[ Ability learned: Reclamation I (Rare) (Active). You begin to grasp one of the many methods of energy control within your domain, just as you have grasped and repurposed the energy from an external source. ( Within your domain, reach out and absorb the mana and/or lifeforce of that which has a particularly weak attunement/constitution. Successful conversion rate, speed of absorption, and target effectiveness are increased with ability rating and level disparity). ]
On one hand it was glad to see its time spent had been validated by the system, on the other… The surrounding vegetation within the garden had been utterly decimated, and the once pleasant and peaceful ambiance had become a hollow and eerie whisper of what it once was. It had wanted to leave this place and simply needed the energy to do so, but taking it forcefully had upended the balance that existed in this small corner of the world. It did not want to become like those who had tried to consume itself not so very long ago. It did not want to become some mindless devourer…
No. It pushed those thoughts aside. A certain level of conflict was a core tenant of this reality. Otherwise the system would not reward such actions. Opportunities to give will come as well, and I will balance the scales for that which I have taken.
Just then the gate unlatched and swung open. A human woman wearing a slender robe that had a faint shimmering quality to it stepped through and paused at the scene before her. She had a stoic beauty and held herself differently than everyone it’d seen so far. Her gentle yet authoritative gaze locked onto the core and stayed there. The older man beside her, which it recognized as a guard by now, looked a bit bewildered and began speaking to the woman. She seemed to absently disregard him and she slowly paced forward as if approaching a wild animal, and that was when it felt it…
The faintest mental probe.
If the core lived a more physical existence like that of humanity, in that moment it would’ve appeared to be stunned. Intangible muscles clenched in anticipation at the thought of real contact. If this woman could conduct her mind well enough to reach out and probe it, however faintly, it should be developed enough to accept its presence.
Do not display such frivolous emotion. It admonished itself. A single conversation is not a basis for- for sentimentality or what have you. And with the unfortunate timing with Reclamation on my part, things may start off on the wrong note…
Before it got the chance to preemptively apologize, hoping to brush it off as a misunderstanding of sorts, the woman initiated contact.
“Hello there, my name is Valencia. Might I ask yours?” She said aloud in a hushed almost reverent tone that carried over mentally as well, though quite a bit fainter.
Its entire line of thinking was thrown off at the mere mention of such a simple concept. Its name? It… it did not have a given name like it had gathered humans did. For who was there to give it one? Not itself, it had been too busy just observing and reacting to its surroundings the entire time it had awakened! Not wanting to waste time and goodwill by seeming unforthcoming, it quickly decided to speak the simple truth.
“In a manner of speaking, the system has labeled me: Aberrant. It is just a title, but I am known by no other name.” It confessed across the flickering mental link.
The woman stood frozen in a half crouch with her arm partially reaching out to its surface. Could she not actually hear it, or was the answer perhaps not to her satisfaction?
“Aberrant?” Valencia finally whispered with wide eyes before something dawned upon her and a wry smile formed on her features “I suppose you would be, to end up here”. After a moment she then slowly proceeded the rest of the way and laid her palm on its jagged glassy surface and closed her eyes.
Aside from a moment where it could more clearly sense the flow of energy within her, it felt nothing in particular from the physical contact. It was not operating with the same sensory organs as flesh and blood creatures, after all. What it did gather from Valencia’s energy signature was a strong nature attunement and a sense of the size of her mana pool; though it had no other human to compare it to so far. Intriguing.
“Were you uprooted from your dungeon?” She eventually asked through the mental connection, which was notably clearer with the direct contact. “How did you survive?”
It wasn’t sure if it could trust her to know how inexperienced it truly was right now. Valencia clearly held dungeon cores in a certain regard, one that was seemingly positive so far, but it couldn’t be certain. That being the case, if it revealed that it had little to no knowledge of its own nature let alone the outside world? She would have too much agency in this conversation, and it would be disadvantageous when it turned into a negotiation. In a sense, it was already a negotiation as far as it was concerned. It simply had yet to make known what it sought out of this, which for now was still to secure a way out of this city and find a place to place its domain anchor.
“That’s a long story to share between strangers such as us” it said with projected nonchalance as it immediately cursed itself for being too indirect. Gods this is nerve wracking! Valencia might be put off by its tone well before it would get the chance to ask for any favors now.
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If Valencia was intrigued when she learned what it really was that ended up contained within her garden, now she was beyond ecstatic. She worked to keep her hands from visibly shaking out of excitement and a bit of fear. In all her studies, and in the few years spent adventuring, every living dungeon core was said to be exceedingly hostile to outside influences of any kind. The few mortals alive who’ve communed with the cores of dungeons belonged to the central factions of Lithia that had the kind of overwhelming strength that could dismantle overly hostile dungeons with impunity. They reported that cooperation could only be achieved through total domination because a core always threw every resource it had trying to purge invaders of its inner domain. Yet the one before her, despite having no visible defenses, no thralls or dungeon spawn to command, was the epitome of calm and confident.
How powerful must it be to be so assured of itself? She shuddered, and stepped away slowly. Its aura is like nothing I’ve ever felt, its attunement must be unique…
Attempting to Identify it yielded few results worth mentioning.
[ Domain Core… ]
Fascinating. She thought. No displayed level, no hint at its attunement, not even a classification on whether it belonged to a dungeon or not. Either it possesses a potent anti-divination skill or ‘domain’ cores have greatly diverged from the mortal races in their system classifications…
Valencia had to stop herself from going on such tangents while in the presence of the enigmatic entity before her. It was just so difficult to find verifiable information on dungeon cores, any tidbit was exciting. Alas she couldn’t just act like a young researcher getting lost in their favorite subject, she had to rein it in and play the diplomat. Something befitting her current station.
“Well as you must know, contact between people like us is a rarity.” She finally stated, hedging whether to put it all on the line now or to play it safe. Ah, damnation, it was now or never… “We might be stranger’s of mere circumstance now, but I want you to know as a representative of this city that we would greatly benefit from cooperation. Whatever form you’d want that to take” Valencia said with a shaky breath before rapidly continuing. “You must know the value you represent in the long term, and I would not underestimate that. I am willing to sign a system enforced contract with you at your convenience to lay out what the city of Strahaim is willing to provide, as well as assurances for your safety and relative autonomy in perpetuity” She finished, heart racing in her chest.
Valencia wasn’t even certain if they could utilize a system enforced contract between a living domain core and someone of the mortal races, but it would likely know better than her… She could feel its consciousness at the edge of her mind, a quiet pressure that was stirring with unknown thoughts and emotions at her proposal. It was probably unconvinced, but she would settle on a secondary plan or a compromise if it wished for something else entirely. Either way she couldn’t allow this conversation to fall apart due to a half-measure on her end or else it would haunt her for the rest of her life.
“Valencia of Strahaim...” It eventually said with the same deep measured tone as before, “Let us discuss the terms of this deal.”
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It had been nearly three hours since Magus Valencia Tharn had returned home, and the gloom of night was settling upon the sky over Strahaim. Meanwhile Sergeant Garik Durnstad of the city guard stood diligently outside the gate to the garden pondering what had occurred earlier that day.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
From his perspective, the moment Valencia laid eyes on that stone she was entranced. He wasn’t one to believe in the same silly superstitions as some of his compatriot guardsmen but he could not deny he had been worried for a minute that she’d been literally possessed by it. Alas, it turned out it was a different form of possession. The kind that awakens in someone when they see something that they desire, and cannot hold themselves back any longer.
Sargeant Durnstad was unsure about the details but suffice to say that Magus Tharn was still inside the garden, attempting to divine the secrets of some magical artifact that apparently had huge implications for the people of Strahaim. That was more than Garik needed to know to do his job diligently, which for now was keeping watch of the street and being ready to transport Miss Valencia and her newest arcane trinket whenever need be. After all, she was well respected in most departments and might just secure him a transfer to a cushy position soon enough…
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[ ALERT: A System contract has been forged with you as as a presumed signatory. ]
[ Initiate contract function for details? ]
[ Confirm / Deny ]
The core looked at the new lines of text that manifested before itself. The human mage Valencia whom it had been discussing the details with was looking a bit drained for the moment, hunched over the small side table she'd brought to the garden as an impromptu desk.
Perhaps the cost of evoking the system itself to back an agreement? It thought, mentally preparing for a similar sort of backlash. This just shows how serious she takes our proposed cooperation.
[ Confirmed... ]
Suddenly something at the core of its being was drawn upon as- as fuel, just for the manifestation of the contract alone. It instinctively knew that it wasn't getting back whatever was taken, even if it ended up turning down the proposed offer it would be too late to reclaim.
I may not have accessed my status yet, but that did not feel like a simple drain of mana. It stopped to take the domain core equivalent to a breather, digesting the gravity of the agreement.
- System Contract Draft -
Contract class: Equivalent party obligation, soulbound.
Proffered stake: Each party involved is subject to a penalty of 10,000,000 exp debt per violation on an individual basis. Violations subsequent to the first instance, or those deemed citical, accrue compounded strain on system-based abilities manifesting as semi-permanent debuffs (until contract completion/dissolution).
Contract completion: One standard decade, subject to renewal. Mutual dissolution only valid with all signing parties in agreement.
Overall terms, authored by party Valencia Tharn (subject to renegotiation on contract renewal):
As the party (Domain Core), you agree to find a suitable location to establish yourself within or around the city limits of Strahaim. On approval, and after a grace period of one to thirty days, the representatives of Strahaim will have cleared out a foundation for party (Dungeon Core) to claim and build upon. After which, negotiations on the acceptable aboveground dimensions can be specified by mutual party agreement. The region below the selected plot will be under your purview to physically alter as seen fit.
Of the major stipulations, as the party (Domain Core) you agree to a ‘containment clause' which involves a reasonable expectation that verifiable precautions have been taken to assure the safety of the citizens of Strahaim in the case of outward influence from your domain in the form of: arcane spell forms, enchantments, and auras. As well as the containment of any creatures or entities, classified as: living or dead, constructs, puppets, under hypnosis, and more within the "expanded list of entities and effects..." that originate from your domain or appear within your influence as a direct result of your personal actions.
In the event that your domain influence stretches beyond that of the initial agreed upon zones and into the city proper, you will be expected to inform party Valencia Tharn, or a suitable representative of the city Strahaim, as soon as possible. Exerting such influences or failing in containment outside the agreed on zones will be seen as a violation, until a new agreement on the expansion can be made.
Valencia Tharn agrees to display a schedule that will be determined by both signing parties to allow for participating adventuring parties and dungeon delvers within your domain. Stipulations include a 'lockdown clause' , where as the party (Domain Core) you are permitted to bar entry into your domain in the case of domain evolutions, major internal maintenance, and any scenarios that fall under the "expanded list of emergent scenarios...". In the case of failure for applicable parties to vacate upon initiating a lockdown, see the 'swift death clause' and more within the "expanded list of scheduling stipulations...".
As the party (Domain Core), you acknowledge that representatives of Strahaim (or approved outside contractors) will occasionally test the difficulty of the encounters and environments within your domain. The responsibility to communicate the determined risk level to the public is placed solely on the representatives of Strahaim.
Aside from the system-determined rewards and drops, you will not be obligated to relinquish any personal resources outside that purview nor will you be required to show special leniency on those within. Any such interactions are handled on a case by case basis at your discretion, as laid out in the 'discretionary dealings clause'.
Those that go through the agreed upon entrance or otherwise gain access to your inner domain will thus forgo any exclusive protections that are laid out anywhere in the agreement, and are deemed aware of the risk of injury and death.
Gear, trinkets, artifacts, and other non specified resources or materials lost by delvers will be yours by right of conquest. You are fully permitted to trade among the representatives of Strahaim or approved third parties, at any time one such representative is available.
Finally, party Valencia Tharn and applicable representatives of the city of Strahaim agree to not take any actions which would put the core of your domain at risk, nor will they solicit aid to third party organizations who may seek to do so as well. Any information about a significant risk to your domain discovered by the representatives of Strahaim will be communicated as soon as possible as detailed in the 'significant risk clause'.
[ ALERT: Awaiting contract acknowledgment... ]
[ Confirm / Counter Proposal / Deny ]
By the time it had finished going over the details, they were both back to feeling somewhat less strained from the process. The draw of that indeterminable energy wasn't just a consequence of the soulbound nature of the agreement, but for invoking the system in the first place.
Aside from that discovery, this was an unlikely opportunity for the both of them. Before their discussions, neither of them fully realized how much the other was invested in the idea. There was something missing though…
“I will agree to these terms, with one condition.” The core said through the mental link. “I want you directly, to serve as my official advisor, political advocate, and intermediary beyond my domain. Naturally you'd be allowed full protections within my influence so that you can feel secure in your duties. However, if you put me at substantial risk by abusing this position, it would count as a critical violation...”
Valencia’s jaw dropped in surprise at the bold gesture, but she supposed it could ultimately benefit them both in the long run. Despite the risk of a critical violation and the nasty repercussions therein, she couldn’t help but feel a bit touched by her significant role in this venture. This was certain to be a new age for Strahaim, and Valencia Tharn was being allowed at the helm.
“Okay” Valencia acquiesced, “but there’s one last thing I wish to propose as well”. She smiled demurely. “To become officially associated with myself and Strahaim, you’ll need to decide on a name for yourself and your domain”.
If the core could emulate human behavior it would've sighed heavily. Though it suspected this kind of thing was coming, it just couldn't decide on this kind of matter quickly. So it contemplated quietly in the twilight garden for a bit, meanwhile Valencia seemed to understand and was content to wait.
"...Nyx" The core muttered faintly across the mental link, accompanied by sense of uncertainty.
"Hmm?" Valencia leaned forward with a raised brow in response. "What was that?"
"Gods above, just call me Nyx and be done with it!" It flared with something between embarrassment and anger which could be felt as well.
Valencia Tharn did something she never thought she'd ever do in her wildest dreams. She keeled over and laughed at a frustrated domain core, no at Nyx, who in that moment was reflecting a decidedly masculine sort of insecurity. By the time Valencia came back around she had to wipe her eyes and recenter herself, the high of emotions were still being transferred through the link which now radiated reluctant amusement from Nyx, no doubt as a result of both of their outbursts.
"Okay Nyx, we can work with that." Valencia said, failing to wipe the smile from her face "What about your domain name?"
Nyx looked blankly in the distance to the edges of its domain as it thought. The darkness of the night had long encroached upon the surroundings, obscuring details that were once plain to see...
"How about the shroud?" Nyx muttered over the link.
"The Shroud of Nyx" Valencia spoke aloud, nodding in approval. "It has a gravity to it, the name of a great domain indeed".
Now was the time to commit, no more excuses.
[ Counter proposal sent, awaiting acknowledgment... ]
[ Confirmation received, contract completed and witnessed. ]
Witnessed? Nyx wondered before a vast presence suddenly descended upon their consciousness, infinite and inscrutable, before dissipating just as quickly...
"Was that the..." Nyx trailed off.
"Presence of the system?" Valencia muttered "Indeed. Or at least some minuscule fragment of it, as it's been theorized."
They both sat there for a bit, sobered by the reality of what was ahead of them. The future would be wrought with trials they would have to overcome, obstacles they couldn't always foresee. Right now though, they could just enjoy the quiet company in the dim moonlight.
"So, about your garden..." Nyx eventually said, cutting through the companionable silence.