from his dungeon, or at least I assume so because she hasn''t required any food. I don''t think we have any hope of getting anything out of her unless Duke Bozhidar unbinds her.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°What if we joined Duke Bozhidar? Not for real, of course. But we could say we are going to join him, and maybe we can learn information on how to stop him.¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Duke Bozhidar knows about our relationship with Papa, I''m sure he would see right through that.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Well at least I''m trying to help!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°Is there a way we could link our primary dungeon with our secondary ones?¡±


    Dawn: ¡°That would only expose Maeve to danger as well! And you said my ideas were stupid!¡±


    Twilight: ¡°You have to pass through many rooms of your dungeon to reach my crystal, and the same goes for reaching yours.¡±


    Dawn: ¡°Yea, and?¡±


    Twilight: ¡°That means as long as there is a way to get to the crystal from the outside it doesn''t matter if you have to pass through another dungeon. We can''t move our crystal to our secondary dungeon, but if we could connect them we could completely close it off from this side and they could only access our crystals from our secondary dungeon, leaving us safe. At least as long as Maeve''s dungeon is safe.¡±


    ¡°I have traps that can teleport you within the dungeon, but I''ve never tried to connect my primary and secondary dungeon through them before. I wouldn''t have a clue how we could unlock them for you two.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°What about the portals you are building?¡±


    ¡°That would be even harder to do. For the traps, you set the destination in a location within your dungeon, so if that room moves or changes, the destination changes with it, so it wouldn''t be affected by the movement of Maeve''s flying dungeon, but even if we got the portal to connect to the dungeon we would still have to figure out a way to compensate for the movement of Maeve''s dungeon.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Hmm...¡±


    We continue to work on it for weeks and have to fend off several attacks against Dawn and Twilight''s dungeons by Clement and Dalian troops before I finally reach a breakthrough. We tried everything we could with the teleportation traps, but even after spending a dozen justicar points we were no closer to a solution that way, so I went back to the drawing board on my portals.


    I never found a way to connect the portal to Maeve''s dungeon while it was constantly on the move, but I have finally discovered a way to make a permanent portal that is activated by the dungeon. It does have some major drawbacks though. Once created the destination of the portal cannot be changed, it raises the XP consumption of the dungeon it is in by so much that I had to break down the test portal I made, because I couldn''t afford to leave it active, and it also cannot be closed or turned off without completely breaking the portal down.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Since Maeve''s dungeon is always on the move we couldn''t connect the portal from Dawn and Twilight''s primary dungeon to their secondary dungeons, so instead they not only have to deal with the massive increase in their XP consumption, but also they each had to put up 2 million XP to create another secondary dungeon.


    We connected their new secondary dungeons to my secondary dungeon under the streets of Tobes. This won''t just protect them, but also allow us to reach each other in a moments notice, and by extension Maeve''s dungeon as well.


    Once things settle down Maeve might even finally be able to get her wish. We can extend one of their dungeons to a building above ground and one of the girls can have one of their sentient creatures transfer people from Tobes up to Maeve''s dungeon.


    After sealing off Dawn and Twilight''s crystals we were watching some of the Clement and Dalian troops struggle in vain as they fight Dawn and Twilight''s rift monsters in search of their crystals when I came to a dangerous realization. We could create secondary dungeons anywhere we wanted similarly as this, and they would be impossible to destroy without finding the portal that leads to the crystal¡­


    The XP cost of discovering a way to make the portals for the girls, and the consumption rate of the test portal I had in my dungeon left me unable to add on to Tobes for over a month, but after recalling Bandy''s group from Shima just long enough to gain the XP they gathered, I was able to construct a new Adventurer''s Guild in Tobes.


    With the secret about dungeon cores being out, the way the Adventurer''s Guild works has changed a bit. There is no need for commissions for exploration and the like. Most now consist of gathering items for the town''s benefit or for individuals that have requested particular items.


    As I''m putting the final touches on the new Adventurer''s Guild I receive a visitor. Not that Dyson''s sudden arrival is out of the ordinary since we try to meet at least once a week to talk about the war with Dalian.


    Angela has not been traveling with them as of late, due to her pregnancy coming into its final stages, and Desiree has become strong enough to act independently, leading whomever is willing to help push Dalian back. But this time all three are here, and although Dyson appears normal, the girls seem rather nervous and excited.


    We gather in the same room we have been using for months, but in the wake of Duke Bozhidar and Aina trashing it, Ceres and I have improved it a little at a time.


    It isn''t quite as large as it was before, now being separated into several smaller areas. There is however, still a large meeting area, which we are using right now. After greeting Dyson, Angela, and Desiree I lead them to one of the smaller rooms, one filled with comfortable seats. Dyson and his girls sit on a large couch and I sit in a comfy chair across from them while asking.


    ¡°It''s been a while since I saw all three of you together. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±


    My question seems to make the girls antsy, but Dyson says. ¡°It took far more time than we anticipated, but I believe we are finally ready.¡±


    ¡°Ready? For what?¡±


    Angela lurches forward on the couch and says. ¡°You know what! It took us months to gather all this junk! Don''t pretend you forgot about your agreement with Master now!¡±


    ¡°Junk...? Oh! The plant items you were gathering. No, I didn''t forget, but it has indeed been months... So you finally have everything on the list?¡±


    Dyson nods and Desiree draws a line in the air while casting [Shadow Pocket], she then starts pulling the items out placing them one by one on the small table between us.


    Desiree: ¡°Is this everything you needed?¡± -She says as she places the last bit of it on the table.-


    ¡°I''m not sure...¡± -I say while looking over the items.-


    Angela: ¡°Not sure?! Do you even know what you are doing?!¡±


    ¡°I told you from the start that I can''t even guarantee this is going to work, but if it is all here, I''ll go get Azami and some of the bunnies to help with the summoning. Then we''ll see.¡±


    Angela doesn''t seem happy with my answer, but Dyson reins her back in by wrapping his arm around her and pulling her against him while saying. ¡°If this doesn''t work. You will try again?¡±


    ¡°That''s our agreement, and I have to admit after having this idea, I couldn''t help but experiment a little with the monsters I have summoned since, and it made me quite confident that this will produce something alright. Will it check every box in that erotic poem you call a trait list? That is another matter entirely, and if it doesn''t, we will just have to attempt one of the others.¡±


    I then ask them to wait there while I go find Azami, which isn''t too hard as she is sitting in her home practicing her crafting. We are only a few months shy of a year since the reset and Azami has almost caught back up to the same level of crafting she had before the reset.


    Her combat abilities, however, are still far under what they were, but that goes for everyone. Even those who have reached or surpassed the level they were before the reset is still weaker due to the absence of skills.


    Azami and I head to the dungeon core room to ask the bunnies for assistance during the summoning, and it takes me a while to decide which bunnies to bring. Before the reset we had just summoned some more bunnies to help both here and at Ceres'', but even that wasn''t enough when the adventurers began moving into the dungeon again.


    Before, the bunnies would monitor the monsters and give the adventurers a bit of an edge, but adventurers that overextended themselves still lost their lives. But now that everyone knows I control the dungeon we have had to put more focus on keeping the adventurers alive. Even if we have to transfer to them and tell them to take it easy.


    A few of the younger bunnies could use the summoning practice, so I''ll have them help. But we also need to be quite precise so I ask some of the older ones as well. We should, of course, consider Dyson''s stated purpose for the young woman, so I ask Lylah to join us. Out of all of the bunnies she is the only one (as far as I know) to be sexually active, so I''m sure there are things she can focus on that the others might not understand.


    Once gathered we all return to Dyson and his group. There are a lot of details going into the summoning process so I separate the bunnies and assign each of them one of the pages to focus on, while Azami checks the items.


    Azami: ¡°These items appear to be correct.¡±


    ¡°I asked them to bring extra just in case, and they did, right?¡±


    Angela: ¡°Of course!¡±


    Azami: ¡°Yes, there appears to be enough here for three complete attempts, with some remaining ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if all goes well we will only need one anyway.¡±


    Once everyone understands what they should be focusing on, I open my [Menu] and select a human-sized sentient fairy, then focus on adding the items as ingredients in the summoning. As [Menu] asks for confirmation, we all accept the summoning as a group.


    As the light from summoning fades, it is immediately obvious the attempt has failed. Not that the summoning didn''t work, it is just the creature standing before us is only a humanoid from the belly button up and does not appear sentient.


    ¡°Mah!¡± - it cries out happily and looks at us with big shiny eyes which appear to have flowers shining behind their pupils.


    As it unlocks the ability for my dungeon to summon more of the creature, [Menu] says it is a type of [Ent]. Its nominal XP cost is remarkably high, but using the ingredients almost completely negated it.


    Angela: ¡°What is this!?¡±


    Treant: ¡°Mah!¡± - it smiles happily, its eyes narrowing in joy


    ¡°Sorry... I told you this was not a guarantee. The summoning didn''t work, but this proves that the idea is sound. Thankfully its cost was just 500 XP thanks to the ingredients, so we just need to try again.¡±


    Angela: ¡°You only have two more shots at this, so make sure they count...¡± - she crosses her arms, pushing her breasts up as she tries to look as annoyed as possible.


    Azami, the bunnies and myself talk about what might have gone wrong, then switch some of the bunnies'' duties around, and get ready to try again.


    Treant: ¡°Mah...¡± - the treant seems to enjoy... everything. Its roots, or is it tentacles? They squirm and wiggle with ease as it moves around the room.


    It reminds me somewhat of a centaur, in that its upper body is undeniably humanoid, and I''d dare say that it does in fact measure quite well against Dyson''s list of traits. Its face is youthful but not childish, and from the waist up, it is full of extremely feminine and downright sensual curves. Its hair is made from small, colorful petals, giving her a rather a bed hair look. Its lower body is that of a large, strong oak stump, and it moves around on its roots with the grace of some sort of land-based octopus.


    ¡°Let''s send it elsewhere for now. I''ll spend some time with her- it? I''ll dedicate some time to it later.¡±


    Treant: ¡°Mah!¡± - it smiles again as I send it to a safe room in the dungeon''s depths.


    Dyson: ¡°Hn. It seemed friendly enough. It may have a future decorating my gardens.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Master...!¡±


    Dyson gives Angela a gentle kiss, and assures her that he''s joking, while Desiree hugs her from behind, resting the palm of her hands on her stomach.


    We can make two more attempts, but I want to get it right this time. Two months ago, Faraine had a bit of a falling out with Maeve before finally deciding to become a dungeon core. Given the situation, we were a bit reluctant but decided to make her one anyway.


    Her spriggan was destroyed when Ceres leveled Tobes to save our lives, and she didn''t have all the ingredients when she finally returned home, so I''d like to give her a set. To mend fences, as it were. It may go a long way to make sure the investment of our justicar points pays off.


    I add extra XP to the mix this time, in hopes of adding to our chances of a successful summoning. After confirming everyone is ready, we agree to the summoning of one human-sized fairy. I can tell how seeing Angela and Desiree''s harmonious relationship finally calm some worries I didn''t know I still had in me. Not just both of them, but even Dyson looks every bit as happy while looking at Angela''s tummy as I must have felt while holding Belinda during her pregnancy.


    I smile at the results.


    And this time... success eluded us again. In place of where the young woman we tried to summon should stand, there is a massive pod surrounded by tentacle vines as thick as my wrist and as long as a ship''s anchor chain. The dark tentacles are covered in thick and sharp-looking, inwards-curving thorns, and there is a loud, wet sound as a line grows all along the length of the pod, right down the middle, revealing itself as a maw trap with thorn-fangs the length of a man.


    Even through the thin slit an incredibly alluring scent flows forth, as if it was the distilled essence of desire itself. I can certainly see how -it- would exist in its own, but no matter how alluring the smell, I doubt any sentient creature would be stupid enough to approach an obvious maw surrounded by tentacles, fangs, and thorns.


    I check the [Menu] message I received, hoping for insight. Ceres still claims there is no way there is anything left of Madam Erin in the world crystal, but over the past months [Menu] has called me pup several times, and sometimes I would even say the messages have a bit of Madam Erin''s flair to them.


    I asked Elexia if she has had any similar experiences, and she says she has, but she is afraid that maybe it is just wishful thinking as neither one of us have been able to get a direct reply from [Menu] one way or another.


    No creature like this has existed before, so you name it, pup. XP cost 25,000 XP*


    After the XP cost there is a warning stating the XP cost is in addition to the ingredients that I used, which appears to be mandatory if I wish to summon another one of these things, and after that there is the all-too-familiar information regarding sentient creatures, so if nothing else whatever this thing is, it at least appears to be sentient.


    Angela: ¡°Now what did you summon!?¡± -She says while scooting closer to Dyson to move away from the creature.-


    Desiree, however, stands and moves over to the large maw, then places her hand on it. If it wasn''t my monster, I would certainly try to stop her. She quickly takes a step back. An obvious chill running up and down her spine as she places her hand on the maw again, and it starts to open, splitting right down the middle, spreading its halves like a gigantic, light green and pink oyster, its insides looking much softer than its outside.


    The scent is so strong that I need to force myself to step away. I take it back, I could definitively see some weak-willed humanoids walking over to it with a smile plastered all over their faces.


    Desiree: ¡°So much lust and want.¡± - she moves forth between the halves, even as they slowly close around her.


    Dyson: ¡°Stop!¡± - he lunges forth, and the tentacles lunge forth against him. Pushing him back with all the strength that can be expected from a tree as it breaks and shatters a stone that happened to block its path to the sun.


    Even with all of Dyson''s strength, it takes him a couple of moments to push them away, but as he does, Desiree calls back to him.


    Desiree: ¡°No! It doesn''t wants to hurt me.¡± - she says - ¡°It just... wants me.¡±


    We can just barely see through the still open slit between both halves of the plant''s maw, that Desiree''s hands are resting against the back of its halves. Obviously, she''s not keeping them open, but seems to be ''feeling'' the plant''s emotions.


    Desiree: ¡°it understands.¡± - she says - ¡°Angela, Master, come here with me.¡±


    The plant opens its maw wide.


    ¡°This looks like the dumbest thing...¡± - I comment.-


    Dyson: ¡°My first queen says it is a good idea, so it is a good idea.¡±


    Angela nods, and they join Desiree between the maw''s halves. The maw does not close this time.


    Desiree: ¡°It wants... it feels our bond... it wants in.¡± - she says - ¡°It wants our bond, so much desire...¡±


    The tentacles start to wither, and a flower bud begins to form in the middle of the maw- It grows as quickly as the tentacles wither, and by the time they are nothing but thin, massively long dry leaves in the ground, the flower blooms, revealing a feminine figure with skin as white as a lily''s petals, and obviously just as delicate and soft. From tip to toe, she is clearly as they wanted, every single inch, every single strand of hair.


    That isn''t to say that the petals are doing a good job of keeping the figure''s shape concealed because it is quite clear, if nothing else, the proportions of this creature''s body are exactly as Angela and Desiree requested, with every exquisite detail in harmonious balance with the other.


    ¡°The plant is dying.¡± - I can see it drying up now.


    Desiree: ¡°It poured itself into this body. It wants to come with us¡±


    Lylah: ¡°We succeeded, then?¡±


    Plant: ¡°You failed.¡± - the plant says, its voice going from dry to silky soft in the span of a few syllables - ¡°And you succeeded. It was Master who filled me with the desire for family, the need to love and lust and breed in the way you errant, rootless creatures do.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°You needed to feel our relationship and desires yourself.¡±


    Plant: ¡°That is correct, respected senior.¡±


    The woman sits upon the dry stump that was its own body, its new, mobile, errant body stretching slowly, its thighs rubbing against each other, its toes sliding along the quickly drying insides of its previous figure. Its eyes are bright blue, quite literally, as they glow with a gentle blue light, matching her gently fluorescent blue hair and the incredibly delicate-looking, thin petal ''clothes'' that reach around her neck, cascade over her shoulders, and embrace her hips from behind, making it look as if she was wearing a diaphanous silk collar, a thin scarf just almost succeeding in hiding her firm breasts and pale blue nipples, as well as forming a skirt around her waist, so thin as to be more of a wide belt that remains standing when she sits down.


    Woman: ¡°Master.¡± - she says - ¡°I know what I was born for. I will be happy to go with the Lord Dyson.¡±


    The woman turns to face Desiree and smiles. They reach together for each other''s faces, then lean in for a kiss. As they separate, the plant turns towards Angela, and smiles, causing the swan beastkin to blush several shades of red.


    Woman: ¡°Well hi...¡± - she smiles at Dyson - ¡°You sure are picky, sir. Master couldn''t bear with handing over a toy, so he filled me with the need to taste your love before showing up like so.¡±


    The plant woman leans forth towards Dyson, aiming for his lips with a delicate and moist-looking tongue already peeking between her bright red lips.


    There''s something intrinsically erotic to her every action and gesture as if she was about to jump forth and assault someone at all times.


    Lylah covers the eyes of the two youngest bunnies as Desiree reaches forth and caresses the woman''s neck and the back of her head, her other hand reaching to squeeze her breast, fondling it a little bit. Angela blinks, seeming to only now snap out of a daze.


    Desiree: ¡°Hey.¡± - she says matter of fact - ¡°Don''t get ahead of yourself.¡± - then she turns towards Dyson - ¡°Master, please let us train her for you. She can''t just assume your lips are hers out of the blue!¡±


    Desiree pinches at the woman''s nipple, trapping it between her thumb''s nail and her index''s side, making her wince and pull back.


    Angela: ¡°W-what...!? You are third in line!¡± - she calls out - ¡°Know your place!¡± - she too, reaches out for a handful of the woman''s hair, grabbing her by the back of her head, her left hand just above Desiree''s right as her own right reaches for the woman''s wrist.


    As strong as -it- may have been as an enormous plant monster, it seems to be much more delicate in a woman''s shape, as Desiree and Angela have absolutely no issue controlling her and keeping her from reaching Dyson.


    Instead, he reaches for the woman''s chin and caresses her lips with his thumb before shoving it past. She immediately starts to lick and suck.


    Angela and Desiree: ¡°Be grateful!¡±


    The woman smiles.


    ¡°I take this show to mean, you know the reason for which we summoned you, and you are fine with it?¡± - I ask more out of going through the motions than because I had any doubts, which I don''t.


    Woman: ¡°Of course, Master.¡± - she lets go of Dyson''s thumb to speak, though neither Angela, Desiree nor Dyson himself had let go of her yet - ¡°Looking forward to it. Including a thorough education at the hands of my respected seniors. Lord Dyson can use me as he sees fit; as a decoration on his mantel, a warm body on his bed, or a welcome mat by his main door.¡±


    ¡°My worries...¡± -I start to say, but the woman cuts me off.-


    Woman: ¡°Are unnecessary. I may be a flower, but I''m no greenhouse plant. Rather, a roadside lotus growing out of the swamp''s much and filth, ready to be pushed down, stomped and sullied again and again whenever I break the surface of the water. I will be Lust.¡± - she says looking at Desiree - ¡°And I will be obedience¡± - she tells Angela - ¡°I will be anything my lord desires, endure anything my lord desires, and look forth to his use of me, for I was born to please, sate and indulge his and his queens every fancy and whim.¡±


    ¡°You''re being awfully quiet about all this, Dyson.¡± -I call out to him.-


    Dyson: ¡°Your worries are yours, not mine.¡± - he says - ¡°But if it puts you at ease I''m already satisfied by the results, so long as Angela and Desiree agree. As usual, you have outdone yourself, Two-Twelve. I believe she will do just fine.¡±


    Both Angela and Desiree let go of the woman''s hair, and carefully probe and squeezes at her body, beginning by her shoulders, and neck. Angela''s hand wraps around the woman''s princess neck, and squeezes, firm enough for it to be obvious, yet not so much as to bruise. The woman''s breasts are groped, held up, and squeezed by both women.


    ¡°Are you two quite done?¡± - I interrupt. It is amazing how anything can become annoying when you are naught but a spectator.


    Angela: ¡°Master, she passes by our standards.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°Master, are you really satisfied?¡±


    Dyson adopts a thinking posture, holding his left elbow on his right hand, and pressing his left hand against his mouth ¡°I said I was satisfied already, but come think about it.¡± - he pauses as he looks at the woman held before him - ¡°She looks the part, but what about her wings? I thought we agreed she would have wings?¡±


    Even though the large flower petals wrapping around her throat and cascading over her body are not completely see-through, they aren''t very effective as clothing, either, and with her attitude so far, you ?d think she has barely any modesty left, but when the petals start to twitch and slide out of the way, unwrapping from around her neck, pulling up and exposing her breasts, or untangling from around her waist as they extend behind her and form a huge pair of butterfly wings in black and blue.


    From the instructions on the woman''s construction to the spectacle that just took place there isn''t much of this woman I don''t know about even if I haven''t directly seen it, but as her body comes into clearer view from under the petals slipping away Dyson steps in between to shield her from me.


    Woman: ¡°I''m sorry my lord. I should have realized.¡± -She says looking over Dyson''s shoulder at me while being more mindful of her appearance.-


    Angela: ¡°Those are your wings?! They don''t look anywhere near strong enough to support you.¡±


    I try to use [Menu] to equip some clothing onto the woman, but like with many of the sentient demi-humans, I have to summon a monsters'' gear rather than normal clothing to equip her with. After trying to summon something sensible the woman is instead wrapped in a long cyan length of cloth that is only being secured by a black sash wrapping around her waist.


    Now that she''s somewhat covered again, her attitude comes back.


    Woman: ¡°They may look delicate, senior, but I assure you they work just fine.¡± - she relaxes them, and the wings become soft, limp lengths of brightly colored cyan and darker-than-night black - ¡°When they are limp like this, you can bend or pull and I promise they won''t tear. Just remember, they are still part of my body.¡±


    Angela lets go of her neck, then grabs her limp wing and pulls on it, but doesn''t appear to have done so very hard. Either way, she seems satisfied when she releases the woman''s wing.


    Angela: ¡°Time will tell if she will do or not, but she at least meets our specifications.¡±


    Her wings, unable to wrap around her again due to her clothing, simply hang limply behind her, appearing to be part of her clothes.


    Now that Angela seems happy, the woman''s eyes lock with Desiree''s, and although neither of them says anything, their expressions say otherwise.


    Desiree: ¡°We shall see...¡± -She then turns to Dyson and says.- ¡°Master, you should choose her name.¡±


    Even though this woman exists by Dyson''s request, he has been rather quiet the entire time, but finally moves back, pulling the woman by the sash around her hips, causing both Angela and Desiree to move with her. After a few moments he says. ¡°As I said before, I am already satisfied. Two-Twelve, you''ve exceeded yourself again.¡± - he pauses, then moves forth to kiss the woman, right after saying - ¡°Your name is Yasmine.¡±


    Yasmine: ¡°By your will.¡±


    Angela: ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Desiree: ¡°That is correct.¡±


    Azami: ¡°Could the lot of you just go and get a room already?¡±


    And then he kissed her.


    It had been walking... no, not walking... slithering? It had been moving around the room for a while, its thick yet flexible roots easily pulling it along on its inspection of the room. It had let out little ¡°Mah!¡± cries whenever a fellow monster walked by, but as its master placed it specifically in that room, that was all it was able to move about in.


    Lilah: ¡°What a curious thing. Are we sure it is not sentient?¡±


    The other bunnies nodded, their ears wiggling softly as they did.


    Lilah: ¡°Well, I can tell it to move about, but nothing happens when I tell it to freeze, or attack.¡±


    And in the ample room, its soft lips parted out as it let out another cheerful-sounding ¡°Mah!¡±, scattering its spores about.

 A Royal Wedding

    Another few months have passed, and a new year is underway. Tobes is finally starting to feel like a full-fledged town again with the addition of new buildings almost every week. This has led to the locals starting to trust me again, maybe not as much as in the past, but it is a start.


    Yasmine has seemed to find her place among Dyson''s group, but their group isn''t quite the same as it was before. Now if that has to do with the addition of Yasmine, or the fact Angela has given birth to Dyson''s child has yet to be seen.


    Angela gave birth to a healthy baby girl that they named Alice, and she is now the third second-generation dungeon core, or so we thought. Unlike the dungeon cores that we have made with the [Justicar Menu] the second-generation dungeon cores are still being born with a number attached.


    We haven''t received any messages about any second-generation dungeon cores other than Rory and Cambion, but Alice was given the number four, so either one of the children Draco fathered survived his death, or another dungeon core has birthed a child without our knowledge. Either way, we are going to have to keep an eye out for the third second-generation dungeon core.


    As for the war with Dalian, we are starting to gain some headway. The soldiers on our side are gaining enough levels to become relevant again, and we also now have Inari helping out now that she has taken care of the corrupt dungeon she was dealing with.


    Inari''s special skill raised her power considerably, it also caused her to grow a pair of silver wings and sprout additional tails. When she returned she didn''t have the wings, but now permanently has two additional tails and her ears have grown quite a bit.


    When I asked her about it she awkwardly avoided the question and simply stated it was a long story, so I haven''t brought it up again. But after seeing her fight I would not be surprised to hear that her skill is permanently active now.


    Only Inari''s level was affected by the reset which only benefited her by gaining more strength as she leveled again, but this new strength seems even far beyond that. I would go as far as to say that she might not be able to beat Dyson, but she could probably give him a run for his money...


    It hasn''t all been good news though. More and more humans and dungeon cores alike are joining Bozhidar''s side, and not only just the ones within the areas he has conquered. Dyson and I even spent weeks trying to convince Archbishop Hayden to help only for him to join Bozhidar as well.


    In the end, I''m not even sure that is a bad thing. I got my first look at how he treats the people of Lodia, and I''m not even sure they are aware there is life beyond the walls Hayden has provided for them.


    The entire kingdom is rife with famine and disease, all of which are caused by Hayden and his undead, but according to the people that live there, he is the only reason they are still alive. Dyson and I even had to disguise ourselves while we were there just so they didn''t think we were some kind of monsters because of our healthy appearance.


    Now that Hayden has joined Bozhidar I feel we can finally do something about Lodia, but how do you save people that do not wish to be saved...?


    As for things in the dungeon itself. The adventurers entering the dungeon are growing quite careless... We are up to a dozen bunnies now, summoning what seems like a new one every other month, but they still are having trouble keeping the adventurers from coming to too much harm while in the dungeon.


    We have even worked with the adventurer''s guild to set level limits to different areas of the dungeon, but the adventurers have grown so careless in regards to the monsters that they are starting to ignore the warnings.


    At least the soldiers training in the dungeon take the monsters seriously, because they might soon be on the front line fighting off monsters in the war. But even after constructing a garrison we had to add two more wings to it to keep up with the amount of soldiers that are coming here to train.


    With so many low-level people in the dungeon at any given point, we have had to remodel many of the upper floors to make the strength progression of the dungeon between floors a much smaller curve. Areas once considered the depth of my dungeon with complicated mazes and puzzles have been gutted and filled with weaker monsters.


    The slower progression of leveling, however, has made good healers harder to come by, so our dungeon has become even more important as alchemical potions are becoming far more popular. In the past, you could hire or even buy a slave that could cast decent healing magic for far less gold than a satchel full of healing potions, but that trend is quickly shifting.


    We have even constructed the finest alchemy and potion shop, I wouldn''t necessarily say in the world, but at least that I have ever seen, in town now. The Mage''s Guild has also made an entire branch focused on alchemy now. As they are trying to come up with ways to refine, improve, and create new types of potions.


    If things keep growing at this rate pretty soon I may even have to move Aina so that any adventurers or soldiers don''t end up accidentally stumble into her room. As for her attitude, it has improved somewhat. She still seems to be bound to Bozhidar''s dungeon, and completely refuses to talk about anything regarding him or his dungeon, but one of the newer bunnies has been taking and reading some books to her, and it has managed to build up some rapport.


    And then there is that trent-like creature I summoned before summoning Yasime for Dyson... It spreads out some kind of spores as it slithers across its room, and within the first month it converted the room we placed it in into jungle-like maze of vines and greenery. It didn''t stop there, after it completely converting its room it began spreading to the adjacent rooms and by the second month it had converted the entire floor.


    It has even seemed to be able to reproduce, with large buds forming like when Yasmine was summoned in the vines, but when the buds split they contain more creatures like it instead. When speaking with Inari about it, she had a look at them and she said the buds look a lot like the corrupt dungeons she has dealt with which started to worry us both.


    Even though the creatures shouldn''t be sentient, when I commanded them not to spread into any other floors, they seemed somewhat sad. But it seemed to work because so far the spreading has halted.


    Maeve finally got her wish as well. After a good long talk with Kleed about what kind of monsters might help produce better alchemy ingredients in my dungeon, we started talking about his pet project on finding a way to reach the floating island, and I finally told him the truth.


    He was quite upset, but that didn''t last long when I asked him if he would like to see it. He is now researching the island with a handful of adventurers and mages. That proved to a bit of a headache on its own, because one of the mages he took with him was Lylah''s boyfriend. It isn''t that hard for her to go visit him when she is free, but Lilah and Lila have been giving her a hard time by trying to take bets if it will be Maeve or Dawn that steals him away from her first...


    After I finish reading a report on the war, Belinda presses herself against me as she leans on me from behind while whispering in my ear.


    Belinda: ¡°If you''re done, we should be getting ready.¡±


    ¡°We still have hours before we are supposed to be there, don''t we?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°I don''t think that furrowed brow is the proper expression to be wearing for my brother''s wedding. So I thought you could use some cheering up before then.¡± -She says as she drops her undergarments on my desk covering the report I was just reading while she starts nibbling on my ear.-


    A few hours later Belinda is straightening out my outfit while I stand in the mirror and I say. ¡°I feel that with everything going on, this isn''t really the best time for a wedding...¡±


    Belinda lets out a sigh and says. ¡°We both know it has been a long time coming, and I actually think its the perfect time. We have been married for a while now, and everyone is starting to become comfortable with the idea of you being a dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°But there is a big difference between a princess that will never sit on the throne marrying a dungeon core and the next king marrying a dungeon core. Especially when they learn that means he may be sitting on the throne for a long time...¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Are you saying you don''t think Logan will make a good king?¡±


    ¡°I''m saying there might be some that might take issue with Logan being king for hundreds of years, even your father had his reservations at that particular fact.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°King Aaron is bound to Laura, and now that Bozhidar has taken over Dalian, Logan will hardly be the first, and who knows, father may join our dungeon or Queen''s dungeon eventually and he might stay king.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think that is something your father wants.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°He might change his mind, he has looked happier this year then as far back as I can remember.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°That could just be because of his young mistress.¡±


    Belinda''s father and mother haven''t been romantically involved since Belinda was young, and Belinda still loathes her mother, but the talk of her father taking a mistress still is enough to make her put on a sheepish grin that makes her look like she wishes that she never learned about that information. Or it could just be the fact the mistress her father chose after all these years was Delilah, the bunny beastkin we sent to the capital to serve on the council.


    Belinda pulls my necktie a bit too tightly as she says. ¡°You had to go there...¡±


    ¡°She makes your father happy, isn''t that what is important?¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Of course... But did it have to be someone that you summoned? It just feels... Wrong somehow.¡±


    ¡°Logan thought it was great, and I honestly think he was more excited about it than your father was.¡±


    Belinda tries to shake the thought from her head and says. ¡°But that''s exactly my point. Now that he has Delilah, and watching Rory grow up, not to mention other grand-kids he might have in the future. Why wouldn''t he want to stay around to see all that?¡±


    ¡°Your father doesn''t just have his family, but he has many subjects as well. I''m sure he realizes even between Queen and I both, we couldn''t bind all of them to our dungeons, so it might be too hard on him to have to watch so many of them grow old and die.¡±


    Belinda: ¡°We could bind a lot of them though.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but what about their family? And if we bound their families as well, what about their family''s family? Where would it end? Besides being bound to a dungeon is no guarantee either. With the war getting worse every day there is no telling how people will feel about dungeon cores once it finally comes to an end...¡±


    Belinda: ¡°Don''t start furrowing your brow again! I don''t have time to put this dress on again!¡± -She says with a playful smile.- ¡°


    ¡°Okay, okay. No more war talk until after the wedding, I promise. Now I should probably go make sure Rory hasn''t been giving Lilah and Vetala to much trouble while you finish up.¡±


    Belinda gives me a soft kiss and heads out of the bedroom to go check on Rory. I find the girls in the living room, and when Rory sees me she quickly runs up to me holding out her arms to show me the large blue slimy lump in her arms that has covered her arms, the front of her dress and left a trail of slime across the floor.


    ¡°A slime...?¡±


    Rory: ¡°Made it my own self!¡± -She says happily bouncing up and down as goo from the slime drips down onto the floor.-


    ¡°That''s very good... But remember we talked about summoning things without permission?¡±


    Lilah: ¡°That was the third one. Lilah already got rid of two of them.¡±


    Rory then yawns rubbing slime across her face as she rubs her eyes with the backs of her hands and says. ¡°No one play wif me.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry. Everyone was getting ready for uncle Logan''s wedding. Let''s get you cleaned up, and I will play with you until it''s time to go, okay?¡±


    Rory: ¡°Yay!¡± -She says and hugs my leg and I can feel the squish of the slime as it is between her and me as she hugs my leg.-


    Magic makes quick work of the cleanup and I put the slime in a small room under the house that I have been keeping the creatures that Rory has managed to summon so far. Most of what she has summoned is toys and stuffed animals and we let her keep those in her room, but down here we have things like a couple dozen slimes, a few birds and other small animals, items like an actual dagger, and oddly enough a handful of teeth.


    We are not exactly sure how these second-generation dungeon cores are going to work, so we have held on to everything just in case. One thing we do now is that summoning things for her is closer to casting magic than the way it is we do it, so when she does summon things it always tires her out quite a bit.


    After cleaning her up and playing with her for a little bit she is sound asleep before we even leave the house


    Since the large cathedral in which Belinda and I got married in was converted to a church of Faron, it was no longer the grand sight it was before, so Logan''s wedding was held in the courtyard of the castle. It was a little cool this time of year, but the wedding went off without a hitch.


    It wasn''t till the banquet after the wedding that things got interesting. The king made a toast congratulating Logan and Queen, but he then said he had an announcement that shocked the entire room.


    King Rondsom: ¡°I now have two children that have joined a dungeon, soon maybe a third, and a dungeon core that I proudly call my son. Such a thing would have been unheard of not even a few short years ago, but the world is quickly changing. Gowen has stepped up from a backwater kingdom to a major political power, all of which can be attributed to the dungeon cores in our kingdom.


    Between the Gowen kingdom''s rapid growth, the destruction and rebirth of the township of Tobes, and the war brewing between Dalian and its neighbors. It is clear to me that the changes to come will require inside knowledge of dungeons that I will never have.


    As such, after much deliberation, I have decided to abdicate myself from the Gowen throne to allow my son, who will have such knowledge, to succeed me.¡±


    He says and then steps down from his throne, takes a knee while bowing to Logan, while removing his crown and presenting it to Logan. Logan places the crown on his head and then places his hand on his father''s shoulder.


    Logan: ¡°There is no reason for you to bow to me, father...¡±


    Rondsom: ¡°Of course there is. You''re my king.¡±


    Logan gives his father a light bow and then steps up to the throne with Queen taking a seat to his right in which used to be Logan''s seat. Rondsom meanwhile takes a seat at the table with us and the rest of the family who is all still quite shocked.


    Logan seems quite nervous on the throne, but the guards quickly give him a bow, in which the other guests quickly follow suit.


    Belinda: ¡°Father, what are you doing...?¡±


    Rondsom: ¡°An explanation will come with time, for now, your king has something to say.¡± -He says as Logan nervously clears his throat and stands back up raising a glass.-


    Logan: ¡°I wish to raise a toast to my father. A great king and a great father. My only wish is that history will remember my rule as favorably as it is sure to do for his.¡± -After the toast he continues.- ¡°As such, joining a dungeon has given me the unique opportunity to potentially overstay my welcome. So I make a vow, here and now, to the people Gowen that I too will abdicate the throne, be it to my child or one of my more capable siblings when the time is right.¡±


    The evening goes on with more speeches as nobles pledge their loyalty to the new king and queen. Belinda''s father gives us more of an explanation about stepping down including what he already publicly stated, and the more personal reason for not having to spend the rest of his days in meetings and such instead of with his family.


    The next few days are quite busy as well with Logan having to hold many meetings, one of which finds me back at the capital with Ceres, Inari, and Dyson.


    Guard: ¡°The king will see you now.¡± -A guard says as he grants us entry into a meeting room.-


    When we enter Logan and Queen are sitting across the room from us sitting at a large table along with the Gowen council members and even Belinda''s father. Ceres, Inari, and I give Logan a light bow, but Dyson just takes a seat in one of the empty chairs provided for us.


    After we are all seated Logan says. ¡°I thank you for going out of your way to meet with us here today. I know you have had previous dealings with my father, and I by no means wish to tarnish those agreements, but I feel for future agreements with the Dungeon Core Elders we should include the council to prevent any misconceptions about backroom deals being made with dungeon cores.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°So instead of taking responsibility in case a deal goes sideways, you can shift the blame to your lackeys?¡±


    One of the council members becomes upset and shouts. ¡°You''re addressing the Gowen King, you will treat him as such!¡±


    Logan waves him down, but not before Dyson says. ¡°Somebody is trying to earn a few points with the new boss.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Dyson is not only now officially recognized as the king of the kingdom of Midden, but he is also one of the Elders to the dungeon cores, so if he wishes to speak to me as an equal, I consider that an honor. Now, as for why we asked you here today. I wish to discuss a formal alliance between the kingdom of Gowen and the Dungeon Core Elders.¡±


    ¡°We are not a kingdom, so something like that is hardly necessary.¡±


    Logan: ¡°We beg to differ. This war with Dalian is a prime example. It is with the Dungeon Core Elders that Bozhidar''s quarrel lies, and for Gowen to provide troops or assistance to such a thing without a formal alliance would be impossible.¡±


    Dyson: ¡°Clement has essentially been absorbed by Dalian as well as Exeter, and I''m sure Livinston will soon fall as well, so to pretend this is an issue only for us dungeon cores is a pretentious notion on your part. You think he is just going to stop with those kingdoms? He already has allies in Adra looking to make a move.¡±


    Inari: ¡°And wasn''t it Daddy''s... I mean Two-Twelve and Queen''s dungeons that have been training Gowen''s troops for years already? I''m sure I''m not the only one that all those extra troops that were sent to Tobes was in preparation to assist in the war.¡±


    Queen speaks up for the first time. ¡°Two-Twelve and I have indeed been training Gowen troops, but it is a mutual benefit for us to do so.¡±


    Logan: ¡°Exeter was one of our allies, but we are not talking about sending troops to a neighboring kingdom, but negotiation with other kingdoms to travel across their lands just to reach the battlefield. Many are questioning if we should instead be focusing our attention on securing our borders, and there are even a few asking if it is not a wiser decision to side with Dalian instead.¡±


    Ceres: ¡°After everything Two-Twelve has done for the Gowen kingdom, and you''re his brother-in-law! Not to mention Quinn and Tanya, your actual brother and sister, are out there somewhere in the remains of Exeter and are probably fighting against Dalian as we speak.¡±


    Logan: ¡°All Two-Twelve has to do is ask and Queen is willing to produce as many monsters that are safe for her to do so to help contribute to the war, and that includes Queen and me offering our blades to the cause. However, I also have a responsibility to the Gowen people, and I can not and I will not put the lives of Gowen citizens at risk for personal reasons. But, if we can agree to terms on a formal alliance with the Dungeon Core Elders, it will give cause for Gowen to offer aid.¡±


    The other Elders and I spend some time hammering out an alliance with Gowen, and although the terms seem a bit unfair given our relationship, I can understand that Logan is in a delicate position right now, but I expected him to at least hold back a little. Belinda''s father didn''t even offer any help, as he remained silent for the entire meeting.


    In the end, even if the cost for holding up our end of the deal is quite high compared to the number of soldiers Gowen is going to provide, the deal seemed to help Logan make an impression on some of the council that may have been hesitant to the change in leadership. That in itself may prove to be valuable in the future.


    As for the cost to the Elders, I have to make a few more portals. For now, I link all the major townships to the capital with the portals that require magic except for the one connecting the capital with New Leona. Queen''s dungeon will provide the XP consumption cost, so one of the portals that are always open will be constructed there.


    They also wanted a dungeon core in every major township, so with Queen in New Leona, Kenta in the town on the coast, and me in Tobes, that leaves the capital and three others. We don''t have enough justicar points to make four dungeon cores right now, so we instead agreed to provide Gowen with a fifth dungeon core if we are allowed to create them at a rate of one new dungeon core a year for the next five years.


    We were planning on making some new dungeon cores soon anyways, and Logan is allowing us to choose who we make dungeon cores, so this just speeds up our schedule a bit, and we have to make sure one of the people we make into a dungeon core chooses a location in Gowen. We will just have to be careful with who we will place in the capital.


    After the meeting is over Belinda''s father asks to speak with me.


    Rondsom: ¡°I want to apologize for saying anything back there, but I wanted to allow our King to stand on his own two feet. I have been quite proud of the way he has been handling himself, but I know it came at a cost for you, and for that I''m sorry.¡±


    ¡°He definitely didn''t pull any punches, that is for sure. I don''t think it is going to be any problem though, and I understand his reasoning behind it. He has to come off strong because there are more than a few in the council that question if he is up to the job. Besides he has some big shoes to fill.¡±


    Rondsom: ¡°I wouldn''t have abdicated if I didn''t think he was ready, but there are still those who are looking to me, so I would like to ask you a favor. For a few weeks, until he gets settled in, would it be alright if I came for a visit in Tobes?¡±


    ¡°Of course...I''m sure Belinda and Rory would love that.¡±


    Rondsom: ¡°It would be nice to leave the capital for a change, and visit with my daughter and grand-daughter without someone constantly vying for my attention elsewhere. If it is alright with you, I would also like to see how your dungeon works a bit more.¡±


    ¡°It would be a pleasure.¡±


    We then go to prepare Belinda''s father for the trip, and I guess one of the first things I can show him when we reach Tobes is how I summon buildings, as I don''t have the heart to tell him we don''t currently have room in the house for him and the three servants that he is planning to bring along...