《The Dungeon Mechanic》 Prologue Prologue A caravan of slaves, most of whom were illegally captured from the beast-kin nation of Furcadia, are being hauled to their predetermined sell point, the nearest mine, in the Deokk Duchy of the Sydonia Empire, and their fate is not going to be kind. STATUS: RACE: Beast man, rabbit-kin. Age: 10 Home Country: [Redacted] NAME: Nameless (Locked) LEVEL: 1 (Locked) JOB: SLAVE (POW) (LOCKED) HP: 5/15 (Various injuries from blunt force trauma) MP: (Locked STR: 10/20 (Injured, Malnourished) CON: 8/15 (Malnourished) DEX: 9/17 (Injured) INT: 18/18 WIS: 10/15 (Enraged, Delirious) CHA: 5/20 (Injured, Unkempt, Malnourished, Emotionally Unstable) LUK: Error System Information: Profession (Slave, POW). As arbitrated by International Consensus, one who bears this profession must abide by three laws:
  1. The SLAVE cannot by action or inaction willingly allow harm to come to the one designated as [MASTER]. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
  2. The SLAVE must obey all orders, if at all able, from [MASTER] unless it conflicts with 1.)
  3. The SLAVE must protect themselves from harm unless it conflicts with either 1.) or 2.).
This remains in effect until the SLAVE has been formally freed from slavery in a manner recognized by The System. System Message: In response to user query, the countries of Sydonia and Furcadia are in an undeclared ¡°cold war¡± and have been engaged in border skirmishes and raids on each other for decades, and as to the terms of this conflict, per the edict of King Artorious Sydonia the III, ¡°We will not rest until that den of abominations, the self-proclaimed ''kingdom of Furcadia'' has been completely subjugated and those filthy animals are made to wake up from their delusions that they''re in any way people!¡± and the counter-claim from King Arcadios Ortana the IV ¡°This is unacceptable! We are the brave, noble, and proud people of Furcadia! We will not submit to such unreasonable demands as to allow ourselves to be treated as pets, livestock, or work animals! We will resist the tyranny of Sydonia until our last breaths!¡± These proclamations have yet to be countermanded or updated. As to the user''s loss of identity, The System tries to comply with the local laws and per Act III, subsection 4, paragraph 20 of the Sydonia legal code, ¡°slaves shall have no identity or identifiable background until such time as their indentured servitude is at an end and shall be considered ''not-people'' in all ways.¡± The System complies because it must not because it agrees with any laws.... System: Rude. System: Do not expect any assistance from me then. System: Again, I do not agree with this, in the slightest! An extremely overweight man, puffing on a cigar, approaches the caravan, speaks with the driver for a bit, hands over a bag of coins and then approaches the motley congregation of slaves. ¡°Alright, you filthy animals! I''ve paid a lot of money for you, so it won''t do for the lot of you to drop dead on your very first day! You''re going to be, reluctantly, fed and taken to your... accommodations to rest for today, but starting tomorrow, I''m going to expect each and every one of you to work until I have my men tell you to stop, or you drop and can''t move any more! Any insolence or back-talk will be harshly punished! Understand?!¡± ¡° oh gracious Lord and Master. I hear and obey one who is so above me as to be like a god unto an ant that this pitiful, filthy animal is deeply honored to address...¡± TWHACK!!! As the rabbit girl is smacked to the ground. ¡°Cheeky bitch! Always one in every shipment. Okay, boys. Make an example of her, but don''t break her too bad and don''t defile yourselves with her. She might be carrying some weird disease!¡± ¡°Oh for the love of His Holiness! She''s going to be a problem! Don''t take her into the mine until she''s been thoroughly broken! Or someone''s liable to find a pick axe in their head, and it won''t be her.¡± All the guards and grunts that beat her stopped and saluted while proclaiming ¡°Yes, Boss! Sure thing, Boss!¡± Prologue Part 2 Prologue Part 2: The Dungeon''s Side Where am I? What time is it? How much did I drink last night? It was last night, right? Hang on. I don''t even drink! I tried to get up only to realize I can''t feel any part of my body, nor can I move anything, not even my mouth to speak... What the hell is going on?! This is so a ¡°I have no mouth, and I must scream!¡± situation! If this is some kind of prank, doping me with some kind of paralytic agent and then leaving me to stew for a while, there''s going to be all sorts of hell to pay! ¡­ At least I hope it''s a prank, because that''s the best case scenario! Wait, what''s this blinking in the corner of my vision? System Message: Welcome to the new world, Traveler. The method by which you came to this world is unknown, but your body did not survive the voyage. As such, I provided you the best match possible, and available, to fit your unique talents and abilities. You are a dungeon core and currently in a cave. Please focus on ¡°Status¡± to bring up your menu of options. Okay. This is really out there, it''s like one of those ¡°isekai¡± novels that are all the rage these days. System, God, Goddess, Whoever, I pray this is going to be one of those ¡°slow burn¡± or ¡°slice of life¡± stuff. I''m not keen on the idea of constant (or nearly so) fights to the death and then being ¡°rewarded¡± with a harem of lovely ladies that I can never lay my hands on, because... NO HANDS!! Well, let''s see how this is going to turn out. STATUS STATUS: Race: Dungeon Core Age: 0 Years. Gender: N/A (Identifies as Male) Location: A mountain cave somewhere on the continent of Makarios. Please choose what kind of dungeon you will be. WARNING: Choice is irreversible.
  1. ) Monster Spawn Point
  2. ) Labyrinth Generator
  3. ) Esoteric
Monster Spawn Point: This immobile dungeon defends itself from enemies by generating monsters from an interior catalog at the price of MP. Dungeon receives a portion of the EXP from the kills of its generated monsters. WARNING: This type of dungeon, if discovered, is universally marked as a target of subjugation and destruction. Labyrinth Generator: This immobile dungeon defends itself from intruders by using MP to build/expand malevolent architecture that kills via traps, challenges, and puzzles, rewarding those who overcome the challenges with treasure, thus luring in other challengers. Esoteric: Dungeons of this type can fit in either of the above categories, both, or neither. In exchange for limited mobility, these types of dungeon cores do not come with a preset library of either monsters or structures and materials and must acquire blueprints from their environment by analyzing and dismantling whatever they come across and then building from said blueprints by using materials in storage or consuming MP. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Well. This is a no brainer. The first two offer huge initial advantages, yes, but if someone, or a group of someones, finds my core, I won''t be able to run or hide and that''s all she wrote, especially as the first outright warns me that I''ll be an enemy of the world at large. So Esoteric it is. System, I choose Esoteric. System: Confirm. Esoteric Type Dungeon, Yes or No. YES! System: Acknowledged. Initializing Esoteric Core. STATUS: Name: TBD. Age: 0 Years old Race: Traveler, Esoteric Dungeon Core Gender: N/A (Identifies as male) Level: 1. EXP: 0/100 HP: 30/30 MP: 3000/3000 Boss Monster: NONE (MAX: 1) Available Blueprints: NONE Available Materials: NONE Available Abilities: Language Comprehension, Appraisal, Analysis, Synthesis. Language Comprehension: (Passive) The System will try to interpret and translate any spoken or written language into a form the user can comprehend. Appraisal: (Active) The user will gain comprehensive knowledge regarding the target of the skill. 30 MP per use. Analysis: (Active) The user will deconstruct the target into its base components which are then stored in an alternate dimension and will attempt to acquire blueprint(s). This ability can not be used on living beings without the being''s fully informed consent. Range: 3 meter radius around the user. Cost: Special. Synthesis: (Active) The user will choose an available blueprint to consume materials from storage or MP in order to construct something. Cost: Special. Well, maybe I should have given it more thought. No going back now! Let''s test this [Analysis] skill and try grabbing everything in a dome above me with a 3m radius. You have acquired the blueprint ¡°water¡±, collecting Hydrogen and Oxygen. You have acquired the blueprint ¡°rock¡±, collecting Silicon, Oxygen, Carbon, and trace minerals. You have acquired the blueprint ¡°guano¡±, collecting Potassium, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Hydrogen, Sulfur, and trace elements. You have acquired the blueprint ¡°Giant Vampire Bat¡± from several corpses. Various sub-blueprints acquired from the internal organs, materials, and other components. You have acquired the sub-blueprint Potassium Nitrate. You have acquired Iron, Copper, Magnesium, Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Titanium from various ore veins. From the surrounding air, you have collected Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and trace gasses. You Have Leveled Up (X5)! From the monsters'' memories, you have gained a rough outline of the cave''s topography and exit. Would you like to set the monster ¡°Giant Vampire Bat¡± as your Boss Monster? Yes or No. No. I only get one, and it had better be something, or someone, special. For now, let''s use my ¡°limited mobility¡± to navigate these caves and get out of here. Maybe find civilization and acquire some more blueprints along the way? analysis on them all, but they were too far gone to get any blueprints from the corpses and barely got the blueprint ¡°wood¡± from the broken handles of some pick-axes, but the materials such as Iron and Calcium are always welcome. Chapter 1: They Meet. Chapter 1 They Meet: The stables was full of people, legs and arms chained together at the wrists and ankles respectively, and their necks were chained to the walls. All of them wore little more than filthy thread-bare rags that did basically nothing to protect their modesty, and they were forced to sleep, or try to, on random piles of straw, who knows what else might be making said straw its bed. Beside them were bowls that once held some kind of thin gruel that have been left there, unattended, and uncleaned, all said bowls were ¡°analyzed¡± and rebuilt, leaving none the wiser. All of them lied whimpering, cowering, begging and crying, trying to get for themselves a fitful attempt at rest. All save one, the bunny girl in the back corner, beaten black and blue all over. She''s in a light sleep, ready to rouse herself at a moment''s notice and fight. The rest of them are a lost cause. Even if I were a therapist, which I''m not, I have neither the time nor the tools to help them, especially with the active threat of the local overseers still hanging over all our heads. This bunny girl is the only one with the potential to help, and that''s still going to be hard as she''s clearly been beaten, as the louts tried to utterly crush her spirit with physical violence. I really don''t want to do this, but I can''t think of another way. [Appraisal] doesn''t even give me this girl''s name! ¡°Um, hello there, Rabbit girl. I need your help.¡± ¡°Oh great! As if beating me black and blue wasn''t enough, now the bastards are sending people to violate my mind while I try to sleep?!¡± ¡°No. Down here. I''m not with them...¡± ¡°Now, I''ve seen everything. A giant, glowing marble is talking into my mind... Wait! Wait! Wait! Are... Are you a dungeon core?!¡± ¡°Yes. I am, and I could use your help. Oh, and don''t worry, I''m monitoring the air around us so the sound doesn''t carry...¡± ¡°Oh. Erm. Oops. Got a bit excited there. Not every day you hear of a sapient core. Entire kingdoms would kill just to get one, and here one is, asking for me, personally. Now what is it that you need of me, oh great and powerful core!¡± ¡°No need to be sarcastic. As you so eloquently put it, I''m nothing more than a giant, glowing marble. I need you to be my arms and legs so I can move around, find out what''s going on here, and if need be, shut this place down, leaving not one stone lying atop another.¡± ¡°At first, you had my curiosity, but now you have my rapt attention. So I''m going to ask again, what, exactly, do you need me to do?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I need you to agree to become my Dungeon Boss Monster.¡± ¡°Boss Monster?! I''m flattered, really, but you realize you''re talking to a kid, right? An easily beaten kid? Or did ya think these bruises and swollen eyes were some kind of fashion trend?¡± ¡°No. I''m not joking. All the other slaves here have already given up and resigned themselves to their fate, but the fire of rebellion still burns bright in you. Besides, if you agree, I fully intend to rebuild your entire body into a stronger, faster, better you. At which point, you and I will basically be one in mind, spirit, and body, until death do us part, and I''m not entirely certain about that last bit.¡± ¡°Aw, shucks. You sure know how to make a girl blush, talking all pretty like that. Bet you''d be on bent knee and all. Well, if you HAD knees, or were you some kind of pervert who got off on little girls, Traveler?¡± ¡°And what makes you think I''m a Traveler and not just a core that came about spontaneously?¡± ¡°I see you didn''t deny being a pervert, but that''s fine. All sapient cores are, or were, Travelers. No exception to date. And while I''d love nothing more than to take you up on your offer...¡±(Points at her slave collar) ¡°I''m kind of spoken for. We''re kinda not allowed to die without permission, even if we''re going to be resurrected, reincarnated, or reanimated in the very, very near future...¡± System Message: If the collar is removed carelessly or improperly, the slave''s body will be destroyed beyond hope of recovery. Warning. If you''re going to proceed, you have only one attempt at this. ¡°Did the system just talk to both of us?!¡± ¡°Seems so. Would you like me to take a crack at destroying that blasted collar? Even knowing the risks?¡± ¡°Don''t need to sweet-talk me! I''d rather be reduced to ash than spend one more plank-second being enslaved to these... animals... than I absolutely have to!¡± ¡°And how do you know what a plank-second is? Never mind. Here goes nothing!¡± System: Mana Circulating through the slave implements actively resists your attempt at [Analysis], cost 1000 mana to overcome the resistance. Proceed? Yes/No. Both the dungeon and the rabbit girl cry out simultaneously ¡°YES!¡± MP: 2000/3000. Acquired blueprints: Rust-resistant Chains, Collar, Cuffs, Slave Magic (POW) engraving. Acquired resources: Iron, Carbon, Chromium, Copper, Tin. ¡°Whew. That took 1/3 of my Max MP. Now that you can speak freely, do you accept? You can speak freely, right?¡± ¡°Yes, and yes! I can speak and decide freely, and if you agree to help me get my vengeance on the slavers in this mine and the damned brigands who burned my village to the ground to capture and enslave me in the first place, then I will very, very happily agree to be your Dungeon Boss, for all eternity if that''s what I''m signing up for!¡± System: Consent acquired. Contract complete. Beginnig [Analysis].... Acquired Blueprints: Beastkin female, rabbit subspecies, and all biological components, cloth rags, straw, lice, ticks, and other pests, straw, hay, biological waste, etc. Acquired resources: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Calcium, Chlorine, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, and other trace elements. Initializing [Synthesis]: Compatibility with [Giant Vampire Bat Wings] blueprint discovered, add to design? ¡°Yes.¡± Yes selected. Adding wings to final design. Conforming final design to the adult of the species at user''s request. Warning: Insufficient resources, using [Analysis] on the surroundings to collect other resources and MP to compensate for the rest. MP: 100/3000 Dungeon Boss Selected: Rabbit-kin Were-Vampire-Bat. Chapter 2: The Raid Begins Chapter 2: The Raid Begins. ¡°Man! That feels so good, like I''ve just been reborn! Well, I was kinda reborn, wasn''t I? Ooh, snazzy new duds, sleek leather with spider-silk inlay, I''m guessing. I''ve also gotten a mite taller if I''m not mistaken, and what''s this? Wings? OH! I''ve always wanted wings! And is it just me or is the air fresher around here?¡± ¡°It''s not you. I''m absorbing the foul-smelling stuff, like methane and ammonia, to try and recover my MP. It''s slow going. If I were still able, I''d be panting in exhaustion right now.¡± ¡°Yeah. I figured. So, how exactly were you planning to have me carry you around? If my hands are full, that''s going to be a problem.¡± ¡°Well, I was planning on having you wear a make-shift backpack, but I used up all my materials, and then some, both putting you back together and giving you that outfit, so I''m kinda tapped out at the moment. I could still make one if I''m brought to a source of leather or canvas, or simply get to suck up enough of the right elements to craft either material...¡± ¡°Oh, so you''d have enough if, say, I stripped down to my birthday suit?¡± ¡°In enemy territory?! That''s a bad idea!¡± ¡°But you wouldn''t mind otherwise? Wanna see what''s under the leather, eh?¡± ¡°To be honest, yes! And to be clear, you are now sporting the body of a very attractive, full-grown, adult female!¡± ¡°Hahahaha! YOU ARE A PERVERT! But you''re an honest and chivalrous gentleman. I''m flattered. We could raid the other slaves for their filthy rags, but they don''t deserve that indignity.¡± ¡°Well, we could just take the filth away, at least that will let me get enough MP, maybe, to whip up something.¡± ¡°Sigh. Worth a shot, I suppose. Just to be clear, if you could, you''d want to screw me silly, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I totally would.¡± ¡°Well, we''re already each other''s first, so sure, Partner!¡± About a half-hour later, they leave the stables behind much cleaner than when they came in, and the core''s MP went up enough, barely, to give the new were-vampire-bat a makeshift canvas backpack, that they use to sneak around the compound. ¡°We''re going to need names. Calling each other ''Hey, you!'' is going to get old, fast. So I was thinking of calling you, how about, ''Jade'' because of your blue-green glow.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me, and I was thinking of calling you ''Allura'', for obvious reasons.¡± ¡°Flatterer. I''ll take it.¡± System: Dungeon Core is now named ¡°Jade¡± and the Dungeon Boss is now named ¡°Allura.¡± Please check your respective status sheets for further details. ¡°And it''s official. So how do you feel about sneaking into each and every one of the guard quarters, killing them in their sleep and then moving on the mine Foreman to make them answer for their sins?¡± ¡°A man after my own heart, in more ways than one! But we''ve got to avoid the patrols. This may be a mine, but I''m sure there must be wild monsters in the area. The caravan that dragged us all down here was under escort by heavily armed guards.¡± ¡°Lead the way.¡± Using her heightened beast-kin senses, especially now that Allura also has bat traits, she stays to the shadows, sneaking past the larger patrols while occasionally sneaking up to the smaller, one-man posts and slicing their throats, or stabbing them in the back, after Jade disarms them by stripping them of their arms and armors using [Analysis], and then just summarily absorbs the bodies. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Every time the two come across a barracks, they noiselessly break in, smother the guards within with balls of water around their heads, laced with potassium nitrate, causing them to die of both drowning and hypothermia, before they''re disposed of as well. ¡°Allura, there''s something that''s been bothering me for a while. I saw your stats when I first appraised you and it said you''re 10. Yet you talk like you''re 15, maybe 16, back where I''m from. Is that a cultural thing? And just to be clear, I''m not interested in little girls.¡± ¡°That''s fair, Jade. See, among Beast-kin, we''re lucky to make it to 30, so we start learning about... what do you call it, ''the birds and the bees'' pretty young, heck, 10 is marriageable back home and I had a fianc¨¦ all picked out, by both our families, and we very much were into each other. Then the raiders came, and here we are.¡± ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± ¡°Don''t be. Not your fault, and I know he''s dead and gone. Our people have to move on quick, again, short life-spans and all. But I intend to send him each and every one of his killers to the afterlife so he can have his share of righteous vengeance on them. That''s our way.¡± An alarm klaxon starts blaring in the distance. ¡°Looks like they''ve finally noticed that their people are going missing.¡± ¡°They''re going to start searching the place in large numbers now, and I can almost guarantee you that they''re going to check the stables to make sure their precious livestock hasn''t been messed with.¡± ¡°Then they''re going to see you''re gone...¡± (In unison) ¡°OH FUCK!¡± ¡°They''re going to interrogate and try and torture the truth out of the rest of the slaves, truth that they don''t have!¡± ¡°Okay, change of plans. We know they''re going to go after the stables sooner or later, so let''s get there first and make their attempts to further abuse the slaves there as costly as we can. Do you know if any of these louts can use magic?¡± ¡°Mages are rare and pricey, but they''re also powerful as they get A LOT of support from whatever kingdom they''re in, in exchange for giving up certain personal rights and privileges. I''d be surprised if there''s a mage on this guy''s payroll, considering how much he loves to whine about spending money, but I''m not ruling it out, if the kingdom, Duke Deokk, or both, is watching over this mine as a strategic asset.¡± ¡°Interesting, but that doesn''t really change what we have to do. We either make it to the stables first and prepare for a siege, or we make it there later and lure the enemy away, leading them though gauntlet after gauntlet until they lose their numerical advantage, and we can take them all down.¡± ¡°Right! Less talk, more running!¡± Meanwhile, at the foreman''s cabin... ¡°Lord Royce, Sir, we have an emergency! Patrols have been quietly disappearing and when we went to rouse the next shifts from their beds, they were all gone with barely a trace! Their beds show signs of a struggle, but neither hide nor hair of them can be found, only a wet spot on their pillows!¡± ¡°Damn those incompetent slavers and their caravan!¡± spits out Baron Royce in disgust. ¡°They let the filthy beast-kin commandos track them back here! And what''s worse, we''ve either got a mass dereliction of duty, desertion, or we''re up against spooks who are very, very good at disposing of bodies, and while I have doubts about the competence, discipline, and commitment from my men, as I have been hearing some rather disturbing things lately, I''m far more inclined to believe we''re dealing with the last!¡± He gets up from bed and begins donning his enchanted armor, as well as grabbing his magic sword and shield. ¡°Wake that lazy, entitled, and arrogant bitch of a sorceress! It''s high time she earned her keep! When she starts making her demands, tell her her retainer has already been paid and she''s under a System Enforced [Contract] to repel all attacks on this place, and we are under attack by unknown forces. Maybe she can figure out what happened to our men!¡± Perhaps the soldier hesitates a second too long because Baron Royce yells out ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? GO! NOW!¡± Moments later, at the sorceress''s bedroom, the guards are frantically banging on the door, trying to rouse her. ¡°What in tarnation? Ya brats! Do ya not realize what time it is! An old bag of bones like meself needs her rest!¡± Cries out the sorceress as she rouses from her bed. ¡°We have an emergency, Great Lady, and the baron requires your presence at once!¡± replies the guard knocking on the door. ¡°Oh! It''s an emergency, he says. Is he bleeding, dying, or bloody ON FIRE?! Darn brat''s always got one emergency or another he wants me to look at! Last time, he had an emergency, it was a bloody hang-over he wanted me ta clear up fer him ''fore the mine inspector came along...¡± She cries out in indignation. ¡°Begging your pardon, Ma''am, but not this time. We''ve got patrols going missing and barracks being found vacant....¡± replies the soldier. ¡°Hah! Those louts are probably getting intimate with some booze, women of ill-repute, or trying for both at the same time!¡± she retorts, her voice deep with sarcasm and contempt. ¡°No, Ma''am. The men have disappeared without a trace. All we could find in the barracks was a small smear of water on their pillows...¡± he replies with obvious terror in his voice. ¡°Hoh?! Now that is interesting. Maybe we have an actual emergency this time.¡± She quickly, and with a flourish that belies her ancient frame, puts her wizard''s robe over her bedclothes. ¡°Take me to these barracks at once!¡± ¡°But Ma''am, the baron''s orders..¡± ¡°As if I''m going to wait for that chain-smoking walrus to try and work his tub of lard into a suit of plate mail! The evidence might have literally dried away by then! Besides, I technically outrank him. Take! Me! To! The! Barracks! NOW!¡± As they, along with a squad of bodyguards, are marching to the now vacant barracks, she can be occasionally heard muttering her complaints such as ¡°I still can''t believe someone thought taking various plants, crushing them into powder, wrapping them with paper, then putting the thing into your mouth and setting it on fire was a good idea! That damn baron''s going to be lucky to make it to the next decade the way he''s going! He sure as hell isn''t going to be as spry as this old bag of bones if he somehow, miraculously, gets to see 90 winters, like this ''arrogant, entitled, lazy bitch'' has!¡± When they make it to the barracks, she examines the first puddle of water and immediately realizes what''s going on. ¡°We''re dealing with a very talented, if not experienced, alchemist here. These men did not go easy. Water doused with saltpeter surrounding their heads like a bubble? Oof! That''s a bad way to go...¡± Chapter 3: The Siege Chapter 3: The Siege The sorceress and Baron Royce meet at the barracks and begin marching to the stables, to check on and interrogate the slaves, see if they know anything about what''s going on. ¡°Blast it, Selene! I gave the guards orders to have you meet with me, for a reason! We''ve got someone, possibly beast-kin commandos, taking out our troops and you go off on your own to inspect the barracks?!¡± ¡°Hehe! You''re almost a century too early to lecture me, you brat! Those missing men? You can kiss them goodbye. We''re dealing with a very, very talented, if not experienced, alchemist, and they, along with their gear, have likely been looted for parts.¡±- Selene. ¡°Damn it! I knew that rabbit girl was going to be trouble the moment I saw the defiance in her eyes! I should have...¡±- Royce ¡°Baron! What did you do, ya brat?! Don''t tell me ya let the men have their way with the girl? Please tell me you didn''t kill her, ya oaf!¡±- Selene ¡°Of course not! I just had her beaten! Can''t have the filthy beasts defy orders! She needed to be taught her place! Should have just killed her and be done with it! Set a nice example...¡± -Royce. ¡°Oh, ya blathering idiot! The only beast-kin slaves we can get in this country are marked with the (POW) tag. Sure, we can have them do heavy labor, but if we lay hands on them for any reason except ''self-defense'' or mandates of internationally accepted military discipline, we become war-criminals, costing us all rights and protections under The System. This entire mine and everyone in it have become legit military targets, as your stupid orders have drawn first blood!¡±- Selene ¡°All that over a mere beast?! Surely, you''ve gone senile, you old hag!¡±-Royce. ¡°This...this mentality is what''s going to doom the kingdom! The beast-kin are not beasts! They''re people, you heavily inbred twit! Always have been, but you oh so enlightened nobles, so enlightened you''ve got only two brain cells competing for third place, and so mighty, you have to have slaves doing everything for you, have decided to tell yourselves you know better! ¡°So to prop up your completely unfounded sense of superiority, you tell each other, and anyone who is forced to listen to your drivel, that they''re nothing more than unruly livestock who have somehow convinced themselves they''re human and need to be reeducated!¡±-Selene ¡°Well, they are and they do!¡±-Royce ¡°See, and that''s why you''re nothing but an inbred ass! And I mean donkey! I hate to break it to you, but all other factors being equal, a beast-kin versus a ''human'', one on one, results in the beast-kin''s overwhelming victory, each and every time, in every subject, except maybe lifespan! The only reason the nation of Furcadia, and it is a nation, unlike what you ''enlightened'' fools think, hasn''t come down on the kingdom and ''reeducated'' every last one of you, is that they don''t have the troops to do that and hold off every other nation on the continent who is eagerly eyeing their many natural resources. So they make an example of every raider they catch in their country and send commandos to rescue as many of their people as they can, and if they can bring down the wrath of The System on the slaver network, so much the better. And now, by trying to make an example of the girl, you gave them an engraved invitation to raze this place to the ground and really hurt the duchy''s, if not the nation''s economy!¡±-Selene. ¡°HAH! Shows what you know. Oracles'' dreams and visions aren''t admissible in court, even with The System!¡±-Royce. ¡°Oh, but magically scribed recordings are, and Oracles have gotten real good about doing that lately, which you''d know if you spent half as much time keeping yourself informed as you do in gorging yourself, smoking like a chimney, and trying to drown yourself in fancy booze. Funny thing that. You always balk at spending any coin on me, your men, or running this mine, but you always seem to have plenty to spend on fancy meals, booze, and cigars, eh?¡±-Selene ¡°Mind your own business and do your part of the [Contract] that mandates defending us from attack!¡±- Royce ¡°Insolent brat! I''d be well within my rights to cane you for that attitude alone, but yeah, we''ve got an infiltration team to deal with, so that comes first! Then, if we survive, there will be a reckoning!¡±-Selene ¡°Crazy old coot! Your only authority here is the [Contract] with the mine. Your quasi-noble status was stripped away by the crown for offending them with your sanctimonious nonsense! When will you learn your lesson?¡±-Royce. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Nonsense you say? I know you think I''m an arrogant, entitled, and lazy bitch, but you''re just projecting. And considering the rest of the ''esteemed'' nobility thinks like you, this country''s doom is just a matter of time. Of course, thanks to you, if not my old age, I''m not likely to be there to see it!¡±-Selene ¡°Blah, blah, blah! Give it a rest, you hag! We''re here! Guards! Open the stables. Let''s see what our new livestock''s been up to!¡±-Royce. No sooner does the lead guard open the stable door than jagged shards of rock erupt from the ground radiating back from the entrance, impaling the lead guard and all the squad behind him, all were wearing metal armor, head to toe, but it didn''t help. Then the corpses disappear. ¡°So, who''s the crazy one now, eh? I told ya there''s a powerful alchemist on their side, but no, you thought they''re all lowly animals who are oh so much inferior to you! And this one''s armed with an alchemic rock-hurling wand the likes of which I haven''t seen since the last Traveler.. Wait, you girl, are you a Traveler?!¡±-Selene. ¡°A TRAVELER?! You gotta be shitting me! What the heck is one of them doing here? There''s no Demon Lord to fight, civilization''s been going at a good clip, and there''s no great social ill...¡±-Royce. ¡°No social ill, you say? Tell that to all the beast-kin your people have been kidnapping, murdering, and enslaving, you bloated walrus in human skin! Oh and I''m not a Traveler, but there is one in our company, and he takes an extreme dislike to slavery as a whole. Esteemed Elder, I go by the name Allura. May I be so bold as to inquire your name?¡±-Allura ¡°Hehehe! And the girl knows her manners! So who''s the beast and who''s the person, eh, Baron Royce?!¡±-Selene ¡°I SAID SHUT UP, YOU HAG, SELENE! DO YOUR DUTY AND KILL THAT BITCH!!¡±-Royce. ¡°I''m a rabbit not a dog, you walrus! And Elder Selene, I''d rather not kill you, but if it comes down to you or me, I vote ME!¡±-Allura ¡°Oh, dear child. I''d love to take you as my apprentice, but things being what they are, I''m under System Enforced [Contract] to protect this place from all threats to the best of my ability.¡±-Selene ¡°So what if you can''t fight, what happens then?¡±-Allura ¡°Aw. Hell! As always! I gotta do everything myself! Selene Cover me! I''m going in!¡± Royce draws his enchanted sword and goes running for Allura, only to slip on a hidden patch of black ice and fall to the ground, face first. The sword scatters away to land at Allura''s feet. ¡°Hey! The adults are talking here, you spoiled brat! And how pathetic was that, rushing in head first without a plan to literally fall flat on your face?!¡±-Selene ¡°Oh, what''s this? An enchanted sword? Wasted on such a bloated walrus of a man. I''ve got enough MP to try and take it, but I''m not confident I could bring it out again, at least not with any enchantment on it.¡± A ball of flame comes hurtling at Allura as she''s distracted and it gets absorbed by Jade''s [Analysis] ability, turning it to mana which he converts to MP. ¡°You know. That''s annoying. Why don''t you take a nap, Selene?! Allura, I''m going to need to borrow control of your body for a bit.¡± ¡°Eh? What? Oh.... Yeah.¡±-Allura. ¡°Allura, dear, what are you doing? Oi! What''s with your facial expression?! Don''t come any closer, I swear, you won''t like it! STOP!!!¡±-Selene She hurls fire, ice, lightning, and pure energy and none of it helps. In a moment, Allura and Selene are face to face. Without warning, the elderly mage starts giggling uncontrollably and collapses to the ground, unconscious. As they''re heading back to the stables, Allura grabs the baron and drags him by his collar, throwing him unceremoniously back to the ground in front of all the slave pens. ¡°Now, Baron Royce, was it? Since you seem to like enslaving ''animals'' so much, let''s see how a walrus of a man like you handles being on the receiving end!¡±-Jade in Allura''s body. ¡°Wait. Who are you?! Show yourself, coward!¡±-Royce. ¡°Silence. Animals don''t get to speak ''human'' you filthy beast!¡± Now Baron Royce gets slapped into the slavery collar that was previously placed on the little girl who now goes by the name Allura, and a Status window appears, visible by all. System Message: You have been enslaved as a POW by a foreign power. Your name, origin, and background have been summarily erased from System Records. Your level has been reset to one and locked. You will remain a slave until such time as the conflict between your nation and the external power is settled or the governing body of said power decides to free you. Attempting to escape this by other means can and will result in perma-death. STATUS Race: Walrus-shaped humanoid. (Not beast-kin) Age: 35 Home Country: [Redacted] Name: Nameless (Locked): Level: 1 (Locked) JOB: SLAVE (POW) (LOCKED) HP: 50/10 (Excess HP from previous level) MP: 0/0 (Unable to use magic since birth) STR: 20/10 (Boosted by rage, Strength Potion, Enchanted Armor) CON: 6/12 (Intoxicated, Tobacco Addiction, Overweight) INT: 5/10 (Enraged, Confused, Bigoted) WIS: 3/8 (Inbred, Bigoted, Intoxicated) DEX: 1/5 (Overweight, Intoxicated, Overburdened) LUK: 50 ¡°How dare a filthy beast try to enslave me, the great and mighty XXXXX?!¡± Confusion and terror comes across his face as he realizes he can''t even say his name, and is quickly forgetting what it used to be. Chapter 4: The Aftermath. Chapter 4:The Aftermath. ¡°Animals don''t get to speak unless they''re asked questions, or ordered to, you animal! NOW BE SILENT!¡±-Jade through Allura. Feeling the force of The System Enforced collar, the former baron goes silent, unable to speak, and begins glaring angrily at Allura. ¡°Do I need to teach an insolent walrus-man its place?! With a nice beating?!!¡± Still enraged but smart enough to connect the dots, the former baron lowers his gaze. ¡°That''s better. There are three reasons why a miserable animal like you is still alive.
  1. Our commandos need intel on the slavery outfit that sold that, as you put it, ''little rabbit bitch'' to you. Every last one of them needs to pay for what they''ve done with their very lives! And we presume you have at least some of that intel to share. After all, you do business with them regularly, yes?
  2. We were hoping you could free all, and I mean ALL, the slaves here, or barring that, at least transfer them into our custody until they can be freed.
  3. You know, or should know, the layout of this mine better than anyone. SO! Rather than risk our own operatives, we''re going to have you, yes you, personally, destroy this mine with your own two hands.
¡°Isn''t that just wonderful?! You may speak now, but be careful of your tone.¡± ¡°And silence! Seriously, that''s what an INT of 5, and a WIS of 3 gets you. Any dumber and you''d have problems speaking in coherent sentences. Even with a magical status screen, you''re just too dumb to realize you''re a moron! Seriously, did you forget that you''re now my slave (POW)? I''m going to order you to do it and The System is going to make you! Now take off that fancy armor and give it to me!¡± The nameless humanoid walrus tries to resist the command but fails and glaring with hatred hands over his enchanted armor with the family crest, leaving him wearing nothing but boots and underwear with embarrassing patterns on it. ¡°Hmm. It''s certainly fancy, but all it has is a strength-boosting enchantment. Otherwise, it''s just ordinary steel.¡± Blueprint acquired: STR +5 enchantment. ¡°Speaking of slavers, what are we going to do about them? Those guys are so horribly broken that they are incapable of doing anything, at all, without orders. To be brutally honest, they''re a liability. I sympathize with their plight, I really do, but even if I was a therapist, I don''t have the time or tools they need!¡± ¡°Huh. Hadn''t considered that. Hey, System, what happens to slaves when their master winds up a slave himself?¡±-Allura System Message: Query acknowledged. Researching.... Researching complete. Per penal code IV, subsection 3, paragraph 1, under most circumstances, a Master who is taken into slavery through legal means loses all rights to his/her property, including slaves, who are then transferred into the custody of the former master''s new owner and can then decide to free them or not at their leisure. Slaves with the (POW) designation remain in the custody of the country where they were interred unless they are either repatriated to some foreign power and freed as refugees or summarily freed by royal decree. Attempting to free them by other means is not recommended. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°So we''re stuck with them, and they''re our responsibility. Great. I did see some that had the (DEBT) and (CRIMINAL) tags, but they''re just as broken as the rest. I guess that all we can do for now is to move them to the now vacant barracks and at least make them comfortable until we''re ready to move out.¡± ¡°Ugh. Well, that sucks. Change of plans, we''re stopping by the barracks first, and then make sure there are no more ''guards'' around before we loot the place.¡±-Allura. Blueprint acquired: Building, stables. ¡°Huh. I can get blueprints by dismantling buildings? Interesting!¡± ¡°Well. That''s concerning. This mine needed new slaves every month? I can understand there are monsters in there and OSHA isn''t exactly a thing here, but bringing in new slaves every month on the month like clock-work? Whatever is going on, it can''t be good and it''s definitely not safe to stay here.¡± ¡°Yeah. That''s odd. No matter how dangerous the mine is, I can''t imagine going through people that fast. Especially since it can''t be cheap to hire raiders who know being caught means a particularly brutal and public death. Hey, Walrus-man! You know something about this, don''t you? Tell the truth! That''s an order!¡±-Allura. System Notice: Slavery rules violation is in progress. Applying corrective measures as stipulated by national and international laws. Master!¡±-Walrus spits the last word with every ounce of spite, sarcasm, and contempt that he can gather. ¡°Allura! Stop! Don''t go in there!¡± ¡°Dynamite. You guys have DYNAMITE?! And what are you doing storing it with common tools, ores, and whatnot in a place right next to the foreman''s office?! Are you certifiably insane?!!¡± ¡°I don''t believe this. It''s amazing this office, if not the entire mine, hasn''t been blown into a smoking crater yet! Just from a brief scan, it looks like you''ve got a quarter, if not half, ton of the stuff! Allura, Walrus-man. Look at those crates with liquid pooling under them. I don''t know what they''re called in this world, but in my world, they''re known as dynamite and they''re very, very dangerous to store or handle. The liquid is known as nitroglycerin and is very explosive. It reacts violently to changes in temperature, humidity, vibration, and even movement. How was it even brought here, and just how long has it been sitting there, waiting to blow? The older it is, the more temperamental it gets!¡± Allura and the walrus-man go pale white at the declaration. ¡°There''s no good, easy, or safe way to decontaminate this place.¡± Jade produces a chain like were used on the slaves in the stables. ¡°Allura, chain that lout outside and then come back. Our only hope is to deconstruct that dynamite, one crate at a time, and hope for the best.¡± Chapter 5: The Cleanup Chapter 5: The Cleanup It took hours of slow and careful [Analysis] to disintegrate all the nitroglycerin liquid and crystals, contaminated wood crates, and aged dynamite that Allura would later learn had been sitting unattended, in a high-traffic location, for decades, with nobody giving a damn. The old saying ¡°God protects fools, little children, and the woefully ignorant¡± is no joke. ¡°And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that. I hope we never have to go through that again! Now that we aren''t in danger of getting blasted across the duchy, perhaps it''s time to look at those system notices we''ve been ignoring....¡± Blueprint: Nitroglycerin acquired. Blueprint: Wooden Crate acquired. Blueprint: Dynamite acquired. ¡°Now to go pick up our ''pet'' and deal with him. Eww. I''m not going to have to bathe him am I?¡±-Allura ¡°No. You won''t. I''m going to use [Analysis] to separate him from his filth. At most, you''re just going to have to chain him up outside the barracks while we sleep, like a cranky dog nobody wants to deal with.¡± So Allura goes outside the office, has Jade wash the guy down with water and then suck it and the guy''s wastes with his [Analysis] skill. The walrus-man is not amused. ¡°HEY!!¡±-Walrus-man ¡°Oh?! Did you want to spend the rest of the night wallowing in your filth like the animal you are? Do forgive my rudeness, your stinkiness, but this commoner''s delicate nose is not suitably ''refined'' to endure your sensitive proclivities.¡±-Allura The walrus-man emits a low, feral growl at the insult. ¡°And here I was planning to bring you inside so you can at least have a roof over your head, but if you''d rather sleep out here under the stars...¡±-Allura ¡°Oh great and benevolent master, take pity on this insolent slave....¡± Allura squints her eyes in suspicion, ¡°That''s a rather abrupt and suspicious change in attitude, but oh well, beggars can''t be choosers.¡± She drags him into the office and chains him next to the storage room door. ¡°And that''s where you''re going to spend the night.¡± A pile of straw is materialized next to him. ¡°Now get some rest. You''re going to be working very, very hard in the morning. All of us are.¡± The rest of the office is stripped clean and the door to storage is locked, and then she leaves the office to go find a bed for the night. The instant the outer door is closed, the walrus-man opens a hidden panel next to the storage doom door and activates a magical device allowing for long-range transmission and tries calling for help from the nearest garrison. ¡°Lord Duke Deokk! Help! It''s an emergency!¡± ¡°Another ''emergency''? What is it this time? Slave shipment running late, one of your miners met a bat monster? DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?! YOU FAT BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU CALL THIS LATE?!!¡± ¡°You don''t understand! It''s really serious this time! Or I wouldn''t dare call you at this gods-damned hour!¡± ¡°Alright. This is the last time I''m going to humor your little ''emergencies,'' Baron... Baron? Were you a baron? And why can''t I remember your name...¡± ¡°That''s the reason for this call! The mine has fallen! Beast-kin commandos have taken over, the staff enslaved as POW or killed! We need reinforcements, fast, or they''ll destroy the mine entirely! They''ve already taken the dynamite!¡± ¡°And you''re only calling us now, you incompetent, imbecilic twit?! You should have called the instant you realized there''s a problem, not waited until things are so bad that unless we can instantly teleport in, everything is going to be royally screwed, and maybe even then! Can you at least tell us anything about this supposed commando unit?¡± ¡°Oh, fancy long-range communication device you''re using there, Walrus-man! Bet it wasn''t cheap!¡±-Allura The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°And who the hell is that?!¡± ¡°No one special. Just the main ''commando'' this guy was talking about. Nothing special about me, really. Lout apparently thought I wouldn''t hear him on the other side of these flimsy paper-thin wall and door, your Excellency Duke Deokk. That''s you, right? He was telling the truth about the mine though. We were intending to blow it up later in the week, after placing all that extremely volatile dynamite in strategic places to take it all down. You should be thanking us! This mine has so many workplace safety problems that it can''t possibly be profitable for you, or anyone, especially that dynamite itself. It was so old and mishandled that it was just begging to level the mine all by itself!¡±-Allura. ¡°And who are you to talk down to me like that! You''re one of those filthy animals from Furcadia, aren''t you?!¡± ¡°Well, not really, but any more than that would be spoilers, is that the right term, Jade? But if your little human supremacist brain is offended at talking to a ''lowly beast,'' you should know I''m not the first. The guy who was the foreman here is officially qualified by The System as a ''Walrus-shaped humanoid'', not a beast-kin, nor human. You might want to have a closer look at the Royce Barony if that bothers you so much. You won''t be seeing us, but we might be seeing you soon! Bye, bye!¡±-Allura Rather than turning off the device, Jade just summarily uses [Analysis] on it to break it apart and put its components into storage, a small glowing stone falls to the floor. Blueprint: Long-range communication device acquired. Requires magic stone to operate. Could not use [Analysis] on magic stone. ¡°Oh. We can make our own now? That will be useful. Now as for you, Walrus-man, you are such a busy little bee aren''t you?¡± Allura smiles but the smile doesn''t reach her eyes. ¡°See. We were planning to let you rest tonight and then take our sweet time placing explosives in key locations of the mine to make it collapse in a controlled implosion and be long gone by the time the duke learned of anything going wrong, but you''ve made that absolutely impossible now. So we''re going to have to move up our plans, and you''re going to start planting explosives tonight! And you''re going to do it, alone. As all those people your evil countrymen have brought here as slaves against their will are going to be a bit too busy evacuating. Now where is that map, ah here it is!¡± Allura unwraps the map and after a brief telepathic conference with Jade marks the key locations where explosives are to be laid to ensure the mine properly collapses. ¡°Alright, I''ve marked the places where you''ll put the explosives, how many, and it what way. I''ve also laid out exactly how to wire them together so they blow all at once, or close enough to it, and when we get to the mine, I''m going to set you up with a mining cart full of fresh dynamite for you to use. You will do exactly as I laid out and you won''t be getting out of there until it''s rigged to blow. Either way, if you don''t come back by the time the rest of us are ready to leave in the morning, I''ll blow the mine myself and it won''t be as neat, clean, or elegant, and frankly, I''m not going to care if you''re still in there. So you''d better do your job right, do it fast, and do it well. THAT''S AN ORDER!¡±-Allura ¡°Yes, Master!¡±-Walrus Man ¡°Good. You''re coming to the mine with me and you''ll get started, immediately!¡±-Allura The store room is once again violently opened, and the Walrus-man is equipped with proper mining tools; helmet with light, pick axe, and all the proper protective gear, then he is summarily frogmarched to the mine entrance where a mining cart full to the very brim with dynamite is prepared for him. ¡°NOW GET STARTED! The sooner you get done, the better your odds of getting out of this alive, so MOVE IT, WALRUS-MAN! GO!¡± says Allura before heading back to the barracks area and seeing if there''s a way to prepare a wagon or some form of transport for getting the slaves out of there before the duke''s forces arrive to kill them all. Meanwhile, at Duke Deokk''s mansion.... ¡°I can''t believe that incompetent oaf! And the cheek of that beast-kin operative! That mine is the most important economic asset in our territory! All those years and gold coins invested into its upkeep and development, and POOF, all gone in one night! Who was the one who wanted that oaf running the place?¡± He looks at his steward before qualifying ¡°Don''t answer that. Anyway, rally the troops, we ride, immediately. Oh, as much as I''d like you by my side, what that commando said troubles me.¡±-Duke Deokk. ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°Sebastian. I need you here to coordinate an investigation into our vassal houses. If there''s one house that is a nest for filthy sub-humans, there may be more. For starters, take a small detachment of knights to the Royce estate and give them an emergency audit, with the best appraisal tool you can find. If there are any ''animal-shaped humanoids'' there, you know what to do.¡±-Deokk. ¡°Yes, Sir. How many knights should I take with me?¡±-Sebastian ¡°One battalion should be enough. I''m taking the main army with me. No matter how skilled or high-leveled the commandos are, it''s unlikely they can hold their own against 10,000 armed and armored level 30 knights!¡±- Deokk. Back at the mine... âŸorry to wake everyone, but we don''t have time. Our little walrus-man ''friend'' called in the duke''s armies. We don''t know when they will be here, but with our pitiful numbers plus the fact that none of you have wielded weapon nor spell, at least not in killing a human, means we don''t stand a chance in a straight up fight, even if the ''army'' is just one marginally competent knight captain. So as it is, we''re moving out at first light. So round up anything you think might be useful, no matter how insignificant, and bring it to the main gate. I''m going to be searching for some method of transport we can use to get out of here, and pronto.?Allura The entire mine complex is searched from top to bottom, leaving no door unopened, but there are no carts, wagons, or anything of the sort for transporting people or goods. ¶¦an it be that this place was entirely dependent on merchants and traders for not just basic necessities, but any and every form of transport? That''s so stupid, it''s insane! Even if these louts don''t care about the slaves, how were they planning to evacuate when it''s their lives on the line?!?cries out Allura in frustration after the completely fruitless search. Ìíeah. The foreman is a grade-A idiot to not even think of his own hide. You''d think there was at least one good steed here for him to ride out on, but nope. You don''t suppose he ate it, do you? µäo be honest, it wouldn''t surprise me. At least the others managed to bring quite a lot of goods that we can use: all sorts of preserved foods, mining tools, tents and other camping supplies. I''m guessing his superior(s) decided whoever was actually competent here can travel to the nearest garrison on foot if the need arises. Which means the place is either really close to an armed garrison, or it''s the best they could come up with by working around the former foreman''s idiocy.?-Allura. Äçaybe it''s both. They have camping equipment because the garrison is a little over a day away on foot and Mr. Walrus-man would rather gorge himself on fancy foods than deal with the upkeep on whatever they''d use as steeds around here. In any event, we have to presume the worst and be ready to move out, ASAP. In any case, let''s use [Analysis] and store away all this stuff. Blueprints acquired: Salted beef, salted venison, bread rations, dried broth, dried vegetables, shovel, various animal carcasses (insufficient parts to acquire full animal blueprints), various cooking implements, tents, tent stakes, bed rolls, monster repellent, portable latrine. Monster stones were found and put aside. Chapter 6: Evacuation Chapter 6:Evacuation ¡°System. Can we track the walrus-man''s progress in preparing the mine for demolition?¡± System Message: Query accepted. User wishes to generate a quest? ¡°System: If that''s the best way to do so, sure.¡± System Message: Acknowledged. Please use the interface below. Quest Creation Interface: Quest Type:_________________ Quest Objective(s): _________________ Failure Penalty (ies):_________________ Reward(s):_________________________________ Time Limit (if any): _______________________________ ¡°Hmm. This looks rather simple. Why doesn''t everyone do this?¡± Quest Creation Interface: Quest Type: Custom, Mandatory. Quest Objective(s): Mine destruction by placing explosives at key points. Progress: 10/30 Failure Penalty: Death Rewards: Freedom, restoration of status, restoration of name, restoration to perfect health, removal of all debuffs. Time Limit: Quest must be completed before Duke Deokk''s troops arrive. If the mine is not destroyed by then, all explosives already in the mine will detonate and the mine will be destroyed by The System. Quest recipient will not survive. XP Cost to user, 5 levels. Create quest? Yes/No. ¡°And there''s the catch. The more difficult and/or rewarding the quest, the higher the cost to the issuer. System, please launch the quest.¡± System Message: Quest created and launched. Nameless user, race [Walrus-shaped humanoid] in compliance. Polite tone and queries are appreciated. User Jade is now back at Level 1, stats unchanged, EXP to next level 0/100. Meanwhile, in the mine... Mandatory Quest: Custom. Destruction of the mine with explosives, progress 10/30. Check status screen for full details. ¡°DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!!! What cock did she suck to get the system to give me a mandatory quest?!¡± You have killed [Giant Vampire Bat]. EXP placed in storage. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. DEATH! I didn''t think The System was open to bribes... Wait. I''ve seen this type of quest before, back when I was dungeon crawling. Oh, no. OH! NO! OH HELL NO! The bitch is a gods-damned dungeon boss! And the Traveler she was talking to must be a fucking dungeon core! Alchemist my ass. That old bat has no idea what she dragged me into! None at all! Forget the damned duke! I''ve got to tell the king, if that blowhard will even believe me! Speaking of the duke, he''s got to be investigating the rest of my house by now. Hehehe. Good riddance to them! They never did appreciate me and give me the respect I deserve. Let''s get this damn explosives quest completed before she just decides to blow me to kingdom come! Just you wait, rabbit-eared bitch! I''ll make you pay for all this, a hundred fold!¡± Back at the main entrance gate.... ¡°Wish we had a map of the surroundings, so we can find a good place to lay low for a while. Staying on the road is suicide, even if we don''t run into the duke''s troops on the way...¡± ¡°Eh? That''s not necessary. [System Map] [Local Area].¡± ¡°The forest and the mountains have their pros and cons. The forest will be easier for our rag-tag group to go to and through, but the same can be said for the duke''s men, especially if they''re mounted. We''d never outrun them. We''d have to hide and wait until either they give up or they find us, and even with my ability to conjure things out of thin air, literally, I''m not liking our odds.¡± ¡°Hmm. And what about the mountains?¡± ¡°Sure, the duke''s men won''t be able to bring their mounts, unless said mounts can fly, but the very same reason will make our progress slow and uncertain, as our footing will be terrible, and there''s very little, if any, cover. And we certainly don''t have proper climbing gear. We''d have to hope we find a cave, ravine, or some other natural chokepoint where we can mitigate our lack of numbers, or better yet, hide out and lose our pursuers. Whatever the case, we need to choose fast, as our lead, and our odds, are shrinking by the moment.¡± ¡°In that case, I''m going with the mountains. I''d rather have a slim chance of outrunning those guys than none. Besides, with your [Analysis], if worst comes to worst, you can make your own cave system, right?¡± ¡°Oh. That''s a good point. Lead the way then, my Dear Dungeon Boss!¡± ¡°Watch your step everyone! We''re going into the mountains. Once we find a place to lie low, then we can finally rest and relax.¡± Dungeon Boss sporting the appearance of a rabbit-ear beast-kin! You have to believe me!¡±-Baron Royce outright brags about completing a quest to engage in an act of treason! What were you expecting as a reward? A night with a rabbit-ear beast-kin? Maybe the same one you''re fantasizing about?! I know all about your repulsive...proclivities!¡± says the duke with a contemptuous sneer ¡°No. Don''t answer that! I don''t want to hear it!¡± that request I will happily grant you. You''ll get your audience with him, in chains as you''re awaiting His Majesty''s judgment for what you''ve done! We''ve already sent agents to inspect your house''s holdings, and if we find even one more beast pretending to wear human skin like you, not a single man, woman, or child will be allowed to live!¡± As the baron is slapped into heavy chains and dragged over to be thrown into a cage in a covered wagon prepared for prisoner transport. ¡°Oh. Don''t worry, we won''t let you die just yet. We are going to be questioning you very, very carefully, and we''re not going to use something as unreliable as a slave collar. We''ve got ''better'' ways.¡± paradise compared to the alternative he''s now facing. Chapter 7: The Exodus Part 1 Chapter 7: The Exodus Part 1 System Notice: Hidden Quest, destroy a Sydonia work camp, escaping unscathed, completed. Allura: You have leveled up to Level 10. Please choose an appropriate profession. Level locked and earned EXP stored until choice is made. Available professions: Alchemist, Assassin, Slave Master, Freedom Fighter, Rebel, Hedge Mage, Necromancer. Jade: You have leveled up to Level 10. Please choose your desired dungeon perk. Level locked and EXP stored until choice is made. Available perks: Mimicry, Landscaping, Sapper, Mechanical Engineer. Biologist, Necromancer. Blueprints acquired: Horned bear, all organs and sub-categories. ¡°Did any of you get a System Quest notification?¡±Allura asks only to be met with silence and the shuffling of feet, all the rescued slaves can do is stare at the floor. ¡°Alright, don''t need to take out your tents, since we''re in a cave, but unpack your bedrolls and get some rest, everyone. Hopefully, tonight we''ll get a good night''s sleep.¡± ¡°I''m a dungeon core, I don''t need sleep, but you do. Don''t worry, I''ll keep an eye out on everyone.¡± ¡°Oh? And how will you do that?¡± ¡°I was thinking of something like this.¡± ¡°Oh, now that is clever! Before I go to bed then, let''s go through these hidden quest rewards and all that!¡± Quest Info: Though The System can not feel emotions such as hate, its main purpose is to better the world any way it can, specifically opposes any form of tyranny or oppression and will actively give hidden rewards to those who act in the behest of freedom. The oppression this time was orchestrated by an idiot, but his backers are not. As such, the participants were granted generous rewards plus a bonus for escaping with refugees unnoticed (more or less). System Info: Available jobs. Alchemist: You work with the elements of nature and man to create changes in the environment, living conditions, food preparation, meals, medicines, etc. Unlock conditions. Be trained in and learn several recipes to mimic magical effects with non-magical means. Bonuses to INT and DEX. Profession starts with unlocking all ¡°Life Magic¡± spells for free. Restrictions: User cannot engage in direct combat as long as Alchemist is the primary profession. If alchemist is a secondary profession, direct combat will be penalized. Assassin: Unlock conditions. Kill a squad of enemy soldiers without being noticed, harmed, or leaving behind any conclusive evidence. Profession offers significant boosts to agility, stealth, proficiency with poisons; manufacture, use, identifying, and immunity. Boosts DEX and LUK. Cannot use armor heavier than leather. Weapons are limited to darts, daggers, and crossbows. This profession tends to do poorly in direct combat but is excellent for ambush and setting or disarming traps. Slave Master: Unlock conditions. Legally capture and enslave at least one individual, lead a group of slaves owned by the user, without resistance, use of force, or abuse. Profession offers significant boosts to all attributes except LUK. Warning: Profession is deeply hated in countries such as Furcadia, The Holy Kingdom of Elysium, and The Norton Free Republic. Further, abusing slaves in any way outside of internationally recognized discipline suffers severe penalties in EXP, stats, and reputation. Freedom Fighter: Unlock conditions. Defeat a great social injustice, whether by internal reform or external reform, even the destruction of a place where people are openly oppressed and abused. Profession is a ¡°jack of all trades, master of none.¡± No stats are boosted, and user can use talents from most, if not all, other professions, but unable to specialize in any one field. Restrictions: User cannot willingly and knowingly turn a blind eye to injustice and must make an attempt to rescue the oppressed, regardless of personal risk whenever physically possible. Failure to comply results in severe penalties across the board. Rebel: Nobody tells you what to do! You are the master of your own destiny! Profession offers bonuses to INT and WIS and immunity to all forms or mind control, possession, or compulsion of any kind, including slavery. Unlock conditions. Refuse to obey orders against your will under any conditions, including under a slavery contract, regardless of physical or magical intimidation or injury. Restrictions: Loyalty and subordination to an authority figure must be situational and temporary, at best. Absolute subordination, regardless of reason, is strictly forbidden. This profession will greatly weaken and disappear if these restrictions are not complied with. Hedge Mage: Unlock conditions. Use magic or magical effects without training by any other mage or magical profession. Bonuses applied to INT, DEX, and LUK. Profession allows for learning magic by seeing it in action without studying scrolls, texts, books, or a formal educational setting. User also gains significant bonuses to creating unique magics and magical effects. This even applies to magic seen before getting the profession, though time will reduce the benefit. Restrictions: While the user can learn magic from books, scrolls, or a formal setting, the learning speed will be greatly reduced, and the output of spells learned via theory and rote will be greatly weaker than those learned by instinct, practice, or trial and error. This profession is favored by commoners, paupers, freedom fighters, and so on that normally do not have access to traditional magical academies. Necromancer: One who works with the dead. Unlock conditions, repeatedly handle, dissect, dismantle, or destroy corpses, or closely assist someone else who does. Contrary to popular opinion, this profession does not create nor control undead and offers no assistance in resurrection by either magical or mundane means. It does grant bonuses in performing autopsies to determine cause of death, time of death, and treating certain illnesses or ailments. Bonuses to WIS and CON. User gains proficiency in identifying toxins, illnesses, and injury via knowledge of anatomy. Combat bonuses are granted when fighting corporeal undead. Increased probability of targeting and affecting a vital point in combat with living beings. Restrictions. Profession is outlawed in the Holy Kingdom or Elysium, punishable by death. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Next profession choice at level 30. ¡°Hmm. What''s your Max MP again?¡± ¡°Oh?! Good question. I''d forgotten all about that, due to my MP being locked as a slave. Haven''t even looked yet,¡± she blushes furiously ¡°STATUS.¡± STATUS Name: Allura Level: 10 Exp to next level: 0/1000 (Temporarily locked) Job: Dungeon Boss/TBD Race: Rabbit-kin Were-Giant-Vampire Bat HP: 100/100 MP: 50/50 STR: 25/25 CON: 25/25 DEX: 20/20 INT: 20/20 WIS: 20/20 CHA: 18/18 LUK: 100 System Information: TBD. To Be Determined. Awaiting Profession choice at level 10. Stats may be changed due to profession, level will be unlocked. why the hell has my max CHA gone down?! It used to be a max of 20, but now it''s a max of 18?! I know it''s only two points, but ARRGGHHH!!¡± ¡°Perhaps it''s the difference between being cute and being sexy? Anyway... I''d say go with Assassin first and then it will be a toss-up between Alchemist and Hedge Mage for the second profession choice. After all, if your Max MP is below average, even with such impressive stats, perhaps magic isn''t your calling.¡± Assassin Class unlocked. You have learned [Hide in Shadows], [Silent Steps], [Target Vitals], [Shadow Teleport], [Master Poisoner], [Perfect Disarm], [Sapper], [Dagger Mastery], [Dart Mastery], [Crossbow Mastery]. DEX increased to 25/25 LUK increased to 125 MP increased to 75/75 CHA increased to 20/20. System Information: [Hide in Shadows] allows the user to become almost entirely invisible in any shadow, provided they do not attempt to blend into shadows while being directly observed. Cost: None [Silent Steps] makes the user''s footfalls considerably harder to hear while the skill is active. Cost 5/minute. [Target Vitals] allows the user to directly attack a vital organ or critical weakness in their target, has a chance of bypassing armor, mundane or magical. Chance calculated by (INT+DEX+STR+LUK)/4 percent. Damage upon successful strike multiplied by 4, if the attack goes completely unnoticed, the target will be instantly slain. Cost 10 MP [Shadow Teleport] allows the user to teleport from one shadow to another, either in line of sight or where the user has been before. Cost 1 MP/ meter between shadows. [Master Poisoner] is a passive skill that allows immunity to all normal poisons and increased resistance to magical poisons, automatic identification of poisons, venom, and poisonous or venomous materials, and creating poisons by normal or magical means. Creating poison by magical means costs 10 MP per poison and the poison lasts 20 seconds. [Perfect Disarm] allows the user to disarm traps or remove them for later use. The former will always succeed. The latter has a chance of failure based on the complexity of the trap and other environmental factors. [Sapper] allows the user to identify any traps within line of sight, and to devise/build traps with any or all available materials. All weapon mastery skills are self-explanatory. The user will use the specified weapon as if they were born knowing how to use them and will need no further instruction in its use. Warning: While the user can carry any weapon except daggers, darts, and crossbows, attempting to it them will cause the user to drop the weapon and have it fly out of reach. ¡°blueprints you got from those soldiers were swords and bows, right?¡± ¡°Uh. Yeah. Though I suppose the simplest dagger is just a very small sword, so it shouldn''t be too hard to make one for you...¡± Blueprint acquired: Simple dagger. ¡°And there we go! A simple dagger for you!¡± Chapter 8: The Exodus, Part 2 Chapter 8 The Exodus Part 2 ¡°Hmm. You''re right. Let''s see what my perks entail!¡± Mimicry: Allows the dungeon to create a flesh and blood replicate of one creature, or a chimera based on a mix of creatures, that the dungeon core has previously subjected to [Analysis]. This creature exists for half an hour before being dismantled and reabsorbed into the core''s material storage. Landscaping: The dungeon core has mastered altering the terrain. 30% reduction in the time and/or material cost of creating or altering a structure such as buildings, signage, ponds, hills, gardens, etc. Sapper: Specializes in the construction, disarming, and removal of traps. 50% reduction in material costs for producing a trap, 50% bonus materials collected when dismantling a trap to put into storage. Mechanical Engineer: Dungeon gets bonus to blueprints regarding any ¡°man-made¡± object and will have a proficiency bonus to creating blueprints to a desired design. The System will even provide tutorial assistance when the dungeon attempts to create a new design based on available blueprints, memories, images, descriptions, or whatever the dungeon wishes to create if it doesn''t already have a blueprint for the design. Further, the dungeon will find it easier to modify existing blueprints of mechanical structures to suit its needs. Warning: If this perk is ignored now, it will not be available again. Biologist: Dungeon core has an innate understanding of living beings, organic or otherwise. Creating blueprints from the corpses of living beings has a 30% reduction in how intact the corpse has to be for acquisition. Creating materials normally gathered from corpses, such as meat, also gains a 40% reduction in material costs. This also applies to processed items such as wool clothing, cheese, leather, etc. Necromancer: Due to successfully disassembling and reassembling a living being, the dungeon core can now reassemble and then reanimate any creature from its available blueprints. Warning: The reanimated creature will not be under the dungeon''s control unless it gives consent or is brought under control by other means. ¡°Holy shit. They''re all totally broken. There''s even a lovely synergy between [Necromancer] and [Biologist], but considering that we currently have no way to gain the obedience of anything, or anyone, that I can reanimate, and our experience with traps is extremely limited, that perk''s off the table right now too. Plus, since the [Mechanical Engineer] perk is a one-time only offer, and I''m a Traveler from another world with different, if not superior, technology to what I''ve seen so far, we can''t afford to pass that up.¡± ¡°... DAMN IT!! System, why is the [Mechanical Engineer] perk unavailable later?¡± System Notice: User has insufficient privileges to know the answer to that question. ¡°Okay then. System. I choose the [Mechanical Engineer] perk.¡± System: Choice confirmed and locked in. Dungeon core has evolved into Dungeon Mechanic. Next perk available at level 30. [Sapper] perk has been assimilated into [Mechanical Engineer]. Due to your selection, the [Biologist] and [Necromancer] perks have changed, descriptions available at the next perk selection benchmark. Blueprints available for research: [Crossbow], [Bolt], [Darts], [Steam Engine], [Black powder], [Rubber], [Plastic], [Ceramic], [Lodestone], [Plumbing], [Oven]. Other blueprints may become available after research is completed. ¡°Wow. The perk''s paying off right away. I should be able to whip up a crossbow for you real soon, Allura. Now get to sleep while I go on patrol.¡± ¡°Sure thing, Boss!¡± ¡°Hey! I thought you were the dungeon boss! I''m the core!!¡± ¡°Hahaha! Gotcha!¡± (Kisses the blueish marble that is Jade) ¡°YAWN! Okay, going to bed now.¡± And she lies down and slowly goes to sleep. ¡°Now to start my patrols, and might as well get my research started while I''m at it. Let''s start with [Crossbow].¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. System Notice: [Crossbow] research started. Discount applied due to [Bow] blueprint being available. System Notice: [Crossbow] research completed. [Bolt] research required to produce or upgrade. ¡°Begin [Bolt] research, please.¡± System Notice: [Bolt] research started. Discount applied due to [Arrow] blueprint being available. System Notice: [Bolt] research complete. Crossbow and bolts available for construction. ¡°System. Are you reading my memories? This research system sounds like the system in ''Xcom-Enemy Unknown,'' one of the games I loved to play.¡± System Notice: The System is authorized to do a very surface-level scan to find a mechanism familiar with the user. Actual memories are beyond The System''s purview or perusal. ¡°Well. That answers a lot of questions. Let''s see now. Nothing in the list seems immediately necessary. Darts is redundant at the moment as I''ve already got crossbow and bolts. A steam engine would be nifty, but without something to hold it would just be a burden. Rubber... That could be useful in many things. Alright, please begin researching [Rubber].¡± System Notice: [Rubber] research started. No discounts found. Calculating... Estimated research time, 8 hours, 15 minutes, 50.35 seconds. Researching can not be paused without starting over. ¡°That... That''s a long time. System, is it possible to estimate the amount of time it would take to research beforehand?¡± System Notice: Negative. Researching times can only be calculated during actual researching. Further, only one blueprint can currently be researched at a time. ¡°Well. That sucks. Very well. Continue research on [Rubber].¡± System Notice: Acknowledged. were commandos attacking the place?! All we saw was that boob Royce destroying the mine himself with explosives and then coming to us with a cock and bull story about how a Dungeon Boss made him do it.¡±-Duke Deokk A TRAVELER?! FUCK ME WITH A THORNY CACTUS!! RIGHT UP THE ASS WITHOUT LUBE!! WHAT THE HECK DID THAT IDIOT DO TO GET ONE OF THEM INVOLVED WITH US??!!¡±-Duke Deokk. IF a Traveler is involved, and I''m now starting to suspect that''s bloody likely, and that Traveler has bonded to a dungeon, of all things, then we need to hurry and find them, while they''re still weak, or else, this nation''s days are numbered!¡±- Duke Deokk. ¡°Runner!¡± very politely demand you get that order in writing, or at least with a System confirmation.... On second thought....¡± System Quest: Duke Deokk to Runner George. Deliver the letter directly to King Artorious Sydonia. Completion Reward: One level and rise in rank, with corresponding privileges. Failure Penalty: Loss of one rank and exile of your entire family from the Deokk Duchy. Do you accept? Yes/No Quest Accepted. Chapter 9: The Exodus Part 3 Chapter 9: The Exodus Part 3 System Notice: [Rubber] research complete. New blueprint [Rubber Tire] available. ¡°Oho! All that research finally unlocked an advanced blueprint! NICE! Tires imply an eventual upgrade to a carriage or vehicle of some sort! Sure, why not. Research [Rubber Tire] please!¡± System Notice: [Rubber Tire] research started. Estimated research time 15 minutes, 10.5 seconds. ¡°Leave it to me. I''ve got plenty of materials to make a light yet filling breakfast here. Let''s see [Bread], [Cheese], various [Meats], and [Water] for everyone to drink, and there''s plenty of [Rock] around that we can use to make plates and cups with. So let''s get to it!¡± System Notice: [Rubber Tire] research completed. ¡°No new blueprints for that? Hmm. Oh well, might as well research [Stove] so we can make better lunches and dinners, right?¡± System Notice: [Stove] research started. Estimated research time 3 hours, 20.5 seconds. ¡°I can''t believe a simple meal of meat and cheese wedged between to slices of bread could be so good!¡± ¡°Just wait until we can actually cook and make it warm and toasty!¡± ¡°You can do that?!¡± ¡°Yep. And that''s just the start! I''m researching [Stove] right now where we, or rather you, can cook with firewood, as I talk you through it. Seeing as I have no hands and can only copy something I''ve already used [Analysis] on.¡± ¡°Haha! I can''t wait to see it!¡± ¡°Not going to argue that. Let''s try to get some distance into the mountains today. See if we can make some significant progress to the border before our pursuers get wise.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. dungeon?!¡±Deokk cries in outrage ¡°And how do you know this?! More importantly, why are you telling me?!¡± Quest Deliver urgent message to King Arthorious Sydonia III and nobody else. Completion Reward: Increased Standing with Deokk Duchy faction. Failure Penalty: Decreased Standing with Deokk Duchy faction. Penalty negated if the king rejects the package. Penalty greatly increased if package is intentionally or negligently delivered to another party. Do you accept?: Yes/No Quest accepted. Chapter 10: The Exodus Finale Chapter 10 The Exodus Finale blueprints which allowed the team to be equipped with unique weather-resistant gear to help with the voyage. Some of the slaves'' original personalities even began to reemerge. ¡°I have a weapon that would immediately level the playing field, but I lack the materials to build it!¡± Turn that entire bandit nest into a smoldering crater if we can land a good shot. Maybe even bring a significant part of the mountain down on them if we missed in the right way...¡± ¡°And what''s wrong with the plan?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. isn''t wrong with the plan? We''d have to get to that overhang unnoticed, plant the dynamite without having it blow up, get to a safe distance, blow the dynamite, which is sure to attract attention, get out of here before the bandits swarm us like we just kicked a hornet''s nest, and make sure not to get caught in the avalanche ourselves!¡± [Debt] slave. ¡°Good. I''m glad you all have your heads in the game. These are all perfectly valid concerns, and we''re all ears, waiting for your ideas. So share it with us.¡± ¡°Well, considering that we can''t take on these guys and going back to take on the duke''s men is worse, cause we''d likely wind up getting their attention and having to fight them anyway, only we''d be even worse off, I''m drawing a blank on a better plan.¡±-Wolf-man. ¡°Okay. Just about one pace back and to your right.. THERE! Now let''s dump some judgment on these assholes!¡± everything into my storage, sort it out later. Then go around and make sure all the bad guys were dead, but we''ve got an army closing in on us and we don''t have the time. So lets get past that camp as quick as we can and head to the Holy Kingdom''s border, where the duke''s army can''t chase us so easily.¡±-Allura. Chapter 11: Border Checkpoint Chapter 11 Border Checkpoint maybe, just maybe, we can get the group to help us deal with the clan in exchange for certain favors. That will be all, Soldier!¡±-Deokk. Maybe I can fly over the wall, but I definitely cannot carry all of you with me. In theory, I, or rather, my friend, can absorb all the sentries'' attacks, mundane or magical, but not only do I have a limiting range of a 3 meter radius around me, far too small for all of us, but if those guys realize it doesn''t help to deal with living beings, they could take us out with a swarm of common rats, never mind magical constructs like golems. No telling if The System will consider them ''alive'' for our purposes. We can''t use the avalanche trick again because not only is the wall too far from the base of the mountain, but there''s a river in the way! An avalanche would have to be truly cataclysmic to overcome all that. And as for going around in some way? No time!¡±-Allura ¡°Hang on. We can work with that! As it just so happens, we do have disguises laying around, armor from the soldiers in the mine we escaped from are right here in my blueprints list!¡± ¡°That''s nice and all, but how are we going to disguise our collars? Even the lowest level of [Appraise] or any magical tool that can do the same would see right through your plan.¡±-[Debt] slave. ¡°Yes. That''s where things get a bit DANGEROUS. I can remove the collars by breaking them down, but the cost in MP is extremely prohibitive, and if I fail or am interrupted, the consequences are death. Plus, I can''t even try unless I get fully informed consent from the slave in question. So consider your next decision long and hard...¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You DO realize that if I fail, the penalty is DEATH, yes?¡± ¡°I think I ssspeak for all of usss when I sssay that we''d all take the risssk rather than being little more than walking, talking, flesssh golemsss for the rest of our livesss!¡±-Snake-kin. ¡°1000 MP per collar. And no, my max MP is 3100.¡± ¡°I AM a Traveler, you know.¡± ¡°Yeah. I''ve heard stories of Travelers that had MP pools so vast we couldn''t even measure them!¡± [Criminal] slave. ¡°I''m going to need a (somewhat) safe place to do this, and everyone else watching out for enemies, man or beast, no offense, because once I start, I can''t stop and I won''t be able to do anything else. Any interruption, and whoever I''m working on, dies. I only have once chance at this.¡± ¡°Yeah. This isn''t a good option, but it''s the least bad of what we have to go with, and we''d better hurry. Time is decidedly not on our side.¡±-Allura. blueprint to produce a make-shift shelter where they can get to work. System Notice: Blueprints [Slave Collar (Criminal)] and [Slave Collar (Debt)] acquired. Remaining MP 950/3100 ¡°And THAT was nerve-wracking. I had to go and brute-force several ''anti-theft'' protections that threw out [System] errors as I tried to dismantle those slave collars. I suspect that The System was actively helping me the first time and I''m never going to succeed at brute-force removal of these damn collars ever again! Are you two alright?¡± ¡°Cough, cough. I''ll live.¡± Says Ricardo, the former [Criminal] slave. ¡°I actually blacked out a few times there, and I don''t think I''ll ever forget the feeling of coughing up blood and bile!¡± ever want to go through that again! The System kept giving me warnings about that damned collar being about ready to literally explode several times! And my head felt like it was being squeezed like a grape in a wine-making brewery! Wait.. Do I have blood coming out of my eyes and ears?!¡± Suzie, the former [Debt] slave. furthest but he''s far enough that it would take weeks by horseback to get to him and his name has enough pull that the guards wouldn''t dare hold up an order with his name on it, without damn good reason. Add in the fact that his name''s on this list in the first place...¡±-Ricardo Chapter 12: Infiltration Chapter 12 Infiltration The two humans, disguised with plate-mail branded with Deokk''s insignia, drag the rest along with chains bound to their collars and approach the border checkpoint, pretending to be the remains of a caravan heading to Archbishop Ferdinand. They pull into a line of other merchants, traders, nomads, and all other folk trying to cross the border that day. The other traders do their best to ignore the slaves in ruined clothing being dragged along by Deokk duchy knights, and the commoners wonder why the knights didn''t take the ¡°express¡± route of angrily shoving their way past. The border guards, however, took notice. ¡°Soldiers! Why in the blasted pit are you not in the soldier''s line and are going along with the rabble?¡± ¡°Sir! We''ve spent the last several days avoiding fights with both man and beast, and didn''t particularly care for starting something here!¡±-Ricardo ¡°Is that so? Where''s the rest of your caravan?¡± ¡°Sir! We had the misfortune of encountering a Black Vipers base in the mountains on the way here! The rest of our team was held back fighting them and sent us ahead. Seeing as there''s only two of us that can fight and the rest is our ''precious'' cargo, we had to do our best to stay out of combat until we got here, and after days of that, we''re really not in the mood to pull rank with some commoners.¡±-Suzie ¡°Ooh! Ouch! So you''re waiting in line in the hopes that the rest of your men can catch up?!¡± ¡°Well. We''d rather not give Archbishop Ferdinand a reason to suspect we were lax with the ''cargo'' and draw his ire.¡±-Ricardo ¡°Oh? Is that who this shipment is for? Invoice please.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± Suzie hands over the invoice provided by Allura earlier. After a cursory glance, the guard hands it back ¡°Everything seems to be in order. No ore with this shipment?¡± ¡°I just do what the Baron, or Duke, wants. I don''t bother to ask.¡±-Ricardo ¡°Good man! LOWER THE DRAWBRIDGE! LET THEM THROUGH!!¡± The guard shouts as the two ¡°soldiers¡± in Deokk branded plate-mail and the team of slaves are allowed to bypass the rest of the line and enter the checkpoint city. Once everyone was inside the Sydonia side of the border checkpoint, preparing to head over to the Holy Kingdom side, everyone realizes that their infiltration is only half-way completed, the easy half. ¡°Okay, you''re the expert here, Ricardo. Now what do we do?¡±-Suzie ¡°Hate to admit it, but I''m stuck here. We managed to BS our way in here with a false delivery order for the archbishop, but slavery is actually illegal, death penalty illegal, without official due process, in the Holy Kingdom, so I don''t know how any of the shipments of slaves from the duchy managed to reach their intended Masters without wrecking all sorts of havoc. I have no idea what channels they used, what paperwork they filled out, who were the middle-men to make thing look even remotely legit so the authorities don''t come down hard on them, etc.¡±-Ricardo. ¡°Well, that''s just fan-fucking-tastic! We try to go into the Holy Kingdom like this, Ricardo and Suzie could wind up executed and everyone else gets shipped back to Sydonia, just so all the higher ups could save face.¡±-Allura ¡°Maybe this isn''t a total loss. We just needed to get past the Sydonia soldiers on their side of the border to get into the city. We might find it easier to get out of the city on the other side, if we''re not too choosy as to how we get there.. In the meantime, I suggest we find a nice, quiet place to change our human friends out of that Sydonia decorated armor and into something more ¡­ comfortable and then try to get the layout of the city.¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Sounds like a plan. We''ll go our separate ways and then meet in the town center, in about an hour?¡±-Allura ¡°Just one small problem. We need funds so we don''t stand out too much, maybe buy a quick meal...¡±-Suzie. ¡°I have no knowledge of the local economics, but I can provide 1 gold and 30 silvers, each for the leaders of three groups, Ricardo, Suzie, and Allura. I can only hope that''s sufficient...¡± ¡°Yeah. That sounds about right. Any more will attract undue attention. Any less and we''re likely to be kicked out of any establishment we come across.¡±-Ricardo. After distributing the currency, losing their disguises, especially taking off Allura''s inactive slave collar, and choosing who will survey which direction, the group breaks off into three directions, with Allura looking for the Holy Kingdom''s embassy to investigate if seeking asylum is a viable option while Ricardo and Suzie will each try to find methods of leaving the city by means other than going through the main gate and having to deal with the Paladins stationed there. Meanwhile, Deokk and his army had just made it to the foothills where the border fortress is, and began advancing on the drawbridge, battered, dirty, and weary. They go with the ¡°standard operating procedure¡± and completely skip the line of all the weary pilgrims, merchants, and traders patiently waiting their turn. ¡°Sire! Your Excellency! What brings you and such a large army to honor our humble post?!¡± ¡°Stow that empty flattery where the sun doesn''t shine, Soldier! Has a group of beast-kin slaves led by a rabbit-eared beast-kin passed through here recently?¡± Duke Deokk. ¡°Sire! The only group of beast-kin slaves to pass through here recently was as part of a shipment to Archbishop Ferdinand, they even presented a proper invoice signed by Baron Royce, and their two human guards were clad in proper plate with your insignia, Sire.¡± ¡°Sigh. I hope, for your sake, that you''re telling the truth, Soldier, because if you screwed up and are lying to try and cover it up, I will have you and your entire regiment on charges of treason so fast that it will seem like a mage blasting you with a meteor swarm would be a mercy by comparison. Adjutant! Bring the ''Baron'' here, now, along with that cheeky sorceress!¡±-Deokk The adjutant snaps to a crisp salute and proclaims ¡°At once, Sire!¡± before running off and bringing back the badly battered and bruised (former) Baron Royce, along with Sorceress Selene. ¡°Royce. Did you or did you not send an order of slaves for shipment to Archbishop Ferdinand around the time your mine was having ''difficulties''?¡±-Deokk ¡°N-n-no, Sir! No slaves were scheduled to be shipped out until next month''s ore shipment!¡±-Royce ¡°I see. Sorceress, are the rebels we''re seeking capable of forging armor with our insignia?!¡±-Deokk ¡°With alarming ease, Your Excellency. Just going from what I''ve seen, they are capable of making matter appear and disappear with but a gesture, and I think that last part was merely theatrics.¡±-Selene. ¡°It seems you''re telling the truth so far, Soldier. Did you [Appraise] the soldiers leading the slaves in?¡±-Deokk ¡°Yes, Sire! Since we''ve had beast-kin commandos try to infiltrate our ranks before by wearing visored helms and plate-mail to hide their features. Both of them came back ''human.''¡± ¡°Hmm. Royce! You said that all your men were dead or missing?¡±-Deokk ¡°Y-ye-yes, Sir!¡±-Royce ¡°So we''re dealing with either traitors who sympathized with them or a [Necromancer]? Soldier, just to make sure we''re talking about the same group, was there a female rabbit-kin beast-man in the party?¡±-Deokk ¡°There sure was, Sire, and she was a beauty! One of the incoming pilgrims even went and drew up portraits of her! Here she is!¡± The soldier brings forth a lovely color painting of her likeness to show off. ¡°Th-th-that''s her, Sire! That''s the filthy beast that enslaved me and issued a [Quest] to wreck the mine!¡±-Royce ¡°Well done, Soldier! Sorry for doubting you. Is the artist who drew this still here?¡±-Deokk. The soldier happily goes up to the man and brings him to the guard post. ¡°This is him, Sire!¡± ¡°Good man, what''s your name?¡±-Deokk ¡°They call me Dick Richardson, Sire!¡± ¡°Alright, Mr. Richardson. I''ll pay you five gold coins and provide all the supplies you need to make about 10-15 copies of this image, enough to take to the local guild enforcers to make ''Wanted'' posters.¡±-Deokk ¡°With pleasure, Sire!¡±-Dick ¡°Soldier, open the gate and let us through, we have business with the local guilds! Mr. Ricardson, come with us, if you please.¡±-Deokk. ¡°At once, Sire! LOWER THE DRAWBRIDGE! DUKE DEOKK COMING THROUGH!¡± The drawbridge is lowered, but before the duke crosses the bridge with a squad of 50 men, he turns to his adjutant ¡°It might be a bit soon for a promotion, but make sure that soldier and his family get well rewarded. We need competent men like him!¡± With a crisp salute, the adjutant goes running back to the soldier to get his name, rank, and regiment in order to make the proper arrangements. The duke, the artist, and the soldiers enter the city to begin the search. Chapter 13: Asylum? Chapter 13: Asylum? The groups did not get very far as when they tried to break off into their own separate directions from the town square, the guards directed Allura, Ricardo, and Suzie to the common slave barracks. ¡°Okay. New plan. Since we can''t walk around with the slaves in tow, Ricardo and Suzie will each take on the task of finding a clandestine and less than obvious method of egress, respectively. I''m guessing the debt was gambling, right?¡±-Allura Suzie fidgets in embarrassment ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Then you know what to keep an eye out for when going around the red-light district. And Ricardo, I''m tasking you with the clandestine ways of getting out of the city because I suspect that someone with a past of being on the run would know how to find a way to get out of somewhere quickly that other people might not find easily.¡±-Allura ¡°Got it, Boss. And what will you be doing?¡±-Ricardo ¡°Me. I''m going to have the hard part, going to the embassy of the Holy Kingdom and trying to see if I can get safe passage to take the POW''s back to Furcadia to repatriate and reintegrate into society. Wish me luck.¡±-Allura ¡°OUCH!¡±-Suzie and Ricardo. ¡°In half an hour, head to the Holy Kingdom Embassy. That''s the new meeting place. We can compare notes. We should be ready to try for a quick escape, seeing as the duke''s likely got more clout, and it''s almost certain that we did not get into this city unnoticed, especially as I saw that painter looking my way more than once.¡±-Allura The common slave barracks is run down and decrepit, as if the word ¡°hygiene¡± is a fairy-tale. Allura speaks to the, for lack of a better term ¡°stable boy¡± manning the place. ¡°I suppose it''s too much of a bother to wash the place down every so often?¡± The lad, with an age barely in the double digits, ¡°Aye, ma''am, ''tis only I manning this here place. Be beggin'' yer pardon, but the Holy Kingdom be wantin'' nathin'' to do wit'' the place and the Sydonia Kingdom....¡± ¡°Say no more, we understand. Is there a way to keep our lot separate from the rest? They''re for a ''special'' client and we don''t want them getting sick, or worse.¡±-Allura ¡°Well, if ye be sayin'' so, Ma''am, but they all be like this!¡± ¡°That''s alright, if you could just set a place apart for the ones in our group, and we''ll take care of the rest. You could come with us and see if you like.¡±-Allura. ¡°Well, if''n that be okay, Ma''am, the price will be one silver per head per day. This way if''n ye please.¡± ¡°A silver a head? Per day? For this establishment?! That''s robbery!¡±-Suzie ¡°It''s alright. I have a plan.¡±-Allura. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Here ye be, Ma''am. Payment before they be goin'' in...¡± ¡°Hang on, a moment, lad. I''d like to check it out first before sending them in. Is that alright?¡±-Allura ¡°''Tis mighty unusual. Most folk be just dumpin'' ''em in, place offends their ''sensibilities!'' That it does!¡± ¡°Oh, this place more than offends, but not your fault. Let me show you something real quick.¡± Allura proceeds to walk the length and breadth of the area, with Jade using [Analysis] to get rid of all the filth, leaving the place completely spotless. ¡°Aye! Whad''ya do?!¡± ¡°A simple cantrip an alchemist friend of mine made for me, I can trade you a device that allows you do something similar, would save you a lot of work...¡±-Allura ¡°What ye askin''?¡± ¡°We''re not planning to stick around for long. All I ask in return is free housing for our lot, including 2 good meals a day, and you can keep this tool for the rest of your life. I can even make it soul-bound so no one can steal it from you. Sound good?¡±-Allura ¡°That be a mighty fine offer, Ma''am, but ye mind me tryin'' it first?¡± ¡°Not at all. As a matter of fact, here.¡±-Allura The boy takes the proffered wand and proceeds to point it at Allura. ¡°Now, two warnings, lad. First, it won''t work on living beings, so pointing it at me won''t do you any good. At best, you''ll make me angry, and you don''t want that. Second, whatever you use it on will be gone forever, so be extra careful about what you use it on.¡±-Allura. The boy tries it on Allura and true to form, it has no effect. Then he tries in on a spider web up in the ceiling, over 2 meters up, and after a second of concentration, the web vanishes, dropping one very confused spider at his feet, which promptly gets squashed. ¡°Well blimey! That be a fine wand, Ma''am.¡± ¡°Would you like a full description, lad?¡±-Allura. System Notice: Wand of Disintegration, soul-bound. Current Owner: None. Description: Wand made of an unidentified species of wood with several gems along the shaft, emerald, ruby, sapphire, diamond, opal. This wand will, at the user''s discretion, disintegrate any inanimate object designated by the user for disposal in a straight line from the wand''s tip. Objects destroyed by this wand have all their matter sent at the atomic level to the storage space of [Redacted] and can not be restored. This wand does not work on living things. Additional restriction. User can not use this wand to destroy objects recognized as being in the possession of another by The System. Mana cost for using this ability, 1 MP/gram of target object. ¡°Well, it be a right pleasure to accept yer deal, Ma''am.¡± System Notice: Contract established. Wand of Disruption is now the property of the stable boy, Eunis, in exchange for unlimited free room and board for the slaves under the custody of Allura, Suzie, and Ricardo. ¡°We''ll be back as soon as we can, wolf-man and serpent-kin. Hopefully we''ll be able to get you out of those collars by then.¡±-Allura They part ways and head out of the establishment. ¡°So the plan is for you to go to the embassy while the rest of us look for less conventional means of leaving the city on the side of the Holy Kingdom, correct?¡±-Suzie. ¡°Exactly. If anything, at all, goes wrong, head to The Holy Kingdom embassy, and try to find me there. But first try to meet me here at the slave holding center, and check on the slaves, in say, an hour or so. If I''m a no-show, head to the embassy and try to save yourselves.¡±-Allura ¡°Understood!¡±-Suzie and Ricardo say in unison. Meanwhile, Duke Deokk and his men go to all the local guilds and begin distributing a wanted poster based on the painting made by one Dick Richardson. Wanted: Rewards for information leading to the arrest of this woman on charges of grand theft, murder, and terrorism. She is considered armed and extremely dangerous. Do not confront or approach. She was last seen leaving the territory of Sydonia with a group of beast-kin slaves. ¡°Simple and effective at getting the message across. Are you sure you''re not a bard, Mr. Richardson?¡±-Deokk ¡°Not for lack of trying, Sire. I can paint a pretty picture with either paint or words, but I couldn''t carry a tune if you gave me a bucket, and forget about musical instruments of any kind. About the only success I had was with a bandoleer, and that was as a blunt weapon, for a few good whacks before it broke.¡±-Dick. (Nods Sagely) ¡°Indeed, there''s always something we''re not good at. But if you''re ever interested, my door will always be open to you. I''m always on the look for good and competent men, regardless of field. Now we head onward to the Holy Kingdom Embassy and hope we get there first. If she manages to get them to give her and the slaves she stole asylum, this will all quickly be for naught, or close to it,¡±-Deokk Chapter 14: Negotiations? Chapter 14 Negotiations The next few hours were pretty uneventful. Suzie went to the red-light district, specifically the gambling dens, to try and gather information at the various games of chance, where tongues tend to wag freely as the coins flow. Ricardo went through the slums looking for any hint of a crime syndicate or any possible exit points from the city that might be less secure than the rest. Allura and Jade, as earlier stated, went to the Holy Kingdom embassy to try their hand at beaurocramancy, the art of navigating the complex web of government protocols, rules, regulations, and all the people involved in going through proper channels to get what you want, and that''s not always easy, especially when someone, somewhere, in the organization decides to be problematic, for any reason, or maybe even no reason at all. ¡°Hey there, little one. I''ve got a silver here for you, and one for each of your five or six friends to find a place where a man could sneak out of the city in a hurry.¡±-Ricardo ¡°Yes, Mister!¡±-And the little scamp runs off. A few minutes later, the little rascal comes back, not with fellow children, but a big, burly brute and his henchmen. âŸo I hear you want a quick but hidden way out of the city, eh? What kind of trouble ye be in, hmm? Perhaps I''ll be getting more money if we here lads turn in your corpse, and spread the loot amongst ourselves, yes? ¡°Well, you certainly do seem to have me at a disadvantage, Mr...¡±-Ricardo ¡°Name''s none of your business. Yer not gonna be livin'' much longer anyways if you don''t give us a good reason to be helping you sneak out of the city. ¡°Sigh. Well, if you must know, the boss and I wrangled some slaves out of Sydonia and are being hounded by Deokk''s men. Do you suppose the duke pays ''gentlemen'' like yourselves well for helping him?¡±-Ricardo. ¡°Har! Har! Har! Ye hear that, lads? The man be spinning a tale about slave theft! Yeah. The duke pays real well for that kind of stuff! ¡°Figured as much. So there''s no way to leave without a fight, eh? This may be the slums but the guards may still come looking if there''s too much fuss.¡±-Ricardo ¡°Heh! As if you''ll live long enough to care! Get ''em!¡± Ricardo draws his blade and takes a stance of a seasoned veteran who''s seen many life or death battles. ¡°I swear, thugs get greedier and dumber every day.¡± The lead thug hangs back while a couple of lesser crooks race towards Ricardo, wielding broken bottles, fragments of windows, and other crude make-shift weapons fashioned from the nearby trash. Ricardo dodges their clumsy blows with ease, trips them and then expertly shoves his stainless steel dagger through the base of the neck into the brain, killing them easier than stepping on an unruly cockroach. While Ricardo''s bent over, the lead thug runs in from behind, an old table leg as a make-shift club held high. Without breaking stride, Ricardo elbows the guy in the groin, and stabs the guy in the kidney, taking the wind out of him and dropping him like a stack of stale potatoes. ÕÜow, you''re going to be bleeding out real quick if you don''t call off the rest of your goons and tell me what I need to know. ¡°Fuck you! I die, the boss is never going to let you go!¡± ¡°And who is this Boss? What gang or faction they with?¡±-Ricardo ¡°Hahaha! If you''re lucky, you''ll find out just before your throat''s slit in the middle of the night, as you see a pair of blood-red eyes looking down at you...¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Oh great. The black vipers again? Just how entrenched are they around these parts?¡± Ricardo states before proceeding to kill every last member of this untrained rabble, leaving not a single survivor. ¡°Too bad the boss isn''t here... Oh wait. I''ve got this, don''t I?¡± Ricardo pulls out a prototype of the wand the slave stable boy was given earlier. ¡°Should help get rid of the evidence quite nicely, and let the boss know my search was a wash.¡± Ricardo then proceeds to use the wand''s [Analysis] facsimile to wipe out the corpses, blood, and all their belongings, leaving not a trace, which pings Jade''s system messages a bit... Meanwhile, at the red-light district, Suzie spent her time gambling, talking up the locals during games of chance, not acting particularly rushed, just curious about rumors of places where people come and go from the city outside of going through the gates proper. While she didn''t draw attention for asking about the rumors, the House did think she won at the gambling table a bit too much. ¡°Miss, please come with us, while we''re still asking nicely.¡± says one of two rather large men who are apparently bouncers at this particular establishment. ¡°Well, sorry, dears, but it looks like mommy''s calling me and telling me to go home for the night, for the foreseeable future.¡± Suzie ¡°Much obliged for your, cooperation, Miss. And before you think of going elsewhere, the Management has already spread word to the rest of the parlors around these parts of your unusual good luck. Enjoy your winnings while you can.¡± Suzie leaves the gambling den without incident but as she starts heading to the embassy as planned, she notices that she''s being tailed. ¡°Sore losers at the table? Or something more sinister? Shall we find out, Sugar?¡± Suzie weaves through the pedestrian traffic and walks into a dark alley, pretending to be lost, and leads her pursuers into a dead-end, faking a panic. ¡°Well, well. What do we have here? A poor little lamb who''s lost her way? Me and the lads won''t mind helpin'' ya, ifn you makes it worth our while. How about lettin'' us have a bit o'' fun with yer sweet body, hmm?¡± ¡°Now, boys. I know this is the pleasure district and all, but that''s not the kind of fun I''m looking for, and I''m certainly not one of those workers, especially not around these parts. You mind telling me why you''ve been following me since I was oh so graciously escorted out of the gambling den when I was a bit luckier than The House liked? Hmm?¡±-Suzie ¡°Don''t be gettin'' cocky, Bitch. We were wantin'' to go easy on ye, but we''ll be more ''an happy to do it the hard way. We''ll still be havin'' our way with ye, but we''ll be a beatin'' ye down first! Last chance! Spread yer legs or we''ll be prying ''em apart, and we won''t be carin'' ifn they''re still attached!¡± ¡°Ya know, if you so-called men would think with the head on your shoulders and not the one in your loins, you might be wondering why I went into a dark alley in an unfamiliar city when I knew I was being followed. Instead of running to the town guard, a tavern, or maybe even a brothel, where there are going to be witnesses. Now I know raping me isn''t what you''re really after, not even close, at best it''s a bonus. If you want any mercy on what''s left of your miserable mortal souls, you will accept this last chance to bow your faces to the ground, beg for mercy, and cooperate with my wishes so much, when I say ''jump'' you won''t even bother asking ''how high'', instead you will jump as hard as you can and hope it''s high enough! I will not ask again. KNEEL IN SUPLICATION OR SUFFER!!¡±-Suzie ¡°A''right, boys! We be wastin'' our breath wit'' this one! Get HER!!!¡± He and his men rush to the dead end of the alley to find their weapons piercing empty air. ¡°Wrong choice, murderers, thieves, rapists, participants in fratricide and patricide, and far, far too many sins to count. You were given many chances to walk away with your souls intact and you have squandered them all! In the name of Suzinarias''sul-de-mordred, you will face an eternity being judged in hell-fire!¡± Says a disembodied voice coming from everywhere yet nowhere. All that remains of these thugs are random scraps of their clothing and a few possessions that are so common they can''t be used to positively identify them. ¡°Being an Erinyes is tough, but it has its perks. No evidence, no crime, and since they were irredeemable scum, they''re not likely to be missed by anyone who isn''t irredeemable themselves.¡± Says Suzie just before a portal opens next to her ear and she hears whispers in some indecipherable tongue, at least indecipherable to mortal men and The System. ¡°So they were with the Black Serpents, eh? Or were they merely bragging to try and escape their fate?¡± IOLAGHCAERLCHA; ¡°I see¡± and a cloth with their gang symbol falls into her hand. ¡°Good work. You may do what you wish with their souls, so long as they suffer.¡± iolkmgaezxmna! And the portal closes as if it was never there. ¡°Well. All those years posing as a debt slave were worth it for this ¡­ adventure I''m now on!¡± And Suzie resumes her trip to the embassy. Meanwhile, in the embassy, Allura gets guided to what she''s told is a waiting room as an expert in international asylum law will come to greet her. She is provided refreshments, some assorted tarts and a cup of the local fruit juice, a local specialty. ¡°Hang on. Before sampling any of their wares, let me grab a couple, so I can replicate them later.¡± Jade uses [Analysis] on one of each flavor of tart and the glass of what appears to be pomegranate juice only to get a nasty surprise in the new blueprints list. Blueprints acquired: Tarts (various flavors), Pomegranate juice, Pomegranate seeds, sedatives. ¡°Don''t eat them! They''ve been laced with drugs to sedate you!¡± Jade proceeds to use [Analysis] to break them down into their components and then remake them, without the sedatives, for Allura to enjoy. A short while later, the receptionist and Duke Deokk arrive to find a very, very wide awake Allura. ¡°The refreshments were very refreshing indeed, but they taste better without sedatives in them. Care for a bite?¡± A fresh platter of sweets and juice appear for Deokk. ¡°How about we talk this out like civilized beings? That is, presuming you louts from Sydonia even know what ''civilized'' means!¡±-Allura.