Jasper found herself dragged back into the nothingness, she spent an endless moment in the dark cursing Marty. And then she found herself in a stone room, she barely had time to see a sleeping insect winged girl disappear as she dropped onto the moss bed the little fairy had been occupying.
Jasper groaned as she rubbed her back. She looked round the gloomy damp room. It was half covered in a greyish moss. The moss was glowing, generating a dim light. Floating in the middle of the room was a purplish-red orb. Jasper rubbed her hands and smiled in what she hoped was a winning way.
“Hello, I’m your dungeon Imp. How would you like to become an undead dungeon?”
« ... What ... undead ... ? »
Jasper grinned. Ah, this was more like it. This core was barely sapient. She would able to guide it as she pleased. She would have the best dungeon in the world. She’d show that Marty. She’d show everybody. Then she’d have to find Randy. With Randy at her beck and call Marty would do whatever she wanted him to.
“Right, I’m Jasper. What’s your name? I can already tell we’re gonna be great friends.”
« ... Name ... what is ... ? »
Jasper examined her dungeon core with some exasperation. She rubbed her aching back with her tail and looked down with disfavour at her overdeveloped breasts. How did women manage to do anything with things like this hanging off their chests all the time? And how come she was so accepting of her sex change. Jasper growled, ‘I bet that obnoxious not human did something to my mind.’
She plastered another smile to her face, “Look, why don’t I call you Vlad? Vlad was a great and terrible man back where I came from. He was the terror of the Turks. Do you want your name to be Vlad?”
« ... I ... Dungeon Core ... what is ... Vlad? »
“It would be your name, yes you are a dungeon core, but so are many others. Your name would be Vlad. You would be unique among dungeon cores Vlad.”
« Me ... Vlad. »
“That’s right Vlad buddy. Now can you find the companion bonding function, spell. Use it so we can proceed. We will be the greatest buddy.”
« Buddy ... what is ... this one Vlad »
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“Buddy is like friend, only better. It’s you and me against the universe. And we are gonna win. Right Vlad.”
« Vlad greatest ... good ... companion bond ... offered »
Jasper bounced up and down on her toes in excitement. “Yes I accept.”
Ting – « Done. I now pronounce you Dungeon and Imp. »
Ting – « Please select your two Affinities. »
“We want undead,” blurted Jasper.
Ting – « Does not exist – did you mean Darkness or Death? »
« ... Darkness ... »
“Yeah that’s right Vlad. Darkness it is,” interrupted Jasper before Vlad could repeat both options offered by the System. “And Demonic would be good too...” she added.
Ting – « Infernal? »
« No ... Danger ... to Vlad. »
“What do you mean Vlad?”
« Church ... Hunt. »
Jasper felt a bit disappointed, he could feel Vlad would not shift. “Hmm, how ’bout Fire? »
« Fire ... Good »
Ting – « Darkness and Fire, done. Please select what guardians you wish, a list is available. »
Jasper grinned widely, “Undead. Right Vlad.”
« Is ... good »
Ting – « Done. Dungeon core Vlad, Level 1, Primary affinity: Darkness, secondary affinity: Fire. Guardians: Undead. »
Jasper screeched her triumph and flew to hug Vlad. “We’re in business Vlad. We need a few rooms and some mobs and treasure. Then we can open and start our climb to fame and power.”
« More rooms ... good »
“Lessee, we need at least three rooms beyond the core room. And at level one you’re restricted to twenty mobs and one boss.” Jasper sighed, this was going to take forever.
Two months later they had four fifteen meter by ten rooms in addition to the twenty meter by fifteen core room. The first two rooms had three skeletons each. The next two had three skeletons and two zombies each. The core room had four skeletons. Jasper had given up on having zombies in the core room as he found their smell stomach turning.
They still lacked a boss monster but both of them were getting impatient. So they decided to open up. Vlad carved a set of stairs leading up to the surface and they opened their dungeon at the foot of a tall mountain facing a deserted valley.
* * *
Time passed and a miasma spread from the new cave. The local wildlife for the most part moved away from an area that was becoming increasingly barren.
In the dungeon Vlad and Jasper selected one of their skeletons and infused it with darkness and fire. Their early attempts resulted in some spectacular explosions but finally they managed to create a skeleton that was shrouded in shadows and was capable of using a flame attack. The problem was the fact that when it prepared to use its breath attack its skull was wreathed in fire.
Jasper suggested calling it Red. On being named 'Red' it grew until it stood at two meters from bony feet to top of its fiery skull.
* * *
A month went by and still no one came. Vlad waited patiently. He was quite happy absorbing mana and looking at his walls. Jasper for her part was almost climbing the walls.
“Hey Vlad, we need to find out where we are. How about sending one of our mobs out to take a look?”
« Danger ... guardian not good ... out »
“Mmm, how ’bout we make something small. Maybe a rat... no how ’bout a mouse?”
« Can do mouse. »
So Jasper hovered just inside the entrance of her dungeon as four small skeletal mice scurried out and headed off each one to one of the points of the compass.