Time passed and Marty and Rosita entertained themselves watching the occasional group of tree runners explore their entrance tunnel and gaze curiously over the underground lake. They quickly realized that the presence of intelligent beings allowed Marty to integrate something into his core.
« Rosita, I feel as if I need to reorganise myself. My shell feels tight. »
“Already!” squealed Rosita excitedly. “You’re ready to grow! Oh wow, better do it before any heavy-duty adventurers arrive. Call up your interface and evolve. It takes some time at first.”
« OK. Um, are you sure we’re safe. That this is safe. »
“Should be.” Rosita said worriedly, “But not doing it is worse. Or so I was told. Um, good luck Marty, it’ll be fine, you’ll see.”
Marty took one last look round his home, his self and looked inward. After a further hesitation he found himself instinctively driving the new energy his visitors had been giving off and merging it with his mana. His inborn mathematical abilities kicked in then. Something was sub-optimal with the weave he had started on. Seeking the correct fractals and equations he forced a change. Marty struggled and forced the merged energy into a new, more efficient format.
Then things went haywire. The new format was far more conductive. Marty found himself fighting to master his new energy flows.
Rosita watched apprehensively as Marty’s glow dimmed as he entered a dormant state. The first integration was always the most dangerous for a core. She bit her lip until it bled when bright lights began flowing over his core and it developed dozens of tiny facets. This did not match her expectations, cores normally started out with somewhere between eight to twelve facets.
After one day, Marty’s core seemed to have finished changing, it had grown, but the growth was less than she had expected. However it was far clearer and it seemed far more balanced than it had been. The Mind aspect was far stronger than before. She sighed with relief, Marty seemed to have come out of it safely, and his core showed signs of waking. A balanced core was better, she knew that but it usually took many integrations for this to happen.
Marty woke to find himself being hugged by an excited fairy. “Oh Marty, I’m so glad you’re well, when your core started to gain all those facets I was worried. And look, our little rose sprite is waking.”
« The shape offered was sub-optimal. This shape is both stronger and conducts energy better. I think it might hold more too. »
Marty examined his first rose bush and would have smiled if he could. « What a lovely little thorn maiden. Thorn you’re beautiful. »
Thorn blinked her red flecked green eyes and grinned showing sharp thornlike teeth. “Papa, mama,” she said.
The next hour vanished as the three got to know one another. Thorn spread herself through the chamber’s rose bushes and stirred several sisters to life. This caused Rosita and Marty to lose more time in wonder.
* * *
When Marty and Rosita returned their attention to their dungeon they found a working party of elves growing a small pier in the lake cavern. They had already grown a set of railings to make the path that ran along the river safer to use. Marty restrained his curiosity and turned his attention to expansion. It was time he created a second floor.
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That night he flooded the pier and rails and took them over. He found their structure interesting. He started experimenting with this new and strangely cooperative tree in one of his new rooms.
Marty had plenty of time for his new project as the elves proved to be meticulous and in no hurry. He particularly enjoyed watching the way they encouraged the pier to grow a couple of large rowboats complete with oars.
Five humans spent some time watching the boats grow. They did not give Marty the impression of being particularly patient. But it seemed that they were obeying – reluctantly – the local elves.
At the same time as the elves were growing a second pier, one that incorporated some stairs to facilitate use of the exit to the lake cavern.
The first visitors to cross the lake were a trio of elves accompanied by four tree runners. They safely navigated the long twisty corridor to the first of the heavily overgrown caves. They barely penetrated it, they just stood there and admired the sight.
“Be aware that the Raptors, an advanced adventurer group have invoked several treaties to be the ones to evaluate you. I hope you have defences against fire. Adventurers are fond of fire, Humans and dwarves especially. Good luck tomorrow. Queen Aldrya has forbidden your destruction, but be careful nonetheless.”
« Fire – why those motherless bastards, I’ll give them fire. Hmmm, wonder if I have enough time? » uttered Marty as he watched the elves leave. At the last moment he used his mastery of Mind and tried to reply. He targeted the woman who spoke the warning.
« Thank you for the warning. I currently have no answer for fire, but I have an idea. Thanks to you I might trap some of my chambers against fire users. »
Rivanna was chatting with her husband and son when Marty’s statement blossomed in her mind. She froze causing her companions to stumble. She spun round and stared back down the passage. “You’re welcome... Erm, what’s your name?”
« I’m Marty, welcome to my Rose Dungeon. Rosita my Fairy companion and me are happy to welcome polite visitors. »
“Thank you Marty. I mean it, be very careful tomorrow.” Rivanna stared at her son and hugged her husband. “Aldrya must hear about this...”
Marty and Rosita watched their visitors row across the lake and leave their dungeon. « What should I do first Rosita? Lower our chamber and open the second level or set up smoke traps? »
“Second level first,” decided Rosita. “What do you mean about smoke traps?”
« Well there are some plants that give of poisonous smoke when they burn, and fire uses up oxygen. So if I design some way of sealing a cave in case of fire. Everyone caught in it will be simultaneously poisoned and asphyxiated. »
Rosita giggled, “Do that. But first, finish our second level.”
* * *
If dungeons could be tired Marty would have been exhausted, his reserves were actually low. Rosita was curled up asleep in her apartment, Marty could hear her cute buzzing snores, admittedly only because he was the dungeon.
Finally it was time, the human adventurers were rowing across the lake. They seemed surprised he had allowed the rowboats. Hadn’t the idiots realized the cavern was a designated safe room? The elves had.
They made their way up the twisting passage with consummate ease, quite thoroughly smashing the two traps it contained. That was just mean. Well that did it. When they smashed the second trap, he was peeved enough to react. He mustered his mind magic and broadcast to them.
« Intruders identified as hostile. Defences activated. »
“Oh Marty no! You shouldn’t have done that,” whispered Rosita apprehensively.
Hainrick Sunlord stopped and looked up at the ceiling, “Leo?” he asked.
“Um,” muttered Leo as he concentrated on gathering information. “The aspects are Nature as is more than obvious and Mind. They are close to being balanced. That was the core, it is aware. No doubt about it this one delayed opening as long as it could.”
“And I’ll lay odds the elves have already made contact with it, The way the crown’s representative lady Rivanna warned us again today of the Queens interest in this dungeon,” said Hainrick.
« Oi! Stop insulting me. I’m a him not an it! Why are you trespassing unwanted in my home if you’re just going to insult me. »